Bibliografía seleccionada y comentada sobre Guastavino y la construcción tabicada

Bibliografía seleccionada y comentada sobre Guastavino y la construcción tabicad

Evaluation of Academic Competencies Through Standardized Instruments

The aim of this investigation is to assess the correlation among different competencies-assessment systems available on the market to measure social skills in the university environment. In order to carry out the research, three self-perception competency tests were used, and 30 competencies were evaluated in a Likert scale with several response levels: the LPA-Q, the ESCI-U, and the CompeUEM. The three questionnaires were completed by 57 university students. The results show a low degree of agreement among the different questionnaires in relation to measuring the same competencies, as well as an unclear factor structure

Melanoma exosomes educate bone marrow progenitor cells toward a pro-metastatic phenotype through MET

El pdf del artículo es el manuscrito de autor.-- et al.Tumor-derived exosomes are emerging mediators of tumorigenesis. We explored the function of melanoma-derived exosomes in the formation of primary tumors and metastases in mice and human subjects. Exosomes from highly metastatic melanomas increased the metastatic behavior of primary tumors by permanently 'educating' bone marrow progenitors through the receptor tyrosine kinase MET. Melanoma-derived exosomes also induced vascular leakiness at pre-metastatic sites and reprogrammed bone marrow progenitors toward a pro-vasculogenic phenotype that was positive for c-Kit, the receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 and Met. Reducing Met expression in exosomes diminished the pro-metastatic behavior of bone marrow cells. Notably, MET expression was elevated in circulating CD45(-)C-KIT(low/+)TIE2(+) bone marrow progenitors from individuals with metastatic melanoma. RAB1A, RAB5B, RAB7 and RAB27A, regulators of membrane trafficking and exosome formation, were highly expressed in melanoma cells. Rab27A RNA interference decreased exosome production, preventing bone marrow education and reducing, tumor growth and metastasis. In addition, we identified an exosome-specific melanoma signature with prognostic and therapeutic potential comprised of TYRP2, VLA-4, HSP70, an HSP90 isoform and the MET oncoprotein. Our data show that exosome production, transfer and education of bone marrow cells supports tumor growth and metastasis, has prognostic value and offers promise for new therapeutic directions in the metastatic process.Peer Reviewe

Comparison and Characterization of Android-Based Fall Detection Systems

Falls are a foremost source of injuries and hospitalization for seniors. The adoption of automatic fall detection mechanisms can noticeably reduce the response time of the medical staff or caregivers when a fall takes place. Smartphones are being increasingly proposed as wearable, cost-effective and not-intrusive systems for fall detection. The exploitation of smartphones’ potential (and in particular, the Android Operating System) can benefit from the wide implantation, the growing computational capabilities and the diversity of communication interfaces and embedded sensors of these personal devices. After revising the state-of-the-art on this matter, this study develops an experimental testbed to assess the performance of different fall detection algorithms that ground their decisions on the analysis of the inertial data registered by the accelerometer of the smartphone. Results obtained in a real testbed with diverse individuals indicate that the accuracy of the accelerometry-based techniques to identify the falls depends strongly on the fall pattern. The performed tests also show the difficulty to set detection acceleration thresholds that allow achieving a good trade-off between false negatives (falls that remain unnoticed) and false positives (conventional movements that are erroneously classified as falls). In any case, the study of the evolution of the battery drain reveals that the extra power consumption introduced by the Android monitoring applications cannot be neglected when evaluating the autonomy and even the viability of fall detection systems.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2009-13763-C02-0

CD44-high neural crest stem-like cells are associated with tumour aggressiveness and poor survival in neuroblastoma tumours

BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma is a paediatric tumour originated from sympathoadrenal precursors and characterized by its heterogeneity and poor outcome in advanced stages. Intra-tumoral cellular heterogeneity has emerged as an important feature in neuroblastoma, with a potential major impact on tumour aggressiveness and response to therapy. CD44 is an adhesion protein involved in tumour progression, metastasis and stemness in different cancers; however, there has been controversies about the significance of CD44 expression in neuroblastoma and its relationship with tumour progression. METHODS: We have performed transcriptomic analysis on patient tumour samples studying the outcome of patients with high CD44 expression. Adhesion, invasion and proliferation assays were performed in sorted CD44high neuroblastoma cells. Tumoursphere cultures have been used to enrich in undifferentiated stem-like cells and to asses self-renewal and differentiation potential. We have finally performed in vivo tumorigenic assays on cell line-derived or Patient-derived xenografts. FINDINGS: We show that high CD44 expression is associated with low survival in high-grade human neuroblastoma, independently of MYCN amplification. CD44 is expressed in a cell population with neural crest stem-like features, and with the capacity to generate multipotent, undifferentiated tumourspheres in culture. These cells are more invasive and proliferative in vitro. CD44 positive cells obtained from tumours are more tumorigenic and metastatic, giving rise to aggressive neuroblastic tumours at high frequency upon transplantation. INTERPRETATION: We describe an unexpected intra-tumoural heterogeneity within cellular entities expressing CD44 in neuroblastoma, and propose that CD44 has a role in neural crest stem-like undifferentiated cells, which can contribute to tumorigenesis and malignancy in this type of cancer. FUNDING: Research supported by grants from the "Asociación Española contra el Cáncer" (AECC), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation SAF program (SAF2016-80412-P), and the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant to RP).Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation SAF program (SAF2016-80412-P

Informe sobre la estabilidad de la iglesia de Santa María de Melgar de Fernamental, Burgos

La iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Melgar de Fernamental es una iglesia parroquial de gran tamaño. El tipo corresponde al conocido como "iglesia salón" en el que las naves laterales tienen la misma altura que la nave central. Tanto el interior como el exterior de la iglesia evidencian distintas fases de construcción y numerosas intervenciones. Para conocer la historia constructiva sería preciso realizar una detallada memoria histórica. Sin ella cualquier hipótesis sobre las distintas fases resulta aventurada. Por tanto, las interpretaciones históricas que se hacen en la exposición que sigue son simples hipótesis. El presente informe tiene su origen en la caída de una piedra de la plementería de la bóveda gótica de una de las capillas del presbiterio. La piedra de unos 50*13*25 cm, se quedó incrustada en el pavimento de madera, con la consiguiente alarma de la parroquia. Este accidente suscitó dudas sobre la seguridad global de la bóveda en cuestión y de la iglesia en su conjunto. Tal y como aparece en la carta de encargo el informe trata: 1) Elegir el marco teórico adecuado para el análisis 2) Identificar los daños estructurales más importantes 3) Estudiar su posible origen y peligrosidad 4) Sugerir (en su caso) las medidas de consolidación necesarias En particular se estudian: 1) Los daños en la bóveda de crucería situada a la derecha del presbiterio, de la que se ha desprendido una piedra. 2) Los daños en los pilares, muros y arcos de la zona del presbiterio, adyacente a la bóveda anterior. 3) Los daños en los arcos principales que soportan las bóvedas. 4) La seguridad de los pilares que soportan la cúpula del crucero

Evaluation of Academic Competencies Through Standardized Instruments

The aim of this investigation is to assess the correlation among different competencies-assessment systems available on the market to measure social skills in the university environment. In order to carry out the research, three self-perception competency tests were used, and 30 competencies were evaluated in a Likert scale with several response levels: the LPA-Q, the ESCI-U, and the CompeUEM. The three questionnaires were completed by 57 university students. The results show a low degree of agreement among the different questionnaires in relation to measuring the same competencies, as well as an unclear factor structure

Competence-based profile of undergraduate students in Madrid’s universities: Differences in terms of the gender and age

The aim of this study is to corroborate whether the development of academic excellence is affected by the gender and age of students. A sample of 364 students from different universities in the Community of Madrid were administered COMPEUEM, a test that assesses the extent to which students possess eight academic competencies: communication, leadership, team work, adaptation to the changes, initiative, problem solving, decision making, organization, and planning. All students took the test on site, in the classrooms of the participating universities. The results show that older subjects score higher in the acquisition of skills than younger ones. On the other hand, significant differences were found in function of the gender of the students. The authors conclude that having reliable tools to assess academic competencies may help design new teaching methodologies that better adapt to the students’ individual differences and the needs they will face when entering the labor market.-------Perfil competencial de los estudiantes de últimos cursos de grado en las universidades de la Comunidad de Madrid: Diferencias en función del género y la edadResumenEl objetivo de este estudio es comprobar si el desarrollo de las competencias académicas se ve afectado por el género y la edad de los estudiantes. Para alcanzar este objetivo, a una muestra de 364 estudiantes de diferentes Universidades de la Comunidad de Madrid se les aplicó COMPEUEM, un test que evalúa en qué medida los estudiantes poseen 8 competencias académicas: comunicación, liderazgo, trabajo en equipo, adaptación a los cambios, iniciativa, solución de problemas, toma de decisiones, organización y planificación. Todos los estudiantes realizaron la prueba de autoinforme de forma presencial, en las aulas de los distintos centros universitarios que participaron en el estudio. Los resultados encontrados ponen de manifiesto que los sujetos de más edad presentan mayores niveles en la adquisición de competencias que los de menor edad. Por otro lado, se encontraron diferencias significativas en función del género de los estudiantes. Los autores concluyen que este tipo de resultados permite plantear que establecer herramientas fiables de evaluación en competencias académicas ayudará a diseñar nuevas metodologías de enseñanza más adaptadas a las diferencias individuales de los estudiantes y a las necesidades que se encontraran cuando se incorporen al mercado laboral.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v5i2.225 PDF document contains both the original in Spanish and an English translation

Nanostructured AABB Zn (II) phthalocyanines as photodynamic agents for bacterial inactivation

In this work, the ability of amphiphilic Phthalocyanine (Pc) photosensitizers (PS) (Zn(II)Pcs PS1, PS2, and PS3) to assemble into cationic nanoparticles in water and to photo-inactivate bacterial strains is demonstrated. All the synthesized Zn(II)Pcs exhibit an AABB functionalization pattern, having a binaphthyloxy-linked bisisoindole (AA) functionalized at the chiral binaphthol core with branched (PS1) or linear (PS2 and PS3) poly-ammonium chains, and two non-functionalized isoindole rings (BB). The aggregation behavior and the stability of the nanoparticles formed by the three PS in water is studied by UV–vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies, and their shape and size is determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The PS nanoparticles prove efficient in the photoinactivation of S. aureus and E. coli. Although PS2 and PS3 present better photophysical features in their monomeric form (i.e., improved singlet oxygen quantum yield), PS1 is more effective in killing both types of strains, especially the gram-negative E. coli. This observation may derive from the low stability found for PS1 nanoparticles, which easily disassemble after binding to the bacteria surface, recovering the photophysical properties of the non-aggregated speciesThe authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Spanish AEI through grants PID2020-116490GB-I00, PID2020-115801RB-C21, and PID2020- 115801RB-C22. The authors also thank financial support to the Comunidad de Madrid and the Spanish State through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan [“Materiales Disruptivos Bidimensionales (2D)” (MAD2D-CM) (UAM1)-MRR Materiales Avanzados], and the European Union through the Next Generation EU funds. IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the “Severo Ochoa” Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant SEV2016-0686). S.N. thanks the Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya for the support given to the research group (2021 SGR 01023) and the ICREA-Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies for grant No. Ac223230