Antimony tin oxide (ATO) screen-printed electrodes and their application to spectroelectrochemistry

Spectroelectrochemistry studies spectral changes as a function of applied potential or current. While there is no standard experimental setup, transparent electrodes are most typically used in transmission mode. Working in reflection mode forces light across the sample twice, resulting in higher sensitivities, but in turn requires the use of highly reflective electrodes. Here we present the production and characterization of screen-printed electrodes made from different antimony tin oxide (ATO) conducting particles. The resulting electrodes display excellent spectroelectrochemical properties, such as reflectivities up to 20 times higher than conventional graphite screen-printed electrodes, but with comparable electron transfer rates. These electrodes represent an attractive alternative to conventional materials and widen the choice of suitable electrode materials for electrochemistry in general and spectroelectrochemistry in particularFEDER funds managed by the Catalan Secretary of Universities and Research through project PROD-0000114 (Enterprise and Knowledge, Industry Department, Generalitat de Catalunya)

Foreigner? Want to Study in Spain? The Integration Process at Universities

AbstractThe student exchange programs being carried out at universities for over 50 years, have led to changes in the institutions, which had to adapt to accommodate these students. Despite those changes, the integration of foreign students not coming from the aforementioned exchange programs that come to our country to study at the University has been neglected.These students face many barriers (language, cultural and origin customs mainly), so a clear and detailed information would be highly desirable in order to facilitate the necessary arrangements This study aims to show the deficiencies in the integration process and hosting programs faced by a foreign student at University.The study is performed by means of an analysis of statistical data from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Civil Engineering School over the last 12 school years (1999 - 2000 to 2010 - 2011), as well as surveys and interviews with some of these students.The study is enhanced with the analysis of the measures and integration methods of the various minorities, which had been implemented by the foremost public universities in Spain, as well as other public and private universities abroad.It illustrates the existing backlog at the Spanish universities with regards to supporting the integration of diversity among foreign students, providing data concerning the growth of such population and its impact at the university, and on the institutions in particular.In an increasingly globalized world, we must understand and facilitate the integration of minorities at University, supplying them, from the first day, and before the enrollment process, the essential elements that will allow their adequate adaptation to the educational process at University. It concludes by identifying the main subjects that need to be tackled to endorse such integration

Las nuevas tecnologías como herramienta pedagógica para facilitar la comunicación

La formación a través de las Nuevas Tecnologías representa el presente y el futuro de cualquier sistema educativo. Teniendo en cuenta las posibilidades formativas que ofrecen, es necesario contar con nuevos ámbitos de formación para los docentes, de manera que puedan desarrollar su competencia profesional de forma equilibrada y con las mejores garantías de éxito. En este artículo se presenta una experiencia en la que tanto los actuales profesores como los futuros docentes tienen la posibilidad de completar su formación universitaria a través del “Aula de Oratoria de la Universidad de Cantabria”, convirtiéndose en grandes comunicadores

Foreigner? Want to study in Spain? The integration process at universities

The student exchange programs being carried out at universities for over 50 years, have led to changes in the institutions, which had to adapt to accommodate these students. Despite those changes, the integration of foreign students not coming from the aforementioned exchange programs that come to our country to study at the University has been neglected. These students face many barriers (language, cultural and origin customs mainly), so a clear and detailed information would be highly desirable in order to facilitate the necessary arrangements This study aims to show the deficiencies in the integration process and hosting programs faced by a foreign student at University. The study is performed by means of an analysis of statistical data from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Civil Engineering School over the last 12 school years (1999 - 2000 to 2010 - 2011), as well as surveys and interviews with some of these students. The study is enhanced with the analysis of the measures and integration methods of the various minorities, which had been implemented by the foremost public universities in Spain, as well as other public and private universities abroad. It illustrates the existing backlog at the Spanish universities with regards to supporting the integration of diversity among foreign students, providing data concerning the growth of such population and its impact at the university, and on the institutions in particular. In an increasingly globalized world, we must understand and facilitate the integration of minorities at University, supplying them, from the first day, and before the enrollment process, the essential elements that will allow their adequate adaptation to the educational process at University. It concludes by identifying the main subjects that need to be tackled to endorse such integration

Effects of Bologna, the economic crisis and the immigration in enrollment at the UPM

Over the past 20 years, the economic landscape has changed dramatically in Spain, undergoing a growth explosion and a subsequent decline which has led to the current economic crisis. This growth has led to heavy immigration from both developed and developing countries, which provided skilled and unskilled labour. This article aims to analyze the impact of immigrant students at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, pondering the effect that the economic crisis is having and will have on this group, and evaluating the implementation of new plans of Bologna. We analyze the enrolment at the UPM and particularize to the Civil Engineering school (previous EUITOP), crossing with the effect of the economic crisis on foreign students. The exponential increase of foreign students, most of them from Latin American and born in Spain, and students of European countries that have started to register considerably from 2002 and 2003, lead us to consider a renewal in certain areas of learning, and to exploit the possibility of interaction with other countries so successful through the acquisition of transversal skills, as well as to guide and improve, support and integrate these groups at our university Keywords: knowledge, learning, Bologna, academic recor

Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from breast milk of women suffering infectious mastitis: potential virulence traits and resistance to antibiotics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>is considered the main etiological agent of infectious mastitis, recent studies have suggested that coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) may also play an important role in such infections. The aims of this work were to isolate staphylococci from milk of women with lactational mastitis, to select and characterize the CNS isolates, and to compare such properties with those displayed by CNS strains isolated from milk of healthy women.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The milk of 30 women was collected and bacterial growth was noted in 27 of them, of which <it>Staphylococcus epidermidis </it>was isolated from 26 patients and <it>S. aureus </it>from 8. Among the 270 staphylococcal isolates recovered from milk of women with mastitis, 200 were identified as <it>Staphylococcus epidermidis </it>by phenotypic assays, species-specific PCR and PCR sequencing. They were typified by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotyping. The PFGE profiles of the <it>S. epidermidis </it>strains were compared with those of 105 isolates from milk of healthy women. A representative of the 76 different PFGE profiles was selected to study the incidence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance. The number of strains that contained the biofilm-related <it>ica</it>D gene and that showed resistance to oxacillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and mupirocin was significantly higher among the strains isolated from mastitic milk.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>S. epidermidis </it>may be a frequent but largely underrated cause of infectious mastitis in lactating women. The resistance to diverse antibiotics and a higher ability to form biofilms found among the strains isolated from milk of women suffering mastitis may explain the chronic and/or recurrent nature of this infectious condition.</p

Enhancement of Lutein Production in Chlorella sorokiniana (Chorophyta) by Improvement of Culture Conditions and Random Mutagenesis

Chlorella sorokiniana has been selected for lutein production, after a screening of thirteen species of microalgae, since it showed both a high content in this carotenoid and a high growth rate. The effects of several nutritional and environmental factors on cell growth and lutein accumulation have been studied. Maximal specific growth rate and lutein content were attained at 690 μmol photons m−2 s−1, 28 °C, 2 mM NaCl, 40 mM nitrate and under mixotrophic conditions. In general, optimal conditions for the growth of this strain also lead to maximal lutein productivity. High lutein yielding mutants of C. sorokiniana have been obtained by random mutagenesis, using N-methyl-N′-nitro-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) as a mutagen and selecting mutants by their resistance to the inhibitors of the carotenogenic pathway nicotine and norflurazon. Among the mutants resistant to the herbicides, those exhibiting both high content in lutein and high growth rate were chosen. Several mutants exhibited higher contents in this carotenoid than the wild type, showing, in addition, either a similar or higher growth rate than the latter strain. The mutant MR-16 exhibited a 2.0-fold higher volumetric lutein content than that of the wild type, attaining values of 42.0 mg L−1 and mutants DMR-5 and DMR-8 attained a lutein cellular content of 7.0 mg g−1 dry weight. The high lutein yield exhibited by C. sorokiniana makes this microalga an excellent candidate for the production of this commercially interesting pigment

Biosensor para la detección de anticuerpos anti-VIH

Biosensor para la detección de anticuerpos anti-VIH. En la presente invención se provee un biosensor capaz de detectar anticuerpos anti-VIH en una muestra biológica, basado en la utilización combinada de una enzima alostérica, modificada genéticamente, y una matriz con redes de microelectrodos.Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), Universidad Autónoma de BarcelonaA1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Gut Microbiota and Bariatric Surgery

The gut microbiota comprise all the living organisms in our intestine. Microbiota has key roles in metabolic homeostasis, digestion and nutrient metabolism protection against pathogens or modulation of the immune system. Advances in techniques such as metagenomics or metabolomics have expanded our knowledge of the intestinal ecosystem. Beyond genetic, behavioral, or environmental factors, alterations of gut microbiota parameters such as composition, diversity, or metabolites including short-chain fatty acids, have shown to be associated with cardiovascular comorbidities. In this chapter, we described the role of the gut microbiota in obesity and type 2 diabetes pathophysiology, and the changes it undergoes during bariatric surgery, as well as explored the possibilities of modifying the microbiome to obtain potential clinical benefits