New approach methodologies for risk assessment using deep learning.

The advancement of technologies and the development of more efficient artificial intelligence (AI) enable the processing of large amounts of data in a very short time. Concurrently, the increase in information within biological databases, such as 3D molecular structures or networks of functional macromolecule associations, will facilitate the creation of new methods for risk assessment that can serve as alternatives to animal testing. Specifically, the predictive capabilities of AI as new approach methodologies (NAMs) are poised to revolutionise risk assessment approaches.

Increased Temperature and Exposure to Ammonium Alter the Life Cycle of an Anuran Species.

Amphibian populations are undergoing a major recession worldwide, likely triggered by global change components such as the global warming and pollutants, among which agrochemicals, in general, and fertilizers, in particular, play a central role given their relevance in agriculture. Potential synergies among these stressors could maximize their individual effects. In this work, we investigated the consequences of a controlled chronic exposure to increased temperature and a sublethal dose of ammonium during the larval stage of frogs on the growth, development, and locomotor performance of tadpoles and the metamorphs they gave rise to.

Unlocking rivers' hidden diversity and ecological status using DNA metabarcoding in Northwest Spain.

Rivers are crucial ecosystems supporting biodiversity and human well-being, yet they face increasing degradation globally. Traditional river biomonitoring methods based on morphological identification of macroinvertebrates present challenges in terms of taxonomic resolution and scalability. This study explores the application of DNA metabarcoding analysis in both bulk and environmental DNA (eDNA) samples for comprehensive assessment of macrozoobenthic biodiversity, detection of invasive and endangered species, and evaluation of river ecological status in northwestern Spain.

Lyko, 2017: A new threat to Iberian inland waters.

An eco-monitoring programme to assess faunal biodiversity in the main rivers of the northern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) reveals the first occurrence of the marbled crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in Iberian inland waters. Iberian specimens have been identified by combining morphological and genetic traits. We discuss the most plausible pathways and introduction vectors, its potential invasiveness and subsequent impacts on host localities.

Systematic Review of the Evaluation of Foster Care Programs.

Objetive: The aim of this study was to conduct an exhaustive synthesis to determine which instruments and variables are most appropriate to evaluate foster care programs (foster, kinship, and professional families). This evaluation includes the children, their foster families, their families of origin, professionals, and foster care technicians.

Method: The systematic review included randomized, quasi-randomized, longitudinal, and control group studies aimed at evaluating foster care interventions.

Changes in Mental Health of Children and Young People in Residential Care: Outcomes and Associated Factors.

Several studies have evidenced that children in out-of-home care (OOHC), including foster family care and residential care, reveal high levels of mental health disorders (ranging from 40% to 88%). This study examines the outcomes in mental health reported by key residential workers in a group of children and youth ( = 492) between 8-17 years old who were in residential child care (RCC) in Spain. The research also aims to explore the relationship between mental health outcomes and the provision of mental health services (i.

Peer Victimization, Peer Aggression and Depressive Symptoms over Time: A Longitudinal Study with Latent Growth Curves.

Most empirical research on the relationship between peer victimization, aggression, and mental health has been conducted with correlational designs. Much of this research has also focused primarily on linking peer victimization with either the potential aggressive behaviors of victims or a deterioration in their mental health. This study analyzes the relationship between peer victimization, peer aggression, and depressive symptoms in adolescents over time.

Leaving obstacles aside: Antegrade paravalvular leakage closure after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Paravalvular leakage (PVL) is yet a potential and serious complication after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Percutaneous PVL closure may be the treatment of choice upon failure of balloon postdilation in patients with excessive surgical risk. If the retrograde approach fails, an antegrade strategy might provide the solution.

Phenology and plasticity can prevent adaptive clines in thermal tolerance across temperate mountains: The importance of the elevation-time axis.

Critical thermal limits (CT and CT) decrease with elevation, with greater change in CT, and the risk to suffer heat and cold stress increasing at the gradient ends. A central prediction is that populations will adapt to the prevailing climatic conditions. Yet, reliable support for such expectation is scant because of the complexity of integrating phenotypic, molecular divergence and organism exposure.

Smartphone Addiction, Social Support, and Cybercrime Victimization: A Discrete Survival and Growth Mixture Model.

In recent decades, criminological theories have identified a set of vulnerabilities in potential victims that seek to explain their victimization. When it comes to explaining cybercrime victimization, however, the important role that addiction to the vulnerabilities associated with technological devices can play has tended to be overlooked. In this paper we empirically link smartphone addiction, social support, and cyberfraud victimization in a nationally representative sample of 716 smartphone users followed for three years.

Dual function and associated costs of a highly exaggerated trait in a cichlid fish.

Exaggerated secondary sexual characteristics are apparently costly and seem to defy natural selection. This conundrum promoted the theory of sexual selection. Accordingly, exaggerated secondary sexual characteristics might be ornaments on which female choice is based and/or armaments used during male-male competition.

Demography_Lab, an educational application to evaluate population growth: Unstructured and matrix models.

Training in Population Ecology asks for scalable applications capable of embarking students on a trip from basic concepts to the projection of populations under the various effects of density dependence and stochasticity. Demography_Lab is an educational tool for teaching Population Ecology aspiring to cover such a wide range of objectives. The application uses stochastic models to evaluate the future of populations.

Can asymmetric post-translational modifications regulate the behavior of STAT3 homodimers?

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a ubiquitous and pleiotropic transcription factor that plays essential roles in normal development, immunity, response to tissue damage and cancer. We have developed a Venus-STAT3 bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay that allows the visualization and study of STAT3 dimerization and protein-protein interactions in living cells. Inactivating mutations on residues susceptible to post-translational modifications (PTMs) (K49R, K140R, K685R, Y705F and S727A) changed significantly the intracellular distribution of unstimulated STAT3 dimers when the dimers were formed by STAT3 molecules that carried different mutations (ie they were "asymmetric").

Pop-Inference: An educational application to evaluate statistical differences among populations.

Pop-Inference is an educational tool designed to help teaching of hypothesis testing using populations. The application allows for the statistical comparison of demographic parameters among populations. Input demographic data are projection matrices or raw demographic data.

Nature versus nurture? Consequences of short captivity in early stages.

Biological changes occurring as a consequence of domestication and/or captivity are not still deeply known. In Atlantic salmon (S), endangered (Southern Europe) populations are enhanced by supportive breeding, which involves only 6 months of captive rearing following artificial spawning of wild-collected adults. In this work, we assess whether several fitness-correlated life-history traits (migratory behavior, straying rate, age at maturity, and growth) are affected by early exposure to the captive environment within a generation, before reproduction thus before genetic selection.

Phenotypic convergence of artificially reared and wild trout is mediated by shape plasticity.

Phenotypic plasticity can be viewed as the first level of defense of organism homeostasis against environmental stress and therefore represents the potential to deal with rapid environmental changes. Transitions between low complexity, artificial environments and complex, natural habitats can promote phenotypic plasticity. Here, we conducted an experimental introduction with juvenile brown trout to evaluate the plasticity of shape in response to a transition between contrasting environments.

Iatrogenic tension pneumothorax in children: two case reports.

Introduction: Two cases of iatrogenic tension pneumothorax in children are reported.

Case Presentations: Case 1: A 2-year-old boy with suspected brain death after suffering multiple trauma suddenly developed intense cyanosis, extreme bradycardia and generalized subcutaneous emphysema during apnea testing. He received advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation and urgent bilateral needle thoracostomy.