Cu-CHA material efficient in the SCR process in the presence of water and CO2

A reproducible method for the synthesis of SCR active Cu-CHA materials has been developed, which allows the incorporation of up to 4% of copper inside the cavities of the zeolite. These materials are highly efficient in the removal of NOx by reaction with ammonia, even in the presence of water and CO2 in the reaction atmosphere. Cu2+ species are the active species in the reaction and in contact with water and CO2, the hydrated-carbonate Cu2+ species placed in the 8-rings were identified as the responsible for the improvement in the activity.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Intensification of methanol steam reforming process using Cu-modified Ni-based supported catalysts

Hydrogen is conventionally manufactured in large scale by the steam reforming of methane or naphthas. The perspective of using hydrogen as a fuel depends of finding alternatives to the existing production technologies and feedstock. Oxygenated compounds are an interesting alternative and are been investigated extensively. The process of steam reforming of mixtures of oxygenated hydrocarbons does not contribute to a net increase in atmospheric CO2, as oxygenated obtained from renewable resources are considered to be CO2 neutral. In previous works has been demonstrate that Steam Reforming of oxygenated compounds is a complex reactions network where in a previous step, decomposition reaction take place followed by the reforming of decomposition products. Its known that DME (or methanol) receives particular attention due to its properties similar to those of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)and it can be used as a clean high-efficiency compression ignition fuel. In other way, it has been demonstrate that DME-SR to produce H2 occurs through two main reactions in series, DME-Hydrolysis and MeOH-Steam Reforming. Therefore, bifunctional catalysts are necessary, with and acid funcion active in DME-HYD and a redox for reforming step. On the other hand, methanol is also regarded as an important feedstock for hydrogen production due to its high energy density and superior transportability, especially for small-scaled and portable fuel cell applications. In comparison with CH4-SR, the reaction temperature of methanol steam reforming is much lower and the gas off contains typically 60%-70% H2. In this contribution the Steam Reforming of MeOH has been studied using a Ni-based supported catalysts modified with copper and an optimized formulation was considered to incorporate in a microreformer, as an intensification of process to direct hydrogen supply on board.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles and vaccine applications

Vaccines based on outer membrane vesicles (OMV) were developed more than 20 years ago against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. These nano-sized structures exhibit remarkable potential for immunomodulation of immune responses and delivery of “self” meningococcal antigens or unrelated antigens incorporated into the vesicle structure. This paper reviews different applications in OMV Research and Development (R&D) and provides examples of OMV developed and evaluated at the Finlay Institute in Cuba. A Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) process was developed at the Finlay Institute to produce OMV from N. meningitidis serogroup B (dOMVB) using detergent extraction. Subsequently, OMV from N. meningitidis, serogroup A (dOMVA), serogroup W (dOMVW) and serogroup X (dOMVX) were obtained using this process. More recently, the extraction process has also been applied effectively for obtaining OMV on a research scale from Vibrio cholerae (dOMVC), Bordetella pertussis (dOMVBP), Mycobacterium smegmatis (dOMVSM) and BCG (dOMVBCG). The immunogenicity of the OMV have been evaluated for specific antibody induction, and together with functional bactericidal and challenge assays in mice have shown their protective potential. dOMVB has been evaluated with non-self neisserial antigens, including with a herpes virus type 2 glycoprotein, ovalbumin and allergens. In conclusion, OMV are proving to be more versatile than first conceived and remain an important technology for development of vaccine candidates. - See more at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fimmu.2014.00121/abstract#sthash.MwqUyZQ1.dpu

Universal Service in a Broader Perspective: The European Digital Divide

Ensuring universal service is a top objective in many countries in order that all the citizens can have access basic communications services. Although the ICT equipment in households and its usage by individuals are essential prerequisites for benefiting from ICTs, the situation in the European Union is far from uniform. This article provides a description of the European information society development scenario using the values reached by the member states in a set of indicators selected for measuring said progress in households. Two tools are used for providing a broader perspective of the digital divide: a composite index and the cluster analysis. Below, a study is provided on what variables are relevant for interpreting the situation that is presented

Determinación de la capacidad parasitaria de la microbiota fúngica y de sus extractos acuosos en las semillas de cardo (Cynara cardunculus L.)

El presente estudio evalúa el efecto que 6 diferentes géneros hongos aislados a partir de semillas de 54 diferentes cultivares de cardo y sus extractos acuosos tienen sobre la germinación y nascencia de las semillas. Se han realizado pruebas de patogenicidad con dos aislados de cada uno de los seis géneros de mayor frecuencia del inventario (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Rhizopus, Cladosporium y Alternaria), así como de los extractos producidos tras 3, 7 y 11 días de incubación de los micetos. Los resultados de las inoculaciones con los micetos muestran efectos negativos sobre los porcentajes de germinación, con reducciones en la germinación que fueron máximas tras las inoculaciones con Rhizopus stolonifer (29% de disminución) y Fusarium verticillioides (23%). Los porcentajes de emergencia disminuyen tras duplicar la concentración del inóculo, aumentando además drásticamente el número de plántulas dañadas sobre el total de las emergidas. En el significativo caso de la inoculación con Cladosporium la duplicación del inóculo disminuyó la germinación hasta en un 31% respecto al testigo. Las plántulas emergidas tras las inoculaciones con los extractos obtenidos a partir de cultivos líquidos de los hongos ensayados presentaban los mismos síntomas de atrofias y daños sobre raíz y coleóptilo que los descritos para cada hongo. Los extractos acuosos de los géneros estudiados disminuyen también la germinación. Los resultados nos muestran la diferente capacidad parasitaria de cada una de las especies estudiadas apreciándose además diferencias según los diferentes periodos de agitación de los hongos y permiten asegurar que la producción de toxinas está regulada por el hongo, y que no aumenta linealmente con el crecimiento miceliar

GALR1/GALR2 Knockdown rats block the Depression and Anxiogenic effects induced by GAL(1-15): The Heterodimer GALR1/GALR2 as a target of GAL(1-15).

Comunicación OralThe Galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) [GAL(1-15)] induces depressant- and anxiogenic- like actions. In this work, we have studied the role of GALR2 and GALR1 on the effects of GAL(1-15) in the Forced Swimming Test (FST) and Open Field Test (OFT) using siRNA GALR2 and GALR1 knockdown rats. Rats (n=6-14) were injected with GAL(1-15) 3nmol, GALR2 antagonist M871 3nmol in combination or alone 15 before the FST or OFT. The time of immobility, climbing and swimming were recorded during 5 min FST and Time and entries in the central square during 5min were scored in the OFT. In other experiment, rats (n=6-14) were injected Intracerebroventricular (icv) with siRNA-GALR2 or siRNA-GALR1 to generate the GALR knockdown rats. These knockdown rats were used in the OFT and in the FST after receiving icv GAL(1-15) 3nmol 15 min before the test. Vehicle was used as control. In the FST, M871 significantly blocked the increased immobility (p<0.001) and decreased climbing (p<0.01) induced by GAL(1-15). In the OFT M871 also significantly decreased the number of entries (p<0.001) and time spent in the center (p<0.05) mediated by GAL(1-15). Down-regulation of GALR2 or GALR1 by siRNA was sufficient to block the effect of GAL(1-15) in behavioural tests. Thus, GAL(1-15) 3nmol lacked effect on the immobility, climbing and swimming time in the FST. The same effect was observed in the number of entries and time spent in the central square in the OFT. These results indicated that GALR1 and GALR2 are involved in the GAL(1-15) depression- and anxiogenic-like effects suggesting that GAL(1-15) could act through GALR1/GALR2 heteroreceptor complex. These findings may give the basis for the development of novel therapeutic drugs targeting GAL(1-15) system for treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. This study was supported by Junta de Andalucía CVI6476.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Influencia de la temperatura de termoterapia: el rendimiento del cultivo del ajo

La termoterapia se ha comprobado que es un método eficaz y de fácil aplicación para la erradicación de patógenos (bacterias, hongos, nemátodos, virus y fitoplasmas) tanto de semillas como de material vegetal utilizado en la reproducción vegetativa. Este método se basa en la susceptibilidad digerencial entre el hospedante y sus parásitos internos o externos en relación con las altas temperaturas. Uno de los métodos de termoterapia más usado es el tratamiento por agua caliente a causa de la mejor difucisón del calor en el material vegetal. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo principal estudiar la evolución de los rendimientos de las producciones en campo, cuando se utiliza simiente de ajo tratada con agua caliente a diferentes temperaturas

