Biosurfactant-mediated biodegradation of straight and methyl-branched alkanes by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 55925

Accidental oil spills and waste disposal are important sources for environmental pollution. We investigated the biodegradation of alkanes by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 55925 in relation to a rhamnolipid surfactant produced by the same bacterial strain. Results showed that the linear C11-C21 compounds in a heating oil sample degraded from 6% to 100%, whereas the iso-alkanes tended to be recalcitrant unless they were exposed to the biosurfactant; under such condition total biodegradation was achieved. Only the biodegradation of the commercial C12-C19 alkanes could be demonstrated, ranging from 23% to 100%, depending on the experimental conditions. Pristane (a C19 branched alkane) only biodegraded when present alone with the biosurfactant and when included in an artificial mixture even without the biosurfactant. In all cases the biosurfactant significantly enhanced biodegradation. The electron scanning microscopy showed that cells depicted several adaptations to growth on hydrocarbons, such as biopolymeric spheres with embedded cells distributed over different layers on the spherical surfaces and cells linked to each other by extracellular appendages. Electron transmission microscopy revealed transparent inclusions, which were associated with hydrocarbon based-culture cells. These patterns of hydrocarbon biodegradation and cell adaptations depended on the substrate bioavailability, type and length of hydrocarbon

Non-destructive soluble solids content determination for ‘Rocha’ Pear Based on VIS-SWNIR spectroscopy under ‘Real World’ sorting facility conditions

In this paper we report a method to determine the soluble solids content (SSC) of 'Rocha' pear (Pyrus communis L. cv. Rocha) based on their short-wave NIR reflectance spectra (500-1100 nm) measured in conditions similar to those found in packinghouse fruit sorting facilities. We obtained 3300 reflectance spectra from pears acquired from different lots, producers and with diverse storage times and ripening stages. The macroscopic properties of the pears, such as size, temperature and SSC were measured under controlled laboratory conditions. For the spectral analysis, we implemented a computational pipeline that incorporates multiple pre-processing techniques including a feature selection procedure, various multivariate regression models and three different validation strategies. This benchmark allowed us to find the best model/preproccesing procedure for SSC prediction from our data. From the several calibration models tested, we have found that Support Vector Machines provides the best predictions metrics with an RMSEP of around 0.82 ∘ Brix and 1.09 ∘ Brix for internal and external validation strategies respectively. The latter validation was implemented to assess the prediction accuracy of this calibration method under more 'real world-like' conditions. We also show that incorporating information about the fruit temperature and size to the calibration models improves SSC predictability. Our results indicate that the methodology presented here could be implemented in existing packinghouse facilities for single fruit SSC characterization.Funding Agency CEOT strategic project UID/Multi/00631/2019 project OtiCalFrut ALG-01-0247-FEDER-033652 Ideias em Caixa 2010, CAIXA GERAL DE DEPOSITOS Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Ciencia)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La educación inclusiva y la atención a la diversidad

In recent years, the term "functional diversity" has been globalised, rendering obsolete other terms that are derogatory to this group. This article will define inclusive education as a new paradigm that offers equal and quality education for all students, regardless of their individual characteristics, and eliminates any form of discrimination and harassment. Attention to diversity and the factors that can hinder its development in the classroom will also be discussed. Finally, the topics covered in this volume of the RETOS XXI journal will be presented.En los últimos años se ha ido globalizando el término de “diversidad funcional”, quedando obsoletos otros términos que resultan despectivos para tal colectivo. A continuación, se pretende definir y ubicar la educación inclusiva que supone un paradigma que ofrece una educación equitativa y de calidad para todo el alumnado, con independencia de sus características individuales y que elimina cualquier forma de discriminación y acoso. Asimismo, se hablará sobre la atención a la diversidad y los factores que pueden perjudicar su desarrollo en las aulas. Finalmente, se expondrá los temas tratados en este volumen de la revista RETOS XXI

La política lingüística de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California [México] y las estancias cortas virtuales: Una experiencia en la enseñanza del idioma inglés con propósitos específicos

