On the enigmatic Heterostomus curvipalpis Bigot, 1857, with a description of the pupa (Diptera, Brachycera)

The previously unknown pupa of Heterostomus curvipalpis Bigot is described. The morphology of the pupa of Heterostomus is compared with the pupae of Xylophagomorpha, Tabanomorpha and Stratiomyomorpha families, based on five characters, and its phylogenetic position is discussed. Currently placed in Xylophagidae, we conclude that the pupa of Heterostomus shares most characters with the pupae of Pelecorhynchidae.Fil: Coscarón, Sixto. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Coscarón, María del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gil Azevedo, Leonardo H.. Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Departamento de Zoologia; Brasi

Smooth additive mixed models for predicting aboveground biomass

Aboveground biomass estimation in short-rotation forestry plantations is an essential step in the development of crop management strategies as well as allowing the economic viability of the crop to be determined prior to harvesting. Hence, it is important to develop new methodologies that improve the accuracy of predictions, using only a minimum set of easily obtainable information i.e. diameter and height. Many existing models base their predictions only on diameter (mainly due to the complexity of including further covariates), or rely on complicated equations to obtain biomass predictions. However, in tree species, it is important to include height when estimating aboveground biomass because this will vary from one genotype to another. This work proposes the use of a more flexible and easy to implement model for predicting aboveground biomass (stem, branches and total) as a smooth function of height and diameter using smooth additive mixed models which preserve the additive property necessary to model the relationship within wood fractions, and allows the inclusion of random effects and interaction terms. The model is applied to the analysis of three trials carried out in Spain, where nine clones at three different sites are compared. Also, an analysis of slash pine data is carried out in order to compared with the approach proposed by Parresol (2001

Time series of high resolution spectra of SN 2014J observed with the TIGRE telescope

We present a time series of high resolution spectra of the Type Ia supernova 2014J, which exploded in the nearby galaxy M82. The spectra were obtained with the HEROS echelle spectrograph installed at the 1.2 m TIGRE telescope. We present a series of 33 spectra with a resolution of R = 20, 000, which covers the important bright phases in the evolution of SN 2014J during the period from January 24 to April 1 of 2014. The spectral evolution of SN 2014J is derived empirically. The expansion velocities of the Si II P-Cygni features were measured and show the expected decreasing behaviour, beginning with a high velocity of 14,000 km/s on January 24. The Ca II infrared triplet feature shows a high velocity component with expansion velocities of > 20, 000 km/s during the early evolution apart from the normal component showing similar velocities as Si II. Further broad P-Cygni profiles are exhibited by the principal lines of Ca II, Mg II and Fe II. The TIGRE SN 2014J spectra also resolve several very sharp Na I D doublet absorption components. Our analysis suggests interesting substructures in the interstellar medium of the host galaxy M82, as well as in our Milky Way, confirming other work on this SN. We were able to identify the interstellar absorption of M82 in the lines of Ca II H & K at 3933 and 3968 A as well as K I at 7664 and 7698 A. Furthermore, we confirm several Diffuse Interstellar Bands, at wavelengths of 6196, 6283, 6376, 6379 and 6613 A and give their measured equivalent widths.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

La cacería de animales silvestres en la comunidad de bretaña, río puinahua, loreto – perú

This study reports basic information about hunting by the residents of the Bretaña community such as: days required for hunting, wild animals often hunted, types of habitat where it is customary to hunt, among other things. 10 hunters were interviewed, as well as our own personal observations in the study area. Species such as majas (Cuniculus paca) 18.06% and choro (Lagothrix lagotricha) 14.01% were the most hunted. Among the least hunted was pava (Aburria pipile) 0.46%. The restinga was the habitat most frequented by hunters (42%). Ungulates (1365 Kg) and reptiles (754 Kg) were the species which contributed most fresh meat per animal; males (51.23%) were most preferred by hunters. A priority is to involve the community in a management plan that seeks to conserve the species as a whole and its habitat.Este estudio reporta información básica sobre la cacería realizada por los pobladores de la comunidad de Bretaña como: días requeridos para la cacería, animales silvestres frecuentemente cazados, tipos de hábitat donde se acostumbra a cazar, entre otros aspectos. Se realizó una entrevista a 10 cazadores de la zona, además de las observaciones personales en la zona de estudio. Las especies como majas (Cuniculus paca) 18.06% y choro (Lagothrix lagotricha) 14,01% fueron las más cazadas, entre la menos cazada estuvo la pava (Aburria pipile) 0,46%. La restinga representó el hábitat más frecuentado por los cazadores (42%). Los ungulados (1365 Kg) y reptiles (754 Kg) fueron las especies que aportaron mayor rendimiento de carne fresca por animal, siendo los machos (51,23%) los más preferidos por los cazadores. Es prioritario involucrar a la comunidad en un plan de manejo que busque conservar a las especies en su totalidad y su hábitat

Rehabilitación de piezas dentarias con tratamiento de conductos. Enfoque multidisciplinario.

