Interannual variability of the diversity and structure of ichthyoplankton assemblages in the central Mexican Pacific

[Abstract] We examined larval fish diversity and assemblage structure on the central Mexican Pacific (coast of Jalisco and Colima) using data from samplings carried out with a Bongo net at 12 stations during 27 months, from December 1995 through December 1998. A total of 132 taxa were recorded, and the dominant species were Bregmaceros bathymaster (90% of the total abundance), Dormitator latifrons (1.9%) and Harengula thrissina (0.8%). Only B. bathymaster, D. latifrons and Gobionellus sp. attained the 100 % of occurrence. The effects of the 1997-98 El Niño event in ichthyoplankton diversity were significant, however the prevalence of the normal seasonality could be observed. Diversity null models were used to determine structural changes in the assemblage due to El Niño effects; both species richness and evenness were highest during El Niño. The most parsimonious models of assemblage organization include the El Niño and seasonality as most significant environmental variability sources. The small-scale spatial variability expressed as the cross-shore gradient was not relevant. The dominant species group formed by B. bathymaster, D. latifrons, and Vinciguerria lucetia typify for similarity both the previous and El Niño period and the only change was the abundance difference among periods. The El Niño period was typified by the dominant species Bentosema panamense and H. thrissina, and by the rare species Euthynus lineatus, and species of the genus Lujtanus. The assemblage shows a similar organization in the different seasons, sharing the same dominant species group. Seasonality produces only changes in the abundances and relative frequencies of dominant species and different rare species are characteristic of the different seasons. The average taxonomical distinctness, that could be considered as a measure of functional diversity, was highly sensitive to the seasonal change of the assemblages independently of the El Niño; this index showed lowest values during tropical and transition periods characterized by warm and oligotrophic water

Hierarchical organization of spatial and temporal patterns of macrobenthic assemblages in the tropical Pacific continental shelf

[Abstract] 1. Nowadays, studies focused to test a well-defined set of a priori hypotheses about spatial and temporal organization of assemblages in marine communities are scarce. 2. This study presents the first fully-developed application of a parsimonious approach for model selection based on the Kullback-Leibler information theory using multivariate data to determine the best spatial and temporal models among a set of a priori alternative models of a soft bottom macroinvertebrate community in the tropical Pacific continental shelf (from 10 to 90 m deep). 3. Besides of the determination of the most parsimonious model, the Akaike´s information criterion allows the exploration of the scale-dependent patterns of community organization and to determine hierarchical relations among the gradients considered. 4. Depth the most conspicuous spatial gradient affecting macrofaunal assemblages, and the main discontinuity is located between 40 and 60 m. The degree of exposure is defined as a secondary gradient and it is only relevant in shallow waters. 5. Seasonal changes in the abundance along the bathymetric gradient of some portunid crabs and shrimps defined a process of seasonal recomposition, caused by a vertical shift of the community

Decomposing diversity patterns of a soft-bottom macroinvertebrate community in the tropical eastern Pacific

[Abstract] Diversity is one of the most frequently used attributes of ecological communities, and there is a long-standing discussion about their adequate use, calculus and interpretation. One of the most conspicuous and simple diversity estimators is species richness, but it has been criticized by recurrent pitfalls, which has biased comparisons and the testing of hypotheses. Otherwise, synthetic ecological indices of diversity are difficult to interpret due the underlying complex or cryptic concepts. Most of the studies in soft-bottom macroinvertebrate communities trying to estimate richness species, have actually quantified species diversity as species density, the number of species per unit area. In the present study, the diversity of a tropical Pacific soft bottom community is analytically decomposed using two null models to assess species richness and evenness, and the slope of species-area curves to estimate species density. A declining trend of species richness was observed along a 2-year period and could be related to the cumulative effects of interannual environmental variability and fishing disturbance. The species-area relationship could be considered a good indicator of spatial heterogeneity, specifically to illustrate the depth gradient. Local abundance was negatively correlated with evenness, showing that high-density communities are the result of increases in abundance of a few dominant species. Here we demonstrate that seasonality, depth and abundance could explain diversity in soft-bottom macroinvertebrate communities of coastal waters and propose a robust procedure to survey diversity as a part of monitoring programs of coastal management.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología; REN2000-044

Effects of the 1997-1998 ENSO event in the eastern tropical Pacific coastal ecosystem

38th European Marine Biology Symposium, Aveiro (Portugal), 8-12 September 200

Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are usually granted greater sexual freedom, while the same sexual behavior is condemned in women. Culture can be a relevant variable for the SDS. Therefore, we have examined the measurement invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) across the Spanish and Colombian populations, comparing this phenomenon by country and gender. The scale comprises two factors: sexual freedom and sexual shyness. The sample consisted of 1832 heterosexual adults (46.3% men, 53.7% women), 54.3% of whom were Spanish and 45.7% Colombian. Strong invariance was found. The reliability values were good for country and gender. Men and women from both countries supported greater freedom for themselves compared to the other gender. Furthermore, Spanish women, unlike their Colombian counterparts, supported greater sexual shyness for men. Thus, what some authors have labeled as a "reverse sexual double standard" seems to emerge.This study was partially funded through a research project granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness (Grant Number PSI2014-58035-R)

Plankton biomass and larval fish abundance prior to and during the El Niño period of 1997–1998 along the central Pacific coast of México

The temporal and spatial distributions of zooplankton biomass and larval fish recorded during 27 months (December 1995–December 1998) off the Pacific coast of central México are analyzed. A total of 316 samples were obtained by surface (from 40–68 to 0 m) oblique hauls at 12 sampling sites using a Bongo net. Two well-defined periods were observed: a pre-ENSO period (December 1995–march 1997) and an ENSO event (July 1997–September 1998) characterized by impoverishment of the pelagic habitat. The highest biomass concentrations occurred at coastal stations during the pre-ENSO period. During the El Nin˜o period no spatial patterns were found in coastal waters. The months with highest biomass were those in which the lowest sea surface temperature (SST) occurred (January–May), and this pattern was also observed during the ENSO period. A typical, although attenuated, seasonal environmental pattern with enhanced phytoplankton (diatoms and dinoflagellates) was prevalent during the El Nin˜o event in nearshore waters. During the El Niño period the phytoplankton was mainly small diatoms (microphytoplankton), while dinoflagellates were practically absent. The most parsimonious generalized linear models explaining spatial and temporal distribution of larval fish species included the ENSO index (MEI), upwelling index (UI) and distance to the coast. The environmental variability defined on an interannual time-scale by the ENSO event and the seasonal hydroclimatic pattern defined by the UI (intra-annualscale) controlled the ecosystem productivity patterns. The small-scale distribution patterns (defined by a cross-shore gradient) of plankton were related to the hydroclimatic seasonality and modulated by interannual anomaliesUniversidad de Guadalajara, Méxic

Socioemotional Education to Decrease Attitudes of School Violence

The research was carried out with the purpose of demonstrating that the implementation of the Socio-emotional Education Program contributes to reducing attitudes of School Violence in Superior Basic students at an Educational Institution in Ecuador during the year 2023. To achieve this objective, an applied methodology was adopted with a quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 76 students, evenly divided into a control group and an experimental group, to whom a pretest and a posttest of the school violence questionnaire were administered. The pretest results revealed that 27.6% (16 participants) of the control group and 40.8% (31 participants) of the experimental group had a high attitude towards school violence. In the posttest, the control group recorded a 25% high attitude, while the experimental group, after the implementation of the socio-emotional education program, evidenced that 42.1% showed a low attitude towards school violence. The analysis of significant differences yielded a p-value of 0.00, less than 0.05. These numerical results support the importance of the specific interventions of the implemented program, as they generate significant changes in student attitudes, promoting positive school coexistence

Towards Ratiometric Sensing of Amyloid Fibrils In Vitro

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Chemistry - A European Journal 2015, 21, 3425–3434, DOI: 10.1002/chem.201406110. The final form has been published at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/chem.201406110. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsThe aggregation of amyloid‐β peptide and its accumulation in the human brain has an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Thioflavin T has been widely used as a fluorescent marker for these amyloid aggregates. Nevertheless, its complex photophysical behavior, with strong wavelength dependencies of all its fluorescence properties, requires searching for new fluorescent probes. The use of 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (HPIP), which shows two emission bands and a rich excited‐state behavior due to the existence of excited‐state intramolecular processes of proton transfer and charge transfer, is proposed. These properties result in a high sensitivity of HPIP fluorescence to its microenvironment and cause a large differential fluorescence enhancement of the two bands upon binding to aggregates of the amyloid‐β peptide. Based on this behavior, a very sensitive ratiometric method is established for the detection and quantification of amyloid fibrils, which can be combined with the monitoring of fluorescence anisotropy. The binding selectivity of HPIP is discussed on the basis of the apparent binding equilibrium constants of this probe to amyloid‐β (1–42) fibrils and to the nonfibrillar protein bovine serum albumin. Finally, an exhaustive comparison between HPIP and thioflavin T is presented to discuss the sensitivity and specificity of these probes to amyloid aggregates and the significant advantages of the HPIP dye for quantitative determinationsXunta de Galicia European Regional Development Fund Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Xunta de Galicia. Grant Numbers: CTQ2010‐21369, CTQ2010‐17835, GPC2013/052, R2014/051 RS MacDonald Charitable TrustS

Silent Harm. A review of support for survivors of gender-based violence

Introduction: Embedding principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in public service provision and education is critical to ensuring that society recognises and values the diverse experiences and perspectives of people at all stages of the life cycle and in different contexts. An active EDI agenda gives consideration to people from minoritised or disadvantaged backgrounds, the potential intersections between different characteristics that might disadvantage them further, and what steps can be taken to mitigate those disadvantages. For example, recognising that minority ethnic women from low socio-economic backgrounds may experience more challenges in access and staying in higher education or employment. Another part of embedding EDI into everyday practice also encourages discussion of traditionally taboo topics concerning gender, such as menstruation and menopause. One such taboo topic is Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Violence against women is a major public and clinical health problem and a violation of women's human rights. It is rooted in and perpetuates gender inequalities. This project focused on women who experience a double disadvantage because they are victims of GBV and they cannot, or struggle to, access support services in the majority language of their country either because they are migrant, refugees or asylum seekers, or because they are deaf signers. This report details the results of a survey conducted as part of the Justisigns 2 project, which was co-funded through the European Commission’s Erasmus+ fund to explore best practices for support service providers and interpreters working together, in order to ensure that women who report GBV can access services and support in their own language. Before going into the findings of the survey study, we provide a definition of Gender-Based Violence and an overview of the Justisigns 2 project, a brief review of relevant literature, details of the methodology used to design, distribute and analyse the survey, and discussion of the implications of the findings with recommendations for training and further research.Comisión Europea - Erasmus+ | Ref. 2019-1-IE01-KA202-05155