Sonia Perez - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sonia Perez

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2005

This paper presents an important extension of our contribution to FESCA '04, which presented a ge... more This paper presents an important extension of our contribution to FESCA '04, which presented a generic framework for connector architectures. These architectures were defined by components, consisting of a body specification and a set of export interfaces, and connectors, consisting of a body specification and a set of import interfaces plus connecting transformations in both cases. A major restriction of this concept was given by the assumption of non-overlapping connector interfaces.

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2004

The intention of this paper is to extend our generic component framework presented at FASE 2002 [... more The intention of this paper is to extend our generic component framework presented at FASE 2002 [4] to a specific kind of connector architectures similar to architectural connections in the sense of Allen and Garlan [1]. In our generic component framework we have considered components with explicit import, export and body parts connected by embeddings and transformations and composition of components with a compositional transformation semantics. Our framework, however, was restricted to components with a single import and export interface. Here we study architectures based on connectors with multiple imports and components with multiple exports. Architectures studied in this paper are built up from components and connectors in a noncircular way. The semantics of an architecture is defined by reduction step sequences in the sense of graph reductions. The main result shows existence and uniqueness of the semantics of an architecture as a normal form of reduction step sequences. Our generic framework is instantiated on one hand to connector architectures based on CSP as the formal specification technique in the approach by Allen and Garlan. On the other hand it is instantiated to connector architectures based on high-level-replacement systems in general and Petri nets in particular. A running example using Petri nets as modeling technique illustrates all concepts and results.

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 2004

A total of 123 genetically-unrelated strains of Enterococcus spp. strains (51 Enterococcus faecal... more A total of 123 genetically-unrelated strains of Enterococcus spp. strains (51 Enterococcus faecalis, 57 Enterococcus faecium, 10 Enterococcus gallinarum, and 5 Enterococcus casseliflavus) were phenotypically identified by biochemical profiles and by using an automated method. The strains were also analyzed by a PCR assay to assess the accuracy of the phenotypically-based methods for identification of Enterococcus spp. With this aim, a PCR assay using different cell targets, which allows simultaneous detection of glycopeptide-resistant genotypes as well as identification to the species level by means of different gene targets, was used as the gold standard method. All 51 strains of E. faecalis were correctly identified, whereas 48 of 57 strains (84.2%) of E. faecium, were correctly identified. All of the strains of E. gallinarum and 3 out of 5 strains of E. casseliflavus were also correctly identified. The overall results showed that it is possible to identify Enterococcus spp. at the molecular level in less than 30 hours, compared with the 48-96 hours required for the phenotypically-based methods. The excellent accuracy of the PCR assay in identifying these species, particularly E. faecium, must also be emphasized. These findings may have implications for the routine clinical identification of enterococci species.

Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 2008

The Cryotop vitrification method has been shown to be a very useful tool for oocyte cryopreservat... more The Cryotop vitrification method has been shown to be a very useful tool for oocyte cryopreservation, giving excellent results regarding survival and clinical outcome. There are several clinical situations in which oocyte cryopreservation provides solutions that have not been available to date. This report describes three of these situations: (i) a low-responder patient who needed a single gene diagnosis due to the presence of a genetic disease; (ii) a patient undergoing endometrial bleeding on the day of oocyte retrieval who was also affected by a genetic disorder; and (iii) a patient who failed to become pregnant after the donation of vitrified oocytes and subsequently had the re-vitrified surplus embryos transferred. The resolution of these cases provides evidence of the enormous potential of the Cryotop method as a tool within assisted reproduction technology.

Clinical & Translational Oncology, 2008

Introduction Oocyte cryopreservation is a useful tool for preserving the fertility of cancer pati... more Introduction Oocyte cryopreservation is a useful tool for preserving the fertility of cancer patients at risk of losing ovarian function due to undergoing potentially sterilising therapies. Results obtained with different cryopreservation protocols have been disappointing, particularly those obtained with slow cooling procedures. The efficacy of vitrification as an application in clinical practice has recently been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to report results obtained with the Cryotop method of oocyte vitrification in a population of healthy women and to point out its potential usefulness for fertility preservation in oncological patients. Materials and methods The study population consisting of non-oncological patients included 47 oocyte donors and 57 recipients undergoing an oocyte donation cycle of assisted reproductive technology (ART). A total of 693 mature metaphase II oocytes were collected following ovarian stimulation using long protocol down-regulation plus gonadotropin administration. Vitrification was carried out by means of the Cryotop method. Oocytes were donated to a compatible recipient after endometrial preparation. Results Of the 693 oocytes, 666 (96.1%) survived. A total of 487 (73.1%) were fertilised successfully. One hundred and seventeen embryos were transferred to 57 recipients. Pregnancy rate per transfer and implantation rates were 63.2% and 38.5% respectively. Twenty-eight healthy babies were later born. Conclusions Oocyte cryo-banking by means of the Cryotop vitrification method represents a viable option for healthy women, producing excellent survival rates and a clinical outcome similar to that obtained with fresh oocytes. This approach could potentially be used in cancer patients who want to safeguard their fertility. Cancer patients could potentially benefit from this approach by storing their oocytes before the onset of the oncological therapy.

Fertility and Sterility, 2008

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of oocyte vitrification using the Cryotop method, observed in ... more Objective: To evaluate the outcome of oocyte vitrification using the Cryotop method, observed in an egg donation program by simultaneously evaluating embryos derived from vitrified and fresh oocytes coming from the same stimulated cycle. Design: Cohort prospective randomized study. Setting: Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI) Valencia, Spain. Patient(s): Thirty oocyte donors and 30 recipients with informed consents. Intervention(s): Vitrification by the Cryotop method. Warming 1 hour after vitrification. Microinjection of surviving MII and fresh oocytes, evaluation of fertilization, embryo development, and clinical results. Main Outcome Measure(s): Survival, fertilization, and cleavage rate. Embryo quality, pregnancy rate (PR), and implantation rate. Result(s): Survival rate observed was 96.7%. There was no difference in fertilization rates (76.3% and 82.2%), day 2 cleavage (94.2% and 97.8%), day 3 cleavage (80.8% and 80.5%), and blastocyst formation (48.7% and 47.5%) for vitrified and fresh oocytes, respectively. Embryo quality on day 3 and on day 5-6 were similar for vitrification and fresh oocyte group (80.8% vs. 80.5% and 81.1% vs. 70%, respectively). A total of 23 embryo transfers were carried out in the vitrification group. Pregnancy rates, implantation rates, miscarriage rates, and ongoing PR were 65.2%, 40.8%, 20%, and 47.8%, respectively. Conclusion(s): The Cryotop method preserves the potential of vitrified oocytes to fertilize and further develop, which is similar, when evaluated simultaneously, to fresh counterparts. Excellent clinical outcome indicates the possible use of this technology for egg donation programs, as well as a high potential for establishing oocyte banking. (Fertil Steril Ò 2007;-:---.

PDC fue fundada hace 20 años por dos emprendedores visionarios quienes basan su campo de acción e... more PDC fue fundada hace 20 años por dos emprendedores visionarios quienes basan su campo de acción en el diseño arquitectónico, diseño de interiores, paisaje, mobiliario y construcción. Brindan a la sociedad proyectos innovadores de complejos habitacionales, condominios, residenciales de alto nivel, obras institucionales y religiosas, instalaciones para restaurantes, oficinas, centros turísticos, hoteles, bancos, entre otros.

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2005

This paper presents an important extension of our contribution to FESCA '04, which presented a ge... more This paper presents an important extension of our contribution to FESCA '04, which presented a generic framework for connector architectures. These architectures were defined by components, consisting of a body specification and a set of export interfaces, and connectors, consisting of a body specification and a set of import interfaces plus connecting transformations in both cases. A major restriction of this concept was given by the assumption of non-overlapping connector interfaces.

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2004

The intention of this paper is to extend our generic component framework presented at FASE 2002 [... more The intention of this paper is to extend our generic component framework presented at FASE 2002 [4] to a specific kind of connector architectures similar to architectural connections in the sense of Allen and Garlan [1]. In our generic component framework we have considered components with explicit import, export and body parts connected by embeddings and transformations and composition of components with a compositional transformation semantics. Our framework, however, was restricted to components with a single import and export interface. Here we study architectures based on connectors with multiple imports and components with multiple exports. Architectures studied in this paper are built up from components and connectors in a noncircular way. The semantics of an architecture is defined by reduction step sequences in the sense of graph reductions. The main result shows existence and uniqueness of the semantics of an architecture as a normal form of reduction step sequences. Our generic framework is instantiated on one hand to connector architectures based on CSP as the formal specification technique in the approach by Allen and Garlan. On the other hand it is instantiated to connector architectures based on high-level-replacement systems in general and Petri nets in particular. A running example using Petri nets as modeling technique illustrates all concepts and results.

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 2004

A total of 123 genetically-unrelated strains of Enterococcus spp. strains (51 Enterococcus faecal... more A total of 123 genetically-unrelated strains of Enterococcus spp. strains (51 Enterococcus faecalis, 57 Enterococcus faecium, 10 Enterococcus gallinarum, and 5 Enterococcus casseliflavus) were phenotypically identified by biochemical profiles and by using an automated method. The strains were also analyzed by a PCR assay to assess the accuracy of the phenotypically-based methods for identification of Enterococcus spp. With this aim, a PCR assay using different cell targets, which allows simultaneous detection of glycopeptide-resistant genotypes as well as identification to the species level by means of different gene targets, was used as the gold standard method. All 51 strains of E. faecalis were correctly identified, whereas 48 of 57 strains (84.2%) of E. faecium, were correctly identified. All of the strains of E. gallinarum and 3 out of 5 strains of E. casseliflavus were also correctly identified. The overall results showed that it is possible to identify Enterococcus spp. at the molecular level in less than 30 hours, compared with the 48-96 hours required for the phenotypically-based methods. The excellent accuracy of the PCR assay in identifying these species, particularly E. faecium, must also be emphasized. These findings may have implications for the routine clinical identification of enterococci species.

Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 2008

The Cryotop vitrification method has been shown to be a very useful tool for oocyte cryopreservat... more The Cryotop vitrification method has been shown to be a very useful tool for oocyte cryopreservation, giving excellent results regarding survival and clinical outcome. There are several clinical situations in which oocyte cryopreservation provides solutions that have not been available to date. This report describes three of these situations: (i) a low-responder patient who needed a single gene diagnosis due to the presence of a genetic disease; (ii) a patient undergoing endometrial bleeding on the day of oocyte retrieval who was also affected by a genetic disorder; and (iii) a patient who failed to become pregnant after the donation of vitrified oocytes and subsequently had the re-vitrified surplus embryos transferred. The resolution of these cases provides evidence of the enormous potential of the Cryotop method as a tool within assisted reproduction technology.

Clinical & Translational Oncology, 2008

Introduction Oocyte cryopreservation is a useful tool for preserving the fertility of cancer pati... more Introduction Oocyte cryopreservation is a useful tool for preserving the fertility of cancer patients at risk of losing ovarian function due to undergoing potentially sterilising therapies. Results obtained with different cryopreservation protocols have been disappointing, particularly those obtained with slow cooling procedures. The efficacy of vitrification as an application in clinical practice has recently been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to report results obtained with the Cryotop method of oocyte vitrification in a population of healthy women and to point out its potential usefulness for fertility preservation in oncological patients. Materials and methods The study population consisting of non-oncological patients included 47 oocyte donors and 57 recipients undergoing an oocyte donation cycle of assisted reproductive technology (ART). A total of 693 mature metaphase II oocytes were collected following ovarian stimulation using long protocol down-regulation plus gonadotropin administration. Vitrification was carried out by means of the Cryotop method. Oocytes were donated to a compatible recipient after endometrial preparation. Results Of the 693 oocytes, 666 (96.1%) survived. A total of 487 (73.1%) were fertilised successfully. One hundred and seventeen embryos were transferred to 57 recipients. Pregnancy rate per transfer and implantation rates were 63.2% and 38.5% respectively. Twenty-eight healthy babies were later born. Conclusions Oocyte cryo-banking by means of the Cryotop vitrification method represents a viable option for healthy women, producing excellent survival rates and a clinical outcome similar to that obtained with fresh oocytes. This approach could potentially be used in cancer patients who want to safeguard their fertility. Cancer patients could potentially benefit from this approach by storing their oocytes before the onset of the oncological therapy.

Fertility and Sterility, 2008

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of oocyte vitrification using the Cryotop method, observed in ... more Objective: To evaluate the outcome of oocyte vitrification using the Cryotop method, observed in an egg donation program by simultaneously evaluating embryos derived from vitrified and fresh oocytes coming from the same stimulated cycle. Design: Cohort prospective randomized study. Setting: Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI) Valencia, Spain. Patient(s): Thirty oocyte donors and 30 recipients with informed consents. Intervention(s): Vitrification by the Cryotop method. Warming 1 hour after vitrification. Microinjection of surviving MII and fresh oocytes, evaluation of fertilization, embryo development, and clinical results. Main Outcome Measure(s): Survival, fertilization, and cleavage rate. Embryo quality, pregnancy rate (PR), and implantation rate. Result(s): Survival rate observed was 96.7%. There was no difference in fertilization rates (76.3% and 82.2%), day 2 cleavage (94.2% and 97.8%), day 3 cleavage (80.8% and 80.5%), and blastocyst formation (48.7% and 47.5%) for vitrified and fresh oocytes, respectively. Embryo quality on day 3 and on day 5-6 were similar for vitrification and fresh oocyte group (80.8% vs. 80.5% and 81.1% vs. 70%, respectively). A total of 23 embryo transfers were carried out in the vitrification group. Pregnancy rates, implantation rates, miscarriage rates, and ongoing PR were 65.2%, 40.8%, 20%, and 47.8%, respectively. Conclusion(s): The Cryotop method preserves the potential of vitrified oocytes to fertilize and further develop, which is similar, when evaluated simultaneously, to fresh counterparts. Excellent clinical outcome indicates the possible use of this technology for egg donation programs, as well as a high potential for establishing oocyte banking. (Fertil Steril Ò 2007;-:---.

PDC fue fundada hace 20 años por dos emprendedores visionarios quienes basan su campo de acción e... more PDC fue fundada hace 20 años por dos emprendedores visionarios quienes basan su campo de acción en el diseño arquitectónico, diseño de interiores, paisaje, mobiliario y construcción. Brindan a la sociedad proyectos innovadores de complejos habitacionales, condominios, residenciales de alto nivel, obras institucionales y religiosas, instalaciones para restaurantes, oficinas, centros turísticos, hoteles, bancos, entre otros.