Accuracy Evaluation of Ultrasound Probe Sonication and Microwave-Assisted Extraction Systems for Rapid Single Extraction of Metals in Soils

The accumulation of metals in soils and sediments causes a potential risk to human health due to the transfer of these elements to other environmental compartments. However, metals are present in soils under different chemical forms or types of binding, so the total metal content is a poor indicator of their bioavailability, mobility or toxicity, since these properties basically depend on the chemical association of the different soil components. Therefore, the environmental impact of metalliferous soils is better assessed on the basis of the environmental accessibility of metals, i.e. the bioavailable forms for plants. In the present work, ultrasonic probe sonication (UPS) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) have been evaluated as alternatives to the conventional Standards, Measurements and Testing program (SM&T) procedures for single extraction of metals in soils, in order to reduce the extraction time and the consumption of samples and extracting agents. Optimization studies were carried out on the certified reference materials (CRMs) BCR 483 (Sewage sludge amended soil) and BCR 700 (Organic rich soil) for accuracy evaluation of the proposed methods. Extractable concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn using 0.01 M calcium chloride (in BCR 483), and also of Pb with 0.43 M acetic acid and 0.05 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid at pH 7.0 (in both CRMs) were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES)

Modification of the method to determine dehydrogenase activity in soils spiked with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF4)

The 20th International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry session Ionic LiquidsThe ionic liquids (ILs) are often denominated as “green fluids”, because they are considered as innocuous due to their negligible volatility. Due to this apparent innocuousness, the ILs are attracted a great attention as an alternative to traditional organic solvents, highly contaminant. However, the problem of contamination is not limited to the atmosphere, since also aquatic and terrestrial environments can be affected. Therefore, and because the toxic effects of ILs on the environment are largely unknown, research studies are needed to deepen this aspect before to assign them the appellation of “green fluids”. Nevertheless, and despite the increased number in the last few years of studies on different aspects of ILs, the toxicity of these compounds to the environment in general, and to the soils in particular, only rarely is investigated. One of the most used ILs in different applications is 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF4). Among all the soil properties, those determining the edaphic metabolism, and especially the enzymatic activities, are highly sensitive to ascertain the disturbance caused by any external agent. Given the lack of studies investigating the effect of ILs on the edaphic environment, before the use of enzymatic activities as indicators of the toxicity for soils of any given IL, it is necessary to test if classical methods to determine the soil enzymatic activities are adequate for their use in soils spiked with that given IL. In this study we investigated the suitability of dehydrogenase method to determine the activity of this enzyme in soils with spiked BMIMBF4, modifying the method according to the problems identifiedhis research was financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Project No. CGL2015-66857-C2-1-R

Assessing the ability of novel ecosystems to support animal wildlife through analysis of diurnal raptor territoriality

Novel ecosystems have emerged through human intervention and are rapidly expandingaround the world. Whether they can support animal wildlife has generated considerable controversy.Here we developed a new approach to evaluate the ability of a novel forest ecosystem,dominated by the exotic tree species Eucalyptus globulus, to support animal wildlife inthe medium and long term. To evaluate this ability, we took advantage of the fact that speciesterritory size decreases with increasing habitat quality, and we used territoriality of araptor guild composed of Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Eurasian Sparrowhawk(A. nisus) and Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) as indicator. We compared the territorialityof these species in the novel ecosystem with that in other ecosystems found in the literature.Average distances between con-specifics in the novel ecosystem were similar, or evenshorter, than those in other ecosystems. Average distances between Goshawk con-specificswere among the shortest described in the literature. All three species nested preferably in mixed stands abundant in large exotic trees, with high structural complexity and abundance of native species within the stand. Key factors supporting this diverse and dense raptor community were the special forest management system implemented in the study area and the agricultural matrix located close to forest plantations that complements the supply of prey. Our results suggest that forest management that promotes a complex and suitable forest structure can increase the ability of novel forest ecosystems to support wildlife biodiversity, particularly a diverse nesting community of forest-dwelling raptors and their preys. The results further suggest the suitability of territoriality for assessing this potential of novel ecosystemsMinisterio de Ciencia y TecnologíaUniversidad de AlcaláMinisterio de Educación y Cienci

Design of Fear and Anxiety of COVID-19 Assessment Tool in Spanish Adult Population

The aim of this study was to develop a specific scale to measure anxiety and fear levels in the general Spanish population. For this, a transcultural adaptation to Spanish of the fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) scale, in its original version of 10 items, was carried out. Then, the Anxiety and Fear of COVID-19 Assessment Scale (AMICO, for its acronym in Spanish) was designed by translating the tool and Delphi technique into three rounds. Ten experts participated voluntarily, and inter-observer match rates and the reliability study of the designed scale were calculated. A pilot study was carried out with the final version of the scale for the validity and reliability study. The instrument did not raise problems in semantic and cultural terms during the first and second rounds of the translation process, with an overall weighted Kappa value of 0.9. In the third round, eight new items were designed and consensual, obtaining a weighted overall value of 0.89. The pilot study sample was made up of 445 subjects, of which 60.3% were women with a mean age of 46.2 years. The final version consisted of 16 items, 2 factors, and a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.92. The AMICO scale was developed to assess the level of anxiety and fear of COVID-19 and proved to be valid and reliable for its use in the adult Spanish population.Junta de Andalucía PI 036/2

Higher reproductive success of small males and greater recruitment of large females could explain the strong reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD) in the northern goshawk

Abstract Reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD), whichoccurs when the female of a species is larger than the male,is the rule for most birds of prey but the exception amongother bird and mammal species. The selective pressuresthat favour RSD are an intriguing issue in animal ecology.Despite the large number of hypotheses proposed to explainthe evolution of RSD, there is still no consensus about themechanisms involved and whether they act on one or bothsexes, mainly because few intrapopulation studies havebeen undertaken and few raptor species have been investigated.Using the strongly size-dimorphic northern goshawk(Accipiter gentilis L.) as a model, we studied a populationwith one of the highest densities of breeding pairs reportedin the literature in order to understand selective pressuresthat may favour RSD. We evaluated life-history processes,including recruitment of adult breeders and reproductivesuccess, and we explored the mechanisms thought to act oneach sex, including hunting efficiency, diet, body conditionand mate choice. We found that smaller males producedmore fledglings than larger ones, but there was no relationshipbetween size and reproductive success for femalesMinisterio de Educación y Cienci

Spatial relationships and mechanisms of coexistence between dominant and subordinate top predators

Most forest ecosystems contain a diverse community of top-level predators. How these predator species interact, and howtheir interactions infl uence their spatial distribution is still poorly understood.Here we studied interactions among top predators in a guild of diurnal forest raptors in order to test the hypothesisthat predation among competing predators (intraguild predation) signifi cantly aff ects the spatial distribution of predatorspecies, causing subordinate species to nest farther away from the dominant ones.Th e study analyzed a guild in southwestern Europe comprising three raptor species. For 8 years we studied the spatialdistribution of used nests, breeding phenology, intraguild predation, territory occupancy, and nest-builder species andsubsequent nest-user species.Th e subordinate species (sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus ) nested farther away from the dominant species (goshawk A. gentilis), which preyed on sparrowhawks but not on buzzards Buteo buteo , and closer to buzzards, with which sparrowhawks donot share many common prey. Th is presumably refl ects an eff ort to seek protection from goshawks. Th is potential positiveeff ect of buzzards on sparrowhawks may be reciprocal, because buzzards benefi t from old sparrowhawk nests, which buzzardsused as a base for their nests, and from used sparrowhawk nests, from which buzzards stole prey. Buzzards occasionallyoccupied old goshawk nests.Universidad de Alcalá de Henare

Territoriality in diurnal raptors: relative roles of recent evolution, diet and nest site

Animal territoriality, defined here as defence of well-delimited breeding areas to exclude competitors, has beenwidely studied. However, the phylogenetic and ecological characteristics influencing the variation in the expressionof this behaviour are poorly understood. We evaluated the effect of phylogeny and key ecological factors on territorialbehaviour and territory size in diurnal raptors from the western Palearctic and New World. To our knowledge, ourwork is the first comparative analysis of raptor territorial behaviour and territory size that accounts for phylogeneticrelationships. One important finding is that territorial behaviour has not been strongly conserved across evolutionarytime, but differences in territoriality of diurnal raptors have been influenced by recent evolution, which has ledto variations of this behaviour in response to changes in climate and habitat. Raptor current ecology is also associatedwith the expression of these traits. Species that capture more agile prey and nest in more protected sites weremost likely to be territorial. Additionally, territorial species that are bigger and capture more agile and bigger preydefended larger territories than species feeding on more vulnerable and smaller prey. We discuss potential mechanismsfor these patterns and the implications of our findings for future research on avian territoriality.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología-CICYTREMEDINALMinisterio de Educación y Cienci

Prey preferences and recent changes in diet of a breeding population of the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis in Southwestern Europe

Capsule: Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis diet has changed significantly since the 1980s,probably due to changes in populations of preferred prey species.Aims and methods: To assess changes to the breeding season diet of the Northern Goshawk insouthwest Europe over three decades. We examined prey remains at and around nests andassessed avian prey availability using point count surveys.Results: During 2008&#-11, Goshawks mainly ate birds, with Feral Pigeons Columba livia f. domesticabeing the most important prey species. Goshawks preferred prey of 100&;8722#400 g and forest preyspecies to non-forest species. Goshawk diet has changed significantly over recent decades: 22%of current prey items belong to species that were not part of the diet in the 1980s. We suggestthat these dietary changes reflect changes in the abundance of prey species of the preferredsize caused by changes in land use leading to an increase in forest cover, new prey speciescolonization and changes in the abundance and management of domestic prey.Conclusion: This study emphasizes that major transformations occurring in agroforestry systemsare affecting the main preferred prey of important forest predators, which may haveconsequences for conservation of both the predators and their prey

Barley-ß-glucans reduce systemic inflammation, renal injury and aortic calcification through ADAM17 and neutral-sphingomyelinase2 inhibition

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), hyperphosphatemia-induced inflammation aggravates vascular calcification (VC) by increasing vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) osteogenic differentiation, ADAM17-induced renal and vascular injury, and TNFα-induction of neutral-sphingomyelinase2 (nSMase2) to release pro-calcifying exosomes. This study examined anti-inflammatory β-glucans efficacy at attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal and vascular injury favoring VC in hyperphosphatemic CKD. In healthy adults, dietary barley β-glucans (Bβglucans) reduced leukocyte superoxide production, inflammatory ADAM17, TNFα, nSMase2, and pro-aging/pro-inflammatory STING (Stimulator of interferon genes) gene expression without decreasing circulating inflammatory cytokines, except for γ-interferon. In hyperphosphatemic rat CKD, dietary Bβglucans reduced renal and aortic ADAM17-driven inflammation attenuating CKD-progression (higher GFR and lower serum creatinine, proteinuria, kidney inflammatory infiltration and nSMase2), and TNFα-driven increases in aortic nSMase2 and calcium deposition without improving mineral homeostasis. In VSMC, Bβglucans prevented LPS- or uremic serum-induced rapid increases in ADAM17, TNFα and nSMase2, and reduced the 13-fold higher calcium deposition induced by prolonged calcifying conditions by inhibiting osteogenic differentiation and increases in nSMase2 through Dectin1-independent actions involving Bβglucans internalization. Thus, dietary Bβglucans inhibit leukocyte superoxide production and leukocyte, renal and aortic ADAM17- and nSMase2 gene expression attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal injury and aortic calcification despite hyperphosphatemia in CKD.A grant to A.S.D. and M.J.M. from IRBLleida and Agrotecnio Research collaborative projects from the Consell Social at Lleida University supported initial work, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF/FEDER) (FIS PI11/00259, PI14/01452, PI17/02181), Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013–2017 y 2018–2022 del Principado de Asturias (GRUPIN14-028, IDI-2018-000152), RedInRen from ISCIII (ISCIII-RETIC REDINREN RD16/0009). Investigator support included: NC-L by GRUPIN14-028 and IDI-2018-000152, LM-A by GRUPIN14-028, SP by FICYT; MVA and PV by Educational Grant 2 A/2015 from ERA-EDTA CKD-MBD Working Group; PV and AC by ERA-EDTA fellowships 2011 and 2012; JR-C by MINECO (“Juan de la Cierva” program, FJCI-2015-23849); A.S.D. by Asociación Investigación de Fisiología Aplicada. A.S.D. and M.J.M. are members of the Campus Iberus (Ebro Valley Campus of International Excellence)