Evolutionary 3D Image Segmentation of Curve Epithelial Tissues of Drosophila melanogaster

Analysing biological images coming from the microscope is challenging; not only is it complex to acquire the images, but also the three-dimensional shapes found on them. Thus, using automatic approaches that could learn and embrace that variance would be highly interesting for the field. Here, we use an evolutionary algorithm to obtain the 3D cell shape of curve epithelial tissues. Our approach is based on the application of a 3D segmentation algorithm called LimeSeg, which is a segmentation software that uses a particle-based active contour method. This program needs the fine-tuning of some hyperparameters that could present a long number of combinations, with the selection of the best parametrisation being highly time-consuming. Our evolutionary algorithm automatically selects the best possible parametrisation with which it can perform an accurate and non-supervised segmentation of 3D curved epithelial tissues. This way, we combine the segmentation potential of LimeSeg and optimise the parameters selection by adding automatisation. This methodology has been applied to three datasets of confocal images from Drosophila melanogaster, where a good convergence has been observed in the evaluation of the solutions. Our experimental results confirm the proper performing of the algorithm, whose segmented images have been compared to those manually obtained for the same tissues

Amplified Nanoscale Detection of Labelled Molecules via Surface Electrons on Diamond

The detection of individual molecules and their dynamics has been a long-standing challenge in the field of nanotechnology. In this work, we present a method that utilizes a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center and a dangling-bond on the diamond surface to measure the coupling between two electronic targets tagged on a macromolecule. To achieve this, we design a multi-tone dynamical decoupling sequence that leverages the strong interaction between the nitrogen vacancy center and the dangling bond. In addition, this sequence minimizes the impact of decoherence finally resulting in an increased signal-to-noise ratio. This proposal has the potential to open up new avenues for fundamental research and technological innovation in distinct areas such as biophysics and biochemistry.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

The topology of vitronectin: A complementary feature for neuroblastoma risk classification based on computer‐aided detection

Tumors are complex networks of constantly interacting elements: tumor cells, stromal cells, immune and stem cells, blood/lympathic vessels, nerve fibers and extracellular matrix components. These elements can influence their microenvironment through mechanical and physical signals to promote tumor cell growth. To get a better understanding of tumor biology, cooperation between multidisciplinary fields is needed. Diverse mathematic computations and algorithms have been designed to find prognostic targets and enhance diagnostic assessment. In this work, we use computational digital tools to study the topology of vitronectin, a glycoprotein of the extracellular matrix. Vitronectin is linked to angiogenesis and migration, two processes closely related to tumor cell spread. Here, we investigate whether the distribution of this molecule in the tumor stroma may confer mechanical properties affecting neuroblastoma aggressiveness. Combining image analysis and graph theory, we analyze different topological features that capture the organizational cues of vitronectin in histopathological images taken from human samples. We find that the Euler number and the branching of territorial vitronectin, two topological features, could allow for a more precise pretreatment risk stratification to guide treatment strategies in neuroblastoma patients. A large amount of recently synthesized VN would create migration tracks, pinpointed by both topological features, for malignant neuroblasts, so that dramatic change in the extracellular matrix would increase tumor aggressiveness and worsen patient outcomes

Seven challenges in the multiscale modeling of multicellular tissues

The growth and dynamics of multicellular tissues involve tightly regulated and coordinated morphogenetic cell behaviors, such as shape changes, movement, and division, which are governed by subcellular machinery and involve coupling through short- and long-range signals. A key challenge in the fields of developmental biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is to understand how relationships between scales produce emergent tissue-scale behaviors. Recent advances in molecular biology, live-imaging and ex vivo techniques have revolutionized our ability to study these processes experimentally. To fully leverage these techniques and obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the causal relationships underlying tissue dynamics, computational modeling approaches are increasingly spanning multiple spatial and temporal scales, and are coupling cell shape, growth, mechanics, and signaling. Yet such models remain challenging: modeling at each scale requires different areas of technical skills, while integration across scales necessitates the solution to novel mathematical and computational problems. This review aims to summarize recent progress in multiscale modeling of multicellular tissues and to highlight ongoing challenges associated with the construction, implementation, interrogation, and validation of such models

3849_REDITS. Red Interuniversitaria para la didáctica en Trabajo Social

El presente trabajo se enmarca en el seno del Programa de Redes-ICE de investigación en docencia universitaria del Vicerrectorado de Calidad e Innovación Educativa-Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Alicante (convocatoria 2016-17), “Ref.: 3849 REDITS”. Como primera estrategia partimos de la revisión de la literatura especializada recogiendo lo que venimos trabajando sobre competencias en Trabajo Social y promoción del trabajo colaborativo, e incorporando los aspectos relativos a la supervisión, estableciendo la diferencia entre la supervisión educativa y la supervisión profesional. Se realizó una revisión de la producción desarrollada por REDITS, a efectos de ir procurando no solo la homologación de criterios sino la construcción de estrategias de trabajo a partir de los resultados de las supervisiones. La segunda estrategia consistió en el seguimiento de experiencias puntuales de docencia en las que la red constituye un espacio de construcción de alternativas a partir de poner en común casos de cada universidad buscando puntos de convergencia y alternativas de trabajo. Se trabajó particularmente aspectos relativos a la educación inclusiva en el ámbito universitario. Como tercera estrategia se realizo un grupo de discusión de profesorado y se pasaron evaluaciones abiertas al alumnado sobre los tipos de supervisión en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje

Unraveling the extracellular matrix-tumor cell interactions to aid better targeted therapies for neuroblastoma

Treatment in children with high-risk neuroblastoma remains largely unsuccessful due to the development of metastases and drug resistance. The biological complexity of these tumors and their microenvironment represent one of the many challenges to face. Matrix glycoproteins such as vitronectin act as bridge elements between extracellular matrix and tumor cells and can promote tumor cell spreading. In this study, we established through a clinical cohort and preclinical models that the interaction of vitronectin and its ligands, such as αv integrins, are related to the stiffness of the extracellular matrix in high-risk neuroblastoma. These marked alterations found in the matrix led us to specifically target tumor cells within these altered matrices by employing nanomedicine and combination therapy. Loading the conventional cytotoxic drug etoposide into nanoparticles significantly increased its efficacy in neuroblastoma cells. We noted high synergy between etoposide and cilengitide, a high-affinity cyclic pentapeptide αv integrin antagonist. The results of this study highlight the need to characterize cell-extracellular matrix interactions, to improve patient care in high-risk neuroblastoma

SmartEx: a case study on user profiling and adaptation in exhibition booths

An investigation into user profiling and adaptation with exhibition booth as a case study is reported. First a review of the field of exhibitions and trade fairs and a summary introduction to adaptation and profiling are given. We then introduce three criteria for the evaluation of exhibition booth: effectiveness, efficiency and affect. Effectiveness is related the amount of information collected, efficiency is a measurement of the time taken to collect the information, and affect is the perception of the experience and the mood booth visitors have during and after their visit. We have selected these criteria to assess adaptive and profiled exhibition booths, we call smart exhibition (SmartEx). The assessment is performed with an experiment with three test conditions (non-profiled/non adaptive, profiled/non-adaptive and profiled adaptive presentations). Results of the experiment are presented along discussion. While there is significant improvements of effectiveness and efficiency between the two-first test conditions, the improvement is not significant for the last test condition, for reasons explained. As for the affect, the results show that it has an under-estimated importance in people minds and that it should be addressed more carefully

Magnetic domains on magnetite islands: from XMCD-PEEM to micromagnetism

Oral presentation given at the 13th European Conference on Surface Crystallography and Dynamics, held in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain, on June 19-21th, 2017.Magnetite nanostructures and thin films have been grown in spintronic devices such as spin valves in order to take advantage of the high Curie temperature, stability, and predicted half-metal character. However, thin films present magnetic properties which are rather different from the properties of bulk magnetite: high coercive fields, high saturation fields, out-of-plane magnetization, superparamagnetism in ultrathin films, or unexpected easy-axes. An explanation for these effects are growth defects, among which antiphase domain boundaries (APBs) are the best example. In the present work, we study the magnetic domains on flat single-crystal magnetite and other mixed spinels grown on Ru(0001) by molecular beam epitaxy [1,2]. As each island grows from a single nucleus, there are expected to be free of APBs. We have measured with nanometer-resolution the 3D magnetization of the islands by combining x-ray magnetic circular dichroism images acquired in a photoemission electron microscope at different azimuthal angles. The 3D magnetization maps have been used as the initial magnetization configuration for micromagnetic simulations of islands with the same lateral and vertical dimensions as the experimental ones. The Mumax3 software has been used to perform the micromagnetic simulations. By comparing the evolution of the micromagnetic simulations with the experimental behavior of the islands after annealing, we seek to validate the material parameters that define their magnetic behavior and to identify cases where defects or other effects play a role

Integración de nuevas soluciones plásticas con propiedades antioxidantes en sistemas de irrigación destinados a la reutilización de agua en agricultura de precisión. Póster

El uso cada vez más frecuente de aguas de alta actividad biológica, como son las aguas procedentes de depuradoras municipales, agudizan los problemas de obstrucción del emisor, lo cual conlleva para el agricultor situaciones complejas que pueden generar proliferación microbiana con reducción en la uniformidad del riego y por ende una disminución de la producción agrícola. Desde hace años, la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías en el sector agrícola está dirigida a conseguir mayor producción trabajando con mayor precisión y control con los sistemas utilizados en riego. El desarrollo en otros sectores, como el industrial, de nuevas tecnologías puede servir como impulso en la velocidad de incorporación a la agricultura de estas soluciones. La introducción en el sector agrícola de nuevos materiales con funcionalidades antimicrobianas contrastadas puede convertirse en una línea estratégica para el desarrollo de barreras de protección frente a la obstrucción de los sistemas de irrigación sometidos a trabajar con aguas de mala calidad. Se plantea una metodología basada en el testeo comparativo de diferentes materiales que transformados en emisores serán evaluados en la evolución del caudal emitido con agua regenerada. Una vez determinada la validez de la metodología se plantea la discriminación de los eventos necesarios para asegurar el mantenimiento de la instalación, para lo cual, se requiere continuar con el testado de los materiales

Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia

As animals develop, tissue bending contributes to shape the organs into complex three-dimensional structures. However, the architecture and packing of curved epithelia remains largely unknown. Here we show by means of mathematical modelling that cells in bent epithelia can undergo intercalations along the apico-basal axis. This phenomenon forces cells to have different neighbours in their basal and apical surfaces. As a consequence, epithelial cells adopt a novel shape that we term “scutoid”. The detailed analysis of diverse tissues confirms that generation of apico-basal intercalations between cells is a common feature during morphogenesis. Using biophysical arguments, we propose that scutoids make possible the minimization of the tissue energy and stabilize three-dimensional packing. Hence, we conclude that scutoids are one of nature's solutions to achieve epithelial bending. Our findings pave the way to understand the three-dimensional organization of epithelial organs