Dinámica de poblaciones de vectores y transmisión del virus Y de la patata en cultivos de pimiento

En 1990 se colocaron 7 trampas horizontales de baldosa verde del tipo utilizado por IRWIN (1980), situadas a la misma altura que el cultivo, en diferentes zonas productoras de pimiento en España: Aranjuez (Madrid), Balboa (Badajoz), Cadreita (Navarra), Mendavia (La Rioja), Torrepacheco (Murcia) y Montañana (Zaragoza). El muestreo abarcó de 18 a 19 semanas en cada localidad. El total de pulgones recolectados durante el período que duró el muestreo fue de 3.186 que corresponden a 29 especies distintas, de los que 1.019 individuos corresponden a la especie Aphis fabae Scopoli (31,98 % del total) y 500 a Aphis gossypii Glover (15,69 %). Otras especies capturadas en menor proporción han sido: Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis nasturtii Kaltenbach, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko) y Brachycaudus spp., entre otras. Se realizaron ensayos de transmisión en laboratorio con el virus Y de la patata (PVY) utilizando las especies más importantes desde el punto de vista del número de capturas realizadas. Se emplearon dos aislados de este virus: uno de ellos obtenido en campo infectando pimiento y que pertenece al patotipo 0 (infecta a «Yolo Wonder» pero no a «Yolo Y») y otro obtenido de patata y perteneciente al grupo N de PVY (patata). Los resultados indican que ambas cepas son transmisibles por Myzus persicae (Sulzer) a pimiento «Yolo Wonder», aunque PVYN se transmite con mucha menor eficiencia. En ensayos de comparación entre distintas especies de vectores en cuanto a la capacidad de transmisión de PVY*, se observa que M. persicae es el más eficaz, seguido de A. gossypii que es el segundo en importancia. Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris fue también capaz de transmitir PVY0, pero con mucha menor eficacia. A la vista de los resultados obtenidos, y a pesar de su gran eficacia de transmisión en condiciones controladas, M. persicae parece tener escasa importancia en cuanto a su capacidad de transmisión de PVY en campo, ya que presenta una baja actividad de vuelo en cultivo de pimiento en todas las localidades muestreadas.

Autoecología de los hayedos catalanes

Este estudio está basado en el muestreo de campo y posterior análisis de 24 parcelas de hayedo seleccionadas mediante una estratificación de su área de distribución basada en la clasificación CLATERES de la Ecorregión Catalano-Aragonesa. En cada parcela se han evaluado 3 parámetros fisiográficos, 15 climáticos y 18 edáficos, a partir de los cuales se han establecido sus valores paramétricos centrales y marginales que permiten definir los hábitats fisiográfico, climático y edáfico de las masas de Fagus sylvatica L. en Cataluña. Los hayedos catalanes se presentan sobre substratos litológicos muy diversos (plutonitas, vulcanitas, metamorfitas y sedimentitas, tanto ácidas como básicas), con texturas predominantes francas, franco-arenosas o franco-limosas. Los suelos, según FAO, son mayoritariamente cambisoles. A pesar de que la capacidad de retención de agua de sus suelos es escasa, la sequía fisiológica es reducida. Los humus predominantemente pertenecen a los tipos mull forestal y mull cálcico. Además, se presentan una serie de parámetros selvícolas ( Densidad de pies y densidad de chirpiales, Area basimétrica, Altura Total dominante, Índices de Hart-Becking, Índice de Calidad de Estación y Edad de la masa) que al correlacionarlos con los ecológicos nos ha permitido comprobar que los mejores hayedos se encuentran en las localizaciones más térmicas, en las que incluso se podría producir sequía fisiológica si no fuera por que existen suficientes precipitaciones estivales.

An open source browser-based software tool for graph drawing and visualisation

In this research work we searched for open source libraries which supports graph drawing and visualisation and can run in a browser. Subsequent these libraries were evaluated to find out which one is the best for this task. The result was the d3.js is that library which has the greatest functionality, flexibility and customisability. Afterwards we developed an open source software tool where d3.js was included and which was written in JavaScript so that it can run browser-based.

WebGraphEd, an open source graph drawing editor for the web

WebGraphEd is an open source software for graph visualization and manipulation. It is especially designed to work for the web platform through a web browser. The web application has been written in JavaScript and compacted later, which makes it a very lightweight software. There is no need of additional software, and the only requirement is to have an HTML5 compliant browser. WebGraphEd works with scalable vector graphics (SVG), which it makes possible to create lossless graph drawings.

Multi-scale effects of nestling diet on breeding performance in a terrestrial top predator inferred from stable isotope analysis

Inter-individual diet variation within populations is likely to have important ecological and evolutionary implications. The diet-fitness relationships at the individual level and the emerging population processes are, however, poorly understood for most avian predators inhabiting complex terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we use an isotopic approach to assess the trophic ecology of nestlings in a long-lived raptor, the Bonelli"s eagle Aquila fasciata, and investigate whether nestling dietary breath and main prey consumption can affect the species" reproductive performance at two spatial scales: territories within populations and populations over a large geographic area. At the territory level, those breeding pairs whose nestlings consumed similar diets to the overall population (i.e. moderate consumption of preferred prey, but complemented by alternative prey categories) or those disproportionally consuming preferred prey were more likely to fledge two chicks. An increase in the diet diversity, however, related negatively with productivity. The age and replacements of breeding pair members had also an influence on productivity, with more fledglings associated to adult pairs with few replacements, as expected in long-lived species. At the population level, mean productivity was higher in those population-years with lower dietary breadth and higher diet similarity among territories, which was related to an overall higher consumption of preferred prey. Thus, we revealed a correspondence in diet-fitness relationships at two spatial scales: territories and populations. We suggest that stable isotope analyses may be a powerful tool to monitor the diet of terrestrial avian predators on large spatio-temporal scales, which could serve to detect potential changes in the availability of those prey on which predators depend for breeding. We encourage ecologists and evolutionary and conservation biologists concerned with the multi-scale fitness consequences of inter-individual variation in resource use to employ similar stable isotope-based approaches, which can be successfully applied to complex ecosystems such as the Mediterranean.

Dades obertes enllaçades (Linked Open Data) en el món de l'educació : Una visió de l'estat de l'art d'aquesta tecnologia aplicada a l'ensenyament i l'aprenentatge

En el present treball hem tractat d'aportar una visió actual del món de les dades obertes enllaçades en l'àmbit de l'educació. Hem revisat tant les aplicacions que van dirigides a implementar aquestes tecnologies en els repositoris de dades existents (pàgines web, repositoris d'objectes educacionals, repositoris de cursos i programes educatius) com a ser suport de nous paradigmes dins del món de l'educació.

SDS open source

Estudi de viabilitat sobre la implantació d'un software-defined storage open source en entorns empresarials. Comparativa entre Gluster, Ceph, OpenAFS, TahoeFS i XtreemFS.

Measurement of a Structured Backflow in an Open Small Channel Induced by Surface-Tension Gradients

We present experiments in which the laterally confined flow of a surfactant film driven by controlled surface tension gradients causes the subtended liquid layer to self-organize into an inner upstream microduct surrounded by the downstream flow. The anomalous interfacial flow profiles and the concomitant backflow are a result of the feedback between two-dimensional and three-dimensional microfluidics realized during flow in open microchannels. Bulk and surface particle image velocimetry data combined with an interfacial hydrodynamics model explain the dependence of the observed phenomena on channel geometry.

Bioavailability of sinking organic matter in the Blanes canyon and the adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Submarine canyons are sites of intense energy and material exchange between the shelf and the deep adjacent basins. To test the hypothesis that active submarine canyons represent preferential conduits of available food for the deep-sea benthos, two mooring lines were deployed at 1200 m depth from November 2008 to November 2009 inside the Blanes canyon and on the adjacent open slope (Catalan Margin, NW Mediterranean Sea). We investigated the fluxes, biochemical composition and food quality of sinking organic carbon (OC). OC fluxes in the canyon and the open slope varied among sampling periods, though not onsistently in the two sites. In particular, while in the open slope the highest OC fluxes were observed in August 2009, in the canyon the highest OC fluxes occurred in April-May 2009. For almost the entire study period, the OC fluxes in the canyon were significantly higher than those in the open slope, whereas OC contents of sinking particles collected in the open slope were consistently higher than those in the canyon. This result confirms that submarine canyons are effective conveyors of OC to the deep sea. Particles transferred to the deep sea floor through the canyons are predominantly of inorganic origin, significantly higher than that reaching the open slope at a similar water depth. Using multivariate statistical tests, two major clusters of sampling periods were identified: one in the canyon that grouped trap samples collected in December 2008, oncurrently with the occurrence of a major storm at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of nutritionally available particles from the upper shelf. Another cluster grouped samples from both the canyon and the open slope collected in March 2009, concurrently with the occurrence of the seasonal phytoplankton bloom at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of total phytopigments. Our results confirm the key ecological role of submarine canyons for the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems, and highlight the importance of canyons in linking episodic storms and primary production occurring at the sea surface to the deep sea floor.

Impact of open-ocean convection on particle fluxes and sediment dynamics in the deep margin of the Gulf of Lions.

