Physical Activity Practice, Sleeping Habits and Academic Achievement

There is a wide body of research that has identified the strong links between health behaviors and academic achievement. The media and official agencies strive to convey to schoolchildren and the public the need to show healthy lifestyles. However, it is striking that sleep habits have been considered in few occasions within healthy behaviors to be developed and promoted. Schools should encourage their students to be active because the effect of physical exercise will promote sleep and will positively affect the performance of academic tasks. Then, it is necessary to revitalize and establish the subject of Physical Education and Sport practice properly where the students can meet a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week. This approach will have a direct impact on the school children’s performance and health. Therefore, the key question is to decide whether educational centers must promote active lifestyles where sleep and exercise will be promoting or maintain schools where the body and body intelligence remain an irrelevant matter

Evaluación de técnicas de tinción para la observación de bandas de crecimiento en vértebras de elasmobranquios tropicales

The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of different vertebrae staining techniques for the visualization and counting of growth bands in tropical species of batoids (Narcine leoparda, Urotrygon aspidura, Hypanus longus, Potamotrygon magdalenae) and sharks (Alopias pelagicus, Carcharhinus falciformis, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna corona and Mustelus lunulatus). Different cutting thicknesses and staining protocols were tested, analysing the precision and bias of each combination to identify the most accurate technique for estimating age. Vertebral sections of 0.4 mm were more suitable for batoids, except for Narcine leoparda; for this species and for all the shark species assessed, sections of 0.5 mm are recommended. Different combinations of stain and exposure time were required to achieve the best visualizations of vertebral growth band pair for the shark and ray species. Intraspecific variation occurred among vertebrae size of batoids. Our results confirm the importance of defining a suitable species-specific protocol for sectioning and staining hard structures before carrying out an age and growth study to improve the reliability of the age estimates.El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la efectividad de diferentes técnicas de tinción de vértebras en la visualización y el conteo de bandas de crecimiento en especies tropicales de batoideos (Narcine leoparda, Urotrygon aspidura, Hypanus longus, Potamotrygon magdalenae) y tiburones (Alopias pelagicus, Carcharhinus falciformis, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna corona y Mustelus lunulatus). Se probaron diferentes espesores de corte y protocolos de tinción, analizando la precisión y el sesgo de cada combinación para identificar la técnica más precisa para estimar la edad. Las secciones vertebrales de 0,4 mm fueron más adecuadas para batoideos, excepto para Narcine leoparda; para esta especie y para todas las especies de tiburones evaluadas, se recomiendan secciones de 0,5 mm. Se identificaron diferentes combinaciones de tinción y tiempo de exposición para lograr las mejores visualizaciones de las bandas de crecimiento vertebral en las especies de tiburones y rayas. En los batoideos se identificó variación intraespecífica de acuerdo con el tamaño de las vértebras. Nuestros resultados confirman la importancia de definir un protocolo especie-específico adecuado para cortar y teñir las estructuras duras antes de realizar un estudio de edad y crecimiento y así incrementar la confiabilidad de las estimaciones de edad

Experimental validation of COMETA model of mental workload in air traffic control

The sustained increase in air traffic during the last decades represents a challenge to the air traffic management system in general. Thus, it is of utmost importance to develop strategies that can safely increase air traffic controller's handling capacity without increasing task related strain. This research proposes and validates a predictive model of air traffic controller's mental workload. Our model is based on COMETA, a model that considers the effect of the most relevant air traffic events in the cognitive complexity of the task. In the version of COMETA used in this study we include the online effects of the controllers' actions on the state of the airspace. To validate the model, a laboratory experiment was conducted using a simulator to precisely control the task workload factors. We used traffic density and airspace complexity as experimental factors because they are the most commonly acknowledged sources of mental workload in air traffic control literature. The measured dependent variables were selected because they have been found to correlate with mental workload in ATC tasks, namely, ISA and NASA indexes, electrodermal activity, heart rate, and different performance measures. The results demonstrate that our model can successfully predict air traffic controllers' mental workload across a wide range of task workload conditions. In addition, our results provide a clear portrait of the complex interactions between the different sources of task workload and their effects on mental workload. In the conclusion we consider the limitations and opportunities for the application of this model to improve policie

Efecto de la flipped classroom en las estrategias de aprendizaje de los estudiantes universitarios

En la actualidad están surgiendo nuevos métodos de enseñanza que permitan a los estudiantes disponer de mayor autonomía para la construcción de su propio aprendizaje. En este estudio se analiza la influencia de la flipped classroom en las estrategias de aprendizaje en el contexto universitario. Participaron un total de 96 estudiantes universitarios que fueron divididos en dos grupos, un grupo recibió una intervención con el método tradicional y otro grupo una intervención mediante clase invertida, se analizó las estrategias de aprendizaje del alumnado antes y después de la intervención. Los resultados de esta investigación muestran que la intervención tiene un efecto positivo en los participantes dado que sus puntuaciones aumentan con el tiempo, mostrando que con el método de flipped classroom los participantes mejoraron sus puntaciones con respecto al inicio. Además, los resultados mostraron un efecto principal para el tipo de enseñanza en la estrategia de manejo de recursos, donde la enseñanza tradicional obtuvo mejores puntuaciones. Respecto al sexo, existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas en estrategias de procesamiento de la información, obteniendo las mujeres mayores puntuaciones que los hombres. Palabras clave: clase invertida; método tradicional; estrategias de aprendizaje; alumnado universitarios; sexo   &nbsp

La Asociación de Cervantistas, 25 años

On the occasion of twenty-fifth anniversary of the Association of Cervantes’s birth, a number of researchers wanted to offer a synthesis on the contribution of this institution to hispanism. This dossier includes evocations of some of those involved in its creation, as well as its two presidents, Alberto Sánchez and José María Casasayas. Also includes an analysis and assessment of their academic meetings and the many publications derived from them, as well as a preview of his next goals and projects.Con motivo del vigésimo quinto aniversario de creación de la Asociación de Cervantistas un importante número de investigadores ha querido ofrecer una síntesis de la aportación de aquella al hispanismo. Este dossier incluye las evocaciones de algunos de quienes intervinieron en su creación, como también de sus dos primeros presidentes, Alberto Sánchez y José María Casasayas; un análisis y valoración de sus reuniones académicas y de las muchas publicaciones derivadas de ellas, y un avance de sus objetivos y proyectos inmediatos

Pre-arterialization of coronary veins prior to retroperfusion of ischemic myocardium: percutaneous closure device

BackgroundChronic coronary retroperfusion to treat myocardial ischemia has previously failed due to edema and hemorrhage of coronary veins suddenly exposed to arterial pressures. The objective of this study was to selectively adapt the coronary veins to become arterialized prior to coronary venous retroperfusion to avoid vascular edema and hemorrhage.Methods and resultsIn 32 animals (Group I = 19 and Group II = 13), the left anterior descending (LAD) artery was occluded using an ameroid occlusion model. In Group I, the great cardiac vein was blocked with suture ligation (Group IA = 11) or with occlusion device (Group IB = 8) to arterialize the venous system within 2 weeks at intermediate pressure (between arterial and venous levels) before a coronary venous bypass graft (CVBG) was implemented through a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) anastomosis. Group II only received the LAD artery occlusion and served as control. Serial echocardiograms showed recovery of left ventricular (LV) function with this adaptation-arterialization approach, with an increase in ejection fraction (EF) in Group I from 38% ± 5% after coronary occlusion to 53% ± 7% eight weeks after CVBG, whereas in Group II the EF never recovered (41% ± 2%–33% ± 7%). The remodeling of the venous system not only allowed restoration of myocardial function when CVBG was implemented but possibly promoted a novel form of “collateralization” between the native arterioles and the newly arterialized venules, which revascularized the ischemic myocardium.ConclusionsThese findings form a potential rationale for a venous arterialization-revascularization treatment for the refractory angina and the “no-option” patients using a hybrid percutaneous (closure device for arterialization)/surgical approach (CVBG) to revascularize the myocardium

TRPA1 channels mediate acute neurogenic inflammation and pain produced by bacterial endotoxins

Producción CientíficaGram-negative bacterial infections are accompanied by inflammation and somatic or visceral pain. These symptoms are generally attributed to sensitization of nociceptors by inflammatory mediators released by immune cells. Nociceptor sensitization during inflammation occurs through activation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling pathway by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toxic by-product of bacterial lysis. Here we show that LPS exerts fast, membrane delimited, excitatory actions via TRPA1, a transient receptor potential cation channel that is critical for transducing environmental irritant stimuli into nociceptor activity. Moreover, we find that pain and acute vascular reactions, including neurogenic inflammation (CGRP release) caused by LPS are primarily dependent on TRPA1 channel activation in nociceptive sensory neurons, and develop independently of TLR4 activation. The identification of TRPA1 as a molecular determinant of direct LPS effects on nociceptors offers new insights into the pathogenesis of pain and neurovascular responses during bacterial infections and opens novel avenues for their treatment.Projects SAF2010-14990 and PROMETEO2010-046. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010. ISCIII grants R006/009 (Red Heracles), the Spanish Fundación Marcelino Botín and Belgian Federal Government (IUAP P6/28 and P7/13), the Research Foundation-Flanders and the Research Council of the KU Leuven

Relationship of Diet to Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Biomarkers in People with HIV

While changes in microbiome composition have been associated with HIV, the effect of diet and its potential impact on inflammation remains unclear. Methods: Twenty-seven people living with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) were studied. A comprehensive dietary analysis was performed and two types of dietary patterns were determined. We explored the associations of each dietary pattern with gut microbiota and plasma inflammatory biomarkers. Results: We appreciated two dietary patterns, Mediterranean-like (MEL) and one Western-like (WEL). Compared to participants with the WEL pattern, participants with MEL pattern showed higher abundance of Lachnospira (p-value = 0.02) and lower levels of the inflammatory biomarkers D-dimer (p-value = 0.050) and soluble TNF-alpha receptor 2 (sTNFR2) (p-value = 0.049). Men who have sex with men (MSM) with MEL pattern had lower abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae (p-value < 0.001) and lower levels of D-dimer (p-value = 0.026) than MSM with WEL pattern. Conclusion: MEL pattern favours Lachnospira abundance, and protects against Erysipelotrichaceae abundance and higher levels of the inflammatory biomarkers D-dimer and sTNFR2, precursors of inflammatory processes in HIV-infected patients. Our study contributes to understanding the determinants of a healthier diet and its connections with gut microbiota and inflammation

Diastolic shock index and clinical outcomes in patients with septic shock

Background: Loss of vascular tone is a key pathophysiological feature of septic shock. Combination of gradual diastolic hypotension and tachycardia could reflect more serious vasodilatory conditions. We sought to evaluate the relationships between heart rate (HR) to diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) ratios and clinical outcomes during early phases of septic shock. Methods: Diastolic shock index (DSI) was defined as the ratio between HR and DAP. DSI calculated just before starting vasopressors (Pre-VPs/DSI) in a preliminary cohort of 337 patients with septic shock (January 2015 to February 2017) and at vasopressor start (VPs/DSI) in 424 patients with septic shock included in a recent randomized controlled trial (ANDROMEDA-SHOCK; March 2017 to April 2018) was partitioned into five quantiles to estimate the relative risks (RR) of death with respect to the mean risk of each population (assumed to be 1). Matched HR and DAP subsamples were created to evaluate the effect of the individual components of the DSI on RRs. In addition, time-course of DSI and interaction between DSI and vasopressor dose (DSI*NE.dose) were compared between survivors and non-survivors from both populations, while ROC curves were used to identify variables predicting mortality. Finally, as exploratory observation, effect of early start of vasopressors was evaluated at each Pre-VPs/DSI quintile from the preliminary cohort. Results: Risk of death progressively increased at gradual increments of Pre-VPs/DSI or VPs/DSI (One-way ANOVA, p < 0.001). Progressive DAP decrease or HR increase was associated with higher mortality risks only when DSI concomitantly increased. Areas under the ROC curve for Pre-VPs/DSI, SOFA and initial lactate were similar, while mean arterial pressure and systolic shock index showed poor performances to predict mortality. Time-course of DSI and DSI*NE.dose was significantly higher in non-survivors from both populations (repeated-measures ANOVA, p < 0.001). Very early start of vasopressors exhibited an apparent benefit at higher Pre-VPs/DSI quintile. Conclusions: DSI at pre-vasopressor and vasopressor start points might represent a very early identifier of patients at high risk of death. Isolated DAP or HR values do not clearly identify such risk. Usefulness of DSI to trigger or to direct therapeutic interventions in early resuscitation of septic shock need to be addressed in future studies

VALS: Virtual Alliances for Learning Society

[EN] VALS has the aims of establishing sustainable methods and processes to build knowledge partnerships between Higher Education and companies to collaborate on resolving authentic business problems through open innovation mediated by the use of Open Source Software. Open Source solutions provide the means whereby educational institutions, students, businesses and foundations can all collaborate to resolve authentic business problems. Not only Open Software provides the necessary shared infrastructure and collaborative practice, the foundations that manage the software are also hubs, which channel the operational challenges of their users through to the people who can solve them. This has great potential for enabling students and supervisors to collaborate in resolving the problems of businesses, but is constrained by the lack of support for managing and promoting collaboration across the two sectors. VALS should 1) provide the methods, practice, documentation and infrastructure to unlock this potential through virtual placements in businesses and other public and private bodies; and 2) pilot and promote these as the “Semester of Code”. To achieve its goals the project develops guidance for educational institutions, and for businesses and foundations, detailing the opportunities and the benefits to be gained from the Semester of Code, and the changes to organisation and practice required. A Virtual Placement System is going to be developed, adapting Apache Melange, and extending it where necessary. In piloting, the necessary adaptations to practice will be carried out, particularly in universities, and commitments will be established between problem owners and applicants for virtual placements