VAMOS: a Pathfinder for the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

VAMOS was a prototype detector built in 2011 at an altitude of 4100m a.s.l. in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The aim of VAMOS was to finalize the design, construction techniques and data acquisition system of the HAWC observatory. HAWC is an air-shower array currently under construction at the same site of VAMOS with the purpose to study the TeV sky. The VAMOS setup included six water Cherenkov detectors and two different data acquisition systems. It was in operation between October 2011 and May 2012 with an average live time of 30%. Besides the scientific verification purposes, the eight months of data were used to obtain the results presented in this paper: the detector response to the Forbush decrease of March 2012, and the analysis of possible emission, at energies above 30 GeV, for long gamma-ray bursts GRB111016B and GRB120328B.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in Astroparticle Physics Journal (20 pages, 10 figures). Corresponding authors: A.Marinelli and D.Zaboro

Handmade fish meal as a partial replacement of soybean meal in diets for feedlot lambs: Effects on growth performance, dietary energy and meat quality

With the aim to evaluate a handmade fishmeal (HFM) as a partial replacement of soybean meal (SBM) in finishing diets, 36 intact male Dorper × Pelibuey lambs (41.43±7.38 kg of initial weight) were used in a completely randomized block design to test the following treatments: 1) Cracked corn-based diet containing 12% SBM, 2) inclusion of 3.5% of HFM partially replacing SBM, and 3) inclusion of 7% of HFM partially replacing SBM. Urea and limestone were utilized to balance diets in CP and calcium content. The feeding trial lasted 30 days. Replacement of SBM with HFM did not modify the effects on average daily gain (ADG) and dry matter intake (DMI), but there were numerical differences in ADG; HFM inclusion linearly improved gain-to-feed ratio; dietary net energy (NE) and observed-to-expected diet NE. Hot carcass weight and dressing percentage were not affected by HFM. Except a linear increase on C22:6, the effect of SBM replacement on fatty acid profile in meat was not significant. The meat pH registered at 24 h post-mortem linearly increased with HFM inclusion, but meat colour and sensorial values were unaffected. It was concluded that inclusion of up to 7% of HFM in diet as partial replacement of soybean meal did not negatively affect DMI and ADG, but can increase feed efficiency and dietary energy utilization. The effects of HFM on carcass and meat quality were inappreciable. Due to variations in handmade processing, it is important to verify its chemical composition before HFM can be incorporated into diets

Rendimiento de trébol rojo (Trifolium pratense L.) a diferente edad de cosecha

Objective: The objective of this research was to obtain the optimum cutting moment of the red clover by varying the cutting frequency in the spring season. Design/methodology/approach: The treatments were cuts at different ages (eight weeks) in the spring season. The variables studied were: forage accumulation, botanical and morphological composition, foliar area per stem and photosynthesis. The statistical analysis of the data obtained was performed with the GLM procedure of the SAS statistical package. The results obtained in yield of dry matter showed an increase as the age of regrowth advanced, in week 8, 5013 kg MS ha-1 total were obtained, resulting in the maximum value registered. There was a direct positive relationship between the mass of green leaves, rate of photosynthesis, leaf area per stem and leaf: stem ratio, with the best values ??recorded at the fourth week of regrowth. The morphological component that contributes most to forage yield was the stem with an average of 55% in all the weeks except the fourth. Limitations on study/implications: After the fourth week the unwanted structural characteristics increase. Findings/conclusions: It is concluded that the yield increases as the evaluation time passes and it is recommended to harvest the red clover in the fourth week of regrowth.Objetivo: El objetivo de esta investigación fue obtener el momento óptimo de corte del trébol rojo variando la frecuencia de corte en la estación de primavera. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Los tratamientos fueron los cortes a diferente edad (ocho semanas) en la estación primavera. Las variables estudiadas fueron: acumulación de forraje, composición botánica y morfológica, área foliar por tallo y fotosíntesis. El análisis estadístico de los datos obtenidos se realizó con el procedimiento GLM del paquete estadístico SAS. Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos en rendimiento de materia seca mostraron un aumento conforme avanzo la edad de rebrote, en la semana 8 se obtuvieron 5,013 kg MS ha-1 total que resulto el máximo valor registrado. Existió una relación positiva directa entre la masa de hojas verdes, tasa de fotosíntesis, área foliar por tallo y relación hoja:tallo, registrándose los mejores valores a la cuarta semana de rebrote. El componente morfológico que más contribuye al rendimiento de forraje fue el tallo con un promedio de 55 % en todas las semanas excepto la cuarta. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: Después de la cuarta semana aumentan características estructurales no deseadas. Hallazgos/conclusiones: Se concluye que el rendimiento se incrementa conforme pasa el tiempo de evaluación y se recomienda cosechar el trébol rojo en la cuarta semana de rebrote

Salivary biomarkers as pioneering indicators for diagnosis and severity stratification of pediatric long COVID

IntroductionLong COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), manifests as persistent and often debilitating symptoms enduring well beyond the initial COVID-19 infection. This disease is especially worrying in children since it can seriously alter their development. Presently, a specific diagnostic test or definitive biomarker set for confirming long COVID is lacking, relying instead on the protracted presence of symptoms post-acute infection.MethodsWe measured the levels of 13 biomarkers in 105 saliva samples (49 from children with long COVID and 56 controls), and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyse the correlations between the levels of the different salivary biomarkers. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine which of the 13 analysed salivary biomarkers were useful to discriminate between children with long COVID and controls, as well as between children with mild and severe long COVID symptoms.ResultsPediatric long COVID exhibited increased oxidant biomarkers and decreased antioxidant, immune response, and stress-related biomarkers. Correlation analyses unveiled distinct patterns between biomarkers in long COVID and controls. Notably, a multivariate logistic regression pinpointed TOS, ADA2, total proteins, and AOPP as pivotal variables, culminating in a remarkably accurate predictive model distinguishing long COVID from controls. Furthermore, total proteins and ADA1 were instrumental in discerning between mild and severe long COVID symptoms.DiscussionThis research sheds light on the potential clinical utility of salivary biomarkers in diagnosing and categorizing the severity of pediatric long COVID. It also lays the groundwork for future investigations aimed at unravelling the prognostic value of these biomarkers in predicting the trajectory of long COVID in affected individuals

Expression of AT1 and AT2 angiotensin receptors in astrocytomas is associated with poor prognosis

Astrocytomas develop intense vascular proliferation, essential for tumour growth and invasiveness. Angiotensin II (ANGII) was initially described as a vasoconstrictor; recent studies have shown its participation in cellular proliferation, vascularisation, and apoptosis. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the expression of ANGII receptors – AT1 and AT2 – and their relationship with prognosis. We studied 133 tumours from patients with diagnosis of astrocytoma who underwent surgery from 1997 to 2002. AT1 and AT2 were expressed in 52 and 44% of the tumours, respectively, when determined by both reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Ten per cent of low-grade astrocytomas were positive for AT1, whereas grade III and IV astrocytomas were positive in 67% (P<0.001). AT2 receptors were positive in 17% of low-grade astrocytomas and in 53% of high-grade astrocytomas (P=0.01). AT1-positive tumours showed higher cellular proliferation and vascular density. Patients with AT1-positive tumours had a lower survival rate than those with AT1-negative (P<0.001). No association to survival was found for AT2 in the multivariate analysis. Expression of AT1 and AT2 is associated with high grade of malignancy, increased cellular proliferation, and angiogenesis, and is thus related to poor prognosis. These findings suggest that ANGII receptors might be potential therapeutic targets for high-grade astrocytomas

Supplement: "Localization and broadband follow-up of the gravitational-wave transient GW150914" (2016, ApJL, 826, L13)

This Supplement provides supporting material for Abbott et al. (2016a). We briefly summarize past electromagnetic (EM) follow-up efforts as well as the organization and policy of the current EM follow-up program. We compare the four probability sky maps produced for the gravitational-wave transient GW150914, and provide additional details of the EM follow-up observations that were performed in the different bands

Implicaciones metodológicas e inconsistencias de la Tercera Comunicación Nacional sobre Cambio Climático de Colombia

Las Comunicaciones Nacionales sobre Cambio Climático (CNCC) son un mecanismo para que los países informen sus avances en mitigación y adaptación, y constituyen uno de los elementos de base para la política sobre cambio climático a escala nacional. Colombia ha emitido tres CNCC. La tercera plantea un escenario que considera las proyecciones de diversos modelos incluidos en la quinta fase del Proyecto de Comparación de Modelos Acoplados (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, CMIP), el cual se estima como el promedio de las proyecciones correspondientes a las cuatro trayectorias de concentración representativa (Representative Concentration Pathways,RCP) presentadas en el quinto reporte de evaluación del Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático. Cada una de estas RCP representa una trayectoria de concentración de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) para un escenario particular de crecimiento poblacional, económico y tecnológico que conduce a una posible trayectoria de evolución del sistema climático. En este estudio se comparan las proyecciones presentadas en la Tercera CNCC con las obtenidas directamente de los modelos empleados. Nuestros resultados demuestran que al utilizarse un promedio de RCP se pierden escenarios alternos que podrían ser importantes a la hora de considerar posibles futuros diferentes y anulan la utilidad de plantear diversas trayectorias de emisiones de GEI. Más aun, una comparación entre la Segunda y la Tercera CNCC muestra proyecciones de precipitación opuestas para diferentes regiones del país, lo cual es de particular importancia, pues el escenario de cambio climático planteado en la Tercera CNCC sirve de referencia para la toma de decisiones en materia de cambio climático a nivel nacional