Planothidum audax sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta, Achnanthidiaceae), a new diatom from temporary streams in southern Portugal

emporary streams represent ca. half of the river network at the worldwide level, and in regions such as southern Europe their dominance of the landscape is evident (Larned et al. 2010, McDonough et al. 2011, Barbosa et al. 2020). Currently, these streams are receiving increased attention due to their importance as high diversity spots for algae, arthropods, plants, etc., and due to the ecosystem services they provide (Acuña et al. 2014, Datry et al. 2018b). Because of their geographical position and the land use changes in their watersheds (increased urbanization, agriculture, etc.), climate change, contamination and habitat fragmentation constitute forces threatening their integrity and ecological characteristics (Datry et al. 2018a, Bonada et al. 2020)

Estudio bibliométrico de la producción científica publicada por la Revista Ars Pharmaceutica en el periodo 2001 a 2013

Objetivo: Analizar la actividad científica y la producción de información de la revista Ars Pharmaceutica como publicación científica española de referencia en el área de la farmacia. Material y Método: Estudio descriptivo transversal de los resultados obtenidos del análisis bibliométrico de los artículos publicados en la revista, obteniéndose los datos de la consulta directa y acceso, vía Internet, a la literatura científica recogida en la versión electrónica de la revista en el periodo 2001 a 2013. Resultados: Durante el periodo estudiado se publicaron 623 artículos. El número de originales fue de 387 (62,12%), siendo el índice de productividad de 2,59. Se identificaron 173 instituciones con trabajos publicados. El idioma predominante fue el español con 396 (63,56%) artículos. Se contabilizaron 1925 palabras clave, de las cuales 441 (22,91%) se correspondían con Descriptores de Ciencias de la Salud (DeCS). La obsolescencia de las referencias citadas, medida por la mediana fue 7 y el Índice de Price fue del 34,37%. El porcentaje de autocitas fue del 1,80%. Los datos de impacto presentaron un moderado crecimiento. Conclusiones: Se comprobó una apropiada proporción de artículos originales y adecuado porcentaje de artículos citables adecuados. Es reseñable el bajo porcentaje de Palabras Clave que coinciden con los DeCS. Las referencias bibliográficas recogidas en sus artículos proceden mayoritariamente del ámbito anglófono y de revistas indizadas en la Journal Citation Report. El análisis de la obsolescencia de estas referencias dio resultados adecuados.Aim: To analyze the scientific activity and the production of information of the Ars Pharmaceutica journal as the Spanish scientific publication of reference in the pharmaceutical area. Materials and Methods: Transversal descriptive study of the results obtained from the bibliometric analysis of the articles published in the journal. Data was obtained from direct queries and Internet access to the scientific literature contained in the electronic version of the journal during the 2001-2013 period. Results: During the period studied 623 articles were published. The number of original articles was 387 (62.12%) with a productivity index of 2.59. The number of institutions identified with published articles was 173. The predominant language was Spanish with 396 (63.56%) articles. We counted 1925 keywords, of which 441 (22.91%) coincided with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The median calculation of the obsolescence of quoted references was 7, and the Price Index was 34.37%. The percentage of self-citations was 1.80%. Impact data showed a moderate increase. Conclusions: An appropriate proportion of original articles were found and an adequate percentage of satisfactory citable articles. The low percentage of keywords that coincide with Medical Subject Headings is noteworthy. The bibliographical references found in the articles come mainly from the English-speaking area and from journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report. The obsolescence analysis of these references produced suitable

Stretched Horizon and Entropy of Superstars

Amongst the class of supergravity solutions found by Lin, Lunin and Maldacena, we consider pure and mixed state configurations generated by phase space densities in the dual fermionic picture. A one-to-one map is constructed between the phase space densities and piecewise monotonic curves, which generalize the Young diagrams corresponding to pure states. Within the fermionic phase space picture, a microscopic formula for the entropy of mixed states is proposed. Considering thermal ensembles, agreement is found between the thermodynamic and the proposed microscopic entropies. Furthermore, we study fluctuations in thermodynamic ensembles for the superstar and compare the entropy of these ensembles with the area of stretched horizons predicted by the mean fluctuation size.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 2 references adde

Optical properties of dissolved organic matter relate to different dept-specific patterns of archaeal and bacterial community structure in the North Atlantic Ocean

