The common diseases of freshwater ornamental fishes and the treatments applied by local fish owners in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines

The demand for freshwater ornamental fish as anti-stress pets and a source of livelihood had become popular in Puerto Princesa City (PPC), Palawan during the surge of COVID-19. However, the occurrence of many health-related issues become a major problem due to a lack of experience and knowledge of some fish owners engaged in freshwater ornamental fish keeping and breeding methods. This study was conducted on 13 local fish owners to determine the common diseases in freshwater ornamental fishes, affected species and their life stages and the treatments and preventive measures. A total of 19 diseases were recorded infecting the freshwater ornamental fishes in PPC. White-spot or ich disease was the most prominent disease, followed by tail and fin rot. Juvenile and adult of goldfish (Carassius auratus), Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) and guppy (Poecilla reticulata) were the most infected fishes, observed by 1 (7.7%) to 5 (38.5%) fish hobbyist. The salt bath was the most common treatment applied. Measures to increase the awareness of local fish hobbyist in terms of fish handling, breeding and health management is highly suggested to continuously improve and expand this developing fishery in Palawan as a source of income and pet companion

Magnetism in nanometer-thick magnetite

The oldest known magnetic material, magnetite, is of current interest for use in spintronics as a thin film. An open question is how thin can magnetite films be and still retain the robust ferrimagnetism required for many applications. We have grown one-nanometer-thick magnetite crystals and characterized them in situ by electron and photoelectron microscopies including selected-area x-ray circular dichroism. Well-defined magnetic patterns are observed in individual nano-crystals up to at least 520 K, establishing the retention of ferrimagnetism in magnetite two-unit-cells thick.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Strain relaxation in small adsorbate islands: O on W(110)

The stress-induced lattice changes in a p(1x2) ordered oxygen layer on W(110) are measured by low-energy electron diffraction. We have observed that small oxygen islands show a mismatch with the underlying lattice. Our results indicate that along [1-10] the average mismatch scales inversely with the island size as 1/L for all oxygen coverages up to 0.5 ML, while along [001] it is significant only for the smallest oxygen islands and scales as a higher power of the inverse island size. The behaviour along [1-10] is described by a one-dimensional finite-size Frenkel-Kontorova model. Using this model, together with calculated force constants, we make a quantitative estimate for the change of surface-stress upon oxygen adsorption. The result is consistent with our ab-initio calculations, which give a relative compressive stress of -4.72 N/m along [1-10] and a minute relative tensile stress of 0.15 N/m along [001]. The scaling along [001] is qualitatively explained as an effect induced by the lattice relaxation in the [1-10] direction.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Validating subcellular localization prediction tools with mycobacterial proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The computational prediction of mycobacterial proteins' subcellular localization is of key importance for proteome annotation and for the identification of new drug targets and vaccine candidates. Several subcellular localization classifiers have been developed over the past few years, which have comprised both general localization and feature-based classifiers. Here, we have validated the ability of different bioinformatics approaches, through the use of SignalP 2.0, TatP 1.0, LipoP 1.0, Phobius, PA-SUB 2.5, PSORTb v.2.0.4 and Gpos-PLoc, to predict secreted bacterial proteins. These computational tools were compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity and Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) using a set of mycobacterial proteins having less than 40% identity, none of which are included in the training data sets of the validated tools and whose subcellular localization have been experimentally confirmed. These proteins belong to the TBpred training data set, a computational tool specifically designed to predict mycobacterial proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A final validation set of 272 mycobacterial proteins was obtained from the initial set of 852 mycobacterial proteins. According to the results of the validation metrics, all tools presented specificity above 0.90, while dispersion sensitivity and MCC values were above 0.22. PA-SUB 2.5 presented the highest values; however, these results might be biased due to the methodology used by this tool. PSORTb v.2.0.4 left 56 proteins out of the classification, while Gpos-PLoc left just one protein out.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both subcellular localization approaches had high predictive specificity and high recognition of true negatives for the tested data set. Among those tools whose predictions are not based on homology searches against SWISS-PROT, Gpos-PLoc was the general localization tool with the best predictive performance, while SignalP 2.0 was the best tool among the ones using a feature-based approach. Even though PA-SUB 2.5 presented the highest metrics, it should be taken into account that this tool was trained using all proteins reported in SWISS-PROT, which includes the protein set tested in this study, either as a BLAST search or as a training model.</p

II Workshop on Modeling and Simulation for Science and Engineering

II Workshop on Modeling and Simulation for Science and Engineering (II WMSSE) was a conference conducted at Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on September 24, 25 and 26, 2019. There, works in several topics of science, technology and engineering were presented. Specially, the participants of conference wanted to bring some solutions to the actual industrial requirements such as improvement and optimization of the heat transfer equipment, electronic devices, system control by mean of computational modeling. Also, dynamic system control was widely used for the prediction of power flow market, diffusion of bacteria in coffee production, stress concentration in industrial machines, analysis of population dynamics, model of hydrological and pluviometric networks, encryption for intercommunication of substation control centers, and others

