Stem Cells as In Vitro Model of Parkinson's Disease

Progress in understanding neurodegenerative cell biology in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been hampered by a lack of predictive and relevant cellular models. In addition, the lack of an adequate in vitro human neuron cell-based model has been an obstacle for the uncover of new drugs for treating PD. The ability to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from PD patients and a refined capacity to differentiate these iPSCs into DA neurons, the relevant disease cell type, promises a new paradigm in drug development that positions human disease pathophysiology at the core of preclinical drug discovery. Disease models derived from iPSC that manifest cellular disease phenotypes have been established for several monogenic diseases, but iPSC can likewise be used for phenotype-based drug screens in complex diseases for which the underlying genetic mechanism is unknown. Here, we highlight recent advances as well as limitations in the use of iPSC technology for modelling PD “in a dish” and for testing compounds against human disease phenotypes in vitro. We discuss how iPSCs are being exploited to illuminate disease pathophysiology, identify novel drug targets, and enhance the probability of clinical success of new drugs

obtención de barridos láser 3D nivelados conn el robot móvil Andábata en movimiento

Este artículo describe la adquisición de barridos tridimensionales (3D) nivelados en el robot móvil Andábata sin necesidad de detener su movimiento. Para ello, la computadora de Andábata debe integrar cada uno de los rangos láser, adquiridos con unos determinados ángulos de cabeceo y guiñada, con la información odométrica y las medidas de inclinación del vehículo para producir coordenadas Cartesianas niveladas referenciadas al inicio de cada barrido. Todo ello se ha realizado bajo el sistema operativo de robots ROS con la ayuda de paquetes estándard. El correcto funcionamiento de este esquema local de Localización y Modelado Simultáneos (SLAM) se ha comprobado experimentalmente sobre terreno inclinado.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Construction and Calibration of a Low-Cost 3D Laser Scanner with 360◦ Field of View for Mobile Robots

Navigation of many mobile robots relies on environmental information obtained from three-dimensional (3D) laser scanners. This paper presents a new 360◦ field-of-view 3D laser scanner for mobile robots that avoids the high cost of commercial devices. The 3D scanner is based on spinning a Hokuyo UTM- 30LX-EX two-dimensional (2D) rangefinder around its optical center. The proposed design profits from lessons learned with the development of a previous 3D scanner with pitching motion. Intrinsic calibration of the new device has been performed to obtain both temporal and geometric parameters. The paper also shows the integration of the 3D device in the outdoor mobile robot Andabata.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Academic literacy and student diversity: evaluating a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom

The sustainability of universities is based, among other aspects, on their ability to adapt to changes and the needs of students, an increasingly diverse population. In this sense, Academic literacy provision at universities tends to be centralized and to offer language support for general academic literacy purposes rather than language development that responds in a more nuanced way to the particular literacy needs of students’ disciplines. Yet, in recent years, several studies have supported the integration of academic literacy into subject teaching outlining the principles of an inclusive model of academic literacy instruction. This paper draws on a theoretical framework developed by Wingate to evaluate a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom with students from a first-year credit-bearing module at Middlesex University Business School. The study used a mixed methods approach that includes a literature review, secondary data, feedback questionnaire and a focus group to evaluate our teaching method and reflect on the collaboration of the team members to develop this inclusive pedagogical approach. The findings suggest that, on the whole, this intervention was perceived by both the module teaching team and students as positive, welcoming and often crucial for supporting undergraduate students into the disciplinary discourse of their subject of study. Yet, recommendations were made with respect to developing better guidelines for subject lecturers on how to deliver the integrated academic literacy as well as the importance of the participation of students, student learning assistants and graduate teaching assistants in the design of the intervention. This study contributes to the literature on inclusive practice intervention and pedagogical approaches to integrating academic literacy into subject teaching for a diverse student population, contributing to the social sustainability of the universities

Vitronectin regulates Sonic hedgehog activity during cerebellum development through CREB phosphorylation

