Exploring the relationship between gene expression and topological properties of Arabidopsis thaliana interactome network.

The aim of this study is to integrate and link up transcriptomic data with biological networks approaches. The main objective was to determinate the correlation of transcriptomic profiles with PPI topology, seeking to demonstrate relational or structural patterns within the network internal organization

COVID‑19 mitigation by digital contact tracing and contact prevention (app‑based social exposure warnings)

A plethora of measures are being combined in the attempt to reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread. Due to its sustainability, contact tracing is one of the most frequently applied interventions worldwide, albeit with mixed results. We evaluate the performance of digital contact tracing for different infection detection rates and response time delays. We also introduce and analyze a novel strategy we call contact prevention, which emits high exposure warnings to smartphone users according to Bluetooth-based contact counting. We model the effect of both strategies on transmission dynamics in SERIA, an agent-based simulation platform that implements population-dependent statistical distributions. Results show that contact prevention remains effective in scenarios with high diagnostic/response time delays and low infection detection rates, which greatly impair the effect of traditional contact tracing strategies. Contact prevention could play a significant role in pandemic mitigation, especially in developing countries where diagnostic and tracing capabilities are inadequate. Contact prevention could thus sustainably reduce the propagation of respiratory viruses while relying on available technology, respecting data privacy, and most importantly, promoting community-based awareness and social responsibility. Depending on infection detection and app adoption rates, applying a combination of digital contact tracing and contact prevention could reduce pandemic-related mortality by 20–56%.publishedVersionFil: Soldano, Germán J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Argentina.Fil: Soldano, Germán J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Fraire Juan A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Fraire Juan A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en ingeniería y Tecnología; Argentina.Fil: Fraire Juan A. Saarland University. Saarland Informatics Campus; Saarbrücken, Germany.Fil: Finochietto, Jorge M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Finochietto, Jorge M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en ingeniería y Tecnología; Argentina.Fil: Quiroga; Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Argentina.Fil: Quiroga; Rodrigo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina

Identificación de competencias y características deseables en el profesorado de ciencias de EGB

This article offers the vision held by some groups of teachers on various qualities taken as important for a Science Teacher of Primary Education, as well as the opinion on to what extend those qualities are found in this type of teachers

Compact modeling of hysteresis in organic thin-film transistors

In this work, we propose a model that describes the temporal evolution of the threshold voltage and trapped charge density in Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) under dynamic conditions, paving the way for the characterization and modeling of memory transistors. The model is expressed as a first-order differential equation for the trapped charge density, which is controlled by a time constant and an independent term proportional to the drain current. The time-dependent threshold voltage is introduced in a previously developed compact model for TFTs with special consideration to the contact effects. The combination of both models and the use of an evolutionary parameter extraction procedure allow for reproducing the experimental dynamic behavior of TFTs. The results of the model and the evolutionary procedure have been validated with published experimental data of pentacene-based transistors. The procedure is able to simultaneously reproduce three kinds of experiments with different initialization routines and constraints in each of them: output and transfer characteristics with hysteresis and current transients characteristics.The authors acknowledge support from the project PID2022-139586NB-44 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, EU.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBU

Evolutionary parameter extraction for an organic TFT compact model including contact effects

Please cite this article as: A. Romero, J. González, R. Picos, M. J. Deen, J. A. Jiménez-Tejada, Evolutionary parameter extraction for an organic TFT compact model including contact effects, Organic Electronics, (2018), 61, 242-253. © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Digital Object Identifier: 10.1016/j.orgel.2018.05.062 Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119918302908Parameter extraction is a complex procedure when contact effects are present. In this work, a multi-objective evolutionary parameter extraction procedure is used to simultaneously determine the parameters of both a compact model for the current-voltage characteristics of organic thin-film transistors and a contact model. This procedure can be used to overcome shortcomings of previous parameter extraction procedures. The proposed evolutionary procedure can be used in those situations whereby the parameter set extracted by other procedures does not comply its physical meaning, or if a poor agreement between the experimental data and the analytical results exists. In the last case, the evolutionary procedure can be used as a problem optimization method. After the evolutionary parameter extraction procedure is applied to the transistor output characteristics, the obtained results show an excellent agreement with the experimental data.This work was supported by projects TIN2015-67020-P, MAT2016-76892-C3-3-R, TEC2014-56244-R, and Excellence Networks REFLEXIO and NANOVAR funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF)

A composite 10Be, IR-50 and 14C chronology of the pre-LGM full ice extent of the western Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Isla de Chiloé, south Chile (42ºS

Unanswered questions about the glacier and climate history preceding the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the southern temperate latitudes remain. The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 is normally understood as a global interstadial period; nonetheless its climate was punctuated by conspicuous variability, and its signature has not been resolved beyond the polar realms. In this paper, we compile a 10Be depth profile, single grain infrared (IR) stimulated luminescence dating and 14C samples to derive a new glacier record for the principal outwash plain complex, deposited by the western Patagonian Ice Sheet (PIS) during the last glacial period (Llanquihue Glaciation) on the Isla de Chiloé, southern Chile (42∘ S). In this region, the Golfo de Corcovado Ice Lobe left a distinct geomorphic and stratigraphic imprint, suitable for reconstructing former ice dynamics and timing of past climate change. Our data indicate that maximum glaciation occurred by 57.8±4.7 ka without reaching the Pacific Ocean coast. Ice readavanced and buttressed against the eastern side of the Cordillera de la Costa again by 26.0±2.9 ka. Our data further support the notion of a large ice extent during parts of the MIS 3 in Patagonia and New Zealand but appear to contradict near contemporaneous interstadial evidence in the southern midlatitudes, including Chiloé. We propose that the PIS expanded to its full-glacial Llanquihue moraines, recording a rapid response of southern mountain glaciers to the millennial-scale climate stadials that punctuated the MIS 3 at the poles and elsewhere.</p

A bacterial glycoengineered antigen for improved serodiagnosis of porcine brucellosis

Brucellosis is a highly zoonotic disease that affects animals and human beings. Brucella suis is the etiological agent of porcine brucellosis and one of the major human brucellosis pathogens. Laboratory diagnosis of porcine brucellosis mainly relies on serological tests, and it has been widely demonstrated that serological assays based on the detection of anti O-polysaccharide antibodies are the most sensitive tests. Here, we validate a recombinant glycoprotein antigen, an N-formylperosamine O-polysaccharide protein conjugate (OAg-AcrA), for diagnosis of porcine brucellosis. An indirect immunoassay based on the detection of anti-O-polysaccharide IgG antibodies was developed coupling OAg-AcrA to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plates (glycoiELISA). To validate the assay, 563 serum samples obtained from experimentally infected and immunized pigs, as well as animals naturally infected with B. suis biovar 1 or 2, were tested. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed, and based on this analysis, the optimum cutoff value was 0.56 (relative reactivity), which resulted in a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 99.7%, respectively. A cutoff value of 0.78 resulted in a test sensitivity of 98.4% and a test specificity of 100%. Overall, our results demonstrate that the glyco-iELISA is highly accurate for diagnosis of porcine brucellosis, improving the diagnostic performance of current serological tests. The recombinant glycoprotein OAg-AcrA can be produced in large homogeneous batches in a standardized way, making it an ideal candidate for further validation as a universal antigen for diagnosis of "smooth" brucellosis in animals and humans.Fil: Cortina, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Balzano, Rodrigo E.. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Rey Serantes, Diego A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Caillava, Ana Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Elena, Sebastian. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, A. C.. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária; PortugalFil: Nicola, Ana M.. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Ugalde, Juan Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Comerci, Diego José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Ciocchini, Andres Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; Argentin

The evolutionary differentiation of two histone H2A.Z variants in chordates (H2A.Z-1 and H2A.Z-2) is mediated by a stepwise mutation process that affects three amino acid residues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The histone H2A family encompasses the greatest number of core histone variants of which the replacement variant H2A.Z is currently one of the most heavily studied. No clear mechanism for the functional variability that H2A.Z imparts to chromatin has yet been proposed. While most of the past studies have referred to H2A.Z generically as a single protein, in vertebrates it is a mixture of two protein forms H2A.Z-1 (previously H2A.Z) and H2A.Z-2 (previously H2A.F/Z or H2A.V) that differ by three amino acids.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have performed an extensive study on the long-term evolution of H2A.Z across metazoans with special emphasis on the possible selective mechanisms responsible for the differentiation between H2A.Z-1 and H2A.Z-2. Our results reveal a common origin of both forms early in chordate evolution. The evolutionary process responsible for the differentiation involves refined stepwise mutation change within the codons of the three differential residues. This eventually led to differences in the intensity of the selective constraints acting upon the different H2A.Z forms in vertebrates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results presented in this work definitively reveal that the existence of H2A.Z-1 and H2A.Z-2 is not a whim of random genetic drift. Our analyses demonstrate that H2A.Z-2 is not only subject to a strong purifying selection but it is significantly more evolutionarily constrained than H2A.Z-1. Whether or not the evolutionary drift between H2A.Z-1 and H2A.Z-2 has resulted in a functional diversification of these proteins awaits further research. Nevertheless, the present work suggests that in the process of their differently constrained evolutionary pathways, these two forms may have acquired new or complementary functions.</p