Diseño y cálculo de unas patas articuladas que sirvan para el movimiento de una máquina tipo ROV

This work is defined as an engineering development. In particular, a modular ROV is designed from scratch, with special emphasis on the mechanical study of the movement system. In this project, the problem to be solved is the inspection of a cement pipe that has vertical and horizontal sections with slight turning radius. In addition, the longest pipe is ten meters long and it is necessary to monitor the inside of the pipe. Each pre-designed component is proposed following mechanical, geometric, dimensional and functional rules. As for the movement system, its design is based on a bar linkage or mechanism supplied by a lead screw. In addition, the control of the ROV's movement is possible thanks to the load cells that are attached to the bars. Thus, the load cells command three stepper motors that transmit energy to the lead screws. In addition, the working stress states, the stress instructions from the load cells to the motors (for switching from one step to another), and the resistance of the motion system are calculated. Finally, it is worth mentioning a spring design due to its unusual tensions and arrangement, being a joint

Self-perception of research skills by members of student scientific groups at three Cuban medical universities

Introducción: la formación y competencia investigativa durante el pregrado constituye una necesidad sentida en la universidad moderna.Objetivo: caracterizar la autopercepción de habilidades investigativas por miembros de grupos científicos estudiantiles en tres universidades médicas cubanas.Métodos: estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal a miembros de los grupos científicos estudiantiles de las Universidades de Ciencias Médicas de las provincias de Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos y Holguín, entre enero y marzo de 2020. La población de la constituyeron 74 estudiantes. Se empleó estadística descriptiva y la prueba Kruskal-Wallis para variables ordinales.      Resultados: se identificó como habilidades más afectadas la selección y aplicación de métodos estadísticos (inadecuados = 39,19 %) y la selección, elaboración y aplicación de métodos, técnicas e instrumentos (inadecuados = 27,03 %). El 71,62 % percibieron como inadecuadas sus habilidades en el manejo de sistemas de gestión editorial y el 66,22 % en el empleo de gestores de referencias. Se encontró asociación (p<0,05) entre habilidades investigativas y el año académico. Se encontró asociación entre las habilidades en el manejo de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, el uso de programas estadísticos y la exposición de resultados mediante el multimedia, con el año académico (p<0,01)Conclusiones: existe un déficit percibido entre los estudiantes en sus habilidades investigativas y del manejo de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, centradas principalmente en la estadística, sistemas estadísticos y gestores de referencia, así como en la selección y elaboración de métodos y la presentación de la información.Introduction: research training and competence during undergraduate studies is a felt need in the modern university. Objective: to characterize the self-perception of research skills by members of student scientific groups in three Cuban medical universities.Method: observational, descriptive and transversal study of members of student scientific groups of the Universities of Medical Sciences of the provinces of Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos and Holguín, between January and March 2020. The population was constituted by 74 students. Descriptive statistics and the Kruskal-Wallis test for ordinal variables were used.Results: the most affected skills were identified as the selection and application of statistical methods (inadequate = 39,19 %) and the selection, elaboration and application of methods, techniques and instruments (inadequate = 27,03 %). The 71,62 % perceived as inadequate their skills in the handling of editorial management systems and 66,22 % in the use of reference managers. An association (p<0,05) was found between research skills and academic year. An association was found between the skills in the handling of information and communication technologies and the use of statistical programs and the exposition of results through multimedia with the academic year (p<0,01).Conclusions: there is a perceived deficit among students in their research skills and in the handling of information and communication technologies, mainly focused on statistics, statistical systems and reference managers, as well as in the selection and elaboration of methods and the presentation of information

The “DrownSafe” project: assessing the feasibility of a puppet show in teaching drowning prevention to children and parents

Drowning remains a prominent global pediatric health concern, necessitating preventive measures such as educational initiatives for children and caregivers. In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility and educational effectiveness of an interactive puppet show centered on teaching water safety to children and parents. A 30 min original theater performance, featuring two actors and three puppets (a girl, a crab, and a lifeguard), was conducted. Subsequently, 185 children (aged 4 to 8) and their 160 parents (134 mothers and 26 fathers) participated in this quasi-experimental study. Pre- and post-show tests were administered to evaluate knowledge and behaviors regarding aquatic environments. Prior to the puppet show, 78% of the children exhibited basic aquatic competency. Only 33% considered swimming alone risky. Following the intervention, 81.6% of the children changed their perception of the risks of solo beach activities, showing improved knowledge regarding contacting an emergency number (from 63.2% to 98.9%, p < 0.001). The intervention increased parents’ intention to visit lifeguard-patrolled beaches and improved their CPR knowledge with regard to drowning victims by 58.8%. In conclusion, a drowning prevention puppet show positively impacted children and parents, potentially enhancing safety behaviors during water-related leisure activities, warranting its consideration part of comprehensive drowning prevention strategies.Universidade de Vig

Bioactives Overproduction through Operational Strategies in the Ichthyotoxic Microalga Heterosigma akashiwo Culture

The red tide-forming microalga Heterosigma akashiwo has been associated with massive events of fish deaths, both wild and cultured. Culture conditions are responsible for the synthesis or accumulation of some metabolites with different interesting bioactivities. H. akashiwo LC269919 strain was grown in a 10 L bubble column photobioreactor artificially illuminated with multi-coloured LED lights. Growth and production of exopolysaccharides, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and carotenoids were evaluated under different culture modes (batch, fed-batch, semicontinuous, and continuous) at two irradiance levels (300 and 700 µE·s−1·m−2). Continuous mode at the dilution rate of 0.2·day−1 and 700 µE·s−1·m−2 provided the highest production of biomass, PUFAs (132.6 and 2.3 mg·L−1·day−1), and maximum fucoxanthin productivity (0.16 mg·L−1·day−1). The fed-batch mode accumulated exopolysaccharides in a concentration (1.02 g·L−1) 10-fold over the batch mode. An extraction process based on a sequential gradient partition with water and four water-immiscible organic solvents allowed the isolation of bioactive fucoxanthin from methanolic extracts of H. akashiwo. Metabolites present in H. akashiwo, fucoxanthin and polar lipids (i.e., eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)), or probably such as phytosterol (β-Sitosterol) from other microalgae, were responsible for the antitumor activity obtained.This research was funded by the General Secretariat of Universities, Research and Technology of the Andalusian Government (grant: P18-RT-2477) and the State Research Agency (grants PID2019-109476RB-C22) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

Caracterización químico estructural de un concentrado cromífero procedente del yacimiento Merceditas y valoración de su posible uso como materia prima en tratamientos difusivos

En Cuba, existen importantes depósitos de mineral de cromo. Dentro de los yacimientos cromíferos cubanos se destaca Merceditas por sus reservas y por encontrarse en explotación. En el trabajo, se presenta la caracterización mineralógica de un concentrado cromífero perteneciente al yacimiento antes referido y se valora su posible utilización como fuente portadora de cromo y de silicio en procesos difusivos. La determinación de la composición química del concentrado se realizó mediante los métodos gravimétrico y volumétrico, mientras que para la identificación de las fases presentes se emplearon técnicas de Espectroscopias Infrarroja y Mössbauer y Difractometría de Rayos X. Adicionalmente, se determinaron los parámetros estadísticos de la distribución granulométrica, a partir de un proceso de tamizado. Se encontró que el concentrado es refractario y que junto al cromo aparecen en diferentes proporciones hierro, aluminio, magnesio, silicio y calcio. El contenido de cromo y de silicio presente en el concentrado y su relación resultan similares a los reportados para la aplicación en procesos difusivos de saturación simultánea con ambos elementos, mientras que los contenidos de aluminio y magnesio, en forma combinada con el oxígeno, garantizan la refractariedad de las mezclas a elaborar. También se determinó que el concentrado cromífero se encuentra constituido por las fases mineralógicas conocidas como cromopicotita, antigorita y clorita y que su fase principal es la cromopicotita. Por último, se precisó que sus partículas poseen un diámetro medio de 513 μm, una oblicuidad de 0,93 y una dispersión de 1,83

Effects of pH and ionic strength on the protease activity of gastric extracts from the Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch

The activity of fish acid proteases is strongly dependent on the pH, and many basic and applied works had focused on researching the pH-profile of digestive proteases using different buffered media. Nevertheless, enzymatic activity is also known to be affected by the ionic strength (IS) of the medium. The present work is aimed at researching the combined effects of pH (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 3.75 and 4.0) and IS (50, 100 and 200 mM) on the protease activity of gastric extracts of juvenile Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch. It is concluded that the activity of Coho salmon gastric proteases is maximal at pH 2.5-3.0, drops towards pH 4.0 irrespective of ionic strength, and they showed a lower activity at IS 50 mM in comparison to IS 100 or 200 mM. The present results point out to the convenience of considering the effect of ionic strength when measuring the activity of fish gastric proteases

Transactive Response DNA-Binding Protein (TARDBP/TDP-43) Regulates Cell Permissivity to HIV-1 Infection by Acting on HDAC6

