Large-scale grid-based detection in occupancy surveys of a threatened small mammal: A comparison of two non-invasive methods

Monitoring the status and trends of wildlife is key to understand how species respond to natural and human- derived threats, and to evaluate and improve conservation planning and management. Large-scale, grid-based assessment of species distribution, abundance, and population trends over time is an important component of biodiversity monitoring. However, such assessments still present important challenges related, for instance, to how the choice of the sampling method may affect species detectability and thus, overall data accuracy. Here, we address this issue, focusing on the Cabrera vole (Microtus cabrerae), a threatened small mammal, listed in the Habitats Directive (Annexes II and IV), hence requiring regular evaluation of its population status and trends. We used occupancy modelling to estimate method-specific detection probability of the species over large-scale, grid- based (10 × 10 km2) surveys relying on two non-invasive sampling techniques: sign surveys and owl pellet analysis. Results provided evidence for a greater cost-effectiveness of sign surveys compared to owl pellet analysis for detecting the species in occupancy surveys, suggesting that large-scale population monitoring of Cabrera voles (or other species also producing easily identifiable signs of their presence) may fairly rely on sign- surveys. Overall, our study supported the view that while owl pellet analysis provides a valuable option when the aim is to assess small mammal assemblages (i.e. multiple species) in a region, other complementary methods may be required to increase the detection probability of certain species that because of their secretive behaviour or rarity remain less predated by owls. We thus argue that the choice of the sampling method should be context- dependent and evaluated based on the study aims, the surveyed area (i.e. local factors), the target species (i.e. life history traits) and the available resources. Based on our results we recommend that researchers and managers explore survey-design trade-offs to ensure the proposed designs have sufficient power to detect real population trends

Abnormal thymic stromal lymphopoietin expression in the duodenal mucosa of patients with coeliac disease

OBJECTIVE: The short isoform of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine constitutively expressed by epithelial cells, is crucial in preserving immune tolerance in the gut. TSLP deficiency has been implicated in sustaining intestinal damage in Crohn's disease. We explored mucosal TSLP expression and function in refractory and uncomplicated coeliac disease (CD), a T-cell-mediated enteropathy induced by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. DESIGN: TSLP isoforms-long and short-and receptors-TSLPR and interleukin (IL)-7Rα-were assessed by immunofluorescence, immunoblotting and qRT-PCR in the duodenum of untreated, treated, potential and refractory patients with CD. The ability of the serine protease furin or CD biopsy supernatants to cleave TSLP was evaluated by immunoblotting. The production of interferon (IFN)-γ and IL-8 by untreated CD biopsies cultured ex vivo with TSLP isoforms was also assessed. RESULTS: Mucosal TSLP, but not TSLPR and IL-7Rα, was reduced in untreated CD and refractory CD in comparison to treated CD, potential CD and controls. Transcripts of both TSLP isoforms were decreased in active CD mucosa. Furin, which was overexpressed in active CD biopsies, was able to cleave TSLP in vitro. Accordingly, refractory and untreated CD supernatants showed higher TSLP-degrading capacity in comparison to treated CD and control supernatants. In our ex vivo model, both TSLP isoforms significantly downregulated IFN-γ and IL-8 production by untreated CD biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced mucosal TSLP expression may contribute to intestinal damage in refractory and untreated CD. Further studies are needed to verify whether restoring TSLP might be therapeutically useful especially in refractory patients with CD

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Changes in social norms during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic across 43 countries

The emergence of COVID-19 dramatically changed social behavior across societies and contexts. Here we study whether social norms also changed. Specifically, we study this question for cultural tightness (the degree to which societies generally have strong norms), specific social norms (e.g. stealing, hand washing), and norms about enforcement, using survey data from 30,431 respondents in 43 countries recorded before and in the early stages following the emergence of COVID-19. Using variation in disease intensity, we shed light on the mechanisms predicting changes in social norm measures. We find evidence that, after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, hand washing norms increased while tightness and punishing frequency slightly decreased but observe no evidence for a robust change in most other norms. Thus, at least in the short term, our findings suggest that cultures are largely stable to pandemic threats except in those norms, hand washing in this case, that are perceived to be directly relevant to dealing with the collective threat

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

La literatura siria contemporánea: estudio de las obras de Samar Yazbek desde la revolución hasta 2018

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo la presentación y el análisis de las cuatro obras de la novelista y periodista siria Samar Yazbek (Latakia, 1970), publicadas entre el año del estallido de la Revolución siria en 2011 y 2018. Las obras estudiadas pertenecen al canon literario sirio contemporáneo y recogen el legado de la corriente del realismo social iniciada en los años cincuenta en la zona de Oriente Medio. Nuestra investigación se basa en la hipótesis que las cuatro obras Taqāṭuʻ Nīrān - min yawmiyāt al-intifāḍa al-sūrīyya (2011), Bawwābāt arḍ al-‘adam (2015), Al-Maššā’a (2017) y Tis‘a ‘ašara imrā’a: sūrīyyāt yarwīna (2018), representan la evolución de la escritura de Samar Yazbek, influenciada por el comienzo del levantamiento y afectada por la irrupción de la guerra y su exilio. Este corpus se centra en la memoria y el trauma desde una perspectiva de género inicialmente autobiográfica, hasta la transformación en una escritura poético-política intencionalmente dirigida a la memoria cultural y colectiva y basada en los testimonios de mujeres. Paralelamente, las obras en examen muestran la trayectoria de resistencia literaria y del compromiso político de la autora con los ideales de la Revolución. Los contenidos de las obras reflejan la intención de dar a conocer la realidad de Siria y al mismo tiempo luchar contra el olvido, que en esta tesis identificamos como memoricidio literario-cultural. Samar Yazbek explora en cada obra una faceta distinta de su experiencia personal y la de otras mujeres con la Revolución, la guerra y con los eventos que han tenido lugar como consecuencia: el sufrimiento, la muerte, el trauma y el exilio. La escritura de las obras representa la evolución de Samar Yazbek desde una perspectiva personal y colectiva de la situación de Siria a lo largo de siete años. El análisis de las cuatro obras, se lleva a cabo aplicando los principios de la teoría de crítica literaria feminista establecidos por la ginocrítica de Elaine Showalter y por los estudios de la memoria cultural y colectiva a partir de los trabajos de Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assman y Luisa Passerini. Asimismo, se realiza una comparación de la escritura y del uso de géneros literarios híbridos que caracterizan las obras de la escritora y periodista Svetlana Aleksievich y de Samar Yazbek. Las experiencias traumáticas, individuales y colectivas, se insertan en el ámbito de lo público a través del acto de la narración. De esta manera, la escritura se convierte en la génesis de una narración testimonial de la historia reciente de Siria, en la cual el testimonio de las mujeres funciona como un vínculo entre el archivo y la memoria.This research aims at presenting and analyzing the four books of the Syrian novelist and journalist Samar Yazbek (Latakia, 1970) published between the year of the outbreak of the Syrian Revolution in 2011 and 2018. These books belong to the contemporary Syrian literary canon and collect the legacy of the social realism literary movement initiated in the 1950s in the Middle East area. Our research is based on the hypothesis that the four works Taqāṭuʻ Nīrān - min yawmiyāt al-intifāḍa al-sūrīyya (2011), Bawwābāt arḍ al-‘adam (2015), Al-Maššā’a (2017) and Tis‘a ‘ašara imrā’a: sūrīyyāt yarwīna (2018), represent the evolution of Samar Yazbek’s writing influenced by the beginning of the uprising, later affected by the occurrence of war and the author’s exile. This corpus focuses on memory and trauma, showing a transformation from an autobiographical gender perspective towards a poetic-politic writing style aimed at cultural and collective memory based on women’s testimonies. Similarly, the four books show the author’s trajectory of literary resistance and political commitment to the principles of the Revolution. The contents of her works reflect the intention to spread awareness on the reality of Syria and at the same time to fight against oblivion, which in this thesis we identify as literary-cultural memoricide. Samar Yazbek explores in each book a different aspect of her personal experience and that of other women with Revolution, war and with the events that have taken place as a consequence: suffering, death, trauma and exile. The writing style also represents Samar Yazbek’s evolution from a personal to a collective perspective of the situation in Syria over seven years. The analysis of the four works is carried out by applying the principles of the feminist literary criticism established by Elaine Showalter in her gynocritics theory, and by the “cultural and collective memory studies” defined by Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assman and Luisa Passerini. Moreover, it is presented a comparison of the writing style and use of hybrid literary genres that characterize the literature of Samar Yazbek and the writer and journalist Svetlana Aleksievich. Traumatic experiences, both individual and collective, are inserted into the public sphere through the act of narration. Therefore, writing becomes the genesis of a testimonial narration of Syria's recent history where women's testimony functions as a link between archive and memory.Tesis Univ. Granada

Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica e Sclerosi Primaria Laterale: le differenze nel funzionamento cognitivo e nel riconoscimento delle emozioni.

La Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica viene classificata tra le malattie neuromuscolari, in quanto compromette i motoneuroni localizzati nella corteccia motoria, definiti “primo motoneurone” o “upper” e/o quelli ubicati a livello del bulbo o del midollo spinale, “secondo motoneurone” o “lower”. Con l’etichetta Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica in realtà si fa riferimento ad uno spettro di varianti cliniche, che si diversificano tra loro a seconda dell’esordio della malattia (bulbare/spinale), dell’ereditabilità (familiare/sporadica) o a seconda di quale motoneurone (primo/secondo) viene danneggiato. I primi sintomi che colpiscono i pazienti che scoprono di essere affetti da tale malattia neuromuscolare sono motori: deficit di forza o atrofia muscolare che condurrà ad ipotonia, presenza di spasticità e riflessi o fascicolazione. La Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica (SLA) e lo spettro di varianti cliniche che essa porta con sé, non può essere definita solo come un disturbo motorio, in quanto sono sempre più numerose le evidenze che indicano una compromissione anche a livello cognitivo. Difatti nel 13-15% dei casi i pazienti possono sviluppare anche una demenza di tipo frontotemporale e in quasi la metà dei pazienti, si riscontrano screzi a livello cognitivo, tanto che Strong & colleghi (2009) hanno proposto una classificazione della SLA, a seconda di quale dominio cognitivo venga compromesso (variante disesecutiva o con compromisisone non esecutiva). Queste evidenze hanno anche condotto all’ipotesi (Eisen et al., 2017) che vede la SLA come una malattia che inizia a livello cerebrale, per poi espandersi fino alle regioni sottocorticali e midollari. È da qui che nasce l’interesse di confrontare le prestazioni di pazienti con Sclerosi primaria laterale con quelle dei pazienti con SLA e il progetto di monitoraggio del loro profilo cognitivo, con un primo follow up ad un anno. La Sclerosi Primaria Laterale è caratterizzata dalla sola compromissione del primo motoneurone, ovvero quello ubicato a livello della corteccia motoria e che può evolvere in SLA classica entro i 5 anni dell’esordio dei primi sintomi. Gli studi su questa variante sono però molto esigui, per non dire assenti quando si parla di studi sul riconoscimento delle emozioni. Il confronto tra queste due varianti permette di paragonare il profilo cognitivo di un paziente all’esordio della malattia, ovvero quando la compromissione è solo a livello corticale, con prestazioni di pazienti dove il coinvolgimento è già esteso e seguire l’evoluzione cognitiva di entrambi. Questo potrebbe anche permettere di comprendere se i deficit cognitivi che possono essere riscontrati in tale malattia possano costituire dei markers, connotando più precisamente le varianti cliniche. Tale assessment ha ovvimanente anche un versante clinico, in quanto è necessario per valutare l’integrità delle capacità decisionali del paziente, che si trova ad affrontare scelte che possono o meno mantenerlo in vita. In particolare lo studio sperimentale prevede una valutazione del profilo cognitivo del paziente, ed una valutazione della sua capacità di riconoscimento delle emozioni sia dai volti che dalla prosodia. Infatti è nota una compromissione del paziente con SLA della Social Cognition, ma non sono numerosi gli studi che hanno indagato il riconoscimento delle emozioni attrverso queste due modalità. Infine a quattro pazienti, risulanti dotati di normoefficenza a livello cognitivo e senza impedimenti motori, è stata somministrata la Wechsler Memory Scale-IV, con la finalità di fornire un quadro più chiaro anche del profilo mnestico del paziente con SLA, altamente dibattutto in letteratura

Tú también puedes ser como ellas: Científicas de ayer, de hoy y del mañana...Un proyecto para la sensibilización pública que ayude a lograr una mayor participación y progreso de las mujeres y las niñas en la ciencia

Este proyecto está dedicado en homenaje a nuestra “científica del ayer”, Doña Expiración García Sánchez, por su brillante carrera investigadora, y a las futuras jóvenes que quieran ser como ella…La Escuela de Estudios Árabes Invita con este vídeo a la sensibilización pública que ayude a lograr una mayor participación, progreso y visibilidad de las mujeres y las niñas en la ciencia. Iniciativa 11Febrero