Assessing the potential impact of grasshopper outbreaks on Patagonian wetlands through mathematical modelling.

Herbivorous insects occasionally produce population outbreaks that can alter the availability of food resources for other animals and cause economical losses. In the Patagonian steppe, wetlands are important ecosystems due to their environmental and ecological functions. Within these ecosystems, there is a wide diversity of phytophagous insects, among which two species of orthoptera are predominant: Dichroplus elongatus (usually considered a pest) and D.

A New Optical Interferometric Biosensing System Enhanced with Nanoparticles for Alzheimer's Disease in Serum.

In this scientific work, we demonstrate, for the first time, a new biosensing system and procedure to measure specifically the total Tau (T-Tau) protein in serum, one of the most relevant biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a progressive brain disorder that produces neuronal and cognitive dysfunction and affects a high percentage of people worldwide. For this reason, diagnosing AD at the earliest possible stage involves improving diagnostic systems.

A tragedy of the commons case study: modeling the fishers king crab system in Southern Chile.

Illegal fishing in small-scale fisheries is a contentious issue and resists a straightforward interpretation. Particularly, there is little knowledge regarding cooperative interactions between legal and illegal fishers and the potential effects on fisheries arising from these interactions. Taking the Chilean king crab (; common name centolla) fishery as a case study, our goal is twofold: (i) to model the effect of illegal-legal fishers' interactions on the fishery and (ii) analyze how management and social behavior affect fishery's outcomes.

A review of Optical Point-of-Care devices to Estimate the Technology Transfer of These Cutting-Edge Technologies.

Despite the remarkable development related to Point-of-Care devices based on optical technology, their difficulties when used outside of research laboratories are notable. In this sense, it would be interesting to ask ourselves what the degree of transferability of the research work to the market is, for example, by analysing the relation between the scientific work developed and the registered one, through patent. In this work, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in the sector of optical Point-of-Care devices, not only in the research area but also regarding their transfer to market.

Mosquito populations and human social behavior: A spatially explicit agent-based model.

Some mosquitoes are vectors for disease transmission to human populations. Aedes aegypti, the main vector for dengue in Argentina, mainly breeds in artificial containers as it is strongly adapted to urban environments. This highlights the relevance of understanding human social behavior to design successful vector control campaigns.

Integration of Multiple Interferometers in Highly Multiplexed Diagnostic KITs to Evaluate Several Biomarkers of COVID-19 in Serum.

In the present work, highly multiplexed diagnostic KITs based on an Interferometric Optical Detection Method (IODM) were developed to evaluate six Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related biomarkers. These biomarkers of COVID-19 were evaluated in 74 serum samples from severe, moderate, and mild patients with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), collected at the end of March 2020 in the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, in Madrid (Spain). The developed multiplexed diagnostic KITs were biofunctionalized to simultaneously measure different types of specific biomarkers involved in COVID-19.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education: A data driven analysis for the knowledge acquisition process.

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed the classroom context and presented enormous challenges for all actors in the educational process, who had to overcome multiple difficulties and incorporate new strategies and tools to construct new knowledge. In this work we analyze how student performance was affected, for a particular case of higher education in La Plata, Argentina. We developed an analytical model for the knowledge acquisition process, based on a series of surveys and information on academic performance in both contexts: face-to-face (before the onset of the pandemic) and virtual (during confinement) with 173 students during 2019 and 2020.

Study of taxes, regulations and inequality using machine learning algorithms.

Genetic machine learning (ML) algorithms to train agents in the Yard-Sale model proved very useful for finding optimal strategies that maximize their wealth. However, the main result indicates that the more significant the fraction of rational agents, the greater the inequality at the collective level. From social and economic viewpoints, this is an undesirable result since high inequality diminishes liquidity and trade.

New Label-Free Biosensing for the Evaluation of the AX-024 Inhibitor: Case Study for the Development of New Drugs in Autoimmune Diseases.

We developed a new label-free assay to evaluate the inhibition capacity of AX-024 by means of a new Point-of-Care (PoC) device for application in the development of new drugs in autoimmune diseases. The technology of PoC is based on interferometric optical detection method (IODM). For this purpose, we have optimized and developed an assay protocol whereby a Glutathione S-Transferase modified protein (GST-SH3.

Efficient Chemical Surface Modification Protocol on SiO Transducers Applied to MMP9 Biosensing.

The bioreceptor immobilization process (biofunctionalization) turns to be one of the bottlenecks when developing a competent and high sensitivity label-free biosensor. Classical approaches seem to be effective but not efficient. Although biosensing capacities are shown in many cases, the performance of the biosensor is truncated by the inefficacious biofunctionalization protocol and the lack of reproducibility.

Wealth exchange models and machine learning: Finding optimal risk strategies in multiagent economic systems.

The Yard-Sale Model, a well known wealth exchange model whose observed macroscopic behavior hides many underlying aspects of particular complexity, was studied at the microscopic level. The performance of the agents during the successive transactions allows for the definition of successful or disadvantageous strategies according to the profit they achieve at the end of the process. Optimal strategies were found that maximize the individual wealth of each agent by performing their training through a genetic algorithm.

Neuronal circuits on a chip for biological network monitoring.

Cultured neuronal networks (CNNs) are a robust model to closely investigate neuronal circuits' formation and monitor their structural properties evolution. Typically, neurons are cultured in plastic plates or, more recently, in microfluidic platforms with potentially a wide variety of neuroscience applications. As a biological protocol, cell culture integration with a microfluidic system provides benefits such as accurate control of cell seeding area, culture medium renewal, or lower exposure to contamination.

The Knowledge Acquisition Process from a Complex System Perspective: Observations and Models.

We study the knowledge acquisition process in a teaching-learning scenario that takes place within the classroom. We explore two complementary approaches, which include classroom observations and student surveys, and the formulation of theoretical models through the use of statistical physics tools. We develop an analytical model and a set of dynamics agent-based models that allow us to understand global behaviors, as well as to follow individual trajec-tories in the knowledge acquisition process.

Optical Vapor Sensors Based on Periodic Resonant Nanopillar Structures.

In this work, it is reported for the first time the use of a network of periodic optical resonant nanopillars for sensing vapors of volatile organic components. In particular, this work evaluates the presence of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetic acid, propionic acid, and toluene vapors at different working distances between the transducer and the surface of the sample in the liquid state, obtaining the sensing curve response of each one of them. In addition, it studies the thin film of liquid condensed onto the nanopillar surface, estimating their corresponding thickness value by means of numerical photonic simulations and their correlation with the corresponding vapor pressure of different specimens.

Engineering vertically interrogated interferometric sensors for optical label-free biosensing.

In this work, we review the technology of vertically interrogated optical biosensors from the point of view of engineering. Vertical sensors present several advantages in the fabrication processes and in the light coupling systems, compared with other interferometric sensors. Four different interrelated aspects of the design are identified and described: sensing cell design, optical techniques used in the interrogation, fabrication processes, fluidics, and biofunctionalization of the sensing surface.

Phosphorylcholine-based hydrogel for immobilization of biomolecules. Application to fluorometric microarrays for use in hybridization assays and immunoassays, and nanophotonic biosensing.

An approach is presented for covalent immobilization of biomolecules on an acrylate phosphorylcholine hydrogel. The immobilization and the hydrogel formation take place simultaneously by a thiol-acrylate coupling reaction, induced by UV-light (254 nm). The hydrogel is prepared on two polymeric surfaces (the HardCoat protective layer of Blu-Ray discs, and SU-8) and applied to fluorescence microarray and label-free interferometric detection.

A Proof-of-Concept of Label-Free Biosensing System for Food Allergy Diagnostics in Biophotonic Sensing Cells: Performance Comparison with ImmunoCAP.

Food allergy is a common disease worldwide with over 6% of the population (200⁻250 million people) suffering from any food allergy nowadays. The most dramatic increase seems to be happening in children and young people. Therefore, improvements in the diagnosis efficiency of these diseases are needed.

On the Determination of Uncertainty and Limit of Detection in Label-Free Biosensors.

A significant amount of noteworthy articles reviewing different label-free biosensors are being published in the last years. Most of the times, the comparison among the different biosensors is limited by the procedure used of calculating the limit of detection and the measurement uncertainty. This article clarifies and establishes a simple procedure to determine the calibration function and the uncertainty of the concentration measured at any point of the measuring interval of a generic label-free biosensor.

Insights About Head Lice Transmission From Field Data and Mathematical Modeling.

Head lice infest millions of school-age children every year, both in developed and developing countries. However, little is known about the number of lice transferred among children during school activities, because direct methods to study this are almost impossible to implement. This issue has been addressed following an indirect method, which consist in collecting data of real infestation from several children groups and using a mathematical model of lice colonies to infer how the infestation observed might have evolved.

Development towards Compact Nitrocellulose-Based Interferometric Biochips for Dry Eye MMP9 Label-Free In-Situ Diagnosis.

A novel compact optical biochip based on a thin layer-sensing surface of nitrocellulose is used for in-situ label-free detection of metalloproteinase (MMP9) related to dry eye disease. In this article, a new integrated chip with different interferometric transducers layout with an optimal sensing surface is reported for the first time. We demonstrate that specific antibodies can be immobilized onto these transducers with a very low volume of sample and with good orientation.

Resonant nanopillars arrays for label-free biosensing.

In our previous work we demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the experimental capability of resonant nanopillars (R-NP) arrays as biochemical transducers. In this Letter, we provide evidence of the capability and suitability of R-NP arrays on a chip to function as label-free optical multiplexed biosensors. R-NP are based on SiN/SiO Bragg reflectors with a cavity of SiO.

Optimization of dengue immunoassay by label-free interferometric optical detection method.

In this communication we report a direct immunoassay for detecting dengue virus by means of a label-free interferometric optical detection method. We also demonstrate how we can optimize this sensing response by adding a blocking step able to significantly enhance the optical sensing response. The blocking reagent used for this optimization is a dry milk diluted in phosphate buffered saline.

Description of an advantageous optical label-free biosensing interferometric read-out method to measure biological species.

In this article we report a new, simple, and reliable optical read-out detection method able to assess Rotavirus present in human sera as well as in the viral pollution sources. It is based on the interference of two interferometers used as biophotonic transducers. The method significantly improves the optical label-free biosensing response measuring both, the concentration of the AgR and its corresponding size.

Development of a versatile biotinylated material based on SU-8.

The negative epoxy-based SU-8 photoresist has a wide variety of applications within the semiconductor industry, photonics and lab-on-a-chip devices, and it is emerging as an alternative to silicon-based devices for sensing purposes. In the present work, biotinylation of the SU-8 polymer surface promoted by light is reported. As a result, a novel, effective, and low-cost material, focusing on the immobilization of bioreceptors and consequent biosensing, is developed.

Biomolecular Interaction Analysis of Gestrinone-anti-Gestrinone Using Arrays of High Aspect Ratio SU-8 Nanopillars.

In this paper, label-free biosensing for antibody screening by periodic lattices of high-aspect ratio SU-8 nano-pillars (BICELLs) is presented. As a demonstration, the determination of anti-gestrinone antibodies from whole rabbit serum is carried out, and for the first time, the dissociation constant (KD = 6 nM) of antigen-antibody recognition process is calculated using this sensing system. After gestrinone antigen immobilization on the BICELLs, the immunorecognition was performed.