Measurements of the S-33 (n, α)Si-30 cross-section at n_TOF and ILL: Implications in neutron capture therapy

This work has been supported by the Spanish projects FIS2015-69941-C2-1-P (MINECO-FEDER, EU), A-FQM-371-UGR18 (FEDER Andalucia 2014-2020), Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) (Grant PS16163811PORR), and the sponsors of the University of Granada Chair Neutrons for Medicine: Fundacion ACS, Capitan Antonio and La Kuadrilla.Up to a couple of years ago, the S-33 (n, alpha)Si-30 cross-section data had been limited and scarce. The origin in the solar system of S-36 had been the only motivation to study that cross-section. However, a few years ago, the S-33 (n, alpha)Si-30 reaction was proposed as a possible target in neutron capture therapy (NCT) due to the excellent bio-properties of S-33 and the significant resonance at 13.45 keV of the cross-section for which a high-energy alpha is emitted. Prior to the experiments carried out at n_TOF-CERN and at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) facilities, the data situation was: no data from the thermal point up to 10 keV; from 10 keV to 300 keV, there was only one (n, alpha) measurement able to resolve the resonances with a questionable value of the 13.45-keV resonance; and the thermal point did not have a consistent value. Here we summarize three experiments that have been performed covering the whole energy range of interest in NCT and astrophysics. These experiments have solved the most important issues. The data of the present work and the evaluated data are used to calculate the dose rate in the tissue.MINECO-FEDER, EU FIS2015-69941-C2-1-PFEDER Andalucia 2014-2020 A-FQM-371-UGR18Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) PS16163811PORRUniversity of Granada Chair Neutrons for Medicine: Fundacion AC

DNAM-1 and the TIGIT/PVRIG/TACTILE Axis: Novel Immune Checkpoints for Natural Killer Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune response characterized by their role in the destruction of tumor cells. Activation of NK cells depend on a fine balance between activating and inhibitory signals mediated by different receptors. In recent years, a family of paired receptors that interact with ligands of the Nectin/Nectin-like (Necl) family has attracted great interest. Two of these ligands, Necl-5 (usually termed CD155 or PVR) and Nectin-2 (CD112), frequently expressed on different types of tumor cells, are recognized by a group of receptors expressed on T and NK cells that exert opposite functions after interacting with their ligands. These receptors include DNAM-1 (CD226), TIGIT, TACTILE (CD96) and the recently described PVRIG. Whereas activation through DNAM-1 after recognition of CD155 or CD112 enhances NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against a wide range of tumor cells, TIGIT recognition of these ligands exerts an inhibitory effect on NK cells by diminishing IFN-γ production, as well as NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. PVRIG has also been identified as an inhibitory receptor that recognizes CD112 but not CD155. However, little is known about the role of TACTILE as modulator of immune responses in humans. TACTILE control of tumor growth and metastases has been reported in murine models, and it has been suggested that it negatively regulates the anti-tumor functions mediated by DNAM-1. In NK cells from patients with solid cancer and leukemia, it has been observed a decreased expression of DNAM-1 that may shift the balance in favor to the inhibitory receptors TIGIT or PVRIG, further contributing to the diminished NK cell-mediated cytotoxic capacity observed in these patients. Analysis of DNAM-1, TIGIT, TACTILE and PVRIG on human NK cells from solid cancer or leukemia patients will clarify the role of these receptors in cancer surveillance. Overall, it can be speculated that in cancer patients the TIGIT/PVRIG pathways are upregulated and represent novel targets for checkpoint blockade immunotherapy

3D printing of cubic zirconia lattice supports for hydrogen production

The demand for hydrogen has extraordinarily grown during the last years, being one of the most attractive forms of fuels to produce green energy. Cubic zirconia ceramics are considered promising catalytic supports, and the additive manufacturing of porous 3D structures based on these ceramics could enhance their catalytic performance. Herein, lightweight highly porous (up to 88%) 3D patterned 8 mol% yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia (8YSZ) scaffolds are manufactured by robocasting from pseudoplastic aqueous-based inks to produce catalytic supports for the hydrogen (H2) production. These scaffolds are thermally treated at temperatures ranging between 1000 and 1400 ◦C and, hence, mechanically and electrically characterized. 3D 8YSZ structures sintered at 1200 ◦C, with an appropriate balance between high porosity (86%) and compressive strength (3.7 MPa), are impregnated with palladium (Pd) catalytic nanoparticles and employed in the catalytic dehydrogenation of renewable formic acid (FA) using a fixed-bed reactor. 3D Pd/8YSZ catalyst leads to the continuous production of CO-free H2 with a FA conversion of 32% at T =55 ◦CThis work was supported by the Spanish Government through RTI2018-095052-B-I00, PID2019-105079RB-I00 (MICINN/AEI/FEDER, UE), PID2021-125427OB-I00 (MICINN/AEI/FEDER, UE) and EIN2020- 112153 (MCINN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) projects, the latter also supported by the European Union through “NextGenerationEU/ PRTR”. M. Koller gratefully acknowledges funding within “Support for International Mobility of Researchers of the Institute of Thermomechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, part II”, no. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/ 0.0/18_053/0017555 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic funded from the European Structure and Investment Funds (ESIF). G. Vega acknowledges the Universidad Aut´onoma de Madrid for the Predoctoral contract. The authors thank J. Mejía for her permanent technical assistance in the catalytic experiment

Understanding the active sites of boron nitride for CWPO: An experimental and computational approach

[EN] Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has been explored as a catalyst for degrading persistent organic pollutants in wastewater by Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation (CWPO). Herein, the superior activity of the h-BN on the phenol degradation (model pollutant) compared to other metal-free catalysts, such as carbon-based ones, and the lower selectivity to CO encourage the potential application of h-BN catalysts in CWPO processes. Through a combined density functional theory calculations, experimental reactions and catalyst characterization approach, a comprehensive study on the reaction mechanism has been conducted. According to this, only defected B atoms in the h-BN layer, protonated as B-(OH), decompose the hydrogen peroxide into highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. The radical species diffuse towards inner h-BN regions and react with the phenol adsorbed by π-π interaction on the h-BN surface. Oxidation by-products cause carbonaceous deposits and progressive deactivation of the h-BN catalyst that can be directly regenerated by burning off in air.The authors thank the financial support by the Community of Madrid and the Government of Spain through the projects: S2018/EMT- 4341 and RTI2018-095052-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), respectively. The work done at the University of Sevilla was funded by Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and EU-FEDER, grant PID2019-106871 GB-I00, and the Junta de Andalucía-FEDER, grant: US-1381410. Also, G. Vega acknowledges the Community of Madrid for the Predoctoral contract PEJD-2018-PRE/AMB-9019, co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Youth Employment Operational Program and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) 2018. J. Carbajo thanks the financial support by the Government of Spain for a grant under the Juan de la Cierva_Incorporación programme (IJCI-2017- 32682). The authors would like to thank A. Pérez for performing the BET and TGA measurements

Memoria del trabajo desarrollado dentro del Convenio específico de colaboración entre la Universidad de Granada y Rosselli y Ruiz, S.L. para el desarrollo, tutorización y validación del "Programa formativo de desarrollo de contenidos digitales para la educación"

El equipo investigador de la Universidad de Granada, fruto del convenio de colaboración entre esta Universidad y la empresa Rossellimac, ha realizado un seguimiento directo y continuo de los estudiantes, egresados de la Universidad de Granada, que han realizado el curso de formación en contenidos digitales para la educación, partiendo del material que se nos ha proporcionado por la dirección académica del curso así como del propio material que este equipo ha ido recogiendo y recabando a través de la realización de entrevistas grupales (grupos de discusión) a los estudiantes que han participado en dicha acción formativa, así como de todo el material recopilado en la realización del periodo de prácticas que incluía este plan formativo y las correspondientes visitas a los centros externos de prácticas (observaciones, entrevistas a los equipos directivos, tutores académicos, estudiantes). En todo este proceso de mentorización, especial atención ha cobrado el período de formación práctica que los estudiantes han realizado en centros educativos nacionales, en los que, sin duda alguna, han movilizado y/o potenciado los aprendizajes y competencias adquiridas en su formación teórico-práctica recibida previamente. Para ello, el equipo de investigación de la Universidad de Granada ha llevado a cabo un seguimiento continuo de este proceso formativo, desde que comienzan a planificar su período de prácticas hasta el final de dicho proceso. En concreto, miembros del equipo investigador, responsables de esta tarea, se desplazaron a dichos centros con dos propósitos fundamentales: a) Tutorizar y supervisar al estudiantado el desarrollo de este periodo de prácticas, junto con la colaboración del coordinador académico del curso y tutores profesionales del centro de prácticas. b) Validar el programa formativo desarrollado, evaluando la implementación de los aprendizajes adquiridos y las competencias desarrolladas, así como los logros alcanzados en su paso por los centros educativos. Concluido el curso de formación, y tal como se recoge en el convenio, uno de los compromisos adquiridos por el equipo de investigación de la Universidad de Granada era realizar una memoria final del seguimiento realizado a los estudiantes durante su período formativo, centrado, especialmente, en su inmersión en los diferentes escenarios de prácticas con el objetivo de extraer información relevante que pudiera ayudar a la planificación de otras ediciones del presente curso. La memoria que se presenta recoge los indicadores, las evidencias y los resultados de todo el proceso desarrollado, con el objetivo de validar la primera edición del programa formativo en contenidos digitales para la educación. Para agilizar su lectura, la memoria se ha estructurado en cuatro bloques. Cada uno de ellos almacena una serie de evidencias y datos, cuantitativos y/o cualitativos, que dan cuenta de todas las acciones de trabajo que, de forma cronológica, han sido desplegadas por el equipo investigador de la Universidad de Granada para poder evaluar el inicio, el desarrollo/ejecución y los resultados obtenidos del programa formativo, de cara a su validación

