Health professionals are among the most vulnerable to work stress and emotional exhaustion problems. These health professionals include tutors and resident intern specialists, due to the growing ...demand for the former and the high work overload of the latter. Mindfulness training programs can support these professionals during times of crisis, such as the current global pandemic caused by the coronavirus-19 disease. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an abbreviated Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training program in relation to a standard training program on the levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-perceived empathy in tutors and resident intern specialists of Family and Community Medicine and Nursing. A total of 112 professionals attached to six Spanish National Health System teaching units (TUs) participated in this randomized and controlled clinical trial. Experimental Group (GE) participants were included in the standard or abbreviated MBSR programs. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Self-Compassion Scale short form (SCS-SF), and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) were administered three times during the study: before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Adjusted covariance analysis (ANCOVA), using pretest scores as the covariate, showed a significant increase in mindfulness (F
= 3.271;
= 0.042; η
= 0.067) and self-compassion (F
= 6.046;
= 0.003; η
= 0.117) in the post-test visit, and in self-compassion (F
= 3.880;
= 0.025; η
= 0.089) in the follow-up visit, attributable to the implementation of the standard training program. The standard MBSR and MSC training program improves levels of mindfulness and self-compassion, and promotes long-lasting effects in tutors and resident intern specialists. New studies are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of abbreviated training programs.
Leptocereus
is an Antillean genus of thin-stemmed cacti with 17 described species. We carried out a phylogenetic reconstruction with plastid DNA sequence data and a combined analysis with a set of 39 ...morphological characters using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference criteria to explore the monophyly of the genus. We further analyzed the evolution of eight morphological characters to interpret the circumscription of
Leptocereus
and test for putative synapomorphies for the clade. Five plastid markers (
trn
L-F,
trn
Q-
rps
16,
psb
A-
trn
H,
pet
L-
psb
E, and
rpl
16) were sequenced for fifteen species of
Leptocereus
, seven species of the related genera (
Armatocereus, Dendrocereus, Strophocactus
) and ten species from Hylocereeae, Pachycereinae, Stenocereinae were used as outgroup taxa. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that
Leptocereus
is paraphyletic with a clade of the two
Dendrocereus
species nested within it. All Cuban species constitute a monophyletic group, as do the species of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, which are sister to the Cuban clade +
Dendrocereus
clade. No morphological character analyzed here was synapomorphic for the genus, but sunken areoles in the depressions of the ribs were a character present in all subclades of
Leptocereus
. Based on our molecular data and extensive fieldwork, a new circumscription of
Leptocereus
is proposed, which includes three new combinations (
Leptocereus albellus
comb. et stat. nov.,
L. nudiflorus
comb. nov.,
L. undulosus
comb. nov.).
Using waste biomass is considered one of the ways to reduce climate change. Arboreal waste biomass from pine, eucalyptus, and particularly invasive plants (Acacias) would make it possible to ...transform this natural resource, but needs to be adjusted to current and innovative technologies. The production of high fixed carbon biochar with this biomass would improve not only environmental aspects, but also the use of currently not susceptible materials for other types of exploitation. The objective of this study is to develop biochar from three different waste biomass materials and compare their parameters with those of the original biomass. Thermochemical conversion processes were used in a simple double chamber reactor developed for this study. Temperatures between 400 and 500 °C during 280 min were achieved and allowed to transform the initial biomass in a biochar with a high content of fixed carbon. By comparing the original biomass with the final biochar through tests of humidity, density, calorific values, fixed carbon, and cationic and elemental analysis, an increase in the parameters was confirmed. Fixed carbon of 70%, 77%, and 71% with pine, acacia, and eucalyptus biomass have been obtained, respectively, with yields between 30% and 40%. The results are favorable, particularly with acacia invasive plants, and could help in their difficult silviculture management.
The paper finds evidence for the existence of a statistical structure in the US input-output coefficient
matrices for 1963-2007 and characterizes the identified statistical regularities. For various ...aspects of
matrices, we find smooth and unimodal empirical distributions (EDs) with a remarkable stability in their functional form for most of the samples. The EDs of all entries, row sums, and the entries of the (left- and right-hand) Perron-Frobenius eigenvectors are well described by fat-tailed distributions, while the EDs of column sums and eigenvalues' moduli are explained by the normal and the beta distribution. The paper provides several economic interpretations of these statistical results as well as some implications and potential uses for structural and stochastic input-output analysis.
Serotiny is a strategy in which the retention of mature seeds in parent structures allows plants to cope with environmental variability like heat, drought or fire. Although this phenomenon might be ...common in Cactaceae, and particularly in Melocactus, it has generally been scarcely addressed. The main goal of our work is to investigate if there are seeds hidden in the cephalium of Melocactus matanzanus and if there are, determine whether or not these seeds maintain their viability. We also discuss some advantages the cephalium may offer as diaspore after the death of individuals. Cephalia collected from dead individuals were divided into four slices and their seeds counted; we also assessed the viability and photoblastic response of the seeds by using growth chambers at 25/30°C, and by a cut test on the seeds that did not germinate. Our results showed retention of viable seeds of different ages in all slices of the cephalium. Seeds were photoblastic positive with germination between 11–22% and viability above 50% in the portion of the lots that did not germinate.
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists recognize that understanding the phylogenetic history of closely related species is challenging without considering their population genetics history. The taxonomy of ...Magnolia sect. Talauma in Cuba has long been debated, with several changes in taxon delimitations. All these taxonomic revisions were based exclusively on leaf morphological characteristics of a few individuals, limiting their ability to elucidate taxon boundaries. Recent studies have focused on conservation genetics and species delimitation of Cuban magnolias, based on ecological, morphological and genetic data. Here, we use full plastome sequences and microsatellite data to infer phylogenetic relationships and potential historical migration events among species in Magnolia sect. Talauma in Cuba. Bayesian phylogeny and TreeMix were used to understand the phylogenetic relationships. Based on this, Magnolia sect. Talauma in Cuba does not comprise a monophyletic group. The data continue to show a highly supported unresolved species complex in the taxa of Magnolia subsect. Talauma from north-eastern Cuba. From a taxonomic point of view, our results do not entirely support the most recent taxonomic review proposed for the family in Cuba.
Magnesium bis(oxalate)borate salt (Mg(B(C
2
O
4
)
2
)
2
or Mg(BOB)
2
) was prepared by a solid-state reaction solvent-free process, and is potentially viable to be used as an electrolytic material ...for magnesium ion batteries (MIBs). The synthesis was achieved by mixing oxalic acid, boric acid, and magnesium hydroxide using a molar ratio of 4:2:1, respectively. The resulting powders were dried under vacuum at 60°C, then pressed into pellets, and heated at 110 °C for 3 h, with a final heating at 150 °C for 12 h. The crystalline structure and particle morphology of the reaction product were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results confirmed the presence of functional groups in the final product, identified by the absorption bands C = O, C-O-B-O-C, O-B-O, and B-O. In order to evaluate the electrochemical properties, pure crystalline Mg(BOB)
2
powders were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and evaluated within a three-electrode electrolytic cell and in half-cells through cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves.
Abstract
Genetic data on threatened plant populations can facilitate the development of adequate conservation strategies to reduce extinction risk. Such data are particularly important for species ...affected by habitat fragmentation such as
Magnolia cubensis
subsp.
acunae
, a Critically Endangered magnolia subspecies endemic to Cuba. Using genetic data from 67 individuals, we aimed to evaluate the effect of habitat fragmentation on two subpopulations in the Guamuhaya mountain range, in Topes de Collantes Protected Natural Landscape and Lomas de Banao Ecological Reserve. We characterize the structure and genetic diversity of these subpopulations, with the objective of managing their conservation more effectively. We used Landsat satellite images to determine land-cover types at the two locations and calculated indices of habitat fragmentation. For genetic analyses, we extracted DNA from the leaf tissue of individuals from the two subpopulations and used 11 microsatellite markers to genotype them. We calculated heterozygosity, allelic richness and the
F
-statistics, to evaluate genetic variability. The montane rainforest in Topes de Collantes was most affected by habitat fragmentation, with smaller patches of more irregular shapes, compared to submontane forest at this location and both montane and submontane forests in Lomas de Banao. Genetic diversity was higher in Topes de Collantes, but we found no genetic differentiation between subpopulations. Our findings suggest the two subpopulations can be considered a single evolutionary unit and conservation entity. We propose to use individuals from both subpopulations for reinforcement to increase the overall genetic diversity of the subspecies.
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