Hormonal differences in intimate partner violence perpetrators when they cope with acute stress: A pilot study

Background: Only a few studies have paid attention to the ability of perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPVAW) against women to cope with acute stress, including hormonal pa-rameters. In fact, previous studies assessed how salivary testosterone (Tsal) and cortisol (Csal) changed after coping with an acute emotional stressor (directly related to IPVAW), and they con-cluded that an imbalance between the two hormones might be characteristic of these men. Never-theless, they neglected to examine the role of other hormones, such as salivary oxytocin (OXsal), which also seemed to play an important role in behavioral regulation, and whether this response could be generalized to other types of stress not directly related to IPVAW. Methods: This study aims to assess whether IPVAW perpetrators (n = 19) present differential hormonal (Tsal, Csal, OXsal and their ratios) and psychological state (anxiety, anger, and general affect) responses when coping with an acute cognitive laboratory stressor (a set of neuropsychological tests performed in front of an expert committee) in comparison with non-violent men (n = 16). This quasi-experimental study also assessed whether the psychological state variables drive this different hormonal response. Re-sults: Our results revealed that IPVAW perpetrators had lower Csal and higher Tsal/Csal ratio levels during the post-task period, as well as higher total levels (average) of OXsal than controls. We also found that, only in IPVAW perpetrators, high levels of baseline anxiety and negative affect were related to high rises in Csal during the stress task. Conclusions: These data present a background showing that IPVAW perpetrators and non-violent men cope differently with stress. These findings might help to identify idiosyncratic profiles of IPVAW perpetrators that can then be employed to establish their therapeutic needs. Moreover, we reinforced the importance of combining biological markers with self-reports, thus increasing the reliability of these forensic assessments. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

A technological acceptance of e-learning tools used in practical and laboratory teaching, according to the European higher education area

The application of scientific tools to analyse the use of Internet-based e-learning tools in academic settings is in general an ignored area. E-learning tools are actually an emergent topic as a result of the new ideas introduced by the European Higher Education Area. Lifelong learning, or the promotion of student initiative, is the new paradigm of a learner-centred education. In this context, e-learning tools can represent an effective way of supporting this new trend in education. Assuming the premise that successful use of these web-based tools depends primarily on a user’s behaviour, the objective of this research is to examine the technology acceptance model (TAM) of web-based elearning tools used in practical and laboratory teaching. The research hypotheses derived from this model have empirically been validated using the responses to a survey on e-learning usage among 220 users. These responses have been examined through partial least square. The obtained results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting a student’s intention to use e-learning and define a set of external variables with a significant influence in the original TAM variables. Surprisingly, perceived ease of use did not posit a significant impact on student attitude or intention towards e-learning tool usage. Therefore, early evaluation of e-learning material is considered essential to providing a framework for further improvements of the too

Physical activity and bone health in schoolchildren: the mediating role of fitness and body fat

This is the final version of the article. Available from Public Library of Science via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: The relationship between physical activity (PA) and bone health is well known, although the role of percent body fat (%BF) and fitness as confounders or mediators in this relationship remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the association between PA and bone mineral content (BMC) is mediated by %BF and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). METHODS: In this cross sectional study, BMC, total %BF (by DXA), vigorous PA (VPA), CRF, age and height were measured in 132 schoolchildren (62 boys, aged 8-11 years). ANCOVA was used to test differences in BMC by %BF, CRF and VPA, controlling for different sets of confounders. Simple mediation analyses and serial multiple mediation analyses were fitted to examine whether the relationship between PA and BMC is mediated by %BF and fitness. RESULTS: Children with high %BF had higher total body BMC than their peers after controlling for all sets of confounders. Children with good CRF or VPA had significantly less total body BMC after controlling for age and sex but in children with good CRF this inverse relation disappeared after adjusting by %BF. %BF and CRF both act as a full mediator in the association between VPA and BMC, after inclusion of the potential confounders in the models. CONCLUSION: Fitness and %BF seem to have a mediator role on the relationship between physical activity and bone mass.This study was funded by grant numbers PII1I09-0259-9898 and POII10-0208-5325 from the Ministry of Education and Science - Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, and Ministry of Health (FIS grant number PI081297). Additional funding was provided by the Research Network on Preventative Activities and Health Promotion (RD06/0018/0038)

Tamaño de parcela para ensayos de rendimiento con tomate.

El experimento se llevó a cabo como ensayo en blanco, utilizándose la variedad tipo Chonto, VET1 (Variedad experimental de tomate 1). Se utilizaron 23 surcos de 19 m de longitud con distancias de 80 cm entre surcos y 50 cm entre plantas. La cosecha se hizo en unidades experimentales de 1 m (2 plantas en línea), para un total de 280 parcelas de diverso tamaño. Para el análisis estadístico, se consideró hipotéticamente que había 4 variedades con un diseño de bloques al azar. Se aplicó análisis de varianza y se obtuvo un coeficiente de variación y el coeficiente de heterogeneidad del suelo. El coeficiente de variación disminuyó sensiblemente al incrementarse el tamaño de las parcelas, lo cual unido al coeficiente de heterogeneidad del suelo 0,788, señala que el lote donde se realizó el trabajo era altamente heterogéneo. En estos casos es recomendable emplear parcelas de forma cuadrada. Para trabajos de gran precisión para detectar diferencias del 10 por ciento basándose en la media poblacional se consideran funcionales parcelas entre 25 y 35 m2, con 10 y 8 repeticiones. Para diferencias del 15 al 20 por ciento se presentan varias alternativas de tamaño de parcelas y número de repeticiones, considerándose manejables las inferiores a 25 m2. Se incluye una serie de combinaciones en cuanto a área de unidad experimentalTomate-Solanum lycopersicu

Barley-ß-glucans reduce systemic inflammation, renal injury and aortic calcification through ADAM17 and neutral-sphingomyelinase2 inhibition

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), hyperphosphatemia-induced inflammation aggravates vascular calcification (VC) by increasing vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) osteogenic differentiation, ADAM17-induced renal and vascular injury, and TNFα-induction of neutral-sphingomyelinase2 (nSMase2) to release pro-calcifying exosomes. This study examined anti-inflammatory β-glucans efficacy at attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal and vascular injury favoring VC in hyperphosphatemic CKD. In healthy adults, dietary barley β-glucans (Bβglucans) reduced leukocyte superoxide production, inflammatory ADAM17, TNFα, nSMase2, and pro-aging/pro-inflammatory STING (Stimulator of interferon genes) gene expression without decreasing circulating inflammatory cytokines, except for γ-interferon. In hyperphosphatemic rat CKD, dietary Bβglucans reduced renal and aortic ADAM17-driven inflammation attenuating CKD-progression (higher GFR and lower serum creatinine, proteinuria, kidney inflammatory infiltration and nSMase2), and TNFα-driven increases in aortic nSMase2 and calcium deposition without improving mineral homeostasis. In VSMC, Bβglucans prevented LPS- or uremic serum-induced rapid increases in ADAM17, TNFα and nSMase2, and reduced the 13-fold higher calcium deposition induced by prolonged calcifying conditions by inhibiting osteogenic differentiation and increases in nSMase2 through Dectin1-independent actions involving Bβglucans internalization. Thus, dietary Bβglucans inhibit leukocyte superoxide production and leukocyte, renal and aortic ADAM17- and nSMase2 gene expression attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal injury and aortic calcification despite hyperphosphatemia in CKD.A grant to A.S.D. and M.J.M. from IRBLleida and Agrotecnio Research collaborative projects from the Consell Social at Lleida University supported initial work, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF/FEDER) (FIS PI11/00259, PI14/01452, PI17/02181), Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013–2017 y 2018–2022 del Principado de Asturias (GRUPIN14-028, IDI-2018-000152), RedInRen from ISCIII (ISCIII-RETIC REDINREN RD16/0009). Investigator support included: NC-L by GRUPIN14-028 and IDI-2018-000152, LM-A by GRUPIN14-028, SP by FICYT; MVA and PV by Educational Grant 2 A/2015 from ERA-EDTA CKD-MBD Working Group; PV and AC by ERA-EDTA fellowships 2011 and 2012; JR-C by MINECO (“Juan de la Cierva” program, FJCI-2015-23849); A.S.D. by Asociación Investigación de Fisiología Aplicada. A.S.D. and M.J.M. are members of the Campus Iberus (Ebro Valley Campus of International Excellence)

Testing postcombustion CO2 capture with CaO in a 1.7 MWt pilot facility

AbstractCalcium looping, CaL, is a new and rapidly developing technology that makes use of CaO as a high temperature regenerable sorbent of CO2. Previous theoretical and lab scale studies have shown that this technology could lead to a substantial reduction in the cost of CO2 capture and energy penalties because heat can be effectively recovered from this high temperature solid looping system. We report in this paper on the first results from a pilot plant designed to demonstrate the viability of postcombustion capture of CO2 using CaL under conditions comparable to those expected in a large scale plant. The pilot includes two interconnected circulating fluidized bed reactors of 15 m height: a CO2 absorber (carbonator) able to treat up to 2400kg/h (equivalent to about 1.7 MWth), and an oxy-fired CFB calciner with a firing power between 1-3 MWth. CO2 capture efficiencies over 90% have been experimentally observed, including continuous operation with highly cycled solids in the system (i.e. with modest CO2 carrying capacities). SO2 capture is shown to be extremely high, with concentrations of SO2 well below 10 ppmv at the exit of the carbonator. Closure of carbon and sulfur balances is satisfactory. These results should be valuable base for model validation and scaling up purposes in future stages of the EU FP7 “CaOling” project, under which this investigation has been carried out

Influencia de diferentes temperaturas de sustrato y concentraciones de ácido indolbutírico en el esquejado de Coriaria myrtifolia

Se estudia Coriaria myrtifolia Linn., especie autóctona de interés ecológico (fijadora de N), medicinal (coriamirtina en los frutos) y ornamental (uso en reforestación de zonas pobres en N y como verde de complemento en floristería y en jardinería). Se pretende mejorar su multiplicación por esqueje, mediante uso de ácido indolbutírico (AIB) como hormona favorecedora del enraizamiento que ya ha mostrado su efectividad en numerosas especies, entre ellas Nerium oleander (Kose, 2000), también autóctona del Mediterráneo.Trabajo financiado por los proyectos: MCYT-FEDER AGL2001-2249-C03-01 y AGL2000-052 CICYT-FEDER. Expresamos nuestro agradecimiento a la Dir. Gral. de Investigación y Transf. Tecnológica de la Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Medio Ambiente de la Región de Murcia por su colaboración para la ejecución de este trabaj

Algunos medios que contribuyen a mejorar el aprendizaje del álgebra lineal

Este documento contiene algunas de las estrategias metodológicas que se han venido implementando en la enseñanza de algunos cursos de álgebra lineal con los estudiantes de ingeniería de la Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, las cuales corresponden a resultados parciales del proyecto de investigación “Estudios metodológicos para contribuir a mejorar el proceso de enseñanza_aprendizaje del Álgebra Lineal, incorporando las TIC

Identificación de la intensidad de la actividad física desde educación física en secundaria en tiempos de COVID-19

The current COVID-19 disease pandemic demands wearing face masks for doing physical activity. The use of a mask requires low intensity of the activity. The Physical Education subject is essential to know how to determine the intensity of physical activity. The aim of this proposal is to teach students to identify the intensity of physical activity through effort perception. This practical proposal is aimed at students in the third year of Secondary Education. The proposal consists of four activities to be carried out during 11 sessions. In conclusion, it is expected that students become aware of their own possibilities in different physical activities with suitable intensity. This ability to perceive and differentiate between intensities will help them to practice physical activity with a positive and healthy attitude.La situación actual de pandemia por el COVID-19 demanda el uso de mascarilla para la práctica de actividad física. El uso de mascarilla requiere que la intensidad de dicha actividad no sea alta. La asignatura de Educación Física es fundamental para que se conozca como determinar la intensidad de la actividad física. El objetivo de la presente propuesta es enseñar al alumnado a identificar la intensidad de la actividad física a través de la percepción de su esfuerzo. Esta propuesta práctica está dirigida al alumnado de tercero de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. La propuesta se compone de cuatro actividades para desarrollar durante 11 sesiones. En conclusión, se espera que el alumnado tome conciencia de sus propias posibilidades a la hora de afrontar actividades físicas con una intensidad adecuada. Esta capacidad de percibir y discriminar entre intensidades les ayudará a que afronten la práctica de actividad física con actitud positiva y saludable

Identification of Designing Variable of an Elearning Tool

En este artículo se muestran, a través de mapas bidimensionales, los resultados procedentes de un proyecto de investigación mediante el cual se han identificado las variables externas a tener en cuenta en el diseño de una herramienta de eLearning para conseguir evaluar, posteriormente, su uso real. La técnica empleada para ello es la "Elaboración de mapas conceptuales". Asimismo, se observa la necesidad de tener en cuenta cómo llevar a cabo la gestión de la herramienta por parte del usuario. Finalmente, se ha analizado la fiabilidad de nuestros mapasIn this paper the results from a research project1 are shown. A scientific technique called "Concept Mapping Process" has been used to identify the external variables to be kept in mind in the design of an eLearning tool, in order to evaluate its true usage later. Results are shown through two-dimensional maps. Another important result is the necessity of designing tools to carry out the management of the tool on the part of the user. Finally, there has been analysed the reliability of our mapsMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia EA2005-017