Factors affecting mortality of shearwaters stranded by light pollution

Every year and across the world, thousands of fledglings of different petrel species crash into human structures because they are disorientated by artificial lights during their first flights. As this phenomenon is rather predictable, rescue cam- paigns are organized to help birds to reach the ocean, but unfortunately, a low proportion gets hurt or dies. Despite the huge number of affected individuals, and the fact that the problem was detected a long time ago, little is known on this source of mortality. We have studied the factors (i.e. body condition, plumage development, fledging date and sex) influencing the mortality of Cory’s Shearwa- ter Calonectris diomedea fledglings stranded inland due to light pollution in Ten- erife (Canary Islands) during two consecutive breeding seasons (2009 and 2010). Late fledglings showed lower values of a body condition index than early ones. No sex biases were detected, neither considering stranded birds overall, nor for recov- ery dates or in the body condition of rescued fledglings. Our results indicate that late birds stranded by lights showing abundant down are more susceptible to fatal collisions and that the lights do not selectively kill birds with lower body condition indices. An enhancement of veterinary care should be done during the last part of the fledging period when more fatal collisions occur, especially focused on fledg- lings with abundant down. More research to determine why some individuals end up disoriented around artificial lights and others do not is urgently needed to minimize or prevent fallouts.Peer reviewe

Estudio por teledetección de las entradas de polvo sahariano al océano y su posible influencia sobre la productividad marina en el área macaronésica

Ponencia presentada en: 1er Encuentro sobre Meteorología y Atmósfera de Canarias, celebrado en el Puerto de la Cruz, los días 12,13 y 14 de noviembre de 2003. El encuentro estuvo organizado por el Centro Meteorológico Territorial en Canarias Occidental, con la colaboración del Observatorio Atmosférico de Izaña y del Grupo de Física de la Atmósfera de la Facultad de Física (Universidad de La Laguna

Poisson-Jacobi reduction of homogeneous tensors

The notion of homogeneous tensors is discussed. We show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between multivector fields on a manifold $M$, homogeneous with respect to a vector field $\Delta$ on $M$, and first-order polydifferential operators on a closed submanifold $N$ of codimension 1 such that $\Delta$ is transversal to $N$. This correspondence relates the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket of multivector fields on $M$ to the Schouten-Jacobi bracket of first-order polydifferential operators on $N$ and generalizes the Poissonization of Jacobi manifolds. Actually, it can be viewed as a super-Poissonization. This procedure of passing from a homogeneous multivector field to a first-order polydifferential operator can be also understood as a sort of reduction; in the standard case -- a half of a Poisson reduction. A dual version of the above correspondence yields in particular the correspondence between $\Delta$-homogeneous symplectic structures on $M$ and contact structures on $N$.Comment: 19 pages, minor corrections, final version to appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge

Extending Graph (Discrete) Derivative Descriptors to N-Tuple Atom-Relations

In the present manuscript, an extension of the previously defined Graph Derivative Indices (GDIs) is discussed. To achieve this objective, the concept of a hypermatrix, conceived from the calculation of the frequencies of triple and quadruple atom relations in a set of connected sub-graphs, is introduced. This set of subgraphs is generated following a predefined criterion, known as the event (S), being in this particular case the connectivity among atoms. The triple and quadruple relations frequency matrices serve as a basis for the computation of triple and quadruple discrete derivative indices, respectively. The GDIs are implemented in a computational program denominated DIVATI (acronym for DIscrete DeriVAtive Type Indices), a module of TOMOCOMD-CARDD program. Shannon‟s entropy-based variability analysis demonstrates that the GDIs show major variability than others indices used in QSAR/QSPR researches. In addition, it can be appreciated when the indices are extended over n-elements from the graph, its quality increases, principally when they are used in a combined way. QSPR modeling of the physicochemical properties Log P and Log K of the 2-furylethylenes derivatives reveals that the GDIs obtained using the tripleand quadruple matrix approaches yield superior performance to the duplex matrix approach. Moreover, the statistical parameters for models obtained with the GDI method are superior to those reported in the literature by using other methods. It can therefore be suggested that the GDI method, seem to be a promissory tool to reckon on in QSAR/QSPR studies, virtual screening of compound datasets and similarity/dissimilarity evaluations

New evidence for the reawakening of Teide volcano

Geophysical signals accompanying the reactivation of a volcano after a period of quiescence must be evaluated as potential precursors to impending eruption. Here we report on the reactivation of the central volcanic complex of Tenerife, Spain, in spring 2004 and present gravity change maps constructed by time-lapse microgravity measurements taken between May 2004 and July 2005. The gravity changes indicate that the recent reactivation after almost a century of inactivity was accompanied by a sub-surface mass addition, yet we did not detect widespread surface deformation. We find that the causative source was evolving in space and time and infer fluid migration at depth as the most likely cause for mass increase. Our results demonstrate that, even in the absence of previous baseline data and ground deformation, microgravity measurements early in developing crises provide crucial insight into the dynamic changes beneath a volcano

