Assessment of barriers for people with disability to enjoy national parks

[EN] There is increasing awareness of the importance of nature-based recreation to human wellbeing. Given its significant benefits, natural-protected area management has not always provided equitable access to all potential users. Limited research till now has been focused on how the outdoor barriers impact the equal enjoyment of people with mobility/motor disabilities (PwMDs) of nature when promoting sustainable nature-based tourism. This study intends to shed light on those aspects which constrain the PwMD¿s enjoyment of the great outdoors at national parks (NPs). The study was carried out in Canada and Spain through an online survey on amenities needed and accessibility barriers for PwMDs in parks. It was analyzed through log linear models for cross-frequency tables, which allow us to estimate the associations between questions/variables and, thus, ultimately, obtain insights into how the needs of amenities and accessibility barriers can affect and limit PwMDs¿ enjoyment of natural parks. The results show a predisposition on the part of participants to enjoy parks more frequently than they usually do, as well as a preference for forests and mountain landscapes. Information and communication technologies are the tools most chosen to prepare for their trip and visit to the park. PwMD finds barriers in NPs as impediments to benefit from nature-based recreation and adding to their wellbeing. NP managers should take into consideration that PwMD¿s visits to parks are related to the main obstacles they perceive such as slopes and pavement and that they require amenities such as recreation and signposting. They would also like to enjoy parks more often, with footpaths suitable for walkability/wheelability, e.g., compact pavement, low inclines, and adequate signposting. In addition to the physical barriers, managers should also consider intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints to provide outdoor activities in parks focused on PwMDs¿ needs.This research received partial support and external funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (grant CD21/00186-Sara Borrell Postdoctoral Fellowship) and was co-funded by the European Union.Aguilar-Carrasco, MJ.; Gielen, E.; Vallés-Planells, M.; Galiana, F.; Riutort-Mayol, G. (2023). Assessment of barriers for people with disability to enjoy national parks. Frontiers in Psychology. 13:1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.10586471161

Evaluating limiting factors for people with disabilities using mobility assistive technologies to enjoy National Parks: Comparative findings between Canada and Spain

Research has demonstrated the benefits of nature contact within wellbeing. Outdoor barriers versus amenities can impact on people with mobility/motor disabilities (PwMD) to enjoy nature such as National Parks (NPs). An online questionnaire was designed to obtain information in Canada and Spain on how these barriers influence PwMD to carry out outdoor activities in NPs. It was structured on three main themes: basic data, park’s public use and park knowledge. Statistical analysis has shown the predisposition of PwMDs to enjoy nature and highlights the barriers that prevent them from accessing outdoor activities. More research is needed in this area

Nutritional quality of the most consumed varieties of raw and cooked rice in Spain submitted to an in vitro digestion model

Rice is one of the most consumed staple foods around the world and its trade is highly globalized. Increased environmental pollution generates a large amount of waste that, in many cases, is discarded close to culture fields. Some species are able to bioaccumulate toxic substances, such as metals, that could be transferred to the food chain. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the content of metallic (Al, Cd, Pb, and Cr) and metalloid elements (As) in 14 of the most consumed varieties of rice in Spain and their effects on human health. The samples were cooked, and human digestion was simulated by using a standard in vitro digestion method. Metallic and metalloid element levels were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICPOES), previous called microwave digestion. Both the human health risk index, Hazard Quotient, and Lifetime Cancer Risk did not show toxic values in any case. Rice with a higher non-digestible fraction showed a higher liberation of proteins and a lower glycemic index. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of metallic and metalloid elements in cooked rice or in the digestible fraction in all varieties analysed. However, Al concentrations were higher than other metals in all varieties studied due to its global distribution. No relationship has been observed between the digestibility of rice and the bioaccessibility of each metallic and metalloid element. All of the studied rice varieties are healthy food products and its daily consumption is safe. The regular monitoring of metals and As in rice consumed in Spain may contribute to improvements in the human health risk evaluation.Universidad de Sevilla VIPPIT-2021-I.

