Search results for "Mental stress"
showing 5 items of 65 documents
Effects of anthropogenic stress on hosts and their microbiomes: Treated wastewater alters performance and gut microbiome of a key detritivore ( Asell…
2023
Human activity is a major driver of ecological and evolutionary change in wild populations and can have diverse effects on eukaryotic organisms as well as on environmental and host-associated microbial communities. Although host-microbiome interactions can be a major determinant of host fitness, few studies consider the joint responses of hosts and their microbiomes to anthropogenic changes. In freshwater ecosystems, wastewater is a widespread anthropogenic stressor that represents a multifarious environmental perturbation. Here, we experimentally tested the impact of treated wastewater on a keystone host (the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus) and its gut microbiome. We used a semi-natur…
Applying the Anna Karenina principle for wild animal gut microbiota : temporal stability of the bank vole gut microbiota in a disturbed environment
2020
Gut microbiota play an important role in host health. Yet, the drivers and patterns of microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis) in wild animals remain largely unexplored. One hypothesised outcome of stress on animal microbiomes is a destabilised microbial community that is characterised by an increase in inter-individual differences compared with microbiomes of healthy animals, which are expected to be (i) temporally stable and (ii) relatively similar among individuals. This set of predictions for response of microbiomes to stressors is known as the Anna Karenina principle (AKP) for animal microbiomes. We examine the AKP in a wild mammal inhabiting disturbed environments by conducting a capture-mar…
Electrodermal activity in response to a set of mental tasks in caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorders
2011
IntroductionAnalysing reactivity to laboratory stressor in lab is a valid model for understanding how people act in real-life situations. Electrodermal activity is a good index of emotionality, which has not been analysed in caregivers of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsThis work aims to compare the response of electrodermal activity to mental stress between caregivers of ASDs people and controls, as the former could show a different response due to their particular situation characterised by a state of continuous alert.MethodsParents of both genders of people with (n = 44) or without (n = 42) ASDs carried out a set of different mental tasks. Skin Conductanc…
MbCo in Saccharide Solid Amorphous Systems: A Combined FTIR and SAXS Study
2011
Saccharides, and in particular trehalose, are known for their efficiency in protecting biostructures against environmental stress [1], although the preservation mechanism is still debated. Experiments and simulations [2,3] on carboxy-myoglobin (MbCO) showed that the protein dynamics is highly inhibited in dry trehalose matrices, the inhibition being dependent on the water content. In these conditions, a mutual protein-matrix structural and dynamic influence is observed.Here we report a combined FTIR and SAXS study on MbCO embedded in dry amorphous matrices of trehalose and sucrose. FTIR measurements were performed at different protein/sugar ratios, focussing on the stretching band of the bo…
Anàlisi de les estratègies germinatives d’espècies halòfiles
2018
En ambients halòfils de clima mediterrani com els localitzats en el litoral sud alacantí, l’ecofisiologia de la germinació és afectada essencialment pel dèficit hídric estacional, les elevades temperatures i les propietats del sòl. En aquest marc d’irregularitat ambiental, s’establí la resposta de germinació integrada en el cicle vital de l’espècie herbàcia halòfita Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum L. per tal d’avançar en el coneixement del funcionament d’aquests ambients salins i així poder abordar futurs programes de conservació vegetal en praderies salines. El protocol de germinació òptim de l’espècie d’estudi s’aconsegueix a un rang tèrmic de 25/10ºC i un fotoperíode de 12/12 h llum/obscurit…