Simulation of the spatial structure and cellular organization evolution of cell aggregates arranged in various simple geometries, using a kinetic monte carlo method applied to a lattice model

ilustraciones, graficasEsta tesis trata los modelos de morfogénesis, en particular los modelos de evolución guiada por contacto que son coherentes con la hipótesis de la adhesión diferencial. Se presenta una revisión de algunos modelos, sus principios biológicos subyacentes, la relevancia y aplicaciones en el marco de la bioimpresión, la ingeniería de tejidos y la bioconvergencia. Luego, se presentan los detalles de los modelos basados en métodos de Monte Carlo para profundizar más adelante en el modelo basados en algoritmos Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) , más específicamente, se describe en detalle un modelo KMC de autoaprendizaje (SL-KMC). Se presenta y explica la estructura algorítmica del código implementado, se evalúa el rendimiento del modelo y se compara con un modelo KMC tradicional. Finalmente, se realizan los procesos de calibración y validación, se observó que el modelo es capaz de replicar la evolución del sistema multicelular cuando las condiciones de energía interfacial del sistema simulado son similares a las del sistema de calibraciones. (Texto tomado de la fuente)This thesis treats the models for morphogenesis, in particular the contact-guided evolution models that are coherent with the differential adhesion hypothesis. A review of some models, their biological underpinning principles, the relevance and applications in the framework of bioprinting, tissue engineering and bioconvergence are presented. Then the details for the Monte Carlo methods-based models are presented to later deep dive into the Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) based model, and more specifically a Self-Learning KMC (SL-KMC) model is described to detail. The algorithmic structure of the implemented code is presented and explained, the model performance is assessed and compared with a traditional KMC model. Finally, the calibration and validation processes have been carried out, it was observed that the model is able to replicate the multicellular system evolution when the interfacial energy conditions of the simulated system are similar to those of the calibrations system.MaestríaMagíster en Ingeniería - Ingeniería Químic

Configuración de subjetividades políticas en la escuela a partir de discursos de posverdad

Esta investigación buscó comprender cómo los discursos de posverdad presentes en el fenómeno político llamado “castrochavismo”, afectan la configuración de la subjetividad política de los estudiantes, docentes y directivos en tres colegios distritales de Bogotá: Estanislao Zuleta, Paulo Freire y Alemania Unificada. Para llegar a ello se propuso una metodología de investigación que se apoya en el enfoque cualitativo, que permitió un análisis hermenéutico, y cuyos instrumentos de recolección de información fueron grupos de discusión y entrevistas semiestructuradas. La subjetividad política, la escuela y la posverdad fueron las principales categorías de análisis en nuestro ejercicio investigativo puestas a operar bajo la discusión en las matrices hermenéuticas mediante el apoyo de la herramienta NVIVO. Al final se analizan los resultados, resaltando la importancia de un empoderamiento ante estos discursos de manipulación con fines electorales y como conclusiones se obtuvo, por citar alguna, que existen procesos interesantes de análisis de medios y reflexión crítica sobre las redes sociales, si bien no sobre su uso, si sobre sus alcances en la población de estudiantes, docentes y directivos escogidos para este estudio de los colegios antes nombrados.This research sought to understand how post-truth discourses present in the political phenomenon called "castrochavismo" affect the configuration of the political subjectivity of students, teachers and directors in three district schools of Bogotá: Estanislao Zuleta, Paulo Freire and Alemania Unificada. To achieve this, a research methodology was proposed based on the qualitative approach, which allowed a hermeneutic analysis, and whose information collection tools were discussion groups and semi-structured interviews. Political subjectivity, school and post-truth were the main categories of analysis in our research exercise set to operate under discussion in hermeneutical matrices through the support of the NVIVO tool. In the end the results are analyzed, highlighting the importance of an empowerment before these manipulation speeches with electoral purposes and as conclusions, it was obtained, to mention some, that there are interesting processes of media analysis and critical reflection on social networks, although not about its use, if about its scope in the population of students, teachers and managers chosen for this study from the aforementioned schools.Magíster en EducaciónMaestrí

Study protocol and rationale of the “Cogniaction project” a cross-sectional and randomized controlled trial about physical activity, brain health, cognition, and educational achievement in schoolchildren

Background: Education and health are crucial topics for public policies as both largely determine the future wellbeing of the society. Currently, several studies recognize that physical activity (PA) benefits brain health in children. However, most of these studies have not been carried out in developing countries or lack the transference into the education field. The Cogni-Action Project is divided into two stages, a cross-sectional study and a crossover-randomized trial. The aim of the first part is to establish the associations of PA, sedentarism, and physical fitness with brain structure and function, cognitive performance and academic achievement in Chilean schoolchildren (10–13 years-old). The aim of the second part is to determinate the acute effects of three PA protocols on neuroelectric indices during a working memory and a reading task. Methods: PA and sedentarism will be self-reported and objectively-assessed with accelerometers in a representative subsample, whilst physical fitness will be evaluated through the ALPHA fitness test battery. Brain structure and function will be assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a randomized subsample. Cognitive performance will be assessed through the NeuroCognitive Performance Test, and academic achievement by school grades. In the second part 32 adolescents (12–13 year-old) will be cross-over randomized to these condition (i) “Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training” (MICT), (ii) “Cooperative High-Intensity Interval Training” (C-HIIT), and (iii) Sedentary condition. Neuroelectric indices will be measures by electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye-tracking, working memory by n-back task and reading comprehension by a reading task

Potential group B Streptococcus interspecies transmission between cattle and people in Colombian dairy farms

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), is a leading cause of neonatal death and an emerging pathogen in adults. Additionally, GBS is a bovine pathogen causing intramammary infections. The likelihood of GBS interspecies transmission is largely unknown. We explored the potential transmission of GBS between cattle and people on dairy farms in Colombia and compared the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of isolates from both host species. Across 33 farms, throat swabs and rectal swabs were collected from 191 people, and rectal swabs and composite milk samples from 2092 cattle, yielding 60 human isolates and 301 bovine isolates. The majority (64%) of isolates belonged to shared sequence types (ST). Sequence type (ST) 1 was the most common strain in both host species, suggesting that interspecies transmission may be possible. Two members of the bovine-specific clonal complex 61/67 were detected in human samples (ST718 and ST1175), providing evidence for the lack of genuine species barriers. Apparent prevalence of penicillin resistance was surprisingly high in human and bovine isolates. Further investigation of this phenomenon is needed and could lead to modification of standard testing and treatment recommendations in human and veterinary medicine

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Supplemental material in the ancillary file

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London