Checklist de Festuca L. (Poaceae) en la Península Ibérica

Se ha elaborado una checklist actualizada del género Festuca en la Pe¬nínsula Ibérica. El catálogo incluye 73 especies, que suman 98 taxones si se consideran las subespecies y variedades, de los que casi el 40% son endémicos del territorio. Para cada taxón se recoge el nombre válido y las sinonimias más importantes, la indicación locotípica, el número cromosómico, las características ecológicas, la distribución general y en el territorio, y la información bibliográfica de interés. Además, se recogen en varios apéndices los nombres sin asignación, los híbridos interespecíficos detectados en el territorio, los híbridos intergenéricos conocidos, los taxones excluidos provisionamente y aquellos cuya presencia es probable en el territorio.Checklist of Festuca L. (Poaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula. We present an updated checklist of the genus Festuca in the Iberian Peninsula. The catalogue includes 73 species, suming up 98 taxa considering infraspecific taxa (subspecies and varieties). Of them, approximately 40% are endemic to the region. Information about the valid name and the most important synonyms, the locus classicus reference, the chromosome number, the ecology, the global and regional geographical distributions, and the most relevant bibliographic references is provided for each taxon. Additional information on the taxa without clear taxonomic assignation, the interspecific hybrids detected in the territory, the described intergeneric hybrids, and the taxa provisionally excluded from the Iberian checklist and those that could be present in the Iberian Peninsula is indicated in the appendices

Body awareness and mindfulness: Validation of the Spanish version of the Scale of Body Connection

BACKGROUND: To assess the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Scale of Body Connection (SBC) in a community population of meditators and non-meditators and to investigate the relationships among mindfulness, body awareness and body dissociation. METHODS: Design. Validation study. Sampling. An internet-based commercial system was used to recruit the sample. Instruments. In addition to the SBC, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were administered. RESULTS: A sample of 578 subjects responded to all of the items in the protocol. A total of 55.2% of respondents had some previous experience with meditation. A Scree plot showed a two-factor solution involving the Body Awareness (BA) and Body Dissociation (BD) subscales. This study differed from the original validation study in the lack of independence of the subscales; they were correlated in the present study (r=-.11). Internal consistency for BA was α: .86, and for BD, the α was .62. Test-retest reliability was assessed in a subsample (N=67) and was r=.679 for BA and r=.765 for BD. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that mindfulness practice and the FFMQ factors of Observing and Describing were positive predictors of BA. Describing, Acting with awareness and Non-judging negatively predicted BD, and Observing positively predicted BD. CONCLUSION: The study confirms the adequacy of the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the SBC for use in community samples. The relationship between SBC and mindfulness is discussed in light of previous research

Genetic relationships within and among Iberian fescues (Festuca L.) based on PCR-amplified markers

The genus Festuca comprises approximately 450 species and is widely distributed around the world. The Iberian Penninsula, with more than 100 taxa colonizing very diverse habitats, is one of its main centers of diversification. This study was conducted to assess molecular genetic variation and genetic relatedness among 91 populations of 31 taxa of Iberian fescues, based on several molecular markers (random amplified polymorphic DNA, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, and trnL sequences). The analyses showed the paraphyletic origin of the broad-leaved (subgenus Festuca, sections Scariosae and Subbulbosae, and subgenus Schedonorus) and the fine-leaved fescues (subgenus Festuca, sections Aulaxyper, Eskia, and Festuca). Schedonorus showed a weak relationship with Lolium rigidum and appeared to be the most recent of the broad-leaved clade. Section Eskia was the most ancient and Festuca the most recent of the fine-leaved clade. Festuca and Aulaxyper were the most related sections, in concordance with their taxonomic affinities. All taxa grouped into their sections, except F. ampla and F. capillifolia (section Festuca), which appeared to be more closely related to Aulaxyper and to a new independent section, respectively. Most populations clustered at the species level, but some subspecies and varieties mixed their populations. This study demonstrated the value in combining different molecular markers to uncover hidden genetic relationships between populations of Festuca

Anchoring of proteins to lactic acid bacteria

The anchoring of proteins to the cell surface of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) using genetic techniques is an exciting and emerging research area that holds great promise for a wide variety of biotechnological applications. This paper reviews five different types of anchoring domains that have been explored for their efficiency in attaching hybrid proteins to the cell membrane or cell wall of LAB. The most exploited anchoring regions are those with the LPXTG box that bind the proteins in a covalent way to the cell wall. In recent years, two new modes of cell wall protein anchoring have been studied and these may provide new approaches in surface display. The important progress that is being made with cell surface display of chimaeric proteins in the areas of vaccine development and enzyme- or whole-cell immobilisation is highlighted.

Informal entrepreneurship in developing economies: the impacts of starting-up unregistered on firm performance

To advance understanding of the entrepreneurship process in developing economies, this paper evaluates whether registered enterprises that initially avoid the cost of registration, and focus their resources on overcoming other liabilities of newness, lay a stronger foundation for subsequent growth. Analyzing World Bank Enterprise Survey data across 127 countries, and controlling for other firm performance determinants, registered enterprises that started-up unregistered and spent longer operating unregistered are revealed to have significantly higher subsequent annual sales, employment and productivity growth rates compared with those that registered from the outset. The theoretical and policy implications are then discussed

Mindfulness, perceived stress, and subjective well-being: a correlational study in primary care health professionals

Background: Primary health care professionals (PHPs) usually report high levels of distress and burnout symptoms related to job strain. Mindfulness, defined as non-judgmental-present-moment awareness, seems to be a moderator in the causal association between life stressors and well-being. This study aimed to verify correlations among self-reported mindfulness, perceived stress (PS), and subjective well-being (SW) in Brazilian PHPs. Methods: We performed a correlational cross-sectional study in a purposive sample of Brazilian PHPs (physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, and community health workers), working in community-oriented primary care programs (known locally as 'Family Health Programs'). We used validated self-reporting instruments: the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Subjective Well-being Scale (SWS). We performed a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), through regression coefficients (beta) in relation to the professional category (nursing assistant), in addition to the length of time in the same job (under than 6 months) that had indicated the lowest level of PS. Results: participants (n = 450) comprised community health workers (65.8 %), nursing assistants (18 %), registered nurses (10.0 %), and doctors (family physicians) (6.0 %); 94 % were female and 83.1 % had worked in the same position for more than one year. MANOVA regression analysis showed differences across professional categories and length of time in the same job position in relation to mindfulness, PS, and SW. Nurses demonstrated lower levels of mindfulness, higher PS, and SW negative affect, as well as lower SW positive affect. Being at work for 1 year or longer showed a clear association with higher PS and lower SW positive affect, and no significance with mindfulness levels. Pearson's coefficient values indicated strong negative correlations between mindfulness and PS, and medium correlations between mindfulness and SW. Conclusion: In this study, there were clear correlations between mindfulness, PS, and SW across different primary care professional categories and time in the same job position, suggesting specific vulnerabilities that should be addressed through the development of staff awareness, stress prevention, and well-being interventions

Dissecting a vegetable landrace: Components of variation in Spanish ?Moruno? tomatoes as a case studio

The variability of landraces is dissected and related to farmers' practices through surveys. Spanish 'Moruno' tomatoes, recognised for their excellent flavour, were selected as a case study. For this purpose, 30 populations were characterised in a four-year program. Higher intra-population than inter-population variability was found. Variability is generally reduced in the traits used by farmers as selection criteria. Farmers rarely used flavour as a selection criterion, but it is one of the main characteristics used by them to define the landrace. Seed exchange and growing different landraces simultaneously are commonplace, and outcrossing might occur, thus justifying in part the seed degeneration problems experienced by some farmers. At the same time, farmers select seeds for the next year on a per-fruit basis rather than a per-plant basis, justifying the maintenance of a high level of variability. In such cases, high pressure would be applied to key morphological traits but not to flavour. Accordingly, the sugars, acids and volatiles profiles related to flavour in the landraces' populations are highly variable, though the environment also exercises a high effect. It is necessary to make population selections to offer farmers materials combining the best organoleptic perception and a high stable yield. This would reduce the gap between the price premium received by farmers and the expected fair price. It would also be necessary to develop consumer information campaigns to exploit their willingness to pay for the extra value offered by landraces. Only then long-term on-farm conservation would be economically feasible. Although achieving a trade-off between yield and flavour is difficult, it is possible to identify populations that reach a compromise between them. In germplasm banks, it is impossible to evaluate all the materials in the same year. The use of hybrid controls, with no genetic variation, is helpful in considering the environmental effects. Still, genotype x environment interactions are evident, and using selected control populations of landraces is necessary to evaluate possible performances closer to the type of materials being evaluated

Brain Changes in Long-Term Zen Meditators Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Diffusion Tensor Imaging: A Controlled Study

Introduction: This work aimed to determine whether 1H magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are correlated with years of meditation and psychological variables in long-term Zen meditators compared to healthy non-meditator controls. Materials and Methods: Design. Controlled, cross-sectional study. Sample. Meditators were recruited from a Zen Buddhist monastery. The control group was recruited from hospital staff. Meditators were administered questionnaires on anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and mindfulness. 1H-MRS (1.5 T) of the brain was carried out by exploring four areas: both thalami, both hippocampi, the posterior superior parietal lobule (PSPL) and posterior cingulate gyrus. Predefined areas of the brain were measured for diffusivity (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) by MR-DTI. Results: Myo-inositol (mI) was increased in the posterior cingulate gyrus and Glutamate (Glu), N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and N-acetyl-aspartate/Creatine (NAA/Cr) was reduced in the left thalamus in meditators. We found a significant positive correlation between mI in the posterior cingulate and years of meditation (r = 0.518; p = .019). We also found significant negative correlations between Glu (r =20.452; p = .045), NAA (r =20.617; p = .003) and NAA/Cr (r =20.448; P = .047) in the left thalamus and years of meditation. Meditators showed a lower Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) in the left posterior parietal white matter than did controls, and the ADC was negatively correlated with years of meditation (r =20.4850, p = .0066). Conclusions: The results are consistent with the view that mI, Glu and NAA are the most important altered metabolites. This study provides evidence of subtle abnormalities in neuronal function in regions of the white matter in meditators

Energy shortage failure prediction in photovoltaic standalone installations by using machine learning techniques

The use of energy storage systems in standalone photovoltaic installations is essential to supply energy demands, independently of solar generation. Accurate prediction of the battery state is critical for the safe, durable, and reliable operation of systems in this type of installations. In this study, an installation located in the area of Aragon (Spain) has been considered. Two methods, based on different types of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), are proposed to predict the battery voltage of the installation two days ahead. Specifically, the Nonlinear Auto Regressive with Exogenous Input (NARX) network and the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network are studied and compared. The implemented algorithms process battery voltage, temperature and current waveforms; and rely on the selection of different future scenarios based on weather forecasting to estimate the future voltage of the battery. The proposed methodology is capable of predicting the voltage with a Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) error of 1.2 V for batteries of 48 V, in critical situations where the installation is running out of energy. The study contributes to the ongoing research of developing preventive control systems that help reduce costs and improve the performance of remote energy storage systems based on renewable energies with a positive outcome