Blurred Lines Between Competition and Parasitism

Accurately describing the ecological relationships between species is more than mere semantics-doing so has profound practical and applied implications, not the least of which is that inaccurate descriptions can lead to fundamentally incorrect predicted outcomes of community composition and functioning. Accurate ecological classifications are particularly important in the context of global change, where species interactions can change rapidly following shifts in species composition. Here, we argue that many common ecological interactions-particularly competition and parasitism-can be easily confused and that we often lack empirical evidence for the full reciprocal interaction among species. To make our case and to propose a theoretical framework for addressing this problem, we use the interactions between lianas and trees, whose outcomes have myriad implications for the ecology and conservation of tropical forests (e.g., Schnitzer et al. 2015)

Preliminary Measurements of Be-10/Be-7 Ratio in Rainwater for Atmospheric Transport Analysis

The meteoric cosmogenic beryllium has been used as an essential geophysical tracer in the analysis of atmospheric flows and erosion soils since 1960. The first measurements Be-7 and Be-10 concentrations in rainwater from Mexico, have been carried out by using gamma decay spectroscopy and AMS techniques, respectively for each isotope. With this it was possible to report a preliminar value for the Be-10/Be-7 isotopic ratio in such environmental samples. The present work described preliminary results related to rainwater collected at mountain and metropolitan areas. Results are compared with predictions and previous measurements for both radioisotopes, observing a very sensible behavior particularly for the case of Be-7 activities

Influences of postharvest storage and processing techniques on antioxidant and nutraceutical properties of rubus idaeus l.: A mini-review

The growth of agricultural mechanization has promoted an increase in raspberry production, and for this reason, the best postharvest storage and processing techniques capable of maintaining the health beneficial properties of these perishable berry fruits have been widely studied. Indeed, raspberries are a rich source of bioactive chemical compounds (e.g., ellagitannins, anthocyanins, and ascorbic acid), but these can be altered by postharvest storage and processing techniques before consumption. Although there are clear differences in storage times and techniques, the content of bioactive chemical compounds is relatively stable with some minor changes in ascorbic acid or anthocyanin content during cold (5◦C) or frozen storage. In the literature, processing techniques such as juicing or drying have negatively affected the content of bioactive chemical compounds. Among drying techniques, hot air (oven) drying is the process that alters the content of bioactive chemical compounds the most. For this reason, new drying technologies such as microwave and heat pumps have been developed. These novel techniques are more successful in retaining bioactive chemical compounds with respect to conventional hot air drying. This mini-review surveys recent literature concerning the effects of postharvest storage and processing techniques on raspberry bioactive chemical compound content

Levels and patterns of objectively assessed physical activity and compliance with different public health guidelines in university students

ArticleBackground Physical activity (PA) is associated with health enhancement. The aim of this study was to assess: 1) levels and patterns of PA in university students by using accelerometers; and 2) the percentage of fulfilment of PA recommendations for adults, according to different public health guidelines. Methods Observational cross-sectional study (Cuenca’s Adults Study) involving 296 (206 women) healthy Spanish university students aged 18–25 years old. Participants wore the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Total PA, steps and time spent in sedentary time, light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was assessed, and the prevalence of sufficient PA was calculated according to various public health guidelines. Results No sex differences in total PA were found. University students were more sedentary during weekend days than weekdays (p<0.05). Only 30.3% of participants accumulated 30 min/day at least five days a week of MVPA. A total of 5.4% of students met the recommendation of 150 min/week of MVPA or 75 min/week of vigorous PA, in PA bouts of at least 10 min. using the same definition, but on five or more days a week, only 0.5% students were found to meet the recommendation. In addition, only 0.5% of students met the recommendation of 30 min/day of MVPA, at least five days a week and in bouts of at least 10 min. Finally, 28.1% of the students met the recommendation of 10,000 steps/day. Conclusions Our study shows a high incidence of sedentary time in university students. The number of students meeting PA recommendations significantly differed depending on the recommendation proposed. Specific strategies to promote PA in this population are necessary as well as an agreement as to which PA guidelines should be used.Fundación para la Investigación SanitariaMinistry of Health and Consumer AffairsInstituto de Salud Carlos IIIRed de Investigación en Actividades Preventivas y de Promoción de Salu

Status of the ANAIS Dark Matter Project at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory

The ANAIS experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal. A detailed analysis of two NaI(Tl) crystals of 12.5 kg each grown by Alpha Spectra will be shown: effective threshold at 1 keVee is at reach thanks to outstanding light collection and robust PMT noise filtering protocols and the measured background is well understood down to 3 keVee, having quantified K, U and Th content and cosmogenic activation in the crystals. A new detector was installed in Canfranc in March 2015 together with the two previous modules and preliminary characterization results will be presented. Finally, the status and expected sensitivity of the full experiment with 112 kg will be reviewed.Comment: Contributed to the 11th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs, Zaragoza, June 22 to 26, 201

Gamma Ray Burst Neutrinos Probing Quantum Gravity

Very high energy, short wavelength, neutrinos may interact with the space-time foam predicted by theories of quantum gravity. They would propagate like light through a crystal lattice and be delayed, with the delay depending on the energy. This will appear to the observer as a violation of Lorenz invariance. Back of the envelope calculations imply that observations of neutrinos produced by gamma ray bursts may reach Planck-scale sensitivity. We revisit the problem considering two essential complications: the imprecise timing of the neutrinos associated with their poorly understood production mechanism in the source and the indirect nature of their energy measurement made by high energy neutrino telescopes.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure

Background model of NaI(Tl) detectors for the ANAIS Dark Matter Project

A thorough understanding of the background sources is mandatory in any experiment searching for rare events. The ANAIS (Annual Modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). Two NaI(Tl) crystals of 12.5 kg each produced by Alpha Spectra have been taking data since December 2012. The complete background model of these detectors and more precisely in the region of interest will be described. Preliminary background analysis of a new 12.5 kg crystal received at Canfranc in March 2015 will be presented too. Finally, the power of anticoincidence rejection in the region of interest has been analyzed in a 4x 5 12.5 kg detector matrix.Comment: Contributed to the 11th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs, Zaragoza, June 22 to 26, 201

Production and relevance of cosmogenic radionuclides in NaI(Tl) crystals

The cosmogenic production of long-lived radioactive isotopes in materials is an hazard for experiments demanding ultra-low background conditions. Although NaI(Tl) scintillators have been used in this context for a long time, very few activation data were available. We present results from two 12.5 kg NaI(Tl) detectors, developed within the ANAIS project and installed at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory. The prompt data taking starting made possible a reliable quantification of production of some I, Te and Na isotopes with half-lives larger than ten days. Initial activities underground were measured and then production rates at sea level were estimated following the history of detectors; a comparison of these rates with calculations using typical cosmic neutron flux at sea level and a selected description of excitation functions was also carried out. After including the contribution from the identified cosmogenic products in the detector background model, we found that the presence of 3H in the crystal bulk would help to fit much better our background model and experimental data. We have analyzed the cosmogenic production of 3H in NaI, and although precise quantification has not been attempted, we can conclude that it could imply a very relevant contribution to the total background below 15 keV in NaI detectors.Comment: Proceedings of the Low Radioactivity Techniques 2015 workshop, March 2015, Seattle (US

First record of Triops gadensis Korn and García-de-Lomas, 2010 (Crustacea: Notostraca) in Córdoba Province, southern Spain

We studied a Triops population from a Mediterranean temporary pond located in Guadalcázar, a township in the western part of Córdoba Province. There are four morphologically similar species of Triops occurring in the SW Iberian Peninsula. In particular, the two species found in southern Andalusia, T. baeticus and T. gadensis, cannot reliably be told apart based on known morphological characters. We thus used sequences of 12S rDNA as a molecular marker to soundly identify the population to species rank. Our results demonstrate that the Triops population studied belongs to T. gadensis. This result is rather unexpected given that the species was thought to be restricted to a small distribution range along the Atlantic coast in Cádiz Province. The population is located at approximately 170 km from previously known sites of T. gadensis and shows a previously unknown haplotype, the sixth 12S haplotype reported for the species. We thus suggest that the population has high conservation value, and its habitat, including the surroundings, should be legally protected. We further propose that an open habitat type as pastureland should be retained for the surroundings of the site in order to support its ecological function in the frame of meta-populations dynamics, and as a possible source population from which new localities could be populated via passive dispersal