Influència de la persistència de les juntes en la magnitud de despreniments rocosos. Aplicació del Laser Scanner Terrestre

Aquesta tesina té com objectiu avaluar la possibilitat d’obtenir una relació magnitudfreqüència dels despreniments amb l’ajut d’un TLS ( Terrestrial Laser Scanner). Per a fer-ho, s’ha triat l’escenari pilot una zona afectada per despreniments al Solà de Santa Coloma, Andorra. El pla de treball ha consistit en l’obtenció de núvols de punts de la superfície topogràfica mitjançant el TLS i el seu tractament per a aconseguir respectivament, els punts pertanyents a la superfície rocosa, els punts pertanyents a un mateix pla i les àrees d’aquests plans. Els plans identificats amb el TLS s’han comprovat a partir de mesures d’afloraments amb brúixola sobre el terreny d’aquelles discontinuïtats que hi afloren. S’ha comprovat que les 7 famílies identificades amb el TLS son les mateixes que les mesurades amb el procediment de mesura manual (brúixola i clinòmetre)

Mice with reduced DAT levels recreate seasonal-induced switching between states in bipolar disorder.

Developing novel therapeutics for bipolar disorder (BD) has been hampered by limited mechanistic knowledge how sufferers switch between mania and depression-how the same brain can switch between extreme states-described as the "holy grail" of BD research. Strong evidence implicates seasonally-induced switching between states, with mania associated with summer-onset, depression with winter-onset. Determining mechanisms of and sensitivity to such switching is required. C57BL/6J and dopamine transporter hypomorphic (DAT-HY 50% expression) mice performed a battery of psychiatry-relevant behavioral tasks following 2-week housing in chambers under seasonally relevant photoperiod extremes. Summer-like and winter-like photoperiod exposure induced mania-relevant and depression-relevant behaviors respectively in mice. This behavioral switch paralleled neurotransmitter switching from dopamine to somatostatin in hypothalamic neurons (receiving direct input from the photoperiod-processing center, the suprachiasmatic nucleus). Mice with reduced DAT expression exhibited hypersensitivity to these summer-like and winter-like photoperiods, including more extreme mania-relevant (including reward sensitivity during reinforcement learning), and depression-relevant (including punishment-sensitivity and loss-sensitivity during reinforcement learning) behaviors. DAT mRNA levels switched in wildtype littermate mice across photoperiods, an effect not replicated in DAT hypomorphic mice. This inability to adjust DAT levels to match photoperiod-induced neurotransmitter switching as a homeostatic control likely contributes to the susceptibility of DAT hypormophic mice to these switching photoperiods. These data reveal the potential contribution of photoperiod-induced neuroplasticity within an identified circuit of the hypothalamus, linked with reduced DAT function, underlying switching between states in BD. Further investigations of the circuit will likely identify novel therapeutic targets to block switching between states

Homeodomain protein Otp affects developmental neuropeptide switching in oxytocin neurons associated with a long-term effect on social behavior

No supplementary materials.Proper response to stress and social stimuli depends on orchestrated development of hypothalamic neuronal circuits. Here we address the effects of the developmental transcription factor orthopedia (Otp) on hypothalamic development and function. We show that developmental mutations in the zebrafish paralogous gene otpa but not otpb affect both stress response and social preference. These behavioral phenotypes were associated with developmental alterations in oxytocinergic (OXT) neurons. Thus, otpa and otpb differentially regulate neuropeptide switching in a newly identified subset of OXT neurons that co-express the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Single-cell analysis revealed that these neurons project mostly to the hindbrain and spinal cord. Ablation of this neuronal subset specifically reduced adult social preference without affecting stress behavior, thereby uncoupling the contribution of a specific OXT cluster to social behavior from the general otpa(-/-) deficits. Our findings reveal a new role for Otp in controlling developmental neuropeptide balance in a discrete OXT circuit whose disrupted development affects social behavior.Israel Science Foundation grants: (1511/16, 957/12, 2137/16).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neuroarchitecture of Peptidergic Systems in the Larval Ventral Ganglion of Drosophila melanogaster

Recent studies on Drosophila melanogaster and other insects have revealed important insights into the functions and evolution of neuropeptide signaling. In contrast, in- and output connections of insect peptidergic circuits are largely unexplored. Existing morphological descriptions typically do not determine the exact spatial location of peptidergic axonal pathways and arborizations within the neuropil, and do not identify peptidergic in- and output compartments. Such information is however fundamental to screen for possible peptidergic network connections, a prerequisite to understand how the CNS controls the activity of peptidergic neurons at the synaptic level. We provide a precise 3D morphological description of peptidergic neurons in the thoracic and abdominal neuromeres of the Drosophila larva based on fasciclin-2 (Fas2) immunopositive tracts as landmarks. Comparing the Fas2 “coordinates” of projections of sensory or other neurons with those of peptidergic neurons, it is possible to identify candidate in- and output connections of specific peptidergic systems. These connections can subsequently be more rigorously tested. By immunolabeling and GAL4-directed expression of marker proteins, we analyzed the projections and compartmentalization of neurons expressing 12 different peptide genes, encoding approximately 75% of the neuropeptides chemically identified within the Drosophila CNS. Results are assembled into standardized plates which provide a guide to identify candidate afferent or target neurons with overlapping projections. In general, we found that putative dendritic compartments of peptidergic neurons are concentrated around the median Fas2 tracts and the terminal plexus. Putative peptide release sites in the ventral nerve cord were also more laterally situated. Our results suggest that i) peptidergic neurons in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord have separated in- and output compartments in specific areas, and ii) volume transmission is a prevailing way of peptidergic communication within the CNS. The data can further be useful to identify colocalized transmitters and receptors, and develop peptidergic neurons as new landmarks

The Influence of Behavioral, Social, and Environmental Factors on Reproducibility and Replicability in Aquatic Animal Models

The publication of reproducible, replicable, and translatable data in studies utilizing animal models is a scientific, practical, and ethical necessity. This requires careful planning and execution of experiments and accurate reporting of results. Recognition that numerous developmental, environmental, and test-related factors can affect experimental outcomes is essential for a quality study design. Factors commonly considered when designing studies utilizing aquatic animal species include strain, sex, or age of the animal; water quality; temperature; and acoustic and light conditions. However, in the aquatic environment, it is equally important to consider normal species behavior, group dynamics, stocking density, and environmental complexity, including tank design and structural enrichment. Here, we will outline normal species and social behavior of 2 commonly used aquatic species: zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Xenopus (X. laevis and X. tropicalis). We also provide examples as to how these behaviors and the complexity of the tank environment can influence research results and provide general recommendations to assist with improvement of reproducibility and replicability, particularly as it pertains to behavior and environmental complexity, when utilizing these popular aquatic models. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. All rights reserved.A.V.K. research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant 19-15-00053. He is the Chair of the International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC). This collaboration was supported, in part, through the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748. The authors would like to thank Gregory Paull for sharing his photographs and insight into the natural habitat of zebrafish in Bangladesh

The Drosophila and Manducahearts as models for studying the role of innervation in cardiac function

Cardiac activity of Drosophila melanogaster and Manduca sexta changes during metamorphosis. The larval heart has only anterograde contractions. Adult heart activity becomes a cyclic alternation of anterograde and retrograde contractions originated by putative anterograde and retrograde pacemakers. During development, the larval skeletal muscle motoneuron-1 in abdominal segments 7 and 8 becomes respecified to innervate the terminal cardiac chamber of adult Manduca and undergoes morphological and physiological reorganization. MNs-1 activate and sustain the anterograde pacemaker activity of the terminal chamber. The innervation of the adult abdominal heart of Drosophila melanogaster was studied to determine whether the adult heart receives neuronal input or whether its complex activity must be considered independent from the nervous system. The larval heart lacks innervation suggesting a myogenic cardiac impulse. At metamorphosis, neural processes grow onto the myocardium. A pair of glutamatergic transverse nerves innervates bilaterally each cardiac chamber. In addition, CCAP-immunoreactive fibers originating from peripheral, bipolar neurons (BpNs) fasciculate with the transverse nerve projections and terminate segmentally throughout the abdominal heart. To determine the role of this innervation in cardiac function, a novel optical technique based on the movement of GFP-labeled nerve terminals was developed to monitor heartbeat in intact preparations. Simultaneous monitoring of adjacent cardiac chambers revealed the direction of contractions and allowed correlation with volume changes. Intracellular recordings from the first abdominal cardiac chamber, the conical chamber, revealed pacemaker action potentials and the excitatory effect of local glutamate application. Bath-applied glutamate initiated retrograde contractions in semi-intact preparations. Similarly, electrical stimulation of the transverse nerve that serves the conical chamber caused a chronotropic effect and initiation of retrograde contractions. This effect is distinct from that of peripheral CCAP-immunoreactive neurons, which potentiate the anterograde beat. Cardiac reversal was evoked pharmacologically by sequentially applying CCAP and glutamate to the heart. The role of the neuropeptide, Crustacean Cardioactive Peptide (CCAP) in adult Drosophila melanogaster cardiac function was studied by RNA interference (RNAi) and targeted cell ablation. CCAP has a cardioacceleratory effect when it is applied in vitro. Lack of CCAP-innervation in CCAP knock-out flies altered one cardiac phase, the anterograde beat, without preventing the cyclic cardiac reversal