“Family Connections”, a DBT-Based Program for Relatives of People with Borderline Personality Disorder during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus Group Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the family environment due to the difficulties that have been generated by job losses, deaths, increase rates of family and domestic violence, poor mental health outcomes, and estrangement in personal relationships. “Family Connections” (FC) is an internationally renowned DBT-based program that supports the families and caregivers of people with borderline personality disorder. The study took place at a Specialized Health Centre in Spain. A focus group with seven participants was organized for people who had previously attended an FC group. The participants were asked about their experiences during the confinement periods that was caused by COVID-19 as well as their experiences and opinions on relatives, skills practiced, their need to and the advantages of attending the group, and satisfaction with the FC group. The qualitative research web program Dedoose was used for the thematic analysis of the data. The results showed that the participants experienced various experiences during confinement; validation and radical acceptance were determined to be the most useful skills; the importance of professionals and the content as well as the sincerity of attendees and having a safe space were determined to be the greatest benefits of the programs; and the participants all indicated great satisfaction of the program. This study allowed us to explore the experiences of family members of people with BPD with their loved ones during the confinement period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the use of the FC program skills in the family environment during confinement, and we analyzed the acceptability and satisfaction with the FC program

Developing a Business Application with BPM and MDE

In this paper we have designed an architecture for the generation of a business application, that allows to business users to adapt their processes to the constant change. At the moment all the architectures based to a great extent on SOA allow to modify the processes in a short period of time, but we go beyond and give the possibility to the business user of modifying their processes. To design this architecture, we rely on the fundamental use of two technologies: BPM (Business Process Modeling) and MDE (Model Driven Engineering). Inside these technologies we focus on the creation of a business process notation extended from BPMN that is agile, easy to learn and design, and capable to provide semantic information about the process. Therefore this notation allows business process to modify their processes to achieve the proposed goal

Biogeographic ranges do not support niche theory in radiating Canary Island plant clades

Aim: Ecological niche concepts, in combination with biogeographic history, underlie our understanding of biogeographic ranges. Two pillars of this understanding are competitive displacement and niche conservatism. The competitive displacement hypothesis holds that very similar (e.g. closely related) co-occurring species should diverge, forced apart by competition. In contrast, according to the niche conservatism hypothesis, closely related species should have similar niches. If these are fundamental structuring forces, they should be detectable when comparing the climatic niches of endemic species in radiating clades in oceanic archipelagos, where closely related species exist in both sympatry and allopatry and the species' entire ranges are known. We took advantage of this natural experimental system to test whether the climatic niche relationships predicted by the two hypotheses are found. Location: Canary Islands. Methods: For the plant clades Aeonium, Argyranthemum, Descurainia, Echium, Lotus and Sonchus, separately, we tested relationships between phylogenetic distance and climatic niche differentiation (in temperature, precipitation and their combination), using a high-resolution dataset. We also tested for niche conservatism using Blomberg's K and Pagel's λ. We compared climatic niche differentiation between pairs of species existing in sympatry with that for pairs of species in allopatry. For each comparison, we focused on the climatic niche space available to both species. Results: The relationships between phylogenetic distance and climatic niche differentiation were mostly non-significant; some weak but significant positive relationships were found, mainly for Aeonium and Sonchus. Where differences between sympatry and allopatry were found, niche differentiation tended to be greater in allopatry. Main conclusions: The expectations from niche conservatism were frequently not met; instead our results suggest considerable climatic niche lability. All significant differences in climatic niche differentiation were opposite to the predictions from competitive displacement. These forces may be less important in structuring biogeographic ranges than is commonly thought, at least on islands

Multicultural quality of life index in relatives of people with borderline personality disorder

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to confirm the original factor structure of the Multicultural Quality of Life Index (MQLI) and analyze its psychometric properties in a sample of caregivers of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Methods: The MQLI was administered to 233 relatives of people with BPD. Participants completed the MQLI, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results: Factor analysis of the relatives indicated that the MQLI generated a one-factor solution. The MQLI showed good internal consistency, ̟ = 0.91 [95% CI (0.90, 0.93)] and correlated significantly and positively with the CD-RISC (rs = 0.576) and negatively with the DASS-21 (rs = −0.583). Conclusion: Consistent with other studies, the MQLI demonstrated feasibility, strong internal consistency, and good convergent and discriminant validity, which means it is a psychometrically robust measure for the assessment of quality of life in relatives of people with BPD. Along with other validation studies, this measure will be a useful tool for assessing quality of life in relatives of people with mental disorders

Ongrowing of Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 in floating cages fed with bogue Boops boops (L., 1758) from fish farm discards

