Recent sediments of the Eume river: mineralogical and textural composition

[Resumen] Se analiza la granulometría, textura y mineralogía de sedimentos recogidos en los fondos de la ría de Ares, estuario y tramo final del río Eume. Texturalmente, las muestras se agrupan en francolimosas o francoarenosas y su distribución está defmida según las características dinámicas de la ría y las modificaciones realizadas por las obras de infraestructura. La mineralogía de la fracción arcilla es muy homogénea, con caolinita y filosilicatos 2: 1 dominantes, junto con pequeñas antidades de cuarzo y feldespato. El contenido en carbonatos es bajo, siempre menor del 30 %, destacando los porcentajes encontrados en el sondeo de la cola del embalse del Eume, de origen claramente antrópico. Textura y mineralogía son coherentes con el marco geológico del que proceden, excepto en la presencia de carbonatos y exceso de partículas finas con caolinita cristalina existentes en la cola del embalse del Eume. La distribución de las partículas, según su tamaño, obedece fundamentalmente a causas naturales, pero existen imponantes modificaciones relacionadas con el papel de barrera del embalse y las obras de infraestructura que han alterado la circulaci6n original en algunas zonas del estuario y desembocadura.[Abstract] A textural and mineralogical analysis is made to sediments sampled at the bottom of the Ría de Ares, estuarine and Eume river. Clay mineralogy is very similar for all the samples and consists of kaolinite and 2: 1 phyllosilicates with small amounts of quartz and fe'ldspar. The percentage of carbonates is small, always less than 30 o/o. There should be pointed out the values found in the Eume reservoir core, with a clear antropic origino Texture and mineralogy are coherent with the geology of the basin they come from, excepting the carbonates and fine particle excess with cristaline caolinite in the Eume reservoir core. Size grain distribution is due to the dinamic characteristics of the ría, but there are important rnodifications related to the reservoir, that acts as a barrier, and the constructions in the lower part of the river that have changed the original circulation in sorne areas of the ría

The Effects of Two Different Resisted Swim Training Load Protocols on Swimming Strength and Performance

This study used a power rack device to evaluate the effects of 2 different approaches to resisted swim training loads on swimming strength and performance. Sixteen male, youth national-level swimmers (mean age, 16.22 +/- 2.63 years; body height, 169 +/- 10.20 cm; body mass, 61.33 +/- 9.90 kg) completed a 6-week specific strength-training program, and were then randomly assigned to one of the two groups: a standard training group (GS, n = 8) and a flat pyramid-loading pattern group (GP, n = 8). Strength and power tests along with specific swimming tests (50-m crawl and 50-m competition-style time trials) were conducted at baseline (pre-test), before the third week (mid-test), and after 6 weeks of intervention (post-test). Isokinetic swim bench tests were conducted to obtain measurements of force production and power, and 1RM tests with the power rack system were conducted to measure the maximum drag load (MDL) and specific swimming power. Following 6 weeks of intervention, the mean MDL increased (p < 0.05) by 13.94%. Scores for the 50-m competition style and 50-m crawl time trials improved by 0.32% and 0.78%, respectively, in the GP; however, those changes were not statistically significant. The GS significantly increased their time in the 50-m competition style by 2.59%, and their isokinetic force production decreased by 14.47% (p < 0.05). The 6-week strength-training program performed with the power rack device in a pyramidal organization was more effective than a standard linear load organization in terms of producing improvements in the MDL; however, it did not produce significant improvements in performance. The use of a strength-training program with a pyramidal organization can be recommended for specific strength-training in young swimmers during a preparatory period. However, in our study, that program did not produce significant changes in 50-m crawl and main competition style performance

Effect of training load on post-exercise cardiac troponin T elevations in young soccer players

Training load (TL) metrics are usually assessed to estimate the individual, physiological and psychological, acute, and adaptive responses to training. Cardiac troponins (cTn) reflect myocardial damage and are routinely analyzed for the clinical diagnosis of myocardial injury. The association between TL and post-exercise cTn elevations is scarcely investigated in young athletes, especially after playing common team sports such as soccer. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between TL measurements during a small-sided soccer game and the subsequent increase in cTn in young players. Twenty male soccer players (age 11.9 ± 2 years, height 151 ± 13 cm, weight 43 ± 13 kg) were monitored during a 5 × 5 small-sided game and had blood samples drawn before, immediately after, and 3 h after exercise for a posterior analysis of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT). Internal, external, and mixed metrics of TL were obtained from the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR), and GPS player tracking. The results show that the concentration of hs-cTnT peaked at 3 h post-exercise in all participants. The magnitude of hs-cTnT elevation was mainly explained by the exercise duration in the maximal heart rate zone (Maximum Probability of Effect (MPE) = 92.5%), time in the high-speed zone (MPE = 90.4 %), and distance in the high-speed zone (MPE = 90.45%). Our results support the idea that common metrics of TL in soccer, easily obtained using player tracking systems, are strongly associated with the release of hs-cTnT in children and adolescents

Cardiac troponin T release after football 7 in healthy children and adults

The objective of this study was to compare the release of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) after a football 7 match between two cohorts of children and adult players. Thirty-six male football players (children = 24, adult = 12) played a football 7 match, and cTnT was measured before, and 3 h after exercise. Concentrations of cTnT were compared between groups and time, and correlated with participants’ characteristics, as well as internal and external exercise load. Cardiac troponin T was elevated in all participants (p < 0.001), and exceeded the upper reference limit for myocardial infarction in 25 (~70%) of them. Baseline concentrations were higher in adults (p < 0.001), but the elevation of cTnT was comparable between the groups (p = 0.37). Age (p < 0.001), body mass (p = 0.001) and height (p < 0.001), and training experience (p = 0.001) were associated to baseline cTnT values, while distance (p < 0.001), mean speed (p < 0.001), and peak (p = 0.013) and mean (p = 0.016) heart rate were associated to the elevation of cTnT. The present study suggests that a football 7 match evoked elevations of cTnT during the subsequent hours in healthy players regardless of their age. However, adults might present higher resting values of cTnT than children. In addition, results suggest that the exercise-induced elevations of cTnT might be mediated by exercise load but not participant characteristics

Granulomatous Reactions from Tattoos Following BRAF Inhibitor Therapy

BRAF inhibitors may present several cutaneous adverse effects, including actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, keratoacanthoma, rashes, increased photosensitivity, panniculitis, palmoplantar and capillary involvement, pruritus and xerosis as well as granulomatous reactions. A 30-year-old patient with multiple tattoos received dabrafenib and trametinib for metastatic melanoma. After 4 months, he developed an induration and thickening strictly limited to several tattoos. Histopathology revealed nonnecrotizing granulomas in the dermis. Topical steroids relieved pruritus but not the granulomatous aspect of the tattoos. As far as we know, this is the first description of granulomatous reactions restricted to preexisting tattoos following BRAF inhibitor therapy

Cone pigments in a North American marsupial, the opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Only two of the four cone opsin gene families found in vertebrates are represented in contemporary eutherian and marsupial species. Recent genetic studies of two species of South American marsupial detected the presence of representatives from two of the classes of cone opsin genes and the structures of these genes predicted cone pigments with respective peaks in the ultraviolet and long-wavelength portions of the spectrum. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), a profoundly nocturnal animal, is the only marsupial species found in North America. The prospects for cone-based vision in this species were examined through recordings of the electroretinogram (ERG), a commonly examined retinal response to photic stimulation. Recorded under flickering-light conditions that elicit signals from cone photoreceptors, the spectral sensitivity of the opossum eye is well accounted for by contributions from the presence of a single cone pigment having peak absorption at 561–562 nm. A series of additional experiments that employed various chromatic adaptation paradigms were conducted in a search for possible contributions from a second (short-wavelength sensitive) cone pigment. We found no evidence that such a mechanism contributes to the ERG in this marsupial

BÚSQUEDA DE Trichinella spiralis EN CERDOS DE CRIANZA NO TECNIFICADA EN ZONAS PERIURBANAS DE LIMA, PERÚ

The aim of this study was to analyze the possible presence of Trichinella spiralis in non-technified pig farms of Lima, Peru. Samples of blood and diaphragm muscle from 185 pigs were collected from two slaughterhouses. Muscles samples were evaluated using the trichinoscopy and blood samples by the use of an indirect ELISA commercial kit to detect the presence of antibodies against T. spiralis. All samples were negative to both tests. The Monte Carlo simulation (@ Risk) showed that the probability of finding T. spiralis in Lima was 0.53%.El objetivo del presente estudio fue evidenciar la posible presencia de infecciones por Trichinella spiralis en cerdos procedentes de granjas de crianza no tecnificada en Lima y beneficiados en dos mataderos autorizados. Se tomaron muestras de sangre y del diafragma de 185 cerdos. Las muestras de músculo se analizaron con el triquinoscopio y las muestras de sangre con un kit comercial de ELISA indirecto para detectar la presencia de anticuerpos contra T. spiralis. Todas las muestras fueron negativas a las dos pruebas. Mediante la simulación Montecarlo (@Risk) se determinó que la probabilidad de encontrar T. spiralis en Lima sería de 0.53%

Mapping the habitats of a complex circalittoral rocky shelf in the Cantabrian Sea (south Bay of Biscay)

This work focuses on the study of habitats and communities of a high structural complexity area at different levels and scales. This gives us a better understanding of an area from an ecological point of view and at the same time provides us with tools that will facilitate management measures. It was developed in a complex circalittoral rocky platform of the central Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay). The sampling was carried out using a towed photogrammetric vehicle and a rock dredge, which was used for the identification of the species. The first level of the study was the abiotic characterization of the area and the analysis of the communities. These analysis were developed using the unsupervised k-means classification method. For abiotic characterization we used the variables directly associated with the composition and morphology of the ground, such as backscatter, BPI (Bathymetric Position Index), roughness and slope. Depth was also included to discriminate between the circalittoral and bathyal zones. We obtained 5 different classes, which we related to the ground types observed by photogrammetry. In the analysis of the communities, the cluster was based on the sampling units extracted from the images (~10 m), from which 5 assemblages were obtained, providing information on the most abundant species of each class supplied by the abiotic study. The second level was carried out considering a management approach and was based on the modeling of the area at lower resolution, more suitable for the analysis of the habitat-fisheries interactions. Thus, the main habitat-forming species (HFS) of the entire circalittoral area were used to perform delta models based on GAMs (Generalize Additive Models). Obtaining the predictions of presence/absence and combining it with the predictions of densities, we got the zero inflated values density-based model. As all the identified habitats have vulnerable benthic species of a certain size settled on rocky bottoms, they can all be considered to belong to the designation 1170 reefs of the Habitats Directive

Demersal and epibenthic communities of sedimentary habitats in the Avilés Canyon System, Cantabrian Sea (NE Atlantic)

The aim of this study was to describe the epibenthic and demersal communities of the Avilés Canyon System (ACS) in relation to the environmental variables that characterize their biotope. ACS (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic) was recently included in the Natura 2000 network as a Site of Community Importance (SCI). Data of faunal biomass derived from 6 surveys carried out using beam trawl and otter trawls in 2009 and 2010 within INDEMARES and ERDEM projects. Data were divided into two groups to obtain information about the two ecological compartments: benthic and demersal. The total number of species used in this analysis ascended to 116 in the case of benthic organisms and 110 in the case of demersal. Hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to obtain groups of samples similar in terms of species composition for the two ecological components. Depth was the main discriminating factor for grouping hauls, showing high consistency of bathymetric range independently from the compartment examined. Six groups were identified by depth as follows: medium shelf (∼100–200 m), external shelf (∼150–300m), shelf break (∼300–400 m), upper-slope (∼500–700 m), upper middle-slope (∼700–1100 m), and lower-middle-slope (1200–1500 m). SIMPER analysis on biomass values was performed to determine the structure of the faunal assemblages observed for each group in both compartments. Using biomass values for the analysis allowed for the exploration of groups playing important roles in ecosystem functioning and energy fluxes taking place on the sedimentary bottom of this SCI. Finally, CCA analysis revealed that the main environmental drivers were depth, broad scale bathymetric position index (BPI), near-bottom salinity, sedimentary type, and dynamics related variables (Q50 phy and So). This study gives an inventory of the soft bottom assemblages along a very wide depth range (100–1500 m) inside a SCI, linking both epibenthic and demersal communities with the biotope preferences. This study contributes to fundamental knowledge on soft-bottom communities as a pre-requisite, necessary for the next steps in terms of management framework in the SCI