Predation of \u3cem\u3eAnanteris\u3c/em\u3e spp. (Scorpiones: Buthidae) by ants and a social wasp (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Vespidae) in Panama, Central America

Two events of predation on Ananteris spp. were observed in the Parque Nacional Darién, Darién Province, Panama. The first case involved the social wasp Agelaia centralis (Cameron, 1907) (Vespidae); the second one, a ponerine ant Leptogenys cf. cuneata Lattke, 2011 (Formicidae). This is the first time that predation by a social wasp on a scorpion is observed. They also represent the first recorded predators for Panamanian Ananteris species

Description of the adult female of \u3cem\u3eDiplocentrus lachua\u3c/em\u3e (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) from northeastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

The female of the scorpion Diplocentrus lachua Armas, Trujillo & Agreda, 2011 is herein described, on the basis of a single specimen collected at Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá, Alta Verapaz Department, Guatemala, type locality for this species. An emended diagnosis is provided and the known distribution of all described Guatemalan Diplocentrus species is graphically presented

The influence of chromium nitrides precipitation on the fatigue behavior of duplex stainless steels

This paper studies the fatigue behavior at room temperature of UNS S32205 and UNS S32750 duplex stainless steels (DSSs) under two thermal treatments. In both types of DSSs, thermal treatments at high temperature followed by water quenching (TTW) produces the precipitation of Cr2N within the ferrite phase. The amount of Cr2N increases mainly with the ferritic grain size independently of the nitrogen content. This nitride precipitation hardens the ferritic phase and produces a detrimental effect on the fatigue life of both steels.Fil: Hereñu, Silvina Andrea Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario (i); ArgentinaFil: Armas, A. F.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario (i); ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Iris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario (i); ArgentinaFil: Moscato, M. G.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario (i); Argentin

Newton{Cartan Submanifolds and Fluid Membranes

We develop the geometric description of submanifolds in Newton--Cartan spacetime. This provides the necessary starting point for a covariant spacetime formulation of Galilean-invariant hydrodynamics on curved surfaces. We argue that this is the natural geometrical framework to study fluid membranes in thermal equilibrium and their dynamics out of equilibrium. A simple model of fluid membranes that only depends on the surface tension is presented and, extracting the resulting stresses, we show that perturbations away from equilibrium yield the standard result for the dispersion of elastic waves. We also find a generalisation of the Canham--Helfrich bending energy for lipid vesicles that takes into account the requirements of thermal equilibrium.Comment: 56 pages including appendices, v2: updated to published versio

Laccase gene silencing negatively effects growth and development in Pleurotus ostreatus

42-51In this study we describe the effects of Pleurotus ostreatus transformants that have been silenced for laccase genes. Using the RNAi strategy, transformants with different levels of phenotypic alteration were obtained with respect to their oxidation capacity of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP). The analysis of laccase activity on DMP allowed us to select transformants with severe, medium and light phenotypic alteration in comparison to the PoB strain. The measurements of the average growth rate of the transformants with severe phenotypic alteration suggested that laccase expression could play a role in the vegetative growth of P. ostreatus. It was observed that both in solid and liquid cultures, PoB and the transformants express mRNA for lacc10, although the transformants with medium and severe phenotypic alteration present a decrease in intensity, especially in solid culture. This suggests that the product of this gene is responsible for the development of the mycelium and probably participates in the production of biomass in solid culture and also could be related to the decrease in the intensity of the constant isoenzyme observed in both culture systems

Whole exome sequencing of patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and calcium pyrophosphate crystal chondrocalcinosis

Objectives: DISH/CC is a poorly understood phenotype characterised by peripheral and axial enthesopathic calcifications, frequently fulfilling the radiological criteria for Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH, MIM 106400), and in some cases associated with Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate (CPPD) Chondrocalcinosis (CC). The concurrence of DISH and CC suggests a shared pathogenic mechanism. In order to identify genetic variants for susceptibility we performed whole exome sequencing in four patients showing this phenotype. Materials and methods: Exome data were filtered in order to find a variant or a group of variants that could be associated with the DISH/CC phenotype. Variants of interest were subsequently confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Selected variants were screened in a cohort of 65 DISH/CC patients vs 118 controls from Azores. The statistical analysis was performed using PLINK V1.07. Results:We identified 21 genetic variants in 17 genes that were directly or indirectly related to mineralization, several are predicted to have a strong effect at a protein level. Phylogenetic analysis of altered amino acids indicates that these are either highly conserved in vertebrates or conserved in mammals. In case-control analyses, variant rs34473884 in PPP2R2D was significantly associated with the DISH/CC phenotype (p=0.028; OR=1.789, 95% CI= 1.060 - 3.021)). Conclusion: The results of the present and preceding studies with the DISH/CC families suggests that the phenotype has a polygenic basis. The PPP2R2D gene could be involved in this phenotype in an as yet unknown way.FRCT: M3.1.2/F/023/2011info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The optical counterpart of the bright X-ray transient Swift J1745-26

We present a 30-day monitoring campaign of the optical counterpart of the bright X-ray transient Swift J1745-26, starting only 19 minutes after the discovery of the source. We observe the system peaking at i' ~17.6 on day 6 (MJD 56192) to then decay at a rate of ~0.04 mag/day. We show that the optical peak occurs at least 3 days later than the hard X-ray (15-50 keV) flux peak. Our measurements result in an outburst amplitude greater than 4.3 magnitudes, which favours an orbital period < 21 h and a companion star with a spectral type later than ~ A0. Spectroscopic observations taken with the GTC-10.4 m telescope reveal a broad (FWHM ~ 1100 km/s), double-peaked H_alpha emission line from which we constrain the radial velocity semi-amplitude of the donor to be K_2 > 250 km/s. The breadth of the line and the observed optical and X-ray fluxes suggest that Swift J1745-26 is a new black hole candidate located closer than ~7 kpc.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA