29 research outputs found
Scientists in the principal investigator role
The social and economic contributions of R&D are essential in the development of countries, since they are the motor for their progress. Research can be implemented by companies, but it can also be implemented in universities and research centres. The research process is more and more often conducted in teams and these are increasingly multidisciplinary. This is a double-edge sword because, even though diversity among research team members could increase the generation of innovative and creative ideas, this heterogeneity can also have a dark side for the welfare of the research team. Therefore, when both advantages and disadvantages can emerge in a diverse research team, what can diminish the weaknesses and enhance the strengths is the crucial role of an efficient principal investigator managing and leading the research team.
Notwithstanding that there are some studies that have focused on the principal investigator role in the literature, the knowledge about them is somewhat scant, because there is still a need for a deeper understanding of this crucial actor in R&D environments. The research work carried out in this Doctoral Thesis aims to address both principal investigators and their environments. With this research, we will deepen the understanding of what influences principal investigators and what they have an influence on, since principal investigators are a key asset in R&D environments. Therefore, the focus of this Doctoral Thesis is on some of the issues that are in the core of the influence of principal investigators on the activities of R&D teams. Particularly, we focus our research efforts on developing a measurement scale of the principal investigator's human capital whose results could allow us to determine whether different principal investigator profiles exist. We also focus on studying whether obtaining public competitive funding could be influenced by the principal investigator's priorities or their gender. Moreover, we focus on the relationship between the level of conflict within a research team and its performance, as well as on the influence that the principal investigator's transformational leadership has on this relationship
A typology of principal investigators based on their human capital: an exploratory analysis
There is burgeoning literature on principal investigators (PIs) and their influential role in
science, technology transfer and research commercialisation. However, there is yet no analysis
of this actor from the perspective of their human capital (HC), i.e., the combination of
knowledge, abilities and skills that they possess. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is
to fill this gap by identifying whether a range of different PI profiles exists, based on their
different HC. A cluster analysis was developed using a database comprised of 224 PIs of
research teams, from a wide range of scientific fields. Three different PI profiles were identified,
research-oriented PIs, accomplished PIs, management-focused PIs. The relationship
between each of these profiles and their performance was analysed at both individual and
research team level, and our findings reinforce the idea that there is not a size that fits all.
Indeed, contrary to the ‘more is better’ statement, higher levels of HC are not necessarily
connected to better results, our findings suggested an adequate combination of HC as the
best option for PIs. Results of the relationship between PI gender, performance and the
three different PI profiles have been examined, as well
Una experiencia en la vinculación Universidad-Empresa: El proyecto cogempleo de la fundación campus tecnológico de Algeciras
La puesta en marcha del denominado Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior ha traído consigo un mayor acercamiento entre la enseñanza superior y el mundo laboral. No obstante, aún son escasos los estudios que tengan como base encuestas dirigidas al entorno empresarial sobre el ajuste del perfil decompetencias adquiridas por el titulado en relación con las necesidades demandadas por aquel.En este trabajo analizamos un proyecto llevado a cabo en la comarca del Campo de Gibraltar por parte de la Fundación Campus Tecnológico de Algeciras, denominado Proyecto COGEMPLEO. En el mismo, la Fundación ha puesto en contacto al mundo académico con el tejido empresarial de la zona, a través de comités de representantes de los colectivos de profesorado,alumnado y egresados de las titulaciones de la Escuela Politécnica Superior de Algeciras (EPSA), de la Universidad de Cádiz, y del entorno empresarial comarcal: PYMES, grandes empresas e instituciones empresariales.Utilizando el método Delphi, se obtuvo un Modelo de trabajo en Competencias Genéricas, y, derivado de él, un Perfil mínimo deseado del egresado en dichas competencias. A partir del mismo, se diseñaron un conjunto de acciones, factibles y efectivas, que acercan el perfil real del estudiante al consensuado por las partes. Asimismo, los colectivos reconocen el valor de este proyecto como modelo de trabajo para dar respuesta a sus necesidades de cooperación, con la finalidad última de otorgar empleabilidad a la población activa del entorno
Aislamiento de un extracto de BMP y estudio anatomopatológico del fenómeno de inducción ósea tras su implante en defectos óseos
El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar el potencial osteogénico de
la proteína morfogenética ósea (BMP) en la reparación de grandes defectos diafisarios.
Además, se investiga la acción coadyuvante de la fibronectina (FN). La BMP fue extraída
a partir de hueso cortical bovino. Se utilizaron un total de 108 ratas Sprague Dawley. En
cada animal, se resecó un segmento de diáfisis femoral de 1.5 cm, siendo inmovilizado el
defecto óseo con una aguja en omega. Se rellenó el defecto implantando 25 mg de BMP
con o sin 0.5 mg de FN en una cápsula de gelatina (36 animales en ambos grupos). Los
resultados se compararon con los obtenidos en otro grupo (36 animales) en el que sólo se
implantó FN que sirvió como grupo control. El proceso de reparación se evaluó mediante
métodos histológicos y ultraestructurales. La aparición del fenómeno de inducción ósea
con reconstrucción del defecto óseo fue mayor en el grupo con implante de BMP más FN
(23 animales, 64%) que en el grupo en el que sólo se implantó BMP (20 animales, 56%).
Ningún animal del grupo control manifestaba signos de inducción ósea.The aim of the present work was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of
Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) for reparation of large segmental bone defects. In addition,
the coadjuvant efect of fibronectin (FN) was investigated. BMP was partially purified
from bovine cortical bone. A total of 108 Sprague Dawley rats were used in the experiment.
Diaphyseal segments of the femur (1.5 cm) were removed in each animal, manteinant
the bone defect with a wire. A gelatine capsula containing 25 mg of BMP without or
with 0.5 mg of FN, were implanted into the bone defect (36 animal in each group).
Results were compared to those obtained in a control group (36 animals) in which FN
alone was implanted. The bone repair process was assessed by histologic and ultrastructural
methods. Bone induction with reconstruction of the defect was found more of ten in
the group with both BMP and FN implanted (23 animals, 64%) than in the group with
BMP implant alone (20 animals, 56%). Animals of the control group showed no bone induction.
The results suggest that BMP augments the capacity of the host bed to sucessfully
regenerate large segmental bone defects. FN seens to increase bone induction. This
protein migth stabilize BMP locally improving contact between BMP and the surrounding
cells
Activities of imipenem and cephalosporins against clonally related strains of Escherichia coli hyperproducing chromosomal β-lactamase and showing altered porin profiles
Forty clonally related clinical isolates of Escherichia coli from hospitalized patients were resistant to cefoxitin (MICs, >256 μg/ml) and ceftazidime (MICs, 32 to 256 μg/ml) and were intermediate or resistant to cefotaxime (MICs, 16 to 128 μg/ml) but susceptible to both cefepime (MICs, 0.5 to 2 μg/ml) and imipenem (MICs, 0.125 to 0.25 μg/ml). Resistance to β-lactams was related to high-level production of AmpC β-lactamase and loss of OmpF porin
Sex-dependent calcium hyperactivity due to lysosomal-related dysfunction in astrocytes from APOE4 versus APOE3 gene targeted replacement mice
Background
The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene exists in three isoforms in humans: APOE2, APOE3 and APOE4. APOE4 causes structural and functional alterations in normal brains, and is the strongest genetic risk factor of the sporadic form of Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). Research on APOE4 has mainly focused on the neuronal damage caused by defective cholesterol transport and exacerbated amyloid-β and Tau pathology. The impact of APOE4 on non-neuronal cell functions has been overlooked. Astrocytes, the main producers of ApoE in the healthy brain, are building blocks of neural circuits, and Ca2+ signaling is the basis of their excitability. Because APOE4 modifies membrane-lipid composition, and lipids regulate Ca2+ channels, we determined whether APOE4 dysregulates Ca2+signaling in astrocytes.
Methods
Ca2+ signals were recorded in astrocytes in hippocampal slices from APOE3 and APOE4 gene targeted replacement male and female mice using Ca2+ imaging. Mechanistic analyses were performed in immortalized astrocytes. Ca2+ fluxes were examined with pharmacological tools and Ca2+ probes. APOE3 and APOE4 expression was manipulated with GFP-APOE vectors and APOE siRNA. Lipidomics of lysosomal and whole-membranes were also performed.
Results
We found potentiation of ATP-elicited Ca2+responses in APOE4 versus APOE3 astrocytes in male, but not female, mice. The immortalized astrocytes modeled the male response, and showed that Ca2+ hyperactivity associated with APOE4 is caused by dysregulation of Ca2+ handling in lysosomal-enriched acidic stores, and is reversed by the expression of APOE3, but not of APOE4, pointing to loss of function due to APOE4 malfunction. Moreover, immortalized APOE4 astrocytes are refractory to control of Ca2+ fluxes by extracellular lipids, and present distinct lipid composition in lysosomal and plasma membranes.
Conclusions
Immortalized APOE4 versus APOE3 astrocytes present: increased Ca2+ excitability due to lysosome dysregulation, altered membrane lipidomes and intracellular cholesterol distribution, and impaired modulation of Ca2+ responses upon changes in extracellular lipids. Ca2+ hyperactivity associated with APOE4 is found in astrocytes from male, but not female, targeted replacement mice. The study suggests that, independently of Aβ and Tau pathologies, altered astrocyte excitability might contribute to neural-circuit hyperactivity depending on APOE allele, sex and lipids, and supports lysosome-targeted therapies to rescue APOE4 phenotypes in LOAD
Recommendations of the Spanish Societies of Radiation Oncology (SEOR), Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SEMNiM), and Medical Physics (SEFM) on F-FDG PET-CT for radiotherapy treatment planning
Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a valuable tool for diagnosing and staging malignant lesions. The fusion of PET and computed tomography (CT) yields images that contain both metabolic and morphological information, which, taken together, have improved the diagnostic precision of PET in oncology. The main imaging modality for planning radiotherapy treatment is CT. However, PET-CT is an emerging modality for use in planning treatments because it allows for more accurate treatment volume definition. The use of PET-CT for treatment planning is highly complex, and protocols and standards for its use are still being developed. It seems probable that PET-CT will eventually replace current CT-based planning methods, but this will require a full understanding of the relevant technical aspects of PET-CT planning. The aim of the present document is to review these technical aspects and to provide recommendations for clinical use of this imaging modality in the radiotherapy planning process
Documento de consenso sobre el tratamiento antimicrobiano de las infecciones bacterianas odontogénicas
Las infecciones de la cavidad bucal son un problema de salud pública frecuente y motivo constante de prescripción
antibiótica; el 10% de los antibióticos se emplean para tratar este problema. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha son
pocos los estudios realizados para determinar su incidencia. Asímismo, su relación con ciertas enfermedades sistémicas
(cardiacas, endocrinas, etc...) confiere a estas patologías una importancia vital. A pesar de la reconocida
frecuencia e importancia de las infecciones odontogénicas, llama la atención la actual dispersión de criterio en
varios aspectos referentes a su clasificación, terminología y recomendaciones terapéuticas. El objetivo principal
de este documento, realizado con el consenso de especialistas en microbiología y odontología, es establecer unas
recomendaciones útiles para todos los profesionales implicados en el manejo clínico de estas patologías. Recibe
especial atención el aumento de la prevalencia de resistencias bacterianas observado durante los últimos años y,
en concreto, la proliferación de cepas productoras de betalactamasas. Otro factor causal importante de la aparición
de resistencias es la falta de cumplimiento terapéutico, en especial en lo que respecta a la dosis y a la duración
del tratamiento. Así pues, estas patologías constituyen un problema complejo cuyo abordaje requiere la instauración
de antimicrobianos de amplio espectro, con adecuados parámetros farmacocinéticos, con buena tolerancia
y una posología cómoda que permita que el paciente reciba la dosis adecuada durante el tiempo necesario.
Amoxicilina/ácido clavulánico a dosis altas (2000mg/ 125mg) ha demostrado buenos resultados y capacidad
para superar resistencias. Otros agentes como metronidazol y clindamicina, seguidos de claritromicina y azitromicina
han demostrado también ser activos frente a la mayoría de los microorganismos responsables de las infecciones
odontogé[email protected]
Kinase analysis in alcoholic hepatitis identifies p90RSK as a potential mediator of liver fibrogenesis
Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is often associated with advanced fibrosis, which negatively impacts survival. We aimed at identifying kinases deregulated in livers from patients with AH and advanced fibrosis in order to discover novel molecular targets