The development of plasmatic glutamate grabbers for the treatment of ischemic stroke / Desarrollo de atrapadores de glutamato plasmático como terapia para el ictus isquémico

Glutamate is subjected to strong homeostasis, which is regulated by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), being the EAAT2 responsible for 90% of the uptake of extracellular glutamate. The balance disturbance of glutamate, as in ischemic stroke occurs, provokes that glutamate increases in the extracellular space which induces a complex process of pathogenic mechanisms. In order to mitigate these effects, neuroprotective drugs were developed, which showed no efficacy in human clinical practice. Because of this, studies describe the existence of glutamate concentration gradient between the endothelial cells that form the blood-brain barrier and the bloodstream. When the glutamate concentration of the brain endothelial cells is greater than the concentration of blood glutamate, the glutamate is carried from the brain to the bloodstream. On account of, the hypothesis that reducing blood levels of glutamate would increase the concentration gradient between brain and blood endothelium arises, thus favoring the removal of cerebral glutamate. This potential neuroprotective mechanism is called blood glutamate grabbering. For all the above, the combination of mechanisms of neuroprotection (by blood glutamate grabbing) and neurorepair (mediated by mesenchymal stem cells) constitute a promising therapeutic strategy in cerebral ischemia. Therefore, the objective of this work was the development of alternative blood glutamate grabbers for use in ischemic stroke. So we have used two strategies: enzymatic and cellular. The aim of enzymatic strategy was to analyze the protective effect of the human rGOT1 alone and in combination with a non-effective dose of oxaloacetate in an animal model of ischemic stroke. Sixty rats were subjected to a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Infarct volumes were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before treatment administration, and 24 h and 7 days after MCAO. Brain glutamate levels were determined by in vivo MR spectroscopy (MRS) during artery occlusion (80 min) and reperfusion (180 min). GOT activity and serum glutamate concentration were analyzed during the occlusion and reperfusion period. Somatosensory test was performed at baseline and 7 days after MCAO. The three treatments (6.44 μg/100g, 12.88 μg/100g and 25.76 μg/100g) tested induced a reduction in serum and brain glutamate levels, resulting in a reduction in infarct volume and sensorimotor deficit; being the dose of 12.88 μg/100 g the most effective. Protective effect of rGOT1 supplemented with oxaloacetate at 7 days persists even when treatment was delayed until at least 2 h after onset of ischemia. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the combination of human rGOT1 with low doses of oxaloacetate seems to be a successful approach for stroke treatment

Científicas da antigüidade

[RESUMO] Con este traballo pretendemos documentar o esforzo dalgunhas mulleres da Antigüidade que a pesar dos inmensos atrancos, infamias e discriminacións para non permitirlles “ser” de seu, deixaron a súa pegada no quefacer científico. O fundamento ten que ver co descoñecemento que hai no mundo da cultura sobre as contribucións destas mulleres, coma se non existisen, ou non lles interesase o saber. Nada de iso. De feito, os grandes descubrimentos da historia da humanidade son das mulleres que, con paciencia e tempo inventaron e transmitiron ao clan as ideas e os feitos, dende os séculos máis antigos ata os nosos días. Dar a coñecer as súas historias de vida, esforzo e valentía é un beneficio para o mundo da ciencia

Incommensurate instability and lattice dynamics of potassium selenate within a semiempirical rigid-ion model

The lattice dynamics of potassium selenate is analyzed using a rigid-ion model with the selenate groups reduced to rigid bodies. The interatomic forces have been adjusted only using static structural data. The number of adjustable parameters varies from two to five. Such a simple model is already sufficient to reproduce semiquantitatively the phonon dynamics of the real system. In particular, the model exhibits the lattice instability leading to the existence of an incommensurate phase. The characteristics of the resulting soft mode agree with those observed experimentally. The calculated eigenvector, in excellent agreement with the experimental one, is rather insensitive to the details of the interactions. This explains the strong similarities of the incommensurate modulations in most A2BX4 compounds. On the other hand, the form of the soft-phonon branch strongly depends on the force model. It is sufficient to fit the model to the static structure observed at 145 K instead of the one at room temperature, to provoke a conspicuous softening of the branch. The branch minimum is specially sensitive to some potassium-oxygen interactions. The relative size of the cations plays an essential role in the origin of the incommensurate instability. For comparison the results of a similar analysis for Cs2SeO4 are presented. In this case, the unstable or soft character of the lowest 2 branch disappears.Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica PB87-074

Towards the Recycling of Bio-Waste: The Case of Pontevedra, Spain (REVITALIZA)

Waste management is one of the main environmental problems that municipalities have to address. The fulfilment of the recycling objectives imposed by the European Community requires the segregation and treatment of the municipal bio-waste. Pontevedra Provincial Council started in 2015 an innovative plan, called REVITALIZA, for the recycling of bio-waste through the promotion of composting in municipalities. REVITALIZA, which is developed in different phases, advocates the implementation of local composting (home and community composting) and small composting facilities, so that the generation of waste and the economic and environmental costs of its collection and transport are reduced. The plan is a pioneer in the training of technical personnel in the area of bio-waste management. Currently, 36 municipalities are participating in REVITALIZA in different phases of the plan, committed to locally managing bio-waste

Automatic Optimization of Web Navigation Sequences

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28795-4_15.[Abstract]: Web automation applications are widely used for different purposes such as B2B integration, automated testing of web applications or technology and business watch. In this work-in-progress paper we outline a set of techniques which constitute the basis to build a web navigation component able to analyze a web navigation sequence and automatically optimize it, detecting which parts of the loaded pages are needed, and which ones can be discarded in the following executions of the sequence. Our techniques build on the Document Object Model and the first tests executed with real web sources have found them to be very effective.This research was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under project TIN2010-09988-E, and the European Commission under project FP7-SEC-2007-01 Proposal Nº 218223

