Begin and End

Web of feelings and ideas around sustainability

Tejiendo identidades. Autoconocimiento y trabajo social

Presentamos en esta comunicación los primeros resultados del proyecto de innovación docente Tejiendo identidades. Autoconocimiento y Trabajo Social, cuyo objetivo es la promoción y desarrollo del autoconocimiento como competencia profesional básica en el alumnado del Grado de Trabajo Social de la Universidad de Barcelona. Se trata de una iniciativa interdisciplinar que responde al interés y compromiso del profesorado por innovar la docencia, pero también a las inquietudes manifestadas por los estudiantes en relación a la influencia de sus valores, emociones y sentimientos personales en su práctica profesional. En una primera fase del proyecto hemos realizado un análisis de las actividades de autoconocimiento que a lo largo de los dos últimos cursos académicos se han realizado en nueve asignaturas de la titulación de trabajo social de la Universidad de Barcelona. Este análisis nos ha permitido identificar diferentes enfoques en relación con el autoconocimiento, que incluyen su utilización como instrumento para favorecer el aprendizaje de contenidos y conceptos disciplinares, como reflexión sobre sus valores culturales y como parte del proceso de construcción de su modelo integrado de práctica profesional y de su proyecto de desarrollo profesional. La diversidad de perspectivas que hemos podido identificar al realizar el análisis de estas actividades de autoconocimiento evidencia la necesidad de un planteamiento transversal que pueda garantizar el desarrollo de esta competencia profesional por parte del alumnado.Esta comunicación se ha elaborado en el contexto del Proyecto de innovación docente Teixint identitats professionals. Autoconeixement i Treball Social, 2015PID-UB/026, reconocido y financiado por el Programa de Millora i Innovació Docent del Vicerectorat de Política Docent I Lingüística de la Universitat de Barcelona

Treatment with 24 h-delayed normo- and hyperbaric oxygenation in severe sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture in rats

Abstract Background Septic shock remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) has been shown to alter the inflammatory response during sepsis and to reduce mortality. A therapeutic window of HBO2 treatment has been demonstrated experimentally, but optimal timing remains uncertain. We investigated the effects of 24 h delayed normobaric oxygen (NBO2) and HBO2 treatment on the endogenous production of the inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-10, and on mortality in rats with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) induced sepsis. Method Fifty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent CLP and were randomized to the following groups: 1) HBO2 2.5 bar absolute pressure (pabs); 2) NBO2 1.0 bar pabs; 3) Control (no-treatment), and they were individually monitored for 72 h with intermittent blood sampling. Results IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 were increased 24 h after the procedure, and IL-6 was significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors. The level of IL-10 was significantly higher at hour 48 in the HBO2 group compared to control (p = 0.01), but this was not the case at other time points. No other significant differences in cytokine levels were found for any group comparisons. Delayed NBO2 and HBO2 treatment failed to change the mortality in the animals. Conclusion High levels of IL-6 in non-surviving animals with sepsis suggest that IL-6 is a potential biomarker. We found a significantly higher concentration of IL-10 in the HBO2 group at hour 48 vs. control animals. However, 24 h–delayed treatment with HBO2 did not change the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and survival, suggesting that earlier intervention may be required to obtain an anti-inflammatory effect

Brain Metabolism during Hallucination-Like Auditory Stimulation in Schizophrenia

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia are typically characterized by rich emotional content. Despite the prominent role of emotion in regulating normal perception, the neural interface between emotion-processing regions such as the amygdala and auditory regions involved in perception remains relatively unexplored in AVH. Here, we studied brain metabolism using FDG-PET in 9 remitted patients with schizophrenia that previously reported severe AVH during an acute psychotic episode and 8 matched healthy controls. Participants were scanned twice: (1) at rest and (2) during the perception of aversive auditory stimuli mimicking the content of AVH. Compared to controls, remitted patients showed an exaggerated response to the AVH-like stimuli in limbic and paralimbic regions, including the left amygdala. Furthermore, patients displayed abnormally strong connections between the amygdala and auditory regions of the cortex and thalamus, along with abnormally weak connections between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that abnormal modulation of the auditory cortex by limbic-thalamic structures might be involved in the pathophysiology of AVH and may potentially account for the emotional features that characterize hallucinatory percepts in schizophrenia

Core-scale geophysical and hydromechanical analysis of seabed sediments affected by CO2 venting

Safe offshore Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) includes monitoring of the subseafloor, to identify and assess potential CO2 leaks from the geological reservoir through seal bypass structures. We simulated CO2-leaking through shallow marine sediments of the North Sea, using two gravity core samples from ∼1 and ∼2.1 m below seafloor. Both samples were subjected to brine−CO2 flow-through, with continuous monitoring of their transport, elastic and mechanical properties, using electrical resistivity, permeability, P-wave velocity and attenuation, and axial strains. We used the collected geophysical data to calibrate a resistivity-saturation model based on Archie’s law extended for clay content, and a rock physics for the elastic properties. The P-wave attributes detected the presence of CO2 in the sediment, but failed in providing accurate estimates of the CO2 saturation. Our results estimate porosities of 0.44 and 0.54, a background permeability of ∼10−15 and ∼10-17 m2, and maximum CO2 saturation of 18 % and 10 % (±5 %), for the sandier (shallower) and muddier (deeper) sample, respectively. The finer-grained sample likely suffered some degree of gas-induced fracturing, exhibiting an effective CO2 permeability increase sharper than the coarser-grained sample. Our core-scale multidisciplinary experiment contributes to improve the general interpretation of shallow sub-seafloor gas distribution and migration patterns

Interactive effect of age and APOE-ε4 allele load on white matter myelin content in cognitively normal middle-aged subjects

The apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) ε4 allele has a strong and manifold impact on cognition and neuroimaging phenotypes in cognitively normal subjects, including alterations in the white matter (WM) microstructure. Such alterations have often been regarded as a reflection of potential thinning of the myelin sheath along axons, rather than pure axonal degeneration. Considering the main role of APOE in brain lipid transport, characterizing the impact of APOE on the myelin coating is therefore of crucial interest, especially in healthy APOE-ε4 homozygous individuals, who are exposed to a twelve-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), compared to the rest of the population. We examined T1w/T2w ratio maps in 515 cognitively healthy middle-aged participants from the ALFA study (ALzheimer and FAmilies) cohort, a single-site population-based study enriched for AD risk (68 APOE-ε4 homozygotes, 197 heterozygotes, and 250 non-carriers). Using tract-based spatial statistics, we assessed the impact of age and APOE genotype on this ratio taken as an indirect descriptor of myelin content. Healthy APOE-ε4 carriers display decreased T1w/T2w ratios in extensive regions in a dose-dependent manner. These differences were found to interact with age, suggesting faster changes in individuals with more ε4 alleles. These results obtained with T1w/T2w ratios, confirm the increased vulnerability of WM tracts in APOE-ε4 healthy carriers. Early alterations of myelin content could be the result of the impaired function of the ε4 isoform of the APOE protein in cholesterol transport. These findings help to clarify the possible interactions between the APOE-dependent non-pathological burden and age-related changes potentially at the source of the AD pathological cascade

Genotypic effects of APOE-epsilon 4 on resting-state connectivity in cognitively intact individuals support functional brain compensation

The investigation of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in asymptomatic individuals at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) enables discovering the earliest brain alterations in preclinical stages of the disease. The APOE-ε4 variant is the major genetic risk factor for AD, and previous studies have reported rsFC abnormalities in carriers of the ε4 allele. Yet, no study has assessed APOE-ε4 gene-dose effects on rsFC measures, and only a few studies included measures of cognitive performance to aid a clinical interpretation. We assessed the impact of APOE-ε4 on rsFC in a sample of 429 cognitively unimpaired individuals hosting a high number of ε4 homozygotes (n = 58), which enabled testing different models of genetic penetrance. We used independent component analysis and found a reduced rsFC as a function of the APOE-ε4 allelic load in the temporal default-mode and the medial temporal networks, while recessive effects were found in the extrastriate and limbic networks. Some of these results were replicated in a subsample with negative amyloid markers. Interaction with cognitive data suggests that such a network reorganization may support cognitive performance in the ε4-homozygotes. Our data indicate that APOE-ε4 shapes the functional architecture of the resting brain and favor the idea of a network-based functional compensation

Experimental assessment of pore fluid distribution and geomechanical changes in saline sandstone reservoirs during and after CO2 injection

Responsible CO2 geosequestration requires a comprehensive assessment of the geomechanical integrity of saline reservoir formations during and after CO2 injection. We assessed the geomechanical effects of CO2 injection and post-injection aquifer recharge on weakly cemented, synthetic-sandstone (38% porosity) sample in the laboratory under dry and brine-saturated conditions, before and after subjecting the sample to variable pore pressure brine-CO2 flow-through tests (∼170 h). We measured ultrasonic P- and S-wave velocities (Vp, Vs) and attenuations, electrical resistivity and volumetric strain (εv). Vs was found to be an excellent indicator of mechanical deformation during CO2 injection; Vp gives mechanical and pore fluid distribution information, allowing quantification of the individual contribution of both phenomena when combined with resistivity. Abrupt strain recovery during imbibition suggests that aquifer recharge after ceasing CO2 injection might affect the geomechanical stability of the reservoir. Static and dynamic parameters indicate the sample experienced minor geomechanical changes during CO2 exposure, with an increase of Δεv <3% and a drop in ΔVs ∼1%. In contrast, due to brine-induced hydro-mechanical alteration, Δεv increased by ∼10% and ΔVs by ∼6%. This study provides a multiparameter, thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical database needed to validate monitoring tools and simulators, for prediction of the geomechanical behaviour of CO2 storage reservoirs

Seismic chimney characterisation in the North Sea – Implications for pockmark formation and shallow gas migration

Fluid-escape structures within sedimentary basins permit pressure-driven focused fluid flow through inter-connected faults, fractures and sediment. Seismically-imaged chimneys are recognised as fluid migration pathways which cross-cut overburden stratigraphy, hydraulically connecting deeper strata with the seafloor. However, the geological processes in the sedimentary overburden which control the mechanisms of genesis and temporal evolution require improved understanding. We integrate high resolution 2D and 3D seismic reflection data with sediment core data to characterise a natural, active site of seafloor methane venting in the UK North Sea and Witch Ground Basin, the Scanner pockmark complex. A regional assessment of shallow gas distribution presents direct evidence of active and palaeo-fluid migration pathways which terminate at the seabed pockmarks. We show that these pockmarks are fed from a methane gas reservoir located at 70 metres below the seafloor. We find that the shallow reservoir is a glacial outwash fan, that is laterally sealed by glacial tunnel valleys. Overpressure generation leading to chimney and pockmark genesis is directly controlled by the shallow geological and glaciogenic setting. Once formed, pockmarks act as drainage cells for the underlying gas accumulations. Fluid flow occurs through gas chimneys, comprised of a sub-vertical gas-filled fracture zone. Our findings provide an improved understanding of focused fluid flow and pockmark formation within the sediment overburden, which can be applied to subsurface geohazard assessment and geological storage of CO2