Enhancement of collagen deposition and cross-linking by coupling lysyl oxidase with bone morphogenetic protein-1 and its application in tissue engineering

Cultured cell-derived extracellular matrices (ECM)-based biomaterials exploit the inherent capacity of cells to create highly sophisticated supramolecular assemblies. However, standard cell culture conditions are far from ideal given the fact that the diluted microenvironment does not favor the production of ECM components, a circumstance particularly relevant for collagen. An incomplete conversion of procollagen by C-proteinase/bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP1) has been proposed to severely limit in vitro collagen deposition. BMP1 also catalyzes the proteolytic activation of the precursor of the collagen cross-linking enzyme, lysyl oxidase (LOX) to yield the active form, suggesting a deficit in cross-linking activity under standard conditions. We hypothesized that the implementation of fibroblast cultures with LOX and BMP1 may be an effective way to increase collagen deposition. To test it, we have generated stable cell lines overexpressing LOX and BMP1 and studied the effect of supernatants enriched in LOX and BMP1 on collagen synthesis and deposition from fibroblasts. Herein, we demonstrate that the supplementation with LOX and BMP1 strongly increased the deposition of collagen onto the insoluble matrix at the expense of the soluble fraction in the extracellular medium. Using decellularization protocols, we also show that fibroblast-derived matrices regulate adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), and this effect was modulated by LOX/BMP1. Collectively, these data demonstrate that we have developed a convenient protocol to enhance the capacity of in vitro cell cultures to deposit collagen in the ECM, representing this approach a promising technology for application in tissue engineeringTis work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Plan Nacional de I+D+I: SAF2012-34916, and SAF2015-65679-R to F.R-P

Tourism imaginaires of Lapland: a content analysis of the views of domestic tourists

Looking at the growth numbers, the tourism industry in Finnish Lapland has been a success story. Until 2020, the annual growth rate of the industry in Finland was approximately 9 percent. Most of the growth has come from inbound tourism. However, the travel account is still negative as many Finns choose to travel abroad on their holidays instead of choosing a domestic holiday. In recent years, there has been a growing number of discussions around domestic tourism in the media. At the latest it was the pandemic which showed the importance of domestic tourism. Since then, there have been more studies on the state of domestic tourism. One key message in the surveys of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is for instance, that domestic tourism needs to be developed. To know how domestic tourism should best be developed, it is important to know peoples’ current views. The object of this thesis is to bring to light the experiences and imaginaries of domestic tourists. In the focus are the tourism imaginaries regarding Lapland. The main research question of this qualitative study was What kinds of tourism imaginaries the Finns have about Lapland as a tourism destination. The question was divided into three sub-questions, taking a closer look at the imaginaries of place, people, and practices of Lapland. As research data, I have used the comment chains of four different online conversations. The conversations were analysed with content analysis. The results indicate that above all, Lapland is seen as a nature-based destination. People connect many uniquenesses of nature to Lapland and appreciate the possibilities for doing outdoor activities. The barriers to Lapland tourism discussed in this study include the expensiveness and accessibility, both to and within Lapland. The findings also indicate that there is a demand for new kinds of products and services that better take into consideration the needs and wants of the domestic tourists

Background Modelling with Associated Confidence

Non

Persistent warmth across the Benguela upwelling system during the Pliocene epoch

A feature of Pliocene climate is the occurrence of “permanent El Niño-like” or “El Padre” conditions in the Pacific Ocean. From the analysis of sediment cores in the modern northern Benguela upwelling, we show that the mean oceanographic state off Southwest Africa during the warm Pliocene epoch was also analogous to that of a persistent Benguela “El Niño”. At present these events occur when massive southward flows of warm and nutrient-poor waters extend along the coasts of Angola and Namibia, with dramatic effects on regional marine ecosystems and rainfall. We propose that the persistent warmth across the Pliocene in the Benguela upwelling ended synchronously with the narrowing of the Indonesian seaway, and the early intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciations around 3.0–3.5 Ma. The emergence of obliquity-related cycles in the Benguela sea surface temperatures (SST) after 3 Ma highlights the development of strengthened links to high latitude orbital forcing. The subsequent evolution of the Benguela upwelling system was characterized by the progressive intensification of the meridional SST gradients, and the emergence of the 100 ky cycle, until the modern mean conditions were set at the end of the Mid Pleistocene transition, around 0.6 Ma. These findings support the notion that the interplay of changes in the depth of the global thermocline, atmospheric circulation and tectonics preconditioned the climate system for the end of the warm Pliocene epoch and the subsequent intensification of the ice ages

Cognitive prognosis of acquired brain injury patients using machine learning techniques

The cognitive prognosis of acquired brain injury (ABI) patients is a valuable tool for an improved and personalized treatment. In this paper, we explore the task of automatic cognitive prognosis of ABI patients via machine learning techniques. Based on a set of pre-treatment assessments, distinct classifiers are trained to predict whether the patient will improve in one or any of three cognitive areas: attention, memory, and executive functioning. Results show that variables such as the age at the moment of the injury, the patient's etiology, or the neuropsychological evaluation scores obtained before the treatment are relevant for prognosis and easily yield statistically significant accuracies. Additionally, the prognostic relevance of these and other variables is studied by means of standard feature selection methodologies. The outputs of the present paper add to the discussion on current cognitive rehabilitation practices and push towards the exploitation of existing technologies for improving medical evaluations and treatments.We thank all the patients and staff from Institut Guttmann who cooperated in data collection. This work has been partially funded by TIN-2012-38450-C03-03 from the Spanish Government (all authors), JAEDOC069/2010 from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientıficas (J.S.), and 2009-SGR-1434 from Generalitat de CatalunyaPeer Reviewe

