Assessing Outcomes of Patients Subject to Intensive Care to Facilitate Organ Donation: A Spanish Multicenter Prospective Study.

Intensive Care to facilitate Organ Donation (ICOD) consists of the initiation or continuation of intensive care measures in patients with a devastating brain injury (DBI) in whom curative treatment is deemed futile and death by neurological criteria (DNC) is foreseen, to incorporate organ donation into their end-of-life plans. In this study we evaluate the outcomes of patients subject to ICOD and identify radiological and clinical factors associated with progression to DNC. In this first prospective multicenter study we tested by multivariate regression the association of clinical and radiological severity features with progression to DNC. Of the 194 patients, 144 (74.2%) patients fulfilled DNC after a median of 25 h (95% IQR: 17-44) from ICOD onset. Two patients (1%) shifted from ICOD to curative treatment, both were alive at discharge. Factors associated with progression to DNC included: age below 70 years, clinical score consistent with severe brain injury, instability, intracranial hemorrhage, midline shift ≥5 mm and certain types of brain herniation. Overall 151 (77.8%) patients progressed to organ donation. Based on these results, we conclude that ICOD is a beneficial and efficient practice that can contribute to the pool of deceased donors.

Precipitation and topography modulate vegetation greenness in the mountains of Baja California, México.

Vegetation greenness (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI) showed significant temporal and spatial correlations with precipitation and topography-derived features within the context of slope aspect (South- (SFS) and North-facing slopes (NFS) and an intermountain valley (IMV)) in a semi-arid Mediterranean-climate watershed in northwestern Baja California, México. Rank correlation with annual precipitation (1986-2016) showed a strong positive relationship with wet season NDVI at SFS (Rs = 0.82), IMV (Rs = 0.79), and NFS (Rs = 0.65) but moderate relation and only on hillslopes in the dry season (SFS, Rs = 0.47; NFS, Rs = 0.39). Thus, the vegetation on the more xeric SFS sites was more responsive to intra-annual and inter-annual precipitation than on either IMV or NFS. The correlation of NDVI with six topography-derived environmental attributes (elevation, slope gradient, curvature, drainage density, topographic wetness index, solar radiation) was weak to moderate, varied in degree and significance between years with exceptionally high or low NDVI, and often differed in sign between SFS, NFS, and IMV. Results showed that precipitation controlled vegetation greenness, under the three aspect conditions, more closely than did the other topography-derived features, and the sparse deciduous vegetation of SFS showed stronger associations with precipitation than IMV or NFS. The measurement of these relationships should be continued and complemented by other studies to improve the overall model, because they are important to modeling ecohydrology and productivity, and may be of use for projecting and hindcasting vegetation dynamics.

A new study of the kinetics of curd production in the process of cheese manufacture.

We studied the role played by temperature and rennet concentration in the coagulation process for cheese manufacture and the evaluation of their kinetics. We concluded that temperature is the main factor that determines the kinetics. The rennet concentration was unimportant probably due to the fast action of the enzyme chymosin. The Dynamic light scattering technique allowed measuring the aggregate's size and their formation kinetics. The volume fraction of solids was determined from viscosity measurements, showing profiles that are in agreement with the size profiles. The results indicate that the formation of the aggregates for rennet cheese is strongly dependent on temperature and rennet concentration. The results revealed that at 35·5 °C the volume fraction of solids has the maximum slope, indicating that at this temperature the curd is formed rapidly. The optimal temperature throughout the process was established. Second-order kinetics were obtained for the process. We observed a quadratic dependence between the rennet volume and the volume fraction of solids (curd), thereby indicating that the kinetics of the curd production should be of order two.

Transformation kinetics of fermented milk using Lactobacillus casei (Lc1) and Streptococcus thermophilus: comparison of results with other Inocula.