Immunohistochemical C-FOS expression and autoradiography to study galnin/neuropeptide y Y1 receptor-receptor interactions in the amygdala

We have shown Galanin(GAL)/Neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor(Y1) interactions in the nucleus tractus solitarius and the arcuate nucleus. Since both peptides play an important role in mood disorders, the aim of this work was to study GAL/Y1 interactions in the amygdala(AMY), key nucleus for fear, mood, and motivation. We have combined the analysis of the expression of c-Fos immunoreactivity(c-Fos IR) with an autoradiographic study in the AMY. Groups of anaesthetized rats (n=4) received intracerebroventricular injections(icv) of GAL(3nmol) and the Y1 agonist Leu31-Pro34NPY(3nmol) alone or in combination, and were sacrificed 90 minutes after the injections. Immunohistochemical detection of c-Fos protein(1:5000) in AMY sections and stereological analysis were performed in: Basal(BA), lateral(LA), Central [lateral capsular subdivision(CeC), lateral intermediate subdivision(CeI), medial subdivision(CeM)] and the medial paracapsular intercalated(ITC) subnuclei of the AMY. For Autoradiography, rats (n=6) were sacrificed 15 minutes after icv injections of GAL(3nmol) and AMY sections were incubated with Y1 agonist [125I]-Leu31-Pro34-PPY (25 pM). Autoradiograms were analyzed using the NIH image analysis system. Student’s unpaired t- test and ANOVA followed by Newman-Keuls were used, respectively. We observed within the AMY that GAL increased c-Fos IR in ITC and CeC; the Y1 agonist induced both, an increase of c-Fos IR in BA and CeC and a decrease of c-Fos IR in LA and ITC. The coadministration of both peptides induced a specific effect in the ITC, significantly decreasing the c-Fos expression (P<0,05) induced by GAL or the Y1 agonist alone. Moreover, we observed that GAL significantly increased (p<0,05) the Y1 receptor agonist binding [I125]Leu31Pro34-PYY in the AMY. These results demonstrate an interaction between GAL and Y1 at the cellular and receptor level in the AMY and suggest that endogenous GAL and NPY system might interact to regulate emotional behaviours.Spanish CVI6476, TV3-Marató 090130/31/32 and Universidad de Málaga (Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Soft Skills: A Comparative Analysis Between Online and Classroom Teaching

Currently the Spanish universities are making a great effort to effectively incorporate the development and assessment of generic skills in their training programs. Information and communications technologies (ICT) offer a wide range of possibilities but create uncertainty among teachers about the process and results. It is considered of interest to conduct a study to analyze the extent to which social skills like commitment, communication and teamwork are acquired by students and teachers. It seeks to ascertain the influence of the learning context, online or classroom training, in the development of these personal skills among the participants in the sample. For this study two universities have been chosen, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) offering online training environment, and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) with classroom training modality. A total of 257 individuals, 230 students and 27 teachers have answered the survey called Evalsoft. This instrument was designed in the project with the same name by a research team from Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM). Some interesting conclusions can be highlighted: it is in the online context where there are higher levels of commitment and teamwork than in the classroom modality; teachers have higher social skills that students and these improve with age. Sex and the training program appear to influence these social skills

Bayesian network modeling of the consensus between experts: an application to neuron classification

Neuronal morphology is hugely variable across brain regions and species, and their classification strategies are a matter of intense debate in neuroscience. GABAergic cortical interneurons have been a challenge because it is difficult to find a set of morphological properties which clearly define neuronal types. A group of 48 neuroscience experts around the world were asked to classify a set of 320 cortical GABAergic interneurons according to the main features of their three-dimensional morphological reconstructions. A methodology for building a model which captures the opinions of all the experts was proposed. First, one Bayesian network was learned for each expert, and we proposed an algorithm for clustering Bayesian networks corresponding to experts with similar behaviors. Then, a Bayesian network which represents the opinions of each group of experts was induced. Finally, a consensus Bayesian multinet which models the opinions of the whole group of experts was built. A thorough analysis of the consensus model identified different behaviors between the experts when classifying the interneurons in the experiment. A set of characterizing morphological traits for the neuronal types was defined by performing inference in the Bayesian multinet. These findings were used to validate the model and to gain some insights into neuron morphology