The transactive response DNA-binding protein (TARDBP/TDP-43) influences the processing of diverse transcripts, including that of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6). Here, we assessed TDP-43 activity in terms of regulating CD4+ T-cell permissivity to HIV-1 infection. We observed that overexpression of wt-TDP-43 increased both mRNA and protein levels of HDAC6, resulting in impaired HIV-1 infection independently of the viral envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) tropism. Consistently, using an HIV-1 Env-mediated cell-to-cell fusion model, the overexpression of TDP-43 levels negatively affected viral Env fusion capacity. Silencing of endogenous TDP-43 significantly decreased HDAC6 levels and increased the fusogenic and infection activities of the HIV-1 Env. Using pseudovirus bearing primary viral Envs from HIV-1 individuals, overexpression of wt-TDP-43 strongly reduced the infection activity of Envs from viremic non-progressors (VNP) and rapid progressors (RP) patients down to the levels of the inefficient HIV-1 Envs observed in long-term non-progressor elite controllers (LTNP-EC). On the contrary, silencing endogenous TDP-43 significantly favored the infectivity of primary Envs from VNP and RP individuals, and notably increased the infection of those from LTNP-EC. Taken together, our results indicate that TDP-43 shapes cell permissivity to HIV-1 infection, affecting viral Env fusion and infection capacities by altering the HDAC6 levels and associated tubulin-deacetylase anti-HIV-1 activity.This work is supported by the Spanish AIDS network “Red Temática Cooperativa de Investigación en SIDA” RD12/0017/0002, RD12/0017/0028, RD12/0017/0034, RD16/0025/0011, RDCIII16/0002/0005 and RD16/0025/0041 as part of the Plan Nacional R + D+I and co-funded by the Spanish “Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)-Subdirección General de Evaluación y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)”. J.B. is a researcher from “Fundació Institut de Recerca en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol” supported by the Health Department of the Catalonian Government/Generalitat de Catalunya and ISCIII grant numbers PI17/01318 and PI20/00093 (to J.B.). Work in CC Lab was supported by grants SAF (2010-17226) and (2016-77894-R) from MINECO (Spain), FIS (PI 13/02269, ISCIII) and PI20/00093. Work in CF Lab was supported by the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife (grants CGIEU0000219140 and “Apuestas científicas del ITER para colaborar en la lucha contra la COVID-19”); the agreement with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER) to strengthen scientific and technological education, training research, development and innovation in Genomics, Personalized Medicine and Biotechnology (grant number OA17/008). A.V.-F.’s Lab is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), RTI2018-093747-B-100 (“Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación”, Spain), “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades” (Spain), ProID2020010093 (“Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información” and European Social Fund), UNLL10-3E-783 (ERDF and “Fundación CajaCanarias”) and “SEGAI-ULL”. S.P-Y is funded by “Fundación Doctor Manuel Morales” (La Palma, Spain) and “Contrato Predoctoral Ministerio-ULL Formación de Doctores” (2019 Program) (“Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades”, Spain). R.C.-R. is funded by RD16/0025/0011 and ProID2020010093 (“Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información” and European Social Fund). J.G.-L. is funded by the “Juan de la Cierva de Incorporación” Spanish Program (IJC2019-038902-I) (“Ayudas Juan de la Cierva de incorporación; Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación”).S

Low impact of different SNP panels from two building-loci pipelines on RAD-Seq population genomic metrics: case study on five diverse aquatic species

Background: The irruption of Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) in the last decade has led to the identification of thousands of molecular markers and their genotyping for refined genomic screening. This approach has been especially useful for non-model organisms with limited genomic resources. Many building-loci pipelines have been developed to obtain robust single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) genotyping datasets using a de novo RAD-seq approach, i.e. without reference genomes. Here, the performances of two building-loci pipelines, STACKS 2 and Meyer’s 2b-RAD v2.1 pipeline, were compared using a diverse set of aquatic species representing different genomic and/or population structure scenarios. Two bivalve species (Manila clam and common edible cockle) and three fish species (brown trout, silver catfish and small-spotted catshark) were studied. Four SNP panels were evaluated in each species to test both different building-loci pipelines and criteria for SNP selection. Furthermore, for Manila clam and brown trout, a reference genome approach was used as control. Results: Despite different outcomes were observed between pipelines and species with the diverse SNP calling and filtering steps tested, no remarkable differences were found on genetic diversity and differentiation within species with the SNP panels obtained with a de novo approach. The main differences were found in brown trout between the de novo and reference genome approaches. Genotyped vs missing data mismatches were the main genotyping difference detected between the two building-loci pipelines or between the de novo and reference genome comparisons. Conclusions: Tested building-loci pipelines for selection of SNP panels seem to have low influence on population genetics inference across the diverse case-study scenarios here studied. However, preliminary trials with different bioinformatic pipelines are suggested to evaluate their influence on population parameters according with the specific goals of each studyThe work undertaken in this project was funded by Xunta de Galicia Autonomous Government (GRC2014/010), Interreg Atlantic Area (Cockles project, EAPA_458/2016) and Girona University (MPCUdG2016/060) projects. Adrián Casanova was a Xunta de Galicia fellowship (ED481A-2017/091)S

Divulgación en tiempos de pandemia: el poder de las webs

Trabajo presentado en el simposio Micromundo Aprendizaje-Servicio para el descubrimiento de antibiótico