En este estudio se describe una experiencia en la enseñanza del idioma Inglés que realiza la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) mediante el programa de intercambio estudiantil virtual en universidades internacionales. Desde 2006, la UABC ha fomentado el aprendizaje del Inglés con el fin de mejorar las competencias lingüísticas y académicas de los universitarios. Una estrategia que se ha empleado para mejorar los programas de Inglés consiste en indagar la opinión de los alumnos que han participado en estancias virtuales cortas en las que se ha utilizado el Inglés como medio de instrucción. Para este estudio se utilizó una metodología cuantitativa-descriptiva para analizar los resultados de 139 alumnos que respondieron la encuesta de 20 ítems con la escala de Likert y validada con Alfa de Cronbach (Cronbach, 1951). El estudio se centra en el referente lingüístico del interpretativismo del aprendizaje del idioma Inglés con Propósitos Específicos (Widdowson, 1998) y las estancias cortas virtuales como parte de la política lingüística explícita de Baldauf (2010). A partir de los resultados obtenidos de este estudio, se emiten recomendaciones para mejorar los cursos de Inglés que se implementan en la UABC para así consolidar la política lingüística establecida por la universidad.&nbsp

Un asentamiento rural de época omeya en la Vega de Granada: Manzanil (Loja). Límites y posibilidades de interpretación a partir de una intervención arqueológica puntual

This article presents the results of a limited archaeological excavation carried out in the area of Manzanil, situated in the municipality of Loja (province of Granada), where a rural settlement from the Umayyad period dated between the second half of the 9th century and the first half of the 10th century was found. Firstly, the peculiar structures documented are examined, and the authors’ suggestion is that they correspond to a large rectangular enclosure. In addition, the systematic study of an interesting ceramic assemblage (in which outstanding glazed productions of the late Emirate period are documented) is carried out. Finally, the settlement is considered in its geographical and historical context, in order to understand its functionality. In this sense, emphasis is place on the location of the site in a traditional irrigated area and in a territory where the settlement of groups of Eastern origin was very important during the first moments of Andalusi history.En este artículo se exponen los resultados de la intervención arqueológica puntual llevada a cabo en el pago de Manzanil, situado en el término municipal de Loja (provincia de Granada), donde se localizó un asentamiento rural de época omeya datado entre la segunda mitad del siglo IX y la primera del X. En primer lugar, se interpretan las peculiares estructuras documentadas, planteando la hipótesis de que corresponden a un gran recinto rectangular. A continuación, se lleva a cabo el estudio sistemático de un interesante conjunto cerámico, en el que encontramos destacadas producciones vidriadas de fines del período emiral. Finalmente, se hace una valoración del asentamiento en su contexto geográfico e histórico, de cara a entender su funcionalidad. En este sentido, debe señalarse su localización en un espacio de regadío tradicional y en un territorio en el que la instalación de grupos de origen oriental desde primera época andalusí fue muy importante

Mass spectrometry-based biomarkers to detect prostate cancer: a multicentric study based on non-invasive urine collection without prior digital rectal examination

(1) Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. Wide application of prostate specific antigen test has historically led to over-treatment, starting from excessive biopsies. Risk calculators based on molecular and clinical variables can be of value to determine the risk of PCa and as such, reduce unnecessary and invasive biopsies. Urinary molecular studies have been mostly focusing on sampling after initial intervention (digital rectal examination and/or prostate massage). (2) Methods: Building on previous proteomics studies, in this manuscript, we aimed at developing a biomarker model for PCa detection based on urine sampling without prior intervention. Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry was applied to acquire proteomics profiles from 970 patients from two different clinical centers. (3) Results: A case-control comparison was performed in a training set of 413 patients and 181 significant peptides were subsequently combined by a support vector machine algorithm. Independent validation was initially performed in 272 negative for PCa and 138 biopsy-confirmed PCa, resulting in an AUC of 0.81, outperforming current standards, while a second validation phase included 147 PCa patients. (4) Conclusions: This multi-dimensional biomarker model holds promise to improve the current diagnosis of PCa, by guiding invasive biopsies

