Les rates amb més germans són menys ansioses quan són adultes

En aquest revelador estudi, científics de l'Institut de Neurociències de la UAB han investigat com influeix el nombre de germans d'una ventrada en el comportament dels animals quan són adults. Malgrat que, en les ventrades petites, cada criatura rep més atenció individual, les criades en "famílies" més grans són menys ansioses quan són adultes.En este revelador estudio, científicos del Instituto de Neurociencias de la UAB han investigado cómo influye el número de hermanos de una camada en el comportamiento de los animales cuando son adultos. A pesar de que, en las camadas pequeñas, cada cría recibe más atención individual, aquellas criadas en "familias" más grandes son menos ansiosas cuando son adultas.In this revealing study, scientists from the UAB Neurosciences Institute have investigated how the number of siblings in a litter can influence behaviour when the rats reach adulthood. Although, in smaller litters, every pup receives more individual attention, those raised in bigger "families" are less anxious in their adulthood

Computational Study on the Co-Mediated Intramolecular Pauson-Khand Reaction of Fluorinated and Chiral N-Tethered 1,7-Enynes

The Co2(CO)8-mediated intramolecular Pauson−Khand reaction is an elegant approach to obtain cyclopentenone derivatives containing asymmetric centers. In this work, we employed density functional theory calculations at the M11/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory to investigate the mechanism and reactivity for the Pauson−Khand reaction of fluorinated and asymmetric N-tethered 1,7-enynes. The rate determining step was found to be the intramolecular alkene insertion into the carbon−cobalt bond. The stereoselectivity of the alkene insertion step was rationalized by the different transition states showing the coordination of the alkene through the Re- and Si-face. The effects of different fluorine groups and steric effects on both the alkenyl and alkynyl moieties were also theoretically investigated

XII congreso internacional de la vivienda/Chile

In this work, the development of the Xllth International Congress on Housing, held in Viña del Mar (Chile) on March 1985, is summarized. Its central topic was: "New Construction and Financing Methods". The presented papers intended to bring technical, social and financial solutions to housing problems, specially in developing countries. Spanish participation include two works, one about the particular problem of the inner condensation in walls and another where it is showed a graphic method which allows to simplify of solar radiation in the diverse elements of a building, with the purpose to obtain a better use of this kind of energy, so as to reach a higher comfort in human habitat.En este artículo se resume el desarrollo del XII Congreso Internacional de la Vivienda, celebrado en Viña del Mar (Chile), en marzo de 1985, y que ha tenido como tema central: "Nuevos Métodos de Construcción y Financiamiento". Los trabajos presentados han tratado de dar soluciones técnicas, sociales y financieras al problema de la vivienda, especialmente en los países en desarrollo. La participación española ha consistido en dos trabajos, uno sobre la problemática concreta de las condensaciones en interiores de muros, y otro que expone un método gráfico que permite simplificar los procesos para adquirir mayor conocimiento de la radiación solar recibida sobre los distintos elementos de un edificio, con el fin de conseguir un mejor aprovechamiento de este tipo de energía y así obtener un mayor confort en el habitat humano

Use of ambient ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry for the kinetic analysis of organic surface reactions

In contrast to homogeneous systems, studying the kinetics of organic reactions on solid surfaces remains a difficult task due to the limited availability of appropriate analysis techniques that are general, highthroughput, and capable of offering quantitative, structural surface information. Here, we demonstrate how direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) complies with above considerations and can be used for determining interfacial kinetic parameters. The presented approach is based on the use of a MS tag that in principle allows application to other reactions. To show the potential of DART-MS, we selected the widely applied strain-promoted alkyne−azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) as a model reaction to elucidate the effects of the nanoenvironment on the interfacial reaction rate

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs): Advances and Challenges

The study of the electrochemical catalyst conversion of renewable electricity and carbon oxides into chemical fuels attracts a great deal of attention by different researchers. The main role of this process is in mitigating the worldwide energy crisis through a closed technological carbon cycle, where chemical fuels, such as hydrogen, are stored and reconverted to electricity via electrochemical reaction processes in fuel cells. The scientific community focuses its efforts on the development of high-performance polymeric membranes together with nanomaterials with high catalytic activity and stability in order to reduce the platinum group metal applied as a cathode to build stacks of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to work at low and moderate temperatures. The design of new conductive membranes and nanoparticles (NPs) whose morphology directly affects their catalytic properties is of utmost importance. Nanoparticle morphologies, like cubes, octahedrons, icosahedrons, bipyramids, plates, and polyhedrons, among others, are widely studied for catalysis applications. The recent progress around the high catalytic activity has focused on the stabilizing agents and their potential impact on nanomaterial synthesis to induce changes in the morphology of NPs

Modelos animales en psicopatología y psicofarmacología : del análisis experimental de la conducta a la neurogenética

En los primeros apartados del presente trabajo se consideran las diversas disciplinas que han motivado el desarrollo de los modelos animales, así como la aportación de éstos al progreso de las mismas. A continuación se exponen los criterios de validez predictiva, aparente, de constructo y convergente por los que se rige la validación de los modelos animales, al tiempo que se plantea la necesidad de considerar también un criterio de consistencia-fiabilidad en el uso e interpretación de los resultados experimentales, lo cual se ilustra con un ejemplo. Seguidamente, el contínuo progreso que experimentan los modelos animales en función del rápido avance científico en determinadas líneas de investigación se ilustra con la aparición y/o cambios de procedimiento de modelos de ansiedad, estrés o aprendizaje. Finalmente, se presenta una tabla resumen de los modelos animales más utilizados en el estudio de las principales psicopatologías y se comentan algunos modelos psicogenéticos, farmacogenéticos y neurogenéticosThe contributions of different scientific disciplines to the progress of the animal models, as well as the need of such models for the development of those areas, are considered in the first part of the present work. Criteria for validating animal models of human (normal and abnormal) behavior, such as predictive, face, construct and convergent validities, in addition to a new suggested criterion concerning the consistency/reliability in the use of the models and interpretation of the data, are discussed. In considering the progress of animal models, different examples regarding the development of certain analogues of anxiety, stress and learning are presented. Finally, the most used models for the main psychopatological categories are summarized in a table, and some psychogenetic, pharmacogenetic and neurogenetic models are commente

Analysis of Gender Differences in HRV of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Using Mobile-Health Technology

Síndrome de fatiga crònica; Diferències de gènere; Variabilitat de la freqüència cardíacaSíndrome de fatiga crónica; Diferencias de género; Variabilidad del ritmo cardíacoChronic fatigue syndrome; Gender differences; Heart rate variabilityIn a previous study using mobile-health technology (mHealth), we reported a robust association between chronic fatigue symptoms and heart rate variability (HRV) in female patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This study explores HRV analysis as an objective, non-invasive and easy-to-apply marker of ME/CFS using mHealth technology, and evaluates differential gender effects on HRV and ME/CFS core symptoms. In our methodology, participants included 77 ME/CFS patients (32 men and 45 women) and 44 age-matched healthy controls (19 men and 25 women), all self-reporting subjective scores for fatigue, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression, and neurovegetative symptoms of autonomic dysfunction. The inter-beat cardiac intervals are continuously monitored/recorded over three 5-min periods, and HRV is analyzed using a custom-made application (iOS) on a mobile device connected via Bluetooth to a wearable cardiac chest band. Male ME/CFS patients show increased scores compared with control men in all symptoms and scores of fatigue, and autonomic dysfunction, as with women in the first study. No differences in any HRV parameter appear between male ME/CFS patients and controls, in contrast to our findings in women. However, we have found negative correlations of ME/CFS symptomatology with cardiac variability (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, LF) in men. We have also found a significant relationship between fatigue symptomatology and HRV parameters in ME/CFS patients, but not in healthy control men. Gender effects appear in HF, LF/HF, and HFnu HRV parameters. A MANOVA analysis shows differential gender effects depending on the experimental condition in autonomic dysfunction symptoms and HF and HFnu HRV parameters. A decreased HRV pattern in ME/CFS women compared to ME/CFS men may reflect a sex-related cardiac autonomic dysfunction in ME/CFS illness that could be used as a predictive marker of disease progression. In conclusion, we show that HRV analysis using mHealth technology is an objective, non-invasive tool that can be useful for clinical prediction of fatigue severity, especially in women with ME/CFS.This research was funded by “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” of the Spanish Government, grant number PID2019-107473RB-C2

Treadmill exercise has minimal impact on obesogenic diet-related gut microbiome changes but alters adipose and hypothalamic gene expression in rats

Exercise has been extensively utilised as an effective therapy for overweight- and obesity-associated changes that are linked to health complications. Several preclinical rodent studies have shown that treadmill exercise alongside an unhealthy diet improves metabolic health and microbiome composition. Furthermore, chronic exercise has been shown to alter hypothalamic and adipose tissue gene expression in diet-induced obesity. However, limited work has investigated whether treadmill exercise commenced following exposure to an obesogenic diet is sufficient to alter microbiome composition and metabolic health. To address this gap in the literature, we fed rats a high-fat/high-sugar western-style cafeteria diet and assessed the effects of 4 weeks of treadmill exercise on adiposity, diet-induced gut dysbiosis, as well as hypothalamic and retroperitoneal white adipose tissue gene expression. Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to either regular chow or cafeteria diet and after 3 weeks half the rats on each diet were exposed to moderate treadmill exercise for 4 weeks while the remainder were exposed to a stationary treadmill. Microbial species diversity was uniquely reduced in exercising chow-fed rats, while microbiome composition was only changed by cafeteria diet. Despite limited effects of exercise on overall microbiome composition, exercise increased inferred microbial functions involved in metabolism, reduced fat mass, and altered adipose and hypothalamic gene expression. After controlling for diet and exercise, adipose Il6 expression and liver triglyceride concentrations were significantly associated with global microbiome composition. Moderate treadmill exercise induced subtle microbiome composition changes in chow-fed rats but did not overcome the microbiome changes induced by prolonged exposure to cafeteria diet. Predicted metabolic function of the gut microbiome was increased by exercise. The effects of exercise on the microbiome may be modulated by obesity severity. Future work should investigate whether exercise in combination with microbiome-modifying interventions can synergistically reduce diet- and obesity-associated comorbidities