Sclerites and possible mouthparts of Wiwaxia from the temperate palaeolatitudes of Colombia, South America

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/let.12154The problematic mollusc Wiwaxia is perhaps the most widely distributed non-mineralized Cambrian metazoan, but has only been reported from palaeotropical latitudes. Here we describe mid Cambrian (Drumian, c. 504 Ma) sclerites and possible tooth arrays from the northern Llanos Basin, Colombia, recovered from drilled ditch cuttings by palynological processing – demonstrating that pristine material and low manipulation processing are not essential to the recovery of Small Carbonaceous Fossils. This, the first report of Wiwaxia from South America, substantially expands Wiwaxia’s geographic range into the high palaeolatitudes.We thank the two referees for their constructive comments, and Ecopetrol SA for permission to publish the wellbore material. Jean Bernard Caron, Peter Fenton, Doug Erwin and Mark Florence provided access to Burgess Shale material, which was funded in part by a Geological Society of America research grant to M.R.S. M.R.S. is supported by Clare College, Cambridge

A real-time web-based networked control system education platform

Networked control systems have recently experienced a surge in fundamental theoretical results ignited by numerous advantages of introducing shared multipurpose communication networks in control systems. Regarding developments on the practical side, however, a networked control system is still wanting when it comes to experimental platforms suitable for research and educational purposes, which contributes to most of networked control system theory being validated by means of numerical examples and simulations. This paper addresses this issue by presenting a low-cost real-time networked control system platform, based on custom hardware and software solutions that can be readily explored with the sole use of a web browser connected to the Internet. The technical decisions made during development represent a fundamentally novel take on networked control system experimental platforms that can potentially be reproduced by several universities. The platform provides the user with multiple controller and input reference options, network configurations, delay statistics, and even a downloadable file containing advanced experiment data. A survey conducted with students located over 1200 km away from the platform who used it during laboratory assignments highlight the system’s usability and interactivity, and supports the platform is suitable for educational purposes

Assessment and forecasting of mechanical properties for the 30-year-old Pinus radiata D. Don BY means of the multiple regression system.

Este estudio presenta los resultados del Proyecto FONDEF D97I2006 desarrollado en la Universidad del Bío-Bío (Chile). El objetivo del estudio fue desarrollar modelos de regresión múltiple para estimar las propiedades mecánicas de la madera de Pinus radiata D. Don, considerando las propiedades físicas de la madera, tipo de madera (juvenil y adulta) y diferentes zonas de crecimiento. Los modelos desarrollados permitieron obtener una buena estimativa de las propiedades mecánicas. La dureza paralela, dureza perpendicular, el MOR, el MOE y el esfuerzo máximo en compresión paralela, obtuvieron los coeficientes de determinación más altos, siendo de 0,82; 0,84; 0,80; 0,70 y 0,70, respectivamente.This paper presents the results of FONDEF Project D9712006 developed at Bío-Bío University (Chile). The objetive of the study was to develop multiple regression models to estimate mechanical properties of Pinus radiata D. Don wood taking into account physical properpies, wood type (juvenile and adult wood) and different wood source (regions). The models developed allow to obtain good estimates of the mechanical propierties. Parallel hardness, perpendicular hardness, MOR, MOE and maximum stress in parallel compression presented the highest determining coefficients, being 0.82; 0.84; 0.80; 0.70 and 0.70, respectively

An insight into the sialotranscriptome of the West Nile mosquito vector, <it>Culex tarsalis</it>

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Saliva of adult female mosquitoes help sugar and blood feeding by providing enzymes and polypeptides that help sugar digestion, control microbial growth and counteract their vertebrate host hemostasis and inflammation. Mosquito saliva also potentiates the transmission of vector borne pathogens, including arboviruses. <it>Culex tarsalis </it>is a bird feeding mosquito vector of West Nile Virus closely related to <it>C. quinquefasciatus</it>, a mosquito relatively recently adapted to feed on humans, and the only mosquito of the genus <it>Culex </it>to have its sialotranscriptome so far described.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 1,753 clones randomly selected from an adult female <it>C. tarsalis </it>salivary glands (SG) cDNA library were sequenced and used to assemble a database that yielded 809 clusters of related sequences, 675 of which were singletons. Primer extension experiments were performed in selected clones to further extend sequence coverage, allowing for the identification of 283 protein sequences, 80 of which code for putative secreted proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Comparison of the <it>C. tarsalis </it>sialotranscriptome with that of <it>C. quinquefasciatus </it>reveals accelerated evolution of salivary proteins as compared to housekeeping proteins. The average amino acid identity among salivary proteins is 70.1%, while that for housekeeping proteins is 91.2% (P < 0.05), and the codon volatility of secreted proteins is significantly higher than those of housekeeping proteins. Several protein families previously found exclusive of mosquitoes, including only in the <it>Aedes </it>genus have been identified in <it>C. tarsalis</it>. Interestingly, a protein family so far unique to <it>C. quinquefasciatus</it>, with 30 genes, is also found in <it>C. tarsalis</it>, indicating it was not a specific <it>C. quinquefasciatus </it>acquisition in its evolution to optimize mammal blood feeding.</p

