Doped Electrospinned Material-Guides High Efficiency Regional Bone Regeneration

Grant PID2020-114694RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI 10.13039/501100011033. M.T.-O. is Fellow FPU of Ministry of Universities [grant FPU20/0045].The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https:// www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/polym15071726/s1The main target of bone tissue engineering is to design biomaterials that support bone regeneration and vascularization. Nanostructured membranes of (MMA)1-co-(HEMA)1/(MA)3- co-(HEA)2 loaded with 5% wt of SiO2-nanoparticles (Si-M) were doped with zinc (Zn-Si-M) or doxycycline (Dox-Si-M). Critical bone defects were effectuated on six New Zealand-bred rabbit skulls and then they were covered with the membranes. After six weeks, a histological analysis (toluidine blue technique) was employed to determine bone cell population as osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteo- cytes, M1 and M2 macrophages and vasculature. Membranes covering the bone defect determined a higher count of bone cells and blood vessels than in the sham group at the top regions of the defect. Pro-inflammatory M1 appeared in a higher number in the top regions than in the bottom regions, when Si-M and Dox-Si-M were used. Samples treated with Dox-Si-M showed a higher amount of anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative M2 macrophages. The M1/M2 ratio obtained its lowest value in the absence of membranes. On the top regions, osteoblasts were more abundant when using Si-M and Zn-Si-M. Osteoclasts were equally distributed at the central and lateral regions. The sham group and samples treated with Zn-Si-M attained a higher number of osteocytes at the top regions. A preferential osteoconductive, osteoinductive and angiogenic clinical environment was created in the vicinity of the membrane placed on critical bone defects.MCIN/AEIFPU of Ministry of Universities FPU20/004

Visual Spike-based Convolution Processing with a Cellular Automata Architecture

this paper presents a first approach for implementations which fuse the Address-Event-Representation (AER) processing with the Cellular Automata using FPGA and AER-tools. This new strategy applies spike-based convolution filters inspired by Cellular Automata for AER vision processing. Spike-based systems are neuro-inspired circuits implementations traditionally used for sensory systems or sensor signal processing. AER is a neuromorphic communication protocol for transferring asynchronous events between VLSI spike-based chips. These neuro-inspired implementations allow developing complex, multilayer, multichip neuromorphic systems and have been used to design sensor chips, such as retinas and cochlea, processing chips, e.g. filters, and learning chips. Furthermore, Cellular Automata is a bio-inspired processing model for problem solving. This approach divides the processing synchronous cells which change their states at the same time in order to get the solution.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-02Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141

Currito de la Cruz

Estrenada en el Teatro de Lara el 19 de diciembre de 1923Copia digital. Valladolid : Junta de Castilla y León. Consejería de Cultura y Turismo, 201

The Collagen Origin Influences the Degradation Kinetics of Guided Bone Regeneration Membranes

This work was supported by: (1) the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and European Regional Development Fund [Project PID2020-114694RB-100 MINECO/AEI/FEDER/UE], (2) University of Granada/Regional Government of Andalusia Research Fund from Spain and European Regional Development Fund (A-BIO-157-UGR-18/FEDER).Collagen membranes are currently the most widely used membranes for guided bone regeneration; however, their rapid degradation kinetics means that the barrier function may not remain for enough time to permit tissue regeneration to happen. The origin of collagen may have an important effect on the resistance to degradation. The aim of this study was to investigate the biodegradation pattern of five collagen membranes from different origins: Biocollagen, Heart, Evolution X-fine, CopiOs and Parasorb Resodont. Membranes samples were submitted to different degradation tests: (1) hydrolytic degradation in phosphate buffer saline solution, (2) bacterial collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum solution, and (3) enzyme resistance using a 0.25% porcine trypsin solution. Immersion periods from 1 up to 50 days were performed. At each time point, thickness and weight measurements were performed with a digital caliper and an analytic microbalance, respectively. ANOVA and Student–Newman–Keuls tests were used for comparisons (p < 0.05). Differences between time-points within the same membranes and solutions were assessed by pair-wise comparisons (p < 0.001). The Evolution X-fine collagen membrane from porcine pericardium attained the highest resistance to all of the degradation tests. Biocollagen and Parasorb Resodont, both from equine origin, experienced the greatest degradation when immersed in PBS, trypsin and C. histolyticum during challenge tests. The bacterial collagenase solution was shown to be the most aggressive testing method.Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness PID2020-114694RB-100European Commission PID2020-114694RB-100 A-BIO-157-UGR-18/FEDERUniversity of Granada/Regional Government of Andalusia Research Fund from Spain A-BIO-157-UGR-18/FEDE

In Vitro Biodegradation Pattern of Collagen Matrices for Soft Tissue Augmentation

This work was supported by: (1) the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (Project PID2020-114694RB-100 MINECO/AEI/FEDER/UE), (2) the University of Granada/Regional Government of Andalusia Research Fund from Spain, and the European Regional Development Fund (A-BIO-157-UGR-18/FEDER). This research is part of C.V.'s PhD research study.Collagen matrices have become a great alternative to the use of connective tissue grafts for soft tissue augmentation procedures. One of the main problems with these matrices is their volume instability and rapid degradation. This study has been designed with the objective of examining the degradation of three matrices over time. For this purpose, pieces of 10 10 mm2 of Fibro-Gide, Mucograft and Mucoderm were submitted to three different degradation tests— (1) hydrolytic degradation in phosphate buffer solution (PBS); (2) enzyme resistance, using a 0.25% porcine trypsin solution; and (3) bacterial collagenase resistance (Clostridium histolyticum)—over different immersion periods of up to 50 days. Weight measurements were performed with an analytic microbalance. Thickness was measured with a digital caliper. A stereomicroscope was used to obtain the matrices’ images. ANOVA and Student–Newman–Keuls tests were used for mean comparisons (p < 0.05), except when analyzing differences between time-points within the same matrix and solution, where pair-wise comparisons were applied (p < 0.001). Fibro-Gide attained the highest resistance to all degradation challenges. The bacterial collagenase solution was shown to constitute the most aggressive test as all matrices presented 100% degradation before 14 days of storage.Ministry of Economy and CompetitivenessEuropean Commission PID2020-114694RB-100 A-BIO-157-UGR-18/FEDERUniversity of Granada/Regional Government of Andalusia Research Fund from Spai

AER-based robotic closed-loop control system

Address-Event-Representation (AER) is an asynchronous protocol for transferring the information of spiking neuro-inspired systems. Actually AER systems are able to see, to ear, to process information, and to learn. Regarding to the actuation step, the AER has been used for implementing Central Pattern Generator algorithms, but not for controlling the actuators in a closed-loop spike-based way. In this paper we analyze an AER based model for a real-time neuro-inspired closed-loop control system. We demonstrate it into a differential control system for a two-wheel vehicle using feedback AER information. PFM modulation has been used to power the DC motors of the vehicle and translation into AER of encoder information is also presented for the close-loop. A codesign platform (called AER-Robot), based into a Xilinx Spartan 3 FPGA and an 8051 USB microcontroller, with power stages for four DC motors has been used for the demonstrator.Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-01417Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0

Populism and hegemony in Islamic State: The building of the caliphal State in the propagandistic Dabiq magazine

El presente estudio analiza la construcción y de la representación del califato como Estado por parte del Estado Islámico. Para ello, se ha utilizado la revista Dabiq al completo. En el análisis se establecerá la forma en la que ISIS se autoproyecta hacia el exterior, incidiendo sobre todo en la ecuación nosotros-otros y nutriéndose de los imaginarios sociales y colectivos allegados a esta. En definitiva, este trabajo pretende acercarse al instrumento propagandístico de una organización que se plasma a sí misma como la salvadora de la sociedad y que, por ende, se ha diseñado y autoproclamado a través de unas instituciones sociales y unas formas de gobierno que refuerzan esa hegemonía cultural particular.This paper studies the form and emergence of the construction and representation of the self-proclamed State of caliphate by Islamic State. Dabiq magazine, the bridge between the organization and its readers (allies and enemies) has been used completely in this paper (15 total issues) with the purpose of knowing and comprehending critically how ISIS uses a propagandist and its communicative line to construct and represent itself and its idea of State as safe and pious. Great quality visual and textual resources of the magazine reproduce the populist, hegemonic and antagonistic self-construction of the caliphate as a form of life and government. It will also show the self-projection of ISIS to the outside and the we-other equation. In short, this work aims to approach the propagandistic discourse of an organization that shapes itself as the savior of society, designed and self-proclaimed through social institutions and forms of government that reinforce its domination and particular cultural hegemony

Spike Processing on an Embedded Multi-task Computer: Image Reconstruction

There is an emerging philosophy, called Neuro-informatics, contained in the Artificial Intelligence field, that aims to emulate how living beings do tasks such as taking a decision based on the interpretation of an image by emulating spiking neurons into VLSI designs and, therefore, trying to re-create the human brain at its highest level. Address-Event-Representation (AER) is a communication protocol that has embedded part of the processing. It is intended to transfer spikes between bioinspired chips. An AER based system may consist of a hierarchical structure with several chips that transmit spikes among them in real-time, while performing some processing. There are several AER tools to help to develop and test AER based systems. These tools require the use of a computer to allow the higher level processing of the event information, reaching very high bandwidth at the AER communication level. We propose the use of an embedded platform based on a multi-task operating system to allow both, the AER communication and processing without the requirement of either a laptop or a computer. In this paper, we present and study the performance of a new philosophy of a frame-grabber AER tool based on a multi-task environment. This embedded platform is based on the Intel XScale processor which is governed by an embedded GNU/Linux system. We have connected and programmed it for processing Address-Event information from a spiking generator.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0

An AER Spike-Processing Filter Simulator and Automatic VHDL Generator Based on Cellular Automata

Spike-based systems are neuro-inspired circuits implementations traditionally used for sensory systems or sensor signal processing. Address-Event- Representation (AER) is a neuromorphic communication protocol for transferring asynchronous events between VLSI spike-based chips. These neuro-inspired implementations allow developing complex, multilayer, multichip neuromorphic systems and have been used to design sensor chips, such as retinas and cochlea, processing chips, e.g. filters, and learning chips. Furthermore, Cellular Automata (CA) is a bio-inspired processing model for problem solving. This approach divides the processing synchronous cells which change their states at the same time in order to get the solution. This paper presents a software simulator able to gather several spike-based elements into the same workspace in order to test a CA architecture based on AER before a hardware implementation. Furthermore this simulator produces VHDL for testing the AER-CA into the FPGA of the USBAER AER-tool.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-0