Food for Thought Integrating population genomics and biophysical models towards evolutionary-based fisheries management

Overfishing and rapid environmental shifts pose severe challenges to the resilience and viability of marine fish populations. To develop and implement measures that enhance species’ adaptive potential to cope with those pressures while, at the same time, ensuring sustainable exploitation rates is part of the central goal of fisheries management. Here, we argue that a combination of biophysical modelling and population genomic assessments offer ideal management tools to define stocks, their physical connectivity and ultimately, their short-term adaptive potential. To date, biophysical modelling has often been confined to fisheries ecology whereas evolutionary hypotheses remain rarely considered. When identified, connectivity patterns are seldom explored to understand the evolution and distribution of adaptive genetic variation, a proxy for species’ evolutionary potential. Here, we describe a framework that expands on the conventional seascape genetics approach by using biophysical modelling and population genomics. The goals are to identify connectivity patterns and selective pressures, as well as putative adaptive variants directly responding to the selective pressures and, ultimately, link both to define testable hypotheses over species response to shifting ecological conditions and overexploitation

Drogadicción Intravenosa Y Riesgo De Infección Por Vih En Madrid 1990*

ResumenComo parte de un estudio multicéntrico propuesto por la OMS para determinar la prevalencia de infección por el Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) entre los usuarios de drogas por vía parenteral (UDVP) de Madrid, identificar características sociales y de uso de drogas asociadas a la seropositividad e identificar los factores asociados a conductas de bajo riesgo, tales como no compartir jeringuillas y usar preservativo, se entrevistaron 472 UDVP, 240 reclutados en la calle y 232 en centros de tratamiento para drogodependientes. Para comparar proporciones se utilizó el test de X2 y para estimar las odds ratios de cada factor de riesgo, se ajustó un modelo de regresión logística.La prevalencia de infección por el VIH entre los UDVP estudiados en Madrid fue del 50% (53% entre los reclutados en la calle y 38% entre los reclutados en centros de tratamiento para drogodependientes). El 45% de los entrevistados seguían compartiendo jeringuillas. De los 315 individuos con algún contacto sexual en los últimos seis meses, sólo el 22% usaba preservativo, siempre o casi siempre, en sus relaciones.A la vista de los resultados, se deduce que habría que ampliar las intervenciones tendentes a incidir en el cambio hacia hábitos saludables, presentando alternativas tales como servicios de intercambio de jeringuillas y de mantenimiento con metadona, e introducir de un modo claro y contundente el consejo pre y post prueba del VIH, en todas aquellas agencias en contacto con esta población.SummaryAs part of a multicenter WHO study on HIV infection among drug injectors, 472 intravenous drug users (IDUs) were interviewed, 240 recruited in the streets and 232 at drug treatment centers. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of HIV infection among IDUs of Madrid, to identify factors associated with risk reduction behaviors, such as the use of sterile syringes and condoms. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to test for differences and to estimate odds ratios.Prevalence of HIV infection among IDUs in Madrid was 50% (53% among those recruited in the street and 38% among those recruited at treatment centers). Forty five per cent of those interviewed were still sharing syringes. Out of the 315 sexually active subjects, only 22% reported using condoms always or almost always.These results suggest that a range of interventions should be implemented to promote change towards healthier behaviors, including syringe-exchange programs, methadone maintenance treatments and pre and post-test counseling in those agencies which care for this population

Control of a SiC 2.5 MHz resonant full-bridge inverter for inductively driven plasma

The electronic ballast of an inductively driven plasma faces a mostly inductive, variable load impedance. The SiC full-bridge inverter uses the inductive behavior to achieve zero-voltage-switching and a switching frequency of 2.5 MHz, at 3.9 kVA and 764W in the plasma. The control is realized on a modern, small TI Piccolo microcontroller with a high-resolution PWM module and compensates for the variable load impedance. We present design and experimental results of a 2.5 MHz inverter for inductively driven plasma without the need for a large FPGA controller

Linking epigenetics and biological conservation: Towards a conservation epigenetics perspective

International audience1. Biodiversity conservation is a global issue where the challenge is to integrate all levels of biodiversity to ensure the long-term evolutionary potential and resilience of biological systems. Genetic approaches have largely contributed to conservation biology by defining "conservation entities" accounting for their evolutionary history and adaptive potential, the so-called evolutionary significant units (ESUs). Yet, these approaches only loosely integrate the short-term ecological history of organisms. 2. Here, we argue that epigenetic variation, and more particularly DNA methylation, represents a molecular component of biodiversity that directly links the genome to the environment. As such, it provides the required information on the ecological background of organisms for an integrative field of conservation biology. 3. We synthesize knowledge about the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in (a) orchestrating fundamental development alternatives in organisms, (b) enabling individuals to respond in real-time to selection pressures and (c) improving ecosystem stability and functioning. 4. Using practical examples in conservation biology, we illustrate the relevance of DNA methylation (a) as biomarkers of past and present environmental stress events as well as biomarkers of physiological conditions of individuals; (b) for documenting the ecological structuring/clustering of wild populations and hence for better integrating ecology into ESUs; (c) for improving conservation transloca-tions; and (d) for studying landscape functional connectivity. 5. We conclude that an epigenetic conservation perspective will provide environmental managers the possibility to refine ESUs, to set conservation plans taking into account the capacity of organisms to rapidly cope with environmental changes, and hence to improve the conservation of wild populations. K E Y W O R D S conservation, DNA methylation, ecological timescales, epigenetic, evolutionary significant unit

Uso de imágenes satélite Landsat para la detección de rodales de Pinus nigra Arn. y Pinus sylvestris L. afectados por escolítidos

Medium resolution images from multispectral sensors like Landsat TM have been extensively used for decades in order to identify decline and defoliation generated by insects and other forest pests. The present work analyses the usefulness of these kinds of images to detect small-size stands of Pinus nigra Arn. and Pinus sylvestris L. affected by Scolytidae attacks. The study area was located in the Solsones region (Eastern Pyrenees), selecting 34 training zones (17 damaged small-size stands and 17 healtly small-size stands). The exploratory analysis of the images was conducted with the ERDAS® IMAGINE 8.x. program.The results of the study showed significant differences between the affected and non-affected stands in 5 of the 7 spectral bands analysed. TM5 and TM7 bands were identified as those having the highest power to detect damaged stands. The digital levels obtained and the spaces of characteristics created, both showed trends to group small-size affected stands versus healthy, achieving improvements in the methodological procedure employed.El uso de imágenes procedentes de sensores multiespectrales de resolución media como es el caso de Landsat TM ha sido ampliamente utilizado desde décadas para detectar, entre otras variables, el decaimiento y la defoliación provocada por plagas y enfermedades forestales. El presente trabajo evalúa la utilidad del uso de estas imágenes en la detección de rodales de pino laricio (Pinus nigra Arn.) y pino silvestre (Pinus sylvestris L.) afectados por escolítidos. El área de estudio se localizó en el Solsonés (prepirineo de Lleida) seleccionando 34 áreas de entrenamiento (17 rodales afectados por la plaga y 17 rodales sanos). El análisis exploratorio de las imágenes se realizó mediante el programa ERDAS® IMAGINE 8.x. Los resultados del estudio mostraron una significación espectral en 5 de las 7 bandas analizadas, siendo TM5 y TM7 las que mejor comportamiento presentaron. Los niveles digitales obtenidos y los espacios de características creados señalaron sendas tendencias al agrupamiento de rodales afectados versus sanos, consiguiéndose plantear mejoras en el procedimiento metodológico

Genomics of Divergence along a Continuum of Parapatric Population Differentiation

MM received funding from the Max Planck innovation funds for this project. PGDF was supported by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant (proposal nr 270891). CE was supported by German Science Foundation grants (DFG, EI 841/4-1 and EI 841/6-1)