The impact of current and possibly future sea surface temperature anomalies on the frequency of Atlantic hurricanes

A brief summary of the current capabilities of a high resolution global numerical prediction model towards resolving the life cycles of hurricanes is first presented. Next, we illustrate the results of season long integrations for the years 1987 and 1988 using the observed sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the global oceans. The model being used here is the FSU atmospheric global spectral model at the horizontal resolution of T42 and with 16 vertical layers. The main emphasis of this study is on hurricane tracks for these and for global warming experiments. The global warming scenarios were modeled using doubled CO2 and enhanced SST anomalies. The model being atmospheric does not simulate the ocean, and SST anomalies need to be prescribed. It is assumed in these experiments that the SST anomalies of the doubled CO2 world appear similar to those of the current period but that they are slightly warmer over the global tropics. That is determined using a simple proportionality relationship requiring an enhancement of the global mean SST anomaly over the tropics. Such an enhancement of the SST anomaly of an El Nino year 1987 amplifies the SST anomaly for the El Nino of the double CO2 atmosphere somewhat. The La Nina SST anomalies were similarly enhanced for the double CO2 atmosphere during 1988. These hurricane season experiments cover the period June through October for the respective years. It was necessary to define the thresholds for a model simulated hurricane; given such a definition we have compared first the tracks and frequency of storms based on the present day CO2 simulations with the observed storms for 1987 and 1988. Those comparisons were noted to be very close to the observed numbers of the storms. The doubled CO2 storms show a significant enhancement of the frequency of storms for the La Nina periods, however there was no noticeable change for the El Nino experiments. We have also run an experiment using the SST anomalies from a triple CO2 climate run made at the Max Planck Institut at Hamburg, This experiment simulated some 7 hurricanes over the Atlantic Ocean. The intensity of hurricanes, inferred from maximum winds at 850 mb, show that on the average the storms are slightly more intense for the double CO2 experiments compared to the storms simulated from current CO2 conditions. The triple CO2 storms were slightly stronger in this entire series of experiments

Plan de manejo ambiental de la mina Hornical en el municipio de Distracción, La Guajira

En el Departamento de La Guajira, tradicionalmente se ha desarrollado la extracción artesanal de la Caliza, en la mina ubicada en la jurisdicción del municipio de Distracción, más específicamente en corregimiento de Los Hornitos, que lleva ese nombre precisamente porque en el frente de las viviendas que comprenden esta localidad existe un “Horno” para la calcinación de este importante mineral. El objetivo general de este estudio es formular el plan de manejo ambiental de la mina Hornical en función de evaluación cuantitativa y cualitativa de los impactos ambientales identificados por el proyecto minero Cohornical en el municipio de Distracción, La Guajira. La extracción de la roca caliza en la mina Hornical se realiza de forma manualmente, en donde se hace el descapote del suelo retirando la cobertura vegetal; esto causa degradación del paisaje y afectación de sus ecosistemas. Para la extracción de la roca se hace una separación de la roca caliza del macizo rocoso, luego se realiza la carga y se transporta la materia prima hasta la tolva del molino primario donde se tritura la roca y se lleva a los hornos en donde se somete a altas temperaturas. Se concluye que el suelo es el componente ambiental que se está viendo más afectado y seguido el aire, estos componentes están presentando afectaciones moderadas, mientras que el componente agua presenta afectaciones irrelevantes.&nbsp

A new potential nano-oncological therapy based on polyamino acid nanocapsules

A critical objective in cancer therapy is to reduce the systemic toxicity through the modification of the biodistribution of anticancer drugs. Herein, we disclose a new biodegradable nanocarrier, polyglutamic acid (PGA) nanocapsules, and present the in vivo pharmacokinetics/toxicity proof-of-concept for the anticancer drug plitidepsin. These novel nanocapsules were prepared using a modified solvent displacement technique where the polyamino acid was electrostatically deposited onto the lipid core. The nanocapsules exhibited an average size of 200 nm, a negative zeta potential and a great capacity for the encapsulation of plitidepsin (encapsulation efficiency above 90%). In addition, the nanocapsules could be freeze-dried and showed an adequate stability profile upon storage. Finally, the in vivo proof-of-concept studies performed in mice indicated that the encapsulation provided the drug with a prolonged blood circulation and a significantly reduced toxicity. In fact, the maximum tolerated dose of the nanoencapsulated drug was more than 3 times that of the reference formulation (Cremophor® EL plitidepsin solution). Overall, beyond the value of this specific formulation, the work reported here represents the evidence of the potential of polyamino acid nanocapsules in nano-oncological therapyThe authors would like to acknowledge financial support from CENIT-NANOFAR XS53 project, PharmaMar, Spain, the Ministry of Sciences and Innovation ((CTQ2009-10963), the Xunta de Galicia (Competitive Reference Groups-FEDER funds Ref. 2010/18, and CN2011/037) and the European Commission FP7 EraNet — EuroNanoMed Program-Instituto Carlos III (Lymphotarg proyect, Ref. PS09/02670). Giovanna Lollo has a fellowship from the Ministry of Education of Spain. Marcos Garcia Fuentes acknowledges an Isidro Parga Pondal Fellowship from Xunta de GaliciaS

Imunoterapia de CAR T-Cells Anti-CD19 no tratamento de leucemia linfoblástica aguda refratária/recidivante. Revisão sistemática e metanálise

Introdução: A Leucemia Linfoblástica Aguda (LLA) é a neoplasia maligna mais prevalente em crianças; entretanto, quando se torna refratária/recidivante (R/R) as possibilidades de cura são praticamente nulas. Objetivos: Analisar a eficácia da imunoterapia de Receptores de Antígenos Quiméricos anti-CD19 no tratamento da LLA R/R, fornecendo evidências sobre a efetividade e segurança da terapia para o grupo analisado. Métodos: O estudo consistiu em uma revisão sistemática e metanálise baseada em artigos indexados. As pesquisas foram realizadas com os termos: “acute lymphoblastic leukemia”, “CAR T”, and “CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor”. Resultados: Dos 94 artigos obtidos, apenas 18 atenderam inicialmente aos critérios de inclusão e foram selecionados para revisão, totalizando 637 pacientes. Assim, observou-se nas respostas que aproximadamente 81% dos pacientes obtiveram resposta completa; 7% não responderam; a neoplasia recidivou em 17% dos casos; e 6,1% dos pacientes morreram. Os principais efeitos colaterais encontrados foram síndrome de liberação de citocinas, síndrome de liberação grave de citocinas e neurotoxicidade, presentes em 36,3%, 29% e 24% dos pacientes, respectivamente. Conclusão: A imunoterapia com células CAR T anti-CD19 é uma terapia eficaz, sendo capaz de produzir altas taxas de remissão completa no tratamento de LLA R / R.Introduction: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent malignancy in children; however, when the neoplasm becomes refractory/relapses (R/R) the cure possibilities are practically null. Objectives: To analyze the Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) T-Cells immunotherapy efficacy in the treatment of R/R ALL, providing evidence about the efficacy and safety of the therapy for the analyzed group. Methods: The study consisted of a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the analysis of indexed articles. The searches were carried out with the terms: “acute lymphoblastic leukemia”, “CAR T”, and “CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor”. Results: Only 18 of the 94 articles obtained initially met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review, totaling 637 patients. Thus, it was observed in the responses that approximately 81% of the patients achieved a Complete Response; 7% did not respond; the neoplasm relapsed in 17% of the cases; and 6.1% of the patients died. The main side effects found were Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), Severe Cytokine Release Syndrome, and Neurotoxicity, present in 36.3%, 29%, and 24% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Anti-CD19 CAR T-Cells immunotherapy is an effective therapy, capable of producing high rates of complete remission in R/R ALL treatment

Genetic divergence study among Duroc, Landrace and Large White swine breeds using techniques of multivariate analysis

Multivariate techniques were used to evaluate the genetic divergence among three swine breeds. Six performance traits were evaluated: piglet weight at birth (PON), at 21 days (P21), at 70 days (P70), average daily weight gain (GDP), age to obtain 100 kg (ID100) and backfat thickness (ETO). Breed performance was evaluated by multivariate analysis of variance and Fisher’s linear discriminant function, using tests of Roy’s greatest root and Roy’s union-intersection to multiple comparison. The study of genetic divergence was made by canonical variables analysis. The Large White breed was somewhat superior in relation to Landrace, and both were better than Duroc. Great genetic divergence was observed between Landrace and Large White breeds and Duroc breed, while the former two presented more similarity. These results justify utilization of the Landrace and Large White breeds to produce F1 females for crossing with Duroc males to obtain hybrid offspring expressing heterosis and in which there is complementation amog traits

Stops during the six-minute walk test and their correlation with new measurements of the test in patients with obstructive pulmonary disease

Marco teórico: se ha reportado que la presencia de paradas involuntarias durante la prueba de caminata de 6 minutos se asocia con un incremento en la mortalidad en los pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. Sin embargo, la relación de las paradas con otras determinaciones de la prueba de caminata de 6 minutos como velocidad, trabajo, el producto distancia-saturación y la desaturación inducida por el ejercicio, aún no se ha establecido. Objetivos: determinar la correlación de las paradas involuntarias con variables clínicas recolectadas de forma rutinaria en la PC6M, así como con las nuevas determinaciones derivadas de la prueba, en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, analítico, retrospectivo, en el que se revisaron los reportes de pruebas de caminata de 6 minutos de 129 sujetos con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. Las determinaciones derivadas de la prueba fueron comparadas entre los pacientes que presentaron paradas y quienes no; se realizaron correlaciones entre ellas y se identificaron los predictores de paradas por medio de análisis de regresión logística. Resultados: 30 pacientes tuvieron paradas involuntarias durante la prueba; en este grupo se observó al final que los puntajes de disnea y fatiga, así como la frecuencia cardiaca, la frecuencia respiratoria y la tensión arterial sistólica final fueron significativamente mayores que en el grupo que no tuvo paradas, mientras que la saturación arterial de oxigeno fue significativamente menor (p<0,001); las nuevas variables derivadas: distancia, velocidad, trabajo y el producto distancia-saturación fueron menores (p<0,001) en los sujetos que pararon, encontrando una buena correlación con ellas. En el análisis de regresión, las variables que permanecieron significativas para la presencia de paradas fueron: saturación final, distancia recorrida, velocidad, trabajo, DDR y producto distancia-saturación. Conclusiones: en los pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica estable que realizan una prueba de caminata de 6 minutos, la presencia de paradas se asocia con menor distancia caminada, trabajo, DSP y saturación al final de la prueba. El cálculo de estas nuevas variables, así como el registro de paradas durante la PC6M podría refinar la capacidad pronóstica de la prueba en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.Artículo Original170-179Theoretical frame: it has been reported that involuntary stops during the six-minute walk test are associated with increased mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the relationship between the stops and other determinations of the six-minute walk test, such as speed, work, the distance-saturation product, and exercise-induced desaturation, has not yet been established. Objectives: to determine the correlation between involuntary stops and clinical variables gathered routinely in the six-minute walk test, as well as the new determinations derived from the test, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Materials and methods: an observational, analytic, retrospective study was carried out, in which the reports of six-minute walk tests from 129 subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were reviewed. The determinations derived from the test were compared between the patients who had stops and those who hadn’t; correlations between them were made, and predictors of stops were identified by logistic regression anaylysis. Results: 30 patients had involuntary stops during the test; in this group, it was observed in the end that scores of dyspnea and fatigue, as well as heart rate, respiratory rate, and final systolic arterial blood pressure were significantly higher than those found in the group that did not have stops, while arterial blood oxygen saturation was significantly lower (p<0,001); the new variables derived: distance, speed, work, and the distance-saturation produc were lower (p<0,001) in the subjects who stopped; a good correlation with them was found. On regression analysis, the variables that remained significant for the presence of stops were: final saturation, distance walked, speed, work, DDR, and distance-saturation product. Conclusions: in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who undergo the six-minute walk test, stops are asso- ciated with less distance walked, work, DSP, and saturation at the end of the test. Calculation of these new variables, together with registration of stops during the six-minute walk test, might refine the prognostic capability of the test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Transtornos alimentares, percepção da imagem corporal e estado nutricional: estudo comparativo entre estudantes de Nutrição e Administração

Objetivo: comparar entre estudantes de nutrição e administração: prevalências de anorexia e bulimia nervosa; percepção da imagem corporal; e estado nutricional, bem como identificar associações entre percepção da imagem corporal e anorexia e/ou bulimia nervosa e estado nutricional; e entre peso e altura referidos e aferidos. Métodos: estudo comparativo entre estudantes de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior. Utilizou-se: Teste de Atitude Alimentar, Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edinburgh, Instrumento de Análises de Silhuetas e questionário demográfico-socioeconômico e de saúde. Resultados: registraram-se entre estudantes de nutrição e administração, respectivas prevalências de anorexia de 25,0% e 14,6%; e de bulimia de 4,2% e 2,2%, com respectivas diferenças estatisticamente insignificantes (p=0,077 e 0,834). 76,1% dos estudantes de nutrição e 67,5% de administração mostraram-se insatisfeitos com a imagem corporal, diferença estatisticamente insignificante (p=0,180). Contudo, 65,6% e 56,2% dos estudantes de nutrição e administração classificaram-se como eutróficos. Percepção da imagem corporal associou-se à anorexia (p=0,000) e à bulimia (p=0,000). Verificaram-se diferenças insignificantes entre médias de peso aferido/referido (p=0,669) e altura aferida/referida (p=0,377). Conclusão: Apesar da maioria dos estudantes de ambos os cursos ter sido classificada como eutrófica, a maioria também se apresentou insatisfeita com a imagem corporal. Verificou-se associação estatística entre percepção da imagem corporal, anorexia e bulimia. Não se registrou associação entre percepção da imagem corporal e estado nutricional; bem como entre grupos e variáveis estudadas. Não se identificou diferença estatisticamente significante entre as médias de peso e altura aferido e referido

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