Floral temperature and optimal foraging: is heat a feasible floral reward for pollinators?

As well as nutritional rewards, some plants also reward ectothermic pollinators with warmth. Bumble bees have some control over their temperature, but have been shown to forage at warmer flowers when given a choice, suggesting that there is some advantage to them of foraging at warm flowers (such as reducing the energy required to raise their body to flight temperature before leaving the flower). We describe a model that considers how a heat reward affects the foraging behaviour in a thermogenic central-place forager (such as a bumble bee). We show that although the pollinator should spend a longer time on individual flowers if they are warm, the increase in total visit time is likely to be small. The pollinator's net rate of energy gain will be increased by landing on warmer flowers. Therefore, if a plant provides a heat reward, it could reduce the amount of nectar it produces, whilst still providing its pollinator with the same net rate of gain. We suggest how heat rewards may link with plant life history strategies

La Salud Mental en los reconocimientos escolares.

El presente estudio analiza el abordaje de. los temas de salud mental en los denominados «reconocimientos escolares». Estos pueden ser considerados como unos instrumentos de marcado carácter preventivo (prevención secundaria) dentro de la sanidad escolar, parcela importante de la salud pública. Bajo este prisma, los límites de nuestro trabajo están en señalar la metodología para ese abordaje, así como analizar los resultados que con ella se obtienen

Editorial: Psychology, technological Innovation, and entrepreneurship

The aim of this Research Topic is to offer an integrated view of three areas for implementing Psychology as a science and as a profession, for the benefit of both the academic and professional sphere. An initial article offers a global analysis of the R&D&I value chain (de la Fuente et al.). Complementarily, several articles then provide examples of research on the characteristics of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, whether as a review (Sánchez-García et al.), an analysis of a personal factor that is predictive of this activity (Arco-Tirado et al.), the role of psychological characteristics (Hu et al.), and even a tool for assessing this construct (Cuesta et al.)

La Salud Mental en los reconocimientos escolares.

El presente estudio analiza el abordaje de. los temas de salud mental en los denominados «reconocimientos escolares». Estos pueden ser considerados como unos instrumentos de marcado carácter preventivo (prevención secundaria) dentro de la sanidad escolar, parcela importante de la salud pública. Bajo este prisma, los límites de nuestro trabajo están en señalar la metodología para ese abordaje, así como analizar los resultados que con ella se obtienen

Sub-5-minute detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a Reverse Transcriptase-Free Exponential Amplification Reaction, RTF-EXPAR

We report a rapid isothermal method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The procedure uses a novel reverse transcriptase-free (RTF) approach for converting RNA into DNA, which triggers a rapid amplification using the Exponential Amplification Reaction (EXPAR). Deploying the RNA-to-DNA conversion and amplification stages of the RTF-EXPAR assay in a single step results in the detection of a sample of patient SARS-CoV-2 RNA in under 5 minutes

La Salud Mental en los reconocimientos escolares.

El presente estudio analiza el abordaje de. los temas de salud mental en los denominados «reconocimientos escolares». Estos pueden ser considerados como unos instrumentos de marcado carácter preventivo (prevención secundaria) dentro de la sanidad escolar, parcela importante de la salud pública. Bajo este prisma, los límites de nuestro trabajo están en señalar la metodología para ese abordaje, así como analizar los resultados que con ella se obtienen

Early chronic kidney disease: diagnosis, management and models of care

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is prevalent in many countries, and the costs associated with the care of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are estimated to exceed US$1 trillion globally. The clinical and economic rationale for the design of timely and appropriate health system responses to limit the progression of CKD to ESRD is clear. Clinical care might improve if early-stage CKD with risk of progression to ESRD is differentiated from early-stage CKD that is unlikely to advance. The diagnostic tests that are currently used for CKD exhibit key limitations; therefore, additional research is required to increase awareness of the risk factors for CKD progression. Systems modelling can be used to evaluate the impact of different care models on CKD outcomes and costs. The US Indian Health Service has demonstrated that an integrated, system-wide approach can produce notable benefits on cardiovascular and renal health outcomes. Economic and clinical improvements might, therefore, be possible if CKD is reconceptualized as a part of primary care. This Review discusses which early CKD interventions are appropriate, the optimum time to provide clinical care, and the most suitable model of care to adopt

Ultrarapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a reverse transcription-free exponential amplification reaction, RTF-EXPAR

A rapid isothermal method for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, is reported. The procedure uses an unprecedented reverse transcription-free (RTF) approach for converting genomic RNA into DNA. This involves the formation of an RNA/DNA heteroduplex whose selective cleavage generates a short DNA trigger strand, which is then rapidly amplified using the exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR). Deploying the RNA-to-DNA conversion and amplification stages of the RTF-EXPAR assay in a single step results in the detection, via a fluorescence read-out, of single figure copy numbers per microliter of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in under 10 min. In direct three-way comparison studies, the assay has been found to be faster than both RT-qPCR and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), while being just as sensitive. The assay protocol involves the use of standard laboratory equipment and is readily adaptable for the detection of other RNA-based pathogens.</p

Variability in prescription drug expenditures explained by adjusted clinical groups (ACG) case-mix: A cross-sectional study of patient electronic records in primary care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In view of rapidly increasing prescription costs, case-mix adjustment should be considered for effective control of costs. We have estimated the variability in pharmacy costs explained by ACG in centers using patient electronic records, profiled centers and physicians and analyzed the correlation between cost and quality of prescription.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed 65,630 patient records attending five primary care centers in Spain during 2005. Variables explored were age, gender, registered diagnosed episodes of care during 2005, total cost of prescriptions, physician and center. One ACG was assigned to each patient with ACG case-mix software version 7.1. In a two-part model, logistic regression was used to explain the incurrence of drug expenditure at the first stage and a linear mixed model that considered the multilevel structure of data modeled the cost, conditional upon incurring any expense. Risk and efficiency indexes in pharmacy cost adjusted for ACG were obtained for centers and physicians. Spearman rank correlation between physician expenditure, adjusted for ACG, and a prescription quality index was also obtained. Pediatric and adult data were analyzed separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No prescription was recorded for 13% of adults and 39.6% of children. The proportion of variance of the incurrence of expenditure explained by ACGs was 0.29 in adults and 0.21 in children. For adults with prescriptions, the variance of cost explained by ACGs was 35.4%, by physician-center was 1.8% and age 10.5% (residual 52.3%). For children, ACGs explained 22.4% of cost and physician-center 10.9% (residual 66.7%). Center efficiency index for adults ranged 0.58 to 1.22 and for children 0.32 to 2.36.</p> <p>Spearman correlation between expenditure and prescription quality index was -0.36 in family physicians (p = 0.019, N = 41) and -0.52 in pediatricians (p = 0.08, N = 12).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In our setting, ACG is the variable studied that explains more variability in pharmacy cost in adults compared to physician and center. In children there is greater variability among physicians and centers not related to case-mix. In our sites, ACG is useful to profile physicians and centers using electronic records in real practical conditions. Physicians with lower pharmaceutical expenditure have higher scores for a prescription quality index.</p