The first two experiences of ongrowing the octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797, fed solely on fish of low commercial value, such as discarded bogue Boops boops (L., 1758) accidentally reared in seabream Sparus aurata L., 1758 culture cages, were carried out in the Canary Islands. The present study was made in a floating cage of galvanized mesh, divided vertically into two semi-cages. In a first experiment, individuals of two different initial average sizes were compared: 1.5 kg and 2.3 kg, both stocked at a density of 11 kg/m³. They were reared for 57 days, obtaining octopus of 2.643 kg from the 1.5 kg group, and of 3.812 kg from the 2.3 kg group. The survival rate was 91 % for the initially smaller group, and 82 % for the larger group. Density of individuals was increased in a second experience, in which the initial sizes were smaller, 1.0 kg and 0.8 kg, in each semi-cage. This second experience was carried out for 81 days, and the final weight of the octopus was 3.111 kg for the 1 kg group and 3.052 kg for the 0.8 kg group, with a survival rate of 44 % for the former and 50 % for the latter. The use of bogue as a single feed was found to be enough to sustain good growth in octopus cage rearing. Best results in terms of specific growth rate and average daily growth were obtained in the lowest size group, 0.8 kg of initial weight, with a SGR of 1.65 %, whereas the smallest rates of growth (SGR of 0.86 %) were in octopus of 2.337 kg of initial weight.Las dos primeras experiencias de engorde de pulpo Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 utilizando como único alimento peces de bajo valor comercial, como boga Boops boops (L., 1758), introducidos accidentalmente en las jaulas de engorde de dorada Sparus aurata L., 1758, se llevaron a cabo en las islas Canarias. El estudio se realizó en una jaula flotante de malla galvanizada, dividida verticalmente en dos mitades. En una primera experiencia se engordaron ejemplares con tamaños medios iniciales diferentes, 1,5 kg y 2,3 kg, en ambos casos a la densidad de 11 kg/m³. El engorde se realizó durante 57 días, obteniéndose al final individuos de 2,64 kg y 3,81 kg, respectivamente, con supervivencias del 91 % y el 82 %, también respectivamente. La densidad inicial fue incrementada en una segunda experiencia, donde se partió de tamaños inferiores a 1,0 kg y 0,8 kg en las semijaulas y que se prolongó durante 81 días; en ella, los pulpos alcanzaron un peso final de 3,11 kg y 3,05 kg, con una supervivencia del 44 y 50 %, respectivamente. La utilización de boga de descarte de acuicultura como único alimento en jaulas de engorde de pulpo parece proporcionar un buen crecimiento a este molusco. Los mejores resultados en términos de crecimiento específico (SGR) y crecimiento diario (IPD) fueron obtenidos en los ejemplares de menor tamaño inicial (0,8 kg), con un SGR de 1,65 %, mientras que las menores tasas de SGR (0,86 %) se registraron en ejemplares mayores de 2,34 kg de peso inicial.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Allelic diversity and patterns of selection at the major histocompatibility complex class I and II loci in a threatened shorebird, the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus)

Background: Understanding the structure and variability of adaptive loci such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is a primary research goal for evolutionary and conservation genetics. Typically, classical MHC genes show high polymorphism and are under strong balancing selection, as their products trigger the adaptive immune response in vertebrates. Here, we assess the allelic diversity and patterns of selection for MHC class I and class II loci in a threatened shorebird with highly flexible mating and parental care behaviour, the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) across its broad geographic range. Results: We determined the allelic and nucleotide diversity for MHC class I and class II genes using samples of 250 individuals from eight breeding population of Snowy Plovers. We found 40 alleles at MHC class I and six alleles at MHC class II, with individuals carrying two to seven different alleles (mean 3.70) at MHC class I and up to two alleles (mean 1.45) at MHC class II. Diversity was higher in the peptide-binding region, which suggests balancing selection. The MHC class I locus showed stronger signatures of both positive and negative selection than the MHC class II locus. Most alleles were present in more than one population. If present, private alleles generally occurred at very low frequencies in each population, except for the private alleles of MHC class I in one island population (Puerto Rico, lineage tenuirostris). Conclusion: Snowy Plovers exhibited an intermediate level of diversity at the MHC, similar to that reported in other Charadriiformes. The differences found in the patterns of selection between the class I and II loci are consistent with the hypothesis that different mechanisms shape the sequence evolution of MHC class I and class II genes. The rarity of private alleles across populations is consistent with high natal and breeding dispersal and the low genetic structure previously observed at neutral genetic markers in this species

Developing a Business Application with BPM and MDE

In this paper we have designed an architecture for the generation of a business application, that allows to business users to adapt their processes to the constant change. At the moment all the architectures based to a great extent on SOA allow to modify the processes in a short period of time, but we go beyond and give the possibility to the business user of modifying their processes. To design this architecture, we rely on the fundamental use of two technologies: BPM (Business Process Modeling) and MDE (Model Driven Engineering). Inside these technologies we focus on the creation of a business process notation extended from BPMN that is agile, easy to learn and design, and capable to provide semantic information about the process. Therefore this notation allows business process to modify their processes to achieve the proposed goal

Evolutionary winners are ecological losers among oceanic island plants

Aim Adaptive radiation, in which successful lineages proliferate by exploiting untapped niche space, provides a popular but potentially misleading characterization of evolution on oceanic islands. Here we analyse the respective roles of members of in situ diversified vs. non-diversified lineages in shaping the main ecosystems of an archipelago to explore the relationship between evolutionary and ecological ‘success’. Location Canary Islands. Taxon Vascular plants. Methods We quantified the abundance/rarity of the native flora according to the geographical range (number of islands where present and geographical extent of the range), habitat breadth (climatic niche) and local abundance (cover) using species distribution data based on 500 × 500 m grid cells and 2000 vegetation inventories located all over the archipelago. Results Species of diversified lineages have significantly smaller geographic ranges, narrower climatic niches and lower local abundances than those of non-diversified lineages. Species rarity increased with the degree of diversification. The diversified Canarian flora is mainly comprised by shrubs. At both archipelagic and island level, the four core ecosystems (Euphorbia scrub, thermophilous woodlands, laurel forest and pine forest) were dominated by non-diversified lineages species, with diversified lineages species providing <25% cover. Species of diversified lineages, although constituting 54% of the archipelagic native flora, were only abundant in two rare ecosystems: high mountain scrub and rock communities. Main conclusions Radiated species, endemic products of in situ speciation, are mostly rare in all three rarity axes and typically do not play an important role in structuring plant communities on the Canaries. The vegetation of the major ecosystem types is dominated by plants representing non-diversified lineages (species that derive from immigration and accumulation), while species of evolutionarily successful lineages are abundant only in marginal habitats and could, therefore, be considered ecological losers. Within this particular oceanic archipelago, and we posit within at least some others, evolutionary success in plants is accomplished predominantly at the margins.publishedVersio

Impacts of Forest Fire on Understory Species Diversity in Canary Pine Ecosystems on the Island of La Palma

Forest fires are drivers of spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of vegetation and biodiversity. On the Canary Islands, large areas of pine forest exist, dominated by the endemic Canary Island pine, Pinus canariensis C. Sm. These mostly natural forests experience wildfires frequently. P. canariensis is well-adapted to such impacts and has the ability to re-sprout from both stems and branches. In recent decades, however, anthropogenically caused fires have increased, and climate change further enhances the likelihood of large forest fires. Through its dense, long needles, P. canariensis promotes cloud precipitation, which is an important ecosystem service for the freshwater supply of islands such as La Palma. Thus, it is important to understand the regeneration and vegetation dynamics of these ecosystems after fire. Here, we investigated species diversity patterns in the understory vegetation of P. canariensis forests after the large 2016 fire on the southern slopes of La Palma. We analyzed the effect of fire intensity, derived from Sentinel-2 NDVI differences, and of environmental variables, on species richness (alpha diversity) and compositional dissimilarity (beta diversity). We used redundancy analysis (dbRDA), Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, and variance partitioning for this analysis. Fire intensity accounted for a relatively small proportion of variation in alpha and beta diversity, while elevation was the most important predictor. Our results also reveal the important role of the endemic Lotus campylocladus ssp. hillebrandii (Christ) Sandral & D.D.Sokoloff for understory diversity after fire. Its dominance likely reduces the ability of other species to establish by taking up nutrients and water and by shading the ground. The mid-to long-term effects are unclear since Lotus is an important nitrogen fixer in P. canariensis forests and can reduce post-fire soil erosion on steep slopes

Climatic and biogeographical drivers of functional diversity in the flora of the Canary Islands

Aim Functional traits can help us to elucidate biogeographical and ecological processes driving assemblage structure. We analysed the functional diversity of plant species of different evolutionary origins across an island archipelago, along environmental gradients and across geological age, to assess functional aspects of island biogeographical theory. Location Canary Islands, Spain. Major taxa studied Spermatophytes. Time period Present day. Methods We collected data for four traits (plant height, leaf length, flower length and fruit length) associated with resource acquisition, competitive ability, reproduction and dispersal ability of 893 endemic, non-endemic native and alien plant species (c. 43% of the Canary Island flora) from the literature. Linking these traits to species occurrences and composition across a 500 m × 500 m grid, we calculated functional diversity for endemic, non-endemic native and alien assemblages using multidimensional functional hypervolumes and related the resulting patterns to climatic (humidity) and island biogeographical (geographical isolation, topographic complexity and geological age) gradients. Results Trait space of endemic and non-endemic native species overlapped considerably, and alien species added novel trait combinations, expanding the overall functional space of the Canary Islands. We found that functional diversity of endemic plant assemblages was highest in geographically isolated and humid grid cells. Functional diversity of non-endemic native assemblages was highest in less isolated and humid grid cells. In contrast, functional diversity of alien assemblages was highest in arid ecosystems. Topographic complexity and geological age had only a subordinate effect on functional diversity across floristic groups. Main conclusions We found that endemic and non-endemic native island species possess similar traits, whereas alien species tend to expand functional space in ecosystems where they have been introduced. The spatial distribution of the functional diversity of floristic groups is very distinct across environmental gradients, indicating that species assemblages of different evolutionary origins thrive functionally in dissimilar habitats.publishedVersio