Some Like It Fat: Comparative Ultrastructure of the Embryo in Two Demosponges of the Genus Mycale (Order Poecilosclerida) from Antarctica and the Caribbean

0000-0002-7993-1523© 2015 Riesgo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [4.0], which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article

Fragmentation of Andes-to-Amazon connectivity by hydropower dams

Andes-to-Amazon river connectivity controls numerous natural and human systems in the greater Amazon. However, it is being rapidly altered by a wave of new hydropower development, the impacts of which have been previously underestimated. We document 142 dams existing or under construction and 160 proposed dams for rivers draining the Andean headwaters of the Amazon. Existing dams have fragmented the tributary networks of six of eight major Andean Amazon river basins. Proposed dams could result in significant losses in river connectivity in river mainstems of five of eight major systems—the Napo, Marañón, Ucayali, Beni, and Mamoré. With a newly reported 671 freshwater fish species inhabiting the Andean headwaters of the Amazon (>500 m), dams threaten previously unrecognized biodiversity, particularly among endemic and migratory species. Because Andean rivers contribute most of the sediment in the mainstem Amazon, losses in river connectivity translate to drastic alteration of river channel and floodplain geomorphology and associated ecosystem services

Repensando “Educación para la Salud”, desde el enfoque de Educación en salud y en contexto de pandemia

Educación para la salud fue incorporada como innovación curricular al Plan 1990 del Profesorado en Ciencias Biológicas de la UNC cuando la Carta de Ottawa encabezaba el cambio de paradigma. Habiendo transcurrido ya 30 años consideramos necesario la incorporación de miradas complejas y conceptos provenientes de múltiples campos del saber, abordar la salud de manera colectiva y la educación en salud como un posicionamiento político pedagógico respecto al campo (Martins, 2019). Así nos encontramos reprogramando esta asignatura, en contexto de pandemia y educación remota. Nos preguntamos ¿cómo la educación en salud podría ocuparse de transmitir modelos y herramientas para comprender y producir conocimientos nuevos, enriquecer o transformar las narraciones heredadas y pulir o descartar viejos procedimientos?. Consideramos fundamental cuestionar enfoques clásicos y desarrollar una mirada crítica y desafiante que habilite otras formas escolares y curriculares localmente contextualizadas, más justas e igualitarias (Fainsod y Busca, 2017). Para ello, no buscamos recrear el aula presencial en un entorno virtual sino revisar nuestras prácticas y reinventarnos (Maggio, 2020). Compartimos con les estudiantes recorridos abiertos en Genially y formatos diversos, habilitamos espacios para pensar e intercambiar sobre sus producciones entre todes, luego elaboran producciones como videos, infografías y podcast. Con esta propuesta nuestro objetivo es que puedan vivenciar experiencias formativas donde el conocimiento científico sea una construcción humana, un ámbito cultural atravesado por múltiples dimensiones, intereses e implicancias ético-sociales.publishedVersionFil: Biber, Priscila A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Enseñanza de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Cátedra de Educación para la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Ponce, Andrea V. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Enseñanza de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Cátedra de Educación para la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Ortiz, Valeria. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Enseñanza de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Cátedra de Educación para la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Seculin Glur, Julieta. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Enseñanza de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Cátedra de Educación para la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Paredes Maldonado, Yamila. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Enseñanza de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Cátedra de Educación para la Salud; Argentina

JUICE: a data management system that facilitates the analysis of large volumes of information in an EST project workflow

BACKGROUND: Expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses provide a rapid and economical means to identify candidate genes that may be involved in a particular biological process. These ESTs are useful in many Functional Genomics studies. However, the large quantity and complexity of the data generated during an EST sequencing project can make the analysis of this information a daunting task. RESULTS: In an attempt to make this task friendlier, we have developed JUICE, an open source data management system (Apache + PHP + MySQL on Linux), which enables the user to easily upload, organize, visualize and search the different types of data generated in an EST project pipeline. In contrast to other systems, the JUICE data management system allows a branched pipeline to be established, modified and expanded, during the course of an EST project. The web interfaces and tools in JUICE enable the users to visualize the information in a graphical, user-friendly manner. The user may browse or search for sequences and/or sequence information within all the branches of the pipeline. The user can search using terms associated with the sequence name, annotation or other characteristics stored in JUICE and associated with sequences or sequence groups. Groups of sequences can be created by the user, stored in a clipboard and/or downloaded for further analyses. Different user profiles restrict the access of each user depending upon their role in the project. The user may have access exclusively to visualize sequence information, access to annotate sequences and sequence information, or administrative access. CONCLUSION: JUICE is an open source data management system that has been developed to aid users in organizing and analyzing the large amount of data generated in an EST Project workflow. JUICE has been used in one of the first functional genomics projects in Chile, entitled "Functional Genomics in nectarines: Platform to potentiate the competitiveness of Chile in fruit exportation". However, due to its ability to organize and visualize data from external pipelines, JUICE is a flexible data management system that should be useful for other EST/Genome projects. The JUICE data management system is released under the Open Source GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). JUICE may be downloaded from or

Mercados municipales de Zapopan

Documento final del Proyecto de Aplicación Profesional en el que se presenta una investigación realizada en tres mercados del ayuntamiento de Zapopan: San Isidro, Francisco Sarabia y Tesistán. El objetivo de la investigación fue identificar las problemáticas, hacer propuestas y colaborar en la planeación de estrategias para mejorar las condiciones de los mercados y lograr un impacto positivo que se vea reflejado en las ventas. Para la investigación, se visitaron los mercados y se aplicaron encuestas a los locatarios, consumidores y administradores. La muestra que se usó para sacar el número de encuestas fue infinita con un nivel de confianza del 90 por ciento y un índice de error del 5 por ciento. En este proyecto trabajaron alumnos de las licenciaturas en Mercadotecnia, Administración de Empresas y Administración Financiera.ITESO, A.C

Monitoring the Formation of Amyloid Oligomers Using Photoluminescence Anisotropy

The formation of oligomeric soluble aggregates is related to the toxicity of amyloid peptides and proteins. In this manuscript, we report the use of a ruthenium polypyridyl complex ([Ru(bpy)2(dpqp)]2+) to track the formation of amyloid oligomers at different times using photoluminescence anisotropy. This technique is sensitive to the rotational correlation time of the molecule under study, which is consequently related to the size of the molecule. [Ru(bpy)2(dpqp)]2+ presents anisotropy values of zero when free in solution (due to its rapid rotation and long lifetime) but larger values as the size and concentration of amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers increase. Our assays show that Aβ forms oligomers immediately after the assay is started, reaching a steady state at ∼48 h. SDS–PAGE, DLS, and TEM were used to confirm and characterize the formation of oligomers. Our experiments show that the rate of formation for Aβ oligomers is temperature dependent, with faster rates as the temperature of the assay is increased. The probe was also effective in monitoring the formation of α-synuclein oligomers at different timesAAM thanks the Welch Foundation (Grant C-1743) and JM thanks AEI (SAF2017-89890-R), ERC (DYNAP-677786) and HFSP (RGY0066/2017) for financial supportS

Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Pregnant Women in Venezuela

Introduction. Intestinal parasitic infections, especially due to helminths, increase anemia in pregnant women. The results of this are low pregnancy weight gain and IUGR, followed by LBW, with its associated greater risks of infection and higher perinatal mortality rates. For these reasons, in the setting of no large previous studies in Venezuela about this problem, a national multicentric study was conducted. Methods. Pregnant women from nine states were studied, a prenatal evaluation with a coproparasitological study. Univariated and multivariated analyses were made to determine risk factors for intestinal parasitosis and related anemia. Results. During 19 months, 1038 pregnant women were included and evaluated. Intestinal parasitosis was evidenced in 73.9%: A lumbricoides 57.0%, T trichiura 36.0%, G lamblia 14.1%, E hystolitica 12.0%, N americanus 8.1%, E vermicularis 6.3%, S stercoralis 3.3%. Relative risk for anemia in those women with intestinal parasitosis was 2.56 (P < .01). Discussion. Intestinal parasitoses could be associated with conditions for development of anemia at pregnancy. These features reflect the need of routine coproparasitological study among pregnant women in rural and endemic zones for intestinal parasites. Further therapeutic and prophylactic protocols are needed. Additional research on pregnant intestinal parasitic infection impact on newborn health is also considered

Evidence for diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis after three episodes of acute pancreatitis : a cross-sectional multicentre international study with experimental animal model

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an end-stage disease with no specific therapy; therefore, an early diagnosis is of crucial importance. In this study, data from 1315 and 318 patients were analysed from acute pancreatitis (AP) and CP registries, respectively. The population from the AP registry was divided into AP (n=983), recurrent AP (RAP, n=270) and CP (n=62) groups. The prevalence of CP in combination with AP, RAP2, RAP3, RAP4 and RAP5+was 0%, 1%, 16%, 50% and 47%, respectively, suggesting that three or more episodes of AP is a strong risk factor for CP. Laboratory, imaging and clinical biomarkers highlighted that patients with RAP3+do not show a significant difference between RAPs and CP. Data from CP registries showed 98% of patients had at least one AP and the average number of episodes was four. We mimicked the human RAPs in a mouse model and found that three or more episodes of AP cause early chronic-like morphological changes in the pancreas. We concluded that three or more attacks of AP with no morphological changes to the pancreas could be considered as early CP (ECP).The new diagnostic criteria for ECP allow the majority of CP patients to be diagnosed earlier. They can be used in hospitals with no additional costs in healthcare.Peer reviewe

Contribution of Energetically Reactive Surface Features to the Dissolution of CeO2 and ThO2 Analogues for Spent Nuclear Fuel Microstructures

In the safety case for the geological disposal of nuclear waste, the release of radioactivity from the repository is controlled by the dissolution of the spent fuel in groundwater. There remain several uncertainties associated with understanding spent fuel dissolution, including the contribution of energetically reactive surface sites to the dissolution rate. In this study, we investigate how surface features influence the dissolution rate of synthetic CeO2 and ThO2, spent nuclear fuel analogues that approximate as closely as possible the microstructure characteristics of fuel-grade UO2 but are not sensitive to changes in oxidation state of the cation. The morphology of grain boundaries (natural features) and surface facets (specimen preparation-induced features) was investigated during dissolution. The effects of surface polishing on dissolution rate were also investigated. We show that preferential dissolution occurs at grain boundaries, resulting in grain boundary decohesion and enhanced dissolution rates. A strong crystallographic control was exerted, with high misorientation angle grain boundaries retreating more rapidly than those with low misorientation angles, which may be due to the accommodation of defects in the grain boundary structure. The data from these simplified analogue systems support the hypothesis that grain boundaries play a role in the so-called “instant release fraction” of spent fuel, and should be carefully considered, in conjunction with other chemical effects, in safety performance assessements for the geological disposal of spent fuel. Surface facets formed during the sample annealing process also exhibited a strong crystallographic control and were found to dissolve rapidly on initial contact with dissolution medium. Defects and strain induced during sample polishing caused an overestimation of the dissolution rate, by up to 3 orders of magnitude