Molecular characterisation of Sardina pilchards larvae diet in Málaga Bay (SW Mediterranean Sea)

The study of predation in the early life stages of fish by direct observation of their stomach content is very difficult, mostly because prey lose all identifiable characteristics. We developed a multiplex-PCR based method, which detected within the gut of the larvae the presence/absence of the five main species of copepods that live in Malaga Bay: Clausocalanus parapergens, Oncaea waldemari, Paracalanus indicus, Temora stylifera and Acartia clausi. A set of five species-specific primers were designed and combined in a single multiplex PCR system, which allowed a time and cost effective screening of the samples. The method detected as little as 0.09 ng/μL of copepod DNA without cross-reactions with Sardina pilchardus DNA

Descripción de la composición corporal, fuerza muscular y actividad física en pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica en hemodiálisis en una unidad renal en Bogotá, Colombia

ResumenObjetivoDescribir la composición corporal, la fuerza muscular y el nivel de actividad física que realizan los pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica en hemodiálisis en una unidad renal en Bogotá, Colombia.MétodoEstudio de corte transversal, en el que se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 18 años que llevaban seis meses o más en un programa de hemodiálisis en la unidad renal del Hospital de San José. Se eligió el 25% de la población aleatoriamente. Se midió la composición corporal, fuerza del miembro superior dominante, actividad física y calidad de vida a través del instrumento SF-36 validado en Colombia.ResultadosSe incluyeron 82 pacientes, con una edad mediana de 61 años (rango intercuartil 51-69); la mayoría fueron hombres (54/82). Según MET/h, los pacientes fueron clasificados como sedentarios riesgosos (38/82), sedentarios no saludables (42/82) y saludables (2/82). El porcentaje de masa muscular fue menor en los pacientes sedentarios riesgosos que en los sedentarios no saludables, con un 10.3% (rango intercuartil 7.7-12.6) versus 12.5% (rango intercuartil 10.2-14.7). Respecto a la calidad de vida se halló una mediana global de 64 (rango intercuartil 52-72) en la dimensión mental y de 69 (rango intercuartil 49-79) en la dimensión física.ConclusiónLos pacientes en hemodiálisis estudiados tienen un peso adecuado para la talla, pero con menos masa muscular y fuerza muscular disminuida para la edad; el nivel de actividad física fue sedentario y la calidad de vida evaluada mostró una menor puntuación en el componente físico.AbstractObjectiveTo describe body composition, muscle strength and activity level in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis in a renal unit in Bogota, Colombia.MethodCross-sectional study, we included patients older than 18 years-old who were in a hemodialysis program for at least six months in the Renal Unit of the Hospital of San José. The sample was randomly selected from the 25% of the total hemodialysis population. We measured body composition, strength of dominant upper limb, physical activity and quality of life with the SF-36 instrument validated in Colombia.Results82 patients, median age was 61 years (interquartile range 51-69) were included; most were men (54/82). According to MET/h patients were classified as healthy (2/82), risky sedentary (38/82) and unhealthy sedentary (42/82). The percentage of muscle mass was lower in sedentary unhealthy group than in risky sedentary group, 10.3% (interquartile range 7.7-12.6) versus 12.5%(interquartile range 10.2-14.7). Regarding the quality of life we found an overall median of 64 points (interquartile range 52-72) in the mental dimension and 69 points (interquartile range 49-79) in the physical dimension.ConclusionHemodialysis patients had an appropriate weight for their height, but with less muscle mass and a decreased muscle strength for their age; the physical activity level recorded was sedentary and the quality of life showed a lower score on the physical component

Microcanonical versus Canonical Analysis of Protein Folding

The microcanonical analysis is shown to be a powerful tool to characterize the protein folding transition and to neatly distinguish between good and bad folders. An off-lattice model with parameter chosen to represent polymers of these two types is used to illustrate this approach. Both canonical and microcanonical ensembles are employed. The required calculations were performed using parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulations. The most revealing features of the folding transition are related to its first-order-like character, namely, the S-bend pattern in the caloric curve, which gives rise to negative microcanonical specific heats, and the bimodality of the energy distribution function at the transition temperatures. Models for a good folder are shown to be quite robust against perturbations in the interaction potential parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Forage Yield and Quality of Signal Grass-Clitoria Mixture Grazed at Different Frequencies

A Signal grass-Clitoria mixture provides good quality forage in the dry tropic of southern Mexico. Grazing frequency is a management tool that determines yield, botanical components and quality of pastures. The objective of this study was to determine forage yield, quality and botanical components in a Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)-Clitoria (Clitoria ternatea) mixture when grazed at different frequencies

Evaluation of a Bayesian Algorithm to Detect Burned Areas in the Canary Islands’ Dry Woodlands and Forests Ecoregion Using MODIS Data

Burned Area (BA) is deemed as a primary variable to understand the Earth’s climate system. Satellite remote sensing data have allowed for the development of various burned area detection algorithms that have been globally applied to and assessed in diverse ecosystems, ranging from tropical to boreal. In this paper, we present a Bayesian algorithm (BY-MODIS) that detects burned areas in a time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images from 2002 to 2012 of the Canary Islands’ dry woodlands and forests ecoregion (Spain). Based on daily image products MODIS, MOD09GQ (250 m), and MOD11A1 (1 km), the surface spectral reflectance and the land surface temperature, respectively, 10 day composites were built using the maximum temperature criterion. Variables used in BY-MODIS were the Global Environment Monitoring Index (GEMI) and Burn Boreal Forest Index (BBFI), alongside the NIR spectral band, all of which refer to the previous year and the year the fire took place in. Reference polygons for the 14 fires exceeding 100 hectares and identified within the period under analysis were developed using both post-fire LANDSAT images and official information from the forest fires national database by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain (MAPAMA). The results obtained by BY-MODIS can be compared to those by official burned area products, MCD45A1 and MCD64A1. Despite that the best overall results correspond to MCD64A1, BY-MODIS proved to be an alternative for burned area mapping in the Canary Islands, a region with a great topographic complexity and diverse types of ecosystems. The total burned area detected by the BY-MODIS classifier was 64.9% of the MAPAMA reference data, and 78.6% according to data obtained from the LANDSAT images, with the lowest average commission error (11%) out of the three products and a correlation (R2) of 0.82. The Bayesian algorithm—originally developed to detect burned areas in North American boreal forests using AVHRR archival data Long-Term Data Record—can be successfully applied to a lower latitude forest ecosystem totally different from the boreal ecosystem and using daily time series of satellite images from MODIS with a 250 m spatial resolution, as long as a set of training areas adequately characterising the dynamics of the forest canopy affected by the fire is defined

Yield Components in a Signal Grass-Clitoria Mixture Grazed at Different Herbage Allowance

A Signal grass-Clitoria mixture provides good quality forage in the dry tropic of southern Mexico. However, its response in leaf and stem yields to grazing at different daily herbage allowances is not well documented. The objective of this study was to determine available and residual leaf and stem yields in a Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)-Clitoria (Clitoria ternatea) mixture grazed at different daily herbage allowance