Redefining monetary policy rules: A threshold approach

In this paper, we try to analyse the extent to which a redefinition of the monetary policy rule would help to avoid the zero-lower bound, as well as to explore the conditions needed to avoid that constraint. To that aim, we estimate the threshold values of the key variables of the policy rule: the inflation gap and the output gap. The threshold model allows us to know which are the turning points from which the relationship between the key variables and the interest rate revert. In the Eurozone countries, we have found that the inflation gap always contributes to increasing the nominal interest rate. On the contrary, the output gap works differently when it reaches values above or below the threshold value, which would favour the reduction of the interest rates towards the zero levelSpanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness through the project ECO2015-65826-

Control of Theta Oscillatory Activity Underlying Fear Expression by mGlu5 Receptors

Metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors (mGlu5) are thought to play an important role in mediating emotional information processing. In particular, negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of mGlu5 have received a lot of attention as potential novel treatments for several neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety-related disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of pre- and post-training mGlu5 inactivation in cued fear conditioned mice on neuronal oscillatory activity during fear retrieval. For this study we used the recently developed mGlu5 NAM Alloswicth-1 administered systemically. Injection of Alloswicth-1 before, but not after, fear conditioning resulted in a significant decrease in freezing upon fear retrieval. Mice injected with Alloswicth-1 pre-training were also implanted with recording microelectrodes into both the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral hippocampus (vHPC). The recordings revealed a reduction in theta rhythmic activity (4–12 Hz) in both the mPFC and vHPC during fear retrieval. These results indicate that inhibition of mGlu5 signaling alters local oscillatory activity in principal components of the fear brain network underlying a reduced response to a predicted threat

Inter-individual and inter-strain differences in cognitive and social abilities of Dark Agouti and Wistar Han rats

BACKGROUND: Healthy animals showing extreme behaviours spontaneously that resemble human psychiatric symptoms are relevant models to study the natural psychobiological processes of maladapted behaviours. Healthy poor decision makers (PDMs) identified using a Rat Gambling Task, co-express a combination of cognitive and reward-based characteristics similar to symptoms observed in human patients with impulse-control disorders. The main goals of this study were to 1) confirm the existence of PDMs and their unique behavioural phenotypes in the Dark Agouti (DA) and WH, 2) to extend the behavioural profile of the PDMs to probability-based decision-making and social behaviours and 3) to discuss how the key traits of each strain could be relevant for biomedical research. METHODS: We compared cognitive abilities, natural behaviours and physiological responses in DA and WH rats using several tests. We analysed the results at the strain and the individual level. RESULTS: Previous findings in WH rats were reproduced and could be generalized to DA. Each PDM of either strain displayed a similar, naturally occurring, combination of behavioural traits, including possibly higher social rank, but no deficits in probability-based decision-making. A Random forest analysis revealed interesting discriminating traits between WH and DA. CONCLUSION: The reproducibility and conservation of the socio-cognitive and behavioural phenotypes of GDM and PDM individuals in the two genetically different strains of WH and DA support a good translational validity of these phenotypes. Both DA and WH rat strains present large phenotypic variations in behaviour pertinent for the study of the underlying mechanisms of poor decision making and associated disorders

Balances de agua y calor en la marisma de Doñana

Este trabajo expone los principales resultados del estudio de los balances hídrico y térmico de la marisma de Doñana. El estudio se ha basado en una amplia base de datos hidrometeorológicos tomados a intervalos de 10 minutos entre los años 2006 y 2011 por una red de seis estaciones de medida localizadas en áreas no vegetadas de la marisma. Esta información ha permitido caracterizar, a diferente escala temporal, el comportamiento térmico de la marisma mediante la modelización y análisis de los flujos de calor entre el agua y el suelo inundado, así como los procesos de transferencia de calor entre la superficie libre del agua y la atmósfera. Se ha puesto especial atención en la cuantificación de la evaporación, de la que depende en gran medida el proceso de vaciado de la marisma

An appraisal of the influence of the metabotropic glutamate 5 (mglu5) receptor on sociability and anxiety

Amongst the many neurotransmitter systems causally linked to the expression of social behavior, glutamate appears to play a pivotal role. In particular, metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptors have received much attention as its altered function has been reported in several mouse models of autism spectrum disorders and mental retardation. Inhibition of the activity of mGlu5 receptors by means of genetic or pharmacological manipulations improved social deficits in some of these animal models. However, in normal wild-type (WT) mice, pharmacological blockade of mGlu5 receptors yielded inconsistent results. The aim of our study was to investigate the actual contribution of decreased or absent mGlu5 receptor function in sociability and anxiety-like behavior as well as to explore the impact of mGlu5 receptor ablation on the pattern of brain activation upon social exposure. Here we show that Grm5-/- mice display higher social preference indexes compared to age-matched WT mice in the three-chambered social task. However, this effect was accompanied by a decreased exploratory activity during the test and increased anxiety-like behavior. Contrary to mGlu5 receptor ablation, the mGlu5 receptor negative allosteric modulator 3-((2-methyl-1,4-thiazolyl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP) induced anxiolytic effects without affecting social preference in WT mice. By mapping c-Fos expression in 21 different brain regions known to be involved in social interaction, we detected a specific activation of the prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral septum in Grm5-/- mice following social interaction. C-Fos expression correlation-based network and graph theoretical analyses further suggested dysfunctional connectivity and disruption of the functional brain network generated during social interaction in Grm5-/- mice. The lack of mGlu5 receptors resulted in profound rearrangements of the functional impact of prefrontal and hippocampal regions in the social interaction network. In conclusion, this work reveals a complex contribution of mGlu5 receptors in sociability and anxiety and points to the importance of these receptors in regulating brain functional connectivity during social interaction

Water and heat balances in Doñana wetlands

[EN] This paper presents the main results of the study of water balance and surface heat balance in the Doñana marshlands. The study was based on a broad base of hydrometeorological data taken at 10 minute intervals from 2006 to 2011 by a network of six measuring stations located in areas of vegetation-free marsh. This information is used to characterize, at different time scales, the thermal behavior of the marsh by analyzing its hydrometeorology centering on the surface heat fluxes. Thus, we have modeled and analyzed the heat flux between the water and flooded soil and the processes of heat transfer between the water surface and the atmosphere. Special attention has been paid to evaporation, on which the marsh draining process depends[ES] Este trabajo expone los principales resultados del estudio de los balances hídrico y térmico de la marisma de Doñana. El estudio se ha basado en una amplia base de datos hidrometeorológicos tomados a intervalos de 10 minutos entre los años 2006 y 2011 por una red de seis estaciones de medida localizadas en áreas no vegetadas de la marisma. Esta información ha permitido caracterizar, a diferente escala temporal, el comportamiento térmico de la marisma mediante la modelización y análisis de los flujos de calor entre el agua y el suelo inundado, así como los procesos de transferencia de calor entre la superficie libre del agua y la atmósfera. Se ha puesto especial atención en la cuantificación de la evaporación, de la que depende en gran medida el proceso de vaciado de la marisma.Los autores agradecen la asistencia del Espacio Natural Doñana y de la Estación Biológica de Doñana en la instalación y mantenimiento de la instrumentación de medida, labores esenciales realizadas por D. Ninyerola y J. Rabadà (Flumen, UPCCINME). Este estudio ha contado con la financiación de la Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir, de un convenio con la Empresa de Gestión Ambiental (EGMASA) adscrita a la Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía, de la acción complementaria CMT2007-30881-E/TECNO del Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, y del contrato GOCE-CT-2006-037081 del programa FP6 de la Unión Europea. Uno de los autores (ARF) contó con una beca FPI del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia.Este estudio ha contado con la financiación de la Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir, de un convenio con la Empresa de Gestión Ambiental (EGMASA) adscrita a la Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía, de la acción complementaria CMT2007-30881-E/TECNO del Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, y del contrato GOCE-CT-2006-037081 del programa FP6 de la Unión Europea. Uno de los autores (ARF) contó con una beca FPI del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia.Ramos-Fuertes, A.; Prats, J.; Dolz, J. (2016). Balances de agua y calor en la marisma de Doñana. Ingeniería del Agua. 20(4):169-179. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.2016.4720SWORD169179204Aragonés, D., Díaz-Delgado, R., Bustamante, J. (2005). Tratamiento de una serie temporal larga de imágenes Landsat para la cartografía de la inundación histórica de las marismas de Doñana. XI Congreso Nacional de Teledetección, 21-23 Septiembre, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, España.Arya, S. (2001). Introduction to micrometeorology. (2ª ed.). Academic Press, San Diego, CA.Bayán, B.J., Dolz, J. (1995). Las aguas superficiales del Parque Nacional de Doñana. Revista de Obras Públicas, 142(3340), 17-29.Bladé, E., Cea, L., Corestein, G., Escolano, E., Puertas, J., Vázquez-Cendón, E., Dolz, J., Coll, A. (2014). Iber: herramienta de simulación numérica del flujo en ríos. Revista Internacional de Métodos Numéricos para Cálculo y Diseño en Ingeniería, 30(1), 1-10, doi:10.1016/j.rimni.2012.07.004Cambronero, G., De Pourq, K. (2006). Modelo Digital del Terreno de la Marisma de Doñana obtenido a partir de un vuelo láser escáner (LIDAR). Grupo de Investigación Flumen, E.T.S. d'Enginyers de Camins Canals i Ports de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, España.CICCP (Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos). (1977). Informe sobre los problemas del Parque Nacional de Doñana. Revista de Obras Públicas, 124(3142), 91-114.Custodio, E., Dolz, J., Manzano, M. (2006). Recursos de agua de la comarca de Doñana. Almonte, Huelva: Fundación Doñana 21.Dolz, J., Velasco, E. (1990). Análisis cualitativo de la hidrología superficial de las cuencas vertientes a la marisma del Parque Nacional de Doñana. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, España.Dolz, J., Bladé, E., Gili, J. (2006). Modelo numérico de la hidrodinámica de la Marisma. En: Doñana: Agua y biosfera (F. García Novo y C. Marín, eds.). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir, Sevilla, España, 149-150.Drexler, J.Z., Snyder, R.L., Spano, D., Paw U, K.T. (2004). A review of models and micrometeorological methods used to estimate wetland evapotranspiration. Hydrological Processes, 18(11), 2071-2101, doi:10.1002/hyp.1462Junta de Andalucía. (2010). II Plan de Desarrollo Sostenible de Doñana. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Sevilla, España.Martí-Cardona, B. (2014). Spaceborne SAR Imagery for Monitoring the Inundation in the Doñana Wetlands. Tesis doctoral. Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyers de Camins, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, España.Marti-Cardona, B., Lopez-Martinez, C., Dolz-Ripolles, J., Bladè-Castellet, E. (2010). ASAR polarimetric, multi-incidence angle and multitemporal characterization of Doñana wetlands for flood extent monitoring. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(11), 2802-2815, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2010.06.015Ministerio de Medio Ambiente (MMA). (2001). Documento marco para el desarrollo del Proyecto Doñana 2005: regeneración hídrica de las cuencas y cauces vertientes a las marismas del Parque Nacional de Doñana. Madrid, España.Mintegui Aguirre, J.A., Robredo Sánchez, J.C., García Viñas, J.I. (2004). Importancia de los trabajos de campo en la confección del modelo del terreno para aplicaciones en ecología. Investigación agraria. Sistemas y recursos forestales, 13(Nº Extra 1), 164-175.Prats, J., Ramos, A., Armengol, J., Dolz, J. (2011). Comparison of models for calculation of diel sediment-water heat flux from water temperatures. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 137(10), 1135-1147, doi:10.1061/(asce)hy.1943-7900.0000434Prats, J., Ramos, A., Armengol, J., Dolz, J. (2012). Discussion on "Experimental determination of soil heat storage for the simulation of heat transport in a coastal wetland." Journal of Hydrology, 466-467, 188-190, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.06.060Prats, J., Morales-Baquero, R., Dolz, J., Armengol, J. (2014). Aportaciones de la limnología a la gestión de embalses. Ingeniería delAgua, 18(1), 83-97. doi:10.4995/ia.2014.3145Ramos Fuertes, A. (2012). Hidrometeorología y balance térmico de la marisma de Doñana. Tesis doctoral. Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyers de Camins, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, España.Ramos-Fuertes, A., Marti-Cardona, B., Bladé, E. Dolz, J. (2014). Envisat/ASAR Images for the Calibration of Wind Drag Action in the Doñana Wetlands 2D Hydrodynamic Model. Remote Sensing, 6(1), 379-406, doi:10.3390/rs6010379Rodríguez-Ramírez, A., Clemente Salas, L. (2002). Hidrología superficial. En: Parque Nacional de Doñana. Canseco Editores, Talavera de la Reina, España, 57-68.Ruiz, F., Rodríguez-Ramírez, A., Cáceres, L.M., Rodríguez Vidal, J., Carretero, M.I., Clemente, L., Muñoz, J.M., Yañez, C., Abad, M. (2004). Late Holocene evolution of the southwestern Doñana National Park (Guadalquivir Estuary, SW Spain): a multivariate approach. 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Loss of mglur5 in d1 receptor-expressing neurons improves stress coping

The metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) has been proposed to play a crucial role in the selection and regulation of cognitive, affective, and emotional behaviors. However, the mechanisms by which these receptors mediate these effects remain largely unexplored. Here, we studied the role of mGluR5 located in D1 receptor-expressing (D1) neurons in the manifestation of different behavioral expressions. Mice with conditional knockout (cKO) of mGluR5 in D1 neurons (mGluR5D1 cKO) and littermate controls displayed similar phenotypical profiles in relation to memory expression, anxiety, and social behaviors. However, mGluR5D1 cKO mice presented different coping mechanisms in response to acute escapable or inescapable stress. mGluR5D1 cKO mice adopted an enhanced active stress coping strategy upon exposure to escapable stress in the two-way active avoidance (TWA) task and a greater passive strategy upon exposure to inescapable stress in the forced swim test (FST). In summary, this work provides evidence for a functional integration of the dopaminergic and glutamatergic system to mediate control over internal states upon stress exposure and directly implicates D1 neurons and mGluR5 as crucial mediators of behavioral stress responses

VIP-expressing interneurons in the anterior insular cortex contribute to sensory processing to regulate adaptive behavior

Adaptive behavior critically depends on the detection of behaviorally relevant stimuli. The anterior insular cortex (aIC) has long been proposed as a key player in the representation and integration of sensory stimuli, and implicated in a wide variety of cognitive and emotional functions. However, to date, little is known about the contribution of aIC interneurons to sensory processing. By using a combination of whole-brain connectivity tracing, imaging of neural calcium dynamics, and optogenetic modulation in freely moving mice across different experimental paradigms, such as fear conditioning and social preference, we describe here a role for aIC vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons in mediating adaptive behaviors. Our findings enlighten the contribution of aIC VIP+ interneurons to sensory processing, showing that they are anatomically connected to a wide range of sensory-related brain areas and critically respond to behaviorally relevant stimuli independent of task and modality

Localization and Registration of 2D Histological Mouse Brain Images in 3D Atlas Space

To accurately explore the anatomical organization of neural circuits in the brain, it is crucial to map the experimental brain data onto a standardized system of coordinates. Studying 2D histological mouse brain slices remains the standard procedure in many laboratories. Mapping these 2D brain slices is challenging; due to deformations, artifacts, and tilted angles introduced during the standard preparation and slicing process. In addition, analysis of experimental mouse brain slices can be highly dependent on the level of expertise of the human operator. Here we propose a computational tool for Accurate Mouse Brain Image Analysis (AMBIA), to map 2D mouse brain slices on the 3D brain model with minimal human intervention. AMBIA has a modular design that comprises a localization module and a registration module. The localization module is a deep learning-based pipeline that localizes a single 2D slice in the 3D Allen Brain Atlas and generates a corresponding atlas plane. The registration module is built upon the Ardent python package that performs deformable 2D registration between the brain slice to its corresponding atlas. By comparing AMBIA’s performance in localization and registration to human ratings, we demonstrate that it performs at a human expert level. AMBIA provides an intuitive and highly efficient way for accurate registration of experimental 2D mouse brain images to 3D digital mouse brain atlas. Our tool provides a graphical user interface and it is designed to be used by researchers with minimal programming knowledge

Loss of mGlu5 receptors in somatostatin-expressing neurons alters negative emotional states

Subtype 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu5) are known to play an important role in regulating cognitive, social and valence systems. However, it remains largely unknown at which circuits and neuronal types mGlu5 act to influence these behavioral domains. Altered tissue- or cell-specific expression or function of mGlu5 has been proposed to contribute to the exacerbation of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we examined how these receptors regulate the activity of somatostatin-expressing (SST+) neurons, as well as their influence on behavior and brain rhythmic activity. Loss of mGlu5 in SST+ neurons elicited excitatory synaptic dysfunction in a region and sex-specific manner together with a range of emotional imbalances including diminished social novelty preference, reduced anxiety-like behavior and decreased freezing during retrieval of fear memories. In addition, the absence of mGlu5 in SST+ neurons during fear processing impaired theta frequency oscillatory activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus. These findings reveal a critical role of mGlu5 in controlling SST+ neurons excitability necessary for regulating negative emotional states