Extended phenotype of an mreB-like mutant in Azospirillum brasilense

Tn5mutagenesis was used to generate anAzospirillum brasilenseSPF94 mutant. Genetic analysis of this mutant revealed that a homologue of themreBgene, which controls cell shape inBacillus subtilisandEscherichia coli, was inactivated. The cell-surface properties of the mutant were different from those of the parental strain. The mutant colonies were highly fluorescent when grown on plates containing Calcofluor White. Light and electron microscopy revealed that the mutant cells were round and had thicker capsules than the spiral parental strain. The mutants contained up to ten times more capsule protein than the parental strain, but lacked a 40 kDa protein that is abundant in the parental strain. The phenotype of the isolated mutant resembled that of the cyst-like differentiated forms ofAzospirillum, suggesting that themreBhomologue could be involved in differentiation

Study of the anatase-rutile transformation in TiO2 powders obtained by laser-induced synthesis

Powder samples of pure anatase were produced using laser-induced pyrolysis of titanium alkoxides, and the catalysts were prepared using conventional wet impregnation methods. The diffraction patterns were interpreted in microstructural terms by Fourier analysis of their peak profiles. The transition temperature for the anatase-rutile transition in these catalysts was found between 500° and 550 °C. For the reflections of the anatase phase, a decrease of their Bragg (2θ) positions was observed up to 550 °C when the presence of the rutile phase becomes important. The response of the anatase structure to the thermal treatment is anisotropic with the c-axis showing the highest sensitivity to the observed expansion of the lattice. The rutile Bragg reflections are sharper than those of the anatase phase. The corresponding microstructural parameters indicate that, in all cases, the transformation is accompanied by an increase of the crystallites and/or of the lattice perfection. The evolution of these parameters is influenced by the presence of vanadium. The V-treated surface layer must be particularly distorted and apparently act as a restraint to perfecting by thermal treatments. Only the transition to rutile is capable of overcoming that restraint by allowing crystallite growth at the expense of the smaller and distorted anatase crystallites

Prevalence of overweight, obesity and hypertension in adolescents attending an art school.

A cross-sectional analytical study involving the population of adolescent students attending the Nigelia Soria Public School and Art Institute (n=213, 24% boys, 76% girls) in the two career paths (non-physical: visual arts and music, and physical artistic activities: dance) was conducted. Anthropometric variables, blood pressure (systolic, SBP, and diastolic, DBP), and heart rate were measured. A semi-structured questionnaire collecting personal data regarding non-communicable chronic diseases, trauma, menstrual cycle, non-school physical activity, inactivity, and sleep duration was administered. The participation rate was 70%. In boys (age 15.6±1.8 years), the prevalence rates of low weight, eutrophy, overweight, and obesity were 0%, 87.5%, 12.5% and 0%, respectively. In girls (age 15.5±1.7 years), these rates were 1.1%, 86%, 8.6%, and 4.3%. Body mass index was significantly associated with waist circumference and brachial circumference in both genders (p<0.001). In the overweight/obesity group, two students were diagnosed with isolated systolic hypertension (SBP 90th percentile). A eutrophic male student with SBP/DBP 90th percentile was confirmed as borderline by 24-h blood pressure measurement. In the group of overweight/obese girls, two students were identified with isolated SBP 90th percentile, one with isolated DBP 90th percentile, and two with SBP/DBP 90th percentile. The nutritional status of students is satisfactory, with a high proportion of young healthy adolescents of both genders. However, the implementation of this protocol permitted to identify adolescents with high blood pressure, overweight, and obesity. These factors may pose a health risk considering the school activity of these students

Perfil nutricional por antropometría de niños/as menores de 5 años del sistema público de salud, 2013

Introducción: Es fundamental realizar vigilancia de la situación nutricional de niños y niñas menores de cinco años para realizar intervenciones oportunas ante casos de malnutrición. Objetivo: Determinar la situación nutricional de niños y niñas menores de cinco años, usuarios de servicios públicos de salud. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio transversal, descriptivo, analítico, realizado con datos del Sistema de Vigilancia Nutricional en servicios del Ministerio de Salud. El diagnóstico nutricional fue por antropometría, según criterios de la OMS. Resultados: Fueron evaluados 52.784 niños y niñas menores de cinco años, edad promedio 21 meses (1-59 meses), 49,5% varones. Los promedios zPeso/Edad, zPeso/Talla y zTalla/Edad fueron -0,12±1,17DE; 0,19±1,42DE; -0,41±1,42 DE respectivamente. Se observó 4,8% de Desnutrición Global (DG) (zPeso/Edad2DE) el 9,2%. Conclusiones: Hubo malnutrición tanto por déficit, a expensas de la desnutrición crónica, como por exceso. La desnutrición estuvo asociada a la procedencia rural, bajo peso de nacimiento, baja escolaridad materna y al sexo masculino

Analisi dei fenomeni deformativi indotti dalla sequenza sismica emiliana del 2012 su un tratto di argine del Canale Diversivo di Burana (FE)

The seismic sequence that in May 2012 struck a large area of the river Po Valley (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy) triggered significant fractures and deformations in a number of riverbanks located close to the earthquake epicenter. Among them, one of the most severely damaged structures turned out to be the banks of an irrigation canal known as Canale Diversivo di Burana, flowing through the small village of Scortichino (Municipality of Bondeno), near the historic town of Ferrara. Large, longitudinally-oriented ground cracks were observed along a 3 km bank stretch, causing in turn severe structural damages to a large part of the approximately one hundred houses and productive activities built on the bank crown. In order to interpret the response of such soil structure during the 2012 earthquake by identifying possible damage causes as well as to suggest relevant remedial measures and seismic risk mitigation actions towards possible future earthquakes, the Emilia-Romagna regional authority launched an in-depth study carried out by a number of research groups from various Italian universities in cooperation with technical experts of the Geological, Seismic and Soil Survey Regional Department. To this purpose, a number of geotechnical investigations were performed (in situ and laboratory tests) and an accurate geotechnical model for the seismic stability analyses was thus defined. Potential liquefaction phenomena of the shallow sandy soils, in the foundation subsoil, were taken into account in the analyses. The paper describes the main features of the extensive study carried out by the working group and summarizes the most significant achievements of the analyses

Analisi dei fenomeni deformativi indotti dalla sequenza sismica emiliana del 2012 su un tratto di argine del Canale Diversivo di Burana (FE)

L’articolo descrive uno studio riguardante i fenomeni deformativi osservati dopo il sisma dell’Emilia del maggio 2012 lungo un tratto di argine del Canale Diversivo di Burana che ricade nell’abitato di Scortichino, frazione del comune di Bondeno (FE). In questa porzione del rilevato arginale sono state edificate oltre un centinaio di abitazioni ed alcune strutture di medio-piccole dimensioni adibite ad attività produttive o a deposito, molte delle quali sono risultate pesantemente danneggiate e dichiarate inagibili proprio a causa delle deformazioni e del sistema di fratture longitudinali presenti nel terreno in seguito al terremoto. Il contributo qui presentato si prefigge di analizzare la risposta sismica dell’argine durante la sequenza sismica del 2012, comprendere le cause dei dissesti nonché individuare le necessarie azioni di mitigazione e gli eventuali interventi di messa in sicurezza nei confronti di terremoti futuri. A questo scopo è stata condotta un’ampia campagna sperimentale di indagini in sito e in laboratorio, finalizzata alla ricostruzione di un accurato modello geotecnico per la valutazione delle condizioni di stabilità dell’argine in condizioni sismiche, portando in conto anche l’eventuale insorgenza di fenomeni di liquefazione nei terreni sabbiosi superficiali costituenti la fondazione del corpo arginale. L’analisi illustrata è il risultato dell’attività di indagine svolta per più di un anno dal Gruppo di Lavoro Argini (GdLA), costituitosi nel luglio 2012 in seguito ad un accordo fra la Regione Emilia-Romagna e l’Associazione Geotecnica Italiana per la verifica delle condizioni di stabilità dei rilevati arginali nelle aree colpite dal terremoto

Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.Peer reviewe

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data