28 research outputs found

    Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare

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    [EN] Sheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context. An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability. The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects, but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments, in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with current concerns with the environment and welfareSIThe CECAV authors acknowledge financial support of the research unit, which was financed by the National Funds from FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), project number UIDB/CVT/00772/2020. Financial support from FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Lisboa, Portugal) in the form of infrastructural funding to LEAF (UID/AGR/04129) and PhD grants SFRH/BD/143992/2019 (DM Ribeiro) and 2021.07638.BD (L Sacarrão-Birrento). Author L.E.H.C. acknowledges funding from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) (RYC2019- 027064-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

    Flow cytometry for fast screening and automated risk assessment in systemic light-chain amyloidosis

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    Early diagnosis and risk stratification are key to improve outcomes in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. Here we used multidimensional-flow-cytometry (MFC) to characterize bone marrow (BM) plasma cells (PCs) from a series of 166 patients including newly-diagnosed AL amyloidosis (N = 94), MGUS (N = 20) and multiple myeloma (MM, N = 52) vs. healthy adults (N = 30). MFC detected clonality in virtually all AL amyloidosis (99%) patients. Furthermore, we developed an automated risk-stratification system based on BMPCs features, with independent prognostic impact on progression-free and overall survival of AL amyloidosis patients (hazard ratio: ≥ 2.9;P ≤ .03). Simultaneous assessment of the clonal PCs immunophenotypic protein expression profile and the BM cellular composition, mapped AL amyloidosis in the crossroad between MGUS and MM; however, lack of homogenously-positive CD56 expression, reduction of B-cell precursors and a predominantly-clonal PC compartment in the absence of an MM-like tumor PC expansion, emerged as hallmarks of AL amyloidosis (ROC-AUC = 0.74;P < .001), and might potentially be used as biomarkers for the identification of MGUS and MM patients, who are candidates for monitoring pre-symptomatic organ damage related to AL amyloidosis. Altogether, this study addressed the need for consensus on how to use flow cytometry in AL amyloidosis, and proposes a standardized MFC-based automated risk classification ready for implementation in clinical practice

    Early science with the Large Millimeter Telescope: a 1.1 mm AzTEC survey of red-<i>Herschel</i> dusty star-forming galaxies

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    We present Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT)/AzTEC 1.1 mm observations of ∼100 luminous high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxy candidates from the ∼600 sq.deg Herschel-ATLAS survey, selected on the basis of their SPIRE red far-infrared colours and with S500μm=35−80 mJy. With an effective θFWHM ≈ 9.5arcsec angular resolution, our observations reveal that at least 9 per cent of the targets break into multiple systems with signal-to-noise ratio ≥4 members. The fraction of multiple systems increases to ∼23 per cent (or more) if some non-detected targets are considered multiples, as suggested by the data. Combining the new AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry, we derive photometric redshifts, infrared luminosities, and star formation rates. While the median redshifts of the multiple and single systems are similar (zmed ≈ 3.6), the redshift distribution of the latter is skewed towards higher redshifts. Of the AzTEC sources, ∼85 per cent lie at zphot > 3 while ∼33 per cent are at zphot > 4. This corresponds to a lower limit on the space density of ultrared sources at 4 −7Mpc−3 with a contribution to the obscured star formation of ≳8×10−4M⊙yr−1Mpc−3⁠. Some of the multiple systems have members with photometric redshifts consistent among them suggesting possible physical associations. Given their angular separations, these systems are most likely galaxy over-densities and/or early-stage pre-coalescence mergers. Finally, we present 3 mm LMT/RSR spectroscopic redshifts of six red-Herschel galaxies at zspec = 3.85−6.03, two of them (at z ∼ 4.7) representing new redshift confirmations. Here, we release the AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry as well as catalogues of the most promising interacting systems and z > 4 galaxies

    XVI International Congress of Control Electronics and Telecommunications: "Techno-scientific considerations for a post-pandemic world intensive in knowledge, innovation and sustainable local development"

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    Este título, sugestivo por los impactos durante la situación de la Covid 19 en el mundo, y que en Colombia lastimosamente han sido muy críticos, permiten asumir la obligada superación de tensiones sociales, políticas, y económicas; pero sobre todo científicas y tecnológicas. Inicialmente, esto supone la existencia de una capacidad de la sociedad colombiana por recuperar su estado inicial después de que haya cesado la perturbación a la que fue sometida por la catastrófica pandemia, y superar ese anterior estado de cosas ya que se encontraban -y aún se encuentran- muchos problemas locales mal resueltos, medianamente resueltos, y muchos sin resolver: es decir, habrá que rediseñar y fortalecer una probada resiliencia social existente - producto del prolongado conflicto social colombiano superado parcialmente por un proceso de paz exitoso - desde la tecnociencia local; como lo indicaba Markus Brunnermeier - economista alemán y catedrático de economía de la Universidad de Princeton- en su libro The Resilient Society…La cuestión no es preveerlo todo sino poder reaccionar…aprender a recuperarse rápido.This title, suggestive of the impacts during the Covid 19 situation in the world, and which have unfortunately been very critical in Colombia, allows us to assume the obligatory overcoming of social, political, and economic tensions; but above all scientific and technological. Initially, this supposes the existence of a capacity of Colombian society to recover its initial state after the disturbance to which it was subjected by the catastrophic pandemic has ceased, and to overcome that previous state of affairs since it was found -and still is find - many local problems poorly resolved, moderately resolved, and many unresolved: that is, an existing social resilience test will have to be redesigned and strengthened - product of the prolonged Colombian social conflict partially overcome by a successful peace process - from local technoscience; As Markus Brunnermeier - German economist and professor of economics at Princeton University - indicates in his book The Resilient Society...The question is not to foresee everything but to be able to react...learn to recover quickly.Bogot

    Conducta alimentaria e imagen corporal en una muestra de adolescentes de Sevilla Eating behaviour and body image in a sample of adolescents from Sevilla

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    Objetivo: En el presente trabajo se analiza la presencia de alteraciones alimentarias y la influencia que sobre ellas puede tener el grado de insatisfacción corporal entre los adolescentes. Método: Aplicando el Eating Attitudes Test-40 (EAT-40), el Sick Control On Fat Food (SCOFF) y la subescala de insatisfacción corporal (BD) del Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) a 841 estudiantes, de 12 a 19 años, se analizaron las conductas alimentarias de riesgo, se estudiaron las diferencias en función del sexo y la edad y se analizó la relación de dichas conductas con el grado de insatisfacción corporal. Resultados y discusión: El 21,29% tuvo puntuaciones significativas en el SCOFF y el 7,13% en el EAT-40. Por sexos, hubo diferencias significativas (13,93% y 3,23% en SCOFF y EAT-40 para los varones, 29,38% y 10,70% para las mujeres). Con respecto a datos anteriores, se observa un descenso del riesgo en las mujeres y un incremento en los varones. Se observó una mayor insatisfacción corporal en las chicas de 12 a 17 años, si bien la diferencia entre chicas y chicos, en alteraciones alimentarias, se centra en los 14-16 años. La insatisfacción corporal correlacionó positiva y significativamente con el Índice de Masa Corporal, EAT-40 y SCOFF. Para implantar programas de prevención primaria en la población adolescente, es necesario conocer las conductas alimentarias de riesgo y el grado de insatisfacción coporal, para poder plantear específicamente las intervenciones a llevar a cabo, involucrando al profesorado como agente primario de trabajo en el contexto escolar.Objective: This study examined the presence of disordered eating behaviours and the influence that on them could have the degree of body dissatisfaction among adolescents. Method: By the Eating Attitudes Test-40 (EAT-40), the Sick Control On Fat Food (SCOFF) and the subscale of body dissatisfaction (BD) of the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) a total of 841 students, aged 12-19, were studied. Eating behaviours, sex and age differences, and eating attitudes and behaviours related to the degree of body dissatisfaction were analized. Results: We found that 21,29% had significant punctuations in the SCOFF and 7,13% in the EAT-40. There were significant sex-differences (13,93% and 3,23% in SCOFF and EAT-40 for males, 29,38% and 10,70% for women). With regard to previous studies, a decrease of the risk is observed in women and an increase in males. Major body dissatisfaction was observed among the 12 to 17-year-old girls, though sex-differences in eating alterations, can be mostly found between the ages of 14 and 16. Body dissatisfaction correlated positively and significantly to Body Mass Index, EAT-40 and SCOFF. Conclusion: In order to implement primary programs in the adolescent population it is necessary to explore the eating behaviours of risky and the degree of body dissatisfaction to be able to raise specifically the interventions to be carried out, involving teachers as primary agents for the work in the school context

    Plant Effects on Soils in Drylands: Implications for Community Dynamics and Ecosystem Restoration

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