University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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Review: Mammary gland physiology and modulation during colostrogenesis in dairy goats
No full textNewborn ruminants are highly dependent on the intake of high-quality colostrum immediately after
birth to obtain energy and achieve an appropriate immunisation. Previous research indicates that poor
management practices in the last months of gestation can lead to increased neonatal mortality rates
by reducing colostrum quality among other factors. In ruminants, colostrum synthesis is a well-
preserved mechanism which has been speculated to be regulated by the neuroendocrine system.
However, this review aims to explore different approaches such as alternative dry-off management prac-
tices, the inclusion of different nutrients on prepartum diets, and the stimulation of the mammary gland
immune response to modulate colostrogenesis and consequently, to enhance colostrum quality. Ensuring
correct dry-off practices combined with controlled dietary supplementation can support mammary gland
reorganisation and potentially modulate colostrogenesis. Despite positive effects on colostrum yield, the
bioactive composition of colostrum seems to be irresponsive to prepartum energy, protein, and fat sup-
plementation in dairy goats. On the other hand, mastitis has obvious negative effects on animal health;
however, an experimentally induced local inflammation seems to trigger helpful modifications on the
blood-milk barrier, enhancing the concentration of some immune components (i.e., immunoglobulin G
and M) in goat colostrum. Yet, most research has focused on dairy cattle, leaving a significant knowledge
gap on colostrogenesis in small ruminants. Therefore, future studies should focus on developing novel
dry-off and dietary strategies to not only promote a healthy lactation but also to guarantee a successful
colostrum synthesis.101,014,0Q1Q1SCIE10,
Postoperative recurrence after a definitive ostomy in Crohn's disease. A nationwide retrospective series from the Eneida registry
No full text642641
Gamification in Higher Education, the experience at ULPGC
No full textUniversity professors are looking for ways to strengthen students' emotional and behavioral engagement in the classroom
in order to improve their learning and increase their performance. One of the strategies used to achieve these goals is
gamification, a term introduced in 2002 by video game developer Nick Pelling. This technique involves incorporating
game elements and dynamics into non-game contexts [1]. The use of gamification in education has grown rapidly due to
its great potential to motivate and engage students [2]. At the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC),
various gamification initiatives have been implemented as part of educational innovation projects to provide a more
engaging and meaningful learning experience in different Faculties. These experiences have involved more than 1000
students and have used tools such as Kahoot, Quizziz, and Wix to develop and assess gamification, along with additional
resources like Educaplay and Powtoon to create games and dynamics. The results show an increase in students'
motivation, participation, and engagement in the subjects, highlighting the importance of educational games and
gamification in teaching due to their impact on student motivation, reducing monotony, and presenting learning materials
in a more effective and entertaining way.2742678Q
La Zaranda: el teatro como lienzo y como partitura
No full textLas obras de La Zaranda no solo cuentan historias: las pintan y las componen. Su universo escénico no se entiende sin el peso simbólico de los objetos que pueblan el escenario ni sin la cadencia rítmica -a veces cercana al rezo, al cante jondo o a la plegaria litúrgica- que modula la palabra y los silencios. Tienen la capacidad de convertir el espacio escénico en un lienzo cargado de memoria, y el sonido en un eco que reverbera en el espectador
Variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
No full textPrograma de Doctorado en Oceanografía y Cambio Global por la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran CanariaThe ocean circulation dynamics in the Southern Hemisphere have an important role in the global climate system. The system of ocean
currents knwon as Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) connects and redistributes salt, heat, and other biogeochemical tracers across the different ocean basins. Here, we detail the South Atlantic Ocean
circulation patterns by analyzing hydrographic data from several cruises using an inverse box model to adjust the reference-level velocities. The upper layer currents, such as the northwestward-flowing Benguela Current and southward-flowing Brazil Current, describe the South Atlantic anticyclonic gyre. The deep layers feature the southward transports of the deep boundary currents and a west-to-east flow between the basins near
24°S (7.5 ± 4.4 Sv) above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Both upper and deep
layers connect the eastern and western basins; however, the abyssal waters present northward mass transports through Argentina and Cape Basins
without any interbasin exchange across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Furthermore, the cruise data allow us to compute the upper AMOC
(Atlantic MOC) strength, as well as the transports of mass, heat, and
freshwater, demonstrating the characteristic northward heat transport and
the dominance of evaporation over precipitation across the subtropical South Atlantic. Currently, the freshwater transport by the AMOC (Mov) across 34.5ºS in the South Atlantic has been identified as a possible indicator of
AMOC stability, with a negative (southward) freshwater transport indicating a possible bistable AMOC regime and positive (northward)
transport indicating a monostable regime. This Ph.D. thesis computes the Mov using observations from 49 eXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT) transects, from South America to South Africa, over nearly two decades
(2002-2019), resulting a negative Mov mean of −0.15 ± 0.09 Sv which
suggests a bistable AMOC regime. These results are complemented with
two data sets derived from Argo float observations, four Ocean General Circulation Models (OGCMs: GLORYS, OFES, MOM6-JRA, and
MOM6-MERRA), and thirty-two Coupled General Circulation Models
(CGCMs: CMIP6). Both Argo and OGCMs data sets agree with the sign
of the Mov computed from the XBT data. Nevertheless, more than half of
the examined CGCMs, 20 out of 32, present positive Mov mean values. To
investigate the causes of the differing signs of the Mov across the models,
we examine the salinity vertical structure in CGCMs with positive and
negative Mov. Importantly, our work highlights the different salinity
structures in CMIP6 models with positive Mov means (fresher upper and
saltier deep waters compared to those estimating negative Mov values),
suggesting that salinity biases may be responsible for the opposite sign of
Mov. As a result, this thesis highlights the importance of improving CMIP6
model representations, especially the salinity bias. In addition, we compute the South Atlantic meridional fluxes (mass, heat, and salt) at 34.5ºS, which
show linear relationships, with a negative slope (positively correlated in
magnitude) between Mov/MOC and Mov/MHT (Meridional Heat Transport)
and a positive slope (positively correlated) between MHT/MOC.
Seasonally, the South Atlantic meridional fluxes across 34.5ºS from most of the data sets considered in this thesis show a more negative Mov and a more positive MOC and MHT in the austral fall and winter, from April to
August.
This research further extends to the South Pacific Ocean. In the same way as the South Atlantic, we use cruise data with an inverse box
model to compute the meridional circulation and transports. We use hydrographic data to compare the circulation of three decades: 1992, 2003,
2009, and 2017. This comparative analysis reveals different horizontal circulation schemes, particularly the emergence of a "bowed gyre" in 2009,
which is not replicated over the entire length of any of the four OGCMs (ECCO, GLORYS, SOSE, and MOM) used. In addition, our observational and numerical model data highlight discrepancies in the representation of
the East Australian Current. However, the representation of the Peru-Chile Current is consistent across the data sets. Furthermore, this thesis computes the temperature and freshwater transports from the cruise data,
estimating significantly different results during the “bowed gyre” in 2009.
A linear Rossby wave model is adopted to clarify the causes of these different circulation schemes, which includes the wind stress curl variability as a remote forcing and the response to sea surface height changes along 30°S in the Pacific Ocean.
The present Ph.D. thesis significantly contributes to understanding
ocean circulation variability in the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans. By combining data from observations with numerical model
outputs, this research provides a comprehensive perspective on ocean
dynamics and offers implications for future climate change projections
Abordaje del miedo al parto desde la perspectiva de la matrona
No full textPrograma de Doctorado en Investigación en Biomedicina por la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran CanariaObjetivo Principal. El propósito principal de esta tesis fue el diseño e implementación de una intervención integral por matronas, con el objetivo de disminuir el miedo al parto en las mujeres embarazadas.
Método. Con un diseño de ensayo controlado aleatorizado sobre una muestra de mujeres embarazadas, con alto miedo al parto, según puntuaciones sobre 77 en el cuestionario WDEQ-A-Sp, se investigó si una intervención experimental en dos fases (educación prenatal y apoyo intraparto), como complemento a la atención habitual, es más efectiva en la disminución del miedo que si solo reciben la atención habitual. Al mismo tiempo, la efectividad de la intervención integral se evaluó en términos de satisfacción materna con el parto, resultados obstétricos y neonatales.
Resultados. Se incluyeron en el ensayo 214 mujeres, aleatorizándose 117 al grupo de intervención y 97 al grupo de control. Para la variable “resultado principal”, el miedo al parto, tras la fase de prenatal, se obtuvo entre los grupos una diferencia de medias de 25 puntos a favor del grupo experimental; en el análisis intragrupo, la diferencia resultante fue de 35 puntos en el grupo experimental, y de 20 puntos en el de control; todos los resultados en esta fase fueron estadísticamente significativos. Tras la fase intraparto, las comparaciones “post hoc” mostraron resultados a favor de la intervención experimental, tanto en el análisis por intención de tratar, como en el análisis por protocolo, con una significancia estadística más dispar. Otros resultados estadísticamente significativos a favor del grupo experimental se encontraron en la satisfacción materna con el parto, con una mayor “percepción de seguridad”, así como resultados más positivos en el tipo de inicio y finalización del parto, y en el uso de la analgesia epidural.
Conclusiones. Se justifica que el miedo al parto debe reconocerse como un problema de salud en el entorno de estudio, que requiere de un diagnóstico y tratamiento adecuados. Se constata que las matronas, mediante la promoción del parto normal y el especializado, favorecen el empoderamiento de las mujeres, reduciéndose el miedo al parto y mejorando al mismo tiempo la experiencia materna y los resultados del parto
Situación económico-financiera de las empresas hoteleras cotizadas en la Bolsa española antes y después de la pandemia COVID-19.
No full textMediterranean Diet Modulates Gene Expression of Cholesterol Efflux Receptors in High-Risk Cardiovascular Patients
No full textIn this study, we investigated gene expression related to cholesterol efflux receptors in individuals at high cardiovascular risk undergoing Mediterranean dietary interventions. Through transcriptomic analysis, we examined samples from two randomized controlled trials: PREDIMED and PREDIMED-Plus, with 151 and 89 elderly adults, respectively. Blood cells were isolated at baseline and after a 12-month intervention. In the PREDIMED trial, participants followed different Mediterranean diets: one supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil [MedDiet-EVOO]), another with nuts (MedDiet enriched with nuts MedDiet-Nuts [MedDiet-Nuts]), and a low-fat control diet. The PREDIMED-Plus trial compared an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (Er-MedDiet) with physical activity to an ad libitum Mediterranean diet. Over time, mild but significant upregulation of genes like ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1), retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA), retinoid X receptor beta (RXRB), and Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1 Group H Member 3 (NR1H3) was observed in response to MedDiet-EVOO, MedDiet-Nuts, and Er-MedDiet. Notably, RXRA expression was higher in both MedDiet-EVOO and MedDiet-Nuts compared to the control diet. Differences in gene expression, particularly RXRA, ATP binding cassette subfamily G member 1 (ABCG1), NR1H3, and Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Delta (PPARD), were evident between MedDiet-Nuts and the control diet. In the PREDIMED-Plus trial, no significant differences in gene expression were found between dietary groups. Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed overlapping gene expression profiles across different Mediterranean diet interventions. In conclusion, our study highlights the cardiovascular health benefits of long-term adherence to a Mediterranean diet, both normocaloric and hypocaloric, primarily reflected by mild upregulation of cholesterol efflux-related genes-specifically involving RXRA, RXRB, ABCA1, ABCG1, Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1 Group H Member 2(NR1H2), and PPARD-among elderly adults at high cardiovascular risk. This suggests a potential mechanism by which these diets may exert cardiovascular protective effects.131,0394,5Q1Q1SCIE11,
Impact of CoCrFeNiMo High-Entropy-Alloy Doping on the Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of B<sub>4</sub>C Ceramic
No full textThe purpose of this article is to evaluate and compare the mechanical and electrochemical properties of four new materials, composed of a B4C ceramic matrix doped with 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 3% volumes of CoCrFeNiMo HEA with monolithic B4C. The studied samples were obtained using the spark plasma sintering technique. The structure and hardness of the samples were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a Vickers microhardness test. After immersion in artificial sea water to simulate a corrosive marine environment, corrosion potential, corrosion rate and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests were carried out to determine the samples' electrochemical behavior. Tafel slopes and the equivalent circuit that fit the EIS experimental data were obtained. A denser microstructure and smaller grain size was achieved as the HEA content increase. According to the Vickers measurements, every sample showed a normal distribution. All studied samples exhibit great corrosion resistance in a two-step chemical interaction, influenced by the presence of the Warburg element. The research demonstrates that increasing the HEA content implies better performance of corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, confirming the materials' potential use in corrosive environments and harsh mechanical applications.171170,5082,5Q2Q1SCIE10,