Social and non-social categorisation in investment decisions and learning

Funding: This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, with pre-doctoral FPU fellowship FPU14/07106 to MT, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with research projects PSI2014-52764-P and PSI2017-84926-P to JL. Participation of JAA was funded by the Action 7 of the Research Support Plan of the University of Jaén.Categorical processes allow us to make sense of the environment effortlessly by grouping stimuli sharing relevant features. Although these processes occur in both social and non-social contexts, motivational, affective and epistemic factors specific to the social world may motivate individuation over categorisation of social compared to non-social stimuli. In one experiment, we tested this hypothesis by analysing the reliance on categorical versus individuating information when making investment decisions about social and non-social targets. In an adaptation of the iterative trust game, participants from three experimental groups had to predict the economic outcomes associated with either humans (i.e., social stimuli), artificial races (i.e., social-like stimuli), or artworks (i.e., non-social stimuli) to earn economic rewards. We observed that investment decisions with humans were initially biased by categorical information in the form of gender stereotypes, but later improved through an individuating learning approach. In contrast, decisions made with non-social stimuli were initially unbiased by categorical information, but the category-outcomes associations learned through repeated interactions were quickly used to categorise new targets. These results are discussed along with motivational and perceptual mechanisms involved in investment decisions and learning about social and non-social agents.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Design of Fuzzy Controllers for Embedded Systems With JFML

Fuzzy rule-based systems (FRBSs) have been successfully applied to a wide range of real-world problems. However, they suffer from some design issues related to the difficulty to implement them on different hardware platforms without additional efforts. To bridge this gap, recently, the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society has sponsored the publication of the standard IEEE Std 1855-2016 which is aimed at providing the fuzzy community with a well-defined approach to model FRBSs in a hardwareindependent way. In order to provide a runnable version of an FRBS that is designed in accordance with the IEEE Std 1855-2016, the open source library Java Fuzzy Markup Language (JFML) has been developed. However, due to hardware and/or software limitations of embedded systems, it is not always possible to run an IEEE Std 1855-2016 FRBS on this kind of systems. The aim of this paper is to overcome this drawback by developing a new JFML module that assists developers in the design and implementation of FRBSs for open hardware–embedded systems. In detail, the module supports several connection types (WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB) in order to make feasible running FRBSs in a remote computer when, due to hardware limitations, it is not possible that they run locally in the embedded systems. The new JFML module is ready for ArduinoTM and Raspberry Pi, but it can be easily extended to other hardware architectures. Moreover, the new JFML module allows to automatically generate runnable files on ArduinoTM or Raspberry Pi in order to support nonexpert users, that is, users without specific knowledge about embedded systems or without strong programming skills. The use of the new JFML module is illustrated in two case studies.This paper has been supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Projects TIN2017-89517-P, TIN2015-68454-R, TIN2017-84796-C2-1-R, and TIN2017-90773-REDT) and the Andalusian Government. In addition, Jose M. Alonso is Ramon y Cajal Researcher (RYC-2016-19802). Financial support from the Galician Ministry of Education (grants ED431F 2018/02, GRC2014/030 and accreditation 2016-2019, ED431G/08), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER program), is also gratefully acknowledged

Conceptual analysis of influential factors in the motivation and involvement of the university student towards the assessment in physical education

The involvement of university students in their own assessment leads to motivation towards learning. The aim of this study is twofold. The first aim is to analyze the factors of evaluation in Physical Education that generate motivation and involvement. To do this, we have discussed five factors: (1) to generate awareness of what is being learned; (2) to delimit the deadlines in the development of tasks; (3) to associate it with the development of competencies; (4) to apply it in a variety of contexts and tasks; and (5) to allow reflection on the teaching and learning process. The second aim, based on the previous one, tries to delimit strategies to implement a quality evaluation in the university classrooms. Five strategies have been analyzed: (1) triadic assessment; (2) grade distribution; (3) collaborative creation of instruments; (4) elaboration of formative questions; and (5) use of apps. Finally, a series of reflections are proposed to put into practice the formative and shared assessment as opposed to the traditional evaluation. This manuscript is a substantial contribution to the existing literature, as it serves as a clear guide for university teachers to implement this type of assessment in the classroom, generating student motivation and transferability of their learning

The value of transhumance for biodiversity conservation: Vulture foraging in relation to livestock movements

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.In recent decades, intensive techniques of livestock raising have flourished, which has largely replaced traditional farming practices such as transhumance. These changes may have affected scavengers’ behaviour and ecology, as extensive livestock is a key source of carrion. This study evaluates the spatial responses of avian scavengers to the seasonal movements of transhumant herds in south-eastern Spain. We surveyed the abundance of avian scavengers and ungulates, and analysed the factors affecting the space use by 30 GPS-tracked griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus). Griffons’ foraging activity increased in the pasturelands occupied by transhumant herds, which implied greater vulture abundance at the landscape level during the livestock season. In contrast, facultative scavengers were more abundant without transhumant livestock herds, and the abundance of wild ungulates did not change in relation to livestock presence. We conclude that fostering transhumance and other traditional farming systems, to the detriment of farming intensification, could favour vulture conservation.CRUE-CSICSpringer Natur

A new LPF-based grid frequency estimation for the SOGI filter with improved harmonic rejection

This paper proposes a new method for the estimation of the grid voltage frequency using a low-pass filter (LPF) approach. The estimated frequency is used to tune a second order generalized integrator (SOGI) filter commonly used for grid monitoring purposes and applications requiring parameter estimation from the grid. A first-order LPF is used first for the estimation that behaves identically to the reported normalized SOGI-FLL. A second-order LPF is proposed instead to overcome this circumstance. The behavior of this approach is dynamically analyzed and a linearized model useful for design purposes is derived. The behavior of the proposed system is checked with simulations, showing that the model matches well with the real system and has a smoother transient response to step frequency perturbations and also a better rejection to harmonic distortion than previous approaches.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Free fatty acids profiling in olive oil and olives from the Trás-os-Montes Portuguese region

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using eye temperature and heart rate for stress assessment in young horses competing in jumping competitions and its possible influence on sport performance

The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate eye temperature (ET) with infrared thermography and heart rate (HR) to measure stress in horses during show jumping competitions and their relationship with competition results, and second, to evaluate the influence of different extrinsic and intrinsic factors of the horse on the stress measurements analysed. One hundred and seventy-three Spanish Sport Horses were analysed for ET and HR, and these measurements were taken 3 h before the competition, just after and 3 h after it. Two interval measurements were also assessed for each parameter. Positive significant correlations were found between ET and HR, measured before (r=0.23), just after competition (r= 0.28) and for the later interval (r= 0.26), whereas negative correlations with competition results were found only for ET when measured just after competing (r=− 0.25). Two intrinsic factors (genetic line and age) and no extrinsic factors showed significant differences for ET, whereas one intrinsic factor (age) and two extrinsic factors (journey duration and number of training hours) showed significant differences for HR. The marginal means showed significantly higher ET values for the Anglo-Arab genetic line and for 5-year-old animals. HR values were significantly higher for 4-year-old animals, for horses which had travelled 4 to 6 h and for horses that had 3 to 6 h of daily training. This study suggests that, although ET and HR seemed to share a similar physiological basis, the factors that most influenced each parameter were different. Finally, ET seems to be a suitable tool for assessing stress during show jumping competitions in horses

Temporal and Spatial Contiguity Are Necessary for Competition Between Events

Over the last 50 years, cue competition phenomena have shaped theoretical developments in animal and human learning. However, recent failures to observe competition effects in standard conditioning procedures, as well as the lengthy and ongoing debate surrounding cue competition in the spatial learning literature, have cast doubts on the generality of these phenomena. In the present study, we manipulated temporal contiguity between simultaneously trained predictors and outcomes (Experiments 1–4), and spatial contiguity between landmarks and goals in spatial learning (Supplemental Experiments 1 and 2; Experiment 5). Across different parametric variations, we observed overshadowing when temporal and spatial contiguity were strong, but no overshadowing when contiguity was weak. Thus, across temporal and spatial domains, we observed that contiguity is necessary for competition to occur, and that competition between cues presented simultaneously during learning is absent when these cues were either spatially or temporally discontiguous from the outcome. Consequently, we advance a model in which the contiguity between events is accounted for and which explains these results and reconciles the previously contradictory findings observed in spatial learning

