Critical chiral hypersurface of the magnetized NJL model

In pursuit of the sketching the effective magnetized QCD phase diagram, we found conditions on the critical coupling for chiral symmetry breaking in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in a nontrivial thermo-magnetic environment. Critical values for the plasma parameters, namely, temperature and magnetic field strength for this to happen are hence found in the mean field limit. The magnetized phase diagram is drawn from the criticality condition for different models of the effective coupling describing the inverse magnetic catalysis effect.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Solving the Gap Equation of the NJL Model through Iteration: Unexpected Chaos

We explore the behavior of the iterative procedure to obtain the solution to the gap equation of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NLJ) model for arbitrarily large values of the coupling constant and in the presence of a magnetic field and a thermal bath. We find that the iterative procedure shows a different behavior depending on the regularization scheme used. It is stable and very accurate when a hard cut-off is employed. Nevertheless, for the Paul-Villars and proper time regularization schemes, there exists a value of the coupling constant (different in each case) from where the procedure becomes chaotic and does not converge any longer.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure

Calcium-containing scaffolds induce bone regeneration by regulating mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and migration

Background: osteoinduction and subsequent bone formation rely on efficient mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) recruitment. It is also known that migration is induced by gradients of growth factors and cytokines. Degradation of Ca2+-containing biomaterials mimics the bone remodeling compartment producing a localized calcium-rich osteoinductive microenvironment. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) on MSC migration. In addition, to evaluate the influence of CaSO4 on MSC differentiation and the potential molecular mechanisms involved. Methods: a circular calvarial bone defect (5 mm diameter) was created in the parietal bone of 35 Balb-C mice. We prepared and implanted a cell-free agarose/gelatin scaffold alone or in combination with different CaSO4 concentrations into the bone defects. After 7 weeks, we determined the new bone regenerated by micro-CT and histological analysis. In vitro, we evaluated the CaSO4 effects on MSC migration by both wound healing and agarose spot assays. Osteoblastic gene expression after BMP-2 and CaSO4 treatment was also evaluated by qPCR. Results: CaSO4 increased MSC migration and bone formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Micro-CT analysis showed that the addition of CaSO4 significantly enhanced bone regeneration compared to the scaffold alone. The histological evaluation confirmed an increased number of endogenous cells recruited into the cell-free CaSO4-containing scaffolds. Furthermore, MSC migration in vitro and active AKT levels were attenuated when CaSO4 and BMP-2 were in combination. Addition of LY294002 and Wortmannin abrogated the CaSO4 effects on MSC migration. Conclusions: specific CaSO4 concentrations induce bone regeneration of calvarial defects in part by acting on the host's undifferentiated MSCs and promoting their migration. Progenitor cell recruitment is followed by a gradual increment in osteoblast gene expression. Moreover, CaSO4 regulates BMP-2-induced MSC migration by differentially activating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Altogether, these results suggest that CaSO4 scaffolds could have potential applications for bone regeneration

El método del caso en la virtualidad: pedagogía emprendedora ante el aprendizaje experiencial en la universidad

El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad elaborar una unidad didáctica que emplea a Brigthspace como plataforma académica y a la herramienta Zoom como medio de comunicación en la modalidad de educación virtual sincrónica de una universidad colombiana que posee una facultad de administración y negocios. El trabajo se desarrolla identificando una problemática y su respectiva justificación, para posteriormente realizar el estado del arte relacionado con la pedagogía emprendedora, incorporando al método del caso como tal, para identificar posteriormente un marco teórico que soportó los resultados obtenidos. Como reflexión final se establece que dada la actual coyuntura global de pandemia es hora de incorporar prácticas pedagógicas que reduzcan la brecha Universidad-Empresa y que como eliminemos prácticas arraigadas de enseñanza para abrir espacios a la virtualidad y las TIC como medio y alternativa viable para lograrlo

Tendencias y dinámicas de los flujos de materiales y energía en un contexto urbano: un estudio de caso de una ciudad con una economía emergente

Antecedentes: Actualmente, la mayor parte de la población mundial vive en ciudades, y la rápida urbanización de la población está impulsando aumentos en la demanda de productos, bienes y servicios. Para diseñar eficazmente políticas de sostenibilidad urbana, es importante comprender las tendencias de los flujos de energía y materiales a medida que entran y salen de una ciudad. Este El conocimiento es fundamental para determinar los elementos clave que caracterizarán el futuro crecimiento urbano y abordarán el futuro. desafíos de suministro. Métodos: Este trabajo presenta un análisis de los flujos de energía y materia en la ciudad de Bogotá a lo largo del tiempo. de 2001 a 2017. Los flujos urbanos también se caracterizan en función de su evolución temporal con respecto a la población crecimiento para comparar e identificar cambios en los principales flujos de insumos, producción de riqueza, emisiones y residuos en el ciudad. Resultados: Los resultados del análisis se comparan luego con los de otras grandes aglomeraciones urbanas seleccionadas en América Latina y el mundo para resaltar similitudes y hacer inferencias. Los resultados muestran que en Bogotá había disminución de algunos de los flujos de materiales, como el consumo de agua y la generación de vertidos, en los últimos años, mientras que hubo un incremento en el consumo de energía y cemento y en la producción de emisiones de CO2 y materiales de construcción. La producción de residuos sólidos se mantuvo relativamente estable. En comparación con las otras grandes ciudades. considerado, observamos que las tasas de crecimiento de 10 años de los flujos en relación con el crecimiento de la población son más bajas en Bogotá, particularmente si se compara con otras aglomeraciones urbanas de América Latina. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos de este estudio son importantes para avanzar en las caracterizaciones de las tendencias de materiales y los flujos de energía en las ciudades, y contribuir al establecimiento de un referente que permita definir y evaluar los diferentes impactos de las políticas públicas y promover la sostenibilidad de Bogotá en las próximas décadas.Background: Currently, most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services. To efectively design policies for urban sustainability, it is important to understand the trends of fows in energy and materials as they enter and leave a city. This knowledge is essential for determining the key elements characterizing future urban growth and addressing future supply challenges. Methods: This paper presents an analysis of the energy and material fows in the city of Bogotá over the time span from 2001 to 2017. Urban fows are also characterized in terms of their temporal evolution with respect to population growth to compare and identify the changes in the main input fows, wealth production, emissions and waste in the city. Results: The results of the analysis are then compared with those for other selected large urban agglomerations in Latin America and worldwide to highlight similarities and make inferences. The results show that in Bogotá, there was a decrease in some of the material fows, such as the consumption of water and the generation of discharge, in recent years, while there was an increase in the consumption of energy and cement and in the production of CO2 emissions and construction materials. Solid waste production remained relatively stable. With respect to the other large cities considered, we observe that the 10-year growth rates of the fows with respect to population growth are lower in Bogotá, particularly when compared with the other urban agglomerations in Latin America. Conclusions: The fndings of this study are important for advancing characterizations of the trends of material and energy fows in cities, and they contribute to the establishment of a benchmark that allows for the defnition and evaluation of the diferent impacts of public policy while promoting the sustainability of Bogotá in the coming decades

Using i* to represent OSS ecosystems for risk assessment

Open Source Software (OSS) is a strategic asset for organisations thanks to its short time-to-market, the opportunity for a reduced development effort and total cost of ownership, and its customization capabilities. OSS-based solutions include projects that are developed and co-evolve within the same organisation, OSS communities, companies, and regulatory bodies, forming an articulated strategic business ecosystem. The adoption of OSS in commercial projects leads to numerous challenges in the wide spectrum of available OSS solutions and risks emerging from the intrinsic structure of an OSS project. In this position paper we devise the use of i* models for understanding the strategic perspective of OSS ecosystems, representing actors, intentional dependencies and responsibilities. We argue that these models can play a crucial role in the analysis of organisational risks inherent to OSS component adoption and in the definition of risk mitigation activities.Postprint (published version

Optimization of seasonality and mother plant nutrition for vegetative propagation of Pinus pinaster Ait

Due to the high economic importance of Pinus pinaster Ait., there is considerable interest in developing, improving and extending the use of its families for mass clonal propagation and in breeding programmes. In the current study, we evaluated shoot growth, rooting ability and mini-cuttings production of P. pinaster in response to nitrogen fertilization and seasons. We compared eight half-sib families of P. pinaster from Asturias and Galicia (Northern Iberian Peninsula), searching for useful parameters and growing conditions to be included in a mass propagation program for clonal family forestry. We fertilized P. pinaster seedling mother plants kept in a greenhouse with three levels of nitrogen: high (HN), medium (MN) and low (LN) to evaluate rooting ability of mini-cuttings. In addition, we evaluated the maximal potential production of rooted mini-cuttings considering nine cycles of propagation over 1 year, also using three levels of nitrogen. The HN treatment significantly influenced the rooting process, with length, area and volume of roots all being positively affected. Spring was the most favourable season for mini-cuttings in the HN treatment. This study provides valuable new information to optimize the clonal propagation protocol for P. pinaster and shows that the mini-cuttings technique has great potential in mass scale cloning, providing high quality sprout production and well-formed new plants

Corticosteroid-Binding Globulin is expressed in the adrenal gland and its absence impairs corticosterone synthesis and secretion in a sex-dependent manner

Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) is synthesized by the liver and secreted into the bloodstream where binds to glucocorticoids. Thus CBG has the role of glucocorticoid transport and free hormone control. In addition, CBG has been detected in some extrahepatic tissues without a known role. CBG-deficient mice show decreased total corticosterone levels with missing of classical sexual dimorphism, increased free corticosterone, higher adrenal gland size and altered HPA axis response to stress. Our aim was to ascertain whether CBG deficiency could affect the endocrine synthetic activity of adrenal gland and if the adrenal gland produces CBG. We determined the expression in adrenal gland of proteins involved in the cholesterol uptake and its transport to mitochondria and the main enzymes involved in the corticosterone, aldosterone and catecholamine synthesis. The results showed that CBG is synthesized in the adrenal gland. CBG-deficiency reduced the expression of ACTH receptor, SRB1 and the main genes involved in the adrenal hormones synthesis, stronger in females resulting in the loss of sexual dimorphism in corticosteroid adrenal synthesis, despite corticosterone content in adrenal glands from CBG-deficient females was similar to wildtype ones. In conclusion, these results point to an unexplored and relevant role of CBG in the adrenal gland functionality related to corticosterone production and release