Engineered axon tracts within tubular biohybrid scaffolds

Injuries to the nervous system that involve the disruption of axonal pathways are devastating to the individual and require specific tissue engineering strategies. Here we analyse a cells-biomaterials strategy to overcome the obstacles limiting axon regenerationin vivo, based on the combination of a hyaluronic acid (HA) single-channel tubular conduit filled with poly-L-lactide acid (PLA) fibres in its lumen, with pre-cultured Schwann cells (SCs) as cells supportive of axon extension. The HA conduit and PLA fibres sustain the proliferation of SC, which enhance axon growth acting as a feeder layer and growth factor pumps. The parallel unidirectional ensemble formed by PLA fibres and SC tries to recapitulate the directional features of axonal pathways in the nervous system. A dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explant is planted on one of the conduit's ends to follow axon outgrowth from the DRG. After a 21 d co-culture of the DRG + SC-seeded conduit ensemble, we analyse the axonal extension throughout the conduit by scanning, transmission electronic and confocal microscopy, in order to study the features of SC and the grown axons and their association. The separate effects of SC and PLA fibres on the axon growth are also experimentally addressed. The biohybrid thus produced may be considered a synthetic axonal pathway, and the results could be of use in strategies for the regeneration of axonal tracts

THE EFFECT OF SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS, FEAR OF CRIME AND SOCIAL MOBILIZATION IN THE EVALUATION OF THE JUDICIARY DECISIONS

Crimes related to sexual abuse or rape provoke great social mobilizations, as happened with the gang called “la manada”. How the aftermath of the social mobilizations and socioeconomic factors influence the perception of security and the perception of justice, measured as judiciary decisions, are the aims of this paper. A randomized sample collected in two waves was obtained (N=605). The first one (N1=454) was performed after the judicial sentence of the case. A second wave (N2=151) was performed four months later, after the social alarm decreased. The perception of security increased after the peak moments of social mobilizations. The trust in justice was low and decreased after the social mobilizations. The perception of justice was higher among higher income levels. The perception of security decreases during the social mobilizations but it improves in a short period of time. The effects on the perception of justice last for a longer period

Experimental verification of memristor-based material implication NAND operation

Memristors are being considered as promising devices for highly dense memory systems as well as the potential basis of new computational paradigms. In this scenario, and in relation with data processing, one of the more specific and differential logic functions is the material implication logic also named as IMPLY logic. Many papers have been published in this framework but few of them are related with experimental works using real memristor devices. In the paper authors show the verification of the IMPLY function by using $\mathrm{Ni}/\mathrm{HfO}_{2}/\mathrm{Si}$ manufactured devices and laboratory measurements. The proper behavior of the IMPLY structure (2 memristors) has been shown. The paper also verifies the proper operation of a two-steps IMPLY-based NAND gate implementation, showing the electrical behavior of the circuit in a cycling operation. A new procedure to implement a NAND gate that requires only one step is experimentally shown as well.Postprint (author's final draft

eCONSULTA: Integración de un Sistema de Videoconsultoría Web entre Asistencia Primaria y Atención Especializada

En este artículo presentamos un sistema de videoconferencia web de bajo coste cuyo objetivo es mejorar la comunicación entre Atención Primaria y Atención Especializada optimizando los recursos y la calidad de la atención en enfermedades con alta prevalencia en la actualidad. En este caso se utiliza para problemas metabólicos como la diabetes o patologías del tiroides, aunque podría ser aplicado a otras patologías. El sistema está basado en una herramienta de SW libre (OpenMeetings) adaptada a nuestras necesidades y a la que se han añadido funcionalidades importantes como una sala de espera virtual o la administración de agendas. eCONSULTA ha sido instalado en el Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutrición del Hospital de Sabadell e integrado en el sistema de información médico de los Centros de Atención Primaria de la comarca del Vallés Occidental, provincia de Barcelona. En el momento de la redacción del artículo se está realizando un estudio de viabilidad y satisfacción de los usuarios

An Analysis of the Tourist Mobility in the Island of Lanzarote: Car Rental Versus More Sustainable Transportation Alternatives

Studies have shown that certain modes of tourist development jeopardize the environment, as in the case of mass tourism, especially in areas that require special protection. The goal of this study is to apply a proposal for studying sustainability of tourist mobility to a protected space, the island of Lanzarote, which has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. This paper seeks to figure out the mobility patterns of tourists, the criterion used to select a mode of transportation, the attitude of tourists towards the sustainability of transport, and its environmental implications by analyzing secondary sources and interviewing tourists. The results show that the tourism model of the island is based on scattered natural resources that tourists want to enjoy in a tailor-made visit, which makes it hard to give up individual transportation. The only environmentally sustainable alternative is opting for electric vehicles with charging stations in the aforementioned tourist spots

Ultraviolet-Visible and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Identification of Cyclopropyl-Fentanyl in the First Fatal Case in Spain

A 24-year-old white male was found dead at home in Madrid, Spain.The medical examiner indicated a dead person sat forward on thebed. The suspected cause of death was poly-drug intoxication, sincedrug paraphernalia was located at home and the absence of injuries inAQ8arms, forearms and hands was observed. The autopsy was performed48 h later.The histological examinations performed on stained samplesshowed no traumatic signs in both the cranial and brain cavity. Bothlungs presented intense congestive parenchyma, with fluid and darkblood. Pericardial sac (240-g heart) presented without findings ofinterest whereas spirits presented fluid and dark blood. In the abdominalcavity, the liver presented slight congestion. The stomach, withdark-brown pasty content, had the appearance of poorly digestedblood, with hyperemia in the mucosa. Kidneys were very congestedand there was a small volume of cloudy urine in the bladder.All biological samples (blood, vitreous humor and urine) werecollected at autopsy by the medical examiner and sent to INTCF.Later, non-biological samples (paraphernalia) were also submittedfrom the police unit to INTCF, ordered by the judge for a comprehensivetoxicological screening

Pre-treatment with grape seed extract reduces inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by helicobacter pylori infection in human gastric epithelial cells

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a pathogenic bacteria identified as a potential risk factor for gastritis, gastric ulcers and gastric cancer. During the stomach colonization, H. pylori triggers a strong inflammatory response and subsequent oxidative stress, which are associated with tissue damage. For this reason, it is of particular interest to develop alternative natural tools that enable modulation of the associated damaging immune response. With this purpose, we obtained grape seed extract (GSE) from sweet (not fermented) food grade seeds. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of GSE and its two enriched procyanidins fractions (OPC and PPC) on the inflammatory process and oxidative stress produced by different H. pylori strains in human gastric epithelial cells (AGS). Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion. IL-8 production was significantly reduced in H. pylori-infected human gastric epithelial cells pretreated with GSE or its enriched fractions when compared with non-pre-treated infected cells (from 21.6% to 87.8%). Pre-treatment with GSE or its fractions significantly decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in AGS cells after infection, depending on the H. pylori strain. Our results also showed that GSE and its fractions demonstrate antibacterial activity against all strains of H. pylori used in the study. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of GSE enriched in procyanidins against the main events associated with H. pylori infection

Dinosaur swim tracks from the Lower Cretaceous of La Rioja, Spain: An ichnological approach to non-common behaviours

The reconstruction of behavioural patterns performed by non-avian dinosaurs is an important task of palaeontology in order to globally understand how these animals interacted with their environment. Their relation with aquatic lifestyles has always been an intriguing question that has been extensively studied during the last decades, especially focused on some specific groups. The present work describes a new tracksite with 27 swimming tracks located in a fluvial setting from the Lower Cretaceous Urbion Group of La Rioja (Spain). They are preserved as natural casts with sizes between 8.5 and 29.2 cm and a predominant orientation. The tracks have been classified into 6 different morphotypes according to their morphology, and grouped into 5 different categories depending on the different pes-substrate interactions, following the proposal of Romilio et al. (2013). Some tracks were produced while the animal was moving in partial or complete buoyancy, and displacement was conducted by water and sediment impulsion, not just a mere paddling. Other tracks could be impressed in a bottom-walked, when the trackmaker touched the digit tips on the ground vertically or sub-vertically. This new tracksite confirms the capabilities of some groups of non-avian dinosaurs to interact with shallow water environments where they could print their pedes as they moved, either in complete buoyancy or during a displacement with some vertical component in the water column. It also contributes to the better understanding of swimming track morphologies as especially dependent on pes-sediment interaction and environment more than differences in pes configuration itself, causing the high variability of swimming footprints even when they belong to the same trackway. The classification of swimming tracks and footprints into categories dependent on the pes-substrate interaction could be a good guiding principle to avoid problematics about ichnotaxonomical definition.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEUniversidad de La RiojaConsejeria de Educacion y Cultura (Gobierno de La Rioja)Instituto de Estudios RiojanosMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y UniversidadesEuropean Regional Development FundUniversidad del País VascoMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovaciónpu

APPLICATIONS PLATFORM FOR ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS THROUGH MOBILE COMPUTING

In this paper, an application platform for delivering academic documents in electronic format through  mobile computing is presented. The platform is service-oriented students, where they can make the  request for an academic document such as: proof of enrollment, credits studied, average, among  others. A request can be issued from a mobile device via the GSM network using the short text  messages service (SMS). Also from an Android/iOS based application designed to connect through a  wireless network which shall request the document through a Web Service. The cost of transaction  will be charged from credit line applicant or via the PayPal system. Ending with the creation of the  PDF document (electronically signed) and sent to the email of student. SEDE will provide benefts to  both: users and service providers, as they can save on costs, improve response times for applications  and mainly the ecological impact by using less paper. KEYWORDS: Electronic document, Mobile Computing, Web Services, GSM, SMS, Android, iOS.En este artículo se presenta el diseño de una plataforma de aplicaciones para la emisión de documentos académicos de manera electrónica a través de computación móvil. La plataforma está orientada al servicio de los alumnos, donde puedan realizar la solicitud de algún documento académico tales como: constancias de inscripción, créditos cursados, promedio general, entre otros. Una solicitud puede emitirse desde un dispositivo móvil a través de la red GSM, mediante mensajes de texto cortos (SMS). También desde una aplicación basada en Android/iOS diseñada para conectarse a través de una red inalámbrica la cual solicitará el documento a través de un Web Service. El cobro de la transacción se descontará del crédito de la línea telefónica del solicitante o por el sistema de cobros PayPal©, fnalizando con la creación del documento en formato PDF (frmado electrónicamente) para su envío al correo electrónico del solicitante. SEDE aportará benefcios tanto a los usuarios como a los proveedores del servicio, ya que podrán ahorrar en costos, mejorar los tiempos de respuesta de las solicitudes y principalmente el impacto ecológico al utilizar menos papel.PALABRAS CLAVES: Documento electrónico, Cómputo Móvil, Servicios Web, GSM, SMS, Android, iOS.