Descripción de un nuevo género de Cryptochiridae (Decapoda: Brachyura) asociado com Siderastrea (Anthozoa: Scleractinia), con notas sobre los hábitos alimentarios

Members of the Cryptochiridae are small gall-crabs that live as obligate symbionts of scleractinian corals. Only two species have so far been recorded in the western Atlantic Ocean. Herein a new Cryptochiridae genus and species is described, and new information is added on the life history of cryptochirids. The new genus is characterized by having the carapace with the lowest deflection angle among the genera, and also shows the following features: thoracic sternite 4 with setules and constriction smaller than half of the width of the basis, anterior margin curved with apical row of granules; third maxilliped with subcircular exopod reaching medially the lateral margin of the ischium; pereiopod 2 with prominent distomesial and anterolateral expansion on the merus, propodus almost twice larger than dactylus; thoracic sternite 7 with complete medial suture, female pleopod 3 uniramous with longitudinal opening. Male first pleopod straight with subdistal curvature of approximately 90°. Individuals belonging to the new genus are found in galls in massive corals although this structure is cited as being characteristic of ramified corals. The long plumose setae of the maxilliped 3 suggest a filter-feeding function, but the toothless chelae suggest that they are used to gather mucus.Los miembros de la familia Cryptochiridae son pequeños cangrejos agallas que viven como simbiontes obligados en corales escleractiniarios. Sólo dos especies han sido registradas del Océano Atlántico occidental. Se describe un nuevo género y especie de Cryptochiridae asociados con corales de la familia Siderastreidae y se añade información sobre el ciclo de vida de los cryptochíridos. El nuevo género se caracteriza por tener el ángulo de desviación menor entre los géneros, que también muestra las siguientes características: esternón torácico 4 menor que la mitad del ancho del basis y el margen anterior curvo con una hilera de gránulos; tercero maxilípedo con exopodito subcircular, alcanzando el margen medial lateral del isquion; pereiópodo 2 con una prominente expansión distomesial e anterolateral en el mero, propodio casi dos veces más grande que el dáctilo; esternón torácico 7 con una sutura medial completa, pleópodo 3 unirrámeo, con abertura longitudinal. Pleópodo 1 del macho recto con curvature subdistal de alrededos 90°. Los individuos del nuevo género viven en agallas en corales masivos a pesar de que esta estructura es citada como características de corales ramificados. Las largas setas plumosas del maxilipedo 3 sugieren una función filtradora, pero las quelas sin dientes sugieren su uso para colectar moco

Desenvolvimento comparado de três cultivares de caupi, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp

An experiment was carried out to establish the comparative growth of three Vigna unguiculata cultivars throught determination of leaf area, dry matter partition and growth analysis. Leaf area established throught the method of relationship between total dry matter of leaves and dry matter of discs with knowed area, and estimated by the product of length x maximum width of leaf x 1.75did not present differences. Cultivar Epace-1 showed higher leaf area duration in relation to Epace-6 and Epace-8 cowpea cultivars. Vigna unguiculata presented an initial exponential phase of dry matter accumulation and a sygmoid phase post-maturity. Accumulation of biomass in the reproductive part of cowpea 'Epace-1' was later and more effective in relation to Epace-6 and Epace-8 cultivars. Cultivar Epace-1 presented later development in relation to 'Epace.6' and 'Epace-8'. Epace-6 cultivar of cowpea showed higher growth on the second part of the plant life cycle in relation to Epace-8 and Epace-1 cultivars. Vigna unguiculata plants presented higher net assimilation rate and relative growth rate from 30 to 50 days after emergence. Cowpea snowed higher leaf area ratio and leaf weight ratio from 28 to 42 days after emergence.Realizou-se determinação comparada da área foliar, da partição de biomassa e da análise de crescimento em três cultivares de Vigna unguiculata (Epace-1, Epace-6 e Epace-8) mantidos em vasos sob condições naturais. Ométodo de estabelecimento da área foliar baseado na correlação entre o peso da matéria seca foliar com o peso de discos foliares de área conhecida mostrou-se equivalente a estimativa (c.1) 1,75, referente aos folíolos terminais. O cultivar Epace-1 apresentou maior número de folhas, maiores incrementos na área foliar e maior duração de área foliar em relação aos cultivares Epace-6 e Epace-8. Vigna unguiculata mostrou uma fase exponencial inicial no acúmulo de matéria seca e uma tendência sigmoidal após a maturidade. O acúmulo de biomassa na parte reprodutiva do caupi iniciou-se mais tardiamente no cultivar Epace-1, sendo que este cultivar alocou maior proporção de carboidratos no sistema radicular com relação aos cultivares Epace-6 e Epace-8. Verificou-se que o cultivar Epace-1 apresentou-se mais tardio do que os cultivares Epace-6 e Epace-8. O cultivar Epace-6 apresentou um incremento no crescimento na segunda fase do ciclo de desenvolvimento com relação aos cultivares Epace-8 e Epace-1. As plantas de caupi atingiram os valores mais altos de taxa assimilatória líquida e de taxa de crescimento relativo de 30 a 50 dias após a emergência. Vigna unguiculata apresentou incrementos na razão de área foliar e na razão de peso foliar de 28 a 42 dias após a emergência

Functional diversity of chemokines and chemokine receptors in response to viral infection of the central nervous system.

Encounters with neurotropic viruses result in varied outcomes ranging from encephalitis, paralytic poliomyelitis or other serious consequences to relatively benign infection. One of the principal factors that control the outcome of infection is the localized tissue response and subsequent immune response directed against the invading toxic agent. It is the role of the immune system to contain and control the spread of virus infection in the central nervous system (CNS), and paradoxically, this response may also be pathologic. Chemokines are potent proinflammatory molecules whose expression within virally infected tissues is often associated with protection and/or pathology which correlates with migration and accumulation of immune cells. Indeed, studies with a neurotropic murine coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), have provided important insight into the functional roles of chemokines and chemokine receptors in participating in various aspects of host defense as well as disease development within the CNS. This chapter will highlight recent discoveries that have provided insight into the diverse biologic roles of chemokines and their receptors in coordinating immune responses following viral infection of the CNS

Should health care professionals encourage living kidney donation?

Living kidney donation provides a promising opportunity in situations where the scarcity of cadaveric kidneys is widely acknowledged. While many patients and their relatives are willing to accept its benefits, others are concerned about living kidney programs; they appear to feel pressured into accepting living kidney transplantations as the only proper option for them. As we studied the attitudes and views of patients and their relatives, we considered just how actively health care professionals should encourage living donation. We argue that active interference in peoples’ personal lives is justified - if not obligatory. First, we address the ambiguous ideals of non-directivity and value neutrality in counselling. We describe the main pitfalls implied in these concepts, and conclude that these concepts cannot account for the complex reality of living donation and transplantation. We depict what is required instead as truthful information and context-relative counselling. We then consider professional interference into personal belief systems. We argue that individual convictions are not necessarily strong, stable, or deep. They may be flawed in many ways. In order to justify interference in peoples’ personal lives, it is crucial to understand the structure of these convictions. Evidence suggests that both patients and their relatives have attitudes towards living kidney donation that are often open to change and, accordingly, can be influenced. We show how ethical theories can account for this reality and can help us to discern between justified and unjustified interference. We refer to Stephen Toulmin’s model of the structure of logical argument, the Rawlsian model of reflective equilibrium, and Thomas Nagel’s representation of the particularistic position

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter