A trait-based framework for dung beetle functional ecology

1. Traits are key for understanding the environmental responses and ecological roles of organisms. Trait approaches to functional ecology are well established for plants, whereas consistent frameworks for animal groups are less developed. Here we suggest a framework for the study of the functional ecology of animals from a trait-based response–effect approach, using dung beetles as model system. Dung beetles are a key group of decomposers that are important for many ecosystem processes. The lack of a trait-based framework tailored to this group has limited the use of traits in dung beetle functional ecology. 2. We review which dung beetle traits respond to the environment and affect ecosystem processes, covering the wide range of spatial, temporal and biological scales at which they are involved. Dung beetles show trait-based responses to variation in temperature, water, soil properties, trophic resources, light, vegetation structure, competition, predation and parasitism. Dung beetles' influence on ecosystem processes includes trait-mediated effects on nutrient cycling, bioturbation, plant growth, seed dispersal, other dung-based organisms and parasite transmission, as well as some cases of pollination and predation. 3. We identify 66 dung beetle traits that are either response or effect traits, or both, pertaining to six main categories: morphology, feeding, reproduction, physiology, activity and movement. Several traits pertain to more than one category, in particular dung relocation behaviour during nesting or feeding. We also identify 136 trait–response and 77 trait–effect relationships in dung beetles. 4. No response to environmental stressors nor effect over ecological processes were related with traits of a single category. This highlights the interrelationship between the traits shaping body-plans, the multi-functionality of traits, and their role linking responses to the environment and effects on the ecosystem. 5. Despite current developments in dung beetle functional ecology, many knowledge gaps remain, and there are biases towards certain traits, functions, taxonomic groups and regions. Our framework provides the foundations for the thorough development of trait-based dung beetle ecology. It also serves as an example framework for other taxa.Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (MICINN) Spanish Government PID2019-106840GB-C21 /AEI/10.13039/501100011033 Spanish Government CGL2011-29317 Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigacion Projects BES-2012-054353 RYC2020-029407-

Epigenetic Control of Salmonella enterica O-Antigen Chain Length: A Tradeoff between Virulence and Bacteriophage Resistance

The Salmonella enterica opvAB operon is a horizontally-acquired locus that undergoes phase variation under Dam methylation control. The OpvA and OpvB proteins form intertwining ribbons in the inner membrane. Synthesis of OpvA and OpvB alters lipopolysaccharide O-antigen chain length and confers resistance to bacteriophages 9NA (Siphoviridae), Det7 (Myoviridae), and P22 (Podoviridae). These phages use the O-antigen as receptor. Because opvAB undergoes phase variation, S. enterica cultures contain subpopulations of opvAB OFF and opvAB ON cells. In the presence of a bacteriophage that uses the O-antigen as receptor, the opvAB OFF subpopulation is killed and the opvAB ON subpopulation is selected. Acquisition of phage resistance by phase variation of O-antigen chain length requires a payoff: opvAB expression reduces Salmonella virulence. However, phase variation permits resuscitation of the opvAB OFF subpopulation as soon as phage challenge ceases. Phenotypic heterogeneity generated by opvAB phase variation thus preadapts Salmonella to survive phage challenge with a fitness cost that is transient only.España , Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación BIO2013-44220-Rand BIO2013-46281-

Nursing education during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: assessment of students’ satisfaction with e-Learning environment

The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus led to the disruption of normality with respect to education, public healthcare and new technologies. Education is a fundamental pillar to increase the knowledge and morale of people. However, due to the lockdown implemented to protect the population from an infection of unknown aetiology, the education system decided to switch from face-to-face education to virtual education. This modality has affected the teaching–learning process in the Degree of Nursing, since its competencies and knowledge demand in-presence learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact that telematic education had on students of the Degree of Nursing who were studying in the final year of said degree, which involves their imminent entry into the labour market. We used the client satisfaction questionnaire of Bob Hayes to gather data and analyse the satisfaction level of the nursing students. As a result, a considerable amount of information was obtained about teaching, which shows the absence of practical activities and the lack of information about safety and protection measures related to the pandemic. Most educators themselves were struggling to understand the implications of the virus and implement appropriate safety measures, since there was quite a bit of conflicting information relating to the effectiveness of personal protective safety equipment and the lifespan of the virus on various media outside of the host. It is, therefore, not surprising that education for students in this regard was lacking. In general, most of the students showed dissatisfaction with the virtual education they received.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Low doses of ivermectin cause sensory and locomotor disorders in dung beetles

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Here, based on electroantennography and spontaneous muscle force tests, we show sub-lethal disorders caused by ivermectin in sensory and locomotor systems of Scarabaeus cicatricosus, a key dung beetle species in Mediterranean ecosystems. Our findings show that ivermectin decreases the olfactory and locomotor capacity of dung beetles, preventing them from performing basic biological activities. These effects are observed at concentrations lower than those usually measured in the dung of treated livestock. Taking into account that ivermectin acts on both glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride ion channels of nerve and muscle cells, we predict that ivermectin’s effects at the physiological level could influence many members of the dung pat community. The results indicate that the decline of dung beetle populations could be related to the harmful effects of chemical contamination in the dung.Financial support was provided by the Project OAPN 762/2012 of the Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales-Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente

Source Apportionment of PM10 and Health Risk Assessment Related in a Narrow Tropical Valley. Study Case: Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley (Colombia)

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] This study investigates spatio-temporal variations of PM10 mass concentrations and associated metal(oid)s, δ13C carbon isotope ratios, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total organic carbon (TOC) and equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations over a half year period (from March 2017 to October 2017) in two residential areas of Medellín (MED-1 and MED-2) and Itagüí municipality (ITA-1 and ITA-2) at a tropical narrow valley (Aburrá Valley, Colombia), where few data are available. A total of 104 samples were analysed by using validated analytical methodologies, providing valuable data for PM10 chemical characterisation. Metal(oid)s concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after acid digestion, and PAHs concentrations were measured by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) after Pressurised Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) and Membrane Assisted Solvent Extraction (MASE). Mean PM10 mass concentration ranged from 37.0 µg m−3 to 45.7 µg m−3 in ITA-2 and MED-2 sites, respectively. Al, Ca, Mg and Na (from 6249 ng m−3 for Mg at MED-1 site to 10,506 ng m−3 for Ca at MED-2 site) were the major elements in PM10 samples, whilst As, Be, Bi, Co, Cs, Li, Ni, Sb, Se, Tl and V were found at trace levels (< 5.4 ng m−3). Benzo[g,h,i] perylene (BghiP), benzo[b + j]fluoranthene (BbjF) and indene(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (IcdP) were the most profuse PAHs in PM10 samples, with average concentrations of 0.82–0.86, 0.60–0.78 and 0.47–0.58 ng m−3, respectively. Results observed in the four sampling sites showed a similar dispersion pattern of pollutants, with temporal fluctuations which seems to be associated to the meteorology of the valley. A PM source apportionment study were carried out by using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, pointing to re-suspended dust, combustion processes, quarry activity and secondary aerosols as PM10 sources in the study area. Among them, combustion was the major PM10 contribution (accounting from 32.1 to 32.9% in ITA-1 and ITA-2, respectively), followed by secondary aerosols (accounting for 13.2% and 23.3% ITA-1 and MED-1, respectively). Finally, a moderate carcinogenic risk was observed for PM10-bound PAHs exposure via inhalation, whereas significant carcinogenic risk was estimated for carcinogenic metal(oid)s exposure in the area during the sampling period.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The authors thank FEDER-MINECO (Spain), ref: UNLC15-DE-3097 together with Xunta de Galicia (80/20%), Xunta de Galicia (Spain), ref: ED431C 2021/56 and the Colombian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation for its funding through call 744 of 2016 744/2016, project No. 111574454999 CTO 770/2016, Estimate of cancer risk due to exposure to recognised carcinogens associated with Respirable particulate material in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (AMVA) Antioquia. Joel Sánchez-Piñero acknowledges the Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Universidade) for a posdoctoral grant (ED481B-2022–002). The authors would like to thank María Fernández-Amado (IUMA-UDC) (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PTA2017-13607-I)) for her technical support and partnership during the laboratory work. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruña/CISUGXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2021/56Colombia. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación; 111574454999 CTO 770/2016Xunta de Galicia; ED481B-2022–00

External validation of a prognostic model based on total tumor load of sentinel lymph node for early breast cancer patients

Background: A prognostic model based on the results of molecular analysis of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) is needed to replace the information that staging the entire axilla provided. The aim of the study is to conduct an external validation of a previously developed model for the prediction of 5-year DFS in a group of breast cancer patients that had undergone SLN biopsy assessed by the One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) method. Methods: We collected retrospective data of 889 patients with breast cancer, who had not received systemic treatment before surgery, and who underwent SLN biopsy and evaluation of all SLN by OSNA. The discrimination ability of the model was assessed by the area under the ROC curve (AUC ROC), and its calibration by comparing 5-years DFS Kaplan–Meier estimates in quartile groups of model predicted probabilities (MPP). Results: The AUC ROC ranged from 0.78 (at 2 years) to 0.73 (at 5 years) in the training set, and from 0.78 to 0.71, respectively, in the validation set. The MPP allowed to distinguish four groups of patients with heterogeneous DFS (log-rank test p &lt; 0.0001). In the highest risk group, the HR were 6.04 [95% CI 2.70, 13.48] in the training set and 4.79 [2.310, 9.93] in the validation set. Conclusions: The model for the prediction of 5-year DFS was successfully validated using the most stringent form of validation, in centers different from those involved in the development of the model. The external validation of the model confirms its utility for the prediction of 5-year DFS and the usefulness of the TTL value as a prognostic variable.This study was supported by Sysmex España S.L

Parallel Implementation Strategies for MIMO ID-BICM Systems

[EN] One of the current techniques proposed for multiple transmit and receive antennas wireless communication systems is the use of error control coding and iterative detection and decoding at the receiver. These sophisticated techniques produce a significant increase of the computational cost and require large computational power. The use of modern computer facilities as multicore and multi-GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) processors can decrease the computational time required, representing a promising solution for the receiver implementation in these systems. In this paper we explain how iterative receivers can improve the performance of suboptimal detectors. We also introduce a novel parallel receiver scheme based on a hybrid computing model where CPUs and GPUs work together to accelerate the detection and decoding steps; this design comes to exploit the features of the GPU NVIDIA Kepler architecture respect to the previous one in order to optimize the communication system performance.This work has been partially funded by PROMETEO/2009/013 project of Generalitat Valenciana, projects TEC2009-13741 of the Ministerio Español de Ciencia e Innovación, TEC2012-38142-C04 of the Ministerio Español de Economía y Competitividad, and PAID-05-2011 of Universitat Politècnica de València.Simarro Haro, MDLA.; Ramiro Sánchez, C.; Martínez Zaldívar, FJ.; Vidal Maciá, AM.; González Téllez, A.; Piñero Sipán, MG.; García Mollá, VM. (2013). Parallel Implementation Strategies for MIMO ID-BICM Systems. Waves. 5-13. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/57906S51

Concurrent validity of supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and infrared thermography as a surrogate marker of brown adipose tissue

We are grateful to Ms. Carmen Sainz-Quinn for assistance with the English language. We are grateful to Alberto Quesada-Aranda for helping with the development of the Temperatus software (Free trial in http://profth.ugr.es/temperatus).This study is part of a Ph.D. Thesis conducted in the Biomedicine Doctoral Studies of the University of Granada, Spain.Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic activity is commonly assessed with a positron emission tomography with computed tomography scan (PET/CT). This technique has several limitations and alternative techniques are needed. Supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and infrared thermography (IRT) has been proposed as an indirect marker of BAT activity. We studied the concurrent validity of skin temperature measured with iButtons vs. IRT and the association of supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons and IRT with BAT. We measured skin temperature upon a shivering threshold test with iButtons and IRT in 6 different regions in 12 participants (n = 2 men). On a separate day, we determined supraclavicular skin temperature with an iButton and IRT after 2 h of a personalized cooling protocol. Thereafter, we quantified BAT volume and activity by PET/CT. We observed that the absolute differences between the devices were statistically different from 0 (all P < 0.05) after the shivering threshold test. Moreover, we did not find any association between supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons or IRT and BAT 18F-FDG activity (r = −0.213; P = 0.530 and r = −0.079; P = 0.817). However, we observed a negative association of supraclavicular skin temperature measured by IRT with BAT 18F-FDG volume (r = −0.764; P = 0.006), but not with supraclavicular skin temperature measured with iButtons (r = −0.546; P = 0.082). In light of these results, we concluded that the measurement of skin temperature obtained by iButtons and IRT are not comparable. Furthermore, it seems that supraclavicular skin temperature is not associated with BAT 18F-FDG activity, but it appears to be negatively associated with BAT 18F-FDG volume in the case of IRT.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), Retos de la Sociedad (DEP2016-79512-R), PTA 12264-I, and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU 13/04365, FPU14/04172, FPU15/05337, and FPU15/04059), by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation-MINECO (RYC-2014-16938), the Fundación Iberoamericana de Nutrición (FINUT), the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016 -Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES) - and Plan Propio de Investigación 2018 - Programa Contratos-Puente, and the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades (ERDF, ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR). This study is part of a Ph.D

Subjective well-being, happiness, and environmental health factors related to women planning a pregnancy or pregnant, using mobile health intervention

Objectives: To compare the environmental health results in women trying to get pregnant or pregnant using a mobile health application (Green Page) through healthcare professionals or self-completed by women, and to explore the relationship between the subjective well-being of these women with their lifestyles and environmental factors. Methods: A descriptive study with mixed methods was conducted in 2018. A mobile health survey was used in two phases. Phase 1 was a cross-sectional study through professionals (n = 1100) followed by phase 2, a convenience sampling through women's self-reporting (n = 3425). A personalized report was downloadable with health recommendations for the well-being of the mother and child. Results: Of the 3205 participants (mean age = 33 years, SD = 0.2 years), 1840 were planning a pregnancy and 1365 were pregnant. One in five pregnant women had a low level of happiness. Globally, subjective well-being and happiness were found to be negatively associated with lack of contact with nature, sedentary lifestyle, excess weight, environmental exposure, and older age in pregnancy. Precisely 45%, 60%, and 14% of women were exposed to tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs, respectively. The women self-reported levels of risk factors higher than when the tool was used by or through professionals. Conclusions: The use of mobile health interventions focused on environmental health during planning or pregnancy periods could help improve the quality of healthcare and foster greater involvement of women in their self-care process, thus promoting empowerment, healthier environments, and lifestyles. Ensuring equity of access and data protection are global challenges to be addressed.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Foundation for Formation and Research (FFIS) from Murcia's Drug Commissioner Office (Ecosistema Saludable, Neurodesallorro Saludable), the National Plan on Drugs, Ministry of Health, Spain (ID8437); the Mount Sinai International Exchange Program for Minority Student (Grant MD001452) from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and the Sociedad de Pediatría del Sureste de España and its contribution to the project “Profile of childhood and adolescence environmental health in the region of Murcia” (FFIS-DF-2022-36). EOP is supported by a postdoctoral contract from the Instituto Murciano de Investigaciones Biosanitarias Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain).S

Differential Nitrogen Nutrition Modifies Polyamines and the Amino-Acid Profile of Sweet Pepper Under Salinity Stress

The horticultural industry demands high-quality resources to achieve excellence in yield and optimal revenues. Nitrogen is a pivotal nutrient to accomplish these goals for plant growth and product quality. However, competition for water in semi-arid regions can force the use of brackish waters, which can impair N uptake. The lower N uptake can be due to several reasons, such as an antagonism between ions, an absence of ATP, and/or alteration of N metabolism. The effect of supplying N as NO3− alone or in combination with NH4+, coupled with low or high salinity (8 or 20 mM NaCl), has been studied in sweet pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Melchor). The application of NH4+ at high salinity affected chromatic parameters (a∗, b∗, and C∗), while chlorophyll a and b levels declined and β-carotene increased. The concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Cu were reduced in the fruits of plants irrigated with NH4+. The concentration of Na was only reduced when NH4+ was supplied. Likewise, the concentration of total phenolics was also reduced at high salinity. However, total protein was unaffected. The amino acid profile was altered by the supply of NH4+, which reduced the concentrations of histidine and phenylalanine. Moreover, the concentrations of putrescine and cadaverine were increased by NH4+ at high salinity, whereas that of cadaverine was reduced by NH4+ at low salinity. The observed changes in fruit quality triggered by salinity, under the conditions of this study, should be borne in mind for this crop with regard to the envisaged palliative effect of the supply of N-NH4+