Genetic transformation of the bacterium Bacillus firmus for GFP expression and confocal laser microscopy analysis

Bacillus firmus I-1582 is a bacterium with nematicidal effects on root-knot nematodes, a group of plant parasites pertaining to the genus Meloidogyne. This bacterium is able to colonize the plant rhizosphere of some economically important crops and protect them from nematode parasites by reducing their juvenile hatching, their only infective stage. In this final degree project B.firmus was transformed with a green fluorescent protein gene. To transform the bacterium it was necessary the previous protoplast formation using lysozyme and the addition of polyethylene glycol. The plasmid containing this gene, pAD43-25, was cloned and extracted from an E.coli ECE166 culture. Once the plasmid was stable, the transformant was inoculated in tomato roots and nematode eggs. The samples were analyzed after 48 hours at 35°C with confocal laser microscopy to watch the distribution of the bacteria and the biofilm formation, which was fluorescent too. In the taken images is shown that the bacterium was not able to colonize the root neither penetrate the eggs. Although it seems that some of the bacterial cytoplasmic products can cross the egg wall.Bacillus firmus I-1582 es un bacteri amb efectes nematicides en nematodes formadors d'agalles, un grup de paràsits de plantes que pertanyen al gènere Meloidogyne. Aquest bacteri es capaç de colonitzar la rizosfera de plantes d'alguns cultius econòmicament importants i protegir-los dels nematodes paràsits reduint la emergència dels juvenils. En aquest treball de fi de grau B.firmus va ser transformat amb un gen de la proteïna verd fluorescent. Per transformar el bacteri va ser necessària la prèvia formació de protoplasts utilitzant lisozima i la adició de polietilenglicol. El plasmidi que conté el gen, pAD43-25 va ser clonat i extret d'un cultiu d'E.coli ECE166. Un cop el plasmidi era estable, els transformants van ser inoculats a arrel de tomàquet i ous de nematodes. Les mostres van ser analitzades després de 48 hores a 35°C amb microscòpia làser confocal per observar la distribució dels bacteris i la formació de biofilm, el qual també era fluorescent. A les imatges presses s'aprecia que el bacteri no ha estat capaç de colonitzar l'arrel y que tampoc ha penetrat als ous. No obstant sí que sembla que alguns productes citoplasmàtics del bacteri poden travessar la paret de l'ou.Bacillus firmus I-1582 es una bacteria con efectos nematicidas en nematodos formadores de agallas, un grupo de parásitos de plantas pertenecientes al género Meloidogyne. Esta bacteria es capaz de colonizar la rizosfera de plantas de algunos cultivos económicamente importantes y protegerlos de los nematodos parásitos reduciendo la emergencia de juveniles, su única etapa infectiva. En este trabajo de fin de grado B.firmus fue transformado con un gen de la proteína verde fluorescente. Para transformar la bacteria fue necesaria la previa formación de protoplastos usando lisozima y la adición de polietilenglicol. El plásmido que contiene el gen, pAD43-25, fue clonado y extraído de un cultivo de E.coli ECE166. Una vez el plásmido era estable, los transformantes fueron inoculados en raíz de tomate y huevos de nematodos. Las muestras fueron analizadas después de 48 horas a 35°C con microscopía láser confocal para observar la distribución de las bacterias y la formación de biofilm, el cual también era fluorescente. En las imágenes tomadas se aprecia que la bacteria no ha sido capaz de colonizar la raíz y que tampoco ha penetrado en los huevos. No obstante sí que parece que algunos productos citoplasmáticos de la bacteria puedan atravesar la pared del huevo

Are Computers Good for Children? The Effects of Home Computers on Educational Outcomes

Although computers are universal in the classroom, nearly twenty million children in the United States do not have computers in their homes. Surprisingly, only a few previous studies explore the role of home computers in the educational process. Home computers might be very useful for completing school assignments, but they might also represent a distraction for teenagers. We use several identification strategies and panel data from the two main U.S. datasets that include recent information on computer ownership among children -- the 2000-2003 CPS Computer and Internet Use Supplements (CIUS) matched to the CPS Basic Monthly Files and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 -- to explore the causal relationship between computer ownership and high school graduation and other educational outcomes. Teenagers who have access to home computers are 6 to 8 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school than teenagers who do not have home computers after controlling for individual, parental, and family characteristics. We generally find evidence of positive relationships between home computers and educational outcomes using several identification strategies, including controlling for typically unobservable home environment and extracurricular activities in the NLSY97, fixed effects models, instrumental variables, and including future computer ownership and falsification tests. Home computers may increase high school graduation by reducing non-productive activities, such as truancy and crime, among children in addition to making it easier to complete school assignments.technology, computers, education

Characterization of the TiSiO4 structure and its pressure-induced phase transformations: density functional theory study

Theoretical investigations concerning the possible titanium silicate polymorphs have been performed using density functional theory at B3LYP level. Total-energy calculations and geometry optimizations have been carried out for all phases involved. The following sequence of pressure-driven structural transitions has been found: CrVO4 -type, Cmcm in parenthesis the transition pressure , → zircon-type, I41 / amd 0.8 GPa , → scheelite-type, I41 / a 3.8 GPa . At higher pressure the last phase is found to be stable at least up to 25 GPa. The equation of state of the different polymorphs is also reported. We found that the highest bulk modulus corresponds to the zircon and scheelite phases with values of 248 and 238 GPa, respectively. The orthorhombic Cmcm phase is the most compressible of all the studied structures with a bulk modulus of 124 GPa, being also the most stable phase at ambient pressure. Finally, calculations of the electronic structure, vibrational and dielectric properties of TiSiO4 are also reporte

Saiph, a domain specific language for computational fluid dynamics simulations

Nowadays, High-Performance Computing (HPC) is assuming an increasingly central role in scientific research while computer architectures are becoming more and more hetero-geneous and using different parallel programming models and techniques. Under this scenario, the only way to successfully exploit an HPC system requires that computer and domain scientists work closely towards producing applications to solve domain problems, ensuring productivity and performance at the same time. Facing such purpose, Saiph is a Domain Specific Language designed to ease the task of solving couple and uncouple Partial Differential Equations (PDE’s), with a primary focusing on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications. Saiph allows to model complex physical phenomena featured by PDE’s, easing the use of numerical methods and optimizations on different computer architectures to the users

Do home computers improve educational outcomes? Evidence from matched current population surveys and the national longitudinal survey of youth 1997

Nearly twenty million children in the United States do not have computers in their homes. The role of home computers in the educational process, however, has drawn very little attention in the previous literature. We use panel data from the two main U.S. datasets that include recent information on computer ownership among children - the 2000-2003 CPS Computer and Internet Use Supplements (CIUS) matched to the CPS Basic Monthly Files and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 - to explore the relationship between computer ownership and high school graduation and other educational outcomes. Teenagers who have access to home computers are 6 to 8 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school than teenagers who do not have home computers after controlling for individual, parental, and family characteristics. We generally find evidence of positive relationships between home computers and educational outcomes using several estimation strategies, including controlling for typically unobservable home environment and extracurricular activities in the NLSY97, fixed effects models, instrumental variables, future computer ownership and pencil tests. Some of these estimation techniques, however, provide imprecise estimates. Home computers may increase high school graduation by reducing non-productive activities, such as truancy and crime, among children in addition to making it easier to complete school assignments

Arm Swing Asymmetry Measurement from 2D Gait Videos

Arm swing during gait has been positively related to gait stability and gait efficiency, particularly in the presence of neurological disorders that affect locomotion. However, most gait studies have focused on lower extremities, while arm swing usually remains ignored. In addition, these studies are mostly based on costly, highly-specialized vision systems or on wearable devices which, despite their popularity among researchers and specialists, are still relatively uncommon for the general population. This work proposes a way of estimating arm swing asymmetry from a single 2D gait video. First, two silhouette-based representations that separately capture motion data from both arms were built. Second, a measure to quantify arm swing energy from such a representation was introduced, producing two side-dependent motion measurements. Third, an arm swing asymmetry index was obtained. The method was validated on two public datasets, one with 68 healthy subjects walking normally and one with 10 healthy subjects simulating different styles of arm swing asymmetry. The validity of the asymmetry index at capturing different arm swing patterns was assessed by two non-parametric tests: the Mann–Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The so-called physiological asymmetry was observed on the normal gait sequences of both datasets in a statistically similar way. The asymmetry index was able to fairly characterize the different levels of asymmetry simulated in the second set. Results show that it is possible to estimate the arm swing asymmetry from a single 2D gait video, with enough sensitivity to discriminate anomalous patterns from normality. This opens the door to low-cost easy-to-use mobile applications to assist clinicians in monitoring gait condition in primary care (e.g., in the elderly), when more accurate and specialized technologies are often not available

D-dimer cut-off point as a diagnostic tool for pulmonary embolism in patients with COVID-19.

