Effect of genotype and transport on tonic immobility and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio in two local Italian breeds and Isa Brown hens kept under free-range conditions

<p>This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of transport and genotype on the welfare and fear response of laying hens through a comparison of three breeds reared in free-range conditions: a commercial strain, the Isa Brown (IBh), and two local chicken breeds, the <em>Bionda Piemontese</em> (BPh) and the <em>Bianca di Saluzzo</em> (BSh). After a journey of 67 km (75 min) from the farmhouse of origin to the experimental station, ninety hens, divided according to breed, were free-range reared for two months. Body weight (BW), tonic immobility (TI), red and white blood cells, heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) were assessed at four different sampling times: at the farmhouse of origin (T1), at 1 day (T2), 15 days (T3) and at 2 months (T4) after arrival at the experimental station. No statistical differences were found between the four sampling times for BW, total red and white blood parameters. cells or for AGP. An increase in the H/L ratio (P&lt;0.05) was recorded at time T2 for IBh and BSh, compared to BPh (P&lt;0.05). TI was significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) for the local breeds, BPh and BSh, than for the commercial strain IBh. The results of this study suggest that genetic and adaptive differences can affect both, physiological and ethological parameters.</p

Evaluation of phytoplankton and water quality of a subtropical stream in the Northwest of Argentina

El arroyo Calimayo pertenece a la cuenca del río Salí, principal red fluvial de la región. Este sistema lótico fue conocido por su gran diversidad biológica. Debido a la instalación de una papelera y sus efluentes las condiciones ecológicas se modificaron. El objetivo fue analizar el fitoplancton y la calidad del agua del arroyo Calimayo. Se realizaron muestreos estacionales desde invierno/2012 hasta otoño/2013 en tres sitios (S1: tramo alto, S2 y S3: sectores medio y bajo, respectivamente). Se recolectaron muestras ambientales y biológicas según metodología convencional. Los mayores registros de temperatura, pH y conductividad eléctrica se presentaron en S2 y S3. El S1 tuvo los máximos valores de oxígeno disuelto y la menor demanda bioquímica de oxígeno. Las diatomeas sobresalieron tanto cuali como cuantitativamente del resto de los grupos algales. El análisis de redundancia (RDA) permitió diferenciar dos gruposfitoplanctónicos en relación a variables abióticas. El S1 estuvo influenciado por estacionalidad, litología y fisicoquímica del agua, denotando un buen estado ecológico. En S2-S3 las condiciones ecológicas se vieron afectadas por el estado trófico del agua y los efluentes polutos, por lo que la calidad del agua y el fitoplancton se vieron notoriamente deteriorados. La ficoflora resultó ser un buen indicador de las condiciones ecológicas de este sistema lótico. Podemos afirmar que las condiciones limnológicas de este arroyo desde la década del 90 hasta la actualidad, fueron degradándose por la presencia de los efluentes industriales.The Calimayo stream is part of the Salí river basin, the main fluvial network in the region. This lotic system was recognized for its great biodiversity. The settlement of a paper industry altered its ecological conditions due to the production of polluting effluents. The aim of this study was to analyze the phytoplankton of the Calimayo stream in relation to water quality. Sampling was done under a seasonal basis from Winter 2012 to Autumn 2013 at three sites S1, S2, and S3. Environmental and biological samples were collected following standard procedures. The highest values of temperature, pH and electric conductivity were registered in sites S2 and S3. Site S1 had the maximum values of dissolved oxygen and the lower biochemical oxygen demand. Diatoms excelled qualitatively and quantitatively among the other algal groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) allowed to differentiate two phytoplanktonic groups related to abiotic variables. Site S1 was influenced by seasonality, relief, lithology and physicochemistry of water, denoting good ecological conditions. At S2 and S3 the phycoflora was affected by the trophic state of the water and the pollutants, which caused a notable deterioration of water quality and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton resulted to be a good indicator of the ecological conditions of this lotic system. We can affirm that the limnological conditions of the Calimayo stream from the 90s to the present have been degraded to the presence of industrial effluents.Fil: Taboada, María de Los Ángeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Botánica. Instituto de Ficología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Limnología del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Martinez de Marco, Silvia. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Botánica. Instituto de Ficología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Limnología del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Alderete, Mariela del Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Limnología del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Gultemirian, Maria de Lourdes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical; ArgentinaFil: Tracanna, Beatriz Concepcion. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Botánica. Instituto de Ficología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Limnología del Noroeste Argentino; Argentin

POLÍTICAS INSTITUCIONAIS DE FORMAÇÃO PEDAGÓGICA DE DOCENTES DO ENSINO SUPERIOR: UMA REFLEXÃO CRÍTICA

O estudo analisa as políticas e as práticas de Formação Pedagógica, oferecidas por uma Instituição de Ensino Superior, antevendo os espaços/tempos nos quais tal formação acontece. O estudo deu-se numa abordagem qualitativa e descritiva, valendo-se de estudo bibliográfico e análise documental. A exigência de titulação do corpo docente para atuar no Ensino Superior, desviou de foco o debate sobre os processos de aprender e ensinar na Universidade, secundarizando os saberes da pedagogia universitária. É usual durante a formação, privilegiar os conhecimentos da ciência específica em detrimento de outros conhecimentos também essenciais para a prática docente. Reflete-se que o domínio da ciência específica não é a única chave para a docência, impõe-se a necessidade de saberes que exigem uma inserção mais intensa na prática, tornando-se objeto de estudo, pesquisa e reflexão. Este ensaio possibilitou compreender que a superação da cultura de omissão de necessidade de formação pedagógica para a atuação docente no ensino superior passa, necessariamente, por mudanças na concepção dos professores já atuantes em nossas universidades por políticas institucionais substantivas, bem como pela reflexão constante sobre a própria prática

Short-course combination treatment for experimental chronic Chagas disease

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions of people in the Americas and across the world, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. Current treatment options, benznidazole (BNZ) and nifurtimox, offer limited efficacy and often lead to adverse side effects because of long treatment durations. Better treatment options are therefore urgently required. Here, we describe a pyrrolopyrimidine series, identified through phenotypic screening, that offers an opportunity to improve on current treatments. In vitro cell-based washout assays demonstrate that compounds in the series are incapable of killing all parasites; however, combining these pyrrolopyrimidines with a subefficacious dose of BNZ can clear all parasites in vitro after 5 days. These findings were replicated in a clinically predictive in vivo model of chronic Chagas disease, where 5 days of treatment with the combination was sufficient to prevent parasite relapse. Comprehensive mechanism of action studies, supported by ligand-structure modeling, show that compounds from this pyrrolopyrimidine series inhibit the Qi active site of T. cruzi cytochrome b, part of the cytochrome bc1 complex of the electron transport chain. Knowledge of the molecular target enabled a cascade of assays to be assembled to evaluate selectivity over the human cytochrome b homolog. As a result, a highly selective and efficacious lead compound was identified. The combination of our lead compound with BNZ rapidly clears T. cruzi parasites, both in vitro and in vivo, and shows great potential to overcome key issues associated with currently available treatments.</p

Short-course combination treatment for experimental chronic Chagas disease

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions of people in the Americas and across the world, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. Current treatment options, benznidazole (BNZ) and nifurtimox, offer limited efficacy and often lead to adverse side effects because of long treatment durations. Better treatment options are therefore urgently required. Here, we describe a pyrrolopyrimidine series, identified through phenotypic screening, that offers an opportunity to improve on current treatments. In vitro cell-based washout assays demonstrate that compounds in the series are incapable of killing all parasites; however, combining these pyrrolopyrimidines with a subefficacious dose of BNZ can clear all parasites in vitro after 5 days. These findings were replicated in a clinically predictive in vivo model of chronic Chagas disease, where 5 days of treatment with the combination was sufficient to prevent parasite relapse. Comprehensive mechanism of action studies, supported by ligand-structure modeling, show that compounds from this pyrrolopyrimidine series inhibit the Qi active site of T. cruzi cytochrome b, part of the cytochrome bc1 complex of the electron transport chain. Knowledge of the molecular target enabled a cascade of assays to be assembled to evaluate selectivity over the human cytochrome b homolog. As a result, a highly selective and efficacious lead compound was identified. The combination of our lead compound with BNZ rapidly clears T. cruzi parasites, both in vitro and in vivo, and shows great potential to overcome key issues associated with currently available treatments.</p

Beyond averages - Fairness in an economy that works for people

Growing disparities on multiple socio-economic dimensions have contributed to a sense of unfairness and discontent in Europe. Fairness is a subjective phenomenon, but the far-reaching consequences of perceptions of unfairness warrant a closer look at its drivers and underlying dynamics. The report, written before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, analyses some of the most pertinent dimensions of fairness in relation to the agenda for a fair, inclusive and social European Union. Income inequality, educational inequality and the challenges facing existing welfare state arrangements are discussed from a pre-crisis perspective. Thus, the report gives a snapshot of the state of fairness in Europe before the COVID-19 outbreak and provides a benchmark against which some of the consequences of the current situation can be evaluated.JRC.I.1-Monitoring, Indicators & Impact Evaluatio

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO