Molecular characterization of human zyxin

Journal ArticleZyxin is a component of adhesion plaques that has been suggested to perform regulatory functions at these specialized regions of the plasma membrane. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of cDNAs encoding human and mouse zyxin

Efectividad de la estrategia promocional de “compra con retoma de vehículos” en la fidelización de marca

Esta investigación describe la efectividad de la estrategia promocional de compra con retoma de vehículos en la fidelización de la marca y el incremento de las ventas en el caso estudiado de la campaña “Con Renault estrena dos veces” -- La metodología empleada fue un estudio de caso en el que la unidad de análisis correspondió a un cliente que participó en la promoción, directivos de la empresa y encargados de la agencia de publicidad que lideraron la campaña -- Los resultados evidencian que la influencia de la campaña frente a la fidelización de la marca fue baja, pues solo un 6% de los clientes accedieron a la opción de recompra; como estrategia para capturar nuevos clientes, la promoción implementada por la empresa fue exitosa -- La expectativa frente a la campaña hizo que los clientes decidieran visitar las instalaciones de la agencia, lo que supuso una oportunidad de venta para la compañía -- El estudio es relevante para el área de conocimiento porque permitió identificar aspectos de mejora de la estrategia promocional “compra con retoma de vehículos” implementada por la empresa estudiada, lo que puede redundar en otras de fidelización mucho más efectiva

A Medical/Legal Teaching and Assessment Collaboration on Domestic Violence: Assessment Using Standardized Patients/Standardized Clients

Assessment of skills is an important, emerging topic in law school education. Two recent and influential books, Educating Lawyers published by the Carnegie Foundation and Best Practices in Legal Education, published by the Clinical Legal Education Association have both suggested dramatic reform of legal education. Among other reforms, these studies urge law schools to use “outcome-based” assessments, i.e., using learning objectives  and assessing knowledge and skills in standardized situations based on specific criteria, rather than simply comparing students’ performances to each other.

A Medical/Legal Teaching and Assessment Collaboration on Domestic Violence: Assessment Using Standardized Patients/Standardized Clients

Assessment of skills is an important, emerging topic in law school education. Two recent and influential books, Educating Lawyers published by the Carnegie Foundation and Best Practices in Legal Education, published by the Clinical Legal Education Association have both suggested dramatic reform of legal education. Among other reforms, these studies urge law schools to use outcome-based\u27 assessments, i.e., using learning objectives and assessing knowledge and skills in standardized situations based on specific criteria, rather than simply comparing students\u27 performances to each other

Defective cancellous bone structure and abnormal response to PTH in cortical bone of mice lacking Cx43 cytoplasmic C-terminus domain

Connexin 43 (Cx43) forms gap junction channels and hemichannels that allow the communication among osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts. Cx43 carboxy-terminal (CT) domain regulates channel opening and intracellular signaling by acting as a scaffold for structural and signaling proteins. To determine the role of Cx43 CT domain in bone, mice in which one allele of full length Cx43 was replaced by a mutant lacking the CT domain (Cx43(ΔCT/fl)) were studied. Cx43(ΔCT/fl) mice exhibit lower cancellous bone volume but higher cortical thickness than Cx43(fl/fl) controls, indicating that the CT domain is involved in normal cancellous bone gain but opposes cortical bone acquisition. Further, Cx43(ΔCT) is able to exert the functions of full length osteocytic Cx43 on cortical bone geometry and mechanical properties, demonstrating that domains other than the CT are responsible for Cx43 function in cortical bone. In addition, parathyroid hormone (PTH) failed to increase endocortical bone formation or energy to failure, a mechanical property that indicates resistance to fracture, in cortical bone in Cx43(ΔCT) mice with or without osteocytic full length Cx43. On the other hand, bone mass and bone formation markers were increased by the hormone in all mouse models, regardless of whether full length or Cx43(ΔCT) were or not expressed. We conclude that Cx43 CT domain is involved in proper bone acquisition; and that Cx43 expression in osteocytes is dispensable for some but not all PTH anabolic actions

Streamflow Variability in Colombian Pacific Basins and Their Teleconnections with Climate Indices

[EN] Oceanic-atmospheric phenomena of different time scales concurrently might affect the streamflow in several basins around the world. The Atrato River Basin (ARB) and Pa-Ha River Basin (PRB) of the Colombian Pacific region are examples of such basins. Nevertheless, the relations between the streamflows in the ARB and PRB and the oceanic-atmospheric factors have not been examined considering different temporal scales. Hence, this article studies the relations of the climate indices and the variability of the streamflows in the ARB and PRB at interannual and decadal timescales. To this, the streamflow variability modes were obtained from the principal component analysis (PCA); furthermore, their linear dependence with indices of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), precipitation (PRP), the Choco low-level jet (CJ), and other indices were quantified through (a) Pearson and Kendall's tau correlations, and (b) wavelet transform. The PCA presented a single significant mode for each basin, with an explained variance of around 80%. The correlation analyses between the PC1s of the ARB and PRB, and the climate indices showed significant positive (negative) high correlations with PRP, CJ, and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) (ENSO indices). The wavelet coherence analysis showed significant coherencies between ENSO and ARB: at interannual (2-7 years) and decadal scale (8-14), preferably with the sea surface temperature (SST) in the east and west Tropical Pacific Ocean (TPO). For PRB with the SST in the central and western regions of the TPO in the interannual (4-8 years) and decadal (8-14 years) scales, the decreases (increases) in streamflow precede the El Nino (La Nina) events. These results indicate multiscale relations between the basins' streamflow and climate phenomena not documented in previous works, relevant to forecast the extreme flow events in the Colombian Pacific rivers and for planning and implementing strategies for the sustainable use of water resources in the basins studied.The first author was supported by the Program for Strengthening Regional Capacities in Research, Technological Development and Innovation in the department of Naritio and the CEIBA foundation for doctoral studies. The second author was supported by the Doctoral Scholarship of the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior Brazil (CAPES) Finance Code 001 and Universidad del Valle (Cali-Colombia). The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolOgico (CNPq) of Brazil partially supported the fifth and sixth authors under grants 305942/2015-8 and 302322/2017-5, respectively. This research was done partially during an internship of the first two authors at the Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. This work was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through Project TETISCHANGE (RTI2018-093717-B-I00). We are thankful to the research groups IREHISA and PSI of the Universidad del Valle. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions.Canchala, T.; Cerón, WL.; Francés, F.; Carvajal-Escobar, Y.; Andreoli, RV.; Kayano, MT.; Alfonso-Morales, W.... (2020). Streamflow Variability in Colombian Pacific Basins and Their Teleconnections with Climate Indices. Water. 12(2):1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020526S12312

Streamflow Intensification Driven by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) in the Atrato River Basin, Northwestern Colombia

[EN] The impact of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) on the variations in the streamflow in the Atrato River Basin (ARB) during the 1965-2016 period was analyzed here by considering the cold (1965-1994) and warm (1995-2015) phases of this oscillation. The mean streamflow increased after 1994 (AMO phase change). This increase is related to the strengthening of the zonal gradients of the sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level pressure (SLP) between the tropical central Pacific and the tropical Atlantic after 1994 (warm AMO phase). These gradients contributed to strengthen the Walker cell related upward movement over northern and northwestern South America, in particular during November-December (ND). Consistently, the frequency (R20 mm) and intensity (SDII) of extreme daily rainfall events increased during the 1995-2015 period. Our results show a connection between the AMO and the increase in the streamflow in the ARB during the last five decades. These results contribute to the studies of resilience and climate adaptation in the region.The first author was supported by the Doctoral Scholarship of the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior-Brazil (CAPES), Finance Code 001 and Universidad del Valle (Cali-Colombia). The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) of Brazil partially supported the second and third authors under grants 302322/2017-5 and 305942/2015-8, respectively. The fourth author was supported by the CAPES-Brazil and Universidade Federal de Vicosa for doctoral studies. The fifth author was supported by the Program for Strengthening Regional Capacities in Research, Technological Development and Innovation in the department of Narino and the CEIBA Foundation for doctoral studies. The seventh author was supported by the CAPES-Brazil. This research was done partially during an internship of the first and fifth author at the Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. This work was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through Project TETISCHANGE (RTI2018-093717-B-I00).Cerón, WL.; Kayano, MT.; Andreoli, RV.; Avila, A.; Canchala, T.; Francés, F.; Rivera, IA.... (2020). Streamflow Intensification Driven by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) in the Atrato River Basin, Northwestern Colombia. Water. 12(1):1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010216S12312

Multiscale Interactions of climate variability and rainfall in the Sogamoso River Basin: Implications for the 1998–2000 and 2010–2012 multiyear La Niña events

In this research, we explored rainfall variability in the Sogamoso River Basin (SRB), its relationship with multiple scales of variability associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the implications for rainfall prolongation during multiyear La Niña events. First, we examined time-frequency rainfall variations in the SRB based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) from 1982 to 2019, using wavelet transform and principal component analysis (PCA). In addition, we applied wavelet analysis to investigate the links at different time scales between ENSO and the main mode of rainfall variability in the SRB. Finally, we explored the role that each scale of variability played in the prolongation and intensity of rainfall in the SRB during the 1998–2000 and 2010–2012 multiyear La Niña events. The results of the wavelet analyses revealed significant ENSO relationships affecting SRB rainfall at three different scales: quasi-biennial (2–3-years) between 1994 and 2002, as well as from 2008 to 2015; interannual (5–7 years) from 1995 to 2011; and quasidecadal (9–12 years) from 1994 to 2012. This indicates that multiyear events are a consequence of the interaction of several scales of variability rather than a unique scale. During the 1998–2000 event, El Niño conditions were observed during the first half of 1998; subsequently, a cooling of the central and eastern tropical Pacific (western tropical Pacific) on the quasi-biennial (interannual) scale was observed during 1999; in 2000, only La Niña conditions were observed on the interannual scale. Therefore, during this event, the quasi-biennial (interannual) scale promoted wet conditions in the Caribbean, the Andes, and the Colombian Pacific from June–August (JJA) 1998 to JJA 1999 (during 1999–2000). During the 2010–2012 La Niña event, the interbasin sea surface temperature gradient between the tropical Pacific and tropical North Atlantic contributed to strengthening (weakening) of the Choco jet (Caribbean low-level jet) on the quasi-biennial scale during 2010, and the interannual scale prolonged its intensification (weakening) during 2011–2012, acting to extend the rainy periods over most of the Colombian territory. Variations on quasi-decadal scales were modulated by the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), resulting in a further intensification of the 2010–2012 La Niña event, which developed under conditions of the cold PDO (CPDO) phase, whereas the 1998–2000 La Niña occurred during the transition from warm (WPDO, 1977–1998) to cold (CPDO, 2001–2015) conditions. These results indicate that the interaction of quasi-biennial to quasi-decadal scales of variability could play a differential role in the configuration and prolongation of rainfall events in the SRB

Skeletal Protection and Promotion of Microbiome Diversity by Dietary Boosting of the Endogenous Antioxidant Response

There is an unmet need for interventions with better compliance that prevent the adverse effects of sex steroid deficiency on the musculoskeletal system. We identified a blueberry cultivar (Montgomerym [Mont]) that added to the diet protects female mice from musculoskeletal loss and body weight changes induced by ovariectomy. Mont, but not other blueberries, increased the endogenous antioxidant response by bypassing the traditional antioxidant transcription factor Nrf2 and without activating estrogen receptor canonical signaling. Remarkably, Mont did not protect the male skeleton from androgen-induced bone loss. Moreover, Mont increased the variety of bacterial communities in the gut microbiome (α-diversity) more in female than in male mice; shifted the phylogenetic relatedness of bacterial communities (β-diversity) further in females than males; and increased the prevalence of the taxon Ruminococcus1 in females but not males. Therefore, this nonpharmacologic intervention (i) protects from estrogen but not androgen deficiency; (ii) preserves bone, skeletal muscle, and body composition; (iii) elicits antioxidant defense responses independently of classical antioxidant/estrogenic signaling; and (iv) increases gut microbiome diversity toward a healthier signature. These findings highlight the impact of nutrition on musculoskeletal and gut microbiome homeostasis and support the precision medicine principle of tailoring dietary interventions to patient individualities, like sex.Fil: Sato, Amy Y.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Pellegrini, Gretel Gisela. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Cregor, Meloney. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: McAndrews, Kevin. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Choi, Roy B. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Maiz, Maria. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Johnson, Olivia. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: McCabe, Linda D.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: McCabe, George P.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Ferruzzi, Mario G.. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Lila, Mary Ann. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Peacock, Munro. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Burr, David B.. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Nakatsu, Cindy H.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Weaver, Connie M.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Bellido, Teresita. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unido