Terrestrial Movements, Activity Patterns and Habitat Use by Kinosternon Scorpioides (testudines: Kinosternidae) in Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica

The Scorpion Mud turtle, Kinosternon scorpioides, is a widely distributed, semiaquatic species known to engage in regular terrestrial movement and terrestrial estivation. We studied terrestrial behavior in this species in Palo Verde National Park, northwestern Costa Rica. We determined terrestrial activity patterns by searching for active individuals during transects along 3.4 km of trails. We determined the distance that turtles traveled between the wetlands and estivation sites by fitting 10 terrestrially active individuals with a thread-bobbin tracking device attached to the rear of the carapace. We identified sex and marked and measured every turtle found active. We accumulated 92 observations of K. scorpioides active on land and we identified two behaviors: traveling and nesting. These turtles showed a bimodal activity pattern (χ2 = 18.1, p \u3c 0.02, df = 8) with maximum activity during early morning hours (06:00 to 08:00 h) and twilight and early evening hours (16:00 to 20:00 h). We found 41 turtles estivating in deciduous dry forest at an average distance (±SE) of 156.4 ± 13.7 m (range 20.9–304.9 m) from the wetland border (water´s edge). Adults estivated at greater distances from the wetland than did juvenile turtles, and males estivated at greater distances than females. Turtles found estivating were in three different habitats: leaf litter (85%), rock cavities (10%), and tree buttresses (5%). Kinosternon scorpioides was observed to estivate for at least 84 days in PVNP during the dry season. We recorded several behavioral traits that may account for its ability to withstand desiccation during the estivation period. Our work underscores the need to include terrestrial habitats when considering the conservation needs of semiaquatic turtles

ServiceNet:resource-efficient architecture for topology discovery in large-scale multi-tenant clouds

Modern computing infrastructures are evolving due to virtualisation, especially with the advent of 5G and future technologies. While this transition offers numerous benefits, it also presents challenges. Consequently, understanding these complex systems, including networks, services, and their interconnections, is crucial. This paper introduces ServiceNet, a groundbreaking architecture that accurately performs the important task of providing understanding of a multi-tenant architecture by discovering the complete topology, crucial in the realm of high-performance distributed computing. Experimental results have been carried out in different scenarios in order to validate our approach, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in comprehensive multi-tenant topology discovery. The experiments, involving up to forty tenant, highlight the adaptability of ServiceNet as a valuable tool for real-time monitoring in topology discovery purposes, even in challenging scenarios

Is a member of udp- glycosyltransferase regulating ellagitannins metabolism in strawberry?

Fresh strawberries are a popular and important component of the human diet. The demand for highquality fruits is increasing globally, challenging breeders to develop modern strawberry cultivarsthat fulfill all desired characteristics. Fruit flavor and nutritional characteristics are key quality traitsand ones of the main factors influencing consumer preference. Shikimate and phenylpropanoidpathways produce many chemical compounds, like phenolic compounds, polyphenols and tannins,thatarehighlyvaluable in human nutrition offering antioxidant protection and contribute to the prevention of some diseases. Among them, the hydrolysable tannins, like ellagitanins and ellagic acid, have an effect on health in some human diseases such as breast and prostate cancers or neurodegenerative diseases (Basu et al., 2014). In a previous study, Pott et al., (2020) found 110 stable QTL for secondary metabolism by studying the F1 population derived from the crossing of ‘232’ and ‘1392’ (Zorrilla Fontanesi et al., 2011). Among these QTLs, we highlighted one that was responsible for 50-70% of the variation of ellagic acid hexose. A RNAseq with contrasting lines in ellagic acid hexose content was performed to reveal 11 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a false discovery ratio under 0.05. Candidate genes were functionally annotated using MapMan software. One gene raised as a candidate gene, annotated as UDP-glycosyltransferase suggesting to participate in the glycosylation of ellagic acid. In addition, we found that the gene expression of this candidate was negatively correlated with proanthocyanidin and flavan-3-ols content, providing an evidence of possible metabolic flux redirection through the synthesis of ellagitannins. However, further experiments are needed to confirm the role of this gene in the synthesis of ellagitannins.This work was supported by grants RTI 2018-099797-B-100 (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain) and UMA18-FEDERJA-179 (FEDER-Junta Andalucía). In addition, we acknowledge partial funding by PY20_00408 (PAIDI 2020-Junta de Andalucía). JGV acknowledges the EMERGIA Programme (EMERGIA20_00309-Junta de Andalucía). J.M. thanks to Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PRE2019-091188). Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The singular molecular conformation of humic acids in solution influences their ability to enhance root hydraulic conductivity and plant growth

Some studies have reported that the capacity of humic substances to improve plant growth is dependent on their ability to increase root hydraulic conductivity. It was proposed that this effect is directly related to the structural conformation in solution of these substances. To study this hypothesis, the effects on root hydraulic conductivity and growth of cucumber plants of a sedimentary humic acid and two polymers-polyacrylic acid and polyethylene glycol-presenting a molecular conformation in water solution different from that of the humic acid have been studied. The results show that whereas the humic acid caused an increase in root hydraulic conductivity and plant growth, both the polyacrylic acid and the polyethylene glycol did not modify plant growth and caused a decrease in root hydraulic conductivity. These results can be explained by the different molecular conformation in water solution of the three molecular systems. The relationships between these biological effects and the molecular conformation of the three molecular systems in water solution are discussed.Fil: Olaetxea, Maite. Universidad de Navarra; EspañaFil: Mora, Maria Veronica. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Baigorri, Roberto. Universidad de Navarra; EspañaFil: Zamarreño, Angel M.. Universidad de Navarra; EspañaFil: García-Mina, Jose M.. Universidad de Navarra; Españ

Inflammatory biomarkers and brain health indicators in children with overweight and obesity: The ActiveBrains project

INTRODUCTION: Chronic inflammation plays an important role on the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as on brain function and behaviour. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between inflammatory biomarkers and a wide range of brain health indicators (i.e., academic performance, executive function, behavioural and emotional functioning, and brain volume) in children with overweight/obesity. METHODS: A total of 107 children (10.0 ± 1.1 years, 41% girls) from the ActiveBrains project were included in the analysis. Five inflammatory biomarkers were analysed in plasma: white blood cell (WBC) count, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Academic performance was assessed by Woodcock-Munoz Tests of Achievement. Executive function was assessed through the Design Fluency Test for cognitive flexibility, the Stroop test for cognitive inhibition, and the Delayed Non-Match-to-Sample task for working memory. Behavioural and emotional functioning was evaluated through the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) questionnaire. Total and regional brain volume was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: IL-6 was inversely associated with adaptive skills (beta = -0.228; p = 0.030), while TNF-alpha was related to mathematics (beta = -0.198; p = 0.034). In addition, CRP was positively associated with externalizing (beta = 0.246; p = 0.046) and internalizing problems (beta = 0.234; p = 0.039), as well as the behavioural symptoms index (beta = 0.236; p = 0.047). However, these significant associations disappeared after multiple comparisons correction. Inflammatory biomarkers were not associated with executive function and total brain volumes. Regarding regional brain analyses, WBC was positively associated with gray matter volume in the left middle temporal gyrus (beta = 0.387; p < 0.001, k = 44), and CRP was positively associated with gray matter volume in the right superior temporal gyrus (beta = 0.439; p < 0.001, k = 29). Additionally, when adjusting by total brain volume, CRP was positively associated with gray matter volume in the right supplementary motor cortex (beta = 0.453; p < 0.001, k = 51). Moreover, both, IL-6 (beta = 0.366; p < 0.001, k = 81) and TNF-alpha (beta = 0.368; p < 0.001, k = 62) were positively associated with white matter volume around the right inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, while CRP was inversely associated with white matter volume around the left superior frontal gyrus (beta = -0.482; p < 0.001, k = 82). After adjusting by total brain volume, CRP was also inversely associated with white matter volume in 3 additional clusters (beta ranging from -0.473 to -0.404; p < 0.001, k = 87). CONCLUSIONS: Inflammation was slightly associated with brain health (i.e., academic performance, behavioural and emotional functioning and regional brain volume) in children with overweight or obesity. Further larger longitudinal and interventional studies are warranted to elucidate the short-term and long-term effect of systemic low-grade inflammation on children's brain health

Memoria de la red de coordinación del tercer curso del grado en Ingeniería Multimedia

Durante el presente curso se ha constatado el asentamiento del tercer curso del grado en Ingeniería Multimedia, lo que se deriva de los informes de seguimiento de las asignaturas del curso que, en su gran mayoría, no han destacado problema alguno (con alguna excepción de la que se informa). Por otro lado, se ha llevado a cabo una iniciativa para contrastar si las dependencias entre las asignaturas de tercero con respecto a sus precedentes en el plan de estudios responden en realidad a los planteamientos que se hicieron durante el diseño del mismo, intentando descubrir carencias o inconsistencias en los contenidos. De esta manera, se han detectado dependencias que no son tales, dependencias que faltan y temarios de asignaturas básicas en los que, desde el punto de vista de las asignaturas de tercero faltan o sobran contenidos

Arteria coronaria derecha anómala que nace del tronco coronario izquierdo con curso entre los grandes vasos: manejo quirúrgico de un caso y revisión

ResumenLas anomalías de las arterias coronarias son alteraciones congénitas raras que en algunos casos, debido a su trayecto anómalo, pueden producir síntomas como la angina, síncopes o incluso la muerte súbita. Además, su manejo terapéutico no está bien establecido. Presentamos el caso de un varón de 64 años con clínica de dolor torácico y síncopes de repetición en el que se descubre una arteria coronaria única con una arteria coronaria derecha que nace del tronco coronario izquierdo y que discurre entre las grandes arterias. La compresión que ejercen estas estructuras justifica la clínica del paciente, por lo que se decide una actitud quirúrgica como terapia más adecuada consistente en la translocación de la arteria coronaria derecha a su seno de Valsalva correspondiente, evitando así la compresión producida por las grandes arterias y sobre todo la necesidad de realizar un bypass coronario. A los 7 meses de la intervención el paciente permanece asintomático.El manejo quirúrgico de las anomalías coronarias sintomáticas puede ser una alternativa segura sobre todo en los casos donde la anatomía coronaria permita evitar el bypass.AbstractAnomalies of the coronary arteries are rare congenital disorders that because of their anomalous course can produce symptoms in some cases, such as angina, syncope or even sudden death. Furthermore, their therapeutic management is not well established. The case is presented of a 64 year-old male with symptoms of chest pain and repeated syncope, in which a single coronary artery is discovered with a right coronary artery that originates from the left main coronary artery and runs between the great arteries. The compression exercised by these structures is responsible for the patient's clinical condition, thus a more appropriate therapy is decided, such as a surgical approach involving the translocation of the right coronary artery to the corresponding sinus of Valsalva. This prevents the compression produced by the great arteries, as well as the need for coronary bypass surgery. The patient is asymptomatic at seven months after surgery.The surgical management of symptomatic coronary anomalies can be a safe alternative, especially in cases in which the coronary anatomy helps to avoid a bypass

Enantioselective Synthesis of exo-4-Nitroprolinates from Nitro­alkenes and Azomethine Ylides Catalyzed by Chiral Phosphor­amidite·Silver(I) or Copper(II) Complexes

Chiral complexes formed by privileged phosphoramidites derived from chiral binol and optically pure Davies’ amines, and copper(II) triflate, silver(I) triflate or silver(I) benzoate are excellent catalysts for the general 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between nitroalkenes and azomethine ylides generated from α-amino acid derived imino esters. These three methods can be conducted at room temperature to afford the exo-cycloadducts (4,5-trans-2,5-cis-4-nitroprolinates) with high diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivity. In general, the three procedures are complementary but silver catalysts are more versatile and less sensitive to sterically congested starting materials.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) (Consolider INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00006, CTQ2010-20387) and Ministerio de Economía y Competitvidad (MINECO) (CTQ2013-43446P, CTQ2014-51912-REDC), FEDER, Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2009/039 and 2014/017), and by the University of Alicante. L.M.C. thanks the MICINN for a FPI fellowship. Financial support was also provided by the MICINN and FEDER (projects CTQ2010-16959/BQU), the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, UFI11/22QOSYC) and the Basque Government (GV/EJ, grant IT-324-07)

Inflammatory markers and bone mass in children with overweight/obesity: the role of muscular fitness

Objectives To examine which inflammatory markers are associated with bone mass and whether this association varies according to muscular fitness in children with overweight/obesity. Methods Plasma interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF), and C-reactive protein were analyzed in 55 children aged 8–11 years. A muscular fitness score was computed. Bone mineral content (BMC) of the total body-less head (TBLH) and lumbar spine (LS) were assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Results IL-6 (β = −0.136) and VEGF (β = −0.099) were associated with TBLH BMC, while TNF-α (β = −0.345) and IL-1β (β = 0.212) were associated with LS BMC (P < 0.05). The interaction effect of muscular fitness showed a trend in the association of VEGF with TBLH BMC (P = 0.122) and TNF-α with LS BMC (P = 0.057). Stratified analyses by muscular fitness levels showed an inverse association of VEGF with TBLH BMC (β = −0.152) and TNF-α with LS BMC (β = −0.491) in the low-fitness group, while no association was found in the high-fitness group. Conclusion IL-6, VEGF, TNF-α, and IL-1β are significantly associated with bone mass. Higher muscular fitness may attenuate the adverse effect of high VEGF and TNF-α on bone mass