Historical flash floods retromodelling in the Ondara River in Tàrrega (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Flash floods in the Ondara River have caused many fatalities and damages in the town of Tàrrega in the last 400 yr. Unfortunately, no flow records are available. <br><br> However, floods can sometimes be reconstructed thanks to available historical information: limnimarks, written accounts and archaeological surveys. Indeed, from these data and using the retromodelling method on three different scenarios to take into account morphology changes, the peak flows of the seven greatest floods occurred in Tàrrega since the 17th century were estimated. <br><br> The results showed that the heaviest flood's specific peak flow (10.7 m<sup>3</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> km<sup>−2</sup>) ranks among the highest ever modelled or measured in similar-sized catchments in the Western Mediterranean region. The results pointed out, as well, that the changes in channel's morphology (mainly, the disappearance of a mediaeval bridge under sediment) caused by one of the floods increased the hydraulic capacity of a crucial cross-section. All this resulted in modest floods invading the town less often, but with much faster and, thus, more destructive flows. <br><br> A preliminary estimation of the results' uncertainty was 4% for great floods and 18% for modest floods. <br><br> The reconstructed peak flows will be introduced in a database for a future use in climatic and hydrological studies

Descriptive analyses of maternally-derived antibody levels against porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) in 3- and 21-day-old piglets from farms of four European countries using different vaccination protocols in sows

Background Up to now, information on the levels of maternally-derived antibodies (MDA) against PCV-2 in suckling piglets born to sows vaccinated with different strategies is scarce in the literature. In the present observational study, the PCV-2-specific MDA titres from piglets from 109 farms (thirty 3-day-old and thirty 21-day-old piglets per farm) across four different European countries (France n = 30, Germany n = 27, Italy n = 22 and Spain n = 30) using different sow vaccination strategies (during gestation, as a gilt, as a piglet or never) were assessed. Results In all four countries, mean log PCV-2 MDA titres were higher in 3-day-old piglets than in the 3-week-old ones, being significant in most of all the comparisons performed. Within each country, the highest PCV-2-specific MDA titres were observed in the 3-day-old piglets born to sows vaccinated during gestation. Indeed, in the four countries, more than 60% of this subpopulation (3-day-old piglets from sows vaccinated during pregnancy) had the highest log PCV-2 titres detectable with the ELISA technique used in this study. The lowest MDA titres were more variable. Whereas in France and Germany the lowest titres corresponded to 21-day-old piglets born from sows vaccinated as a piglet, in Italy, they corresponded to 21-day-old piglets derived from sows vaccinated as a gilt and in Spain to 21-day-old piglets born from non-vaccinated sows. In this study, PCV-2-specific MDA titres at 3 and 21 days of age were not affected by sow parity. Conclusions Data obtained could be considered as a European global overview of PCV-2-specific MDA titres present in the pre-vaccinated piglet populations in different European countries, with titres tending to be higher in younger piglets, but with values variable among countries and sow vaccination strategies

Shock absorbing reception surfaces for collecting fruit during the mechanical harvesting of citrus

Damage to fresh citrus caused by impact of fruits onto collecting surfaces has restricted the adoption of mechanical harvesting. Two different experiments were carried out: investigating free-falling citrus and investigating the shock absorbing capacity of various surfaces. In free-falling experiment damage to mandarin, orange and lemon was studied. Three collecting surfaces were studied: a concrete floor, an elevated canvas provided with a frame and wheels, and a concrete floor covered with a shock absorbing canvases. Three dropping heights were used. In the shock absorbing experiment, an electronic sphere and a triaxial accelerometer were used to measure the shock capacity of seven receiving surfaces: earth, earth covered with a shock absorbing canvas, earth covered with weeds, earth covered with a mulch and an elevated canvas provided with a frame and wheels. The elevated canvases had a higher shock absorbing capacity compared to the other surfaces (260 m s−2 maximum acceleration compared with 1753 m s−2 to 2772 m s−2). Weeds, mulch and the shock absorbing canvases showed significantly higher shock absorbing capacity than the bare earth. Also, the shock absorbing canvas covering the concrete floor reduce impact and fruit damage (1866 m s−2 maximum acceleration compared to 2477 m s−2). Citrus damage susceptibility during harvest depended on variety. Weeds, mulch and shock absorbing canvases were shown to reduce impact when they cover earth during the mechanical harvesting of citrus. Elevated canvases could be used as collection systems for the mechanical harvesting of fresh citrus.This study was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (research project RTA2009-00118-C02-02) and FEDER. The authors are most grateful to the following collaborators: Maria del Mar Lopez Quevedo, Montano Perez, Juan Jose Pena and Angel Perez.Ortiz Sánchez, MC.; Blasco, J.; Balasch Parisi, S.; Torregrosa Mira, A. (2011). Shock absorbing reception surfaces for collecting fruit during the mechanical harvesting of citrus. Biosystems Engineering. 110(1):2-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2011.05.006S29110

The scope of language contact as a constraint factor in language change: The periphrasis haber de plus infinitive in a corpus of language immediacy in modern Spanish

In this work an empirical study grounded in the principles and methods of the comparative variationist framework is conducted to measure the scope of language contact as a factor constraining some potentially diverging uses of a Spanish verbal periphrasis that has undergone a sharp decline over the last century (haber de plus infinitive). The analysis is based on three independent samples of text that correspond to three dialectal areas of peninsular Spanish (monolingual zones, Catalan-speaking linguistic territories and the north-western linguistic area). These samples, extracted from a corpus made up of texts of communicative immediacy from the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, confirm the existence of a certain linguistic convergence in the expressive habits of the speakers in the bilingual communities. In each region, however, the outcomes are different, due to parallel differences in the structural position of the periphrasis in each language. However, a thorough analysis of the variable context that surrounds the periphrasis shows that the observed differences do not affect the essence of the underlying grammar of this variant, whose decline (which favours tener que plus infinitive and becomes faster as the 20th century advances) is constrained by identical linguistic and extralinguistic conditioning factors in all the dialectal areas

Swedish high school students' knowledge and attitudes regarding fertility and family building

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infertility is a serious problem for those who suffer. Some of the risks for infertility are preventable and the individual should therefore have knowledge of them. The purposes of this study were to investigate high-school students' knowledge about fertility, plans for family building and to compare views and knowledge between female and male students.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire containing 34 items was answered by 274 students. Answers from male and female students were compared using student's <it>t</it>-test for normally distributed variables and Mann-Whitney <it>U</it>-test for non-normal distributions. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions of male and female students who answered questions on nominal and ordinal scales. Differences were considered as statistically significant at a <it>p</it>-value of 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses showed that 234 (85%) intended to have children. Female students felt parenthood to be significantly more important than male students: <it>p </it>= <it><</it>0.01. The mean age at which the respondents thought they would like to start to build their family was 26 (± 2.9) years. Men believed that women's fertility declined significantly later than women did: <it>p </it>= <it><</it>0.01. Women answered that 30.7% couples were involuntarily infertile and men answered 22.5%: <it>p </it>= <it><</it>0.01. Females thought it significantly more likely that they would consider IVF or adoption than men, <it>p = </it>0.01. Men felt they were more likely to abstain from having children than women: <it>p = <</it>0.01. Women believed that body weight influenced fertility significantly more often than men: <it>p = <</it>0.01 and men believed significantly more often that smoking influenced fertility: <it>p </it>= 0.03. Both female and male students answered that they would like to have more knowledge about the area of fertility.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Young people plan to start their families when the woman's fertility is already in decline. Improving young people's knowledge about these issues would give them more opportunity to take responsibility for their sexual health and to take an active role in shaping political change to improve conditions for earlier parenthood.</p

Effects of recombinant LH supplementation to recombinant FSH during induced ovarian stimulation in the GnRH-agonist protocol: a matched case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some studies have suggested that the suppression of endogenous LH secretion does not seem to affect the majority of patients who are undergoing assisted reproduction and stimulation with recombinant FSH (r-FSH). Other studies have indicated that a group of normogonadotrophic women down-regulated and stimulated with pure FSH preparations may experience low LH concentrations that compromise the IVF parameters. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of recombinant LH (r-LH) supplementation for controlled ovarian stimulation in r-FSH and GnRH-agonist (GnRH-a) protocol in ICSI cycles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 244 patients without ovulatory dysfunction, aged <40 years and at the first ICSI cycle were divided into two groups matched by age according to an ovarian stimulation scheme: Group I (n = 122): Down-regulation with GnRH-a + r-FSH and Group II (n = 122): Down-regulation with GnRH-a + r-FSH and r-LH (beginning simultaneously).</p> <p>Result(s)</p> <p>The number of oocytes collected, the number of oocytes in metaphase II and fertilization rate were significantly lower in the Group I than in Group II (<it>P </it>= 0.036, <it>P </it>= 0.0014 and <it>P </it>= 0.017, respectively). In addition, the mean number of embryos produced per cycle and the mean number of frozen embryos per cycle were statistically lower (<it>P </it>= 0.0092 and <it>P </it>= 0.0008, respectively) in Group I than in Group II. Finally the cumulative implantation rate (fresh+thaw ed embryos) was significantly lower (<it>P </it>= 0.04) in Group I than in Group II. The other clinical and laboratory results analyzed did not show difference between groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data support r-LH supplementation in ovarian stimulation protocols with r-FSH and GnRH-a for assisted reproduction treatment.</p

Administration of single-dose GnRH agonist in the luteal phase in ICSI cycles: a meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effects of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) administered in the luteal phase remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of the administration of a single-dose of GnRH-a in the luteal phase on ICSI clinical outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The research strategy included the online search of databases. Only randomized studies were included. The outcomes analyzed were implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) per transfer and ongoing pregnancy rate. The fixed effects model was used for odds ratio. In all trials, a single dose of GnRH-a was administered at day 5/6 after ICSI procedures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All cycles presented statistically significantly higher rates of implantation (P < 0.0001), CPR per transfer (P = 0.006) and ongoing pregnancy (P = 0.02) in the group that received luteal-phase GnRH-a administration than in the control group (without luteal-phase-GnRH-a administration). When meta-analysis was carried out only in trials that had used long GnRH-a ovarian stimulation protocol, CPR per transfer (P = 0.06) and ongoing pregnancy (P = 0.23) rates were not significantly different between the groups, but implantation rate was significant higher (P = 0.02) in the group that received luteal-phase-GnRH-a administration. On the other hand, the results from trials that had used GnRH antagonist multi-dose ovarian stimulation protocol showed statistically significantly higher implantation (P = 0.0002), CPR per transfer (P = 0.04) and ongoing pregnancy rate (P = 0.04) in the luteal-phase-GnRH-a administration group. The majority of the results presented heterogeneity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings demonstrate that the luteal-phase single-dose GnRH-a administration can increase implantation rate in all cycles and CPR per transfer and ongoing pregnancy rate in cycles with GnRH antagonist ovarian stimulation protocol. Nevertheless, by considering the heterogeneity between the trials, it seems premature to recommend the use of GnRH-a in the luteal phase. Additional randomized controlled trials are necessary before evidence-based recommendations can be provided.</p

RNA-Seq Reveals an Integrated Immune Response in Nucleated Erythrocytes

Background: Throughout the primary literature and within textbooks, the erythrocyte has been tacitly accepted to have maintained a unique physiological role; namely gas transport and exchange. In non-mammalian vertebrates, nucleated erythrocytes are present in circulation throughout the life cycle and a fragmented series of observations in mammals support a potential role in non-respiratory biological processes. We hypothesised that nucleated erythrocytes could actively participate via ligand-induced transcriptional re-programming in the immune response. Methodology/Principal Findings: Nucleated erythrocytes from both fish and birds express and regulate specific pattern recognition receptor (PRR) mRNAs and, thus, are capable of specific pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) detection that is central to the innate immune response. In vitro challenge with diverse PAMPs led to de novo specific mRNA synthesis of both receptors and response factors including interferon-alpha (IFNα) that exhibit a stimulus-specific polysomal shift supporting active translation. RNA-Seq analysis of the PAMP (Poly (I:C), polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid)-erythrocyte response uncovered diverse cohorts of differentially expressed mRNA transcripts related to multiple physiological systems including the endocrine, reproductive and immune. Moreover, erythrocyte-derived conditioned mediums induced a type-1 interferon response in macrophages thus supporting an integrative role for the erythrocytes in the immune response. Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrate that nucleated erythrocytes in non-mammalian vertebrates spanning significant phylogenetic distance participate in the immune response. RNA-Seq studies highlight a mRNA repertoire that suggests a previously unrecognized integrative role for the erythrocytes in other physiological systems