INFECTION: ITS ECOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS AMONG CHILDREN IN NORTHERN CHILE

In developing countries, infection and malnutrition, and their interaction effects, account for the majority of childhood deaths and chronic deficits in growth and development. To promote child health, the causal determinants of infection and malnutrition and cost-effective interventions must be identified. To this end, medical examinations of 988 children (age two weeks to 14 years) living at three altitudes (coastal < 300m; sierra (TURN) 3,000m; and altiplano > 4,000m) in Chile's northermost Department of Arica revealed that 393 (40%) of the youngsters harbored one or more infections. When sorted by region and ethnicity, indigenous children of the highlands had infection rates 50% higher than children of Spanish descent living near the coast.^ An ecological model was developed and used to examine the causal path of infection and measure the effect of single and combined environmental variables. Family variables significantly linked to child health included maternal health, age and education. Significant child determinants of infection included the child's nutrient intake and medical history. When compared to children well and free of disease, infected youngsters reported a higher incidence of recent illness and a lower intake of basic foodstuffs. Traditional measures of child health, e.g. birth condition, weaning history, maternal fertility, and family wealth, did not differentiate between well and infected children.^ When height, weight, arm circumference, and subcapular skinfold measurements were compared, infected children, regardless of age, had smaller arm circumferences, the statistical difference being the greatest for males, age nine to eleven. Height and weight, the traditional growth indices, did not differentiate between well and infected groups.^ Infection is not determined by a single environmental factor or even a series of variables. Child health is ecological in nature and cannot be improved independent of changes in the environment that surrounds the child. To focus on selected child health needs, such as feeding programs or immunization campaigns, without simultaneously attending to the environment from which the needs arose is an inappropriate use of time, personnel, and money. ^

Propuesta de metodología para la calificación bio-ambiental de espacios verdes mediante coeficientes ecofisiológicos

Uno de los mayores problemas que enfrentan las urbes modernas es su crecimiento horizontal en base a cemento y asfalto, cubriendo grandes extensiones. Su resultado es un importante incremento de la temperatura llamado efecto "isla de calor", aspecto de particular importancia en años venideros por el creciente calentamiento global, a lo cual se añade la contaminación por gases y partículas. Las áreas destinadas a mitigar parcialmente estos efectos son los denominados espacios verdes, los cuales representan una mancha en el mapa. Sin embargo, su impacto termodinámico a nivel ambiental desde el punto de vista del confort y calidad de vida humanos puede ser muy variable según como esté diseñado. Este trabajo pretende establecer una metodología de aplicación en cualquier región, para calificar cuantitativamente el valor de los diferentes tipos de espacios verdes como modificadores ambientales, ya sean ejecutados o a nivel de proyecto. A través de esta metodología se determinan índices o coeficientes regionales objetivos y de sencilla aplicación. Para desarrollar estos índices, a los espacios verdes se aplican, adaptados, principios de la termodinámica de superficies húmedas y de la ecofisiología. A través de procedimientos matemáticos y conceptos fisiológicos se concluye en fórmulas para calcular índices regionales de aplicación directa en la evaluación de proyectos. A modo de comprobación de la metodología se determina el valor ambiental comparativo de diferentes tipos de espacios verdes correspondientes al sistema integrado de espacios verdes de la ciudad de Mendoza

Body mass, flipper length, oxidative balance indices and telomere length of king penguin chicks (A. patagonicus) on Possession Island

One of the reasons for animals not to grow as fast as they potentially could is that fast growth has been shown to be associated with reduced lifespan. However, we are still lacking a clear description of the reality of growth-dependent modulation of ageing mechanisms in wild animals. Using the particular growth trajectory of small king penguin chicks naturally exhibiting higher-than-normal growth rate to compensate for the winter break, we tested whether oxidative stress and telomere shortening are related to growth trajectories. Plasma antioxidant defences, oxidative damage levels and telomere length were measured at the beginning and at the end of the post-winter growth period in three groups of chicks (small chicks, which either passed away or survived the growth period, and large chicks). Small chicks that died early during the growth period had the highest level of oxidative damage and the shortest telomere lengths prior to death. Here, we show that small chicks that grew faster did it at the detriment of body maintenance mechanisms as shown by (i) higher oxidative damage and (ii) accelerated telomere loss. Our study provides the first evidence for a mechanistic link between growth and ageing rates under natural conditions.

An Architecture forRepresenting Biological Processes based on Networks of Bio-inspired Processors

n this paper we propose the use of Networks of Bio-inspired Processors (NBP) to model some biological phenomena within a computational framework. In particular, we propose the use of an extension of NBP named Network Evolutionary Processors Transducers to simulate chemical transformations of substances. Within a biological process, chemical transformations of substances are basic operations in the change of the state of the cell. Previously, it has been proved that NBP are computationally complete, that is, they are able to solve NP complete problems in linear time, using massively parallel computations. In addition, we propose a multilayer architecture that will allow us to design models of biological processes related to cellular communication as well as their implications in the metabolic pathways. Subsequently, these models can be applied not only to biological-cellular instances but, possibly, also to configure instances of interactive processes in many other fields like population interactions, ecological trophic networks, in dustrial ecosystems, etc.

A methodology for applying Taxonomic Sufficiency and benthic biotic indices in two Mediterranean areas

Biotic indices have been developed to summarise information provided by benthic macroinvertebrates, but their use can require specialized taxonomic expertise as well as a time-consuming operation. Using high taxonomic level in biotic indices reduces sampling processing time but should be considered with caution, since assigning tolerance level to high taxonomic levels may cause uncertainty. A methodology for family level tolerance categorization based on the affinity of each family with disturbed or undisturbed conditions was employed. This family tolerance classification approach was tested in two different areas from Mediterranean Sea affected by sewage discharges. Biotic indices employed at family level responded correctly to sewage presence. However, in areas with different communities among stations and high diversity of species within each family, assigning the same tolerance level to a whole family could imply mistakes. Thus, use of high taxonomic level in biotic indices should be only restricted to areas where homogeneous community is presented and families across sites have similar species composition.

(Table 2) Planktic foraminifera and their diversity indices of sediment surface samples from the Atlantic Ocean

Species distribution patterns in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages are fundamental to the understanding of the determinants of their ecology. Until now, data used to identify such distribution patterns was mainly acquired using the standard >150 µm sieve size. However, given that assemblage shell size-range in planktonic foraminifera is not constant, this data acquisition practice could introduce artefacts in the distributional data. Here, we investigated the link between assemblage shell size-range and diversity in Recent planktonic foraminifera by analysing multiple sieve-size fractions in 12 samples spanning all bioprovinces of the Atlantic Ocean. Using five diversity indices covering various aspects of community structure, we found that counts from the >63 µm fraction in polar oceans and the >125 µm elsewhere sufficiently approximate maximum diversity in all Recent assemblages. Diversity values based on counts from the >150 µm fraction significantly underestimate maximum diversity in the polar and surprisingly also in the tropical provinces. Although the new methodology changes the shape of the diversity/sea-surface temperature (SST) relationship, its strength appears unaffected. Our analysis reveals that increasing diversity in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages is coupled with a progressive addition of larger species that have distinct, offset shell-size distributions. Thus, the previously documented increase in overall assemblage shell size-range towards lower latitudes is linked to an expanding shell-size disparity between species from the same locality. This observation supports the idea that diversity and shell size-range disparity in foraminiferal assemblages are the result of niche separation. Increasing SST leads to enhanced surface water stratification and results in vertical niche separation, which permits ecological specialisation. Specific deviations from the overall diversity and shell-size disparity latitudinal pattern are seen in regions of surface-water instability, indicating that coupled shell-size and diversity measurements could be used to reconstruct water column structures of past oceans.

Hajózni muszáj! - A GDP, az ökológiai lábnyom és a szubjektív jóllét stratégiai összefüggései ("Navigare necesse est." The connections between GDP, ecological footprint, and subjective welfare)

A tanulmányban országok környezetterhelését és jóllétét vizsgáljuk. A környezetterhelést vizsgáló klasszikus I = PAT azonosság célszerű átrendezésével és továbbgondolásával két térképet szerkesztünk, amelyek egy véges, korlátozott erőforrású világban segítik a stratégiai döntéshozatalt. A térképek adatait a bruttó hazai termék, az ökológiai lábnyom, illetve a szubjektív jóllét mutatói szolgáltatják, ezek az információk a világ országaira ma már széles körben rendelkezésre állnak. Bemutatjuk a gazdasági tevékenység és a szubjektív jóllét kapcsolatát, s az erre épülő 12 stratégiát, majd a szűkös természeti erőforrásokkal számot vető újabb 12 stratégialehetőséget tárgyaljuk. A gazdasági tevékenységet, a környezeti korlátokat és az emberi boldogságot egyszerre szem előtt tartó modell alapján nyilvánvaló a makroszintű következtetés: napjainkban a gazdasági tevékenység, illetve az emberi jóllét dematerializációja szükséges és kívánatos célkitűzés /===/ The study examines countries' ecological footprint and welfare. Rearranging and developing the classic I = PAT equation, the author has devised two maps to assist strategic decision-making in a world of finite, limited resources. The data on the maps – GDP, ecological footprint, and subjective welfare indices – are all widely available all over the world. The relation between economic activity and subjective welfare is presented and twelve strategies built upon them, before discussing twelve further strategies based on scarce natural resources. Using a model that considers economic activity, environmental constraints and human happiness concurrently, it becomes obvious that dematerialization of economic activity and human welfare are a necessary and desirable objective.

Ecological effects of flow and temperature regimes on fish communities in temperate rivers

Les organismes aquatiques sont adaptés à une grande variabilité hydrique et thermique des rivières. Malgré ceci, la régulation des eaux suscite des changements aux débits qui peuvent provoquer des impacts négatifs sur la biodiversité et les processus écologiques en rivière. Celle-ci peut aussi causer des modifications au niveau des régimes thermiques et des caractéristiques de l’habitat du poisson. Des données environnementales et biologiques décrivant l’habitat du poisson existent, mais elles sont incomplètes pour plusieurs rivières au Canada et de faible qualité, limitant les relations quantitatives débit-température-poissons à un petit nombre de rivières ou à une région étudiée. La recherche menée dans le cadre de mon doctorat concerne les impacts de la génération d'hydroélectricité sur les rivières; soit les changements aux régimes hydriques et thermiques reliés à la régulation des eaux sur la variation des communautés ichtyologiques qui habitent les rivières régulées et naturelles au Canada. Suite à une comparaison d’échantillonnage de pêche, une méthode constante pour obtenir des bons estimés de poisson (richesse, densité et biomasse des espèces) a été établie pour évaluer la structure de la communauté de poissons pour l’ensemble des rivières ciblées par l’étude. Afin de mieux comprendre ces changements environnementaux, les principales composantes décrivant ces régimes ont été identifiées et l’altération des régimes hydriques pour certaines rivières régulées a été quantifiée. Ces résultats ont servi à établir la relation significative entre le degré de changement biotique et le degré de changement hydrique pour illustrer les différences entre les régimes de régulation. Pour faire un complément aux indices biotiques déjà calculés pour l’ensemble des communautés de poissons (diversité, densité et biomasse des espèces par rivière), les différences au niveau des guildes de poissons ont été quantifiées pour expliquer les divers effets écologiques dus aux changements de régimes hydriques et thermiques provenant de la gestion des barrages. Ces derniers résultats servent à prédire pour quels traits écologiques ou groupes d’espèces de poissons les composantes hydriques et thermiques sont importantes. De plus, ces derniers résultats ont servi à mettre en valeur les variables décrivant les régimes thermiques qui ne sont pas toujours inclues dans les études hydro-écologiques. L’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse ont des retombées importantes sur la gestion des rivières en évaluant, de façon cohérente, l’impact de la régulation des rivières sur les communautés de poissons et en développant des outils de prévision pour la restauration des écosystèmes riverains.

