Extinction procedure induces pruning of dendritic spines in CA1 hippocampal field depending on strength of training in rats

Numerous reports indicate that learning and memory of conditioned responses are accompanied by genesis of dendritic spines in the hippocampus, although there is a conspicuous lack of information regarding spine modifications after behavioral extinction. There is ample evidence that treatments that typically produce amnesia become innocuous when animals are submitted to a procedure of enhanced training. We now report that extinction of inhibitory avoidance (IA), trained with relatively low foot-shock intensities, induces pruning of dendritic spines along the length of the apical dendrites of hippocampal CA1 neurons. When animals are trained with a relatively high foot-shock there is a high resistance to extinction, and pruning in the proximal and medial segments of the apical dendrite are seen, while spine count in the distal dendrite remains normal. These results indicate that pruning is involved in behavioral extinction, while maintenance of spines is a probable mechanism that mediates the protecting effect against amnesic treatments produced by enhanced training

Approaches based on LAMDA control applied to regulate HVAC systems for buildings

The control of HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems is usually complex because its modeling in certain cases is difficult, since these systems have a large number of components. Heat exchangers, chillers, valves, sensors, and actuators, increase the non-linear characteristics of the complete model, so it is necessary to propose new control strategies that can handle the uncertainty generated by all these elements working together. On the other hand, artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that allows improving the performance of control systems with inexact models and uncertainties. This paper presents new control alternatives for HVAC systems based on LAMDA (Learning Algorithm for Multivariable Data Analysis). This algorithm has been used in the field of machine learning, however, we have taken advantage of its learning characteristics to propose different types of intelligent controllers to improve the performance of the overall control system in tasks of regulation and reference change. In order to perform a comparative analysis in the context of HVAC systems, conventional methods such as PID and Fuzzy-PID are compared with LAMDA-PID, LAMDA-Sliding Mode Control based on Z-numbers (ZLSMC), and Adaptive LAMDA. Specifically, two HVAC systems are implemented by simulations to evaluate the proposals: an MIMO (Multiple-input Multiple-output) HVAC system and an HVAC system with dead time, which are used to compare the results qualitatively and quantitatively. The results show that ZLSMC is the most robust controller, which efficiently controls HVAC systems in cases of reference changes and the presence of disturbances.European CommissionAgencia Estatal de InvestigaciónJunta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Manch

Causas y situaciones que inciden en el estrés laboral de profesores del centro universitario de ciencias de la salud de la universidad de Guadalajara

Objective: Identify the causes and situations causing job stress in professors from Health Sciences Universitary Center (CUCS), Guadalajara University (U. de G.). Methodology: It´s a cross sectional study realized to professors from CUCS, which took a convenience sample of 109 professors. We applied a cedula that contain socio-demographic data, Perceived Stress Scale and Psychosocial Factors in the Academic Stress (FPSIS). Results: The Stress Prevalence was 82.6%. The Stress Situations were unexpected events (12.0%), not was handling successfully irritants problems their life (77.1%) and no control in life´s difficults (76.1%). The psychosocial factors affecting the stress were job conditions (95.4%), social interaction and organizational aspects (72.5%) and workload (66.1%). Conclusions: The Stress Prevalence in the professors from this Universitary Center was high. The identification of causes and psychosocial contributed to Stress in this population provided revision and analysis of situations that can will improved in this educational work space.Objetivo: Identificar las causas y situaciones que inciden en el estrés laboral de profesores del Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud (CUCS), Universidad de Guadalajara (U. de G.). Metodología: Es un estudio descriptivo transversal realizado a profesores del CUCS, de los cuales se tomó una muestra por conveniencia de 109. Se les aplicó una cédula de recolección de la información compuesta por datos socio-demográficos, la escala de estrés percibido (CSI) y el instrumento de Factores Psicosociales en el Trabajo Académico (FPSIS). Resultados: La prevalencia de estrés en profesores es de 82,6%. Las situaciones que contribuyen el estrés son por eventos inesperados (12,0%), por no haber manejado con éxito los problemas irritantes de la vida (77,1%) y no haber podido controlar las dificultades de su vida (76,1%). Los factores psicosociales que favorecen el estrés son las condiciones del lugar de trabajo (95,4%), la interacción social y los aspectos organizacionales (72,5%) y la carga de trabajo (66,1%). Conclusiones: La prevalencia de estrés en los profesores de este Centro Universitario es elevada. La identificación de estas causas y factores psicosociales que condicionan el estrés en esta población permiten la revisión y análisis de situaciones que pueden mejorarse en este espacio laboral docente

MICROALGAS PRESENTES EN EL FITOBENTOS COLECTADO EN EL CANAL DE PANAMÁ (ESCLUSAS DE PEDRO MIGUEL).

El documento presenta un estudio de las microalgas dulceacuícolas en el área del Canal, en particular las del fitobentos en las Esclusas de Pedro Miguel. La flora algológica estuvo representada por 52 taxa pertenecientes a los grupos Cyanophyta (algas verde azules), Chlorophyta (algas verdes) y Bacillariophyceae (diatomeas), siendo el último, el grupo dominante. Navicula se reportó como el género más representativo dentro de las Bacillariophyceae. Futuras investigaciones en las Esclusas de Gatún y Miraflores nos permitirán comparar y complementar las comunidades de algas que habitan estos ambientes, de manera de determinar su distribución por el Canal

Desafíos de tele-rehabilitación en niños con discapacidad en educación temprana

This research deals with the tele-rehabilitation service for children with disabilities in a post-Covid-19 era. There has been a boom with new working models and adaptation to new challenges and experiences of professionals in rehabilitation therapies. With such services as the most effective way to treat psychomotor deficits in children with disabilities, Rehabilitation Centers have reconfigured their planning by offering hybrid care, but there is a lack of integration of ICT for the delivery of these services through agile approaches. Under an Action-Design methodology, a survey was designed and applied to therapists from five Rehabilitation Centers in Mexico; focused on knowing four relevant aspects: Rehabilitation Teleworking; ICT in therapeutic activity; Communication between parents and Rehabilitation centers; and Patients. From the result, it can be inferred that there is a high level of interest at THE initial education in technological training and a need for higher quality stimulation tools and resources.Esta investigación trata sobre el servicio de Tele-rehabilitación para niños con discapacidad en una época post-Covid 19. Ha habido un auge con nuevos modelos de trabajo y la adaptación a nuevos retos y experiencias de los profesionales en terapias de rehabilitación. Con dichos servicios como la forma más efectiva de tratar el déficit psicomotor en niños con discapacidad, los Centros de Rehabilitación han reconfigurado su planificación ofreciendo atención híbrida, pero existe una falta de integración de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) para la entrega de estos servicios a través de enfoques ágiles. Bajo una metodología de Diseño-Acción, se diseñó una encuesta aplicada a terapeutas de cinco Centros de Rehabilitación de México. De los resultados se puede inferir un alto interés de la educación a nivel inicial por la formación tecnológica y una necesidad de mayor calidad en las herramientas y recursos de estimulación

Assessment of ventilation rates inside educational buildings in Southwestern Europe: Analysis of implemented strategic measures

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has highlighted the need to ensure good indoor air quality. Public buildings (educational buildings in particular) have come under the spotlight because students, teachers and staff spend long periods of the day indoors. This study presents a measurement campaign for the assessment of ventilation rate (VR) and ventilation strategies in educational buildings in Southwestern Europe, Portugal and Spain. A representative sample of the teaching spaces of the Azurém Campus (Guimarães, Portugal) and the Fuentenueva Campus (Granada, Spain) have been analyzed. Natural ventilation is the predominant ventilation strategy in these spaces, being the most common strategy in educational buildings in Europe. VR was estimated under different configurations, using the CO2 decay method. Subsequently, the CO2 concentration was estimated according to occupancy and the probability of infection risk was calculated using the Wells-Riley equation. The obtained VR varied between 2.9 and 20.1 air change per hour (ACH) for natural cross ventilation, 2.0 to 5.1 ACH for single-sided ventilation and 1.8 to 3.5 for mechanically ventilated classrooms. Large differences in CO2 concentrations were verified, depending on the analyzed ventilation strategy, ranging from 475 to 3903 ppm for the different scenarios. However, the probability of risk was less than 1% in almost all of the classrooms analyzed. The results obtained from the measurement campaign showed that the selection of an appropriate ventilation strategy can provide sufficient air renewal and maintain a low risk of infection. Ventilation strategies need to be reconsidered as a consequence of the health emergency arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.Antonio J. Aguilar Aguilera and María Luisa de la Hoz Torres wish to thank the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain under an FPU grant. This work has been supported by the Consejo General de la Arquitectura T´ecnica (CGATE), the “Junta de Andalucía” (Spain) under project B-TEP-362-UGR18 and the State Research Agency (SRA) of Spain and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) under project PID2019-108761RB-I00. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA

Reopening higher education buildings in post-epidemic COVID-19 scenario: monitoring and assessment of indoor environmental quality after implementing ventilation protocols in Spain and Portugal

Post-epidemic protocols have been implemented in public buildings to keep indoor environments safe. However, indoor environmental conditions are affected by this decision, which also affect the occupants of buildings. This fact has major implications in educational buildings, where the satisfaction and learning performance of students may also be affected. This study investigates the impact of post-epidemic protocols on indoor environmental conditions in higher education buildings of one Portuguese and one Spanish university. A sensor monitoring campaign combined with a simultaneous questionnaire was conducted during the reopening of the educational buildings. Results showed that although renewal air protocols were effective and the mean CO2 concentration levels remained low (742 ppm and 519 ppm in Portugal and Spain universities, respectively), students were dissatisfied with the current indoor environmental conditions. Significant differences were also found between the responses of Portuguese and Spanish students. Indeed, Spanish students showed warmer preferences (thermal neutrality = 23.3℃) than Portuguese students (thermal neutrality = 20.7℃). In terms of involved indoor factors, the obtained data showed significant correlations (p < 0.001) between acoustic factors and overall satisfaction in the Portuguese students (ρ = 0.540) and between thermal factors and overall satisfaction in the Spanish students (ρ = 0.522). Therefore, indoor environmental conditions should be improved by keeping spaces safe while minimizing the impact of post-epidemic protocols on student learning performance.The first two authors wish to thank the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain, under an FPU grant. This research was funded by the Consejo General de la Arquitectura Técnica (CGATE), and the State Research Agency (AEI) of Spain and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) under project PID2019-108761RB-I00. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA

Loss of PRDX6 aborts proliferative and migratory signaling in hepatocarcinoma cell lines

Peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), the only mammalian 1-Cys member of the peroxiredoxin family, has peroxidase, phospholipase A2 (PLA2), and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) acyltransferase (LPCAT) activities. It has been associated with tumor progression and cancer metastasis, but the mechanisms involved are not clear. We constructed an SNU475 hepatocarcinoma cell line knockout for PRDX6 to study the processes of migration and invasiveness in these mesenchymal cells. They showed lipid peroxidation but inhibition of the NRF2 transcriptional regulator, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic reprogramming, an altered cytoskeleton, down-regulation of PCNA, and a diminished growth rate. LPC regulatory action was inhibited, indicating that loss of both the peroxidase and PLA2 activities of PRDX6 are involved. Upstream regulators MYC, ATF4, HNF4A, and HNF4G were activated. Despite AKT activation and GSK3β inhibition, the prosurvival pathway and the SNAI1-induced EMT program were aborted in the absence of PRDX6, as indicated by diminished migration and invasiveness, down-regulation of bottom-line markers of the EMT program, MMP2, cytoskeletal proteins, and triggering of the “cadherin switch”. These changes point to a role for PRDX6 in tumor development and metastasis, so it can be considered a candidate for antitumoral therapies

Electrochemical combustion of indigo at ternary oxide coated titanium anodes

The film of iridium and tin dioxides doped with antimony (IrO2-SnO2–Sb2O5) deposited on a Ti substrate (mesh) obtained by Pechini method was used for the formation of ·OH radicals by water discharge. Detection of ·OH radicals was followed by the use of the N,N-dimethyl-p-nitrosoaniline (RNO) as a spin trap. The electrode surface morphology and composition was characterized by SEM-EDS. The ternary oxide coating was used for the electrochemical combustion of indigo textile dye as a model organic compound in chloride medium. Bulk electrolyses were then carried out at different volumetric flow rates under galvanostatic conditions using a filter-press flow cell. The galvanostatic tests using RNO confirmed that Ti/IrO2-SnO2-Sb2O5 favor the hydroxyl radical formation at current densities between 5 and 7 mA cm-2, while at current density of 10 mA cm-2 the oxygen evolution reaction occurs. The indigo was totally decolorized and mineralized via reactive oxygen species, such as (·OH, H2O2, O3 and active chlorine) formed in-situ at the Ti/IrO2-SnO2-Sb2O5 surface at volumetric flow rates between 0.1-0.4 L min-1 and at fixed current density of 7 mA cm-2. The mineralization of indigo carried out at 0.2 L min-1 achieved values of 100 %, with current efficiencies of 80 % and energy consumption of 1.78 KWh m-3

DNA fingerprinting and classification of geographically related genotypes of olive-tree (Olea europaea L

Summary Málaga is a province of Spain where olive-trees are cultivated in a large range of environments, climates and soils. We have developed a reliable and reproducible method to detect RAPD and AP-PCR polymorphisms, using DNA from olive-tree (Olea europaea L.) leaves. Starting from their natural orchards, fifty-six olive-tree cultivars throughout Málaga province, including oil and table olive cultivars, were screened and grouped into 22 varieties. A total of 62 informative polymorphic loci that provide 601 conspicuous bands were enough to differentiate the varieties. Clustering analyses managing 3 different pairwise distances, as well as phylogenetic analyses, led to the same result: olive-trees in Málaga can be divided into three main groups. Group I (90% of certainty) contains wild type and two introduced varieties, group II (83% of certainty) covers some native olive-trees, and group III (58% of certainty) is an heterogeneous cluster that includes varieties originating and cultivated in a number of Andalusian locations. Geographic location seems to be the first responsible of this classification, and morphological traits are needed to justify the group III subclustering. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of autochthonic origin of most olive-tree cultivars, and have been used to support a Label of Origin for the olive oil produced by the varieties included in group II