Promoción turística sostenible: i-Naturhouse

La eficiencia energética y el aprovechamiento de las fuentes de energía naturales se han convertido en uno de los principales temas de investigación de Universidades y Gobiernos. Por ello, no es nada nuevo la presentación de un proyecto basado en una construcción que aprovecha los recursos naturales para la generación y posterior autoconsumo o venta de electricidad a la red. Nuestro proyecto es mucho más ambicioso y creemos que puede tener un fuerte impacto en un mercado global al utilizar todas las nuevas tecnologías existentes en campos como el bioclimatismo, energía solar, energía eólica, microcogeneración, telecomunicaciones, automatización, freecooling, iluminación y eficiencia energética. Deja de ser por tanto una solución parcial que aprovecha únicamente el conocimiento en algunos ámbitos de la ingeniería, para dar paso a una solución que se desarrolla en los campos de la Ingeniería Industrial en general (Mecánica, Energética, Eléctrica…etc.) las Telecomunicaciones, así como en el área de Economía y Finanzas. Nuestro proyecto aunque lo localizamos en la ciudad de Lleida, es un proyecto de alcance e impacto global, y en él analizamos en detalle cada uno de los puntos principales que intervendrían en este nuevo modelo de sensibilización de la sociedad hacia el consumo energético sostenible.El proyecto i‐Naturhouse es un trabajo de combinación de diferentes tecnologías con un fin común y en el cual éstas se combinan de forma equilibrada ofreciendo a la sociedad una herramienta que con un gran potencial, si tiene el alcance que se le proyecta. El proyecto ha sido dividido en 9 apartados. El primero es de introducción y contextualización para pasar a analizar posteriormente un caso concreto que ubicaríamos en la población de Lleida

Dynamical evolution of unstable self-gravitating scalar solitons

Recently, static and spherically symmetric configurations of globally regular self-gravitating scalar solitons were found. These configurations are unstable with respect to radial linear perturbations. In this paper we study the dynamical evolution of such configurations and show that, depending on the sign of the initial perturbation, the solitons either collapse to a Schwarzschild black hole or else ``explode'' into an outward moving domain wall.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in sheep flocks from three regions of Antioquia, Colombia

Paratuberculosis or Johne’s disease is a slow-developing infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) affecting mainly domestic ruminants and producing a significant economic threat to livestock production systems. Although reports on paratuberculosis in small ruminants in Colombia are very scarce, the Colombian sheep industry has identified paratuberculosis as one of the causes of its low development. There have been reports of MAP infection in sheep flocks, mainly in the Cundiboyacense Plateau and the Bogotá savannah, but the prevalence of MAP infection in sheep and goat populations in Colombia is yet unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to accurately estimate the prevalence of MAP infection at flock level in a sheep population of 24 flocks located in three regions of the province of Antioquia, Colombia. ELISA test as well as culture and direct qPCR were used as diagnostic tools. Overall, 456 blood serum samples were analysed and at least one seropositive animal was found in 17 (70% IC: 51.2-0.90) out of the 24 study flocks and, in total, 37 animals showed positive ELISA results (8% IC: 5.5-10.5). Regarding MAP direct detection, 90 faecal pools from the 24 flocks were cultured and subjected to qPCR diagnosis. Both direct qPCR and culture detected 25 (27.7%) and 64 (71.1%) faecal pools as MAP positive, respectively. More specifically, MAP positive pools were detected in 45.8% (IC: 24.3-67.3) and 83.3% (IC: 67.3-99.3) of the flocks by direct qPCR and culture, respectively. MAP infection is widespread in sheep flocks in the study regions and the combination of several diagnostic tests was necessary to achieve a more accurate and precise infection detection of this important pathogen

Protective Yeasts Control V. anguillarum Pathogenicity and Modulate the Innate Immune Response of Challenged Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Larvae

Indexación: Web of ScienceWe investigated mechanisms involved in the protection of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae by two probiotic candidate yeasts, Debaryornyces hansenii 97 (Dh97) and Yarrowia Iypolitica 242 (YI242), against a Vibrio anguillarum challenge. We determined the effect of different yeast concentrations (10(4)-10(7) CFU/mL) to: (i) protect larvae from the challenge, (ii) reduce the in vivo pathogen concentration and (iii) modulate the innate immune response of the host. To evaluate the role of zebrafish microbiota in protection, the experiments were performed in conventionally raised and germ free larvae. In vitro co-aggregation assays were performed to determine a direct yeast-pathogen interaction. Results showed that both yeasts significantly increased the survival rate of conventionally raised larvae challenged with V. anguillarum. The concentration of yeasts in larvae tended to increase with yeast inoculum, which was more pronounced for Dh97. Better protection was observed with Dh97 at a concentration of 106 CFU/mL compared to 104 CFU/mL. In germ-free conditions V anguillarum reached higher concentrations in larvae and provoked significantly more mortality than in conventional conditions, revealing the protective role of the host microbiota. Interestingly, yeasts were equally (Dh97) or more effective (YI242) in protecting germ-free than conventionally-raised larvae, showing that protection can be exerted only by yeasts and is not necessarily related to modulation of the host microbiota. Although none of the yeasts co aggregated with V anguillarum, they were able to reduce its proliferation in conventionally raised larvae, reduce initial pathogen concentration in germ-free larvae and prevent the upregulation of key components of the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory response (il1b, tnfa, c3, mpx, and il10, respectively). These results show that protection by yeasts of zebrafish larvae challenged with V anguillarum relates to an in vivo anti-pathogen effect, the modulation of the innate immune system, and suggests that yeasts avoid the host-pathogen interaction through mechanisms independent of co-aggregation. This study shows, for the first time, the protective role of zebrafish microbiota against V. anguillarum infection, and reveals mechanisms involved in protection by two non-Saccharomyces yeasts against this pathogen.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00127/ful

Generalized harmonic spatial coordinates and hyperbolic shift conditions

We propose a generalization of the condition for harmonic spatial coordinates analogous to the generalization of the harmonic time slices introduced by Bona et al., and closely related to dynamic shift conditions recently proposed by Lindblom and Scheel, and Bona and Palenzuela. These generalized harmonic spatial coordinates imply a condition for the shift vector that has the form of an evolution equation for the shift components. We find that in order to decouple the slicing condition from the evolution equation for the shift it is necessary to use a rescaled shift vector. The initial form of the generalized harmonic shift condition is not spatially covariant, but we propose a simple way to make it fully covariant so that it can be used in coordinate systems other than Cartesian. We also analyze the effect of the shift condition proposed here on the hyperbolicity of the evolution equations of general relativity in 1+1 dimensions and 3+1 spherical symmetry, and study the possible development of blow-ups. Finally, we perform a series of numerical experiments to illustrate the behavior of this shift condition.Comment: 18 pages and 12 figures, extensively revised version explaining in the new Section IV how the shift condition can be made 3-covarian

Is the effectivity of copper ions treatment of milk enough to block Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in calves?

Milk is an important transmission route of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) for dairy calves. Given its resistance to pasteurization, alternative milk treatments are needed to control MAP transmission via milk. The present study reports the evaluation of a novel milk decontamination treatment based on copper ions as a means of preventing infection in dairy calves. Ten newborn calves were assigned to one of two experimental groups (n=5) which were studied for 1 year. The first group was fed milk naturally contaminated with MAP and the second one received the same milk but after being treated with copper ions. In both groups, milk MAP load was estimated. The progression of the infection was monitored monthly and at the end of the study, calves were euthanised, and tissue samples were examined both grossly and by histopathology. The treatment of milk with copper ions significantly reduced the number of viable MAP. Faecal shedding of MAP was observed in both study groups, but the calves fed naturally contaminated milk began to shed MAP earlier. Only calves fed copper-treated milk showed histopathological evidence consistent with MAP infection. The latter offers more questions than answers, and maybe the presence of a more tolerant and virulent MAP strain could be the final answer to this situation

Mesenchymal stem cells in the umbilical cord: phenotypic characterization, secretome and applications in central nervous system regenerative medicine

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), have been defined and characterized by: 1) their ability to adhere to plastic culture flasks; 2) the positive expression of CD105, CD73, CD90 membrane antigens, and the lack of expression of others (e.g CD45 and CD34) and 3) the ability of differentiation under adequate conditions along the osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages. In recent years, cells with these characteristics have been isolated from the Wharton’s jelly of the Umbilical Cord (UC). Similarly to bone marrow MSCs, they have shown multilineage differentiation potential and to be able to provide trophic support to neighboring cells. According to the literature, there are two main populations of cells with a mesenchymal character within the human UC: Wharton's jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) and Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells (HUCPVCs). In the present work our aim is to make a comprehensive review on MSC populations of the UC and how these cell populations may be used for future applications in CNS regenerative medicine. Following a brief insight on the general characteristics of MSC like cells, we will discuss the possible sources of stem cells within the WJ and the cord itself (apart UC blood), as well as their phenotypic character. As it has already been shown that these cells hold a strong trophic support to neighbouring cell populations, we will then focus on their secretome, namely which molecules have already been identified within it and their role in phenomena such as immunomodulation. The possible applications of these cell populations to CNS regenerative medicine will be addressed by critically reviewing the work that has been performed so far in this field. Finally, a brief insight will be made on what in the authors’ opinion are the major challenges in the field for the future application of these cell populations in CNS regenerative medicine.funds attributed by Fundação Calouste de Gulbenkian to A.J. Salgado under the scope of the The Gulbenkian Programme to Support research in Life Sciences; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (PhD scholarship to M.M. Carvalho - SFRH / BD / 51061 / 2010)

Promoción turística sostenible: i-Naturhouse

La eficiencia energética y el aprovechamiento de las fuentes de energía naturales se han convertido en uno de los principales temas de investigación de Universidades y Gobiernos. Por ello, no es nada nuevo la presentación de un proyecto basado en una construcción que aprovecha los recursos naturales para la generación y posterior autoconsumo o venta de electricidad a la red. Nuestro proyecto es mucho más ambicioso y creemos que puede tener un fuerte impacto en un mercado global al utilizar todas las nuevas tecnologías existentes en campos como el bioclimatismo, energía solar, energía eólica, microcogeneración, telecomunicaciones, automatización, freecooling, iluminación y eficiencia energética. Deja de ser por tanto una solución parcial que aprovecha únicamente el conocimiento en algunos ámbitos de la ingeniería, para dar paso a una solución que se desarrolla en los campos de la Ingeniería Industrial en general (Mecánica, Energética, Eléctrica…etc.) las Telecomunicaciones, así como en el área de Economía y Finanzas. Nuestro proyecto aunque lo localizamos en la ciudad de Lleida, es un proyecto de alcance e impacto global, y en él analizamos en detalle cada uno de los puntos principales que intervendrían en este nuevo modelo de sensibilización de la sociedad hacia el consumo energético sostenible.El proyecto i‐Naturhouse es un trabajo de combinación de diferentes tecnologías con un fin común y en el cual éstas se combinan de forma equilibrada ofreciendo a la sociedad una herramienta que con un gran potencial, si tiene el alcance que se le proyecta. El proyecto ha sido dividido en 9 apartados. El primero es de introducción y contextualización para pasar a analizar posteriormente un caso concreto que ubicaríamos en la población de Lleida