Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Can robotic-based top-down rehabilitation therapies improve motor control in children with cerebral palsy? A perspective on the CPWalker project

[EN] Cerebral Palsy (CP) is one of the most severe disabilities in childhood, and it demands important costs in health, education, and social services. CP is caused by damage to or abnormalities inside the developing brain that disrupt the brain's ability to control movement and maintain posture. Furthermore, CP is often associated with sensory deficits, cognition impairments, communication and motor disabilities, behavior issues, seizure disorder, pain, and secondary musculoskeletal problems. According to the literature, motor modules are peripheral measurements related to automatic motor control. There is a lack of evidence of change in motor modules in children with CP when different treatment approaches have been evaluated. Thus, new strategies are needed to improve motor control in this population. Robotic-based therapies are emerging as an effective intervention for gait rehabilitation in motor disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and CP. There is vast clinical evidence that neural plasticity is the central core of motor recovery and development, and on-going studies suggest that robot-mediated intensive therapy could be beneficial for improved functional recovery. However, current robotic strategies are focused on the peripheral neural system (PNS) facilitating the performance of repetitive movements (a bottom-up approach). Since CP affects primarily brain structures, both the PNS and the central nervous system (CNS) should to be integrated in a physical and cognitive rehabilitation therapy (a top-down approach). This paper discusses perspectives of the top-down approach based on a novel robot-assisted rehabilitative system. Accordingly, the CPWalker robotic platform was developed to support novel therapies for CP rehabilitation. This robotic platform (Smart Walker + exoskeleton) is controlled by a multimodal interface enabling the interaction of CP infants with robot-based therapies. The aim of these therapies is to improve the physical skills of infants with CP using a top-down approach, in which motor related brain activity is used to drive robotic physical rehabilitation therapies. Our hypothesis is that the CPWalker concept will promote motor learning and this improvement will lead to significant improvements in automatic motor control.Lerma Lara, S.; Martínez Caballero, I.; Bayón, C.; Del Castillo, M.; Serrano, I.; Raya, R.; Belda Lois, JM.... (2016). Can robotic-based top-down rehabilitation therapies improve motor control in children with cerebral palsy? A perspective on the CPWalker project. Biomedical Research and Clinical Practice. 22-26. doi:10.15761/BRCP.1000106S222

The spatial structure of lithic landscapes : the late holocene record of east-central Argentina as a case study

Fil: Barrientos, Gustavo. División Antropología. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Catella, Luciana. División Arqueología. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Oliva, Fernando. Centro Estudios Arqueológicos Regionales. Facultad de Humanidades y Artes. Universidad Nacional de Rosario; Argentin

Mathematical models for immunology:current state of the art and future research directions

The advances in genetics and biochemistry that have taken place over the last 10 years led to significant advances in experimental and clinical immunology. In turn, this has led to the development of new mathematical models to investigate qualitatively and quantitatively various open questions in immunology. In this study we present a review of some research areas in mathematical immunology that evolved over the last 10 years. To this end, we take a step-by-step approach in discussing a range of models derived to study the dynamics of both the innate and immune responses at the molecular, cellular and tissue scales. To emphasise the use of mathematics in modelling in this area, we also review some of the mathematical tools used to investigate these models. Finally, we discuss some future trends in both experimental immunology and mathematical immunology for the upcoming years

Use of marine fauna and tool stones in the south of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) during the Middle and Late Holocene

The exploitation of coastal and marine resources by hunter-gatherers in the south of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) during the Mid-Late Holocene was examined through the analysis of faunal and lithic evidence in the following archaeological sites: El Americano II and Barrio Las Dunas (Mid-Late Holocene), both located in coastal sand dunes, Puente de Fierro (Late Holocene), located in a wetland distant 7 km from the seashore, Paso Vanoli, located 13 km from the seashore, and Paso Mayor YI S1 (Mid-Late Holocene), located in a fluvial environment 41 km from the seashore. The evidence suggests that, during the Mid-Holocene, in the coastal sites, hunter-gatherers used several marine vertebrates (e.g. pinnipeds and fishes—Pogonias cromis-), whereas in the inland sites, they only transported mollusks and coastal pebbles. In the Late Holocene, in the sites located a few kilometers from the coast, hunter-gatherers carried only selected parts of pinnipeds as well as mollusks and coastal pebbles. Pinnipeds represented a low proportion of the faunal remains. In contrast, in sites far away from the Atlantic coast, hunter-gatherers carried only stones and mollusks. We propose that although the Atlantic coast in the study area was regularly visited by hunter-gatherers all along the Holocene, the importance of marine food decreased during the Late Holocene, whereas the importance of coastal tool stones and mollusks continued.Fil: Frontini, Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Humanidades; ArgentinaFil: Bayón, María Cristina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Humanidades; Argentin

Mapping of the spatial distribution of benthic habitats in the Gulf of Batabanó using Landsat-7 images

The spatial distribution of benthic habitats in the Gulf of Batabanó obtained by remote sensing, using five images from the Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite sensor, is reported for the first time. The map covers a total underwater area of 21,305 km2 and is presented at the 1:250,000 scale. Five benthic habitats were identified within this area and located using the supervised classification technique: medium- to high-density seagrass, low-density seagrass, sand with scarce vegetation, mud with scarce vegetation, and rock. Seagrass covers 64.85% (13,818 km2) of the total area, while 35.15% (7,487 km2) corresponds to the remaining benthic habitats with or without scarce vegetation. Both the underwater vegetation (seagrass and macro seaweed) and the substratum types were considered. Results were confirmed by in situ measurements obtained from three research cruises between 2003 and 2005. This map represents an important characterization of the Cuban platform waters in order to better understand these ecosystems, and can be used in future change detection analyses to monitor the health of benthic habitats in the Gulf of Batabanó.

Desarrollo del turismo de naturaleza en la reserva ecológica Varahicacos

En este trabajo se brindan los conocimientos y experiencias sobre los mecanismos y cursos de acción que se deben impulsar para que el turismo de naturaleza, en la Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos, se constituye en beneficio compatible con los objetivos primarios de conservación y satisfacción de la demanda actual de este tipo de turismo. Se resumen los resultados de las investigaciones y puesta en práctica de la metodología del diseño geoecológico, la cual toma como fundamento teórico, y práctico, la experiencia de otros países y la realidad cubana, y utiliza como herramienta básica las técnicas de avanzada (Teledetección, Cartografía Digital y Sistemas de Información Geográfica