ECOLOGY OF POLYLEPIS SPP FORESTS, AND PROPOSAL FOR ITS CONSERVATION IN THE ANDEAN REGION OF TACNA, PERU

The forests of Polylepis (queñoales) is one of the most important Andean forest ecosystems and with the greatest impact due to human activities. The objectives of the study were to determine the distribution and diversity of queñoa forests in the Andean region of Tacna, Peru. With this information, We propose the restoration and conservation plan for the Polylepis spp. For this purpose plots of 500 m2 were established. The sampling was simple random, taking a population census in each of the sample units in the 4 provinces (Jorge Basadre, Tacna, Tarata and Candarave). The total evaluation area was 27,491 hectares. The presence of two Polylepis species was identified. Polylepis rugulosa Bitter was registered in 9 districts with an altitudinal range of 3050 to 4226 m.a.s.l. in 6 life zones. Polylepis tarapacana Phil is distributed in the provinces of Tarata and Tacna within 3 districts. P. tarapacana occurs in an altitudinal range between 4230 and 4750 m.a.s.l. in 5 life zones. The tall and diameter of tree were variable for two species. The human impact for P. rugulosa was recorded: Not Intervented (76%), Semi Intervening (21%) and Intervened (3%). For P. tarapacana it was: Not Intervented (77%), Semi Interventions (21%) and Intervened (2%). According to the data gathered, the conservation plan is proposed, consisting of 5 guidelines: 1) education, 2) communication and capacity building, 3) conservation and sustainable management, 4) policies and regulations, and 5) research and monitoring

Bad news travels fast! | Notícia ruim corre depressa!

Many proverbs are created through everyday experience. Although many of them are readily understood by ordinary people, the more detailed view generates many questions and doubts related to their credibility. Motivated by one of these proverbs, in the present paper, we analyse propagation of news in the network of electronic contacts (e-mails). More specifically, we propose transmission protocols intended to reproduce properties of real systems. These protocols are simulated in a real e-mail network and in the random network proposed by p. Erdos and a. Rényi prize. The results suggest that news spreads faster in the random network. The hubs in the real network tend to attract the news, in prejudice to the less connected nodes

Electrocatalytic performance and stability of nanostructured Fe–Ni pyrite-type diphosphide catalyst supported on carbon paper

A simple and effective method to prepare an active and stable nanostructured working electrode for electrochemical water splitting is described. Specifically, mixed Fe–Ni diphosphide was prepared by sputtering a 200-nm-thick layer of Permalloy onto carbon paper gas diffusion layer followed by gas transport phosphorization reaction. The mass density of the resultant diphosphide phase was established to be 1.1 mg/cm2. Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis shows that the actual elemental composition of the resultant ternary electrocatalyst is approximately Fe0.2Ni0.8P2, while the powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that the electrocatalyst crystallizes in NiP2 cubic pyrite-like structure. As a cathode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic and alkaline electrolytes, this earth-abundant electrode has exchange current densities of 6.84103 and 3.16103 mA/cm2 and Tafel slopes of 55.3 and 72.2 mV/dec, respectively. As an anode for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolyte, the electrode shows an exchange current density of 2.88104 mA/cm2 and Tafel slope of 49.3 mV/dec. The observed high activity of the electrode correlates well with its electronic structure, which was assessed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The stability of Fe0.2Ni0.8P2 electrocatalyst in HER and OER was evaluated by means of accelerated degradation test and chronopotentiometry. The results of these experiments elucidate partial dissolution and entire chemical transformation of Fe0.2Ni0.8P2 as the main mechanisms of the electrode degradation during HER and OER, respectively. Overall, our findings could facilitate the composition-based design of active, stable, and durable phosphide electrodes for electrochemical water splitting.We thank all members of the Nanomaterials Synthesis Unit at the INL for their fruitful scientific and technical input, as well as Dr. X. Wang for his help with the electrocatalytic data analysis. This investigation has benefited from the financial support provided by the European Union Horizon 2020 NMP programme through the CritCat project under grant agreement no. 686053, as well as ERDF funds through the Portuguese Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020), and National Funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the PrintPV project PTDC/CTM-ENE/5387/2014 (grant agreement no. 016663). J.D.C. thanks the FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/79393/2011, while J.L.L. thanks Marie-Curie-ITN607904-SPINOGRAPH project for the PhD grant

Influence of grilling pretreatment and optimization of sous vide processing parameters on the physicochemical and microbiological quality of pirarucu fillet

The demand for high-quality food products has promoted the study of techniques for its processing and conservation. The present research aimed to evaluate the influence of grilling pretreatment on the physical characteristics of pirarucu fillets and the heat transfer process by a computational modelling, and to optimize the sous vide process parameters. Before and after the sous vide process, the samples were analysed for microbiological, chemical and physical characteristics. There was no significant difference between the total experimental time of grilling and that obtained by computational modelling. Immersion in brine for 300s in combination with grilling at 200/120s was selected because of its water-holding capacity (%) 79.40±0.31, texture (N) 1.91±0.40 and value of L* 74.44±0.38 in the fillets. Cooking at 60 for 568.8s were the best sous vide parameters obtained, with highest water-holding capacity (%) 93.60, texture (N) 6.24, E* 7.43, and with microbiological loads below 6 log CFU/g and 7 log MPN/g in the final product. Useful information obtained from this study highlighted the brine and grill pretreatment in combination with sous vide proved it is a potential solution for developing pirarucu products even at an industrial scale.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/ or publication of this article: The work behind this paper was funded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior – CAPES, Brazil. Enrique Pino-Herna´ndez thanks to the Organization of American States (OAS – United States) and the Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB) under the scope of Partnerships Program for Education and Training (PAEC) to Latin America and the Caribbean, by the scholarship received for studying a Master program in the Federal University of Para´ (call Brazil, OASGCUB 2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of plant induced hypervitaminosis D on cutaneous structure, cell differentiation and cell proliferation, in cattle

El «duraznillo blanco» (Solanum glaucophyllum, sinónimo S. malacoxylon) es el agente causal de la calcinosis enzoótica, una enfermedad caracterizada por la calcificación de los tejidos blandos. La planta es altamente tóxica para los bovinos y produce considerables pérdidas económicas en la Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay. En el resto del mundo se han encontrado otras plantas calcinogénicas que originan enfermedades similares. S. glaucophyllum contiene altos niveles de 1,25 dihidroxivitamina D . Los efectos de la Vitamina D son importantes, no sólo en la homeostasis del calcio, sino también en la regulación inmune, el crecimiento y la diferenciación celular. En la piel, la vitamina D y sus metabolitos regulan el crecimiento y la diferenciación celular. En el presente trabajo, se analizaron la proliferación y la diferenciación celular en la piel, mediante la expresión inmunohistoquímica de citoqueratinas, involucrina y antígeno nuclear de proliferación celular (PCNA). Los resultados fueron objetivamente obtenidos mediante el procesamiento y análisis de imágenes y estadísticamente evaluados. Los bovinos intoxicados con S. glaucophyllum mostraron una marcada disminución del espesor epidérmico, atrofia de los folículos pilosos y de las glándulas, tanto sebáceas como sudoríparas. La proliferación celular, evaluada por la expresión del PCNA, no se presentó disminuida. Los marcadores de diferenciación, tales como involucrina y citoqueratinas 10 y 11, modificaron su expresión por efecto de la intoxicación con S. glaucophyllum. Los resultados parecen indicar que el adelgazamiento de la epidermis no se debe a un bloqueo en la proliferación de células basales, sino que sería atribuible a una estimulación de la diferenciación terminal de los queratinocitos suprabasales. Por lo tanto, los mencionados cambios cutáneos, deberían ser considerados en la patología de la calcinosis enzoótica.Solanum glaucophyllum (synonym S. malacoxylon) is a plant toxic for cattle due to its high levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D as glycoside derivatives. S. glaucophyllum causes a disease characterized by wasting and calcification of soft tissues. Other calcinogenic plants produce similar diseases in different countries. The effects of vitamin D are not only important in calcium homeostasis, but also in immune regulation, cell growth, and cell differentiation. In the skin, vitamin D and its metabolites regulate the growth and differentiation of keratinocytes.We had analyzed histologically the skin in S. glaucophyllum -intoxicated and in control heifers. Cellular differentiation and proliferation were analyzed by immunohistochemical expression of cytokeratins, involucrin, and PCNA. The results were objectively obtained by image processing and analysis and statistically evaluated. S. glaucophyllum -intoxicated cattle showed atrophy of epidermis, and severe involution of hair follicles, sebaceous, and sweat glands. Cellular proliferation, as judged by PCNA expression, was not reduced. The analyzed markers of differentiation, e.g. involucrin and cytokeratins 10 and 11, changed in relation to S. glaucophyllum -poisoning. The present study indicated that the epidermal atrophy was the result of stimulation of a terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, and not due to a reduction of basal cell proliferation. Cutaneous changes should, therefore, be included in the pathology of the enzootic calcinosis.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FCV

Effects of plant induced hypervitaminosis D on cutaneous structure, cell differentiation and cell proliferation, in cattle

El «duraznillo blanco» (Solanum glaucophyllum, sinónimo S. malacoxylon) es el agente causal de la calcinosis enzoótica, una enfermedad caracterizada por la calcificación de los tejidos blandos. La planta es altamente tóxica para los bovinos y produce considerables pérdidas económicas en la Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay. En el resto del mundo se han encontrado otras plantas calcinogénicas que originan enfermedades similares. S. glaucophyllum contiene altos niveles de 1,25 dihidroxivitamina D . Los efectos de la Vitamina D son importantes, no sólo en la homeostasis del calcio, sino también en la regulación inmune, el crecimiento y la diferenciación celular. En la piel, la vitamina D y sus metabolitos regulan el crecimiento y la diferenciación celular. En el presente trabajo, se analizaron la proliferación y la diferenciación celular en la piel, mediante la expresión inmunohistoquímica de citoqueratinas, involucrina y antígeno nuclear de proliferación celular (PCNA). Los resultados fueron objetivamente obtenidos mediante el procesamiento y análisis de imágenes y estadísticamente evaluados. Los bovinos intoxicados con S. glaucophyllum mostraron una marcada disminución del espesor epidérmico, atrofia de los folículos pilosos y de las glándulas, tanto sebáceas como sudoríparas. La proliferación celular, evaluada por la expresión del PCNA, no se presentó disminuida. Los marcadores de diferenciación, tales como involucrina y citoqueratinas 10 y 11, modificaron su expresión por efecto de la intoxicación con S. glaucophyllum. Los resultados parecen indicar que el adelgazamiento de la epidermis no se debe a un bloqueo en la proliferación de células basales, sino que sería atribuible a una estimulación de la diferenciación terminal de los queratinocitos suprabasales. Por lo tanto, los mencionados cambios cutáneos, deberían ser considerados en la patología de la calcinosis enzoótica.Solanum glaucophyllum (synonym S. malacoxylon) is a plant toxic for cattle due to its high levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D as glycoside derivatives. S. glaucophyllum causes a disease characterized by wasting and calcification of soft tissues. Other calcinogenic plants produce similar diseases in different countries. The effects of vitamin D are not only important in calcium homeostasis, but also in immune regulation, cell growth, and cell differentiation. In the skin, vitamin D and its metabolites regulate the growth and differentiation of keratinocytes.We had analyzed histologically the skin in S. glaucophyllum -intoxicated and in control heifers. Cellular differentiation and proliferation were analyzed by immunohistochemical expression of cytokeratins, involucrin, and PCNA. The results were objectively obtained by image processing and analysis and statistically evaluated. S. glaucophyllum -intoxicated cattle showed atrophy of epidermis, and severe involution of hair follicles, sebaceous, and sweat glands. Cellular proliferation, as judged by PCNA expression, was not reduced. The analyzed markers of differentiation, e.g. involucrin and cytokeratins 10 and 11, changed in relation to S. glaucophyllum -poisoning. The present study indicated that the epidermal atrophy was the result of stimulation of a terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, and not due to a reduction of basal cell proliferation. Cutaneous changes should, therefore, be included in the pathology of the enzootic calcinosis.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FCV

Surto policlonal de infecção de corrente sanguínea causada pelo complexo Burkholderia cepacia em unidades de hospital-dia de hematologia e transplante de medula óssea

Aim: The objective was to describe an outbreak of bloodstream infections by Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) in bone marrow transplant and hematology outpatients. Methods: On February 15, 2008 a Bcc outbreak was suspected. 24 cases were identified. Demographic and clinical data were evaluated. Environment and healthcare workers' (HCW) hands were cultured. Species were determined and typed. Reinforcement of hand hygiene, central venous catheter (CVC) care, infusion therapy, and maintenance of laminar flow cabinet were undertaken. 16 different HCWs had cared for the CVCs. Multi-dose heparin and saline were prepared on counter common to both units. Findings: 14 patients had B. multivorans (one patient had also B. cenopacia), six non-multivorans Bcc and one did not belong to Bcc. Clone A B. multivorans occurred in 12 patients (from Hematology); in 10 their CVC had been used on February 11/12. Environmental and HCW cultures were negative. All patients were treated with meropenem, and ceftazidime lock-therapy. Eight patients (30%) were hospitalized. No deaths occurred. After control measures (multidose vial for single patient; CVC lock with ceftazidime; cleaning of laminar flow cabinet; hand hygiene improvement; use of cabinet to store prepared medication), no new cases occurred. Conclusions: This polyclonal outbreak may be explained by a common source containing multiple species of Bcc, maybe the laminar flow cabinet common to both units. There may have been contamination by B. multivorans (clone A) of multi-dose vials.O objetivo foi descrever um surto de infecções da corrente sanguínea por complexo B. cepacia (Bcc) nos ambulatórios de hematologia e transplante de medula óssea. Métodos: Em 15/02/2008, um surto de Bcc foi suspeitado. 24 casos foram identificados. Os dados demográficos e clínicos foram avaliados. Mãos de profissionais da saúde e ambiente foram cultivadas. Espécies foram determinadas e tipadas. Reforço da higiene das mãos, cuidados com cateteres, terapia de infusão e manutenção da câmara de fluxo laminar foram realizadas. 16 profissionais de saúde (PS) diferentes manipularam os cateteres. Heparina multidoses e soro eram preparadas em um balcão comum a ambas as unidades. Resultados: 14 pacientes tiveram B. multivorans (um paciente teve também B. cenopacia), 6 Bcc não-multivorans e um teve um agente não pertencente a Bcc. Clone A de B. multivorans ocorreu em 12 pacientes (da Hematologia), em 10 o cateter havia sido utilizado nos dias 11 ou 12 de fevereiro. Culturas ambientais e de PS foram negativos. Todos os pacientes foram tratados com meropenem e selo de ceftazidima. Oito pacientes (30%) foram hospitalizados. Não ocorreram mortes. Após as medidas de controle, nenhum novo caso ocorreu. Conclusões: Este surto policlonal pode ser explicado por uma fonte comum contendo várias espécies de Bcc, talvez a câmara de fluxo laminar comum a ambas as unidades. Pode ter havido contaminação por B. multivorans (clone A) de frascos multi-dose

Analysis of the immune system of multiple myeloma patients achieving long-term disease control by multidimensional flow cytometry

Spanish Myeloma Group (GEM) and Grupo Castellano-Leones de Gammapatias Monoclonales, cooperative study groups: et al.Multiple myeloma remains largely incurable. However, a few patients experience more than 10 years of relapsefree survival and can be considered as operationally cured. Interestingly, long-term disease control in multiple myeloma is not restricted to patients with a complete response, since some patients revert to having a profile of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. We compared the distribution of multiple compartments of lymphocytes and dendritic cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of multiple myeloma patients with long-term disease control (n=28), patients with newly diagnosed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (n=23), patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (n=23), and age-matched healthy adults (n=10). Similarly to the patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and symptomatic multiple myeloma, patients with long-term disease control showed an expansion of cytotoxic CD8 + T cells and natural killer cells. However, the numbers of bone marrow T-regulatory cells were lower in patients with long-term disease control than in those with symptomatic multiple myeloma. It is noteworthy that B cells were depleted in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and in those with symptomatic multiple myeloma, but recovered in both the bone marrow and peripheral blood of patients with long-term disease control, due to an increase in normal bone marrow B-cell precursors and plasma cells, as well as pre-germinal center peripheral blood B cells. The number of bone marrow dendritic cells and tissue macrophages differed significantly between patients with long-term disease control and those with symptomatic multiple myeloma, with a trend to cell count recovering in the former group of patients towards levels similar to those found in healthy adults. In summary, our results indicate that multiple myeloma patients with long-term disease control have a constellation of unique immune changes favoring both immune cytotoxicity and recovery of B-cell production and homing, suggesting improved immune surveillance.This work was supported by the Cooperative Research Thematic Network (RTICCs; RD06/0020/0006 and G03/136), Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ Subdirección General de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS: PI060339; 06/1354; 02/0905; 01/0089/01-02; PS09/01897/01370) and Consejeria de Educacion (GR37) and Consejería de Sanidad, Junta de Castilla y León, Valladolid, Spain (557/A/10). The authors also thank the Fundación Carolina-BBVA for supporting and promoting the exchange of medical researchers from Latin America to Spain.Peer Reviewe

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) promotes wound re-epithelialisation in frog and human skin

There remains a critical need for new therapeutics that promote wound healing in patients suffering from chronic skin wounds. This is, in part, due to a shortage of simple, physiologically and clinically relevant test systems for investigating candidate agents. The skin of amphibians possesses a remarkable regenerative capacity, which remains insufficiently explored for clinical purposes. Combining comparative biology with a translational medicine approach, we report the development and application of a simple ex vivo frog (Xenopus tropicalis) skin organ culture system that permits exploration of the effects of amphibian skin-derived agents on re-epithelialisation in both frog and human skin. Using this amphibian model, we identify thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) as a novel stimulant of epidermal regeneration. Moving to a complementary human ex vivo wounded skin assay, we demonstrate that the effects of TRH are conserved across the amphibian-mammalian divide: TRH stimulates wound closure and formation of neo-epidermis in organ-cultured human skin, accompanied by increased keratinocyte proliferation and wound healing-associated differentiation (cytokeratin 6 expression). Thus, TRH represents a novel, clinically relevant neuroendocrine wound repair promoter that deserves further exploration. These complementary frog and human skin ex vivo assays encourage a comparative biology approach in future wound healing research so as to facilitate the rapid identification and preclinical testing of novel, evolutionarily conserved, and clinically relevant wound healing promoters

SIVA UAV: A Case Study for the EMC Analysis of Composite Air Vehicles

[EN] The increased use of carbon-fiber composites in unmanned aerial vehicles is a challenge for their EMC assessment by numerical solvers. For accurate and reliable simulations, numerical procedures should be tested not only for individual components, but also within the framework of complete systems. With this aim, this paper presents a benchmark test case based on experimental measurements coming from direct-current injection tests in the SIVA unmanned air vehicle, reproduced by a numerical finite-difference-time-domain solver that employs a new subgridding scheme to treat lossy composite thin panels. Validation was undertaken by applying the feature selective validation method, which quantifies the agreement between experimental and numerical data.This work was supported by the Projects TEC2013-48414C3-{ 1,2,3}-R, TEC2016-79214-C3-{1,2,3}-R, and TEC2015-68766-REDC (Spanish MINECO, EU FEDER), P12-TIC-1442 (J. de Andalucia, Spain), Alhambra-UGRFDTD (AIRBUS DS), and by the CSIRC alhambra.ugr.es supercomputing center.Cabello, MR.; Fernández, S.; Pous, M.; Pascual-Gil, E.; Angulo, LD.; López, P.; Riu, PJ.... (2017). SIVA UAV: A Case Study for the EMC Analysis of Composite Air Vehicles. IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility. 59(4):1103-1113. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEMC.2017.2648507S1103111359