Spatial, environmental and human influences on the distribution of otter (Lutra lutra) in the Spanish provinces

In a previous survey of otters ( Lutra lutra L. 1758) in Spain, different causes were invoked to explain the frequency of the species in each province. To find common causes of the distribution of the otter in Spain, we recorded a number of spatial, environmental and human variables in each Spanish province. We then performed a stepwise linear multiple regression of the proportion of positive sites of otter in the Spanish provinces separately on each of the three groups of variables. Geographic longitude, January air humidity, soil permeability and highway density were the variables selected. A linear regression of the proportion of otter presence on these variables explained 62.4% of the variance. We then used the selected variables in a partial regression analysis to specify which proportions of the variation are explained exclusively by spatial, environmental and human factors, and which proportions are attributable to interactions between these components. Pure environmental effects accounted for only 5.5% of the variation, while pure spatial and pure human effects explained 18% and 9.7%, respectively. Shared variation among the components totalled 29.2%, of which 10.9% was explained by the interaction between environmental and spatial factors. Human factors explained globally less variance than spatial and environmental ones, but the pure human influence was higher than the pure environmental one. We concluded that most of the variation in the proportion of occurrences of otter in Spanish provinces is spatially structured, and that environmental factors have more influence on otter presence than human ones; however, the human influence on otter distribution is less structured in space, and thus can be more disruptive. This effect of large infrastructures on wild populations must be taken into account when planning large-scale conservation policie

A comparative study between the biofiltration for air contaminated with limonene or butyric acid using a combination of olfactometric, physico-chemical and genomic approaches

A multidisciplinary analysis based on physico-chemical, olfactometric and microbiological perspectives was performed to compare the biofiltration of air contaminated with limonene or butyric acid. Two biofilters were subjected to butyric acid gaseous streams: one was filled with wood chips and sewage sludge compost (BF B-1) and the other with wood chips only (BF B-2). Similarly, two other biofilters were subjected to a gaseous stream containing limonene, with the same beds (BF L-1 and BF L-2, respectively). Although the biofilters fed with butyric acid received higher odor loads (280–3280 ouE/m2·s for BF B-1 and 135–1460 ouE/m2·s for BF B-2) than the biofilters treating limonene (30–170 ouE/m2·s for BF L-1 and 15–130 ouE/m2·s for BF L-2), the first systems achieved odor removal efficiencies greater than 90% during most of the biofiltration time, whereas in the limonene biofilters, these efficiencies never exceeded 70%. Regarding the packed beds, genomic analysis of the microbial communities showed a wider distribution of phyla (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria) in compost-wood biofilters than in wood chips systems where Proteobacteria was clearly predominant. This study reveals the importance of considering both the nature of the biofiltered compounds and the packed bed composition in biofiltration operations

Programa de control de biotoxinas en las costas andaluzas 2003-2006: Observaciones sobre el comportamiento de distintas especies ante episodios tóxicos tipo PSP

[ESP] En este estudio se presenta un resumen de los episodios detectados en Andalucía durante los cuatro últimos años, relacionados con los tres grupos de toxinas marinas legislados en la actualidad en la Unión Europea: toxinas Paralizantes (PSP), toxinas diarreicas (DSP) y toxinas amnésicas (ASP). Durante este período han destacado los episodios tóxicos de tipo PSP por su amplitud y duración. Los datos obtenidos han permitido conocer las pautas de comportamiento de especies tan diferentes como: concha fina (Callista chione), chirla (Chamelea gallina), almeja chocha (Venerupis rhomboides) y mejillón (Mytilus galloprovincialis), constituyendo una herramienta de gran ayuda para el programa de control.A todos los compañeros que han estado relacionados con el área de biotoxinas marinas durante estos casi once años, en particular a Manuela Morillo, Rosario Martín, Carmen Sánchez y Raúl Fernández

The importance of organizational variables in treatment time for patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction improve delays in STEMI

