Fish passage system in an irrigation dam (Pilcomayo River basin): When engineering designs do not match ecohydraulic criteria.

The Route 28 Dam has the potential to block fish movements from La Estrella marsh to the Pilcomayo River. In addition, themany fish that concentrate immediately downstream of the dam may suffer high mortality when they are stranded duringlow water periods. The goals of this study are to determine if fish are able to pass the spillway and to assess if the designof the installed ladders (pool and weir type) effectively supports upstream migration of Prochilodus lineatus (sábalo).Results showed that only fish longer than 39 cm should be able to ascend the spillway chute, but when water levels on thespillway crest are over 0.4 m. Fish are also unable to jump from spillway toe to spillway crest because the downstreamdissipation pool does not meet the minimum depth criterion for fish to accelerate to sufficient velocity. Fish ladders haveinsufficient number of pools and some pool dimensions and designs depart from accepted standard designs. Volumetricdissipation power in the upper pool of each fish ladder is too low for fish to rest. Also, attraction flows relative to totalspillway discharge at the entrance to each fishway are insufficient. Fish passage failures of both the spillway and pool andweir systems in La Estrella marsh can be traced to the ?salmon-centric? concept used by the designers. We conclude thatthe Route 28 Dam design including its fish passage systems, do not follow criteria to cope with the strong hydrologicalvariability and bioecological characteristics of fish inhabiting pulsatile systems such as La Estrella marsh.Fil: Baigún, Claudio Rafael M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Nestler, John. University of Iowa; Estados UnidosFil: Minotti, Priscilla Gail. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Oldani, Norberto Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; Argentin

Edad, crecimiento, mortalidad e incidencia de las variaciones del nivel hidrométrico del río Paraná en la abundancia del surubí pintado (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans)

Los objetivos son determinar los parámetros de crecimiento, índice de mortalidad e incidencia de las variaciones del nivel hidrométrico en la abundancia de las poblaciones del surubí pintado. Se analizaron las tallas de 3.332 ejemplares capturados en 34 concursos de pesca desde 1996 a 2008. Participaron 32.766 pescadores que totalizaron 369.044 horas de pesca. Se dispuso información de pesquerías comerciales desde 1976. La edad y el crecimiento se determinaron en base a la descomposición de las polimodales de las pseudocohortes de los concursos de pesca Reconquista y Goya y se validaron con lecturas de las marcas anuales en los radios duros de las aletas pectorales. Los parámetros de la ecuación de von Bertalanffy determinados, fueron: L∞ de 185 cm, K: 0.0653; t0: - 3.4. El surubí nace en primavera-verano y marcan los anillos en invierno, el primero a los 6 meses. En el período de crecimiento a los 4+ años reabsorbe el primer anillo y luego a los 5+, 7+ y 9+ años con el segundo, tercero y cuarto anillo respectivamente. Las variaciones de la mortalidad (Z) se asocian a las capturas de sábalo. El análisis de la CPUE mostró la disminución de tallas superiores a la primera reproducción (91 cm). El porcentaje de reproductores en 1976-77 era del 63%, en el 2002-03 diminuyó al 30% y en los concursos de Goya y Reconquista desde el 2004, no supera el 11%. El mejor ajuste de los surubíes pintado de edad 4+ capturados en Goya y Reconquista (cohortes 1999 al 2004) se dio con el promedio del nivel hidrométrico de octubre a diciembre. Niveles hidrométricos más elevados producirían cohortes más abundantes.Age, growth, mortality and incidence of the variations of the Paraná River hydrometric level in abundance of "spotted sorubim" (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans). The goals are to determine the growth patterns, mortality rate and incidence of the hydrometric level variations in the abundance of Pseudoplatystoma corruscans populations. We analyzed the sizes of 3,332 fish caught in 34 fishing tournaments from 1996-2008. Age and growth were determined based on the decomposition of the pseudo-cohort polimodals of the Reconquista and Goya fishing tournaments and were validated with readings of the annual markers at the hard radius of the pectoral fin. The P. corruscans is born in spring-summer and marks the growing rings in winter, towards the first 6 months. During growing period to the 4+ years it reabsorbs the first mark and then towards the 5+, 7+ and 9+ years it reabsorbs with the second, third and fourth marks respectively. Mortality variations (Z) are related with Prochilodus lineatus captures. The percentage of breeders in 1976-77 was 63%, in the period 2002-03 it decreased to 30% and in the Goya and Reconquista tournaments since 2004, does not exceed 11%. The best adjustment of the 'spotted sorubim’ of 4+ years caught is Goya and Reconquista (1999-2004 cohorts) was achieved with the average hydrometric level on spring. Higher hydrometric levels would allow more abundant cohortsFil: Oldani, Norberto Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Ecclesia, Ovidio. Subdirección de Fauna y Flora de Corrientes; ArgentinaFil: Baigún, Claudio Rafael M.. Universidad Nacional de General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas - Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (sede Chascomús); Argentin

Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2): morphological structures in the inner coma and rotation parameters

