Life-history traits of the giant squid Architeuthis dux revealed from stable isotope signatures recorded in beaks

Peer reviewedPreprin

A review of a priori defined oxidative balance scores relative to their components and impact on health outcomes

Oxidative Balance Scores (OBSs) are tools that have emerged to evaluate the global balance of individuals’ oxidation—reduction status. The aim was to compare OBSs available in the literature regarding their characteristics and associations with chronic diseases in epidemiological studies. Studies that developed OBSs were searched in PubMed until August 2018. A total of 21 OBSs were identified. These OBSs presented different scoring schemes and different types of anti- and pro-oxidant components, including dietary factors (dietary intake and/or nutrient biomarkers), lifestyle factors, and medications. Most OBSs were based on over 10 components, and some included only dietary factors. Few considered weighted components in the score. Only three OBSs were validated as potential surrogates of oxidative balance through inflammation and OS-related biomarkers. Notably, all the OBSs were associated—to a varying degree—with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, colorectal adenomas, and different cancer types (colorectal and breast cancer), as well as with all-cause and cancer-related mortality. For other outcomes, e.g., prostate cancer, contradictory results were reported. In summary, there is a great heterogeneity in the definition of OBSs. Most studies are concordant in supporting that excessive OS reflected by a lower OBS has deleterious effects on health. Unified criteria for defining the proper OBSs, valuable to gauge OS-related aspects of the diet and lifestyle that may lead to adverse health outcomes, are needed

High variability of soil erosion and hydrological processes in Mediterranean hillslope vineyards (Montes de Málaga, Spain)

Conventional Mediterranean vineyards from the Montes de Málaga (Axarquía region, Spain) are characterized by high average temperatures, extreme rainfall events during autumn and winter, elevated stoniness and steep slopes (20–50°). Traditionally, several problems of high soil loss, rill and ephemeral gully generation, and elevat- ed runoff are observed by farmers, which are increasing land degradation processes and a decrease of the productivity. According to this, the main aims of this paper were: i) to quantify the initial soil loss, surface flow and infiltration processes; ii) to characterize and describe the hydrological and geomorphological dynamics; iii) to detect the key factors, which control the soil erosion processes. For this purpose, a combined methodology was applied, using soil analysis, a small portable rainfall simulator and a Guelph permeameter on one experimental plot cultivated with vineyards with steep slopes. Results showed a high variability of soil erosion and permeability processes. Soil analysis showed an elevated concentration of silt particles and stoniness, with higher contents of sand particles between 0 and 5 cm, and clays from 5 cm. With a Guelph permeameter, high average of permeability and saturated hydraulic conductivity with elevated standard deviation were observed. Furthermore, an increase of these parameters from the upper to the foot slope was reg- istered. By using rainfall simulations, on the upper and the foot slope positions the highest runoff coefficient and soil loss were registered. The most elevated peak of sediment concentration was obtained on the middle slope. In general, high infiltration coefficients between 66.5 and 100% were observed. In conclusion it was observed that the activation of the soil erosion processes was due to the distribution of the surface soil components (high roughness, several cracks and high stoniness and silt content), the steep slopes and the impact of the soil traditional tillage practices. These Mediterranean hillslope vineyards registered a mixed Hortonian-Hewlettian model, which combines surface and sub-surface flow conditioned by the micro-topo- graphical changes and its saturation degree

Small Window Overlaps Are Effective Probes of Replica Symmetry Breaking in 3D Spin Glasses

We compute numerically small window overlaps in the three dimensional Edwards Anderson spin glass. We show that they behave in the way implied by the Replica Symmetry Breaking Ansatz, that they do not qualitatively differ from the full volume overlap and do not tend to a trivial function when increasing the lattice volume. On the contrary we show they are affected by small finite volume effects, and are interesting tools for the study of the features of the spin glass phase.Comment: 9 pages plus 5 figure

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Testing nuclear models via neutrino scattering

Recent progresses on the relativistic modeling of neutrino-nucleus reactions are presented and the results are compared with high precision experimental data in a wide energy range.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Proccedings of the 33rd International Workshop on Nuclear Theory, IWNT33-14, Rila Mountains, Bulgaria, June 22-28, 201

On the Phase Structure of the 3D Edwards Anderson Spin Glass

We characterize numerically the properties of the phase transition of the three dimensional Ising spin glass with Gaussian couplings and of the low temperature phase. We compute critical exponents on large lattices. We study in detail the overlap probability distribution and the equilibrium overlap-overlap correlation functions. We find a clear agreement with off-equilibrium results from previous work. These results strongly support the existence of a continuous spontaneous replica symmetry breaking in three dimensional spin glasses.Comment: 30 pages and 17 figures. Final version to be published in PR

Design of marteloscope for simulation of silvicultural management of cork oak forest under field conditions

Un marteloscopio es una herramienta didáctica de gran utilidad para el entrenamiento en selvicultura. La disponibilidad de datos reales sobre la masa forestal en dispositivos móviles (tablets) en combinación con un software adecuado permite la retroalimentación directa entre las decisiones selvícolas y los resultados, tanto económicos como ecológicos de las mismas. A través de este Proyecto de Innovación Docente, se ha avanzado en esta línea formativa diseñando e implementando, por primera vez, un marteloscopio en monte alcornocal orientado a la producción de corcho. Como resultado, se ha establecido una parcela permanente de entrenamiento en un alcornocal, que se ha monitorizado de forma exhaustiva, y se ha desarrollado un software nuevo para pc o tablet que simula en tiempo real los efectos de ejercicios de claras selvícolas y de descorches, que el usuario introduce, y que genera salidas instantáneas sobre la producción de corcho obtenida y sus características y sus efectos sobre la masa forestal. Esta simulación facilita el aprendizaje realista de la gestión de alcornocales y la comprensión de los efectos que las decisiones de gestión tomadas tienen sobre los aspectos productivos y ecológicos de la masa forestal.A Marteloscope is an educational tool for silvicultural and forest management training. The availability of actual stand data on mobile devices (tablets) in combination with the appropriate software allows direct feedback among silvicultural decisions and the resulting economic and ecological outcomes. Through this Teaching Innovation Project, we have gone further on this approach by designing and implementing, for the first time, a Marteloscope in a cork oak stand managed for cork production. As a result, we have set up a permanent training plot in the forest, where all trees have been geolocated, measured, both in size and cork production features, marked and also assessed for their ecological value through microhabitat identification approach. We have developed new software for pc or tablets to simulate in real-time silvicultural and cork stripping exercises made by the user, producing instantaneous outputs showing the effects on cork production and forest stand, both currently and after 9 years period (duration of debarking rotation). This simulation facilitates realistic learning of cork oak stands management practices and the understanding of the effects of management decisions on productive and ecological dynamics of forest stand