La orientación escolar y profesional en Francia

El concepto de Orientación escolar y profesional ha sufrido a lo largo de 10s años una notoria evolucion. La Orientacion ve analizar y replantear su rol y sus objetivos a medida que la sociedad, en su situación de canlbio constante, descubre la importancia y trascendencia de la sucesiva serie de opciones que se nos presentan y toma conciencia de las consecuencias dc tipo economico que resultan de la implantacion de un sistema de orienta- ción en un país

Cu-CHA material efficient in the SCR process in the presence of water and CO2

A reproducible method for the synthesis of SCR active Cu-CHA materials has been developed, which allows the incorporation of up to 4% of copper inside the cavities of the zeolite. These materials are highly efficient in the removal of NOx by reaction with ammonia, even in the presence of water and CO2 in the reaction atmosphere. Cu2+ species are the active species in the reaction and in contact with water and CO2, the hydrated-carbonate Cu2+ species placed in the 8-rings were identified as the responsible for the improvement in the activity.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Postnatal environmental enrichment enhances memory through distinct neural mechanisms in healthy and trisomic female mice

Stimulating lifestyles have powerful effects on cognitive abilities, especially when they are experienced early in life. Cognitive therapies are widely used to improve cognitive impairment due to intellectual disability, aging, and neurodegeneration, however the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. We investigated the neural correlates of memory amelioration produced by postnatal environmental enrichment (EE) in diploid mice and the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome (trisomy 21). We recorded neural activities in brain structures key for memory processing, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, during rest, sleep and memory performance in mice reared in non-enriched or enriched environments. Enriched wild-type animals exhibited enhanced neural synchrony in the hippocampus across different brain states (increased gamma oscillations, theta-gamma coupling, sleep ripples). Trisomic females showed increased theta and gamma rhythms in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex across different brain states along with enlarged ripples and disrupted circuit gamma signals that were associated with memory deficits. These pathological activities were attenuated in their trisomic EE-reared peers. Our results suggest distinct neural mechanisms for the generation and rescue of healthy and pathological brain synchrony, respectively, by EE and put forward hippocampal-prefrontal hypersynchrony and miscommunication as major targets underlying the beneficial effects of EE in intellectual disability

Intensification of methanol steam reforming process using Cu-modified Ni-based supported catalysts

Hydrogen is conventionally manufactured in large scale by the steam reforming of methane or naphthas. The perspective of using hydrogen as a fuel depends of finding alternatives to the existing production technologies and feedstock. Oxygenated compounds are an interesting alternative and are been investigated extensively. The process of steam reforming of mixtures of oxygenated hydrocarbons does not contribute to a net increase in atmospheric CO2, as oxygenated obtained from renewable resources are considered to be CO2 neutral. In previous works has been demonstrate that Steam Reforming of oxygenated compounds is a complex reactions network where in a previous step, decomposition reaction take place followed by the reforming of decomposition products. Its known that DME (or methanol) receives particular attention due to its properties similar to those of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)and it can be used as a clean high-efficiency compression ignition fuel. In other way, it has been demonstrate that DME-SR to produce H2 occurs through two main reactions in series, DME-Hydrolysis and MeOH-Steam Reforming. Therefore, bifunctional catalysts are necessary, with and acid funcion active in DME-HYD and a redox for reforming step. On the other hand, methanol is also regarded as an important feedstock for hydrogen production due to its high energy density and superior transportability, especially for small-scaled and portable fuel cell applications. In comparison with CH4-SR, the reaction temperature of methanol steam reforming is much lower and the gas off contains typically 60%-70% H2. In this contribution the Steam Reforming of MeOH has been studied using a Ni-based supported catalysts modified with copper and an optimized formulation was considered to incorporate in a microreformer, as an intensification of process to direct hydrogen supply on board.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

El turista actiu sènior: el cas de les Illes Balears

[cat]El turisme de destinacions estacionals i madures, com el de les illes Balears, s’ha de reorientar amb productes i polítiques turístiques més sostenibles. Aquesta situació, juntament amb el fet que a les illes Balears es gaudeix d’entorn natural privilegiat, a més de la serra de Tramuntana declarada Patrimoni Mundial, ofereix un gran potencial per desenvolupar nous productes turístics com el senderisme. El present treball aprofundeix en el turista hiker i en destaca el paper i el gran potencial que té per a la destinació. Basant-se en una mostra de hikers contactats a la serra de Tramuntana, es va segmentar per edats, distingint entre hiker sènior de més de 60 anys i la resta dels enquestats. L’anàlisi de resultats va revelar diferents característiques sociodemogràfiques, motivacions per a l’elecció de la destinació turística, així com diferents patrons de comportament turístic, despesa i satisfacció. Els resultats tenen importants aplicacions pràctiques per promoure les destinacions senderistes com a producte turístic, ja que promoure l’activitat del hiking en el segment sènior, durant la temporada baixa, que coincideix amb unes condicions climàtiques més apropiades per a la pràctica del hiking, permet no només desestacionalitzar la destinació, sinó atraure un tipus de turisme actiu que de mitjana gasta més i que es troba més satisfet.[spa]El turismo en destinos estacionales y maduros, como el de las islas Baleares, debe reorientarse con productos y políticas turísticas más sostenibles. Esta situación, junto con el hecho de que en las islas Baleares se goza de entorno natural privilegiado, además de la sierra de Tramuntana declarada Patrimonio Mundial, ofrece un gran potencial para desarrollar nuevos productos turísticos como el senderismo. El presente trabajo profundiza en el turista hiker y destaca su papel y el gran potencial que tiene para el destino. Sobre una muestra de hikers contactados en la sierra de Tramuntana, se segmentó por edades y se distinguió entre hiker senior de más de 60 años y el resto de los encuestados. El análisis de resultados reveló distintas características sociodemográficas, motivaciones para la elección del destino turístico, así como diferentes patrones de comportamiento turístico, gasto y satisfacción. Los resultados tienen importantes aplicaciones prácticas para promover los destinos senderistas como producto turístico, ya que promover la actividad del hiking en el segmento senior, durante la temporada baja, que coincide con unas condiciones climáticas más apropiadas para la práctica del hiking, permite no solo desestacionalizar el destino, sino atraer a un tipo de turismo activo que en promedio gasta más y que se encuentra más satisfecho

Semiquantitative RT-PCR measurement of gene expression in rat tissues including a correction for varying cell size and number

Background: Current methodology of gene expression analysis limits the possibilities of comparison between cells/tissues of organs in which cell size and/or number changes as a consequence of the study (e.g. starvation). A method relating the abundance of specific mRNA copies per cell may allow direct comparison or different organs and/or changing physiological conditions. Methods: With a number of selected genes, we analysed the relationship of the number of bases and the fluorescence recorded at a present level using cDNA standards. A lineal relationship was found between the final number of bases and the length of the transcript. The constants of this equation and those of the relationship between fluorescence and number of bases in cDNA were determined and a general equation linking the length of the transcript and the initial number of copies of mRNA was deduced for a given pre-established fluorescence setting. This allowed the calculation of the concentration of the corresponding mRNAs per g of tissue. The inclusion of tissue RNA and the DNA content per cell, allowed the calculation of the mRNA copies per cell. Results: The application of this procedure to six genes: Arbp, cyclophilin, ChREBP, T4 deiodinase 2, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and IRS-1, in liver and retroperitoneal adipose tissue of food-restricted rats allowed precise measures of their changes irrespective of the shrinking of the tissue, the loss of cells or changes in cell size, factors that deeply complicate the comparison between changing tissue conditions. The percentage results obtained with the present methods were essentially the same obtained with the delta-delta procedure and with individual cDNA standard curve quantitative RT-PCR estimation. Conclusion: The method presented allows the comparison (i.e. as copies of mRNA per cell) between different genes and tissues, establishing the degree of abundance of the different molecular species tested

Serotonin 5-HT1A receptors modulate neural rhythms in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and prefronto-hippocampal connectivity in alert mice

Theserotonergic system plays a crucial role in cognition and is a target of many psychiatric treatments. In particular, serotonin 5-HT1A receptors (5-HT1AR) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus play key roles in learning, memory, behavioral flexibility, and response inhibition. Here, we investigated how 5-HT1A receptors influence neural network dynamics in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and prefronto-hippocampal functional connectivity in alert mice. We found that pharmacological stimulation of 5-HT1AR with 8-OH-DPAT markedly reduces theta, beta, and high gamma oscillations in both areas and weakens prefronto-hippocampal phase synchronization at theta and beta frequencies. Pharmacological inhibition of 5-HT1A receptors with WAY-100635 reduces theta and high gamma oscillatory activity but increases beta and delta oscillations. It also weakens prefronto-hippocampal phase synchronization at theta frequencies. These results reveal that prefronto-hippocampal neurodynamics are highly sensitive to 5-HT1A manipulation and may be relevant for understanding the actions of psychiatric medication targeting the serotonergic system.Peer ReviewedPreprin

In rats, oral oleoyl-DHEA is rapidly hydrolysed and converted to DHEA-sulphate

BACKGROUND: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) released by adrenal glands may be converted to androgens and estrogens mainly in the gonadal, adipose, mammary, hepatic and nervous tissue. DHEA is also a key neurosteroid and has antiglucocorticoid activity. DHEA has been used for the treatment of a number of diseases, including obesity; its pharmacological effects depend on large oral doses, which effect rapidly wanes in part because of its short half-life in plasma. Since steroid hormone esters circulate for longer periods, we have studied here whether the administration of DHEA oleoyl ester may extend its pharmacologic availability by keeping high circulating levels. RESULTS: Tritium-labelled oleoyl-DHEA was given to Wistar male and female rats by gastric tube. The kinetics of appearance of the label in plasma was unrelated to sex; the pattern being largely coincident with the levels of DHEA-sulfate only in females, and after 2 h undistinguishable from the results obtained using labelled DHEA gavages; in the short term, practically no lipophilic DHEA label was found in plasma. After 24 h only a small fraction of the label remained in the rat organs, with a different sex-related distribution pattern coincident for oleoyl- and free- DHEA gavages. The rapid conversion of oleoyl-DHEA into circulating DHEA-sulfate was investigated using stomach, liver and intestine homogenates; which hydrolysed oleoyl-DHEA optimally near pH 8. Duodenum and ileum contained the highest esterase activities. Pure hog pancreas cholesterol-esterase broke down oleoyl-DHEA at rates similar to those of oleoyl-cholesterol. The intestinal and liver esterases were differently activated by taurocholate and showed different pH-activity patterns than cholesterol esterase, suggesting that oleoyl-DHEA can be hydrolysed by a number of esterases in the lumen (e.g. cholesterol-esterase), in the intestinal wall and the liver. CONCLUSION: The esterase activities found may condition the pharmacological availability (and depot effect) of orally administered steroid hormone fatty acid esters such as oleoyl-DHEA. The oral administration of oleoyl-DHEA in order to extend DHEA plasma availability has not been proved effective, since the ester is rapidly hydrolysed, probably in the intestine itself, and mainly converted to DHEA-sulfate at least in females