Emerging technologies and infection models in cellular microbiology.

The field of cellular microbiology, rooted in the co-evolution of microbes and their hosts, studies intracellular pathogens and their manipulation of host cell machinery. In this review, we highlight emerging technologies and infection models that recently promoted opportunities in cellular microbiology. We overview the explosion of microscopy techniques and how they reveal unprecedented detail at the host-pathogen interface. We discuss the incorporation of robotics and artificial intelligence to image-based screening modalities, biochemical mapping approaches, as well as dual RNA-sequencing techniques. Finally, we describe chips, organoids and animal models used to dissect biophysical and in vivo aspects of the infection process. As our knowledge of the infected cell improves, cellular microbiology holds great promise for development of anti-infective strategies with translational applications in human health

Las bibliotecas públicas ante la brecha digital: tercera edad y discapacidad

Ponencias de la Segunda Conferencia internacional sobre brecha digital e inclusión social, celebrada del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2009 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridLa biblioteca pública tiene el deber de implicarse en el desarrollo personal, educativo y cultural de los ciudadanos a los que sirve. Para ello debe ofrecer servicios especiales a los grupos que, en nuestro caso, por edad o por discapacidad, no pueden acceder a los servicios habituales de la biblioteca. Estos servicios les permitirán mejorar su calidad de vida y abrirles nuevas oportunidades en la sociedad. Ocupándonos de estos colectivos evitamos que acaben quedando aislados, y que la brecha digital se vea reducida e incluso eliminada. Para ello las bibliotecas ofrecerán servicios en los que puedan participar activamente, se les dará información en la web y también formación para que puedan consultarla y saber manejarse en ella sin problemas. Por último, la Web pone a nuestro alcance una serie de servicios que hace poco tiempo eran impensables, y se prestan sin problemas de accesibilidad a los mismos. Ofrecemos recursos disponibles en Internet específicos para estos colectivos, aunque también pueden extrapolarse a otros sectores desfavorecidos de la sociedad

Actuaciones de la biblioteca pública para paliar la brecha digital entre los colectivos de inmigrantes: desarrollo de servicios a través de la web

Ponencias de la Segunda Conferencia internacional sobre brecha digital e inclusión social, celebrada del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2009 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridLas bibliotecas públicas pueden contribuir en las sociedades multiculturales a la integración social de la población inmigrante, desarrollando servicios y recursos de información específicos para estos colectivos, de tal manera que encuentren en ella un lugar adecuado para cubrir sus necesidades de información y cultura. Las bibliotecas públicas son también portales fundamentales para acceder al contenido de Internet, y, para algunos ciudadanos, los únicos puntos de acceso disponibles. Internet permite a las personas y a las comunidades de todo el mundo tener igualdad de acceso a la información para el desarrollo personal, la educación, el estímulo, el enriquecimiento cultural, la actividad económica y la participación informada en la democracia. El objetivo principal del estudio es mostrar los recursos y servicios que las bibliotecas públicas ofrecen a los colectivos de inmigrantes a través de la web

Los portales de los telecentros españoles en el 2009: nuevo paradigma para la inclusión social

Ponencias de la Segunda Conferencia internacional sobre brecha digital e inclusión social, celebrada del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2009 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridLos telecentros españoles constituyen un instrumento de dinamización e inclusión en la sociedad de la información. Sin embargo, se ha detectado una ausencia de estudios que describan los servicios online que llevan a cabo estas entidades, como complemento a la labor realizada por las bibliotecas. Teniendo en cuenta este aspecto se ha realizado una investigación que analiza las actividades, los recursos y los contenidos que ofrecen los portales de los telecentros en la Web. Con este estudio se pretende difundir las características generales de los telecentros junto a un “Modelo de Recursos y Servicios”

Bibliotecas 2.0: herramientas para paliar la brecha digital

Ponencias de la Segunda Conferencia internacional sobre brecha digital e inclusión social, celebrada del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2009 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridExiste un acuerdo generalizado sobre el papel que juegan las bibliotecas en la Sociedad de la Información como un servicio que contribuye a la inclusión digital gracias a la capacitación para un uso reflexivo y ético de la información, así como la formación en las herramientas tecnológicas que median en el acceso al conocimiento. El desarrollo de la web social, no ha dejado indiferentes a los profesionales de la información quienes han adaptado, y generado nuevos contenidos y servicios en los sitios webs de sus organizaciones utilizando estas nuevas aplicaciones, dando lugar a la denominación de Biblioteca 2.0. El debate sobre los beneficios o inconvenientes de la utilización de estas aplicaciones en las bibliotecas continúa abierto en la actualidad mientras cada vez mayor número de unidades de información siguen creando nuevos espacios de interacción con sus usuarios implementando el software social. Las tecnologías digitales están abriendo una nueva brecha entre diferentes colectivos de ciudadanos por motivos muy variados: diferencias socioeconómicas, distinta capacidad de acceso y uso de las Tecnologías de la información o distintos niveles de capacitación tecnológica. Las bibliotecas, utilizando las aplicaciones de la web 2.0 intentan paliar la brecha digital, aunque sólo sean una parte de la solución. En la presenta comunicación, se intenta dar a conocer, cómo las bibliotecas colaboran en la reducción de la brecha digital utilizando el software social, y se ofrece una panorámica de buenos ejemplos españoles que han implementado estas herramientas con un doble objetivo: como herramientas para la formación en competencias informacionales, pero también dándoles una utilidad en la promoción y marketing bibliotecario y acercando el conocimiento de los servicios de las unidades de información a los usuarios

Assessing the environmental benefit of a new fertilizer based on activated biochar applied to cereal crops

This study analyzes the environmental benefits that a nitrogen fertilizer based on activated biochar has in comparison to other traditional fertilizers (urea, ammonium nitrate (AN), ammonium sulfate (AS) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP)). With this aim, activated biochar was generated from residual biomass (barley straw) through physical activation and the resulting biochar was combined with mineral fertilizer to synthethise the fertilizer. This new product was subjected to environmental assessment by means of two different approaches, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and nitrogen footprint procedure, both of which considered standard conditions typical of Mediterranean climate and wheat and corn as the fertilized crops. Emission factors of traditional fertilizers were obtained from internally developed models, which were in turn based on real data from literature. As for emission factors of the new product, they were calculated basing on experimental results. Fertilizer impacts in terms of acidification, eutrophication and climate change were estimated, thus revealing a great performance of activated biochar over other fertilizers in terms of reactive nitrogen (Nr), reaching a maximum saving rate of 63% in the amount of Nr released by volatilization and leaching. In addition, this work offers a methodology for environmental analysis of fertilizers and provides useful quantitative indicators for the environmental benefit and the saving of reactive nitrogen, which could contribute to the development of new commercial low N-emissions fertilizers

An automated microscopy workflow to study Shigella-neutrophil interactions and antibiotic efficacy in vivo.

Shigella are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens responsible for bacillary dysentery (also called shigellosis). The absence of a licensed vaccine and widespread emergence of antibiotic resistance has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to highlight Shigella as a priority pathogen requiring urgent attention. Several infection models have been useful to explore the Shigella infection process; yet, we still lack information regarding events taking place in vivo. Here, using a Shigella-zebrafish infection model and high-content microscopy, we developed an automated microscopy workflow to non-invasively study fluorescently labelled bacteria and neutrophils in vivo. We applied our workflow to antibiotic-treated zebrafish, and demonstrate that antibiotics reduce bacterial burden and not neutrophil recruitment to the hindbrain ventricle. We discovered that nalidixic acid (a bactericidal antibiotic) can work with leukocytes in an additive manner to control Shigella flexneri infection and can also restrict dissemination of Shigella sonnei from the hindbrain ventricle. We envision that our automated microscopy workflow, applied here to study the interactions between Shigella and neutrophils as well as antibiotic efficacy in zebrafish, can be useful to innovate treatments for infection control in humans

Microstructure, interfaces and properties of 3YTZP ceramic composites with 10 and 20 vol% different graphene-based nanostructures as fillers

