Developmental trajectories of pitch-related music skills in children with Williams syndrome

The study of music cognition in Williams syndrome (WS) has resulted in theoretical debates regarding cognitive modularity and development. However, no research has previously investigated the development of music skills in this population. In this study, we used the cross-sectional developmental trajectories approach to assess the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Thus, we evaluated the role of change over time on pitch-related music skills and the developmental relationships between music skills and different cognitive areas. In the TD children, the pitch-related music skills improved with chronological age and cognitive development. In the children with WS, developmental relationships were only found between several pitch-related music skills and specific cognitive processes. We also found non-systematic relationships between chronological age and the pitch-related music skills, stabilization in the level reached in music when cognitive development was considered, and uneven associations between cognitive and music skills. In addition, the TD and WS groups differed in their patterns of pitch-related music skill development. These results suggest that the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS is atypical. Our findings stand in contrast with the views that claim innate modularity for music in WS; rather, they are consistent with neuroconstructivist accountsThis study was supported by Project Grant 2012V/PUNED/0008 from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spai

Radiative Heat Transfer for Curvilinear Surfaces

Curved surfaces have not been thoroughly considered in radiative transfer analysis mainly due to the difficulties arising from the integration process and perhaps because of the lack of spatial vision of researchers. When dealing with them, application of the iterative method or direct calculation through integration does not provide with an exact solution, so that only approximate expressions or tables are given for a very limited number of forms. In this way, a vast repertoire of significant shapes remains neglected and energy waste is evident. For this reason, further research on the matter, starting from a different approach was considered worth doing. In previous researches from the authors, form factor calculation has been undertaken for several types of emitters. In all cases, geometric properties of those, revealed as the most powerful tool that shapes radiant interchange. This included mainly rectangular shapes, plane forms and the volumes that can be composed with such primary geometries

Anything for a quiet life: shelter from mobbers drives reproductive success in a top-level avian predator

17 p.Understanding how habitat structure relates to reproductive performance of species can help identify what habitats are of the highest quality for a given species and thereby guide effective management. Here, we compared the influence of prey abundance and the amount of shelter area on the relationship between habitat and breeding performance. We focused on the forest-dwelling northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis in an agroforestry system. Using structural equation modelling, we tested the associations between reproductive performance and three explanatory factors: habitat structure, abundance of food resources or levels of mobbing disturbance, and prey supply to the nest. Our results suggest that habitat structure influences reproductive performance through shelter rather than through prey abundance. During the study period, forested habitats in the breeding territories provided shelter to the goshawk, reducing disturbance by carrion crows Corvus corone, which acted as large, aggressive, social mobbers. Decreased disturbance increased prey supply to the nest, probably because it favored food accessibility and male goshawk foraging efficiency. Habitat was not significantly associated with quality of the breeders, both in terms of body size and seniority in the territories. Our findings suggest that reproductive performance, and therefore habitat quality, may depend more on sheltered access to food resources than on the amount of food available. Our observation that mobbers decrease predator foraging efficiency highlights the possibility of designing effective, socially acceptable predator management strategies to protect sensitive domestic prey.Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto DemográficoMinisterio de Educación y CienciaMinisterio de Ciencia e InnovaciónComunidad de MadridUniversidad de Alcal

Effect of the presence of inorganic ions and operational parameters on free cyanide degradation by ultraviolet C activation of persulfate in synthetic mining wastewater

This work studied the influence of several parameters on free cyanide (CN−) degradation (50 mg L−1) by the UVC-activated persulfate (PS) at alkaline conditions (UVC/PS). Firstly, photolysis and alkaline activation of PS were evaluated. Then, the effect of initial PS concentration (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 g L−1) and dissolved oxygen in solution (absence/presence) were studied. Lastly, the influence of phosphate, carbonate, and nitrate presence at different concentrations (50, 150, 350, and 500 mg L−1) on CN− elimination was tested. Additionally, the electric energy per order (EEO), a measure of the energy consumption in the process was determined, and a mechanistic view of CN− degradation was proposed. The results show that photolysis and alkaline activation of PS degraded 8 and 11% of CN−, respectively, whereas their combination presented a synergistic effect on CN− pollutant elimination. While oxygen had a vital role in photolysis due to the formation of 1O2 to oxidize CN− to CNO−, HO• and SO4•− were primarily responsible for CN− degradation by UVC/PS. It was also found that cyanide removal followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics whose apparent reaction rate constant (k) increased from 0.0104 to 0.0297 min−1 as the initial concentration of PS increased from 0.2 to 0.6 g L−1, indicating a strong dependency of the removal efficiency on the PS amount. Remarkably, cyanide degradation by the combined UVC/PS showed a high CN− conversion and selectivity even in the presence of high concentrations of phosphate, carbonate, and nitrate ions (500 mg L−1), which resulted in CN− removals higher than 80% after 60 min of degradation treatment. Furthermore, the EEO values were similar in the presence and absence of phosphate or carbonate; however, they decreased slightly with nitrate presence. All these results suggest the feasibility of the combined UVC/PS process for the elimination of cyanide such as that found in mining wastewater

Actividades educativas en el yacimiento de vertebrados miócenos de Somosaguas (Universidad Complutense, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid)

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

Evaluación de aplicaciones para la deshabituación tabáquica con elementos de gamificación: elaboración y aplicación de un check-list = Evaluation of gamification apps in smoking cessation: development and application of a check-list

Resumen: Introducción. El uso de la gamificación en salud es una herramienta útil para incrementar la motivación cuan­do se aplica a salud. Los objetivos fueron realizar una revisión sobre evidencias científicas de aplicaciones con elementos de gamificación en salud, identificar características de calidad, elaborar un check-list y aplicarlo a apli­caciones para la deshabituación tabáquica con elementos de gamificación. Métodos. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en Pubmed sobre gamificación en salud y una búsqueda de apps de cese tabáquico con elementos de gamificación. Se elaboró un check-list para evaluar la calidad, elementos de gamificación y técnicas de cambio de comportamiento utilizados, posteriormente se aplicó a las apps seleccionadas. Resultados. Se incluyeron 14 apps sobre gamificación en deshabituación tabáquica. Solo 4 (28,6%) identificaron fuentes de información fiables y solo 2 (14,3%) informaron sobre políticas de acceso y tratamiento de datos. Las técnicas de cambio de comportamiento identificadas fueron retroalimentación en todas las apps, automonitorización en 12 (85,7%) y cambios basados en los éxitos pasados en 13 (92,9%). Conclusiones. Existen pocos estudios sobre aplica­ciones para la deshabituación tabáquica con elementos de gamificación, con gran variabilidad en metodología, variables medidas y escasas evidencias. La creación de un check-list sobre calidad de las aplicaciones podría disminuir esta variabilidad y mejorar la calidad de los estudios futuros. Son necesarios nuevos estudios.Palabras clave: Deshabituación tabáquica; Aplicaciones móviles; Terapia de comportamiento; Cese tabáquico.Abstract: Introduction. The use of health gamification has proven to be a useful tool to increase motivation and com­mitment when applied to health. The objectives were to review the scientific evidences of health gamification applications, to identify the quality characteristics, to develop a check list to evaluate it and to apply it to the appli­cations in smoking cessation. Methodology. PubMed search on health gamification and a search for smoking cessation apps with gamification elements in the most important application stores. A checklist was developed to evaluate the quality, gamification elements and behavior change techniques used, and was applied to the selected apps. Results. We included 14 apps on gamification in smoking cessation. Only 4 (28.6%) identified reliable sou­rces of information and only 2 (14.3%) reported on access policies and data processing. Behavior change techni­ques identified were feedback in all apps, self-monitoring in 12 (85.7%) and changes based on past successes 13 (92.9%). Conclusions. There are few studies on gamification applications in smoking cessation, with a high variabi­lity in the methodology, measured variables and with little evidence. Creating a checklist on the quality of smoking cessation apps could decrease this variability and improve the quality of future studies. Further studies are needed.Keywords: Tobacco Use Cessation; Mobile Applications; Behavior Therapy; Smoking Cessation

The use of mixed collagen-Matrigel matrices of increasing complexity recapitulates the biphasic role of cell adhesion in cancer cell migration: ECM sensing, remodeling and forces at the leading edge of cancer invasion

The migration of cancer cells is highly regulated by the biomechanical properties of their local microenvironment. Using 3D scaffolds of simple composition, several aspects of cancer cell mechanosensing (signal transduction, EMC remodeling, traction forces) have been separately analyzed in the context of cell migration. However, a combined study of these factors in 3D scaffolds that more closely resemble the complex microenvironment of the cancer ECM is still missing. Here, we present a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of the role of cell-ECM interactions in cancer cell migration within a highly physiological environment consisting of mixed Matrigel-collagen hydrogel scaffolds of increasing complexity that mimic the tumor microenvironment at the leading edge of cancer invasion. We quantitatively show that the presence of Matrigel increases hydrogel stiffness, which promotes ß1 integrin expression and metalloproteinase activity in H1299 lung cancer cells. Then, we show that ECM remodeling activity causes matrix alignment and compaction that favors higher tractions exerted by the cells. However, these traction forces do not linearly translate into increased motility due to a biphasic role of cell adhesions in cell migration: at low concentration Matrigel promotes migration-effective tractions exerted through a high number of small sized focal adhesions. However, at high Matrigel concentration, traction forces are exerted through fewer, but larger focal adhesions that favor attachment yielding lower cell motility

Next‐generation sequencing reveals that miR‐16‐5p, miR‐19a‐3p, miR‐451a, and miR‐25‐3p cargo in plasma extracellular vesicles differentiates sedentary young males from athletes

A sedentary lifestyle and Olympic participation are contrary risk factors for global mortality and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Extracellular vesicle miRNAs have been described to respond to exercise. No molecular characterization of young male sedentary people versus athletes is available; so, our aim was to identify the extracellular vesicle miRNA profile of chronically trained young endurance and resistance male athletes compared to their sedentary counterparts. A descriptive case–control design was used with 16 sedentary young men, 16 Olympic male endurance athletes, and 16 Olympic male resistance athletes. Next‐generation sequencing and RT‐qPCR and external and internal validation were performed in order to analyze extracellular vesicle miRNA profiles. Endurance and resistance athletes had significant lower levels of miR‐16‐5p, miR‐19a‐3p, and miR‐451a compared to sedentary people. Taking all together, exercise‐trained miRNA profile in extracellular vesicles provides a differential signature of athletes irrespective of the type of exercise compared to sedentary people. Besides, miR‐25‐3p levels were specifically lower in endurance athletes which defines its role as a specific responder in this type of athletes. In silico analysis of this profile suggests a role in adaptive energy metabolism in this context that needs to be experimentally validated. Therefore, this study provides for the first time basal levels of circulating miRNA in extracellular vesicles emerge as relevant players in intertissue communication in response to chronic exercise exposure in young elite male athletes