Treatment of Sorghum Hybrid 85 P15 (Pioneer®) Seeds and their Influence on Melanaphis sacchari/sorghi Infestation

Context: Sorghum is a hosting plant of Melanaphis sacchari/sorghi. The control measures against the insect include the treatment of seeds. However, evaluation of the effect of insecticides on insect populations and the agronomic variables of the crop, are needed. Aim: To evaluate the influence of insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxan, and imidacloprid during the treatment of hybrid 85 P15 (Pioneer®) seeds on the agronomic variables of the crop and infestation with M. sacchari/sorghi. Methods: The experiment was conducted in the School of Higher Studies in Xalostoc, Mexico, in 2018. Four doses of Poncho®, Cruiser® 5 FS, and Tools® TS in the treatment of hybrid 85 P15 (Pioneer®) seeds. A randomized block experimental design was applied, and the percentage of germination, M. sacchari/sorghi infestation, and agronomic parameters of the crop, were determined. Results: All the parameters achieved more than 90% of germination, which demonstrated that the products and doses did not affect this parameter. Likewise, no differences were observed in the treatments. The use of these insecticides in hybrid seeds had a little influence on aphid infestation. These treatments do not affect the content of chlorophyll, but other parameters, like Brix degree, and the fresh leaf weight were affected. Conclusions: The seed treatment does not reduce the percentage of germination of 85 P15 (Pioneer®) hybrids, a strong control was not achieved over infestation of aphids, but it did affect some agronomic variables; hence, evaluation of other hybrids is recommended

Tratamiento a semillas del híbrido 85 P15 (Pioneer®) de sorgo y su influencia sobre la infestación de Melanaphis sacchari/sorghi

Context: Sorghum is a host of Melanaphis sacchari/sorghi. Control measures against this insect include seed treatment. However, evaluations of the effect of insecticides on insect populations and crop agronomic variables are needed. Objective: To evaluate the influence of seed treatment with the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxan and imidacloprid on the infestation of M. sacchari/sorghi and agronomic variables of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench hybrid 85 P15 (Pioneer®). Methods: The experiment was conducted at the School of Higher Studies of Xalostoc, Mexico, during 2018. Four doses of Poncho®, Cruiser® 5 FS and Tools® TS were used to treat seeds of hybrid 85 P15 (Pioneer®). A randomized experimental block design was used and the germination percentage, M. sacchari/sorghi infestation and crop agronomic parameters were determined. Results: All treatments had more than 90% germination, showing that the products and doses did not affect this parameter. There were no differences between treatments. The use of these insecticides in seeds of the hybrid 85 P15 has little influence on the infestation of the aphid. These treatments do not affect the chlorophyll content, but they do affect other parameters such as the Brix grade and the fresh weight of the leaves. Conclusions: Seed treatment does not decrease the germination percentage of the 85 P15 hybrid (Pioneer®), nor does it affect the aphid infestation, but it affects some agronomic variables, so it is recommended to evaluate other other sorghum hybrids.Contexto: El sorgo es un hospedante de Melanaphis sacchari/sorghi. Las medidas de control contra este insecto incluyen el tratamiento a semillas. Sin embargo, se necesitan evaluaciones sobre el efecto de los insecticidas en poblaciones del insecto y las variables agronómicas del cultivo. Objetivo: Evaluar la influencia de los insecticidas clothianidin, tiametoxan e imidacloprid en tratamiento a la semilla del híbrido 85 P15 (Pioneer®) sobre variables agronómicas del cultivo y la infestación de M. sacchari/sorghi. Métodos: El experimento se realizó en la Escuela de Estudios Superiores de Xalostoc, México, durante el 2018. Se utilizaron cuatro dosis de Poncho®, Cruiser® 5 FS y Tools® TS para tratar semillas del híbrido 85 P15 (Pioneer®). El diseño experimental fue bloques al azar y se determinó el porcentaje de germinación, la infestación de M. sacchari/sorghi y parámetros agronómicos del cultivo. Resultados: Todos los tratamientos tuvieron más del 90 % de germinación, lo que demuestra que los productos y dosis no afectaron este parámetro. Igualmente, no se apreciaron diferencias entre los tratamientos. El uso de estos insecticidas en semillas del híbrido influye poco sobre la infestación del pulgón. Estos tratamientos no afectan el contenido de clorofila, pero si otros parámetros como el grado Brix y el peso fresco de las hojas. Conclusiones: El tratamiento a las semillas no disminuye el porcentaje de germinación del híbrido 85 P15 (Pioneer®), no logró un control contundente sobre la infestación del pulgón, pero afecta algunas variables agronómicas por lo que se recomienda evaluar otros híbridos

Preparo de Itens de Ensaio de Proficiência em Matriz Queijo para a Pesquisa de Salmonella spp.

The participation of analytical laboratories in proficiency testing allows the verification of the reliability of results in analysis of quality control. The aim of this study was to produce a batch of test items (TI) to be used in a proficiency assay for Salmonella spp. research in a cheese matrix. Ultrafiltered Minas cheese was used as the matrix and spiked with a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. Trehalose was used as cryoprotectant, and freeze-drying was used as the preservation technique. The batch was evaluated for vacuum verification, homogeneity study, and long-term stability testing at temperatures of -70ºC  (reference temperature) and -20ºC (storage temperature). The batch was also evaluated for short-term stability at temperatures of 4ºC, 25ºC, and 35ºC (transport temperatures). The results showed vacuum in 95.6% of the bottles, and the batch was considered sufficiently homogeneous. TI remained stable at -70ºC for more than 360 days and at -20ºC for more than 160 days. TI was shown to be stable for up 6 days at 4ºC and 25ºC but not at 35ºC. It is concluded that the methodology used was satisfactory for this TI production for Salmonella spp. research in a cheese matrix.A participação de laboratórios analíticos em ensaio de proficiência permite a verificação da confiabilidade dos resultados gerados nas análises de controle da qualidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi produzir um lote de itens de ensaio (IE) a ser utilizado em ensaio de proficiência (EP) para pesquisa de Salmonella spp. em matriz queijo. Queijo Minas Frescal (QMF) Ultrafiltrado foi utilizado como matriz e fortificado com uma cepa de Salmonella Enteritidis. A trealose foi utilizada como crioprotetor e a liofilização como técnica de preservação. O lote foi avaliado quanto a verificação do vácuo, teste da homogeneidade, estudo da estabilidade em longo prazo nas temperaturas de -70oC (referência) e -20oC (armazenamento) e em curto prazo nas temperaturas de 4, 25 e 35ºC (transporte). O lote apresentou presença de vácuo em 95,6% dos frascos e foi considerado suficientemente homogêneo. Os IE apresentaram estabilidade a -70ºC superior a 360 dias e a -20ºC superior a 160 dias. Os IE demonstraram ser estáveis por até seis dias nas temperaturas de 4 e 25ºC, mas não a 35ºC. Conclui-se que a metodologia utilizada foi satisfatória para produção de IE para o ensaio de pesquisa de Salmonella spp. em matriz queijo

POR UNA CULTURA DE PAZ: UNA MIRADA DESDE LAS CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA

En
 virtud
 de
 lo
 anterior,
 los
 estudiosos
 de
 las
 ciencias
 de
 la
 conducta
 
de
 la
 Universidad
Autónoma 
del
 Estado 
de 
México,

ante 
la
persistencia
 y 
proliferación
 de
 estos 
hechos
 en
 diversas
 partes
 del
Mundo
 y
 de
 nuestro 
país 
en 
particular, se
 convocó
 a
 los
 estudiosos
 interesados
 y
 a
 la
 sociedad
 en
 general
 a
 presentar
 trabajos
 para
 analizar,
 debatir
 y
 proponer
 estrategias
 de
 acción
 y
 dirección,
 que
 fortalezcan
 una
 convivencia y bienestar con sentido humanista para una cultura de paz. El
 presente
 texto
 es
 producto
 de 
esta convocatoria 
que
 recoge 
los
trabajos 
de 

