Crustacean and rotifer seasonality in a Mediterranean temporary pond with high biodiversity (Lavajo de Abajo de Sinarcas, Eastern Spain)

A follow-up study was made of planktonic and periphytic crustaceans and rotifers during two hydroperiods of consecutive years in a Mediterranean temporary pond. The pond is relatively large with quite long hydroperiods in wet years (6-8 months) and it has a very rich community (4 large branchiopods, 12 cladocerans, 9 copepods, 36 rotifers). Three phases in faunal composition, quite consistent fram year to year, were distinguished: (1) Filling phase in autumn-winter is dominated by anos­tracans (endemic Branchipus cortesi, with low proportions of Branchipus schaefferi) and diaptomids, two univoltine species (Hemidiaptomus ingens inermis, Diaptomus cyaneus intermedius) and one muItivoltine (Mixodiaptomus laciniatus atlantis). (2) Middle phase in spring dominated by cladocerans (Ceriodaphnia n.sp., Simocephalus vetulus, Ephemeroporus pinthoni­cus, Chydorus sphaericus, Alona azorica) in this phase is also abundant the conchostracan Maghrebestheria maroccana and the notostracan Triops cancriformis. A shift toward insects occurs in the later part of this phase. (3) Desiccation phase in sum­mer with lower diversity (Moina micrura, Alona rectangula and cyclopoids). Rotifers showed a low contribution to biomass and were more important in the middle phase. These phases are also marked by an increase of nutrients and phytoplankton chlorophyll in the filling and desiccation phases and a decrease of these variables in the middle phase, resulting in phytoplank­ton cIearance and greater water transparency, concurrent with macrophyte growth. Interannual variability was outstanding in shaping these phases. The year 2007 was preceded by a wetter autumn, whereas 2008 was preceded by a very dry autumn thus, in this second year the main hydroperiod was shorter and the first phase was merged with the middle phase. In this shorter hydroperiod the open water microinvertebrate community reached lower biomass but attained a similar diversity since rotifers became relatively more abundant and richer in species than in the 2007 main hydroperiod, when the community was fully dominated by crustaceans.Se ha estudiado la estacionalidad de las comunidades de crustáceos y rotiferos planctónicos y perifíticos en una charca tempo­ral mediterránea en varios hidroperiodos durante dos años consecutivos. La charca tiene una extensión relativamente grande con un hidroperiodo largo en años húmedos (7-8 meses) y alberga una gran riqueza de especies (4 grandes branquiópodos, 12 cladóceros, 9 copépodos, 36 rotiferos). Basándonos en los cambios en la composición de esta fauna, se diferencian tres fases que se repiten de año en año, estas fases son: (1) Fase de llenado en otoño-invierno, dominada por anostráceos (princi­palmente por el endémico Branchipus cortesi, con una baja proporción de Branchipus schaefferi) y diaptómidos, dos especies univoltinas (Hemidiaptomus ingens inermis y Diaptomus cyaneus intermedius) y una multivoltina (Mixodiaptomus laciniatus atlantis). (2) Fase intennedia en primavera, dominada por cladóceros (Ceriodaphnia n.sp., Simocephalus vetulus, Ephe­meroporus pinthonicus, Chydorus sphaericus, Alona azorica), destacan también en esta fase la presencia del concostráceo Maghrebestheria maroccana y el notostráceo Triops cancriformis. Los rotiferos contribuyen poco a la biomasa y son algo más importantes en esta fase intermedia. En la última parte de esta fase se produce un cambio hacia una mayor presencia de insectos. (3) Fase de desecación en verano que corresponde con una menor diversidad (Moina micrura, Alona rectangula y ciclópidos). Las fases de llenado y desecación se caracterizan también por un aumento de nutrientes y clorofila fitoplantónica mientras que en la fase intermedia su concentración es menor, aumentando la transparencia del agua y el desarrollo de los macrófitos. La variabilidad interanual determina la configuración de estas fases. El año 2007 fue precedido por un otoño húmedo mientras que 2008 fue precedido por un otoño muy seco, por lo que en este segundo año el hidroperiodo principal fue muy corto fusionándose la primera fase con la intermedia y la biomasa de microinvertebrados en aguas abiertas fue mucho menor que en el hidroperiodo del 2007, sin embargo se alcanzaron valores similares de diversidad debido a una relativamente mayor abundancia y riqueza de especies de rotiferos con respecto al hidroperiodo del 2007, en el que dominaron plenamente los crustáceos

Relaciones entre las aportaciones a la zona regable del río Jucar y la conductividad de la Albufera de Valencia

Las aportaciones a la zona regable del río Júcar condicionan la conductividad de la Albufera porque recibe las aguas sobrantes de riego. Se ha observado una relación inversa entre ambas variables. La demanda de agua para otras zonas pretende satisfacerse a partir del trasvase de los sobrantes de riego basándose en una mejora de la eficiencia del regadío. Estas actuaciones deben realizarse sólo cuando se aseguren previamente las aportaciones necesarias para mantener la calidad del lago.The water inflows to the irrigation area of the Júcar river determine the conductivity of the Albufera because it receives the surplus irrigation water. It has been observed an inverse relationship between both variables. The water demands for other regions is sought by transferring the surplus irrigation water based on an improvement of the irrigation efficiency. These actions must be carried out only after having ensured a sufficient quantity of water inflow to maintain the quality of the lake

Relaciones entre las aportaciones a la zona regable del río Jucar y la conductividad de la Albufera de Valencia.

