Chinche de la Semilla del Olmo

En julio del 2014, el Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de Plagas de Plantas de Utah y USDA APHIS confirmaron el primer reporte de chinche de semilla del olmo (Lygaeidae: Arocatus melanocephalus) en el estado de Utah. Originaria de Europa, la chinche de la semilla del olmo se identificó por primera vez en los Estados Unidos en Idaho en 2012. Desde entonces se ha encontrado en Oregón, Washington, Columbia Británica, Canadá y en varios lugares de Asia y Europa. Si bien el primer reporte en Utah se originó en el condado de Salt Lake, la chinche de la semilla del olmo ahora se distribuye ampliamente a lo largo de la cordillera Wasatch y el condado Cache y también se ha reportado al oeste del condado Duchesne, este del condado Tooele y al sur del condado Grand

Chinches

Las chinches son “chinches verdaderas”. En Utah, la chinche común [Blissus leucopterus leucopterus (Say)] y la chinche occidental (Blissus occiduus) pueden alimentarse del césped, especialmente en condiciones de calor intenso y sequía. La falta de riego, junto a la radiación directa y la acumulación de material vegetal muerto puede elevar el número de chinches desde mediados del verano hasta principios del otoño

Ethnic variations in falls and road traffic injuries resulting in hospitalisation or death in Scotland: the Scottish Health and Ethnicity Linkage Study (SHELS) Public Health

Objectives: To investigate ethnic differences in falls and road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Scotland. Study design: A retrospective cohort of 4.62 million people, linking the Scottish Census 2001, with self-reported ethnicity, to hospitalisation and death records for 2001–2013. Methods: We selected cases with International Classification of Diseases–10 diagnostic codes for falls and RTIs. Using Poisson regression, age-adjusted risk ratios (RRs, multiplied by 100 as percentages) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by sex for 10 ethnic groups with the White Scottish as reference. We further adjusted for country of birth and socio-economic status (SES). Results: During about 49 million person-years, there were 275,995 hospitalisations or deaths from fall-related injuries and 43,875 from RTIs. Compared with the White Scottish, RRs for falls were higher in most White and Mixed groups, e.g., White Irish males (RR: 131; 95% CI: 122–140) and Mixed females (126; 112–143), but lower in Pakistani males (72; 64–81) and females (72; 63–82) and African females (79; 63–99). For RTIs, RRs were higher in other White British males (161; 147–176) and females (156; 138–176) and other White males (119; 104–137) and females (143; 121–169) and lower in Pakistani females (74; 57–98). The ethnic variations differed by road user type, with few cases among non-White motorcyclists and non-White female cyclists. The RRs were minimally altered by adjustment for country of birth or SES. Conclusion: We found important ethnic variations in injuries owing to falls and RTIs, with generally lower risks in non-White groups. Culturally related differences in behaviour offer the most plausible explanation, including variations in alcohol use. The findings do not point to the need for new interventions in Scotland at present. However, as the ethnic mix of each country is unique, other countries could benefit from similar data linkage-based research

Enabling a Continuum of Virtual Environment Experiences

We define a virtual environment as a set of surroundings that appear to a user through computer-generated sensory stimuli. The level of immersion—or sense of being in another world—that a user experiences within a VE relates to how much stimuli the computer delivers to the user. Thus, you can classify VEs along a virtuality continuum, which ranges from the real world to an entirely computer-generated environment. In this article, we present a technology that allows seamless transitions between levels of immersion in VEs

Mouse Plasminogen Has Oxidized Phosphatidylcholine Adducts That Are Not Metabolized by Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 under Basal Conditions

We previously showed that plasminogen (Plg) isolated from the plasma of normal human subjects contains 1–2 moles of oxidized phosphatidylcholine (oxPtdPC) adducts/mole of protein. Moreover, we suggested that these species are generated at the hepatic site and speculated that they may play a role in the reported cardiovascular pathogenicity of Plg. We aimed to determine whether mouse Plg also harbors linked oxPtdPCs and whether these molecules are metabolized by lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2/PAF acetylhydrolase (Lp-PLA2/PAF-AH), an enzyme specific for hydrolysis of oxPtdPCs. We determined the total concentration of Plg in plasma samples from control (WT) and Lp-PLA2-deficient (KO) mice, we isolated Plg, and assessed its content of oxPtdPCs by immunoblot analyses. We also evaluated whether human recombinant Lp-PLA2 metabolized Plg-linked oxPtdPCs in vivo and in vitro. WT and KO mice expressed comparable levels (14.4–15.8 mg/dL) of plasma Plg, as determined by ELISA. We observed no differences in the content of oxPtdPC in Plg isolated from the two mouse strains and in parallel no changes in oxPtdPC content in mouse Plg following incubation with pure recombinant Lp-PLA2. Plg from mouse plasma contains oxPtdPC adducts that are not affected by the action of Lp-PLA2, suggesting that linkage to Plg protects oxPtdPCs from metabolism during their transport in the plasma. This modification may have important physio-pathological implications related to the function of Plg, oxPtdPCs, or both

Merging Augmented Reality and Anatomically Correct 3D Models in the Development of a Training Tool for Endotracheal Intubation

Augmented reality is often used for medical training systems in which the user visualizes 3D information superimposed on the real world. In this context, we introduce a augmented reality tool to train the medical practitioner hand-eye coordination in performing critical procedures such as endotracheal intubation

ANÁLISE DE ASPECTOS DAS UNIDADES GEOAMBIENTAIS CEARENSES BASEADA NA PERSPECTIVA DO CONFORTO TÉRMICO.

O presente trabalho trata de análises sintéticas sobre as Unidades Geoambientais do estado do Ceará através da perspectiva climática, mais especificamente do Conforto Térmico, que foram feitas a partir de medições realizadas no dia 2 de Dezembro de 2016. A pesquisa possibilitou um maior conhecimento da dinâmica nos diversos locais estudados e a compreensão de como a sociedade impacta, em geral de forma negativa, no meio ambiente. Com o objetivo de analisar as diferenciações climáticas e estabelecer uma comparação entre as unidades foram feitas medições em um intinerário que percorreu desde a Planície Litorânea até o Planalto Sedimentar da Ibiapaba e possibilitou a análise de fatores ambientais naturais e da intervenção antrópica. O trabalho se origina da viagem de campo realizado na disciplina de Climatologia Geografica no ano de 2016 que permitiu uma maior compreensão de conceitos apreendidos em sala de aula.  A compreensão ambiental do Ceará se faz necessário para demais estudos climatológicos e em outras vertentes físicas da Geografia. Além disso, o trabalho pode vir a servir como base para outras análises no segmento das Unidades Geoambientais e sua relação com o clima ou mesmo pesquisas relacionadas ao Conforto Térmico, assim sendo um projeto inicial ainda em desenvolvimento

Development of a Training Tool for Endotracheal Intubation: Distributed Augmented Reality

The authors introduce a tool referred to as the Ultimate Intubation Head (UIH) to train medical practitioners’ hand-eye coordination in performing endotracheal intubation with the help of augmented reality methods. In this paper we describe the integration of a deployable UIH and present methods for augmented reality registration of real and virtual anatomical models. The assessment of the 52 degrees field of view optics of the custom-designed and built head-mounted display is less than 1.5 arc minutes in the amount of blur and astigmatism, the two limiting optical aberrations. Distortion is less than 2.5%. Preliminary results of the registration of a physical phantom mandible on its virtual counterpart yields less than 3mm rms. in registration. Finally we describe an approach to distributed visualization where a given training procedure may be visualized and shared at various remote locations. Basic assessments of delays within two scenarios of data distribution were conducted and reported

Application of Augmented Reality to Visualizing Anatomical Airways

Visualizing information in three dimensions provides an increased understanding of the data presented. Furthermore, the ability to manipulate or interact with data visualized in three dimensions is superior. Within the medical community, augmented reality is being used for interactive, three-dimensional (3D) visualization. This type of visualization, which enhances the real world with computer generated information, requires a display device, a computer to generate the 3D data, and a system to track the user. In addition to these requirements, however, the hardware must be properly integrated to insure correct visualization. To this end, we present components of an integrated augmented reality system consisting of a novel head-mounted projective display, a Linux-based PC, and a commercially available optical tracking system. We demonstrate the system with the visualization of anatomical airways superimposed on a human patient simulator