Publicidad y "telebasura" en televisión

La publicidad es un elemento consustancial para los medios de comunicación de masas actuales. Otro hecho innegable pero quizás más contemporáneo es la “telebasura”. Con nuestra investigación pretendemos unir estas dos singularidades que atiborran las parrillas televisivas para intentar discernir sus verdaderos nexos. Los programas basura mantienen un idilio desde los años 90 con la televisión española, ¿pero está relación ha traspasado las fronteras del periodismo del corazón -género tradicionalmente ligado a ella- para pasar al mundo publicitario? Tantas décadas compartiendo el mismo medio puede que sea motivo suficiente para que sus características se extrapolen a todo lo que la telebasura envuelva y alcance su publicidad. Si así fuera, ¿existiría entonces la “publicidad basura”? Es decir, al igual que la telebasura con el tiempo ha ido definiéndose mediante unas singularidades prácticamente inequívocas y más que reconocibles para los espectadores -y con indiscutible éxito de audiencia-, sería razonable sospechar que estas variables -o partes de ellas- forman parte del discurso del mensaje publicitario como forma de llegar a un público determinado y consumidor de programas de contenido análogo. Si la telebasura invade las cadenas actuales con programas prefabricados, ¿la “publibasura” también?Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Publicidad y Relaciones Pública

Integrated and interactive 4D system for archaeological stratigraphy

The digitization of some of the processes carried out in an archaeological excavation is changing the way of working at the site. Today, new technologies coexist with traditional methodologies. The study of stratigraphy can combine drawings of profiles and plans, the Harris Matrix diagram, as well as digitized files that perform a complete record of the stratigraphic sequence. However, this information is usually unaggregated from the rest of the information system that makes up the archaeological record. In this paper, we present an integrated software tool and the associated methodology to record, store, visualize and analyze the 3D stratigraphy of a site. The implementation uses spatial databases to store information of a heterogeneous nature and game engines for the visualization and interaction with this information. During the excavation process, the strata are scanned using the Tof technology, which is available in many smartphones. The resulting 3D model of the stratum, once uploaded to the software system, allows us to visualize the sequence of strata incorporating the findings into their original arrangement. Some additional tools, such as the scrollbar, help to perform a temporal analysis of the site. The result is a 4D interactive stratigraphy tool, which together with the Harris Matrix, complements the archaeological record and facilitates the work to archaeologists. This methodology also allows to speed up the on-site work and the subsequent analysis, while improving the user experience with the 3D archaeological site replica.CRUE-CSICSpringer NatureSpanish GovernmentEuropean Commission TIN2017-84968-

An out-of-core method for GPU image mapping on large 3D scenarios of the real world

[Abstract] Image mapping on 3D huge scenarios of the real world is one of the most fundamental and computational expensive processes for the integration of multi-source sensing data. Recent studies focused on the observation and characterization of Earth have been enhanced by the proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and sensors able to capture massive datasets with a high spatial resolution. Despite the advances in manufacturing new cameras and versatile platforms, only a few methods have been developed to characterize the study area by fusing heterogeneous data such as thermal, multispectral or hyperspectral images with high-resolution 3D models. The main reason for this lack of solutions is the challenge to integrate multi-scale datasets and high computational efforts required for image mapping on dense and complex geometric models. In this paper, we propose an efficient pipeline for multi-source image mapping on huge 3D scenarios. Our GPU-based solution significantly reduces the run time and allows us to generate enriched 3D models on-site. The proposed method is out-of-core and it uses available resources of the GPU’s machine to perform two main tasks: (i) image mapping and (ii) occlusion testing. We deploy highly-optimized GPU-kernels for image mapping and detection of self-hidden geometry in the 3D model, as well as a GPU-based parallelization to manage the 3D model considering several spatial partitions according to the GPU capabilities. Our method has been tested on 3D scenarios with different point cloud densities (66M, 271M, 542M) and two sets of multispectral images collected by two drone flights. We focus on launching the proposed method on three platforms: (i) System on a Chip (SoC), (ii) a user-grade laptop and (iii) a PC. The results demonstrate the method’s capabilities in terms of performance and versatility to be computed by commodity hardware. Thus, taking advantage of GPUs, this method opens the door for embedded and edge computing devices for 3D image mapping on large-scale scenarios in near real-time.This work has been partially supported through the research projects TIN2017-84968-R, PID2019-104184RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERDF funds “A way of doing Europe”, as well as by ED431C 2021/30, ED431F 2021/11 funded by Xunta de Galicia and 1381202 by Junta de AndalucíaXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2021/30Xunta de Galicia; ED431F 2021/11Junta de Andalucía; 138120

