Monitoring the salt marsh vegetation and flora of the Baixo Vouga Lagunar (Ria of Aveiro, Portugal)

El carácter transicional de la Ría de Aveiro le confiere una riqueza florística singular, integrando comunidades vegetales típicas de las regiones Eurosiberiana y Mediterránea. La implantación del Proyecto Desenvolvimento Agrícola do Vouga (PDAV) va a provocar una modificación de las tasas de encharcamiento y una reducción gradual de la salinidad, factores ecológicos determinantes para muchas de las comunidades halófilas y helofíticas. El presente trabajo pretende contribuir a un mejor conocimiento de la tipología de la vegetación local, que sirva como base para desarrollar un programa de monitorización adecuado que detecte las alteraciones en los patrones espacio- temporales de la vegetación de los sistemas húmedos. Teniendo como objetivo seleccionar los puntos de muestreo donde instalar las parcelas permanentes de monitorización, se realizó una caracterización de la flora y la vegetación a través de trece transectos utilizando una aproximación simplificada al método de Braun- Blanquet. Una vez identificados los tipos de vegetación - en función de su composición florística, corología y ecología - fueron seleccionados al azar inventarios representativos de cada tipo, en los que han sido instaladas dichas parcelas.The transitional biogeographic character of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon area confers it a singular floristic richness, integrating plant communities typical for the Eurosiberian as well as Mediterranean Region. The implementation of the Agricultural Development Plan of the Lower Vouga area (PDAV) in the near future is expected to result in noticeable changes in the tidal submersion regime and a gradual reduction of salinity levels, which are determining ecological factors for many of the halophytic and helophytic plant communities. The present work pretends to contribute to a better knowledge of the local vegetation types and, thereby, to the implementation of an adequate monitoring programme for detecting changes in the spatio-temporal vegetation patterns of the wetlands. With the objective to select the locations for the installation of permanent quadrats, the vegetation of the wetlands was described along 13 transects using a simplified Braun-Blanquet approach. A total of 24 local vegetation types were recognised, 23 of which were selected for the current monitoring programme

Four patients with a history of acute exacerbations of COPD: implementing the CHEST/Canadian Thoracic Society guidelines for preventing exacerbations

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Changes in the Serotype Distribution of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Causing Otitis Media After PCV13 Introduction in Spain

One of the beneficial effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) has been a decrease in the incidence of non-invasive infections, such as otitis media (OM) caused by vaccine serotypes. In this study, we analyzed the epidemiology of pneumococcal OM before and after PCV13 introduction in 2010. Between 2008 and 2016, the middle ear exudates from 2653 children under 14 years of age with OM were studied in two Spanish provinces (Gipuzkoa and Barcelona), and S. pneumoniae was isolated in 235 (8.9%) of cases. The 204 available isolates were serotyped and distributed in three 3-year periods: one before and two after PCV13 introduction (early and late post-PCV13). A significant decrease in the rate of OM caused by S. pneumoniae was observed mainly due to a decrease in infections caused by all PCV13 serotypes, although exceptions were observed including the persistence of serotype 3 in Gipuzkoa and a weak re-emergence of serotype 19F in both regions. The rate and diversity of non-PCV13 serotypes increased in both regions and an emerging clone causing OM was detected in each region: serotype 23B ST2372 in Gipuzkoa and serotype 11A ST838/ST6521 in Barcelona. The introduction of PCV13 has been followed by a change in the epidemiology of pneumococcal OM, with a decrease in the rate of vaccine serotypes accompanied by an increase in the diversity of non-vaccine serotype and the clonal spreading of different single clones in each region.JMM was funded in part by the Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES-26). CMA was funded in part by the Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (CIBERESP-57). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. This work was funded in part by the Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES-26) and de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (CIBERESP-57)

Exponential Nonlinearity and the Method of Symmetrization (Variational Problems and Related Topics)

AbstractUK Biobank is a large-scale prospective epidemiological study with all data accessible to researchers worldwide. It is currently in the process of bringing back 100,000 of the original participants for brain, heart and body MRI, carotid ultrasound and low-dose bone/fat x-ray. The brain imaging component covers 6 modalities (T1, T2 FLAIR, susceptibility weighted MRI, Resting fMRI, Task fMRI and Diffusion MRI). Raw and processed data from the first 10,000 imaged subjects has recently been released for general research access. To help convert this data into useful summary information we have developed an automated processing and QC (Quality Control) pipeline that is available for use by other researchers. In this paper we describe the pipeline in detail, following a brief overview of UK Biobank brain imaging and the acquisition protocol. We also describe several quantitative investigations carried out as part of the development of both the imaging protocol and the processing pipeline.</jats:p

Back to the past: the individual and its role in creativity in organisations

O objetivo deste texto é realçar o papel do indivíduo na criatividade nas organizações. Esse papel tem sido estranhamente remetido para um plano secundário, à medida que as modernas visões da criatividade a definem, sobretudo, com relação ao contexto em que ocorre. De fato, na perspectiva atual, a criatividade não pode ser entendida sem se considerarem os contextos funcional, relacional e organizacional nos quais está inserido o trabalhador. Tais são as considerações da maior parte dos autores que escreve sobre o tópico, como sejam Amabile (1996), Csikszentmihalyi (1996), ou, mais recentemente, Glăveanu (2010a, 2010b). Essa corrente dominante, com origem no interacionismo psico-social, tem ainda influenciado o desenvolvimento teórico de outros conceitos em psicologia, sociologia, e, na sequência, nas ciências sociais e humanas, e na gestão. Essa supremacia no que concerne a criatividade, tem conduzido os autores a olvidar o papel do indivíduo no processo e no resultado criativos, chegando a retirar-lhe a responsabilidade e o protagonismo pela geração e produção de ideias. Desse modo, no presente texto, recuperam-se os argumentos em favor da centralidade da pessoa na criatividade, defendendo-se que esta tem uma existência isolada de influências externas, e que, como tal, devem relembrar-se as bases individuais da criatividadeThe goal of the current text is to highlight the role of the individual in creativity in organisations. This role has been strangely disregarded in recent years, as modern accounts of creativity have been emphasising the idea that creativity is only defined in context. This main stream argues that creativity is a process that essentially occurs within a functional, relational, and organisational context in which workers are inserted. Key authors defending such a position include the likes of Amabile (1996), Csikszentmihalyi (1996), and, more recently, Glăveanu (2010a, 2010b). This is a vision rooted in the psychosocial interactionist perspective, which has also had a considerable impact in other areas in psychology, sociology, management and other social and human sciences. This supremacy, with regards to creativity, has led many to forget the role of the individual person in the creative process and output, removing their responsibility and protagonism for generating and producing ideas. Hence, the current text intends to bring back to discussion the individual bases of creativity, that people can have an existence isolated from external influences, further defending that the concept can and should be defined out of context, rather than in contextinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Utilisation of Mucin Glycans by the Human Gut Symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus Is Strain-Dependent

Commensal bacteria often have an especially rich source of glycan-degrading enzymes which allow them to utilize undigested carbohydrates from the food or the host. The species Ruminococcus gnavus is present in the digestive tract of ≥90% of humans and has been implicated in gut-related diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Here we analysed the ability of two R. gnavus human strains, E1 and ATCC 29149, to utilize host glycans. We showed that although both strains could assimilate mucin monosaccharides, only R. gnavus ATCC 29149 was able to grow on mucin as a sole carbon source. Comparative genomic analysis of the two R. gnavus strains highlighted potential clusters and glycoside hydrolases (GHs) responsible for the breakdown and utilization of mucin-derived glycans. Transcriptomic and functional activity assays confirmed the importance of specific GH33 sialidase, and GH29 and GH95 fucosidases in the mucin utilisation pathway. Notably, we uncovered a novel pathway by which R. gnavus ATCC 29149 utilises sialic acid from sialylated substrates. Our results also demonstrated the ability of R. gnavus ATCC 29149 to produce propanol and propionate as the end products of metabolism when grown on mucin and fucosylated glycans. These new findings provide molecular insights into the strain-specificity of R. gnavus adaptation to the gut environment advancing our understanding of the role of gut commensals in health and disease

Telepathology Networking in VISN-12 of the Veterans Health Administration

The Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)-12, headquartered in Chicago, has implemented a telepathology network between the eight VISN-12 hospital laboratories and Loyola University Medical School linked by an economical, high-speed wide-area network (WAN). Implementation of the WAN has reduced monthly telecommunications costs in VISN-12 by approximately 67%. In addition to telepathology, the WAN enables real-time teleradiology (general, computer tomography, and ultrasound), telefluoroscopy, telenuclear medicine imaging, telepsychiatry, and other forms of teleconsultation. Current applications of telepathology in VISN-12 include: primary diagnosis and consultation in surgical pathology, interpretation of serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation gels, provision of support for consolidated microbiology laboratories, review of problematic peripheral blood smears, and distance learning. We have learned a variety of lessons from telepathology. The enthusiasm and technical skill of providers are essential for success. As well, frequent communication and rapid technical support are necessary. Finally, in a supportive environment, telepathology is a tool that can help bring together clinical laboratories with shared missions and goals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63151/1/153056200750040200.pd

Ecology and Genetic Structure of a Northern Temperate Vibrio cholerae Population Related to Toxigenic Isolates

Although Vibrio cholerae is an important human pathogen, little is known about its populations in regions where the organism is endemic but where cholera disease is rare. A total of 31 independent isolates confirmed as V. cholerae were collected from water, sediment, and oysters in 2008 and 2009 from the Great Bay Estuary (GBE) in New Hampshire, a location where the organism has never been detected. Environmental analyses suggested that abundance correlates most strongly with rainfall events, as determined from data averaged over several days prior to collection. Phenotyping, genotyping, and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) revealed a highly diverse endemic population, with clones recurring in both years. Certain isolates were closely related to toxigenic O1 strains, yet no virulence genes were detected. Multiple statistical tests revealed evidence of recombination among strains that contributed to allelic diversity equally as mutation. This relatively isolated population discovered on the northern limit of detection for V. cholerae can serve as a model of natural population dynamics that augments predictive models for disease emergence