Characterization of the biochemical basis for copper homeostasis and tolerance in Biscutella auriculata L.

Biscutella auriculata L. is a plant that belongs to the Brassicaceae family and it has been found growing in a metal-contaminated area of the San Quíntín mine (Ciudad Real, Spain). The purpose of this work was to evaluate the mechanisms that allow this plant to tolerate high concentrations of copper. Seedlings were grown in a semi-hydroponic system for 15 days under 125 µM of Cu (NO3 )2 . Exposure to copper resulted in growth inhibition and reduction in the photosynthetic parameters. Copper was mainly accumulated in vascular tissue and vacuoles of the roots and only a minor proportion was transferred to the shoot. Biothiol analysis showed a greater enhancement of reduced glutathione in leaves and increases of phytochelatins (PC2 and PC3) in both leaves and roots. Copper treatment induced oxidative stress, which triggered a response of the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms. The results show that B. auriculata is able to tolerate high metal levels through the activation of specific mechanisms to neutralize the oxidative stress produced and also by metal sequestration through phytochelatins. The preferential accumulation of copper in roots provides clues for further studies on the use of this plant for phytostabilization and environmental recovery purposes in Cu-contaminated areas.

Validation of the semi-structured interview, the FACE Risk Profile, in people with Serious Mental Illness.

People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) could present risk behaviour that may lead to relapses. There are few instruments validated in our context to assess risk factors, but none takes into account several factors at the same time, and is specific for the risk of relapse. The objective of this work is to validate the Functional Analysis of Care Environments (FACE) Risk Profile into Spanish for people with SMI.

Deterioration pattern of six biodegradable, potentially low-environmental impact mulches in field conditions.

Polyethylene plastic mulches are widely used in agriculture due to the countless advantages they have. However, the environmental problems associated with their use have led us to look for alternative mulch materials which degrade naturally and quickly, impact the environment less and function satisfactorily. To this end, biodegradable plastics and paper mulches are being used, but aspects related to their degradation should be studied more in-depth. This work provides the deterioration pattern of six biodegradable mulch materials (i.e. vegetable starch, polylactic acid plastic films or paper mulches) in horticultural crop in the edaphoclimatic conditions of Central Spain in two situations: over the lifetime of the mulches and after being incorporated into the soil. In the first situation, the deterioration levels were evaluated by recording the puncture resistance, weight and area covered in the above-soil and the in-soil part, and after soil incorporation by the number of fragments, their surfaces and weight. In the above-soil part, biodegradable plastics experienced further deterioration, particularly with no crop, while the paper mulch remained practically intact. However, the in-soil paper experienced complete and rapid degradation. At 200 days after soil incorporation, mulch residues were scarce, with the environmental effects it entails. These findings offer practical implications regarding the type of crop. The measurement of the surface covered, rather than the weight, was shown to be a more reliable indicator of the degradation of mulches. Furthermore, visual estimation was found to underestimate the functionality of mulches in comparison to that of the measurement of the surface covered.

Social cognition interventions for persons with schizophrenia: evidence and clinical practice guidelines.

Although most of the research conducted up to now has shown that interventions in social cognition are effective in the rehabilitation of persons with schizophrenia, there are still no clinical practice recommendations on the topic. Their development could facilitate the clinical work, resource management and the care provided to persons with such a disorder. This article addresses this need and performs a systematic review of the identified high-quality scientific evidence and develops clinical practice recommendations. A total of 40 clinical trials and 1 meta-analysis evaluating the effects of social cognition interventions for persons with schizophrenia were selected for the present study. Taking into account the evidence available and its quality, the authors developed three clinical practice recommendations on the positive effects of these interventions. The analysis of the evidence of the quality of the studies shows that more randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-ups are needed in order to establish more accurately the efficacy and effectiveness of social cognition interventions and therefore to favor the generalization of the results.

A horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland waters.

As the number of introduced species keeps increasing unabatedly, identifying and prioritising current and potential Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has become essential to manage them. Horizon Scanning (HS), defined as an exploration of potential threats, is considered a fundamental component of IAS management. By combining scientific knowledge on taxa with expert opinion, we identified the most relevant aquatic IAS in the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., those with the greatest geographic extent (or probability of introduction), severe ecological, economic and human health impacts, greatest difficulty and acceptability of management. We highlighted the 126 most relevant IAS already present in Iberian inland waters (i.e., Concern list) and 89 with a high probability of being introduced in the near future (i.e., Alert list), of which 24 and 10 IAS, respectively, were considered as a management priority after receiving the highest scores in the expert assessment (i.e., top-ranked IAS). In both lists, aquatic IAS belonging to the four thematic groups (plants, freshwater invertebrates, estuarine invertebrates, and vertebrates) were identified as having been introduced through various pathways from different regions of the world and classified according to their main functional feeding groups. Also, the latest update of the list of IAS of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 includes only 12 top-ranked IAS identified for the Iberian Peninsula, while the national lists incorporate the vast majority of them. This fact underlines the great importance of taxa prioritisation exercises at biogeographical scales as a step prior to risk analyses and their inclusion in national lists. This HS provides a robust assessment and a cost-effective strategy for decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritise the use of limited resources for IAS prevention and management. Although applied at a transnational level in a European biodiversity hotspot, this approach is designed for potential application at any geographical or administrative scale, including the continental one.

Substrate role in the accumulation of heavy metals in sporocarps of wild fungi.

The distribution of neodymium, lead, thorium and uranium was investigated in about 100 samples of 12 different species of common, edible and non-edible mushrooms collected in unpolluted areas in the province of Ciudad Real, Central Spain. The quantitative analysis of heavy metals was performed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (a simple, accurate and non-destructive method). The concentration of these elements was related to three factors: mushroom specie, life style/substrate and study area. The results reveal considerable amounts of the four metals in all species analyzed as well as significant differences on the capability to accumulate these elements. The maximum absorption of Nd and Pb was found in the ectomycorrhizal Cantharellus cibarius, reaching values of 7.10 and 4.86 microg g(-1), respectively. Thorium and uranium were mainly accumulated (3.63 and 4.13 microg g(-1), respectively) in Hypholoma fasciculare although it is an epiphyte species, isolated from the mineral particles of soil. The distribution patterns of these metals in sporocarps of different habitats and locations showed no significant differences, except for thorium, mainly accumulated in mushrooms living on wood regarding these living on soil organic matter. The species-specific is therefore the determining factor for accumulation of Nd, Pb, Th and U, more than substrate, in this study.

Development and validation of a scale to assess the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in young adults.

In this study, the authors describe the development and subsequent validation of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scale for young adults. The authors constructed 2 parallel forms of the scale to assess items that relate directly to DSM-IV criteria. Each form comprised Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assess the dimensionality of the scale, and the hypothesized structure was confirmed. In addition, the measures obtained show that the scale possesses satisfactory reliability with regard to the level of internal consistency, and there was equivalence between the 2 parallel forms. Furthermore, the relevance of the scale's content and its relationship to other variables was adequate. In sum, sufficient evidence is provided regarding the validity of the measures obtained with the ADHD scale, thus illustrating that the scale could be a useful tool to assess the symptoms of ADHD in a sample of young adults from the United States.

Antigerminative comparison between naturally occurring naphthoquinones and commercial pesticides. Soil dehydrogenase activity used as bioindicator to test soil toxicity.

As important secondary plant metabolites, naphthoquinones exhibit a wide range of biological activities, and one of their roles in the competition among plants is a well-known process called allelopathy. Their potential as a sustainable alternatives to herbicides has been investigated. In this study, we aim to take advantage of these naturally occurring substances to control the germination of spontaneous flora. In this work, the sensitivity of the germination of different plant species (horticultural, grasses and spontaneous flora) was tested. The results indicate that most of the plants are sensitive to juglone. The comparison between naphthoquinones and commercial pesticides did not provide enough evidence to use naphthoquinones to control spontaneous flora. Assessing the toxicity of pesticides is crucial because the sustainability of the ecosystem could be endangered by their use. In this study, the toxicity of certain pesticides (metam Na, oxyfluorfen, glyphosate, metribuzin and diuron) was evaluated based on dehydrogenase activity (DHA). DHA has become a good bioindicator for assessing the toxicity of xenobiotics. A toxicity index was proposed to compare the different degrees of toxicity among the tested substances. Finally, a toxicity threshold was constructed using the slopes of the fitted lines of the data, assuming that the maximum toxicity (10) represented the slope of the biocide HgCl2 and that the minimum toxicity (1) was attributed to the DHA obtained from soil without pesticides.

Attentional blink in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the temporal mechanism of attention in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task in which two letters (T1 and T2) were presented in close temporal proximity among distractors (attentional blink [AB]). METHOD: Thirty children aged between 9 and 13 years (12 with ADHD combined type and 18 controls) took part in the study. Both groups performed two kinds of RSVP task. In the single task, participants simply had to identify a target letter (T1), whereas in the dual task, they had to identify a target letter (T1) and a probe letter (T2). RESULTS: The ADHD and control groups were equivalent in their single-task performance. However, in the dual-task condition, there were significant between-group differences in the rate of detection of the probe letter (T2) at lag + 1 and lag + 4. The ADHD group exhibited a larger overall AB compared with controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide support for a link between ADHD and attentional blink.

Nutrients and trace elements content of wood decay fungi isolated from oak (Quercus ilex).

The presence of chemical elements and the differences in their concentration in the fruiting bodies of wood decay fungi may reflect their activity either as saprobes or parasites and the intimate physiological relation with the substrate from which they extract their nutrients. In order to test this hypothesis, we carried out a systematic sampling of eight species of wood decay fungi on oak (Quercus ilex). The data show that the concentration of some elements exhibits a very wide range of values for the species tested, which could mean that the relative content of some elements may provide clues about the nature of the substrate and, moreover, about the nutritional physiology. The comparison between the foliar analysis (FA) and the elemental content of fungi may shed light on the specific physiological behaviour of the species. Potassium is an element accumulated in fungal biomass in higher quantities than in the FA. By contrast, calcium appears in foliar analysis in much higher quantities than in fungal fruiting bodies' biomass. Concerning this element, we have also found profound differences between the two species phylogenetic groups and lifestyle. Of all elements measured, we believe that the relative accumulation of K and Ca may be related to the close connection between fungi and the substrate on which they live and may also explain their physiological role as saprobes or parasites. When the lifestyle and the systematic position of the different species sampled were compared, differences also emerged in the content of Na and Ca.

Attentional blink in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: To explore the temporal mechanism of attention in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task in which two letters (T1 and T2) were presented in close temporal proximity among distractors (attentional blink [AB]). Method: Thirty children aged between 9 and 13 years (12 with ADHD combined type and 18 controls) took part in the study. Both groups performed two kinds of RSVP task. In the single task, participants simply had to identify a target letter (T1), whereas in the dual task, they had to identify a target letter (T1) and a probe letter (T2). Results: The ADHD and control groups were equivalent in their single-task performance. However, in the dual-task condition, there were significant between-group differences in the rate of detection of the probe letter (T2) at lag + 1 and lag + 4. The ADHD group exhibited a larger overall AB compared with controls. Conclusion: Our findings provide support for a link between ADHD and attentional blink. .