Reconocimiento emocional de las expresiones faciales y resonancia magnética para diagnóstico temprano de Alzheimer (EA)

La enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) es la forma de demencia más común hoy en día, generalmente en personas mayores de 65 años. Esta enfermedad produce un deterioro de las funciones cognitivas de la memoria, atención, lenguaje y las capacidades viso-espaciales interfiriendo en su vida social, laboral y familiar. Generalmente las investigaciones sobre la EA se ocupan de estudiar la enfermedad una vez presenten síntomas, por lo que este estudio está enfocado a diagnosticar la enfermedad en personas jóvenes y sanas antes de que aparezcan los primeros síntomas. Es por ello que este estudio trata de mostrar diferencias significativas de volumen y grosor en las áreas cerebrales, más concretamente en el hipocampo y corteza entorrinal, y esto pueda tener relación para en un futuro diagnosticar la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Las técnicas utilizadas son: la prueba ER-40 de Reconocimiento de Emociones Faciales y la Resonancia Magnética Funcional (fRM). Los resultados de la investigación mostraron diferencias significativas en el volumen de grosor de ambos grupos, en el giro parahipocampal y en el área de la corteza entorrinal.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia today, generally in people over the age of 65. This disease produces a deterioration of the cognitive functions of memory, attention, language and visuo-spatial capacities, interfering in their social, work and family life. Specifically, research on AD is concerned with studying the disease once symptoms appear, so this study is focused on diagnosing the disease in young and healthy people before first symptoms appear. So this study tries to show significant differences in volume and thickness in the brain areas, more specifically in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, and this may be related to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the future. The techniques used are: the ER-40 Facial Emotion Recognition test and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The results of the investigation showed significant differences in the volume of thickness of both groups, in the parahippocampal area and in the area of the entorhinal cortex

Esport i autoconcepte físic en la preadolescència

Es considera provat que l’activitat física i la pràctica esportiva tenen una relació directa amb l’autoconcepte i que la relació esmentada és bidireccional. Cal, però, matisar aquesta afirmació, perquè també se sap, per exemple, que no de tota activitat física se’n deriven, ras i curt, efectes beneficiosos, que s’han trobat associacions entre la insatisfacció corporal i l’exercici físic excessiu o que resulta inadequat al·ludir a l’autoconcepte de forma genèrica sense diferenciar-ne dimensions. En aquest estudi, realitzat amb 343 estudiants de 13 a 16 anys, s’ofereixen dades obtingudes mitjançant un nou Qüestionari d’Autoconcepte Físic (QAF) que permeten de precisar la relació existent entre l’autoconcepte físic i variables com ara la pràctica esportiva, el gènere, l’edat, l’índex de massa corporal i el grau de satisfacció corporal

Deporte y autoconcepto físico en la preadolescencia

Se considera probado que la actividad física y la práctica deportiva guardan relación directa con el autoconcepto y que dicha relación es bidireccional. Pero esta afirmación precisa ser matizada ya que también se sabe, por ejemplo, que no derivan sin más efectos beneficiosos de toda actividad física, que se han encontrado asociaciones entre la insatisfacción corporal y el ejercicio físico excesivo o que resulta inadecuado aludir al autoconcepto de forma genérica sin diferenciar dimensiones del mismo. En este estudio, realizado con 343 estudiantes de 13 a 16 años, se ofrecen datos obtenidos mediante un nuevo Cuestionario de Autoconcepto Físico (CAF) que permiten precisar la relación existente entre el autoconcepto físico y variables tales como la práctica deportiva, el género, la edad, el índice de masa corporal y el grado de satisfacción corporal

Tendencias en dos poblaciones de cánidos silvestres tras 14 años de seguimiento en un área protegida recientemente ampliada en la Patagonia Austral Argentina

El seguimiento de las poblaciones de fauna silvestre es clave para conservar la biodiversidad, así como para comprender el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. Permite tomar decisiones de gestión adecuadas a las tendencias detectadas, siendo fundamental para comprender los procesos ecológicos que las explican. Presentamos los resultados del seguimiento realizado durante 14 años para dos cánidos patagónicos en simpatría, el zorro colorado (Pseudalopex culpaeus) y el zorro gris (Pseudalopex griseus), en el Parque Nacional Bosques Petrificados de Jaramillo (Patagonia Austral Argentina). El seguimiento se basó en estaciones de cebado para registrar huellas. Se instalaron 16 líneas cada año (6 estaciones/línea), en otoño y primavera, permaneciendo activas durante tres días consecutivos. Para el análisis de tendencias poblacionales se utilizaron regresiones de Poisson (Rtrim, software R) de forma general y a nivel de estación. La población de zorro colorado mostró una fuerte disminución general, con una tasa de descenso anual del 17%, que varió estacionalmente, siendo máxima en otoño (23%) y moderada en primavera (10%). Por el contrario, la población de zorro gris se incrementó significativamente de forma moderada, con valores similares a nivel general y estacional (~7%). Estos resultados concuerdan con la hipótesis de la “liberación” de mesodepredadores, por la que ante una disminución de competidores dominantes, como el zorro colorado, subordinados como el zorro gris, incrementan su abundancia. Igualmente, la reciente incorporación al parque de dos establecimientos ganaderos donde cesó la persecución del puma Puma concolor, que pudo recuperarse y paulatinamente excluir al zorro colorado, desencadenando lo observado para los zorros.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

“I’m Not Only a Body”: Change in Thoughts about the Body after Mirror Exposure Treatment in Women with Obesity—An Exploratory Study

Nowadays, obesity (OB) is one of the most important health problems in populationwide health. In addition to its physical consequences, it is a risk factor for the development of psychological problems, including body dissatisfaction (BD). This is why the treatment of BD is essential for its prevention. However, this has mostly been studied from a quantitative perspective, without focusing on the discomfort experienced by the person and the accompanying thoughts and emotions. In this study, 26 women with obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) participated, of whom 16 had high BD and 10 had low BD, as measured by the BSQ questionnaire. The women with high BD underwent six sessions of exposure to their own body in front of a mirror, recording the discomfort experienced with this vision during the session. In addition, all participants recorded positive and negative thoughts towards their body before and after these sessions. After the exposure treatment sessions, a reduction in symptomatology (BD, discomfort when visualizing one’s own body) was observed, as well as a change in the thoughts expressed by the participants, both in quantity (fewer negative thoughts) and in quality (a more positive self-perception and/or in more respectful terms used towards themselves). In conclusion, such treatments prove to be effective in reducing subjective discomfort and body-related thoughts in women with obesityMinistry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number PSI2012-3139

Meet OLAF, a Good Friend of the IAPS! The Open Library of Affective Foods: A Tool to Investigate the Emotional Impact of Food in Adolescents

Datos del estudio disponibles en: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10202In the last decades, food pictures have been repeatedly employed to investigate the emotional impact of food on healthy participants as well as individuals who suffer from eating disorders and obesity. However, despite their widespread use, food pictures are typically selected according to each researcher's personal criteria, which make it difficult to reliably select food images and to compare results across different studies and laboratories. Therefore, to study affective reactions to food, it becomes pivotal to identify the emotional impact of specific food images based on wider samples of individuals. In the present paper we introduce the Open Library of Affective Foods (OLAF), which is a set of original food pictures created to reliably select food pictures based on the emotions they prompt, as indicated by affective ratings of valence, arousal, and dominance and by an additional food craving scale. OLAF images were designed to allow simultaneous use with affective images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), which is a well-known instrument to investigate emotional reactions in the laboratory. The ultimate goal of the OLAF is to contribute to understanding how food is emotionally processed in healthy individuals and in patients who suffer from eating and weight-related disorders. The present normative data, which was based on a large sample of an adolescent population, indicate that when viewing affective non-food IAPS images, valence, arousal, and dominance ratings were in line with expected patterns based on previous emotion research. Moreover, when viewing food pictures, affective and food craving ratings were consistent with research on food cue processing. As a whole, the data supported the methodological and theoretical reliability of the OLAF ratings, therefore providing researchers with a standardized tool to reliably investigate the emotional and motivational significance of food.This research was funded by a grant from Junta de Andalucía (Spain) to MCFS (grant code P12.SEJ.391). (http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/servicios​/ayudas/detalle/69962.html; Convocatoria 2012

Non-Gaussian Stochastic Equivalent Linearization Method for Inelastic Nonlinear Systems with Softening Behaviour, under Seismic Ground Motions

A non-Gaussian stochastic equivalent linearization (NSEL) method for estimating the non-Gaussian response of inelastic non-linear structural systems subjected to seismic ground motions represented as nonstationary random processes is presented. Based on a model that represents the time evolution of the joint probability density function (PDF) of the structural response, mathematical expressions of equivalent linearization coefficients are derived. The displacement and velocity are assumed jointly Gaussian and the marginal PDF of the hysteretic component of the displacement is modeled by a mixed PDF which is Gaussian when the structural behavior is linear and turns into a bimodal PDF when the structural behavior is hysteretic. The proposed NSEL method is applied to calculate the response of hysteretic single-degree-of-freedom systems with different vibration periods and different design displacement ductility values. The results corresponding to the proposed method are compared with those calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulation, as well as by a Gaussian equivalent linearization method. It is verified that the NSEL approach proposed herein leads to maximum structural response standard deviations similar to those obtained with Monte Carlo technique. In addition, a brief discussion about the extension of the method to muti-degree-of-freedom systems is presented

The microbiome of the uropygial secretion in hoopoes is shaped along the nesting phase

Microbial symbiont acquisition by hosts may determine the effectiveness of the mutualistic relationships. A mix of vertical and horizontal transmission may be advantageous for hosts by allowing plastic changes of microbial communities depending on environmental conditions. Plasticity is well known for gut microbiota but is poorly understood for other symbionts of wild animals. We here explore the importance of environmental conditions experienced by nestling hoopoes (Upupa epops) during the late nesting phase determining microbiota in their uropygial gland. In cross-fostering experiments of 8 days old nestlings, “sibling-sibling” and “mother-offspring” comparisons were used to explore whether the bacterial community naturally established in the uropygial gland of nestlings could change depending on experimental environmental conditions (i.e., new nest environment). We found that the final microbiome of nestlings was mainly explained by nest of origin. Moreover, cross-fostered nestlings were more similar to their siblings and mothers than to their stepsiblings and stepmothers. We also detected a significant effect of nest of rearing, suggesting that nestling hoopoes acquire most bacterial symbionts during the first days of life but that the microbiome is dynamic and can be modified along the nestling period depending on environmental conditions. Estimated effects of nest of rearing, but also most of those of nest of origin are associated to environmental characteristics of nests, which are extended phenotypes of parents. Thus, natural selection may favor the acquisition of appropriated microbial symbionts for particular environmental conditions found in nests.Support by funding was provided by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, European funds (FEDER) (CGL2013-48193-C3-1-P, CGL2013-48193-C3-2-P), and Junta de Andalucía (P09-RNM-4557). AM-G had a predoctoral grant from the Junta de Andalucía (P09-RNM-4557).Peer reviewe

Cirugía maxilofacial: fractura maxilar y fístula oronasal por arma de fuego

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