Embryonic trophectoderm secretomics reveals chemotactic migration and intercellular communication of endometrial and circulating MSCs in embryonic implantation

Embryonic implantation is a key step in the establishment of pregnancy. In the present work, we have carried out an in-depth proteomic analysis of the secretome (extracellular vesicles and soluble proteins) of two bovine blastocysts embryonic trophectoderm primary cultures (BBT), confirming different epithelial–mesenchymal transition stages in these cells. BBT-secretomes contain early pregnancy-related proteins and angiogenic proteins both as cargo in EVs and the soluble fraction. We have demonstrated the functional transfer of protein-containing secretome between embryonic trophectoderm and maternal MSC in vitro using two BBT primary cultures eight endometrial MSC (eMSC) and five peripheral blood MSC (pbMSC) lines. We observed that eMSC and pbMSC chemotax to both the soluble fraction and EVs of the BBT secretome. In addition, in a complementary direction, we found that the pattern of expression of implantation proteins in BBT-EVs changes depending on: (i) their epithelial–mesenchymal phenotype; (ii) as a result of the uptake of eMSC-or pbMSC-EV previously stimulated or not with embryonic signals (IFN-τ); (iii) because of the stimulation with the endometrial cytokines present in the uterine fluid in the peri-implantation perio

Las actividades turístico-recreativas en los Planes de Gestión de los Sitios Patrimonio Mundial. El caso de Aranjuez, Paisaje Cultural de la Humanidad

UNESCO has been calling for the development of management plans at World Heritage Sites. Tourism is a key factor in these plans due to the high influx of tourists to the sites listed. Tourism is present in the various methodological guidelines developed in some states and it is also a recurring theme in many of the plans that affect economic spaces more complex (historic cities and cultural landscapes). This article presents the treatment of tourism in the Management Plan of Aranjuez Cultural Landscape. This plan shares methodological approach to the tools being developed in other Spanish cities with a strong tradition of urban planning. However, urban planning has serious limitations when contemplating the activities related to tourism and recreational activities in a comprehensive manner.Desde hace unos años la UNESCO viene reclamando la elaboración de Planes de Gestión para los Sitios del Patrimonio Mundial. Debido a la notable afluencia de visitantes a estos lugares, las referencias al turismo son una constante. Aparecen en las distintas guías metodológicas elaboradas en algunos Estados y también en buena parte de los planes que afectan a los espacios patrimoniales más complejos (ciudades históricas y paisajes culturales). En este artículo se aborda el tratamiento del turismo en el Plan de Gestión del Paisaje Cultural de Aranjuez. Este plan comparte enfoque metodológico con los instrumentos que se están desarrollando en otras ciudades españolas, donde pesa mucho la tradición de intervención de base urbanística, que presenta, sin embargo, fuertes limitaciones para abordar la actuación en materia de actividades turístico-recreativas de una manera integral

Comparative transcriptional profiling analysis of olive ripe-fruit pericarp and abscission zone tissues shows expression differences and distinct patterns of transcriptional regulation

[Background] In fleshy fruit, abscission of fully ripe fruit is a process intimately linked to the ripening process. In many fruit-tree species, such as olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Picual), there is a coupling of the full ripening and the activation of the abscission-zone (AZ). Although fully ripe fruit have marked physiological differences with respect to their AZs, dissimilarities in gene expression have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study examines the transcriptome of olive fruit and their AZ tissues at the last stage of ripening, monitored using mRNA-Seq. [Results] Roche-454 massive parallel pyrosequencing enabled us to generate 397,457 high-quality EST sequences, among which 199,075 were from ripe-fruit pericarp and 198,382 from AZ tissues. We assembled these sequences into 19,062 contigs, grouped as 17,048 isotigs. Using the read amounts for each annotated isotig (from a total of 15,671), we identified 7,756 transcripts. A comparative analysis of the transcription profiles conducted in ripe-fruit pericarp and AZ evidenced that 4,391 genes were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in fruit and AZ. Functional categorization of the DEGs revealed that AZ tissue has an apparently higher response to external stimuli than does that of ripe fruit, revealing a higher expression of auxin-signaling genes, as well as lignin catabolic and biosynthetic pathway, aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway, isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, protein amino acid dephosphorylation, amino acid transport, and photosynthesis. By contrast, fruit-enriched transcripts are involved in ATP synthesis coupled proton transport, glycolysis, and cell-wall organization. Furthermore, over 150 transcripts encoding putative transcription-factors (TFs) were identified (37 fruit TFs and 113 AZ TFs), of which we randomly selected eight genes and we confirmed their expression patterns using quantitative RT-PCR. [Conclusion] We generated a set of EST sequences from olive fruit at full ripening, and DEGs between two different olive tissues, ripe fruit and their AZ, were also identified. Regarding the cross-talk between fruit and AZ, using qRT-PCR, we confirmed a set of TF genes that were differentially expressed, revealing profiles of expression that have not previously been reported, this offering a promising beginning for studies on the different transcription regulation in such tissues.This work was supported by the ‘Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación’, Spain (BFU2010-18116)

Twitter in initial teacher training: Interaction with social media as a source of teacher professional development for social studies prospective educators

Producción CientíficaThe use of social media is now as prevalent as ever, and its educational ramifications still need to be fully explored, especially in initial teacher training. The aim of this study is to analyze social studies prospective teachers’ perceptions regarding the usefulness of social media for teacher professional development, and to generate communication, learning and engagement. This research also has the objective of exploring the effects of an intervention during an academic semester with three different groups of university students, applying a didactic strategy based on the use of Twitter, monitoring the interventions of 122 participants. A quantitative analysis was used to process the information obtained using questionnaires as well as the data obtained using MSocial, a tool for Social Network Analysis (SNA). Results indicate that, while pre-service teachers are not necessarily skeptical of the potential of social media for educational purposes, systematic interventions that promote interaction can positively affect their perception of the usefulness of social media. Results also show that the group where prospective educators interacted among themselves the most using Twitter during the interventions was the one that showed a significant increase in prospective teachers’ perception of the educational potential of social media.Universidad de Valladolid - (grant PID 025. COV. 2019-20. PID

Uso de la evidencia y significatividad histórica en la enseñanza de la Transición española mediante un entorno digital de aprendizaje

INTRODUCTION. This study, which is framed within the HISREDUC Project, presents the results obtained following an intervention with 15-year-old secondary education History students. METHOD. The aim of this paper is the development of two main concepts related to historical thinking (use of evidence and historical significance) through the use of a digital learning environment over seven sessions. 53 students participated and the curricular framework used was the Spanish transition to democracy. The level of progression related to both concepts is examined through a qualitative method which compared the perceived proficiency level before and after the use of the digital learning environment. RESULTS. The results allow to identify common patterns related to students’ abilities, showing a positive progression related to the use of evidence and historical significance. DISCUSSION. It can be concluded that this intervention reinforced and helped made explicit latent capabilities, allowing their use in the analysis of the past.INTRODUCCIÓN. Este estudio, enmarcado en el Proyecto HISREDUC, recoge los resultados obtenidos tras una intervención en la asignatura Geografía e Historia de cuarto curso de la ESO. MÉTODO. Se establece el objetivo de facilitar el desarrollo de dos dimensiones del pensamiento histórico (el uso de la evidencia y la percepción de la significatividad), mediante la aplicación de un entorno digital de aprendizaje durante siete sesiones, con un total de 53 estudiantes, y utilizando la enseñanza de la Transición española como marco curricular de trabajo. Mediante el uso de un análisis cualitativo, se examina el grado de progresión mostrado en torno a ambas dimensiones, comparando el nivel de competencia presente antes y después de la aplicación del entorno digital. RESULTADOS. Los resultados permiten identificar patrones comunes ligados con las habilidades de los estudiantes, mostrando una evolución positiva en relación con el uso de la evidencia y con la comprensión de la significatividad histórica. DISCUSIÓN. se concluye que la intervención didáctica utilizada ha reforzado y ayudado a hacer explícitas capacidades latentes, facilitando su aplicación en el análisis del pasado

Machine learning approaches over ion mobility spectra for the discrimination of ignitable liquids residues from interfering substrates

In arson fires, ignitable liquids (ILs) are frequently used to start combustion. For this reason, detecting IL residues (ILRs) at the fire scene is a key factor in fire investigation to determine whether a crime has been committed as well as to establish the modus operandi of the perpetrator. In the present study, the application of headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) for the detection of ILRs in fire debris from complex matrices in combination with machine learning (ML) tools is proposed as an alternative to the traditional method, based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), described by the ASTM E1618 standard method. For this purpose, petroleum-derived substrates (vinyl, nylon, and polyester) and natural substrates (cotton, cork and linoleum) burned alone and with different ILs (gasoline, diesel, ethanol and charcoal starter with kerosene) were used. In addition, samples were taken at different times (0, 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h) after the fire was finished. The ion mobility sum spectrum (IMSS) of each sample was obtained and different ML algorithms were applied. The first derivative was performed at the IMSS, as well as a Savitzky-Golay filter. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed a clustering trend as a function of substrate and ILs used, where the studied sampling times did not affect the resulting clusters. The classification models for the detection of the presence of ILRs have high performance with an accuracy of 100% for support vector machines (SVM) and random forest model (RF), followed by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with an accuracy of 86.67%. When discriminating the type of ILs used, the RF model obtained an accuracy of 100%, followed by the LDA with 97.22% and finally the SVM model with an accuracy of 93.06%. In addition, a simple web application has been developed where the trained models can be used, so any researcher can apply the method to detect ILRs in fire debris

Understanding teacher digital competence in the framework of social sustainability: a systematic review

