Altered Gene Expression, Mitochondrial Damage and Oxidative Stress: Converging Routes in Motor Neuron Degeneration

Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are a rather heterogeneous group of diseases, with either sporadic or genetic origin or both, all characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons. At the cellular level, MNDs share features such as protein misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial damage and energy deficit, and excitotoxicity and calcium mishandling. This is particularly well demonstrated in ALS, where both sporadic and familial forms share the same symptoms and pathological phenotype, with a prominent role for mitochondrial damage and resulting oxidative stress. Based on recent data, however, altered control of gene expression seems to be a most relevant, and previously overlooked, player in MNDs. Here we discuss which may be the links that make pathways apparently as different as altered gene expression, mitochondrial damage, and oxidative stress converge to generate a similar motoneuron-toxic phenotype

BPA-Induced Deregulation of Epigenetic Patterns: Effects on Female Zebrafish Reproduction

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the commonest Endocrine Disruptor Compounds worldwide. It interferes with vertebrate reproduction, possibly by inducing deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms. To determine its effects on female reproductive physiology and investigate whether changes in the expression levels of genes related to reproduction are caused by histone modifications, BPA concentrations consistent with environmental exposure were administered to zebrafish for three weeks. Effects on oocyte growth and maturation, autophagy and apoptosis processes, histone modifications, and DNA methylation were assessed by Real-Time PCR (qPCR), histology, and chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with qPCR analysis (ChIP-qPCR). The results showed that 5 μg/L BPA down-regulated oocyte maturation-promoting signals, likely through changes in the chromatin structure mediated by histone modifications, and promoted apoptosis in mature follicles. These data indicate that the negative effects of BPA on the female reproductive system may be due to its upstream ability to deregulate epigenetic mechanism

Sunlight to Convert Carbon Dioxide into Transportation Fuels

The proposed plant to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide to transportation fuels will utilize a Counter-Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5) to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide gas and oxygen gas. The CR5 is a solar chemical heat engine that provides an environment for the continuous reduction/oxidation of iron oxide, which allows for the reaction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen. The plant will contain 150 CR5s each attached to its own parabolic mirror dish in order to collect sunlight. A carbon dioxide feed of approximately 25,070 kg/hr will be used to produce 9,520 kg/hr carbon monoxide. The devices will then feed a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gas to both a water gas shift reactor and a Fischer-Tropsch reactor. The Fischer- Tropsch reactor will use the carbon monoxide along with hydrogen gas produced from the water gas shift reactor to produce a range of hydrocarbon products following an Anderson- Schulz-Flory distribution centered around octane. The FT oil products (naphtha, gasoline, diesel, heavy ends) will be sold while the light-end products will be used to meet the utility requirements of the plant itself. The plant will be located in the western part of Texas in the Mojave Desert in order to take advantage of the high solar flux in this region. Due to the necessity of sunlight to provide energy for the CR5 reaction, the production of carbon monoxide will only take place during daylight hours and 2 hours worth of carbon monoxide production along with an excess of 10% of this amount will be stored in floating roof storage tanks. The storage of some extra carbon monoxide will keep the startup and shutdown production of petrol product constant as the sun rises and sets. The water gas shift reactions and Fischer- Tropsch reactors will operate for as long as carbon monoxide is available and will shut down once the carbon monoxide is depleted. Assuming a discount rate of 13%, the project yields a -$5.5 billion NPV over a 30 year time period. Based on this negative net present value, the plant proves to be economically unattractive. This result is primarily driven by high operating costs due to the high stress put on expensive catalysts that require frequent replacement as well as daily startup/shutdown costs. The largest negative economic factors in the plant projections are related to operating expenses. Specifically, the daily startup and shutdown costs associated with the CR5, WGS and FT reactors are significant. A related factor is the replacement cost of catalysts due to the high amounts of stress associated with daily shutdown, which requires 1 the catalysts to be replaced every 5 years. Storage tanks for continuous operation were considered, which would require 134 storage tanks total. This option is potentially more economically attractive; however, continuous operation was still discounted because the cost of maintenance, piping equipment costs, and other logistical challenges associated with housing the storage tanks. In addition, this option still produces a negative NPV after 30 years. Finally, the compressor operation requires significant electricity, factoring into the economic unattractiveness of the operation of this plant. These variables all lead to a negative net present value and negative cash on hand throughout thirty years of operation. Consequently, unless technological advancements can be made to change the fundamental operations of the sunlight to transportation fuel plant, the investment is not recommended

Diseño de la programación didáctica del módulo profesional Infraestructuras e instalaciones agrícolas y de la unidad de trabajo sistema de riego a presión localizado pertenecientes al primer curso del ciclo de formación profesional de grado medio de producción agroecológica en el centro integrado de formación profesional c.i.f. Viñalta (Palencia).

En este documento expongo mi Trabajo Fin de Máster realizado con el objetivo de la superación del Máster en profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas. Especialidad: Tecnología Agraria, Alimentaria y Forestal. El trabajo consiste en el diseño de la programación didáctica del Módulo Profesional “Infraestructuras e instalaciones agrícolas” y de la Unidad de Trabajo “Sistema de riego a presión. Localizado” pertenecientes al primer curso del Ciclo de Formación Profesional de Grado Medio en el Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional (C.I.F.P.) "Viñalta" (Palencia)Máster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Uso de canciones y la comprensión oral del inglés en los estudiantes de la Universidad Enrique Guzmán y Valle, 2021

El presente trabajo de investigación realizado en el Departamento Académico de lenguas extranjeras de la Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle, Chosica, tuvo como objetivo determinar la relación entre el uso de las canciones y la comprensión oral del idioma inglés en los estudiantes del X ciclo de la Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle, 2021. El tipo de investigación fue básica en su nivel descriptivo, correlacional. Su enfoque es cuantitativo, el diseño de la investigación es no experimental. La muestra fue constituida por 70 estudiantes. Así mismo se aplicaron los instrumentos de cuestionario y test, las cuales fueron validados por 2 especialistas de la materia y un metodólogo, para recolectar los datos se realizó la técnica de la SPSS, versión 23.0. Mas adelante en la etapa de procesamiento y recolección de datos se realizó el análisis estadístico a un nivel de significancia de 0,05 se obtuvo un p- valor = 0,307, lo que indica que no hay correlación de variables, por lo que se afirma la hipótesis nula que establece que no existe una relación positiva ysignificativa entre el uso de las canciones y la comprensión oral del idioma inglés

El poder de crear

Cada ser humano es capaz de presentar situaciones y sentimientos que le son ajenos a su ser o simplemente imitar a otros, y esa es la parte fundamental de una obra teatral: crear un entorno y unos personajes y vivirlos para presentarlos a un público y convencerlos de que lo que ven y lo que oyen es una verdad

Phenotypic plasticity in light-induced flavonoids varies among tissues in Silene littorea (Caryophyllaceae)

Plants respond to environmental stimuli in a diversity of ways including the production of secondary metabolites. Biosynthesis of plant phenolics, including flavonoids, is frequently activated in response to a variety of abiotic and biotic stressors (e.g. extreme temperatures, high radiation, pathogens, etc.). This induced reaction is typically assumed to be a plastic response, but the components attributable to plasticity vs genetic variance in these components are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the variation in flavonoid production (anthocyanins and flavones) in petals and in photosynthetic tissues (calyces, leaves and stems) of Silene littorea. We performed a common garden experiment with maternal families from three populations in which plants were exposed to different light treatments (sun exposure and shade). The concentrations of anthocyanins in photosynthetic tissues increased when plants were exposed to sun, except for leaves that showed very low quantities of anthocyanins in both light treatments; yet flavones are produced constitutively in both sun and shade treatments. The synthesis of both anthocyanins and flavones is mostly plastic, with 25 to 43% of total phenotypic variance explained by light environment. We found significant environmental effects in anthocyanin biosynthesis in calyces and stems, and in flavone production in all photosynthetic tissues. Petals showed considerably less plasticity in anthocyanin production in contrast with the accumulation of these compounds in calyces and stems. Flavones exhibited less than half of the degree of phenotypic plasticity compared to anthocyanins in calyces and stems. Overall, these results provide new insights into the degree of tissue-specific plasticity and flavonoid-specific response. Variable plasticity between flavonoids types in petals and photosynthetic tissues may allow this annual plant to differentially respond to changing light environments, while maintaining constitutive petal color in response to pollinators