Death pluralism: a proposal

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE‑CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This paper has been funded by the INEDyTO II project PID2020‑118729RB‑I00, by the Dead Bodies project PID2020‑119717GA‑I00 and by the Banc Sabadell foundation.The debate over the determination of death has been raging for more than fifty years. Since then, objections against the diagnosis of brain death from family members of those diagnosed as dead-have been increasing and are causing some countries to take novel steps to accommodate people's beliefs and preferences in the determination of death. This, coupled with criticism by some academics of the brain death criterion, raises some questions about the issues surrounding the determination of death. In this paper, we discuss some of the main approaches to death determination that have been theoretically proposed or currently put into practice and propose a new approach to death determination called "weak pluralism" as a reasonable ethical and political alternative to respect diversity in death determination.CRUE‑CSICINEDyTO II: PID2020‑118729RB‑I00Dead Bodies PID2020‑119717GA‑I00Banc Sabadell foundatio

High-Density Linkage Maps Based on Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) Confirm a Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly and Reveal Variation in Recombination Rate for the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas

Studies of linkage and linkage mapping have advanced genetic and biological knowledge for over 100 years. In addition to their growing role, today, in mapping phenotypes to genotypes, dense linkage maps can help to validate genome assemblies. Previously, we showed that 40% of scaffolds in the first genome assembly for the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas were chimeric, containing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapping to different linkage groups. Here, we merge 14 linkage maps constructed of SNPs generated from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) methods with five, previously constructed linkage maps, to create a compendium of nearly 69 thousand SNPs mapped with high confidence. We use this compendium to assess a recently available, chromosome-level assembly of the C. gigas genome, mapping SNPs in 275 of 301 contigs and comparing the ordering of these contigs, by linkage, to their assembly by Hi-C sequencing methods. We find that, while 26% of contigs contain chimeric blocks of SNPs, i.e., adjacent SNPs mapping to different linkage groups than the majority of SNPs in their contig, these apparent misassemblies amount to only 0.08% of the genome sequence. Furthermore, nearly 90% of 275 contigs mapped by linkage and sequencing are assembled identically; inconsistencies between the two assemblies for the remaining 10% of contigs appear to result from insufficient linkage information. Thus, our compilation of linkage maps strongly supports this chromosome-level assembly of the oyster genome. Finally, we use this assembly to estimate, for the first time in a Lophotrochozoan, genome-wide recombination rates and causes of variation in this fundamental process

Transversalización de la temática de Gestión de Riesgo y Cambio Climático en la asignatura de Seminario de Formación Integral de la carrera de Ingeniería Agronómica

Actualmente, la UNAN Managua ha denominado el año 2011 “año de la transformación Curricular”, en este esfuerzo, consciente de un currículo actualizado y demandante, ha orientado la inserción del eje de Gestión de Riesgo y Cambio Climático en el plan de estudios de las distintas carreras que oferta la Universidad. La Facultad Regional Multidisciplinaria de Chontales, ofrece, la carrera de Ingeniería Agronómica con un plan de estudios acorde a la exigencia del desarrollo local, como consecuencia de los cambios sociales, del desarrollo económico, del aumento de la población y el acelerado desarrollo cultural y científico. El objetivo de este trabajo consiste en cómo transversalizar la temática de Gestión de Riesgo y Cambio Climático en la asignatura de Seminario de Formación Integral para la carrera de Ingeniería Agronómica durante el primer semestre del segundo año lectivo 2012

Pluralism on the meaning of brain death or rethinking the dead donor rule

Desde 1968, el cese irreversible del funcionamiento de todo el cerebro, llamado muerte cerebral, es asimilado a la muerte del individuo. La aceptación casi universal de ese criterio neurológico de la muerte tuvo consecuencias decisivas para la medicina contemporánea, como la limitación del esfuerzo terapéutico en esos pacientes o la extracción de sus órganos para realizar trasplantes. Parte del éxito del nuevo criterio se debe a que la asimilación del estado de muerte cerebral a la muerte fue presentada por la medicina —y acríticamente asumida por la mayoría de las sociedades— como un hecho científico y objetivo. Sin embargo, algunas personas no creen que los pacientes en muerte cerebral estén realmente muertos. Mostraremos en este trabajo que esas personas no están necesariamente equivocadas. Se puede argumentar que, en realidad, la justificación del criterio neurológico no es científica, sino moral. Esbozaremos la tesis de que los problemas relacionados con el estatuto de los pacientes en muerte cerebral se deben a una confusión entre cuestiones fácticas y normativas. Por otro lado, defenderemos que la donación de órganos y la limitación del esfuerzo terapéutico pueden ser éticamente aceptables incluso si consideramos que los pacientes en muerte cerebral están vivos. Como alternativa a la regla del donante fallecido, proponemos una justificación de la donación de órganos de pacientes en muerte cerebral basada en las nociones (morales) de daño y consentimiento: lo que verdaderamente justifica la extracción de órganos de pacientes en muerte cerebral no es que estén muertos, sino que desean donar sus órganos y que, al tener irreversiblemente afectado su cerebro, no pueden ser dañados.Since 1968, the irreversible loss of functioning of the whole brain, called brain death, is assimilated to individual’s death. The almost universal acceptance of this neurological criterion of death had decisive consequences for the contemporary medicine, such as the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in these patients and organ retrieval for transplantation. The new criterion was succesfully accepted in part because the assimilation of brain death state to death was presented by medicine —and acritically assumed by most of societies— as a scientific and objective fact. Nevertheless, many people do not think that the patients suffering brain death are actually dead. We show here that those people are not necessarily wrong. It can be argued that, in fact, the justification of the neurological criterion is not scientific but moral. We outline the thesis that the problem surrounding the vital status of brain dead patients is due to a confusion between factual and normative questions. Furthermore, we claim that the donation of organs and the withdrawal of life-support could be ethically acceptable even if the patients suffering brain death are considered as alive. As an alternative to the dead donor rule, we propose a justification for organ donation of brain-dead patients based on the (moral) concepts of harm and consent: what truly justifies the procurement of organs on those patients is not that they are dead, but that they wish to donate their organs and that, since they have irreversibly lost their brain, they cannot be harmed

WETWALL - an innovative design concept for the treatment of wastewater at an urban scale

Rising temperatures, increasing food demand and scarcity of water and land resources highlight the importance of promoting the sustainable expansion of agriculture to our urban environment, while preserving water resources. Treating urban wastewaters, such as greywater and hydroponic wastewater, may represent a strategic point for the implementation of urban farming, ensuring food security, reducing pressures on water resources and promoting climate change mitigation. The WETWALL design concept proposes a unique ecotechnology for secondary wastewater treatment at an urban scale, which brings the novelty of a modular living wall hybrid flow. This concept is based on the integration of two established nature-based solutions/ecomimetic designs: constructed wetlands and a modular living walls. First presented is an overview about the state of the art in the scope of living walls treating wastewater, in order to identify the main design aspects related to the performance of such systems, which mainly concerns the removal of nitrates and phosphates. Second, the WETWALL design concept is presented. A scheme regarding the selection of the main components, such as plants and substrate, is proposed, and potential structure developments and operation strategies are discussed. In addition, considering the scope of integrating the circular economy with the design process, potential interactions between this technology and the urban environment are discussed. The main goal of this article is to substantiate the potential of the WETWALL design concept as an innovative wastewater treatment at an urban scale.Biggest thanks to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – Brazil (CNPQ), for their financial support (doctoral fellowship). The authors also would like to thank the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain), the Aarhus University (Denmark) and the research groups GREA (2014 SGR 123), DIOPMA (2014 SGR 1543) and GICITED (2014 SGR 1298)

Genetic characterization of wild, broodstock and seed samples of Polititapes rhomboides (Bivalvia: Veneridae): Implications for hatchery seed production

The banded carpet shell Polititapes rhomboides is a fishery resource and a suitable candidate for the development of native clam aquaculture in Europe. Here, we analyzed nine microsatellite loci in wild samples to provide estimates of genetic diversity and population differentiation for NW Spain, the main production area of this clam. We also analyzed wild-caught broodstock and hatchery-reared seed to investigate the genetic consequences of seed production for stock enhancement purposes by mass spawning. We examined the seed sample as a whole (total seed), but also subdivided it into three size classes to assess the genetic consequences of size grading. While wild samples, broodstock included, displayed minimal or no genetic differences, the total seed showed a reduction in allelic richness (12-24 %) and a significant level of differentiation (FST = 0.026-0.043) with respect to wild samples. After performing parentage assignment, we detected a drastic reduction in the effective number of breeders (Ne) compared to the census number (85 %), and an inbreeding rate of 0.036 per generation. The low Ne and high inbreeding rate were mainly due to high variance in reproductive success. The seed size classes also showed a decrease in allelic richness and significant genetic differentiation, but we did not find significant differences in parental contribution to each size class. Our results may help the genetic-assisted management of wild populations, give insight into the genetic composition of the seed produced by mass spawning and provide a basis for the development of more effective hatchery practices and sustainable stock enhancement programs in P. rhomboides.The authors would like to thank the staff at Centro de Cultivos Marinos de Ribadeo-CIMA, Xunta de Galicia, Ribadeo (Lugo), Spain for providing the hatchery-reared seed. This study was funded by the Conselleria de Economia e Industria (Xunta de Galicia, Spain) through project 09MMA030508PR

