Species Distribution Models at Regional Scale: Cymodocea nodosa Seagrasses

Despite their ecological and socio-economic importance, seagrasses are often overlooked in comparison with terrestrial ecosystems. In the Canarian archipelago (Spain), Cymodocea nodosa is the best-established species, sustaining the most important marine ecosystem and providing ecosystem services (ES) of great relevance. Nevertheless, we lack accurate and standardized information regarding the distribution of this species and its ES supply. As a first step, the use of species distribution models is proposed. Various machine learning algorithms and ensemble model techniques were considered along with freely available remote sensing data to assess Cymodocea nodosa’s potential distribution. In a second step, we used InVEST software to estimate the ES provision by this phanerogam on a regional scale, providing spatially explicit monetary assessments and a habitat degradation characterization due to human impacts. The distribution models presented great predictive capabilities and statistical significance, while the ES estimations were in concordance with previous studies. The proposed methodology is presented as a useful tool for environmental management of important communities sensitive to human activities, such as C. nodosa meadows.En prensa0,64

Crecimiento de Baccharis macrantha y Viburnum triphyllum, dos especies nativas útiles en restauración ecológica, plantadas en un pastizal andino (Boyacá, Colombia)

We evaluated the effect of the application of nutrients on the growth of Baccharis macrantha and Viburnum triphyllum, which were planted in a pasture located on the edge of an oak forest in Arcabuco (Boyacá, Colombia). The following treatments were established in plots: B. macrantha with nutrients, B. macrantha without nutrients, V. triphyllum with nutrients, and V. triphyllum without nutrients, each one with three repetitions. The phytosanitary condition, greatest and least diameter of the plant canopy, and height were measured for each planted individual. Analysis of planted species survival using the Kaplan-Meier method was performed and rates of relative growth (RGR) of height and coverage were calculated for all individuals, with which ANOVAs were performed to assess differences between treatments. The probability of survival of planted species decreased greatly over time. Significant differences between treatments were found for height and cover. According to field observation and statistical analysis, the application of nutrients considerably improved the growth in height and cover of B. macrantha, a result useful for the implementation of ecological restoration activities in pastures.Se evaluó el efecto de la aplicación de nutrientes sobre el crecimiento de Baccharis macrantha y Viburnum triphyllum, plantadas en un pastizal ubicado en el borde de un bosque de roble en Arcabuco (Boyacá, Colombia). Los tratamientos establecidos en parcelas fueron: B. macrantha con nutrientes, B. macrantha sin nutrientes, V. triphyllum con nutrientes y V. triphyllum sin nutrientes, cada uno con tres repeticiones. Se registró el estado fitosanitario, diámetro mayor y menor de la copa y altura de todos los individuos plantados. Se realizó el análisis de supervivencia de las especies plantadas por el método de Kaplan-Meier y se calcularon las tasas de crecimiento relativo (TCR) de altura y cobertura para todos los individuos, con las cuales se realizaron ANOVAS para evaluar diferencias entre tratamientos. La probabilidad de supervivencia de las especies plantadas disminuyó en gran medida a través del tiempo. Se encontraron diferencias significativas para el factor especie en la variable altura y diferencias significativas para la interacción especie-nutriente para la cobertura. De acuerdo a los análisis estadísticos y observación en campo la aplicación de nutrientes benefició considerablemente el crecimiento en altura y cobertura de la especie B. macrantha, resultado útil para la implementación de actividades de restauración ecológica en pastizales

Historia del arte para todos: Wordpress, Facebook, RSS Graffiti y vídeo-píldoras como herramientas para el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje y servicio

Memoria ID-0175. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2017-2018

Fog catchers and water collection in a Colombian paramo ecosystem

Los captadores de niebla son usados para interceptar agua contenida en la niebla y abastecer de agua a comunidades que habitan en lugares donde este recurso escasea. Se evaluó el uso de captadores de niebla para la captación de agua en un área ubicada en el páramo Pan de Azúcar, Duitama-Boyacá. Se instalaron 60 captadores de niebla, 24 de ellos, con dispositivos para medir los volúmenes de agua interceptados. Los volúmenes de agua captados, se midieron en periodos de 24 horas, por 26 días, durante un año y se usó el modelo geométrico para diferenciar el agua proveniente de la niebla. La precipitación registrada fue mayor a la reportada en la literatura. La precipitación mensual osciló entre 51 y 1198 mm y la temperatura media mensual entre los 6 y 8 °C. Los volúmenes de agua promedio colectados por los 24 captadores de niebla estuvieron entre los 0,02 Lm-2dia-1 hasta los 4,4Lm-2dia-1. Los aportes de agua provenientes de la niebla oscilaron entre los 0,02 y 1,77 mmdía-1. La dirección del viento no afectó la captación de agua y aún se presenta incertidumbre al separar el aporte real de agua proveniente de la niebla a partir de la lluvia orográfica, lo cual, sigue siendo un desafío en los ecosistemas de páramo, por lo que se debe ampliar la investigación, para mejorar los diseños y las eficiencias de los captadores de niebla.Fog collectors are used to intercept water contained in fog and supply water to communities that live in places where this resource is scarce. We evaluated the use of mist collectors to collect water in an area located in the Pan de Azúcar paramo, Duitama-Boyacá. We installed 60 mist collectors, 24 of them with devices to measure the volumes of water intercepted. The volumes of water captured were measured in periods of 24 hours for 26 days during one year and we used the geometric model to differentiate the water from the fog. The recorded precipitation was higher than that reported in the literature. Monthly rainfall ranged between 51 and 1198mm and mean monthly temperature ranged between 6 and 8°C. The average volumes of water collected by the fog collectors were below 0.5Lm-2day-1 with a maximum of 4.4Lm-2day-1. The contributions of water from the mist ranged between 0.02 and 1.77 mmday-1. The direction of the wind did not affect the capture of water and there is still uncertainty when separating the real contribution of water from the fog from the orographic rain, which continues to be a challenge in the paramo ecosystems, for which it is necessary to expand research, to improve the designs and efficiencies of fog collectorsIncluye referencias bibliográfica

3D Printed Porous Polyamide Macrocapsule Combined with Alginate Microcapsules for Safer Cell-Based Therapies

Cell microencapsulation is an attractive strategy for cell-based therapies that allows the implantation of genetically engineered cells and the continuous delivery of de novo produced therapeutic products. However, the establishment of a way to retrieve the implanted encapsulated cells in case the treatment needs to be halted or when cells need to be renewed is still a big challenge. The combination of micro and macroencapsulation approaches could provide the requirements to achieve a proper immunoisolation, while maintaining the cells localized into the body. We present the development and characterization of a porous implantable macrocapsule device for the loading of microencapsulated cells. The device was fabricated in polyamide by selective laser sintering (SLS), with controlled porosity defined by the design and the sintering conditions. Two types of microencapsulated cells were tested in order to evaluate the suitability of this device; erythropoietin (EPO) producing C2C12 myoblasts and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) producing BHK fibroblasts. Results showed that, even if the metabolic activity of these cells decreased over time, the levels of therapeutic protein that were produced and, importantly, released to the media were stable.This work was done under the BIOPAN project (CIBER-BBN). Authors wish to thank the intellectual and technical assistance from the ICTS "NANBIOSIS", more specifically by the Drug Formulation Unit (U10) and the Micro-Nano Technology Unit (U8) of the CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials & Nanomedicine (CIBERBBN). Also, they thank the support to research on cell microencapsulation from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (EHUA 16/06) and the Basque Country Government (Grupos Consolidados, No ref: IT907-16). The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) (Spain) through Ramon y Cajal program (RYC-2013-14479). This work has made use of the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABS partially supported by MINECO

Arte y transformación: Resignificando territorios

This article will address two projects, which use art as a tool for emancipation and social transformation: Circópolis and Corporación rural laboratorio del espíritu, contrasted with the project Telón arriba, armas abajo: Paz y Dignidad, in order to evaluate the social impact that this project generates and expose to the interested public the different ways through which capacities and resources can be developed for the benefit of communities, where, finally, the most significant ideas of the article and the impact achieved through the project, which is being implemented, will be exposed.A través del presente artículo se abordarán dos proyectos que utilizan el arte como herramienta de emancipación y transformación social: Circópolis y Corporación Rural Laboratorio del Espíritu, contrastados con el proyecto Telón Arriba, Armas Abajo: Paz y Dignidad, con el fin de evaluar el impacto social que este genera y exponerle al público interesado las diferentes formas a través de las cuales se pueden desarrollar capacidades y recursos para el beneficio de las comunidades, donde finalmente se expondrán las ideas más significativas del artículo y el impacto que se logra a través del proyecto que se encuentra en ejecución

Health and working conditions of pregnant women working inside and outside the home in Mexico City

BACKGROUND: To explore differences related to health and working conditions by comparing socio-demographic parameters, reproductive and prenatal care characteristics and working conditions among pregnant women who are employed outside the home (extra-domestic) while still performing a domestic workload versus those who perform exclusively domestic work in the home (intra-domestic). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Family Medicine Unit N 31 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in Mexico City between April and July 2003. Interviews were conducted with 537 pregnant women engaged in either extra-domestic work plus intra-domestic tasks, or those performing strictly intra-domestic work. Information was obtained regarding their demographic status, prenatal care, reproductive, work characteristics, and health during pregnancy. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-six (36.5%) of the interviewed women had paid jobs outside the home in addition to domestic tasks, while three hundred forty-one (63.5 %) engaged in exclusively intra-domestic occupations. Of the women with paid jobs, 78.6% worked as clerks. Among domestic tasks, we found that the greatest workload was associated with washing of clothes, and our micro-ergonomic analysis revealed that women who worked strictly inside the home had a higher domestic workload versus employed women (69.2 vs. 44.9%). When we analyzed the effect of work on health during pregnancy, we observed that women who worked strictly inside the home were at a higher risk for musculoskeletal and genitourinary symptoms than those employed outside the home. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the effect of intra-domestic work should not be ignored when considering women's health during pregnancy, and that greater attention should be paid to women's working conditions during intra and extra-domestic work

Perspectives on Low Temperature Tolerance and Vernalization Sensitivity in Barley: Prospects for Facultative Growth Habit

[EN] One option to achieving greater resiliency for barley production in the face of climate change is to explore the potential of winter and facultative growth habits: for both types, low temperature tolerance (LTT) and vernalization sensitivity are key traits. Sensitivity to short-day photoperiod is a desirable attribute for facultative types. In order to broaden our understanding of the genetics of these phenotypes, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and identified candidate genes using a genome-wide association studies (GWAS) panel composed of 882 barley accessions that was genotyped with the Illumina 9K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. Fifteen loci including 5 known and 10 novel QTL/genes were identified for LTT—assessed as winter survival in 10 field tests and mapped using a GWAS meta-analysis. FR-H1, FR-H2, and FR-H3 were major drivers of LTT, and candidate genes were identified for FR-H3. The principal determinants of vernalization sensitivity were VRN-H1, VRN-H2, and PPD-H1. VRN-H2 deletions conferred insensitive or intermediate sensitivity to vernalization. A subset of accessions with maximum LTT were identified as a resource for allele mining and further characterization. Facultative types comprised a small portion of the GWAS panel but may be useful for developing germplasm with this growth habitSISupport was provided by the USDA-NIFA TCAP Project no. 2011-68002-3002

Antibody conversion rates to SARS-CoV-2 in saliva from children attending summer schools in Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Surveillance tools to estimate viral transmission dynamics in young populations are essential to guide recommendations for school opening and management during viral epidemics. Ideally, sensitive techniques are required to detect low viral load exposures among asymptomatic children. We aimed to estimate SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in children and adult populations in a school-like environment during the initial COVID-19 pandemic waves using an antibody-based field-deployable and non-invasive approach. Methods: Saliva antibody conversion defined as ≥ 4-fold increase in IgM, IgA, and/or IgG levels to five SARS-CoV-2 antigens including spike and nucleocapsid constructs was evaluated in 1509 children and 396 adults by high-throughput Luminex assays in samples collected weekly in 22 summer schools and 2 pre-schools in 27 venues in Barcelona, Spain, from June 29th to July 31st, 2020. Results: Saliva antibody conversion between two visits over a 5-week period was 3.22% (49/1518) or 2.36% if accounting for potentially cross-reactive antibodies, six times higher than the cumulative infection rate (0.53%) assessed by weekly saliva RT-PCR screening. IgG conversion was higher in adults (2.94%, 11/374) than children (1.31%, 15/1144) (p=0.035), IgG and IgA levels moderately increased with age, and antibodies were higher in females. Most antibody converters increased both IgG and IgA antibodies but some augmented either IgG or IgA, with a faster decay over time for IgA than IgG. Nucleocapsid rather than spike was the main antigen target. Anti-spike antibodies were significantly higher in individuals not reporting symptoms than symptomatic individuals, suggesting a protective role against COVID-19. Conclusion: Saliva antibody profiling including three isotypes and multiplexing antigens is a useful and user-friendlier tool for screening pediatric populations to detect low viral load exposures among children, particularly while they are not vaccinated and vulnerable to highly contagious variants, and to recommend public health policies during pandemics

Sensibilización y formación en la accesibilidad e inclusión de las personas con discapacidad visual al proceso de Enseñanza-Aprendizaje. SENSIVISUAL-UCM

El objetivo general de este proyecto viene definido por la necesidad de inclusión de las personas con discapacidad visual, parcial o absoluta, en el mundo académico, así como la de favorecer su incorporación al mundo laboral con unas condiciones formalizadas y estables. A través de las acciones realizadas en este proyecto de innovación y mejora de la calidad docente se podrá mejorar la accesibilidad en los diferentes Grados de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ayudando en la generación de material didáctico y composición de grupos de trabajo que fomenten el trabajo colaborativo permitiendo el re-fuerzo académico