Identification of the long polar fimbriae gene variants in the locus of enterocyte effacement-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from humans and cattle in Argentina

The long polar fimbriae (Lpf) is one of few adhesive factors of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and it is associated with colonization of the intestine. Studies have demonstrated the presence of lpf genes in several pathogenic E. coli strains, and classification of variants based on polymorphisms in the lpfA1 and lpfA2 genes has been adopted. Using a collection of Argentinean locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)-negative STEC strains, we determined that the different lpfA types were present in a wide variety of serotypes with no apparent association between the types of lpfA1 or lpfA2 genes and the severity of human disease. The lpfA2-1 was the most prevalent variant identified, which was present in 95.8% of the isolates, and lpfA1-3 and lpfA2-2, proposed as specific biomarkers of E. coli O157:H7, were not found in any of the serotypes studied. The prevalence of lpf genes in a large number of strains is useful to understand the genetic diversity of LEE-negative STEC and to define the association of some of these isolates carrying specific lpf-variants with disease.Fil: Galli, Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Alfredo G.. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados UnidosFil: Rivas, Marta. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentin

Sara Paretsky’s Appropriation of Detective Fiction: Literary Subversions in Body Work

The hard-boiled literary formula has been the focus of multiple postmodernist reappropriations. This subgenre of detective fiction has been rewritten through various literary subversions to capture a plurality of perspectives that were not contemplated in the original hyper-masculinized formula. Sara Paretsky is an American writer who has taken part in the reinterpretation of the hard-boiled narrative through a feminist approach. Through the protagonist of her works, V.I. Warshawski, the author is committed to innovating the perception of women in the crime novel. In this study, several literary subversions of the novel Body Work (2010) are explored in relation to the contemporary cultural context.La fórmula literaria ‘hard-boiled’ ha sido objeto de múltiples readaptaciones postmodernistas. Este subgénero de ficción detectivesca ha sido reescrito a través de diversas subversiones literarias para plasmar una pluralidad de perspectivas que no se contemplaban en la hiper masculinizada fórmula original. Sara Paretsky es una escritora estadounidense que ha tomado parte en la reinterpretación de la narrativa ‘hard-boiled’ a través de un comentario feminista. Por medio de la protagonista de sus novelas, V.I. Warshawski, la autora se dedica a innovar la percepción de las mujeres en la novela negra. En este estudio, las diversas subversiones literarias de la novela Body Work (2010) son exploradas en relación con el contexto cultural contemporáneo.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

Heartstopper: Using Young Adult LGBTQ+ Literature in the EFL Classroom.

Literature is one of the many useful tools that learners of a foreign language, English, in this case, have had at their disposal throughout history. Its position as a teaching tool of EFL is not firmly established, especially in the Spanish education system. This dissertation aims to showcase the benefits of using literature with teenagers, not only as a means to teach the language, but also as a way to teach values of acceptance, respect and diversity. Working with literary texts entails being able to introduce a great variety of activities and topics that can motivate students in the process of learning a new language and to mature as young citizens. Through the selection of a popular Young Adult comic book, Heartstopper, the present proposal aims to promote critical thinking, to teach students that there is beauty and richness in difference, and to firmly proclaim that everyone’s gender and/or sexual orientation is valid and accepted in our society.La literatura ha sido, a lo largo de la historia, una de las herramientas más utilizadas a la hora de aprender un idioma extranjero, en este caso, el inglés. Su posición como herramienta didáctica dentro de la enseñanza del inglés no está consolidada. Esta tesis pretende mostrar los beneficios de usar la literatura con los adolescentes, no solo como un medio para enseñar el idioma, sino para inculcar valores de aceptación, respeto y diversidad. Trabajar con textos literarios conlleva introducir una gran variedad de actividades y de temas a tratar, lo cual puede ser motivador para los alumnos que se encuentran en proceso de maduración personal y de aprender un nuevo idioma. La presente propuesta tiene como objetivo, a través del uso de Heartstopper, conocido cómic dentro del subgénero de literatura juvenil, promover el pensamiento crítico, enseñar a los alumnos que hay belleza y riqueza en nuestras diferencias y afirmar que la identidad sexual y de género toda persona es válida en nuestra sociedad.Departamento de Filología InglesaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Virulence profile comparison between LEE-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated from cattle and humans

