Aspects of leaf anatomy of tropical kudzu related to water and energy balance

No Brasil, a puerária (Pueraria phaseoloides Benth, Leguminosae-Faboideae) é tradicionalmente empregada como cultura de cobertura em seringais na região amazônica, onde as condições climáticas se assemelham às condições climáticas tropicais encontradas no sudeste asiático, centro de dispersão da espécie. Puerária foi também introduzida na região sudeste do Brasil, região esta caracterizada pela transição entre os climas tropical e subtropical. Este trabalho teve como objetivo descrever algumas das características da anatomia foliar de puerária relacionadas á economia de água e energia. A epiderme inferior apresentou maior frequência de estômatos (213 estômatos.mm-2) quando comparada à epiderme superior (101 estômatos.mm-2). O número médio de tricomas por milímetro quadrado foi 9 para a epiderme superior e 13 para a epiderme inferior. O comprimento médio dos tricomas foi de 300 mm para a epiderme superior e 460 mm para a epiderme inferior. A espessura da cutícula não diferiu significativamente entre as epidermes inferior e superior. A lâmina foliar consistiu basicamente de duas camadas de ambos, parênquima paliçádico e parênquima lacunoso. Uma camada de mesófilo paranerval foi encontrada entre os parênquimas paliçádico e lacunoso.Tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides Benth, Leguminosae-Faboideae) has been established in southeastern Brazil in a region characterized by the transition between subtropical and tropical biomes. The seasonal changes in temperature and water availability found in this region are very distinct from those found in the region where tropical kudzu is native. The objective of this paper was to describe characteristics of leaflet anatomy related to water and energy balance in tropical kudzu. The lower epidermis of tropical kudzu showed a higher frequency of stomata (213 stomata.mm-2) than the upper epidermis (101 stomata.mm-2). Trichomes were present in both lower and upper epidermis. The average number of trichomes per square millimeter was 9 for the upper epidermis and 13 for the lower epidermis. The average trichome length was 300 mm for the upper epidermis and 460 mm for the lower epidermis. Cuticle thickness was not considerably different between lower and upper epidermis. The leaflet blade consisted basically of two layers (upper and lower) of unicellular epidermis and two layers of both palisade and spongy parenchyma. One layer of paraveinal mesophyll was found between palisade and spongy parenchyma

Aspectos da anatomia foliar de Pueraria lobata (Leguminosae-Faboideae) associados ao balanço de água e de energia

Kudzu is a cover crop that has escaped cultivation in some subtropical and warm temperate regions. Kudzu has previously demonstrated broad intraspecific physiological plasticity while colonizing new environments. The objective of this paper was to investigate characteristics of kudzu leaflet anatomy that might contribute to its successful growth in climatically distinct environments, and to escape cultivation as well. Fresh and fixed leaflet strips of field-grown plants were analyzed. The lower epidermis of kudzu showed a higher frequency of stomata (147 ± 19 stomata mm-2) than the upper epidermis (26 ± 17 stomata mm-2). The average number of trichomes per square milimeter was 8 for both the upper and the lower epidermis. The average trichome length was 410 ± 200 mum for the upper epidermis and 460 ± 190 mum for the lower epidermis. Cuticle thickness was not considerably different between lower and upper epidermis. The leaflet blade consisted basically of two layers (upper and lower) of unicellular epidermis, two layers of palisade parenchyma and one layer of spongy parenchyma. One layer of paraveinal mesophyll was found between palisade and spongy parenchyma. In conclusion, leaflets of kudzu present anatomical characteristics that might contribute to the broad physiological plasticity shown by kudzu.Kudzu é uma cultura de cobertura que se tornou invasiva em algumas regiões subtropicais e temperadas. Kudzu tem demonstrado ampla plasticidade fisiológica quando coloniza novos ambientes. Este trabalho teve por objetivo investigar características da anatomia foliar de kudzu que poderiam contribuir para seu hábito invasivo e também para sua propagação em ambientes distintos do ponto de vista climático. Foram analisados cortes frescos e permanentes de lâminas foliares de plantas crescidas no campo. A epiderme inferior tipicamente apresentou maior freqüência de estômatos (147 ± 19 estômatos mm-2) do que a epiderme superior (26 ± 17 estômatos mm-2). O número médio de tricomas por milímetro quadrado foi 8 para ambas, epiderme superior e epiderme inferior. O comprimento médio dos tricomas foi 410 ± 200 mim para a epiderme superior e 460 ± 190 mim para a epiderme inferior. A espessura da cutícula não diferiu significativamente entre as epidermes inferior e superior. A lâmina foliar consistiu basicamente de duas camadas de parênquima paliçádico e uma camada de parênquima lacunoso. Uma camada de mesófilo paranerval foi encontrada entre os parênquimas paliçádico e lacunoso. Concluindo, folíolos de kudzu apresentam características anatômicas que podem contribuir para a ampla plasticidade fisiológica demonstrada pela espécie.1361136