Las aportaciones a la zona regable del río Júcar condicionan la conductividad de la Albufera porque recibe las aguas sobrantes de riego. Se ha observado una relación inversa entre ambas variables. La demanda de agua para otras zonas pretende satisfacerse a partir del trasvase de los sobrantes de riego basándose en una mejora de la eficiencia del regadío. Estas actuaciones deben realizarse sólo cuando se aseguren previamente las aportaciones necesarias para mantener la calidad del lago. The water inflows to the irrigation area of the Júcar river determine the conductivity of the Albufera because it receives the surplus irrigation water. It has been observed an inverse relationship between both variables. The water demands for otherregions is sought by transferring the surplus irrigation water based on an improvement of the irrigation efficiency. These actions must be carried out only after having ensured a sufficient quantity of water inflow to maintain the quality of the lak

Macroinvertebrates assemblages on reed beds, with special attention to Chironomidae (Diptera), in Mediterranean shallow lakes

Macroinvertebrates associated to reed-beds (Phragmites australis) in six shallow natural water bodies along the 220 km of coast of the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) were studied. These sites were selected to reflect different trophic states, but also, and due to the natural variability of mediterranean wetlands, they greatly differ in salinity and hydroperiod. To unify the sampling, reed bed was chosen to provide data from a habitat common to all wetlands, including the most eutrophic ones where submerged macrophytes have disappeared due to water turbidity. Individual submerged stems of Phragmites australis were sampled along with the surrounding water. The animal density found refers to the available stem surface area for colonization. Forty-one taxa were recorded in total, finding Chironomidae to be the most important group, quantitatively and qualitatively. In freshwater sites it was observed an increase in macroinvertebrate's density at higher trophic states. Nevertheless each studied region had a different fauna. The PCA analysis with macroinvertebrate groups distinguished three types of environment: freshwaters (characterized by swimming insect larvae, collectors and predators, oligochaetes and Orthocladiinae), saline waters (characterized by crustaceans and Chironominae) and the spring pool, which shares both taxa. Chironomids were paid special attention for being the most abundant. A DCA analysis based on the relative abundance of Chironomids reveals salinity as the main characteristic responsible for its distribution, but trophic state and hydrological regime were also shown to be important factors.Se han estudiado los macroinvertebrados asociados a la vegetación de carrizo (Phragmites australis) en seis lagunas someras a lo largo de los 220 km de costa de la Comunidad Valenciana (España). Las lagunas se eligieron de manera que se contemplasen diferentes estados tróficos, pero además y reflejando la natural variabilidad de los humedales mediterráneos, presentan importantes diferencias en cuanto al hidroperiodo y la salinidad. Para unificar el muestreo, se eligió el carrizo por ser un elemento común en todos los humedales, incluso los más eutróficos en los que los macrófitos sumergidos han desaparecido debido a la turbidez del agua. Para cada muestra se toma individualmente la parte sumergida de una planta de Phragmites australis junto con el agua circundante. La densidad de animales encontrados se refiere a superficie colonizable del tallo de la planta. En total se han encontrado 41 taxones, siendo Chironomiidae el grupo más importante tanto cuantitativa como cualitativamente. En las lagunas de agua dulce, se observó un aumento de la densidad de macroinvertebrados en los niveles tróficos mayores. Sin embargo cada zona de estudio tiene una fauna diferente. El análisis PCA de los grupos de macroinvertebrados diferencia tres tipos de ambientes: aguas dulces (caracterizados por larvas nadadoras de insectos recolectores y depredadores, oligoquetos y orthocladinos), aguas salobres (caracterizadas por la presencia de crustáceos y Chironomiinae) y el "ullal" o surgencia de agua que comparte taxones de los dos grupos anteriores. Se ha prestado especial atención al grupo de quironómidos por ser los más abundantes. Un análisis DCA basado en la abundancia relativa de las especies de quironómidos, muestra la salinidad como la principal característica responsable de su distribución, siendo luego el estado trófico y el régimen hidrológico factores también importantes

Extending the VEF traces framework to model data center network workloads

Producción CientíficaData centers are a fundamental infrastructure in the Big-Data era, where applications and services demand a high amount of data and minimum response times. The interconnection network is an essential subsystem in the data center, as it must guarantee high communication bandwidth and low latency to the communication operations of applications, otherwise becoming the system bottleneck. Simulation is widely used to model the network functionality and to evaluate its performance under specific workloads. Apart from the network modeling, it is essential to characterize the end-nodes communication pattern, which will help identify bottlenecks and flaws in the network architecture. In previous works, we proposed the VEF traces framework: a set of tools to capture communication traffic of MPI-based applications and generate traffic traces used to feed network simulator tools. In this paper, we extend the VEF traces framework with new communication workloads such as deep-learning training applications and online data-intensive workloads.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) R &D Project Grant (PID2019-109001RA-I00)Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Impact of maternal age on infants' emotional regulation and psychomotor development

Background. Maternal age has progressively increased in industrialized countries. Most studies focus on the consequences of delayed motherhood for women's physical and mental health, but little is known about potential effects on infants' neurodevelopment. This prospective study examines the association between maternal age and offspring neurodevelopment in terms of both psychomotor development (Ages & Stages Questionnaires-3) and emotional competences (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire). Methods. We evaluated a cohort of healthy pregnant women aged 20-41 years and their offspring, assessed at 38 weeks gestation (n = 131) and 24 months after birth (n = 101). Potential age-related variables were considered (paternal age, education level, parity, social support, maternal cortisol levels, and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms). Bayesian ordinal regression models were performed for each neurodevelopmental outcome. Results. Maternal age was negatively associated with poor child development in terms of personal-social skills [odds ratio (OR) −0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77-0.99] and with difficult temperament in terms of worse emotional regulation (OR −0.13, 95% CI 0.78-0.96) and lower positive affect (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.75-0.95). As for age-related variables, whereas maternal anxiety symptoms and cortisol levels were also correlated with poor child development and difficult temperament, maternal social support and parental educational level were associated with better psychomotor and emotional competences. Conclusion. Increasing maternal age may be associated with child temperament difficulties and psychomotor delay in terms of social interaction skills. Early detection of neurodevelopment difficulties in these babies would allow preventive psychosocial interventions to avoid future neuropsychiatric disorders

Impact of maternal age on infants' emotional regulation and psychomotor development

Background. Maternal age has progressively increased in industrialized countries. Most studies focus on the consequences of delayed motherhood for women's physical and mental health, but little is known about potential effects on infants' neurodevelopment. This prospective study examines the association between maternal age and offspring neurodevelopment in terms of both psychomotor development (Ages & Stages Questionnaires-3) and emotional competences (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire). Methods. We evaluated a cohort of healthy pregnant women aged 20-41 years and their offspring, assessed at 38 weeks gestation (n = 131) and 24 months after birth (n = 101). Potential age-related variables were considered (paternal age, education level, parity, social support, maternal cortisol levels, and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms). Bayesian ordinal regression models were performed for each neurodevelopmental outcome. Results. Maternal age was negatively associated with poor child development in terms of personal-social skills [odds ratio (OR) −0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77-0.99] and with difficult temperament in terms of worse emotional regulation (OR −0.13, 95% CI 0.78-0.96) and lower positive affect (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.75-0.95). As for age-related variables, whereas maternal anxiety symptoms and cortisol levels were also correlated with poor child development and difficult temperament, maternal social support and parental educational level were associated with better psychomotor and emotional competences. Conclusion. Increasing maternal age may be associated with child temperament difficulties and psychomotor delay in terms of social interaction skills. Early detection of neurodevelopment difficulties in these babies would allow preventive psychosocial interventions to avoid future neuropsychiatric disorders

Inter-rater reliability assessment for the new-born screening quality assurance

IntroductionTo ensure the quality of the new-born screening (NBS), our laboratory reviewed the analytical procedure to detect subjective steps that may represent a risk to the patient. Two subjective activities were identified in the extra-analytical phases: the classification of dried blood spots (DBS) according to their quality and the assignment of haemoglobin patterns. To keep these activities under control, inter-rater studies were implemented. This study aimed to evaluate the inter-rater reliability and the effectiveness of the measures taken to improve the agreement between observers, to assure NBS results’ quality. Materials and methodsDried blood spots specimens were used for the inter-rater studies. Ten studies were performed to assess DBS quality classification, and four to assess the assignment of haemoglobin patterns. Krippendorff’s alpha test was used to estimate inter-rater reliability. Causes were investigated when alpha values were below 0.80. ResultsFor both activities, the reliability obtained in the first studies was inadequate. After investigation, we detected that the criterion to classify a DBS as scant was not consolidated, and also a lack of consensus on whether or not to report Bart’s haemoglobin depending on its percentage. Alpha estimates became higher once the training was reinforced and a consensus about the appropriate criteria to be applied was reached. ConclusionInter-rater reliability assessment helped us to ensure the quality of subjective activities that could add variability to NBS results. Furthermore, the evolution of the alpha value over time allowed us to verify the effectiveness of the measures adopted