Attitudes of European students towards family decision‑making and the harmonisation of consent systems in deceased organ donation: a cross‑national survey

Background: European countries are increasingly harmonising their organ donation and transplantation policies. Although a growing number of nations are moving to presumed consent to deceased organ donation, no attempts have been made to harmonise policies on individual consent and the role of the family in the decision-making process. Little is known about public awareness of and attitudes towards the role of the family in their own country and European harmonisation on these health policy dimensions. To improve understanding of these issues, we examined what university students think about the role of the family in decision-making in deceased organ donation and about harmonising consent policies within Europe. Methods: Using LimeSurvey© software, we conducted a comparative cross-sectional international survey of 2193 university students of health sciences and humanities/social sciences from Austria (339), Belgium (439), Denmark (230), Germany (424), Greece (159), Romania (190), Slovenia (190), and Spain (222). Results: Participants from opt-in countries may have a better awareness of the family’s legal role than those from opt-out countries. Most respondents opposed the family veto, but they were more ambivalent towards the role of the family as a surrogate decision-maker. The majority of participants were satisfied with the family’s legal role. However, those who were unsatisfied preferred to limit family involvement. Overall, participants were opposed to the idea of national sovereignty over consent policies. They favoured an opt-out policy harmonisation and were divided over opt-in. Their views on harmonisation of family involvement were consistent with their personal preferences. Conclusions: There is overall division on whether families should have a surrogate role, and substantial opposition to granting them sole authority over decision-making. If European countries were to harmonise their policies on consent for organ donation, an opt-out system that grants families a surrogate decision-making role may enjoy the widest public support.CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI

Induced Tomato Plant Resistance Against Tetranychus urticae Triggered by the Phytophagy of Nesidiocoris tenuis

The zoophytophagous predator Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is capable of inducing plant defenses in tomato due to its phytophagous behavior. These induced defenses, which include the release of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), have been proven to affect the oviposition behavior and reduce the subsequent performance of some tomato pests. However, the effect of induction of plant defenses by N. tenuis on the preference, development, and reproduction of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) remains unknown. In this research, T. urticae did not show preference for the odor source emitted by intact tomato plants when compared with N. tenuis-punctured plants and jasmonic acid (JA) deficient mutant tomato plants. Furthermore, the number of eggs laid by T. urticae on intact tomato plants or on N. tenuis-punctured plants was similar. However, in a greenhouse experiment conducted to evaluate whether the defense induction mediated by N. tenuis had an effect on T. urticae the infestation of T. urticae was significantly reduced by 35% on those plants previously activated by N. tenuis when compared to the control. The expression of a JA-responsive gene that was upregulated and the transcription of the plant protein inhibitor II was higher on activated plants relative to the control. These results can serve as a basis for the development of new management strategies for T. urticae based on plant defense mechanisms induced from the phytophagous behavior of N. tenuis

APLICACIÓN PARA PROMOVER LA CULTURA Y EL TURISMO DE LA COMUNIDAD DE ATANQUEZ

Este artículo describe la apropiación de las tecnologías de información para impulsar el turismo en las regiones, enmarcado en el desarrollo de una aplicación para promover el turismo cultural del corregimiento de Atanquez, jurisdicción del Municipio de Valledupar y sus sitios aledaños. La aplicación proporcionara información relacionada de los sitios turísticos, de las rutas, la cultura, la gastronomía, las artesanías y tradiciones de la región. Además, contribuiría a impulsar el ecoturismo, el turismo rural, el turismo bienestar en la región; favoreciendo la preservación de los recursos naturales y la valorización del patrimonio cultural. Para el desarrollo de esta aplicación se utilizará la metodología de desarrollo de software ágil XP, en sus fases de planificación, diseño, codificación, pruebas y lanzamiento