The role of competition and herbivory in biotic resistance against invaders: a synergistic effect

Invasive species pose a major threat to global diversity, and once they are well established their eradication typically becomes unfeasible. However, certain natural mechanisms can increase the resistance of native communities to invaders and can be used to guide effective management policies. Both competition and herbivory have been identified as potential biotic resistance mechanisms that can limit plant invasiveness, but it is still under debate to what extent they might be effective against well-established invaders. Surprisingly, whereas biotic mechanisms are known to interact strongly, most studies to date have examined single biotic mechanisms separately, which likely influences our understanding of the strength and effectiveness of biotic resistance against invaders. Here we use long-term field data, benthic assemblage sampling, and exclusion experiments to assess the effect of native assemblage complexity and herbivory on the invasion dynamics of a successful invasive species, the alga Caulerpa cylindracea. A higher complexity of the native algal assemblage limited C. cylindracea invasion, probably through competition by canopy-forming and erect algae. Additionally, high herbivory pressure by the fish Sarpa salpa reduced C. cylindracea abundance by more than four times. However, long-term data of the invasion reflects that biotic resistance strength can vary across the invasion process and it is only where high assemblage complexity is concomitant with high herbivory pressure, that the most significant limitation is observed (synergistic effect). Overall, the findings reported in this study highlight that neglecting the interactions between biotic mechanisms during invasive processes and restricting the studied time scales may lead to underestimations of the true capacity of native assemblages to develop resistance to invaders.Versión del editor4,84

Erratum: Competition between covalent bonding and charge transfer at complex-oxide interfaces [Physical Review Letters (2014) 112 (196802)]

Corrección de erratas del artículo "Competition between Covalent Bonding and Charge Transfer at Complex-Oxide Interfaces" (Juan Salafranca, Julián Rincón Javier Tornos, Carlos León, Jacobo Santamaria, Elbio Dagotto,Stephen J. Pennycook, Maria Varela)[Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 196802 (2014)]Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEpu

Innovación en la enseñanza de la Interacción Persona-Ordenador: interfaces imaginadas, ciencia-ficción y trabajo con usuarios reales [Innovation in teaching Human-Computer Interaction: imagined interfaces, sci-fi and working with real users]

La idea de las interfaces imaginadas y el uso de los recursos y contenidos recogidos en obras de ciencia ficción no es nuevo en la búsqueda de motivación, temáticas e inspiración en el mundo de la informática. La historia del cine y la televisión, en multitud de obras que se podrían adscribir al género de la Ciencia-Ficción, han mostrado a los espectadores imaginativas formas de satisfacer necesidades humanas a través de la intervención de poderosas máquinas dotadas de inteligencia artificial que se comunicaban con las personas de muy diversas formas. En este artículo se presenta una experiencia de innovación docente para la asignatura Interacción Persona-Ordenador del Grado en Ingeniería Informática. En esta experiencia se utiliza este concepto de interfaces imaginadas y el trabajo con usuarios reales como base para incrementar la motivación y el aprendizaje de la asignatura por parte de los estudiantes. Estos conceptos y formas de trabajo se aplican a través de la adaptación de los trabajos prácticos a sus preferencias temáticas y contexto personal, o trabajando con usuarios reales en todas aquellas prácticas que lo permitan, de modo que se pueda llegar a un contexto práctico quasi-real que mejore el aprendizaje y los resultados. [The idea of imagined interfaces and the use of resources and content related to sci-fi is not new in the search for motivation, topics or inspiration in computer sciences. In the history of cinema and TV, a lot of works that could be ascribed to the science-fiction genre, have shown to the spectator imaginative ways of satisfying human needs through the intervention of powerful machines equipped with artificial intelligence that communicate with the people in many ways. This paper presents an experience of teaching innovation for the Human-Computer Interaction subject within the Degree in Computer Engineering. This experience uses this concept of imagined interfaces and work with real users as a basis to increase students' motivation and learning results through the adaptation of practical work to their topic preferences and personal context; as well as through working with real users in all practical assignments proposed in the subject, in order to provide to the students a quasi-real practical context that could improves learning and its results.

The ISJ 3D brace, a providence brace evolution, as a surgery prevention method in idiopathic scoliosis

Producción CientíficaBackground: The high incidence of idiopathic scoliosis worldwide as well as the serious health problems it can cause in adulthood, make it necessary to seek effective treatments to prevent the progression of the disease to more aggressive treatments such as surgery and improve patients’ quality of life. The use of night braces, besides a less severe influence on the patient’s quality of life, is effective in stopping the progression of the curve in idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: A longitudinal study was performed with an experimental population of 108 participants who attended orthotic treatment at the University Hospital of Barcelona, with ages between 4 and 15 years old, with a main curvature greater than 25 degrees and a Risser between 0 and 3. The participants received treatment with Providence ISJ-3D night braces until their pubertal change (mean duration of 2.78 years for males and 1.97 years for females). Results: The implementation of night-time orthotic treatment in children with idiopathic scoliosis is effective in slowing the progression of the curve and in the prevention of more aggressive treatments such as surgery, maintaining the patient’s quality of life. Conclusions: The use of night braces is efficacious in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis, although new studies including more sociodemographic data as well as curves from 20 degrees of progression are necessary

Playmancer project: a serious videogame as an additional therapy tool for eating and impulse control disorders

Reviews and few non-controlled studies showed the effectiveness of several specific designed computer video-games as an additional form of treatment in several areas. However, there is a lack in the literature of specially designed serious-games for treating mental disorders. Playmancer (ICT European initiative) aims to develop and assess a serious videogame that may help to treat underlying processes (e.g. lack of self-control strategies) in Eating and Impulse control disorders. Preliminary data will be shown

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Modifies the Changes Induced in Non-Nervous Organs and Tissues by Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Models

This study reveals the existence of oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species (ROS)) in non-nervous organs and tissues in multiple sclerosis (MS) by means of a model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats. This model reproduces a similar situation to MS, as well as its relationship with intestinal microbiota starting from the changes in bacterial lipopolysaccharide levels (LPS) in the outer wall of the gram-negative bacteria. Finally, the administration of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), hydroxytirosol (HT), and oleic acid (OA) exert beneficial effects. Twenty-five Dark Agouti two-month-old male rats, weighing around 190 g, were distributed into the following groups: Control, EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis group), EAE + EVOO, EAE + HT, and EAE + OA. The glutathione redox system with the EAE was measured in heart, kidney, liver, and small and large intestines. The LPS and the correlation with oxidative stress in the small and large intestines were also investigated. The results showed that (1) the oxidative damage in the EAE model affects non-nervous organs and tissues; (2) The LPS is related to inflammatory phenomena and oxidative stress in the intestinal tissue and in other organs; (3) The administration of EVOO, HT, and OA reduces the LPS levels at the same time as minimizing the oxidative damage; (4) EVOO, HT, and OA improve the disease’s clinical score; and (5) on balance, EVOO offers a better neuroprotective effect

Recogida y análisis de evidencias de aprendizaje en el contexto de Studium

Memoria ID-0281. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2014-2015