Optimized local modes for lattice dynamical applications

We present a new scheme for the construction of highly localized lattice Wannier functions. The approach is based on a heuristic criterion for localization and takes the symmetry constraints into account from the start. We compare the local modes thus obtained with those generated by other schemes and find that they also provide a better description of the relevant vibrational subspace.Comment: 6 pages, ReVTeX, plus four postscript files for figure

Methionine Adenosyltransferase Purified from Rat Liver

Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT III), also known as S-adeno-sylmethionine synthetase, was purified from rat liver and crystallized. X-ray diffraction data were collected using a microfocused synchrotron radiation. The crystallization conditions were extensively optimized but final crystal size was never larger than 303 pm3. Due to their small size crystals had no detectable diffraction on either rotating anode source or the Deresbury SRS beamline 9.6 (GB). Finally, four data sets were collected on Grenoble ESRF (France) undulator microfocus beamline ID13 to resolution of 3.2-3.6 Å. Crystals belong to the cubic space group F432 with cell dimension a = 246 Å. Attempts are under way to solve the structure by molecular replacement, using recombinant MAT I rat liver structure as a search model

The site of San Esteban (Cacabelos, León) and its relationship with Bergidum Flavium

[ES] Se presentan los resultados obtenidos a partir de las actuaciones arqueológicas realizadas durante el año 2014 en el yacimiento arqueológico de San Esteban (Cacabelos, León), en el marco de ejecución del proyecto de modernización de regadíos del Canal Alto del Bierzo. El yacimiento también es conocido como Fuente de San Esteban o Ciudad de Valverde, localizándose al NE de Cacabelos. Las intervenciones permitieron documentar la presencia de varias estructuras murarias y canales, que estarían relacionadas con algún tipo de hábitat o lugar de explotación económica, posiblemente con carácter artesanal o industrial. Asimismo, la presencia de enterramientos permitió contrastar su uso como lugar funerario y cultual. Durante la intervención fueron documentados restos de materiales cerámicos, vidrio, metal, restos óseos y material de construcción. Estas evidencias deben contextualizarse con la existencia del camino antiguo de Cacabelos a Arganza, posiblemente de origen romano, que cruza el yacimiento de N a S.[EN] We present the results obtained from the archaeological works done during the 2014 in the archaeological site of San Esteban (Cacabelos, León), within the framework of the project to modernize the irrigation system of the Canal del Bierzo. The settlement is also known as Fuente de San Esteban or Ciudad de Valverde, located in the NE of Cacabelos. The interventions documented wall structures and canals, which would be related to some type of habitat or place of economic exploitation, possibly with an artisan or industrial character. Likewise, the presence of burials allowed to know its use as a funeral and cult place. During the intervention were documented remains of ceramic materials, glass, metal, bones and construction material. These evidences must be contextualized with the existence of the old road from Cacabelos to Arganza, possibly of roman origin, that crosses the settlement from N to S

Spatial variability patterns of some Vertisol properties at a field scale using standardized data

Spatial variability of Vertisol properties is relevant for identifying those zones with physical degradation. In this sense, one has to face the problem of identifying the origin and distribution of spatial variability patterns. The objectives of the present work were (i) to quantify the spatial structure of different physical properties collected from a Vertisol, (ii) to search for potential correlations between different spatial patterns and (iii) to identify relevant components through multivariate spatial analysis. The study was conducted on a Vertisol (Typic Hapludert) dedicated to sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) production during the last sixty years. We used six soil properties collected from a squared grid (225 points) (penetrometer resistance (PR), total porosity, fragmentation dimension (Df), vertical electrical conductivity (ECv), horizontal electrical conductivity (ECh) and soil water content (WC)). All the original data sets were z-transformed before geostatistical analysis. Three different types of semivariogram models were necessary for fitting individual experimental semivariograms. This suggests the different natures of spatial variability patterns. Soil water content rendered the largest nugget effect (C0 = 0.933) while soil total porosity showed the largest range of spatial correlation (A = 43.92 m). The bivariate geostatistical analysis also rendered significant cross-semivariance between different paired soil properties. However, four different semivariogram models were required in that case. This indicates an underlying co-regionalization between different soil properties, which is of interest for delineating management zones within sugarcane fields. Cross-semivariograms showed larger correlation ranges than individual, univariate, semivariograms (A ≥ 29 m). All the findings were supported by multivariate spatial analysis, which showed the influence of soil tillage operations, harvesting machinery and irrigation water distribution on the status of the investigated area

LA EDUCACIÓN EN VALORES DE LOS ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIOS: UNA EXPERIENCIA EN EL CENTRO UNIVERSITARIO MUNICIPAL DE JAGUEY GRANDE

La formación integral del estudiante universitario constituye el objetivo fundamental del proceso de formación del profesional en la educación superior cubana para ello se necesita una correcta labor educativa dirigida a la formación de valores humanos imprescindibles para un eficaz desempeño profesional y social. El presente trabajo demuestra que el Proyecto Educación y valores por una convivencia armónica contribuye a la formación de valores en los estudiantes universitarios, estudiantes de los restantes niveles de enseñanza y la comunidad, mediante una intensa labor educativa y político-ideológica en el Centro Universitario Municipal de Jagüey Grande, además potencia el perfeccionamiento moral de los estudiantes, que a su vez son parte activa de la comunidad, trabajan por, en y para ella