El espectro de severidad y las complicaciones derivadas de la enfermedad por SARS-COV-2 son variables, implicando en su mayoría infecciones respiratorias leves hasta el desarrollo de SDRA y/o disfunción multiorganica, siendo la enfermedad tromboembolica una manifestación que puede complicar el curso de la enfermedad. Ante la sospecha diagnostica de tromboembolismo pulmonar (TEP) en estos pacientes , el dímero D es una herramienta útil para guiar el enfoque diagnostico e indicar estudios con angioTAC pulmonar en caso de requerirse. Por otro lado, el dímero D elevado es uno de los parámetros de laboratorio útil para predecir mal pronóstico en pacientes con COVID-19, incluso en pacientes sin lesiones tromboembolicas. Por esta razón, y ante el riesgo que implica someter a un paciente de manera innecesaria a un estudio contrastado se determino un punto de corte adecuado para discernir cuales pacientes se benefician de ser llevados a angioTAC.The spectrum of severity and complications derived from SARS-COV-2 disease are variable, involving mostly mild respiratory infections up to the development of ARDS and/or multi-organ dysfunction, thromboembolic disease being a manifestation that can complicate the course of the illness. Given the suspected diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in these patients, D-dimer is a useful tool to guide the diagnostic approach and indicate studies with pulmonary CT angiography if required. On the other hand, elevated D-dimer is one of the useful laboratory parameters for predicting a poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19, even in patients without thromboembolic lesions. For this reason, and given the risk involved in subjecting a patient unnecessarily to a contrasted study, an adequate cut-off point was determined to discern which patients benefit from being taken for CT angiography.Especialista en Medicina de UrgenciasEspecializaciónhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1595-4539https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=new_profile&hl=eshttps://scienti.minciencias.gov.co/cvlac/visualizador/generarCurriculoCv.do?cod_rh=0001794649El trabajo ya cuenta con resultados y discusión sin embargo será enviado a revista para publicación en los proximos 6 mese

Capacidades técnicas, legales y de gestión para equipos blueteam y redteam

En el desarrollo de los escenarios, pudimos iniciar con los aspectos éticos y legales, que se pueden llegar a observar en las contrataciones, acuerdos de confidencialidad o también en casos relacionados con el ámbito de salvaguardar la información. Y para esto es claro que se debe conocer la legalidad en el actuar profesional, acá validaremos las leyes que rigen la seguridad de la información, como también los aspectos éticos que rigen a las profesiones de ingenierías. Iremos adquiriendo experticia en temas relacionados con la aplicación de la ética y las leyes que nos rigen. Se efectuara un modelo de laboratorio basado en máquinas virtuales, el cual será indispensable para la ejecución de todos los escenarios de pentesting, desarrollaremos y evaluaremos paso a paso un laboratorio de pentesting, desde el perfil de un integrante de red team, realizando y siguiendo las etapas de intrusión al sistema objetivo, donde podremos validar el comportamiento de las herramientas que se seleccionaran para realizar los procesos de reconocimiento, escaneo, explotación y escalamiento de privilegios. Acá veremos y obtendremos una experiencia en dichas actividades, que nos permitirán conocer e identificar posibles vulnerabilidades que encontraremos a lo largo de nuestras carreras profesionales. También realizaremos un análisis profundo sobre los procedimientos realizados, y detallando el proceso de pentesting paso a paso con sus respectivas evidencias. Después realizaremos actividades donde se pueden identificar las metodologías y pasos que se siguen en la implementación de auditorías, y procesos efectivos para la ejecución de actividades de un blue team. Claro que igualmente se toman metodologías del pentesting ya que se debe tener un conocimiento claro de la forma en que pueden afectar las vulnerabilidades de seguridad informática y como se realizan. También podremos aprender las principales características y funciones del SIEM que es la gestión de información y eventos de seguridad, también algunas herramientas que podemos usar para la contención de ataques informáticos.In the development of the scenarios, we were able to start with the ethical and legal aspects, which can be observed in the hiring, confidentiality agreements or also in cases related to the field of safeguarding the information. And for this it is clear that the legality in professional action must be known, here we will validate the laws that govern information security, as well as the ethical aspects that govern the engineering professions. We will acquire expertise in issues related to the application of ethics and the laws that govern us. A laboratory model based on virtual machines will be carried out, which will be essential for the execution of all the pentesting scenarios, we will develop and evaluate a pentesting laboratory step by step, from the profile of a member of the red team, performing and following the stages of intrusion into the target system, where we can validate the behavior of the tools that will be selected to carry out the recognition, scanning, exploitation and privilege escalation processes. Here we will see and obtain an experience in these activities, which will allow us to know and identify possible vulnerabilities that we will find throughout our professional careers. We will also carry out an in-depth analysis of the procedures performed, and detailing the pentesting process step by step with their respective evidences. Then we will carry out activities where the methodologies and steps that are followed in the implementation of audits, and effective processes for the execution of activities of a blue team can be identified. Of course, pentesting methodologies are also taken since one must have a clear knowledge of how they can affect computer security vulnerabilities and how they are carried out. We will also be able to learn the main characteristics and functions of SIEM, which is the management of information and security events, as well as some tools that we can use to contain computer attacks