los
 interesados 
en 
la
 temática,

 de
 diferentes 
países
(España,
Argentina,
Cuba,
Brasil,
Costa
 Rica
 y
 México)
 retomando
 con
 ello
 sus
 experiencias
 relativas
 al
 estudio,
 análisis,
 comprensión
 e
 instrumentación
 de
 la
 cultura
 de
 paz
 en
 los
 distintos
 ámbitos
 institucionales
 en
 los
 que
 participan:
 educativo,
 salud,
 penitenciario,
 social,
laboral,
familia,
alimentario,
psicológico,
por 
mencionar 
algunos.
 El
 presente
 libro,
 propicia
 un
 espacio
 de
 reflexión,
 diálogo
 y
 posicionamiento
 de
 las 
ciencias 
de 
la 
conducta
 para 
la 
apropiación,
análisis,
debate
 y 
propuestas 
que
 fortalezcan 
una
 cultura
 de 
paz
 a
través
 de 
la
 convivencia 
y
 el 
bienestar
 social 
con
 sentido 
humanista.
El
 sistema 
económico
 neoliberal
 y 
el 
proceso
 de 
globalización 
han
 contribuido
al
 logro
 de
 avances
 significativos
 en
 la
 ciencia
 y
 la
 tecnología,
 pero
 también
 han
 propiciado
 la
 polarización
 de
 las
 sociedades
 lo
 que
 ha
 impactado
 de
 manera
 negativa
 a
 la
 sociedad
 en
 su
 conjunto,
 pero
 en
 mayor
 medida
 a
 los grupos
 vulnerables. Dicha
 polarización
 ha
 traído
 consigo
 un
 desarrollo
 desigual
 del
 mundo
 que
 se
 expresa
 de
 diferentes
 maneras
 tanto
 en
 países
 desarrollados
 como
 en
 los
 llamados
 del
 tercer
 mundo,
 en
 donde
 no
 están
 satisfechas
 las
 necesidades
 humanas 
elementales
 de
 todos 
los
sectores 
de 
la 
población,
siempre 
falta 
algo. 
Si 
a
 esto 
le
 sumamos 
los
conflictos
 internacionales por
 diferentes
 motivos
 que
 enfrentan
 algunas
 naciones,
 una
 insuficiente
 cobertura
 educativa
 y
 de
 salud,

 desempleo
 y
 pobreza 
extrema,
 entre 
otras
 cosas; 
estamos
 frente
 a
retos 
de
 gran
 envergadura
 para
 los
 gobiernos,
 para
 los
 estudiosos
 y
 para
 la
 sociedad
 civil
 en
 general. Uno 
de 
los
 intentos
 para
 frenar 
y prevenir 
la
 agudización
 de 
estas 
problemáticas
 es
 la
 cultura 
de 
paz,
cuyo
 estudio
y propuestas 
han 
ido 
avanzando 
en 
diferentes
 sentidos 
y 
de 
manera 
favorable,
el 
tema 
está 
presente 
en 
diferentes 
Organismos
 Internacionales
 como
 la
 ONU,
 la
 UNESCO,
 la
 OCDE,
 El
 Banco
 Mundial,
 entre
 otros.
 Pero
 falta 
mucho 
por 
hacer.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Méxic

Durvalumab Plus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel Followed by Maintenance Durvalumab With or Without Olaparib as First-Line Treatment for Advanced Endometrial Cancer: The Phase III DUO-E Trial

PURPOSE Immunotherapy and chemotherapy combinations have shown activity in endometrial cancer, with greater benefit in mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient (dMMR) than MMR-proficient (pMMR) disease. Adding a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor may improve outcomes, especially in pMMR disease. METHODS This phase III, global, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomly assigned eligible patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer 1:1:1 to: carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab placebo followed by placebo maintenance (control arm); carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab plus olaparib placebo (durvalumab arm); or carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab plus olaparib (durvalumab + olaparib arm). The primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) in the durvalumab arm versus control and the durvalumab + olaparib arm versus control. RESULTS Seven hundred eighteen patients were randomly assigned. In the intention-to-treat population, statistically significant PFS benefit was observed in the durvalumab (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.89]; P = .003) and durvalumab + olaparib arms (HR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.69]; P < .0001) versus control. Prespecified, exploratory subgroup analyses showed PFS benefit in dMMR (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.42 [95% CI, 0.22 to 0.80]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control], 0.41 [95% CI, 0.21 to 0.75]) and pMMR subgroups (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.60 to 0.97]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control] 0.57; [95% CI, 0.44 to 0.73]); and in PD-L1-positive subgroups (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.63 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.83]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control], 0.42 [95% CI, 0.31 to 0.57]). Interim overall survival results (maturity approximately 28%) were supportive of the primary outcomes (durvalumab v control: HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.56 to 1.07]; P = .120; durvalumab + olaparib v control: HR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.42 to 0.83]; P = .003). The safety profiles of the experimental arms were generally consistent with individual agents. CONCLUSION Carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab with or without olaparib demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful PFS benefit in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans – anteaters, sloths, and armadillos – have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with 24 domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, ten anteaters, and six sloths. Our dataset includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data-paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the south of the USA, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to its austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n=5,941), and Cyclopes sp. has the fewest (n=240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n=11,588), and the least recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n=33). With regards to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n=962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n=12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other datasets of Neotropical Series which will become available very soon (i.e. Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans dataset

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection