Two new genera of hispines (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) from Ecuador

Bicristispa gracilis, new genus and new species, and Orbispa confluens, new genus and new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), both from canopy fogging material from Ecuador are described and illustrated. Comparative notes distinguishing them from similar genera are provided

New Third Rail Implementation System for Conventional Railroad Tracks in Service

[EN] Two track gauges coexist in Spain, the Iberian gauge (1668 mm) and the international gauge (1435 mm). Solutions applied on the track were considered to improve the interoperability in Spain. First solution proposed was tracks with two-gauge-ready sleepers. This solution allows changing the gauge from Iberian to International gauge or from International to Iberian gauge. The need of two gauges evolved this solution to the third rail system with two-simultaneous-gauge sleepers. In this paper, a new third-rail track solution is proposed. This solution is a novel system based on the introduction of special concrete blocks between the existing sleepers to fasten the third rail. Thus, the conventional railroad track becomes in a double-simultaneous-gauge lines without needing change existing sleepers and make long traffic interruptions of the track like in common third-rail systems. In the present study, threedimensional numerical models are generated using finite-element method. The analysis of the vertical displacements of the top head of the rails, vertical stresses transmitted to the substructure layers and vertical track stiffness, demonstrate the good vertical performance of the new system compared to the conventional lines with dual-gauge-ready sleepers and the common third rail tracks.Montalbán-Domingo, L.; Zamorano-Martín, C.; Real Herráiz, JI.; Gomez Del Rey, L. (2018). New Third Rail Implementation System for Conventional Railroad Tracks in Service. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering. 22(2):622-628. doi:10.1007/s12205-017-0251-4S622628222Banimahd, M., Woodward, P., Kennedy, J., and Medero, G. (2013). “Three-dimensional modeling of high speed ballasted railway tracks.” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers–Transport, Vol. 166, No. 2, pp. 113–123, DOI: 10.1680/tran.9.00048.Choi, J. (2013). “Influence of track support stiffness of ballasted track on dynamic wheel-rail forces.” Journal of transportation engineering. Vol. 139, No. 7, pp. 709–718, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000543.Cuadrado, M., Zamorano, C., González, P., Nasarre, J., and Romo, E. (2008). “Analysis of buckling in dual-gauge tracks.” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers–Transport, Vol. 161, No. 4, pp. 177–184, DOI: 10.1680/tran.2008.161.4.177.Dahlberg, T. (2010). “Railway track stiffness variations–consequences and countermeasures”. International journal of civil engineering. Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.1–12Drucker, D. C. and Prager, W. (1952). “Soil mechanics and plastic analysis or limit design.” Quarterly of Applied Mathematics, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 157–165.Gallego, I. and López, A. (2009). “Numerical simulation of embankmentstructure transition design.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, Vol. 223, No. 4, pp. 331–343, DOI: 10.1243/09544097JRRT234.Gallego, I., López, A., Vieira, E. and Rivas, A. (2012). “Design of embankment-structure transitions for railway infrastructure.” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Transport. Vol. 165, No. 1, pp. 27–37, DOI: 10.1680/tran.8.00037.Gallego, I., Muñoz, J., Rivas, A., and Sánchez-Cambronero, S. (2011). “Vertical track stiffness as a new parameter involved in designing highspeed railway infrastructures.” Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 137, No. 12, pp. 971–979, DOI: 10.1243/09544097JRRT234.Ministerio de fomento/Secretaría de estado de Infraestructuras y Transportes (1999). Recomendaciones para el proyecto de plataformas ferroviarias, Centro de publicaciones, Madrid.Montalbán, L., Real, J., and Real, T. (2013). “Mechanical characterization of railway structures based on vertical stiffness analysis and railway substructure stress state.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, Vol. 227, No. 1, pp. 74–85, DOI: 10.1177/0954409712452348.Montalbán, L., Real, J., Zamorano, C., and Real, T. (2014). “Design of a new high lateral resistance sleeper and performance comparison with conventional sleepers in a curved railway track by means of finite element models.” Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 11, No. 7, pp.1238–1250.ORE committee D-117 (1983). Adaptation optimale de la voie classique au traffic de l’avenir, Rapport nº 27, Comportament des structures d’assise de la voie sous changes répétées. E.T.F., Paris.Pita, A. L., Teixeira, P. F., and Robusté, F. (2004). “High speed and track deterioration: the role of vertical stiffness of the track.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, Vol. 218, No. 1, pp. 31–40, DOI: 10.1243/ 095440904322804411.Puzavac, L., Popovic, Z., and Lazarevic, L. (2012). “Influence of track stiffness on track behaviour under vertical load.” PROMETTRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION. Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 405–412Real, J., Gómez, L., Montalbán, L., and Real, T. (2012). “Study of the influence of geometrical and mechanical parameters on ballasted railway tracks design.” Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, Vol. 26, No. 9, pp. 2837–2844, DOI: 10.1007/s12206-012-0734-7.Santamaría, J., Herreros, J., Vadillo, E., and Correa, N. (2013). “Design of an optimized wheel profile for rail vehicles operating on two track gauges.” Vehicle System Dynamics, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 54–73, DOI: 10.1080/00423114.2012.711478.Teixeira, P. F. (2003). Contribution to the reduction of track maintenance costs by optimizing its vertical stiffness, PhD. Dissertation, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona

A service-learning educational approach developed the transversal competencies of undergraduate students in an outreach workshop aimed to high school students

In the last decade, research institutes and universities have strengthened the development of outreach activities in the biomedical field, involving researchers and professors as well as graduate students, but with little or no implication of undergraduate students. The development of this type of activities, using the Service-Learning educational approach, could be a valuable tool that would manage the acquisition of learning competencies by undergraduate students of Health Science Degrees and would put science at the service of society.In this project, we present the development of the workshop entitled “Exploring the human body”, in which 205 students in their first and second year of a Degree in Nursing or Medicine (University of Málaga, Spain) acted as mentors of 753 high school students (15 to 16 years old) in several school years (since 2016-2017, excluding 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The workshop consisted of five work stations. Each station featured a set of different experiments and activities that were designed to teach the multiple levels by which the human body, and particularly the nervous system, can be studied: biomolecules, cells, tissues, organs and systems. Both high school and undergraduate students gave an evaluation of the workshop via questionnaires (Likert scale-based and short-answer questions) and a debriefing with the university professors. Data showed an overall score of 4.6 Out of 5 points for the workshop by both high school and undergraduate students. In addition, undergraduate students pointed out that their participation had a positive impact on their academic background (4.8 Out of 5 points), mainly due to the improvement of their oral communication skills (78 students) and self-confidence (58 students). Therefore, these results suggest that this methodology would be valid and applicable to develop the transversal competences of the students in Bachelor's degrees of Health Sciences.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Ivabradine-Stimulated Microvesicle Release Induces Cardiac Protection against Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Ivabradine can reduce heart rate through inhibition of the current I(f ) by still unexplored mechanisms. In a porcine model of ischemia reperfusion (IR), we found that treatment with 0.3 mg/kg Ivabradine increased plasma release of microvesicles (MVs) over Placebo, as detected by flow cytometry of plasma isolated from pigs 7 days after IR, in which a tenfold increase of Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer (EMMPRIN) containing (both high and low-glycosylated) MVs, was detected in response to Ivabradine. The source of MVs was investigated, finding a 37% decrease of CD31+ endothelial cell derived MVs, while CD41+ platelet MVs remained unchanged. By contrast, Ivabradine induced the release of HCN4+ (mostly cardiac) MVs. While no differences respect to EMMPRIN as a cargo component were found in endothelial and platelet derived MVs, Ivabradine induced a significant release of EMMPRIN+/HCN4+ MVs by day 7 after IR. To test the role of EMMPRIN+ cardiacMVs (EMCMV), H9c2 cellmonolayers were incubated for 24 h with 107 EMCMVs, reducing apoptosis, and increasing 2 times cell proliferation and 1.5 times cell migration. The in vivo contribution of Ivabradine-induced plasma MVs was also tested, in which 108 MVs isolated from the plasma of pigs treated with Ivabradine or Placebo 7 days after IR, were injected in pigs under IR, finding a significant cardiac protection by increasing left ventricle ejection fraction and a significant reduction of the necrotic area. In conclusion ivabradine induces cardiac protection by increasing at least the release of EMMPRIN containing cardiac microvesicles.post-print1810 K

Mobile genetic elements related to the diffusion of plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases or carbapenemases from enterobacteriaceae: Findings from a multicenter study in Spain

We examined the genetic context of 74 acquired ampC genes and 17 carbapenemase genes from 85 of 640 Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected in 2009. Using S1 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization, 37 of 74 blaAmpC genes were located on large plasmids of different sizes belonging to six incompatibility groups. We used sequencing and PCR mapping to investigate the regions flanking the acquired ampC genes. The blaCMY-2-like genes were associated with ISEcp1; the surrounding blaDHA genes were similar to Klebsiella pneumoniae plasmid pTN60013 associated with IS26 and the psp and sap operons; and the blaACC-1 genes were associated with IS26 elements inserted into ISEcp1. All of the carbapenemase genes (blaVIM-1, blaIMP-22, and blaIMP-28) were located in class 1 integrons. Therefore, although plasmids are the main cause of the rapid dissemination of ampC genes among Enterobacteriaceae, we need to be aware that other mobile genetic elements, such as insertion sequences, transposons, or integrons, can be involved in the mobilization of these genes of chromosomal origin. Additionally, three new integrons (In846 to In848) are described in this study.Ministerio de Educación BFU2008-00995/BMCMinisterio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad y Instituto de Salud Carlos III y FEDER REIPI/RD06/0008/0013 FIS 09/ 0125Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad y Instituto de Salud Carlos III y Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases REIPI/RD06/0008/0013 FIS 09/ 012

Ivabradine Induces Cardiac Protection against Myocardial Infarction by Preventing Cyclophilin-A Secretion in Pigs under Coronary Ischemia/Reperfusion.

In response to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion, proteolysis mediated by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and its secreted ligand cyclophilin-A (CyPA) significantly contributes to cardiac injury and necrosis. Here, we aimed to investigate if, in addition to the effect on the funny current (I(f)), Ivabradine may also play a role against cardiac necrosis by reducing EMMPRIN/CyPA-mediated cardiac inflammation. In a porcine model of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (IR), we found that administration of 0.3 mg/kg Ivabradine significantly improved cardiac function and reduced cardiac necrosis by day 7 after IR, detecting a significant increase in cardiac CyPA in the necrotic compared to the risk areas, which was inversely correlated with the levels of circulating CyPA detected in plasma samples from the same subjects. In testing whether Ivabradine may regulate the levels of CyPA, no changes in tissue CyPA were found in healthy pigs treated with 0.3 mg/kg Ivabradine, but interestingly, when analyzing the complex EMMPRIN/CyPA, rather high glycosylated EMMPRIN, which is required for EMMPRIN-mediated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and increased CyPA bonding to low-glycosylated forms of EMMPRIN were detected by day 7 after IR in pigs treated with Ivabradine. To study the mechanism by which Ivabradine may prevent secretion of CyPA, we first found that Ivabradine was time-dependent in inhibiting co-localization of CyPA with the granule exocytosis marker vesicle-associated membrane protein 1 (VAMP1). However, Ivabradine had no effect on mRNA expression nor in the proteasome and lysosome degradation of CyPA. In conclusion, our results point toward CyPA, its ligand EMMPRIN, and the complex CyPA/EMMPRIN as important targets of Ivabradine in cardiac protection against IR.post-print361 K

Service-learning educational approach for undergraduate students: development of an outreach workshop for high school students

In the last decade, research institutes and universities have strengthened the development of outreach activities in the biomedical field, involving researchers and professors as well as graduate students, but with little or no implication of undergraduate students. However, the development of this type of activities, using the Service-Learning educational approach, could be a valuable tool that would manage the acquisition of learning competencies by undergraduate students of Health Science Degrees and would put science at the service of society. In this project, we present the development of the workshop entitled “Exploring the human body”, in which 205 students in their first and second year of a Degree in Nursing or Medicine (University of Málaga, Spain) acted as mentors of 753 high school students (15 to 16 years old) in several school years (since 2016-2017, excluding 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The workshop consisted of five work stations. Each station featured a set of different experiments and activities that were designed to teach the multiple levels by which the human body, and particularly the nervous system, can be studied: biomolecules, cells, tissues, organs and systems. Both high school and undergraduate students gave an evaluation of the workshop via questionnaires (Likert scale-based and short-answer questions) and a debriefing with the university professors. Data showed an overall score of 4.6 out of 5 points for the workshop by both high school and undergraduate students. In addition, undergraduate students pointed out that their participation had a positive impact on their academic background (4.8 out of 5 points), mainly due to the improvement of their oral communication skills (78 students) and self-confidence (58 students).Universidad de Málaga. Servicio de Publicaciones y Divulgación Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Targeting TLR4 with ApTOLL Improves Heart Function in Response to Coronary Ischemia Reperfusion in Pigs Undergoing Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) contributes to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia/reperfusion (IR). To test whether the new TLR4 antagonist, ApTOLL, may prevent coronary IR damage, we administered 0.078 mg/kg ApTOLL or Placebo in pigs subjected to IR, analyzing the levels of cardiac troponins, matrix metalloproteinases, pro-, and anti-inflammatory cytokines, heart function, and tissue integrity over a period of 7 days after IR. Our results show that ApTOLL reduced cardiac troponin-1 24 h after administration, improving heart function, as detected by a significant recovery of the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) and the shortening fraction (FS) cardiac parameters. The extension of necrotic and fibrotic areas was also reduced, as detected by Evans blue/2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, Hematoxylin/Eosine, and Masson Trichrome staining of heart sections, together with a significant reduction in the expression of the extracellular matrix-degrading, matrix metalloproteinase 9. Finally, the expression of the following cytokines, CCL1, CCL2, MIP1-A-B, CCL5, CD40L, C5/C5A, CXCL1, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL12, G-CSF, GM-CSF, ICAM-1, INF-g, IL1-a, ILI-b, IL-1Ra, IL2, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12, IL13, IL16, IL17-A, IL17- E, IL18, IL21, IL27, IL32, MIF, SERPIN-E1, TNF-a, and TREM-1, were also assayed, detecting a pronounced decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines after 7 days of treatment with ApTOLL. Altogether, our results show that ApTOLL is a promising new tool for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).post-print3782 K

Las asimetrías en la altura de salto durante el cmj unilateral no están relacionadas con las asimetrías de impulso durante el cmj bilateral

This study aims to explore the relationship between unilaterally produced countermovement jump height asymmetries (CMJ) and bilateral CMJ force production asymmetries, and to elucidate the rates of agreement between the self-selected leg and the dominant leg. Twenty-three senior basketball players performed eight unilateral CMJs (four with each leg) and four bilateral CMJs in a single session. Momentum during the bilateral CMJ and jump height during the unilateral CMJ were recorded. Small correlations were observed between differences in unilateral CMJ height and asymmetries between limbs in bilateral CMJ impulse (r = - 0.104). The self-selected declared leg revealed higher performance in 7 out of 23 participants (Kappa = -0.20) for unilateral CMJ height, 7 out of 23 participants (Kappa = -0.11) for bilateral CMJ impulse, 6 out of 23 participants (Kappa = -0.36). These results show that the asymmetries detected during bilateral CMJs cannot be extrapolated to unilateral CMJs, and that the preferred leg generally contributes less to force production than the non-preferred leg.Este estudio tiene como objetivo explorar la relación entre las asimetrías de la altura del salto en contramovimiento (CMJ) producidas unilateralmente y las asimetrías en la producción de fuerza en el CMJ bilateral, y dilucidar los índices de acuerdo entre la pierna autoseleccionada y la pierna dominante. Veintitrés jugadores de baloncesto senior realizaron en una sola sesión ocho CMJs unilaterales (cuatro con cada pierna) y cuatro CMJs bilaterales. Se registró el impulso durante el CMJ bilateral y la altura del salto durante el CMJ unilateral. Se observaron pequeñas correlaciones entre las diferencias de la altura del CMJ unilateral y las asimetrías entre las extremidades en el impulso del CMJ bilateral (r = - 0.104). La pierna declarada como autoseleccionada, reveló un mayor rendimiento en 7 de 23 participantes (Kappa = -0,20) para la altura CMJ unilateral, 7 de 23 participantes (Kappa = -0,11) para el impulso CMJ bilateral, 6 de 23 participantes (Kappa = -0,36). Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto que las asimetrías detectadas durante los CMJ bilaterales no pueden extrapolarse a los CMJ unilaterales, y que la pierna preferida generalmente contribuye menos a la producción de fuerza que la pierna no preferida

Los hábitos saludables y la salud mental de universitarios en carreras no relacionadas con la salud

La población universitaria es una de las más propensas en adoptar conductas arriesgadas para la salud. Por ello se planteó una investigación transversal con 184 estudiantes universitarios de Granada donde se quiso conocer el nivel de adherencia a la dieta Mediterránea, el nivel de práctica de actividad física y la salud mental de la Calidad de Vida Relacionada con la Salud. Se emplearon cuestionarios validados: IPAQ-SF, KIDMED y SF-36. Los principales resultados fueron que la mayoría de los universitarios no tenían adherida una dieta de calidad, pero sí cumplían con las recomendaciones mínimas de práctica de actividad física. Además, los universitarios con mayores puntuaciones en la práctica de actividad física, presentaron una mejor alimentación y mejor nivel de salud mental. Por lo tanto, se contempla la necesidad formar y capacitar al alumnado en hábitos saludables. Para ello, desde el ámbito universitario, se deberían crear programas que animaran a la población estudiantil a mantenerse físicamente activos y cuidar en mayor medida su alimentación