Generalized additive models to predict adult and young brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) densities in Mediterranean rivers

Habitat suitability models (HSM) are concerned with the abundance or distribution of species as a consequence of interactions with the physical environment. Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to model brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) density as a function of environmental variables at the scale of river reach and hydromorphological units (HMU) in the Jucar River Basin (Eastern Spain). After 4years of observations (2003-2006) the data representing trout density were split into two categories, young (<2years) and adult (2years), for modelling independently. The environmental descriptors at reach-scale described the geographical position, hydrological conditions, proportions and diversity of habitats. At the scale of HMUs (pool, glide, riffle or rapid), habitat descriptors representing dimensions, substrate, cover and velocity were used. The best and parsimonious GAM for each category was selected after a comprehensive trial of all possible combinations of input variables. The models explained 61% (adult) and 75% (young) of the variability of the data (R(2)adj). The results demonstrated the relevance of mean width, mean depth, cover index, mean velocity and slope for adult brown trout. Young trout densities were mainly related to maximum depths, cover index, mean velocity, elevation, average distance between rapids and number of slow water HMUs. This article shows the relevance of considering geographical and habitat-related requirements at different scales to describe the patterns of trout density. Furthermore, the importance of considering non-linear relationships with habitat variables was demonstrated. The results are useful for environmental managers to design effective and science-based restoration measures, and result in a more efficient management of brown trout populations.This study was partially funded by the Generalitat Valenciana (Conselleria de Territorio y Vivienda) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with the project SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065). This work was also funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, through the project UPPTE/2012/294 (PAID-06-12). Authors also give thanks to the help of the Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar (Gobierno de Espana), which provided environmental data, and to all colleagues who collaborated in the field data collection.Alcaraz-Hernández, JD.; Muñoz Mas, R.; Martinez-Capel, F.; Garófano-Gómez, V.; Vezza, P. (2016). Generalized additive models to predict adult and young brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) densities in Mediterranean rivers. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 32(1):217-228. https://doi.org/10.1111/jai.13025S21722832

Clostridium difficile infection among hospitalized HIV-infected individuals: epidemiology and risk factors: results from a case-control study (2002-2013).

BACKGROUND: HIV infection is a risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) yet the immune deficiency predisposing to CDI is not well understood, despite an increasing incidence of CDI among such individuals. We aimed to estimate the incidence and to evaluate the risk factors of CDI among an HIV cohort in Italy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control (1:2) study. Clinical records of HIV inpatients admitted to the National Institute for Infectious Disease "L. Spallanzani", Rome, were reviewed (2002-2013). CASES: HIV inpatients with HO-HCFA CDI, and controls: HIV inpatients without CDI, were matched by gender and age. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with CDI. RESULTS: We found 79 CDI episodes (5.1 per 1000 HIV hospital admissions, 3.4 per 10000 HIV patient-days). The mean age of cases was 46 years. At univariate analysis factors associated with CDI included: antimycobacterial drug exposure, treatment for Pneumocystis pneumonia, acid suppressant exposure, previous hospitalization, antibiotic exposure, low CD4 cell count, high Charlson score, low creatinine, low albumin and low gammaglobulin level. Using multivariate analysis, lower gammaglobulin level and low serum albumin at admission were independently associated with CDI among HIV-infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: Low gammaglobulin and low albumin levels at admission are associated with an increased risk of developing CDI. A deficiency in humoral immunity appears to play a major role in the development of CDI. The potential protective role of albumin warrants further investigation

Application of Probabilistic Neural Networks to microhabitat suitability modelling for adult brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in Iberian rivers

Probabilistic Neural Networks (PNN) have been tested for the first time in microhabitat suitability modelling for adult brown trout (Salmo trutta L.). The impact of data prevalence on PNN was studied. The PNN were evaluated in an independent river and the applicability of PNN to assess the environmental flow was analysed. Prevalence did not affect significantly the results. However PNN presented some limitations regarding the output range. Our results agreed previous studies because trout preferred deep microhabitats with medium-to-coarse substrate whereas velocity showed a wider suitable range. The 0.5 prevalence PNN showed similar classificatory capability than the 0.06 prevalence counterpart and the outputs covered the whole feasible range (from 0 to 1), but the 0.06 prevalence PNN showed higher generalisation because it performed better in the evaluation and it allowed a better modulation of the environmental flow. PNN has demonstrated to be a tool to be into consideration.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for its financial support through the SCARCE project (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065). We are grateful to the colleagues who worked in the field and in the preliminary data analyses, especially Marta Bargay, Aina Hernandez and David Argibay. The works were partially funded by the Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar (Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment), that also provided hydrological and environmental information about the study sites. The authors also thank the Direccion General del Agua and INFRAECO for the cession of the microhabitat data. Finally, we also thank Javier Ferrer, Teodoro Estrela and Onofre Gabaldo (Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar) for their help and the data provided. Thanks to Grieg Davies for the academic review of English.Muñoz Mas, R.; Martinez-Capel, F.; Garófano-Gómez, V.; Mouton, A. (2014). Application of Probabilistic Neural Networks to microhabitat suitability modelling for adult brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in Iberian rivers. Environmental Modelling and Software. 59:30-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2014.05.003S30435

Cisgenesis and intragenesis as new strategies for crop improvement

Cisgenesis and intragenesis are emerging plant breeding technologies which offer great promise for future acceptance of genetically engineered crops. The techniques employ traditional genetic engineering methods but are confined to transferring of genes and genetic elements between sexually compatible species that can breed naturally. One of the main requirements is the absence of selectable marker genes (such as antibiotic resistance genes) in the genome. Hence the sensitive issues with regard to transfer of foreign genes and antibiotic resistance are overcome. It is a targeted technique involving specific locus; therefore, linkage drag that prolongs the time for crop improvement in traditional breeding does not occur. It has great potential for crop improvement using superior alleles that exist in the untapped germplasm or wild species. Cisgenic and intragenic plants may not face the same stringent regulatory assessment for field release as transgenic plants which is a clear added advantage that would save time. In this chapter, the concepts of cis/intragenesis and the prerequisites for the development of cis/intragenesis plants are elaborated. Strategies for marker gene removal after selection of transformants are discussed based on the few recent reports from various plant species

CLIL in Action: Educational and Professional Interactions among Teachers

AICLE (Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenidos y Lenguas Extranjeras) es el enfoque oficial europeo para la educación bilingüe, auspiciado por la Comisión Europea y fomentado por una cantidad ingente de investigación e implementación en todos los niveles educativos. Sin embargo, AICLE necesita de más investigación en el aula e interacciones que ofrezcan datos que nos indiquen en qué contextos y bajo qué condiciones específicas las acciones educativas son o no eficaces. Es en esta línea (innovación educativa e interacción en el aula) en la que entendemos que la formación inicial del profesorado en el ámbito de la educación bilingüe ha de estar necesariamente ligada a la formación permanente del profesorado y a la praxis en el aula que proporciona el profesorado en ejercicio. El objetivo esencial de este artículo consiste en establecer el vínculo entre profesorado universitario, profesorado en ejercicio, profesorado en formación (a tres niveles: Grado, Máster y Doctorado) y los CEP de Córdoba y provincia para diseñar una estructura de formación recíproca y cuidadosamente planificada, que contribuya a mejorar la calidad de la educación bilingüe a través del intercambio de prácticas de innovación educativa que fomenten la interacción y el aprendizaje en acción.CLIL (Content and Foreign Language Integrated Learning) is the official European approach to bilingual education, sponsored by the European Commission and fostered by an enormous amount of research and implementation at all levels of education. However, CLIL needs more research in the classroom and interactions which provide data on what contexts and under what specific conditions educational actions are or are not effective. It is in this line (educational innovation and interaction in the classroom) that we understand that the initial training of teachers in the field of bilingual education must necessarily be linked to the ongoing training of teachers and to the praxis in the classroom provided by practising teachers. The essential objective of this article is to establish the link between university teachers, practising teachers, teachers in training (at three levels: Bachelor, Master and Doctorate) and the CEPs of Cordoba and province to design a carefully planned reciprocal training structure that contributes to improving the quality of bilingual education through the exchange of educational innovation practices that foster interaction and learning in action

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Estudio in vitro de la actividad de Isenolic® en células MDCK-SIAT1 infectadas con el virus de la Influenza A

Resumen del trabajo presentado al XII Congreso Internacional Nutrición, Alimentación y Dietética, celebrado en Madrid el 11 y 12 de abril de 2018.[Introducción] El virus de la Influenza A es responsable de la gripe estacional que cada año causa más de 250.000 muertes según la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Entre los nuevos compuestos de origen natural con actividad antimicrobiana y que podría emplearse como tratamiento de infecciones virales se encuentra el ácido elenólico, presente en las hojas de olivo (Olea europaea L)1,2,3. Isenolic® es un extracto comercial de hojas de olivo con una determinada concentración de ácido elenólico, analizado mediante cromatografía líquida de alta eficacia (HPLC).[Objetivos] Evaluación del potencial antiviral de Isenolic® frente a la actividad infecciosa del virus Influenza A (H3N2).[Métodos] Se emplearon células MDCK-SIAT1 y el virus Influenza A (H3N2) como modelos, comparando la actividad antiviral de Isenolic® con la del Oseltamivir. Se realizó un estudio de citotoxicidad con concentraciones crecientes de Isenolic® (6 a 1200 μg/mL), y se determinó la tasa de viabilidad celular tras 24 horas de incubación mediante el ensayo de reducción de sal de tetrazolio-MTT. Tras un pretratamiento con Isenolic® (1 hora) y la consecutiva exposición al virus (1 hora), se evaluaron la capacidad de inhibición de la actividad neuraminidasa del virus mediante ensayo fluorimétrico (MOI:1, Isenolic® 6-100 μg/mL) y la tasa de viabilidad celular mediante el ensayo de reducción de MTT (MOI:2, Isenolic® 100 μg/mL), en ambos casos a las 48 horas post-infección.[Resultados] Para concentraciones de Isenolic® entre 6 y 60 μg/mL la tasa de viabilidad celular es superior al 90%. A 120 μg/mL la viabilidad celular baja hasta el 70% y concentraciones entre 300 y 1200 μg/mL no se supera el 25%. La concentración citotóxica para el 50% del cultivo celular, CC50, se estima entre 120 y 300 μg/mL. Actividad antiviral: La concentración inhibitoria del 50% de la actividad viral, IC50, se establece en 60 μg/mL. A 100 μg/mL la inhibición de la actividad viral es del 65%, mientras que a las concentraciones de 6 y 12 μg/mL no se alcanza el 5%. Por otro lado, una concentración de Isenolic® de 100 μg/mL, resultó en una tasa de viabilidad celular del 73%.[Discusión] El pretratamiento con Isenolic® muestra actividad antiviral y protectora frente a la infección por el virus Influenza A en células MDCK-SIAT1 probablemente a través de la inhibición de la transcriptasa reversa del virus, lo que limitaría la replicación del virus.[Conclusiones] El tratamiento con Isenolic® a dosis efectivas es seguro, y además es capaz de inhibir la actividad viral de Influenza A hasta en un 65%, mostrando una funcionalidad cercana a del tratamiento gold standard, oseltamivir. El pretratamiento con Isenolic® es capaz de preservar la supervivencia celular frente a concentraciones citotóxicas de Influenza A, conservándose un 75% de la viabilidad celular, resultado similar al obtenido con Oseltamivir. Estos resultados muestran el potencial preventivo de Isenolic® y también como tratamiento de infecciones por Influenza A.Peer reviewe