Composición y calidad de la dieta del ciervo (Cervus elaphus L.) en el norte de la península ibérica

Plant composition and quality of the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) diet in the northern Iberian peninsula The feeding pattern of red deer varies greatly among the different European populations. The aim of our study was to elucidate the plant composition and the quality of the red deer diet in the Pyrenees (Northern Iberian peninsula). Over a one-year period, the red deer fed mainly on browse, pines being the main food. However, unlike other populations on the Iberian peninsula, consumption of herbaceous plants was higher than browse in the spring-summer period. Nevertheless, the diet of Pyrenean red deer shared some features with the Mediterranean populations such as browsing on woody legumes. Fecal nitrogen content, as an index of diet quality, showed low annual values with a marked decrease in winter. The overall feeding pattern was similar to that of other Central European populations. The large size of the surveyed population probably affected its high level of browse consumption and poor quality diet

Assessment of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-based therapy in K/BxN serum transfer-induced arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by synovial hyperplasia and cartilage/bone destruction with systemic comorbidities. Despite advances in understanding the aetiology of RA and novel biologic drugs, a substantial number of individuals with RA remain intolerant or resistant to these therapies. In this context, mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy has emerged as an innovative therapeutic alternative to address unresolved treatment issues for patients with RA thanks to the immunomodulatory properties of these cells. The majority of preclinical studies in MSC-based therapy have been conducted using the well-known collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model however due to its low incidence, the mouse strain restriction and the prolonged induction phase of collagen-induced arthritis, alternative experimental models of RA have been developed such as K/BxN serum transfer-induced arthritis (STIA), which mimics many of human RA features. In this study, we evaluate whether the K/BxN STIA model could be used as an alternative model to study the immunomodulatory potential of MSC-based therapy. Unexpectedly, our data suggest that adipose-derived MSC-based therapy is unsuitable for modulating the progression of K/BxN serum-transfer arthritis in mice despite the various experimental parameters tested. Based on the differences in the immune status and monocytic/macrophage balance among the different arthritic models, these results could help to identify the cellular targets of the MSCs and, most importantly to predict the RA patients that will respond positively to MSC-based therapy

Composición vegetal y calidad de la dieta del ciervo (Cervus elaphus L. ) en el norte de la península Ibérica

The feeding pattern of red deer varies greatly among the different European populations. The aim of our study was to elucidate the plant composition and the quality of the red deer diet in the Pyrenees (Northern Iberian peninsula). Over a one–year period, the red deer fed mainly on browse, pines being the main food. However, unlike other populations on the Iberian peninsula, consumption of herbaceous plants was higher than browse in the spring–summer period. Nevertheless, the diet of Pyrenean red deer shared some features with the Mediterranean populations such as browsing on woody legumes. Fecal nitrogen content, as an index of diet quality, showed low annual values with a marked decrease in winter. The overall feeding pattern was similar to that of other Central European populations. The large size of the surveyed population probably affected its high level of browse consumption and poor quality diet.El patrón de alimentación del ciervo es muy variable entre las diferentes poblaciones europeas. El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue determinar la composición vegetal y la calidad de la dieta del ciervo en los Pirineos (norte de la península Ibérica). Durante un periodo de un año, el ciervo se alimentó principalmente de plantas leñosas, siendo los pinos su principal alimento. Sin embargo a diferencia de otras poblaciones de la península Ibérica, el consumo de plantas herbáceas fue superior al de leñosas en primavera y verano. No obstante, la dieta del ciervo del Pirineo comparte algunas características con la de las poblaciones mediterráneas, como el consumo de plantas leguminosas leñosas. El contenido en nitrógeno fecal, como índice de calidad de la dieta, presenta valores anuales bajos con una marcada disminución en invierno. El patrón de alimentación global fue similar al de otras poblaciones centroeuropeas. El gran tamaño de la población estudiada influye probablemente en el alto nivel de consumo de leñosas y la baja calidad de su dieta

Hole selective contacts based on transition metal oxides for c-Ge thermophotovoltaic devices