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

Multiscale Analysis of Geo-Hazards Affecting the Alhambra Cultural Heritage

[EN] This paper presents a multiscale methodology to perform successful geo-hazards assessment in the context of Cultural Heritage. The methodology, defined in the European PROTHEGO project, has been applied to the Alhambra case study. Alhambra is an important Word Heritage site located in Andalusia, Spain. The site is prone to suffer flood, earthquake and landslide phenomena. The proposed multiscale methodology leans on new remote monitoring and modelling technics that not entail aesthetic and functional impacts on the site. For large-scale monitoring, satellite remote sensing technology enables to detect and characterize spatiotemporal ground and structure deformation as a whole, with up to millimeter precision. For very local phenomena analysis, small-scale monitoring based on Terrestrial Laser Scanner and airborne drone digital photogrammetry surveys enables to detect erosion processes that affect the slopes of the citadel. Furthermore, numerical modelling enables geo-mechanical instabilities to be quantified at different scales. Large-scale modelling shows that the most dangerous slope is located at the San Pedro cliff site. Small-scale stability analysis in the San Pedro cliff shows that a slope failure, triggered by a possible earthquake scenario, could reach the wall foundations of the Alhambra citadel located 22 m behind it. Finally, very detailed small-scale modelling, using very precise digital elevation models, enables to track local instabilities and erosion phenomena. Such a multiscale, interdisciplinary approach is the most effective way to identify, assess and monitor risks, strengthening disaster preparedness at heritage property.The research leading to these results has been supported by the PROTHEGO Project (Protection of European Cultural Heritage from Geo-hazards), funded through the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH), and under ERA-NET Plus and the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) of the European CommissionPeer reviewe

A Systematic Review and International Web-Based Survey of Randomized Controlled Trials in the Perioperative and Critical Care Setting: Interventions Reducing Mortality

The authors aimed to identify interventions documented by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reduce mortality in adult critically ill and perioperative patients, followed by a survey of clinicians’ opinions and routine practices to understand the clinicians’ response to such evidence. The authors performed a comprehensive literature review to identify all topics reported to reduce mortality in perioperative and critical care settings according to at least 2 RCTs or to a multicenter RCT or to a single-center RCT plus guidelines. The authors generated position statements that were voted on online by physicians worldwide for agreement, use, and willingness to include in international guidelines. From 262 RCT manuscripts reporting mortality differences in the perioperative and critically ill settings, the authors selected 27 drugs, techniques, and strategies (66 RCTs, most frequently published by the New England Journal of Medicine [13 papers], Lancet [7], and Journal of the American Medical Association [5]) with an agreement ≥67% from over 250 physicians (46 countries). Noninvasive ventilation was the intervention supported by the largest number of RCTs (n = 13). The concordance between agreement and use (a positive answer both to “do you agree” and “do you use”) showed differences between Western and other countries and between anesthesiologists and intensive care unit physicians. The authors identified 27 clinical interventions with randomized evidence of survival benefit and strong clinician support in support of their potential life-saving properties in perioperative and critically ill patients with noninvasive ventilation having the highest level of support. However, clinician views appear affected by specialty and geographical location

Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance For Optimizing Their Rational Use In Intra-abdominal Infections (agora)

Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are an important cause of morbidity and are frequently associated with poor prognosis, particularly in high-risk patients. The cornerstones in the management of complicated IAIs are timely effective source control with appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Empiric antimicrobial therapy is important in the management of intra-abdominal infections and must be broad enough to cover all likely organisms because inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor patient outcomes and the development of bacterial resistance. The overuse of antimicrobials is widely accepted as a major driver of some emerging infections (such as C. difficile), the selection of resistant pathogens in individual patients, and for the continued development of antimicrobial resistance globally. The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and the limited development of new agents available to counteract them have caused an impending crisis with alarming implications, especially with regards to Gram-negative bacteria. An international task force from 79 different countries has joined this project by sharing a document on the rational use of antimicrobials for patients with IAIs. The project has been termed AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections). The authors hope that AGORA, involving many of the world's leading experts, can actively raise awareness in health workers and can improve prescribing behavior in treating IAIs.11NIAID NIH HHS [R01 AI117211