Vitamin E Supplementation—But Not Induced Oxidative Stress—Influences Telomere Dynamics During Early Development in Wild Passerines

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00173/full#supplementary-materialWe thank F. Miranda and Laboratory of Ecophysiology-EBD (ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015) for assistance with lab analyses. E. Roldán, at the National Museum of Natural History-CSIC, helped with sample conservation and transport.Telomere length is a marker of cellular senescence that relates to different components of individual fitness. Oxidative stress is often claimed as a main proximate factor contributing to telomere attrition, although the importance of this factor in vivo has recently been challenged. Early development represents an ideal scenario to address this hypothesis because it is characterized by the highest rates of telomere attrition of the life and by an arguably high susceptibility to oxidative stress. We tested the effect of oxidative stress on telomere dynamics during early development by exposing pied flycatcher nestlings (Ficedula hypoleuca) to either an oxidative challenge (diquat injections), an antioxidant (vitamin E) or control treatments (PBS injections and supplementation with vehicle substance). We found no effects of treatments on average telomere change during the nestling period. However, vitamin E supplementation, which increased growth, removed the association between initial telomere length and telomere attrition. Diquat-treated nestlings, by contrast, showed no differences in growth or telomere dynamics with respect to controls. These results do not support the hypothesis that oxidative stress is the main direct mechanism explaining telomere attrition in vivo, and highlight the importance of micronutrient intake during early development on telomere dynamics. Studies addressing alternative action pathways of vitamins on growth and telomere dynamics, perhaps via restoration mechanisms, would provide important insights on the proximate factors affecting telomere attrition during this critical phase of life.LP-R was supported by Severo Ochoa (SEV-2012-0262) and SECTI (UCLM) postdoctoral contracts during data collection manuscript and writing, respectively. Funding was provided by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SMEC); grant number CGL2014-55969-P. Additional funding came from the project “A test of the oxidative cost of a reliable signal,” granted to TR by the internal EBD proposal call Microproyectos and financed by the SMEC, through the Severo Ochoa Program for Centers of Excellence in R+D+I (SEV-2012-0262)

Algunas plantas de interés de la Sierra de Aguafría (Monesterio, Badajoz)

Se comentan once taxones de plantas vasculares presentes en la Sierra de Aguafría (Sierra Morena occidental, sur de la provincia de Badajoz), de valor corológico por tratarse de especies nuevas, raras o poco conocidas para la provincia o Sierra Morena. Se trata de Armeria capitella Pau, Erica lusitanica Rudolphi, Eupatorium cannabinum L. subsp. cannabinum, Genista falcata Brot., Halimium halimifolium (L.) Willk. subsp. halimifolium, Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea (Schrank) H. K. G. Paul, Osmunda regalis L., Osyris lanceolata Hochst. & Steud., Prunus cerasus L., Quercus pyrenaica Willd. y Sibthorpia europaea L. Para cada uno de ellos se aportan datos ecológicos, así como referencias previas sobre su distribución en la región.his work analyses eleven taxa of vascular plants located in the Sierra de Aguafría (Western Sierra Morena, Southern Badajoz Province) that are new or almost unknown for the region: Armeria capitella Pau, Erica lusitanica Rudolphi, Eupatorium cannabinum L. subsp. cannabinum, Genista falcata Brot., Halimium halimifolium (L.) Willk. subsp. halimifolium, Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea (Schrank) H. K. G. Paul, Osmunda regalis L., Osyris lanceolata Hochst. & Steud., Prunus cerasus L., Quercus pyrenaicaWilld. and Sibthorpia europaea L. We include ecological data for each species and references about their distribution throughout the region

Analysis of the coating integrityduring a coronary stent deployment

Las afecciones cardiovasculares constituyen en la actualidad una causa frecuente de muerte. Una de estas afecciones es la ateroesclerosis, la cual provoca la reducción de la luz arterial. En aras de solucionar tal afección se han desarrollado varios tratamientos, ganando terreno la Angioplastia Coronaria Transluminar Percutánea (PTCA) con colocación de estent. En la actualidad muchos de estos dispositivos son recubiertos para aumentar la biocompatibilidad y disminuir los riesgos de reestenosis. Dado la posibilidad de fallas o roturas de los recubrimientos y los riesgos asociados a estas, es de gran importancia el estudio del comportamiento de la unión estentrecubrimiento durante la fase de expansión del estent. En esta investigación se estudia la posible ocurrencia de delaminación del recubrimiento durante la expansión de un estent y la influencia de parámetros como el espesor y el material del mismo. El estudio parte de la obtención de un modelo geométrico de una celda del estent Sirius Carbostent para su posterior procesamiento por el Método de Elementos Finitos. La simulación por tal método, se desarrolló, aplicando restricciones al movimiento de forma tal que la celda modelada simule su comportamiento durante la expansión de un estent. Considerando estos aspectos fue posible evaluar la integridad del recubrimiento. Con los modelos desarrollados se logró predecir la ocurrencia de delaminación durante la expansión del estent y se determinó que al aumentar el espesor del recubrimiento aumenta el riesgo de ocurrencia de la misma. Se obtuvo además una ecuación general que permite determinar el esfuerzo máximo de contacto para celdas en forma de U.The cardiovascular diseases constitute one of the main causes of death worldwide. One of the main diseases is atherosclerosis, which causes narrowing of the arterial lumen. In order to solve this condition, several treatments have been developed, and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) with the placement of stent have gained relevancy. Many of these devices are currently coated to increase the biocompatibility and to decrease the restenosis risks. The biomechanical studies of the stent-coating interface behavior are necessary given the associated risks to possibility of failures or breakages of the coating during stent deployment. In this study the possible occurrence of coating delamination during stent deployment and the influence of parameters as the thickness and material were studied. The study starts by obtaining a geometric model of a stent unit of the Sirius Carbostent stent for the further processing by the Finite Element Method. The simulation was developed by applying restrictions so that the modeled stent hinge simulates his behavior during stent deployment. Considering these aspects it was possible to evaluation the coating integrity. With this model it was possible to predict the occurrence of delamination during stent deployment and to determine that the delamination risks increases with increasing the coating thickness. Finally, it was obtained a general function that allows to determine the maximal contact stress for a stent hinge with an U shape.Peer Reviewe

La función tutorial del maestro en el desarrollo de competencias sociales del alumnado de infantil: El fomento de la autoestima y la ruptura de estereotipos de género desde el espacio de la tutoría.

Mediante el presente Trabajo de Fin de Grado, se pretende dar a conocer la importancia que tiene la tutoría como un espacio educativo imprescindible en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, en el que se puede trabajar cualquier aspecto relevante que influya en la adquisición de las competencias básicas del alumnado en los diferentes contextos en los que se va a desarrollar. Partiendo de esto y tras la observación de dos aulas de infantil, pertenecientes al centro educativo CEIP Las Mercedes, se trabajará a través del espacio de la tutoría dos temáticas que influyen en el desarrollo de las habilidades sociales del niño y de la niña. Por un lado el fomento de la autoestima de los niños y niñas; y por otro lado, la ruptura de los estereotipos de género. Elaboraremos un proyecto profesionalizante, en el que se realizará una intervención para mejorar la baja autoestima en el alumnado de tres años, y la actitud de los niños y niñas de cuatro años debido a los estereotipos de género que presentan desde estas edades. Para ello se propondrán distintas actividades tanto para el alumnado como para la familia que se implementarán desde el espacio de la tutoría, una de las áreas de trabajo del maestro o maestra de Educación Infantil.Through this End of Degree Project, it is intended to publicize the importance of tutoring as an essential educational space in the teaching-learning process, in which any relevant aspect that influences the acquisition of competences can be worked on basic skills of the students in the different contexts in which it will be developed. 1 Based on this and after observing two children's classrooms, belonging to the CEIP Las Mercedes educational center, two topics that influence the development of social skills of boys and girls will be worked through the tutoring space. On the one hand the promotion of the self-esteem of the boys and girls; and on the other hand, the breakdown of gender stereotypes. We will develop a professionalizing project, in which an intervention will be carried out to improve low self-esteem in three-year-old students, and the attitude of four-year-old boys and girls due to the gender stereotypes they present from these ages. For this, different activities will be proposed for both the students and the family that will be implemented from the tutoring space, one of the work areas of the Preschool Education teacher

The Challenge of Global Environmental Change: AttitudinalTrends in Teachers-In-Training

[Abstract] The aim of our research was to study attitudinal trends in Spanish trainee teachers regarding Global Environmental Change (GEC), in order to identify elements that should be enhanced in their education. The Scale of Global Environmental Change (SGEC) was used as a measurement instrument to explore attitudes on how to deal with GEC. A cluster analysis of the scores of the four SGEC factors (N = 950) was carried out in order to segment the cases into groups of similar response profiles. Two solutions are proposed: one made up of two clusters (Concerned and Disengaged) and the other of four clusters (Egocentric, Indifferent, Sceptical and Committed). Furthermore, we have analysed whether some of the students’ characteristics significantly influence their inclusion in one cluster or another. The results of this study show that among trainee teachers there are sceptical, self-centered and indifferent trends, which do not correspond to people capable of promoting the transformation needed to deal with GEC. Therefore, it is necessary to improve their training with new educational models that favour the recognition of the real origin of socio-environmental problems and provide them with skills to promote individual and social responsibility.Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Spain) EDU2017-82915-R FEDER/Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities–Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) / ESPIGA Project PGC2018-096581-B-C22

Oxidative Stress in Early Life: Associations with Sex, Rearing Conditions, and Parental Physiological Traits in Nestling Pied Flycatchers

The chapter IV of the dissertation: López-Arrabé, Jimena. Physiological adaptations in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca): oxidative stress, reproduction and development (2017), reproduces the manuscript of: López-Arrabé, Jimena ; Cantarero, Alejandro ; Pérez-Rodríguez, Lorenzo ; Palma, Antonio; Moreno, Juan. Oxidative Stress in Early Life: Associations with Sex, Rearing Conditions, and Parental Physiological Traits in Nestling Pied Flycatchers. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 89(2): 83-92(2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/685476. http://hdl.handle.net/10261/130300El capítulo IV de la tesis doctoral: López-Arrabé, Jimena. Physiological adaptations in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca): oxidative stress, reproduction and development (2017), reproduce la información del artículo: López-Arrabé, Jimena ; Cantarero, Alejandro ; Pérez-Rodríguez, Lorenzo ; Palma, Antonio; Moreno, Juan. Oxidative Stress in Early Life: Associations with Sex, Rearing Conditions, and Parental Physiological Traits in Nestling Pied Flycatchers. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 89(2): 83-92(2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/685476. http://hdl.handle.net/10261/130300Conditions experienced during juvenile development can affect the fitness of an organism. During early life, oxidative stress levels can be particularly high as a result of the increased metabolism and the relatively immature antioxidant system of the individual, and this may have medium- and long-term fitness consequences. Here we explore variation in levels of oxidative stress measured during early life in relation to sex, rearing conditions (hatching date and brood size), and parental condition and levels of oxidative markers in a wild population of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) followed for 2 yr. A marker of total antioxidant status (TAS) in plasma and total levels of glutathione (GSH) in red blood cells, as well as a marker of oxidative damage in plasma lipids (malondialdehyde [MDA]), were assessed simultaneously. Our results show that nestling total GSH levels were associated with parental oxidative status, correlating negatively with maternal MDA and positively with total GSH levels of both parents, with a high estimated heritability. This suggests that parental physiology and genes could be determinants for endogenous components of the antioxidant system of the offspring. Moreover, we found that total GSH levels were higher in female than in male nestlings and that hatching date was positively associated with antioxidant defenses (higher TAS and total GSH levels). These results suggest that different components of oxidative balance are related to a variety of environmental and intrinsic—including parental—influencing factors. Future experimental studies must disentangle the relative contribution of each of these on nestling oxidative status and how the resulting oxidative stress at early phases shape adult phenotype and fitness.Peer reviewe

Parasites, mate attractiveness and female feather corticosterone levels in a socially monogamous bird

Stress is ubiquitous in the life of animals and a key determinant of their well-being and fitness. By quantifying levels of feather corticosterone in growing feathers (CORTf), we measured integrated stress responses in a monogamous game bird, the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus. We investigated the effects of parasites and social mate choice on female CORTf levels during pairing, and tested the hypothesis that females with more parasites and paired with less attractive males have higher CORTf. We experimentally reduced nematode parasite abundance during pairing in females and investigated the effect of treatment on CORTf, while also considering the social mate’s phenotype (male comb size, as a proxy of sexual attractiveness). The treatment was effective at contrasting parasite loads between control and dosed females, but had no apparent effect on CORTf. In experimental females, reinfection rate after a month positively correlated with CORTf. We found no evidence of assortative mating based on size, condition or ornament size, but females paired with more attractive males (displaying bigger combs) had lower CORTf during pairing. Females for which parasite load was reduced had lower CORTf than control females at all levels of male attractiveness. Social mate choice therefore appears to be an important determinant of female integrated stress responses, which may in turn modulate reinfection rate and parasitism risk. An influence of male attractiveness on female stress may be part of an adaptive response allowing females to adjust reproductive investment to their achieved social mate choice

Raman microprobe characterization of electrodeposited S-rich CuIn(S,Se)2 for photovoltaic applications: Microstructural analysis

This article reports a detailed Raman scattering and microstructural characterization of S-rich CuIn(S,Se)2 absorbers produced by electrodeposition of nanocrystalline CuInSe2 precursors and subsequent reactive annealing under sulfurizing conditions. Surface and in-depth resolved Raman microprobe measurements have been correlated with the analysis of the layers by optical and scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and in-depth Auger electron spectroscopy. This has allowed corroboration of the high crystalline quality of the sulfurized layers. The sulfurizing conditions used also lead to the formation of a relatively thick MoS2 intermediate layer between the absorber and the Mo back contact. The analysis of the absorbers has also allowed identification of the presence of In-rich secondary phases, which are likely related to the coexistence in the electrodeposited precursors of ordered vacancy compound domains with the main chalcopyrite phase, in spite of the Cu-rich conditions used in the growth. This points out the higher complexity of the electrodeposition and sulfurization processes in relation to those based in vacuum deposition techniques

In Search of Transformative Learning for Sustainable Development: Bibliometric Analysis of Recent Scientific Production

Section.Higher EducationThis article is part of the Research Topic: Transformative Learning, Teaching and Action in the Most Challenging Times[Abstract] Transformative learning is a key element when it comes to making progress toward sustainable development. This goal requires an education that fosters the empowerment of people and the transformation of institutions, prepares for the necessary changes, facilitates resilience and encourages sustainable actions. The aim of this paper is to review the academic production on transformative learning in relation to the pursuit of sustainable development. To do so, a bibliometric analysis was conducted of the publications included in the Scopus databases for the 2003–2020 period, in order to explore its evolution, identify the main themes of which the field of knowledge is composed, and identify its main references and the network of collaborations between researchers and universities worldwide. During this period, scientific production has increased considerably, with a particular focus on adult education and competency development. At the same time, English-speaking dominance and the prevalence of Western origin has been observed. There is a need for more global, connected, and pluralistic research that is focused on diverse sociocultural contexts, research that factors in inequality and environmental justice and which calls into question the current socioeconomic model. A debate should also be started on which means of publication are the most appropriate for defending the quest for sustainability.This research was funded by FEDER/Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – State Investigation Agency (Spain)/ESPIGA Project (“Scientific thinking and scientific practices in the post-truth era: Promoting epistemic performances in school, aiming to critical and empowered citizenship”, Grant No. PGC2018-096581-B-C22) and the University of Vig