The development of a protocol for the analysis of genetic expression through «differential display», as a means to reducing the number of false positives

Entre los métodos empleados para los análisis de la expresión de genes, el método de "differentialdisplay" ha sido ampliamente utilizado y, a pesar del uso extendido de los "microarrays", es aún unmétodo válido para el análisis con muestras cuyo transcriptoma es desconocido. Con el objeto de reducirel elevado número de falsos positivos que genera esta técnica, hemos optimizado el protocolo parareducir la posibilidad de generar falsos positivos. En primer lugar, hemos marcado radiactivamente elcebador oligo-dT con lo que los fragmentos de DNA identificados son extremos 3'-UTR de RNAm. Pormuestra hemos realizado dos transcripciones inversas y dos reacciones de PCR en cada una de ellas. Paraseleccionar un fragmento de DNA, debía estar diferencialmente expresado en las 4 reacciones de PCR.Por último, todos los fragmentos fueron clonados y secuenciados por triplicado. Estas modificacionesal protocolo nos ha permitido identificar 5 genes expresados diferencialmente entre células epitelialesde intestino en estado proliferativo y diferenciado.The analysis of genetic expression, the differential display (DD) method has been widely used, but inspite of the extensive use of the «microarrays» method, it is still to be considered as a valid methodfor the analysis of samples whose transcriptone is not known. In this work, an attempt has been madeto reduce the high number of false positives generated by this technique by optimising method protocol.As a preliminary step, we radioactively marked the oligo dT primer with which the fragments ofidentified DNA were extreme 3'-UTR of mRNA. For each sample two inverse transcriptions and twoPCR reactions were performed. Only fragments of DNA that are expressed differentially in all 4 PCRreactions should be selected. Finally, all of the fragments were cloned and sequenced in triplicate. Theseprotocol modifications have allowed us to identify 5 differentially expressed genes, in intestinal epithelialcells in both proliferative and differentiated states

Caveolin-1 Modulates Mechanotransduction Responses to Substrate Stiffness through Actin-Dependent Control of YAP

The transcriptional regulator YAP orchestrates many cellular functions, including tissue homeostasis, organ growth control, and tumorigenesis. Mechanical stimuli are a key input to YAP activity, but the mechanisms controlling this regulation remain largely uncharacterized. We show that CAV1 positively modulates the YAP mechanoresponse to substrate stiffness through actin-cytoskeleton-dependent and Hippo-kinase-independent mechanisms. RHO activity is necessary, but not sufficient, for CAV1-dependent mechanoregulation of YAP activity. Systematic quantitative interactomic studies and image-based small interfering RNA (siRNA) screens provide evidence that this actin-dependent regulation is determined by YAP interaction with the 14-3-3 protein YWHAH. Constitutive YAP activation rescued phenotypes associated with CAV1 loss, including defective extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. CAV1-mediated control of YAP activity was validated in vivo in a model of pancreatitis-driven acinar-to-ductal metaplasia. We propose that this CAV1-YAP mechanotransduction system controls a significant share of cell programs linked to these two pivotal regulators, with potentially broad physiological and pathological implications. Moreno-Vicente et al. report that CAV1, a key component of PM mechanosensing caveolae, mediates adaptation to ECM rigidity by modulating YAP activity through the control of actin dynamics and phosphorylation-dependent interaction of YAP with the 14-3-3-domain protein YWHAH. Cav1-dependent YAP regulation drives two pathophysiological processes: ECM remodeling and pancreatic ADM. © 2018 The Author

Evaluation of two MM5-PBL parameterizations for solar radiation and temperature estimation in the South-Eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula

We study the relative performance of two different MM5-PBL parameterizations (Blackadar and MRF) simulating hourly values of solar irradiance and temperature in the south-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The evaluation was carried out throughout the different seasons of the year 2005 and for three different sky conditions: clear-sky, broken-clouds and overcast conditions. Two integrations, one per PBL parameterization, were carried out for every sky condition and season of the year and results were compared with observational data. Overall, the MM5 model, both using the Blackadar or MRF PBL parameterization, revealed to be a valid tool to estimate hourly values of solar radiation and temperature over the study area. The influence of the PBL parameterization on the model estimates was found to be more important for the solar radiation than for the temperature and highly dependent on the season and sky conditions. Particularly, a detailed analysis revealed that, during broken-clouds conditions, the ability of the model to reproduce hourly changes in the solar radiation strongly depends upon the selected PBL parameterization. Additionally, it was found that solar radiation RMSE values are about one order of magnitude higher during broken-clouds and overcast conditions compared to clear-sky conditions. For the temperature, the two PBL parameterizations provide very similar estimates. Only under overcast conditions and during the autumn, the MRF provides significantly better estimates

Identidad y competencias interculturales

Nos proponemos los siguientes objetivos: Identificar las circunstancias personales y familiares relacionadas con el proceso de integración social de los inmigrantes en Granada, conocer sus expectativas de promoción personal y social, así como identificar el desarrollo de competencias interculturales como base para la constante reconstrucción de la identidad. Tres han sido los colectivos de estudio: inmigrantes magrebíes, latinoamericanos y europeos del este. La metodología utilizada ha sido la entrevista y el cuestionario. En los resultados aportamos importante información para la caracterización de la inmigración en Granada y las competencias interculturales para una integración social y cultural de los mismos

Caracterización y evaluaciçón de la capacidad de uso de los suelos de la comarca de "El Aljarafe" (Sevilla)

8 páginas, 5 tablas y 7 referencias. Comunicación presentada en las Actas del VII Congreso Nacional de Química (Química Agrícola y Alimentaria/2). Sevilla (España). 12 al 17 de Octubre de 1987. Vol. 1: "El suelo: fertilidad y fertilizantes". "La planta: aspectos bioquímicos y fisiológicos". "Protección vegetal"The soils of "El Aljarafe" region (Seville) are studied. As a result, different soils are found and classified into 19 taxonomic units of "Soil Taxonomy" (1975) System. Also. their land capability to relative, use, their erosion hazard and their ability for irrigation purposes, are evaluted. A soil map finally, to scale 1/50.000, with the results of the evaluation, is added.Peer reviewe

Modelling the dynamics of the students academic performance in the German region of North Rhine- Westphalia: an epidemiological approach with uncertainty

This is an author's accepted manuscript of an article published in "International Journal of Computer Mathematics"; Volume 91, Issue 2, 2014; copyright Taylor & Francis; available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207160.2013.813937Student academic underachievement is a concern of paramount importance in Europe, where around 15% of the students in the last high school courses do not achieve the minimum knowledge academic requirement. In this paper, we propose a model based on a system of differential equations to study the dynamics of the students academic performance in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia. This approach is supported by the idea that both, good and bad study habits, are a mixture of personal decisions and influence of classmates. This model allows us to forecast the student academic performance by means of confidence intervals over the next few years.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant MTM2009-08587 and Universitat Politecnica de Valencia grant PAID06-11-2070.Cortés, J.; Ehrhardt, M.; Sánchez Sánchez, A.; Santonja, F.; Villanueva Micó, RJ. (2014). Modelling the dynamics of the students academic performance in the German region of North Rhine- Westphalia: an epidemiological approach with uncertainty. International Journal of Computer Mathematics. 91(2):241-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207160.2013.813937S241251912Akaike, H. (1969). Fitting autoregressive models for prediction. Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 21(1), 243-247. doi:10.1007/bf02532251Brockwell, P. J., & Davis, R. A. (1996). Introduction to Time Series and Forecasting. Springer Texts in Statistics. doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-2526-1Dogan, G. (2007). Bootstrapping for confidence interval estimation and hypothesis testing for parameters of system dynamics models. System Dynamics Review, 23(4), 415-436. doi:10.1002/sdr.362Efron, B. (1979). Bootstrap Methods: Another Look at the Jackknife. The Annals of Statistics, 7(1), 1-26. doi:10.1214/aos/1176344552LJUNG, G. M., & BOX, G. E. P. (1979). The likelihood function of stationary autoregressive-moving average models. Biometrika, 66(2), 265-270. doi:10.1093/biomet/66.2.265Martcheva, M., & Castillo-Chavez, C. (2003). Diseases with chronic stage in a population with varying size. Mathematical Biosciences, 182(1), 1-25. doi:10.1016/s0025-5564(02)00184-0J.D. Murray,Mathematical Biology, Springer, New York, 2002.Nelder, J. A., & Mead, R. (1965). A Simplex Method for Function Minimization. The Computer Journal, 7(4), 308-313. doi:10.1093/comjnl/7.4.308Yazici, B., & Yolacan, S. (2007). A comparison of various tests of normality. Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, 77(2), 175-183. doi:10.1080/10629360600678310M.Á.M. Zabal, P.F. Berrocal, C. Coll, and M. de los Ángeles Melero Zabal,La Interacción Social en Contextos Educativos[Social interaction in educational contexts], Psicología/Siglo XXI de España Editores Series, Siglo XXI de España, 1995

Characterization of the annual regulation of reproductive and immune parameters on the testis of European sea bass

The European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., is a seasonal gonochoristic species, which males are generally mature during the second year of life. It has been demonstrated that cytokines and immune cells play a key role in the testicular development. This reproductive-immune interaction might be very important in the sea bass since several pathogens are able to colonize the gonad and persist in this tissue, altering further reproductive functions and spreading the disease. This study aims to investigate the reproductive cycle of one year European sea bass males by analyzing cell proliferation and apoptosis and expression profile of some reproductive and immune-related genes in the testis as well as the serum sex steroid levels. Our data demonstrate that in one year old European sea bass males, the testis undergoes the spermatogenesis process and that the reproductive and immune parameters analyzed varied during the reproductive cycle. In the testis, the highest proliferative rates were recorded at spermatogenesis stage, while the highest apoptotic rates were recorded at spawning stage. We have also analyzed, for the first time in European sea bass males, the serum levels of 17β-estradiol (E2) and dihydrotestosterone and the gene expression profile of the enzymes implied in their production, determining that at least E2 might be involved in the regulation of the reproductive cycle. Some immune relevant genes, including cytokines, lymphocyte receptors, anti-viral and antibacterial molecules were detected in the testis of naïve European sea bass specimens and their expression profile was related with the stages of the reproductive cycle, suggesting an important role for the defence of the reproductive tissues.Postprin

Paraffin–Peloid Formulations from Copahue: Processing, Characterization and Application

The Copahue Thermal Center, situated in Neuquén, Argentina, produces natural and matured peloids, which are employed in the prevention and treatment of various osteoarticular and dermatological disorders. The presence of sulfur as a constituent and its thermotherapeutic potential constitute the primary strengths of these peloids. Nevertheless, accessing Copahue is challenging due to its distance from densely populated centers and the snow cover during the winter months in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, in order to propose a material that can be utilized year-round in any location, a mudpack was obtained by combining medicinal paraffin with dehydrated Copahue peloids, with concentrations evaluated up to 10% w/w. This mudpack was analyzed through X-ray diffraction, which detected the presence of sulfur, the most important component of Copahue’s peloids. Through IR spectroscopy, the signals that identify medicinal paraffin were clearly observed, and for concentrations of 6% and 10% peloid in the material, it was possible to detect the presence of mineral clay components associated with Si-O stretching vibrations at around 1041 cm−1. The low values of luminosity and grey tonality obtained for the mudpack contributed to patient acceptability and the absorption of electromagnetic radiation. The experimental cooling rate, calculated using the ratio of the temperature variation (∆T) with respect to the time variation (∆t) in each interval of the experimental curve, was determined to be 0.6 °C·min−1 for both paraffin and the mudpack. However, for peloids, higher values ranging from 0.6 to 4.8 °C·min−1 were obtained. This suggests that the mudpack mixtures have a slower heat release, which is a desirable property for their use as a thermotherapeutic agent. Considering the reusability of the mudpack, its stability was evaluated after 10 cycles of cooling and heating through XRD, DSC, and FTIR tests, resulting in a system that retains its properties. The formulation of the obtained mudpack is promising for the development of these materials on a larger scaleThis research was supported by the National University of Comahue, through project 04–I249: “Materiales adsorbentes naturales y modificados aplicados en termalismo