Non-invasive localization of atrial ectopic beats by using simulated body surface P-wave integral maps

Non-invasive localization of continuous atrial ectopic beats remains a cornerstone for the treatment of atrial arrhythmias. The lack of accurate tools to guide electrophysiologists leads to an increase in the recurrence rate of ablation procedures. Existing approaches are based on the analysis of the P-waves main characteristics and the forward body surface potential maps (BSPMs) or on the inverse estimation of the electric activity of the heart from those BSPMs. These methods have not provided an efficient and systematic tool to localize ectopic triggers. In this work, we propose the use of machine learning techniques to spatially cluster and classify ectopic atrial foci into clearly differentiated atrial regions by using the body surface P-wave integral map (BSPiM) as a biomarker. Our simulated results show that ectopic foci with similar BSPiM naturally cluster into differentiated non-intersected atrial regions and that new patterns could be correctly classified with an accuracy of 97% when considering 2 clusters and 96% for 4 clusters. Our results also suggest that an increase in the number of clusters is feasible at the cost of decreasing accuracy.This work was partially supported by The "Programa Prometeu" from Conselleria d'Educacio Formacio I Ocupacio, Generalitat Valenciana (www.edu.gva.es/fio/index_es.asp) Award Number: PROMETEU/2016/088 to JS; The "Plan Estatal de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica y de Innovacion 2013-2016" from the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad of Spain, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (www.mineco.gob.es) and the European Commission (European Regional Development Funds - ERDF -FEDER) (ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/es/funding/erdf/) Award Number: DPI2016-75799-R to JS and The "Programa Estatal de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion Orientado a los Retos de la Sociedad" from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (www.mineco.gob.es) and the European Commission (European Regional Development Funds - ERDF -FEDER) (ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/es/funding/erdf/) Award Number: TIN2014-59932-JIN to AFA and RS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ferrer Albero, A.; Godoy, EJ.; Lozano, M.; Martínez Mateu, L.; Alonso Atienza, F.; Saiz Rodríguez, FJ.; Sebastián Aguilar, R. (2017). Non-invasive localization of atrial ectopic beats by using simulated body surface P-wave integral maps. PLoS ONE. 12(7):1-23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181263S12312

Power analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing experiments

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has become an established and powerful method to investigate transcriptomic cell-to-cell variation, thereby revealing new cell types and providing insights into developmental processes and transcriptional stochasticity. A key question is how the variety of available protocols compare in terms of their ability to detect and accurately quantify gene expression. Here, we assessed the protocol sensitivity and accuracy of many published data sets, on the basis of spike-in standards and uniform data processing. For our workflow, we developed a flexible tool for counting the number of unique molecular identifiers (https://github.com/vals/umis/). We compared 15 protocols computationally and 4 protocols experimentally for batch-matched cell populations, in addition to investigating the effects of spike-in molecular degradation. Our analysis provides an integrated framework for comparing scRNA-seq protocols.The study was supported by Cancer Research UK grant number C45041/A14953 to A Cvejic and C Labalette, European Research Council project 677501-ZF_Blood to A Cvejic and a core support grant from the Wellcome Trust and MRC to the Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. The ERC grant ThSWITCH to SA Teichmann (grant no. 260507) and a Lister Institute Research Prize to SA Teichmann. KN Natarajan was supported by the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award “Single cell ge nomics of mouse gastrulation”

Transformaciones químicas de C-glicales y exo-glicales: acceso a "scaffolds" polifuncionalizados a partir de monosacáridos

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Orgánica. Fecha de lectura: 26-11-200

A synthetic route to pyranoid epoxy-exo-glycals from D-glucose

A synthetic route to a pyranose derived epoxy-exo-glycal has been developed from D-glucose. An attempted, one-pot bromination-elimination-oxirane formation, protocol that had worked well on furanoses, resulted only in the generation of 2-bromo-C-1-methyl pyranoid glycals. © ARKAT USA, Inc.Peer Reviewe