Interannual variation in filling season affects zooplankton diversity in Mediterranean temporary ponds

In Mediterranean temporary ponds, the timing of annual flooding is highly variable and depends on heavy seasonal rains. Ponds can flood in the autumn, winter, or spring, and thus the environmental conditions faced by emerging zooplankton can be very different. We performed an experiment in a climatic chamber where we simulated annual variation in natural temperature and light conditions to study how differences in pond-filling season affected zooplankton assemblage composition. We sampled sediments from a temporary pond and placed them in aquariums that were filled with water during three different seasons: autumn (October), winter (January), and spring (March). Zooplankton abundance, species richness, diversity, and assemblage composition differed significantly among treatments, and post-inundation temperature and pH appeared to be the main drivers of these differences. Diversity was highest in the winter treatment. It was lower in the autumn treatment and the spring treatment, and no indicator species were present in the latter. Our results suggest that interannual variability in initial inundation conditions favours the emergence of different species and thus contributes to high species richness in the egg bank. However, climate change and/or groundwater drawdown could delay pond flooding, impoverishing the zooplankton assemblage in the long ter

A Study in Cuba of the Biology, Ecology and Agroecological Management of \u3cem\u3eHeteropsylla Cubana\u3c/em\u3e Crawford in \u3cem\u3eLeucaena Leucocephala\u3c/em\u3e (Lam.) de Wit

As a consequence of the increase in Leucaena leucocephala areas to counter the shortage of feed in Cuban cattle production, there is a risk of the development of Heteropsylla cubana Crawford (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) as a pest in silvopastoral systems with this legume. This psyllid is known to be the main phytophagous pest (Valenciaga, 2003), which produces damage in 95% of the apical region of branches. Since information on the identification and biology of a pest species is a necessary prerequisite for its management, a taxonomic, biological and ecological study was conducted to define Heteropsylla behaviour in Cuban conditions and elaborate the theoretical basis to propose management alternatives

El contacto entre las zonas de Ossa Morena y Sudportuguesa. Características y significado de la banda metamórfica de Aracena, en su sector central entre Aroche y Aracena (Huelva)

El contacto entre las zonas de Ossa Morena y Sudportuguesa está subrayado por la banda metamórfica de Aracena. Las características principales de esta región del macizo Ibérico pueden considerarse desde distintos puntos de vista: litológico, estructural, metamórfico, magmático, geoquímica, isotópico y experimental, y así se presentan en este artículo. La banda metamórfica de Aracena está dividida en dos dominios principales: el dominio oceánico está formado por metabasitas derivadas de un MORB (las metabasitas de Acebuches) y por un antiguo prisma de acrección. El dominio continental incluye gneises y migmatitas alumínicos, rocas de silicatos cálcicos, gneises leucocráticos, mármoles, anfibolitas, intrusiones sin/post-tectónicas de noritas ricas en Mg (con afinidad boninítica), así como rocas intrusivas post-tectónicas de composición ácida a básica. Las metabasitas de Acebuches sufrieron, en primer lugar, un metamorfismo de alta temperatura/baja presión que, en la actualidad, presenta un gradiente metamórfico invertido, y que estaba relacionado con un cabalgamiento vergente al SO. El pico térmico asociado a este evento metamórfico muestra un gradiente de edad, de forma que las edades más antiguas han sido obtenidas en el extremo oeste. La mitad inferior de la pila metabasítica de Acebuches fue afectada posteriormente por una deformación milonítica y un retrometamorfismo asociados a la zona de cizalla Sudibérica. Cuatro fases de deformación dúctil han sido definidas en el dominio continental: la fase CD-D1 estuvo relacionada con la generación de pliegues recumbentes de escala kilométrica. La fase CD-D2 se puede asociar a un colapso extensional, y es contemporánea con un metamorfismo de alta temperatura/baja presión que afectó al dominio continental y generó diversos complejos migmatíticos. La fase CD-D3 produjo pliegues simétricos verticales, mientras que la fase CD-D4 dio lugar a cabalgamientos vergentes al sur a los que se asociaron pliegues de propagación.Las principales características de la banda metamórfica de Aracena se interpretan como el resultado de la evolución de un punto triple de tipo fosa-fosa-dorsal. De acuerdo con el modelo propuesto, la interacción entre la dorsal y la zona de subducción dio como resultado la formación de una ventana astenosférica bajo el margen continental cabalgante, lo cual provocó el ascenso de la astenosfera y el consecuente rebote térmico. Esta unión triple migro a lo largo del margen continental hacia el este, lo que generó un cinturón metamórfico de alta temperatura/baja presión en el contacto entre las zonas de Ossa Morena y Sudportuguesa

Promoting dignified end-of-life care in the emergency department: a qualitative study

Background: Preservation of a dying person’s dignity in the emergency department (ED) is fundamental for the patient, his/her relatives and healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore and interpret physicians’ and nurses’ experiences regarding conservation of dignity in end-of-life care in dying patients in the ED. Methods: A qualitative study based on the hermeneutic phenomenological approach, was carried out in the emergency department of two general hospitals. A total of 16 nurses and 10 physicians participated in the study. Data collection included 12 individual in-depth interviews and 2 focus groups. Results: The findings revealed that two themes represent the practices and proposals for the conservation of dignity in the emergency department: dignified care in hostile surroundings and the design of a system focused on the person’s dignity. Conclusion: Dignifying treatment, redesigning environmental conditions, and reorienting the healthcare system can contribute to maintaining dignity in end-of-life care in the ED

Seismotectonic characterization of the Becerreá area (NW Spain)

The NW sector of the Iberian Peninsula has been classically considered as a seismically stable area, with only dispersed and low-magnitude activity. Around the village of Becerreá (Lugo) a significant concentration of earthquakes is observed. Since the beginning of instrumental record in 1979, seven seismic crisis have been reported in that zone, including 14 events of magnitude >4 and a larger event of magnitude 5.1mbLg (VII EMS) in 1997. Even if this seismicity is to be related to the general compressive regime between Africa and Eurasia, the seismotectonic characterization of the area is still controversial, as the different hypotheses considered are based on insufficiently accurate data. New insights to the problem are discussed here, coming from the deployment of a seismic portable network between 1999 and 2002, which has provided new accurate seismic data. The corresponding events are distributed around a subvertical axis, reaching a depth of 12km, and epicentres tend to concentrate beneath the intersection of the main Becerreá fault and secondary, ENE/WSW oriented faults. This intersection structure is thus interpreted as being responsible for the relatively high level of seismic activity over the area

Epytaxial growth of gypsum over anhydrite: An in situ study using atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Depto. de Mineralogía y PetrologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasFALSEpu

A comprehensive examination of the local- and long-range structure of Sb6O13 pyrochlore oxide

The crystal structure of the Sb6O13 oxide, exhibiting a defect pyrochlore crystal structure with atomic vacancies, has been studied using a complete set of state-of-the-art techniques. The degree of antimony disproportionation in Sb3+ and Sb5+ valence states has been directly determined around 36% and 64%, respectively, using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). These findings are in excellent agreement with our Rietveld analysis of synchrotron X-ray (SXRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) results. Moreover, the highly distorted Sb3+ coordination due to its lone electron pair has been critically revisited. The bonding distances and coordination of Sb3+ and Sb5+ species closely agree with an extensive dynamic and crystallographic determination using the Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) technique. Most importantly, the specific local disorder of the two distinctive Sb ions has been crosschecked monitoring their unusual Debye–Waller factors.Fil: Mayer, Sergio Federico. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; España. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rodrigues, Joao Elias. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; EspañaFil: Marini, C.. CELLS–ALBA Synchrotron; EspañaFil: Fernández-Díaz, M.T.. Institut Laue Langevin; FranciaFil: Falcón, H.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Asensio, M. C.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; España. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; EspañaFil: Alonso, J. A.. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; Españ

A comprehensive examination of the local- and long-range structure of Sb6O13 pyrochlore oxide

The crystal structure of the Sb6O13 oxide, exhibiting a defect pyrochlore crystal structure with atomic vacancies, has been studied using a complete set of state-of-the-art techniques. The degree of antimony disproportionation in Sb3+ and Sb5+ valence states has been directly determined around 36% and 64%, respectively, using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). These findings are in excellent agreement with our Rietveld analysis of synchrotron X-ray (SXRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) results. Moreover, the highly distorted Sb3+ coordination due to its lone electron pair has been critically revisited. The bonding distances and coordination of Sb3+ and Sb5+ species closely agree with an extensive dynamic and crystallographic determination using the Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) technique. Most importantly, the specific local disorder of the two distinctive Sb ions has been crosschecked monitoring their unusual Debye–Waller factors.Fil: Mayer, Sergio Federico. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; España. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rodrigues, Joao Elias. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; EspañaFil: Marini, C.. CELLS–ALBA Synchrotron; EspañaFil: Fernández-Díaz, M.T.. Institut Laue Langevin; FranciaFil: Falcón, H.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Asensio, M. C.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; España. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; EspañaFil: Alonso, J. A.. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid; Españ