This clinical case details the teeth reconstruction and root canal retreatment, with recovery of the lost biological space invaded by maladjusted crowns and its subsequent reconstruction with fiberglass preformed poles for the cementation of splinted crowns by the decrease of the crown-root proportion. It is concluded that we must take into account the amount of remaining dental tissue, the periodontal status (biological width), the aesthetic requirements, the root morphology, the location of the tooth in the arch and the occlusal loads received.En este caso clínico se detalla la reconstrucción de piezas dentarias y retratamiento de conductos, con recuperación del espacio biológico perdido invadido por coronas mal adaptadas y su posterior reconstrucción con postes preformados de fibra de vidrio para la cementación de coronas ferulizadas por la disminución de la proporción corona-raíz. Se llegó a la conclusión que se debe tener en cuenta la cantidad de tejido dentario remanente, el estado periodontal (espacio biológico), los requerimientos estéticos, la morfología radicular, la localización del diente en la arcada y las cargas oclusales recibidas

Plantaciones del género Populus para la producción de biomasa con fines energéticos: revisión

Much attention is currently focused on biomass production as one possible alternative energy source because of the need to increase the amount of energy produced in Spain from renewable energy sources. Amongst the different types of biomass available, those crops which are specifically designed for the purpose, the so-called «energy crops», allow us not only to plan the production of this resource but also to provide a viable alternative for agricultural land in areas where traditional crops are gradually being abandoned. The objective of this study is to revise the current knowledge base in relation to Populus spp.; a woody crop with great potential for this purpose which can be grown at high densities in short rotation coppices. Its suitability for the production of energy producing biomass will be assessed, focusing in particular on the base material to be employed, the plantation design and the cultural treatments to be applied.La necesidad de incrementar la producción de energía de origen renovable en España, pasa por considerar la producción de biomasa como una de las posibles alternativas. Entre los diferentes tipos de biomasa posible, aquella que se obtiene a través de cultivos diseñados específicamente para ello, los cultivos energéticos, permite la planificación en la obtención del recurso al mismo tiempo que proporcionan alternativas al abandono de cultivos tradicionales en el ámbito rural. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo revisar el estado actual de conocimiento de uno de los cultivos leñosos con mayores expectativas para la producción de energía, las plantaciones de Populus spp. cultivado en alta densidad y turnos cortos, en su contribución a la producción de biomasa para energía, incidiendo en la importancia del material base a emplear, el diseño del cultivo y los tratamientos culturales a realizar

Flight Tests of a Remaining Flying Time Prediction System for Small Electric Aircraft in the Presence of Faults

This paper addresses the problem of building trust in the online prediction of a battery powered aircraft's remaining flying time. A series of flight tests is described that make use of a small electric powered unmanned aerial vehicle (eUAV) to verify the performance of the remaining flying time prediction algorithm. The estimate of remaining flying time is used to activate an alarm when the predicted remaining time is two minutes. This notifies the pilot to transition to the landing phase of the flight. A second alarm is activated when the battery charge falls below a specified limit threshold. This threshold is the point at which the battery energy reserve would no longer safely support two repeated aborted landing attempts. During the test series, the motor system is operated with the same predefined timed airspeed profile for each test. To test the robustness of the prediction, half of the tests were performed with, and half were performed without, a simulated powertrain fault. The pilot remotely engages a resistor bank at a specified time during the test flight to simulate a partial powertrain fault. The flying time prediction system is agnostic of the pilot's activation of the fault and must adapt to the vehicle's state. The time at which the limit threshold on battery charge is reached is then used to measure the accuracy of the remaining flying time predictions. Accuracy requirements for the alarms are considered and the results discussed

Quantitative thresholds enable accurate identification of clostridium difficile infection by the luminex xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel

Clostridium difficile colonizes the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in either asymptomatic carriage or a spectrum of diarrheal illness. If clinical suspicion for C. difficile is low, stool samples are often submitted for analysis by multiplex molecular assays capable of detecting multiple GI pathogens, and some institutions do not report this organism due to concerns for high false-positive rates. Since clinical disease correlates with organism burden and molecular assays yield quantitative data, we hypothesized that numerical cutoffs could be utilized to improve the specificity of the Luminex xTAG GI pathogen panel (GPP) for C. difficile infection. Analysis of cotested liquid stool samples (n 1,105) identified a GPP median fluorescence intensity (MFI) value cutoff of 1,200 to be predictive of two-step algorithm (2-SA; 96.4% concordance) and toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) positivity. Application of this cutoff to a second cotested data set (n 1,428) yielded 96.5% concordance. To determine test performance characteristics, concordant results were deemed positive or negative, and discordant results were adjudicated via chart review. Test performance characteristics for the MFI cutoff of 150 (standard), MFI cutoff of 1,200, and 2-SA were as follows (respectively): concordance, 95, 96, and 97%; sensitivity, 93, 78, and 90%; specificity, 95, 98, and 98%; positive predictive value, 67, 82, and 81%;, and negative predictive value, 99, 98, and 99%. To capture the high sensitivity for organism detection (MFI of 150) and high specificity for active infection (MFI of 1,200), we developed and applied a reporting algorithm to interpret GPP data from patients (n 563) with clinician orders only for syndromic panel testing, thus enabling accurate reporting of C. difficile for 95% of samples (514 negative and 5 true positives) irrespective of initial clinical suspicion and without the need for additional testing

Airway stent complications: the role of follow-up bronchoscopy as a surveillance method.

Background: Airway stenting has become an integral part of the therapeutic endoscopic management of obstructive benign and malignant central airway diseases. Despite increased use of airway stents and frequent stent-associated complications, no clear guidelines for surveillance and maintenance exist. This study aim is to elucidate predictive factors associated with development of stent complications, as well as an optimal surveillance period for follow-up bronchoscopy for early detection and possible prevention of stent-associated complications. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent airway stent placements at our institution from April 2010 to December 2013 for benign and malignant airway diseases. Metallic, silicone (straight, Y stent, T-tube) and hybrid stents were included in the study. Stent complications were analyzed at the time of follow-up bronchoscopy performed four to six weeks after initial stent placement or earlier if patients became symptomatic. Results: The study included 134 patients of which 147 stents were placed. Follow-up bronchoscopy was performed in 94 patients. Symptomatic status at the time of follow-up bronchoscopy was not associated with stent complications [odds ratio (OR) =1.88; 95% CI: 0.79-4.45; P=0.15]. Patient age, sex, indication for stent placement, and stent location, were not associated with development of complications (all P\u3e0.05). Compared to all other stents, hybrid stents were more likely to migrate (OR =6.60; 95% CI: 2.16-20.2; P=0.001) or obstruct by secretions (OR =2.53; 95% CI: 1.10-5.84; P=0.03). There were no complications associated with surveillance bronchoscopy. Conclusions: Surveillance bronchoscopy within 4 to 6 weeks of stent placement may be useful for early detection of complications and their subsequent management, regardless of symptomatic status and indication for stent placement. Prospective multicenter studies are needed to compare optimal surveillance methods and the impact on patient mortality, morbidity and healthcare costs

Verification of Prognostic Algorithms to Predict Remaining Flying Time for Electric Unmanned Vehicles

This paper addresses the problem of building trust in the online prediction of a eUAVs remaining available flying time powered by lithium-ion polymer batteries. A series of ground tests are described that make use of an electric unmanned aerial vehicle (eUAV) to verify the performance of remaining flying time predictions. The algorithm verification procedure described is implemented on a fully functional vehicle that is restrained to a platform for repeated run-to-functional-failure (charge depletion) experiments. The vehicle under test is commanded to follow a predefined propeller RPM profile in order to create battery demand profiles similar to those expected during flight. The eUAV is repeatedly operated until the charge stored in powertrain batteries falls below a specified limit threshold. The time at which the limit threshold on battery charge is crossed is then used to measure the accuracy of the remaining flying time prediction. In our earlier work battery aging was not included. In this work we take into account aging of the batteries where the parameters were updated to make predictions. Accuracy requirements are considered for an alarm that warns operators when remaining flying time is estimated to fall below the specified limit threshold