Observations and dynamical implications of active normal faulting in South Peru

SUMMARY Orogenic plateaus can exist in a delicate balance in which the buoyancy forces due to gravity acting on the high topography and thick crust of the plateau interior are balanced by the compressional forces acting across their forelands. Any shortening or extension within a plateau can indicate a perturbation to this force balance. In this study, we present new observations of the kinematics, morphology and slip rates of active normal faults in the South Peruvian Altiplano obtained from field studies, high-resolution DEMs, Quaternary dating and remote sensing. We then investigate the implications of this faulting for the forces acting on the Andes. We find that the mountains are extending ∼NNE–SSW to ∼NE–SW along a normal fault system that cuts obliquely across the Altiplano plateau, which in many places reactivates Miocene-age reverse faults. Radiocarbon dating of offset late Quaternary moraines and alluvial fan surfaces indicates horizontal extension rates across the fault system of between 1 and 4 mm yr–1—equivalent to an extensional strain rate in the range of 0.5–2 × 10−8 1 yr–1 averaged across the plateau. We suggest the rate and pattern of extension implies there has been a change in the forces exerted between the foreland and the Andes mountains. A reduction in the average shear stresses on the sub-Andean foreland detachment of ≲4 MPa (20–25 per cent of the total force) can account for the rate of extension. These results show that, within a mountain belt, the pattern of faulting is sensitive to small spatial and temporal variations in the strength of faults along their margins.Denman Baynes Senior Studentship, Clare College Cambridge Arup Santander Mobility Grant (University of Cambridge

Device Physics of Hybrid Perovskite Solar cells: Theory and Experiment

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit a series of distinctive features in their optoelectronic response which have a crucial influence on the performance, particularly for long-time response. Here, a survey of recent advances both in device simulation and optoelectronic and photovoltaic responses is provided, with the aim of comprehensively covering recent advances. Device simulations are included with clarifying discussions about the implications of classical drift-diffusion modeling and the inclusion of ionic charged layers near the outer carrier selective contacts. The outcomes of several transient techniques are summarized, along with the discussion of impedance and capacitive responses upon variation of bias voltage and irradiance level. In relation to the capacitive response, a discussion on the J-V curve hysteresis is also included. Although alternative models and explanations are included in the discussion, the review relies upon a key mechanism able to yield most of the rich experimental responses. Particularly for state-of-the-art solar cells exhibiting efficiencies around or exceeding 20%, outer interfaces play a determining role on the PSC's performance. The ionic and electronic kinetics in the vicinity of the interfaces, coupled to surface recombination and carrier extraction mechanisms, should be carefully explored to progress further in performance enhancement

Lenguaje radiofónico de los programas informativos Acuarela de la emisora Santa Victoria y el Mañanero de la emisora Kaliente

La presente investigación planteó como objetivo evaluar los elementos del lenguaje radiofónico de dichos programas, teniendo como objetivos específicos: determinar el estilo de los conductores; evaluar los elementos del lenguaje radiofónico: mensaje, música, efectos y ruido; y dar a conocer la estructura de los programas. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo – hermenéutico, bajo el instrumento de la guía de observación que sirvió para la recopilación de información de los sujetos de análisis. Se concluye que los conductores de los programas tuvieron un estilo informal con palabras vulgares y términos inapropiados. Así mismo los locutores interactuaron con el público utilizando efectos que hicieron a estos programas más dinámicos. Pero no tienen una estructura definida lo que evita la correcta recepción del mensaje en el público oyente

​​Efectividad de la Implementación de ISO 9001 en las Pymes​

El objetivo general de este artículo es mostrar sistemáticamente las distintas posturas de los autores en torno al análisis de implementar un sistema de administración de la calidad certificado por la norma ISO 9001 en las empresas, haciendo una especial mención en las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES). Para ello, se mostrará lo que dicen los autores respecto a la implementación de la norma ISO 9001 y su influencia sobre la eficiencia y la innovación, así como también cuales son los principales obstáculos y retos para su implementación. Estos tres aspectos específicos sobresalen en los artículos revisados y están enfocados en el sector empresarial. Para esta investigación se empleó una metodología cualitativa. Del estudio revisado se encontraron que existe hasta tres controversias, siendo la principal la que tiene que ver con la eficiencia de la implementación para las empresas, así se destacan autores que están a favor y en contra de la implementación, debido a deficiencias en la gestión de los aspectos financieros, organizacionales y de dirección que principalmente pueden ocasionar un mal manejo de las empresas y terminar en una descertificación.The general objective of this article is to systematically show the different positions of the authors regarding the analysis of implementing a quality management system certified by the ISO 9001 standard in companies, making special mention of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For this, it will be shown what the authors say regarding the implementation of the ISO 9001 standard and its influence on efficiency and innovation, as well as what are the main obstacles and challenges for its implementation. These three specific aspects stand out in the articles reviewed and are focused on the business sector. For this research, a qualitative methodology was used. From the reviewed study, it was found that there are up to three controversies, the main one having to do with the efficiency of implementation for companies, thus, authors who are in favor and against implementation stand out, due to deficiencies in management financial, organizational and management aspects that can mainly cause mismanagement of companies and end in decertification.Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesiona