Facies de abanico fluvial en los afloramientos orientales de Formación Peraltilla

La Formación Peraltilla está constituida por una sucesión estratigráfica heterolitica, del Oligoceno inferior. El análisis de facies indica una asociación de ambientes de abanicos fluviales húmedos, formados por canales múltiples de baja sinuosidad, y una tendencia vertical a la progradación de los sistemas fluviales

Cutaneous Mastocytosis in Childhood. Retrospective Study of 32 Patients

Introdução: A designação de mastocitose engloba várias entidades clinicamente distintas caracterizadas pela acumulação tissular de mastócitos. A pele é o órgão mais frequentemente envolvido. Consideram-se 4 padrões clínicos de mastocitose cutânea: urticária pigmentosa (UP), mastocitose cutânea difusa, mastocitoma e telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans. Na infância, a doença é habitualmente autolimitada e exclusivamente cutânea. Material e Métodos: Apresenta-se um estudo retrospetivo dos doentes com mastocitose cutânea observados na Consulta de Dermatologia Pediátrica do Hospital de Curry Cabral entre 2001 e 2010. Resultados: Foram englobados 32 doentes (20 do sexo masculino e 12 do sexo feminino). Em 90.6% dos casos, as manifestações surgiram antes dos 2 anos. Apenas foram observadas UP (53,1%) e mastocitomas (46,9%). O tronco e a raíz dos membros foram as localizações preferenciais. O sinal de Darier estava presente em 87,5% dos casos (94,1% das UP e 80% dos mastocitomas). As manifestações associadas foram: prurido (40,6%), formação de bolha (28,1%), flushing (18,8%) e dermografismo(12,5%). Não foram documentados casos de mastocitose sistémica. Dois doentes tinham história familiar de mastocitose cutânea. Não foram detetadas alterações laboratoriais significativas. Nos 16 casos determinados, os níveis séricos de Triptase-alfa foram normais. Discussão: Estes resultados estão de acordo com a literatura, nomeadamente em relação às formas clínicas mais frequentes, localizações habituais, elevada frequência do sinal de Darier e idade precoce de início. Quando determinados, os níveis séricos de Triptase-alfa foram normais, o que está de acordo com a ausência de envolvimento sistémico. A maior prevalência no sexo masculino tem sido relatada em alguns estudos

Isomorphism between Non-Riemannian gravity and Einstein-Proca-Weyl theories extended to a class of Scalar gravity theories

We extend the recently proved relation between certain models of Non-Riemannian gravitation and Einstein- Proca-Weyl theories to a class of Scalar gravity theories. This is used to present a Black-Hole Dilaton solution with non-Riemannian connection.Comment: 13 pages, tex file, accepted in Class. Quant. Gra

Unilateral subthalamotomy in Parkinson's disease: Cognitive, psychiatric and, neuroimaging changes

Unilateral subthalamotomy is an effective treatment for the cardinal motor features of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, non-motor changes possibly associated with right or left subthalamotomy remain unknown. Our aim was to assess cognitive, psychiatric and neuroimaging changes after treatment with unilateral subthalamotomy. Fourteen medicated patients with PD were evaluated before and after (mean 6 months after operation) unilateral subthalamotomy (5 right, 9 left). In addition to motor assessments, cognitive (global cognition and executive functions), psychiatric (apathy, depression, anxiety, mania, hypo- and hyperdopaminergic behaviours, impulsivity), quality of life evaluations and volume of lesions were obtained. After surgery, significant improvement of motor signs was observed. Unilateral subthalamotomy improved general cognitive status, but left subthalamotomy reduced semantic verbal fluency compared to the pre-operative state. Depression and quality of life were improved with both right and left subthalamotomy. However, hyper-emotionality was present after surgery and right subthalamotomy increased impulsivity and disinhibition (on NeuroPsychiatric Inventory and Ardouin Scale for Behaviour in PD), a result linked to larger lesion volumes. We conclude that unilateral subthalamotomy is effective for treating the cardinal motor features of PD and improves mood. Right subthalamotomy is associated with greater risk of impulsivity and disinhibition, while left subthalamotomy induces further impairment of semantic verbal fluency

Measuring Cosmological Parameters with the JVAS and CLASS Gravitational Lens Surveys

The JVAS (Jodrell Bank-VLA Astrometric Survey) and CLASS (Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey) are well-defined surveys containing about ten thousand flat-spectrum radio sources. For many reasons, flat-spectrum radio sources are particularly well-suited as a population from which one can obtain unbiased samples of gravitational lenses. These are by far the largest gravitational (macro)lens surveys, and particular attention was paid to constructing a cleanly-defined sample for the survey itself and for the underlying luminosity function. Here we present the constraints on cosmological parameters, particularly the cosmological constant, derived from JVAS and combine them with constraints from optical gravitational lens surveys, `direct' measurements of $\Omega_{0}$, $H_{0}$ and the age of the universe, and constraints derived from CMB anisotropies, before putting this final result into the context of the latest results from other, independent cosmological tests.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 6 PostScript figures, uses texas.sty. To appear in the Proceedings of the 19th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology (CD-ROM). Paper version available on request. Actual poster (A0 and A4 versions) available from http://multivac.jb.man.ac.uk:8000/helbig/research/publications/info/ texas98.htm

Evidence for an Allelopathic Interaction Between Rye and Wild Oats

Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon in which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. Allelopathy has been the subject of a great deal of research in chemical ecology since the 1930s. The characterization of the factors that influence this phenomenon has barely been explored, mainly due to the complexity of this area. The main aim of the research carried out to date has been to shed light on the importance of these interactions in agroecosystems, especially in relation to the interactions between crops and weeds. Herein we report the characterization of a complete allelochemical pathway involving benzoxazinones, which are known to participate in allelopathic plant defense interactions of several plants of high agronomic interest. The production of the defense chemicals by a donor plant (crop), the route and transformations of the chemicals released into the environment, and the uptake and phytotoxic effects on a target plant (weed) were all monitored. The results of this study, which is the first of its kind, allowed a complete dynamic characterization of the allelopathic phenomenon for benzoxazinones

Application of Hansch’s Model to Capsaicinoids and Capsinoids: A Study Using the Quantitative Structure−Activity Relationship. A Novel Method for the Synthesis of Capsinoids

We describe a synthetic approach for two families of compounds, the capsaicinoids and capsinoids, as part of a study of the quantitative relationship between structure and activity

Policy and strategy evaluation of ridesharing autonomous vehicle operation: a london case study

To understand the dynamics of an autonomous ridesharing transport mode from the perspectives of different stakeholders, a single model of such a system is essential, because this will enable policymakers and companies involved in the manufacture and operation of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) to develop user-centered strategies. The model needs to be based on real data, network, and traffic information and applied to real cities and situations, particularly those with complex public transportation systems. In this paper, we propose a new agent-based model for SAV deployment that enables the parametric assessment of key performance indicators from the perspective of potential SAV users, vehicle manufacturers, operators, and local authorities. This has been applied to a case study of three regions in London: central, inner, and outer. The results show there is no linear correlation between an increased ridesharing acceptance level and average trip duration. Without a fleet rebalancing algorithm, over 80% of SAVs’ energy expenditure is on picking up customers. By reducing pickup distance, SAVs could be a contender for a nonpersonal transportation system based on trip energy comparisons. The results provide a picture of future SAV systems for potential users and offer suggestions as to how operators can devise an optimal transportation strategy beyond the question of fleet size and how policymakers can improve the overall transport network and reduce its environmental impact based on energy consumption. As a result of its flexibility and parametric capability, the model can be utilized to inform any local authority how SAV services could be deployed in any city