Investigating and exploiting fungal natural products in Aspergillus spp.

Gliotoxin (GT) is a redox-active natural product produced by some fungal species that contributes to the virulence of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. It contains a characteristic disulphide bridge responsible for the deleterious effects of this molecule. GT also displays antifungal properties, however the mechanisms of cytotoxicity behind it has not been fully characterised. The work presented here investigates A. niger as a model organism to understand GT cytotoxicity and reveal new metabolic systems, as it does not produce GT. Comparative proteomics revealed that exposure of A. niger to exogenous GT resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) dysregulation of hundreds of proteins involved in several cellular processes, especially metabolism. Two putative S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases showed de novo abundance under GT conditions. In addition an increase in abundance of proteins involved in the methionine cycle was also observed. Analysis of methionine-related metabolites revealed significant increases in the levels of methionine and adenosine, in correlation with proteomic data. Moreover, proteomic data revealed a significant increase in the abundance of hydrolytic enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases (n = 22) and peptidases (n = 16) which have important applications in the biotechnology industry. A significant dysregulation of proteins involved in amino acid metabolism coupled to an increase in the levels of selected amino acids appeared to occur in A. niger under GT conditions. Furthermore this thesis reveals a novel protection mechanism in A. niger against GT which is mediated by one the methyltransferases (MTases) identified on the proteomic data. This MTase (referred as MT-II) is responsible for bisthiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (BmGT) formation and deletion of MT-II led to increased GT sensitivity in A. niger. The applications of other fungal natural products like siderophores (Fusarinine C), are also evaluated herein. The development and validation of a Fusarinine C based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out. Results showed the potential applications of this ELISA in the diagnosis of aspergillus related diseases. Overall, this work highlights the different roles and applications fungal natural products have

Investigating and exploiting fungal natural products in Aspergillus spp.

Gliotoxin (GT) is a redox-active natural product produced by some fungal species that contributes to the virulence of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. It contains a characteristic disulphide bridge responsible for the deleterious effects of this molecule. GT also displays antifungal properties, however the mechanisms of cytotoxicity behind it has not been fully characterised. The work presented here investigates A. niger as a model organism to understand GT cytotoxicity and reveal new metabolic systems, as it does not produce GT. Comparative proteomics revealed that exposure of A. niger to exogenous GT resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) dysregulation of hundreds of proteins involved in several cellular processes, especially metabolism. Two putative S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases showed de novo abundance under GT conditions. In addition an increase in abundance of proteins involved in the methionine cycle was also observed. Analysis of methionine-related metabolites revealed significant increases in the levels of methionine and adenosine, in correlation with proteomic data. Moreover, proteomic data revealed a significant increase in the abundance of hydrolytic enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases (n = 22) and peptidases (n = 16) which have important applications in the biotechnology industry. A significant dysregulation of proteins involved in amino acid metabolism coupled to an increase in the levels of selected amino acids appeared to occur in A. niger under GT conditions. Furthermore this thesis reveals a novel protection mechanism in A. niger against GT which is mediated by one the methyltransferases (MTases) identified on the proteomic data. This MTase (referred as MT-II) is responsible for bisthiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (BmGT) formation and deletion of MT-II led to increased GT sensitivity in A. niger. The applications of other fungal natural products like siderophores (Fusarinine C), are also evaluated herein. The development and validation of a Fusarinine C based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out. Results showed the potential applications of this ELISA in the diagnosis of aspergillus related diseases. Overall, this work highlights the different roles and applications fungal natural products have

Naive bayes classifier for automatic analysis of beluga whale songs

Peer Reviewe

Pla de gestió d'estocs en una petita empresa.

En aquest treball es fa un estudi de la gestió d’estocs d’una petita empresa per poder fer una millora significativa d’aquesta gestió mitjançant coneixement d’enginyeria de gestió. S’analitza el sistema d’aprovisionament i estocatge actual de l’empresa mitjançant dades d’estoc i demanda de les referències de matèria primera amb les que treballa l’empresa i es desenvolupen millores per a la gestió que aporten una millora econòmica per a l’empresa. Finalment s’ha desenvolupat una eina informàtica, que permet tenir actualitzat en tot moment l’estat de l’estoc de cada una de les referències i planificar les compres de materials de forma setmanal, seguint una metodologia de tipus MRP (Material Requirement Planning o planificació de necessitats de materials) aplicada a projectesEn este trabajo se realiza un estudio de la gestión de stocks de una pequeña empresa para poder realizar una mejora significativa de esta gestión mediante conocimiento de ingeniería de gestión. Se analiza el sistema de aprovisionamiento y stock actual de la empresa mediante datos de stock y demanda de las referencias de materia prima con las que trabaja la empresa y se desarrollan mejoras para la gestión que aportan una mejora económica para la empresa. Por último se ha desarrollado una herramienta informática, que permite tener actualizado en todo momento el estado del stock de cada una de las referencias y planificar las compras de materiales de forma semanal, siguiendo una metodología de tipo MRP (Material Requirement Planning o planificación de necesidades de materiales) aplicada a proyectosIn this project, a study of the inventory management of a small company is carried out in order to make a significant improvement of this management through knowledge of management engineering. The supply system and current stock of the company is analyzed through stock and demand data of the raw material references with which the company works and improvements are developed for management that provide an economic improvement for the company. Finally, a computer tool has been developed, which allows the stock status of each of the references to be always updated and to plan the purchases of materials on a weekly basis, following an MRP (Material Requirement Planning) methodology applied to project

Design and Application of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring System in the Spanish Implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

[EN] A passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) device named SAMARUC has been developed to acquire underwater sounds following the specifications of the Monitoring Guidance for Underwater Noise in European Seas: Monitoring Guidance Specifications. Based on a Texas Instruments processor, an ultra-low power ADC was programmed to work at a sampling rate of 192 kHz and adhoc electronics were designed allowing the processor¿s two microSD buses to be used, thereby increasing the storage capacity. Many other software and hardware enhancements were implemented, such as the new low latency file system, the construction of NITUFF anodized aluminium housing and ringed buoys. With the resulting application, data obtained by the SAMARUC at El Gorguel (Cartagena, Spain) in 2018 were compared to a theoretical underwater noise map created using AIS data. This was done following the Descriptor D11.2 by means of the ambient noise level indicators at two one-third-octave frequency bands (63 Hz and 125 Hz), mainly related to marine traffic and noise pollution. The conjunction between the acquisition of underwater acoustic data and the development of a numerical propagation model was found to be highly recommendable to estimate the ambient continuous noise level when validating the acquired data as well as when correcting the prediction provided by the model.Lara, G.; Bou-Cabo, M.; Esteban, JA.; Espinosa Roselló, V.; Miralles Ricós, R. (2019). Design and Application of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring System in the Spanish Implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. MDPI. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecsa-6-06568S1

Improved visualization of large temporal series for the evaluation of good environmental status

[EN] Passive acoustic monitoring of underwater sounds is an emerging discipline that can be used to guarantee that anthropogenic noise meets acceptable limits, to detect the presence of cetacean species, and to ensure sustainable exploitation of our oceans and seas. In this scenario, graphical representation techniques play a key role in helping to reveal seasonal structures of human made noises. Nevertheless, for very long temporal series, it might be challenging to find a graphic visualization technique that allows representing a time range that is long enough to capture these seasonal events, while at the same time preserving short isolated events. We propose a framework for the creation of such visualization techniques and analyze the different stages involved: data reduction, color encoding, and signal processing on graphs. All of this is applied to data from deployments in two marine protected areas in order to provide an acoustic panorama and identify seasonal events.This work was supported partially by the Fundacion Biodiversidad (various Spanish government ministries involved in nature conservation) and partially by the European Commission -DG ENV (grant agreement 11.0661/2016/748066/SUB/ENV.C2). We would like to thank all of the researchers from FGUA (UAH) and the Oceanografic (Valencia) who participated in the deployment and recovery of the acoustic recording devices. We also thank the authorities in charge of the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park as well as the Cabo de San Antonio Natural Marine Reserve for providing the corresponding permits to carry out the scientific work.Miralles Ricós, R.; Lara Martínez, G.; Gosálbez Castillo, J.; Bosch Roig, I.; León Fernández, A. (2019). Improved visualization of large temporal series for the evaluation of good environmental status. Applied Acoustics. 148:55-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.12.009S556114

