Women in Transition – Menopause and Body Composition in Different Populations

Human biology has provided valuable and applicable points of view to contribute towards human welfare, when it has analyzed changes in the transitional phases of the ontogenetic process. The purpose of this presentation coincides with WHO recommendations to study the modifications suffered by the female body during her stage of reproductive aging in different environments. We study and compared three different groups of women living in the cities of Madrid (Spain), Havana (Cuba) and in Tuxpan, a village in the State of Michoacán (Mexico). Three groups differed with respect to their socio-economic levels, food habits, social organization and culture. We used the same anthropometric techniques, recommended by the IBP, and same tools to assess the women\u27s reproductive life, demography and socio-economic condition. All three groups coincidences regarding the remodelation of their thorax, so after 55 years of age their waist-hip ratio surpassed the cut point of 0.80, associated whit higher risk for chronic cardiovascular disorders. However, examined groups differed, for instance, the rural Mexican women altered their bone density earlier, five years before the urban samples. Next, Mexican women of younger ages maintained high levels of their body mass index above the cut point for overweight

GeoGebra as learning tool for the search of the roots of functions in numerical methods

Physics is capable of describing, through equations, phenomena on a micro and macroscopic scale. However, most of these equations are non-linear and the identification of their roots requires the use of approximation methods, with numerical methods being a proposal based on a systematic and iterative process, that conclude only when a pre-established tolerance is satisfied. Traditional teaching of numerical methods involves the memorization of algorithms. However, this hinders student’s ability to understand the important aspects and then apply them for solving applied problems in subjects such as kinematics, dynamics, electromagnetism, etc. Therefore, this work proposes the use of GeoGebra, as a didactic tool to illustrate the functioning of single root searching algorithms. By using the dynamical graphic’s view of GeoGebra, a series of abstract and applied problems where solved by engineering students taking a numerical methods course. The scores of this test group was then compared to a test group, taught trough algorithm memorization. Results show can improve their understanding of how the bisection, false position, secant, and Newton-Raphson methods are able to find approximated solutions to polynomial and trigonometric equations. The results are compared against traditional learning, based on memorizing the steps of the algorithm for each method and the representation of the convergence of successive roots by numerical tables

Testing GeoGebra as an effective tool to improve the understanding of the concept of limit on engineering students

The impact GeoGebra on the teaching of the concept of limit was analyzed. Two groups of engineering students, studying differential calculus, served as control and test groups. The traditional teaching, based on examples solved by hand, was given to the control group while a series of activities involving the usage of the mathematical software GeoGebra were applied in an attempt of improving the degree of assimilation on the concept of limits

Learning the concept of integral through the appropriation of the competence in Riemann sums

It is proposed that the difficulty of engineering students into understanding the concept of the integral, as a way for calculating the area under a curve, can be overcame if students are taught how to translate it into the problem of calculating a Riemann sum. A series of applied problems are proposed to provide a frame that required to calculate the area under a curve to two groups of students. For one of these groups, Geogebra was proposed as a tool that could be used to maintain the focus of students into the concepts, by providing ways to easily calculate and visualize the solutions, while the other group reached to the solutions by analytically making all the calculations. Evidence was found that, to a confidence level of 95%, Riemann sums calculated with Geogebra reduce the score difference in context problems requiring the calculation of integrals, helping students to reach a better understanding on the concept of the integral as the area under the curve of a given function

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AGAR DILUTION, BROTH MACRODILUTION (CLSI M27-A3) AND E TEST (AB BIODISK) FOR FLUCONAZOLE RESISTANCE IN CLINICAL CANDIDA ALBICANS ISOLATES

Ensayos de susceptibilidad realizadas por dilución en agar (AD) se compararon con M27-A3 macrodilución de caldo (BMD) metodología (Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute y) y la prueba E (AB BIODISK) con el fin de determinar la viabilidad y la fiabilidad de dilución en agar como una prueba de unexpensive para ensayos de susceptibilidad a fluconazol (FLC) contra Candida albicans. Un total de 40 cepas fueron utilizados. Todos los aislamientos resultaron en un acuerdo para la DMO y la prueba de evaluación. 19 aislados mostraron concordancia entre los tres métodos. De los 21 resultados divergentes, 20 resultaron en una mayor MIC para la EA y 15 de ellos fueron ≥ 64 mg / ml. La densidad de células debido a un contacto proporcional de las células con el fármaco en el medio puede ser responsable de los resultados obtenidos y la divergencia de AD en comparación con las otras pruebas. AD no son capaces de sustituir ni la DMO ni prueba E, pero puede ser útil como una prueba de resistencia a la tensión preliminar para la clasificación de susceptibilidad en la investigación de laboratorio. Abstract Susceptibility assays performed by agar dilution (AD) were compared to M27-A3 broth macrodilution (BMD) methodology (Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute) and E test (AB BIODISK) in order to determine the feasibility and reliability of agar dilution as an unexpensive test for fluconazole (FLC) susceptibility assays against Candida albicans. A total of 40 strains were used. All of the isolates resulted in agreement for BMD and E test. 19 isolates showed agreement between all three methods. Of the 21 divergent results, 20 resulted in higher MIC for AD and 15 of those were ≥64 μg/ml. Cell density due to proportional contact of cells with the drug in medium may be responsible for the results obtained and the divergence of AD compared to the other tests. AD can’t reliably substitute neither BMD nor E test, but it may be helpful as a preliminary resistance test for strain susceptibility classification in laboratory research. Palabras clave: Candida albicans, hongo, resitencia de droga

Regulation of Kv2.1 channel inactivation by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is a membrane phospholipid that regulates the function of multiple ion channels, including some members of the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel superfamily. The PIP2 sensitivity of Kv channels is well established for all five members of the Kv7 family and for Kv1.2 channels; however, regulation of other Kv channels by PIP2 remains unclear. Here, we investigate the effects of PIP2 on Kv2.1 channels by applying exogenous PIP2 to the cytoplasmic face of excised membrane patches, activating muscarinic receptors (M1R), or depleting endogenous PIP2 using a rapamycin-translocated 5-phosphatase (FKBP-Inp54p). Exogenous PIP2 rescued Kv2.1 channels from rundown and partially prevented the shift in the voltage-dependence of inactivation observed in inside-out patch recordings. Native PIP2 depletion by the recruitment of FKBP-Insp54P or M1R activation in whole-cell experiments, induced a shift in the voltage-dependence of inactivation, an acceleration of the closed-state inactivation, and a delayed recovery of channels from inactivation. No significant effects were observed on the activation mechanism by any of these treatments. Our data can be modeled by a 13-state allosteric model that takes into account that PIP2 depletion facilitates inactivation of Kv2.1. We propose that PIP2 regulates Kv2.1 channels by interfering with the inactivation mechanism

Improving the thermocline calculation over the global ocean

According to the typical thermal structure of the ocean, the water column can be divided into three layers: the mixed layer, the thermocline and the deep layer. In this study, we provide a new methodology, based on a function adjustment to the temperature profile, to locate the minimum and maximum depths of the strongest thermocline. We first validated our methodology by comparing the mixed layer depth obtained with the method proposed here with three other methods from previous studies. Since we found a very good agreement between the four methods we used the function adjustment to compute the monthly climatologies of the maximum thermocline depth and the thermocline thickness and strength in the global ocean. We also provide an assessment of the regions of the ocean where our adjustment is valid, i.e., where the thermal structure of the ocean follows the three-layer structure. However, there are ocean regions where the water column cannot be separated into three layers due to the dynamic processes that alter it. This assessment highlights the limitations of the existing methods to accurately determine the mixed layer depth and the thermocline depth in oceanic regions that are particularly turbulent such as the Southern Ocean and the northern North Atlantic, among others. The method proposed here has shown to be robust and easy to apply.</p

Feeding spectra and activity of the freshwater crab Trichodactylus kensleyi (Decapoda: Brachyura: Trichodactylidae) at La Plata basin

Background: In inland water systems, it is important to characterize the trophic links in order to identify the ‘trophic species’ and, from the studies of functional diversity, understand the dynamics of matter and energy in these environments. The aim of this study is to analyze the natural diet of Trichodactylus kensleyi of subtropical rainforest streams and corroborate the temporal variation in the trophic activity during day hours. Results: A total of 15 major taxonomic groups were recognized in gut contents. The index of relative importance identified the following main prey items in decreasing order of importance: vegetal remains, oligochaetes, chironomid larvae, and algae. A significant difference was found in the amount of full stomachs during day hours showing a less trophic activity at midday and afternoon. The index of relative importance values evidenced the consumption of different prey according to day moments. Results of the gut content indicate that T. kensleyi is an omnivorous crab like other trichodactylid species. Opportunistic behavior is revealed by the ingestion of organisms abundant in streams such as oligochaetes and chironomid larvae. The consumption of allochthonous plant debris shows the importance of this crab as shredder in subtropical streams. However, the effective assimilation of plant matter is yet unknown in trichodactylid crabs. Conclusions: This research provides knowledge that complements previous studies about trophic relationships of trichodactylid crabs and supported the importance of T. kensleyi in the transference of energy and matter from benthic community and riparian sources to superior trophic levels using both macro- and microfauna.Fil: Williner, Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias; ArgentinaFil: de Azevedo Carvalho, Debora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Collins, Pablo Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentin