Productividad, colaboración e impacto de las investigaciones científicas cubanas sobre enfermedad de Parkinson en Scopus

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. This fact, in addition to the role of Scopus as a high-quality bibliometric data source, Cuba’s privileged position among Latin American countries in terms of neuroscientific output, and the absence of bibliometric studies on Parkinson’s disease in this context motivated the present study. Objective: To evaluate the productivity, collaboration, and impact of Cuban scientific research on Parkinson’s disease indexed in Scopus between 2012 and 2021. Methods: A descriptive bibliometric study was performed on 84 articles that had at least one author with a Cuban institutional affiliation. Indicators of productivity, collaboration and impact were used. Results: The highest output corresponded to the journals Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences (5 documents each). Parkinsonism and Related Disorders led in terms of number of citations (NC = 201) and average number of citations per paper (ANC = 67). The year with the highest productivity was 2019 (Ndoc = 13). Articles represented 69 % of the documents. Of the 11 most productive authors, 6 were major producers and only one of them is Cuban. The top funding sponsor was Medicinska Forskningsrådet. The Subramanyan’s index was 98,8. The top contributing country was Spain (Ndoc = 25). International collaboration was the most common (79,8 %). The publications reached 1 592 citations. The h-index was 22. Conclusions: The scientific output was scarce, tended to be in quantitative decline, had few major Cuban producers, presented a high rate of international collaboration, and achieved a notable scientific impact.Introducción: la enfermedad de Parkinson es la segunda enfermedad neurodegenerativa más frecuente en el mundo. Este hecho, sumado al papel de Scopus como fuente de datos bibliométricos de alta calidad, la posición privilegiada de Cuba entre los países latinoamericanos en cuanto a producción neurocientífica, y la ausencia de estudios bibliométricos sobre la enfermedad de Parkinson en este contexto motivaron el presente estudio. Objetivo: evaluar la productividad, colaboración e impacto de las investigaciones científicas cubanas sobre la enfermedad de Parkinson indexadas en Scopus entre 2012 y 2021. Métodos: se realizó un estudio bibliométrico descriptivo de 84 artículos que tenían al menos un autor con afiliación institucional cubana. Se utilizaron indicadores de productividad, colaboración e impacto. Resultados: la mayor producción correspondió a las revistas Neuroscience y Behavioral Sciences (5 documentos cada una). Parkinsonism and Related Disorders lideró en número de citas (NC = 201) y promedio de citas por documento (NCP = 67). El año con mayor productividad fue 2019 (Ndoc = 13). Los artículos originales representaron el 69 % de los documentos. De los 11 autores más productivos, 6 fueron grandes productores y solo uno de ellos es cubano. El principal patrocinador de financiación fue Medicinska Forskningsrådet. El índice de Subramanyan fue de 98,8. El principal país contribuyente fue España (Ndoc = 25). La colaboración internacional fue la más frecuente (79,8 %). Las publicaciones alcanzaron 1 592 citas. El índice h fue de 22. Conclusiones: la producción científica fue escasa, tendió a la disminución cuantitativa, tuvo pocos grandes productores cubanos, presentó una alta tasa de colaboración internacional y alcanzó un notable impacto científico

Logarithmic cohomology of the complement of a plane curve

Let D, x be a plane curve germ. We prove that the complex Ω•(log D)x computes the cohomology of the complement of D, x only if D is quasihomogeneous. This is a partial converse to a theorem of F.J. Castro-Jiménez, D. Mond and L. Narváez-Macarro. Cohomology of the complement of a free divisor. Transactions of the A.M.S., 348 (1996), 3037– 3049, which asserts that this complex does compute the cohomology of the complement, whenever D is a locally weighted homogeneous free divisor (and so in particular when D is a quasihomogeneous plane curve germ). We also give an example of a free divisor in D ⊂ C3 which is not locally weighted homogeneous, but for which this (second) assertion continues to hold.Ministerio de Educación y CienciaEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Counci

Actitudes hacia la muerte en el personal sanitario: propuesta de intervención

In this article we review attitudes towards death in the professional health workers. Trying to deepen the practical implications those attitudes have, we analyzed the scientific literature. Given the absence of interventions based on promoting resilience, coping strategies and other intervening factors on attitudes towards death in this group, we present a program designed towards promotion and prevention of competences to provide a better wellbeing and a better handling of these situations. Amongst the objectives, we propose: developing coping strategies to manage adverse situations that arise dealing daily with death, easing a good emotional management and being able to recover from the impact said situations cause through compassion, self-compassion, thankfulness and guilt management. The program follows an experiential methodology; health care professionals are active agents in the process of change, and they are accompanied through a deep evaluation and implementation that allows to analyze the changes throughout the intervention.En este artículo se realiza una revisión sobre las actitudes hacia la muerte en el profesional sanitario. Con el objetivo de profundizar en las implicaciones prácticas de dichas actitudes, se realiza un análisis de la literatura. Dada la ausencia de intervenciones basadas en promover la resiliencia, estrategias de afrontamiento y otros factores intervinientes en la actitud hacia la muerte en este colectivo, se presenta un programa destinado a la prevención y la promoción de competencias para proporcionar un mayor bienestar y un mejor manejo de estas situaciones. Entre los objetivos, se proponen: desarrollar estrategias de afrontamiento para gestionar las situaciones adversas que surgen al afrontar la muerte a diario, facilitar una buena gestión emocional y ser capaz de recuperarse del impacto que causan dichas situaciones a través de la compasión, autocompasión, gratitud y manejo de la culpa. El programa sigue una metodología experiencial; los profesionales sanitarios son agentes activos en el proceso de cambio, y se acompaña con una implementación y evaluación rigurosa que permiten analizar los cambios que se producen según se avanza en la intervención

