Documenting models and workflows: the next challenge in the field of ecological data management

Los modelos ecológicos se han convertido en una pieza clave de esta ciencia. La generación de conocimiento se consigue en buena medida mediante procesos analíticos más o menos complejos aplicados sobre conjuntos de datos diversos. Pero buena parte del conocimiento necesario para diseñar e implementar esos modelos no está accesible a la comunidad científica. Proponemos la creación de herramientas informáticas para documentar, almacenar y ejecutar modelos ecológicos y flujos de trabajo. Estas herramientas (repositorios de modelos) están siendo desarrolladas por otras disciplinas como la biología molecular o las ciencias de la Tierra. Presentamos un repositorio de modelos (ModeleR) desarrollado en el contexto del Observatorio de seguimiento del cambio global de Sierra Nevada (Granada-Almería). Creemos que los repositorios de modelos fomentarán la cooperación entre científicos, mejorando la creación de conocimiento relevante que podría ser transferido a los tomadores de decisiones.Ecological models have become a key part of this scientific discipline. Most of the knowledge created by ecologists is obtained by applying analytical processes to primary data. But most of the information underlying how to create models or use analytic techniques already published in the scientific literature is not readily available to scientists. We are proposing the creation of computer tools that help to document, store and execute ecological models and scientific workflows. These tools (called model repositories) are being developed by other disciplines such as molecular biology and earth science. We are presenting a model repository (called ModeleR) that has been developed in the context of the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory (Granada-Almería. Spain). We believe that model repositories will foster cooperation among scientists, enhancing the creation of relevant knowledge that could be transferred to environmental managers.El desarrollo de ModeleR ha sido financiado por la Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio de la Junta de Andalucía a través de la Red de Información Ambiental (REDIAM), gracias a un convenio llamado “Diseño y creación de un repositorio de modelos para la red de información ambiental de Andalucía”. A.J. Pérez-Luque agradece al MICINN por el contrato PTA 2011-6322-I

Ecological Diversity within Rear-Edge: A Case Study from Mediterranean Quercus pyrenaica Willd

Understanding the ecology of populations located in the rear edge of their distribution is key to assessing the response of the species to changing environmental conditions. Here, we focus on rear-edge populations of Quercus pyrenaica in Sierra Nevada (southern Iberian Peninsula) to analyze their ecological and floristic diversity. We perform multivariate analyses using high-resolution environmental information and forest inventories to determine how environmental variables differ among oak populations, and to identify population groups based on environmental and floristic composition. We find that water availability is a key variable in explaining the distribution of Q. pyrenaica and the floristic diversity of their accompanying communities within its rear edge. Three cluster of oak populations were identified based on environmental variables. We found differences among these clusters regarding plant diversity, but not for forest attributes. A remarkable match between the populations clustering derived from analysis of environmental variables and the ordination of the populations according to species composition was found. The diversity of ecological behaviors for Q. pyrenaica populations in this rear edge are consistent with the high genetic diversity shown by populations of this oak in the Sierra Nevada. The identification of differences between oak populations within the rear-edge with respect to environmental variables can aid with planning the forest management and restoration actions, particularly considering the importance of some environmental factors in key ecological aspects.LIFE-ADAPTAMED: Protection of key ecosystem services by adaptive management of Climate Change endangered Mediterranean socioecosystems LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612H2020 project European Long-Term Ecosystem and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER)European Research Council (ERC) 64703

Variabilidad radial y acimutal del flujo de savia en olivos plantados en seto

5 páginas.-- 4 figuras.-- Comunicación oral presentada en el XI Simposio Hispano-Portugués de Relaciones Hídricas en las Plantas, Sevilla 17-20 Sep. (2012)La heterogeneidad de densidad de flujo de savia tanto alrededor del tronco como en profundidad respecto al cambium es un hecho bien conocido que requiere ser analizado para un correcto uso e interpretación de las estimas de transpiración a partir de las medidas de flujo de savia. Por ello, se hizo un experimento en olivos ‘Arbequina’ de 5 años de edad en una plantación en seto (4 m x 1.5 m) donde se instalaron cuatro sondas por árbol, en tres árboles representativos de la plantación. Los resultados han mostradoque se puede reducir el número de sondas hasta una para estimar el flujo de savia en olivos plantados en seto de esta edad. La correlación obtenida para la densidad de flujo de savia relativa entre la sección más externa del xilema conductor y las interiores frente a la conductancia estomática relativa medida en hojas jóvenes y viejas aportó evidencias sobre la hipótesis de que los vasos exteriores están preferentemente conectados a las hojas jóvenes del año.N

Metaheuristic approaches for optimal broadcasting design in metropolitan MANETs

11th International Conference on Computer Aided Systems Theory. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, February 12-16, 2007Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are composed of a set of communicating devices which are able to spontaneously interconnect without any pre-existing infrastructure. In such scenario, broadcasting becomes an operation of tremendous importance for the own existence and operation of the network. Optimizing a broadcasting strategy in MANETs is a multiobjective problem accounting for three goals: reaching as many stations as possible, minimizing the network utilization, and reducing the duration of the operation itself. This research, which has been developed within the OPLINK project (http://oplink.lcc.uma.es), faces a wide study about this problem in metropolitan MANETs with up to seven different advanced multiobjective metaheuristics. They all compute Pareto fronts of solutions which empower a human designer with the ability of choosing the preferred configuration for the network. The quality of these fronts is evaluated by using the hypervolume metric. The obtained results show that the SPEA2 algorithm is the most accurate metaheuristic for solving the broadcasting problem.Publicad

Nuevas arquitecturas hardware de procesamiento de alto rendimiento para aprendizaje profundo

El diseño y fabricación de hardware es costoso, tanto en tiempo como en inversión económica, razón por la que los circuitos integrados se fabrican siempre en gran volumen, para aprovechar la economía de escala. Por esa razón la mayoría de procesadores fabricados son de propósito general, ampliando así su campo de aplicaciones. En los últimos años, sin embargo, cada vez se fabrican más procesadores para aplicaciones específicas, entre ellos aquellos destinados a acelerar el trabajo con redes neuronales profundas. Este artículo introduce la necesidad de este tipo de hardware especializado, describiendo su finalidad, funcionamiento e implementaciones actuales.The design and manufacture of hardware is expensive, both in time and in economic investment, which is why integrated circuits are always manufactured in large volume, to take advantage of economies of scale. For this reason, the majority of processors manufactured are general purpose, thus expanding its range of applications. In recent years, however, more and more processors are being manufactured for specific applications, including those aimed at accelerating work with deep neural networks. This article introduces the need for this type of specialized hardware, describing its purpose, operation and current implementations.Universidad de Granada: Departamento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadore

Gold Nanosystems Covered with Doxorubicin/DNA Complexes: A Therapeutic Target for Prostate and Liver Cancer

Different gold nanosystems covered with DNA and doxorubicin (Doxo) were designed and synthesized for cancer therapy, starting from Au@16-Ph-16 cationic nanoparticles and DNA–Doxo complexes prepared under saturation conditions. For the preparation of stable, biocompatible, and small-sized compacted Au@16-Ph-16/DNA–Doxo nanotransporters, the conditions for the DNA–Doxo compaction process induced by gold nanoparticles were first explored using fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and atomic force microscopy techniques. The reverse process, which is fundamental for Doxo liberation at the site of action, was found to occur at higher CAu@16-Ph-16 concentrations using these techniques. Zeta potential, dynamic light scattering and UV–visible spectroscopy reveal that the prepared compacted nanosystems are stable, highly charged and of adequate size for the effective delivery of Doxo to the cell. This fact is verified by in vitro biocompatibility and internalization studies using two prostate cancer-derived cell lines (LNCaP and DU145) and one hepatocellular carcinoma-derived cell line (SNU-387), as well as a non-tumor prostate (PNT2) cell line and a non-hepatocarcinoma hepatoblastoma cell line (Hep-G2) model used as a control in liver cells. However, the most outstanding results of this work are derived from the use of the CI+NI combined treatments which present strong action in cancer-derived cell lines, while a protective effect is observed in non-tumor cell lines. Hence, novel therapeutic targets based on gold nanoparticles denote high selectivity compared to conventional treatment based on free Doxo at the same concentration. The results obtained show the viability of both the proposed methodology for internalization of compacted nanocomplexes inside the cell and the effectiveness of the possible treatment and minimization of side effects in prostate and liver cancer

Hydrogeological, hydrodynamic and anthropogenic factors affecting the spread of pharmaceuticals and pesticides in water resources of the Granada plain (Spain)

The anthropogenic organic contaminants contemplated in the environmental legislation, as well as those of emerging concern, threaten the quality of water resources to a degree that remains largely unknown. Contaminant exposure in the aquatic environment is a crucial element if a full understanding of the risk is pursued. There are still many uncertainties about the occurrence of organic pollutants and behavior in the hydro(geo)logical media in large scale areas. The case study of the unconfined aquifer of the Granada Plain (approximately 200 km2) is presented here. Two surface and groundwater monitoring campaigns were conducted (March 2017 and June 2018). In total, 41 out of 171 target organic pollutants were detected, at least once: 17 pharmaceuticals or drugs of abuse, 21 pesticides or their metabolites and three polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, physico-chemical parameters were measured during the monitoring campaigns and hydrochemical parameters and stable isotopes (δ2H, δ18O, δ13C) were analyzed. Statistical tests confirmed the significance of seasonal changes for some of these parameters (e.g., EC, Cl-, F-, δ18O, δ13C), revealing the influence from snowmelt water input on streams and the intensification of irrigation. In March 2017, the group of pesticides (largely represented by triazines) predominated, whereas the frequency of detection of pharmaceuticals increased substantially in June 2018. Results suggest four main factors affecting the spatial and seasonal variation of organic pollutants in the aquifer: the anthropogenic factor determining the period of contaminant release throughout the year (pesticide application period and growth of tourism) along with irrigation practices that include reclaimed wastewater; unsaturated zone thickness; [...]This article is a contribution to the Research Groups RNM-308 and RNM 128 of the “Junta de Andalucía” and the project “Study, detection and behavior of emerging contaminants in anthropized watersheds in Andalusia-EMAN (P20_397)”. We are grateful to technical translation specialists GeoTranslations for proofreading the English version. We would also like to thank the Associate Editor, and the anonymous reviewers, who largely contributed to the improvement of the manuscript. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

LIFE Adaptamed Layman’s Report. Action E13. LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612

Aguas de Font Vella y Lanjaró

Ghrelin-O-Acyltransferase (GOAT) Enzyme as a Novel Potential Biomarker in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Objectives: The association between the presence and alterations of the components of the ghrelin system and the development and progression of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is still controversial and remains unclear. Methods: Here, we systematically evaluated the expression levels (by quantitative-PCR) of key ghrelin system components of in gastroenteropancreatic (GEP)-NETs, as compared to non-tumor adjacent (NTA; n = 42) and normal tissues (NT; n = 14). Then, we analyzed their putative associations with clinical-histological characteristics. Results: The results indicate that ghrelin and its receptor GHSR1a are present in a high proportion of normal tissues, while the enzyme ghrelin-O-acyltransferase (GOAT) and the splicing variants In1-ghrelin and GHSR1b were present in a lower proportion of normal tissues. In contrast, all ghrelin system components were present in a high proportion of tumor and NTA tissues. GOAT was significantly overexpressed (by quantitative-PCR (qPCR)) in tumor samples compared to NTA, while a trend was found for ghrelin, In1-ghrelin and GHSR1a. In addition, expression of these components displayed significant correlations with key clinical parameters. The marked overexpression of GOAT in tumor samples compared to NTA regions was confirmed by IHC, revealing that this enzyme is particularly overexpressed in gastrointestinal NETs, where it is directly correlated with tumor diameter. Conclusions: These results provide novel information on the presence and potential pathophysiological implications of the ghrelin system components in GEP-NETs, wherein GOAT might represent a novel diagnostic biomarker

IAA : Información y actualidad astronómica (31)

Sumario : Relámpagos en las alturas.-- El misterio de Di Herculis.-- Jets en galaxias activas.-- HISTORIAS DE ASTRONOMÍA. Los All-Star de la física.-- DECONSTRUCCIÓN Y otros ENSAYOS. Cómo “encender” un cuásar .-- EL “MOBY DICK” DE... María Rosa Zapatero Osorio (CAB, CSIC-INTA).-- ACTUALIDAD.-- ENTRE BASTIDORES.-- CIENCIA: PILARES E INCERTIDUMBRES : El Sistema Solar: ¿conocemos de verdad nuestro vecindario?.-- ACTIVIDADES IAA, AGENDA Y RECOMENDADOS.N