Protein modification and maintenance systems as biomarkers of ageing

Changes in the abundance and post-translational modification of proteins and accumulation of some covalently modified proteins have been proposed to represent hallmarks of biological ageing. Within the frame of the Mark-Age project, the workpackage dedicated to "markers based on proteins and their modifications" has been firstly focused on enzymatic and non-enzymatic post-translational modifications of serum proteins by carbohydrates. The second focus of the workpackage has been directed towards protein maintenance systems that are involved either in protein quality control (ApoJ/Clusterin) or in the removal of oxidatively damaged proteins through degradation and repair (proteasome and methionine sulfoxide reductase systems). This review describes the most relevant features of these protein modifications and maintenance systems, their fate during ageing and/or their implication in ageing and longevity

ESTUDIO Y SIMULACIO?N DE ALGORITMOS PARA LA EVACUACIO?N DE PERSONAS EN SITUACIONES DE EMERGENCIA SOBRE UNA ESTRUCTURA SIMILAR AL RECTORADO DE LA ESPOL.

Este trabajo de investigación forma parte del proyecto KISHWAR y corresponde al estudio y simulación de una red que representará al edificio del Rectorado de la ESPOL sobre la cual se implementó un algoritmo que será encargado de recalcular rutas hacia las salidas más seguras durante una situación de emergencia y con esto, poder determinar cuál tiene un mejor rendimiento. Los algoritmos que fueron puestos a prueba en este estudio fueron: Dijkstra y Bellman-Ford. Con las simulaciones que realizamos, se pudieron obtener diversos datos que fueron determinantes a la hora de elegir un algoritmo por encima del otro. El algoritmo Dijkstra según nuestro análisis es ligeramente superior a Bellman-Ford en rendimiento. Consideramos que nuestro estudio fue un éxito ya que cumplimos con los objetivos planteados, y pudimos concluir cuál algoritmo tiene un mejor desempeño para el cálculo de rutas de evacuación y esperamos que este análisis sea tomado en cuenta durante la implementación el proyecto KISHWAR de la ESPOL.This research is part of the Kishwar project and corresponds to the study and simulation of a network which represents the building of the Rectory of the ESPOL on which an algorithm that will be responsible for recalculating routes to safer exits during an emergency was implemented and with this, we were able to determine which performs better. We tested the following algorithms: Dijkstra and Bellman-Ford. With the simulations performed, we were able to gather data which were determining factors when choosing an algorithm over another. The performance of Dijkstra's algorithm according to our analysis is slightly superior than Bellman-Ford. We believe that our study was successful and we met the objectives, and we were able to conclude which algorithm has a better performance for the calculation of evacuation routes and we hope this analysis is taken into account during the implementation of the Kishwar project

Metabolic Profiling in Blastocoel Fluid and Blood Plasma of Diabetic Rabbits

Metabolic disorders of the mother adversely affect early embryo development, causing changes in maternal metabolism and consequent alterations in the embryo environment in the uterus. The goal of this study was to analyse the biochemical profiles of embryonic fluids and blood plasma of rabbits with and without insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DT1), to identify metabolic changes associated with maternal diabetes mellitus in early pregnancy. Insulin-dependent diabetes was induced by alloxan treatment in female rabbits 10 days before mating. On day 6 post-coitum, plasma and blastocoel fluid (BF) were analysed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) (Metabolon Inc. Durham, NC, USA). Metabolic datasets comprised a total of 284 and 597 compounds of known identity in BF and plasma, respectively. Diabetes mellitus had profound effects on maternal and embryonic metabolic profiles, with almost half of the metabolites changed. As predicted, we observed an increase in glucose and a decrease in 1,5-anhydroglucitol in diabetic plasma samples. In plasma, fructose, mannose, and sorbitol were elevated in the diabetic group, which may be a way of dealing with excess glucose. In BF, metabolites of the pentose metabolism were especially increased, indicating the need for ribose-based compounds relevant to DNA and RNA metabolism at this very early stage of embryo development. Other changes were more consistent between BF and plasma. Both displayed elevated acylcarnitines, body3-hydroxybutyrate, and multiple compounds within the branched chain amino acid metabolism pathway, suggesting that lipid beta-oxidation is occurring at elevated levels in the diabetic group. This study demonstrates that maternal and embryonic metabolism are closely related. Maternal diabetes mellitus profoundly alters the metabolic profile of the preimplantation embryo with changes in all subclasses of metabolite

El taller de patrimonio documental y bibliográfico del Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

Español: En este artículo se expone la evolución del Taller de Patrimonio Documental y Bibliográfico del Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico de Sevilla, desde su creación en 1996 hasta la actualidad. Su principal finalidad es dar respuesta a las demandas sobre la conservación de ese Patrimonio en Andalucía.Desde su inicio contabilizamos unas 1.200 actuaciones, varias de las cuales corresponden a colecciones y conjuntos de varias obras. Inglés: This article explains the activities from its inception in 1996 until today of the Workshop of Documentary and Bibliographic Heritage. This Workshop is located in Sevilla and it is part of the Andalusia Institute of Historical Heritage. The main purpose of the Workshop of Documentary Bibliographic Heritage is to attend all heritage conservation requests in Andalucía. More than 1.200 conservation works have been carried out by this Workshop since its foundation

Estrés docente en tiempos de confinamiento: estudio de caso en el cantón Santa Ana de Manabí, Ecuador: Teacher stress at lockdown times: case study on Santa Ana canton in Manabí province, Ecuador

El estrés es una reacción genéticamente programada para enfrentar situaciones que ponen en riesgo la seguridad colectiva e individual de las personas. Niveles muy bajos o altos de estrés, sin embargo, lo convierten en factor de riesgo, tanto psicofisiológica como conductualmente. La pandemia SARS-CoV-2 y el confinamiento a que dio lugar fueron procesos abruptos y disruptivos, algunos aún presentes. Desde la perspectiva de los profesores, cambiaron los entornos de la enseñanza, así como el carácter y la temporalidad de la interacción con sus estudiantes. Debieron modificarse las estrategias docentes en, al menos, dos aspectos: las metodologías para guiar el aprendizaje y la interacción sincrónica y asincrónica con sus estudiantes. El trabajo de los maestros desde casa durante el confinamiento es aún un proceso de aprendizaje sobre la nueva educación y la gestión escolar en entornos virtuales. Usando métodos cuali-cuantitativos en el estudio de un caso, el objetivo de este artículo fue analizar cómo situaciones “excepcionales” inciden en el estrés humano, al modificar súbita y prolongadamente los patrones de acción e interacción de personas y colectivos sociales. Con los maestros con mayor estrés percibido se profundizó en elementos experienciales y subjetivos del estrés percibido. De este modo, se identificaron tres tipos de factores estresantes principales, de alta incidencia

Astronomy below the survey threshold in the SKA era

Astronomy at or below the 'survey threshold' has expanded significantly since the publication of the original 'Science with the Square Kilometer Array' in 1999 and its update in 2004. The techniques in this regime may be broadly (but far from exclusively) defined as 'confusion' or 'P(D)' analyses (analyses of one-point statistics), and 'stacking', accounting for the flux-density distribution of noise-limited images co-added at the positions of objects detected/isolated in a different waveband. Here we discuss the relevant issues, present some examples of recent analyses, and consider some of the consequences for the design and use of surveys with the SKA and its pathfinders

Maternal Diabetes Leads to Unphysiological High Lipid Accumulation in Rabbit Preimplantation Embryos

According to the "developmental origin of health and disease" hypothesis, the metabolic set points of glucose and lipid metabolism are determined prenatally. In the case of a diabetic pregnancy, the embryo is exposed to higher glucose and lipid concentrations as early as during preimplantation development. We used the rabbit to study the effect of maternal diabetes type 1 on lipid accumulation and expression of lipogenic markers in preimplantation blastocysts. Accompanied by elevated triglyceride and glucose levels in the maternal blood, embryos from diabetic rabbits showed a massive intracellular lipid accumulation and increased expression of fatty acid transporter 4, fatty acid-binding protein 4, perilipin/adipophilin, and maturation of sterol-regulated element binding protein. However, expression of fatty acid synthase, a key enzyme for de novo synthesis of fatty acids, was not altered in vivo. During a short time in vitro culture of rabbit blastocysts, the accumulation of lipid droplets and expression of lipogenic markers were directly correlated with increasing glucose concentration, indicating that hyperglycemia leads to increased lipogenesis in the preimplantation embryo. Our study shows the decisive effect of glucose as the determining factor for fatty acid metabolism and intracellular lipid accumulation in preimplantation embryos