Onde est@o os meus livros... ou a bibliotea nas nuvens?

At present, access to information is almost as valuable as information itself. Over the years, the role of libraries has usually been considered to include collection development, cataloging and access, and user services namely the loan of books, magazines and journals. However, this falls short in the contemporary context. That is why in addition to these functions, libraries are now information access facilitators, i.e. they make all kinds of knowledge and information easily available to users. Higher education library users may show different degrees of proficiency in the way they access both information and documents available at the libraries of their higher education institutions. This may often be related to the way libraries are able to fulfil their role of sharing information about existing library resources and their use. Bearing in mind this context, the topic of this conference presentation is our library and the different library resources available for use. This includes: the characteristics of library resources; how these library resources work, namely the abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature SCOPUS, which is the latest resource available from the library; the b-on platform (i.e. Online library of knowledge); Open-Access resources and tutorials available on the library webpage

Nuevas estrategias para el tratamiento de la leishmaniasis: mecanismo de acción de lípidos antitumorales, interacción hospedero-parásito, y su posible utilidad terapéutica

Memoria presentada por Janny Alexander Villa Pulgarín para optar al grado de Doctor por la Universidad de Salamanca, y realizada en el Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer.A pesar de los pocos conocimientos de la maquinaria de muerte celular en parásitos, se han postulado distintas hipótesis sobre la significancia biológica de la apoptosis en estos microorganismos (Nguewa et al, 2004; Shaha, 2006), aunque está claro que inducir una respuesta apoptótica puede ser una nueva diana terapéutica en el tratamiento de las enfermedades parasitarias. Los denominados lípidos éter sintéticos antitumorales, colectivamente denominados ATLs (de synthetic 'antitumor lipids') constituyen una prometedora familia de compuestos con actividad antitumoral y antiparasitaria, y uno de sus miembros la Miltefosina fue considerado recientemente como el primer tratamiento para el manejo de algunas infecciones por Leishmania. Otro de su miembros la Edelfosina también posee actividad antiparasitaria incluyendo Leishmania y Trypanosoma (Croft et al, 2003). Sin embargo, el tipo de muerte inducida y su mecanismo molecular permanece por ser elucidado. Aunque ciertas evidencias indirectas sugieren que el metabolismo lipídico (Lux et al, 2000) y la mitocondria (Santa-Rita et al, 2004, 2006) pueden estar implicados. La edelfosina, que se ha considerado como el prototipo standard de ATLs induce apoptosis de forma selectiva en células tumorales (Mollinedo et al 1997), a través de un mecanismo de acción que implica los dominios de membrana 'lípid rafts' (Gajate & Mollinedo, 2001; Gajate et al, 2004). ). En tumores sólidos parece actuar vía un mecanismo diferente que implica la activación de la apoptosis a través del retículo endoplásmico (Nieto-Miguel et al, 2006; 2007). A pesar de que este proceso de apoptosis mediada por ATLs se inicie a través de distintos mecanismos, la mitocondria juega un papel fundamental en la inducción de apoptosis por edelfosina (Gajate et al, 2000; Vrablic et al, 2001) por lo cual pretendemos extrapolar este proceso de apoptosis mediada por los lipid rafts y la mitocondria a la terapia antiparasitaria. Estos estudios se han extendido con éxito en nuestro grupo en levaduras (Zaremberg et al., 2005). Tambien llevaremos a cabo estudios in vitro e in vivo, necesarios para determinar la posible utilidad clínica de la edelfosina como antiparasitario. Además, en este trabajo se evalúo la actividad antiparasitaria de otra molécula lipídica antitumoral adicional, la espisulosina (ES-285), estudiándose sus mecanismos de acción. Adicionalmente se estudian los factores del hospedero que el parásito aprovecha para establecer la infección y así encontrar nuevos blancos terapéuticos que sean de utilidad para una terapia combinada.Agradezco a la empresa Apointech S.L y al programa Torres Quevedo por financiarme durante parte de este trabajo.Peer Reviewe

Data-Driven Fault Detection in a Thermocouple Network Using Neighboring Redundancy, XGBoost Classifier, and Up–Down Counter

Fault detection and isolation (FDI) is of great interest for the control community since it can drive improved performance in a system by allowing predictive maintenance/repairing and catering for improved operational safety. FDI in large-scale smelting furnaces presents several challenges, as it requires the understanding of complex thermal and chemical reactions occurring inside the structure. Furthermore, the impossibility of having full operational information about the process makes the use of model-based methods very complex or unfeasible. This article introduces a methodology to develop a data-driven FDI system for the detection of incipient and intermittent failures in a network made out of 322 thermocouples located on the shell of the furnace. Statistical metrics over fault counter time windows (FTCWs) were used to identify different types of sensor failures, which led to establishing a baseline of known failure events and to create a dataset to train the machine learning (ML) classification models. A data-driven approach was proposed based on the sensors’ physical (neighboring) redundancy, which led to some type of physical redundancy. A postprocessing stage was used to stabilize the model’s response in time, determining that the proposed FDI system successfully detects faults while reducing reported false negatives.<br/

Restoring catalase activity in Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius leads to loss of pathogenicity for lambs

Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius, a microaerophilic and catalase-negative bacterium, is the etiological agent of abscess disease, a specific chronic condition of sheep and goats, which is characterized by formation of necrotic lesions that are located typically in superficial lymph nodes. We constructed an isogenic mutant of S. aureus subsp. anaerobius (RDKA84) that carried a repaired and functional catalase gene from S. aureus ATCC 12600, to investigate whether the lack of catalase in S. aureus subsp. anaerobius plays a role in its physiological and pathogenic characteristics. The catalase activity had no apparent influence on the in vitro growth characteristics of RDKA84, which, like the wild-type, did not grow on aerobically incubated agar plates. Restoration of catalase activity in RDKA84 substantially increased resistance to H2O2 when analyzed in a death assay. The intracellular survival rates of the catalase-positive mutant RDKA84 in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) isolated from adult sheep were significantly higher than those of the wild-type, while no differences were found with PMN isolated from lambs. RDKA84 showed significantly lower survival rates in murine macrophages (J774A.1 cells) than the wild-type strains did, whereas, in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T), no differences in intracellular survival were observed. Interestingly, the virulence for lambs, the natural host for abscess disease, of the catalase-positive mutant RDKA84 was reduced dramatically in comparison with wild-type S. aureus subsp. anaerobius in two experimental models of infection

Involvement of lipid rafts in the localization and dysfunction effect of the antitumor ether phospholipid edelfosine in mitochondria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.-- et al.Lipid rafts and mitochondria are promising targets in cancer therapy. The synthetic antitumor alkyl-lysophospholipid analog edelfosine (1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine) has been reported to target lipid rafts. Here, we have found that edelfosine induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells, both responses being abrogated by Bcl-xL overexpression. We synthesized a number of new fluorescent edelfosine analogs, which preserved the proapoptotic activity of the parent drug, and colocalized with mitochondria in HeLa cells. Edelfosine induced swelling in isolated mitochondria, indicating an increase in mitochondrial membrane permeability. This mitochondrial swelling was independent of reactive oxygen species generation. A structurally related inactive analog was unable to promote mitochondrial swelling, highlighting the importance of edelfosine molecular structure in its effect on mitochondria. Raft disruption inhibited mitochondrial localization of the drug in cells and edelfosine-induced swelling in isolated mitochondria. Edelfosine promoted a redistribution of lipid rafts from the plasma membrane to mitochondria, suggesting a raft-mediated link between plasma membrane and mitochondria. Our data suggest that direct interaction of edelfosine with mitochondria eventually leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. These observations unveil a new framework in cancer chemotherapy that involves a link between lipid rafts and mitochondria in the mechanism of action of an antitumor drug, thus opening new avenues for cancer treatment.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2008-02251, BQU2003-4413 and RD06/0020/1037 from Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Cáncer, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, cofunded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional of the European Union), Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria and European Commission (FIS-FEDER 06/0813, 08/1434, PS09/01915), European Community's Seventh Framework Programme FP7-2007-2013 (grant HEALTH-F2-2011-256986), Junta de Castilla y León (CSI052A11-2, GR15-Experimental Therapeutics and Translational Oncology Program, Biomedicine Project 2009 and Biomedicine Project 2010-2011), Fundación para la Investigación Sanitaria en Castilla-La Mancha (FISCAM, PI-2006/10) and Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (I1I09-0163-4002). CG is supported by the Ramón y Cajal Program from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. MF is recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. VH is recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.Peer reviewe

Perceived Social Support and Risk of Cyberbullying in Adolescents: A Systematic Review

This article analyzes the main findings of studies investigating the relationship between perceived social support and cyberbullying in adolescents. We reviewed research papers published between January 2015 and January 2020, included in the Web of Science, Scopus, PUBMED, and Science Direct databases. The protocol was previously registered on the PROSPERO International Systematic Reviews database (CRD42020176938). The article follows the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews (Moher et al., 2015). Out of 1929 surveyed articles, 23 met the inclusion criteria and quality standards of scientific evidence set by Downs and Black (1998). Results reveal the types and characteristics of studies and instruments used in assessing social support and cyberbullying and show the relationship between social support and cyberbullying

Necrotoxigenic Escherichia coli from sheep and goats produce a new type of cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF3) associated with the eae and ehxA genes

Fecal samples from sheep and goats were screened by tissue-culture assays and PCR for the presence of necrotoxigenic Escherichia coli (NTEC) producing cytotoxic necrotizing factors (CNFs). Of the 18 NTEC strains assayed, four were positive for the cnf1 gene while 14 strains were negative for the cnf1 and cnf2 genes. All of the NTEC strains had the eae gene and most of them also carried the ehxA gene. Moreover, all the cnf1– cnf2– NTEC strains were negative for several virulence markers associated with CNF1+ or CNF2+ strains. The cnf gene present in one of these strains was sequenced and analysis of the gene product revealed a new type of CNF, which was named CNF3 (and the coding gene cnf3). Oligonucleotide primers were designed to PCR-amplify a fragment of cnf3. The results showed that all strains examined in this study, except one cnf1+strain, were cnf3+. The association of cnf3 with eae and ehxA suggests that cnf3+ NTEC strains might be pathogenic for humans. [Int Microbiol 2007; 10(1):47-55

Comparison of storm tanks optimal location methodologies considering Climate Change. Case studies: Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia

[EN] The reduction of soil permeability due to urban growth implies a change in local hydrological conditions; additionally, Climate Change is expected to generate an increase in the frequency of events of heavy rain in some regions. Storm tanks to temporarily store water have been proposed to avoid overloading of drainage systems. The present work aims to evaluate and compare the performance of two storm tanks optimal location methodologies under a rainfall scenario that considers Climate Change effects on two cities of Colombia. The methodologies used were OptSU and OptiTank, where the first includes a hydraulic control and the second does not. Thus, it was verified that both methods achieved flood reductions by over 60%. Furthermore, it was found that OptSU has a better performance in networks with steep slopes, whereas OptiTank has good results for any slope.[ES] La impermeabilización del suelo debida al crecimiento urbano implica un cambio en las condiciones hidrológicas locales; adicionalmente, se espera que el Cambio Climático genere un incremento en la frecuencia de periodos intensos de lluvia en algunas regiones. Para evitar sobrecargas en los sistemas de drenaje urbano se ha propuesto el uso de tanques de tormenta para el almacenamiento temporal de agua. De esta forma, el presente trabajo busca evaluar y comparar el desempeño de dos metodologías de localización óptima de tanques de tormenta bajo escenarios de precipitación que consideran los efectos del Cambio Climático en dos ciudades de Colombia. Las metodologías usadas fueron OptSU y OptiTank, donde la primera incluye un control hidráulico y la segunda no. Así, se verificó que ambos métodos lograron reducciones mayores al 60% en las inundaciones. Asimismo, se encontró que OptSU presenta mejor desempeño en redes de alta pendiente, mientras que OptiTank tiene buenos resultados para cualquier pendiente.Los autores agradecen a Mexichem de Colombia por financiar la presente investigación a través del proyecto “Drenaje Urbano y Cambio Climático: hacia los sistemas de alcantarillado del futuro. Fase II”, sin el cual no habría sido posible completar este estudio.Enríquez, L.; Pulgarín, L.; Garzón, JA.; Velásquez, D.; Saldarriaga, J. (2022). Comparación de metodologías de localización óptima de tanques de tormenta considerando Cambio Climático. Casos de estudio: Bogotá y Medellín, Colombia. Ingeniería del Agua. 26(3):139-155. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.2022.1736013915526

III Ciclo de Conferências do Conselho Técnico-Científico : temas atuais em investigação

A obra é constituída pelos resumos das comunicações apresentadas pelos docentes da Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco e são referentes aos projetos de investigação nos quais estão envolvidos.O Conselho Técnico-Científico da Escola Superior Agrária (ESA), eleito para o biénio 2014-2016, tomou posse no dia 27 de março de 2014. Uma das iniciativas previstas no seu Plano de Atividades consistia no desenvolvimento de ações de divulgação de atividades técnico-científicas, com intervenção da ESA. Neste âmbito promoveu-se o III Ciclo de Conferências do Conselho Técnico-Científico, através do qual se procurou fomentar a difusão do conhecimento e valorizar os resultados de trabalhos de investigação e de experimentação, através da divulgação do seu contributo para o desenvolvimento tecnológico e da inovação de empresas e produtos. Com a presente publicação pretende dar-se a conhecer a um auditório mais vasto a informação apresentada e debatida publicamente, assim como promover uma maior colaboração entre entidades e instituições em ações suscetíveis de contribuir para o aumento da competitividade e do espírito empreendedor de empresas associadas ao setor agrícola e agroindustrial