A Trypanosoma cruzi Genome Tandem Repetitive Satellite DNA Sequence as a Molecular Marker for a LAMP Assay for Diagnosing Chagas' Disease

Chagas' disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi which is endemic throughout Latin America and is spread by worldwide migration. Diagnosis is currently limited to serological and molecular techniques having variations regarding their sensitivity and specificity. This work was aimed at developing a new sensitive, applicable, and cost-effective molecular diagnosis technique for loop-mediated isothermal amplification-based detection of T. cruzi (Tc-LAMP). The results led to determining a highly homologous satellite repeat region (231 bp) among parasite strains as a molecular marker for diagnosing the disease. Tc-LAMP was performed correctly for detecting parasite DNA (5 fg for the CL Brener strain and 50 fg for the DM28, TcVI, and TcI strains). Assay results proved negative for DNA from 16 helminth species and 7 protozoa, including Leishmania spp. Tc-LAMP based on the highly repeated T. cruzi satellite region is thus proposed as an important alternative for diagnosing T. cruzi infection, overcoming other methods' limitations such as their analytic capability, speed, and requiring specialized equipment or highly trained personnel. Tc-LAMP could be easily adapted for point-of-care testing in areas having limited resources

OEGMerge: un modelo de mezcla de ontologías basado en casuísticas

Desde hace tiempo la mezcla de ontologías es una actividad necesaria, sin embargo, los actuales métodos de mezcla de ontologías no tienen una casuística detallada ni una formalización precisa. Para la validación de estos métodos, es conveniente disponer de una casuística lo más completa posible. Por ello, en este artículo se presenta el modelo OEGMerge, desarrollado a partir de la experiencia del Grupo de Ingeniería Ontológica (OEG) de la UPM, en el que se describe detallada y formalmente la casuística de mezcla y las acciones a realizar en cada caso. En esta primera aproximación sólo se abarca taxonomía de conceptos, atributos y relacione

Morphological characterisation of BGM (Buffalo Green Monkey) cell line exposed to low doses of cadmium chloride

©2003. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Accepted, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Toxicology in Vitro (TIV). To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0887-2333(03)00017-1Morphological changes in the Buffalo Green Monkey (BGM) cell line after exposure to a subcytotoxic dose (0.062 mm, equivalent to EC10—effective concentration 10%) of cadmium chloride have been evaluated. Cells were exposed for 24 h and the effects observed at the ultrastructural level by transmission and scanning microscopy. Using transmission electron microscopy, the most notable findings in treated cells were the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies and thin intracytoplasmic granules associated to myelin figures and the presence of apoptotic bodies. Other morphological alterations included cell vacuolisation and a reduced cytoplasm volume, condensation of the mitochondria and a decreased number of cytoplasmic organelles, except lysosomes and autophagic vacuoles, which increased in number. Scanning electron microscopy pointed to a cell with a disrupted perinuclear region and a decrease in the number of surface microvilli. We conclude that the BGM cell line may be considered an useful tool for toxicological studies involving cadmium

New Tendencies in Wind Energy Operation and Maintenance

[Abstract] Both the reduction in operating and maintenance (O&M) costs and improved reliability have become top priorities in wind turbine maintenance strategies. O&M costs typically account for 20% to 25% of the total levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of current wind power systems. This paper provides a general review of the state of the art of research conducted on wind farm maintenance in recent years. It shows the new methods and techniques, focusing on trends and future challenges. In addition to this, this work includes a review of the following items: (i) operation and maintenance, (ii) failure rate, (iii) reliability, (iv) condition monitoring, (v) maintenance strategies, (vi) maintenance and life cycle and (vii) maintenance optimization As for offshore wind turbines, it is crucial to limit the maximum faults, since the maintenance of these wind farms is more complex both technically and logistically. Research into wind farm maintenance increased by 87% between 2007 and 2019, with more than 38,000 papers (Scopus) including “wind energy” as the main topic and some keywords related to O&M costs. The LCOE in onshore wind projects has decreased by 45%, while in offshore projects it has decreased by 28%. The O&M costs of onshore wind projects fell 52%, while in the case of offshore projects, they have declined 45%. Thus, the results obtained in this paper suggest that there is a change in research on wind farm operation and maintenance, as in recent years, scientific interest in failure has been increasing, while interest in the various techniques of wind farm maintenance and operation has been decreasing.This research was funded by the University of A Coruña (Spain) (Grant No. 64900)

Recent Advances in the Catalytic Enantioselective Reformatsky Reaction

This paper reviews the present state of the catalytic enantioselective Reformatsky reaction. Advancements in asymmetric versions of this reaction have recently led to a considerable extension of its scope and applicability, principally due to the use of highly active chiral ligands and very specific reaction conditions.M. A. F. I. is grateful for financial support from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (CTQ 2012-35790) and the Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid (programme AVANCAT, S2009/PPQ-1634). B. M. thanks the European Commission for a Marie Curie Integration Grant (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG). I. M. P. and D. A. A. are grateful for financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) (project numbers CTQ2011-24165 and CTQ2010-20387, respectively) and from the University of Alicante

Lucene4IR: Developing information retrieval evaluation resources using Lucene

The workshop and hackathon on developing Information Retrieval Evaluation Resources using Lucene (L4IR) was held on the 8th and 9th of September, 2016 at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK and funded by the ESF Elias Network. The event featured three main elements: (i) a series of keynote and invited talks on industry, teaching and evaluation; (ii) planning, coding and hacking where a number of groups created modules and infrastructure to use Lucene to undertake TREC based evaluations; and (iii) a number of breakout groups discussing challenges, opportunities and problems in bridging the divide between academia and industry, and how we can use Lucene for teaching and learning Information Retrieval (IR). The event was composed of a mix and blend of academics, experts and students wanting to learn, share and create evaluation resources for the community. The hacking was intense and the discussions lively creating the basis of many useful tools but also raising numerous issues. It was clear that by adopting and contributing to most widely used and supported Open Source IR toolkit, there were many benefits for academics, students, researchers, developers and practitioners - providing a basis for stronger evaluation practices, increased reproducibility, more efficient knowledge transfer, greater collaboration between academia and industry, and shared teaching and training resources

25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels linked to single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2228570, rs2282679, rs10741657) in sports performance in CrossFit® elite athletes

Producción CientíficaVitamin D substantially influences sports performance and post-exercise recovery because it offers anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cellular protective properties. However, deficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D (25(OH)D) (<30 ng/mL) could impact the health of individuals, lead to musculoskeletal disorders and decrease athletic performance. Therefore, it would be appropriate to know the interactions between genes and vitamin D. We evaluated whether 25(OH)D had a possible connection to the presence of certain SNPs in CYP2R1 (rs10741657), GC (rs2282679) and muscle VDR (rs2228570) genes, with serum 25(OH)D concentrations and the degree of WOD performance in highly trained CrossFit® practitioners. Knowing these relationships could be instrumental for personalized vitamin D supplementation and training strategies. Using a standardized commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure, the concentrations of 25(OH)D were determined and the genotyping procedures for each SNPs were carried out using specific assays with the KASpar® test. The 25(OH)DA performance level in grades was established based on the CrossFit® Total score (sum in kilograms of one Repetition Max Squat, Press and Deadlift). Significant differences (p < 0.05) in 25(OH)D concentration were found between each of the SNPs of CYP2R1 and GC with 25(OH)D. We discovered statistically significant weak positive correlations (p < 0.05) between 25(OH)D and AA-alleles of the CYP2R1 and VDR genes, and TT-alleles of the GC gene. Additionally, AA (rs10741657 and rs2228570) and TT (rs2282679) have a probability between 2 and 4 of having major concentrations of 25(OH)D and 25(OH)D25(OH)D. Conversely, GG alleles present a probability of suboptimum values of 25(OH)D of 69%, 34% and 24% for VDR, GC and CYP2R1, respectively, showing a strong moderate positive correlation (r = 0.41) between the degrees of sports performance and 25(OH)D25(OH)D plasma levels. The different polymorphisms of our three candidate genes CYP2R1 (rs10741657), GC (rs2282679) and VDR (rs2228570) disturb 25(OH)D concentration and play a critical role in the sports performance of elite CrossFit® practitioners. These results could highlight that the evaluation of genetic factors is key to designing a vitamin D supplementation strategy to improve sports performance.Plan TCUE de Castilla y León 2021-2023 - (grant 134/2021)Junta de Castilla y León y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (grant PI22/00008

Ley de Okun: los efectos de la pandemia de COVID-19 y los procedimientos de despido temporal (ERTE) en las regiones españolas

Official statistics indicated a break in Okun’s law in all the Spanish regions due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, herein, evidence of the validity of the law is shown. The temporary layoff procedures (ERTEs) allowed many workers to maintain their jobs. From the productive point of view, the law remained in effect in the regions, showing a strong relationship between idle labour resources and economic activity, and from the social point of view, the apparent breakdown of the law can be interpreted as the implementation of a policy that mitigated the dramatic impact of the economic crisisLas estadísticas oficiales indicaban una ruptura de la ley de Okun en todas las CCAA por la pandemia del COVID-19, sin embargo, aquí se muestra evidencia sobre la vigencia de la ley. Los ERTE permitieron el mantenimiento del vínculo laboral de muchos trabajadores. Desde el punto de vista productivo se observa que la ley continuó vigente mostrando una fuerte relación entre los recursos laborales ociosos y la actividad económica, y, desde el punto de vista social, la aparente ruptura de la ley puede interpretarse como la implementación de una política que mitigó el dramático impacto de la crisis económic

Towards an automatic early warning system of flood hazards based on precipitation forecast: the case of the Miño River (NW Spain)

[Abstract:] An early warning system for flood prediction based on precipitation forecast is presented. The system uses rainfall forecast provided by MeteoGalicia in combination with a hydrologic (Hydrologic Modeling System, HEC-HMS) and a hydraulic (Iber+) model. The upper reach of the Miño River and the city of Lugo (NW Spain) are used as a study area. Starting from rainfall forecast, HEC-HMS calculates the streamflow and Iber+ is automatically executed for some previously defined risk areas when a certain threshold is exceeded. The analysis based on historical extreme events shows that the system can provide accurate results in less than 1 h for a forecast horizon of 3 d and report an alert situation to decision makers.We especially thank Carlos Ruiz del Portal Florido, Head of the Hydrological Planning Office, Hydrographic Confederation of Miño-Sil River for helpful discussions and for providing access to real data within the context of INTERREG-POCTEP Programme project RISC_ML (Code: 0034_RISC_ML_6_E). This work was partially supported by the Water JPI-WaterWorks Programme under project Improving Drought and Flood Early Warning, Forecasting and Mitigation (IMDROFLOOD, code: PCIN-2015-243) and by Xunta de Galicia under project ED431C 2017/64-GRC “Programa de Consolidación e Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas (Grupos de Referencia Competitiva)”.European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); 0034_RISC_ML_6_EXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2017/64-GR

Microwave-induced covalent functionalization of few-layer graphene with arynes under solvent-free conditions

A non-conventional modification of exfoliated few-layer graphene (FLG) with different arynes under microwave (MW) irradiation and solvent-free conditions is reported. The described approach allows reaching fast, efficient and mild covalent functionalization of FLG.M. P. is the recipient of the AXA Chair (2016-2023). This work was supported by the EU H2020-Adhoc-2014-20 Graphene Core1 (no. 696656)S