Evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics during the last three decades

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is often plasmid-mediated and the associated genes encoded by transposable elements. These elements play a central role in evolution by providing mechanisms for the generation of diversity and, in conjunction with DNA transfer systems, for the dissemination of resistances to other bacteria. At the University Hospital of Zaragoza, extensive efforts have been made to define both the dissemination and evolution of antibiotic resistance by studying the transferable R plasmids and transposable elements. Here we describe the research on bacterial resistance to antibiotics in which many authors listed in the references have participated. The aspects of bacterial resistance dealt with are: (i) transferable resistance mediated by R plasmids in Gramnegative bacteria, (ii) R plasmid-mediated resistance to apramycin and hygromycin in clinical strains, (iii) the transposon Tn1696 and the integron Ini>4, (iv) expression of Escherichia coli resistance genes in Haemophilus influenzae, (v) aminoglycosidemodifying- enzymes in the genus Mycobacterium with no relation to resistance, and (vi) macrolide-resistance and new mechanisms developed by Gram-positive bacteria

IMPLEMENTATION OF SNOWBALL THROWING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION OF GRADE 8 STUDENTS

In learning English, reading is one of the most important skills to learn. In the preliminary study, the 8th grade students (grade 8.2) of SMPN 2 Jatirejo Mojokerto had difficulties in understanding reading texts and lacked motivation in participating in learning activities. These problems contradict the 2013 curriculum, where students are expected to be able to understand reading well and be active during learning activities. Therefore, cooperative learning was chosen to be the right strategy in solving these problems because it can provide opportunities for students to work more in groups. In solving problems in the classroom, cooperative learning has several techniques to be applied. One of the teaching techniques of cooperative learning is the Snowball Throwing Technique (hereinafter STT). To improve students' reading comprehension skills and their participation in learning activities, the writer apply STT which allows students to work in groups by discussing, asking questions, answering questions, and having an interesting way of learning in understanding reading texts

Los medios de comunicación y la experiencia urbana posmoderna. De Metrópolis a Blade Runner; del cine a la realidad virtual

Since their inception in the XIX Century, mass media have been crucial in shaping the image of the urban environment on our collective subconscious. In the early 20th Century, newspapers and magazines bustled with exacerbated but fascinating images of the city of the future, which appeared as hyperbolic portrayals of the perception that the contemporary citizen had of his own effervescing modern environment. Cinema soon joined this process, as a privileged, mechanical eye that could record, analyse and reinvent the accelerated modern city and its evolution. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1926) epitomized the powers of the new medium, providing the viewers with a window that allowed them to see this Lacanian Other come alive, somehow encapsulating their own experience of the new urban reality. Over half a century later films such as Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) took the torch as fictional future representations of postmodern space that provided the postmodern citizen with a suitably hyper-real substitute of reality. Three decades after that, the videogames and virtual reality experiences based on those very films promise to break the final barrier, allowing us to cross to the other side of the membrane, and freely move through that which is, literally, an augmented reality.Desde su creación en el siglo XIX, los medios de comunicación han sido cruciales en la configuración de la imagen del entorno urbano en nuestro subconsciente colectivo. A principios del siglo XX, periódicos y revistas bullían con imágenes de una exacerbada pero fascinante ciudad futura, que aparecían como representaciones hiperbólicas de la percepción que el ciudadano contemporáneo tenía de su propia, efervescente realidad moderna. El cine pronto se sumaría a este proceso, como ojo privilegiado y mecánico capaz de registrar, analizar, pero también reinventar la acelerada ciudad moderna y su evolución. Metrópolis, de Fritz Lang (1926), epitomizaría las posibilidades del nuevo medio, ofreciendo a los espectadores una ventana que les permitía ver a este Otro Lacaniano cobrar vida, y encapsulando en cierta forma su propia experiencia de la nueva realidad urbana. Más de medio siglo después, Alien (1979) o Blade Runner (1982) recogían el testigo, como representaciones ficticias de un espacio postmoderno futuro que proporcionaban al ciudadano de la postmodernidad un sustituto convenientemente hiperreal de la realidad. Tres décadas más tarde, los videojuegos y las nuevas experiencias de realidad virtual basadas en estos mismos filmes permiten vislumbrar la ruptura de esta última frontera, que nos permita cruzar la membrana y movernos libremente a través de lo que es, literalmente, una realidad aumentada

Building a utopie autre [Amazing Archigram! - 50 years of Zoom!/ Zzzzrrtt!/ Thud!/ Blaam!]

