Thermal signatures of human pheromones in sexual and reproductive behaviour

Chemically mediated sexual communication in humans has been largely neglected due to its non-conscious and relatively concealed nature. However, menstrual cycle synchronisation, puberty onset in young pre-pubertal girls exposed to their stepfather, and consanguinity avoidance suggest a function in the physiological regulation of sexual and reproductive behaviour in humans. These phenomena are related to activation of the limbic system by pheromones. On the basis of sexually dimorphic activation of brain hypothalamic areas and the control of body temperature via the hypothalamus, our hypothesis is that human sexual pheromones can induce thermal effects that can be revealed by high-resolution thermal infrared imaging. Here we show that in women, male sexual pheromones induce thermal effects that are linked to the ovarian cycle. These findings suggest a dramatic influence of pheromones on human sexual and reproductive behaviour through neuroendocrine brain control, established on the plesiomorphic nature of chemical communication across species

Constructivismo y metodología colaborativa mediada por TIC en educación superior usando webquest

The present article presents an experience of educational innovation framed in the constructivist approach and the collaborative methodology conducted with students of the Degree in Primary Education, in the module “ICT Applied to Education”. The experience consisted of making the students competent in the design, creation and evaluation of WebQuests and Scavenger Hunts. To this end, globalising and competence-based strategies were used, with which the students learn, through a work project, to perform specific tasks designed by the teacher and carried out in collaborative groups based on constructivist models from an active learning. In this case, the students are taught what a WebQuest is by using a WebQuest designed by the teacher, who then gives them the task of creating a WebQuest or Scavenger Hunt designed for students in primary education. This experience is structured in three learning phases, as well as an initial evaluation (pretest) and a final evaluation (post-test) to verify the extent of learning of the students. During the process, instruments of self-evaluation, heteroevaluation and coevaluation were used to enhance learning. The results show that the learning of these students increased, both in their didactic competence and in the use of ICT, using an alternative methodology to the traditional one.En este artículo queremos dar a conocer una experiencia de innovación docente enmarcada en el enfoque constructivista y la metodología colaborativa, realizada con alumnos del Grado de Maestro de Educación Primaria en la Asignatura de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación aplicadas a la Educación. Se trata de hacer a los alumnos competentes en el diseño, elaboración y evaluación de Webquest y “caza del tesoro”. Para ello utilizamos, estrategias de aprendizaje globalizador y de tipo competencial, donde los alumnos aprenden, a través de un proyecto de trabajo, a realizar unas determinadas tareas diseñadas por el profesor y llevadas a cabo en grupos colaborativos basado en modelos constructivistas desde un aprendizaje activo. En el caso que nos ocupa se enseña a los estudiantes qué es una Webquest utilizando una Webquest diseñada por la profesora, y que exige en la tarea la realización de una Webquest o “caza del tesoro” dirigida a alumnos de Educación Primaria. Esta experiencia se estructura en 3 fases de aprendizaje, además de una evaluación inicial (pre-test) y otra final (post-test) para verificar el grado de aprendizaje de los alumnos. Durante el proceso también se utilizan instrumentos de autoevaluación, heteroevaluación y coevaluación que favorecen el aprendizaje. Los resultados demuestran el incremento superior del aprendizaje de los estudiantes tanto en su competencia didáctica, como en el uso de las TIC, utilizando una metodología alternativa a la tradicional

Simultaneous fNIRS and thermal infrared imaging during cognitive task reveal autonomic correlates of prefrontal cortex activity

Functional Near Infrared-Spectroscopy (fNIRS) represents a powerful tool to non-invasively study task-evoked brain activity. fNIRS assessment of cortical activity may suffer for contamination by physiological noises of different origin (e.g. heart beat, respiration, blood pressure, skin blood flow), both task-evoked and spontaneous. Spontaneous changes occur at different time scales and, even if they are not directly elicited by tasks, their amplitude may result task-modulated. In this study, concentration changes of hemoglobin were recorded over the prefrontal cortex while simultaneously recording the facial temperature variations of the participants through functional infrared thermal (fIR) imaging. fIR imaging provides touch-less estimation of the thermal expression of peripheral autonomic. Wavelet analysis revealed task-modulation of the very low frequency (VLF) components of both fNIRS and fIR signals and strong coherence between them. Our results indicate that subjective cognitive and autonomic activities are intimately linked and that the VLF component of the fNIRS signal is affected by the autonomic activity elicited by the cognitive task. Moreover, we showed that task-modulated changes in vascular tone occur both at a superficial and at larger depth in the brain. Combined use of fNIRS and fIR imaging can effectively quantify the impact of VLF autonomic activity on the fNIRS signals

«No trabajo y me siento bien»: Cambios en la división sexual del trabajo y dinámicas identitarias de padres en casa en Bélgica

The fathers who dedicate themselves to childcare in Belgium are confronted to a lack of legitimacy and of valorisation of their practices and of their role of housefathers, that manifests itself through interpersonal relations and the spatial-temporal organization of public spaces. These remind them continuously that they deviate from the norms of the sexual division of labour, which in turns affects their capacity to build a positive self-image at a distance from professional work. In reaction, housefathers develop strategies to limit the impact of this lack of legitimacy and give sense to their practices.Los padres que se dedican al cuidado de los niños en Bélgica se enfrentan a una falta de legitimidad y de valorización de sus prácticas y de su rol como «padres en casa» que se manifiesta en las relaciones interpersonales y en la organización espacio-temporal de los espacios públicos. Las continuas referencias a su falta de ajuste con las normas tradicionales de la división sexual del trabajo hipotecan la posibilidad de construir una imagen positiva de sí mismos de cara a su distancia del trabajo asalariado. Como reacción, los padres en casa desarrollan estrategias para limitar el impacto de esta falta de legitimidad y dar sentido a sus prácticas

The subcellular localization of the ChoRE-binding protein, encoded by the Williams-Beuren syndrome critical region gene 14, is regulated by 14-3-3

The Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a contiguous gene syndrome caused by chromosomal rearrangements at chromosome band 7q11.23. Several endocrine phenotypes, in particular impaired glucose tolerance and silent diabetes, have been described for this clinically complex disorder. The WBSCR14 gene, one of the genes mapping to the WBS critical region, encodes a member of the basic-helix-loop-helix leucine zipper family of transcription factors, which dimerizes with the Max-like protein, Mlx. This heterodimeric complex binds and activates, in a glucose-dependent manner, carbohydrate response element (ChoRE) motifs in the promoter of lipogenic enzymes. We identified five novel WBSCR14-interacting proteins, four 14-3-3 isotypes and NIF3L1, which form a single polypeptide complex in mammalian cells. Phosphatase treatment abrogates the association between WBSCR14 and 14-3-3, as shown previously for multiple 14-3-3 interactors. WBSCR14 is exported actively from the nucleus through a CRM1-dependent mechanism. This translocation is contingent upon the ability to bind 14-3-3. Through this mechanism the 14-3-3 isotypes directly affect the WBSCR14:Mlx complexes, which activate the transcription of lipogenic gene

A novel GLM-based method for the Automatic IDentification of functional Events (AIDE) in fNIRS data recorded in naturalistic environments.

Recent technological advances have allowed the development of portable functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) devices that can be used to perform neuroimaging in the real-world. However, as real-world experiments are designed to mimic everyday life situations, the identification of event onsets can be extremely challenging and time-consuming. Here, we present a novel analysis method based on the general linear model (GLM) least square fit analysis for the Automatic IDentification of functional Events (or AIDE) directly from real-world fNIRS neuroimaging data. In order to investigate the accuracy and feasibility of this method, as a proof-of-principle we applied the algorithm to (i) synthetic fNIRS data simulating both block-, event-related and mixed-design experiments and (ii) experimental fNIRS data recorded during a conventional lab-based task (involving maths). AIDE was able to recover functional events from simulated fNIRS data with an accuracy of 89%, 97% and 91% for the simulated block-, event-related and mixed-design experiments respectively. For the lab-based experiment, AIDE recovered more than the 66.7% of the functional events from the fNIRS experimental measured data. To illustrate the strength of this method, we then applied AIDE to fNIRS data recorded by a wearable system on one participant during a complex real-world prospective memory experiment conducted outside the lab. As part of the experiment, there were four and six events (actions where participants had to interact with a target) for the two different conditions respectively (condition 1: social-interact with a person; condition 2: non-social-interact with an object). AIDE managed to recover 3/4 events and 3/6 events for conditions 1 and 2 respectively. The identified functional events were then corresponded to behavioural data from the video recordings of the movements and actions of the participant. Our results suggest that "brain-first" rather than "behaviour-first" analysis is possible and that the present method can provide a novel solution to analyse real-world fNIRS data, filling the gap between real-life testing and functional neuroimaging

Magnetoliposomes: envisioning new strategies for water decontamination

In this work, the inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) within phospholipid vesicles has been investigated as novel strategy for improving stability and reactivity of these nanoparticles and extending their potential use in the environmental field. Two phospholipids able to form liposomes characterized by different rigidity and stiffness, were used as potential carriers of MNPs. The magneto-responsive liposomes were investigated for their physicochemical and stability properties. In particular, the stability of the two systems was indirectly investigated evaluating the ability of the hybrid constructs to retain a fluorescent marker in their structure. Alterations in the permeability of the membranes were determined by the rate of the marker release from the liposomes, under both mechanical and thermal stress conditions

Impact of soil and water conservation measuren on catchment hydrological response: a case in north Ethiopia

Impact studies of catchment management in the developing world rarely include detailed hydrological components. Here, changes in the hydrological response of a 200-ha catchment in north Ethiopia are investigated. The management included various soil and water conservation measures such as the construction of dry masonry stone bunds and check dams, the abandonment of post-harvest grazing, and the establishment of woody vegetation. Measurements at the catchment outlet indicated a runoff depth of 5 mm or a runoff coefficient (RC) of 1·6% in the rainy season of 2006. Combined with runoff measurements at plot scale, this allowed calculating the runoff curve number (CN) for various land uses and land management techniques. The pre-implementation runoff depth was then predicted using the CN values and a ponding adjustment factor, representing the abstraction of runoff induced by the 242 check dams in gullies. Using the 2006 rainfall depths, the runoff depth for the 2000 land management situation was predicted to be 26·5mm(RCD 8%), in line with current RCs of nearby catchments. Monitoring of the ground water level indicated a rise after catchment management. The yearly rise in water table after the onset of the rains (ΔT) relative to the water surplus (WS) over the same period increased between 2002-2003 (ΔT/WS D 3·4) and 2006 (ΔT/WS >11·1). Emerging wells and irrigation are other indicators for improved water supply in the managed catchment. Cropped fields in the gullies indicate that farmers are less frightened for the destructive effects of flash floods. Due to increased soil water content, the crop growing period is prolonged. It can be concluded that this catchment management has resulted in a higher infiltration rate and a reduction of direct runoff volume by 81% which has had a positive influence on the catchment water balance. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd