Confronting the Neglected Problem of Snake Bite Envenoming: The Need for a Global Partnership

Envenoming resulting from snake bites is an important public health hazard in many regions of the world, yet public health authorities have given little attention to the problem

Snakebite envenoming.

Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that kills >100,000 people and maims >400,000 people every year. Impoverished populations living in the rural tropics are particularly vulnerable; snakebite envenoming perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Snake venoms are complex mixtures of proteins that exert a wide range of toxic actions. The high variability in snake venom composition is responsible for the various clinical manifestations in envenomings, ranging from local tissue damage to potentially life-threatening systemic effects. Intravenous administration of antivenom is the only specific treatment to counteract envenoming. Analgesics, ventilator support, fluid therapy, haemodialysis and antibiotic therapy are also used. Novel therapeutic alternatives based on recombinant antibody technologies and new toxin inhibitors are being explored. Confronting snakebite envenoming at a global level demands the implementation of an integrated intervention strategy involving the WHO, the research community, antivenom manufacturers, regulatory agencies, national and regional health authorities, professional health organizations, international funding agencies, advocacy groups and civil society institutions

Lectin-sugar interactions deciphered by SPR-MS and Credrex-MS

Comunicaciones a congreso

Magnetic activity and differential rotation in the young Sun-like stars KIC 7985370 and KIC 7765135

Aims. We present a detailed study of the two Sun-like stars KIC 7985370 and KIC 7765135, to determine their activity level, spot distribution, and differential rotation. Both stars were previously discovered by us to be young stars and were observed by the NASA Kepler mission. Methods. The fundamental stellar parameters (vsini, spectral type, T_eff, log g, and [Fe/H]) were derived from optical spectroscopy by comparison with both standard-star and synthetic spectra. The spectra of the targets allowed us to study the chromospheric activity based on the emission in the core of hydrogen Hα and Ca ii infrared triplet (IRT) lines, which was revealed by the subtraction of inactive templates. The high-precision Kepler photometric data spanning over 229 days were then fitted with a robust spot model. Model selection and parameter estimation were performed in a Bayesian manner, using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Results. We find that both stars are Sun-like (of G1.5 V spectral type) and have an age of about 100–200 Myr, based on their lithium content and kinematics. Their youth is confirmed by their high level of chromospheric activity, which is comparable to that displayed by the early G-type stars in the Pleiades cluster. The Balmer decrement and flux ratio of their Ca ii-IRT lines suggest that the formation of the core of these lines occurs mainly in optically thick regions that are analogous to solar plages. The spot model applied to the Kepler photometry requires at least seven persistent spots in the case of KIC 7985370 and nine spots in the case of KIC 7765135 to provide a satisfactory fit to the data. The assumption of the longevity of the star spots, whose area is allowed to evolve with time, is at the heart of our spot-modelling approach. On both stars, the surface differential rotation is Sun-like, with the high-latitude spots rotating slower than the low-latitude ones. We found, for both stars, a rather high value of the equator-to-pole differential rotation (dΩ ≈ 0.18 rad d^-1), which disagrees with the predictions of some mean-field models of differential rotation for rapidly rotating stars. Our results agree instead with previous works on solar-type stars and other models that predict a higher latitudinal shear, increasing with equatorial angular velocity, that can vary during the magnetic cycle

Testing projected wild bee distributions in agricultural habitats: predictive power depends on species traits and habitat type

Species distribution models (SDM) are increasingly used to understand the factors that regulate variation in biodiversity patterns and to help plan conservation strategies. However, these models are rarely validated with independently collected data and it is unclear whether SDM performance is maintained across distinct habitats and for species with different functional traits. Highly mobile species, such as bees, can be particularly challenging to model. Here, we use independent sets of occurrence data collected systematically in several agricultural habitats to test how the predictive performance of SDMs for wild bee species depends on species traits, habitat type, and sampling technique. We used a species distribution modeling approach parametrized for the Netherlands, with presence records from 1990 to 2010 for 193 Dutch wild bees. For each species, we built a Maxent model based on 13 climate and landscape variables. We tested the predictive performance of the SDMs with independent datasets collected from orchards and arable fields across the Netherlands from 2010 to 2013, using transect surveys or pan traps. Model predictive performance depended on species traits and habitat type. Occurrence of bee species specialized in habitat and diet was better predicted than generalist bees. Predictions of habitat suitability were also more precise for habitats that are temporally more stable (orchards) than for habitats that suffer regular alterations (arable), particularly for small, solitary bees. As a conservation tool, SDMs are best suited to modeling rarer, specialist species than more generalist and will work best in long-term stable habitats. The variability of complex, short-term habitats is difficult to capture in such models and historical land use generally has low thematic resolution. To improve SDMs’ usefulness, models require explanatory variables and collection data that include detailed landscape characteristics, for example, variability of crops and flower availability. Additionally, testing SDMs with field surveys should involve multiple collection techniques

Overall 5G-MoNArch architecture and implications for resource elasticity

Proceeding of: 2018 European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC), June 18-21, Ljubljana, SloveniaThe fifth generation (5G) of mobile and wireless communications networks aims at addressing a diverse set of use cases, services, and applications with a particular focus on enabling new business cases via network slicing. The development of 5G has thus advanced quickly with research projects and standardization efforts resulting in the 5G baseline architecture. Nevertheless, for the realization of native end-to-end (E2E) network slicing, further features and optimizations shall still be introduced. In this paper, essential building blocks and design principles of the 5G architecture will be discussed capitalizing on the innovations that are being developed in the 5G-MoNArch project. Furthermore, building on the concept of resource elasticity introduced by 5G-MoNArch and briefly resummarized in this paper, an elasticity functional architecture is presented where the architectural implications required for each of the three dimensions of elasticity are described, namely computational, orchestration-driven, and slice-aware elasticity.This work has been performed in the framework of the H2020 project 5G-MoNArch co-funded by the EU

Cuando la segunda generación no se queda atrás: evidencias sobre el rendimiento académico de los hijos de inmigrantes en el caso andaluz

En este artículo se profundiza en la situación académica de los hijos de inmigrantes en España y, especialmente, en Andalucía. Con datos de PISA, se analizan estadísticamente la distancia con respecto a los estudiantes de origen nativo y el efecto que sobre la misma tienen diversas variables de interés. Los resultados confirman la sabida desventaja acadé- mica general de estos estudiantes, pero destacan un importante matiz menos difundido: los de “segunda generación” y quienes provienen de “parejas mixtas” puntúan al nivel de los nativos. El mayor nivel educativo de sus padres y el más elevado nivel sociocultural de sus hogares contribuyen a ello significativamente.This paper contributes to the knowledge about the academic attainment of children of immigrants in Spain and, specifically, in Andalusia. By using data from PISA, it is analyzed both the gap between immigrant and native students, and the effect that several variables of interest produce on such gap. Results confirm the already known academic disadvan- tage of immigrant students, but they also reveal an aspect that has been scarcely spread: second generation pupils and those coming from mixed parental couples perform as well as their native peers do. Higher educational level of their parents and higher household socio-cultural level contribute significantly to their outcomes

Populations of high-value predators reflect the traits of their prey

The extent to which prey traits combine to influence the abundance of predators is still poorly understood, particularly for mixed predators in sympatry and in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we characterise prey use and distribution in iconic bird (grey wagtails and Eurasian dippers) and fish species (brown trout and Atlantic salmon) to assess whether prey traits could predict populations of these four riverine predators. Specifically, we hypothesised that: 1) prey key traits would predict predator populations more effectively than 2) diversity of prey traits, 3) the taxonomic abundance or richness of prey (known as traditional or mass‐effect types of biodiversity) or 4) the prevailing environmental conditions. Combined predator population sizes were predicted better by a few key traits – specifically those revealing prey habitat use, size and drifting behaviour – than by prey diversity or prey trait diversity or environmental conditions. Our findings demonstrate that the complex relationships between prey assemblages and multiple predator species can be represented mechanistically when the key prey traits that govern encounter and consumption rates are identified. Given their apparent potential to reveal trophic relationships, and to complement more traditional measures of prey abundance, we advocate further development of trait‐based approaches in predator–prey research

Use of whole-body vibration as a mode of warming up before counter movement jump

This study was conducted without any conflict of interest, without financial assistance, and supported by grants from the Consejo Superior de Deportes (109/UPB31/03, 13/UPB20/04), the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (AP2003-2128, AP-2004-2745; AP2005-3827; AP2005-4358) and the HELENA study (European Community Sixth RTD Framework Programme, FOOD-CT-005-007034)