12 páginas, 7 figuras.During development of the cerebellum, Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is expressed in migrating and settled Purkinje neurons and is directly responsible for proliferation of granule cell precursors in the external germinal layer. We have previously demonstrated that SHH interacts with vitronectin in the differentiation of spinal motor neurons. Here, we analysed whether similar interactions between SHH and extracellular matrix glycoproteins regulate subsequent steps of granule cell development. Laminins and their integrin receptor subunit alpha6 accumulate in the outer most external germinal layer where proliferation of granule cell precursors is maximal. Consistent with this expression pattern, laminin significantly increases SHH-induced proliferation in primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells. Vitronectin and its integrin receptor subunits alpha(v) are expressed in the inner part of the external germinal layer where granule cell precursors exit the cell cycle and commence differentiation. In cultures, vitronectin is able to overcome SHH-induced proliferation, thus allowing granule cell differentiation. Our studies indicate that the pathway in granule cell precursors responsible for the conversion of a proliferative SHH-mediated response to a differentiation signal depends on CREB. Vitronectin stimulates phosphorylation of cyclic-AMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB), and over-expression of CREB is sufficient to induce granule cell differentiation in the presence of SHH. Taken together, these data suggest that granule neuron differentiation is regulated by the vitronectin-induced phosphorylation of CREB, a critical event that terminates SHH-mediated proliferation and permits the differentiation program to proceed in these cells.This research was supported by grant PM97-0018 to Dr Ignacio Torres Alemán and by grants PM97-0019 and BIO4-CT98-0399 to Dr Paola Bovolenta, in whose laboratories this research was carried out.Peer reviewe

Development of an Activity Patterns Scale (APS)

Six activity patterns were identified across various self-report measures in participants with chronic pain: Pain Avoidance, Activity Avoidance; Task Contingent Persistence; Excessive Persistence, Pain Contingent Persistence and Pacing (Kindermans et al., 2011). It was proposed that instruments assessing “pacing” should include items addressing one specific pacing behavior (breaking tasks into smaller pieces; taking frequent short rests and speeding up or slowing down) with a single goal (increasing activity level, conserve energy for valued activities and pain reduction) (Nielson et al., 2013). The aim of the present study was to develop an instrument to assess the activity patterns identified by Kindermans et al. (2011). The instrument also included three pacing scales one for each of the aforementioned goals. Methods A sample of 229 patients with fibromyalgia and 62 suffering other rheumatic diseases answered online the APS and the “Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain” (POAM-P) (Cane et al., 2007). Three alternative factor structures were tested by confirmatory factor analyses performed via structural equation modelling. . Results The structure with the best fit had 8 factors corresponding to the hypothesized scales: Pain Avoidance (α=.60), Activity Avoidance (α=.60); Task Contingent Persistence (α=.81); Excessive Persistence (α=.84), Pain Contingent Persistence (α=.70), Pacing for increasing activity (α=.76), Pacing for energy conservation (α=.72) and Pacing for pain reduction (α=.65). The correlations with the POAM-P scales were high and in the postulated direction. Conclusions The APS showed adequate reliability and structural validity. According to these results, Avoidance, Persistence and Pacing seem to be multidimensional constructs.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Collapsible Cubes: Removing Overhangs from 3D Point Clouds to Build Local Navigable Elevation Maps

Elevation maps offer a compact 2 1/2 dimensional model of terrain surface for navigation in field mobile robotics. However, building these maps from 3D raw point clouds con- taining overhangs, such as tree canopy or tunnels, can produce useless results. This paper proposes a simple processing of a ground-based point cloud that identifies and removes overhang points that do not constitute an obstacle for navigation while keeping vertical structures such as walls or tree trunks. The procedure uses efficient data structures to collapse unsupported 3D cubes down to the ground. This method has been successfully applied to 3D laser scans taken from a mobile robot in outdoor environments in order to build local elevation maps for navigation. Computation times show an improvement with respect to a previous point-based solution to this problem.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Conversión de un Robot Móvil de Cadenas en Vehículo Híbrido Eléctrico

Este trabajo ha sido publicado en: Actas de las XXXV Jornadas de Automática. Valencia,Comité Español de Automática CEA-IFAC , 2014. ISBN-13:78-84-697-0589-6En la remodelación del robot móvil Auriga-a, desarrollado en el año 2000, solo se ha conservado su sistema de locomoción. Además de la actualización de los sistemas informáticos y equipos de control, el principal objetivo ha sido la conversión del robot en un vehículo híbrido eléctrico. Para ello, se han incorporado baterías LiFePO4 con su correspondiente cargador y un generador monofásico. En el diseño, se han tenido en cuenta el posicionado del centro de gravedad y la ventilación de los equipos. En conjunto, la remodelación consigue reducir la masa del vehículo y mejorar su eficiencia y autonomía energética. En la actualidad, el diseño está siendo implantado en el robot real.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. CICYT DPI 2011-22443