ArticleProkaryotic abundance, activity and community composition were studied in the euphotic, intermediate and deep waters off the Galician coast (NW Iberian margin) in relation to the optical characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Microbial (archaeal and bacterial) community structure was vertically stratified. Among the Archaea, Euryarchaeota, especially Thermoplasmata, was dominant in the intermediate waters and decreased with depth, whereas marine Thaumarchaeota, especially Marine Group I, was the most abundant archaeal phylum in the deeper layers. The bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria through the whole water column. However, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes ocurrence was considerable in the upper layer and SAR202 was dominant in deep waters. Microbial composition and abundande were not shaped by the quantity of dissolved organic carbon, but instead they revealed a strong connection with the DOM quality. Archaeal communities were mainly related to the fluorescence of DOM (which indicates respiration of labile DOM and generation of refractory subproducts), while bacterial communities were mainly linked to the aromaticity/age of the DOM produced along the water column. Taken together, our results indicate that the microbial community composition is associated with the DOM composition of the water masses, suggesting that distinct microbial taxa have the potential to use and/or produce specific DOM compounds.Versión del edito

Validación del potencial antioxidante de Citrus aurantium en Tabasco, México

Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae), commonly known as bitter orange, has multiple therapeutic potentials. An experimental qualitative study was carried out with the objective of knowing the characteristics of the consumption of C. aurantium (CA) in the Tabasco population. To validate its use, an ethanolic extract (85 %) was prepared from the dry CA leaves and phytochemical screening was performed, with subsequent quantification of the content of total phenols and flavonoids. Subsequently, antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH assay and acute toxicity with Artemia salina. The most used parts of the plant are the leaves to relieve muscle pain, cold symptoms. In the phytochemical study it was found that the extract contains alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, quinones and tannins. In the thin layer chromatography of the hydroalcoholic extract, the presence of naringin was demonstrated. A total phenol content of 69.42 ± 3.47 EAG/g DM and total flavonoids of 14.78 ± 0.28 EQ/g DM were obtained. It contains antioxidant activity of 9240 ± nmol TEAC/gMS and the acute toxicity test showed moderate toxicity. The results show that the 85% ethanolic extract contains phenolic compounds and flavonoids, allowing to sustain the medicinal and pharmacological properties conferred to the plant in the state of Tabasco.Conclusions: this study showed the existence of phenols and flavonoids, the antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extracts from C. aurantium leaves and their moderate toxicity against Artemia salina.

Musculoskeletal evaluation in severe haemophilia A patients from Latin America

There is a paucity of literature on haemophilia treatment in Latin American countries, a region characterized by rapidly improving systems of care, but with substantial disparities in treatment between countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the musculoskeletal status of haemophilia patients from Latin America and to examine the relationship between musculoskeletal status and treatment practices across countries. The Committee of Latin America on the Therapeutics of Inhibitor Groups conducted a survey of its member country representatives on key aspects of haemophilia treatment in 10 countries. Musculoskeletal status of patients was obtained during routine comprehensive evaluations between March 2009 and March 2011. Eligible patients had severe haemophilia A (factor VIII <1%) without inhibitors (<0.6 BU mL−1) and were ≥5 years of age. Musculoskeletal status was compared between three groups of countries, based primarily on differences in the availability of long‐term prophylaxis. Overall, 143 patients (5–66 years of age) were enrolled from nine countries. In countries where long‐term prophylaxis had been available for at least 10 years (Group A), patients aged 5–10 years had significantly better mean World Federation of Hemophilia clinical scores, fewer target joints and fewer affected joints than patients from countries where long‐term prophylaxis has been available for about 5 years (Group B) or was not available (Group C). In Latin America, the musculoskeletal status of patients with severe haemophilia without inhibitors has improved significantly in association with the provision of long‐term prophylaxis. As more countries in Latin America institute this practice, further improvements are anticipated

Milagrito: a TeV air-shower array

Milagrito, a large, covered water-Cherenkov detector, was the world's first air-shower-particle detector sensitive to cosmic gamma rays below 1 TeV. It served as a prototype for the Milagro detector and operated from February 1997 to May 1998. This paper gives a description of Milagrito, a summary of the operating experience, and early results that demonstrate the capabilities of this technique.Comment: 38 pages including 24 figure

Efficacy of direct current generated by multiple-electrode arrays on F3II mammary carcinoma: experiment and mathematical modeling

BACKGROUND: The modified Gompertz equation has been proposed to fit experimental data for direct current treated tumors when multiple-straight needle electrodes are individually inserted into the base perpendicular to the tumor long axis. The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficacy of direct current generated by multiple-electrode arrays on F3II mammary carcinoma that grow in the male and female BALB/c/Cenp mice, when multiple-straight needle electrodes and multiple-pairs of electrodes are inserted in the tumor. METHODS: A longitudinal and retrospective preclinical study was carried out. Male and female BALB/c/Cenp mice, the modified Gompertz equation, intensities (2, 6 and 10 mA) and exposure times (10 and 20 min) of direct current, and three geometries of multiple-electrodes (one formed by collinear electrodes and two by pair-electrodes) were used. Tumor volume and mice weight were measured. In addition, the mean tumor doubling time, tumor regression percentage, tumor growth delay, direct current overall effectiveness and mice survival were calculated. RESULTS: The greatest growth retardation, mean doubling time, regression percentage and growth delay of the primary F3II mammary carcinoma in male and female mice were observed when the geometry of multiple-pairs of electrodes was arranged in the tumor at 45, 135, 225 and 325o and the longest exposure time. In addition, highest direct current overall effectiveness (above 66%) was observed for this EChT scheme. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that electrochemical therapy may be potentially addressed to highly aggressive and metastic primary F3II murine mammary carcinoma and the modified Gompertz equation may be used to fit data of this direct current treated carcinoma. Additionally, electrochemical therapy effectiveness depends on the exposure time, geometry of multiple-electrodes and ratio between the direct current intensity applied and the polarization current induced in the tumor