Background: The time between arrival at the emergency department (ED) and balloon (D2B) in STEMI is one of the best indicators of the quality of care. Our aim is to describe treatment times and evaluate the causes of delay. Methods: This is an observational retrospective study, including all consecutive STEMI code patients ≥18 years old treated in the ED from 2013 to 2016.All the patients were stratified into two groups: delayed group with D2B > 70 min and non-delayed ≤70. The primary variable was D2B time. Findings: In total 327 patients were included, stratified according to their D2B as follows: 166 (67·48%) in the delayed group and 80 (32·52%) in the non-delayed group. The delayed group was older (p = 0·005), with more females (p = 0·060) and more atypical electrocardiogram (ECG) STEMI signs or symptoms (p = 0·058) (p = 0·087). Predictors of shorter D2B time were: typical STEMI ECG signs and short training sessions for nurses on identifying STEMI patients. Interpretation: There are delays particularly in specific groups with atypical clinical presentations. Short training sessions aimed at emergency nurses correlate with shorter delay. This suggests that continuing training for emergency nurses, along with organizational strategies, can contribute to increasing the quality of care. Clinical trial number: NCT0433338

Boost-based MPPT for the MTM PCDU of the Bepicolombo mission

BepiColombo is an ESA mission to Mercury to be launched in 2013. A better knowledge of the origin and evolution of the planet, of its structure and vestigial atmosphere, of its magnetosphere, and of the origin of its magnetic field are the main objectives for the program. The journey to Mercury will last for approximately 6 years, and will be based on the gravity of the Earth, Venus and Mercury, and on the use of Solar Electric Propulsion. For the last, the use of the MPPT concept is essential for the mission. A mission power demand of up to 14kW is foreseen in the cruise phase for the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) PCDU, being the power subsystem based on a 100V bus. Under this scenario, the use of a classical step-down regulator for the implementation of the MPPT power cell would require to keep the worst case minimum solar array voltage over the bus for any mission operating condition. Then, the maximum solar array voltage would become as high as to overpass the insulating capability of the isolation layer between the solar array cells and the substrate, under the high temperature environment experienced by the spacecraft near Mercury. As a result, the development of a step-up MPPT Array Power Regulator (APR) becomes a critical issue for the mission feasibility. Moreover, due to the hard environment that the solar array will be exposed to, the segregation of the solar array power is a very desirable feature. Furthermore, apart from the two classical operating modes of the APR – conductance or MPPT, depending on the spacecraft user loads demand and the available solar array power – the APR will have to operate in S3R mode for solar array voltages over the bus, with a fully autonomous transition between the three operating modes. This paper covers all the aspects related with the design of the APR MPPT concept and its implementation: APR power cell topology, control scheme, control strategy, protections. The implications on the design of the MTM PCDU MEA will be also addressed. Finally, they will be presented the results of the test carried out over an 1/10 scaled-down engineering model of the BepiColombo PCU - including 3 APRs - in front of the real operating conditions foreseen for the MTM PCDU, including all the relevant issues related to the behaviour of the Electric Propulsion load like beam-out events and load transients

Estado de estrés oxidativo en el hígado graso experimental en ratones machos y su proyección sobre la funcionalidad hepática