Extensive observations of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) were carried out between August 2004 and May 2005. The images obtained were used to investigate the comet's inner coma features at resolutions between 350 and 1500 km/pixel. A photometric analysis of the dust outflowing from the comet's nucleus and the study of the motion of the morphological structures in the inner coma indicated that the rotation period of the nucleus was most likely around 0.74 days. A thorough investigation of the inner coma morphology allowed us to observe two main active sources on the comet's nucleus, at a latitude of +85{\deg} \pm 5{\deg} and +45{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, respectively. Further sources have been observed, but their activity ran out quite rapidly over time; the most relevant was at latcom. = 25{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. Graphic simulations of the geometrical conditions of observation of the inner coma were compared with the images and used to determine a pole orientation at RA=95{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, Dec=+35{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. The comet's spin axis was lying nearly on the plane of the sky during the first decade of December 2004.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 3 table

No improvement of survival with reduced- versus high-intensity conditioning for allogeneic stem cell transplants in Ewing tumor patients

Background: Outcomes of Ewing tumor (ET) patients treated with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) were compared regarding the use of reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) and high-intensity conditioning (HIC) regimens as well as human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched and HLA-mismatched grafts. Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 87 ET patients from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Pediatric Registry for Stem Cell Transplantations, Asia Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation and MetaEICESS registries treated with allo-SCT. Fifty patients received RIC (group A) and 37 patients received HIC (group B). Twenty-four patients received HLA-mismatched grafts and 63 received HLA-matched grafts. Results: Median overall survival was 7.9 months [±1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.44-10.31] for group A and 4.4 months (±1.06, 95% CI 2.29-6.43) for group B patients (P = 1.3). Death of complications (DOC) occurred in 4 of 50 (0.08) and death of disease (DOD) in 33 of 50 (0.66) group A and in 16 of 37 (0.43) and 17 of 37 (0.46) group B patients, respectively. DOC incidence was decreased (P < 0.01) and DOD/relapse increased (P < 0.01) in group A compared with group B. HLA mismatch was not generally associated with graft-versus-Ewing tumor effect (GvETE). Conclusions: There was no improvement of survival with RIC compared with HIC due to increased DOD/relapse incidence after RIC despite less DOC incidence. This implicates general absence of a clinically relevant GvETE with current protocol

Perceptions and Attitudes of Egyptian Health Professionals and Policy-Makers towards Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives and Other Promotional Activities

Pharmaceutical promotion activities in low and middle-income countries are often neither regulated nor monitored. While Egypt has the highest population and per capita use of medicines in the Arab world, we know very little about pharmaceutical companies promotional activities in the country.To explore and analyze the perceptions of physicians towards promotional and marketing activities of pharmaceutical companies among physicians and pharmacists in Egypt.Perspectives of different healthcare system stakeholders were explored through semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted in 2014 in Cairo, Egypt. Interviewees were chosen via purposive sampling and snowball technique. Each interview was recorded and transcribed. Then qualitative, thematic analysis was conducted with the help of NVIVO software.The majority of physicians and pharmacists acknowledged exposure to pharmaceutical promotion. It was commonly believed that interaction with the pharmaceutical industry is necessary and both associated risks and benefits were acknowledged. The interviewed physicians considered themselves competent enough to minimize risks and maximize benefits to their prescribing habits. Views diverged on the extent and magnitude of the risks and benefits of pharmaceutical promotion, especially in regard to the influence on patients' health.Pharmaceutical promotion in Egypt is intensely directed at prescribers and dispensers. Physicians, pharmacists and policymakers expressed little skepticism to the influence of promotion towards their individual prescribing. Raising awareness of the pitfalls of pharmaceutical promotion is necessary, especially among the less experienced physicians

Correlation Between Retinal Vessel Diameters and Uveitis Activity

PURPOSE. To assess retinal vein and artery diameters during active and inactive intraocular inflammation in eyes with uveitis. METHODS. Color fundus photographs and clinical data of eyes with uveitis collected during two visits (active disease [i.e., T0] and inactive stage [i.e., T1]) were reviewed. The images were semi-automatically analyzed to obtain the central retina vein equivalent (CRVE) and central retina artery equivalent (CRAE). Changes of CRVE and CRAE from T0 to T1 were calculated, and their possible correlation with clinical data, including age, gender, ethnicity, uveitis etiology, and visual acuity, were investigated. RESULTS. Eighty-nine eyes were enrolled in the study. Both CRVE and CRAE reduced from T0 to T1 (P &lt; 0.0001 and P = 0.01, respectively), with active inflammation being able to influence the CRVE and CRAE (P &lt; 0.0001 and P = 0.0004, respectively) after accounting for all other variables. The degree of venular (V) and arteriolar (A) dilation was influenced only by time (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively). Best-corrected visual acuity was influenced by time and ethnicity (P = 0.003 and P = 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS. CRVE and CRAE are increased in eyes with active intraocular inflammation regardless of the type of uveitis, and they decrease when the inflammation wears off

Surface modification of starch based biomaterials by oxygen plasma or UV-irradiation

Radiation is widely used in biomaterials science for surface modification and sterilization. Herein, we describe the use of plasma and UV-irradiation to improve the biocompatibility of different starch-based blends in terms of cell adhesion and proliferation. Physical and chemical changes, introduced by the used methods, were evaluated by complementary techniques for surface analysis such as scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effect of the changed surface properties on the adhesion of osteoblast-like cells was studied by a direct contact assay. Generally, both treatments resulted in higher number of cells adhered to the modified surfaces. The importance of the improved biocompatibility resulting from the irradiation methods is further supported by the knowledge that both UV and plasma treatments can be used as cost-effective methods for sterilization of biomedical materials and devices.I. P. thanks the FCT for providing her a postdoctoral scholarship (SFRH/BPD/8491/2002). This work was partially supported by FCT, through funds from the POCTI and/or FEDER programs, The European Union funded STREP Project HIPPOCRATES (NNM-3-CT-2003-505758) and the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283)

Experiencia en la fabricación de titanio con gradiente de porosidad mediante técnicas de pulvimetalurgia

Fil: Grinschpun, L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Oldani, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Valdemarin, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.El titanio se reconoce como el mejor material metálico para reemplazo óseo. Este consenso está basado en sus buenas propiedades mecánicas, adecuadas para aplicaciones donde se deban soportar cargas (módulo elástico de 100-110 GPa y resistencia a la tracción entre 240-550 MPa) [1], su muy buena resistencia a la corrosión y su excelente respuesta in vivo debido a su capacidad osteoinductiva y osteointegradora. A pesar de esto, el titanio presenta algunos inconvenientes ya que es un material bioinerte (no reacciona adversamente con el tejido) y estable químicamente (resistencia a la corrosión excelente, especialmente frente a los ambientes fisiológicos) y en consecuencia, el organismo tiende a formar una cápsula de tejido fibroso a su alrededor comprometiendo la osteointegración del implante (capacidad de establecer una conexión directa, estructural y funcional, entre el hueso y la superficie del implante). Los posibles micromovimientos que ocurren en la intercara biomaterial-tejido, generan a mediano y largo plazo, un crecimiento de la fina capa de tejido fibroso ya existente, incrementándose el riesgo de aflojamiento del implante.Fil: Grinschpun, L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Oldani, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Valdemarin, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Ingeniería de los Materiale

Experiencias en la fabricación de titanio con gradiente de porosidad mediante técnicas de pulvimetalurgia

Fil: Grinschpun, L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Oldani, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Valdemarin, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Titanium is recognized as the best biometal for applications in bone implant.However it presents some difficulties as is the mismatch between its modulus of elasticity(stiffness) and that of the bone that replace. This difference produce stress-shielding, aphenomenon by which bone is retracted, weakens and can suffer a new fracture. One possiblesolution is to decrease the stiffness by obtaining a porous structure with controlled porosity innumber, size and shape of the pores. The presence of different tissues in contact with theimplant makes ideal to have a titanium metal structure with porosity gradients. A suitabletechnique for obtaining this structure is powder metallurgy (PM). This paper use PMtechniques with TiH2 as the titanium source and ammonium bicarbonate as pore spacerparticles, sintered at 1000 ° C in argon atmosphere. There were obtained samples withlongitudinal and radial porosity gradient. The main drawbacks are found in matrix fillingtechniques for compact the greens. This causes joints between layers with different porositynot adequate and separated by differential shrinkage during the sintering treatment. Despitethis, optimization of the treatment conditions enables the samples obtained present very goodadhesion between layers.Fil: Grinschpun, L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Oldani, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Fil: Valdemarin, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Materiales; Argentina.Ingeniería de los Materiale

Craniofacial modifications in children with habitual snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea: A case-control study

Habitual snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea in children, which are frequently associated with adenotonsillar hypertrophy, may begin early in life and in relation with orocraniofacial features. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of early bone craniofacial modifications in young children with along history of habitual snoring. Twenty-six habitually snoring children (mean age 4.6 yrs) were studied by nocturnal portable recording or diurnal polysomnography, cephalometry and orthodontic evaluation. A comparison of cephalometric findings was made between the studied group and 26 age-matched children (mean age 5.1 yrs) with no history of snoring or respiratory problems during sleep. The cephalometric analyses showed a significant increase in craniomandibular intermaxillar, lower and upper goniac angles with a retroposition and posterior rotation of the mandible (high angle face) and a reduction in the rhinopharynx space caused by higher thickness of adenoids in habitually snoring children compared with controls. Cross-bites and labial incompetence as well as daytime symptoms and familiarity for habitual snoring were found in most of the studied group of snorers compared with controls. The results indicate that upper airway obstruction during sleep is associated with mild but significant cephalometric and craniofacial modifications in children complaining of habitual snoring. Whether this skeletal conformation is genetically determined or influenced by the early onset of habitual snoring remains to be assessed