Characterization of the DNAM-1, TIGIT and TACTILE Axis on Circulating NK, NKT-Like and T Cell Subsets in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a major clinical challenge due to poor overall survival, which is even more dramatic in elderly patients. TIGIT, an inhibitory receptor that interacts with CD155 and CD112 molecules, is considered as a checkpoint in T and NK cell activation. This receptor shares ligands with the co-stimulatory receptor DNAM-1 and with TACTILE. The aim of this work was to analyze the expression of DNAM-1, TIGIT and TACTILE in NK cells and T cell subsets in AML patients. Methods: We have studied 36 patients at the time of diagnosis of AML and 20 healthy volunteers. The expression of DNAM-1, TIGIT and TACTILE in NK cells and T cells, according to the expression of CD3 and CD56, was performed by flow cytometry. Results: NK cells, CD56− T cells and CD56+ T (NKT-like) cells from AML patients presented a reduced expression of DNAM-1 compared with healthy volunteers. An increased expression of TIGIT was observed in mainstream CD56− T cells. No differences were observed in the expression of TACTILE. Simplified presentation of incredibly complex evaluations (SPICE) analysis of the co-expression of DNAM-1, TIGIT and TACTILE showed an increase in NK and T cells lacking DNAM-1 and co-expressing TIGIT and TACTILE. Low percentages of DNAM-1−TIGIT+TACTILE+ NK cells and DNAM-1− TIGIT+TACTILE+ CD56− T cells were associated with a better survival of AML patients. Conclusions: The expression of DNAM-1 is reduced in NK cells and in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from AML patients compared with those from healthy volunteers. An increased percentage of NK and T cells lacking DNAM-1 and co-expressing TIGIT and TACTILE is associated with patient survival, supporting the role of TIGIT as a novel candidate for checkpoint blockade

Enhancing SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance through Regular Genomic Sequencing in Spain: The RELECOV Network

Millions of SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences have been generated to date. However, good quality data and adequate surveillance systems are required to contribute to meaningful surveillance in public health. In this context, the network of Spanish laboratories for coronavirus (RELECOV) was created with the main goal of promoting actions to speed up the detection, analyses, and evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 at a national level, partially structured and financed by an ECDC-HERA-Incubator action (ECDC/GRANT/2021/024). A SARS-CoV-2 sequencing quality control assessment (QCA) was developed to evaluate the network’s technical capacity. QCA full panel results showed a lower hit rate for lineage assignment compared to that obtained for variants. Genomic data comprising 48,578 viral genomes were studied and evaluated to monitor SARS-CoV-2. The developed network actions showed a 36% increase in sharing viral sequences. In addition, analysis of lineage/sublineage-defining mutations to track the virus showed characteristic mutation profiles for the Delta and Omicron variants. Further, phylogenetic analyses strongly correlated with different variant clusters, obtaining a robust reference tree. The RELECOV network has made it possible to improve and enhance the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain. It has provided and evaluated genomic tools for viral genome monitoring and characterization that make it possible to increase knowledge efficiently and quickly, promoting the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain

Radiation tests on commercial instrumentation amplifiers, analog switches & DAC's

A study of several commercial instrumentation amplifiers (INA110, INA111, INA114, INA116, INA118 & INA121) under neutron and vestigial gamma radiation was done. Some parameters (Gain, input offset voltage, input bias currents) were measured on-line and bandwidth, and slew rate were determined before and after radiation. The results of the testing of some voltage references REF102 and ADR290GR and the DG412 analog switch are shown. Finally, different digital-to-analog converters were tested under radiation

Bioética. El final de la vida y las voluntades anticipadas

Esta obra contiene textos elaborados por investigadores de diferentes áreas del conocimiento: medicina, filosofía, derecho, entre otras especialidades, pertenecientes a distintos países: España, Chile y México. El objetivo principal de este libro es servir de referente teórico a otros investigadores de bioética, y especialmente a los que son o desean estar especializados en la comprensión del final de la vida y las voluntades anticipadas en el ámbito sanitario en cualquier país del mundo

La enseñanza en el máster de abogacía a través del análisis de casos reales de carácter multidisciplinar. Aprendizaje "a partir del estudio de razonamientos parciales temáticos"

Generar blog para publicaciones de alumnos del Máster Abogacía, con "entradas" dirigidas. Habría análisis desde varias disciplinas añadiéndose estudios con enfoque basado en otras áreas de conocimiento, generando interdisciplinariedad