Comparative antagonism of kainate-activated kainate and AMPA receptors in hippocampal neurons

Native kainate receptors expressed by cultured hippocampal cells were studied in the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique by using a fast perfusion system. About 80% of the neurons expressed kainate receptors independently of the time in culture (0-4 days), which coincided with the number of cells immunoreactive for a monoclonal antibody against the GluR5/6/7 subunits. Three types of cells were considered: neurons in which the rapid application of kainate induced a rapidly desensitizing current, cells in which kainate induced a more slowly rising, non-desensitizing, response and those in which a mixture of both responses was apparent. Steady responses induced by 300 microM kainate were inhibited by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 0.92 microM). CNQX was less potent in blocking transient kainate-induced responses (IC50 = 6.1 microM). Responses to kainate, whether steady or transient, were also inhibited by NS102, showing poor selectivity for the transient response (IC50 = 4.1 and 2.2 microM respectively). The new alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole (AMPA) receptor antagonist NS394 was very potent in inhibiting steady kainate-induced currents (IC50 = 0.45 microM), but was even more effective in preventing peak responses (IC50 = 0.13 microM). In contrast, cyclothiazide did not affect transient kainate-induced responses but did potentiate current induced by activation of AMPA receptors by AMPA or kainate. These results demonstrate the lack of complete selectivity amongst some available competitive antagonists for AMPA and kainate receptors, and indicate that kainate receptors expressed by hippocampal cells lack the cyclothiazide modulatory site present at AMPA receptors. In addition, the present data support the idea that low-affinity kainate binding sites in the brain correspond to receptor channels selectively activated by kainate.     

Gender differences in computer attitudes and the choice of technology-related occupations in a sample of secondary students in Spain

The dearth of women in technology and ICT-related fields continues to be a topic of interest for both the scientific community and decision-makers. Research on attitudes towards computers proves that women display more negative computer attitudes than men and also make less intense use of technology and computers than their male counterparts. For this reason, the main aims of this study are threefold. Firstly, to analyze the existence of gender differences in three dimensions of computer attitudes in a group of 550 secondary students in Spain (mean of age = 15 years old; SD = 1.73). Secondly, to study the moderating influence of a group of contextual variables on those gender differences in computer attitudes. And thirdly, to examine the predictive role of computer attitudes on the intention to pursue technology-related occupations. Some of the analyses of variance carried out show more positive computer attitudes in boys than in girls. These differences are more salient among students coming from rural areas and the upper social class, who are also enrolled in the domain of technology in secondary education, and whose mothers have no occupation outside the home. Finally, simple logistic regressions were carried out in order to prove that all dimensions of computer attitudes predict the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations. Nonetheless, gender only moderates the relationship between the cognitive dimension of computer attitudes and the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations.     

Antioxidant activity, browning and volatile Maillard compounds in Pedro Ximénez sweet wines under accelerated oxidative aging

Pedro Ximénez wine, aged by thermal treatment during 10, 20 and 30 days in the presence or absence of oak chips, was studied in terms of antioxidant activity, browning and volatile Maillard compounds. The phenolic fractions obtained by the SepPack tC-18 column revealed that the antioxidant activity after 10 days of thermal treatment was due to the presence of phenols and polar compounds possibly formed by the Maillard reaction. After 30 days, however, the antioxidant activity was also due to high-molecular weight procyanidins. Volatile Maillard compounds increased throughout the thermal treatment. It should be noted that there was an increase in the 5-ethoxymethylfurfural content and the presence of 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-2-one, which was recently shown to inhibit growth of colon tumor cells. The presence of oak chips had a substantial effect on the contents in volatile Maillard compounds after the thermal treatment with the exception of corylon. The wine obtained after 10 days of thermal treatment was judged to be the best in terms of sensory properties. In fact, it exhibited the optimum balance between varietal and aging aromas due to Maillard compounds.     

Multitemporal thermal analysis to detect moisture on a building façade

It is well known that the content of water does affect materials behaviour and may cause important damages to buildings, including structural deterioration. Thermography is a non-intrusive imaging technique that allows the inspection of different materials based on their surface temperatures. Within an appropriate thermal analysis, moisture and other structural damages can be detected. The present research work deals with multitemporal thermal analysis to detect moisture on buildings, as well as other alterations. Two different approaches are tested to determine the effectiveness on the moisture surveys, one simple based on image differences, and another more sophisticated based on principal components analysis (PCA). The results are tested at the front door of the Arenberg Castle (Leuven, Belgium). Some moisture maps are derived and used to determine the reliability of either the computation of image differences or the PCA to carry out semi-automatically moisture surveys on architectural façades. The latter method is proven to be superior when using thermal imagery acquired at different times.     

Long-term high-frequency validation of MODIS LST products in a Mediterranean mountain environment

The accuracy of Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) level 3 1 km land surface temperature (LST) products was assessed through long-term validation carried out in a mountainous site in Sierra Nevada, southeast Spain. A total of 1458 day and night thermal images, acquired by Terra and Aqua satellites during 2008, were processed and compared to ground-truth data recorded at the meteorological station of Robledal de Cañar with a frequency of one measurement every 10 min. The purpose of this investigation was to understand whether MODIS LST data can be used as input for climate models to be constructed for mountainous environments. Several trends in the MODIS LST data were observed, including the underestimation of daytime values and the overestimation of night-time values. Although all the data sets (Terra and Aqua, diurnal and nocturnal) showed high correlation coefficients with ground measurements, only night values maintained a relatively high accuracy of approximately 2°C of annual average error. Factors that may cause errors in the MODIS LST data, like acquisition angle, cloud, and snow cover, were analysed without conclusive results. High accuracy levels, i.e. close to 1°C, similar to other validation studies carried out over simpler and much more homogenous land-cover types such as cultivated fields, have been achieved for night images acquired during the summer months, thus making these datasets reliable for their use in climatic models over mountainous regions.     

Historiography of psychology in Spain: The last decade.

History of Psychology has been an extremely active field for many years in Spain. Both the great expansion of psychological studies and the inclusion of history as a compulsory subject in the psychology curriculum are crucial factors helping to understand the current state of affairs. The aim of this paper is to provide a survey of the work done in this area over the last decade, covering research, teaching, and institutional developments. The study includes consideration of aspects such as main research lines, major theoretical and methodological trends, teaching materials, relevant archives and exhibits, and significant websites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)