© 2022 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Thermophotovoltaics has become a very attractive solution for heat-to-electricity conversion due to its excellent conversion efficiencies. However, further research is needed to reduce the device cost which is typically based on III-V semiconductors. To tackle this limitation, crystalline germanium (c-Ge) has been proposed as an excellent substrate for low-cost devices. One of the key advances behind high system efficiencies is the excellent reflectance of the out-of-band photons at the rear surface of the photovoltaic device. These photons with lower energy than the absorber bandgap are reflected back to the thermal emitter reducing its thermal losses. In this work, we explore the performance of hole selective contacts based on evaporated transition metal oxides (MoOx, VOx, WOx) to be introduced at the rear surface of c-Ge devices. Regarding electrical properties, we characterize the selectivity of the contact by measuring effective surface recombination velocity (Seff) and contact resistivity (¿C). Best results are obtained with MoOx contacted by Ag/ITO with Seff = 588 cm/s and ¿C = 55.6 mO cm2 which can be improved by using gold as a metal contact leading to Seff = 156 cm/s and ¿C = 60.9 mO cm2. Regarding out-of-band reflectance, it is better for the case of Ag/ITO/MoOx contact with 87.5% compared to 78.9% for Au/MoOx when a 1473 K black body spectrum is used. Device simulations show potential system efficiencies in the range of 18–19% which are comparable to the best reported efficiencies using c-Ge thermophotovoltaic devices.This work has been supported by the Spanish government under projects PID2019-109215RB-C41 (SCALED), PID2020-116719RB-C41 (MATER ONE) and PID2020-115719RB-C21 (GETPV) funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The authors would like to thank the master student Oscar Llados ´ and Guillem Ayats for their help in processing the samples, Dr. Alejandro Datas from Instituto de Energía Solar (IES) in Madrid for providing the c-Ge wafers and fruitful discussions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

PENGARUH KEPEMIMPINAN TRANSFORMASIONAL DAN MOTIVASI BERPRESTASI TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI DP3APM (Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan, Perlindungan Anak dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat)

ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Motivasi Berprestasi terhadap Kinerja Pegawai di DP3APM Kota Bandung baik secara simultan maupun parsial. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah uji validitas dan reliabilitas, analisi regresi linier berganda, analisis korelasi berganda dan analisis koefisien determinasi. Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan melalui uji hipotesis secara simultan (uji f) dan uji hipotesis secara parsial (uji t). Pengolahan data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan program SPSS 20 for windows. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini ialah penelitian lapangan dan penelitian kepustakaan. Sampel dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 46 responden dengan menggunakan sampling insidental. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa secara simultan Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Motivasi Berprestasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap Kinerja Pegawai sebesar 61,2%, secara parsial Kepemimpinan Transformasional terhadap Kinerja Pegawai berpengaruh sebesar 27,93% dan Motivasi Berprestasi terhadap Kinerja Pegawai berpengaruh sebesar 33,28% Keyword: Kepemimpinan Transformasional, Motivasi Berprestasi, dan Kinerja Pegawa

Automatic detection and quantification of floating marine macro-litter in aerial images: Introducing a novel deep learning approach connected to a web application in R

The threats posed by floating marine macro-litter (FMML) of anthropogenic origin to the marine fauna, and marine ecosystems in general, are universally recognized. Dedicated monitoring programmes and mitigation measures are in place to address this issue worldwide, with the increasing support of new technologies and the automation of analytical processes. In the current study, we developed algorithms capable of detecting and quantifying FMML in aerial images, and a web-oriented application that allows users to identify FMML within images of the sea surface. The proposed algorithm is based on a deep learning approach that uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) capable of learning from unstructured or unlabelled data. The CNN-based deep learning model was trained and tested using 3723 aerial images (50% containing FMML, 50% without FMML) taken by drones and aircraft over the waters of the NW Mediterranean Sea. The accuracies of image classification (performed using all the images for training and testing the model) and cross-validation (performed using 90% of images for training and 10% for testing) were 0.85 and 0.81, respectively. The Shiny package of R was then used to develop a user-friendly application to identify and quantify FMML within the aerial images. The implementation of this, and similar algorithms, allows streamlining substantially the detection and quantification of FMML, providing support to the monitoring and assessment of this environmental threat. However, the automated monitoring of FMML in the open sea still represents a technological challenge, and further research is needed to improve the accuracy of current algorithms.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

DNA metabarcoding and spatial modelling link diet diversification with distribution homogeneity in European bats

Inferences of the interactions between species’ ecological niches and spatial distribution have been historically based on simple metrics such as low-resolution dietary breadth and range size, which might have impeded the identification of meaningful links between niche features and spatial patterns. We analysed the relationship between dietary niche breadth and spatial distribution features of European bats, by combining continent-wide DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples with species distribution modelling. Our results show that while range size is not correlated with dietary features of bats, the homogeneity of the spatial distribution of species exhibits a strong correlation with dietary breadth. We also found that dietary breadth is correlated with bats’ hunting flexibility. However, these two patterns only stand when the phylogenetic relations between prey are accounted for when measuring dietary breadth. Our results suggest that the capacity to exploit different prey types enables species to thrive in more distinct environments and therefore exhibit more homogeneous distributions within their rangesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sélection du régime alimentaire chez la Marmotte des Alpes (Marmota m. marmota L.) dans les Pyrénées

We studied the diet composition and selection of plants in the Alpine marmot Marmota m. marmota of two family groups in the Western Pyrenees from May to September. The food consumed was determined by faecal analysis, and the plant selection was determined comparing the plant composition in faeces and plant availability in the area surrounding the marmot burrows, which was measured by the point-intercept method. Most of the available plants belonged to a few families whose abundance did not change remarkably through the studied months, although the plants’ phenological stage changed considerably. The Alpine marmots primarily ate plants, consisting of a wide variety of leaves, flowers, and fruits of grasses and forbs, although the leaves of dicotyledonous herbs clearly dominated in the overall diet. Leguminosae, Compositae, Liliaceae, Plantaginaceae, and Umbelliferae were positively selected, and Labiatae and Rubiaceae were avoided. Flowers were actively chosen on the basis of relative abundance and phenology. The ingestion of animal prey (Arthropoda) was confirmed at the beginning of the active seasonNous avons étudié de mai à septembre dans les Pyrénées occidentales la composition du régime alimentaire et la sélection des plantes dans deux groupes familiaux de Marmotte des Alpes Marmota m. marmota. La nourriture consommée a été déterminée par analyse des fèces et la sélection des plantes en comparant la composition des fèces au cortège de plantes disponibles dans la zone entourant les terriers des marmottes. La plupart des plantes disponibles n'appartenaient qu'à quelques familles dont l'abondance ne changea pas de manière remarquable durant les mois d'étude contrairement aux stades phénologiques des plantes. Les marmottes ont surtout consommé des végétaux consistant en une grande variété de feuilles, de fleurs et de graines de graminées et autres herbes, les feuilles de dicotylédones dominant nettement dans le régime. Les Légumineuses, Composées, Liliacées, Plantaginacées et Ombellifères étaient positivement sélectionnées ; les Labiées et les Rubiacées étaient évitées. Les fleurs étaient activement choisies sur la base de leur abondance relative et de leur phénologie. L'ingestion de proies animales (Arthropodes) a été confirmée au début de la saison d'activité

Participatory analysis for adaptation to climate change in Mediterranean agricultural systems: possible choices in process design (versão Pre Print)

There is an increasing call for local measures to adapt to climate change, based on foresight analyses in collaboration with actors. However, such analyses involve many challenges, particularly because the actors concerned may not consider climate change to be an urgent concern. This paper examines the methodological choices made by three research teams in the design and implementation of participatory foresight analyses to explore agricultural and water management options for adaptation to climate change. Case studies were conducted in coastal areas of France, Morocco, and Portugal where the groundwater is intensively used for irrigation, the aquifers are at risk or are currently overexploited, and a serious agricultural crisis is underway. When designing the participatory processes, the researchers had to address four main issues: whether to avoid or prepare dialogue between actors whose relations may be limited or tense; how to select participants and get them involved; how to facilitate discussion of issues that the actors may not initially consider to be of great concern; and finally, how to design and use scenarios. In each case, most of the invited actors responded and met to discuss and evaluate a series of scenarios. Strategies were discussed at different levels, from farming practices to aquifer management. It was shown that such participatory analyses can be implemented in situations which may initially appear to be unfavourable. This was made possible by the flexibility in the methodological choices, in particular the possibility of framing the climate change issue in a broader agenda for discussion with the actors