Physical properties of chitosan-basil essential oil edible films as affected by oil content and homogenization conditions

[EN] This work studies the influence of basil essential oil, its content and the homogenization treatment on the physical properties of chitosan-based edible films. Two homogenization treatments were applied, without (H1) and with (H2) microfluidization (MF). Composite films were softer, less rigid and more stretchable than pure CH films. MF intensified these changes. H2 films showed microcracks due to the weak interactions between chitosan and oil, which affected their mechanical behaviour. In pure chitosan films, MF significantly increased water vapour permeability. Homogenization treatment greatly affected this property. Gloss was reduced by the essential oil addition, whereas MF tended to yield glossier films.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (PAID-06-09-2834), Conselleria de Empresa, Universidad y Ciencia (GV/2010/082), and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Project AGL2010-20694).Bonilla Lagos, MJ.; Vargas, M.; Atarés Huerta, LM.; Chiralt, A. (2011). Physical properties of chitosan-basil essential oil edible films as affected by oil content and homogenization conditions. Procedia Food Science. 1:50-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2011.09.009S5056

Microstructural damage of the posterior corpus callosum contributes to the clinical severity of neglect

One theory to account for neglect symptoms in patients with right focal damage invokes a release of inhibition of the right parietal cortex over the left parieto-frontal circuits, by disconnection mechanism. This theory is supported by transcranial magnetic stimulation studies showing the existence of asymmetric inhibitory interactions between the left and right posterior parietal cortex, with a right hemispheric advantage. These inhibitory mechanisms are mediated by direct transcallosal projections located in the posterior portions of the corpus callosum. The current study, using diffusion imaging and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), aims at assessing, in a data-driven fashion, the contribution of structural disconnection between hemispheres in determining the presence and severity of neglect. Eleven patients with right acute stroke and 11 healthy matched controls underwent MRI at 3T, including diffusion imaging, and T1-weighted volumes. TBSS was modified to account for the presence of the lesion and used to assess the presence and extension of changes in diffusion indices of microscopic white matter integrity in the left hemisphere of patients compared to controls, and to investigate, by correlation analysis, whether this damage might account for the presence and severity of patients' neglect, as assessed by the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT). None of the patients had any macroscopic abnormality in the left hemisphere; however, 3 cases were discarded due to image artefacts in the MRI data. Conversely, TBSS analysis revealed widespread changes in diffusion indices in most of their left hemisphere tracts, with a predominant involvement of the corpus callosum and its projections on the parietal white matter. A region of association between patients' scores at BIT and brain FA values was found in the posterior part of the corpus callosum. This study strongly supports the hypothesis of a major role of structural disconnection between the right and left parietal cortex in determining 'neglect'

Thermoplastic cassava starch-chitosan bilayer films containing essential oils

[EN] Starch-chitosan bilayer films, containing or not essential oils in the casted chitosan layer were obtained by thermo-compression. Bilayer films exhibited a good interfacial adhesion and better mechanical resistance than starch monolayers, although they were less stretchable and less transparent. Starchchitosan films were effective at controlling the bacterial growth in pork meat, but the thermal treatment applied to obtain the bilayers reduced their antimicrobial properties as compared to chitosan monolayers. The addition of essential oils did not promote any antimicrobial action in chitosan mono and bilayer films applied to pork meat. The final amount of essential oils in the films was very limited probably due to the losses occurred during film processing method. Other strategies to incorporate the essential oils into chitosan-based films should be used to improve their final retention in the film matrix and their effective release into the coated food. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competividad (Projects AGL2013-42989-R and AGL2016-76699-R). Author Cristina Valencia-Sullca thanks the Peruvian Grant National Program (PRONABEC).Valencia-Sullca, CE.; Vargas, M.; Atarés Huerta, LM.; Chiralt, A. (2018). Thermoplastic cassava starch-chitosan bilayer films containing essential oils. Food Hydrocolloids. 75:107-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2017.09.008S1071157

Merozoite surface protein-3α is a reliable marker for population genetic analysis of Plasmodium vivax

BACKGROUND: The knowledge on population structure of the parasite isolates has contributed greatly to understanding the dynamics of the disease transmission for designing and evaluating malaria vaccines as well as for drug applications. msp-1 and msp-3α genes have been used as a genetic marker in population studies of Plasmodium vivax isolates. In this study, msp-3α was compared and assessed with msp-1 marker in order to find whether msp-3α is a reliable genetic marker for P. vivax population studies. METHODS: This comparative study was designed and carried out as the first assessment of diversity in Pvmsp-3α gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in the 50 northern and 94 southern P. vivax isolates from Iran, which had been analysed before for msp-1 gene. RESULTS: Three allele size as, Type A (1.8 kb), Type B (1.5 kb) and Type C (1.2 kb) have been detected among both northern and southern isolates based on PCR results. Type C (70%) and Type A (68.7%) were the predominant fragments among northern and southern parasites, respectively. 99 distinct Pvmsp-3α fragments defined by the size were detected in the 94 southern samples by PCR analysis. However, no mixed genotype infections have been detected among northern isolates. Based on restriction pattern from digestion with Hha I and Alu I 12 and 49 distinct allelic variants have been detected among 50 northern and 94 southern isolates. However, based on msp-1 gene, 30 distinct variants identified in all 146-sequenced Iranian P. vivax isolate. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that PCR-RFLP on msp-3α gene is an adequate, applicable and easily used technique for molecular epidemiology studies of P. vivax isolates without the need for further sequencing analysis

Psicometric properties of an instrument for measuring patient’s satisfaction with physical therapy (medrisk) in spanish population: cultural diversity

The Spanish-language versión of the MedRisk Insttrument for Mesauring Partient Satisfaction with Physical therapy Care was validated in a simple of 203 Spanish-speakers patients in New York City. The purpose of this investigation is to adapt this instrument to Spanish population (patients who assist to physical therapy services in Spain); to corroborate if exist a psychometric equivalence and to identify if Spanish patients consider relevant the same dimensions as the preliminary validation. Relevance: At time to used a measurement instrument that has been validated in another country, it is necessary to assure that it is not only reliable and valid to the country where was developed, but also it needs to be appropriated to the patients subjects of the current investigation. Participants: A total of 300 patients of the Hospital of San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe (in Sevilla, Spain) participated in this study (44% men and 56% women between 13 and 93 years old). Methods: It has been done a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected between April 2008 and November 2009.To the patients involved in the research, it was applied the original 20-item version of the MRPS (18 items and two global measures) and not the validated 12-item MRPS (10 items and two global measures). The main investigator randomly selected days during which the data were collected. The sample was taken finally on by convenience: all patients, in these selected days, who assist to medical care once they were done with their prescribed physiotherapy treatment. Analysis: Like Spanish version in New York, factor structure was investigated using item-correlation and exploratory factor analysis. Group-level reliability for single test administration was assessed using the Cronbach alpha. Results: Factor structure: the inter-item correlation matrix revealed that 3 items were not significantly correlated to both of the global measures . These 3 items were not included in the subsequent analysis. Principal components analysis revealed 4 eigenvalues greater than 2.0 explaining 67.93% of the cumulative variance. This suggested a 4-factor solutions. Following varimax rotation, a total of 14 items loaded on four factors were retained. Reliability: The Cronbach alpha was .87 Conclusions: Spanish version of MRPS that was validated with Spanish-speakers patients in New York is similar but not identical to the validation obtained with Spanish Population. In both of them, 9 of the 12 and 14 items finally selected in each other, have a coincidence. In the first one, there is a conclusion of two factors, internal and external. And in our investigation there were obtained 4 dimensions, 2 of them refer to internal factors (respect of the healthcare team and professional behavior of the therapist) and 2 that does it to external factors (adaptation of the center and accessibility)Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech