Universidad: crítica para la autonomía, vocación pública y saberes otros

Autonomy, public commitment, critical force, trans-disciplinarity and openness to other knowledge constitute the notions that organize the problematic vision of this article on today’s university. Argumentative logic structures these matters sequentially, analyzing the difficulties and challenges that contemporary universities face today within a market context, of weakening of its public role and of the diversity of knowledge struggling for recognition. These referential notions are discussed as central components of a broad normative framework for today’s universities. These are elements that would contribute to facing the university challenges in a vulnerable and financially besieged continent, of trans-nationalization, weakening management of its natural resources, technological dependence, weak democracies, multiple inequalities and increasing processes of discontent and social demands.Autonomía, compromiso público, fuerza crítica, y trans-disciplinariedad y apertura a otros saberes constituyen las nociones que organizan la visión problematizadora de este artículo sobre la universidad actual. La lógica argumental estructura dichas materias de una manera secuencial para analizar las dificultades y desafíos que la universidad contemporánea enfrenta hoy en un contexto de mercado, de debilitamiento de lo público y de diversidad de saberes que pugnan por su reconocimiento. Estas nociones referenciales son expuestas como componentes centrales de un marco normativo amplio para la universidad actual. Son elementos que contribuirían a asumir los desafíos universitarios, propios de un continente vulnerable y asediado en aspectos financieros, de transnacionalización, debilitamiento en la gestión de sus bienes naturales, dependencia tecnológica, debilidad de sus democracias, desigualdades múltiples y de procesos crecientes de descontentos y demandas sociales

Caracterización fisiológica, molecular y genética de una cepa de Magnetospirillum aislada de un bioreactor con tolueno.

Motivación: El tolueno está presente en la gasolina en un 5 a 7% por lo que es común encontrarlo en aguas subterráneas contaminadas por derrames de gasolina. El tolueno está catalogado como uno de los principales contaminantes debido a que  se ha comprobado que deprime el sistema nervioso central y potencia carcinogénesis en la piel (2). Debido a su poder contaminante se han estudiado distintas medidas para degradarlo in/ex situ mediante biorremediación. En este trabajo se propuso caracterizar a nivel fisiológico y genético una cepa de Magnetospirillum aislada de un reactor y evaluar la degradación de tolueno a partir de ésta. Métodos: Para cultivar la cepa, así como para ensayar la degradación de ciertos compuestos aromáticos como tolueno y benzoato de sodio y evaluar el crecimiento bacteriano en distintas fuentes de carbono (etanol y glucosa) se utilizó el medio Shinoda como base (1). Para todos los casos, el medio Shinoda se ajustó a pH 7.6, la incubación se realizó a 30°C y en agitación constante. A excepción del tolueno todos los ensayos, se llevaron a cabo en condiciones de aerobiosis y anaerobiosis. De los ensayos degradación de tolueno y benzoato, se evaluó la degradación mediante un cromatografo de gases y HPLC respectivamente. El crecimiento se midió en un espectrofotometro a 610 nm. Paralelamente, se procedió a identificar los genes implicados en los procesos de degradación (bss y bcr) y construir un árbol filogenético a partir de ésta información. Resultados: Durante 128 días, se evaluó el crecimiento de Magnetospirillum y degradación de tolueno. A lo largo de los primeros 38 días, no se observó crecimiento significativo de la bacteria, ni degradación significativa de tolueno manteniendose siempre alrededor de 45 mg/L. Sin embargo, después de 128 días, la concentración de tolueno era de 25,25 mg/L, degradandose casi la mitad de la concentración inicial. En los ensayos de degradación de benzoato, se observó una degradación de benzoato y crecimiento de la bacteria significante creciendo tanto en condiciones de anaerobiosis como aerobiosis. A partir  de los analisis filogenéticos se determinó que la cepa estaba emparentada a la especie M. magnetotacticum. Conclusiones: En este trabajo se aisló desde un microcosmos una cepa de Magnetospirillum candidata para degradar compuestos tóxicos como tolueno entre otros, ideal para el tratamiento de suelos contaminados tanto en tecnicas in situ como ex situ

Production of 2-butanol through meso-2,3-butanediol consumption in lactic acid bacteria

2-Butanol has been an issue of industries in many areas, for example, biofuel production (as an advanced alternate fuel), fermented beverages, and food (as taste-altering component). Thus, its source of production, the biological pathway, and the enzymes involved are of high interest. In this study, 42 different isolates of lactic acid bacteria from nine different species were screened for their capability to consume meso-2,3-butanediol and produce 2-butanol. Lactobacillus brevis was the only species that showed any production of 2-butanol. Five of ten tested isolates of L.brevis were able to convert meso-2,3-butanediol to 2-butanol in a synthetic medium (SM2). However, none of them showed the same capability in a complex medium such as MRS indicating that the ability to produce 2-butanol is subject to some kind of repression mechanism. Furthermore, by evaluating the performance of the enzymes required to convert meso-2,3-butanediol to 2-butanol, that is, the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and the diol dehydratase, it was shown that the latter needed the presence of a substrate to be expressed

