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Dietary supplementation is commonly employed by individuals seeking to improve body composition and exercise performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine the safety and effectiveness of a commercially available dietary supplement designed to promote thermogenesis and fat loss. In a randomized double-blind trial, participants were assigned to consume placebo or a multi-ingredient supplement containing caffeine, green tea extract, l-carnitine, evodiamine and other ingredients that purportedly enhance thermogenesis. The study included acute baseline testing, a 6-week progressive resistance training and supplementation intervention, and post-intervention testing. Laboratory assessments included resting energy expenditure responses to acute supplement ingestion, evaluation of body composition and muscular performance, and analysis of blood variables (metabolic panel, testosterone, estrogen and cortisol). Dependent variables were analyzed using ANOVA with repeated measures. No unfavorable effects of supplementation were reported, and the supplement did not adversely affect safety markers. However, the supplement did not reduce fat mass or increase lean mass relative to placebo. In the supplement group, lower body maximal strength was increased relative to placebo (+18%, d=1.1 vs. +10%, d=0.5), and cortisol concentrations were decreased relative to placebo (-16%; d=-0.4 vs. +15%, d=.75). However, no differences were observed for upper body maximal strength or muscular endurance. REE increased in response to both supplement and placebo ingestion (placebo: +5%; supplement: +11.5%), but the difference between conditions was not statistically significant. Overall, some select parameters may have been beneficially modified by supplementation, but this did not result in superior weight or fat loss over 6 weeks of supplementation and resistance training.

At the University of the Balearic Islands, in Ibiza local centre, an eportfolio project in Teacher Education has been implemented since the 2009-2010 school year. This article is based on the research of the two first school years (2009-2010 and 2010-11) of experimental implementation of blogs as electronic portfolios. The results reported are those related to student teachers’ perceptions of blogs as eportfolios and the assessment of their performance. The project is aimed at fostering the construction of an electronic portfolio in order to build student teachers’ networked selves as future Early Childhood Education teachers. Both the project and research are based on the principle that social media rmpower eportfolios. Data obtained allows us to observe some affordances of blogs as eportfolio platforms. However, data collected during the two-year period of research raises some unexpected issues of blogs as eportfolios., En la Universidad de las Islas Baleares, en la sede de Ibiza, se implementa un proyecto eportfolio en la formación docente inicial desde el curso escolar 2009-2010. Este artículo se basa en la investigación de los dos primeros cursos (2009-2010 y 2010-11) de aplicación experimental de blogs como portafolios electrónicos. Los resultados mostrados son los relacionados con las percepciones que tienen los futuros docentes así como el resultado de la evaluación de su producción. El proyecto está dirigido a fomentar la construcción de un portafolio electrónico con el fin de que el alumnado construya su yo en red como docentes de Educación Infantil. Tanto el proyecto como la investigación se basan en el principio de que la web social puede empoderar la construcción de eportafolios. Los datos obtenidos nos permiten observar algunas posibilidades de blogs como plataforma de portafolios. Sin embargo, los datos recogidos durante el período de dos años de investigación plantean algunos problemas inesperados en torno a los blogs como eportafolios.

In the southern Sierra Sonobari, NW Mexico, U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology studies allowed to define the provenance and maximum depositional age of the Francisco Gneiss basement of the Sonobari terrane, and to establish the age of some magmatic events in that area. The youngest zircon cluster in paragneisses of the Francisco Gneiss indicates a maximum depositional age of 509 ± 29Ma. The main peaks of the relative probability plot yield ages of 1690 and 1404Ma with minor peaks at 1156, 921, and 517Ma. Major peaks suggest that the main source of sediments was the Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic crust of Laurentia. Orthogneiss from the Francisco Gneiss yields a U-Pb zircon upper intercept age of 248 ± 28Ma, which is interpreted as the crystallization age. Crosscutting dykes of metabasite yield an 40Ar/39Ar age of 67 ± 5Ma, which is interpreted as indicating cooling after either a latest Early Cretaceous orogenic event or Late Cretaceous contact metamorphism. Granodiorite intruding the Francisco Gneiss yields a U-Pb age of 64 ± 1Ma, which is interpreted as a magmatic age. The hornblende-plagioclase Macochin Gabbro yields 40Ar/39Ar isochron ages of 54 ± 10Ma and 47 ± 5Ma, which are interpreted as cooling ages after the gabbro intrusion. Geochemical data indicate that the mafic rocks of the Francisco Gneiss correspond to subalkaline basalts of tholeiitic affinity with concentrations of high field strength elements similar to oceanic basalts, suggesting an asthenospheric upper mantle source. However, according to the variation in Th/Yb and U/Yb, the amphibolites display a significant influence of the upper continental crust. The Macochin Gabbro also has a geochemical signature characteristic of subalkaline basalt with tholeiitic affinity, and high field strength elements similar to oceanic basalts. Tectonic discrimination diagrams and elemental distribution suggest that the mafic rocks of both the Francisco Gneiss and Macochin Gabbro were emplaced during rifting in a back-arc setting.

Effective conservation strategies need to be created based on accurate and updated data on the distribution and conser-vation status of the species of concern. Not surprisingly, the most diverse countries which are currently facing the greater threats, tend to be those with the greatest lack of information. This is the case for Ecuador, where deforestation rates have been extremely severe, especially in the coastal region, where less than 10% of its original forest cover remains. Given the fact that primates rely on habitat connectivity for their survival, it is crucial to understand the impact of threats to their populations. To obtain data on the current distribution of the four primates known to inhabit western Ecuador, several organizations worked together to conduct the first primate census in coastal Ecuador from October 2016 to March 2017. Teams of 2−5 people walked existing trails and recorded both visual and auditory detections. We also conducted semi-structured interviews to members of local communities to complement field data. We surveyed 83 locations, and recorded 260 independent detections, along more than 300 km of trails, The four species known to occur in the region were detected: the Ecuadorian mantled howler Alouatta palliata aequatorialis; the Brown-headed Spider Monkey Ateles fusciceps; the Ecuadorian White-fronted Capuchin Cebus aequatorialis, and the Colombian White-faced Capuchin Cebus capucinus capucinus. Two other species, Aotus sp. and Saimiri sp., were mentioned during the interviews. This project is a clear example of what can be achieved when different organizations unify their efforts towards a single goal that provides the basis for future research, and suggests specific conservation measures to improve the conservation status of the primates.