Is composition of vertebrates an indicator of the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens?

Communities of vertebrates tend to appear together under similar ranges of environmental features. This study explores whether an explicit combination of vertebrates and their contact rates with a tick vector might constitute an indicator of the prevalence of a pathogen in the quest for ticks at the western Palearctic scale. We asked how ‘indicator’ communities could be ‘markers’ of the actual infection rates of the tick in the field of two species of Borrelia (a bacterium transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus). We approached an unsupervised classification of the territory to obtain clusters on the grounds of abundance of each vertebrate and contact rates with the tick. Statistical models based on Neural Networks, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and AdaBoost were detect the best correlation between communities’ composition and the prevalence of Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia gariniii in questing ticks. Both Gradient Boosting and AdaBoost produced the best results, predicting tick infection rates from the indicator communities. A ranking algorithm demonstrated that the prevalence of these bacteria in the tick is correlated with indicator communities of vertebrates on sites selected as a proof-of-concept. We acknowledge that our findings are supported by statistical outcomes, but they provide consistency for a framework that should be deeper explored at the large scale. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

A retrospective assessment of temperature trends in northern europe reveals a deep impact on the life cycle of ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae)

This study modelled the changes in the development processes of the health-threatening tick Ixodes ricinus in Northern Europe as driven by the trends of temperature (1950–2018). We used the ECA&D dataset to calculate the annual accumulated temperature to obtain the development rates of the oviposition, incubation, larva–nymph, and nymph–adult molts. Annual values were used to ascertain the trend in development rates of each stage. The ecological classification of Northern Europe (LANMAP2) was used to summarize results. The temperature in 1950–2018 clearly increased in the target territory. The development rates of every tested life cycle process were faster along the time series. Faster oviposition and incubation rates resulted in central Sweden, Baltic countries, and parts of Finland. Faster molting rates were observed in the same territories and in large areas of Western Norway. The trend of temperature in the period 1950–2018 shows a consistent inflection point around 1990, demonstrating that the increased annual accumulated temperature has a deeper impact on the life cycle of I. ricinus since approximately 1990. Faster development rates could be part of the processes driving the reported spread of the tick in the target area and should be considered as a serious threat to human health

Towards new horizons: Climate trends in europe increase the environmental suitability for permanent populations of hyalomma marginatum (ixodidae)

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens are changing their current distribution, presumably due to the impact of the climate trends. On a large scale, these trends are changing the environmental suitability of Hyalomma marginatum, the main vector of several pathogens affecting human health. We generated annual models of environmental suitability for the tick in the period 1970–2018, using harmonic regression-derived data of the daily maximum and minimum temperature, soil moisture and water vapor deficit. The results demonstrate an expansion of the suitable area in Mediterranean countries, southeast central Europe and south of the Balkans. Also, the models allowed us to interpret the impact of the ecological variables on these changes. We deduced that (i) maximum temperature was significant for all of the biogeographical categories, (ii) soil humidity has an influence in the Mediterranean climate areas, and (iii) the minimum temperature and deficit water vapor did not influence the environmental suitability of the species. The conclusions clearly show that climate change could create new areas in Europe with suitable climates for H. marginatum, while keeping its “historical” distribution in the Mediterranean. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore possible risk areas for H. marginatum and its associated pathogens

El yacimiento de vertebrados de cortes de Baza I (Depresión de Guadix-Baza). Nota preliminar

En el presente trabajo se estudia un yacimiento de micromamíferos en la Depresión de Guadix-Baza. La fauna estudiada permite datar la zona de Saint Vallier. Se señalan asimismo niveles marinos cuaternarios a 680 m de altura

El yacimiento de vertebrados de cortes de Baza I (Depresión de Guadix-Baza). Nota preliminar

En el presente trabajo se estudia un yacimiento de micromamíferos en la Depresión de Guadix-Baza. La fauna estudiada permite datar la zona de Saint Vallier. Se señalan asimismo niveles marinos cuaternarios a 680 m de altura

A microscopic NN to NN*(1440) potential

By means of a NN to NN*(1440) transition potential derived in a parameter-free way from a quark-model based NN potential, we determine simultaneously the $\pi NN^*(1440)$ and $\sigma NN^*(1440)$ coupling constants. We also present a study of the target Roper excitation diagram contributing to the $p(d,d')$ reaction.Comment: Talk presented at the Fourth International Conference on Perspectives in Hadronic Physics (ICTP, Trieste, Italy, May 2003). To appear in EPJA. 6 pages, 9 figures, needs svepj.clo and svjour.cl

Probing high oxygen activity in YSZ electrolyte

The redox behavior of terbium and praseodymium doped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is studied. The aim is to identify spectroscopic probes and a suitable experimental procedure to monitor the oxygen activity in YSZ electrolytes in solid oxide cells with spatial resolution and at operation conditions (e.g. at high temperatures). Sintered ceramics and crystals with 0.3 to 10 at% content of Pr or Tb ions in YSZ were prepared. Upon equilibration in atmospheres from 10-20to 100 bar PO2around 800 °C, the majority of these rare earth ions are in the 3 + oxidation state. At oxygen pressures above 0.001 bar, the small proportion of Tb4+and Pr4+formed give rise to intense optical absorption around 300 500 nm and to decreased reflectance. From the reflectance measurements it is shown that the Tb4+concentration increases as PO21/4, as correspond to the trapping of the holes generated upon the oxygen incorporation as Tb4+. This competitive absorption causes a decrease of the Tb3+luminescence. A quantitative relationship of the Tb3+luminescence intensity with PO2at 800 °C has been found, which is compatible with the trapping model. The spatial resolution of the experimental procedure could be very roughly estimated of the order of 100 µm

Effects of a quark-model-based nucleon-Δ potential on the two-nucleon system above pion threshold

The interaction between a nucleon and a Δ isobar is studied. The nucleon-Δ potential is derived from a nonrelativistic quark model. It is compared with a corresponding one based on meson exchange. The quark-model potential is strongly repulsive at small relative distances. The effects of the potential on elastic and inelastic nucleon-nucleon and pion-deuteron scattering are calculated. Some observables show sensitivity with respect to the chosen nucleon-Δ potential

Empleo de materiales secundarios como materia prima de nuevos tipos de cementos

The present paper is a comparative study of some characteristics of new belite cements obtained from two kind of wastes, which were used as secondary raw materials: fly ash (FA), of low CaO content, from coal combustion, and ash from incineration of municipal solid waste (MSWIA). Cements were synthesised in a range of temperature between 700°C and 900°C from MSWIA and FA, which were previously activated by hydrothermal treatment at 200°C The evolution of cemented phases with the heating temperature was followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results were compared with those obtained from heating the starting FA and MSWIA without the previous hydrothermal treatment. The degree of hydration was quantitatively evaluated by the combined water content, determined from thermogravimetric analyses, during a period of 28 days or 200 days from mixing depending of hydration kinetics of each cement.Este trabajo es un estudio comparativo de algunas de las características de nuevos cementos belíticos, obtenidos a partir de dos tipos de residuos, como materia prima secundaria: cenizas volantes (CV) de bajo contenido en cal, procedentes de la combustión del carbón y cenizas procedentes de la incineración de residuos sólidos urbanos (CIRSU). Los cementos fueron sintetizados en un rango de temperaturas comprendido entre 700°C y 900°C después de un tratamiento hidrotermal de la CV y CIRSU a 200°C La evolución de las fases cementicias, con la temperatura de calentamiento, fue estudiada por difracción de rayos X (DRX). Los resultados fueron comparados con aquellos obtenidos, directamente, por calentamiento de los residuos, sin un tratamiento hidrotermal previo de los mismos. El grado de hidratación fue cuantitativamente evaluado, por medio del análisis termogravimétrico, a partir del agua combinada de los cementos hidratados durante un período de 28 días o 200 días, dependiendo de la cinética de hidratación de cada cemento