Data-driven System to Predict Academic Grades and Dropout

Nowadays, the role of a tutor is more important than ever to prevent students dropout and improve their academic performance. This work proposes a data-driven system to extract relevant information hidden in the student academic data and, thus, help tutors to offer their pupils a more proactive personal guidance. In particular, our system, based on machine learning techniques, makes predictions of dropout intention and courses grades of students, as well as personalized course recommendations. Moreover, we present different visualizations which help in the interpretation of the results. In the experimental validation, we show that the system obtains promising results with data from the degree studies in Law, Computer Science and Mathematics of the Universitat de Barcelona

Learning Analytics para el personal académico

Hoy en día, el Learning Analytics (LA), siendo una disciplina relacionada con la ciencia de datos, se ha convertido en una herramienta muy útil para la gestión universitaria. En nuestro caso, proponemos un sistema de LA para ayudar al personal académico en la gestión de grados universitarios. El objetivo principal de nuestro sistema de LA es recopilar información de diferentes fuentes, que comúnmente están disponibles para el personal universitario, y facilitar su comprensión gracias a las visualizaciones y predicciones. En particular, proponemos técnicas de aprendizaje automático para extraer tres indicadores clave para la gestión y la evaluación de la calidad de los títulos universitarios, y que son difíciles de analizar con herramientas estándar. Este sistema de LA se presenta como un conjunto de paneles fáciles de usar dirigidos a ayudar en el proceso de toma de decisiones para gerentes universitarios, decanos, directores o coordinadores de cursos.The field of Learning Analytics (LA), as a data science related discipline, has become a very useful tool for auditing and managing. In this work we propose a LA system for academic personnel to help them in university degrees management. The main goal of our LA system is to gather information from different sources –which are commonly available for university personnel– and make it easier to understand by means of prediction and visualization. In particular, we propose machine learning techniques to extract three key indicators for the management and quality assurance of the university degrees, which are difficult to analyze with off-the-shelf tools. This LA system is presented as a set of user-friendly dashboards addressed to help in the decision making process for university managers, such faculty deans, headmasters or course coordinators.Esta investigación ha recibido soporte parcial de la Universitat de Barcelona: Convocatòria d’Ajuts a la Recerca en Docència Universitària de l’Institut de Ciències de l’Educació de la Universitat de Barcelona REDICE-18 y Proyecto 2014PID-UB/068

Low endogenous NO levels in roots and antioxidant systems are determinants for the resistance of Arabidopsis seedlings grown in Cd

Cadmium (Cd), which is a toxic non-essential heavy metal capable of entering plants and thus the food chain, constitutes a major environmental and health concern worldwide. An understanding of the tools used by plants to overcome Cd stress could lead to the production of food crops with lower Cd uptake capacity and of plants with greater Cd uptake potential for phytoremediation purposes in order to restore soil efficiency in self-sustaining ecosystems. The signalling molecule nitric oxide (NO), whose function remains unclear, has recently been involved in responses to Cd stress. Using different mutants, such as nia1nia2, nox1, argh1-1 and Atnoa1, which were altered in NO metabolism, we analysed various parameters related to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) metabolism and seedling fitness following germination and growth under Cd treatment conditions for seven days. Seedling roots were the most affected, with an increase in ROS and RNS observed in wild type (WT) seedling roots, leading to increased oxidative damage and fitness loss. Mutants that showed lower NO levels in seedling roots under Cd stress were more resistant than WT seedlings due to the maintenance of antioxidant systems which protect against oxidative damage.This study was co-funded by the ERDF and the Science, Innovation and University Ministry (BIO2015-67657-P and PGC2018-098372). L.C. T-C was supported by an FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports

Editorial: Women in plant science:redox biology of plant abiotic stress 2022

MR-P thanks Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for Financial support (PID2021-122280NB-I00). CF thanks BBSRC/GCRF (UK) for Financial support (BB/T008865/1). LG thanks Agritech National Research Center (European Union Next-Generation, EU), Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) —Missione 4 Componente 2, Investimento 1.4—D.D. 1032 17/06/ 2022, CN00000022)

Natural radiactivity from building materials in Spain

The industrial construction sector is very important in Spain. Building materials used in this industry are sources of radiation from natural radionuclides they contain. The European Commission published some recommendations to facilitate the trade of these materials in the E.U. The studies about this subject have increased notably during last years. This, probably, can be associated with the increase interest from natural radiation radiological risk on indoor exposure.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. CSN-201

Procesos de extracción de sustancias aromatizantes y aromas a partir de matrices naturales. Técnica de rectificación a vacío

El presente trabajo de Fin de Máster “Procesos de extracción de sustancias aromatizantes y aromas a partir de matrices naturales. Técnica de rectificación a vacío” se enmarca dentro de las actividades realizadas por la Cátedra Solutex de Química Sostenible, llevándose a cabo en las instalaciones de la empresa Solutex GC, S.L. con sede en Mallén (Zaragoza). Se ha realizado la destilación de un aceite esencial de lúpulo mediante la técnica de rectificación a vacío, con el objetivo de concentrar linalol, un compuesto de gran interés comercial. Así mismo, se investiga cómo afecta la técnica y las condiciones llevadas a cabo durante el proceso, en el ratio de enantiómeros de dicho compuesto

Human Lysyl Oxidase Over-Expression Enhances Baseline Cardiac Oxidative Stress but Does Not Aggravate ROS Generation or Infarct Size Following Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion

Cardiac remodeling; Lysyl oxidase; Reperfusion injuryRemodelación cardiaca; Lisil oxidasa; Lesión por reperfusiónRemodelació cardíaca; Lisil oxidasa; Lesió de reperfusióLysyl oxidase (LOX) is an enzyme critically involved in collagen maturation, whose activity releases H2O2 as a by-product. Previous studies demonstrated that LOX over-expression enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and exacerbates cardiac remodeling induced by pressure overload. However, whether LOX influences acute myocardial infarction and post-infarct left ventricular remodeling and the contribution of LOX to myocardial oxidative stress following ischemia-reperfusion have not been analyzed. Isolated hearts from transgenic mice over-expressing human LOX in the heart (TgLOX) and wild-type (WT) littermates were subjected to global ischemia and reperfusion. Although under basal conditions LOX transgenesis is associated with higher cardiac superoxide levels than WT mice, no differences in ROS production were detected in ischemic hearts and a comparable acute ischemia-reperfusion injury was observed (infarct size: 56.24 ± 9.44 vs. 48.63 ± 2.99% of cardiac weight in WT and TgLOX, respectively). Further, similar changes in cardiac dimensions and function were observed in TgLOX and WT mice 28 days after myocardial infarction induced by transient left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion, and no differences in scar area were detected (20.29 ± 3.10 vs. 21.83 ± 2.83% of left ventricle). Our data evidence that, although LOX transgenesis induces baseline myocardial oxidative stress, neither ROS production, infarct size, nor post-infarction cardiac remodeling were exacerbated following myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.This work was supported by the Spanish Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI18/0919 and PI17/01397) co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER, a way to build Europe), the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (RTI2018-094727-B-100), the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (2017-SGR-00333 and 2017-SGR-1807) and Fundació La Marató TV3 (grant 2015.3610). A.R.-S. has a consolidated Miguel Servet contract and L.P. is supported by a PFIS contract (ISCIII)

Targeting redox metabolism of the maize-Azospirillum brasilense interaction exposed to arsenic-affected groundwater

Arsenic in groundwater constitutes an agronomic problem due to its potential accumulation in the food chain. Among the agro-sustainable tools to reduce metal(oid)s toxicity, the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) becomes important. For that, and based on previous results in which significant differences of As translocation were observed when inoculating maize plants with Az39 or CD Azospirillum strains, we decided to decipher the redox metabolism changes and the antioxidant system response of maize plants inoculated when exposed to a realistic arsenate (AsV) dose. Results showed that AsV caused morphological changes in the root exodermis. Photosynthetic pigments decreased only in CD inoculated plants, while oxidative stress evidence was detected throughout the plant, regardless of the assayed strain. The antioxidant response was strain-differential since only CD inoculated plants showed an increase in superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities while other enzymes showed the same behavior irrespective of the inoculated strain. Gene expression assays reported that only GST23 transcript level was upregulated by arsenate, regardless of the inoculated strain. AsV diminished the glutathione (GSH) content of roots inoculated with the Az39 strain, and CD inoculated plants showed a decrease of oxidized GSH (GSSG) levels. We suggest a model in which the antioxidant response of the maize-diazotrophs system is modulated by the strain and that GSH plays a central role acting mainly as a substrate for GST. These findings generate knowledge for a suitable PGPB selection, and its scaling to an effective bioinoculant formulation for maize crops exposed to adverse environmental conditions.Fil: Peralta, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Bianucci, Eliana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Romero Puertas, María C.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Experimental del Zaidín; EspañaFil: Furlan, Ana Laura. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Stella Maris. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Travaglia, Claudia Noemi. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnologicas.; Argentin

Switching from a protease inhibitor-based regimen to a dolutegravir-based regimen : a randomized clinical trial to determine the effect on peripheral blood and ileum biopsies from antiretroviral therapy-suppressed human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals

Background: Optimization of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) can impact the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoir. We evaluated the effect on the HIV reservoir in peripheral blood and ileum biopsies in patients switching from boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r)-based therapy to dolutegravir (DTG)-based therapy. Methods: Impact of Integrase-inhibitor DOlutegravir On the viral Reservoir (INDOOR) is a phase 4 open-label clinical trial that randomly included 42 HIV type 1-infected individuals on effective cART: 20 who switched from PI/r-based to DTG-based cART (switch group), and 22 who remained in PI/r-based regimens (control group). We analyzed blood and ileum biopsies to quantify episomal, total, and integrated HIV DNA, cell-associated HIV RNA, residual plasma viremia, T-cell subsets, cell activation, and inflammation markers. Results: There were no related adverse events or treatment discontinuations due to drug intolerance. The HIV reservoir was consistently larger in ileal than in peripheral CD4(+) T cells in both groups (P <.01). Residual viremia in plasma decreased in the switch group (P =.03). However, we did not observe significant longitudinal changes in low-level viral replication, total and integrated HIV reservoir, HIV transcription, T-cell maturation subsets, immunoactivation markers, inflammatory soluble proteins, or cellular markers of latently infected cells. Conclusions: The INDOOR study is the first evaluation of changes in HIV reservoir size in ileum biopsies and in peripheral blood in individuals switched from PI/r- to DTG-based cART. Although this switch was safe and well tolerated, it had no impact on a large array of immunological and inflammatory markers or on HIV reservoir markers in peripheral or in ileal CD4(+) T cells

Dampened predictable decadal North Atlantic climate fluctuations due to ice melting

The oscillatory behaviour of the climate system on decadal timescales before the instrumental record is hard to quantify. However, knowledge of this variability is important for putting current changes in context and for supporting reliable future predictions. Here we investigate the recurrent component of Holocene climate variability in the North Atlantic sector from 10,500 to 2,000 years ago by conducting a frequency analysis of both an annually laminated climate record from a lake in England and outputs from a long transient simulation of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. We find consistent decadal variability over the past 6,700 years and before 8,500 years before present, probably reflecting predominance of solar and ocean forcings. Between these dates, climate variability was dampened on decadal timescales. Our results suggest that meltwater discharge into the North Atlantic and the subsequent hydrographic changes, from the opening of the Hudson Bay until the final collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, disrupted the decadal cyclic signals for more than a millennium. Given the current acceleration of the Greenland Ice Sheet melting in response to global warming, this study provides long-term evidence of potential challenges predicting future patterns of the climate syste