Probiotic-based starter cultures are generally used to produce fermented milks with improved characteristics in the final product. In this study, Lactobacillus casei and Streptococcus thermophilus (Lc1-St) were used as the starter inoculum. The transformation kinetics and properties of the final product were compared with systems produced with other inocula. The Lc1-St inoculum delayed the production of lactic acid from 40 to 70 min (depending on temperature and concentration) when compared to Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (Lb-St) and Lactobacillus johnsonii and Streptococcus thermophilus (La1-St). The Lc1-St inoculum reached the aggregation system faster (30-80 min) than Lb-St (120-210 min) and La1-St (160-220 min), however, the production of exopolysaccharides and organic phosphates was delayed as a consequence of the lack of synergy between Lc1 and St.

Inflammatory profiles in women with eating disorder: Linking inflammatory biomarkers to clinical phenotypes.

INTRODUCTION: Eating disorders (ED) represent a group of very complex and serious diagnoses characterized by emotional dysregulation and impulsivity. New approaches are necessary to achieve effective diagnosis and treatments. Shifting biomarker research away from the constraints of diagnostic categories may effectively contribute to a dimensional differentiation across disorders according to neurobiology (e.g., inflammatory biomarkers). Thus, the aim of our study was to identify inflammatory profiles in patients with ED. METHODS: A sample of 100 women with an ED (23.4 ± 8.55 years) and 59 healthy controls (HC) (20.22 ± 4.18 years) was used. K-means cluster analysis was followed to identify inflammatory clusters considering seven blood biomarkers (iNOS, TNFα, COX2, p38, ERK, TBARS and PPARγ). Moreover, a wide assessment of clinical features was conducted. RESULTS: Two distinct clusters were identified. Cluster 1 patients were characterized by higher inflammatory levels of TNF-α, COX2, p38, and ERK, and had more restrictive anorexia diagnosis than cluster 2. Cluster 2 participants showed higher inflammatory levels of iNOS and were older than cluster 1 and controls and had lower BMI than HC. In addition, they had higher levels of bulimic symptoms than those from the cluster 1 and HC, and higher impulsivity than HC. All ED patients (regardless of cluster) showed higher ED symptoms and more trauma than HC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that inflammatory dysfunction may be linked with clinical endophenotypes in ED, one more restrictive (cluster 1) with an inflammation/oxidative endophenotype more cytokine and MAPK/ERK mediated, and the other more impulsive, with more bulimic symptoms (cluster 2) with NO free radical high output source iNOS. Trauma seems to be a vulnerability factor for both endophenotypes.

Photoacoustic effect measurement in aqueous suspensions of gold nanorods caused by low-frequency and low-power near-infrared pulsing laser irradiation.

When aqueous suspensions of gold nanorods are irradiated with a pulsing laser (808 nm), pressure waves appear even at low frequencies (pulse repetition rate of 25 kHz). We found that the pressure wave amplitude depends on the dynamics of the phenomenon. For fixed concentration and average laser current intensity, the amplitude of the pressure waves shows a trend of increasing with the pulse slope and the pulse maximum amplitude. We postulate that the detected ultrasonic pressure waves are a sort of shock waves that would be generated at the beginning of each pulse, because the pressure wave amplitude would be the result of the positive interference of all the individual shock waves.

Long-term mental health impact of COVID-19 on primary care health workers in northern Spain: Results from a two-phase longitudinal study.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of the general population, and in particular of health professionals. Primary care personnel are at greater risk due to being highly exposed to the disease and working regularly in direct contact with patients suffering COVID-19. However, there is not sufficient evidence on the long-term psychological impact these professionals may suffer. We aimed to explore the long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 on primary care professionals. Methods: We applied a two-phase design; a self-reported psychopathology screening (PHQ-9, GAD-7, ISI and IES-R) in phase-1, and a specialised psychiatric evaluation (MINI, HDRS and STAI) in phase-2 to confirm phase-1 results. Evaluations were carried at the beginning of the pandemic (May-June 2020) (n = 410) and one year later (n = 339). Chi-square, ANOVA and logistic regression tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: Primary care professionals presented high rates of depression, anxiety and psychological distress, measured by PHQ-9, GAD-7 and IES-R respectively, during the pandemic. Depressive symptoms' severity (PHQ-9: 7.5 vs 8.4, p = 0.013) increased after one year of COVID-19 pandemic. After one year nearly 40% of subjects presented depression. Being women, having suffered COVID-19 or a relative with COVID-19, and being a front-line professional were risk factors for presenting depression and anxiety. Conclusion: Primary Care professionals in Cantabria present a poor mental health during COVID-19 pandemic, which has even worsened at long-term, presenting a greater psychopathology severity one year after. Thus, it is critical implementing prevention and early-treatment programmes to help these essential professionals to cope with the pandemic.

Antecedentes: La pandemia de COVID-19 ha afectado la salud mental de la población general, y en particular de los sanitarios. El personal de atención primaria tiene mayor riesgo por estar más expuesto a la enfermedad y trabajar regularmente en contacto directo con pacientes que padecen COVID-19. Sin embargo, no existe suficiente evidencia sobre el impacto psicológico a largo plazo que pueden sufrir estos profesionales. Nuestro objetivo fue explorar el impacto psicológico a largo plazo de COVID-19 en los profesionales de atención primaria. Métodos: Se aplicó un diseño en dos fases; un cribado de psicopatología a través de cuestionarios autoaplicados (PHQ-9, GAD-7, ISI e IES-R) en la fase 1, y una evaluación psiquiátrica especializada (MINI, HDRS y STAI) en la fase 2 para confirmar los resultados de la fase 1. Las evaluaciones se realizaron al inicio de la pandemia (mayo-junio de 2020) (n = 410) y un año después (n = 339). Se utilizaron pruebas de X 2, ANOVA y regresión logística para los análisis estadísticos. Resultados: Los profesionales de atención primaria presentaron índices elevados de depresión, ansiedad y malestar psicológico, medidos por PHQ-9, GAD-7 e IES-R, respectivamente, durante la pandemia. La severidad de los síntomas depresivos (PHQ-9: 7,5 vs 8,4; p = 0,013) aumentó tras un año de pandemia COVID-19. Después de un año, casi 40% de los sujetos presentaron depresión. El sexo femenino, haber padecido COVID-19 o tener un familiar con COVID-19 y ser profesional de primera línea fueron factores de riesgo para presentar depresión y ansiedad. Conclusiones: Los profesionales de Atención Primaria en Cantabria presentaron una mala salud mental durante la pandemia de COVID-19, la cual además empeoró a largo plazo, presentando una mayor gravedad los síntomas un año después. Por lo tanto, es fundamental implementar programas de prevención y tratamiento temprano para ayudar a estos profesionales esenciales a hacer frente a la pandemia.

Oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways in female eating disorders and borderline personality disorders with emotional dysregulation as linking factors with impulsivity and trauma.

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eating disorders (ED) are both disorders with emotional dysregulation that may share some similar biological underpinnings, leading to oxidative/inflammatory alterations. Unfortunately, to date, no studies have assessed the relationship between clinical features, inflammatory alterations and childhood trauma across these disorders. Our aim was to identify the potential common and disorder-specific inflammatory pathways and examine possible associations between these dysregulated pathways and the clinical features. METHODS: We studied a sample of 108 women (m = 27.17 years; sd = 7.64), divided into four groups: 23 patients with a restrictive ED (ED-R), 23 patients with a bingeeating/ purging ED (ED-P) and 26 patients with BPD; whereas the control group included 23 healthy subjects. Several inflammatory/oxidative parameters: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), p38 mitogenactivated protein kinases, ERK mitogen-activated protein kinases and c-Jun NH2- terminal kinase (JNK), and some antiinflammatory antioxidant elements: glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), Kelch-like ECHassociated protein (Keap1) were determined in plasma or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, clinical, impulsivity, trauma and eating behavior questionnaires were administered. RESULTS: Three main inflammatory/oxidative components were extracted using principal component analysis (59.19 % of biomarker variance explained). Disorder-specific dysfunction in the inflammatory and oxidative pathways in patients with BPD and ED were revealed by means of relationships with specific principal components (p < .01). BPD patients showed higher levels of a component featured by elevated levels of JNK and lower of GPx and SOD. ED-R and impulsivity were associated with a component featured by the activation of ERK and negative influence of Keap1. The component featured by the suppression of catalase and COX2 was associated with both ED subtypes and trauma exposure. CONCLUSION: Several risk factors such as trauma, impulsivity and eating disorder symptoms were transdiagnostically associated with some inflammatory alterations regardless of diagnosis. These findings suggest that the clinical profile comprising trauma exposure and an emotional dysregulation disorder might constitute a specific endophenotype highly linked with inflammatory alterations.