Abstract. The deep outer margin of the Gulf of Lions and the adjacent basin, in the western Mediterranean Sea, are regularly impacted by open-ocean convection, a major hydrodynamic event responsible for the ventilation of the deep water in the western Mediterranean Basin. However, the impact of open-ocean convection on the flux and transport of particulate matter remains poorly understood. The variability of water mass properties (i.e., temperature and salinity), currents, and particle fluxes were monitored between September 2007 and April 2009 at five instrumented mooring lines deployed between 2050 and 2350-m depth in the deepest continental margin and adjacent basin. Four of the lines followed a NW-SE transect, while the fifth one was located on a sediment wave field to the west. The results of the main, central line SC2350 ("LION") located at 42 02.50 N, 4 410 E, at 2350-m depth, show that open-ocean convection reached midwater depth ( 1000-m depth) during winter 2007-2008, and reached the seabed ( 2350-m depth) during winter 2008-2009. Horizontal currents were unusually strong with speeds up to 39 cm s−1 during winter 2008-2009. The measurements at all 5 different locations indicate that mid-depth and near-bottom currents and particle fluxes gave relatively consistent values of similar magnitude across the study area except during winter 2008-2009, when near-bottom fluxes abruptly increased by one to two orders of magnitude. Particulate organic carbon contents, which generally vary between 3 and 5 %, were abnormally low ( 1 %) during winter 2008-2009 and approached those observed in surface sediments (0.6 %). Turbidity profiles made in the region demonstrated the existence of a bottom nepheloid layer, several hundred meters thick, and related to the resuspension of bottom sediments. These observations support the view that open-ocean deep convection events in the Gulf of Lions can cause significant remobilization of sediments in the deep outer margin and the basin, with a subsequent alteration of the seabed likely impacting the functioning of the deep-sea ecosystem.

Investigating Neuroanatomical Features in Top Athletes at the Single Subject Level.

In sport events like Olympic Games or World Championships competitive athletes keep pushing the boundaries of human performance. Compared to team sports, high achievements in many athletic disciplines depend solely on the individual's performance. Contrasting previous research looking for expertise-related differences in brain anatomy at the group level, we aim to demonstrate changes in individual top athlete's brain, which would be averaged out in a group analysis. We compared structural magnetic resonance images (MRI) of three professional track-and-field athletes to age-, gender- and education-matched control subjects. To determine brain features specific to these top athletes, we tested for significant deviations in structural grey matter density between each of the three top athletes and a carefully matched control sample. While total brain volumes were comparable between athletes and controls, we show regional grey matter differences in striatum and thalamus. The demonstrated brain anatomy patterns remained stable and were detected after 2 years with Olympic Games in between. We also found differences in the fusiform gyrus in two top long jumpers. We interpret our findings in reward-related areas as correlates of top athletes' persistency to reach top-level skill performance over years.

Respecting the deal: Economically sustainable management of open innovation among co-opeting companies

Platforms like eBay allow product seekers and providers to meet and exchange goods. On eBay, consumers can return a product if it does not correspond to expectations; eBay is the third-party firm in charge of assuring that the agreement among seekers and providers will be respected. Who provides the same service for what concerns open innovation, where specifications might not fully defined? This paper describes the business model of an organizational structure to support the elicitation and respect of agreements among agents, who have conflicting interests but that gain from cooperating together. Extending previous studies, our business model takes into account the economic dimensions concerning the needs of knowledge share and mutual control to allow a third-party to sustainably reinforce trust among untrusted partners and to lower their overall relational risk.

Two cilengitide regimens in combination with standard treatment for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and unmethylated MGMT gene promoter: results of the open-label, controlled, randomized phase II CORE study.

BACKGROUND: Survival outcomes for patients with glioblastoma remain poor, particularly for patients with unmethylated O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter. This phase II, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial investigated the efficacy and safety of 2 dose regimens of the selective integrin inhibitor cilengitide combined with standard chemoradiotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and an unmethylated MGMT promoter. METHODS: Overall, 265 patients were randomized (1:1:1) to standard cilengitide (2000 mg 2×/wk; n = 88), intensive cilengitide (2000 mg 5×/wk during wk 1-6, thereafter 2×/wk; n = 88), or a control arm (chemoradiotherapy alone; n = 89). Cilengitide was administered intravenously in combination with daily temozolomide (TMZ) and concomitant radiotherapy (RT; wk 1-6), followed by TMZ maintenance therapy (TMZ/RT→TMZ). The primary endpoint was overall survival; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, pharmacokinetics, and safety and tolerability. RESULTS: Median overall survival was 16.3 months in the standard cilengitide arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.686; 95% CI: 0.484, 0.972; P = .032) and 14.5 months in the intensive cilengitide arm (HR, 0.858; 95% CI: 0.612, 1.204; P = .3771) versus 13.4 months in the control arm. Median progression-free survival assessed per independent review committee was 5.6 months (HR, 0.822; 95% CI: 0.595, 1.134) and 5.9 months (HR, 0.794; 95% CI: 0.575, 1.096) in the standard and intensive cilengitide arms, respectively, versus 4.1 months in the control arm. Cilengitide was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Standard and intensive cilengitide dose regimens were well tolerated in combination with TMZ/RT→TMZ. Inconsistent overall survival and progression-free survival outcomes and a limited sample size did not allow firm conclusions regarding clinical efficacy in this exploratory phase II study.