Desde su tímida aparición en 1961, y fundamentalmente a partir de su consolidación definitiva a mediados de la misma década, Archigram, revista y grupo, ha pasado a ser un sine-qua-non del panorama utópico y de las historias de las agrupaciones arquitectónicas. El punto de inflexión en su consolidación como un elemento indispensable de la historia de la arquitectura del siglo XX, sería, en cualquier caso, la aparición en 1964 de Amazing Archigram!, el cuarto número de la revista, dedicado a la ciencia ficción. Con su imaginería mecánica y espacial, y su estética de comic book americano, el “Zoom Issue” tendría un papel crucial en la conformación de la imagen y el propio ethos de Archigram. Por una parte, el número catapultaría su marca hacia un panorama internacional. Por otra, su potencia visual, formal y transgresora, unida a una aparente coherencia en el mensaje, instaló en el ojo colectivo de la arquitectura la idea de Archigram no sólo como una revista, sino como un estudio de arquitectura con una agenda común. Sin embargo, “Amazing Archigram” también instauró la visión del grupo como un conjunto de “provocateurs”, y de su arquitectura como perteneciente al terreno de la ciencia ficción, algo muy alejado de la intención de sus autores, cuyas propuestas, visionarias o no, se orientaban hacia el muy real objetivo de dar forma arquitectónica a esa “realitas ludens” que impregnaba la propia realidad de los 60.Since its timid first appearance in 1961, and fundamentally after their ultimate consolidation in the mid of the same decade, Archigram, both magazine and group, became a sine-qua-non of the utopian scene and of the history of architectural teams in general. The turning point in their encoding as an indispensable element in the history of XXth Century architecture would be, however, the publication, in 1964, of Amazing Archigram!, the fourth issue of the magazine devoted to science fiction. With its mechanical and space age imagery, and its American comic book aesthetics, the “Zoom Issue” would have a prominent role in conforming the public image and the very public perception of Archigram’s ethos. On the one hand, the issue would catapult their brand to the international scene. On the other, its visual punch, and the transgressive consistency of its message, installed in the collective eye of architecture the idea of Archigram not just as a magazine, but as an architectural office with a common agenda. However, “Amazing Archigram” also established the vision of the team as a group of “provocateurs”, and the regard of their architecture as something belonging in the world of science fiction, which was far from being the intent of their authors, whose proposals, visionary or else, certainly helped shape that “realitas ludens” that impregnated the very architectural reality of the 1960s

Management of experimental benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats using a food-based therapy containing Telfairia occidentalis seeds

The usefulness of diet containing Telfairia occidentalis seeds, in managing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats was studied. Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into four equal groups. BPH was induced by sub-cutaneous injection of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol valerate (ratio, 10:1) every other day for 28 days. Rats in the test group were placed on the test diet for 7 days following disease induction. One control group (DC) was fed on a normal diet for 7 days following disease induction. Two other control groups, HC and HDC, were given sub-cutaneous olive oil (vehicle) for the same duration, and placed on the test diet and normal diet, respectively. Markers of BPH, and hormone profile were determined using standard methods. The results show that relative prostate weight and protein content of the prostates were lower [albeit not significantly (p>0.05)] in the test group, relative to the DC group. Serum prostatic acid phosphatase concentrations (U/L) decreased significantly (

Arquitectura y ciencia ficción: informe desde el pasado = Architecture and science fiction: a report from the past

Los orígenes: Las fructíferas relaciones entre arquitectura y ciencia ficción, tan evidentes hoy en día en el traslape entre las arquitecturas digitales producidas dentro de la profesión y en los medios (publicidad, cine, videojuegos) son en realidad tan antiguas como el siglo xx y más allá, remontándose a los orígenes del género en la segunda mitad del xix. La ciencia ficción moderna, cuyos orígenes podemos rastrear hasta Julio Verne como cabeza visible en Francia y H.G. Wells en el mundo anglófono, se produjo como evolución natural de los romans d’anticipation, novelas que especulaban sobre la forma que adoptaría el futuro, un tema que en rigor ya puede hallarse en la literatura francesa mucho antes, ya desde L’An 2440, rêve s’il en fut jamais (1771), de Louis-Sébastien Mercier, e incluso más allá, en las primeras novelas de viajes imaginarios escritas por Rabelais en el Renacimiento. The origins: The productive relationship between architecture and science fiction, so clearly visible today at the crossover between digital architecture produced by professionals in the field and that found in the media (in advertising, film and videogames), can in fact be traced all the way back to the twentieth century and even earlier, to the second half of the nineteenth century, when this genre of writing first appeared. Modern science fiction, the origins of which go back to Jules Verne, who was the most high-profile exponent in France, and to H.G. Wells in the anglophone world, was the natural heir of the romans d’anticipation, novels which speculated on the shape the future would take, a topic that can in fact be found in French literature long before, with Louis-Sébastien Mercier’s L’An 2440, rêve s’il en fut jamais (1771), and even before, in the first imaginary travel novels written by Rabelais in the Renaissance period

Comics in the Design Studio. On the use of graphic narrative as a tool to represent, narrate, and rethink architectural space

This chapter looks at several works produced by architects and students in order to discuss and illustrate some uses of the comics medium as a tool both to visualise and explain, to develop stories and discourses, and start morphogenetic processes that lead to novel architectural form, or even rethink architectural space.unfunde

Learning from Civilia. Critical heterodoxies, historiography and urban design

Desde su primera publicación en 1971 como número especial de The Architectural Review, Civilia, The End of Suburban Man ha permanecido como un documento anómalo dentro de la historia de la teoría y la crítica arquitectónica. Profusamente ilustrado con collages hechos a partir de cientos de fotografías de edificios publicados en las páginas de la revista, el libro describía con un lenguaje cercano al manifiesto y en gran detalle una ficticia new town inglesa construida en una cantera abandonada. Situada en un difuso terrain vague entre ficción, sátira y propuesta genuina, Civilia era tanto una crítica al urbanismo inglés de posguerra y a las propuestas urbanas de la modernidad en general como una vívida ilustración del concepto de townscape que la revista llevaba promocionando varias décadas. “Learning from Civilia” ofrece una revisión crítica del contenido del libro, las circunstancias de su confección y su recepción, introduciendo finalmente The Civilia Project, una iniciativa de la Universidad de Newcastle que, integrando investigación y docencia, propone reexaminar Civilia no solo por su interés historiográfico, sino por su valor como herramienta de proyecto y por la relevancia que su discurso mantiene hoy en día, más aún, si cabe, en relación con el planeamiento urbano.Since its first publication in 1971 as a special issue of The Architectural Review, Civilia, The End of Suburban Man has remained an anomalous document within the history of Architectural Theory and Criticism. Profusely illustrated with collages made from hundreds of photographs of buildings published in the pages of the magazine, the book described, in great detail and with a language close to that of the manifesto, a fictional English New Town built in an abandoned quarry. Located in a diffuse terrain vague between fiction, satire and true proposal, Civilia was both a critique of post-war English urbanism and the urban proposals of modernity in general, standing as a vivid illustration of the concept of Townscape that the magazine had been promoting for several decades. ‘Learning from Civilia’ offers a critical review of the content of the book, the circumstances of its creation and its reception, and introduces The Civilia Project. An initiative of the University of Newcastle, The Civilia Project integrates research and teaching, and proposes a reexamination of Civilia not only due to its historiographic significance, but also because of its value as a design tool and for the relevance that its discourse maintains today, especially, in relation to urban planning

MISCONCEPTIONS OF PROSPECTIVE MATHEMATICS TEACHER IN LINEAR EQUATIONS SYSTEM

Misconceptions are still a problem in learning mathematics. The causes are very diverse, ranging from the cognitive abilities of students who are not good at mathematics to the teacher who is the trigger for this misconception. The misconception diagnostic test benefits readers as a reference and pressure point in conveying certain concepts that are prone to misconceptions. This study aims to diagnose the occurrence of misconceptions and to analyze the types of misconceptions in 29 prospective mathematics teachers on the two-variable (SPLDV) and three-variable (SPLTV) linear purchasing system materials. A test to detect conceptual errors was given to these prospective teacher students to diagnose conceptual errors that occurred when they studied SPLDV in junior high school and SPLTV in high school before being given linear sales system material in Elementary Linear Algebra courses. The results show that there are still classificational, correlational, and theoretical misconceptions. Theoretical misconceptions that occur in students are related to the definition of misconceptions and related to the definition and types of SPL solutions. Classificational misconceptions occur when students classify examples and non-examples of a given linear sales system. Correlational misconceptions occur in students, namely students cannot connect a statement related to SPLDV with its graphical representation of the statement given, also students are not precise in compiling mathematical models of everyday problems given so the solutions obtained are incorrect

Water disinfection by hydrodynamic cavitation in a rotor-stator device

The efficiency of a rotor-stator device for water disinfection based on hydrodynamic cavitation is investigated. Water is infected with E. coli and E. faecalis with initial concentrations in the range 5 × 102–1.2 × 106 CFU/ml. Various geometries of the cavitation channel between rotor and stator are tested, achieving bacterial annihilation in less than 10 min of treatment times. Microorganism permanent elimination is verified via micro-seeding to discard viable non-culturable bacteria; micro-seeding was done for those samples displaying no CFU growth via normalized cultures on a Petri dish. TEM photographs are analyzed and the extent of bacterial damages is tentatively correlated with the various cavitation mechanisms. Rotor-stator cavitation assemblies used in the current research are between one and two orders of magnitude more energy efficient than those tested by other investigators. Acoustic pressure spectra are measured to assess the implosion intensity. Parametric analyses are conducted changing the rotor diameter (110–155 mm), the cavitation channel contraction ratio, Amax/Amin(4.56–5.0), and the number of contractions (Nr:58–80 rotor vanes; Ns:8–16 stator vanes)