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This paper presents a methodology for the design of a fuzzy controller applicable to continuous processes based on local fuzzy models and velocity linearizations. It has been applied to the implementation of a fuzzy controller for a continuous distillation tower. Continuous distillation towers can be subjected to variations in feed characteristics that cause loss of product quality or excessive energy consumption. Therefore, the use of a fuzzy controller is interesting to control process performance.A dynamic model for continuous distillation was implemented and used to obtain data to develop the fuzzy controller at different operating points. The fuzzy controller was built by integration of linear controllers obtained for each linearization of the system. Simulation of the model with controller was used to validate the controller effectiveness under different scenarios, including a study of the sensibility of some parameters to the control.The results showed that the fuzzy controller was able to keep the target output in the desired range for different inputs disturbances, changing smoothly from a predefined target output to another. The developed techniques are applicable to more complex distillation systems including more operating variables ; The authors acknowledge the partial funding of this work by the projects: Regional Government Project GVPRE/2008/108, and National Projects DPI2007-66728-C02-01 and DPI2008-06737-C02-01. ; Barceló Rico, F.; Gozálvez Zafrilla, JM.; Diez Ruano, JL.; Santafé Moros, MA. (2011). Modelling and control of a continuous distillation tower through fuzzy techniques. Chemical Engineering Research and Design. 89(1):107-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2010.04.015 ; S ; 107 ; 115 ; 89 ; 1

[EN] The influence of fluid dynamic conditions on the oxygen transport through mixed ionic-electronic membranes was studied experimentally and numerically. A set of permeation experiments was performed in a wide range of operating conditions combining temperature, driving force and flow rate of air feed and sweep streams. A computational model was built and enabled to systematically evaluate the effect of the fluid dynamic conditions on O-2 separation process. This model includes the surface resistance (gas exchange kinetics) and bulk oxygen-ion diffusion. The experimental set was used to obtain the model parameters by following a two-step fitting procedure: a first fitting of a simplified one-dimensional model using genetic algorithms and a subsequent refining of the parameters using the complete model implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics. The high-accuracy model allowed characterizing the O-2 transport phenomena and understanding the different factors governing the overall process, e.g. by using different membrane thicknesses, sweep gases or vacuum. Simulations of the fitted model revealed the importance of the sweep effect in the O-2 transport across the membrane and enabled to establish rules for both design of permeation experiments and up-scaling. ; This work was financially supported by Spanish Government (Grants SEV-2016-0683 and RTI2018-102161) and Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2018/006). ; Catalán-Martínez, D.; Santafé Moros, MA.; Gozálvez-Zafrilla, JM.; García-Fayos, J.; Serra Alfaro, JM. (2020). Characterization of oxygen transport phenomena on BSCF membranes assisted by fluid dynamic simulations including surface exchange. Chemical Engineering Journal. 387:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.124069 ; S ; 1 ; 15 ; 387 ; Habib, M. A., Badr, H. M., Ahmed, S. F., Ben-Mansour, R., Mezghani, K., Imashuku, S., … Ghoneim, A. F. (2010). A review of recent developments in carbon capture utilizing oxy-fuel combustion in conventional and ion transport membrane systems. International Journal of Energy ...

During the last decade, the possibility to remotely control intracellular pathways using physical tools has opened the way to novel and exciting applications, both in basic research and clinical applications. Indeed, the use of physical and non-invasive stimuli such as light, electricity or magnetic fields offers the possibility of manipulating biological processes with spatial and temporal resolution in a remote fashion. The use of magnetic fields is especially appealing for in vivo applications because they can penetrate deep into tissues, as opposed to light. In combination with magnetic actuators they are emerging as a new instrument to precisely manipulate biological functions. This approach, coined as magnetogenetics, provides an exclusive tool to study how cells transform mechanical stimuli into biochemical signalling and offers the possibility of activating intracellular pathways connected to temperature-sensitive proteins. In this review we provide a critical overview of the recent developments in the field of magnetogenetics. We discuss general topics regarding the three main components for magnetic field-based actuation: the magnetic fields, the magnetic actuators and the cellular targets. We first introduce the main approaches in which the magnetic field can be used to manipulate the magnetic actuators, together with the most commonly used magnetic field configurations and the physicochemical parameters that can critically influence the magnetic properties of the actuators. Thereafter, we discuss relevant examples of magneto-mechanical and magneto-thermal stimulation, used to control stem cell fate, to activate neuronal functions, or to stimulate apoptotic pathways, among others. Finally, although magnetogenetics has raised high expectations from the research community, to date there are still many obstacles to be overcome in order for it to become a real alternative to optogenetics for instance. We discuss some controversial aspects related to the insufficient elucidation of the mechanisms of action of some magnetogenetics constructs and approaches, providing our opinion on important challenges in the field and possible directions for the upcoming years. ; This work has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 853468), Ministerio de Innovación, Ciencia y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (Project PGC2018-096016-B-I00 to R.M.F and L.G.), and MINECO and FSE/Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Ramón y Cajal subprogram, grant RYC2015-17640 to R.M.F., grant RyC-2014-15512 to L.G.) and MICIIN and FSE/Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Ramón y Cajal subprogram, grant RyC2019-026860-I to M.M.). Authors also acknowledge support from Gobierno de Aragón and Fondos FEDER for funding the Bionanosurf (E15_17R) research group. ; Peer reviewed

Recent body of evidence demonstrates that extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent the first language of cell-cell communication emerged during evolution. In aquatic environments, transferring signals between cells by EVs offers protection against degradation, allowing delivering of chemical information in high local concentrations to the target cells. The packaging of multiple signals, including those of hydrophobic nature, ensures target cells to receive the same EV-conveyed messages, and the coordination of a variety of physiological processes across cells of a single organisms, or at the population level, i.e., mediating the population's response to changing environmental conditions. Here, we purified EVs from the medium of the freshwater invertebrate Hydra vulgaris, and the molecular profiling by proteomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed multiple markers of the exosome EV subtype, from structural proteins to stress induced messages promoting cell survival. Moreover, positive and negative regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, the major developmental pathway acting in body axial patterning, were identified. Functional analysis on amputated polyps revealed EV ability to modulate both head and foot regeneration, suggesting bioactivity of the EV cargo and opening new perspectives on the mechanisms of developmental signalling. Our results open the path to unravel EV biogenesis and function in all cnidarian species, tracing back the origin of the cell-cell, cross-species or cross-kingdom communication in aquatic ecosystems. ; Proteomic analyses were performed in the Proteomics Platform of Servicios Científico Técnicos del CIBA (IACS-Universidad de Zaragoza), ProteoRed ISCIII member. RNA-seq analyses were performed by Sequentia Biotech S.L. (Barcelona, Spain). The authors acknowledge Mario Isas, Keck School of Medicine of USC Los Angeles, CA, for the kind gift of anti Hydra annexin B12 antibody. GT thanks the MIUR project SHARID-ARS01-01270 for financial support. MMo acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No 853468), from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 660228 and from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Ramón y Cajal grant RyC 2019-026860-I. ; Peer reviewed

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la 4th SBAN Spanish Conference on Biomedical Applications of Nanomaterials (SBAN), celebrada online del 2 al 4 de junio de 2021. ; This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 842652. ; Peer reviewed

The tunability of the properties of chitosan-based carriers opens new ways for the application of drugs with low water-stability or high adverse effects. In this work, the combination of a nanoemulsion with a chitosan hydrogel coating and the following poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafting is proven to be a promising strategy to obtain a flexible and versatile nanocarrier with an improved stability. Thanks to chitosan amino groups, a new easy and reproducible method to obtain nanocapsule grafting with PEG has been developed in this work, allowing a very good control and tunability of the properties of nanocapsule surface. Two different PEG densities of coverage are studied and the nanocapsule systems obtained are characterized at all steps of the optimization in terms of diameter, Z potential and surface charge (amino group analysis). Results obtained are compatible with a conformation of PEG molecules laying adsorbed on nanoparticle surface after covalent linking through their amino terminal moiety. An improvement in nanocapsule stability in physiological medium is observed with the highest PEG coverage density obtained. Cytotoxicity tests also demonstrate that grafting with PEG is an effective strategy to modulate the cytotoxicity of developed nanocapsules. Such results indicate the suitability of chitosan as protective coating for future studies oriented toward drug delivery. ; Authors would like to acknowledge the public funding from Fondo Social de la DGA (grupos DGA), Ministerio de la Economía y Competitividad del Gobierno de España for the public founding of ProyectosI+D+i—Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (project n. SAF2014-54763-C2-2-R), the European Seventh Framework Program (NAREB Project 604237), LLP/Erasmus fellowship 2013/2014, INA fellowship "Iniciación a la Investigación" 2014 and 2015, and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program for MCSA Fellowship (Grant Agreement No. 660228). ; We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

The tunability of the properties of chitosan-based carriers opens new ways for the application of drugs with low water-stability or high adverse effects. In this work, the combination of a nanoemulsion with a chitosan hydrogel coating and the following poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafting is proven to be a promising strategy to obtain a flexible and versatile nanocarrier with an improved stability. Thanks to chitosan amino groups, a new easy and reproducible method to obtain nanocapsule grafting with PEG has been developed in this work, allowing a very good control and tunability of the properties of nanocapsule surface. Two different PEG densities of coverage are studied and the nanocapsule systems obtained are characterized at all steps of the optimization in terms of diameter, Z potential and surface charge (amino group analysis). Results obtained are compatible with a conformation of PEG molecules laying adsorbed on nanoparticle surface after covalent linking through their amino terminal moiety. An improvement in nanocapsule stability in physiological medium is observed with the highest PEG coverage density obtained. Cytotoxicity tests also demonstrate that grafting with PEG is an effective strategy to modulate the cytotoxicity of developed nanocapsules. Such results indicate the suitability of chitosan as protective coating for future studies oriented toward drug delivery. ; Authors would like to acknowledge the public funding from Fondo Social de la DGA (grupos DGA), Ministerio de la Economía y Competitividad del Gobierno de España for the public founding of ProyectosI+D+i—ProgramaEstatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e InnovaciónOrientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (project n. SAF2014-54763-C2-2-R), the European Seventh Framework Program (NAREB Project 604237), LLP/Erasmus fellowship 2013/2014, INA fellowship "Iniciación a la Investigación" 2014 and 2015, and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program for MCSA Fellowship (Grant Agreement No. 660228). The authors also acknowledge José Antonio Ainsa and Ainhoa Lucía for the fruitful discussions as well as Rodrigo Fernandez-Pacheco and Alfonso Ibarra from Advanced Microscopy Laboratories of the Universidad de Zaragoza and Iñigo Echaniz for their technical support. The costs to publish in open access have been covered by funds from NAREB Project (see before) ; We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

En la actualidad, la vigilancia epidemiológica sigue centrada, en España, en las enfermedades transmisibles incluidas en la lista de enfermedades de declaración obligatoria. Sin embargo, el patrón epidemiológico que dominó hasta las últimas décadas del siglo xx ha cambiado. Las enfermedades infecciosas, que eran las principales causas de morbimortalidad, han dado paso a un predominio de las enfermedades crónicas. En este sentido, se ha avanzado en la redacción y la aprobación de normativa específica sobre vigilancia de la salud pública. No obstante, tenemos pendiente el desarrollo de esta normativa que, entre otros puntos, recoge el mandato de organizar la vigilancia de las enfermedades no transmisibles en España. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir algunas características a tener en cuenta para desarrollar un sistema nacional de vigilancia de la salud pública vinculado a las estrategias ya existentes para la prevención y el control de las enfermedades crónicas. At present, epidemiological surveillance in Spain remains focused on the communicable diseases included in the list of notifiable diseases. However, there has been a change in epidemiological pattern that predominated until the last few decades of the twentieth century. Infectious diseases, which used to be the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, have given way to a predominance of chronic diseases. In this regard, progress has been made in the drafting and adoption of specific legal regulations on public health monitoring. However, Spain has yet to develop this legislation which, among other elements, includes the mandate to organize the surveillance of non-communicable diseases in Spain. This article aims to describe some points that should be considered in the development of a national surveillance system linked to existing strategies for the prevention and control of chronic diseases. ; Sociedad Española de Epidemiología. ; Sí

En la actualidad, la vigilancia epidemiológica sigue centrada, en España, en las enfermedades transmisibles incluidas en la lista de enfermedades de declaración obligatoria. Sin embargo, el patrón epidemiológico que dominó hasta las últimas décadas del siglo xx ha cambiado. Las enfermedades infecciosas, que eran las principales causas de morbimortalidad, han dado paso a un predominio de las enfermedades crónicas. En este sentido, se ha avanzado en la redacción y la aprobación de normativa específica sobre vigilancia de la salud pública. No obstante, tenemos pendiente el desarrollo de esta normativa que, entre otros puntos, recoge el mandato de organizar la vigilancia de las enfermedades no transmisibles en España. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir algunas características a tener en cuenta para desarrollar un sistema nacional de vigilancia de la salud pública vinculado a las estrategias ya existentes para la prevención y el control de las enfermedades crónicas. ; At present, epidemiological surveillance in Spain remains focused on the communicable diseases included in the list of notifiable diseases. However, there has been a change in epidemiological pattern that predominated until the last few decades of the twentieth century. Infectious diseases, which used to be the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, have given way to a predominance of chronic diseases. In this regard, progress has been made in the drafting and adoption of specific legal regulations on public health monitoring. However, Spain has yet to develop this legislation which, among other elements, includes the mandate to organize the surveillance of non-communicable diseases in Spain. This article aims to describe some points that should be considered in the development of a national surveillance system linked to existing strategies for the prevention and control of chronic diseases.

[Background]: The special physicochemical properties of gold nanoprisms make them very useful for biomedical applications including biosensing and cancer therapy. However, it is not clear how gold nanoprisms may affect cellular physiology including viability and other critical functions. We report a multiparametric investigation on the impact of gold-nanoprisms on mice and human, transformed and primary cells as well as tissue distribution and toxicity in vivo after parental injection. ; [Methods]: Cellular uptake of the gold-nanoprisms (NPRs) and the most crucial parameters of cell fitness such as generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondria membrane potential, cell morphology and apoptosis were systematically assayed in cells. Organ distribution and toxicity including inflammatory response were analysed in vivo in mice at 3 days or 4 months after parental administration. ; [Results]: Internalized gold-nanoprisms have a significant impact in cell morphology, mitochondrial function and ROS production, which however do not affect the potential of cells to proliferate and form colonies. In vivo NPRs were only detected in spleen and liver at 3 days and 4 months after administration, which correlated with some changes in tissue architecture. However, the main serum biochemical markers of organ damage and inflammation (TNFα and IFNγ) remained unaltered even after 4 months. In addition, animals did not show any macroscopic sign of toxicity and remained healthy during all the study period. ; [Conclusion]: Our data indicate that these gold-nanoprisms are neither cytotoxic nor cytostatic in transformed and primary cells, and suggest that extensive parameters should be analysed in different cell types to draw useful conclusions on nanomaterials safety. Moreover, although there is a tendency for the NPRs to accumulate in liver and spleen, there is no observable negative impact on animal health. ; This work was supported by the MAT2011–26851-CO2–01, MAT2011–26851-CO2–02, SAF2011–25390, SAF2014–54763-C2–1-R and SAF2014–54763-C2–2-R - projects of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, PIE201460I019 (CSIC), the grant ERC-Starting Grant 239931-NANOPUZZLE project, ERC-PoC 754609 HOTFLOW project, Fondo Social Europeo (FSE; Gobierno de Aragón) and the Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria (Centro singular de investigación de Galicia accreditation 2016–2019, ED431G/09) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). P.d.P., J.M.F., J.P. thank ARAID for financial support, B.P. thanks the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for a fellowship and M.M. acknowledges financial support from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 660228. ; Peer reviewed