Bruce Mazlish: The Fourth Discontinuity. The Co-Evolution of Humans and Machines. Yale University Press, New Haven y Londres, 1993

Sin resume

Spike Processing on an Embedded Multi-task Computer: Image Reconstruction

There is an emerging philosophy, called Neuro-informatics, contained in the Artificial Intelligence field, that aims to emulate how living beings do tasks such as taking a decision based on the interpretation of an image by emulating spiking neurons into VLSI designs and, therefore, trying to re-create the human brain at its highest level. Address-Event-Representation (AER) is a communication protocol that has embedded part of the processing. It is intended to transfer spikes between bioinspired chips. An AER based system may consist of a hierarchical structure with several chips that transmit spikes among them in real-time, while performing some processing. There are several AER tools to help to develop and test AER based systems. These tools require the use of a computer to allow the higher level processing of the event information, reaching very high bandwidth at the AER communication level. We propose the use of an embedded platform based on a multi-task operating system to allow both, the AER communication and processing without the requirement of either a laptop or a computer. In this paper, we present and study the performance of a new philosophy of a frame-grabber AER tool based on a multi-task environment. This embedded platform is based on the Intel XScale processor which is governed by an embedded GNU/Linux system. We have connected and programmed it for processing Address-Event information from a spiking generator.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0

Extracting dimer structures from simulations of organic-based materials using QM/MM methods

The functionality of weakly bound organic materials, either in Nanoelectronics or in Materials Science, is known to be strongly affected by their morphology. Theoretical predictions of the underlying structure–property relationships are frequently based on calculations performed on isolated dimers, but the optimized structure of the latter may significantly differ from experimental data even when dispersion-corrected methods are used for it. Here, we address this problem on two organic crystals, namely coronene and 5,6,11,12-tetrachlorotetracene, concluding that it is caused by the absence of the surrounding monomers present in the crystal, and that it can be efficiently cured when the dimer is embedded into a general Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) geometry optimization scheme. We also investigate how the size of the MM region affects the results. These findings may be helpful for the simulation of the morphology of active materials in crystalline or glassy samples.This work is supported by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” of Spain and the “European Regional Development Fund” through project CTQ2014–55073-P

Theoretical study of stability and charge-transport properties of coronene molecule and some of its halogenated derivatives: A path to ambipolar organic-based materials?

We have carefully investigated the structural and electronic properties of coronene and some of its fluorinated and chlorinated derivatives, including full periphery substitution, as well as the preferred orientation of the non-covalent dimer structures subsequently formed. We have paid particular attention to a set of methodological details, to first obtain single-molecule magnitudes as accurately as possible, including next the use of modern dispersion-corrected methods to tackle the corresponding non-covalently bound dimers. Generally speaking, this class of compounds is expected to self-assembly in neighboring π-stacks with dimer stabilization energies ranging from –20 to –30 kcal mol−1 at close distances around 3.0–3.3 Å. Then, in a further step, we have also calculated hole and electron transfer rates of some suitable candidates for ambipolar materials, and corresponding charge mobility values, which are known to critically depend on the supramolecular organization of the samples. For coronene and per-fluorinated coronene, we have found high values for their hopping rates, although slightly smaller for the latter due to an increase (decrease) of the reorganization energies (electronic couplings).This work is supported by the “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” of Spain and the “European Regional Development Fund” through Project No. CTQ2011-27253

Theoretical Insights for Materials Properties of Cyclic Organic Nanorings

The synthesis of new carbon nanoforms with remarkable and fine‐tuned bulk properties still represents a formidable challenge, with cyclic organic nanorings emerging in recent years for the template‐driven design of this kind of systems. The design and engineering of these materials can be first controlled at the molecular scale, to further induce their specific self‐assembly toward tailored properties at the nanoscale. Theoretical studies have lately contributed to the understanding of the underlying physical effects, the development of synthetic strategies, and the rationalization of novel materials properties, employing a variety of methods ranging from accurate calculations of isolated molecules to atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of a large sample of molecules in realistic conditions, which will be reviewed here with a focus on the transition from single‐molecule to supramolecular properties.Computational resources were provided along the years by projects CTQ2014-55073-P and PID2019-106114GB-I00 (“Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación”) and AICO/2018/175 (“Generalitat Valenciana”)

Bistratamides M and N, Oxazole-Thiazole Containing Cyclic Hexapeptides Isolated from Lissoclinum bistratum Interaction of Zinc (II) with Bistratamide K

[Abstract] Two novel oxazole-thiazole containing cyclic hexapeptides, bistratamides M (1) and N (2) have been isolated from the marine ascidian Lissoclinum bistratum (L. bistratum) collected in Raja Ampat (Papua Bar, Indonesia). The planar structure of 1 and 2 was assigned on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The absolute configuration of the amino acid residues in 1 and 2 was determined by the application of the Marfey’s and advanced Marfey’s methods after ozonolysis followed by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. The interaction between zinc (II) and the naturally known bistratamide K (3), a cyclic hexapeptide isolated from a different specimen of Lissoclinum bistratum, was monitored by 1H and 13C NMR. The results obtained are consistent with the proposal that these peptides are biosynthesized for binding to metal ions. Compounds 1 and 2 display moderate cytotoxicity against four human tumor cell lines with GI50 values in the micromolar range.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad; RTC-2016-4611-

Los nuevos formatos de la imagen electrónica

Depto. de Ciencias de la Comunicación AplicadaFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónTRUEpu

Biología reproductiva de la raya Rhinoptera bonasus (Elasmobranchii) en el sureste del Golfo de México

The cownose ray Rhinoptera bonasus is one of the most abundant batoid species in southeastern Gulf of Mexico, where it is occasionally caught and salt-dried for human consumption. To date, there are no estimates of the reproductive parameters which are needed to assess the dynamics of the local population of this species, and its vulnerability to fisheries. The analysis of 136 females with a size range of 43-106 cm disc width (DW) and 56 males with a size range of 43-93 cm DW, allowed to estimate that the lengths at maturity (DW50%) are 89.1 cm DW and 76.4 cm DW for females and for males, respectively. The female reproductive cycle is apparently biennial. The gestation lasts close to 12 months, gestation and vitellogenesis are consecutive, and ovulation and parturition occur from mid-March to mid-June. The results indicate a brood size of one and the lengths at birth ranged between 37.5 and 43 cm DW. Apparently, the sizes at maturity estimated for the southeastern and the northern Gulf of Mexico are different, because the data for the northern Gulf of Mexico indicate DW values of 65.3 and 64.2 cm for females and males, respectively. The biennial reproductive cycle of the southeastern Gulf of Mexico population seems different from that of the northwestern Atlantic, which is apparently annual.La raya Rhinoptera bonasus es uno de los batoideos más abundantes en el sureste del Golfo de México, en donde es capturada incidentalmente y procesada seca-salada para consumo humano. En esta región, a la fecha no existen estimaciones de los parámetros reproductivos necesarios para conocer su dinámica poblacional y evaluar su vulnerabilidad a la pesca por medio de análisis demográficos o evaluaciones de riesgo ecológico. Del análisis de 136 hembras con un intervalo de longitud de 43-106 cm de ancho de disco (AD) y 56 machos con un intervalo de longitud de 43-93 cm AD, se estimó una longitud de madurez (AD50%) de 89.1 cm y 76.4 cm AD para hembras y machos respectivamente. El ciclo reproductivo de las hembras es aparentemente bienal, con una gestación de 12 meses; la gestación y la vitelogénesis son consecutivas. La ovulación y el alumbramiento ocurren de mediados de marzo a mediados de junio. La fecundidad fue de un embrión y la longitud de nacimiento de 37.5-43 cm AD. La longitud de madurez es diferente entre el sureste y el norte del Golfo de México; en el norte del Golfo es de 65.3 y 64.2 cm AD para hembras y machos, respectivamente. Al parecer también es diferente el ciclo reproductivo entre las poblaciones del sureste del Golfo de México (bienal) y el Atlántico noroeste (anual)

Los nuevos formatos de la imagen electrónica

Depto. de Ciencias de la Comunicación AplicadaFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónTRUEpu

Violencia y miedo en los medios de comunicación. La paradoja del bombero pirómano

An essay on the relationship between the media and violence in todayʼs society. An analysis on the links among violent content in television programming and other forms of media entertainment and the levels of social alarm and the perception of shared fears. The article wonders about the current context of information overload and of media ubiquity and the new forms of electronic entertainment and its incidence in the social behaviour of children, youngsters and adults.  Una reflexión sobre la relación entre los medios de comunicación y la violencia en la sociedad actual. Análisis del vínculo entre los contenidos violentos de la programación televisiva y otras formas de entretenimiento mediático y los niveles de alarma social y de percepción del miedo colectivo. Se cuestionan el actual contexto de saturación informativa y de ubicuidad mediática y las nuevas formas de ocio electrónico y su repercusión en los comportamientos sociales de niños, jóvenes y adultos. &nbsp