Hole-doping dependence of percolative phase separation in Pr_(0.5-delta)Ca_(0.2+delta)Sr_(0.3)MnO_(3) around half doping

We address the problem of the percolative phase separation in polycrystalline samples of Pr$_{0.5-\delta}$Ca$_{0.2+\delta}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ for $-0.04\leq \delta \leq 0.04$ (hole doping $n$ between 0.46 and 0.54). We perform measurements of X-ray diffraction, dc magnetization, ESR, and electrical resistivity. These samples show at $T_C$ a paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition, however, we found that for $n>0.50$ there is a coexistence of both of these phases below $T_C$. On lowering $T$ below the charge-ordering (CO) temperature $T_{CO}$ all the samples exhibit a coexistence between the FM metallic and CO (antiferromagnetic) phases. In the whole $T$ range the FM phase fraction ($X$) decreases with increasing $n$. Furthermore, we show that only for $n\leq 0.50$ the metallic fraction is above the critical percolation threshold $X_C\simeq 15.5$. As a consequence, these samples show very different magnetoresistance properties. In addition, for $n\leq 0.50$ we observe a percolative metal-insulator transition at $T_{MI}$, and for $T_{MI}<T<T_{CO}$ the insulating-like behavior generated by the enlargement of $X$ with increasing $T$ is well described by the percolation law $\rho ^{-1}=\sigma \sim (X-X_C)^t$, where $t$ is a critical exponent. On the basis of the values obtained for this exponent we discuss different possible percolation mechanisms, and suggest that a more deep understanding of geometric and dimensionality effects is needed in phase separated manganites. We present a complete $T$ vs $n$ phase diagram showing the magnetic and electric properties of the studied compound around half doping.Comment: 9 text pages + 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Cuajilote (Parmentiera aculeata (Kunth) Seem.): A Potential Fruit for Ruminant Feed

Objective: carry out a bibliographic review on the investigations carried out with cuajilote fruits (Parmentiera aculeata) for sheep feeding. Design/methodology/approach: a search was carried out in all the permitted information sources (popular articles, conference proceedings, books, etc.) Results: Parmentiera aculeata (chote), usually used to obtain shade, living fences, wood or firewood. However, they can also serve as fodder. Both the foliage and the fruits can have very good nutritional characteristics, it is also a fruit available in the dry season, these fruits are eagerly consumed by cattle that graze freely. However, it is unknown what is the nutritional value and ruminal availability of the dry matter of this fruit in different stages of maturity, to which medicinal properties are also attributed. Limitations on study/implications: the studies that were found were of tests carried out in vitro using this fruit as a defaunant of protozoa in bovine ruminal liquid, therefore, there is little in vivo research on the use of chote in an integral diet for animal feeding and its inclusion maximum tolerant by ruminants. Findings/conclusions: the chote fruit shows great potential for use in animal feed, due to the nutritional and medicinal benefits attributed to it. In addition to the availability of the fruits throughout the year, more specifically, in the dry season, which is when production costs are increased by feeding.Objective: to review previous researches about the use of the fruits of the cuajilote tree (Parmentiera aculeata) as ovine feed. Design/Methodology/Approach: this research was conducted, using all the available sources: science articles, conference reports, and books. Results: P. aculeata (cuajilote) is generally used to provide shade, and as live fence, wood or firewood. However, it can also be used as forage. Both the foliage and the fruit have excellent nutritional qualities; additionally, the fruits are available during the dry season and free grazing cattle avidly eat them. Nevertheless, the nutritional value and the ruminal availability of this fruit’s dry matter—during various ripeness stages— are unknown; it is also said to have medicinal properties. Study Limitations and Implications: the cuajilote fruit was used in in vitro tests to remove protozoa from the ruminal fluid of bovines (defanuation); therefore, there are few in vitro researches about the use of cuajilote in a wholemeal diet as animal feed and about its maximum inclusion tolerance in ruminants. Findings/Conclusions: as a result of its nutritional and medicinal benefits, the cuajilote fruit shows great potential as livestock feed. Additionally, it is available all year round, particularly during the dry season, when production expenses increase as a result of the lack of other food sources