Tarjeta para configuración y comunicación con una FPGA Spartan 6 usando el controlador USB TF2232H

El actual proyecto presenta una solución referida a la necesidad de configurar y comunicarse con una FPGA del modelo Spartan 6 del fabricante Xilinx a través de un dispositivo intermedio como es un controlador USB. Se diseña una tarjeta que contenga las conexiones entre ambos dispositivos y que se conecta al host a través de USB. El trabajo abarca desde la búsqueda de las conexiones entre dispositivos hasta la fabricación de la tarjeta. Se desarrollará también el interfaz de configuración JTAG para la FPGA Spartan 6 haciendo pruebas con el fichero de código tanto a través de cableado como con la tarjeta de este trabajo ya fabricada.Departamento de Tecnología ElectrónicaGrado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriale

Modelling the enantioresolution capability of cellulose tris(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate) stationary phase in reversed phase conditions for neutral and basic chiral compounds

[EN] To the best of our knowledge, the prediction of the enantioresolution ability of polysaccharides-based stationary phases in liquid chromatography for structurally unrelated compounds has not been previously reported. In this study, structural information of neutral and basic compounds is used to model their enantioresolution levels obtained from an immobilised cellulose tris(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate) stationary phase in reversed phase conditions. Thirty-four structurally unrelated chiral drugs and pesticides, from seven families, are studied. Categorical enantioresolution levels (RsC, 0 = no baseline enantioresolution and 1 = baseline enantioresolution) are established from the experimental enantioresolution values obtained at a fixed experimental conditions. From 58 initial structural variables, three topological parameters (two of them connected to the chiral carbon), and six molecular descriptors (one of them also related with the chiral carbon), are selected after a discriminant partial least squares refinement process. The molar total charge of the molecule at the working pH is the most important variable. The relationships between RsC and the most important structural variables and the drug/pesticide family are evaluated. An explicit model is proposed to anticipate the RsC levels, which provides 100% of correct anticipations. A criterion is introduced to alert about the compounds that should not be anticipated.The authors acknowledge the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the financial support (Project CTQ2015-70904-R, MINECO/FEDER, UE).Martin-Biosca, Y.; Escuder-Gilabert, L.; Medina-Hernandez, MJ.; Sagrado Vives, S. (2018). Modelling the enantioresolution capability of cellulose tris(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate) stationary phase in reversed phase conditions for neutral and basic chiral compounds. Journal of Chromatography A. 1567:111-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2018.06.061S111118156

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Calidad, Validación de métodos, Control de calidad, Incertidumbre, Acreditación de laboratorios

Describir e ilustrar con un ejemplo el procedimiento a seguir para armonizar tres procesos internos de calidad, relacionados con un método de análisis, en el laboratorio de ensayo, LE: Validación de la exactitud, Control de calidad y Expresión de la incertidumbre. Además, la Guía se ha diseñado para que el usuario (estudiante o profesional) alcance competencias y cualificación suficiente para ejecutar correctamente un documento del sistema de calidad del LE y poder cumplimentar un registro de validación de manera conforme. Finalmente, la Guía (en sí misma, junto al resto de documentos que la componen) pretende servir de orientación didáctica al usuario sobre algunos aspectos clave de un sistema de calidad y como ayuda en la consecución de la acreditación de una actividad (alcance de acreditación) del LE

Smart electrochemical sensing of xylitol using a combined machine learning and simulation approach

A novel sensor was proposed for the detection of xylitol in sugar free chewing gum using Au nanoparticles (NPs) derived from Callistemon viminalis leaf extract coupled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) doped onto glassy carbon electrode (GCE). In comparison to the bare GCE, the modified GCE/MWCNT/AuNPs sensor showed about 45-fold better electrochemical response to xylitol. Under the optimal conditions, the designed sensor achieved a detection limit of 9.8 × 10 6 pM for concentrations ranging from 9.9 × 10 6 to 2.9 × 10 5 pM. The practicability was tested on sugar-free sample yielding recoveries of 97–100% with RSDs of 2.83–3.33%. Machine learning (ML) was used to predict changes in voltammetric signal with changing potential over time demonstrating the fundamental knowledge of the electrochemical reaction. The performance of the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) provides good accuracy and precision in predicting the intensity (I) along with repeated ANN runs, with a mean square error (MSE) of 0.007 (± 0.002) and a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.9992 ± 0.0006. Additionally, the interaction of xylitol on the electrode surfaces were investigated using Monte Carlo adsorption studies and 1000 ps Molecular Dynamics simulations under NVT conditions. According to the frontier molecular orbitals obtained through Density Functional Theory calculations, the reactive sites of xylitol occur at the hydroxyl group on the second carbon. Using complementary measurement techniques, this new strategy exhibits a great potential for rapid detection of xylitol in food and dental products

Anticipating the impact of pitfalls in kinetic biodegradation parameter estimation from substrate depletion curves of organic pollutants

[EN] Accurate and reliable estimation of kinetic parameters of pollutant biodegradation processes is essential for environmental and health risk assessment. Common biodegradation models proposed in the literature, such as the nonlinear Monod equation and its simplified versions (e.g. Michaelis-Menten-like and first-order equations), are problematic in terms of accuracy of kinetic parameters due to the parameter correlation. However, a comparison between these models in terms of accuracy and reliability, related to data imprecision, has not been performed in the literature. This task is necessary, mainly because the model selection cannot be straightforward, as shown in this work. To facilitate the comparison, novel statistics summarising the accuracy and reliability of estimations are introduced. The main objective is to establish relationships between these statistics (trough new diagnostic indicators) to limit the probability of pitfalls or to avoid the negative impact of an improper model selection. Such anticipation is an imperative need in the biodegradation modelling framework and, to the best of our knowledge, it has never been performed. In order to account for accuracy, simulated data in realistic conditions are used to highlight the magnitude of pitfalls related to the model selection for estimation of the main kinetic parameters (K-s, mu(m) and/or V-m). Four scenarios related to model selection are compared for the first time and, diagnostic indicators able to anticipate relevant aspects related to accuracy and reliability are introduced. Moreover, first evidences of the impact of measurement errors in other intrinsic Monod parameters (the initial biomass concentration and the microbial yield coefficient, Y), as well as the impact of the simultaneous mu(m), K-s and Y estimation, on the accuracy and reliability of the estimations are reported. Despite the pitfalls shown, specific applicability of even unreliable models is highlighted, and suggestions for environmental and health risk modellers are provided accordingly. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors acknowledge the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) and the European Regional Development Fund for the financial support (Project CTQ2015-70904-R, MINECO/FEDER, UE).Escuder-Gilabert, L.; Martin-Biosca, Y.; Sagrado Vives, S.; Medina-Hernández, M. (2019). Anticipating the impact of pitfalls in kinetic biodegradation parameter estimation from substrate depletion curves of organic pollutants. Environmental Pollution. 252-A:128-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.05.080S128136252-

Improved accuracy of environmentally relevant parameter estimates derived from biodegradation assays

Biodegradation assays involve both biodegradation and analytical processes which can be affected by systematic errors, among others. These errors can affect all the environmentally relevant parameters related to biodegradability, enantioselectivity (in the case of chiral compounds), kinetic parameters and persistence of chemicals. However, such impacts have never been well-characterized. In this work, calculations and models used for a long time are studied by simulating systematic errors at the 5 % level, which affect independently the analytical calibration step and the biodegradation process. The impact of these errors is also compared with those obtained from an alternative approach: recently proposed equations and a novel model (a Monod modified version) developed in this work. All simulations are compatible with an environmentally relevant pollutant concentration. The results suggest a high degree of minimization (or even cancelation) of the systematic error impact using the alternative approach respect to the conventional one. These findings can be interpreted either in view of achiral or chiral pollutants. The present work can have a positive impact in the area of risk assessment of new pollutants and hazardous materials

Enantioselective study on the biodegradation of verapamil and cytalopram by chiral capillary electrophoresis

Many of the currently available drugs are chiral compounds that are marketed as racemates or, to a lesser extent, in the form of one of the enantiomers since a pair of enantiomers may have different toxicological and ecotoxicological properties compared to each other. The evaluation of enantioselectivity in biodegradation processes is essential for environmental risk assessment. The objective of this research is to study the enantioselectivity in the biodegradation of two common chiral drugs, citalopram and verapamil, using highly sulphated-γ-cyclodextrin (HS-γ-CD) as chiral selector in Capillary Electrophoresis. Biodegradation experiments were performed in batch mode using a minimal salt medium inoculated with an activated sludge and supplemented with the corresponding enantiomeric mixture. The cultures were incubated at 20 °C for 28 days. Abiotic degradation of verapamil and citalopram enantiomers was also assessed. The concentration of the enantiomers of verapamil and citalopram were monitored using 0.7% and 0.1% m/v HS-γ-CD solutions as chiral selector, respectively. Separations were carried out using the complete filling technique. The results of biodegradability tests indicate that citalopram could be considered potentially persistent while verapamil is presumed to be a non-persistent compound. No evidence of enantioselectivity was observed in any of the biodegradation processes