Determination of ecological sensitive areas of the coastal areas of Caspian Sea (Boujagh Wetland National Park) based on ecological carrying capacity and economical valuation region

The coastal districts, as an intersection of two perfectly different ecosystems of dry land and sea, is one of the most complicated and the richest natural system on earth. Considering these areas are constantly exposed to aggregation of water pollutants and also consequence resulting from construction and development activities, they are very vulnerable. Therefore, "sensitive Coastal areas" has become a common word in the related subjects to marine environment recently. The said title relates to the areas of the coastal lines which are vulnerable to the natural condition or human actions because of ecological, social, economic, educational and research importance, also they need particular supports. The southern coasts of Caspian Sea, In Iran prominent samples are of these sensitive areas which their environment are exposed to demolition and destruction intensely, due to increasing and uncontrolled development. The first stage of protecting and managing the coastal areas is identifying sensitive Coastal areas and broadening the Coasts. In this survey, we attempted to examine a definite area in the southern coasts of Caspian Sea. In Iran, by profiting from the world experiences and concluded researches in Iran especially the concluded studies by marine environment office and the Environment protection organization on the subject of determination criteria of the sensitive ecological districts. For this purpose (In Gilan Province) Boujagh national park district which is located in the mouth of sefidroud river and also is possessed of the special ecological and environmental features and distinctions. In this survey, first they said district is divided proportionally on the basis of using a grid system in order to identify the sensitive ecological districts and broaden the coast, and then the desired indices have been determined and scored by numeral valuation method in each unit and then analysis has been done by using of the geography information system (GIS) and final has estimated economic valuation of sensitive ecological areas that is presented in this essay.

Abrupt shifts in the Gironde fish community: an indicator of ecological changes in an estuarine ecosystem

For decades, global climate change has directly and indirectly affected the structure and function of ecosystems. Abrupt changes in biodiversity have been observed in response to linear or sudden modifications to the environment. These abrupt shifts can cause long-term reorganizations within ecosystems, with communities exhibiting new functional responses to environmental factors. Over the last 3 decades, the Gironde estuary in southwest France has experienced 2 abrupt shifts in both the physical and chemical environments and the pelagic community. Rather than describing these shifts and their origins, we focused on the 3 inter-shift periods, describing the structure of the fish community and its relationship with the environment during these periods. We described fish biodiversity using a limited set of descriptors, taking into account both species composition and relative species abundances. Inter-shift ecosystem states were defined based on the relationship between this description and the hydro-physico-chemical variables and climatic indices defining the main features of the environment. This relationship was described using generalized linear mixed models on the entire time series and for each inter-shift period. Our results indicate that (1) the fish community structure has been significantly modified, (2) environmental drivers influencing fish diversity have changed during these 3 periods, and (3) the fish-environment relationships have been modified over time. From this, we conclude a regime shift has occurred in the Gironde estuary. We also highlight that anthropogenic influences have increased, which re-emphasizes the importance of local management in maintaining fish diversity and associated goods and services within the context of climate change.

Ecological effects of flow and temperature regimes on fish communities in temperate rivers

Les organismes aquatiques sont adaptés à une grande variabilité hydrique et thermique des rivières. Malgré ceci, la régulation des eaux suscite des changements aux débits qui peuvent provoquer des impacts négatifs sur la biodiversité et les processus écologiques en rivière. Celle-ci peut aussi causer des modifications au niveau des régimes thermiques et des caractéristiques de l’habitat du poisson. Des données environnementales et biologiques décrivant l’habitat du poisson existent, mais elles sont incomplètes pour plusieurs rivières au Canada et de faible qualité, limitant les relations quantitatives débit-température-poissons à un petit nombre de rivières ou à une région étudiée. La recherche menée dans le cadre de mon doctorat concerne les impacts de la génération d'hydroélectricité sur les rivières; soit les changements aux régimes hydriques et thermiques reliés à la régulation des eaux sur la variation des communautés ichtyologiques qui habitent les rivières régulées et naturelles au Canada. Suite à une comparaison d’échantillonnage de pêche, une méthode constante pour obtenir des bons estimés de poisson (richesse, densité et biomasse des espèces) a été établie pour évaluer la structure de la communauté de poissons pour l’ensemble des rivières ciblées par l’étude. Afin de mieux comprendre ces changements environnementaux, les principales composantes décrivant ces régimes ont été identifiées et l’altération des régimes hydriques pour certaines rivières régulées a été quantifiée. Ces résultats ont servi à établir la relation significative entre le degré de changement biotique et le degré de changement hydrique pour illustrer les différences entre les régimes de régulation. Pour faire un complément aux indices biotiques déjà calculés pour l’ensemble des communautés de poissons (diversité, densité et biomasse des espèces par rivière), les différences au niveau des guildes de poissons ont été quantifiées pour expliquer les divers effets écologiques dus aux changements de régimes hydriques et thermiques provenant de la gestion des barrages. Ces derniers résultats servent à prédire pour quels traits écologiques ou groupes d’espèces de poissons les composantes hydriques et thermiques sont importantes. De plus, ces derniers résultats ont servi à mettre en valeur les variables décrivant les régimes thermiques qui ne sont pas toujours inclues dans les études hydro-écologiques. L’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse ont des retombées importantes sur la gestion des rivières en évaluant, de façon cohérente, l’impact de la régulation des rivières sur les communautés de poissons et en développant des outils de prévision pour la restauration des écosystèmes riverains.

Ecological quality assessment of transitional waters based on fish assemblages in Portuguese estuaries: The Estuarine Fish Assessment Index (EFAI)

The assessment of water quality has changed markedly worldwide over the last years, especially in Europe due to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. Fish was considered a key-element in this context and several fish-based multi-metric indices have been proposed. In this study, we propose a multi-metric index, the Estuarine Fish Assessment Index (EFAI), developed for Portuguese estuaries, designed for the overall assessment of transitional waters, which could also be applied at the water body level within an estuary. The EFAI integrates seven metrics: species richness, percentage of marine migrants, number of species and abundance of estuarine resident species, number of species and abundance of piscivorous species, status of diadromous species, status of introduced species and status of disturbance sensitive species. Fish sampling surveys were conducted in 2006, 2009 and 2010, using beam trawl, in 13 estuarine systems along the Portuguese coast. Most of the metrics presented a high variability among the transitional systems surveyed. According to the EFAI values, Portuguese estuaries presented a "Good" water quality status (except the Douro in a particular year). The assessments in different years were generally concordant, with a few exceptions. The relationship between the EFAI and the Anthropogenic Pressure Index (API) was not significant, but a negative and significant correlation was registered between the EFAI and the expert judgement pressure index, at both estuary and water body level. The ordination analysis performed to evaluate similarities among North-East Atlantic Geographical Intercalibration Group (NEAGIG) fish-based indices put in evidence four main groups: the French index, since it is substantially different from all the other indices (uses only four metrics based on densities); indices from Ireland, United Kingdom and Spain (Asturias and Cantabria); the Dutch and German indices; and the indices of Belgium. Portugal and Spain (Basque country). The need for detailed studies, including comparative approaches, on several aspects of these assessment tools, especially in what regards their response to anthropogenic pressures was stressed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aplicaciones de los modelos de predicción bio-inspirados en la administración

Las organizaciones y sus entornos son sistemas complejos. Tales sistemas son difíciles de comprender y predecir. Pese a ello, la predicción es una tarea fundamental para la gestión empresarial y para la toma de decisiones que implica siempre un riesgo. Los métodos clásicos de predicción (entre los cuales están: la regresión lineal, la Autoregresive Moving Average y el exponential smoothing) establecen supuestos como la linealidad, la estabilidad para ser matemática y computacionalmente tratables. Por diferentes medios, sin embargo, se han demostrado las limitaciones de tales métodos. Pues bien, en las últimas décadas nuevos métodos de predicción han surgido con el fin de abarcar la complejidad de los sistemas organizacionales y sus entornos, antes que evitarla. Entre ellos, los más promisorios son los métodos de predicción bio-inspirados (ej. redes neuronales, algoritmos genéticos /evolutivos y sistemas inmunes artificiales). Este artículo pretende establecer un estado situacional de las aplicaciones actuales y potenciales de los métodos bio-inspirados de predicción en la administración.