For comparison purposes, the prevalence of 8 virulence markers was investigated, by PCR, in 153 cattle and 47 human Locus for Enterocyte Effacement (LEE)-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated in Argentina. Also, their correlation with severe disease was established. The virulence markers studied comprises 5 fimbrial and nonfimbrial adhesin-encoding genes (fimA, iha, efa1, lpfAO113, and saa) and 3 toxin genes (cdt-V, subAB and astA) in addition to the Shiga toxins. The most prevalent virulence marker found was that encoded by the lpfAO113 gene (199/200, 99%). Comparatively, the lpfAO113, fimA, iha, saa, subAB, cdt-V and astA genes were detected in 100%, 92.8%, 85%, 52.9%, 36%, 11.8% and 9.8% of the cattle strains and in 97.9%, 95.7%, 89.4%, 40.4%, 32%, 17% and 10.6% of the human strains, respectively. All STEC strains were efa1 negative. The most prevalent profile observed among cattle and human STEC strains was lpfAO113 iha fimA. These results show that bovine LEE-negative STEC strains possessed genes encoding virulence factors present in human LEE-negative STEC strains that are associated with disease. Despite a great diversity of virulence profiles observed, further studies comparing wild type strains and their allelic mutants are needed to evaluate the role of each factor in the pathogenesis of LEE-negative STEC strains during human infections.Fil: Galli, Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Miliwebsky, Elizabeth. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Irino, Kinue. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; BrasilFil: Leotta, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Rivas, Marta. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentin

El arte integrado en la batalla. Estudio tecnológico previo a la restauración de cinco armaduras japonesas del Museo del Ejército de Toled

A lo largo del siglo XVIII la moda Chinoiserie se difundió entre las cortes europeas. Basada en modelos chinos y japoneses, la veremos reflejada tanto en la pintura como en la arquitectura, las artes decorativas o el arte textil. Durante este periodo se importaron numerosos objetos de Extremo Oriente con destino a los palacios y casas señoriales, factor determinante en el auge del coleccionismo de piezas de arte exótico, como las lacas japonesas y la porcelana china. Un caso excepcional es el constituido por las armaduras samuráis, verdaderas obras de arte elaboradas en materiales muy diversos y dotadas de una complejidad notable. El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar los estudios previos a la intervención de restauración sobre la colección de armaduras japonesas pertenecientes al Museo del Ejército de Toledo. De este modo, se expone el análisis formal y simbólico de los diferentes elementos que componen estos conjuntos, así como la técnica artística más empleada en su decoración: el lacado japonés. (A

The Digitization in the Spanish Publishing Industry

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the impacts of technological change in the Spanish publishing industry and see how it is adapting to the new digital environment. This work provides a deep insight into the Spanish publishing industry through the collection of available data, mainly from secondary sources of information, both public and private, and from a review of a great number of documents from different sources, grouping all the data obtained to generate a time series, allowing to glimpse the state and evolution of digitization in the Spanish publishing industry along these almost 20 years. This chapter refers to the new business models emerging from digitalization, ending with some conclusions, recommendations, and future lines of research. This chapter is not just trying to be a journey through the past, present, and future of the book industry in Spain, but it pretends being the first step to continue investigating these and other aspects in a deeper way

A Transaction Cost Economics View on Outsourcing Decision in Spanish Publishing Industry

Purpose: The present study analyzes, through the online survey method, the role of KIBS in the processes of digital transformation and technological change of Spanish publishing companies. The general goal of this research is to explore the effects produced over Spanish publishing companies in interacting with KIBS as facilitators, bearers, and generators of innovation. Some other more specific objectives linked to this general goal are the following ones: a) to determine the role of transaction costs as drivers of the outsourcing of knowledge management systems through KIBS; and b) to understand to what extent the interaction of publishers with KIBS promotes in those the introduction of new business models. Methodology: Through the survey conducted among 310 Spanish publishers from a universe of 992 companies pertaining to DILVE, the only platform and database of Spanish publishers used for any approach to this sector, and using open and closed questions, the study tries to answer the stated research questions. Findings/Contribution: it is concluded that: i) the extension of the relationship between publishers and KIBS moves from the production subsystem to the distribution one; ii) the link between their respective value chains is perceived as profound enough to turn KIBS into facilitators, bearers and generators of the innovation required by the Spanish publishing companies; and iii) KIBS are the fundamental axes for the adoption of new business models. &nbsp

Values linked to generic competence of teamwork in virtual learning environments. A study at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (Ecuador)

Un componente clave de toda competencia genérica es el valor, cuestión mencionada, pero escasamente atendida en el proceso formativo y, menos aún, evaluada. Encontramos estudios y experiencias que abordan la formación en destrezas, conocimientos, etc., pero no es tan habitual las dirigidas a su dimensión axiológica. Por ello es necesario identificar los valores implícitos en estas, para poder incorporarlas en la dinámica formativa en cada asignatura y en su evaluación. Los objetivos de este trabajo se apoyan en un estudio de carácter descriptivo centrado en un caso único con recogida de datos a partir de un cuestionario dirigido a los actores del proceso de enseñanza a distancia en un entorno virtual de aprendizaje. Para ello se diseñaron, validaron y aplicaron dos cuestionarios, uno dirigido a profesores y otro a estudiantes, con preguntas que permitieran evaluar cómo los primeros asumen y transmiten estos valores y cómo los perciben los segundos. Los resultados obtenidos permiten concluir: 1) Hay una marcada diferencia entre el sentir de los profesores en la asunción y transmisión de estos valores y la percepción de los estudiantes. 2) Los profesores, aunque reconocen falencias en algunos aspectos de la formación axiológica de sus estudiantes, no son suficientemente conscientes de estas diferencias significativas. 3) Es necesario que la institución, identificadas las debilidades de los profesores, establezca líneas de trabajo y nuevas acciones que ayuden a alcanzar los objetivos de una formación de calidad. Este trabajo representa una primera aproximación a un tema que, por su importancia, necesita ser profundizado y continuado a lo largo del tiempo. Gracias a los cuestionarios diseñados y validados podemos contrastar estos resultados en otros entornos virtuales de aprendizaje, para analizar qué formación se está favoreciendo en nuestras instituciones universitarias. Identificar esta realidad es la vía para poder presentar planes de mejora en las titulaciones que se imparten.An important component of any generic competence is the value. This matter is mentioned but scarcely attended in the teaching process and is poorly evaluated. Studies and experiences that address training in skills, knowledge, etc. were found. However, it is not so common to address the axiological dimension of each competence. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the values implicit in any generic competence, in order to incorporate this to the dynamic training in each subject, and assess acquisition. The objectives of this work are based on a descriptive study focused on a single case with data collecting from a survey completed by participants in the process of virtual distance education. To this end, we designed, validated and applied two questionnaires, one for teachers and another one for students. The surveys have questions that have allowed the assessment on how these values are assumed and transmitted by teachers and also on how the students perceive them. The results indicate that: 1) There is a strong difference between the feelings of the teachers about the assumption and transmission of these values, and the perception of the students. 2) Teachers even though recognizing the shortcomings in some aspects of the axiological formation of their students, are not sufficiently aware of these important differences. 3) When the institution has identified the weaknesses of the teachers it is necessary to set lines of work to aid them in the process of pondering the situation and to propound new actions that help with the achievement of the objectives of a quality education. This paper represents a first approach to this subject, which because of its importance, further deepening will be necessary. Thanks to the designed and validated questionnaires we can compare these results in other virtual learning environments, to analyze what is being promoted in our universities. Identify this reality is the way to be able to submit improvement plans in the degrees offered