Experimental Evaluation of Orchestrating Inter-DC Quality-enabled VNFFG Services in Packet/Flexi-Grid Optical Networks

44th European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC 2018)An implemented Cloud/Network Orchestrator to dynamically serve VNFFGs in remote DCs through a Multi-Layer Network (packet/flexi-grid optical) is evaluated. Two network information and path computation approaches are adopted by the Orchestrator being experimentally benchmarked with a number of performance metrics.This work is partially funded by the Spanish MINECO DESTELLO project (TEC2015-69256-R) and the EU H2020 5G TRANSFORMER project (761536)

Fongs de mostres cloacals d'ocells silvestres

Els ocells poden transportar molts organismes, alguns dels quals poden ser transmesos a l'home i als animals domèstics. Aquest treball estudia la possible tranmissió de fongs a través de les femtes. Es van recollir les mostres cloacals d'un total de 50 ocells adults d'11 espècies, i de 40 polls de gavina corsa del delta de l'Ebre. En el primer grup, només una mostra de pardal va revelar creixement de fongs que es va identificar com a Aspergillus glaucus. En el segon grup, el 20% de les mostres van revelar la presència d'espores del gènere Alternaria i un actinomicetal. Les espècies del gènere Aspergillus i Alternaria són responsables de processos patològics però la font d'infecció no són els ocells

Demografía y crecimiento primario durante la regeneración de tres especies de pino a lo largo de gradientes climáticos

13 páginas, 4 figuras y 3 tablasLa regeneración es un proceso crítico en la dinámica de los bosques, que presenta una marcada heterogeneidad temporal y espacial. En este trabajo se pretende avanzar en el conocimiento de las variables bióticas y abióticas que determinan a escala local la presencia, abundancia y crecimiento primario de plántulas de tres especies de pino: Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra y P. uncinata, y determinar el efecto relativo del clima. Para ello se muestrearon 216 parcelas distribuidas a lo largo de gradientes climáticos en siete localidades montañosas. Se censaron las plántulas recién emergidas y el resto de juveniles, y se midieron los crecimientos anuales. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre especies con efectos directos e indirectos del clima sobre la demografía y el estado de los juveniles. En las tres especies se apreció que la supervivencia de los juveniles aparecía desplazada hacia altitudes mayores respecto donde se producía el óptimo de la emergencia. Las relaciones locales de competencia y facilitación ejercieron efectos importantes sobre la regeneración de las tres especies, siendo éstos modulados por el clima.Ministerio Español de Innovación y Ciencia Consolider-Montes (CSD2008_00040), Los autores agradecen a toda la gente que hizo posible el trabajo de campo: R. Freire, B. Santamaría, J. Martínez, D. López, R. Ruíz-Puche, E. Molina, L. Ivorra, S. Martín, B. Ros y C. Boubekeur. También el apoyo estadístico de R. Manson.Proyecto europeo BACCARA (CE: FP7-226299, 7FP)Peer reviewe

Leaf economics and plant hydraulics drive leaf : wood area ratios

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData accessibility: All data are archived and are available from the TRY plant trait data base: www.try-db.org (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02451.x).Biomass and area ratios between leaves, stems and roots regulate many physiological and ecological processes. The Huber value Hv (sapwood area/leaf area ratio) is central to plant water balance and drought responses. However, its coordination with key plant functional traits is poorly understood, which prevents developing trait-based prediction models. Based on theoretical arguments, we hypothesise that global patterns in Hv of terminal woody branches can be predicted from variables related to plant trait spectra, i.e., plant hydraulics and size and leaf economics. Using a global compilation of 1135 species-averaged Hv , we show that Hv varies over 3 orders of magnitude. Higher Hv are seen in short small-leaved low-SLA shrubs with low Ks in arid relative to tall large-leaved high-SLA trees with high Ks in moist environments. All traits depend on climate but climatic correlations are stronger for explanatory traits than Hv . Negative isometry is found between Hv and Ks , suggesting a compensation to maintain hydraulic supply to leaves across species. This work identifies the major global drivers of branch sapwood/leaf area ratios. Our approach based on widely available traits facilitates the development of accurate models of aboveground biomass allocation and helps predict vegetation responses to drought.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO)University of NottinghamSwedish Research Council Forma

Global transpiration data from sap flow measurements: the SAPFLUXNET database

Plant transpiration links physiological responses of vegetation to water supply and demand with hydrological, energy, and carbon budgets at the land–atmosphere interface. However, despite being the main land evaporative flux at the global scale, transpiration and its response to environmental drivers are currently not well constrained by observations. Here we introduce the first global compilation of whole-plant transpiration data from sap flow measurements (SAPFLUXNET, https://sapfluxnet.creaf.cat/, last access: 8 June 2021). We harmonized and quality-controlled individual datasets supplied by contributors worldwide in a semi-automatic data workflow implemented in the R programming language. Datasets include sub-daily time series of sap flow and hydrometeorological drivers for one or more growing seasons, as well as metadata on the stand characteristics, plant attributes, and technical details of the measurements. SAPFLUXNET contains 202 globally distributed datasets with sap flow time series for 2714 plants, mostly trees, of 174 species. SAPFLUXNET has a broad bioclimatic coverage, with woodland/shrubland and temperate forest biomes especially well represented (80 % of the datasets). The measurements cover a wide variety of stand structural characteristics and plant sizes. The datasets encompass the period between 1995 and 2018, with 50 % of the datasets being at least 3 years long. Accompanying radiation and vapour pressure deficit data are available for most of the datasets, while on-site soil water content is available for 56 % of the datasets. Many datasets contain data for species that make up 90 % or more of the total stand basal area, allowing the estimation of stand transpiration in diverse ecological settings. SAPFLUXNET adds to existing plant trait datasets, ecosystem flux networks, and remote sensing products to help increase our understanding of plant water use, plant responses to drought, and ecohydrological processes. SAPFLUXNET version 0.1.5 is freely available from the Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3971689; Poyatos et al., 2020a). The “sapfluxnetr” R package – designed to access, visualize, and process SAPFLUXNET data – is available from CRAN.EEA Santa CruzFil: Poyatos, Rafael. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Poyatos, Rafael. CREAF. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Granda, Víctor. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Granda, Víctor. Joint Research Unit CREAF-CTFC. Bellaterra; EspañaFil: Flo, Víctor. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Adams, Mark A. Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Science Engineering and Technology; Australia.Fil: Adams, Mark A. University of Sydney. School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Australia.Fil: Adorján, Balázs. University of Debrecen. Faculty of Science and Technology. Department of Botany; HungríaFil: Aguadé, David. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Aidar, Marcos P. M. Institute of Botany. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry; BrasilFil: Allen, Scott. University of Nevada. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science; Estados UnidosFil: Alvarado-Barrientos, M. Susana. Instituto de Ecología A.C. Red Ecología Funcional; México.Fil: Anderson-Teixeira, Kristina J. Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Anderson-Teixeira, Kristina J. Conservation Ecology Center. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi. CREAF. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); EspañaFil: Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès); Españ

PK-guided switch between standard half-life and extended half-life factor VII products

P117 Introduction: Extended half-life (EHL) factor VIII (FVIII) requires improvements in half-life (t1/2) & area under the curve (AUC) of 1.3 & 1.25 times compared to standard half-life (SHL) products. The aim of this study is compare pharmacokinetics (PK) after the switch from SHL to EHL in patients with hemophilia A (HA). Methods: Multicenter comparative, cross-sectional, prospective study analyzing PK differences after switch from SHL to EHL (ef-moroctocog alfa [rFVIII-Fc] & rurioctocog alfa pegol [PEG-rFVIII]). WAPPS- Hemo® was used to analyze PK parameters with 2-3 samples: t1/2; AUC, peak level (PL); trough level at 24, 48 & 72 hours (TL24, TL48, TL72); & time to reach FVIII levels of 1, 2, 5% (T1%, T2%, T5%). Ratio of t1/2 & AUC, the number of weekly doses & the dose/kg/week before & after the switch were compared. Wilcoxon & Kruskal-Wallis tests (SPSS®) were used to compare the PK parameters. Results: Eightythree patients from 8 Spanish hospitals were analyzed (62 rFVIII-Fc; 21 PEG-rFVIII), 79 had severe HA & 4 moderate HA. Median age was 30 years (range = 3-64) & no differences in weight were observed between both periods.Dose/kg/week & weekly infusion frequency were reduced after the switch to EHL, & significant improvements were observed in all PK parameters after the change from SHL to EHL (Table 1). The median ratios of t1/2 & AUC were 1.3 (IQR:1.2-1.6) and 1.6 (IQR:1.3-2.2) in the entire cohort. In patients with =12 years ratios of t1/2 & AUC were 1.4 (IQR:1.3-1.6) & 1.7 (IQR:1.3-2.3), and in the cohort of 16 patients <12 years treated with rFVIII-Fc were 1.3 (IQR:0.9-1.5) and 1.4 (IQR:1.1- 2.1).After the switch to EHL, median weekly dose frequency (30%, IQR:0-33.3%) & dose/kg/week (16.9%, IQR:8.7-32.8%) were reduced. In a small subset of 15 younger patients the dose/kg/week was increased a median of 28.6% (IQR:11.7-40-7%). No differences were observed in any of the PK parameters & median ratios of t1/2 & AUC in patients aged =12 years treated with rFVIII-Fc vs. PEG-rFVIII (46 rFVIII-Fc; 21 PEG-rFVIII). Discussion/Conclusion: EHL FVIII have shown significant PK improvements in clinical real practice, allowing to reduce weekly infusion number & dose/kg/week. Outside the clinical trial setting, we have observed an increase in t1/2 & AUC ratios accordingly to EHL definition. Comparisons regarding clinical outcomes (bleeding rate after switch) will be performed after a follow-up of 1 year with EHL for the full cohort

Therapeutic drug monitoring of neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Background: Despite a potentially curative treatment, the prognosis after upfront surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poor. Modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) is a cornerstone in the systemic treatment of PDAC, including the neoadjuvant setting. Pharmacokinetic-guided (PKG) dosing has demonstrated beneficial effects in other tumors, but scarce data is available in pancreatic cancer. Methods: Forty-six patients with resected PDAC after mFOLFIRINOX neoadjuvant approach and included in an institutional protocol for anticancer drug monitoring were retrospectively analyzed. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) dosage was adjusted throughout neoadjuvant treatment according to pharmacokinetic parameters and Irinotecan (CPT-11) pharmacokinetic variables were retrospectively estimated. Results: By exploratory univariate analyses, a significantly longer progression-free survival was observed for patients with either 5-FU area under the curve (AUC) above 28 mcg$h/mL or CPT-11 AUC values below 10 mcg$h/mL. In the multivariate analyses adjusted by age, gender, performance status and resectability after stratification according to both pharmacokinetic parameters, the risk of progression was significantly reduced in patients with 5-FU AUC 28 mcg$h/mL [HR ¼ 0.251, 95and CPT-11 AUC <10 mcg$h/mL [HR ¼ 0.189, 95% CI 0.073e0.486, p ¼ 0.001]. Conclusions: Pharmacokinetically-guided dose adjustment of standard chemotherapy treatments might improve survival outcomes in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Effectiveness of a telephone-based intervention for smoking cessation in patients with severe mental disorders : Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Up to 75% of inpatients with mental disorders smoke, and their life expectancy is decreased by up to 25 years compared to the general population. Hospitalized patients without monitoring after discharge quickly return to prehospitalization levels of tobacco use. The aim of the 061 QuitMental study is to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent and motivational telephone-based intervention to stop smoking through a quitline addressed to smokers discharged from mental health hospital wards. Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial, single blinded, will include 2:1 allocation to the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG). The IG will receive telephone assistance to quit smoking (including psychological and psychoeducational support, and pharmacological treatment advice if required) proactively for 12 months, and the CG will receive only brief advice after discharge. The sample size, calculated with an expected difference of 15 points on smoking abstinence between groups (IG, 20% and CG, 5%), α = 0.05, β = 0.10, and 20% loss, will be 334 participants (IG) and 176 participants (CG). Participants are adult smokers discharged from psychiatric units of five acute hospitals. Measurements include dependent variables (self-reported 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence (carbon monoxide verified), duration of abstinence, number of quit attempts, motivation, and self-efficacy to quit) and independent variables (age, sex, and psychiatric diagnoses). In data analysis, IG and CG data will be compared at 48 h and 1, 6, and 12 months post discharge. Multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval) of dependent variables adjusted for potential confounding variables will be performed. The number needed to treat to achieve one abstinence outcome will be calculated. We will compare the abstinence rate of enrolled patients between groups. Discussion: This trial evaluates an innovative format of a quitline for smokers with severe mental disorders regardless of their motivation to quit. If effective, the pragmatic nature of the study will permit transfer to routine clinical practice in the National Health System. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03230955. Registered on 24 July 2017

SDN-based Network Orchestration of Variable-capacity Optical Packet Switching Network over Programmable Flexi-grid Elastic Optical Path Network

A multidomain and multitechnology optical network orchestration is demonstrated in an international testbed located in Japan, the U.K., and Spain. The application-based network operations architecture is proposed as a carrier software-defined network solution for provisioning end-to-end optical transport services through a multidomain multitechnology network scenario, consisting of a 46–108 Gb/s variable-capacity OpenFlow-capable optical packet switching network and a programmable, flexi-grid elastic optical path network