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, ICT has been urgently introduced in education systems in a generalised manner. In this context, it is essential for teachers to master a spectrum of basic digital competencies and manifest digital leadership in the classroom. In addition, it is necessary to consider the relationship between digital competence development and social sustainability, that is, social and cultural heritage, and to what extent they contribute to improving social cohesion and living conditions in a community. This study presents a systematic review of research on teacher digital competence and social sustainability based on the PRISMA model and a review of 22 studies indexed in SCOPUS. The review reveals that most are intended to measure the digital competence level of teachers, usually in compulsory stages of the educational system and through quantitative studies based on virtual questionnaires comprised of closed-ended questions. However, the studies tend to ignore questions related to social sustainability (access to resources, heritage culture, intergenerational transmission, employability, or gender equality). It is therefore urgent to develop research committed to a sustainable society that is oriented towards social justice

Characterization of Biodegraded Ignitable Liquids by Headspace-Ion Mobility Spectrometry

The detection of ignitable liquids (ILs) can be crucial when it comes to determining arson cases. Such identification of ILs is a challenging task that may be affected by a number of factors. Microbial degradation is considered one of three major processes that can alter the composition of IL residues. Since biodegradation is a time related phenomenon, it should be studied at different stages of development. This article presents a method based on ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS) which has been used as an electronic nose. In particular, ion mobility sum spectrum (IMSS) in combination with chemometric techniques (hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA)) has been applied for the characterization of different biodegraded ILs. This method intends to use IMSS to identify a range of ILs regardless of their degree of biodegradation. Three ILs (diesel, gasoline and kerosene) from three different commercial brands were evaluated after remaining in a soil substrate for several lengths of time (0, 2, 5, 13 and 38 days). The HCA results showed the samples' trend to fall into categories characterized by ILs type and biodegradation time. The LDAs allowed a 99% successful classification of the samples according to the IL type. This is the first time that an HS-IMS technique has been used to detect ILs that have undergone biodegradation processes. The results show that IMS may be a promising alternative to the current standard method based on gas-chromatography for the analysis of biodegraded ILs. Furthermore, no pretreatment of the samples nor the use of a solvent is required

Bovine endometrial MSC: Mesenchymal to epithelial transition during luteolysis and tropism to implantation niche for immunomodulation

The uterus is a histologically dynamic organ, and the mechanisms coordinating its regeneration during the oestrous cycle and implantation are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to isolate, immortalize and characterize bovine endometrial mesenchymal stem cell (eMSC) lines from different oestrous cycle stages (embryo in the oviduct, embryo in the uterus or absence of embryo) and examine their migratory and immunomodulatory properties in an inflammatory or implantation-like environment, as well as possible changes in cell transdifferentiation. Methods: eMSCs were isolated and analysed in terms of morphological features, expression of cell surface and intracellular markers of pluripotency, inmunocytochemical analyses, alkaline phosphatase activity, proliferation and osteogenic or chondrogenic differentiation capacities, as well as their ability to migrate in response to inflammatory (TNF-α or IL-1β) or implantation (IFN-τ) cytokines and their immunomodulatory effect in the proliferation of T cells. Results: All eMSCs showed MSC properties such as adherence to plastic, high proliferative capacity, expression of CD44 and vimentin, undetectable expression of CD34 or MHCII, positivity for Pou5F1 and alkaline phosphatase activity. In the absence of an embryo, eMSC showed an apparent mesenchymal to epithelial transition state. eMSC during the entire oestrous cycle differentiated to osteogenic or chondrogenic lineages, showed the ability to suppress T cell proliferation and showed migratory capacity towards pro-inflammatory signal, while responded with a block in their migration to the embryo-derived pregnancy signal. Conclusion: This study describes for the first time the isolation, immortalization and characterization of bovine mesenchymal stem cell lines from different oestrous cycle stages, with a clear mesenchymal pattern and immunomodulatory properties. Our study also reports that the migratory capacity of the eMSC was increased towards an inflammatory niche but was reduced in response to the expression of implantation cytokine by the embryo. The combination of both signals (pro-inflammatory and implantation) would ensure the retention of eMSC in case of pregnancy, to ensure the immunomodulation necessary in the mother for embryo survival. In addition, in the absence of an embryo, eMSC showed an apparent mesenchymal to epithelial transition stateThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía Industria y Competitividad to Ramírez M.A. (AGL2015-70140-R) and European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement N°731014 (Ramírez M.A.

Estrategias europeas contra el discurso del odio

El objetivo es presentar un panorama global de las principales estrategias que se adoptan en Europa para frenar y contrarrestar los discursos de odio. Se realiza una reflexión crítica a partir de una selección de documentación oficial y literatura académica más relevantes. Se destacan, entre otras medidas, la necesidad de aplicar el marco jurídico común europeo y formar una ciberopinión pública mediante la educomunicación y la lucha contra la desinformación. Se concluye que las instituciones europeas deben desarrollar una estrategia común y global en la lucha contra el discurso del odio, que integre las intervenciones parciales en diversas áreas y las diferentes iniciativas nacionales