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, gene deregulation in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and frontal cortex area 8: implications in frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Transcriptome arrays identifies 747 genes differentially expressed in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and 2,300 genes differentially expressed in frontal cortex area 8 in a single group of typical sALS cases without frontotemporal dementia compared with age-matched controls. Main up-regulated clusters in the anterior horn are related to inflammation and apoptosis; down-regulated clusters are linked to axoneme structures and protein synthesis. In contrast, up-regulated gene clusters in frontal cortex area 8 involve neurotransmission, synaptic proteins and vesicle trafficking, whereas main down-regulated genes cluster into oligodendrocyte function and myelin-related proteins. RT-qPCR validates the expression of 58 of 66 assessed genes from different clusters. The present results: a. reveal regional differences in de-regulated gene expression between the anterior horn of the spinal cord and frontal cortex area 8 in the same individuals suffering from sALS; b. validate and extend our knowledge about the complexity of the inflammatory response in the anterior horn of the spinal cord; and c. identify for the first time extensive gene up-regulation of neurotransmission and synaptic-related genes, together with significant down-regulation of oligodendrocyte-and myelin-related genes, as important contributors to the pathogenesis of frontal cortex alterations in the sALS/frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum complex at stages with no apparent cognitive impairment

Thalec: propuesta de un modelo para la gestión interna del conocimiento en la administración pública

El conocimiento constituye un factor clave para conseguir una Administración capaz de mejorar continuamente el servicio que ofrece a los ciudadanos. Saber gestionarlo y ponerlo al servicio de un mejor cumplimiento de su misión y de hacer realidad su visión, debe ser el reto de cualquier Administración Pública. En este sentido, el presente trabajo tiene una doble finalidad. Por un lado, proceder a una confirmación o refinamiento del modelo propuesto para la Gestión interna del Conocimiento (THALEC) y por otro, conocer la situación actual de las Administraciones españolas de cara a convertirse en organizaciones capaces de aprender, para, a partir de dicho diagnóstico, sugerir y proponer nuevos desarrollos y líneas de actuación, teniendo en cuenta siempre el carácter público de la organización como principal factor de contingencia.Knowledge constitutes a key factor to obtain a Public Administration able to improve the service offered to the citizens continuously. Knowing how to manage it and how to put it to the service of a better fulfilment of its mission and vision must be the challenge of any Public Administration. In this sense, the aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, to come to a confirmation or refinement from a model already proposed by the authors for the internal knowledge management (THALEC). On the other hand, to know the current situation of the Spanish Public Administrations, to turn them into organizations able to learn. From this diagnosis, we suggest and propose new developments and lines of actions, considering the governmental function of these organizations like main contingency factor

Inflammatory Gene Expression In Whole Peripheral Blood At Early Stage Of Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objective: Characterization of altered expression of selected transcripts linked to inflammation in the peripheral blood of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) patients at early stage of disease to increase knowledge about peripheral inflammatory response in sALS. Methods: RNA expression levels of 45 genes were assessed by RT-qPCR in 22 sALS cases in parallel with 13 age-matched controls. Clinical and serum parameters were assessed at the same time. Results: Upregulation of genes coding for factors involved in leukocyte extravasation (ITGB2, INPP5D, SELL, and ICAM1) and extracellular matrix remodeling (MMP9 and TIMP2), as well as downregulation of certain chemokines (CCL5 and CXC5R), antiinflammatory cytokines (IL10, TGFB2, and IL10RA), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6), and T-cell regulators (CD2 and TRBC1) was found in sALS cases independently of gender, clinical symptoms at onset (spinal, respiratory, or bulbar), progression, peripheral leukocyte number, and integrity of RNA. MMP9 levels positively correlated with age, whereas CCR5, CCL5, and TRBC1 negatively correlated with age in sALS but not in controls. Relatively higher TNFA expression levels correlate with higher creatinine kinase protein levels in plasma. Conclusion: Present findings show early inflammatory responses characterized by upregulation of factors enabling extravasation of leukocytes and extracellular matrix remodeling in blood in sALS cases, in addition to increased TNFA levels paralleling skeletal muscle damage

APLICACIÓN CLIENTE-SERVIDOR PARA LA IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE ALGORITMOS DE DETECCIÓN DE FRENTES TÉRMICOS EN IMÁGENES SUPERFICIAL DEL MAR

ResumenLos frentes térmicos constituyen una importante área de estudio en los ambientes marinos, ya sea desde el punto de vista de los procesos físicos que los originan o de las implicaciones que tienen para los organismos marinos. Estos frentes representan fronteras entre masas de agua con distintas características de temperatura o salinidad. Las condiciones que propician los frentes térmicos pueden ser importantes para generar regiones con alta productividad biológica. Por lo tanto, el estudio de su variabilidad espacial y temporal es importante para la caracterización de regiones marinas. El desarrollo de una plataforma web que implemente los algoritmos de detección de frentes facilitará a los usuarios la obtención de regiones de interés. Esto mediante la especificación del periodo y coordenadas de la región de interés, utilizando el protocolo y repositorio de OPeNDAP. Los datos obtenidos de esta forma son procesados con los algoritmos de Canny, Cayula-Cornillon y Crecimiento de Regiones. Como resultado se generan los archivos tipo imagen (GeoTIFF) de la temperatura superficial del mar para la región y periodo de interés, así como matrices binarias 3D en las que se ubican los pixeles-frente en espacio y tiempo (coordenadas x,y,z). Es a partir de éstas últimas que se estima la persistencia en el tiempo de los frentes térmicos.Palabra(s) Clave: Desarrollo web, Frente térmico, OPeNDAP, Temperatura superficial del mar. CLIENT-SERVER APPLICATION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THERMAL FRONTS DETECTION ALGORITHMS IN SURFACE IMAGES OF THE SEAAbstractThe Oceanic fronts are an important research topic in marine environments, from the point of view of the physics process that origin them or implications for marine organisms. Thermal fronts represent limits between water masses with different characteristics, such as temperature or salinity. The conditions that give rise thermal fronts can be important to generate regions with high biological productivity. Therefore, a study of their temporal and spatial variability is important for marine regions classification. The objective is to develop a web platform that implements fronts detection algorithms in order to facilitate the characterization of interest region for users. This through the specification of period and coordinates of interest, using the protocol and repository OPEnDAP. The data obtained of this form are processed with the Canny, Cayula and Region Growing algorithms. As result, a sequence of image files (GeoTIFF) is generated. These represent the sea surface temperature for the region and period of interest, as 3D array (x, y, z coordinates). Using this array, the thermal front persistence (in time) is computed.Keywords:  OPeNDAP, Sea surface temperature, Thermal fronts, Web platform

CDs and N-CDs preparation from xylose and xylose-enriched biomass liquors for methyl orange photocatalytic degradation.

CDs are newly discovered carbon nanoparticles that present unique properties. Each nanoparticle consists of a graphitic lattice core covered by a functionalized surface composed by several polar functional groups attached1,2. Due to this functionalization, CDs exhibit photoinduced electronic transference, fluorescence and up-conversion photoluminescence3. CDs have raised increasing attention for their undemanding synthesis procedure combined with the fact that they have been proved to be non-toxic and can be modified to reach satisfactory quantum yield values. A current tendency in the obtention of CDs is the pursuit of a synthesis method that fulfils the requirements of green chemistry but keeps production costs low. Therefore, CDs obtained from green precursors coming from biomass is an emergent research topic4,3,5,6,7. The most frequent and best-known method for CDs production is hydrothermal or solvothermal method7,3,2.The acidic conditions required by this method are commonly achieved using mineral acids such as HCl; nonetheless, the hydrothermal method is compatible with heterogeneous catalysis, which have been proved in this work. As a consequence of their photoluminescence and electron transfer properties, CDs can work as electron mediators, photosensitizers, as well as photocatalysts by themselves 10. It has been proved that CDs when photo excited are outstandingly good electron donors and electron acceptors, since either electron acceptors or electron donors are able to quench the photoluminescence emitted by CDs effectively 9.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Atomically sharp lateral superlattice heterojunctions built-in nitrogen-doped nanoporous graphene

Altres ajuts: this research was funded by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya.Nanometer scale lateral heterostructures with atomically sharp band discontinuities can be conceived as the 2D analogues of vertical Van der Waals heterostructures, where pristine properties of each component coexist with interfacial phenomena that result in a variety of exotic quantum phenomena. However, despite considerable advances in the fabrication of lateral heterostructures, controlling their covalent interfaces and band discontinuities with atomic precision, scaling down components and producing periodic, lattice-coherent superlattices still represent major challenges. Here, a synthetic strategy to fabricate nanometer scale, coherent lateral superlattice heterojunctions with atomically sharp band discontinuity is reported. By merging interdigitated arrays of different types of graphene nanoribbons by means of a novel on-surface reaction, superlattices of 1D, and chemically heterogeneous nanoporous junctions are obtained. The latter host subnanometer quantum dipoles and tunneling in-gap states, altogether expected to promote interfacial phenomena such as interribbon excitons or selective photocatalysis

Smart bracelet for anxiety

This paper introduces a novel non-invasive wearable device that can infer whether people are suffering from anxiety or not. The device allows capturing physiological signals such as: electrodermal activity (EDA), skin temperature (ST), electrocardiography (ECG) and photoplethysmography (PPG), and provides an estimation of blood pressure -through the pulse transit time (PTT) technique- and breathing rate (BR) -by analyzing the heart rate variability-. The hardware also includes an SD card to store the signals for offline processing in laboratory tests