En medicina veterinaria, el rol del estrés oxidativo (EO) en la producción y reproducción animal ha adquirido relevancia debido al deterioro de ambas funciones en animales con hepatoesteatosis o hígado graso (HG). Este estudio tuvo el objetivo de determinar si en el HG experimental causado por etionina en ratones machos NMRI adultos, se establecía un estado de EO hepático y se alteraba la función del hígado. Se utilizaron dos grupos de 10 animales: uno control y otro tratado con DL-etionina por vía intraperitoneal en dosis de 7,5 mg/20 g de peso corporal. La magnitud y características del HG fueron determinadas histológicamente y la cuantía del depósito graso hepático se estableció por la concentración de triglicéridos, análisis que corroboraron la generación de hepatoesteatosis en los machos inyectados con DL-etionina. Los productos de la degradación lipoperoxidativa, dienos conjugados (DC) y malondialdehído (MDA), indicadores de EO celular, fueron cuantificados por espectrofotometría, mediante su concentración en el homogeneizado hepático. El daño en la funcionalidad hepática se cuantificó por los niveles plasmáticos de la alanina aminotransferasa (ALT) y de la aspartato aminotransferasa (AST), mediante kits comerciales. La inducción de HG causó una elevación significativa de los DC: de 231,18 ± 15,53 µmoles/mg proteínas a 297,45 ± 23,10 mmoles/mg proteínas (P<0,05), así como del MDA: de 364,91 ± 17,73 nmoles/mg proteínas a 852,91 ± 55,26 nmoles/mg proteínas (P<0,001). En los ratones con HG, la actividad plasmática de las aminotransferasas aumentó significativamente: ALT de 59,40 ± 5,16 U/l a 169,86 ± 18,78 U/l (P<0,001) y AST de 158,35 ± 13,54 U/l a 241,93 ± 10,14 U/l (P<0,05). Estos resultados muestran que en el HG inducido por etionina en ratones machos NMRI se produce un estado de EO que podría ser responsable de la alteración en la funcionalidad hepática. In veterinary medicine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in animal production and reproduction has become important due to the alteration of both functions in animals with hepatosteatosis or fatty liver (FL). This study aimed to determine whether a state of hepatic OS was established in the experimental FL caused by ethionine in adult male mice NMRI, and whether liver function was altered. Two groups of 10 animals were used: one control and another treated with DL-ethionine intraperitoneally at 7.5 mg/20 g body weight. The magnitude and characteristics of FL were determined histologically and the amount of liver fat depot was established by the concentration of triglycerides. Both analysis corroborated generation of hepatosteatosis in males injected with DL-ethionine. Products from lipoperoxidative degradation (conjugated dienes (CD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), indicators of cellular OS, were quantified spectrophotometrically by its concentration in liver homogenate. Damage to liver function was measured by plasmatic levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), using commercial kits. The induction of FL caused a significant rise in CD from 231.18 ± 15.53 µmoles/mg protein to 297.45 ± 23.10 mmoles/mg protein (P<0.05), as well as the MDA: from 364.91 ± 17.73 nmoles/mg protein to 852.91 ± 55.26 nmoles/mg protein (P<0.001). In mice with FL aminotransferases plasmatic activity increased significantly: ALT of 59.40 ± 5.16 U/l from 169.86 ± 18.78 U/l (P<0.001) and AST from 158.35 ± 13.54 U/l to 241.93 ± 10.14 U/l (P<0.05). These results show that in ethionine-induced FL in male NMRI mice a state of OS is induced that could be responsible for the alteration in liver function

Cover Contact Graphs.

We study problems that arise in the context of covering certain geometric objects (so-called seeds, e.g., points or disks) by a set of other geometric objects (a so-called cover, e.g., a set of disks or homothetic triangles). We insist that the interiors of the seeds and the cover elements are pair wise disjoint, but they can touch. We call the contact graph of a cover a cover contact graph (CCG). We are interested in two types of tasks: (a) deciding whether a given seed set has a connected CCG, and (b) deciding whether a given graph has a realization as a CCG on a given seed set. Concerning task (a) we give efficient algorithms for the case that seeds are points and covers are disks or triangles. We show that the problem becomes NP-hard if seeds and covers are disks. Concerning task (b) we show that it is even NP-hard for point seeds and disk covers (given a fixed correspondence between vertices and seeds)

Resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in Venezuela as a regional public health threat in the Americas

Venezuela’s tumbling economy and authoritarian rule have precipitated an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Hyperinflation rates now exceed 45,000%, and Venezuela’s health system is in free fall. The country is experiencing a massive exodus of biomedical scientists and qualified healthcare professionals. Reemergence of arthropod-borne and vaccine-preventable diseases has sparked serious epidemics that also affect neighboring countries. In this article, we discuss the ongoing epidemics of measles and diphtheria in Venezuela and their disproportionate impact on indigenous populations. We also discuss the potential for reemergence of poliomyelitis and conclude that action to halt the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases within Venezuela is a matter of urgency for the country and the region. We further provide specific recommendations for addressing this crisis. © 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved