Distinctive effects of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in regulating neural stem cell fate are mediated via endocannabinoid signalling pathways

Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay between the endocannabinoid system, omega-3 fatty acids and the immune system in the promotion of brain self-repair. However, it is unknown if all omega-3 fatty acids elicit similar effects on adult neurogenesis and if such effects are mediated or regulated by interactions with the endocannabinoid system. This study investigated the effects of DHA and EPA on neural stem cell (NSC) fate and the role of the endocannabinoid signalling pathways in these effects. EPA, but not DHA, significantly increased proliferation of NSCs compared to controls, an effect associated with enhanced levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and p-p38 MAPK, effects attenuated by pre-treatment with CB1 (AM251) or CB2 (AM630) receptor antagonists. Furthermore, in NSCs derived from IL-1β deficient mice, EPA significantly decreased proliferation and p-p38 MAPK levels compared to controls, suggesting a key role for IL-1β signalling in the effects observed. Although DHA similarly increased 2-AG levels in wild-type NSCs, there was no concomitant increase in proliferation or p-p38 MAPK activity. In addition, in NSCs from IL-1β deficient mice, DHA significantly increased proliferation without effects on p-P38 MAPK, suggesting effects of DHA are mediated via alternative signalling pathways. These results provide crucial new insights into the divergent effects of EPA and DHA in regulating NSC proliferation and the pathways involved, and highlight the therapeutic potential of their interplay with endocannabinoid signalling in brain repair

Barriers for the practice of physical activity out of school, physical self-concept, goal orientations and academic performance in physical education

El objetivo de este estudio es determinar la función predictiva que diferentes variables (autoconcepto físico, orientaciones de meta, práctica de actividad física y barreras para la práctica) ejercen sobre el rendimiento académico en la asignatura de Educación Física. Participaron 244 estudiantes, que manifestaron no realizar actividad física extraescolar, de las etapas de Educación Primaria y Secundaria de la Comunidad Valenciana que respondieron al Cuestionario de Actividad Física para Adolescentes PAQ-A, al Cuestionario de Orientación al Ego y a la Tarea en el Deporte, al Cuestionario de Autoconcepto Físico y a la Escala de Percepción de Barreras para la Práctica Deportiva en Adolescentes. Se han realizado análisis descriptivos, correlacionales y de regresión lineal múltiple para plantear un modelo predictivo explicativo del rendimiento académico en la asignatura de Educación Física. Se ha obtenido que el autoconcepto correlaciona con la práctica de actividad física, con la orientación de meta a la tarea y con el rendimiento en la asignatura de Educación Física. También se han encontrado correlaciones entre autoconcepto físico y orientación de meta a la tarea, práctica de actividad física y rendimiento académico al igual que se ha comprobado la incidencia de orientación de meta a la tarea y el rendimiento académico en la asignatura de Educación Física. Por otro lado las barreras de autoconcepto, incompatibilidad de tareas y motivación e interés mantienen relaciones significativas en sentido negativo con el rendimiento en la materia de Educación Física.The objective of this study is to determine the predictive function that different variables (physical self-concept, goal orientation, practice of physical activity and barriers to practice) exert on academic performance in the subject of Physical Education. 244 students participated, who stated that they did not practice physical activity outside of school, from the stages of Primary and Secondary Education of the Comunidad Valenciana that answered to the Physical Activity for Adolescents Questionnaire PAQ-A, to the Orientation to the Ego and the Task in Sport Questionnaire, to the Physical Self-concept Questionnaire and to the Barriers Perception Scale for Sports Practice in Adolescents. Descriptive, correlational and multiple linear regression analyzes have been carried out to propose an explanatory predictive model of academic performance in the subject of Physical Education. It has been obtained that the self-concept correlates with the practice of physical activity, with the orientation of goal to the task and with the performance in the subject of Physical Education. Correlations have also been found between physical self-concept and goal to task orientation, physical activity practice and academic performance. The incidence of goal orientation to the task and academic performance in the subject of Physical Education has also been verified. On the other hand the barriers of self-concept, incompatibility of tasks and motivation and interest maintain significant relationships in a negative sense with the performance in the subject of Physical Education

Applications of serum albumins in delivery systems: Differences in interfacial behaviour and interacting abilities with polysaccharides

One of the major applications of SerumAlbumins is their use as delivery systems for lipophilic compounds in biomedicine. Their biomedical application is based on the similarity with Human Serum Albumin (HSA), as a fully biocompatible protein. In general, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is treated as comparable to its human homologue and used as a model protein for fundamental studies since it is available in high amounts and well understood. This protein can act as a carrier for lipophilic compounds or as protective shell in an emulsion-based vehicle. Polysaccharides are generally included in these formulations in order to increase the stability and/or applicability of the carrier. In this review, themain biomedical applications of Albumins as drug delivery systems are first presented. Secondly, the differences between BSA andHSA are highlighted, exploring the similarities and differences between these proteins and their interaction with polysaccharides, both in solution and adsorbed at interfaces. Finally, the use of Albumins as emulsifiers for emulsion-based delivery systems, concretely as Liquid Lipid Nanocapsules (LLNs), is revised and discussed in terms of the differences encountered in the molecular structure and in the interfacial properties. The specific case of Hyaluronic Acid is considered as a promising additivewith important applications in biomedicine. The literatureworks are thoroughly discussed highlighting similarities and differences between BSA and HSA and their interaction with polysaccharides encountered at different structural levels, hence providing routes to control the optimal design of delivery systems.This work has been funded by the following projects, which are gratefully acknowledged: MAT2017-82182-R and RTI2018-101309-BC21 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). The authors also acknowledge “Mancomunidad de los Pueblos de la Alpujarra Granadina” for the funds raised and supplied for this research

COEDU-IN Project: an inclusive co-educational project for teaching computational thinking and digital skills at early ages

Learning to program is the new literacy of the 21st century. Computational thinking, closely related to programming, requires thinking and solving problems with different levels of abstraction and is independent of hardware devices. The early childhood education stage provides teachers with the opportunity to lay the foundations for a comprehensive quality education using innovative tools and technologies. Educational robotics in early childhood education becomes a tool that facilitates the acquisition of knowledge to children, playfully, based on the principles of interactivity, social interrelationships, collaborative work, creativity, constructivist and constructionist learning, and a student-centered didactic approach, allowing in turn that student can acquire digital competencies and develop logical and computational thinking in an underlying way. This project explores the current state of teaching and learning computational thinking and programming in early childhood education in an inclusive manner. Moreover, the lack of diversity and inequality is particularly latent in science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Therefore, this work considers this problem and presents an inclusive coeducation approach to this new literacy, eliminating gender stereotypes and extending them to people with Down syndrome and hospitalized minors

Usos y desusos del modelo GPT-3 entre estudiantes de grados de ingeniería

La herramienta ChatGPT, basada en el modelo GPT-3 desarrollado por OpenAI, ya se utiliza por estudiantes de grados de ingeniería como herramienta de apoyo en su proceso de aprendizaje. En este contexto, las implicaciones negativas que presenta el uso de esta herramienta son diversas: dependencia tecnológica, obstaculización del saber y conocer práctico, error en las respuestas, problemas éticos o incluso problemas legales. El uso de esta herramienta sin que los estudiantes hayan recibido formación se considera como problema a investigar. El objetivo es entender en profundidad el contexto tecnológico de la herramienta, cómo se utiliza actualmente entre los estudiantes de ingeniería de un conjunto de universidades privadas y públicas, y su impacto en la educación universitaria. Este artículo es un trabajo en desarrollo donde se presenta el contexto del estudio, la metodología de investigación y unos primeros resultados. Se conduce una encuesta cualitativa-exploratoria con una muestra de más de 360 estudiantes de grados de ingeniería matriculados en diferentes cursos. Se utiliza una estratificación aleatoria para asegurar que la muestra sea representativa de la población. Los resultados sugieren que el modelo GPT-3 puede ser utilizado como una herramienta beneficiosa para los estudiantes de grados de ingeniería.ChatGPT, the tool based on the GPT-3 model developed by OpenAI, is already being used by engineering students for support in their learning process. In this context, the negative implications of using this tool are diverse: technological dependency, hindrance of practical knowledge and understanding, errors in answers, ethical or even legal problems. The use of this tool by students without receiving proper training is considered a problem to be investigated. The goal is to deeply understand the technological context of the tool, how it is currently used among engineering students from a set of private and public universities, and its impact on university education. This paper is a work in progress that presents the context of the study, the research methodology and some preliminary results. A qualitative-exploratory survey is conducted with a sample of more than 360 engineering students enrolled in different courses. Random stratification is used to ensure that the sample is representative of the population. The results suggest that the GPT-3 model can be used as a valuable tool for engineering students

Usos y desusos del modelo GPT-3 entre estudiantes de grados de ingeniería

La herramienta ChatGPT, basada en el modelo GPT-3 desarrollado por OpenAI, ya se utiliza por estudiantes de grados de ingeniería como herramienta de apoyo en su proceso de aprendizaje. En este contexto, las implicaciones negativas que presenta el uso de esta herramienta son diversas: dependencia tecnológica, obstaculización del saber y conocer práctico, error en las respuestas, problemas éticos o incluso problemas legales. El uso de esta herramienta sin que los estudiantes hayan recibido formación se considera como problema a investigar. El objetivo es entender en profundidad el contexto tecnológico de la herramienta, cómo se utiliza actualmente entre los estudiantes de ingeniería de un conjunto de universidades privadas y públicas, y su impacto en la educación universitaria. Este artículo es un trabajo en desarrollo donde se presenta el contexto del estudio, la metodología de investigación y unos primeros resultados. Se conduce una encuesta cualitativa-exploratoria con una muestra de más de 360 estudiantes de grados de ingeniería matriculados en diferentes cursos. Se utiliza una estratificación aleatoria para asegurar que la muestra sea representativa de la población. Los resultados sugieren que el modelo GPT-3 puede ser utilizado como una herramienta beneficiosa para los estudiantes de grados de ingeniería.ChatGPT, the tool based on the GPT-3 model developed by OpenAI, is already being used by engineering students for support in their learning process. In this context, the negative implications of using this tool are diverse: technological dependency, hindrance of practical knowledge and understanding, errors in answers, ethical or even legal problems. The use of this tool by students without receiving proper training is considered a problem to be investigated. The goal is to deeply understand the technological context of the tool, how it is currently used among engineering students from a set of private and public universities, and its impact on university education. This paper is a work in progress that presents the context of the study, the research methodology and some preliminary results. A qualitative-exploratory survey is conducted with a sample of more than 360 engineering students enrolled in different courses. Random stratification is used to ensure that the sample is representative of the population. The results suggest that the GPT-3 model can be used as a valuable tool for engineering students.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Elevated Autoantibodies in Subacute Human Spinal Cord Injury Are Naturally Occurring Antibodies

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in long-term neurological and systemic consequences, including antibody-mediated autoimmunity, which has been related to impaired functional recovery. Here we show that autoantibodies that increase at the subacute phase of human SCI, 1 month after lesion, are already present in healthy subjects and directed against non-native proteins rarely present in the normal spinal cord. The increase of these autoantibodies is a fast phenomenon–their levels are already elevated before 5 days after lesion–characteristic of secondary immune responses, further supporting their origin as natural antibodies. By proteomics studies we have identified that the increased autoantibodies are directed against 16 different nervous system and systemic self-antigens related to changes known to occur after SCI, including alterations in neural cell cytoskeleton, metabolism and bone remodeling. Overall, in the context of previous studies, our results offer an explanation to why autoimmunity develops after SCI and identify novel targets involved in SCI pathology that warrant further investigation