49 research outputs found

    Patrones de distribución de las mariposas diurnas en Portugal (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea, Hesperiidae, Zygaenidae)

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    An extensive faunistic database has been set up gathering bibliographic information, data from scientific collections and other relevant unpublished data from the 143 species of continental Portuguese butterflies and burnets (Superfamily Papilionoidea, Families Hesperiidae and Zygaenidae). This database was used to define distribution patterns through the application of factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) to the matrices of frequency and presence-absence data in a 50 x 50 km UTM grid. The identification of faunistic elements and regions was obtained through an automatic application of the classification analysis to the FCA results. In a second instance, we used the same methodology to establish the relationship between previously obtained patterns and a set of environmental variables, in order to determine the factors related to the observed classes. The annual average temperature proved to be the best factor to explain the observed latitudinal gradient in the butterfly distribution. The results show a well-defined northern interior region of high average altitudes and limited in the South by the Serra da Estrela. This area has the largest species richness and hosts the Montesinho Natural Park, which is the most diverse in the country. In the southern half of Portugal, the Algarve deserves a special mention for its group of species with typical Mediterranean requirements.La información corológica (datos de bibliografía, colecciones e inéditos) sobre las 143 especies de mariposas (Superfamilia Papilionoidea, y Familias Hesperiidae y Zygaenidae) de Portugal continental se ha reunido en una base de datos. Ésta se emplea para definir patrones de distribución, aplicando el análisis factorial de correspondencias (AFC) a las matrices de frecuencias y de presencia-ausencia, basadas en una rejilla UTM de 50 x 50 km. En primer lugar, se identifican los elementos y regiones faunísticas mediante la aplicación automática del análisis de clasificación a los resultados del AFC. En una segunda fase, se establece la relación entre los patrones obtenidos y un conjunto de variables ambientales, para determinar los posibles factores asociados a las regularidades detectadas. La temperatura media anual es el principal factor explicativo del gradiente latitudinal observado. Queda bien definida una región norte interior, de altitudes medias elevadas, y limitada hacia el sur por la Serra da Estrela. Esta área presenta mayor riqueza de especies que el resto del territorio, e incluye el Parque Natural de Montesinho, donde se localiza la máxima diversidad de mariposas del país. En la mitad meridional del país, destaca la región del Algarve, con un conjunto de especies de requisitos biológicos típicamente mediterráneos

    Las comunidades de insectos del Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares (centro de España): estado de conservación

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    The Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares (PRCAM) is a protected area at the North of Madrid. Eight sampling sites were selected representing different ecosystems and land uses. In these sites we studied the communities of four insect groups: Collembolla, Chrysomelida, Curculionoidea and Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea. The objetive of the study was to assess the conservation status of the Park ecosystems and the paralelism of the results in these four insect groups. The results show that the Park ecosystems are heavily disturbed. The lowland areas being damaged to a greater extent. On the other hand the four groups have a different behaviour in similar conditions. This shows the importance of gathering information from different groups in order to assess or manage the biological diversity of an area.El Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares (PRCAM) es un área protegida del norte de Madrid. En el se han elegido ocho puntos representativos de sus ecosistemas y del uso del territorio. En estos puntos se han estudiado las comunidades de cuatro grupos de insectos: Colémbolos, Crisomélidos, Curculiónidos y Mariposas. El objetivo del estudio es valorar el estado de conservación de los ecosistemas del parque, y el grado de paralelismo de la información suministrada por los cuatro grupos de insectos sobre unas mismas áreas. Los resultados indican que los ecosistemas del Parque están muy alterados. El grado de deterioro es mayor en las zonas de menor altitud. Por otro lado las comunidades de estos cuatro grupos de insectos responden de formas distintas ante situaciones idénticas. De ello se deduce la importancia de tener en cuenta varios grupos de organismos a la hora de manejar o valorar la diversidad biológica de un zona

    Effect of viral storm in patients admitted to intensive care units with severe COVID-19 in Spain: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study

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    Background: The contribution of the virus to the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate associations between viral RNA load in plasma and host response, complications, and deaths in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: We did a prospective cohort study across 23 hospitals in Spain. We included patients aged 18 years or older with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted to an intensive care unit between March 16, 2020, and Feb 27, 2021. RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid region 1 (N1) was quantified in plasma samples collected from patients in the first 48 h following admission, using digital PCR. Patients were grouped on the basis of N1 quantity: VIR-N1-Zero ([removed]2747 N1 copies per mL). The primary outcome was all-cause death within 90 days after admission. We evaluated odds ratios (ORs) for the primary outcome between groups using a logistic regression analysis. Findings: 1068 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 117 had insufficient plasma samples and 115 had key information missing. 836 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 403 (48%) were in the VIR-N1-Low group, 283 (34%) were in the VIR-N1-Storm group, and 150 (18%) were in the VIR-N1-Zero group. Overall, patients in the VIR-N1-Storm group had the most severe disease: 266 (94%) of 283 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 116 (41%) developed acute kidney injury, 180 (65%) had secondary infections, and 148 (52%) died within 90 days. Patients in the VIR-N1-Zero group had the least severe disease: 81 (54%) of 150 received IMV, 34 (23%) developed acute kidney injury, 47 (32%) had secondary infections, and 26 (17%) died within 90 days (OR for death 0·30, 95% CI 0·16–0·55; p<0·0001, compared with the VIR-N1-Storm group). 106 (26%) of 403 patients in the VIR-N1-Low group died within 90 days (OR for death 0·39, 95% CI 0·26–0·57; p[removed]11 página

    Carcass persistence and detectability : reducing the uncertainty surrounding wildlife-vehicle collision surveys

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    Carcass persistence time and detectability are two main sources of uncertainty on roadkill surveys. In this study, we evaluate the influence of these uncertainties on roadkill surveys and estimates. To estimate carcass persistence time, three observers (including the driver) surveyed 114km by car on a monthly basis for two years, searching for wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). Each survey consisted of five consecutive days. To estimate carcass detectability, we randomly selected stretches of 500m to be also surveyed on foot by two other observers (total 292 walked stretches, 146 km walked). We expected that body size of the carcass, road type, presence of scavengers and weather conditions to be the main drivers influencing the carcass persistence times, but their relative importance was unknown. We also expected detectability to be highly dependent on body size. Overall, we recorded low median persistence times (one day) and low detectability (<10%) for all vertebrates. The results indicate that body size and landscape cover (as a surrogate of scavengers' presence) are the major drivers of carcass persistence. Detectability was lower for animals with body mass less than 100g when compared to carcass with higher body mass. We estimated that our recorded mortality rates underestimated actual values of mortality by 2±10 fold. Although persistence times were similar to previous studies, the detectability rates here described are very different from previous studies. The results suggest that detectability is the main source of bias across WVC studies. Therefore, more than persistence times, studies should carefully account for differing detectability when comparing WVC studies

    Viral RNA load in plasma is associated with critical illness and a dysregulated host response in COVID‑19

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    Background. COVID-19 can course with respiratory and extrapulmonary disease. SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected in respiratory samples but also in blood, stool and urine. Severe COVID-19 is characterized by a dysregulated host response to this virus. We studied whether viral RNAemia or viral RNA load in plasma is associated with severe COVID-19 and also to this dysregulated response. Methods. A total of 250 patients with COVID-19 were recruited (50 outpatients, 100 hospitalized ward patients and 100 critically ill). Viral RNA detection and quantification in plasma was performed using droplet digital PCR, targeting the N1 and N2 regions of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein gene. The association between SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma with severity was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. Correlations between viral RNA load and biomarkers evidencing dysregulation of host response were evaluated by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficients. Results. The frequency of viral RNAemia was higher in the critically ill patients (78%) compared to ward patients (27%) and outpatients (2%) (p < 0.001). Critical patients had higher viral RNA loads in plasma than non-critically ill patients, with non-survivors showing the highest values. When outpatients and ward patients were compared, viral RNAemia did not show significant associations in the multivariate analysis. In contrast, when ward patients were compared with ICU patients, both viral RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma were associated with critical illness (OR [CI 95%], p): RNAemia (3.92 [1.183–12.968], 0.025), viral RNA load (N1) (1.962 [1.244–3.096], 0.004); viral RNA load (N2) (2.229 [1.382–3.595], 0.001). Viral RNA load in plasma correlated with higher levels of chemokines (CXCL10, CCL2), biomarkers indicative of a systemic inflammatory response (IL-6, CRP, ferritin), activation of NK cells (IL-15), endothelial dysfunction (VCAM-1, angiopoietin-2, ICAM-1), coagulation activation (D-Dimer and INR), tissue damage (LDH, GPT), neutrophil response (neutrophils counts, myeloperoxidase, GM-CSF) and immunodepression (PD-L1, IL-10, lymphopenia and monocytopenia). Conclusions. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and viral RNA load in plasma are associated with critical illness in COVID-19. Viral RNA load in plasma correlates with key signatures of dysregulated host responses, suggesting a major role of uncontrolled viral replication in the pathogenesis of this disease.This work was supported by awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rapid Research Funding initiative (CIHR OV2 – 170357), Research Nova Scotia (DJK), Atlantic Genome/Genome Canada (DJK), Li-Ka Shing Foundation (DJK), Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DJK), the “Subvenciones de concesión directa para proyectos y programas de investigación del virus SARS‐CoV2, causante del COVID‐19”, FONDO–COVID19, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20/00110, CIBERES, 06/06/0028), (AT) and fnally by the “Convocatoria extraordinaria y urgente de la Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León, para la fnanciación de proyectos de investigación en enfermedad COVID-19” (GRS COVID 53/A/20) (CA). DJK is a recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Infammation. APT was funded by the Sara Borrell Research Grant CD018/0123 funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-fnanced by the European Development Regional Fund (A Way to Achieve Europe programme). The funding sources did not play any role neither in the design of the study and collection, not in the analysis, in the interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript

    The diverse meteorology of Jezero crater over the first 250 sols of Perseverance on Mars

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    ASA’s Perseverance rover’s Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer is collecting data at Jezero crater, characterizing the physical processes in the lowest layer of the Martian atmosphere. Here we present measurements from the instrument’s first 250 sols of operation, revealing a spatially and temporally variable meteorology at Jezero. We find that temperature measurements at four heights capture the response of the atmospheric surface layer to multiple phenomena. We observe the transition from a stable night-time thermal inversion to a daytime, highly turbulent convective regime, with large vertical thermal gradients. Measurement of multiple daily optical depths suggests aerosol concentrations are higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Measured wind patterns are driven mainly by local topography, with a small contribution from regional winds. Daily and seasonal variability of relative humidity shows a complex hydrologic cycle. These observations suggest that changes in some local surface properties, such as surface albedo and thermal inertia, play an influential role. On a larger scale, surface pressure measurements show typical signatures of gravity waves and baroclinic eddies in a part of the seasonal cycle previously characterized as low wave activity. These observations, both combined and simultaneous, unveil the diversity of processes driving change on today’s Martian surface at Jezero crater
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