Cognitive skills and the LOGSE reform in Spain: evidence from PIAAC

We use data from the Spanish sample of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to analyze the effect of the LOGSE (Spanish acronym for General Law of the Education System) reform passed in 1990 on numeracy and literacy proficiency of the adult population. The LOGSE effect is identified by exploiting the variability of the rate of implementation among cohorts and regions. The results change depending on the specification of the econometric model and mainly on the type of birth year trend assumed. Nonetheless, overall results suggest that the LOGSE reform did not help to increase cognitive skills of the population despite an extension of compulsory years of education and postponement of the age of initial tracking into vocational and academic studies

A developmental model for the pathogenenesis of cardiac arterio-ventricular fistulae

Coronary Artery Fistulae (CAF) are congenital coronary artery (CA) anomalies consisting of an abnormal communication of a coronary artery with either a cardiac chamber or a large cardiac vessel. Although their incidence in the Western population is low, CAF can lead to complications such as myocardial hypertrophy, endocarditis, heart dilatation and cardiac failure. CAFs can appear as an isolated anomaly or linked to some other forms of congenital heart disease like Left Ventricular Non-Compaction (LVNC) and intrinsic CA anatomy anomalies, but their etiology remains unknown. In this work we have used two different experimental models (transgenic mice and avian embryos) to investigate on the developmental mechanics of CAF formation. In order to tackle this goal, we have manipulated epicardial development and ventricular wall compaction, two inextricably related developmental events during coronary embryogenesis. Conditional integrin α4 gene deletion in the septum transversum/proepicardial (ST/PE) region (G2-Gata4+) disrupts early epicardium development and reduces cardiomyocyte proliferation, leading to the thinning of the ventricular compact myocardial layer. Reduction in compact myocardium thickness associates to the presence of multiple ventricular myocardial discontinuities and focal endocardial extrusion. This same phenotype can be experimentally reproduced in chick embryos using a cryocauterization method (Palmquist-Gomes et al., 2016). Our results suggest that the partial absence of epicardium in α4integrin;G2-Gata4Cre mouse embryos and the cryoinjury in avian embryos generate myocardial discontinuities in the embryonic ventricular wall, which promote endocardial extrusion towards the pericardial cavity and the early contact of the endocardium with coronary progenitors at the epicardial surface of the heart. In the case of avian embryos, this phenomenon leads to precocious smooth muscle differentiation from epicardial mesenchymal cells, and the formation of pouch-like structures that closely resemble CAF. We conclude that anomalous compact myocardial embryonic growth can originate CAF.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A developmental model for the pathogenenesis of cardiac arterio-ventricular fistulae

Coronary Artery Fistulae (CAF) are congenital coronary artery (CA) anomalies consisting of an abnormal communication of a coronary artery with either a cardiac chamber or a large cardiac vessel. Although their incidence in the Western population is low, CAF can lead to complications such as myocardial hypertrophy, endocarditis, heart dilatation and cardiac failure. CAFs can appear as an isolated anomaly or linked to some other forms of congenital heart disease like Left Ventricular Non-Compaction (LVNC) and intrinsic CA anatomy anomalies, but their etiology remains unknown. In this work we have used two different experimental models (transgenic mice and avian embryos) to investigate on the developmental mechanics of CAF formation. In order to tackle this goal, we have manipulated epicardial development and ventricular wall compaction, two inextricably related developmental events during coronary embryogenesis. Conditional integrin α4 gene deletion in the septum transversum/proepicardial (ST/PE) region (G2-Gata4+) disrupts early epicardium development and reduces cardiomyocyte proliferation, leading to the thinning of the ventricular compact myocardial layer. Reduction in compact myocardium thickness associates to the presence of multiple ventricular myocardial discontinuities and focal endocardial extrusion. This same phenotype can be experimentally reproduced in chick embryos using a cryocauterization method (Palmquist-Gomes et al., 2016). Our results suggest that the partial absence of epicardium in α4integrin;G2-Gata4Cre mouse embryos and the cryoinjury in avian embryos generate myocardial discontinuities in the embryonic ventricular wall, which promote endocardial extrusion towards the pericardial cavity and the early contact of the endocardium with coronary progenitors at the epicardial surface of the heart. In the case of avian embryos, this phenomenon leads to precocious smooth muscle differentiation from epicardial mesenchymal cells, and the formation of pouch-like structures that closely resemble CAF. We conclude that anomalous compact myocardial embryonic growth can originate CAF.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

EST2uni: an open, parallel tool for automated EST analysis and database creation, with a data mining web interface and microarray expression data integration

This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/9/5[Background] Expressed sequence tag (EST) collections are composed of a high number of single-pass, redundant, partial sequences, which need to be processed, clustered, and annotated to remove low-quality and vector regions, eliminate redundancy and sequencing errors, and provide biologically relevant information. In order to provide a suitable way of performing the different steps in the analysis of the ESTs, flexible computation pipelines adapted to the local needs of specific EST projects have to be developed. Furthermore, EST collections must be stored in highly structured relational databases available to researchers through user-friendly interfaces which allow efficient and complex data mining, thus offering maximum capabilities for their full exploitation.[Results] We have created EST2uni, an integrated, highly-configurable EST analysis pipeline and data mining software package that automates the pre-processing, clustering, annotation, database creation, and data mining of EST collections. The pipeline uses standard EST analysis tools and the software has a modular design to facilitate the addition of new analytical methods and their configuration. Currently implemented analyses include functional and structural annotation, SNP and microsatellite discovery, integration of previously known genetic marker data and gene expression results, and assistance in cDNA microarray design. It can be run in parallel in a PC cluster in order to reduce the time necessary for the analysis. It also creates a web site linked to the database, showing collection statistics, with complex query capabilities and tools for data mining and retrieval.[Conclusion] The software package presented here provides an efficient and complete bioinformatics tool for the management of EST collections which is very easy to adapt to the local needs of different EST projects. The code is freely available under the GPL license and can be obtained at http:// bioinf.comav.upv.es/est2uni. This site also provides detailed instructions for installation and configuration of the software package. The code is under active development to incorporate new analyses, methods, and algorithms as they are released by the bioinformatics community.Partially funded by "Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion de la Comunidad Valenciana" and Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia" (research grants GEN2001-4885-C05 and GEN2003-20237-C06).Peer reviewe

Mesoporous niobium oxide for dehydration of D-xylose into furfural

Se ha demostrado que el óxido de niobio mesoporoso es un catalizador eficaz para la deshidratación de D-xilosa a furfural, alcanzando una conversión del 92% y un rendimiento de furfural 49,3% a 170º C y 90 minutos. La lixiviación de Nb, determinada por ICP-MS, era inferior al 0,5% en peso de la concentración de Nb inicial, confirmando de este modo la estabilidad del catalizador ácido sólido.El furfural posee un gran potencial como molécula plataforma de origen renovable para la síntesis de una alta variedad de compuestos químicos. Se obtiene mediante la deshidratación de pentosas, principalmente a partir de D-xilosa, proceso catalizado por ácidos minerales en fase homogénea. Por tanto, dentro de la química verde y la búsqueda de sostenibilidad de los procesos catalíticos, es necesaria su sustitución por catalizadores sólidos ácidos que sean tolerantes al agua, ya que es el disolvente más utilizado para esta reacción. El óxido de niobio posee propiedades ácidas y es insoluble en agua, pero su superficie específica es muy baja. Por lo tanto, resulta muy interesante la síntesis de un óxido de niobio mesoporoso para emplearlo como catalizador en esta reacción. En este trabajo, se ha sintetizado un Nb2O5 mesoporoso y se ha evaluado su comportamiento catalítico en la obtención de furfural a partir de D-xilosa.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ENE2009-12743-C04-03 project)Junta de Andalucía (P09-FQM-5070).Ministry of Science and Innovation for the financial support under the Program Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2008-03387)

Investigación de mercado para la viabilidad de una "papería" tipo fast food, en la ciudad de Chiclayo, 2016

El incremento sectorial de la población ha generado nuevas tendencias en la industria de los restaurantes, dando inicio al boom gastronómico en todo el Perú. En Chiclayo no es excepción a estas tendencias, por lo que esta investigación planteó demostrar la viabilidad para la apertura de una paperia tipo fast food. Esta investigación siguió los pasos dichos por el autor Naresh K. Malhotra (2009), que ayudó en el método para realizar una investigación de mercados. La investigación se dio lugar en la zona comercial y centro de Chiclayo, donde se conjunta toda la población urbana, teniendo el número de 77668 personas, y con la fórmula que propuso el autor resultó una muestra de 382. Las técnicas de recolección de datos utilizadas en la presente investigación fueron: encuestas face to face, entrevista presencial y el Focus Group. Todo esto para responder todos los subindicadores: definición, características, atributos, beneficios, descripción del servicio, precios, tecnología, procesos, ocupación, nivel de ingreso, motivación, expectativa, percepciones, costumbres y creencias. Finalmente se concluyó la viabilidad de una paperia en la ciudad de Chiclayo, no es factible, por temas de cultura a la preferencia de compra y al comparar los precios

Implante post extracción por factura radicular y absceso periodontal: reporte de un caso

Los implantes dentales representan una de las alternativas para el remplazo de dientes perdidos sin importar cuál sea la etiología de su ausencia. Los implantes pueden ser colocados inmediatamente después de la extracción del órgano dentario o después de un tiempo de recuperación. Los implantes postexodóncia brindan la ventaja de eliminar procedimientos quirúrgicos futuros ya que todo se hace en una sola intervención y previenen la perdida de altura y ancho de la cresta ósea, como sucede cuando se espera un periodo de cicatrización del alveolo después de la extracción. Tradicionalmente se maneja que  para su colocación se requiere la ausencia de lesiones infecciosas para favorecer la buena integración del implante en los tejidos. En este artículo se presenta un caso de un diente con fractura radicular vertical con estallido radicular y absceso periodontal, el cual fue extraído y reemplazado con un implante después de realizado un proceso profiláctico y de eliminación de la lesión infecciosa con la posterior evaluación de la aceptación del implante 15 días después de su ubicación en el alveolo receptor, donde se observó que no hubo rechazo ni aparición de proceso infeccioso alrededor de este, con lo que se confirma la viabilidad de la colocación inmediata del implante aun en presencia de infección microbiana preexistente y así aprovechar factores importantes para la integración del implante como el buen remanente óseo