Thyroid hormone reduces the loss of axotomized sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia after sciatic nerve transection in adult rat.

We have shown that a local administration of thyroid hormones (T3) at the level of transected rat sciatic nerve induced a significant increase in the number of regenerated axons. To address the question of whether local administration of T3 rescues the axotomized sensory neurons from death, in the present study we estimated the total number of surviving neurons per dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in three experimental group animals. Forty-five days following rat sciatic nerve transection, the lumbar (L4 and L5) DRG were removed from PBS-control, T3-treated as well as from unoperated rats, and serial sections (1 microm) were cut. The physical dissector method was used to estimate the total number of sensory neurons in the DRGs. Our results revealed that in PBS-control rats transection of sciatic nerve leads to a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the mean number of sensory neurons (8743.8 +/- 748.6) compared with the number of neurons in nontransected ganglion (mean 13,293.7 +/- 1368.4). However, administration of T3 immediately after sciatic nerve transection rescues a great number of axotomized neurons so that their mean neuron number (12,045.8 +/- 929.8) is not significantly different from the mean number of neurons in the nontransected ganglion. In addition, the volume of ganglia showed a similar tendency. These results suggest that T3 rescues a high number of axotomized sensory neurons from death and allows these cells to grow new axons. We believe that the relative preservation of neurons is important in considering future therapeutic approaches of human peripheral nerve lesion and sensory neuropathy.

Effect of weight loss on resting energy expenditure in obese prepubertal children.

To assess the effect of weight loss on resting metabolic rate (RMR), the energy expenditure of eight obese prepubertal children (age 9 +/- 1 years; weight 48.7 +/- 9.1 kg; BMI 25.3 +/- 3.9) and of 14 age-matched children of normal body weight (age 9 +/- 1 years; weight 28.8 +/- 5.6 kg; BMI 16.5 +/- 1.7) was measured by indirect calorimetry. The obese children were reinvestigated after a mean weight loss of 5.4 +/- 1.2 kg induced by a six-months mixed hypocaloric diet. Before slimming, the obese group showed a higher daily energy intake than the control group (10.40 +/- 3.45 MJ/day vs 7.97 +/- 2.02 MJ/day respectively; P less than 0.05) but a similar value was observed per unit fat-free mass (FFM) (0.315 +/- 0.032 MJ/kgFFM/day vs 0.329 +/- 0.041 MJ/kgFFM/day respectively). The average RMR of the obese children was greater than that of the control group (5217 +/- 531 kJ/day vs 4477 +/- 506 kJ/day) but similar after adjusting for FFM (4728 +/- 3102 kJ/day vs 4899 +/- 3102 kJ/day). Weight loss resulted in a reduction in RMR (5217 +/- 531 kJ/day vs 4874 +/- 820 kJ/day), each kg of weight loss being accompanied by a decrease of RMR of 64 kJ (15.3 kcal) per day. The changes in RMR induced by weight loss paralleled the changes in FFM. No difference was found in average RQ in obese children vs controls (0.85 +/- 0.03 vs 0.87 +/- 0.03 respectively) and in the obese children before and after weight loss (0.87 +/- 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Intangible Capital: An opportunity for PhD students and junior researchers

El objetivo de esta editorial es exponer los hitos más importantes acontecidos durante el año 2008, en el que se publicó el volumen 4, los datos de visibilidad y por primera vez los resultados de una encuesta de satisfacción realizada a los autores que han enviado durante 2008 alguna publicación a evaluación. Además, en el anexo se expone la relación de revisores y miembros del Editorial Board que han hecho posible el cuarto volumen de Intangible Capital. También se informa sobre los aspectos que indican el principio de una consolidación de la revista, y la importancia de mantener los principios básicos que dieron origen a esta publicación. Concluimos la editorial animando a directores de tesis, estudiantes de doctorado y autores noveles a enviar sus primeros trabajos a evaluación.The aim of this editorial is to present the most important Intangible Capital milestones of 2008. During the last year, the intangible Capital published its 4th volume, together with information regarding the journal’s visibility and the first results of a satisfaction survey conducted among the authors, who submitted a paper for evaluation. In addition, the annex presents the list of reviewers and the Editorial Board members who have enabled the publication of the fourth volume of the Intangible Capital. This editorial also provides information regarding the aspects that indicate the beginning of the journal’s consolidation, and the importance of maintaining the basic principles that gave rise to this publication. The editorial concludes by encouraging PhD advisors, doctoral students and junior researchers the Intangible Capital a potential outlet for their work.

Intangible Capital: four years of growth as an open-access scientific publication

Con este nuevo número, la revista Intangible Capital, inicia el cuarto volumen avanzando hacia el quinto año de publicación. Como ya es tradición en la revista, iniciamos este nuevo volumen evaluando el anterior y presentando las nuevas direcciones. Como principales aportaciones del 2007, se destacan hechos relevantes como la renovación de convenios para la indexación científica de la revista, el cambio de plataforma a OJS, la inclusión de un nuevo editor, la nueva composición del editorial board, el equipo de revisores, el cambio a un modelo bilingüe de revista, la nueva financiación obtenida y el trabajo que estamos realizando gran número de editores científicos de acceso abierto en España para el reconocimiento por parte de la Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora.This issue opens the fourth volume of the Intangible Capital journal, which makes its way towards the fifth year of publication. As usually, we start this volume by evaluating the previous one and tracing new directions. Among the main contributions during the year 2007, we consider important to highlight the following aspects: the renewal of the scientific indexation agreements, the platform change to OJS, the appointment of a new editor, new members included in the editorial board, the board of reviewers, the change towards a bilingual model, the new financing obtained and, the last but not the least, the work undertaken together with many scientific editors of open access Spanish journals for obtaining the positive evaluation of the CNEAI (National Commission for the Evaluation of the Research Activity) and thus, being a proof of scientific excellence

How market access shapes human capital investment in a peripheral country

Human capital endowment is one of the main factors influencing the level of development of a region. This paper analyses whether remoteness from economic activity has a negative effect on human capital accumulation and, consequently, on economic development. Making use of microdata this research proves that remoteness from economic activity has contributed to explain the divergences in the level of education observed across Spanish provinces over the last 50 years. The effect is significant even when controlling for the improvement of education supply. Nonetheless, the accessibility effect has been petering out since the 1960s due to the decreasing barriers to mobility.

Iowa Capital Complex Master Plan, January 7, 2010

This document provides design and strategies for the capital complex. Also for future physical development of the complex.

Glycogen content in the cerebral cortex increases with sleep loss in C57BL/6J mice.

We hypothesized that a function of sleep is to replenish brain glycogen stores that become depleted while awake. We have previously tested this hypothesis in three inbred strains of mice by measuring brain glycogen after a 6h sleep deprivation (SD). Unexpectedly, glycogen content in the cerebral cortex did not decrease with SD in two of the strains and was even found to increase in mice of the C57BL/6J (B6) strain. Manipulations that initially induce glycogenolysis can also induce subsequent glycogen synthesis thereby elevating glycogen content beyond baseline. It is thus possible that in B6 mice, cortical glycogen content decreased early during SD and became elevated later in SD. In the present study, we therefore measured changes in brain glycogen over the course of a 6 h SD and during recovery sleep in B6 mice. We found no evidence of a decrease at any time during the SD, instead, cortical glycogen content monotonically increased with time-spent-awake and, when sleep was allowed, started to revert to control levels. Such a time-course is opposite to the one predicted by our initial hypothesis. These results demonstrate that glycogen synthesis can be achieved during prolonged wakefulness to the extent that it outweighs glycogenolysis. Maintaining this energy store seems thus not to be functionally related to sleep in this strain.

Identification of psychological dysfunctions and eating disorders in obese women seeking weight loss: cross-sectional study.

Objective. The aim of this study is to analyse associations between eating behaviour and psychological dysfunctions in treatment-seeking obese patients and identify parameters for the development of diagnostic tools with regard to eating and psychological disorders. Design and Methods. Cross-sectional data were analysed from 138 obese women. Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh and Eating Disorder Inventory-2 assessed eating behaviours. Beck Depression Inventory II, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, form Y, Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and Marks and Mathews Fear Questionnaire assessed psychological profile. Results. 61% of patients showed moderate or major depressive symptoms and 77% showed symptoms of anxiety. Half of the participants presented with a low degree of assertiveness. No correlation was found between psychological profile and age or anthropometric measurements. The prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, and assertiveness increased with the degree of eating disorders. The feeling of ineffectiveness explained a large degree of score variance. It explained 30 to 50% of the variability of assertiveness, phobias, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion. Psychological dysfunctions had a high prevalence and their severity is correlated with degree of eating disorders. The feeling of ineffectiveness constitutes the major predictor of the psychological profile and could open new ways to develop screening tools.

Gene loss and evolutionary rates following whole-genome duplication in teleost fishes.

Teleost fishes provide the first unambiguous support for ancient whole-genome duplication in an animal lineage. Studies in yeast or plants have shown that the effects of such duplications can be mediated by a complex pattern of gene retention and changes in evolutionary pressure. To explore such patterns in fishes, we have determined by phylogenetic analysis the evolutionary origin of 675 Tetraodon duplicated genes assigned to chromosomes, using additional data from other species of actinopterygian fishes. The subset of genes, which was retained in double after the genome duplication, is enriched in development, signaling, behavior, and regulation functional categories. The evolutionary rate of duplicate fish genes appears to be determined by 3 forces: 1) fish proteins evolve faster than mammalian orthologs; 2) the genes kept in double after genome duplication represent the subset under strongest purifying selection; and 3) following duplication, there is an asymmetric acceleration of evolutionary rate in one of the paralogs. These results show that similar mechanisms are at work in fishes as in yeast or plants and provide a framework for future investigation of the consequences of duplication in fishes and other animals.

Théorie et application de l'impôt sur le capital / par Menier,...

Collection : Bibliothèque de la réforme fiscale et économique

Large calcite and bulk-rock volume loss in metacarbonate xenoliths from the Qu,rigut massif (French Pyrenees)

Chemical mass transfer was quantified in a metacarbonate xenolith enclosed within the granodiorite of the Qu,rigut massif (Pyrenees, France). Mass balance calculations suggest a strong decrease of CaO, SrO and CO(2) contents (up to -90%), correlated with a decrease of modal calcite content as the contact is approached. Most other chemical elements behave immobile during metasomatism. They are therefore passively enriched. Only a small increase of SiO(2), Al(2)O(3) and Fe(2)O(3) contents occurs in the immediate vicinity of the contact. Hence, in this study, skarn formation is characterized by the lack of large chemical element influx from the granitoid protolith. A large decrease of the initial carbonate volume (up to -86%) resulted from a combination of decarbonation reactions and loss of CaO and CO(2). The resulting volume change has potentially important consequences for the interpretation of stable isotope profiles: the isotope alteration could have occured over greater distances than those observed today.