Design and operation of a rainfall simulator for field studies of runoff and soil erosion

[Abstract] The present paper describes the design, construction, calibration and operation of a spray rainfall simulator . The design of the plots used for the purpose of this study is also described in order to determine hydrological and erosion parameters. Selected rainfall intensity of 64 mm h- 1 are representative of heavy storm conditions in Galicia. Drop size distribution results in these conditions , a D5 0of 1.2 mm, were similar to those calculated for natural rainfall by BUBENZER (1979). Fall velocities reached were between 75 and 100% terminal velocity, depending on drop diameter and 13.05 Jm- 2m m- 1kinetic energy was obtained Surface area of the plots used was 1 m2, surronded by a metal structure connected to a V-shaped system to collect the surface runoff and sediment produced in the different experiments

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Deforestation of water-repellent soils in Galicia (NW Spain): Effects on surface runoff and erosion under simulated rainfall

At three adjacent sites in steeply sloping woodland in Galicia (NW Spain), surface runoff and associated erosion under simulated rainfall (64 mm h1) were measured on five occasions between June 1998 and July 1999. Two of the three sites had recently been deforested and topsoil added, and one of these two had been sown with grass, which was germinating at the onset of the study. Deforestation greatly increased runoff and erosion rates, and the recovery of plant cover reduced erosion. All three soils were very hydrophobic due to high levels of poorly humified organic matter, which led to higher runoff rates than expected, especially during dry periods. However, great structural stability prevented there being a significant correlation between runoff rate and soil erosion. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This research was supported by a Xunta de Galicia Proyect (XUGA 30102A97).Peer reviewe

Digestibilidade aparente de dietas contendo diferentes níveis de amido para coelhos em crescimento Apparent digestibility of diets with different starch levels for growing rabbits

Com o objetivo de avaliar a influência do amido dietético sobre a digestibilidade aparente dos nutrientes, para coelhos em fase de crescimento, quatro dietas experimentais foram elaboradas de forma a conter níveis crescentes de amido de milho (23, 28, 33 e 38% de amido total na base da matéria seca (MS), os quais foram fornecidas a 20 coelhos da raça Nova Zelândia Branco, distribuídos em gaiolas de metabolismo individuais, segundo delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram efeito linear crescente para os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente da MS, matéria orgânica (MO), fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e amido, à medida que aumentou o nível de amido dietético nas dietas experimentais. O nível de 38% de amido dietético proporcionou, portanto, o melhor coeficiente de digestibilidade para o amido (87,26%). Não foram observadas diferenças para os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente da proteína bruta (PB), energia bruta (EB) e fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), em relação aos diferentes níveis de amido nas dietas experimentais. No entanto, para o teor de extrato etéreo (EE), foi verificado melhor aproveitamento (89,46%) para os animais alimentados com a dieta contendo 23% de amido. Os coelhos foram eficientes em digerir o amido de milho, quando este apresentou alta participação na porção carboidrato total da dieta.<br>With the objective to evaluate the effect of dietetic starch on the nutrients apparent digestibility for rabbits in the growing phase, four experimental diets were formulated to contain increasing corn starch levels (23, 28, 33 and 38% total starch levels in dry matter [DM] basis). A total of 20 White New Zealand rabbits were allotted to metabolism cages in a completely randomized design. The results showed a crescent linear effect for the coefficients of apparent digestibility for DM, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and starch as the dietary starch level increased in the experimental diets. The 38% of dietary starch level presented, therefore, the best digestibility of starch (87.26%). No differences were observed for the coefficients of apparent digestibility for crude protein (CP), gross energy (GE) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) at different starch levels. However, the best fat digestibility (89.46%) was verified for the animals fed diet with 23% starch. The rabbits were efficient in digesting purified cornstarch, when this ingredient have a high participation in total carbohydrate fraction of the diets

Desempenho produtivo e atividade microbiana cecal de coelhos alimentados com dietas contendo diferentes níveis de amido Performance and cecal microbial activity of growing rabbits fed diets with different starch levels

Com o objetivo de avaliar a influência do amido dietético sobre o rendimento produtivo e a atividade microbiana cecal de coelhos em crescimento, quatro dietas experimentais foram elaboradas de forma a conter níveis crescentes de amido (23, 28, 33 e 38% de amido total na base da MS), os quais foram fornecidos a 32 coelhos da raça Nova Zelândia Branco, distribuídos em gaiolas de engorda individuais, seguindo um delineamento em blocos casualizados. Houve efeito linear decrescente para consumo e conversão alimentar, em que valores de 108,67 g/d e 3,216, respectivamente, foram obtidos para os animais alimentados com 38% de amido dietético. No entanto, o ganho de peso e o rendimento de carcaça não foram influenciados pelos tratamentos. Por outro lado, os valores de pH, as concentrações totais e as proporções molares dos ácidos graxos voláteis não foram influenciados pelos tratamentos, porém, para o ácido propiônico, houve efeito linear decrescente, sendo a maior proporção molar (12,06%) verificada no conteúdo cecal de coelhos alimentados com 23% de amido dietético. O milho-grão apresentou maior influência sobre a atividade microbiana cecal que o amido de milho purificado, porém, sem alterar o desempenho e rendimento de carcaça.<br>With the objective to evaluate the effect of dietary starch on the productive yield and cecal microbial activity for rabbits in the growing, four experimental diets were formulated to contain increasing corn starch levels (23, 28, 33 and 38 % total starch levels in dry matter basis). A total of 32 White New Zealand rabbits were allotted to finishing cages in a completely randomized block design. The results showed a decreasing linear effect for the feed intake and feed:gain ratio, where values of 108.67g/d and 3.216, respectively, were recorded for animals fed 38% dietary starch. However, no difference was observed for the weight gain and carcass yield. Regarding to cecal microbial activity, pH and volatile fatty acid production were not affected by the treatments, but the propionic acid concentration showed a decreasing linear effect, in such a way that higher molar proportion (12,06 %) was observed in the rabbits fed 23% dietary starch. The starch from corn grain showed higher effect on the cecal microbial activity that the purified corn starch, but did not change the performance and carcass yield

Effectiveness of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination in preventing community-acquired pneumonia hospitalization and severe outcomes in the elderly in Spain

Pneumococcal pneumonia is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, but investigation of the etiological agent of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is not possible in most hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPSV23) in preventing CAP hospitalization and reducing the risk of intensive care unit admission (ICU) and fatal outcomes in hospitalized people aged ≥65 years. We made a multicenter case-control study in 20 Spanish hospitals during 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. We selected patients aged 65 years hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia and controls matched by sex, age and date of hospitalization. Multivariate analysis was performed using conditional logistic regression to estimate vaccine effectiveness and unconditional logistic regression to evaluate the reduction in the risk of severe and fatal outcomes. 1895 cases and 1895 controls were included; 13.7% of cases and 14.4% of controls had received PPSV23 in the last five years. The effectiveness of PPSV23 in preventing CAP hospitalization was 15.2% (95% CI -3.1-30.3). The benefit of PPSV23 in avoiding ICU admission or death was 28.1% (95% CI -14.3-56.9) in all patients, 30.9% (95% CI -32.2-67.4) in immunocompetent patients and 26.9% (95% CI -38.6-64.8) in immunocompromised patients. In conclusion, PPSV23 showed a modest trend to avoidance of hospitalizations due to CAP and to the prevention of death or ICU admission in elderly patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of CAP

Atividade microbiana cecal e contribuição nutricional da cecotrofia em coelhos alimentados com rações contendo diferentes fontes de fibra e níveis de amido Caecal microbial activity and caecotrophy nutritional contribution in rabbits fed diets with different starch levels and fiber sources

Objetivou-se neste estudo a avaliação da atividade microbiana cecal e a contribuição nutricional da cecotrofia em coelhos alimentados com rações contendo diferentes níveis de amido (22 a 32% em média) mediante a inclusão de milho grão e diferentes fontes de fibra (feno de alfafa ou casca de soja), em esquema fatorial 2x2. No primeiro experimento, 40 coelhos alojados em gaiolas de engorda individuais, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado e alimentados à vontade dos 45 aos 85 dias de idade, foram abatidos para coleta dos conteúdos ileais e cecais. A concentração de ácidos graxos voláteis foi influenciada pela interação entre tratamentos, sendo 93,82 mmol/l para ração de maior nível de amido com casca de soja e 80,03 mmol/l para ração de menor nível de amido com feno de alfafa. No segundo experimento, 40 coelhos aos 65 dias de idade, alojados em gaiolas de engorda individuais, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, foram alimentados à vontade por 10 dias, e receberam colares de madeira para permitir a coleta total de cecotrofos. Houve influência da interação entre tratamentos sobre os teores de proteína e energia dos cecotrofos, sendo de 29,66% e 4204,87 kcal/kg para ração contendo maiores níveis de amido e casca de soja e de 27,98% e 4080,46 kcal/kg para ração contendo menores níveis de amido e feno de alfafa. As rações de alto amido ou com casca de soja propiciaram maior enriquecimento do conteúdo cecal e melhor aporte nutricional para os coelhos.<br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the caecal microbial activity and caecotrophy nutritional contribution in rabbits fed diets with differents starch levels (22 or 32% on average) from a high or low inclusion of corn grain and differents fiber sources (alfalfa hay or soybean hulls), in a 2x2 factorial design. In the first experiment, 40 rabbits were individually housed in fattening cages within entirely randomized design, and fed ad libitum from 45 to 85 days of age, when they were slaughtered for collection of the ileal and caecal contents. The VFA total concentration was influenced by the interaction among treatments, being 93.82 mmol/l for the diets with high starch level and soybean hulls and 80.03 mmol/l for the diets with low starch level and alfalfa hay. In the second experiment, 40 rabbits aged 65 days were housed individually in fattening cages, in a completly randomized design, fed ad libitum for 10 days, and then received a wood necklace to allow caecotrophes collection. There was influence of the interaction between treatments on the caecotrophes protein and energy levels, being 29.66% and 4204.87 kcal/kg for the diets with high starch level and soybean hulls, and 27.98% and 4080.46 kcal/kg for the diets with low starch level and alfalfa hay. The diets with high starch level and those with soybean hulls showed higher enrichment of caecal contents and the best nutritional support for the rabbits