An Advanced Search System to Manage SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Data Using a Model-Driven Development Approach

[EN] The pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 has allowed the proliferation of an unprecedented amount of data that must be organized and connected in a way that allows its efficient management. Nevertheless, the speed at which all of this knowledge is being generated has highlighted the shortcomings of the research community in creating well-organized, standardized, and structured databases. Despite the efforts of the community to develop advanced integrative platforms such as CovidGraph, we have identified some limitations when using these solutions that we think are derived from the lack of a sound ontological schema to guide the collection, standardization, and integration of data. This work explores the advantages and disadvantages for the final user of building advanced information systems using a Model Driven Development approach to integrate heterogeneous and complex data using an ontological background as a basis. As a proof of concept, we built a database (CovProt) to integrate data about different aspects of SARS-CoV-2 using this approach, we analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach compared to CovidGraph by performing a set of queries in CovProt and CovidGraph, and finally, we compared the structure and redundancy of the retrieved data.This work was supported in part by the Spanish State Research Agency and the Generalitat Valenciana under the Project PROMETEO/2018/176 and Project INNEST/2021/57, in part by the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under the Margarita Salas Next Generation EU Grant, and in part by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Union NextGenerationEU/Plan de Recuperacion, Transformacion y Resiliencia (PRTR).León-Palacio, A.; García-Simón, A.; Pastor López, O. (2022). An Advanced Search System to Manage SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Data Using a Model-Driven Development Approach. IEEE Access. 10:43528-43534. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.316926843528435341

Forecasting financial short time series

We study the application of time series forecasting methods to massive datasets of short financial time series. In our example, the time series arise from analyzing monthly expenses and incomes in personal financial records. Differently from traditional time series forecasting applications, we work with series of very short depth (as short as 24 data points), which prevents fromusing classical exponential smoothing methods. However, this shortcoming is compensated by the the size of our dataset: millions of time series. The latter allows tackling the problem of time series prediction from a pattern recognition perspective. Specifically, we propose a method for short time seriesprediction based on time series clustering and distance-based regression. We experimentally show that this strategy leads to improved accuracy compared to exponential smoothing methods. We additionally describe the underlying big data platform developed to carry out the forecasts in an efficient manner (comparisons to millions of elements in near real-time)

Letter Knowledge and Learning Sequence of Graphemes in Spanish: Precursors of Early Reading

Este artículo aborda una investigación sobre el valor predictivo del conocimiento de las grafías para el rendimiento lector. Los estudios precedentes han mostrado una fuerte relación entre el conocimiento delas grafías en edades tempranas y los procesos de decodificación. Nuestro estudio indaga sobre el proceso de aprendizaje del código alfabético español centrado en los grafemas y analiza el poder predictivo del conocimiento de las grafías para las habilidades de decodificación en la lectura inicial. Para ello, se apoya en una metodología longitudinal prospectiva y en el uso de instrumentos estandarizados (PROLEC-R yBIL) aplicado a 362 alumnos y alumnas de 4 y 5 a˜nos. Los datos obtenidos se analizan mediante regresión múltiple, utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Nuestra investigación subraya la relevancia de la secuencia de aprendizaje de los grafemas en edades tempranas, diferenciándose la secuencia de aprendizaje en español con respecto a la lengua inglesa. En español, la secuencia de aprendizaje de los grafemas es independiente de la secuencia de aprendizaje de los fonemas. Asimismo, este artículo subraya la importancia de una secuencia de aprendizaje de estas grafías para predecir el desarrollo de las habilidades de decodificación. Este estudio concluye que las prácticas educativas tempranas que consideran el nombre y fonema de las grafías y la secuencia determinada en el aprendizaje de los grafemas optimizan el rendimiento lector de los niños y niñas de lengua española.The current article addresses a research on the predictive value of knowing the letters within the ini-tial reading performance. Recent studies have shown a strong link between the knowledge of letters atearly ages and the decoding processes. Our study deepens into the learning process of the Spanish alp-habet code, focused on the graphemes, and analyzes the predictive power of knowing of letters for thedecoding abilities in initial reading. To this end, the research relies on a longitudinal prospective met-hodology and makes use of standardized instruments (PROLEC-R and BIL) applied to 362 students aged4 and 5. The data obtained are analyzed through multiple regression, using structural equation models.Our research outlines the relevance of learning the sequence of graphemes from early ages, differen-tiating the sequence of learning in Spanish with respect to English language. In Spanish, the learningsequence of the graphemes is independent of the learning sequence of phonemes. Moreover, this articleemphasizes the importance of a learning sequence of these letters, in order to foresee the developmentof the decoding abilities. This study concludes that the early educational practices that take into accountthe letters name and phoneme, as well as the concrete sequence in graphemes learning, optimize thereading performance of Spanish speaking children

Dental management of oral self-mutilation in neurological patients : a case of congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV is a rare disease characterized by fever episodes, mental retardation of different intensity, recurrent episodes of fever secondary to anhidrosis, little or no perspiration and congenital insensitivity to pain. Oral self-mutilation is also a characteristic sign. In this article, we present the case of an infant, aged 22 months, who showed these clinical characteristics and was treated with a dental device to prevent the patient from injuring her tongue. This device consisted of two acrylic splints joined at the back in the posterior sector, it provided an anterior open bite and allowed the infant to breathe through her mouth. The lesions of the patient had improved after using the device but the patient died due to the medical problem. Neuropathies treatment is a great challenge for medical teams.Dentists should form part ot these teams because of the bucal implications that may appear. Different appliances can be designed in order to solve the special problems each case may present

A post-imperial necropolis of the Roman villa of Almenara de Adaja-Puras (Valladolid)

We present a small group of 10 tombs located in the vicinity of Almenara de Adaja-Puras villa. This cemetery area corresponds to a human group related to the last phase of the activity in this Roman villa, when around the urban pars was arranged a series of constructions of rustic type that were in use until advanced the second half of the 5th century ad. Several aspects of this necropolis are analyzed, among them the buried population and the characterization of the funerary deposit and/or the ritual. The internal organization and its despoilment are also emphasized, which has made it possible to recognize different moments of use in the Late Antiquity. The most outstanding features of these burials in graves are the lack of trousseaux and containers for the funeral feast, the use of coffins and the presence of ritual footwear deposited on one side of the feet.Se presenta un pequeño conjunto de 10 tumbas situado en las inmediaciones de la villa de Almenara de Adaja-Puras. Esta área cementerial corresponde a un grupo humano relacionado con la última fase de la actividad en esta villa, cuando alrededor de la pars urbana se dispuso una serie de construcciones de tipo rústico que estuvieron en uso hasta avanzada la segunda mitad del s. V d. C. Se analizan varios aspectos de esta necrópolis, entre ellos la población enterrada y la caracterización del depósito funerario y/o del ritual. Así mismo se incide sobre la organización interna y su expolio, lo que ha permitido reconocer diferentes momentos de uso en época tardoantigua. Como rasgos más destacables de estas inhumaciones en fosa destacan la escasez de ajuares y de recipientes para el banquete fúnebre, el empleo de ataúdes y la presencia de calzado ritual depositado a un lado de los pies. Se han identificado varias tumbas que presentan una mayor complejidad constructiva; entre ellas hay una que cuenta con mensa, algo que resulta lo inhabitual en la zona septentrional de Hispania

La falla de Sierra Palomera: evolución estructural y actividad reciente

La falla de Sierra Palomera es una falla normal de 15,6 km de longitud con una orientación general NNO-SSE, que limita el sector centro-oriental de la fosa del Jiloca(Cordillera Ibérica). Su expresión morfológica en el relieve está constituida por un gran frente montañoso de dirección NO-SE que presenta altitudes comprendidas entre 320 y 530 m respecto al fondo de la fosa del Jiloca y que está caracterizado por la escasa incisión de la red de drenaje, la presencia de importantes facetas trapezoidales en el sector norte y un conjunto de abanicos aluviales funcionales emplazados en su piedemonte. El estudio morfotectónico de estos rasgos geomorfológicos principales asociados al frente montañoso permiten clasificar a la falla de Sierra Palomera como una estructura tectónica activa relativamente rápida. La Superficie de Erosión Fundamental de la Cordillera Ibérica identificada en la región de Sierra Palomera con altitudes que varían entre 1280 y 1440 m se encuentra deformada por la actividad extensional reciente, estando desplazada por la falla principal de Sierra Palomera y presentando un ligero basculamiento hacia la falla de la Sierra del Pobo y hacia el relevo dextral con la falla de Calamocha. A partir de dicha Superficie de Erosión Fundamental se estima un salto máximo post-Plioceno medio para la falla de Sierra Palomera de entre 430 y 460 m y tasas medias de desplazamiento post-Plioceno inferior que varían entre 0,08-0,13 m/ka, comparables a las identificadas en otras estructuras tectónicas de la Cordillera Ibérica

Cellulose Biosynthesis Inhibitors: Comparative Effect on Bean Cell Cultures

[EN] The variety of bioassays developed to evaluate different inhibition responses for cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors makes it difficult to compare the results obtained. This work aims (i) to test a single inhibitory assay for comparing active concentrations of a set of putative cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors and (ii) to characterize their effect on cell wall polysaccharides biosynthesis following a short-term exposure. For the first aim, dose-response curves for inhibition of dry-weight increase following a 30 days exposure of bean callus-cultured cells to these inhibitors were obtained. The compound concentration capable of inhibiting dry weight increase by 50% compared to control (I50) ranged from subnanomolar (CGA 325′615) to nanomolar (AE F150944, flupoxam, triazofenamide and oxaziclomefone) and micromolar (dichlobenil, quinclorac and compound 1) concentrations. In order to gain a better understanding of the effect of the putative inhibitors on cell wall polysaccharides biosynthesis, the [14C]glucose incorporation into cell wall fractions was determined after a 20 h exposure of cell suspensions to each inhibitor at their I50 value. All the inhibitors tested decreased glucose incorporation into cellulose with the exception of quinclorac, which increased it. In some herbicide treatments, reduction in the incorporation into cellulose was accompanied by an increase in the incorporation into other fractions. In order to appreciate the effect of the inhibitors on cell wall partitioning, a cluster and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on the relative contribution of [14C]glucose incorporation into the different cell wall fractions were performed, and three groups of compounds were identified. The first group included quinclorac, which increased glucose incorporation into cellulose; the second group consisted of compound 1, CGA 325′615, oxaziclomefone and AE F150944, which decreased the relative glucose incorporation into cellulose but increased it into tightly-bound cellulose fractions; and the third group, comprising flupoxam, triazofenamide and dichlobenil, decreased the relative glucose incorporation into cellulose and increased it into a pectin rich fraction.SISpanish Ministry of Science and Innovation programs ( AGL2011-30545-C02-02)This work was partly supported by grants from Junta de Castilla y León (LE 48A07

DNA extraction and amplification from Pinaceae dry wood

Wood constitutes the unique source of DNA in dead trees, but extraction of adequate quality DNA from dry wood is usually challenging. However, many different molecular studies require the use of such DNA. We have standardized and validated a modified CTAB protocol to isolate DNA from dry wood from Abies pinsapo and Cedrus atlantica species. Due to the degradation and very little DNA that is normally present in the wood from dead trees we have developed a PCR based test to certify the quality of the extracted samples. In the present study, we have proved too the effectiveness of this methodology to isolate DNA from conifer dry wood samples of sufficient quality to perform further molecular genetic experiments

Integration of clinical and genomic data to enhance precision medicine: a case of study applied to the retina-macula

[EN] Age-related macular degeneration is a complex, multifactorial, and neurodegenerative disease that is the third cause of blindness after cataracts and glaucoma. To date, there are no effective remedies available for treating the disease. Therefore, the main goal of the scientific community is to uncover the underlying role that both genetics and environmental factors play in the development of the disease. Nevertheless, the complexity of the domain, the heterogeneity of the information, and the massive amounts of existing data hinder the daily work of clinical experts to provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment. In this work, we present how clinicians can benefit from the development of ontologically well-grounded information systems to support the management of both clinical and genomic data. First, we summarize the results obtained in a previous work that cover the clinical perspective using an information system called G-MAC, that has been specially developed for the management of clinical data. Then, we present the results of an exhaustive study of the genetic factors of age-related macular degeneration by using an information system that was developed with the aim of enhancing the management of complex genomic data. Finally, we state how the connection of both perspectives through the use of conceptual models can benefit clinicians and patients through a more accurate Medicine of Precision.The authors would like to thank the members of the PROS Research Center Genome group for the fruitful discussions regarding the application of CM in the medical field. This work was supported by the Valencian Innovation Agency and Innovation through the OGMIOS project (INNEST/2021/57), the Preparatory Action-UPVFISABIO (A36-G-MAC, 2019), the Generalitat Valenciana through the CoMoDiD project (CIPROM/2021/023), and the Spanish State Research Agency through the DELFOS (PDC2021-121243-I00) and SREC (PID2021-123824OB-I00) projects, MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501 100011033 and co-financed with ERDF and the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR.Reyes Román, JF.; León-Palacio, A.; García-Simón, A.; Cabrera Beyrouti, R.; Pastor López, O. (2023). Integration of clinical and genomic data to enhance precision medicine: a case of study applied to the retina-macula. Software & Systems Modeling. 22(1):159-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-022-01039-415917422

The use of FTIR spectroscopy to monitor modifications in plant cell wall architecture caused by cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors

[EN] Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy is a powerful and rapid technique for analyzing cell wall components and putative cross-links, which is able to non-destructively recognize polymers and functional groups and provide abundant information about their in muro organization. FTIR spectroscopy has been reported to be a useful tool for monitoring cell wall changes occurring in muro as a result of various factors, such as growth and development processes, mutations or biotic and abiotic stresses. This mini-review examines the use of FTIR spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate analyses to monitor cell wall changes related to (1) the exposure of diverse plant materials to cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors (CBIs) and (2) the habituation/dehabituation of plant cell cultures to this kind of herbicides. The spectra analyses show differences not only regarding the inhibitor, but also regarding how long cells have been growing in its presence.SIThis work was supported by grants from Junta de Castilla y León (LE 17/04 and LE 48A07), University of León (ULE-2006-2