The graphene family comprises not only single layer graphene but also graphene-based nanomaterials (GBN), with remarkably different number of layers, lateral dimension and price. In this work, two of these GBN, namely graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) with n∼15–30 layers and few-layer graphene (FLG) with n < 3 layers have been evaluated as fillers in 3 mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia (3YTZP) ceramic composites. Composites with 10 and 20 vol% GNP or FLG have been fabricated by wet powder processing and spark plasma sintering (SPS) and the influence of the content and number of layers of the graphene-based filler has been assessed. For both graphene-based fillers, an intermediate zirconia oxycarbide has been detected in the grain boundaries. The lower stacking degree and much more homogeneous distribution of the FLG, revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), can improve load transfer between the GBNs and the ceramic matrix. However, high FLG contents lower densification of the composites, due partly to the larger FLG interplanar spacing also estimated by TEM. The hardness (both Vickers and nanoindentation) and the elastic modulus decrease with increased GBN content and with improved graphene dispersion. The FLG greatly inhibit the crack propagation that occur perpendicular to their preferential orientation plane. The composites with thinner FLG have higher electrical conductivity than those with GNP. The highest electrical conductivity is achieved by composites with 20 vol% FLG in the direction perpendicular to the compression axis during sintering, σ⊥ = 3400 ± 500 Sm-1.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2015-67889-

Microstructure, interfaces and properties of 3YTZP ceramic composites with 10 and 20 vol% different graphene-based nanostructures as fillers

The graphene family comprises not only single layer graphene but also graphene-based nanomaterials (GBN), with remarkably different number of layers, lateral dimension and price. In this work, two of these GBN, namely graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) with n~15–30 layers and few-layer graphene (FLG) with n < 3 layers have been evaluated as fillers in 3¿mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia (3YTZP) ceramic composites. Composites with 10 and 20¿vol% GNP or FLG have been fabricated by wet powder processing and spark plasma sintering (SPS) and the influence of the content and number of layers of the graphene-based filler has been assessed. For both graphene-based fillers, an intermediate zirconia oxycarbide has been detected in the grain boundaries. The lower stacking degree and much more homogeneous distribution of the FLG, revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), can improve load transfer between the GBNs and the ceramic matrix. However, high FLG contents lower densification of the composites, due partly to the larger FLG interplanar spacing also estimated by TEM. The hardness (both Vickers and nanoindentation) and the elastic modulus decrease with increased GBN content and with improved graphene dispersion. The FLG greatly inhibit the crack propagation that occur perpendicular to their preferential orientation plane. The composites with thinner FLG have higher electrical conductivity than those with GNP. The highest electrical conductivity is achieved by composites with 20¿vol% FLG in the direction perpendicular to the compression axis during sintering, s¿¿=¿3400¿±¿500¿Sm-1.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Acquisition of a large virulence plasmid (pINV) promoted temperature-dependent virulence and global dispersal of O96:H19 enteroinvasive Escherichia coli

Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) and Shigella are closely related agents of bacillary dysentery. It is widely viewed that EIEC and Shigella species evolved from E. coli via independent acquisitions of a large virulence plasmid (pINV) encoding a type 3 secretion system (T3SS). Sequence Type (ST)99 O96:H19 E. coli is a novel clone of EIEC responsible for recent outbreaks in Europe and South America. Here, we use 92 whole genome sequences to reconstruct a dated phylogeny of ST99 E. coli, revealing distinct phylogenomic clusters of pINV-positive and -negative isolates. To study the impact of pINV acquisition on the virulence of this clone, we developed an EIEC-zebrafish infection model showing that virulence of ST99 EIEC is thermoregulated. Strikingly, zebrafish infection using a T3SS-deficient ST99 EIEC strain and the oldest available pINV-negative isolate reveals a separate, temperature-independent mechanism of virulence, indicating that ST99 non-EIEC strains were virulent before pINV acquisition. Taken together, these results suggest that an already pathogenic E. coli acquired pINV and that virulence of ST99 isolates became thermoregulated once pINV was acquired