Human Behavior Experimentation and Participation in Scientific Activities in the Wild

La cooperació és un dels trets del comportament que defineixen els éssers humans, però, encara estem tractant de comprendre per què els humans cooperem. Els experiments conductuals estan dissenyats per donar llum sobre els mecanismes de cooperació i altres trets del comportament. Aquesta dissertació es centra en avançar en el camp de l'experimentació conductual utilitzant les pràctiques de ciència ciutadana, i es divideix en dos blocs. En el primer, presentem dues plataformes, una que permet estudiar com promoure el pensament científic i la participació científica, i l'altra que permet estudiar els trets del comportament humà amb un conjunt de jocs de comportament. Les dues plataformes estàn dissenyades per ajudar a crear experiments en el camp i per fomentar la participació en el marc de la ciència ciutadana. En el segon bloc avaluem les plataformes a través d'un conjunt d'experiments, i analitzem l'existència de patrons de comportament. Primer, vam estudiar la solidesa de la plataforma observant si sorgeixen estratègies iguals en rèpliques del mateix experiment realitzat amb diferents mostres de població. En el segon experiment, analitzem els patrons de comportament que emergeixen quan els participants s'enfronten a un conjunt de dilemes socials. Els dos últims experiments són "collective-risk dilemmas" sobre el canvi climàtic. En un, estudiem com les desigualtats de recursos generen comportaments injustos. L'altre es porta a terme dins d'un ecosistema concret per estudiar les tensions que hi ha entre els diferents actors del col·lectiu. Tenint en compte els resultats dels experiments, podem entendre com ens comportem quan enfrontem dilemes socials i, en conseqüència, avaluar els trets de comportament i l'aparició de patrons de comportament. Els dissenys, els resultats i la metodologia d'anàlisi presentats en aquest treball ajudaran a establir les bases per a futurs experiments de comportament al camp.La cooperación es uno de los rasgos de comportamiento que definen a los seres humanos, sin embargo, todavía estamos tratando de comprender por qué los humanos cooperamos. Los experimentos conductuales están diseñados para arrojar luz sobre los mecanismos de cooperación y otros rasgos de comportamiento. Esta disertación se centra en avanzar en el campo de la experimentación conductual utilizando las prácticas de ciencia ciudadana, y se divide en dos bloques. En el primero, presentamos dos plataformas, una que permite estudiar cómo promover el pensamiento científico y la participación científica, y otra para estudiar los rasgos del comportamiento humano con un conjunto de juegos de comportamiento. Ambas plataformas están diseñadas para ayudar a crear experimentos en el campo y para fomentar la participación en el marco de la ciencia ciudadana. En el segundo bloque evaluamos las plataformas a través de un conjunto de experimentos, y analizamos la existencia de patrones de comportamiento. Primero, estudiamos la solidez de la plataforma al observar si surgen estrategias iguales en réplicas del mismo experimento realizado con diferentes muestras de población. En el segundo experimento, analizamos los patrones de comportamiento que emergen cuando los participantes enfrentan un conjunto de dilemas sociales. Los dos últimos experimentos son "collective-risk dilemmas" sobre el cambio climático. En uno, estudiamos cómo las desigualdades de recursos generan comportamientos injustos. El otro se lleva a cabo dentro de un ecosistema concreto para estudiar las tensiones que existen entre los diferentes actores del colectivo. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de los experimentos, podemos entender cómo nos comportamos cuando enfrentamos dilemas sociales y, en consecuencia, evaluar los rasgos de comportamiento y la aparición de patrones de comportamiento. Los diseños, los resultados y la metodología de análisis presentados en este trabajo ayudarán a establecer las bases para futuros experimentos de comportamiento en el campo.Cooperation is one of the behavioral traits that define human beings, however we are still trying to understand why humans cooperate. Behavioral experiments are designed to shed light into the mechanisms behind cooperation -- and other behavioral traits. This dissertation is focused on advancing the field of behavioral experimentation using experiments based on citizen science, and it is divided in two blocks. In the first, we present two platforms, one to understand how it can serve as a catalyst to promote of scientific thinking and engage in science, and another to study traits of human behavior with a suite of behavioral games. Both platforms are designed to help creating experiments in the wild and to encourage the participation within the framework of citizen science. In the second block we evaluate the platforms through a set of experiments, and we analyze the existence of behavioral patterns. First, we study the robustness of the platform by looking whether equal strategies emerge in replicas of the same experiment performed with different population samples. In the second experiment we analyze the behavioral patterns that emerge when participants face a set of social dilemmas. The last two experiments are collective-risk dilemmas framed in climate change. In one, we study how the resource inequalities generate unfair behaviors. The other is carried out within a given ecosystem to study the tensions that exist between actors of the collective. Considering the experiments' results, we can comprehend how we behave when we face social dilemmas, and consequently evaluate behavioral traits and the emergence of behavioral patterns. The designs, the results and the methodology of analysis presented in this work will help set the basis for future behavioral experiments in the field