Behavior competence development through e-learning: experience at the undergraduate level in the context of Aula a Distancia Abierta (ADA) Madrid, Spain

This communication presents the results of an innovative approach for competencedevelopment suggesting a new methodology for the integration of these elements in professional development within the ADA initiative (AulaaDistanciaAbierta, Distance and Open Classroom) of the Community of Madrid. The main objective of this initiative is to promote the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for educational activities by creating a new learning environment structured on the premises of commitment to self–learning, individual work, communication and virtual interaction, and self and continuous assessment. Results from this experience showed that conceptualization is a positive contribution to learning, as students added names and characteristics to competences and abilities that were previously unknown or underestimated. Also, the diversity of participants’ disciplines indicated multidimensional interest in this idea and supported the theory that this approach to competencedevelopment could be successful in all knowledge areas

Increased GABAB receptor signaling in a rat model for schizophrenia

Contains fulltext : 167879.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Schizophrenia is a complex disorder that affects cognitive function and has been linked, both in patients and animal models, to dysfunction of the GABAergic system. However, the pathophysiological consequences of this dysfunction are not well understood. Here, we examined the GABAergic system in an animal model displaying schizophrenia-relevant features, the apomorphine-susceptible (APO-SUS) rat and its phenotypic counterpart, the apomorphine-unsusceptible (APO-UNSUS) rat at postnatal day 20-22. We found changes in the expression of the GABA-synthesizing enzyme GAD67 specifically in the prelimbic- but not the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), indicative of reduced inhibitory function in this region in APO-SUS rats. While we did not observe changes in basal synaptic transmission onto LII/III pyramidal cells in the mPFC of APO-SUS compared to APO-UNSUS rats, we report reduced paired-pulse ratios at longer inter-stimulus intervals. The GABAB receptor antagonist CGP 55845 abolished this reduction, indicating that the decreased paired-pulse ratio was caused by increased GABAB signaling. Consistently, we find an increased expression of the GABAB1 receptor subunit in APO-SUS rats. Our data provide physiological evidence for increased presynaptic GABAB signaling in the mPFC of APO-SUS rats, further supporting an important role for the GABAergic system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia

Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

There is considerable evidence that children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are at increased risk of anxiety and anxiety disorders. However, it is less clear which of the specific DSM-IV anxiety disorders occur most in this population. The present study used meta-analytic techniques to help clarify this issue. A systematic review of the literature identified 31 studies involving 2,121 young people (aged <18 years) with ASD, and where the presence of anxiety disorder was assessed using standardized questionnaires or diagnostic interviews. Across studies, 39.6% of young people with ASD had at least one comorbid DSM-IV anxiety disorder, the most frequent being specific phobia (29.8%) followed by OCD (17.4%) and social anxiety disorder (16.6%). Associations were found between the specific anxiety disorders and ASD subtype, age, IQ, and assessment method (questionnaire versus interview). Implications for the identification and treatment of anxiety in young people with ASD are discussed

Anxiety Levels in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder:A Meta-Analysis

The aim of the current study was to meta-analytically examine whether anxiety levels in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are elevated. A total of 83 articles were selected from a systematic literature search and were included in the meta-analyses. Results demonstrated that children with ASD had higher anxiety levels compared to typically developing children, and this difference increased with IQ. Youth with ASD also tended to have higher anxiety levels compared to clinically referred children, and this difference increased with age. Children with ASD had higher anxiety levels compared to youth with externalizing or developmental problems, but not when compared to youth with internalizing problems. The study findings highlight the importance of more research in order to fully understand the nature and development of anxiety in children with ASD. More specifically, the results suggest that especially high-functioning adolescents with ASD may be at risk for developing anxiety disorders. Therefore, it seems important to carefully follow and monitor children with ASD transcending to adolescenc

Genomic Insights Into The Ixodes scapularis Tick Vector Of Lyme Disease

Ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), which vectors pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA, new lineages of retrotransposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. Annotation of scaffolds representing B57% of the genome, reveals 20,486 protein-coding genes and expansions of gene families associated with tick–host interactions. We report insights from genome analyses into parasitic processes unique to ticks, including host ‘questing’, prolonged feeding, cuticle synthesis, blood meal concentration, novel methods of haemoglobin digestion, haem detoxification, vitellogenesis and prolonged off-host survival. We identify proteins associated with the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, and the encephalitis-causing Langat virus, and a population structure correlated to life-history traits and transmission of the Lyme disease agent

Genomic Insights Into The Ixodes scapularis Tick Vector Of Lyme Disease

Ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), which vectors pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA, new lineages of retrotransposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. Annotation of scaffolds representing B57% of the genome, reveals 20,486 protein-coding genes and expansions of gene families associated with tick–host interactions. We report insights from genome analyses into parasitic processes unique to ticks, including host ‘questing’, prolonged feeding, cuticle synthesis, blood meal concentration, novel methods of haemoglobin digestion, haem detoxification, vitellogenesis and prolonged off-host survival. We identify proteins associated with the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, and the encephalitis-causing Langat virus, and a population structure correlated to life-history traits and transmission of the Lyme disease agent