Seasonal ammonia losses from spray-irrigation with secondary-treated recycled water.

This work examines ammonia volatilization associated with agricultural irrigation employing recycled water. Effluent from a secondary wastewater treatment plant was applied using a center pivot irrigation system on a 12 ha agricultural site in Palmdale, California. Irrigation water was captured in shallow pans and ammonia concentrations were quantified in four seasonal events. The average ammonia loss ranged from 15 to 35% (averaging 22%) over 2-h periods. Temporal mass losses were well-fit using a first-order model. The resulting rate constants correlated primarily with temperature and secondarily with wind speed. The observed application rates and timing were projected over an entire irrigation season using meteorological time series data from the site, which yielded volatilization estimates of 0.03 to 0.09 metric tons NH(3)-N/ha per year. These rates are consistent with average rates (0.04 to 0.08 MT NH(3)-N/ha per year) based on 10 to 20 mg NH(3)-N/L effluent concentrations and a 22% average removal. As less than 10% of the treated effluent in California is currently reused, there is potential for this source to increase, but the increase may be offset by a corresponding reduction in synthetic fertilizers usage. This point is a factor for consideration with respect to nutrient management using recycled water.

Analysis of midwives' situation and the need to measure their workloads.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze midwives' employment situation of midwives and detect their workload measurement needs. METHODS: a mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative), observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. Two phases were carried out. The first methodological phase consisted of conducting semi-structured individual interviews. The second methodological phase analyzed the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) interventions that midwives perform in the labor room during daily practice. RESULTS: 90.3% of midwives have work overload, since for 80.6% the midwife-pregnant mother ratio is not well established, since the mean execution time of a Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) intervention is 20 minutes. For this reason, 100% of the sample considers the development of workload measurement tools to be highly useful. CONCLUSIONS: the need to generate an instrument that considers the diversity of Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) interventions that develop within the labor room is ratified.

A retrospective investigation of the prodromal stages of eating disorders and use of health services in young patients the year prior to the diagnosis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics and the frequency of medical consultations in the year prior to the diagnosis and the intervention onset of the Eating Disorder, as well as the different prodromal symptoms. The final aim was to understand the origin of all referrals and their possible influence on the duration of untreated illness. METHODS: We selected 99 young patients (15-25 years) and 61 healthy controls. Their primary and specialized care medical records were both studied retrospectively. RESULTS: 87.6% of patients attended different consultations (primary care, specialized care and emergency department) the year prior compared to 67.2% of the controls (p = .002). The average number of consultations was 3.59 in the case group and 1.57 in the control group (p < .001). These consultations were related to prodromal symptoms in 57.4% compared to 16.4% for the controls (p < .001). They ranged from 29.8% of unspecific digestive symptoms, 22.8% of psychological symptoms, 19.3% of gynaecologic symptoms, 11.9% of weight variation, 8.8% of analytical changes, to 5.3% of malnutrition symptoms. Patients were mainly referred by Primary Care (42.7%). Overall, the mean of the Duration of Untreated Illness was of 7.45 months. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of reasons for consultation were related to symptoms that could be prodromal symptoms, but the patients were not diagnosed with an eating disorder. These findings highlight the importance of professionals understanding how to identify the warning signs of an eating disorder, so they can refer patients to a specialized unit to establish an early treatment.

Low levels of proinflammatory cytokines in a transdiagnostic sample of young male and female early onset eating disorders without any previous treatment: A case control study.

Growing interest exists in the association of the immune system and its role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (ED). Current evidence suggests that serum cytokine levels seem to be elevated in females with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, less is known in bulimia nervosa (BN) and other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED), specially in males. We aimed to perform a case-control study in a sample of forty eight young patients (38 females and 10 males) with early diagnosis of AN, BN or OSFED and without any previous treatment, compared with twenty nine healthy controls (19 females and 10 males) matched by age, sex and socioeconomic status. We evaluated eating-related psychopathology and depressive symptoms and measured serum concentration of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Contrary to expectations, levels of IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly lower in ED patients, compared with healthy controls. Comparing the different groups of females, we found elevated levels of IL-10 among ED patients therefore supporting the idea of an immunosuppressive status in the early stages. This could indicate that early onset patients without any previous treatment could remain in a reward-dependent state with a lower immune response.

COVID-19 in the pediatric population of the state of Jalisco: spatiotemporal analysis of 1,515 cases.

BACKGROUND: Initial publications of COVID-19 (2019 coronavirus disease) focused on the adult population until March 2020, when the first series in children was reported. Our objective was to analyze the spatiotemporal behavior of the pediatric population with COVID-19 in the state of Jalisco. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study including subjects < 18 years of age with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, registered in the RADAR platform. We investigated the prevalence, incidence rate, age, sex, outpatient or inpatient status, distribution of cases by time, municipality of residence, and geographical region. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of 58,231 subjects studied, 1,515 were children (3%): 768 males (51%) and 747 females (49%). The mean age was 12 ± 5 years; outpatients predominated (94%). The Central region concentrated the largest cases with 1,257 (82%) and was the second-highest incidence rate, behind the Occidental Coastal-Mountain region. The most affected municipality was Guadalajara. The distribution of new cases increased proportionally to mobility: after the holiday weekend in May, it rose from 28 to 161 cases; after the opening of beaches and recreational sites in June and July, to 539; and after the opening of movie theaters in August, to 673 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Although with a lower incidence, the pediatric population is not exempt from SARS-CoV-2 infection. We observed an increase in cases as restrictions on social activities diminished.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las publicaciones iniciales de COVID-19 (enfermedad por coronavirus de 2019) se enfocaron en población adulta, hasta marzo de 2020, cuando se informó la primera serie en niños. Nuestro objetivo fue analizar el comportamiento espacio-temporal de la población pediátrica con COVID-19 en el estado de Jalisco. MÉTODOS: Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal en el que se incluyeron sujetos < 18 años con infección por SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus tipo 2 del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave) confirmada por reacción en cadena de la polimerasa con retrotranscriptasa, registrados en la plataforma RADAR. Se investigó la prevalencia, tasa de incidencia, edad, sexo, paciente ambulatorio u hospitalizado, distribución de casos por tiempo, municipio de residencia y región geográfica. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva para el análisis de los datos. RESULTADOS: De 58,231 sujetos estudiados, se encontraron 1,515 pacientes pediátricos (3%): 768 de sexo masculino (51%) y 747 de sexo femenino (49%). La media de edad fue de 12 ± 5 años; predominaron los pacientes ambulatorios (94%). La región Centro concentró la mayor cantidad de casos con 1,257 (82%) y fue la segunda con mayor tasa de incidencia, detrás de la región Costa-Sierra Occidental. El municipio más afectado fue Guadalajara. La distribución de nuevos casos incrementó al aumentar la movilidad: después del puente vacacional de mayo subió de 28 a 161 casos; tras la apertura de playas y sitios de recreación en junio y julio, a 539 casos, y posterior a la apertura de cines en agosto, a 673 casos. CONCLUSIONES: Aunque con una incidencia menor, la población pediátrica no está exenta de la infección por SARS-CoV-2. Se observó un incremento de los casos a medida que disminuyeron las restricciones para las actividades sociales.

Dysfunction of Inflammatory Pathways and Their Relationship With Psychological Factors in Adult Female Patients With Eating Disorders.

The attempts to clarify the origin of eating disorders (ED) have not been completely successful and their etiopathogenesis remains unknown. Current research shows an activation of the immune response in neuropsychiatric diseases, including ED. We aimed to investigate immune response parameters in patients with ED and to identify psychological factors influencing the inflammatory response. The relationship between inflammation markers and impulsivity and affective symptomatology was explored as well. Thirty-four adult female patients with current diagnosis of ED, none of them under psychopharmacological treatment (excluding benzodiazepines), were included in this study. Patients were compared with a healthy control group of fifteen adult females. The levels of inflammatory markers and indicators of oxidative/nitrosative stress were evaluated in plasma and/or in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Subjects were assessed by means of different ED evaluation tools. Additionally, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were also employed. Patients with ED shown increased plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), among other factors and an increment in the oxidative/nitrosative stress as well as increased glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression levels in their PBMCs. Moreover, the inflammatory prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) correlated with impulsiveness and the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) correlated with depressive symptomatology. Our results point towards a relationship between the immune response and impulsiveness and between the immune response and depressive symptomatology in female adult patients with ED.

Effects of ammonium nitrate on larval survival and growth of four Iberian amphibians.

The purpose of this study was to understand the differences in tolerance to ammonium nitrate in four Iberian amphibians. Results showed a negative effect on amphibian survival and larvae total length. Three different tolerance groups on amphibian survival were established. The two first groups showed a higher reduction, around 90% and between 70 and 80% after 96 h exposition at the maximum concentration tested (180 mg NH4NO3/L), while the third group showed no mortality in any concentration tested. In addition, a reduction in larvae total length was also detected for all four species, with Bufo bufo as the most sensitive species.

Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection associated with aortic coarctation repaired by Tirone E. David & debranching techniques with combined axillar and femoral perfusion: a case report.

We present the case of a 38-year-old male with a diagnosis of Stanford A aortic dissection and associated coarctation of the thoracic aorta. Acute dissection associated with coarctation of the aorta is a rare problem and difficult to manage surgically. Establishing a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with adequate flows is the main objective of the procedure; optimal cannulation ensures the protection of cerebral and visceral organs. We successfully performed aortic valve re-implantation surgery (T. David Surgery), replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, as well as debranching of the supra-aortic trunks. The cannulation technique was axillary and femoral to guarantee flows through the coarctation area.

Presentamos el caso de un varón de 38 años con diagnóstico de disección de aorta Stanford A y coartación de aorta torácica asociada. La disección aguda asociada a la coartación de la aorta es un problema raro y difícil de manejar quirúrgicamente. Establecer un bypass cardiopulmonar con flujos adecuados es el principal objetivo del procedimiento; una canulación óptima asegura la protección de órganos cerebrales y viscerales. Realizamos con éxito una cirugía de reimplante de válvula aórtica (cirugía de T. David), reemplazo de la aorta ascendente y del arco aórtico, además de debranching de los troncos supraaórticos. La técnica de canulación fue axilar y femoral para garantizar flujos a través de la zona de coartación.

Magnetic particles as new adsorbents for the reduction of phosphate inputs from a wastewater treatment plant to a Mediterranean Ramsar wetland (Southern Spain).

This study assessed the convenience of using magnetic particles (MPs) to reduce phosphorus (P) concentration in treated wastewater. The working hypothesis is that MP addition increases P removal in artificial wastewater treatment ponds. Water samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of a semi-natural pond receiving secondary municipal effluent that is discharged in a Ramsar site (Fuente de Piedra, Málaga, Spain). Then, laboratory batch experiments were run to (i) assess the effect of adding MPs on the chemical composition of treated wastewater, (ii) identify the number of adsorption cycles (by reusing MPs) which are able to trap a high percentage of P (>50%) and (iii) select the optimum ratio between MP mass and initial dissolved inorganic P (DIP) concentration. The results show the suitability of using MPs to remove P in treated wastewater due to both their high equilibrium adsorption capacity (q) and P removal efficiency. Lastly, considering its practical and economical relevance, based on the advantages (P removal efficiency) and disadvantages (economic price), the optimum dose of MPs (0.16 g MP mg-1 P) to achieve a high P removal efficiency (>50%) was identified.

Contrasting factors controlling microbial respiratory activity in the sediment of two adjacent Mediterranean wetlands.

Electron transport system (ETS) activity of sediments as an indication of microbial metabolic activity was examined in two adjacent Mediterranean wetlands (southern Spain). We determined the spatio-temporal variation in ETS, and we explored the potential biological [organic matter (OM), chlorophyll a (Chl a), aerobic and anaerobic bacteria] drivers of sediment ETS activity. ETS activity was notably higher in the eutrophic Lake Nueva (34.91 microl O(2) g(-1) D.W. h(-1)) than in the hypertrophic Lake Honda (24.99 microl O(2) g(-1) D.W. h(-1)). Strong spatial differences were observed in ETS in both study sites. Highest ETS values were achieved at the surface sediment at the deepest sampling station in each lake and a notable reduction in ETS with sediment depth was observed. By using linear regression and multiple regression analysis, OM was identified as the best predictor of ETS in Lake Honda while Chl a was the best predictor in Lake Nueva. The strong influence of OM supply on ETS activity in sediment from Lake Honda was the consequence of the labile nature of sedimentary OM, while a more refractory OM (with a higher contribution of vascular plants) comprised most of the sedimentary OM from Lake Nueva. By contrast, a large contribution of phytobenthos (supported by a higher lake water transparency) to ETS has been recognized in sediments from Lake Nueva. In summary, the results of this study revealed that the relative importance of planktonic primary producers (phytoplankton), benthic algae and vascular plants in the study sites could explain the differences observed in the intensity of sediment ETS as well as in their drivers.

Identifying environmental drivers of benthic diatom diversity: the case of Mediterranean mountain ponds.

This study aims at elucidating the environmental factors controlling benthic diatom diversity and uniqueness in Mediterranean mountain ponds. Samples of periphytic diatoms were collected in 45 ponds in Andalusia, south of Spain, and analysed by standard methods. Data analysis reveals that diatom diversity is mainly controlled by elevation and hydroperiod. Contrary to the usual findings in the literature, the highest scores on Shannon's diversity index were found in high-elevation temporary ponds, but this effect is hidden by lake clustering in the analysed dataset. Significant distance-decay similarity (DDS) trends were detected in the analysis of floristic composition among the samples, stressing the importance of spatial factors that may override the effect of other abiotic factors. These findings highlight the role of isolation and dispersal limitation in the configuration of the biogeographical patterns of benthic diatoms.

Deep Learning for Automated Feature Discovery and Classification of Sleep Stages.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have demonstrated state-of-the-art classification results in image categorization, but have received comparatively little attention for classification of one-dimensional physiological signals. We design a deep CNN architecture for automated sleep stage classiffication of human sleep EEG and EOG signals. The CNN proposed in this paper amply outperforms recent work that uses a different CNN architecture over a single-EEG-channel version of the same dataset. We show that the performance gains achieved by our network rely mainly on network depth, and not on the use of several signal channels. Performance of our approach is on par with human expert inter-scorer agreement. By examining the internal activation levels of our CNN, we find that it spontaneously discovers signal features such as sleep spindles and slow waves that figure prominently in sleep stage categorization as performed by human experts.