Upper Barremian−lower Aptian charophyte biostratigraphy from Arrifes section (Algarve Basin, Southern Portugal): correlation with dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy

The Arrifes section (Algarve Basin, Southern Portugal) has been studied from the viewpoint of charophyte biostratigraphy. The previous sedimentological studies in this section showed that it is built of the interbedding of continental and marine facies that contain both marine and continental palynomorphs (pollen, spores, and dinoflagellates), providing an excellent sedimentary context to perform direct correlations between marine and continental domains. In the present work, the identified charophyte biozones have been correlated with dinoflagellate biozones previously recognized in the Arrifes section, being the first time that these two biochronologies can be directly correlated. From the charophyte biostratigraphy viewpoint, two assemblages are distinguished. The older one is found between 65 and 135 m of the stratigraphic section, and it is composed of the species Echinochara lazarii, Atopochara trivolvis var. triquetra, A. trivolvis var. trivolvis, Clavator grovesii var. jiuquanensis, Clavator harrisii var. harrisii, C. harrisii var. reyi, and C. harrisii var. zavialensis. This assemblage belongs to the upper Barremian-lower Aptian Clavator grovesii var. jiuquanensis Eurasian biozone and also to the Ascidiella cruciata-Pseudoglobator paucibracteatus European biozone and it is described in beds with the dinoflagellate cyst Subtilisphaera scabrata (lower to lowermost upper Barremian) and Odontochitina operculata (from upper Barremian upwards). The younger charophyte assemblage is found between 135 and 155 m of the stratigraphic section, and it is composed of the species A. trivolvis var. trivolvis, Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus, Clavator harrisii var. harrisii, C. harrisii var. reyi, and C. harrisii var. zavialensis. This assemblage belongs to Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus biozone, previously assigned to upper Aptian (Clavator grovesii var. lusitanicus biozone). However, in the Arrifes section, this assemblage is found in beds assigned to the dinoflagellate cyst Odontochitina operculata (from upper Barremian-lower Aptian). The direct correlation of the base of the C. grovesii var. corrugatus biozone with the dinoflagellate cyst O. operculata, indicates that the base of the Clavator grovesii var. corrugatus biozone is in the upper lower Aptian, which is slightly older than was previously suggested, and it is extended until the middle Albian

A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm fitness function for case-base maintenance.

Case-Base Maintenance (CBM) has two important goals. On the one hand, it aims to reduce the size of the case-base. On the other hand, it has to improve the accuracy of the CBR system. CBM can be represented as a multi-objective optimization problem to achieve both goals. Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) have been recognised as appropriate techniques for multi-objective optimisation because they perform a search for multiple solutions in parallel. In the present paper we introduce a fitness function based on the Complexity Profiling model to perform CBM with MOEA, and we compare its results against other known CBM approaches. From the experimental results, CBM with MOEA shows regularly good results in many case-bases, despite the amount of redundant and noisy cases, and with a significant potential for improvement

Top 100. Revisión de los artículos más citados sobre cirugía laparoscópica del páncreas

Introducción El número de citas se considera un indicador indirecto del mérito de un artículo, revista o investigador, aunque no es un método infalible para determinar la calidad científica. Nuestro objetivo es determinar las características de los artículos más citados sobre páncreas y laparoscopia. Métodos Realizamos una búsqueda de todos los artículos publicados en cualquier revista sobre páncreas y laparoscopia hasta septiembre de 2019 y seleccionamos los 100 artículos más citados. Registramos el número de citas, la revista, el año de publicación, el cuartil, el factor de impacto, la institución, el país, el tipo de artículo de los autores, el tipo de cirugía, el tema y el área. Resultados El top 100 suma 10.970 citas. La revista con más artículos es Surgical Endoscopy y 2007 es el año con el mayor número de artículos en el top 100. El porcentaje de publicaciones de América y Europa es similar. Las series de casos son el tipo de artículo más frecuente, los resultados/morbilidad es el tema más discutido y la pancreatectomía distal es el tipo de cirugía más frecuente. Conclusiones Este estudio bibliométrico sobre páncreas y laparoscopia está condicionado por el factor tiempo, ya que la laparoscopia ha llegado más tarde a la cirugía pancreática, probablemente debido a la morbimortalidad asociada a la cirugía pancreática y a la necesidad de una alta especialización en este campo. La literatura es reciente y escasa. Se necesitan más estudios y de mayor calidad en este campo. Introduction: The number of citations is considered as an indirect indicator of the merit of an article, journal or researcher, although it is not an infallible method to determine scientific quality. Our goal is to determine the characteristics of the articles most cited about pancreas and laparoscopy. Methods: We performed a search of all articles published in any journal about pancreas and laparoscopy until September 2019 and selected the 100 most cited papers. We recorded number of citations, journal, year of publication, quartil, impact factor, institution, country, authors type of paper, type of surgery, topic and area. Results: The top 100 citations account 10, 970 citations in total. The journal with the most articles is Surgical Endoscopy and 2007 is the year with the highest number of articles in the top 100 citations. The percentage of publications from America and Europe are similar. Case series is the most frequently paper, outcomes/morbidity is the most frequently discussed topic, and distal pancreatectomy is the most frequently type of surgery. Conclusions: This bibliometric study on pancreas and laparoscopy is conditioned by the time factor, since laparoscopy has arrived later at pancreatic surgery, probably due to the morbidity and mortality associated with pancreatic surgery and the need for a high specialization in this field. The literature is recent and scarce. More and better-quality studies are needed in this field

Trends in arsenic levels in PM10 and PM2.5 aerosol fractions in an industrialized area

Arsenic is a toxic element that affects human health and is widely distributed in the environment. In the area of study, the main Spanish and second largest European industrial ceramic cluster, the main source of arsenic aerosol is related to the impurities in some boracic minerals used in the ceramic process. Epidemiological studies on cancer occurrence in Spain points out the study region as one with the greater risk of cancer. Concentrations of particulate matter and arsenic content in PM10 and PM2.5 were measured and characterized by ICP-MS in the area of study during the years 2005-2010. Concentrations of PM10 and its arsenic content range from 27 to 46 mu g/m(3) and from 0.7 to 6 ng/m(3) in the industrial area, respectively, and from 25 to 40 mu g/m(3) and from 0.7 to 2.8 ng/m(3) in the urban area, respectively. Concentrations of PM2.5 and its arsenic content range from 12 to 14 mu g/m(3) and from 0.5 to 1.4 ng/m(3) in the urban background area, respectively. Most of the arsenic content is present in the fine fraction, with ratios of PM2.5/PM10 in the range of 0.65-0.87. PM10, PM2.5, and its arsenic content show a sharp decrease in recent years associated with the economic downturn, which severely hit the production of ceramic materials in the area under study. The sharp production decrease due to the economic crisis combined with several technological improvements in recent years such as substitution of boron, which contains As impurities as raw material, have reduced the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and As in air to an extent that currently meets the existing European regulations.The authors are grateful to Ilmo. Ayuntamiento de L'Alcora for the financial support through the 07I055 project, Generalitat Valenciana for their support and collaboration, and Miss Miriam Rubio Renau for her assistance in the laboratory work. 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Evidence for a mixed mass composition at the `ankle' in the cosmic-ray spectrum

We report a first measurement for ultra-high energy cosmic rays of the correlation between the depth of shower maximum and the signal in the water Cherenkov stations of air-showers registered simultaneously by the fluorescence and the surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such a correlation measurement is a unique feature of a hybrid air-shower observatory with sensitivity to both the electromagnetic and muonic components. It allows an accurate determination of the spread of primary masses in the cosmic-ray flux. Up till now, constraints on the spread of primary masses have been dominated by systematic uncertainties. The present correlation measurement is not affected by systematics in the measurement of the depth of shower maximum or the signal in the water Cherenkov stations. The analysis relies on general characteristics of air showers and is thus robust also with respect to uncertainties in hadronic event generators. The observed correlation in the energy range around the `ankle' at $\lg(E/{\rm eV})=18.5-19.0$ differs significantly from expectations for pure primary cosmic-ray compositions. A light composition made up of proton and helium only is equally inconsistent with observations. The data are explained well by a mixed composition including nuclei with mass $A > 4$. Scenarios such as the proton dip model, with almost pure compositions, are thus disfavoured as the sole explanation of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray flux at Earth.Comment: Published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Added Report Numbe

Diseases of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica)

36 páginas, 7 figuras, 4 tablas.Iberian ibex (Caprapyrenaica) is an ecologically and economically relevant medium-sized emblematic mountain ungulate. Diseases participate in the population dynamics of the species as a regulating agent, but can also threaten the conservation and viability of vulnerable population units. Moreover, Iberian ibex can also be a carrier or even a reservoir of pathogens shared with domestic animals and/or humans, being therefore a concern for livestock and public health. The objective of this review is to compile the currently available knowledge on (1) diseases of Iberian ibex, presented according to their relevance on the health and demography of free-ranging populations; (2) diseases subjected to heath surveillance plans; (3) other dis-eases reported in the species; and (4) diseases with particular relevance in captive Iberian ibex populations. The systematic review of all the information on diseases affecting the species unveils unpublished reports, scientific communications in meetings, and scientific articles, allowing the first comprehensive compilation of Iberian ibex diseases. This review identi-fies the gaps in knowledge regarding pathogenesis, immune response, diagnostic methods, treatment, and management of diseases in Iberian ibex, providing a base for future research. Moreover, this challenges wildlife and livestock disease and wildlife population managers to assess the priorities and policies currently implemented in Iberian ibex health surveillance and monitoring and disease management.Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Part of the authors benefitted of the support of the Consejería de Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Andalucía (Spain) to the group RNN 118 through the grants 173/2009/M/00; 03/15/M/00; 861_11_M_00, 2016/00014/M. This review benefitted from funding of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through the grants CGL2012-40043-C02-01, CGL2012-40043-C02-02, and CGL2016-80543-P. Marta Valldeperes was supported by the pre-doctoral grant 2020_FI_B2_00049, funded by the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) and the European Social Fund.Peer reviewe

Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani Species Complex

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user¿s needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora, with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium, and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium, as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option availabl

Exclusive ρ0\rho^0 meson electroproduction from hydrogen at CLAS

The longitudinal and transverse components of the cross section for the $e p\to e^\prime p \rho^0$ reaction were measured in Hall B at Jefferson Laboratory using the CLAS detector. The data were taken with a 4.247 GeV electron beam and were analyzed in a range of $x_B$ from 0.2 to 0.6 and of $Q^2$ from 1.5 to 3.0 GeV$^2$. The data are compared to a Regge model based on effective hadronic degrees of freedom and to a calculation based on Generalized Parton Distributions. It is found that the transverse part of the cross section is well described by the former approach while the longitudinal part can be reproduced by the latter.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure