Ana Belén Méndez Fernández

Linkages between bacterioplankton community composition, heterotrophic carbon cycling and environmental conditions in a highly dynamic coastal ecosystem

We used mesocosm experiments to study the bacterioplankton community in a highly dynamic coastal ecosystem during four contrasting periods of the seasonal cycle: winter mixing, spring phytoplankton bloom, summer stratification and autumn upwelling. A correlation approach was used in order to measure the degree of coupling between the dynamics of major bacterial groups, heterotrophic carbon cycling and environmental factors. We used catalysed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization to follow changes in the relative abundance of the most abundant groups of bacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes). Bacterial carbon flux-related variables included bacterial standing stock, bacterial production and microbial respiration. The environmental factors included both, biotic variables such as chlorophyll-a concentration, primary production, phytoplankton extracellular release, and abiotic variables such as the concentration of dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients. Rapid shifts in the dominant bacterial groups occurred associated to environmental changes and bacterial bulk functions. An alternation between Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes was observed associated to different phytoplankton growth phases. The dominance of the group Bacteroidetes was related to high bacterial biomass and production. We found a significant, non-spurious, linkage between the relative abundances of major bacterial groups and bacterial carbon cycling. Our results suggest that bacteria belonging to these major groups could actually share a function in planktonic ecosystems.

AVATAR: an approach based on semantic reasoning to recommend personalized TV programs

In this paper a TV recommender system called AVATAR (AdVAnce Telematic search of Audiovisual contents by semantic Reasoning) is presented. This tool uses the experience gained in the field of the Semantic Web to personalize the TV programs shown to the end users. The main contribution of our system is a process of semantic reasoning carried out on the descriptions of the TV contents —provided by means of metainformation— and on the viewer preferences — contained in personal profiles. Such process allows to diversify the offered suggestions maintaining the personalization, given that the aim is to find contents appealing for the users, which are related semantically to their programs of interest. Here the framework proposed for this reasoning is introduced, by including (i) the OWL ontology chosen to represent the knowledge of our application domain, (ii) the organization of the user profiles, (iii) the query language LIKO, which is intended to browse the ontology and (iv) the semantic relations inferred from the system knowledge base.

Surface distribution of dissolved trace metals in the oligotrophic ocean and their influence on phytoplankton biomass and productivity

The distribution of bioactive trace metals has the potential to enhance or limit primary productivity and carbon export in some regions of the world ocean. To study these connections, the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V were determined for 110 surface water samples collected during the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition (MCE). Total dissolved Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V concentrations averaged 19.0 ± 5.4 pM, 21.4 ± 12 pM, 0.91 ± 0.4 nM, 0.66 ± 0.3 nM, 88.8 ± 12 nM, 1.72 ± 0.4 nM, and 23.4 ± 4.4 nM, respectively, with the lowest values detected in the Central Pacific and increased values at the extremes of all transects near coastal zones. Trace metal concentrations measured in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the MCE were compared to previously published data for the same region. The comparison revealed little temporal changes in the distribution of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, and Ni over the last 30 years. We utilized a multivariable linear regression model to describe potential relationships between primary productivity and the hydrological, biological, trace nutrient and macronutrient data collected during the MCE. Our statistical analysis shows that primary productivity in the Indian Ocean is best described by chlorophyll a, NO3, Ni, temperature, SiO4, and Cd. In the Atlantic Ocean, primary productivity is correlated with chlorophyll a, NO3, PO4, mixed layer depth, Co, Fe, Cd, Cu, V, and Mo. The variables salinity, temperature, SiO4, NO3, PO4, Fe, Cd, and V were found to best predict primary productivity in the Pacific Ocean. These results suggest that some of the lesser studied trace elements (e.g., Ni, V, Mo, and Cd) may play a more important role in regulating oceanic primary productivity than previously thought and point to the need for future experiments to verify their potential biological functions.

Research and development project assessment and social impact

Nowadays, organisations increasingly need to adapt to the fast evolution of markets and societies in our globalised world in order to be competitive. Therefore, it is essential to take the right decisions when it comes to invest in research and development (R&D) projects. However, an issue that has not been given much attention is how to measure the social impact (or return) of R&D projects. In this exploratory study, the findings of an analysis of how R&D projects are assessed and selected, including this social perspective, are presented. The methodology which has been used in this research includes both interviews and analysis of the data obtained through them. The major finding is that in the current situation the social impact is not taken into account, but is growing the awareness of this perspective among different types of organizations dealing with R&D activities.

Aprehendiendo a respetar: la perspectiva de derechos humanos como elemento fundamental en la formación y práctica del trabajo social

Los retos en la acogida de la poblacion inmigrante: del como y el por que desde las escuelas de trabajo socialLa formacion de los trabajadores sociales en Francia: enfoques eticos desde una perspectiva de mutacion socialEl proceso de ensenanza-aprendizaje de lso contenidos procedimentales en la asignatura trabajo social II-UNLU

La mediación del/la trabajador/a social en el tema de la violencia de género en relación a los medios de comunicación

Los retos en la acogida de la poblacion inmigrante: del como y el por que desde las escuelas de trabajo socialLa formacion de los trabajadores sociales en Francia: enfoques eticos desde una perspectiva de mutacion socialEl proceso de ensenanza-aprendizaje de lso contenidos procedimentales en la asignatura trabajo social II-UNLU

The multimedia home platform (MHP) framework for web access through digital TV

The DVB Consortium has recently published the MHP standard to regulate the execution of interactive applications in digital TV, including an Internet profile for web access. In this communication, that profile is analysed.Last decade has witnessed the first steps to the end of passive television. Thanks to continuous advances in hardware and software, now, digital TV technology is mature enough to enhance traditional TV sets (limited to content reproduction) with computing capability to execute multimedia software integrating richer formats. The MHP standard promises to enable interactive applications to be downloaded from broadcast networks and executed on receivers with specific hardware and software implementations from any manufacturer. But, as any new business, strong incentives are needed for the user to pay for it. New value-added services must be developed over TV if investors want to recover their money in a short period. And a significant example of such services is Internet access through television, which is becoming a reality in the last generation of digital SetTop boxes. However, both devices (computers and televisions) are different enough to require noteworthy modifications in their respective computing models. The MHP standard is the first one that tries to define regulations in that sense. In this paper, we analyse some technical aspects of the MHP solution.