Habitat Variation in Vernal Pool Ecosystems on Both Sides of the Strait of Gibraltar

We studied vernal pool (VP) ecosystems along a latitudinal gradient crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in order to determine its role in the distribution of VP plant communities. We analyzed flora, vegetation, physical–chemical water parameters, and climatic data from two vernal pool areas on both the European (Iberian) and African (Moroccan) sides of the Strait. Despite the minor distance between both territories, the pools clearly differed in species composition and ecology. However, they showed a similar vegetation zonation in growth forms, including isoetid, batrachiid, and helophytic vegetation. The distribution of the plant communities was related to nutrient load, temperature, and precipitation. Water nitrate concentration was higher in Morocco, where VPs are characterized by Isoetes velata subsp. adspersa and Ranunculus saniculifolius communities. Iberian VPs had lower water nitrate content, and were characterized by Isoetes velata subsp. velata and Ranunculus peltatus communities. We think this nutrient difference is likely to be caused by the different land management regime on each side of the Strait, with more intensive agriculture in Morocco. Long-term (historical) and present-day (ecological) processes have been proposed to account for the habitat variation in vernal pool ecosystems on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar

The Academic Resilience Approach in the promotion of young people’s mental health. Proposals for its use in schools

Els joves que gaudeixen de bona salut mental són més propensos a tenir un rendiment acadèmic més bo i un millor desenvolupament social. Davant l’increment de problemes de salut mental entre adolescents a Catalunya, es presenta l’Enfocament de Resiliència Acadèmica (ERA) com una pràctica estratègica per a centres d’educació secundària que involucra tota la comunitat educativa. La finalitat és ajudar que els joves, especialment els més vulnerables, aconsegueixin obtenir un rendiment acadèmic més òptim, malgrat les circumstàncies en les quals es troben. Les propostes per integrar l’ERA als centres de secundària es basen en la redefinició de les activitats que ja es desenvolupen i en el disseny de noves pràctiques educatives considerant els elements del Marc de Resiliència

Plant communities as a tool in temporary ponds conservation in SW Portugal

Temporary ponds are seasonal wetlands annually subjected to extreme and unstable ecological conditions, neither truly aquatic nor truly terrestrial. This habitat and its flora have been poorly studied and documented because of the ephemeral character of the flora, the changeable annual weather that has a great effect on the small, herbaceous taxa and the declining abundance of temporary ponds. The objectives of this study are: (a)to define plant community diversity in terms of floristic composition of ephemeral wetlands in SW Portugal, (b) to identify temporary pond types according to their vegetation composition and (c) to identify those ponds that configure the European community priority habitat (3170* – Mediterranean temporary ponds). Vegetation sampling was conducted in 29 ponds, identifying 168 species grouped among 15 plant communities. Soil texture, pH, organic C and N content were measured, but only N and percent of clay appear to be related with the distribution of each community type. The results showed that ephemeral wetlands could be classified into four type: vernal pools, marshlands, deep ponds and disturbed wetlands. Vernal pools correspond to the Mediterranean temporary ponds (3170*), protected as priority hab- itat under the EU Habitats Directive. Submersed Isoetes species (Isoetes setaceum and Isoetes velatum) represents, together with Eryngium corniculatum, the indicator species for vernal pools. We identify also indicator plant communities of this priority habitat, namely I. setaceum and E. corniculatum–Baldellia ranunculoides plant communities. In this region, the conservation of temporary ponds has so far been compatible with traditional agricultural activities, but today these ponds are endangered by the intensification of agriculture and the loss of traditional land use practices and by the development of tourism

“Education Network” a new way to teach Chemistry

The complexity of chemistry has implications for the teaching of chemistry. That chemistry is a very complex subject. The majority of the students at University think that chemistry is a difficult discipline and they have difficulty in understanding the concepts. Moreover, students' interest in chemistry decreases the first year at university. The reason for this decrease might be that the contents of chemistry laboratory classes are boring, out of date and lacking of dynamism that students experience through visual media tools. For these reasons, new programs and methodologies should be developed. Those are based on making chemistry relevant through problem solving and collaborative learning hold promise for reforming chemistry education. It is about an education according to circumstances, which is adapted to context and virtual behaviour of people. It's time to CRUSH boredom by transforming your classroom into an Escape Room adventure. School-based escape games are a great teaching tool. The students while playing, learn. The most important point is that they won’t realize they’re doing both at the same time. In this work, an educational gamification experience based on the escape room concept was developed. The first (Do It Yourself) DIY Escape Room was built the year before at Mechanical Engineer Degree started, that took more than three weeks of work. It was presented to other professors to the same subject at different degrees. That DIY Escape Room was modified and adapted to each group. Each professor changed the clues, problems and so on in order to orientate the topic as much as possible to their students.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Unify Markov model for Rational Design and Synthesis of More Safe Drugs. Predicting Multiple Drugs Side Effects

The 9th International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry session Computational ChemistryMost of present mathematical models for rational design and synthesis of new drugs consider just the molecular structure. In the present article we pretend extending the use of Markov Chain models to define novel molecular descriptors, which consider in addition other parameters like target site or biological effect. Specifically, this model takes into consideration not only the molecular structure but the specific biological system the drug affects too. Herein, it is developed a general Markov model that describes 19 different drugs side effects grouped in 8 affected biological systems for 178 drugs, being 270 cases finally. The data was processed by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classifying drugs according to their specific side effects, forward stepwise was fixed as strategy for variables selection. The average percentage of good classification and number of compounds used in the training/predicting sets were 100/95.8% for endocrine manifestations(18 out of 18)/(13 out of 14); 90.5/92.3% for gastrointestinal manifestations (38 out of 42)/(30 out of 32); 88.5/86.5% for systemic phenomena (23 out of 26)/(17 out of 20); 81.8/77.3% for neurological manifestations (27 out of 33)/(19 out of 25); 81.6/86.2% for dermal manifestations (31 out of 38)/(25 out of 29); 78.4/85.1% for cardiovascular manifestation (29 out of 37)/(24 out of 28); 77.1/75.7% for breathing manifestations (27 out of 35)/(20 out of 26) and 75.6/75% for psychiatric manifestations (31 out of 41)/(23 out of 31). Additionally a Back-Projection Analysis (BPA) was carried out for two ulcerogenic drugs to prove in structural terms the physic interpretation of the models obtained. This article develops a model that encompasses a large number of drugs side effects grouped in specifics biological systems using stochastic absolute probabilities of interaction (Apk (j)) by the first time

La elección de intensificaciones del Grado de Informática de la Escuela Superior de Informática de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha y el perfil del estudiante de cada una

En este trabajo se analiza la evolución de la elección de cada una de las intensificaciones que se imparten en el Grado de Informática de la Escuela Superior de Informática de Ciudad Real (ESI) de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), y se estudia el perfil del estudiante de cada una de ellas. Para ello, se ha recopilado información demográfica y académica durante los últimos cuatro cursos académicos. Además, para intentar caracterizar el perfil del estudiante de cada intensificación, durante el curso actual se han obtenido otros datos del alumnado relacionados con su actitud personal hacia la programación, su propensión a participar y disfrutar de tareas cognitivamente exigentes, su predisposición a adoptar nuevas tecnologías, y su estilo de aprendizaje. Los resultados reflejan diferencias entre los perfiles de cada intensificación, lo que justifica la continuación del trabajo en esta línea durante los próximos cursos, así como la relación de dicho perfil con su desempeño.In this paper we analyze the evolution of the choice of each of the intensifications taught in the Computer Science Degree of the Escuela Superior de Informática de Ciudad Real (ESI) of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and we study the student profile of each of them. For this purpose, demographic and academic information has been collected during the last four academic years. Furthermore, in order to try to characterize the student profile of each intensification, during the current academic year other data have been obtained from the students related to their personal attitude towards programming, their propensity to participate and enjoy cognitively demanding tasks, their predisposition to adopt new technologies, and their learning style. The results reflect differences between the profile of each intensification, which justifies the continuation of the work in this line during the next courses, as well as the relationship of this profile with their performance

Fasciola hepatica induces eosinophil apoptosis in the migratory and biliary stages of infection in sheep

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the number of apoptotic eosinophils in the livers of sheep experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica during the migratory and biliary stages of infection. Four groups (n = 5) of sheep were used; groups 1–3 were orally infected with 200 metacercariae (mc) and sacrificed at 8 and 28 days post-infection (dpi), and 17 weeks post-infection (wpi), respectively. Group 4 was used as an uninfected control. Apoptosis was detected using immunohistochemistry with a polyclonal antibody against anti-active caspase-3, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Eosinophils were identified using the Hansel stain in serial sections for caspase-3, and by ultrastructural features using TEM. At 8 and 28 dpi, numerous caspase-3+ eosinophils were mainly found at the periphery of acute hepatic necrotic foci. The percentage of caspase -3+ apoptotic eosinophils in the periphery of necrotic foci was high (46.1–53.9) at 8 and 28 dpi, respectively, and decreased in granulomas found at 28 dpi (6%). Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of apoptotic eosinophils in hepatic lesions at 8 and 28 dpi. At 17 wpi, apoptotic eosinophils were detected in the infiltrate surrounding some enlarged bile ducts containing adult flukes. This is the first report of apoptosis induced by F. hepatica in sheep and the first study reporting apoptosis in eosinophils in hepatic inflammatory infiltrates in vivo. The high number of apoptotic eosinophils in acute necrotic tracts during the migratory and biliary stages of infection suggests that eosinophil apoptosis may play a role in F. hepatica survival during different stages of infection.This work was supported by EU grants (FPVII-265862-PARAVAC, H2020-635408-PARAGONE) and the Spanish Ministry of Science grant AGL2009-08726. TEM studies were carried out by the Central Services for Research of the University of Córdoba (SCAI)Veterinari

Orbital control of the Peru upwelling dynamics during the last 800 Ky revealed by Coccolithophore assemblages

In order to analyze the surface water dynamics in the Peru upwelling system zone during the last 800 Ka, we studied the calcareous nannofossil content. The ODP site 1237 coccolith assemblage revealed two dominant taxa: «small» Gephyrocapsa and Florisphaera profunda. The «small» Gephyrocapsa abundance increased between 0,2 and 0,45 Ma allowing us to interpret a shallow nutricline consequent with a Trade wind intensification. Relative increases in the Florisphaera profunda abundance occurred between 0,86- 0,45 Ma and 0,20-0 Ma consistent with a deeper nutricline and weaker Trade winds. Spectral analyses in the Florisphaera profunda percentages show orbital frequences with peaks at 100, 41 and 23 Ky