Assessing a novel modelling approach with high resolution UAV imagery for monitoring health status in priority riparian forests

ResearchBackground: Black alder (Alnus glutinosa) forests are in severe decline across their area of distribution due to a disease caused by the soil-borne pathogenic Phytophthora alni species complex (class Oomycetes), “alder Phytopththora”. Mapping of the different types of damages caused by the disease is challenging in high density ecosystems in which spectral variability is high due to canopy heterogeneity. Data obtained by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be particularly useful for such tasks due to the high resolution, flexibility of acquisition and cost efficiency of this type of data. In this study, A. glutinosa decline was assessed by considering four categories of tree health status in the field: asymptomatic, dead and defoliation above and below a 50% threshold. A combination of multispectral Parrot Sequoia and UAV unmanned aerial vehicles -red green blue (RGB) data were analysed using classical random forest (RF) and a simple and robust three-step logistic modelling approaches to identify the most important forest health indicators while adhering to the principle of parsimony. A total of 34 remote sensing variables were considered, including a set of vegetation indices, texture features from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and a digital surface model (DSM), topographic and digital aerial photogrammetry-derived structural data from the DSM at crown level. Results: The four categories identified by the RF yielded an overall accuracy of 67%, while aggregation of the legend to three classes (asymptomatic, defoliated, dead) and to two classes (alive, dead) improved the overall accuracy to 72% and 91% respectively. On the other hand, the confusion matrix, computed from the three logistic models by using the leave-out cross-validation method yielded overall accuracies of 75%, 80% and 94% for four-, three- and two-level classifications, respectively. Discussion: The study findings provide forest managers with an alternative robust classification method for the rapid, effective assessment of areas affected and non-affected by the disease, thus enabling them to identify hotspots for conservation and plan control and restoration measures aimed at preserving black alder forestsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysing the distance decay of community similarity in river networks using Bayesian methods

The distance decay of community similarity (DDCS) is a pattern that is widely observed in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Niche-based theories argue that species are sorted in space according to their ability to adapt to new environmental conditions. The ecological neutral theory argues that community similarity decays due to ecological drift. The continuum hypothesis provides an intermediate perspective between niche-based theories and the neutral theory, arguing that niche and neutral factors are at the opposite ends of a continuum that ranges from competitive to stochastic exclusion. We assessed the association between niche-based and neutral factors and changes in community similarity measured by Sorensen’s index in riparian plant communities. We assessed the importance of neutral processes using network distances and flow connection and of niche-based processes using Strahler order differences and precipitation differences. We used a hierarchical Bayesian approach to determine which perspective is best supported by the results. We used dataset composed of 338 vegetation censuses from eleven river basins in continental Portugal. We observed that changes in Sorensen indices were associated with network distance, flow connection, Strahler order difference and precipitation difference but to different degrees. The results suggest that community similarity changes are associated with environmental and neutral factors, supporting the continuum hypothesisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Riparian Ecological Infrastructures: Potential for Biodiversity-Related Ecosystem Services in Mediterranean Human-Dominated Landscapes

Riparian Ecological Infrastructures are networks of natural and semi-natural riparian areas located in human-dominated landscapes, crucial in supporting processes that directly or indirectly benefit humans or enhance social welfare. In this study, we developed a novel multimetric index, termed Habitat Ecological Infrastructure’s Diversity Index (HEIDI), to quantify the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting biodiversity, and related ecosystem services, in three managed landscapes: Intensive Agriculture, Extensive Agriculture, and Forest Production. Metrics describing the structure, composition, and management of riparian vegetation and associated habitats were used to derive the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting three distinct biological dispersal groups: short-range dispersers (ants), medium-range dispersers (pollinators), and long-range dispersers (birds, bats, and non-flying small mammals). The composition of floristic resources, assessed by identifying trees and shrubs at the species and genus level, and herbaceous plants at the family level, was used as a proxy to evaluate the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in promoting seed dispersal and pollination ecosystem services provided by the three biological communities. Our research evidenced that Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Forest Production and Intensive Agriculture landscapes exhibited the highest and lowest potential for biodiversity-related ecosystem services, respectively. The Forest Production landscape revealed higher suitability of forage resources for short- and medium-range dispersers and a higher landscape coverage by Riparian Ecological Infrastructures, resulting in more potential to create ecological corridors and to provide ecosystem services. The Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Extensive Agriculture landscape seemed to be particularly relevant for supporting long-ranges dispersers, despite providing less habitat for the biological communities. Land-use systems in the proximity of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures should be sustainably managed to promote riparian vegetation composition and structural quality, as well as the riparian width, safeguarding biodiversity, and the sustainable provision of biodiversity-related ecosystem servicesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A spatial stream-network approach assists in managing the remnant genetic diversity of riparian forests

Quantifying the genetic diversity of riparian trees is essential to understand their chances to survive hydroclimatic alterations and to maintain their role as foundation species modulating fluvial ecosystem processes. However, the application of suitable models that account for the specific dendritic structure of hydrographic networks is still incipient in the literature. We investigate the roles of ecological and spatial factors in driving the genetic diversity of Salix salviifolia, an Iberian endemic riparian tree, across the species latitudinal range. We applied spatial stream-network models that aptly integrate dendritic features (topology, directionality) to quantify the impacts of multiple scale factors in determining genetic diversity. Based on the drift hypothesis, we expect that genetic diversity accumulates downstream in riparian ecosystems, but life history traits (e.g. dispersal patterns) and abiotic or anthropogenic factors (e.g. drought events or hydrological alteration) might alter expected patterns. Hydrological factors explained the downstream accumulation of genetic diversity at the intermediate scale that was likely mediated by hydrochory. The models also suggested upstream gene flow within basins that likely occurred through anemophilous and entomophilous pollen and seed dispersal. Higher thermicity and summer drought were related to higher population inbreeding and individual homozygosity, respectively, suggesting that increased aridity might disrupt the connectivity and mating patterns among and within riparian populationsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Restructuring of the "Macaronesia" biogeografic unit: a marine multi-taxon biogeographical approach

The Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde are commonly united under the term “Macaronesia”. This study investigates the coherency and validity of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit using six marine groups with very different dispersal abilities: coastal fishes, echinoderms, gastropod molluscs, brachyuran decapod crustaceans, polychaete annelids, and macroalgae. We found no support for the current concept of Macaronesia as a coherent marine biogeographic unit. All marine groups studied suggest the exclusion of Cabo Verde from the remaining Macaronesian archipelagos and thus, Cabo Verde should be given the status of a biogeographic subprovince within the West African Transition province. We propose to redefine the Lusitanian biogeographical province, in which we include four ecoregions: the South European Atlantic Shelf, the Saharan Upwelling, the Azores, and a new ecoregion herein named Webbnesia, which comprises the archipelagos of Madeira, Selvagens and the Canary Islandsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study protocol for the multicentre cohorts of Zika virus infection in pregnant women, infants, and acute clinical cases in Latin America and the Caribbean: The ZIKAlliance consortium

Background: The European Commission (EC) Horizon 2020 (H2020)-funded ZIKAlliance Consortium designed a multicentre study including pregnant women (PW), children (CH) and natural history (NH) cohorts. Clinical sites were selected over a wide geographic range within Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into account the dynamic course of the ZIKV epidemic. Methods: Recruitment to the PW cohort will take place in antenatal care clinics. PW will be enrolled regardless of symptoms and followed over the course of pregnancy, approximately every 4 weeks. PW will be revisited at delivery (or after miscarriage/abortion) to assess birth outcomes, including microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities according to the evolving definition of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). After birth, children will be followed for 2 years in the CH cohort. Follow-up visits are scheduled at ages 1-3, 4-6, 12, and 24 months to assess neurocognitive and developmental milestones. In addition, a NH cohort for the characterization of symptomatic rash/fever illness was designed, including follow-up to capture persisting health problems. Blood, urine, and other biological materials will be collected, and tested for ZIKV and other relevant arboviral diseases (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever) using RT-PCR or serological methods. A virtual, decentralized biobank will be created. Reciprocal clinical monitoring has been established between partner sites. Substudies of ZIKV seroprevalence, transmissio

The diversity and evolution of pollination systems in large plant clades: Apocynaceae as a case study

Background and Aims Large clades of angiosperms are often characterized by diverse interactions with pollinators, but how these pollination systems are structured phylogenetically and biogeographically is still uncertain for most families. Apocynaceae is a clade of >5300 species with a worldwide distribution. A database representing >10 % of species in the family was used to explore the diversity of pollinators and evolutionary shifts in pollination systems across major clades and regions. Methods The database was compiled from published and unpublished reports. Plants were categorized into broad pollination systems and then subdivided to include bimodal systems. These were mapped against the five major divisions of the family, and against the smaller clades. Finally, pollination systems were mapped onto a phylogenetic reconstruction that included those species for which sequence data are available, and transition rates between pollination systems were calculated. Key Results Most Apocynaceae are insect pollinated with few records of bird pollination. Almost three-quarters of species are pollinated by a single higher taxon (e.g. flies or moths); 7 % have bimodal pollination systems, whilst the remaining approx. 20 % are insect generalists. The less phenotypically specialized flowers of the Rauvolfioids are pollinated by a more restricted set of pollinators than are more complex flowers within the Apocynoids + Periplocoideae + Secamonoideae + Asclepiadoideae (APSA) clade. Certain combinations of bimodal pollination systems are more common than others. Some pollination systems are missing from particular regions, whilst others are over-represented. Conclusions Within Apocynaceae, interactions with pollinators are highly structured both phylogenetically and biogeographically. Variation in transition rates between pollination systems suggest constraints on their evolution, whereas regional differences point to environmental effects such as filtering of certain pollinators from habitats. This is the most extensive analysis of its type so far attempted and gives important insights into the diversity and evolution of pollination systems in large clades

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Discovering the campus together: a mobile and computer-based learning experience

One of the most relevant difficulties faced by first-year undergraduate students is to settle into the educational environment of universities. This paper presents a case study that proposes a computer-assisted collaborative experience designed to help students in their transition from high school to university. This is done by facilitating their first contact with the campus and its services, the university community, methodologies and activities. The experience combines individual and collaborative activities, conducted in and out of the classroom, structured following the Jigsaw Collaborative Learning Flow Pattern. A specific environment including portable technologies with network and computer applications has been developed to support and facilitate the orchestration of a flow of learning activities into a single integrated learning setting. The result is a Computer-Supported Collaborative Blended Learning scenario, which has been evaluated with first-year university students of the degrees of Software and Audiovisual Engineering within the subject Introduction to Information and Communications Technologies. The findings reveal that the scenario improves significantly students’ interest in their studies and their understanding about the campus and services provided. The environment is also an innovative approach to successfully support the heterogeneous activities conducted by both teachers and students during the scenario. This paper introduces the goals and context of the case study, describes how the technology was employed to conduct the learning scenario, the evaluation methods and the main results of the experience.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of/nScience and Innovation in the Learn3 project TIN2008-05163/TSI and by the Madrid regional Government in the e-Madrid project S2009/TIC-1650

Guía para la comunidad educativa de prevención y apoyo a las víctimas de violencia escolar

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónColaboradores: Susana Roig ; Teresa Vázquez ; Josep Mª Canal ; Ana Vallés ; Remei Gómez ; Julia Monfort ; Amparo Cervera ; Roberto Martínez ; Jordi Bosch ; Sonia Aldea ; Sara Carbonell ; Mamen Casamayor ; Raquel Aguilar ; Blanca Febre ; Adela Alamillo ; María Navarro ; Laura Natividad ; Marisol ArtiguesGuía enmarcada en el Plan Estratégico de Convivencia Escolar que se estructura en dos partes: en la primera, se presentan orientaciones generales que se derivan de las principales investigaciones sobre la temática. Estas orientaciones serán de utilidad para los y las profesionales de la educación, así como para cualquier otra persona que quiera trabajar en el día a día una socialización libre de violencia. En la segunda, se exponen líneas de actuación concretas y se sugieren actividades para trabajar esos contenidos. Cada una de las líneas de actuación se introduce por medio de una breve explicación, al final de la cual se sugieren lecturas complementarias recomendadas para ampliar información sobre esa línea, preparar de manera correcta el desarrollo de las actividades propuestas, o elaborar actuaciones propias de cada centro. La superación de la violencia en los centros educativos requiere de un trabajo profundo y constante. Profundo porque se debe trabajar la raíz de esta problemática que, como se sabe, ha estado ahí a lo largo de la historia. Se tiene el reto de cambiar los procesos de socialización respecto a las identidades de género y las relaciones humanas, alejándolas de la violencia. Se trata de un trabajo constante, no será suficiente con realizar una actividad puntual.ES