Do Mesocarnivores Respond to the Seasonality in Management Practices in an Agroforestry Landscape?

In the Mediterranean, we find a mosaic of natural and cultural landscapes, where a variety of forest management practices created intermediate disturbance regimes that potentially increased biodiversity values. Nonetheless, it is essential to understand the species' long-term response to the dynamic management in agroecosystems, since the species tolerance to disturbance can change throughout the life cycle. Mammalian carnivores can be sensitive to human disturbance and are an essential part of ecosystems due to their regulatory and community structuring effects. We investigated the spatial response of five mesocarnivores species to spatially- and temporally- varying management practices in an agroforestry landscape. More specifically, we assessed the mesocarnivores' temporal changes in space use by implementing multi-season occupancy models in a Bayesian framework, using seasonal camera-trapping surveys for a 2-year period. All species had a weak response of local extinction to forestry management and livestock grazing pressure. For forest-dwelling species, occupancy was higher where productivity of perennial vegetation was high, while colonization between seasons was positively associated with vegetation cover. For habitat generalist species, we found that occupancy in the wet season increased with the distance to cattle exclusion plots. Most of these plots are pine stands which are subject to forestry interventions during winter. During the 2-year period we found seasonal fluctuations in occupancy for all species, with an overall slight decrease for three mesocarnivore species, while for the two forest-dwelling species there was an increase in occupancy between years. The weak species response to management practices supports the importance of traditional management for upholding a diverse mesocarnivore community in agroforestry systems but could also reflect these species' ecological plasticity and resilience to disturbance.

Antiviral Action against SARS-CoV-2 of a Synthetic Peptide Based on a Novel Defensin Present in the Transcriptome of the Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra).

The potential emergence of zoonotic diseases has raised significant concerns, particularly in light of the recent pandemic, emphasizing the urgent need for scientific preparedness. The bioprospection and characterization of new molecules are strategically relevant to the research and development of innovative drugs for viral and bacterial treatment and disease management. Amphibian species possess a diverse array of compounds, including antimicrobial peptides. This study identified the first bioactive peptide from Salamandra salamandra in a transcriptome analysis. The synthetic peptide sequence, which belongs to the defensin family, was characterized through MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Molecular docking assays hypothesized the interaction between the identified peptide and the active binding site of the spike WT RBD/hACE2 complex. Although additional studies are required, the preliminary evaluation of the antiviral potential of synthetic SS-I was conducted through an in vitro cell-based SARS-CoV-2 infection assay. Additionally, the cytotoxic and hemolytic effects of the synthesized peptide were assessed. These preliminary findings highlighted the potential of SS-I as a chemical scaffold for drug development against COVID-19, hindering viral infection. The peptide demonstrated hemolytic activity while not exhibiting cytotoxicity at the antiviral concentration.

Accounting for detection unveils the intricacy of wild boar and rabbit co-occurrence patterns in a Mediterranean landscape.

The patterns of species co-occurrence have long served as a primary approach to explore concepts of interspecific interaction. However, the interpretation of such patterns is difficult as they can result from several complex ecological processes, in a scale-dependent manner. Here, we aim to investigate the co-occurrence pattern between European rabbit and wild boar in an estate in Central Portugal, using two-species occupancy modelling. With this framework, we tested species interaction for occupancy and detection, but also the interdependencies between both parameters. According to our results, the wild boar and European rabbit occurred independently in the study area. However, model averaging of the detection parameters revealed a potential positive effect of wild boar's presence on rabbit's detection probability. Upon further analysis of the parameter interdependencies, our results suggested that failing to account for a positive effect on rabbit's detection could lead to potentially biased interpretations of the co-occurrence pattern. Our study, in spite of preliminary, highlights the need to understand these different pathways of species interaction to avoid erroneous inferences.

Mesocarnivore community structure under predator control: Unintended patterns in a conservation context.

Across the Mediterranean, conservation programmes often operate concomitantly with hunting interests within game-lands. Carnivore guilds lie at the interface between contrasting management goals, being simultaneously fundamental components of ecosystems and targets of predator control to reduce predation on game species. Here, we evaluate the composition and spatial structure of a mesocarnivore community in a protected area of Southeast Portugal, with high economic investment in conservation and significant hunting activity. Between June and August 2015, we deployed 77 camera-traps across a ~80 km2 area. We report on interspecific disparities in mesocarnivore occupancy and associated environmental determinants. Contrasting occupancy states suggest an unbalanced community, biased towards the widespread occurrence of the red fox Vulpes vulpes ([Formula: see text]) compared to other species (stone marten Martes foina, European badger Meles meles, Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon, common genet Genetta genetta, and Eurasian otter Lutra lutra) exhibiting spatially-restricted occupancy patterns ([Formula: see text]). The feral cat Felis silvestris catus was the exception ([Formula: see text]) and, together with the stone marten, exhibited a positive association with human settlements. These findings are consistent with theoretical predictions on how mesocarnivore communities are shaped by the effects of non-selective predator control, paradoxically favouring species with higher population growth rates and dispersal abilities, such as the red fox. Our results reinforce the need to understand the role of predator control as a community structuring agent with potential unintended effects, while exposing issues hindering such attempts, namely non-selective illegal killing or biased/concealed information on legal control measures.

Os princípios do Sistema Único de Saúde nas práticas educativas dos enfermeiros no Programa de Saúde da Família / Los principios del sistema unido de la salud y las prácticas educativas de enfermeras en el programa de la salud de la familia / The SUS principles and the educative practices of nurses in the Family Health Program: a qualitative study

Introduction: The accomplishment of educative practices is an important activity of the professional nurse inside of the field of the Public Health, mainly when is mentioned to its performance in the Family Health Program. However, in the daily one of the practical services it is perceived existence of traditional, come back toward the transmission of knowledge. Objective: Of this form, the present article argues the results of a research that had as objective to identify the recognition on the part of the nurses of the principles of the United Health System in the development of their educative practices in the Family Health Program in the “Complexo do Alemão”, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Methodology: Study of qualitative nature that as had estimated methodological the boarding dialectic, being used as instruments of collection of data half-structuralized interview and observation. Main results: The analysis of content of the data discloses the permanence of activities that do not stimulate so much the process of construction of the autonomy of the users and points as existing principles in its educative practices the completeness, equity, universality and participation of the community. Conclusion: Through this study one searched to contribute for the reflection of the nurses on the importance of the accomplishment of educative practices innovators, transforming and that these are incorporators of the principles of the SUS.

Introdução: A realização de práticas educativas é uma importante atividade do profissional enfermeiro dentro do campo da Saúde Pública, principalmente quando se refere a sua atuação no Programa Saúde da Família. Porém, no cotidiano dos serviços percebe-se a existência de práticas tradicionais, voltadas para a transmissão de conhecimentos. Objetivo: Desta forma, o presente artigo discute os resultados de uma pesquisa que teve como objetivo identificar o reconhecimento por parte dos enfermeiros dos princípios do Sistema único de saúde no desenvolvimento de suas práticas educativas no Programa Saúde da Família realizada no Complexo do Alemão, localizado no município do Rio de Janeiro. Metodologia: Estudo de natureza qualitativa que teve como pressuposto metodológico a abordagem dialética, sendo utilizados como instrumentos de coleta de dados entrevista e observação semi-estruturadas. Principais resultados: A análise de conteúdo dos dados revela a permanência de atividades que pouco estimulam o processo de construção da autonomia dos usuários e aponta como princípios presentes em suas práticas educativas a integralidade, equidade, universalidade e participação da comunidade. Conclusão: Através deste estudo buscou-se contribuir para a reflexão dos enfermeiros sobre a importância da realização de práticas educativas inovadoras, transformadoras e que estas sejam incorporadoras dos princípios do SUS.

La realización de educativo práctico es una actividad importante de la enfermera profesional dentro del campo de la salud pública, principalmente cuando la salud de la familia se menciona a su funcionamiento en el programa. Sin embargo, en el diario de los servicios prácticos es existencia percibida de tradicional, se vuelve hacia la transmisión del conocimiento. Objetivo: De tal manera, el actual artículo discute los resultados de una investigación que tenía como objetivo para identificar el reconocimiento de parte de las enfermeras de los principios del Sistema Unido de la Salud (SUS) en el desarrollo de su educativo práctico en la salud del programa del llevado a través de la familia en el complejo del alemán, situados en la ciudad de Río De Janeiro. Metodología: Estudio de la naturaleza cualitativa que como metodológico estimado tenido la dialéctica que sube, siendo utilizado entrevistas y la observación semi-estructurada para la colección de datos. Resultados principales: El análisis del contenido de los datos divulga la permanencia de las actividades que poco estimula el proceso de la construcción de la autonomía de los usuarios y de los puntos como regalos educativos de los principios en su práctico lo completo, la equidad, la universalidad y la participación de la comunidad. Conclusión: Con este estudio uno buscó para contribuir para reflexión de las enfermeras' en la importancia de las prácticas educativas innovadoras y transformative que promueven la incorporación de los principios de SUS.