Chimpanzees and bonobos use social leverage in an ultimatum game

The ultimatum game (UG) is widely used to investigate our sense of fairness, a key characteristic that differentiates us from our closest living relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees. Previous studies found that, in general, great apes behave as rational maximizers in the UG. Proposers tend to choose self-maximizing offers, while responders accept most non-zero offers. These studies do not rule out the possibility that apes can behave prosocially to improve the returns for themselves and others. However, this has never been well studied. In this study, we offer chimpanzee and bonobo proposers the possibility of taking into account the leverage of responders over the offers they receive. This leverage takes the form of access to alternatives for responders. We find that proposers tend to propose fairer offers when responders have the option to access alternatives. Furthermore, we find that both species use their leverage to reject unequal offers. Our results suggest that great apes mostly act as rational maximizers in an UG, yet access to alternatives can lead them to change their strategies such as not choosing the self-maximizing offer as proposers and not accepting every offer higher than zero as responders

Gibbon strategies in a food competition task

Social primates face conflicts of interest with other partners when their individual and collective interests collide. Despite living in small, primarily bonded, groups compared to other social primates, gibbons are not exempt from these conflicts in their everyday lives. In the current task, we asked whether dyads of gibbons would solve a conflict of interest over food rewards. We presented dyads of gibbons with a situation in which they could decide whether to take an active role and pull a handle to release food rewards at a distance or take a passive role and avoid action. In this situation, the passive partner could take an advantageous position to obtain the rewards over the active partner. Gibbons participated in three conditions: a control condition with no food rewards, a test condition with indirect food rewards and a test condition with direct food rewards. In both test conditions, five rewards were released at a distance from the handle. In addition, the active individual could obtain one extra food reward from the handle in the direct food condition. We found that gibbons acted more often in the two conditions involving food rewards, and waited longer in the indirect compared to the direct food condition, thus suggesting that they understood the task contingencies. Surprisingly, we found that in a majority of dyads, individuals in the active role obtained most of the payoff compared to individuals in the passive role in both food conditions. Furthermore, in some occasions individuals in the active role did not approach the location where the food was released. These results suggest that while gibbons may strategize to maximize benefits in a competitive food task, they often allowed their partners to obtain better rewards. Our results highlight the importance of social tolerance and motivation as drivers promoting cooperation in these species

El control de los criterios de higiene de los procesos en mataderos de cerdo ibérico como medio para evaluar el funcionamiento aceptable de la producción

La normativa vigente obliga a los mataderos de cerdo ibérico a desarrollar e implantar un plan APPCC (Análisis de Peligros y Puntos de Control Crítico). De igual modo deben comprobar el correcto funcionamiento de su proceso de producción realizando controles microbiologícos de la superficie de las canales, siguiendo un plan de muestreo diseñado de acuerdo al Reglamento 2073/2005. En el presente trabajo se expone el diseño de un plan de muestreo de un matadero de cerdo ibérico, y se muestran los resultados obtenidos en los primeros controles realizados siguiendo dicho plan

Controles analíticos realizados en una pequeña industria elaboradora de quesos de oveja y su papel en el contexto de la garantía de inocuidad de los productos elaborados

Como parte de las actuaciones encaminadas a asegurar la inocuidad de los quesos, las industrias elaboradoras de quesos deben comprobar la ausencia de antibióticos en la leche que utilizan como materia prima, así como la calidad microbiológica de ésta. Igualmente deben llevar a cabo controles microbiológicos de los quesos que ponen en el mercado. El presente trabajo muestra el modo en que lleva a cabo estos controles una industria elaboradora de queso de oveja, así como la comparación de los resultados obtenidos en los mencionados controles durante el año 2006 con los criterios establecidos en la normativa vigente

Assessing the rainfall measurements across Mexico City using disdrometer network and their comparison respect to tipping bucket rain gauge network

[EN] This work represents a contribution to the evaluation of the conditions of precipitation observation networks in an urban area, based on the comparison between a network of laser optical disdrometer (LOD) sensors and a network of tipping bucket rain gauges (TB) in Mexico City. In the methodology, 9 LOD stations and 16 TB stations were selected, which were compared in two ways: first,from the total accumulation of precipitation over three years and second, by storm events. The results indicate that the analysis by storm events is more representative than comparing the accumulated precipitation. The measurements are acceptable, as these were checked from linear correlations. It was also determined that the number of events and the distance between the stations contribute to the correlation of the measurements. It is desirable that the methodology can be applied in the periodic quality control of measurements (calibration) and be part of the good practices for the measurement of the urban hydrological cycle at the local level.[ES] Este trabajo representa una contribución para evaluación de las condiciones de las redes de observación de la precipitación en un área urbana, a partir de la comparación entre una red de sensores de disdrómetros ópticos láser (DOL) y una red de pluviómetros de balancín (PB) en la Ciudad de México. En la metodología se seleccionaron 9 estaciones DOL y 16 estaciones PB, las cuales secompararon de dos formas: primero, a partir de la acumulación total de precipitación durante tres años y segundo, por eventos de tormenta. Los resultados indican, que el análisis por eventos de tormenta es más representativo que comparando la precipitaciónacumulada. Las mediciones son aceptables, ya que estas se comprobaron a partir de correlaciones lineales. Asimismo, se determinó que el número de eventos y la distancia entre las estaciones contribuyen en la correlación de las mediciones. Es deseable que la metodología se aplique en el control de calidad periódico de las mediciones (calibración) y sea parte de las buenas prácticas parala medición del ciclo hidrológico urbano a escala local.La autora principal del artículo agradece el apoyo económico recibido por parte del programa de becas de posgrados del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología. También agradece el apoyo del Instituto de Ingeniería de la UNAM y de la Secretaría de Educación, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de la Ciudad de México.Amaro-Loza, A.; Pedrozo-Acuña, A.; Sánchez-Huerta, A.; Sánchez-Vargas, C.; Vergara-Alcaraz, EA. (2022). Evaluación de las mediciones de lluvia en la Ciudad de México utilizando la red de disdrómetros y su comparación con respecto a la red de pluviómetros de balancín. Ingeniería del Agua. 26(2):91-105. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.2022.172179110526

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Electromyostimulation on Energy Expenditure at Resting and during Uphill Walking in Healthy Young Men

The effects of the different electrical frequencies of whole-body electrical stimulation (WB-EMS) on energy expenditure (EE) and the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effects of different WB-EMS electrical frequencies on EE and the RER during supine resting and uphill walking. A total of 10 healthy and recreationally active men (21.6 +/- 3.3 years old) participated in the present study. Participants completed two testing sessions in a randomized order. In each session, a variety of impulse frequencies (1 hertz (Hz), 2 Hz, 4 Hz, 6 Hz, 8 Hz, and 10 Hz) were applied in a randomized order, allowing a 10 min passive recovery between them. Oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production were measured to calculate EE and the RER. All frequencies increased EE at rest (all p = 0.923). During uphill walking, the frequency that elicited the highest increase in EE was 6 Hz (Delta = 4.87 +/- 0.84 kcal/min) compared to the unstimulated condition. None of the impulse frequencies altered the RER during uphill walking. WB-EMS increases EE in healthy young men both during resting and uphill walking.WiemsPro S.L.University of GranadaUnit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellenc

Lipostatic Mechanisms Preserving Cerebellar Lipids in MPTP-Treated Mice: Focus on Membrane Microdomains and Lipid-Related Gene Expression

