Geminivirus Rep Protein Interferes with the Plant DNA Methylation Machinery and Suppresses Transcriptional Gene Silencing

Viruses are masters at circumventing host defenses and manipulating the cellular environment for their own benefit. The replication of the largest known family of single-stranded DNA viruses, Geminiviridae, is impaired by DNA methylation but the fact that plants might use methylation as a defense against geminiviruses and the impact that viral genome methylation may have during the infection, remain controversial. We have found that geminiviruses reduce the expression of the plant maintenance DNA methyltransferases, MET1 and CMT3, in both, locally and systemically infected tissues. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the virus-mediated repression of these two maintenance DNA methyltransferases is widely spread among different geminivirus species and we have identified Rep as the geminiviral protein responsible for the repression of MET1 and CMT3. The presence of Rep, suppresses transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) of an Arabidopsis transgene and of host loci whose expression is strongly controlled by MET1. Bisulfite sequencing analyses showed that the expression of Rep caused a substantial reduction in the levels of DNA methylation at certain loci at CG sites. The biological relevance of these findings and the role of Rep as a TGS suppressor will be discussed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Good practice in Higher Education and Virtual Learning

[EN] Changes in faculty behavior patterns can occur either from surface modifications (change 1) or from changes supported by modifications of the teacher’s thinking and pedagogical knowledge (change 2). The present manuscript aims to motivate change 2 through a guide that invites teachers to reflect, how to address good teaching practices, from profound changes in their thinking and teaching style, specifically in university virtual modality. This proposal is based on a literature review: (1) good practices in different verticals, (2) good educational practices in virtual education and (3) models of good educational practices to identify a set of practices for virtual education. Subsequently, a guide of three moments is introduced, so teachers can use as an exercise for self-evaluation to determine whether good educational practices have been accepted only to fulfill an administrative – academic requirement or if these practices are part of a change in their thinking and pedagogical knowledge . Virtual education still faces great challenges in the knowledge society, as its quality is questioned, mostly because of the lack of physical interaction that characterizes the classroom education. Thus, an invitation is extended to faculty, to use the guide and iteratively question himself, what kind of change would faculty wants to embrace for his teaching career path?[ES] Los cambios en los patrones conductuales del docente se pueden dar a partir de modificaciones superficiales (cambio 1) o si este cambio viene acompañado de modificaciones en su pensamiento y conocimiento pedagógico en que se apoya (cambio 2). El presente artículo tiene como propósito promover el cambio 2, a través de una guía que invite al docente a la reflexión, de manera que pueda abordar las buenas prácticas docentes a partir de cambios profundos en su pensamiento y estilo de enseñanza específicamente en la educación virtual universitaria. Esta propuesta se sustenta en una revisión literaria sobre: (1) las buenas prácticas en diferentes verticales, (2) las buenas prácticas educativas en la educación virtual y (3) modelos de buenas prácticas educativas para identificar un conjunto de prácticas para la educación virtual. Posteriormente, se presenta una guía de tres momentos, que el docente podrá utilizar como ejercicio de autoevaluación y así determinar si la adopción de buenas prácticas educativas es del tipo cambio 1 o del tipo cambio 2. La educación virtual aún enfrenta retos y desafíos en la Sociedad del Conocimiento, ya que se cuestiona su calidad por la falta de interacción física, que por naturaleza, la educación presencial posee. Por ende, se invita al docente universitario a que utilice la guía y a la vez preguntarse iterativamente, ¿qué tipo de cambio desea asumir en su patrón conductual? Del tipo de cambio que asuma, dependerá su contribución a la calidad de la educación virtual.Durán Rodríguez, R.; Estay-Niculcar, CA. (2016). Las buenas prácticas docentes en la educación virtual universitaria. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 14(2):159-186. doi:10.4995/redu.2016.5905.SWORD15918614

Tratamiento del compromiso femoropatelar mediante la transposición de la tuberosidad tibial anterior según la técnica de Maquet II

Se presentan 50 rodillas en un total de 40 pacientes intervenidos entre los años 1983 y 1990 con la técnica de Maquet II por presentar compromiso femoropatelar. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido la valoración de la evolución de los resultados a lo largo del tiempo. La edad media de los pacientes ha sido de 48 años, con un seguimiento medio de 8 años y 4 meses. La patología femoropatelar se ha dividido en 2 grupos: artrosis y condromalacia avanzada. El injerto óseo utilizado ha sido autólogo en el 30% de los casos y heterólogo de banco en los restantes, con un adelantamiento medio de la tuberosidad tibial anterior (TTA) de 11 mm. La valoración de resultados se realizó teniendo en cuenta parámetros clínicos y radiográficos, realizando una primera valoración en junio de 1992 y otra en marzo de 1996. Los resultados globales han sido de un 68% de resultados muy buenos y buenos, 22% regulares y 10% malos, apreciándose un escaso deterioro de los mismos entre las 2 revisiones. Se concluye que la técnica es válida para este tipo de patología, siendo suficiente el adelantamiento de la TTA de 10 mm.We present 50 knees in 40 patients who were operated between 1983 and 1990 with Maquet II procedure because of patellofemoral pathology. The purpose of this work was the long-term evaluation of results. The average age of the patients was 48 years with a mean followup of 8 years and 4 months. The patellofemoral pathology was divided in 2 groups: osteoarthrosis and advanced chondromalacia. The bone graft employed was autologous graft in 30% cases and heterologous graft in the others, with an average anterior displacement of the anterior tibial tuberosity of 11 mm. The evaluation of the results was done based on clinical and radiographical parameters. The final outcome was found to be 68% of very good and good results, 22% fair and 10% bad results. An slight impairement was observed along the period of study. The conclusion is that this procedure is valid for this pathology, being enough an anterior displacement of the tibial tuberosity of 10 mm

Smoking cessation and depressive symptoms at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up

Background The relationship between tobacco and depressive symptoms has been examined. However, there is little information on the evolution of these symptoms when an individual quits. The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of depressive symptoms over time (pre-, post-treatment, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up) in relation to smoking status 12 months after having received a psychological treatment for smoking cessation. Method The sample was made up of 242 adults who received cognitive-behavioral treatment for smoking cessation (64.4% women; mean age=41.71 years). The BDI-II was used to assess depressive symptomatology. Participants were classified into three groups according to smoking status at 12-months follow-up (abstainers, relapsers, and smokers). Results There were no significant differences in depressive symptoms among the three groups at pretreatment. At the end of treatment, abstainers and relapsers presented less depressive symptomatology than smokers. At follow-up, abstainers continued to present less depressive symptomatology than smokers, whereas in relapsers, symptoms began to increase as the relapses occurred. Regarding the evolution of depressive symptomatology, the abstainer and relapser groups showed a significant reduction at the end of treatment. Only in the group of abstainers did the decrease continue during 12 months follow-up. Limitations The decrease of the initial sample size from 562 to 242 participants. Variables such as self-esteem and self-efficacy were not assessed. Conclusions Smoking cessation is associated with a decrease in depressive symptomatology, that is maintained over time. In contrast, relapse is associated with an increase of such symptoms. These findings signify the potential importance of addressing depressive symptomatology in smoking cessation treatment

Stability behaviour of composite magnetorheological fluids by an induction method

Este artículo puede consultarse en la siguiente dirección de la editorial: http://jim.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/03/26/1045389X15577656.full.pdf+htmlIn this work we study the stability behaviour of composite magnetorheological (MR) fluids consisting of magnetic (iron) and non-magnetic (poly (methylmethacrylate), PMMA) particles dispersed in mineral oil. Because of the opacity of the suspensions, optical methods traditionally employed for evaluation of the gravitational settling in colloidal suspensions are not suitable for sedimentation follow-up in this case. For this reason, we use an alternative method based on the evaluation of the resonant frequency of the inductance of a thin coil surrounding the sample The movement of the coil along the height of the container at specified steps and time intervals allows obtaining information about the local volume fraction of particles inside the tube. The obtained successive profiles for the multi-component suspensions show a decrease of the iron particle settling and of the initial rate of settling as the PMMA volume fraction is increased. Finally, the increase of the PMMA concentration gives rise to an improvement of the rheological properties upon magnetic field application for a given concentration of iron. Both a strongrheological response and a good colloidal stability are essential for practical applications.Proyectos PE2012-FQM694 (Junta de Andalucía, Spain)y FIS2013-47666-C3-1-R (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain). L. R.-A. agrradece a la Universidad de Granada su contrato puente (Plan Propio de Investigación, UGR)

Hazardous Alcohol Drinking as Predictor of Smoking Relapse (3-, 6-, and 12-Months Follow-Up) by Gender

Diverse studies have found a relation between alcohol consumption and smoking relapse. Few studies have analyzed the relation of smoking relapse with pretreatment alcohol consumption and gender differences. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of alcohol consumption in smoking relapse over 12 months (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up) and to determine possible gender differences. The sample included 374 smokers who quit smoking by participating in a psychological smoking cessation treatment. We assessed hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking (AUDIT), cigarette consumption (FTND; number of cigarettes) and sociodemographic variables. Higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict smoking relapse at 3-, 6-, and 12-months after smoking cessation. In males, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict relapse at 6 and at 12 months. In females, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict tobacco relapse at 3 months. Hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predicts relapse at all intervals after smoking cessation (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up). However, the influence of hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking on smoking relapse differs as a function of gender, as it is a short-term predictor in women (3 months) and a long-term predictor in men (6 and 12 months)

Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smokers with depressive symptomatology: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Smoking is an important risk factor for mental health-related problems. Numerous studies have supported a bi-directional association between cigarette smoking and depression. Despite the advances in understanding the comorbidity between both problems, the most effective psychological treatment that simultaneously targets smoking and depressive symptomatology remains unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for smoking cessation with components of behavioral activation for managing depressed mood. Method: A single blind, three-arm, superiority randomized controlled trial is proposed. Participants will be smokers over 18years old, who smoke at least 8 cigarettes per day. Participants will be randomized to one of three conditions, using a 2:2:1 allocation ratio: 1) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment; 2) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment plus behavioral activation; or 3) a three-month delayed treatment control group. The primary outcome measures will be biochemically verified point-prevalence abstinence (carbon monoxide in expired air) and significant change from baseline in depressive symptoms to the end of treatment, and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Discussion: This study aims to assess the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention with behavioral activation components for smoking cessation and depressive symptoms, compared to a standard cognitive-behavioral intervention to quit smoking. As the relation between depressive symptoms, even at subclinical levels, and quitting smoking difficulties is well known, we expect that such intervention will allow obtaining higher abstinence rates, lower relapse rates, and mood improvement. Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02844595. Retrospectively registered 19th July, 2016. The study started in January 2016, and the recruitment is ongoing

The interaction of depressive symptoms and hazardous drinking in relation to tobacco craving among treatment seeking depressed smokers: Sex differences

Objectives: The present study sought to address whether there is sex effect in the interactive effect between depressive symptoms and hazardous drinking in the prediction of smoking craving after cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment among those with at least mild depression. Methods: Participants (n=114, mean age 42.0, SD=9.73, 64% women) were treatment-seeking smokers who attended 6 weekly 1-hour sessions involving psychological treatment for cessation. Participants reported depressive symptoms and alcohol use at baseline and reported craving at baseline and after treatment. Results: Results indicated that there was a statistically significant 3-way interaction (depression by alcohol use by sex) for smoking craving (B=-0.30, standard error [SE]=0.14, P=0.042) and appetitive craving (B=-.21, SE=0.09, P=0.031), but not negative reinforcement craving. The form of the significant interactions indicted that higher levels of depressive symptoms and alcohol use were related to greater levels of craving at the end of treatment only among men. Conclusions: The current findings provide novel empirical evidence suggesting that there is a clinically relevant interplay between depressive symptoms and alcohol use regarding general craving and appetitive craving among male treatment-seeking smokers. Although the present results should be replicated in larger samples, this type of research can inform the development of sex-specific interventions for smoking cessation

Health-related quality of life among smoking relapsers

Background: Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impairment. In order to evaluate HRQoL in a sample of Spanish relapsers, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Method: The sample was made up of 775 smokers who had relapsed after a period of abstinence. HRQoL was evaluated using the Euro-Qol questionnaire (EQ-5D); through the descriptive profile, the EQ-5D index and the visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Results: Higher nicotine dependence was related to worse HRQL. According to the EQ-VAS, higher daily cigarette consumption and more years smoking were related to worse perceived health. In the EQ-5D those who had quit smoking in the previous year perceived worse health. Mobility and anxiety/ depression are the dimensions affected by smoking. Those who are more nicotine dependent (OR = 2.29) and have been smoking for longer (OR = 4.12) are more likely to have mobility problems; and those who are nicotine dependent (OR = 1.85) and relapsed more than a year ago (OR = 0.63), are more likely to experience anxiety/ depression. Conclusions: Nicotine dependence demonstrated a determining effect on HRQOL deterioration in smokers who have relapsed

Er/Yb co-doped LiYF4 transparent oxyfluoride glass-ceramics with up-conversion optical properties

Transparent oxyfluoride glass-ceramics doped with rare earth ions (RE3+) are promising materials for photoluminescence up- and down-conversion. In this study, glass compositions within the system 40SiO2–25Al2O3–18Li2O–7LiF–10YF3 (mol.%) doped with ErF3 and codoped with ErF3/YbF3 were prepared by melt-quenching method and subjected to thermal treatment at temperatures above glass transition (Tg + 35 °C) for long dwell times to obtain the corresponding glass-ceramics. The formation of LiYF4 and LiAlSiO4 nanocrystals was confirmed by XRD analysis after thermal treatment at 540 °C for 20 h. The increase in the treatment time up to 80 h resulted in the enhancement of the UC luminescence yield and the decrease of the Red to Green ratio (R/G) emission intensity. Due to the nano-sized crystals, the glass-ceramic products were transparent (%T) in near-infrared (NIR) and visible spectral region with %T remaining approximately 85% and 75%, respectively, after 20 h treatment. However, the visible window transparency reduced, with %T dropping to around 50% after 80 h due to the increase in crystal size and crystalline fraction. The influence of Yb3+ co-doping on the up-conversion (UC) luminescence has been investigated in the glass-ceramics and compared to the parent glasses, confirming that Yb3+ ions were also a key factor for facilitating up-conversion via energy transfer (ET), leading to a greater luminescence yield than for Er3+ single doped glass-ceramics and tuning of R/G intensities.This work was supported by a part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [grant number 739566]; the MICINN [grant number PID2020-115419GBC-21/C-22/AEI/10.13039/501100011033]; and the project VEGA 1/0476/22