Temporal Phase Synchrony Disruption in Dyslexia: Anomaly Patterns in Auditory Processing

The search for a dyslexia diagnosis based on exclusively objective methods is currently a challenging task. Usually, this disorder is analyzed by means of behavioral tests prone to errors due to their subjective nature; e.g. the subject’s mood while doing the test can affect the results. Understanding the brain processes involved is key to proportionate a correct analysis and avoid these types of problems. It is in this task, biomarkers like electroencephalograms can help to obtain an objective measurement of the brain behavior that can be used to perform several analyses and ultimately making a diagnosis, keeping the human interaction at minimum. In this work, we used recorded electroencephalograms of children with and without dyslexia while a sound stimulus is played. We aim to detect whether there are significant differences in adaptation when the same stimulus is applied at different times. Our results show that following this process, a machine learning pipeline can be built with AUC values up to 0.73.Spanish Government PGC2018-098813-BC32 PGC2018-098813-B-C31Junta de Andalucia UMA20-FEDERJA-086 P18-RT-1624European CommissionBioSiP research group TIC-251MCIN/AEI by "ESF Investing in your future" PRE2019-087350 MICINN "Juan de la Cierva -Incorporacion" FellowshipLeeduca research groupJunta de Andalucia Spanish Governmen

Prácticas utilizadas para la producción y mejora de la productividad de un módulo agroforestal

Objective: To evaluate the practices to agricultural production and productivity improvement. Design/methodology/approach: A comparatively analysis of practices performed by land producer in an agroforestry module was carried out. As well as the yield obtained in two-year period, both from the economic income point of view and diversification of plant species that were established. Results: The practices used in the module were: a) conservation (reduced tillage), b) vegetative (crop diversification, associated crops, intercropping and crop rotation) and c) agronomic (bottom fertilization and fertigation). During this study (2015-2018), 16 plant species were established. Yields and income from the sale of surplus production increased over time, which contributed to the food security and economy of the rural family. Limitations on study/implications: The present work, did not evaluate the biological efficiency of the crop association in the agroforestry module, which could give an additional value to this type of production versus monoculture systems. Findings/conclusions: The type of practices used in the production of food and fodder in an agroforestry module was documented. The production of crops in small areas, under the agroforestry approach, can represent a sustainable alternative of agricultural production for the arid and semi-arid regions and a mean to improve income and nutrition of the rural family.Objetivo. Determinar las prácticas utilizadas para la producción agrícola y mejora de la productividad de en un módulo agroforestal. Diseño/metodología/aproximación. Se realizó el análisis comparativo de las prácticas que el productor realiza en un módulo agroforestal, así como del rendimiento obtenido en dos años, desde el punto de vista económico y de diversificación de especies vegetales que fueron establecidas. Resultados. Las prácticas utilizadas en el módulo fueron: a) conservación (labranza reducida); b) vegetativas (diversificación de cultivos, cultivos asociados, cultivos intercalados y rotación de cultivos); y c) agronómicas (fertilización de fondo y fertigación). Durante el periodo evaluado (2015-2018) se establecieron 16 especies vegetales. Los rendimientos e ingresos por venta de excedentes de la producción se incrementaron con el tiempo. Lo cual contribuyó en la seguridad alimentaria y economía de la familia rural. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones. En el presente trabajo, la eficiencia biológica de la asociación en el módulo agroforestal no fue evaluada. Dicha eficiencia podría dar un valor adicional a este tipo de producción versus los sistemas de monocultivo. Hallazgos/conclusiones. Se documentaron el tipo de prácticas utilizadas en la producción de alimentos y forraje en un módulo agroforestal. La producción de cultivos en pequeñas superficies, bajo el enfoque agroforestal, es una alternativa sustentable de producción agrícola para las regiones áridas y semiáridas, asimismo es un medio para mejorar el ingreso y nutrición de la familia rural

Analysis of family agroforestry production units in the altiplano Potosino, Mexico

Objective: To understand how small producers perceive their agroforestry production unit (UPAF) from a social, economic, environmental, and technical context. Design/methodology/approach: A non-experimental qualitative analysis of the UPAF was performed. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews, participatory direct observation, and a field diary. The information was analyzed through codification, categorization, and the development of comparative and descriptive tables between the two municipalities and among the peasant families. Results: The UPAF provide socioeconomic, environmental, and technical-productive benefits to the producers who adopted and adapted the agroforestry system. Two factors influenced the adoption of the technology: age and technical monitoring. Limitations on study/implications: The main limitation of the present study was the small number of agroforestry production units and the specificity of the project, which restricts the generalization of results. Findings/conclusions: Agroforestry production units are consistent with the peasant economy, because they meet several of its characteristics: family productive unit, partial mercantile nature, undivided family work, way of playing with risk and belonging to a group. Therefore, these types of agroecological alternatives are viable for farmers.Objective: To understand how small producers perceive their family agroforestry production unit (UPAF) from a social, economic, environmental, and technical standpoint. Design/methodology/approach: A non-experimental qualitative analysis of several UPAFs was conducted. The information was gathered through semi-structured interviews, direct participatory observation, and a field diary. The said information was subsequently analyzed through codification, categorization, and the development of comparative and descriptive tables for the two municipalities and the farmer families in each one of them. Results: The UPAFs provide socioeconomic, environmental, and technical-productive benefits to the producers who have adopted and adapted this agroforestry system. Two factors have influenced the adoption of this technology: age and technical monitoring. Study limitations /implications: The main limitation of our study was the small number of agroforestry production units analyzed, as well as the specificity of the project, which restricts the generalization of results. Findings/conclusions: Agroforestry production units are consistent with a farmer economy because they match several of its characteristics: they are family production units with a partially mercantile nature, which require undivided family work, foster group belonging, and allow risk-taking. Therefore, these types of agroecological alternatives are viable for farmers

SDSS-IV MaNGA : the MaNGA dwarf galaxy sample presentation

M.C.D. acknowledges support from CONACYT "Ciencia de Frontera" grant 320199. M.C.D. and H.M.H.T. acknowledge support from UC MEXUS-CONACYT grant CN-17-128. A.R.P. acknowledges support from the CONACyT "Ciencia Basica" grant 285721. E.A.O. acknowledges support from the SECTEI (Secretaría de Educación, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de la Ciudad de México) under the Postdoctoral Fellowship SECTEI/170/2021 and CM-SECTEI/303/2021. Funding for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV has been provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and the Participating Institutions.We present the MaNGA Dwarf galaxy (MaNDala) Value Added Catalog (VAC), from the final release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV program. MaNDala consists of 136 randomly selected bright dwarf galaxies with M* −18.5, making it the largest integral field spectroscopy homogeneous sample of dwarf galaxies. We release a photometric analysis of the g, r, and z broadband imaging based on the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, as well as a spectroscopic analysis based on the Pipe3D SDSS-IV VAC. Our release includes the surface brightness (SB), geometric parameters, and color profiles, Sérsic fits as well as stellar population properties (such as stellar ages, metallicities, and star formation histories), and emission lines' fluxes within the FOV and the effective radii of the galaxies. We find that the majority of the MaNDala galaxies are star-forming late-type galaxies with 〈nSersic,r〉∼1.6 that are centrals (central/satellite dichotomy). MaNDala covers a large range of SB values (we find 11 candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies and three compact ones), filling the gap between classical dwarfs and low-mass galaxies in the Kormendy Diagram and in the size–mass/luminosity relation, which seems to flatten at 108 2, while the last 20% was at 〈z〉 < 0.3. Finally, a bending of the sSFR-M * relation at M* ∼ 109 M⊙ for the main-sequence galaxies seems to be supported by MaNDala.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Functional upgrading in China’s export processing sector

Functional upgrading occurs when a firm acquires more sophisticated functions within an existing value chain. In this paper, we analyze if there is evidence of this type of upgrading in China’s export processing regime by investigating dynamics in the relative prevalence of Import & Assembly (IA) versus Pure Assembly (PA) processing trade over the period 2000-2013. Firms in both regimes provide similar manufacturing services to foreign companies, but IA firms also conduct the sophisticated tasks of quality control, searching, financing and storing imported materials. Consistent with a trend of functional upgrading, we show that the share of IA trade in total processing trade has increased rapidly during the period 2000-2006, both overall and within product categories. Furthermore, we find that this trend has gone hand in hand with improvements in a sector’s labor productivity and unit values. Against expectations, we find that this process has slowed down notably during the period 2006-2013.status: publishe

Synchronization of the estrous during a short period, using a low dose of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) in primiparous and multiparous ewes

Objective: To evaluate the effect of reducing the synchronized luteum phase and of applying eCG on reproductive response variables and hormone profile in primiparous and multiparous ewes. Design/methodology/approach: The experimental design was completely randomized with a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial array. Eight-one ewes were divided by their reproductive activity: primiparous (n=38) and multiparous (n=43). The percentage of presentation of estrus and pregnancy were analyzed with a c2 test. The estrus onset and duration for an analysis of variance and the Tukey test of comparison of means. The P4 concentration was performed using the PROC MIXED procedure, which included fixed effects of the treatment and day and the interaction of the two. Results: The response in estrus presentation was not different between treatments, however; the onset and duration of estrus were affected by physiological state and the synchronized luteum phase. P4 concentrations in serum were higher in primiparous ewes than in multiparous ewes. There were no differences in pregnancy rate or prolificity by principal effects. Limitations on study/implications: The estrus onset and duration varied by effects of the reproductive physiological status and the duration of the synchronized luteum phase (6 and 12 d), Therefore, it must be taken into account when artificial insemination is performed at a fixed time. Findings/conclusions: The combination of cronolone sponges with 100 IU eCG during short (6 d) are effective for the synchronization of estrous. The P4 concentrations in serum were higher in primiparous ewes, but this was not determinant for increasing gestation and prolificity in treated ewes.Objective: To evaluate the reduction effect of the synchronized luteal phase and the eCG application in the reproductive variables and hormone profile response of primiparous and multiparous ewes. Design/Methodology/Approach: The experimental design was completely random, with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Based on their reproductive activity, the 81 specimens were divided into primiparous (n=38) and multiparous (n=43) ewes. The estrous and pregnancy stages were analyzed using the c2 test. An analysis of variance and the Tukey’s mean comparison test were used to determine the start and the duration of the estrous. P4 concentration was measured using the PROC MIXED which influenced the fixed effects of the treatment and the day, as well as their interaction. Results: There was no difference between treatments, regarding the occurrence of the estrous; however, its start and duration were not impacted by the physiological state and the synchronized luteal phase. P4 concentrations in plasm were higher in primiparous ewes than in multiparous ewes. The main effects did not impact the pregnancy and the prolificity rates. Study Limitations/Implications: The variation in the start and the duration of the estrous was caused by the physiological reproductive state and the duration of the synchronized luteal phase (6 and 12 days). Therefore, these effects should be taken into account when the artificial insemination takes place at a fixed period. Finding/Conclusions: The combination of the cronolone sponges with 100 UI of eCG during short periods (6 days) effectively synchronizes the estrous. P4 concentrations in serum were higher in primiparous ewes, although these concentrations were not a determining factor in the increase of pregnancy and prolificity

A crowdsourcing database for the copy-number variation of the spanish population

Background: Despite being a very common type of genetic variation, the distribution of copy-number variations (CNVs) in the population is still poorly understood. The knowledge of the genetic variability, especially at the level of the local population, is a critical factor for distinguishing pathogenic from non-pathogenic variation in the discovery of new disease variants. Results: Here, we present the SPAnish Copy Number Alterations Collaborative Server (SPACNACS), which currently contains copy number variation profiles obtained from more than 400 genomes and exomes of unrelated Spanish individuals. By means of a collaborative crowdsourcing effort whole genome and whole exome sequencing data, produced by local genomic projects and for other purposes, is continuously collected. Once checked both, the Spanish ancestry and the lack of kinship with other individuals in the SPACNACS, the CNVs are inferred for these sequences and they are used to populate the database. A web interface allows querying the database with different filters that include ICD10 upper categories. This allows discarding samples from the disease under study and obtaining pseudo-control CNV profiles from the local population. We also show here additional studies on the local impact of CNVs in some phenotypes and on pharmacogenomic variants. SPACNACS can be accessed at: http://csvs.clinbioinfosspa.es/spacnacs/. Conclusion: SPACNACS facilitates disease gene discovery by providing detailed information of the local variability of the population and exemplifies how to reuse genomic data produced for other purposes to build a local reference database.This work is supported by Grants PID2020-117979RB-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; by the Institute of Health Carlos III (project IMPaCT-Data, exp. IMP/00019, IMP/00009 and PI20/01305), co-funded by the European Union, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, “A way to make Europe”)

Pollution-Aware Walking in 16 Countries:An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)

Background: The current levels of air pollution in European countries reduces life expectancy by an average of 8 months. People who actively travel by walking have a higher level of exposure to air pollution than those who use motor vehicles or electric buses. Some routes have higher air pollution levels than others, but little is known about pollution-aware route choice and intentions to actively avoid walking near polluted roads. An improved understanding of how air pollution influences intentions to walk or avoid polluted routes can inform interventions to decrease exposure. The present investigation has three aims: (1) compare experiences walking near roads with high levels of air pollution across countries; (2) identify groups of countries based on perceptions of air quality; and (3) examine how pedestrians develop their intentions of avoiding pollution using the extended TPB (demographics, social norms, attitudes, perceived control, and perceived risk).Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied. Pedestrians were asked about their experiences walking near roads with high levels of air pollution. To identify groups of countries with different levels of air pollution, a cluster analysis was implemented based on the perceptions of air quality. Finally, regressions were used to predict pedestrians’ intentions to avoid polluted roads per country group using the extended TPB.Results: 6180 respondents (Age M(SD)= 29.4(14.2); Males= 39.2%) ranging from 12.6% from Russia to 2.2% from Finland completed the questionnaire. The proportion of participants who reported never walking near air polluted roads was 12.4% (from 3% in Brazil to 54% in Japan). Seven groups of countries were identified using perceptions of air quality: G1(Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, Malaysia &amp; Brazil), G2(Spain, Romania &amp; Czechia), G3(Chile, Russia &amp; Peru), G4(China), G5(Australia), G6(Finland), and G7(Portugal). Participants in China (G4) and Australia (G5) reported the worst and best air quality respectively. Across all countries, intentions to avoid polluted roads were associated with perceptions of risk. TPB-psychosocial factors such as social norms and perceived behavioural control also influenced intention in most groups. Favourable TPB-beliefs and low perceived risk increase intentions to avoid polluted routes.Conclusions: The willingness of pedestrians to walk on or near roads with high levels of air pollution differs significantly among countries in this study. Countries can be grouped based on their perceived air quality. Perceived risk was the only common predictor of intention to avoid polluted routes across the different groups of countries