Interaction between elevated co2 and organic matter on bacterial metabolismo

Aquatic Sciences Meeting (Aquatic Sciences: Global And Regional Perspectives - North Meets South), 22-27 February 2015, Granada, Spain.Microcosm experiments to assess bacterioplankton response to autochthonous inputs of organic matter modified by future acidified ocean conditions were performed. Surface seawater enriched with inorganic nutrients and incubated in UVR-transparent cubitainers was bubbled for 8 days with regular air (380 ppmv CO2) or with a high CO2-air mixture (1000 ppmv CO2) to be used as inocula. In the second phase of the experiment, natural bacterioplankton communities enriched with the acidified or non-acidified organic matter inocula were incubated under dark conditions during 8 days in the presence or absence of CO2 as previously. Bacterial abundance, production and viability were measured as physiological indicators of bacterial metabolism. The results showed that acidified organic matter produced higher abundances for similar production rates early during the incubation, while non-acidified organic matter produced higher bacterial production and viability latter at the end of the experiment, indicating a more recalcitrant character of the organic matter under these conditions. We demonstrate that CO2 effects on bacterioplankton are mainly due to indirect effects on organic matter characteristics rather than to direct effects of acidification on bacteria metabolism.N

Quality procedures and ABP proposal in the subject of Pharmaceutical Management and Planning

Se diseña e implanta convenientemente una propuesta de aprendizaje basada en problema (ABP), donde el alumno se enfrente a una problemática real, consistente en incrementar la rentabilidad en una farmacia, y la presentación de la solución como procedimientos normalizados de trabajo (PNT). Objetivo: diseño y caracterización de la propuesta ABP en Gestión y Planificación Farmacéutica, dando a conocer la metodología desarrollada a la comunidad académica y contrastar los resultados con el fin de mejorarla. Metodología: incluye etapas del diseño detalladas y se determinan las repercusiones en la enseñanza. Se recogen las opiniones de los alumnos con cuestionario con ítems referentes a aspectos generales de la asignatura y datos específicos del ABP. Conclusiones: El ABP mejorar los resultados los alumnos, siendo la opinión favorables tanto en los aspectos generales como en cuestiones específicas del caso problema, incluso en los alumnos con puntuación más bajas que reconocen el interés del ABP en el contexto de la asignatura. Son mejorables la documentación y recursos tecnológicos utilizados.We implant a proposal for a Learning Based on Problems (LBP) methodology, where students are facing a real problem, in how to increase the profitability of a pharmacy, and the presentation of the solution as standard operating procedures (SOPs). Objective: To design and characterize the proposal PEL (Pharmaceutical Management and Planning), publicizing the methodology developed for the academic community and contrast the results to improve it. Methodology: includes detailed design stages and determining the impact on teaching. It also reflects the opinions of students with questionnaire items concerning general aspects of the subject and specifics of PBL. Conclusions: The PBL improve students’ results, being the favorable opinion in both the general and specific issues of the case problem.Este trabajo ha sido subvencionado dentro de la Convocatoria de Ayudas para la Divulgación de Proyectos de Investigación, Innovación y Mejora de la Actividad Docente, del II Plan Propio de Docencia, de la Universidad de Sevila

Eating Disorders as New Forms of Addiction

Eating disorders (ED) seem to share many characteristics with substance-related disorders (SRD). As very often the two conditions run together, it has been proposed that eating dysfunctions could be understood as behavioral forms of addiction. This has lead to the concept of “food addiction,” a proposed new form of addiction. This chapter reviews recent research focusing on the relationship between ED and SRD. Three specific areas are addressed: (a) animal models that suggest the association between substance dependence and compulsive overeating; (b) epidemiological studies that confirm the comorbidity between ED and SRD; and (c) neuroimaging studies that reveal the existence of modifications in the reward circuits following binge eating and other eating dysfunctions. The data from the different studies can be integrated into a model based on the consideration of “food addiction” as a specific form of behavioral addiction that could be applied at least to a group of patients suffering from eating disorders

Pharmaceutical management and planning: implementation of PBL. Methodology implemented through group work

La implantación del EEES supone un importante reto para la docencia de numerosas universidades europeas y permite desarrollar iniciativas de innovación docente; esto es lo que en los últimos años se ha venido haciendo en diversas asignaturas de la Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad de Sevilla. En este sentido, la asignatura de Gestión y Planificación, por su carácter eminentemente práctico, está especialmente indicada para implementar diversas actividades de innovación docente, entre ellas, el Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABP). La estrategia docente consiste en el desarrollo en grupos reducidos de alumnos de un plan de marketing y/o merchandising en una oficina de farmacia concreta. Se pretende el desarrollo de cinco competencias genéricas: buscar información, trabajar en equipo, debatir en grupo y tomar decisiones, elaborar informes, y defender y debatir su trabajo en público. Desde la implantación generalizada de este tipo de actividad en el curso 2007/08 se comprueba una mayor implicación del alumno en la asignatura que se traduce en una mayor participación en el ABP, en el examen oficial, y en un mayor porcentaje de aprobados.The implementation of the EHEA is an important challenge for the teaching of many universities in Europe and enables the development of innovative teaching initiatives; this is what in recent years has been doing in different subjects of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville. In this sense, the subject of Management and Planning, by its practical nature, is suited to implement various activities of educational innovation, including Problem Based Learning (PBL). The teaching strategy is the development in small groups of students in a marketing plan and/or merchandising in a specific pharmacy. The aim is the development of five generic skills: searching for information, teamwork, group discussions and decisions, prepare reports, and defend and discuss their work in public. Since the widespread deployment of this type of activity during 2007/08 is found greater involvement of students in the subject that translates into greater participation in PBL, in the official examination, and a better pass rate

Eployment information pharmacy student: experiences for the implementation of the European higher Education Area (EHEA) as a tool to know the job market

En este estudio se recogen datos sobre el conocimiento de los futuros profesionales respecto al mercado laboral y a la formación de postgrado; se pretende obtener una herramienta docente para organizar estrategias que motiven y estimulen el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. El diseño de investigación seleccionado fue de carácter descriptivo, con un cuestionario de 10 preguntas de respuestas múltiples agrupadas según proporcionan información sobre I) las necesidades de información laboral y búsqueda de empleo, II) los conocimientos sobre la formación de postgrado, y III) el grado de conocimiento sobre los futuros desarrollos profesionales. Los alumnos reconocen que sus conocimientos sobre la gestión de una Oficina de Farmacia, Centro de Distribución o Industria Farmacéutica, eran escasos o nulos al iniciar la asignatura (70%); pero fueron considerados más que suficientes para el 82% al final del curso. Igualmente, hasta un 85% de los alumnos aseguraron poseer poca o ninguna información sobre aspectos de la gestión en Hospitales o Atención Primaria; pero al final de curso un 59% dicen poseer conocimientos suficientes en este campo.This study collects data on the knowledge of future professionals on the job market and graduate training. This can be useful for organizing strategies that motivate and stimulate the learning process of students. The selected research design was the descriptive type, such survey. We designed a questionnaire of 10 multiple choice questions, grouped according provide information about the needs of I) labour market information and job search, II) knowledge of postgraduate training and III) the achievement of objectives of the activities related to information on relevant aspects of some future professional developments. The students surveyed acknowledge that their knowledge on the management of a pharmacy, or Distribution Center, or Pharmaceutical Industry, were low or zero when starting the course (70%), but after the course, foreground were considered more than sufficient for 82% of respondents. Similarly, up to 85% of students claimed to have little or no information on aspects of management in Hospital or Primary Care, end-of course 59% of students surveyed considered to possess more than enough expertise in this field

Vertical asymmetries and inhibition of return: effects of spatial and non-spatial cueing on behavior and visual ERPs