Chemometric modeling for spatiotemporal characterization and self-depuration monitoring of surface water assessing the pollution sources impact of northern Argentina rivers

In Argentina, both surface and ground water are used for a diverse priority purposes, such as drinking and basic hygiene, but they are also utilized as receivers of different types of industrial and urban and suburban effluents that affect their natural composition. This activity accompanied by the increase of the population and climate changes have activated the alarms of organism water management forced to implement strict quality controls previous to its use. In this work, a systematic evaluation of a set of physicochemical and biological parameters measured in 19 sampling sites during the period 2017–2019 is presented. Principal component analysis (PCA) and matrix augmentation-PCA (MA-PCA) were applied as exploratory analysis tools to visualize and interpret the information contained in the dataset. Both studies allowed to detect the relevant variables and to differentiate the samples based on pollution areas. These models led to similar conclusions; nonetheless, MA-PCA provided a more straightforward overview of the spatiotemporal variation of the samples in comparison to classical PCA. Finally, a significant and sensitive discriminant model (93% non-error rate) was developed to analyze and predict the self-depuration of the rivers. The excellent predictive ability achieved by this model makes its application suitable for the monitoring of the water quality.Fil: Jurado Zavaleta, Marcelo A.. Universidad Nacional de Salta; ArgentinaFil: Alcaraz, Mirta Raquel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Peñaloza, Lidia Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional de Salta; ArgentinaFil: Boemo, Analía. Universidad Nacional de Salta; ArgentinaFil: Cardozo, Ana. No especifíca;Fil: Tarcaya, Gerardo. No especifíca;Fil: Azcarate, Silvana Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: Goicoechea, Hector Casimiro. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Thyroid hormones inhibit TGF-β signaling and attenuate fibrotic responses

TGF-β, the most potent profibrogenic factor, acts by activating SMAD (mothers against decapentaplegic) transcription factors, which bind to SMAD-binding elements in target genes. Here, we show that the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3), through binding to its nuclear receptors (TRs), is able to antagonize transcriptional activation by TGF-β/SMAD. This antagonism involves reduced phosphorylation of SMADs and a direct interaction of the receptors with SMAD3 and SMAD4 that is independent of T3-mediated transcriptional activity but requires residues in the receptor DNA binding domain. T3 reduces occupancy of SMADbinding elements in response to TGF-β, reducing histone acetylation and inhibiting transcription. In agreement with this transcriptional cross-talk, T3 is able to antagonize fibrotic processes in vivo. Liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride is attenuated by thyroid hormone administration to mice, whereas aged TR knockout mice spontaneously accumulate collagen. Furthermore, skin fibrosis induced by bleomycin administration is also reduced by the thyroid hormones. These findings define an important function of the thyroid hormone receptors and suggest TR ligands could have beneficial effects to block the progression of fibrotic diseases.This work was supported by Grants BFU2011-28058 and BFU2014-53610P from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; S2011/BMD-2328 TIRONET from the Comunidad de Madrid; and RD12/0036/0030 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. The cost of this publication has been paid in part by FEDER fund

Exopolysaccharide Production by Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 Is Repressed by Genistein in a NodD1-Dependent Manner

In the rhizobia-legume symbiotic interaction, bacterial surface polysaccharides, such as exopolysaccharide (EPS), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), K-antigen polysaccharide (KPS) or cyclic glucans (CG), appear to play crucial roles either acting as signals required for the progression of the interaction and/or preventing host defence mechanisms. The symbiotic significance of each of these polysaccharides varies depending on the specific rhizobialegume couple. In this work we show that the production of exopolysaccharide by Sinorhizobium fredii HH103, but not by other S. fredii strains such as USDA257 or NGR234, is repressed by nod gene inducing flavonoids such as genistein and that this repression is dependent on the presence of a functional NodD1 protein. In agreement with the importance of EPS for bacterial biofilms, this reduced EPS production upon treatment with flavonoids correlates with decreased biofilm formation ability. By using quantitative RT-PCR analysis we show that expression of the exoY2 and exoK genes is repressed in late stationary cultures of S. fredii HH103 upon treatment with genistein. Results presented in this work show that in S. fredii HH103 EPS production is regulated just in the opposite way than other bacterial signals such as Nod factors and type 3 secreted effectors: it is repressed by flavonoids and NodD1 and enhanced by the nod repressor NolR. These results are in agreement with our previous observations showing that lack of EPS production by S. fredii HH103 is not only non-detrimental but even beneficial for symbiosis with soybeanMinisterio de Ciencia e Investigación BIO2011-30229-C02-01Junta de Andalucía P11-CVI-750

Procaine Inhibits Osteo/Odontogenesis through Wnt/β-Catenin Inactivation

Introduction Periodontitis is a complex pathology characterized by the loss of alveolar bone. The causes and the mechanisms that promote this bone resorption still remain unknown. The knowledge of the critical regulators involved in the alteration of alveolar bone homeostasis is of great importance for developing molecular therapies. Procaine is an anesthetic drug with demethylant properties, mainly used by dentists in oral surgeries. The inhibitor role of Wnt signaling of procaine was described in vitro in colon cancer cells. Methods In this work we evaluated the role of procaine (1 uM) in osteo/odontogenesis of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Similarly, the mechanisms whereby procaine achieves these effects were also studied. Results Procaine administration led to a drastic decrease of calcium content, alkaline phosphatase activity, alizarin red staining and an increase in the expression of Matrix Gla Protein. With respect to osteo/odontogenic markers, procaine decreased early and mature osteo/odontogenic markers. In parallel, procaine inhibited canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, observing a loss of nuclear β-catenin, a decrease in Lrp5 and Frizzled 3, a significant increase of sclerostin and Gsk3β and an increase of phosphorylated β-catenin. The combination of osteo/ odontogenic stimuli and Lithium Chloride decreased mRNA expression of Gsk3β, recovered by Procaine. Furthermore it was proved that Procaine alone dose dependently increases the expression of Gsk3β and β-catenin phosphorylation. These effects of procaine were also observed on mature osteoblast. Interestingly, at this concentration of procaine no demethylant effects were observed. PLO

Reconocimiento de las técnicas y procedimientos de grabado y estampación en el Arte gráfico, a través de la creación de contenidos multimedia para la web del Gabinete de estampas de la Facultad de Bellas Artes

El proyecto desarrolla la creación de recursos educativos y contenidos on line, para que sean alojados en la página Web del Gabinete de estampas de la Facultad de Bellas Artes de la UCM

Clinical utility of chromosomal microarray analysis in invasive prenatal diagnosis

Novel methodologies for detection of chromosomal abnormalities have been made available in the recent years but their clinical utility in prenatal settings is still unknown. We have conducted a comparative study of currently available methodologies for detection of chromosomal abnormalities after invasive prenatal sampling. A multicentric collection of a 1-year series of fetal samples with indication for prenatal invasive sampling was simultaneously evaluated using three screening methodologies: (1) karyotype and quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR), (2) two panels of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), and (3) chromosomal microarray-based analysis (CMA) with a targeted BAC microarray. A total of 900 pregnant women provided informed consent to participate (94% acceptance rate). Technical performance was excellent for karyotype, QF-PCR, and CMA (~1% failure rate), but relatively poor for MLPA (10% failure). Mean turn-around time (TAT) was 7 days for CMA or MLPA, 25 for karyotype, and two for QF-PCR, with similar combined costs for the different approaches. A total of 57 clinically significant chromosomal aberrations were found (6.3%), with CMA yielding the highest detection rate (32% above other methods). The identification of variants of uncertain clinical significance by CMA (17, 1.9%) tripled that of karyotype and MLPA, but most alterations could be classified as likely benign after proving they all were inherited. High acceptability, significantly higher detection rate and lower TAT, could justify the higher cost of CMA and favor targeted CMA as the best method for detection of chromosomal abnormalities in at-risk pregnancies after invasive prenatal sampling

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality