Influence of Maternal Care on Behavioural Development of Domestic Dogs (Canis Familiaris) Living in a Home Environment

Maternal care has been shown to affect the development of the brain, behaviour, social skills and emotional systems of the young of many mammalian species including dogs. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of maternal care on the behavioural responses of family dog puppies towards environmental and social stimuli. In order to do this, maternal care (licking puppy’s ano-genital area, licking the puppy, nursing and mother-puppy contact) during the first three weeks after birth was assessed in 12 litters of domestic dog puppies reared in home environments (total = 72 puppies). The behavioural responses of puppies were assessed in an arena and an isolation test, which were performed when the puppies were two-month old. Data were analysed using principal components analysis and projection to latent structures regression. A systematic relationship was found between maternal care and behaviour in both tests. In the arena test, maternal care was found to be positively associated with approach to the stranger, attention oriented to the stranger, time spent near the enclosure, yawning, whining and yelping (R2Y = 0.613, p = 8.2 × 10−9). Amount of maternal care was negatively associated with the number of squares crossed and the time spent individually playing with the rope. In the isolation test, the amount of maternal care was positively associated with standing posture, paw lifting, and howling, and it was negatively associated with yawning, lying down and nose licking (R2Y = 0.507, p = 0.000626). These results suggest that the amount of maternal care received during early life influences the pattern of behavioural responses and coping strategies of puppies at two-months of age. On the basis of these findings it could be speculated that early maternal care contributes to adaption to the environment in which family puppies are developing, with particular regard to social relationships with people

Método de obtención de hidrógeno a partir de hidrocarburos y/o alcoholes mezclados con aire mediante catalizadores de estructura perovskita que contienen cobalto (cobaltitas)

Método de obtención de hidrógeno a partir de hidrocarburos y/o alcoholes mezclados con aire mediante catalizadores de estructura perovskita que contienen cobalto (cobaltitas). La presente invención se refiere a un procedimiento de obtención de hidrógeno a partir de hidrocarburos y/o alcoholes mediante el uso de catalizadores de estructura perovskita que contienen cobalto (cobaltitas). Estos catalizadores se preparan mediante un procedimiento convencional, con un posterior tratamiento térmico en atmósfera reductora y en presencia de hidrocarburos y/o alcoholes. El hidrógeno se obtiene en ausencia de CO, por lo que se puede utilizar para alimentar pilas de combustible, tanto cerámicas como de membrana polimérica.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)B1 Patente con informe sobre el estado de la ténic

A complete census of silicate features in the mid-infrared spectra of active galaxies

We present a comprehensive study of the silicate features at 9.7 and 18 micron of a sample of almost 800 active galactic nuclei (AGN) with available spectra from the Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS). We measure the strength of the silicate feature at 9.7 micron, S9.7, before and after subtracting the host galaxy emission from the IRS spectra. The numbers of type 1 and 2 AGN with the feature in emission increase by 20 and 50%, respectively, once the host galaxy is removed, while 35% of objects with the feature originally in absorption exhibit it in even deeper absorption. The peak of S9.7, lambda_peak, has a bimodal distribution when the feature is in emission, with about 65% of the cases showing lambda_peak > 10.2 micron. Silicates can appear in emission in objects with mid-infrared (MIR) luminosity spanning over six orders of magnitude. The derived distributions of the strength of the silicate features at 9.7 and 18 micron provide a solid test bed for modeling the dust distribution in AGN. Clumpiness is needed in order to produce absorption features in unobscured AGN and can also cause the silicates to be in absorption at 9.7 micron and in emission at 18 micron in type 1 sources. We find the `cosmic' silicates of Ossenkopf et al. to be more consistent with the observations than Draine's `astronomical' silicates. Finally, we discuss the possibility of a foreground absorber to explain the deep silicate absorption features in the MIR spectra of some type 2 AGN.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Heritage spaces of Battle of the Ebro

La batalla del Ebro representó uno de los episodios más importantes de la Guerra Civil española, considerada la primera gran guerra contemporánea; en ella tuvieron importancia la sanidad, las trincheras, la prensa, la propaganda e incluso destacó la internacionalización. En el presente artículo se analizan los cinco Centros de Interpretación (“Centro de Interpretación 115 días”, “Centro de Interpretación Internacionales en el Ebro”, “Centro de Interpretación las voces del frente”, “Centro de Interpretación Hospitales de sangre” y “Centro de Interpretación Soldados en las trincheras”) que conforman la Red de los Espacios de la Batalla del Ebro y que pretenden dar a conocer estas características al visitante. Se cuestiona la creación de estos nuevos “paramuseos”, que proliferan sin existir normativas definidas, definiciones, catálogos, clasificaciones… y que se han extendido con mucha facilidad en el territorio Español.The battle of the Ebro represented one of the most important episodes of the Spanish Civil war. It has been considered as the first great contemporary war due to the importance of the health, the trenches, the press, the propaganda, even though the internationalization. This article aims to analyze five heritage interpretation centers (“Centro de Interpretación 115 días”, “Centro de Interpretación Internacionales en el Ebro”, “Centro de Interpretación las voces del frente”, “Centro de Interpretación Hospitales de sangre” and “Centro de Interpretación Soldados en las trincheras”). These centers form the well-known network of Spaces of Battle of the Ebro and whose goals are to let visitors know these characteristics. Here it is questioned the creation of the new “paramuseums” which proliferate without following specific regulations, definitions, catalogues, classifications,... and they have spread easily around Spain

Subaqueous barchans and plane beds from deposition of quartz silt

The suspension flow of quartz silt (geometric mean grain size of 4.15 µm), in unfavorable conditions for deposition, is the motivation for the development of different bed morphologies. Particles deposit over a plane nonerodible surface and develop well-defined barchan ripples, barchanoids, and plane beds in flume experiments. Bedload transport of quartz silt by bedform migration is several orders of magnitude smaller than the suspended transport. The final bed morphology is controlled by the suspended sediment concentration and running time of the experiment. The average dimensions of the bedforms after 1-day experiments are 4.93 cm wide, 10.33 cm long, and 0.45 cm high. Cohesive plane beds appear after 2-day and 3-day experiments with very high sediment concentrations (= 22.5 kg=m3). Viscous effects are deemed relevant for the formation of the beds.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft