Living near water: Ecological observations on the Ecuador Sipo, Chironius grandisquamis, (Peters 1869) (Serpentes: Colubridae), in the Middle Magdalena River Valley, Colombia

More than 40 species of snakes inhabit the humid forests of the Middle Magdalena River Basin of Colombia, yet studies on the basic aspects of snake ecology and natural history in this region are scarce. We searched for Ecuador Sipos (Chironius grandisquamis) during six years (2014–2019) of 6–24-day visual-encounter surveys by day and night in both rainy and dry periods. In 2,967 person-hours, we recorded 16 individuals, half during rainy and half during dry periods. Fourteen of the 16 encounters were in the evening and two in the morning. Snakes recorded during the day were foraging on the ground, whereas those recorded at night were inactive and perched in vegetation. Most inactive individuals had selected perches along streams flanked by riparian forests; ten were in shrubs and four in trees on branches 120–600 cm above the ground. We also record predation on a northern rainfrog (Craugastor metriosistus) on the forest floor during the day

Short comunication. First report of flesh fly eggs (DIPTERA: SARCOPHAGIDAE) in Pristimantis achatinus (ANURA: CRAUGASTORIDAE) from Colombia

En este trabajo presentamos el primer registro de una mosca de la carne (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) depositando sus huevos en el cuerpo de una rana de hojarasca, Pristimatis achatinus.In this work, we present the first record of a flesh fly (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) depositing its eggs on the body of a leaf litter frog, Pristimatis achatinus

Barriers and facilitators of the TPM implementation

[ES] Objeto: El TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) resulta difícil de implementar. El presente artículo pretende, a través del análisis de la literatura existente, aproximarse a esa dificultad y aportar un análisis que permita avanzar en su conocimiento. Diseño/metodología/enfoque: La revisión de la literatura se ha llevado a cabo a través del análisis de 44 publicaciones sobre TPM, extraídas de bases de datos elegidas por su reputación en publicaciones científicas y académicas. Los resultados de este artículo se han alcanzado a partir del análisis comparativo de los puntos de interés y la discusión con expertos. Aportaciones y resultados: El resultado es un artículo que confirma el impacto positivo que su desarrollo tiene en las organizaciones y su amplia utilización en grandes corporaciones, así como la dificultad que presenta la implantación de su modelo de desarrollo. El presente artículo presenta, como aportación principal, las causas que originan esta dificultad y cómo éstas influyen en la consecución de los objetivos de cada paso del modelo de implantación. Limitaciones: El presente estudio necesita la validación empírica en un estudio de caso. Originalidad / Valor añadido: Durante los últimos años se han publicado muchos artículos enfocados en la mejora de la implantación del TPM, pero ninguno de estos artículos ha efectuado un extenso análisis de la literatura sobre TPM para concretar los consensos existentes entre los diferentes autores y definir propuestas para superar la dificultad que supone su implantación.[EN] Purpose: TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) is difficult to implement. This article attempts, through the analysis of existing literature, approach to this difficulty and provide an analysis to advance their knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: The literature review was conducted through analysis of 44 publications on TPM, extracted from databases chosen for their reputation in scientific and academic publications. The results of this paper have been achieved from comparative analysis of the points of interest and discussion with experts. Findings: The result is an article that confirms the positive impact that their development has on organizations and their widespread use in large corporations as well as the difficulty of implementing its development model. This article presents, as main contribution, the causes of this difficulty and how they affect the achievement of the objectives of each step of the implementation model. Research limitations/implications: This study needs empirical validation in a case study. Originality/value: In recent years, there have been many published articles focused on improving the implementation of TPM, but none of these items has made an extensive analysis of the literature on TPM to realize the consensus between the authors and define proposals for overcoming the difficulty involved in their implementation.Marín-García, JA.; Mateo Martínez, R. (2013). Barreras y facilitadores de la implantación del TPM. Intangible Capital. 9(3):823-853. doi:10.3926/ic.360S8238539

Aspectos taxonómicos y ecogeográficos de algunas serpientes (Reptilia: Colubridae) del área de influencia de la Central Hidroeléctrica Miel I, Caldas, Colombia

Entre los años 2014 y 2015 se obtuvieron registros para algunas especies de serpientes poco conocidas en Colombia, como producto de los monitoreos de fauna silvestre en las zonas de influencia de la Central Hidroeléctrica Miel I (ISAGEN S.A.) en el oriente del departamento de Caldas. Presentamos información sobre la distribución, características morfológicas, anotaciones de historia natural y comentarios de Oxyrhopus occipitalis, Scaphiodontophis annulatus, Tantilla alticola, Urotheca fulviceps y Urotheca lateristriga. Consideramos que el aumento de la cobertura boscosa en esta área ha aportado a la conservación local y regional de la biodiversidad, incluyendo la ofidiofauna. Sugerimos la implementación de una señalética vial para disminuir la mortalidad de serpientes por atropellamiento

Aspectos taxonómicos y ecogeográficos de algunas serpientes (Reptilia: Colubridae) del área de influencia de la Central Hidroeléctrica Miel I, Caldas, Colombia

This study presents records for some poorly known snake species in Colombia and information on the distribution, morphological characteristics, natural history notes and comments on the species Oxyrhopus occipitalis, Scaphiodontophis annulatus, Tantilla alticola, Urotheca fulviceps and Urotheca lateristriga. Records are the result of wild fauna monitoring developed in the Miel I hydroelectric project in the eastern department of Caldas from 2014 to 2015. Increased forest cover in this area has contributed to the conservation of local and regional biodiversity, including snakes. Suggested short-term actions for snake conservation in this area should include the implementation of road signs to avoid roadkills.Entre los años 2014 y 2015 se obtuvieron registros para algunas especies de serpientes poco conocidas en Colombia,como producto de los monitoreos de fauna silvestre en las zonas de influencia de la Central Hidroeléctrica Miel I(ISAGEN S.A.) en el oriente del departamento de Caldas. Presentamos información sobre la distribución, característicasmorfológicas, anotaciones de historia natural y comentarios de Oxyrhopus occipitalis, Scaphiodontophis annulatus,Tantilla alticola, Urotheca fulviceps y Urotheca lateristriga. Consideramos que el aumento de la cobertura boscosa enesta área ha aportado a la conservación local y regional de la biodiversidad, incluyendo la ofidiofauna. Sugerimosla implementación de una señalética vial para disminuir la mortalidad de serpientes por atropellamiento

Oribatid mites in different Mediterranean crop rotations fertilized with animal droppings

Unsustainable soil management is one of the drivers of soil degradation, but impact assessment requires the development of indicators. Oribatids might be considered as early indicators of disturbances due to the stability of their community. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of oribatids as bioindicators of sustainable agricultural practices. Under a dry Mediterranean climate, three fertilization experiments – two under a two-crop rotation system and one under maize monoculture and established 12 years earlier – were sampled 3× for oribatid identification during the last annual cropping cycle. The hypothesis was that different nutrient and crop managements affect the number of oribatid species and individuals present, and these parameters could be used as indicators of soil degradation. In total, 18 oribatid species were identified, and 1974 adult individuals were recovered. Maximum abundance was found prior to sowing. Pig slurry (PS) vs. control, and dairy cattle manure (CM) vs. mineral fertilization increased oribatid abundance. This increase was evident when the average applied rates with PS were ca. 2 Mg of organic matter (OM) ha− 1 yr− 1, or higher than ca. 4 Mg OM ha− 1 yr− 1 for CM. When the preceding crop was wheat and PS or CM were used, Oribatula (Zygoribatula) excavata (which reproduces sexually) predominated. In maize monoculture fertilized with CM, Tectocepheus sarekensis and Acrotritia ardua americana (which can reproduce through parthenogenesis) prevailed vs. Oribatula, which indicated a heavily disturbed soil. Under this specific Mediterranean environment, the predominance of certain parthenogenic oribatid species and the number of individuals provide advanced warning on soil degradation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Untargeted metabolomics reveals distinct metabolic reprogramming in endothelial cells co-cultured with CSC and non-CSC prostate cancer cell subpopulations.

Tumour angiogenesis is an important hallmark of cancer and the study of its metabolic adaptations, downstream to any cellular change, can reveal attractive targets for inhibiting cancer growth. In the tumour microenvironment, endothelial cells (ECs) interact with heterogeneous tumour cell types that drive angiogenesis and metastasis. In this study we aim to characterize the metabolic alterations in ECs influenced by the presence of tumour cells with extreme metastatic abilities. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were subjected to different microenvironmental conditions, such as the presence of highly metastatic PC-3M and highly invasive PC-3S prostate cancer cell lines, in addition to the angiogenic activator vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), under normoxia. Untargeted high resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based metabolomics revealed significant metabolite differences among the various conditions and a total of 25 significantly altered metabolites were identified including acetyl L-carnitine, NAD+, hypoxanthine, guanine and oleamide, with profile changes unique to each of the experimental conditions. Biochemical pathway analysis revealed the importance of fatty acid oxidation and nucleotide salvage pathways. These results provide a global metabolic preview that could help in selectively targeting the ECs aiding in either cancer cell invasion or metastasis in the heterogeneous tumour microenvironment