Spatio-temporal analysis of oak decline process in open woodlands: A case study in SW Spain

This study aims to characterize at landscape level the spatio-temporal dynamics of a massive oak decline that is occurring in dehesas ecosystems. We are looking at possibilities of matching with Phytophthora disease behavior, a harmful disease detected in the studied area, in order to interpret its implications within the context of the disease management. Spatial locations of affected trees from 2001, 2009 and 2016 identified through photointerpretation were analyzed with the inhomogeneous Ripley's K-function to assess their spatial pattern. Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), a non-parametric data mining method, was used to investigate the influence of a range of landscape descriptors of different nature on the proneness to oak decline, using the location of affected trees in comparison with that of healthy spots (points randomly extracted from areas covered by healthy trees). Affected trees showed a strong clustering pattern that decreased over time. The reported spatial patterns align with the hypothesis of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands. being the main cause of oak decline in Mediterranean forests. Location of affected trees detected in different years was found to be spatially related, suggesting the implication of a contagion process. MARS models from 2001, 2009 and 2016 reported Area Under the Curve (AUC) values of 0.707, 0.671 and 0.651, respectively. Slope was the most influential landscape descriptor across the three years, with distance to afforestations being the second for 2001 and 2009. Landscape descriptors linked to human factors and soil water content seem to influence oak decline caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi at landscape level. Afforestations carried out as part of the afforestation subsidy program promoted by the European Commission in 1992 could have acted as an initial source of Phytophthora cinnamomi infection. These findings together with the consideration of the spatial and temporal scale of the spreading are essential when planning the management of oak decline in open woodlands

Investigating the potential of Sentinel-2 configuration to predict the quality of Mediterranean permanent grasslands in open woodlands

The assessment of pasture quality in permanent grasslands is essential for their conservation and management, as it can contribute to making real-time decisions for livestock management. In this study, we assessed the potential of Sentinel-2 configuration to predict forage quality in high diverse Mediterranean permanent grasslands of open woodlands. We evaluated the performance of Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS) models to predict crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and enzyme digestibility of organic matter (EDOM) by using three different reflectance datasets: (i) laboratory measurements of reflectance of dry and ground pasture samples re-sampled to Sentinel-2 configuration (Spec-lab) (ii) field in-situ measurements of grasslands canopy reflectance resampled to Sentinel-2 configuration (Spec-field); (iii) and Bottom Of Atmosphere Sentinel-2 imagery. For the three reflectance datasets, the models to predict CP content showed moderate performance and predictive ability. Mean R2test = 0.68 were obtained using Spec-lab data, mean R2test decreased by 0.11 with Spec-field and by 0.18 when Sentinel-2 reflectance was used. Statistics for NDF showed worse predictions than those obtained for CP: predictions produced with Spec-lab showed mean R2test = 0.64 and mean RPDtest = 1.73. The mean values of R2test = 0.50 and RPDtest = 1.54 using Sentinel-2 BOA reflectance were marginally better than the values obtained with Spec-field (mean R2test = 0.48, mean RPDtest = 1.43). For ADF and EDOM, only predictions made with Spec-lab produced acceptable results. Bands from the red-edge region, especially band 5, and the SWIR regions showed the highest contribution to estimating CP and NDF. Bands 2, blue and 4, red also seem to be important. The implementation of field spectroscopy in combination with Sentinel-2 imagery proved to be feasible to produce forage quality maps and to develop larger datasets. This study contributes to increasing knowledge of the potential and applicability of Sentinel-2 to predict the quality of Mediterranean permanent grasslands in open woodlands

Actividades de formación en competencias informacionales en Centros de Mayores del Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Memoria proyecto ApS UCM)

Memoria del proyecto de Aprendizaje y Servicio realizado con el alumnado del Grado en Información y Documentación y el Centro de Mayores de Santa Engracia (Madrid)

Actividad bacteriocinogénica de bacterias aisladas de digestivos de peces marinos salvajes

El crecimiento exponencial que ha sufrido la acuicultura en las últimas décadas ha dado lugar a un incremento en número y virulencia de las enfermedades bacterianas que afectan a los peces cultivados. Hasta la fecha, el control de estas enfermedades se ha realizado a través del uso de vacunas y antibióticos, así como de la desinfección del agua y el control biológico, el uso de inmunoestimulantes no-específicos y suplementos dietéticos, entre otros. Pero una mala gestión de estas enfermedades, asociada sobre todo al abuso de antibióticos, ha sido asociada a la aparición de reservorios de bacterias resistentes a antibióticos, tanto en animales como en el ambiente acuático, con el consiguiente peligro para la salud humana (1, 2). El empleo de bacteriocinas como alternativa a los antibióticos parece ser una alternativa plausible para el control y tratamiento de estas enfermedades de una manera inocua y sostenible (3, 4). Pese a que en los últimos años se ha intensificado la búsqueda de cepas productoras de bacteriocinas frente a bacterias patógenas marinas, desafortunadamente todavía son pocas las cepas totalmente caracterizadas (5). El presente estudio tiene por objetivo caracterizar cepas bacterianas con actividad bacteriocinogénica aisladas de intestinos de peces salvajes del Mar Cantábrico. Para ello se procesaron un total de 19 intestinos pertenecientes a 19 ejemplares, cada uno de una especie diferente capturados en el Mar Cantábrico (Cantabria). De estas muestras se aislaron un total de 198 colonias en medio de cultivo TSA, en base a su morfología, color y brillo, que fueron seleccionadas para comprobar su actividad antagonista frente a patógenos de peces de acuicultura. Como cepas indicadoras patógenas de peces se emplearon: Vibrio splendidus y Vibrio anguillarum, y cepas patógenas aisladas de cultivos de lenguado senegalés (Solea senegalensis). Se detectaron 15 cepas de bacterias marinas que presentaban actividad antagonista frente al menos una de las cepas patógenas, de las cuales 4 mostraron actividad inhibitoria frente a más de una especie patógena. La identificación de las cepas procedentes del medio marino seleccionadas se realizó mediante la secuenciación del gen 16S ARN, presentando una homología >99% a Myroides sp. y Alcaligenes sp. Finalmente se estudió el efecto de los parámetros físico-químicos en la actividad bactericida (pH, temperatura y proteasas)

Cytokine and microbiota profiles in obesity-related hypertension patients

BackgroundSystemic arterial hypertension is linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases on a global scale. In Mexico, nearly half of adults in vulnerable conditions experience hypertension. Imbalance in the oral and intestinal microbiota composition has been observed in patients with hypertension, documented by a decrease of bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids, which play a critical role in blood pressure regulation.AimTo examine the cytokines’ profile and assess the characteristics of oral and gut microbiota in obesity-related hypertension in Mexican patients.MethodsA cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study was carried out. Twenty-two patients were categorized by their body mass index (BMI) as overweight and obese, and the diagnosis of primary hypertension. DNA from supragingival dental plaque and feces samples was used to carry out 16S rRNA sequencing. Additionally, 13 cytokines were quantified.ResultsIn the oral microbiota, Kluyvera was found to be significantly enriched in obese compared to overweight patients. Instead, the gut microbiota was dominated by Firmicutes. However, the correlation between certain genera and proinflammatory cytokines was noted.ConclusionThis exploratory study provides insights into the complex relationship between the oral and gut microbiota and their association with systemic inflammation in obesity-related hypertension

Transformaciones y retos de la educación en las artes y los diseños (tomo 1)

El presente libro contiene doce reflexiones que nos sugieren un balance para repensar la educación superior tras las experiencias pandémicas en tres dimensiones: pedagogía, didáctica general y didácticas especiales, Estas tres dimensiones ofrecen un panorama integral para repensar los problemas educativos actuales. A diferencia de otros balances que hemos visto o leído en los últimos años, el presente se compone de tres ejes que atraviesan todas las reflexiones: reorganización de ideas, consolidación de la inter y transdisciplina, y mejora efectiva de las prácticas de enseñanza-aprendizaje desde planes y programas de estudios hasta actividades entre docentes y alumnos.Coordinadoras: Alma Elisa Delgado Coellar, Juana Cecilia Angeles Cañedo & Daniela Velázquez Ruí