New Insights into the Design and Application of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring System for the Assessment of the Good Environmental Status in Spanish Marine Waters

[EN] Passive acoustic monitoring systems allow for non-invasive monitoring of underwater species and anthropogenic noise. One of these systems has been developed keeping in mind the need to create a user-friendly tool to obtain the ambient noise indicators, while at the same time providing a powerful tool for marine scientists and biologists to progress in studying the effect of human activities on species and ecosystems. The device is based on a low-power processor with ad-hoc electronics, ensuring that the system has efficient energy management, and that the storage capacity is large enough to allow deployments for long periods. An application is presented using data from an acoustic campaign done in 2018 at El Gorguel (Cartagena, Spain). The results show a good agreement between theoretical maps created using AIS data and the ambient noise level indicators measured in the frequency bands of 63 Hz and 125 Hz specified in the directive 11 of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Using a 2D representation, these ambient noise indicators have enabled repetitive events and daily variations in boat traffic to be identified. The ship noise registered can also be used to track ships by using the acoustic signatures of the engine propellers¿ noise.Lara Martínez, G.; Miralles Ricós, R.; Bou-Cabo, M.; Esteban, JA.; Espinosa Roselló, V. (2020). New Insights into the Design and Application of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring System for the Assessment of the Good Environmental Status in Spanish Marine Waters. Sensors. 20(18):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185353S1122018Lara, G., Bou-Cabo, M., Esteban, J. A., Espinosa, V., & Miralles, R. (2019). Design and Application of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring System in the Spanish Implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Proceedings of 6th International Electronic Conference on Sensors and Applications. doi:10.3390/ecsa-6-06568SAMARUC Webhttp://samaruc.webs.upv.esExplora (Patents and Software) UPV Webhttps://aplicat.upv.es/exploraupv/ficha-tecnologia/patente_software/15065?busqueda=R-16202-2012Beghi, M. G. (Ed.). (2013). Modeling and Measurement Methods for Acoustic Waves and for Acoustic Microdevices. doi:10.5772/2581Oceans Physics at Your Fingertipshttps://www.emodnet-physics.eu/Map/Gridded Bathymetric Datahttps://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gridded_bathymetry_data/Mackenzie, K. V. (1981). Nine‐term equation for sound speed in the oceans. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 70(3), 807-812. doi:10.1121/1.386920Ross, D., & Kuperman, W. A. (1989). Mechanics of Underwater Noise. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 86(4), 1626-1626. doi:10.1121/1.398685Gervaise, C., Kinda, B. G., Bonnel, J., Stéphan, Y., & Vallez, S. (2012). Passive geoacoustic inversion with a single hydrophone using broadband ship noise. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131(3), 1999-2010. doi:10.1121/1.3672688Crocker, S. E., Nielsen, P. L., Miller, J. H., & Siderius, M. (2014). Geoacoustic inversion of ship radiated noise in shallow water using data from a single hydrophone. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 136(5), EL362-EL368. doi:10.1121/1.4898739Li, H., Yang, K., Duan, R., & Lei, Z. (2017). Joint Estimation of Source Range and Depth Using a Bottom-Deployed Vertical Line Array in Deep Water. Sensors, 17(6), 1315. doi:10.3390/s17061315Tong, J., Hu, Y.-H., Bao, M., & Xie, W. (2013). Target tracking using acoustic signatures of light-weight aircraft propeller noise. 2013 IEEE China Summit and International Conference on Signal and Information Processing. doi:10.1109/chinasip.2013.6625333Lo, K. W., Perry, S. W., & Ferguson, B. G. (2002). Aircraft flight parameter estimation using acoustical Lloyd’s mirror effect. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 38(1), 137-151. doi:10.1109/7.993235Miralles, R., Lara, G., Gosalbez, J., Bosch, I., & León, A. (2019). Improved visualization of large temporal series for the evaluation of good environmental status. Applied Acoustics, 148, 55-61. doi:10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.12.00

A Risk-Based Model Using Communication Distance Reduction for the Assessment of Underwater Continuous Noise: An Application to the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Inhabiting the Spanish North Atlantic Marine Demarcation

Over the last decade, national authorities and European administrations have made great efforts to establish methodological standards for the assessment of underwater continuous noise, especially under the requirements set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Through the MSFD implementation across EU Member States Marine Reporting Units (MRUs), it is intended to establish the Good Environmental Status (GES) whether it is achieved or not. The evaluation of the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) at the local or regional scale for 1/3 octave band of 63 Hz and 125 Hz and the identification of long temporary trends were considered to be a priority due to the valuable information they can offer in relation to continuous low-frequency noise. Nevertheless, the methodology to determine threshold values from which to evaluate the GES has become difficult to define, and new approaches and considerations are currently being discussed by groups of experts, such as the technical subgroup on underwater acoustics (TGnoise) and regional commissions (e.g., OSPAR). This work presents a methodology to perform the assessment of a given area, providing a risk index that is related to potential appearance of masking effect due to the underwater noise produced by marine traffic. The risk index is hinged on the calculation of area under curves defined by the density of animals and a variable related to underwater noise SPL, defined as percentage of communication distance reduction. At this stage, the methodology presented does not consider physiological or behavioral mechanisms to overcome the masking by animals. The methodology presented has been applied to the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the ABIES—NOR marine demarcation to illustrate the possible use of risk-based models to manage marine areas related to human pressures, such as marine traffic, with the potential adverse impact on a given species (e.g., masking effect).En prens

Indicaciones del tratamiento radioterápico en el cáncer de mama

Purpose: Breast cancer is the first leading cancer-related cause of death among USA women. In Europe, breast cancer occurs as frequently as in the United States and thus we encounter this pathology on a regular basis in Oncology Services such as Radiation Oncology, General Surgery, Gynecology and Medical Oncology. Nevertheless, the number of services working with this kind of patients is increasing: Primary Health Care, Nutrition, Psycho-oncology, Rehabilitation centers, Pain Clinics and Nursing among others. Reviewing radiotherapy treatment indications shall bring this modality and its procedures closer to other medical specialties. Methods: Exposition of all clinical indications that might include radiotherapy treatment. Results: There is scientific evidence that proves that radiotherapy is needed in order to reduce locoregional risk of recurrence, which shall determine global survival. Conclusions: Breast cancer requires a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach for which radiotherapy is essential in the conservative treatment as well as in other cancer cases.Objetivo: El cáncer de mama es la primera causa de muerte por cáncer en la mujer en Estados Unidos. Esta patología es igualmente frecuente en Europa y forma parte de las con¬sultas diarias de los Servicios dedicados a la oncología (Oncología Radioterápica, Cirugía General, Ginecología, y Oncología Médica), aunque cada vez hay más Servicios implica¬dos en el manejo de estas pacientes (Atención Primaria, Nutrición, Psico-oncología, Rehabi¬litación, Unidad del Dolor, Enfermería…). La revisión de las indicaciones del tratamiento radioterápico permite acercar esta modalidad terapéutica al resto de Especialidades. Méto¬do: Exposición de todas las situaciones clínicas susceptibles de radioterapia. Resultado: Existe evidencia científica que demuestra la necesi¬dad de administrar radioterapia para disminuir el riesgo de recidiva loco-regional y ello influ¬ye en la supervivencia global. Conclusiones: El cáncer de mama precisa un abordaje tera¬péutico multidisciplinar siendo la radioterapia indispensable en el tratamiento conservador y en otros muchos casos