Hepatic insulin resistance both in prediabetic and diabetic patients determines postprandial lipoprotein metabolism: from the CORDIOPREV study

Background/aims: Previous evidences have shown the presence of a prolonged and exaggerated postprandial response in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its relation with an increase of cardiovascular risk. However, the response in prediabetes population has not been established. The objective was to analyze the degree of postprandial lipemia response in the CORDIOPREV clinical trial (NCT00924937) according to the diabetic status. Methods: 1002 patients were submitted to an oral fat load test meal (OFTT) with 0.7 g fat/kg body weight [12 % saturated fatty acids (SFA), 10 % polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), 43 % monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 10 % protein and 25 % carbohydrates]. Serial blood test analyzing lipid fractions were drawn at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h during postprandial state. Postprandial triglycerides (TG) concentration at any point >2.5 mmol/L (220 mg/dL) has been established as undesirable response. We explored the dynamic response in 57 non-diabetic, 364 prediabetic and 581 type 2 diabetic patients. Additionally, the postprandial response was evaluated according to basal insulin resistance subgroups in patients non-diabetic and diabetic without pharmacological treatment (N = 642). Results: Prevalence of undesirable postprandial TG was 35 % in non-diabetic, 48 % in prediabetic and 59 % in diabetic subgroup, respectively (p < 0.001). Interestingly, prediabetic patients displayed higher plasma TG and large triacylglycerol- rich lipoproteins (TRLs-TG) postprandial response compared with those non-diabetic patients (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003 respectively). Moreover, the area under the curve (AUC) of TG and AUC of TRLs-TG was greater in the prediabetic group compared with non-diabetic patients (p < 0.001 and p < 0.005 respectively). Patients with liver insulin resistance (liver-IR) showed higher postprandial response of TG compared with those patients with muscle-IR or without any insulin-resistance respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that prediabetic patients show a lower phenotypic flexibility after external aggression, such as OFTT compared with nondiabetic patients. The postprandial response increases progressively according to non-diabetic, prediabetic and type 2 diabetic state and it is higher in patients with liver insulin-resistance. To identify this subgroup of patients is important to treat more intensively in order to avoid future cardiometabolic complications

Interferon-alpha decreases cancer stem cell properties and modulates exosomes in malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma (MM) can spread to other organs and is resistant in part due to the presence of cancer stem cell subpopulations (CSCs). While a controversial high dose of interferon-alpha (IFN-α) has been used to treat non-metastatic high-risk melanoma, it comes with undesirable side effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of low and high doses of IFN-α on CSCs by analyzing ALDH activity, side population and specific surface markers in established and patient-derived primary cell lines. We also assessed the clonogenicity, migration and tumor initiation capacities of IFN-α treated CSCs. Additionally, we investigated genomic modulations related to stemness properties using microRNA sequencing and microarrays. The effect of IFN-α on CSCs-derived exosomes was also analyzed using NanoSight and liquid chromatography (LC-HRMS)-based metabolomic analysis, among others. Our results showed that even low doses of IFN-α reduced CSC formation and stemness properties, and led to a significant decrease in the ability to form tumors in mice xenotransplants. IFN-α also modulated the expression of genes and microRNAs involved in several cancer processes and metabolomics of released exosomes. Our work suggests the utility of low doses of interferon, combined with the analysis of metabolic biomarkers, as a potential clinical approach against the aggressiveness of CSCs in melanoma.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU, projects noº MAT2015-62644.C2.2.R and RTI2018-101309-B-C2, FEDER Funds), by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PIE16-00045), by Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6109/UGR (UCE-PP2017-3), by Consejería de Salud y Familias de la Junta de Andalucía (projects noº PEMP0205-2020 FEDER funds), and by the Chair “Doctors Galera-Requena in cancer stem cell research” (CMC-CTS963). J.L.P. (Ref. FPU15/03682) acknowledge the MICIU for providing a PhD fellowship (FPU).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio