Integral field spectroscopy of the central regions of 3C 120: Evidence of a past merging event

Optical integral field spectroscopy (IFS), combined with Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) WFPC imaging, was used to characterize the central regions of the Seyfert 1 radio galaxy 3C 120. We carried out the analysis of the data, deriving intensity maps of different emission lines and the continua at different wavelengths from the observed spectra. Applying a two-dimensional modeling to the HST images, we decoupled the nucleus and the host galaxy and analyzed the host morphology. The host is a highly distorted bulge-dominated galaxy, rich in substructures. We developed a new technique to model the IFS data extending the two-dimensional modeling (hereafter threedimensional modeling). Using this technique, we separated the Seyfert nucleus and the host galaxy spectra and derived a residual data cube with spectral and spatial information of the different structures in 3C 120. Three continuum-dominated structures (named A, B, and C) and three other extended emission-line regions (EELRs, named E1, E2, and E3) are found in 3C 120, which does not follow the general behavior of a bulge-dominated galaxy. We also found shells in the central kiloparsec that may be remnants of a past merging event in this galaxy. The origin of E1 is most probably due to the interaction of the radio jet of 3C 120 with the intergalactic medium (Axon et al. 1989; Sa´nchez et al. 2004a). Structures A, B, and the shell at the southeast of the nucleus seem to correspond to a larger morphological clumpy structure that may be a tidal tail, a consequence of the past merging event. We found a bright EELR (E2) in the innermost part of this tidal tail, nearby the nucleus, which shows a high ionization level. The kinematics of the E2 region and its connection to the tidal tail suggest that the tail has channeled gas from the outer regions to the cente

Gender and corporal expression activity in physical education: Effect of an intervention on students’ motivational processes

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Achievement Goal Theory, the objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention programme on a series of motivational variables in a corporal expression teaching unit. An analysis was also conducted in terms of whether the impact of the intervention would be effective in boys and girls, given the social stereotypes inherent to this type of expression activity. A sample of 224 students, with ages varying from 12 to 14 years old (105 boys, 119 girls) participated in 10 sessions. A quasi-experimental design was carried out, dividing the total sample into two groups: control (n = 115) and experimental (n = 109). The intervention programme was applied in the experimental group via specific strategies based on the TARGET areas. In the experimental group, the results showed significantly higher values in perceived task-oriented climate, autonomy, competence, intrinsic motivation, identified regulation and enjoyment, as well as significantly lower values in ego-oriented climate. The intervention programme proved to be effective in boys and girls and the results were even better in boys. The importance of developing and applying specific motivational strategies in corporal expression activities should be stressed in order for this to have an impact on variables such as motivation and enjoyment in boys and girls, thus achieving more positive experiences

Circuito ASIC para enlaces rápidos de comunicaciones por fibra óptica

El circuito integrado que aquí se describe ha sido diseñado con tecnología puramente digital, y tiene como función servir de interfase entre 8 enlaces rápidos de comunicaciones por fibra óptica y un procesador local que utiliza protocolo VME. Este trabajo se enmarca dentro del programa GAME y ha sido desarrollado en colaboración con la empresa SAINCO

Virtual reality body exposure therapy for anorexia nervosa. A case report with follow-up results

Objective: Exposure-based therapies such as mirror exposure may help to improve the results of classic cognitive behavioral therapy in anorexia nervosa (AN). Virtual reality (VR)-based procedures provide interesting novelties for targeting body-related concerns. This study aimed to provide preliminary evidence of the usefulness of a VR body exposure therapy in a patient diagnosed with AN. Method: Fear of gaining weight (FGW), body anxiety, drive for thinness, body image disturbances, body mass index and body-related attentional bias were assessed before and after the intervention, as well as five months later. Five sessions of VR body exposure therapy were included within the standard course of cognitive behavioral therapy. The sessions involved a systematic and hierarchical exposure of the patient to a virtual representation of her own silhouette, with the body mass index of the avatar progressively increasing in subsequent sessions. Results: After the intervention, there was a clear reduction in AN symptoms such as the FGW, drive for thinness, body-related anxiety and dissatisfaction. Body mass index values rose continuously during the intervention and reached healthy levels. Finally, there was a notable change in the dysfunctional body-related attentional bias. Almost all these improvements were maintained after five months, except for the FGW. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to focus on treating the FGW and body-related concerns in AN using a VR-based paradigm. To pursue this study further and assess the effectiveness of this new VR software, larger controlled clinical trials are needed

Androgen receptor gene polymorphism influence fat accumulation: a longitudinal study from adolescence to adult age.

To determine the influence of androgen receptor CAG and GGN repeat polymorphisms on fat mass and maximal fat oxidation (MFO), CAG and GGN repeat lengths were measured in 128 young boys, from which longitudinal data were obtained in 45 of them [mean?±?SD: 12.8?±?3.6 years old at recruitment, and 27.0?±?4.8 years old at adult age]. Subjects were grouped as CAG short (CAGS ) if harboring repeat lengths ?21, the rest as CAG long (CAGL ); and GGN short (GGNS ) if GGN repeat lengths ?23, or long if >?23 (GGNL ). CAGS and GGNS were associated with lower adiposity than CAGL or GGNL (P?<?0.05). There was an association between the logarithm of CAG repeats polymorphism and the changes of body mass (r?=?0.34, P?=?0.03). At adult age, CAGS men showed lower accumulation of total body and trunk fat mass, and lower resting metabolic rate (RMR) and MFO per kg of total lean mass compared with CAGL (P?<?0.05). GGNS men also showed lower percentage of body fat (P?<?0.05). In summary, androgen receptor CAG and GGN repeat polymorphisms are associated with RMR, MFO, fat mass, and its regional distribution in healthy male adolescents, influencing fat accumulation from adolescence to adult age

Proposal of an ISO/IEEE11073 platform for healthcare telemonitoring: plug-and-play solution with new use cases

Proceeding of: 29th Annual International Conference of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, (EMBS 2007), Lyon, France, 23-26th august 2007.Remote patient monitoring in e-Health is everyday closer to be a mature technology / service. However, there is still a lack of development in areas such as standardization of the sensor’s communication interface, integration into Electronic Healthcare Record systems or incorporation in ambient-intelligent scenarios. This work identifies a set of use cases involved in the personal monitoring scenario and highlights the related features and functionalities, as well as the integration and implementation difficulties found when these are to be implemented in a system based on the ISO/IEEE11073 (X73) standard. It is part of a cooperative research effort devoted to the development of an end-to-end standards-based telemonitoring solution. Standardization committees are working towards adapting the X73 standard to this emerging personal health devices market and use case identification is essential to direct these revisions.This research work has been partially supported by projects TSI2005-07068-C02-01 and TSI2004-04940-C02-01 from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spanish Government), and a personal grant to both M.Galarraga and M. Martinez-Espronceda from Navarre Regional Governmen

Immunogenicity of Mycobacterial Extracellular Vesicles Isolated From Host-Related Conditions Informs About Tuberculosis Disease Status

Tuberculosis (TB) still represents a major global health problem affecting over 10 million people worldwide. The gold-standard procedures for TB diagnosis are culture and nucleic acid amplification techniques. In this context, both lipoarabinomannan (LAM) urine test and rapid molecular tests have been major game changers. However, the low sensitivity of the former and the cost and the prohibitive infrastructure requirements to scale-up in endemic regions of the latter, make the improvement of the TB diagnostic landscape a priority. Most forms of life produce extracellular vesicles (EVs), including bacteria despite differences in bacterial cell envelope architecture. We demonstrated that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of TB, produces EVs in vitro and in vivo as part of a sophisticated mechanism to manipulate host cellular physiology and to evade the host immune system. In a previous serology study, we showed that the recognition of several mycobacterial extracellular vesicles (MEV) associated proteins could have diagnostic properties. In this study, we pursued to expand the capabilities of MEVs in the context of TB diagnostics by analyzing the composition of MEVs isolated from Mtb cultures submitted to iron starvation and, testing their immunogenicity against a new cohort of serum samples derived from TB+ patients, latent TB-infected (LTBI) patients and healthy donors. We found that despite the stringent condition imposed by iron starvation, Mtb reduces the number of MEV associated proteins relative to iron sufficient conditions. In addition, TB serology revealed three new MEV antigens with specific biomarker capacity. These results suggest the feasibility of developing a point-of-care (POC) device based on selected MEV-associated proteins

The role of Galectin-3 in α-synuclein-induced microglial activation

Background: Parkinson ’ s disease (PD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative motor disorder. The neuropathology is characterized by intraneuronal protein aggregates of α -synuclein and progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra. Previous studies have shown that extracellular α -synuclein aggregates can activate microglial cells, induce inflammation and contribute to the neurodegenerative process in PD. However, the signaling pathways involved in α -synuclein-mediated microglia activation are poorly understood. Galectin-3 is a member of a carbohydrate-binding protein family involved in cell activation and inflammation. Therefore, we investigated whether galectin-3 is involved in the microglia activation triggered by α -synuclein. Results: We cultured microglial (BV2) cells and induced cell activation by addition of exogenous α -synuclein monomers or aggregates to the cell culture medium. This treatment induced a significant increase in the levels of proinflammatory mediators including the inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), interleukin 1 Beta (IL-1 β ) and Interleukin-12 (IL-12). We then reduced the levels of galectin-3 expression using siRNA or pharmacologically targeting galectin-3 activity using bis-(3-deoxy-3-(3-fluorophenyl-1 H -1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)- β -D-galactopyranosyl)-sulfane. Both approaches led to a significant reduction in the observed inflammatory response induced by α -synuclein. We confirmed these findings using primary microglial cells obtained from wild-type and galectin-3 null mutant mice. Finally, we performed injections of α -synuclein in the olfactory bulb of wild type mice and observed that some of the α -synuclein was taken up by activated microglia that were immunopositive for galectin-3. Conclusions: We show that α -synuclein aggregates induce microglial activation and demonstrate for the first time that galectin-3 plays a significant role in microglia activation induced by α -synuclein. These results suggest that genetic down-regulation or pharmacological inhibition of galectin-3 might constitute a novel therapeutic target in PD and other synucleinopathie