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Si hay un aditivo al que aún es difícil renunciar en la elaboración de vinos es el sulfito. Hasta la fecha no se ha conseguido ningún producto que aglutine las cualidades antimicrobianas, antioxidantes y antioxidásicas de este compuesto. BioSystems dispone de un reactivo automatizado mediante el uso del analizador Y15, para la cuantificación de sulfito libre en vino y mosto. Se presentan los datos de la validación: el rango de linealidad es de 0 a 100 mg/l (r2>0,99). El LOQ es de 2,1 mg/l y los valores de precisión en todo el rango de medida están entre 1,0 y 1,3 % (repetibilidad) y 1,1 y 2,1 % (reproducibilidad). Las comparaciones con el método de referencia tipo II, Franz- Paul (OIV-MA-AS323-04B) realizadas en diversos laboratorios, muestran una buena correlación. El método Free Sulfite Y15 BioSystems automatizado, simple y rápido ha sido validado con éxito.

Abstract Physiological and environmental variables, or covariates, can account for an important portion of the variability observed in behavioural/physiological results from different laboratories even when using the same type of animals and phenotyping procedures. We present the results of a behavioural study with a sample of 1456 genetically heterogeneous N/Nih-HS rats, including males and females, which are part of a larger genome-wide fine-mapping QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) study. N/Nih-HS rats have been derived from 8 inbred strains and provide very small distance between genetic recombinations, which makes them a unique tool for fine-mapping QTL studies. The behavioural test battery comprised the elevated zero-maze test for anxiety, novel-cage (open-field like) activity, two-way active avoidance acquisition (related to conditioned anxiety) and context-conditioned freezing (i.e. classically conditioned fear). Using factorial analyses of variance (ANOVAs) we aimed to analyse sex differences in anxiety and fear in this N/Nih-HS rat sample, as well as to assess the effects of (and interactions with) other independent factors, such as batch, season, coat colour and experimenter. Body weight was taken as a quantitative covariate and analysed by covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Obliquely-rotated factor analyses were also performed separately for each sex, in order to evaluate associations among the most relevant variables from each behavioural test and the common dimensions (i.e. factors) underlying the different behavioural responses. ANOVA analyses showed a consistent pattern of sex effects, with females showing less signs of anxiety and fear than males across all tests. There were also significant main effects of batch, season, colour and experimenter on almost all behavioural variables, as well as "sex × batch", "sex × season" and "sex × experimenter" interactions. Body weight showed significant effects in the ANCOVAs of most behavioural measures, but sex effects were still present in spite of (and after controlling for) these "body weight" effects. Factor analyses of relevant variables from each test showed a two-fold factor structure in both sexes, with the first factor mainly representing anxiety and conditioned fear in males, while in females the first factor was dominated by loadings of activity measures. Thus, besides showing consistent sex differences in anxiety-, fear- and activity-related responses in N/Nih-HS rats, the present study shows that females' behaviour is predominantly influenced by activity while males are more influenced by anxiety. Moreover, the results point out that, besides "sex" effects, physiological variables such as colour and body weight, and environmental factors as batch/season or "experimenter", have to be taken into account in both behavioural and quantitative genetic studies because of their demonstrated influences on phenotypic outcomes.

Efficient use of the energy budget is of fundamental importance for long-distance migrants, which must cope with seasonal energy demands and environmental conditions. Time-activity budgets can provide information on how animals balance energy use and acquisition over their annual cycle, and on the costs and benefits of different migratory strategies. Baleen whales, such as the fin whale, perform long migrations between feeding and breeding grounds. Although there are now a handful of studies describing the diving and foraging behavior of fin whales, most were carried out at their high-latitude foraging grounds, and very little is known about their behavior in wintering habitats or during migration. We analyzed time-depth recorder data to describe the diving behavior and activity patterns of fin whales in a migratory habitat. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis based on a set of dive variables, we identified six dive types. Four of these dive types (shallow exploratory, shallow active, deep exploratory and deep active) were likely associated to foraging. The other two comprised long non-active dives and dives of variable shape, which may represent resting, traveling or even vocalizing behavior. Shallow exploratory dives were the most frequent dive type (23%) and shallow active were the least frequent (5%). The two deepest dive types, deep active and exploratory, were predominantly carried out during the day, and night dives were significantly shallower than daylight dives, suggesting that fin whales tracked the vertical migration of prey. Whales spent 60% of their dive time engaged in dives associated with feeding and/or prey searching, suggesting they prioritized energy intake over energy conservation. Finally, we found that whales spent more time at or close (

Social withdrawal in rodents is a measure of asociality, an important negative symptom of schizophrenia. The Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rat strains have been reported to exhibit differential profiles in schizophrenia-relevant behavioral phenotypes. This investigation was focused on the study of social and non-social behavior of these two rat strains following acute administration of dizocilpine (MK801, an NMDA receptor antagonist), a pharmacological model of schizophrenia-like features used to produce asociality and hyperactivity. Also, since oxytocin (OXT) has been proposed as a natural antipsychotic and a potential adjunctive therapy for social deficits in schizophrenia, we have evaluated the effects of OXT administration and its ability to reverse the MK801-impairing effects on social and non-social behavior and MK801-induced hyperactivity. MK801 administration produced hyperlocomotion and a decrease in social and non-social behavior in both rat strains, but these drug effects were clearly more marked in RHA rats. OXT (0.04 mg/kg and 0.2 mg/kg) attenuated MK801-induced hyperlocomotion in both rat strains, although this effect was more marked in RHA rats. The MK801-decreasing effect on exploration of the "social hole" was moderately but significantly attenuated only in RLA rats. This study is the first to demonstrate the differential effects of OXT on MK801-induced impairments in the two Roman rat strains, providing some support for the potential therapeutic effects of OXT against schizophrenia-like symptoms, including both a positive-like symptom (i.e., MK801-induced hyperlocomotion) and a negative-like symptom (i.e., MK801 decrease in social behavior), while highlighting the importance of the genetic background (i.e., the rat strain) in influencing the effects of both MK801 and oxytocin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este artigo apresenta um estudo exploratório das plataformas educativas digitais utilizadas pelos estados nacionais e provinciais no território virtual para oferecer alternativas para a continuidade dos processos educativos face à emergência sanitária da COVID-19 na Argentina. Neste contexto, as plataformas enfrentam um desafio de natureza técnica, mas a sua resolução deve ser levada a cabo de acordo com outros desafios, tais como sócio-educativos e pedagógicos. Ao sistematizar as suas características em termos de arquitectura, componentes, funcionalidades e o tipo de dinâmicas e interacções que disponibilizam, verificamos que uma dotação técnica virtuosa nem sempre é acompanhada por poderosos recursos pedagógicos. O foco da análise tem então a ver com ponderar como as propostas condensadas nestas ferramentas digitais se encaixam na cultura digital e se como conseguem alinhar-se com a mudança epistémica introduzida pelas TIC. A partir desta análise, o trabalho contribui para especificar a forma como a desigualdade educativa é expressa no plano da sua infraestrutura digital, produto da chegada irregular à discussão pedagógica para a qual empurram a chegada das TIC que existem nos seus subsistemas educativos provinciais.

Introduction: The oceanic waters around the Azores host a high diversity of cetaceans, with 28 species of toothed and baleen whales present year-round or seasonally. This high cetacean biodiversity likely plays an important role in the structure, functioning and productivity of the ecosystem, and may increase trophic redundancy, thus contributing to food web resilience to disturbances. Methods: Here we used stable isotope (γ13C and γ15N) analysis to characterize trophic niches, assess niche overlap, describe the trophic structure and discuss potential redundancy in the cetacean community. Using 407 samples from 12 species, we estimated Standard Ellipse Areas and overlaps between species and used a hierarchical clustering analysis to identify trophic guilds. Results and discussion: γ13C and γ15N values ranged from -20.53 to -15.46‰ and from 7.78 to 14.41‰ respectively, suggesting the use of diverse habitats and resources among cetacean species. Clustering analysis revealed that species were grouped into four trophic guilds, segregated mainly by trophic position (TP): a low-TP guild with three zooplanktivore baleen whales, a mid-TP guild with micronektivores, a high-TP guild with micronekton and nekton consumers, and a cluster with only Pseudorca crassidens. There was significant isotopic niche overlap between one pair of species within each guild, indicating some potential for trophic redundancy in the community. Yet, these pairs also showed some form of spatial or temporal partitioning, suggesting that mechanisms promoting species coexistence could play a key role in structuring the cetacean community in the region and in its ecological role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide-ranging connectivity patterns of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are generally poorly known worldwide and more so within the oceanic archipelagos of Macaronesia in the North East (NE) Atlantic. This study aimed to identify long-range movements between the archipelagos of Macaronesia that lie between 500 and 1,500 km apart, and between Madeira archipelago and the Portuguese continental shelf, through the compilation and comparison of bottlenose dolphin’s photo-identification catalogues from different regions: one from Madeira (n = 363 individuals), two from different areas in the Azores (n = 495 and 176), and four from different islands of the Canary Islands (n = 182, 110, 142 and 281), summing up 1791 photographs. An additional comparison was made between the Madeira catalogue and one catalogue from Sagres, on the southwest tip of the Iberian Peninsula (n = 359). Results showed 26 individual matches, mostly between Madeira and the Canary Islands (n = 23), and between Azores and Madeira (n = 3). No matches were found between the Canary Islands and the Azores, nor between Madeira and Sagres. There were no individuals identified in all three archipelagos. The minimum time recorded between sightings in two different archipelagos (≈ 460 km apart) was 62 days. Association patterns revealed that the individuals moving between archipelagos were connected to resident, migrant and transient individuals in Madeira. The higher number of individuals that were re-sighted between Madeira and the Canary Islands can be explained by the relative proximity of these two archipelagos. This study shows the first inter-archipelago movements of bottlenose dolphins in the Macaronesia region, emphasizing the high mobility of this species and supporting the high gene flow described for oceanic dolphins inhabiting the North Atlantic. The dynamics of these long-range movements strongly denotes the need to review marine protected areas established for this species in each archipelago, calling for joint resolutions from three autonomous regions belonging to two EU countries.

In this study we investigate the effects of parent of origin on complex traits in the laboratory rat, with a focus on coping style behavior in stressful situations. We develop theory, based on earlier work, to partition heritability into a component due to a combination of parent of origin, maternal, paternal and shared environment, and another component that estimates classical additive genetic variance. We use this theory to investigate the effects on heritability of the parental origin of alleles in 798 outbred heterogeneous stock rats across 199 complex traits. Parent-of-origin-like heritability was on average 2.7fold larger than classical additive heritability. Among the phenotypes with the most enhanced parent-of-origin heritability were 10 coping style behaviors, with average 3.2 fold heritability enrichment. To confirm these findings on coping behavior, and to eliminate the possibility that the parent of origin effects are due to confounding with shared environment, we performed a reciprocal F1 cross between the behaviorally divergent RHA and RLA rat strains. We observed parent-of-origin effects on F1 rat anxiety/coping-related behavior in the Elevated Zero Maze test. Our study is the first to assess genetic parent-of-origin effects in rats, and confirm earlier findings in mice that such effects influence coping and impulsive behavior, and suggest these effects might be significant in other mammals, including humans.

Amid the tensions created by the secession push in Catalonia (Spain), an important conflicting issue has been the “immersion linguistic educational system”, in which the Catalan language has precedence throughout all of the primary and secondary school curricula. Here, we present an analysis of a survey (n = 1002) addressing features of linguistic and political opinion profiles with reference to the mother language and feelings of national identity. The results show that the mother language is a factor that differentiated the participants in terms of common linguistic uses and opinions about the “immersion educational system”. These results were confirmed when segmenting respondents via their feelings of national self-identification. The most distinctive political opinions consisted of either asserting or denying the damage to social harmony produced by the secession campaign. Overall, the findings show that a major fraction of the Catalonian citizenry is subjected to an education system that does not meet their linguistic preferences. We discuss these findings, connecting them to an ethnolinguistic divide based mainly on mother language (Catalan vs. Spanish) and family origin—a complex frontier that has become the main factor determining alignment during the ongoing political conflict.