Simulaciones sanitarias para el estudio de enfermedades infecciosas endémicas, emergentes y reemergentes en el ganado porcino

Depto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaFALSEsubmitte

Entorno de soporte al aprendizaje activo en procesamiento de lenguaje

El procesamiento de lenguaje es una competencia central en disciplinas relacionadas tanto con Informática como con Lingüística Computacional. Su carácter constructivo aconseja la adopción de una estrategia activa para su enseñanza, según la cual el alumno aprende definiendo lenguajes y construyendo sus procesadores: los programas que procesan las frases de dichos lenguajes. Bajo esta hipótesis, y en el contexto del programa de Proyectos de Innovación y Mejora de la Calidad Docente 2005-2006 de la UCM, estamos desarrollando un entorno informático orientado a facilitar dicho aprendizaje activo. En este artículo motivamos y describimos dicho entorno

Browsing Digital Collections with Reconfigurable Faceted Thesauri

Faceted thesauri group classification terms into hierarchically arranged facets. They enable faceted browsing, a well-known browsing technique that makes it possible to navigate digital collections by recursively choosing terms in the facet hierarchy. In this paper we develop an approach to achieve faceted browsing in live collections, in which not only the contents but also the thesauri can be constantly reorganized. We start by introducing a digital collection model letting users reconfigure facet hierarchies. Then we introduce navigation automata as an efficient way of supporting faceted browsing in these collections. Since, in the worst-case, the number of states in these automata can grow exponentially, we propose two alternative indexing strategies able to bridge this complexity: inverted indexes and navigation dendrograms. Finally, by comparing these strategies in the context of Clavy, a system for managing collections with reconfigurable structures in digital humanities and educational settings, we provide evidence that navigation dendrogram organization outperforms the inverted index-based one

Learning Object Repositories with Dynamically Reconfigurable Metadata Schemata

[ES] In this paper we describe a model of learning object repository in which users have full control on the metadata schemata. Thus, they can define new schemata and they can reconfigure existing ones in a collaborative fashion. As consequence, the repository must react to changes in schemata in a dynamic and responsive way. Since schemata enable operations like navigation and search, dynamic reconfigurability requires clever indexing strategies, resilient to changes in these schemata. For this purpose, we have used conventional inverted indexing approaches and we have also devised a hierarchical clusteringbased indexing model. By using Clavy, a system for managing learning object repositories in the field of the Humanities, we provide some experimental results that show how the hierarchical clustering-based model can outperform the more conventional inverted indexes-based solutions

Elastin-like recombinamers: Deconstructing and recapitulating the functionality of extracellular matrix proteins using recombinant protein polymers

Producción CientíficaIn the development of tissue engineering strategies to replace, remodel, regenerate, or support damaged tissue, the development of bioinspired biomaterials that recapitulate the physicochemical characteristics of the extracellular matrix has received increased attention. Given the compositional heterogeneity and tissue-to-tissue variation of the extracellular matrix, the design, choice of polymer, crosslinking, and nature of the resulting biomaterials are normally depended on intended application. Generally, these biomaterials are usually made of degradable or nondegradable biomaterials that can be used as cell or drug carriers. In recent years, efforts to endow reciprocal biomaterial–cell interaction properties in scaffolds have inspired controlled synthesis, derivatization, and functionalization of the polymers used. In this regard, elastin-like recombinant proteins have generated interest and continue to be developed further owing to their modular design at a molecular level. In this review, the authors provide a summary of key extracellular matrix features relevant to biomaterials design and discuss current approaches in the development of extracellular matrix-inspired elastin-like recombinant protein based biomaterials.Comisión Europea (grants MSCA-ITN-2014-ETN-642687 and NMP-2014-646075)Gobierno de España (grants MAT2016-78903-R, MAT2015-68901-R, and RTI2018-096320-B-C22)Junta de Castilla y León (project VA317P18)"Interreg V A España Portugal" Programa operativo de cooperación transfronteriza España Portugal (POCTEP) (grant 0624_2IQBIONEURO_6_E

Recombinant AMP/Polypeptide Self-Assembled Monolayers with Synergistic Antimicrobial Properties for Bacterial Strains of Medical Relevance

Producción CientíficaNosocomial infections are one of the most frequent causes of indwelling biomedical device failure. In this regard, the use of antibiofilm nanocoatings based on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a promising alternative to prevent multiresistant biofilm infections. However, the limitations of chemical production impede the large-scale development of advanced antimicrobial materials that improve the properties of AMPs. Herein, we present a multifunctional modular design for the recombinant coproduction of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) based on AMPs and elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs), which combine the antimicrobial properties of a designer AMP, GL13K, and low-fouling activity of an ELR in a synergistic manner. The inclusion of a grafting domain intended for oriented tethering onto surfaces allowed the recombinant polymers to be covalently immobilized onto model gold surfaces. The antibiofilm properties against two of the bacterial strains most frequently responsible for indwelling medical device-associated infections, namely Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, were then evaluated. GL13K peptide was found to provide antibiofilm properties to the surface, with these being synergistically enhanced by the antifouling effect of the ELR. This new design offers a promising tool for the development of advanced AMP-based nanocoatings for medical devices with powerful and enhanced features.Comisión Europea (project NMP-2014-646075)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (project PCIN-2015-010 / MAT2015-68901-R / MAT2016-78903-R)Junta de Castilla y León (project VA317P18

Informática educativa y educación en informática

Selection of the extended papers related to Computers in Education and Computer Science Education topics presented at the sixteenth edition of the International Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE 2014), held between 12 and 14 November 2014 in Logroño, La Ri-oja, Spain

Analyzing coastal environments by means of functional data analysis

Here we used Functional Data Analysis (FDA) to examine particle-size distributions (PSDs) in a beach/shallow marine sedimentary environment in Gijón Bay (NW Spain). The work involved both Functional Principal Components Analysis (FPCA) and Functional Cluster Analysis (FCA). The grainsize of the sand samples was characterized by means of laser dispersion spectroscopy. Within this framework, FPCA was used as a dimension reduction technique to explore and uncover patterns in grain-size frequency curves. This procedure proved useful to describe variability in the structure of the data set. Moreover, an alternative approach, FCA, was applied to identify clusters and to interpret their spatial distribution. Results obtained with this latter technique were compared with those obtained by means of two vector approaches that combine PCA with CA (Cluster Analysis). The first method, the point density function (PDF), was employed after adapting a log-normal distribution to each PSD and resuming each of the density functions by its mean, sorting, skewness and kurtosis. The second applied a centered-log-ratio (clr) to the original data. PCA was then applied to the transformed data, and finally CA to the retained principal component scores. The study revealed functional data analysis, specifically FPCA and FCA, as a suitable alternative with considerable advantages over traditional vector analysis techniques in sedimentary geology studies

Reporte de caso de necrosis apical en un cultivo de mango (Mangifera indica L.) establecido bajo condiciones del Caribe seco colombiano

Bacterial apical necrosis of mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an acute disease reported mainly in Southern Europe, characterized by the generation of necrotic lesions in buds and leaves that spread through the petioles towards the stems. Its incidence results in significant economic losses due to a decrease in production. Known causative agents of this disease are the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae and Pantoea spp., which survive as epiphytes on plant surfaces. In a two-year-old mango cv. Keitt orchard, established at the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA), Motilonia Research Station, mango trees exhibited symptoms of necrosis in buds, leaves, and branches. The mango plants were affected downwards, causing their death 30 days after the first symptoms. Five samples of affected leaf tissue and petioles were taken to isolate the causative agent and make a diagnosis to manage the disease properly. The samples were superficially disinfected and incubated in a humid chamber and culture media for three days. After incubation, hyphae, exudates, and bacterial colonies were plated on solid culture media. The isolates obtained were characterized morphologically and biochemically. The results showed the presence of bacteria identified as Pantoea spp. by amplifying and sequencing the region coding for the 16S subunit of rRNA. In vitro pathogenicity tests preliminarily suggest Pantoea spp. as the causative agent of the disease. This work is the first report of apical necrosis by Pantoea spp. in mango for Colombia.La necrosis apical bacteriana del mango es una enfermedad crítica reportada principalmente en Europa, que se caracteriza por la generación de lesiones necróticas en yemas y hojas, las cuales se extienden a través de los peciolos hacia los tallos. Su incidencia resulta en pérdidas económicas importantes debido a una disminución de la producción. Los agentes causales conocidos de esta enfermedad son las bacterias Pseudomonas syringae y Pantoea spp., que sobreviven como epífitas en la superficie de las plantas.  En un cultivo de mango cv. Keitt de dos años, establecido en la Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA), Centro de Investigación Motilonia, se evidenciaron síntomas de necrosis en yemas, hojas y ramas.  Las plantas de mango se vieron afectadas de forma descendente hasta su muerte a los 30 días después los primeros síntomas. Se tomaron cinco muestras de tejido foliar afectado y pecíolos para aislar el agente causal y generar un diagnóstico a fin de realizar un manejo preciso de la enfermedad. Las muestras se desinfectaron superficialmente y se incubaron en cámara húmeda y medios de cultivo por tres días. Después de la incubación, las hifas, los exudados y las colonias bacterianas se sembraron en medios de cultivo sólidos. Los aislamientos obtenidos se caracterizaron a nivel morfológico y bioquímico. Los resultados arrojaron la presencia de bacterias identificadas como Pantoea spp. por amplificación y secuenciación de la región que codifica para la subunidad 16S del ARNr. Las pruebas de patogenicidad in vitro sugieren preliminarmente a Pantoea spp. como el agente causal de la enfermedad. Este trabajo es el primer reporte de necrosis apical por Pantoea spp. en mango para Colombia

Spatial control and cell adhesion selectivity on model gold surfaces grafted with elastin-like recombinamers

Producción CientíficaA simple system for cell selectivity and spatially controlled cell adhesion has been developed using model gold surfaces grafted with a combination of two ELRs containing into their backbone cell-adhesion domains such as RGD and REDV. Grafting onto gold was achieved via redox reaction through thiol groups present in amino terminal cysteine tails of the ELRs. The correlation among contact angle, SEM micrographs, AFM, XPS and QCM-D have been carried out. After in-depth adhesion studies, a mixture of 75% ELR-REDV and 25% ELR-RGD was found to exhibit high selectivity for endothelial cells, promoting strong adhesion thereof. Consequently, certain areas of gold surfaces (strips) were cleaned by laser ablation and functionalized with the mixture 75% ELR-REDV - 25% ELR-RGD leading to a spatial segregation of the co-culture made of HUVEC and HFF1 cells. This platform therefore exhibits selective spatial control over cell adhesion associated with the bioactive epitopes (RGD and REDV) contained in the ELR sequence, since each functionalized surface (including strips) have similar topographic, hydrophobic and mechanical properties.2020-092020-09Comisión Europea (NMP-2014-646075, MSCA-ITN-2014-642687)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (PCIN-2015-010, MAT2015-68901-R, MAT2016-78903-R and MAT2016-79435-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. Project VA015U16)Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y Leó