Reproductive management of the goat

Objective: To share technical aspects with specialists in animal reproduction and producers that could help to improve the reproductive capacity of caprine livestock. Design/Methodology/Approach: Scientific evidence and experience in the reproductive management of goats are the basis that sustains the information presented in this article. Results: The goat is widely distributed in Mexico; it is a species with seasonal reproductive activity, but of easy manipulation with hormonal and natural means. Presently there is a large variety of biotechnologies that can be applied in the production units, to potentiate the reproductive activity of the goat. Study Limitations/Implications: The lack of knowledge and the lack of consulting and technical training limit the productive and reproductive potential of goat breeding in Mexico. Findings/Conclusions: Knowledge of the reproductive physiology of the goat and understanding of the means available to manipulate it guarantees its reproduction at the time and in the conditions desired by the producer and the marke

Trapping of three-dimensional electrons and transition to two-dimensional transport in the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3 under high pressure

[EN] This paper reports an experimental and theoretical investigation on the electronic structure of bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) up to 9 GPa. The optical gap of Bi2Se3 increases from 0.17 eV at ambient pressure to 0.45 eV at 8 GPa. The quenching of the Burstein-Moss effect in degenerate samples and the shift of the free-carrier plasma frequency to lower energies reveal a quick decrease of the bulk three-dimensional (3D) electron concentration under pressure. On increasing pressure the behavior of Hall electron concentration and mobility depends on the sample thickness, consistently with a gradual transition from mainly 3D transport at ambient pressure to mainly two-dimensional (2D) transport at high pressure. Two-carrier transport equations confirm the trapping of high-mobility 3D electrons, an effect that can be related to a shallow-to-deep transformation of donor levels, associated with a change in the ordering of the conduction band minima. The high apparent areal density and low electron mobility of 2D electrons are not compatible with their expected properties in a Dirac cone. Measured transport parameters at high pressure are most probably affected by the presence of holes, either in an accumulation surface layer or as minority carriers in the bulk. ©2012 American Physical SocietyThis work has been done under financial support from Spanish MICINN under Grants No. MAT2008-06873-C02-02, No. MAT2007-66129, No. MAT2010-21270-C04-03/04, No. CSD2007-00045, and Prometeo No. GV2011/035. The supercomputer time has been provided by the Red Espanola de Supercomputacion (RES) and the MALTA cluster.Segura, A.; Panchal, V.; Sánchez-Royo, JF.; Marín-Borrás, V.; Muñoz-Sanjosé, V.; Rodríguez-Hernández, P.; Muñoz, A.... (2012). Trapping of three-dimensional electrons and transition to two-dimensional transport in the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3 under high pressure. Physical Review B. 85:195139-1-195139-9. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.195139S195139-1195139-985Mishra, S. K., Satpathy, S., & Jepsen, O. (1997). Electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride and bismuth selenide. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 9(2), 461-470. doi:10.1088/0953-8984/9/2/014Hor, Y. S., Richardella, A., Roushan, P., Xia, Y., Checkelsky, J. G., Yazdani, A., … Cava, R. J. (2009). p-typeBi2Se3for topological insulator and low-temperature thermoelectric applications. Physical Review B, 79(19). doi:10.1103/physrevb.79.195208Zhang, H., Liu, C.-X., Qi, X.-L., Dai, X., Fang, Z., & Zhang, S.-C. (2009). Topological insulators in Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 with a single Dirac cone on the surface. Nature Physics, 5(6), 438-442. doi:10.1038/nphys1270Hasan, M. Z., & Kane, C. L. (2010). Colloquium: Topological insulators. Reviews of Modern Physics, 82(4), 3045-3067. doi:10.1103/revmodphys.82.3045Moore, J. E. (2010). The birth of topological insulators. Nature, 464(7286), 194-198. doi:10.1038/nature08916Xia, Y., Qian, D., Hsieh, D., Wray, L., Pal, A., Lin, H., … Hasan, M. Z. (2009). Observation of a large-gap topological-insulator class with a single Dirac cone on the surface. Nature Physics, 5(6), 398-402. doi:10.1038/nphys1274Chen, Y. L., Analytis, J. G., Chu, J.-H., Liu, Z. K., Mo, S.-K., Qi, X. L., … Shen, Z.