Lo humano en riesgo: la educación frente a la globalización

Los especialistas ponen al descubierto los principales desafíos político-educativos, teóricos y prácticos del discurso sobre la educación y plantean la necesidad de que esta se abra para dar acceso a la integración de la persona y a la orientación de una sociedad configurada por valores humanos fundamentales, esto es, la búsqueda de una educación en verdad humana en la era de la globalización.ITESO, A.C

Seasonality of picophytoplankton chlorophyll a and biomass in the central Cantabrian Sea, southern Bay of Biscay

Seasonal changes in the abundance and biomass of cyanobacteria (Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus) and picoeukaryotes were studied by flow cytometry in the upper layers of the central Cantabrian Sea continental shelf, from April 2002 to April 2006. The study area displayed the typical hydrographic conditions of temperate coastal zones. A marked seasonality of the relative contribution of prokaryotes and eukaryotes was found. While cyanobacteria were generally more abundant for most of the year (up to 2.4 105 cells mL− 1), picoeukaryotes dominated the community (up to 104 cells mL− 1) from February to May. The disappearance of Prochlorococcus from spring through summer is likely related to shifts in the prevailing current regime. The maximum total abundance of picophytoplankton was consistently found in late summer–early autumn. Mean photic-layer picoplanktonic chlorophyll a ranged from 0.06 to 0.53 µg L− 1 with a relatively high mean contribution to total values (33 ± 2% SE), showing maxima around autumn and minima in spring. Biomass (range 0.58–40.16 mg C m− 3) was generally dominated by picoeukaryotes (mean ± SE, 4.28 ± 0.27 mg C m− 3) with an average contribution of cyanobacteria of 30 ± 2%. Different seasonality of pigment and biomass values resulted in a clear temporal pattern of picophytoplanktonic carbon to chlorophyll a ratio, which ranged from 10 (winter) to 140 (summer). This study highlights the important contribution of picoplanktonic chlorophyll a and carbon biomass in this coastal ecosystem.Versión del edito

Chlorophyll and primary production in the North Atlantic.

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Residuos sólidos peligrosos en una empresa de transporte masivo de pasajeros en Cali, Colombia

Objective: To characterize the management of hazardous solid waste in a mass transportation company in Cali (Colombia) and the knowledge of such management by mechanics. Methodology: The characterization of the management of hazardous solid waste was carried out in accordance with the provisions of Decree 4741 (2005), based on the Basel Convention (2005), regarding the source, separation, conditioning, collection, storage transportation, treatment and final disposal; in 7 maintenance workshops of a mass transportation company in the city of Cali (Colombia). A knowledge study on the management of hazardous solid waste was carried out on 30 mechanics from the same company. Results: The company produces more than 5,000 Kilos per month of hazardous solid waste, classifying it as a great generator, and its management is insufficient and does not meet regulatory standards, which represents a danger to the health of workers and the environment. Conclusions: The management and knowledge on the management of hazardous solid waste are insufficient. It is urgent to implement an adequate management model for the minimization of hazardous solid waste at the source and its management following regulatory standards.Objetivo: Caracterizar el manejo de los residuos sólidos peligrosos en una empresa de transporte masivo de Cali (Colombia) y el conocimiento sobre tal manejo por parte de los mecánicos. Metodología: La caracterización de la gestión de residuos sólidos peligrosos se realizó de acuerdo a lo reglamentado por el decreto 4741 (2005), basado en el convenio de Basilea (2005), respecto a la fuente, la separación, el acondicionamiento, recolección, almacenamiento transporte, tratamiento y disposición final; en 7 talleres de mantenimiento de una empresa de transporte masivo de la ciudad de Cali (Colombia). Se realizó un estudio de conocimientos sobre la gestión de residuos sólidos peligrosos en 30 mecánicos de la misma empresa. Resultados: La empresa produce más de 5.000 Kilos mensuales de residuos sólidos peligrosos clasificándola como gran generador, además su manejo es insuficiente y no cumple con los estándares normativos, lo que representa un peligro para la salud de los trabajadores y el medio ambiente. Conclusiones: La gestión y el conocimiento sobre el manejo de residuos sólidos peligrosos son insuficientes. Es urgente implementar un modelo de gestión adecuado para la minimización de residuos sólidos peligrosos en la fuente y la gestión de los mismos siguiendo los estándares normativos

Antiferromagnetic 4-d O(4) Model

We study the phase diagram of the four dimensional O(4) model with first (beta1) and second (beta2) neighbor couplings, specially in the beta2 < 0 region, where we find a line of transitions which seems to be second order. We also compute the critical exponents on this line at the point beta1 =0 (F4 lattice) by Finite Size Scaling techniques up to a lattice size of 24, being these exponents different from the Mean Field ones.Comment: 26 pages LaTeX2e, 7 figures. The possibility of logarithmic corrections has been considered, new figures and tables added. Accepted for publication in Physical Review

How does a cadaver model work for testing ultrasound diagnostic capability for rheumatic-like tendon damage?

To establish whether a cadaver model can serve as an effective surrogate for the detection of tendon damage characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, we evaluated intraobserver and interobserver agreement in the grading of RA-like tendon tears shown by US, as well as the concordance between the US findings and the surgically induced lesions in the cadaver model. RA-like tendon damage was surgically induced in the tibialis anterior tendon (TAT) and tibialis posterior tendon (TPT) of ten ankle/foot fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens. Of the 20 tendons examined, six were randomly assigned a surgically induced partial tear; six a complete tear; and eight left undamaged. Three rheumatologists, experts in musculoskeletal US, assessed from 1 to 5 the quality of US imaging of the cadaveric models on a Likert scale. Tendons were then categorized as having either no damage, (0); partial tear, (1); or complete tear (2). All 20 tendons were blindly and independently evaluated twice, over two rounds, by each of the three observers. Overall, technical performance was satisfactory for all items in the two rounds (all values over 2.9 in a Likert scale 1-5). Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for US grading of tendon damage was good (mean κ values 0.62 and 0.71, respectively), with greater reliability found in the TAT than the TPT. Concordance between US findings and experimental tendon lesions was acceptable (70-100 %), again greater for the TAT than for the TPT. A cadaver model with surgically created tendon damage can be useful in evaluating US metric properties of RA tendon lesions

Polymorphic Inversions Underlie the Shared Genetic Susceptibility of Obesity-Related Diseases

The burden of several common diseases including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and depression is increasing in most world populations. However, the mechanisms underlying the numerous epidemiological and genetic correlations among these disorders remain largely unknown. We investigated whether common polymorphic inversions underlie the shared genetic influence of these disorders. We performed an inversion association analysis including 21 inversions and 25 obesity-related traits on a total of 408,898 Europeans and validated the results in 67,299 independent individuals. Seven inversions were associated with multiple diseases while inversions at 8p23.1, 16p11.2, and 11q13.2 were strongly associated with the co-occurrence of obesity with other common diseases. Transcriptome analysis across numerous tissues revealed strong candidate genes for obesity-related traits. Analyses in human pancreatic islets indicated the potential mechanism of inversions in the susceptibility of diabetes by disrupting the cis-regulatory effect of SNPs from their target genes. Our data underscore the role of inversions as major genetic contributors to the joint susceptibility to common complex diseases.This research has received funding from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, UE (RTI2018-100789-B-I00) also through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S); and the Catalan Government through the CERCA Program and projects SGR2017/801 and #016FI_B 00272 to CR-A. JG is funded by the European Commission (H2020-ERC-2014-CoG-647900) and the MINECO/AEI/FEDER, EU (BFU2017-82937-P). LAPJ lab was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ISCIII-FEDER P13/02481), the Catalan Department of Economy and Knowledge (SGR2014/1468, SGR2017/1974 and ICREA Acadèmia), and also acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness “Programa de Excelencia María de Maeztu” (MDM-2014-0370). This research was conducted using the UK Biobank Resource under Application Number 43983. The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project was supported by the Common Fund of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and by NCI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, and NINDS.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Platelets in Severe Obesity Uncovers Platelet Reactivity and Signaling Pathways Alterations

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is associated with a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state that supports atherosclerosis progression. The goal of this study was to gain insights into the phosphorylation events related to platelet reactivity in obesity and identify platelet biomarkers and altered activation pathways in this clinical condition. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We performed a comparative phosphoproteomic analysis of resting platelets from obese patients and their age- A nd gender-matched lean controls. The phosphoproteomic data were validated by mechanistic, functional, and biochemical assays. We identified 220 differentially regulated phosphopeptides, from at least 175 proteins; interestingly, all were up-regulated in obesity. Most of the altered phosphoproteins are involved in SFKs (Src-family kinases)-related signaling pathways, cytoskeleton reorganization, and vesicle transport, some of them validated by targeted mass spectrometry. To confirm platelet dysfunction, flow cytometry assays were performed in whole blood indicating higher surface levels of GP (glycoprotein) VI and CLEC (C-type lectin-like receptor) 2 in platelets from obese patients correlating positively with body mass index. Receiver operator characteristics curves analysis suggested a much higher sensitivity for GPVI to discriminate between obese and lean individuals. Indeed, we also found that obese platelets displayed more adhesion to collagen-coated plates. In line with the above data, soluble GPVI levels-indicative of higher GPVI signaling activation-were almost double in plasma from obese patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel information on platelet phosphorylation changes related to obesity, revealing the impact of this chronic pathology on platelet reactivity and pointing towards the main signaling pathways dysregulatedThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants No. SAF2016-79662-R, and PID2019-108727RB-I00), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Financial support from the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia (Centro Singular de investigación de Galicia accreditation 2019–2022, ED431G 2019/02; predoctoral grant 2018 Call) and the ERDF is also gratefully acknowledged. E.E. Gardiner and R.K. Andrews are supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. The Proteomics Laboratory CSIC/UAB (Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona) is a member of Proteored, PRB3-ISCIII (Instituto de Salud Carlos III), and is supported by Grant PT17/0019/0008, funded by ISCIII and ERDF. L.A. Morán is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 766118. S.P. Watson is supported by a BHF (British Heart Foundation) Chair (CH03/003)

Experimental validation of computerised models of clustering of platelet glycoprotein receptors that signal via tandem SH2 domain proteins

The clustering of platelet glycoprotein receptors with cytosolic YxxL and YxxM motifs, including GPVI, CLEC-2 and PEAR1, triggers activation via phosphorylation of the conserved tyrosine residues and recruitment of the tandem SH2 (Src homology 2) domain effector proteins, Syk and PI 3-kinase. We have modelled the clustering of these receptors with monovalent, divalent and tetravalent soluble ligands and with transmembrane ligands based on the law of mass action using ordinary differential equations and agent-based modelling. The models were experimentally evaluated in platelets and transfected cell lines using monovalent and multivalent ligands, including novel nanobody-based divalent and tetravalent ligands, by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Ligand valency, receptor number, receptor dimerisation, receptor phosphorylation and a cytosolic tandem SH2 domain protein act in synergy to drive receptor clustering. Threshold concentrations of a CLEC-2-blocking antibody and Syk inhibitor act in synergy to block platelet aggregation. This offers a strategy for countering the effect of avidity of multivalent ligands and in limiting off-target effects