Unambiguous Formalism for Higher-Order Lagrangian Field Theories

The aim of this paper is to propose an unambiguous intrinsic formalism for higher-order field theories which avoids the arbitrariness in the generalization of the conventional description of field theories, which implies the existence of different Cartan forms and Legendre transformations. We propose a differential-geometric setting for the dynamics of a higher-order field theory, based on the Skinner and Rusk formalism for mechanics. This approach incorporates aspects of both, the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian description, since the field equations are formulated using the Lagrangian on a higher-order jet bundle and the canonical multisymplectic form on its dual. As both of these objects are uniquely defined, the Skinner-Rusk approach has the advantage that it does not suffer from the arbitrariness in conventional descriptions. The result is that we obtain a unique and global intrinsic version of the Euler-Lagrange equations for higher-order field theories. Several examples illustrate our construction.Comment: 21 pages; 4 diagrams; (this version) corrected typos; moved paragraphs; publishe

Papel de la eminencia talámica, el sistema olfativo principal y el sistema olfativo accesorio en la maduración sexual del encéfalo y las manifestaciones clínico-morfológicas del síndrome de Kallmann

El desarrollo de sistema olfativo y la diferenciación sexual del encéfalo, tanto en el hombre como en los animales, están estrechamente relacionados. Actualmente, se describe la imbricación entre la formación del sistema olfativo principal y la migración de las neuronas que sintetizan la hormona liberadora de gonadotrofinas (GnRF). Estas neuronas GnRF se desplazan por los nervios olfatorios, desde la parte medial del epitelio nasal al bulbo olfatorio, continúan por el encéfalo rostral hasta alcanzar el hipotálamo anterior. Por otro lado, el síndrome de Kallmann es un trastorno genético en el cual se combina el hipogonadismo hipogonadotrópico y la anosmia. El hipogonadismo se caracteriza por la ausencia o reducción de los niveles de hormona liberadora de gonadotrofinas y la anosmia la aplasia del bulbo olfatorio. En esta revisión se analizan las estructuras responsables de la maduración del sistema olfativo principal y accesorio, la diferenciación sexual del encéfalo y su relación con todas las manifestaciones clínicas y morfológicas del síndrome Kallmann. The olfactory system development and brain sexual maturation, in man and animals, are closely related. Currently the overlap between the formation of the olfactory system and the migration of neurons that synthesize gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRF) are described. The GnRF neurons migrate from the medial portion of the nasal epithelium through the olfactory nerves and the main olfactory bulb to the anterior hypothalamus. Furthermore, Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a genetic disorder in which combines hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia. Hypogonadism is characterized by the absence or reduced levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and anosmia is due to aplasia of the olfactory bulb. The basic clinical manifestations of KS are: anosmia and the absence of puberty. The structures responsible for the maturation of the main and accessory olfactory systems, the sexual differentiation of the brain and its relationship with all the clinical manifestations of Kallmann syndrome are analyzed in this revie

Dry selection and wet evaluation for the rational discovery of new anthelmintics

Helminths infections remain a major problem in medical and public health. In this report, atom-based 2D bilinear indices, a TOMOCOMD-CARDD (QuBiLs-MAS module) molecular descriptor family and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to find models that differentiate among anthelmintic and non-anthelmintic compounds. Two classification models obtained by using non-stochastic and stochastic 2D bilinear indices, classified correctly 86.64% and 84.66%, respectively, in the training set. Equation 1(2) correctly classified 141(135) out of 165 [85.45%(81.82%)] compounds in external validation set. Another LDA models were performed in order to get the most likely mechanism of action of anthelmintics. The model shows an accuracy of 86.84% in the training set and 94.44% in the external prediction set. Finally, we carry out an experiment to predict the biological profile of our ‘in-house’ collections of indole, indazole, quinoxaline and cinnoline derivatives (∼200 compounds). Subsequently, we selected a group of nine of the theoretically most active structures. Then, these chemicals were tested in an invitro assay and one good candidate (VA5-5c) as fasciolicide compound (100% of reduction at concentrations of 50 and 10 mg/L) was discovered.Yovani Marrero-Ponce acknowledges the support from USFQ with partial finance of project ID5455Peer Reviewe

Teledetección de aerosoles Saharianos con fines sanitarios

Ponencia presentada en: 1er Encuentro sobre Meteorología y Atmósfera de Canarias, celebrado en el Puerto de la Cruz, los días 12,13 y 14 de noviembre de 2003. El encuentro estuvo organizado por el Centro Meteorológico Territorial en Canarias Occidental, con la colaboración del Observatorio Atmosférico de Izaña y del Grupo de Física de la Atmósfera de la Facultad de Física (Universidad de La Laguna)Utilizamos datos de satélite para estimar las frecuencias e intensidades de entradas de Calima en Canarias y emplear esa información como medida preventiva en los enfermos asmáticos. Para el período comprendido entre los años 1997-2000, se procesaron imágenes de satélite y se analizaron los datos de espesor óptico. Se obtuvieron valores característicos para la frecuencia y variación en magnitud de días con presencia de Calima , y su relación con los cambios meteorológicos y climáticos. Paralelamente se realizó un estudio estadístico con los casos de individuos atendidos de enfermedades alérgicas de tipo respiratorio en los servicios de urgencias del hospital Dr. Negrín de Gran Canaria . Los máximos de espesor óptico y el aumento en casos atendidos clínicamente coinciden en la época del año y ambos aumentan en el 2000 con respecto a años anteriores. Se concluye en que sería de gran utilidad el establecer y pronosticar un parámetro de riesgo ambiental en base a medidas de satélite