Tri-axial accelerometry shows differences in energy expenditure and parental effort throughout the breeding season in long-lived raptors

Cutting-edge technologies are extremely useful to develop new workflows in studying ecological data, particularly to understand animal behavior and movement trajectories at the individual level. Although parental care is a well-studied phenomenon, most studies have been focused on direct observational or video recording data, as well as experimental manipulation. Therefore, what happens out of our sight still remains unknown. Using high-frequency GPS/GSM dataloggers and tri-axial accelerometers we monitored 25 Bonelli’s eagles Aquila fasciata during the breeding season to understand parental activities from a broader perspective. We used recursive data, measured as number of visits and residence time, to reveal nest attendance patterns of biparental care with role specialization between sexes. Accelerometry data interpreted as the overall dynamic body acceleration, a proxy of energy expenditure, showed strong differences in parental effort throughout the breeding season and between sexes. Thereby, males increased substantially their energetic requirements, due to the increased workload, while females spent most of the time on the nest. Furthermore, during critical phases of the breeding season, a low percentage of suitable hunting spots in eagles’ territories led them to increase their ranging behavior in order to find food, with important consequences in energy consumption and mortality risk. Our results highlight the crucial role of males in raptor species exhibiting biparental care. Finally, we exemplify how biologging technologies are an adequate and objective method to study parental care in raptors as well as to get deeper insight into breeding ecology of birds in general.This work was supported by Red Eléctrica de España, Iberdrola Foundation, and Wildlife Service of the Valencian Community Regional Government (Conselleria d’Agricultura, Desenvolupament Rural, Emergència Climàtica i Transició Ecològica, Generalitat Valenciana, Spain). A.M.P. and J.M.E. were supported by predoctoral grants of the University of Valencia [Grant Number 0113/2019] and the Basque Government [Grant Number PRE_2018_2_0112], respectively

Bozepinib: A Promising Selective Derivative Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Bozepinib is a potent antitumour compound that shows an IC50 of 0.166 μM against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. It is also a very selective drug that presents a therapeutic index (TI) of 11.0 against MDA-MB-231 in relation to the normal MCF-10A. It is important to identify new cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) anticancer drugs to struggle against the resistance and the high risk of relapse in patients. In the present chapter, we show how bozepinib demonstrated selectivity on cancer cells and showed an inhibitory effect over kinases involved in carcinogenesis, proliferation and angiogenesis. Bozepinib inhibits HER-2 signaling pathway and JNK and ERK kinases. In addition, it has an inhibitory effect on AKT and VEGF together with anti-angiogenic and anti-migratory activities. Interestingly, bozepinib suppresses the formation of both mammo- and colonospheres and eliminated ALDH+ CSC subpopulations at a low micromolar range similar to salinomycin. It also induces the downregulation of SOX2, c-MYC and β-CATENIN and upregulation of the GLI-3 Hedgehog signaling repressor. Finally, bozepinib shows in vivo antitumor and anti-metastatic efficacy in xenotransplanted nude mice without presenting subacute toxicity. However, further studies in cancer patients are needed to confirm the therapeutic potential of bozepinib

Biodiesel production from palm oil in a fixed-bed-reactor with calcium methoxide catalyst

En el presente trabajo se analizó el comportamiento del metóxido de calcio como catalizador para la producción de biodiesel a partir de aceite de palma. Inicialmente se establecieron condiciones de operación en un reactor por lotes, como temperatura de activación CaO (25°C), temperatura de reacción (60°C) y relación molar metanol/aceite (10). Se describió el montaje y puesta en marcha de un reactor de lecho fijo y flujo continuo a escala laboratorio; a las condiciones establecidas se obtuvieron rendimientos a métilesteres del 20% con un tiempo de residencia de 60 min. También se analizó el uso de cosolventes como el terbutanol y el acetato de etilo para eliminar las limitaciones de transferencia de masa entre las fases e incrementar los rendimientos a metil ésteres. Se encontró que el uso de etil acetato como cosolvente incrementó el rendimiento a metil esteres hasta el 31 %. Abstract In this research, the behavior of calcium methoxide as catalyst for the production of biodiesel from palm oil in a continuous system was studied. Initially, operating conditions such as CaO activation temperature (25°C), reaction temperature (60°C) and molar ratio methanol-oil (10)were established for a batch reactor. Then, the schematic diagram of the experimental setup and its implementation were described for a packed-bed laboratory scale reactor with continuous flow; for this system, yields of methyl esters of 20% with a residence time of 60 min were obtained. The use of co-solvent such as tert-Bbutanol and ethyl acetate in the continuous reaction system was also investigated, aiming to eliminate mass transfer artifacts between the phases and eventually increasing yields to methyl esters. The use of ethyl acetate as co-solvent increased methyl esters yields up to 31 %

Suitability of a three-dimensional model to measure empathy and its relationship with social and normative adjustment in Spanish adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: (1) To examine the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) with Spanish adolescents, comparing a two and a three-dimensional structure;(2) To analyse the relationship between the three-dimensional empathy and social and normative adjustment in school. Design: Transversal and ex post facto retrospective study. Confirmatory factorial analysis, multifactorial invariance analysis and structural equations models were used. Participants: 747 students (51.3% girls) from Cordoba, Spain, aged 12–17 years (M=13.8; SD=1.21). Results: The original two-dimensional structure was confirmed (cognitive empathy, affective empathy), but a three-dimensional structure showed better psychometric properties, highlighting the good fit found in confirmatory factorial analysis and adequate internal consistent valued, measured with Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Composite reliability and average variance extracted showed better indices for a three-factor model. The research also showed evidence of measurement invariance across gender. All the factors of the final three-dimensional BES model were direct and significantly associated with social and normative adjustment, being most strongly related to cognitive empathy. Conclusions: This research supports the advances in neuroscience, developmental psychology and psychopathology through a three-dimensional version of the BES, which represents an improvement in the original two-factorial model. The organisation of empathy in three factors benefits the understanding of social and normative adjustment in adolescents, in which emotional disengagement favours adjusted peer relationships. Psychoeducational interventions aimed at improving the quality of social life in schools should target these components of empathy

‘We paint our heritage:’ an artistic and patrimonial education project for Early Childhood Education

El desafío de este trabajo es combinar la enseñanza patrimonial y artística para acercar al alumnado de la Educación Infantil a su entorno de manera creativa, con la intención de que sea valorado y que aprenda a conservarlo. En relación con la experiencia artística y patrimonial para las aulas de 3, 4 y 5 años se explicará el diseño del proyecto y el modelo metodológico que lo sostiene, las finalidades del aprendizaje, lo que acontece en cada aula en función de la experimentación, los resultados y las dificultades del aprendizaje.The challenge of this work is to combine heritage and artistic education to bring children’s education to their environment in a creative way, with the intention of being valued and taught how to conserve it. In relation to the artistic and patrimonial experience for the classrooms of 3, 4 and 5 years will explain the design of the project and the methodological model that supports it, the purposes of learning, what happens in each classroom in terms of experimentation, results and learning difficulties

Relationship between the gingival biotype and the results of root covering surgical procedures : a systematic review

Tissue biotypes are related to the results of periodontal therapy, conventional prosthodontics, implant therapy and root covering procedures. We conducted a systematic review (SR) of the literature about the relationship between the gingival biotype and

Role of Tetraspanins CD9 and CD151 in Primary Melanocyte Motility

Tetraspanins CD9 and CD151 have been implicated in cellular motility and intercellular adhesion in several cellular types. Here, we have studied the subcellular localization and the functional role of these molecules in primary melanocytes. We found that endogenous tetraspanins preferentially clustered in areas of melanocyte homotypic intercellular contacts and at the tips of dendrites. These observations were further confirmed using time-lapse fluorescence confocal microscopy of melanocytes transfected with CD9– and CD151–GFP (green fluorescent protein) constructs, suggesting an involvement of these proteins in cellular contacts and migration. Cell adhesion and migration assays performed using blocking monoclonal antibodies against CD9 and CD151 showed no significant effect on cell–extracellular matrix adhesion, whereas the migration of melanocytes was significantly enhanced. The regulation of the migratory capacity of melanocytes by CD9 and CD151 was further confirmed knocking down the endogenous expression of these tetraspanins with small interference RNA oligonucleotides. Therefore, tetraspanin molecules are localized at motile structures in primary human melanocytes regulating the migratory capacity of these cells

Protein composition of the hepatitis A virus quasi-envelope

The nonlytic cellular egress of picornaviruses in extracellular vesicles is likely to be important in disease pathogenesis, but the mechanism(s) underlying this process and the origins of the membranes surrounding virions exiting the cell are poorly understood. We describe a quantitative proteomics analysis of quasi-enveloped hepatitis A virus (eHAV) virions that shows capsids are selected as cargo for vesicular export via a highly specific process, and that infectious eHAV virions possess a host protein complement similar to that of exosomes with CD9 and DPP4 displayed on their surface. eHAV-associated proteins are highly enriched for endolysosomal components and lack markers of autophagy, suggesting an exosome-like mechanism of endosomal sorting complex required for transport-mediated eHAV biogenesis involving endosomal budding that is distinct from the autophagosome-mediated release proposed previously for enteroviruses