[Abstract] The mechanisms underlying inhibition of return (IOR) are still under debate. Besides the probable implication of several processes in its generation, a reason for this uncertainty may be related to experimental factors affecting the presence, time course, and magnitude of IOR. Two of them may be related to the arrangement of the stimuli in the visual field that could cause possible interactions between IOR and response conflict effects (horizontal arrangements) or between IOR and perceptual asymmetries (vertical arrangement). The purpose of the present study was to explore location and color cueing effects with a vertical arrangement of stimuli, free of S–R compatibility effects. To examine this possibility, a cue-back task with stimuli in the vertical meridian was employed. Targets could randomly and equiprobably appear at cued or uncued locations, or with cued or uncued color. These cueing effects were analyzed on behavior and ERPs separately for upper and lower visual fields (UVF and LVF). Under location cueing, behavioral responses were slower (spatial IOR) in both hemifields. In the ERPs, N1 reductions were observed in both visual fields although with different modulations in their latency and scalp distribution. In the P3 rising beginning, posterior negative deflections in the LVF (Nd) and anterior positive deflections (Pd) in the UVF were observed. Under color cueing, P3 amplitude was reduced in the UVF accompanied by no behavioral effects. These results suggest that different patterns of brain activation can be obtained in upper and lower visual fields under spatial- and non-spatial cueing conditions.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad; PSI2010-21427Xunta de Galicia; 10PXIB211220P

Two-dimensional carbon-based conductive materials with dynamically controlled asymmetric Dirac cones

The design of two dimensional graphene-type materials with an anisotropic electron flow direction in the X- and Y-axes opens the door for the development of novel electronic materials with multiple functions in nanoelectronics. In the present work, we have studied the electronic transport properties of a new family of 2D graphene-graphyne hybrids presenting conformationally free phenylethylene subunits. This system ensures two different conductive pathways that are perpendicular to each other: an acene nanoribbon subunit, in the X-axis, with graphene-type conduction, and a free to rotate phenylethylene subunit, in the Y-axis, in which the magnitude of the conduction depends dynamically on the corresponding torsion angle. Our calculations have confirmed that this system presents two different conduction pathways, which are related to the presence of asymmetric Dirac-type cones. Moreover, the Dirac cones can be dynamically modified in the presence of an external gate electrode, which is unprecedented in the literatureWe thank the MICINN (project CTQ-2011.22455) and the Regional Government of Andalucía (project P09-FQM-04571) for financial support and the ‘Centro de Supercomputación de la Universidad de Granada (UGRGRID-CSIRC)’ for computation time. NF and DM thank MICINN for their research contract

Conductance and application of organic molecule pairs as nanofuses

We propose that a pair of organic molecules can mimic the behavior of a macroscopic fuse at nanoscale, one component of the pair being the on state and the other the off state. For this task wemake use of density-functional theory to calculate the physical properties of selected molecules, which have also been synthesized by our team. By this means we obtain the transmission spectra and the current of the proposed devices, which allows us to compare the behavior of the on and off states.Of particular interest is the on/off switch ratios, defined as the current ratios of the on and off structures at the corresponding bias voltage. In a first stage, we examine the best linker between the device and the electrode for high on/off switch ratios. Once this is determined, we test the influence of the electron richness of the system to provide a high on/off switch ratio. The entire analysis is also supported by the molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian, which provides a good way of understanding the molecular behavior. All the calculations support that interesting on/off switch ratios of two orders of magnitude could be obtained with these prototypical nanofusesWe thank the Regional Government of Andalucía for financial support (Projects No. P06-FQM-01726 and No. P09-FQM-04571), the “Centro de Supercomputación de la Universidad de Granada,” and the “Centro de Computación Científica-UAM” for computation time. The authors are also grateful to the Spanish Secretaría de Estado de Universidades e Investigación, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, for financial support within research projects TEC2007-66812 and TEC2010-16211. N.F. thanks the Regional Government of Andalucía for her research contract, and LAC thanks the University of Granada for his research contrac