The Acoustics of the Choir in Spanish Cathedrals

One of the most significant enclosures in worship spaces is that of the choir. Generally, from a historical point of view, the choir is a semi-enclosed and privileged area reserved for the clergy, whose position and configuration gives it a private character. Regarding the generation and transformation of ecclesial interior spaces, the choir commands a role of the first magnitude. Its shape and location produce, on occasions, major modifications that significantly affect the acoustics of these indoor spaces. In the case of Spanish cathedrals, whose design responds to the so-called “Spanish type”, the central position of the choir, enclosed by high stonework walls on three of its sides and with numerous wooden stalls inside, breaks up the space in the main nave, thereby generating other new spaces, such as the trascoro. The aim of this work was to analyse the acoustic evolution of the choir as one of the main elements that configure the sound space of Spanish cathedrals. By means of in situ measurements and simulation models, the main acoustic parameters were evaluated, both in their current state and in their original configurations that have since disappeared. This analysis enabled the various acoustic conditions existing between the choir itself and the area of the faithful to be verified, and the significant improvement of the acoustic quality in the choir space to become apparent. The effect on the acoustic parameters is highly significant, with slight differences in the choir, where the values are appropriate for Gregorian chants, and suitable intelligibility of sung text. High values are also obtained in the area of the faithful, which lacked specific acoustic requirements at the time of construction

Mecanismos de codificación y procesamiento de información en redes basadas en firmas neuronales

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica y de las Comunicaciones. Fecha de lectura: 21-02-202

Interplay between glucose and palmitate uptake in breast carcinoma in vitro

One of the most studied tumor cells lines in vitro is the breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cell line. Several studies have proved its glycolytic profile, namely known as the Warburg effect. Glutamine oxidation is also important for its metabolism. Nevertheless, the use of fatty acids for obtaining energy in these cells is still rising. Palmitic acid is the most common saturated fatty acid, containing sixteen carbons in its structure. However, the use of palmitate for metabolic studies in MDA-MB-231 is not very extended due to its pro-apoptotic effect in this cell line after certain time exposure. Nonetheless, in this work we used palmitate as a metabolic fuel for just 30 minutes in order to see the almost immediate response of the cells to its presence, after a 30 minutes fast period. Our results show that MDA-MB-231 cells are not able of oxidizing palmitate nor producing lactate from it. Simultaneous presence of palmitate with glucose or with glutamine does not affect glucose nor glutamine uptake in these cells. However, we observed that even low concentrations of glucose increase palmitate uptake in MDA-MB-231 after a 30 minutes incubation. Treatment with 5 mM 2-deoxyglucose also for 30 minutes counters this rise, since 2-deoxyglucose diminishes palmitate uptake. Increasing glucose concentration to the same dosis of 2-deoxyglucose leads to a prevalence of the glucose effect on palmitate uptake. The exact role of glucose and glucose derivatives should be further studied in order to know more about palmitate metabolism in this cell line.Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain). This communication has the support of a travel grant "Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech"

Planning and Allocation of Digital Learning Objects with Augmented Reality to Higher Education Students According to the VARK Model

In the present research, the authors propose the planning, assignment and use of digital learning objects with augmented reality according to the learning style of students in higher education, according to the VARK Model. It is found that students with treatment have had better results in their final grades than students who have not undergone the treatment of having used digital learning objects with augmented reality. The digital objects of learning (DLO’s) with augmented reality designed according to the learning style of the students are an attractive and adequate option so that the teachers who are the main responsible for the didactic planning can spread the knowledge in the students. So that traditional forms of education are put aside and as a result of taking advantage of Information and Communication Technologies that have come to break with the paradigms that have prevailed for years in the teaching - learning process. On the other hand, education based on e-learning platforms facilitates the training of students at a distance allowing them to build and self-manage learning, as well as facilitate the dissemination of digital learning objects with augmented reality according to the learning style according to the VARK Model

Identification and characterization of new anti-angiogenic compounds from natural sources

The inhibition of angiogenesis has attracted broad attention in the field of pharmacological research, not only for cancer, but for other angiogenesis dependent diseases including ophthalmic, cutaneous and inflammatory diseases, as well as a number of rare diseases. Our research group has characterized multiple new natural bioactive compounds with multitargeted antiangiogenic effects by employing a well-established set of in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo preclinical models of angiogenesis. Most of them have been isolated from plants and terrestrial microorganisms, mainly due to their higher availability and because their therapeutic effects had been previously known in folk traditional medicines. In vitro primary screening includes cell differentiation and toxicity and proliferation assays. Secondary screening involves several experiments to evaluate effects on adhesion, migration, invasion, apoptosis or cell cycle analysis, among others. Additionally, we perform a further molecular characterization analyzing possible signaling pathways that are affected to elucidate their mechanism of action. The characterization is completed with the ex vivo aortic ring assay, and in vivo assays, as CAM and zebrafish assays, to ensure the anti-angiogenic ability. As a fruit of the mentioned screening, a number of compounds with remarkable anti-angiogenic activity have been identified and characterized.Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain)]. This communicaction has the support of a travel grant "Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech"

Fasentin, a glucose uptake inhibitor, is also able to inhibit angiogenesis

Es comunicación a congreso en formato pósterThe role of glucose on endothelial cell (EC) metabolism and angiogenesis has been an emerging issue in the last few years. Some inhibitors of glucose metabolism, such as 2-deoxyglucose, have been shown to have anti-angiogenic effects. Fasentin is a poor-studied inhibitor of glucose uptake which modulates GLUT-1 and GLUT-4 transporters in cancer cells. We wanted to test its possible effect on EC glucose uptake, showing a light decrease in HMEC at 100 µM. Lower doses did not affect this characteristic of glucose metabolism. In line with this fact, fasentin at 100 µM totally inhibited tube formation on Matrigel in these cells. This anti-angiogenic effect is not likely to be helped by a pro-apoptotic effect of fasentin but, as proved with additional assays, it could be due to a decrease on the signaling for extracellular matrix degradation. More research would be necessary in order to elucidate its fine regulation on angiogenesis and metabolism.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. [Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain). This communicaction has the support of a travel grant "Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech"]

La Ley sobre régimen del suelo y ordenación urbana de 1956. Un cambio de rumbo en la planificación del crecimiento urbano

Este artículo aborda la Ley sobre Régimen del Suelo y Ordenación Urbana 1956 como instrumento urbanístico que ha definido y condicionado la configuración de la gran expansión urbana que experimentan, ante las urgentes necesidades cuantitativas de viviendas, las ciudades españolas en los años 60 y 70. Tras la Guerra Civil se aprueban sucesivas leyes en materia de vivienda que venían a responder a un mismo objetivo: el problema persistente de la vivienda, primero desde la necesaria reconstrucción de un país y posteriormente como respuesta al hacinamiento que acuciaba los núcleos urbanos por el trasvase de población campo-ciudad. Ahora bien, tal como sostiene Terán (1996:177), es la aprobación en 1956 de la Ley del Suelo la que cambia radicalmente la forma de crecimiento de la ciudad. Si hasta aquel momento, tenían cabida actuaciones de pequeña escala dentro de los primeros ensanches – especialmente en las grandes ciudades- e incluso en la ciudad histórica, la aparición del Plan Parcial favoreció la construcción de grandes piezas urbanas edificadas de forma unitaria, y que tradicionalmente han sido denominados como barriadas o polígonos residenciales. En palabras de Ferrer i Aixalá (1974: 4) posibilitó operaciones en las que las fases de parcelación, urbanización y edificación son gestionadas de forma unitaria, caracterizándose morfológicamente por ser piezas con entidad suficiente, unidades mínimas con límites urbanos claramente definidos que permitían una construcción de ciudad de forma independiente. En este sentido, el artículo se centra en el análisis de La Ley sobre régimen del suelo y ordenación urbana de 1956 como instrumento que posibilitó la construcción masiva de viviendas configurando una primera periferia urban

La política actual de fomento a la vivienda en el Valle de Tizayuca y su impacto en la percepción de inseguridad

La política de vivienda en México ha destinado sus recursos a satisfacer el derecho al acceso de vivienda digna, como un elemento que propicia el desarrollo social de la población; de la misma manera, ha generado alternativas para la distribución del bien, de modo que este pueda ser un generador de capital para las empresas inmobiliarias. La legislación converge con la política, al describir el acceso a la vivienda digna como un derecho universal, y por tanto las acciones destinadas a su desarrollo, deben ser propicias de constante análisis y debate. Las condiciones en que se genera actualmente la oferta masiva de vivienda en la región, han dado pie al surgimiento de nuevos entramados urbanos que en poco tiempo presentan alta demanda de atención, tanto por el otorgamiento de servicios como infraestructura. La especulación del suelo urbano ha generado en diversos casos, una ruptura entre la satisfacción del derecho de habitabilidad, que es la satisfacción de las necesidades del individuo para propiciar la permanencia, y la percepción de la seguridad dentro del entorno urbano. La producción masiva de vivienda ha enfatizado sectores importantes con nuevas expresiones de la problemática inmersa en los conjuntos habitacionales, directamente relacionados a la construcción de redes sociales, apropiación del espacio y en este caso específico; un significativo stock de viviendas no habitadas, que permea de manera significativa la percepción de seguridad entre los miembros de los conjuntos habitacionales

Synthesis and biological activity of a new class of antitumor cyclopeptides based on the solomonamides

Solomonamides A (1) and B (2) are novel natural products recently isolated from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei [1]. Preliminary structural studies revealed an unprecedented cyclic peptide type structure. Interestingly, solomonamide A exhibits anti-inflammatory activity, showing potent reduction (60%) of inflammation at a very low concentration of 100 µg/kg in animal models. However, the scarcity of these compounds from their natural sources has been a drawback for further pharmacological assays. In fact, the anti-inflammatory activity of solomonamide B was not evaluated due to the limited amounts. This difficulty to access large amounts of these compounds makes quite difficult to gain insight into their biological profiles and mechanism of action and justifies the chemical synthesis of this new class of cyclic peptides. As a consequence, the solomonamides have been the subject of several synthetic efforts [2] notably by the Reddy group who has recently reported the first total synthesis of solomonamide B based on a intramolecular Heck reaction, which led to a revision of the initially proposed structure for 2 [3].Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

La fotogrametría digital como herramienta de trabajo para la toma de datos y catalogación de las iglesias románicas en la comarca de Las Merindades (Burgos)

La directriz principal del proyecto es identificar y catalogar los edificios históricos con valor arquitectónico común de un determinado territorio. En este caso concreto, se estudiarán las edificaciones religiosas de estilo románico en la zona de Las Merindades (norte de la provincia de Burgos). Esta zona se caracteriza por su riqueza en este campo. Se utilizará la fotogrametría digital como herramienta de trabajo de campo para la toma de datos y los programas informáticos asociados a ella para analizar y desarrollar los objetivos del proyecto. Como trabajo paralelo, se analizará la rapidez de esta herramienta para abarcar un volumen de trabajo de campo considerable y ver si es suficientemente eficaz para utilizarla como técnica principal en posteriores trabajos. Por tanto, este trabajo pretende realizar el estudio de campo y generar unas fichas identificativas de todas las iglesias románicas del territorio para poder protegerlas y conservarlas dada su importancia, puesto que por sí mismas son capaces de generar recursos económicos para la zona