-X. (2009). Experimental Realization of a Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator, Bi2Te3. Science, 325(5937), 178-181. doi:10.1126/science.1173034Hsieh, D., Xia, Y., Qian, D., Wray, L., Dil, J. H., Meier, F., … Hasan, M. Z. (2009). A tunable topological insulator in the spin helical Dirac transport regime. Nature, 460(7259), 1101-1105. doi:10.1038/nature08234Alpichshev, Z., Analytis, J. G., Chu, J.-H., Fisher, I. R., Chen, Y. L., Shen, Z. X., … Kapitulnik, A. (2010). STM Imaging of Electronic Waves on the Surface ofBi2Te3: Topologically Protected Surface States and Hexagonal Warping Effects. Physical Review Letters, 104(1). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.104.016401Roushan, P., Seo, J., Parker, C. V., Hor, Y. S., Hsieh, D., Qian, D., … Yazdani, A. (2009). Topological surface states protected from backscattering by chiral spin texture. Nature, 460(7259), 1106-1109. doi:10.1038/nature08308Butch, N. P., Kirshenbaum, K., Syers, P., Sushkov, A. B., Jenkins, G. S., Drew, H. D., & Paglione, J. (2010). Strong surface scattering in ultrahigh-mobilityBi2Se3topological insulator crystals. Physical Review B, 81(24). doi:10.1103/physrevb.81.241301Wang, Z., Lin, T., Wei, P., Liu, X., Dumas, R., Liu, K., & Shi, J. (2010). Tuning carrier type and density in Bi2Se3 by Ca-doping. Applied Physics Letters, 97(4), 042112. doi:10.1063/1.3473778Ren, Z., Taskin, A. A., Sasaki, S., Segawa, K., & Ando, Y. (2010). Large bulk resistivity and surface quantum oscillations in the topological insulatorBi2Te2Se. Physical Review B, 82(24). doi:10.1103/physrevb.82.241306Kulbachinskii, V. A., Miura, N., Nakagawa, H., Arimoto, H., Ikaida, T., Lostak, P., & Drasar, C. (1999). Conduction-band structure ofBi2−xSbxSe3mixed crystals by Shubnikov–de Haas and cyclotron resonance measurements in high magnetic fields. Physical Review B, 59(24), 15733-15739. doi:10.1103/physrevb.59.15733Analytis, J. G., McDonald, R. D., Riggs, S. C., Chu, J.-H., Boebinger, G. S., & Fisher, I. R. (2010). Two-dimensional surface state in the quantum limit of a topological insulator. Nature Physics, 6(12), 960-964. doi:10.1038/nphys1861Cho, S., Butch, N. P., Paglione, J., & Fuhrer, M. S. (2011). Insulating Behavior in Ultrathin Bismuth Selenide Field Effect Transistors. Nano Letters, 11(5), 1925-1927. doi:10.1021/nl200017fZhang, Y., He, K., Chang, C.-Z., Song, C.-L., Wang, L.-L., Chen, X., … Xue, Q.-K. (2010). Crossover of the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3 to the two-dimensional limit. Nature Physics, 6(8), 584-588. doi:10.1038/nphys1689Kong, D., Cha, J. J., Lai, K., Peng, H., Analytis, J. G., Meister, S., … Cui, Y. (2011). Rapid Surface Oxidation as a Source of Surface Degradation Factor for Bi2Se3. ACS Nano, 5(6), 4698-4703. doi:10.1021/nn200556hBenia, H. M., Lin, C., Kern, K., & Ast, C. R. (2011). Reactive Chemical Doping of theBi2Se3Topological Insulator. Physical Review Letters, 107(17). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.177602King, P. D. C., Hatch, R. C., Bianchi, M., Ovsyannikov, R., Lupulescu, C., Landolt, G., … Hofmann, P. (2011). Large Tunable Rashba Spin Splitting of a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas inBi2Se3. Physical Review Letters, 107(9). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.096802Hamlin, J. J., Jeffries, J. R., Butch, N. P., Syers, P., Zocco, D. A., Weir, S. T., … Maple, M. B. (2011). High pressure transport properties of the topological insulator Bi2Se3. 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Hall-effect and resistivity measurements in CdTe and ZnTe at high pressure: Electronic structure of impurities in the zinc-blende phase and the semimetallic or metallic character of the high-pressure phases. Physical Review B, 79(12). doi:10.1103/physrevb.79.125203Errandonea, D., Martínez-García, D., Segura, A., Ruiz-Fuertes, J., Lacomba-Perales, R., Fages, V., … Mũnoz-San José, V. (2006). High-pressure electrical transport measurements on p-type GaSe and InSe. High Pressure Research, 26(4), 513-516. doi:10.1080/08957950601101787Hohenberg, P., & Kohn, W. (1964). Inhomogeneous Electron Gas. Physical Review, 136(3B), B864-B871. doi:10.1103/physrev.136.b864Kresse, G., & Hafner, J. (1993). Ab initiomolecular dynamics for liquid metals. Physical Review B, 47(1), 558-561. doi:10.1103/physrevb.47.558Kresse, G., & Hafner, J. (1994). Ab initiomolecular-dynamics simulation of the liquid-metal–amorphous-semiconductor transition in germanium. 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Applications of non-intrusive methods to study the sand cat: a field study in the Sahara Desert

Surveys based on indirect signs and camera trapping are two non-invasive methods extensively used for monitoring elusive mammals. Both approaches can be useful to obtain key information on wildlife in remote areas, since they may allow for the logistically viable design of optimal field frameworks. The sand cat (Felis margarita) is a feline that inhabits the Sahara Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, and western Asian deserts. Its basic ecology is poorly known and the status and impacts of threats are difficult to assess. Some local population declines have been detected, and more research is needed. Based on field surveys carried out in the Atlantic Sahara, we have evaluated the applications of both methods to study this species. Our results show that (a) camera trapping provided reliable data on several key aspects of its ecology, (b) walking surveys to collect feces for molecular data failed completely, and (c) for footprints, identification problems and the marked effects of the absence of optimal substrates and the prevalence of wind are relevant handicaps. Beyond this evaluation, we provide for the first time some key aspects of the ecology of sand cats in the Sahara Desert, including habitat selection, density, diel activity, and predator–prey relationships.Funding for open access publishing: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This study was partially supported by Fundación Barcelona Zoo (PRIC Project 2017 grant)

SARS-CoV-2 viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs is not an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome

The aim was to assess the ability of nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load at first patient’s hospital evaluation to predict unfavorable outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 321 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 through RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. Quantitative Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA cycle threshold values were used to calculate the viral load in log10 copies/mL. Disease severity at the end of follow up was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe. Primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or death (n = 85, 26.4%). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load over the second quartile (≥ 7.35 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.003) and second tertile (≥ 8.27 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.01) were associated to unfavorable outcome in the unadjusted logistic regression analysis. However, in the final multivariable analysis, viral load was not independently associated with an unfavorable outcome. Five predictors were independently associated with increased odds of ICU admission and/or death: age ≥ 70 years, SpO2, neutrophils > 7.5 × 103/µL, lactate dehydrogenase ≥ 300 U/L, and C-reactive protein ≥ 100 mg/L. In summary, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load on admission is generally high in patients with COVID-19, regardless of illness severity, but it cannot be used as an independent predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Atlas de las praderas marinas de España

Knowledge of the distribution and extent of seagrass habitats is currently the basis of management and conservation policies of the coastal zones in most European countries. This basic information is being requested through European directives for the establishment of monitoring programmes and the implementation of specific actions to preserve the marine environment. In addition, this information is crucial for the quantification of the ecological importance usually attributed to seagrass habitats due to, for instance, their involvement in biogeochemical cycles, marine biodiversity and quality of coastal waters or global carbon budgets. The seagrass atlas of Spain represents a huge collective effort performed by 84 authors across 30 Spanish institutions largely involved in the scientific research, management and conservation of seagrass habitats during the last three decades. They have contributed to the availability of the most precise and realistic seagrass maps for each region of the Spanish coast which have been integrated in a GIS to obtain the distribution and area of each seagrass species. Most of this information has independently originated at a regional level by regional governments, universities and public research organisations, which explain the elevated heterogeneity in criteria, scales, methods and objectives of the available information. On this basis, seagrass habitats in Spain occupy a total surface of 1,541,63 km2, 89% of which is concentrated in the Mediterranean regions; the rest is present in sheltered estuarine areas of the Atlantic peninsular regions and in the open coastal waters of the Canary Islands, which represents 50% of the Atlantic meadows. Of this surface, 71.5% corresponds to Posidonia oceanica, 19.5% to Cymodocea nodosa, 3.1% to Zostera noltii (=Nanozostera noltii), 0.3% to Zostera marina and 1.2% to Halophila decipiens. Species distribution maps are presented (including Ruppia spp.), together with maps of the main impacts and pressures that has affected or threatened their conservation status, as well as the management tools established for their protection and conservation. Despite this considerable effort, and the fact that Spain has mapped wide shelf areas, the information available is still incomplete and with weak precision in many regions, which will require an investment of major effort in the near future to complete the whole picture and respond to demands of EU directives

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

A facility and community-based assessment of scabies in rural Malawi.

Background Scabies is a neglected tropical disease of the skin, causing severe itching, stigmatizing skin lesions and systemic complications. Since 2015, the DerMalawi project provide an integrated skin diseases clinics and Tele-dermatology care in Malawi. Clinic based data suggested a progressive increase in scabies cases observed. To better identify and treat individuals with scabies in the region, we shifted from a clinic-based model to a community based outreach programme. Methodology/principal findings From May 2015, DerMalawi project provide integrated skin diseases and Tele-dermatological care in the Nkhotakota and Salima health districts in Malawi. Demographic and clinical data of all patients personally attended are recorded. Due to a progressive increase in the number of cases of scabies the project shifted to a community-based outreach programme. For the community outreach activities, we conducted three visits between 2018 to 2019 and undertook screening in schools and villages of Alinafe Hospital catchment area. Treatment was offered for all the cases and school or household contacts. Scabies increased from 2.9% to 39.2% of all cases seen by the DerMalawi project at clinics between 2015 to 2018. During the community-based activities approximately 50% of the population was assessed in each of three visits. The prevalence of scabies was similar in the first two rounds, 15.4% (2392) at the first visit and 17.2% at the second visit. The prevalence of scabies appeared to be lower (2.4%) at the third visit. The prevalence of impetigo appeared unchanged and was 6.7% at the first visit and 5.2% at the final visit. Conclusions/significance Prevalence of scabies in our setting was very high suggesting that scabies is a major public health problem in parts of Malawi. Further work is required to more accurately assess the burden of disease and develop appropriate public health strategies for its control

Atlas de las praderas marinas de España

Knowledge of the distribution and extent of seagrass habitats is currently the basis of management and conservation policies of the coastal zones in most European countries. This basic information is being requested through European directives for the establishment of monitoring programmes and the implementation of specific actions to preserve the marine environment. In addition, this information is crucial for the quantification of the ecological importance usually attributed to seagrass habitats due to, for instance, their involvement in biogeochemical cycles, marine biodiversity and quality of coastal waters or global carbon budgets. The seagrass atlas of Spain represents a huge collective effort performed by 84 authors across 30 Spanish institutions largely involved in the scientific research, management and conservation of seagrass habitats during the last three decades. They have contributed to the availability of the most precise and realistic seagrass maps for each region of the Spanish coast which have been integrated in a GIS to obtain the distribution and area of each seagrass species. Most of this information has independently originated at a regional level by regional governments, universities and public research organisations, which explain the elevated heterogeneity in criteria, scales, methods and objectives of the available information. On this basis, seagrass habitats in Spain occupy a total surface of 1,541,63 km2, 89% of which is concentrated in the Mediterranean regions; the rest is present in sheltered estuarine areas of the Atlantic peninsular regions and in the open coastal waters of the Canary Islands, which represents 50% of the Atlantic meadows. Of this surface, 71.5% corresponds to Posidonia oceanica, 19.5% to Cymodocea nodosa, 3.1% to Zostera noltii (=Nanozostera noltii), 0.3% to Zostera marina and 1.2% to Halophila decipiens. Species distribution maps are presented (including Ruppia spp.), together with maps of the main impacts and pressures that has affected or threatened their conservation status, as well as the management tools established for their protection and conservation. Despite this considerable effort, and the fact that Spain has mapped wide shelf areas, the information available is still incomplete and with weak precision in many regions, which will require an investment of major effort in the near future to complete the whole picture and respond to demands of EU directives.Versión del edito