Rapid identification of Salmonella typhimurium, S. enteritidis and S. virchow isolates by Polymerase Chain Reaction based fingerprinting methods

In this study we used and evaluated three rapid molecular typing methods for the identification of three frequent, clinically significant Salmonella serovars on the basis of the ease, simplicity and reproducibility of the chosen methods. We determined the genetic diversity among several isolates of Salmonella enteritidis, S. typhimurium and S. virchow, and compared them with other enterobacteria by using the repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequences, the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences, and the 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer region (ITS1). The objective was to evaluate their potential application to discriminate among members of the species Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica using the genetic diversity of the group found by genomic fingerprinting. The three different serovars of Salmonella studied gave reproducible and distinguishable profiles using whichever of the above mentioned polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods assayed. The conserved patterns in each serovar allowed for easy differentiation from other serovars of Salmonella

Hepatitis C virus co-infection and sexual risk behaviour are associated with a high homocysteine serum level in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A better understanding of the relationship of homocysteine with cardiovascular risk factors is needed. The objectives of this study were to assess the serum level of homocysteine in HIV-infected patients and to analyse the possible association of increased levels of the amino acid with cardiovascular risk factors, demographic and clinical characteristics of participants. METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out as a supplementary task to the usual controls necessary in HIV-infected patients in the outpatient clinic of the Hospital General of Castellon, Spain. For two consecutive visits the demographic, clinical and HIV-related characteristics and blood analyses results were obtained for each participant. Homocysteine serum level was documented and the possible association of the amino acid with all the other study variables was assessed with a multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 145 patients were included. The mean homocysteine serum level of all participants was 11.9 ± 5.9 µmol/L. A total of 54 patients (37%) presented homocysteine serum levels higher than the upper limit of normal. An association was found between higher homocysteine serum level and the following variables: family history of early coronary disease (P = 0.027), sexual HIV risk behaviour (P = 0.016), hepatitis C virus co-infection (P = 0.002), higher height (P = 0.002), higher diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.049), lower serum level of folic acid (P <0.001), and lower serum level of vitamin B12 (P = <0.001). CONCLUSION: In the HIV population, increased homocysteine serum level is associated with sexual risk behaviour and hepatitis C virus coinfection

Draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas stutzeri strain B1SMN1, a nitrogen-fixing and naphthalene-degrading strain isolated from wastewater

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Achromobacter marplatensis sp. nov., isolated from a pentachlorophenol contaminated soil

A polyphasic taxonomic approach was applied to the study of a Gram-negative bacterium (B2T) isolated from soil by selective enrichment with pentachlorophenol. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain B2T showed that the strain belongs to the genus Achromobacter within the Betaproteobacteria. The 16S rRNA gene sequence displayed more than 99 % similarity to the sequences of the type strains of all species of Achromobacter, with the highest sequence similarity to those of Achromobacter spanius CCM 7183T and A. piechaudii CCM 2986T (99.8 %). On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, genomic DNA&ndash;DNA relatedness and phenotypic characteristics, including chemotaxonomic (cellular fatty acid profile) analysis, a novel species is proposed, Achromobacter marplatensis sp. nov., with the type strain B2T ( = CCM 7608T = CCUG 56371T = CECT 7342T)

Degradació aeròbica d’hidrocarburs aromàtics per Pseudomonas i Roseobacters

Abstract not availabl

Self-esteem and suicidal behaviour in youth: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Background: Previous literature suggests that low self-esteem is a risk factor for suicide attempts, but no meta-analyses have been conducted to assess this association in adolescents/young adults. The present study examined the relationship between low self-esteem and suicide attempts in young people (12-26 years old). Method: Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models (ES) and odds ratio (OR). Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: From 26,883 initial titles, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 9 studies had data that could be included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that youths with lower self-esteem were more likely to have future suicide attempts, with an effect size (self-esteem as continuous variable) of d = .58 (95% CI = .44 - .73) and, for low self-esteem (categorical variable) an OR = 1.99 (95% CI = 1.39-2.86; p < .001). Conclusion: A low level of self-esteem is a risk factor for suicide attempts in adolescents/young adults

Influence of obstructive sleep apnea on systemic inflammation in pregnancy

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent in pregnancy and it is associated with adverse pregnancy-related outcomes such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and low birth weight. Maternal systemic inflammation is proposed to be one of the main intermediate mechanisms. However, the effects of OSA on systemic inflammation are unknown in normal pregnancy. Methods: Women in the 3rd trimester underwent hospital polysomnography to evaluate whether OSA increases systemic inflammation in normal pregnancy and its potential association with adverse fetal outcomes. OSA was defined as an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) of = 5 h-1. Plasma cytokines levels (TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) were determined by multiple immunoassays. Results: We included 11 patients with OSA and 22 women with AHI &lt; 5 h-1, who were homogeneous in age, and body mass index (BMI). Women with OSA had significant higher levels of TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-8, and IL-10. We found significant correlations between AHI during REM and TNF-a (r = 0.40), IL-1ß (r = 0.36), IL-6 (r = 0.52), IL-8 (r = 0.43), between obstructive apnea index and TNF-a (r = 0.46) and between AHI and IL-1ß (r = 0.43). We also found that CT90% was related to IL-8 (r = 0.37). There were no significant differences in neonatal characteristics; however, we found inverse correlations between TNF-a and IL-8 with birth weight (both r = -0.48), while IL-8 showed a significant inverse relationship with neonatal gestational age (r = -0.48). Conclusions: OSA in our normal pregnancy population was associated with higher systemic inflammation, which was related to obstructive events, especially during REM sleep. Moreover, systemic inflammation was inversely correlated with neonatal birth weight and age

Educación Física como fundamento para el fortalecimiento de las habilidades motrices en adolescentes. Implicaciones ontológicas: Physical education as a foundation for strengthening motor skills in adolescents. Ontological implications

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo estudiar la Educación Física como fundamento para el fortalecimiento de las habilidades motrices en adolescentes. La metodología que se aplicó fue de orientación cualitativa, ya que permitió revisar con criterio epistémico teorías y trabajos de investigación, sirviendo de sustento indagatorio. El diseño aplicado fue la revisión bibliográfica como herramienta en la orientación y selección de 12 autores y trabajos. Se consultaron las bases de datos Scopus, Web of science, SciElo, Dialnet, Redalyc, Google Académico, Trabajos de grado de Maestría y Doctorado, con data a 5 años. Dentro de los resultados, se evidencia que la experiencia deportiva estimula el desarrollo de habilidades motrices, permitiendo a los educandos del nivel secundario una experimentación individual para valorar sus capacidades y ponderar la participación en actividades de mayor complejidad. Se concluye que las diferentes orientaciones didácticas que desarrollan las capacidades físicas de los adolescentes, significan un aporte al conocimiento y al tratamiento efectivo de la formación y en el desarrollo de las actitudes físicas que en su evolución sirven de base para el conocimiento y fortalecimientos de las destrezas motrices y cognoscitivas

Draft genome of Pseudomonas stutzeri strain NF13, a nitrogen fixer isolated from the Galapagos rift hydrothermal vent

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