Chromosomal and SRY gene findings by FISH in patients with disorders of sexual development

Objetivo: Los trastornos del desarrollo sexual son un grupo de enfermedades congénitas que afectan la formación normal de los genitales. Dentro los mecanismos fisiopatológicos descritos existen factores genéticos causados por alteraciones cromosómicas o en los genes determinantes en la diferenciación sexual. En este trabajo se analizaron alteraciones cromosómicas y en el gen SRY como posible causa del trastorno. Se realizó cariotipo con bandas G o R y FISH para SRY en linfocitos, tejido gonadal y tejido escrotal. Materiales y métodos: La información clínica de los sujetos de investigación se obtuvo de los informes de los médicos tratantes. En 9 (73%) casos el sexo asignado fue masculino y en 3 (27%) casos fue femenino. 8 de los casos (66%) tuvieron cariotipo 46,XY; 2 casos (17%) 46,XX y en 2 casos (17%) se reportaron mosaicos con presencia de idic(Y). Un solo caso de tejido gonadal mostró mosaicismo debido a la presencia de una línea celular tetraploide. El diagnóstico clínico más frecuente fue de genitales ambiguos en 8 casos (67%). Seguido de hipospadias en 5 casos (41,7%). Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran la importancia de aplicar diferentes pruebas citogenéticas en el diagnóstico y la necesidad del seguimiento de los pacientes por un equipo transdisciplinario para abordar estas condiciones clínicas.Q4Pacientes diagnosticados con trastornos del desarrollo sexualObjective: Disorders of sexual development are a group of congenital diseases that affect the normal formation of genital structures. Within the pathophysiologic mechanisms described, there are genetic factors caused by chromosomal or sex-determining gene alterations. Therefore, chromosomal analysis is an essential priority in the diagnostic approach. Alterations in the chromosomes and the SRY gene as a cause of disorder of sexual development was analyzed herein. Material and methods: G or R-banding karyotype and FISH analyses for the SRY gene were performed in lymphocytes, gonadal tissue, and scrotal tissue in twelve cases, three cases, and one case, respectively. The clinical information was obtained from the patients’ medical reports. Results: In 9 (73%) cases, the assigned sex was male, and in 3 (27%) cases, it was female. Karyotype 46,XY was found in 8 (66%) cases, 46,XX in 2 (17%) cases, and mosaic karyotype in 2 (17%) cases with idic(Y). A single case of gonadal tissue showed mosaicism due to the presence of a tetraploid cell line. The most common clinical diagnosis was abnormal genital differentiation in 8 (67%) cases, followed by hypospadias in 5 (41.7%) cases. Conclusions: The results show the importance of applying different cytogenetic tests in making the diagnosis, and the need for a multidisciplinary team to address the disorder.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7501-7307https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0729-6866https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1421-3619https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6336-5347https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8528-4433https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2231-4321https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7856-7213https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2241-7854https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9675-5963https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5685-8354https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-6191Revista Internacional - IndexadaCN

Morphological and biochemical indicators of Fusarium oxysporum f sp. fragariae in strawberry crops (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) in the province of Pichincha, Ecuador

ArticleFusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae is a fungal pathogen, transmitted by soil in crops of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.), which causes wilt disease that, kill the strawberry cultivars. The disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp., fragariae is hard to detect as the of the symptoms are similar with other soil-borne diseases. In spite of detection methods targeted F. oxysporum using molecular criteria have been developed, they have not been shown to successfully identity the unique identity of F. oxysporum strain that causes this disease. In Ecuador, the cultivation of strawberry has acquired great importance for the consumption, promoting the increase of its production. However, the process of importing plant material from producing countries for the purpose of improving production has contributed to the spread of the fungus. The objective of this study was to identify the presence of the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp fragariae by means of morphometric identification and the application of biochemical methods (BIOLOG) in the province of Pichincha. Fifty-two diseased strawberry plants and 52 asymptomatic plants were analyzed. Of these, 13 isolates were identified by morphometry as F. oxysporum. However, through BIOLOG four strains were identified as F. oxysporum, 5 as Fusarium sp., 2 F. lateritium, 1 F. udum and 1 strain as F. sacchari. The results obtained through the identification and evaluation confirmed the presence of F. oxysporum f. sp., fragariae in evaluated strawberry cultivars, thus determining the high risk to exist if the pathogen spreads in new plantations in Ecuador

Cytogenetic and molecular characterization in gonadal tissue of patients with ovotesticular syndrome and gonadal dysgenesis 46,XY and 46,XX

Objetivos: La etiología de la disgenesia gonadal y el síndrome ovotesticular se desconoce en la mayoría de los casos. Para realizar la caracterización citogenética y molecular de un grupo de pacientes con síndrome ovotesticular y disgenesia gonadal completa a partir de muestras de sangre periférica y tejido gonadal. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron un total de 6 pacientes, 3 con diagnóstico de síndrome ovotesticular 46, XX, uno diagnosticado con 46, XY síndrome ovotesticular; uno con sospecha de disgenesia gonadal 46, XX y otro con disgenesia gonadal completa 46, XY. Resultados Todos los pacientes fueron evaluados con cariotipo, hibridación in situ fluorescente (FISH) para SRY, amplificación de sonda dependiente de ligación múltiple (MLPA) e hibridación genómica comparativa (aCGH) en muestras de sangre periférica. En los casos con tejido gonadal disponible, los niveles de expresión genética de SOX3, SRY y SOX9 se determinaron mediante PCR en tiempo real e inmunofluorescencia. Se descartaron reordenamientos relacionados con el gen SRY. No se detectaron deleciones/duplicaciones o variaciones en el número de copias (NVC) como etiología del trastorno del desarrollo sexual en ninguno de los pacientes estudiados. En un caso de síndrome ovotesticular 46, XX, el cariotipo gonadal era diferente del cariotipo en sangre periférica. Se observó expresión aberrante de SOX3 y SOX9 en tejido gonadal de un caso con síndrome ovotesticular 46, XX. Conclusiones: Se documentaron niveles más bajos de expresión de SRY y SOX9 en comparación con los niveles en líneas celulares humanas de testículo embrionario y Sertoli en el tejido gonadal de un caso con síndrome ovotesticular 46, XY. Los estudios citogenéticos y moleculares de las gónadas como complemento del estudio de sangre periférica tienen el potencial de enriquecer la comprensión de los trastornos del desarrollo sexual en pacientes que son XX o XY en sangre periférica.Q4Objectives: The etiology of gonadal dysgenesis and the ovotesticular syndrome is unknown in most cases. The aim of the study was to perform cytogenetic and molecular characterization of a group of patients with ovotesticular syndrome and complete gonadal dysgenesis from peripheral blood and gonadal tissue samples.Materials and methods: A total of 6 patients were included, 3 with 46,XX ovotesticular syndrome diagnosis, 1 diagnosed with 46,XY ovotesticular syn-drome; 1 suspected with 46,XX gonadal dysgenesis, and 1 with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis. Results: All patients were evaluated with karyotype, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for SRY, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in peripheral blood samples. In cases with available gonadal tissue, the levels of genetic expression of SOX3, SRY, and SOX9 were determined by real-time PCR and immunofluo-rescence. Rearrangements involving SRY gene were ruled out. No deletions/duplications or copy-number variations (CNVs) were identified as the etiology for the sexual development disorder in any of the studied patients. In one case of 46,XX ovotesticular syndrome, the gonadal karyotype was different from the karyotype in peripheral blood. Aberrant expression of SOX3 and SOX9 in gonadal tissue was observed in one case of 46,XX ovotesticular syndrome. Conclusions: Lower levels of SRY and SOX9 expression were documented in the gonadal tissue of a case of 46,XY ovotesticular syndrome, in commparison with the levels in human cellular lines of embryonic testicle and Sertoli cells. Cytogenetic and molecular studies of gonads complementary to peripheral blood studies have the potential of enhancing the understanding of sexual development disorders in patients who are XX or XY in peripheral blood.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4900-4948https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7109-3342https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8225-4394https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1555-6661https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3463-3565https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-6191https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6336-5347https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7856-7213https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2241-7854https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2231-4321https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8528-4433Revista Internacional - IndexadaCN

Evaluation of conidia production and mycelial growth in solid culture media from native strains of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from citrus-growing areas of México

It is important to know the ability of native strains to carry out the process of sporulation and growth in different conditions and to determine their possible potential as biological control of pests of agricultural importance, mainly in citrus areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate five different solid culture media for the determination of the production of conidia and mycelial growth of twenty-five native isolates from the Mexican states of Sinaloa, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, and three collection strains using five different solid culture media. The results showed no statistical significant difference between the five media tested for the production of conidia per milliliter and mycelial growth among different isolates. However between isolates a significant difference was found. For conidia per milliliter, the isolate with the highest production of conidia was HIB-4 with an average of 4.85 x 109 (spores/ml). With respect to mycelial growth strain Ma presented the highest value with 8.06 cm on average.Key words: Entomopathogenic fungi, esporulation, conidia, mycelial growth

ARQUITECTURA PARA EL MANEJO DE CONGESTIÓN EN UNA RED DE DATOS CORPORATIVA CON PARTICIPACIÓN DEL USUARIO, BASADO EN INTELIGENCIA COMPUTACIONAL

En este artículo se hace la presentación de un modelo de detección de congestión el cual se implementó en la red LAN de Universidad Nacional sede Bogotá. La idea de este modelo es que con ayuda de los usuarios se haga una detección de los problemas de congestión en la red, de modo que se hace también el diseño de un sistema multiagente que es la base para el modelo de detección. En el proceso se han definido cinco variables de interés las cuales definen el comportamiento de la red LAN y son presentadas en los resultados obtenidos del proceso de detección