Early detection of learning difficulties using the BADyG-E2r Battery during primary education

The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive capacity of several of the most relevant cognitive skills in the academic field that were evaluated using Differential and General Skills Battery(BADyG-E2r). Particular attention was focused on the variables that need to be overcome regarding the curricular objectives related to pass/fail grading as evaluated by the teachers in the instrumental disciplines of Mathematics and Language. The psychometric battery was applied to the 3rd year students in primary education (a total of 512 students) at 4 public schools that were randomly selected in the province of Alicante (Spain). A follow-up of their academic evolution was under taken until the end of primary education. The obtained results show that high scores in Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Verbal Syllogisms positively and significantly predict academic success at the end of primary education in the subjects of Language and Mathematics

Training-induced gene expression plasticity in cardiac function and neural regulation for ultra-trail runners

This study aims to assess the gene regulatory response from a group of 16 athletes and to observe the plasticity induced by their training regime on the gene expression response after their participation in an 82km race. Blood samples for differential gene expression (DGE) were collected before and after this effort from two groups of runners with different training regimes: elite and active. Analyses only focused on genes annotated as related to cardiac function (CF) and neural regulation (NR) from the KEGG PATHWAY Database. Thus, 13 pathways were considered accounting for a total of 629 genes. Training regime modulated the response to exercise based on a list of 18 ranked genes with significant DGE for elite runners while remained statistically insignificant for active athletes. UQCR11, COX7C and COX4I1 genes, related to mitochondrial respiratory chain, were down-regulated which may indicate mitochondrial function impairment in cardiac muscle. Increased expression levels were obtained for PIK3R2, PLCG2, IRAK3 genes from the positive signaling cascades of neurotrophins pathway, which may reveal an improved heart rate control thanks to a better cardiac sympathetic innervation.Postprint (author's final draft

Capacidad predictiva de la Batería ENFEN en el diagnóstico del Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered to be one of the most common disorders during children and adolescents’ neurodevelopment. Given how much the individuals’ executive functions are affected, the objective of the present study was to verify the validity of the Neuropsychological Assessment of Executive Functions battery for Children (ENFEN for its acronym in Spanish) as a predictor in the diagnosis of ADHD. The sample consisted of 175 participants from southeast Spain of both sexes aged between 6 and 12 (clinical M=8.39, SD=1.87, and control M=8.78, SD=1.91). The clinical group was composed of 89 (79.50%) males and 23 (20.50%) females, and the control group consisted of 37 (58.70%) males and 26 (41.30%) females. ENFEN is an individual applications battery that allows the executive functions to be globally evaluated using a wide range of elements. We followed a non-experimental research design for this comparative descriptive study. The results indicate that the phonological fluency, colour naming path, and interference scales are closely associated with the diagnosis of ADHD as they provide data on elements including inhibition, mental flexibility, sustained and selective attention, verbal fluency, and working memory. In general, this study supports the usefulness and validity of the ENFEN battery as a tool to clinically diagnose ADHD.El trastorno por déficit de atención en hiperactividad (TDAH) es uno de los trastornos más frecuentes en el neurodesarrollo de niños y adolescentes. Las personas que lo padecen se caracterizan por presentar dificultades en los procesos de atención sostenida, ser muy activos y tener un deficiente control de sus impulsos. Pese a su elevada prevalencia y la existencia de diversas pruebas utilizadas para su diagnóstico, se conocen pocos datos sobre la utilidad y validez diagnóstica de estas herramientas. Dada la gran afectación que estos sujetos presentan en las funciones ejecutivas, el objetivo de este estudio es comprobar la utilidad y validez de la batería de Evaluación Neuropsicológica de las Funciones Ejecutivas en Niños (ENFEN), como predictora herramienta de apoyo al diagnóstico de TDAH. La muestra de estudio estuvo compuesta por 175 participantes de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre los 6 y 12 años (grupo clínico M=8.39, SD=1.87 y grupo control M=8.78, SD=1.91). El grupo clínico estaba compuesto por 89 (79.50%) hombres y 23 (20,50%) mujeres, y el grupo de control por 37 (58,70%) hombres y 26 (41,30%) mujeres. ENFEN es una batería de aplicación individual, compuesta por varias subpruebas que requieren el empleo de funciones ejecutivas para resolver los elementos que las componen. Se siguió un diseño no-experimental para llevar a cabo un estudio descriptivo comparativo. Los resultados señalaron que las escalas Fluidez Fonológica, Sendero Color e Interferencia que requieren en mayor medida inhibición, flexibilidad mental, atención sostenida y selectiva, fluidez verbal y memoria de trabajo, entre otras aptitudes cognitivas, son las que mejor se asocian al diagnóstico de TDAH. En general, este estudio apoya la utilidad y validez de la prueba ENFEN como herramienta para el diagnóstico clínico del TDAH

A New Methodology for Building-Up a Robust Model for Heliostat Field Flux Characterization

The heliostat field of solar central receiver systems (SCRS) is formed by hundreds, even thousands, of working heliostats. Their adequate configuration and control define a currently active research line. For instance, automatic aiming methodologies of existing heliostat fields are being widely studied. In general, control techniques require a model of the system to be controlled in order to obtain an estimation of its states. However, this kind of information may not be available or may be hard to obtain for every plant to be studied. In this work, an innovative methodology for data-based analytical heliostat field characterization is proposed and described. It formalizes the way in which the behavior of a whole field can be derived from the study of its more descriptive parts. By successfully applying this procedure, the instantaneous behavior of a field could be expressed by a reduced set of expressions that can be seen as a field descriptor. It is not intended to replace real experimentation but to enhance researchers’ autonomy to build their own reliable and portable synthetic datasets at preliminary stages of their work. The methodology proposed in this paper is successfully applied to a virtual field. Only 30 heliostats out of 541 were studied to characterize the whole field. For the validation set, the average difference in power between the flux maps directly fitted from the measured information and the estimated ones is only of 0.67% (just 0.10946 kW/m2 of root-mean-square error, on average, between them). According to these results, a consistent field descriptor can be built by applying the proposed methodology, which is hence ready for use

The effect of countries’ health and environmental conditions on restaurant reputation

Corporate reputation enhancement in the restaurant industry has recently been increasingly driven by the central importance of consumer review websites and customers’ greater awareness of sustainable practices regarding health and the environment. In this context, the research question of the present study was if there is a relationship between health and environmental conditions, and restaurants’ corporate reputation on a country level. Trying to answer this question, the present study sought to analyze the e ects of countries’ health and environmental conditions on their restaurants’ corporate reputation, thereby contributing to the existing knowledge about how sustainable environments influence the industry’s competitiveness. The research design included di erent methodological approaches, and was divided into three main phases: restaurant corporation identification, reputation database design, and results. To this end, reputation data from a consumer review website were gathered for a sample of restaurant corporations and establishments connected to the European countries on the Healthiest Country Index.The methods were based on regression analysis. The results indicate that restaurant reputation improves in healthy, sustainable environments, specifically in countries ranked as the healthiest. These findings provide a better understanding of how aspects related to health and environmental sustainability influence corporate reputation.FCT: UIDB/04020/2020;info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consecuencias conductuales derivadas del proceso atencional en el aula de aprendizaje: propuestas de detección

Uno de los factores fundamentales a tener en cuenta en el proceso de aprendizaje es la atención, máxime si consideramos que se trata del primer paso que debe darse en todo proceso de aprendizaje. Derivado de una falta de atención, inatención o dificultad para mantenerla o focalizarla, pueden surgir otros problemas con frecuencia asociados a ellos, como son un bajo rendimiento, problemas de comprensión, inadecuado desarrollo de las competencias esperadas e incluso conductas asociadas que dificultan el progreso del grupo-clase. Elevado al grado de trastorno nos podemos encontrar con el TDAH, se trata de un trastorno de origen biológico con base neurológica que afecta en gran medida al comportamiento, la atención y el aprendizaje, asociado con frecuencia a la impulsividad y/o hiperactividad. En nuestra propuesta apostamos por una intervención eficaz, que pasa por la evaluación de la situación completa y ajustada al contexto de aprendizaje, así como a las circunstancias que lo definen. Intervención que se planifica a partir del trabajo cooperativo de un equipo de profesionales de carácter multidisciplinar. Partiendo de esta perspectiva se pretende identificar, inicialmente, aquellos indicios que al menos en un primer momento, pueden ser descriptivos del alumno y la alumna con problemas de atención

Salivary immunity and lower respiratory tract infections in non-elite marathon runners

Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Effect of Copper Coating Nursery Containers on Plant Growth and Root Morphology of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Cuttings and Seedlings

Abstract. Plant production in rigid plastic containers is operationally advantageous in nursery eucalyptus production, but root morphology differs from those grown under natural conditions. Root systems deformations resulting from nursery culture can affect post-planting growth performance and mechanical stability, being instability of eucalypts a major problem. Therefore, in order to improve post-planting response of Eucalyptus globulus Labill., we tested the effect of chemical root pruning with CuCO 3 xCu(OH) 2 on root architecture and plant growth at the nursery and in the field. The concentration of 25 g/L applied to the interior walls of the containers could be suitable for chemical root pruning in cuttings and seedlings. At the end of the nursery growth period, the root morphology of copper-treated plants differed significantly from the untreated ones, but differences in root or shoot dry weights were not significant. In the field, copper-treated plants performed no better than untreated plants four years after planting, and the differences in root morphology observed in the nursery did not affect plant survival or growth. Therefore, these results do not recommend the use of chemical root pruning with copper in order to improve stability of E. globulus, at least for the first four years after outplanting. Sumário. A produção de plantas em contentores de plástico rígido é vantajosa na produção de eucaliptos em viveiro, mas a morfologia radicular difere da apresentada por plantas que cresceram em condições naturais. As deformações do sistema radicular resultantes da produção em viveiro podem afectar o comportamento pós-plantação relativamente ao crescimento e 216 Fernández, M., et al. estabilidade mecânica, sendo a estabilidade dos eucaliptos uma questão importante. Assim, para melhorar a resposta pós-plantação do Eucalyptus globulus Labill., testámos o efeito da poda química da raiz pelo CuCO 3 xCu(OH) 2 , sobre a arquitectura da raiz e crescimento da planta em viveiro e no campo. A concentração de 25g/l aplicada nas paredes interiores dos contentores seria apropriada para a poda química da raiz de plantas provenientes de estacas e sementes. No final do período de crescimento em viveiro, a morfologia da raiz de plantas tratadas com cobre diferia significativamente da apresentada por plantas sem tratamento, mas as diferenças em peso seco de raízes e lançamentos não foram significativas. No campo, quatro anos após a plantação, o comportamento das plantas tratadas com cobre não foi melhor do que o das plantas sem tratamento, e as diferenças de morfologia da raiz observadas em viveiro não afectaram a sobrevivência ou o crescimento das plantas. Por conseguinte, estes resultados não recomendam o uso de poda química com cobre para melhorar a estabilidade do E. globulus, pelo menos nos primeiros quatro anos após a plantação. Palavras-chave: poda química da raiz; carbonato de cobre; resposta à plantação Effet du Revêtement par le Cuivre des Pots de Pépinière sur la Pousse et la Morphologie Racinaire des Plantes d'Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Provenant de Boutures et de Graines Résumé. La production de plantes en pots de plastique rigide a des avantages dans la production d'eucalyptus en pépinière, mais la morphologie racinaire diffère de celle présentée par les plantes qui poussent en milieu naturel. Les déformations du système racinaire résultant de la production en pépinière peuvent avoir des effets sur le comportement post-plantation, en ce qui concerne la pousse et la stabilité mécanique, l'instabilité des eucalyptus étant une question majeure. Donc, dans le but d'améliorer la réponse post-plantation de l'Eucalyptus globulus Labill., nous avons testé l'effet de la taille chimique par le CuCO 3 xCu(OH) 2 , sur l'architecture du système racinaire et la pousse de la plante en pépinière et dans les champs. La concentration de 25g/l utilisée dans les parois intérieures des pots serait appropriée pour la taille chimique de la racine des plantes provenant de boutures et de graines. À la fin de la période de pousse en pépinière, la morphologie de la racine des plantes traitées avec le cuivre était significativement différente de celle présentée par les plantes sans traitement, mais les différences entre le poids sec des racines et celui des bourgeons n'ont pas été significatives. Quatre années après la plantation définitive, le comportement des plantes traitées avec le cuivre n'était pas supérieur à celui des plantes sans traitement, et les différences de morphologie du système racinaire observées en pépinière n'ont eu aucun effet sur la survie ou la pousse des plantes. Par conséquent, étant donné ces résultats l'utilisation de la taille chimique au cuivre pour améliorer la stabilité de l'E. globulus, du moins les quatre premières années après la plantation n'est pas recommandée. Mots clés: taille chimique de la racine; carbonate de cuivre; réponse à la plantatio

Assessment of chemical mixtures using biomarkers of combined biological activity: A screening study in human placentas

The authors thank the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme HBM4EU under Grant Agreement No. 733032 for its financial support. Vicente Mustieles and Stephan Couderq are under contract within the HBM4EU project. Additionally, we acknowledge the Biomedical Research Networking Center-CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (FIS-PI16/01820 and FIS-PI16/01858). The authors also thank the ISCIII and “Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional” (ISCIII/FEDER) for the Sara Borrell postdoctoral research contract granted to F. Vela-Soria (grant no. CD17/00212), and the Spanish Ministry of Education for the predoctoral fellowship (FPU) granted to A. Rodríguez-Carrillo (FPU 16/03011). This article will be part of the doctoral thesis developed by Andrea Rodríguez-Carrillo in the context of the “Clinical Medicine and Public Health Program” of the University of Granada (Spain). The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Birgitte Møller Plesning.Humans are simultaneously exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals with limited knowledge on potential health effects, therefore improved tools for assessing these mixtures are needed. As part of the Human Bio-monitoring for Europe (HBM4EU) Project, we aimed to examine the combined biological activity of chemical mixtures extracted from human placentas using one in vivo and four in vitro bioassays, also known as biomarkers of combined effect. Relevant endocrine activities (proliferative and/or reporter gene assays) and four endpoints were tested: the estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR), and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activities, as well as thyroid hormone (TH) signaling. Correlations among bioassays and their functional shapes were evaluated. Results showed that all placental extracts agonized or antagonized at least three of the above-mentioned endpoints. Most placentas induced ER-mediated transactivation and ER-dependent cell proliferation, together with a strong inhibition of TH signaling and the AR transactivity; while the induction of the AhR was found in only one placental extract. The effects in the two estrogenic bioassays were positively and significantly correlated and the AR-antagonism activity showed a positive borderline-significant correlation with both es-trogenic bioassay activities. However, the in vivo anti-thyroid activities of placental extracts were not correlated with any of the tested in vitro assays. Findings highlight the importance of comprehensively mapping the bio-logical effects of ?real-world? chemical mixtures present in human samples, through a battery of in vitro and in vivo bioassays. This approach should be a complementary tool for epidemiological studies to further elucidate the combined biological fingerprint triggered by chemical mixtures.European Commission 733032"Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional" (ISCIII/FEDER) CD17/00212Spanish Government FPU 16/03011Instituto de Salud Carlos III CD17/0021