The cerebellum is an essential component in the control of motor patterns. Despite dramatic alteration of basal ganglia morpho-functionality in Parkinson’s disease (PD), cerebellar function appears to be unaffected by the disease. Only recently this brain structure has been proposed to play compensatory roles in PD-induced motor dysfunction, particularly during the initial asymptomatic stages of PD. In PD subjects and animal models of PD, such as MPTP-treated mice, brain structures other than basal ganglia are also affected by the disease, including cortical areas not involved in motor control. Thus, it is noteworthy that the cerebellum remains unaffected. In the present study, we have analyzed the lipid composition of membrane microdomains [lipid rafts (LR) and non-raft domains] and assessed the expression levels of genes encoding enzymes synthesizing membrane-related lipids. The outcomes revealed that membrane domain lipids in cerebellum are highly preserved both in control and MPTP-treated mice as compared to control animals. Likewise, only small, mostly not significant, changes were observed in the expression of lipid-related genes in the cerebellum. Indeed, most changes were related to aging rather than to the exposure to the neurotoxin. Conversely, in the same animals, lipid composition, and gene expression were dramatically altered in the occipital cortex (OC), a brain area unrelated to the control of motor function. PCR and immunohistochemical analyses of both brain areas revealed that dopamine transporter (DAT) mRNA and protein were expressed in OC but not in the cerebellum. As MPTP neurotoxicity requires the expression of DAT to access intracellular compartments, we hypothesized that the absence of DAT in cerebellum hampers MPTP-induced toxicity. We conclude that cerebellum is endowed with efficient mechanisms to preserve nerve cell lipid homeostasis, which greatly maintain the stability of membrane microdomains involved in synaptic transmission, signal transduction, and intercellular communication, which together may participate in the compensatory role of the cerebellum in PD symptomatology

Métodos cualitativos a dos milenios de su surgimiento. Un acercamiento a las perspectivas educacional y salubrista.

With the general aim of identifying the qualitative methods that would facilitate a closer approach in the praxis to the educative and salubrista perspective, a scrutiny was realized with specialists from the inductive and deductive methods and logical historical. The selected qualitative methods that are analyzed are: observation, phenomenological, ethnographic, action research and biographical method. A comparative summary of the advantages known or not to be explored of each method for the educational field and for the health, from its emergence until the present according to bibliographical references, is presented. It reaffirms the need to go deeper into the use of qualitative methods in the field of health through the exploration and application of its potentialities. Con la finalidad general de identificar los métodos cualitativos que facilitarían un mayor acercamiento en la praxis a la perspectiva educacional y salubrista, se realizó un escrutinio con especialistas a partir de los métodos inductivo y deductivo e histórico lógico. Los métodos cualitativos seleccionados que se analizan son: la observación, el fenomenológico, el etnográfico, la investigación-acción y el método biográfico. Se expone un resumen comparativo de las ventajas conocidas o por explorar de cada método para el ámbito educacional y para la salud, desde su surgimiento hasta el presente según referencias bibliográficas. Se reafirma la necesidad de profundizar más en el uso de los métodos cualitativos en el ámbito de la  salud a través de la exploración y aplicación de sus potencialidades. 

Promoting regional development through a collaborative project in entrepreneurship education: lessons from a regional experiment to develop entrepreneurial competences in children and youngsters

The chapter focuses on the reflection around the relationship between entrepreneurial empowerment and regional development, based on the assumptions, methodology and results of a self-sustained supramunicipal project in entrepreneurship education, promoted by a wide network of partners representing all the municipalities of Baixo Alentejo, Portugal, and coordinated by the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja). The project Promoting Entrepreneurship Education at the Schools of Baixo Alentejo (PEEBA) was carried out in collaboration with Elementary Schools (1st to 2nd Ciclos) and kindergartens of Baixo Alentejo with the objective to nurture entrepreneurial competencies in children and youngsters aged 3–12 through practical and experiential entrepreneurship education. It provided them with entrepreneurial skills and attitudes that will increase their opportunities, by helping them face their lives with more initiative and confidence and/or be more proactive at work, or even start their own business in a near future, in the hope that this may eventually contribute to reduce the brain drain in Baixo Alentejo. With the motto the socioeconomic future of our region will be shaped by the students we are educating now, the PEEBA is innovative and unique, since it consists in a platform that brings together all the key stakeholders in the field of entrepreneurship education within all the municipalities of a NUTS, in this particular case Baixo Alentejo, who show an interest in working collaboratively for a common goal: to create a shared ecosystem favourable to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial capacity