Catálogo comentado de la colección herpetológica procedente de Marruecos del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid, España), con énfasis en el material colectado durante expediciones históricas

A catalogue of the amphibians and reptiles from Morocco held at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid (MNCN-CSIC) is presented. We highlight the valuable contributions of two historical expeditions in Morocco. In both expeditions a total of 31 species were collected, mainly from Essaouira, Tánger, Ketama and surroundings. The presence of the specimens which represented the first records of Cerastes vipera and Scincus albifasciatus for Morocco is confirmed. Also, the MNCN collection held the type series of Rana ridibunda riodeoroi, Psammodromus algirus ketamensis and Salamandra algira tingitana. Historical collected specimens held in scientific collections could provide valuable information for identify changes in biological communities and planning biodiversity conservation measures.Se presenta el catálogo de los anfibios y reptiles de Marruecos conservados en el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid (MNCN-CSIC) y se destaca la especial relevancia de las contribuciones realizadas por dos expediciones históricas para el conocimiento herpetológico de la región. Ambas expediciones sumaron un total de 31 especies colectadas principalmente en las regiones de Essaouira, Tánger y Ketama. Se constata la presencia en la colección de los ejemplares que representaron las primeras citas de Cerastes vipera y Scincus albifasciatus en Marruecos. Asimismo, alberga las series tipo de Rana ridibunda riodeoroi, Psammodromus algirus ketamensis y Salamandra algira tingitana. Los especímenes colectados en tiempos históricos conservados en colecciones científicas ofrecen una valiosa información para identificar cambios sufridos por las comunidades biológicas y diseñar medidas de conservación de la biodiversidad

Ptychadena in Mauritania and the first record of Ptychadena schillukorum

The study of specimens of the genus Ptychadena of the herpetological collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid reveals the first record of Ptychadena schillukorum from Mauritania, extending the known distribution range of the species in West Africa more than 450 km northwards. A key is provided for the four Mauritanian species of Ptychadena to solve problems in identification encountered in previous studies.This research was partially funded by project TATANKA (CGL2011-25062) obtained from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain.Peer reviewe

The Trade-FDI Nexus: Evidence from the European Union

The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between international trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) empirically. It analyses whether the reduction of trade barriers over time has increased FDI for the particular case of the European Union (EU) during the period from 1995 to 2009. To analyze this issue the authors estimate in first place the European Border Effect by means of a gravity equation. Once the border effect is obtained we test whether there is a positive (complementary) or negative (substitution) relationship between this border effect and the FDI within the European countries. A gravity model for trade and FDI is estimated using the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood. The results suggest that there is a positive and decreasing border effect up to 2007 while it turns upward for 2008 and 2009, offsetting the previous decline. For the particular case of the EU, commercial integration and FDI reinforce each other, thus being complements rather than substitutes. In addition to trade integration measures, this paper also analyzes the potential role of other traditional determinants of FDI, as the market size of the host country and the cost differential among home-host economies. Cost differentials are not as relevant as the possibility of gaining market share which leads us to conclude that in the EU the FDI pattern follows a market-seeking strategy rather than a cost-efficient model

FDI, trade integration and the border effect: evidence from the European Union

This paper intends to combine two fields in the economic literature by examining empirically the FDI pattern –horizontal versus vertical– within the European Union and the relevance of trade integration as a potential determinant of investment flows over the period 1995-2009. We capture trade integration by estimating the magnitude and evolution of the home bias or border effect rather than by using other indicators such as the openness rate or the existence of tariffs and non-tariff barriers. We find that, for the particular case of the EU, it is not possible to strictly discriminate between horizontal or vertical FDI. The market-seeking strategy appears to be more important than factor-proportion related motivations; however, the robust relationship of complementarity between trade integration and FDI provides at least one argument in support of vertical FDI and suggests that the vertical model cannot be dismissed entirely

Orientación sexual y homofobia en adolescentes españoles

Introducción: Tradicionalmente, las personas se clasificaban en tres categorías según su orientación sexual: heterosexuales, homosexuales y bisexuales. Esta clasi- ficación ha quedado obsoleta y se habla de un continuo en el que se sitúan las dife- rentes orientaciones sexuales, cuyos extremos serían la heterosexualidad y la homo- sexualidad exclusivas. Aparentemente, en un gran número de países la diversidad de orientaciones sexuales está bastante aceptada, pero la realidad es diferente. Este estudio pretende analizar la orientación sexual y las actitudes hacia la homosexualidad en jóvenes. Método: Estudio observacional descriptivo; 139 mujeres y 165 hombres entre 14 y 18 años de edad (x = 15,8; dt ±1,13) completaron dos cuestionarios: uno sobre intereses y prácticas sexuales y otro sobre homofobia sutil y manifiesta. Resul- tados: Un 3,2 % del total muestra una orientación diferente a la heterosexual, datos que son mayores cuando se pregunta por la orientación en función de un continuo (un 17,2 % no se sitúan en el extremo heterosexualidad exclusiva). En general, tanto hom- bres como mujeres presentan actitudes negativas hacia la homosexualidad, siendo los hombres quienes puntúan más alto en dicho constructo. Estas actitudes negativas hacia la homosexualidad correlacionan inversamente con la edad y la orientación sexual medida en un continuo (otorgando el valor más alto a la homosexualidad). Con- clusiones: La homofobia entre los adolescentes sigue siendo una realidad reconocida por ellos mismos. Dada la gravedad de las consecuencias que la homofobia puede tener sobre los adolescentes cuya expresión afectivosexual se aleja de la heteronor- matividad, resultan urgentes campañas educativas para reducir esta forma de discri- minación.Introduction: Traditionally, people are classified into three categories according to their sexual orientation: heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual. This classification has become obsolete and people talk about a continuum in which different sexual orientations are located with exclusive ends: heterosexuality and homosexuality. Apparently in numerous countries the diversity of sexual orientations is quite accepted, but reality is different. This study aims to analyse sexual orientation and attitudes towards homosexuality in young people. Method: An observational descriptive study with 139 females and 165 males aged 14-18 years (X=15.8; SD±1.13) that included two questionnaires: one about sexual interests and practices, and the other on subtle and manifest homophobia. Results: Of the whole sample, 3.2% indicated a different orientation from the heterosexual one, and this percentage roses when asking about orientation according to a continuum (17.2% not located on the exclusive heterosexuality extreme). Both males and females had generally negative attitudes towards homosexuality, with males obtained higher scores in this construct. These negative attitudes towards homosexuality correlated inversely to age and sexual orientation, as measured in a continuum (the highest value was for homosexuality). Conclusions: Homophobia among adolescents remains a recognised reality. Given the severe consequences that homophobia may have on adolescents whose sexual affective expression is far from heteronormativity, educational campaigns are urgently needed to cushion this form of discrimination

The Brewer-Dobson circulation in CMIP6

The Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) is a key feature of the stratosphere that models need to accurately represent in order to simulate surface climate variability and change adequately. For the first time, the Climate Model Intercomparison Project includes in its phase 6 (CMIP6) a set of diagnostics that allow for careful evaluation of the BDC. Here, the BDC is evaluated against observations and reanalyses using historical simulations. CMIP6 results confirm the well-known inconsistency in the sign of BDC trends between observations and models in the middle and upper stratosphere. Nevertheless, the large uncertainty in the observational trend estimates opens the door to compatibility. In particular, when accounting for the limited sampling of the observations, model and observational trend error bars overlap in 40 % of the simulations with available output. The increasing CO2 simulations feature an acceleration of the BDC but reveal a large spread in the middle-to-upper stratospheric trends, possibly related to the parameterized gravity wave forcing. The very close connection between the shallow branch of the residual circulation and surface temperature is highlighted, which is absent in the deep branch. The trends in mean age of air are shown to be more robust throughout the stratosphere than those in the residual circulation

Impacto de la comorbilidad en la EPOC

Introducción: Hasta hace poco, la EPOC era considerada una patología exclusivamente pulmonar; sin embargo, diversos estudios y guías de la EPOC han puesto de manifiesto la importancia del componente extrapulmonar y su asociación con distintas patologías (comorbilidades), así como sus implicaciones pronósticas y terapéuticas. El objetivo del presente estudio es valorar la prevalencia de dichas comorbilidades en pacientes ingresados por EPOC, así como su impacto a corto y medio plazo en el pronóstico. Material y métodos: Estudio observacional de cohortes históricas realizado sobre pacientes ingresados en el HCU Lozano Blesa. Se analizaron datos clínicos y analíticos de pacientes ingresados por EPOC agudizado, se realizó una evaluación de la comorbilidad y del índice de Charlson y finalmente se valoró el impacto pronóstico a través de los reingresos y la mortalidad. También se incluyeron datos referentes al ingreso actual. Resultados: Se estudiaron 375 pacientes, 298 varones (79,5%) y 77 mujeres (20,5%), con una media de edad de 75 años (DE 11) y un volumen espiratorio forzado en el primer segundo medio del 42,7% (DE 20). Se asociaron una media de 1,44 (DE 1,3) enfermedades y la puntuación media del Índice de Charlson fue de 1,78 puntos (DE 1,68). Las comorbilidades más frecuentes al ingreso fueron la insuficiencia cardiaca crónica (27,7%), la enfermedad vascular periférica (18,7%) y la diabetes mellitus no complicada (18,1%). Un 15,7% había padecido un infarto agudo de miocardio y un 15,5% presentaba algún tumor sólido sin metástasis. Se observó una asociación significativa entre las comorbilidades y la mortalidad durante el ingreso, al mes y en el primer año; sin embargo no se asociaron de manera significativa con los reingresos. Éstos se relacionaron significativamente con valores de FEV1 más bajos. Las principales causas de mortalidad fueron las enfermedades respiratorias y cardiovasculares. Discusión: Los resultados obtenidos son similares a los presentados en estudios anteriores, y las variaciones entre ellos pueden deberse al diseño de los mismos. Con este estudio confirmamos la elevada prevalencia de comorbilidades en pacientes ingresados por EPOC, así como sus implicaciones pronósticas

ReCom: A semi-supervised approach to ultra-tolerant database search for improved identification of modified peptides.

Open-search methods allow unbiased, high-throughput identification of post-translational modifications in proteins at an unprecedented scale. The performance of current open-search algorithms is diminished by experimental errors in the determination of the precursor peptide mass. In this work we propose a semi-supervised open search approach, called ReCom, that minimizes this effect by taking advantage of a priori known information from a reference database, such as Unimod or a database provided by the user. We present a proof-of-concept study using Comet-ReCom, an improved version of Comet-PTM. Comet-ReCom increased identification performance of Comet-PTM by 68%. This increased performance of Comet-ReCom to score the MS/MS spectrum comes in parallel with a significantly better assignation of the monoisotopic peak of the precursor peptide in the MS spectrum, even in cases of peptide coelution. Our data demonstrate that open searches using ultra-tolerant mass windows can benefit from using a semi-supervised approach that takes advantage from previous knowledge on the nature of protein modifications. SIGNIFICANCE: The present study introduces a novel approach to ultra-tolerant database search, which employs prior knowledge of post-translational modifications (PTMs) to improve identification of modified peptides. This method addresses the limitations related to experimental errors and precursor mass assignation of previous open-search methods. Thus, it enables the study of the biological significance of a wider variety of PTMs, including unknown or unexpected modifications that may have gone unnoticed using non-supervised search methods.This study was supported by competitive grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PGC2018-097019-B-I00, PID2021-122348NB-I00, PLEC2022-009235 and PLEC2022-009298), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria grant PRB3 (PT17/0019/0003- ISCIIISGEFI / ERDF, ProteoRed), Comunidad de Madrid (IMMUNO-VAR, P2022/BMD-7333) and “la Caixa” Banking Foundation (project codes HR17-00247 and HR22-00253). The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) and the Pro CNIC Foundation), and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (grant CEX2020-001041-S funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033).S

Moot Court: Aprendizaje de la práctica judicial basado en la autoevaluación y simulación de casos reales

Memoria ID-226. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2019-2020

Moot Court: Aprendizaje de la práctica judicial basado en la autoevaluación y simulación de casos reales

Memoria ID-226. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2019-2020