Diving lice: The exception to the rule that there are no insects in the (deep) ocean

Insects are present in virtually all possible habitats on the mainland but virtually absent in the ocean which constitutes 90% of the biosphere. Only a few species are present in the sea, but remaining at the surface, salt marshes, estuaries, or shallow waters. Remarkably, a group of species manages to endure long immersion periods in the open sea, as well as deep dives, i.e. seal lice. We discuss here some of the adaptations that allow seal lice to cope with the amphibious habits of their hosts and how they can help understanding why are insect so rare in the ocean.Fil: Leonardi, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Crespo, José Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Soto, Florencia Anabella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Lazzari, Claudio R.. Universite de Tours; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaThe 1st International Electronic Conference on EntomologySuizaInsects JournalMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institut

Construcción de una prueba objetiva para la medición del rendimiento académico del alumnado del Grado de Pedagogía

URL del artículo en la web de la Revista: https://www.upo.es/revistas/index.php/IJERI/article/view/2811The general scope of this work is to construct an objective test for the measurement of the academic performance of the students of the Degree in Pedagogy of the Complutense University of Madrid. For this, quantitative methodology has been used, adopting a structured approach that allows identifying the general patterns that characterize our population. We began with a weighing of the relative importance of each of the subjects or contents of the subject, and then the number of items in the test was determined and then distributed, taking into account the relative importance of each topic. The results show that the test accurately measured the performance of the students of the Degree in Pedagogy, in one of the compulsory subjects of the curriculum. As future research lines, it is suggested the construction of other similar tests for other subjects and courses of the degree in Pedagogy, as well as contrasting the results of students with other measures about the selfefficacy of the teachers themselves, for its close relationship with the academic performance of the students.El objetivo general de este trabajo es construir una prueba objetiva para la medición del rendimiento académico del alumnado del Grado de Pedagogía de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Para ello se ha utilizado metodología cuantitativa, adoptando un enfoque estructurado que permita identificar los patrones generales que caracterizan a nuestra población. Se comenzó con una ponderación de la importancia relativa de cada uno de los temas o contenidos de la asignatura y, a continuación, se determinó el número de ítems de la prueba para después repartirlos teniendo en cuenta la importancia relativa de cada tema. Los resultados muestran que prueba medía con precisión el rendimiento del alumnado del Grado en Pedagogía, en una de las asignaturas obligatorias del plan de estudios. Como futuras líneas de investigación, se sugiere la construcción de otras pruebas similares para otras asignaturas y cursos del grado de Pedagogía así como contrastar los resultados de los estudiantes con otras mediciones acerca de la autoeficacia de los propios docentes, por su estrecha relación con el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes.Universidad Pablo de Olavid

ENSO coupling to the equatorial Atlantic: analysis with an extended improved recharge oscillator model

© 2023 Crespo-Miguel, Polo, Mechoso, Rodríguez-Fonseca and Cao-García. Weacknowledge Javier Jarillo and Lander R. Crespo for their help during the early stages of manuscript writing. We acknowledge the World Climate Research Programme’s Working Group on Coupled Modeling, responsible for CMIP, and we thank the climate modeling groups for producing and making available their model output. This work was financially supported by 817578 TRIATLAS project of the Horizon 2020 Programme (EU) and RTI2018095802-B-I00 and PID2021-125806NB-I00 of Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, EU), the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (EU-FP7/2007–2013) PREFACE (Grant Agreement No. 603521), the ERC STERCP project (grant 648982), the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes (CE170100023) and the Spanish project (CGL201786415-R).Introduction: Observational and modeling studies have examined the interactions between El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the equatorial Atlantic variability as incorporated into the classical charge-recharge oscillator model of ENSO. These studies included the role of the Atlantic in the predictability of ENSO but assumed stationarity in the relationships, i.e., that models’ coefficients do not change overtime. Arecentworkbytheauthors has challenged the stationarity assumption in the ENSO framework but without considering the equatorial Atlantic influence on ENSO. Methods: The present paper addresses the changing relationship between ENSO and the Atlantic El Niño using an extended version of the recharge oscillator model. The classical two-variable model of ENSO is extended by adding a linear coupling on the SST anomalies in the equatorial Atlantic. The model’s coefficients are computed for different periods. This calculation is done using two methods tofitthemodel tothe data: (1) the traditional method (ReOsc), and (2) a novel method (ReOsc+) based on fitting the Fisher’s Z transform of the auto and cross-correlation functions. Results: Weshowthat, duringthe 20th century, the characteristic dampingrate of the SST and thermocline depth anomalies in the Pacific have decreased in time by a factor of 2 and 3, respectively. Moreover, the damping time of the ENSO fluctuations has doubled from 10 to 20 months, and the oscillation period of ENSO has decreased from 60-70 months before the 1960s to 50 months afterward. These two changes have contributed to enhancing ENSO amplitude. The results also show that correlations between ENSO and the Atlantic SST strengthened after the 70s and the way in which the impact of the equatorial Atlantic is added to the internal ENSO variability. Conclusions: The remote effects of the equatorial Atlantic on ENSO must be considered in studies of ENSO dynamics and predictability during specific time-periods. Our results provide further insight into the evolution of the ENSO dynamics anditscoupling to the equatorial Atlantic, as well as an improved tool to study the coupling of climatic and ecological variables.Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaDepto. de Física de la Tierra y AstrofísicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEHorizon 2020 Programme (EU)Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, EU)European Union Seventh Framework ProgrammeERC STERCP projectARC Centre of Excellence in Climate ExtremesSpanish projectpu

Clinician ratings of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) in a representative sample of Spanish prison inmates: New validity evidence

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) is a concept map of psychopathic personality disorder (PPD). The CAPP- Institutional Rating Scale (IRS) is a tool designed to assess CAPP symptoms in institutional settings. The CAPP contains 33 personality traits organized in six domains: attachment, behavioural, cognitive, dominance, emotional and self. Until now, much of the CAPP research has been conducted out of clinical, forensic and correctional settings using self-ratings. In the current study, the psychometric properties and construct validity of the CAPP-IRS were evaluated in a non-convenience sample of 204 Spanish convicts. Clinician ratings were employed. Participants had been imprisoned for at least 6 months at Pereiro de Aguiar Penitentiary. This group of inmates was heterogeneous with respect to type of official charges, and representative as all convicts interned for at least 6 months in this prison were screened for participation. Classical test theory indexes of reliability, correlations between CAPP items and domains and external correlations and structural analyses demonstrated that CAPP assessment is a solid and robust way of evaluating psychopathy in a correctional setting. Best fit was found for a three-factor model: attachment and emotional items associated with a callous and unemotional trait, dominance and self items associated with a pathological interpersonal style, and behavioural and residual items from other domains associated with impulsivity

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Bacterial Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Production from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste

The management of municipal solid waste is a major logistic and environmental problem worldwide. Nonetheless, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is a valuable source of nutrients which can be used for a variety of purposes, according to the Circular Economy paradigm. Among the possible applications, the bioproduction of a biodegradable polyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)], using OFMSW as carbon platform is a promising strategy. Here, an economic and environmental assessment of bacterial P(3HB) production from OFMSW is presented based on previously published results. The SuperPro Designer (R) software was used to simulate P(3HB) production under our experimental parameters. Two scenarios were proposed depending on the fermentation medium: (1) enzymatic hydrolysate of OFMSW supplemented with glucose and plum waste juice; and (2) basal medium supplemented with glucose and plum waste juice. According to our results, both scenarios are not economically feasible under our experimental parameters. In Scenario 1, the low fermentation yield, the cost of the enzymes, the labour cost and the energy consumption are the factors that most contribute to that result. In Scenario 2, the cost of the extraction solvent and the low fermentation yield are the most limiting factors. The possibility of using process waste as raw material for the generation of other products must be investigated to enhance economic feasibility. From an environmental viewpoint, the photochemical oxidation potential (derived from the use of anisole as extraction solvent) and the generation of acid rain and global warming effect (caused by the burning of fuels for power generation) are the most relevant impacts associated to P(3HB) production under our experimental parameters.Jon Kepa Izaguirre was the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Basque Governmen

Tbr1 Misexpression Alters Neuronal Development in the Cerebral Cortex

Changes in the transcription factor (TF) expression are critical for brain development, and they may also underlie neurodevelopmental disorders. Indeed, T-box brain1 (Tbr1) is a TF crucial for the formation of neocortical layer VI, and mutations and microdeletions in that gene are associated with malformations in the human cerebral cortex, alterations that accompany autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Interestingly, Tbr1 upregulation has also been related to the occurrence of ASD-like symptoms, although limited studies have addressed the effect of increased Tbr1 levels during neocortical development. Here, we analysed the impact of Tbr1 misexpression in mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs) at embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5), when they mainly generate neuronal layers II-IV. By E18.5, cells accumulated in the intermediate zone and in the deep cortical layers, whereas they became less abundant in the upper cortical layers. In accordance with this, the proportion of Sox5+ cells in layers V-VI increased, while that of Cux1+ cells in layers II-IV decreased. On postnatal day 7, fewer defects in migration were evident, although a higher proportion of Sox5+ cells were seen in the upper and deep layers. The abnormal neuronal migration could be partially due to the altered multipolar-bipolar neuron morphologies induced by Tbr1 misexpression, which also reduced dendrite growth and branching, and disrupted the corpus callosum. Our results indicate that Tbr1 misexpression in cortical NPCs delays or disrupts neuronal migration, neuronal specification, dendrite development and the formation of the callosal tract. Hence, genetic changes that provoke ectopic Tbr1 upregulation during development could provoke cortical brain malformations

Educating the gifted student: Eagerness to achieve as a curricular competence

Durante las últimas décadas, las altas capacidades (AACC) se han desvelado como un determinante curricular que evidencia la necesidad de adaptar los contenidos a las características de los alumnos definidos por las mismas. En España, diversas comunidades autónomas han diseñado programas que, mediante actividades extraordinarias, persiguen responder a esta demanda y otorgar a los estudiantes talentosos el contexto propicio para el desarrollo y fortalecimiento de sus habilidades. En el caso de Madrid, esta propuesta presenta una participación privada de carácter empresarial que ha evidenciado la posible conjunción entre sendos entornos al considerar el activo laboral, fundamentalmente orientado a la resolución de proyectos, en el sujeto adolescente con AACC. Esta investigación ha examinado, mediante un cuestionario con naturaleza 180º cumplimentado por 342 personas (padres e hijos habilidosos, docentes y compañeros escolares) en siete centros madrileños, la posibilidad identificativa de la competencia afán de logro al considerar que su distinción prematura permite su trabajo en el contexto educativo y la formación del alumnado en aras a promover a un individuo que orientará su labor profesional hacia la finalización de las actividades asignadas. Los resultados obtenidos han permitido trazar, igualmente, un perfil genérico del estudiante talentoso mediante la combinación de sus propias apreciaciones y de las de su entorno y reconocer a las aptitudes inherentes mejor valoradas al igual que las calificadas de forma contraria.During the last decades, high intellectual abilities have been revealed as a decisive curricular factor that evidences the need to adapt content to students' characteristics. In Spain, various autonomous communities have designed programs that, through extraordinary activities, seek to respond to this demand and provide talented students with the appropriate context for the development and strengthening of their skills. In the case of Madrid, this proposal includes private involvement of an entrepreneurial nature that has demonstrated the possible connection between the two environments when considering the labor asset, fundamentally oriented to the resolution of projects by adolescent subjects with above average cognitive capacities. This research has examined, by means of a 180º questionnaire completed by 342 subjects (comprised of parents and skilled children, teachers and classmates) in seven Madrid schools, the possibility of identifying the ‘eagerness to achieve’ competence, considering that its early distinction enables its development in educational contexts and the training of students in order to promote individuals who focus their professional work towards the completion of assigned activities. The results obtained have also made it possible to draw up a generic profile of the talented student by combining his or her own assessments and those of his or her environment, and to recognize their most highly valued inherent aptitudes as well as those least valued.Depto. de Teorías y Análisis de la ComunicaciónFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónTRUEpu

Endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor IRE1α enhances IL-23 expression by human dendritic cells

Producción CientíficaHuman monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) exposed to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) undergo bioenergetic changes that influence the immune response. We found that stimulation with PAMPs enhanced glycolysis in DCs, whereas oxidative phosphorylation remained unaltered. Glucose starvation and the hexokinase inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) modulated cytokine expression in stimulated DCs. Strikingly, IL23A was markedly induced upon 2-DG treatment, but not during glucose deprivation. Since 2-DG can also rapidly inhibit protein N-glycosylation, we postulated that this compound could induce IL-23 in DCs via activation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. Indeed, stimulation of DCs with PAMPs in the presence of 2-DG robustly activated inositol-requiring protein 1α (IRE1α) signaling and to a lesser extent the PERK arm of the unfolded protein response. Additional ER stressors such as tunicamycin and thapsigargin also promoted IL-23 expression by PAMP-stimulated DCs. Pharmacological, biochemical, and genetic analyses using conditional knockout mice revealed that IL-23 induction in ER stressed DCs stimulated with PAMPs was IRE1α/X-box binding protein 1-dependent upon zymosan stimulation. Interestingly, we further evidenced PERK-mediated and CAAT/enhancer-binding protein β-dependent trans-activation of IL23A upon lipopolysaccharide treatment. Our findings uncover that the ER stress response can potently modulate cytokine expression in PAMP-stimulated human DCs.Plan Nacional de Salud y Farmacia (Proyecto SAF2013-44521-R

Analysis of the oscillations induced by a supersonic jet applied to produce nanofibers

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGHigh-performance fibers are key components for enhancing the mechanical properties of composite materials. The development of high strength nanofibers augurs the production of new nano-composites with outstanding features. However, the robust production of continuous glass nanofibers that can be feasible processed for efficiently manufacturing nanocomposites is still challenging. Recently, Cofiblas (Continuous Fiberizing by Laser melting and Supersonic dragging) was demonstrated as a technique capable of producing continuous glass nanofibers with unlimited length. Cofiblas process has some similarities with the widely known melt blowing technique for the production of polymeric fibers. In both techniques, the design of the gas nozzle is key to ensure the feasibility of the process since the turbulences of the gas jet may induce strong whipping of the filament. This paper gives novel experimental evidences on the correlation of the supersonic gas jet instabilities with the oscillation of the filament in the melt-blowing and Cofiblas processes, relating these oscillations with the presence of shock waves and unsteadiness in the flow, and gives valuable insight into the use of supersonic jets in the melt blowing process as an effective approach for the formation of nanofibers. A thin 3D-axisymmetric model in OpenFOAM® was put to test by comparing the performance of different solvers which were validated by flow visualization of the exit jet using digital holography (DH). In order to perform a realistic and thorough validation, we simulated the optical measurements of the flow from the CFD simulations of the mass density by Abel transform and numerical differentiation. The application of digital holography as the flow visualization technique makes possible both a precise validation of the density maps obtained from the Abel transformation of the 2D-alike results, and the analysis of the shockwave pattern in the air jet. Conversely, the numerical reconstruction of time-averaged holograms is employed to detect unsteadiness in the flow and to analyze the fiber oscillation, which is essential to assess the stability of the process. Lastly, the analysis and comparison of the vibration of the filament using the basic design and the optimized nozzle demonstrates a clear influence of the shock waves and flow unsteadiness in the stability of the filament.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PGC2018-094900-B-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2019/23Ministerio de Universidades | Ref. FPU20/0311