Biological Evaluation of New Thienopyridinium and Thienopyrimidinium Derivatives as Human Choline Kinase Inhibitors

This research was funded by Convocatoria 2019 Proyectos de I + D + i − RTI Tipo B “Ministerio de Innovación y Ciencia” grant number PID2019-109294RB-I00 and “Convocatoria 2020 Proyectos I + D + i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2020”, grant number B-CTS-216-UGR20. E.P thanks the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project BioDrug (No. 1.1.1.5/19/A/004) and the Latvian Council of Science (grant No. lzp-2020/2-0013) for financial support.Due to its role in lipid biosynthesis, choline kinase α1 (CKα1) is an interesting target for the development of new antitumor agents. In this work, we present a series of 41 compounds designed based on the well-known and successful strategy of introducing thienopyridine and pyrimidine as bioisosteres of other heterocycles in active antitumor compounds. Notwithstanding the fact that some of these compounds do not show significant enzymatic inhibition, others, in contrast, feature substantially improved enzymatic and antiproliferative inhibition values. This is also confirmed by docking analysis, whereby compounds with longer linkers and thienopyrimidine cationic head have been identified as the most compelling. Among the best compounds is Ff-35, which inhibits the growth of different tumor cells at submicromolar concentrations. Moreover, Ff-35 is more potent in inhibiting CKα1 than other previous biscationic derivatives. Treatment of A549, Hela, and MDA-MB-231 cells with Ff-35 results in their arrest at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, the compound induces cellular apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Altogether, these findings indicate that Ff-35 is a promising new chemotherapeutic agent with encouraging preclinical potential.Ministerio de Innovación y Ciencia PID2019-109294RB-I00FEDER 2020 B-CTS-216-UGR20European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 1.1.1.5/19/A/004Latvian Council of Science lzp-2020/2-00

New Compounds with Bioisosteric Replacement of Classic Choline Kinase Inhibitors Show Potent Antiplasmodial Activity

This research was funded by Convocatoria 2019 Proyectos de I + D + i - RTI Tipo B “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” grant number PID2019–109294RB-I00, University of Granada, Cei-BioticProject grant number CEI2013-MP-1, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa-Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales (RICET: RD16/0027/0014), the Plan Nacional (SAF PID2019-109623RB-I002016-79957-R) and the Junta de Andalucía (BIO-199).Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/pharmaceutics13111842/s1, Figure S1. Pf CKIC50 Curves Inhibition of Pf CK. Figure S2. IC50Curves. Figure S3. Spectra.In the fight against Malaria, new strategies need to be developed to avoid resistance of the parasite to pharmaceutics and other prevention barriers. Recently, a Host Directed Therapy approach based on the suppression of the starting materials uptake from the host by the parasite has provided excellent results. In this article, we propose the synthesis of bioisosteric compounds that are capable of inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum Choline Kinase and therefore to reduce choline uptake, which is essential for the development of the parasite. Of the 41 bioisosteric compounds reported herein, none showed any influence of the linker on the antimalarial and enzyme inhibitory activity, whereas an effect of the type of cationic heads used could be observed. SARs determined that the thienopyrimidine substituted in 4 by a pyrrolidine is the best scaffold, independently of the chosen linker. The decrease in lipophilicity seems to improve the antimalarial activity but to cause an opposite effect on the inhibition of the enzyme. While potent compounds with similar good inhibitory values have been related to the proposed mechanism of action, some of them still show discrepancies and further studies are needed to determine their specific molecular target.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2019–109294RB-I00University of Granada CEI2013-MP-1Plan Nacional (SAF PID2019-109623RB-I002016-79957-R)Junta de Andalucía (BIO-199)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RICET: RD16/0027/0014

New Compounds with Bioisosteric Replacement of Classic Choline Kinase Inhibitors Show Potent Antiplasmodial Activity

In the fight against Malaria, new strategies need to be developed to avoid resistance of the parasite to pharmaceutics and other prevention barriers. Recently, a Host Directed Therapy approach based on the suppression of the starting materials uptake from the host by the parasite has provided excellent results. In this article, we propose the synthesis of bioisosteric compounds that are capable of inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum Choline Kinase and therefore to reduce choline uptake, which is essential for the development of the parasite. Of the 41 bioisosteric compounds reported herein, none showed any influence of the linker on the antimalarial and enzyme inhibitory activity, whereas an effect of the type of cationic heads used could be observed. SARs determined that the thienopyrimidine substituted in 4 by a pyrrolidine is the best scaffold, independently of the chosen linker. The decrease in lipophilicity seems to improve the antimalarial activity but to cause an opposite effect on the inhibition of the enzyme. While potent compounds with similar good inhibitory values have been related to the proposed mechanism of action, some of them still show discrepancies and further studies are needed to determine their specific molecular target

Biological Evaluation of New Thienopyridinium and Thienopyrimidinium Derivatives as Human Choline Kinase Inhibitors

Due to its role in lipid biosynthesis, choline kinase α1 (CKα1) is an interesting target for the development of new antitumor agents. In this work, we present a series of 41 compounds designed based on the well-known and successful strategy of introducing thienopyridine and pyrimidine as bioisosteres of other heterocycles in active antitumor compounds. Notwithstanding the fact that some of these compounds do not show significant enzymatic inhibition, others, in contrast, feature substantially improved enzymatic and antiproliferative inhibition values. This is also confirmed by docking analysis, whereby compounds with longer linkers and thienopyrimidine cationic head have been identified as the most compelling. Among the best compounds is Ff-35, which inhibits the growth of different tumor cells at submicromolar concentrations. Moreover, Ff-35 is more potent in inhibiting CKα1 than other previous biscationic derivatives. Treatment of A549, Hela, and MDA-MB-231 cells with Ff-35 results in their arrest at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, the compound induces cellular apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Altogether, these findings indicate that Ff-35 is a promising new chemotherapeutic agent with encouraging preclinical potential

Tutorías colaborativas: aprendizaje colaborativo y adquisición de competencias transversales

Memoria de Proyecto de Innova Docentia sobre una experiencia de implantación de tutorías colaborativas en tres facultades de la UCM (Comercio y Turismo, Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales y Ciencias de la Información), basadas en la mentorización por alumnos de cursos superiores en diferentes asignaturas de Análisis Económico, Estadística empresarial y Sociología, supervisada y dirigida por los profesores de la asignatura. Los objetivos del proyecto son la mejora de resultados académicos, el fomento del aprendizaje colaborativo entre pares y la adquisición de competencias transversales

First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: an effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale

Ecuador has both high richness and high endemism, which are increasingly threatened by anthropic pressures, including roads. Research evaluating the effects of roads remains scarce, making it difficult to develop mitigation plans. Here, we present the first national assessment of wildlife mortality on roads that allow us to (1) estimate roadkill rates per species, (2) identify affected species and areas, and (3) reveal knowledge gaps. We bring together data from systematic surveys and citizen science efforts to present a dataset with 5010 wildlife roadkill records from 392 species, and we also provide 333 standardized corrected roadkill rates calculated on 242 species. Systematic surveys were reported by ten studies from five Ecuadorian provinces, revealing 242 species with corrected roadkill rates ranging from 0.03 to 171.72 ind./km/year. The highest rates were for the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia in Galapagos (171.72 ind./km/year), the cane toad Rhinella marina in Manabi (110.70 ind./km/year), and the Galapagos lava lizard Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/year). Citizen science and other nonsystematic monitoring provided 1705 roadkill records representing all 24 provinces in Ecuador and 262 identified species. The common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, the Andean white-eared opossum Didelphis pernigra, and the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia were more commonly reported (250, 104, and 81 individuals, respectively). Across all sources, we found 15 species listed as “Threatened” and six as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN. We recommend stronger research efforts in areas where the mortality of endemic or threatened species could be critical for populations, such as in Galapagos. This first country-wide assessment of wildlife mortality on Ecuadorian roads represents contributions from academia, members of the public, and government, underlining the value of wider engagement and collaboration. We hope these findings and the compiled dataset will guide sensible driving and sustainable planning of infrastructure in Ecuador and, ultimately, contribute to reduce wildlife mortality on roads

Emociones políticas y virtudes epidémicas en el siglo XVIII

El proyecto se propone abrir nuevas vías en la enseñanza de las Humanidades en la UCM mediante la práctica de una historia de las ideas del siglo XVIII que atiende a los condicionantes materiales de la cultura y a la valoración de las emociones como índices de construcción de imágenes de lo privado y lo público. El proyecto pretende, por un lado, explorar los mecanismos materiales de producción de ideas y creencias compartidas por la sociedad del siglo XVIII, teniendo en cuenta los diferentes contextos de la Ilustración Francesa, Alemana, Judía y Escocesa, con especial atención a la formación de metáforas políticas y a las emociones estéticamente más aceptadas y difundidas en la época analizada. La otra dimensión estudiada por el proyecto se refiere a los procesos de configuración de lo público y la crítica intelectual del poder, tomando como instrumento de análisis la comunicación de ideas materializada en la correspondencia, en la prensa, en los libros y en el proyecto de la Enciclopedia. Este programa de trabajo tendrá como principal destinatario el alumnado de Grado, Máster y Doctorado de la UCM, al que se invitará a las sesiones de trabajo del equipo, especialmente al matriculado en las asignaturas impartidas durante el curso 2016/17 por la IP. El proyecto reúne a destacados especialistas de la UCM y de otras universidades madrileñas y españolas, además de contar entre sus miembros con estudiantes de doctorado, que propiciarán la difusión de las actividades entre los estudiantes UCM, y con personal de administración y servicios, a los que se asignarán tareas relacionadas con la difusión y transferencia de los resultados del proyecto, a la sociedad, a la comunidad universitaria UCM y a los estudiantes Erasmus que reciba en el curso 2016/17 la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM