Slackwire Calliope

This collection of essays and stories strives to consider questions of belonging and estrangement, family, and the many layers of the human experience. This collection is equally interested in questions of genre, and the potential for genre to stretch its own limits. Above all, this collection endeavors to question what makes a story, and what makes a story good

Ethical conflicts in the authorship of scientific papers

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus; Scielo.The frequency of conflicts about authorship of publications has increased along with the increase in the number of people involved in scientific work. Some of the factors that strongly influence the generation of conflicts and malpractices in authorship definition of scientific publications are the pressure of academia, economic incentives from the pharmaceutical industry in the field of biomedicine and authors' wishes and expectations of recognition, among other factors. The article analyzes this problem, increasingly common in the field of medicine and related areas. Special attention is devoted to the prevailing laws in our country and international guidelines related to intellectual property and authorship of scientific publications, respectively. However, the ethical commitment, intellectual honesty and truthfulness of each of the authors about what is reported seems to be the decisive factor for the solution to these authorship conflicts.http://ref.scielo.org/jg2qv

A Possible Function of the Fibrillar Coat in \u3ci\u3eAcanthocephalus jacksoni\u3c/i\u3e Eggs

Discusses a possible function of the fibrillar coat in Acanthocephalus jacksoni eggs

Betäubung von Regenbogenforellen (Oncorhynchus mykiss) mit Nelkenöl und BHA – Stressbelastung und Produktqualität

Anesthesia of Rainbow trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with clove oil and BHA – stress and product quality In the questioned experiment three different methods of anesthesia were tested on their influence of product quality and the possibility to minimise stress on the rainbow trouts to be slaughtered. One group was anesthesized by clove oil, another by BHA. Those were compared to a group stunned by a blow on the head. The effect of stress was measured by screening of HKT and catecholamines in the blood and by surveillance of behaviour during anesthesia. Product quality was judged out by sensory tests, optical examination of carcasses and concentration of anaesthetics in the blood. All three methods of anesthesia worked within a limited time, with no animal showing signs of typical behaviour under stress. Blood parameters did give hints for no or very low stress. In the mean of sensory testing a few persons were able to detect clove taste. Carcasses showed no sign of visible damages. All three methods of anesthesia are though likely to carry out anesthesia of rainbow trouts for slaughter without negative effects on product quality and in the means of animal welfare.In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurden bei Regenbogenforellen drei verschiedene Betäubungsverfahren auf ihre Auswirkung auf die Produktqualität und hinsichtlich der Stressminimierung der Schlachttiere untersucht. Eine Gruppe wurde mit Nelkenöl im Betäubungsbad betäubt, eine andere mit BHA. Als Vergleich diente eine mit Kopfschlag betäubte Gruppe. Die Stressbelastung wurde mit Hilfe der Blutparameter Hämatokrit und den Stresshormonen Adrenalin und Noradrenalin, sowie anhand von Beobachtung des Verhaltens der Tiere im Verlauf der Betäubung bestimmt. Die Produktqualität wurde mit Hilfe von sensorischen Test, der optischen Beurteilung der Schlachtkörper und durch eine Messung der Konzentration des Betäubungsmittels Nelkenöl im Fischplasma ermittelt. Bei allen drei Betäubungsverfahren konnten alle Fische in ausreichend kurzer Zeit betäubt werden, ohne dass die Fische stresstypisches Verhalten aufwiesen, auch die Blutparameter wiesen auf keine bzw. nur niedrige Stressbelastung hin. Bei der sensorischen Bewertung konnten bei der Nelkenölbetäubung im Vergleich mit der Kopfschlagbetäubung von einzelnen Prüfern bei einigen Vergleichspaaren Geschmacksabweichungen, z. T. „nach Nelke" delektiert werden. Negative sichtbare Veränderung an den Schlachtkörper konnten nicht festgestellt werden. Alle drei Betäubungsverfahren sind also geeignet, Regenbogenforellen tierschutzgerecht zu betäuben ohne Einschränkung der Produktqualität

Life history of the Critically Endangered largetooth sawfish: a compilation of data for population assessment and demographic modelling

© The authors 2021. Open Access under Creative Commons by Attribution Licence. Use, distribution and reproduction are un - restricted. Authors and original publication must be credited. The largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis is a Critically Endangered, once widespread shark-like ray. The species is now extinct or severely depleted in many former parts of its range and is protected in some other range states where populations persist. The likelihood of collecting substantial new biological information is now low. Here, we review all available life history information on size, age and growth, reproductive biology, and demography as a resource for population assessment and demographic modelling. We also revisit a subset of historical data from the 1970s to examine the maternal size−litter size relationship. All available information on life history is derived from the Indo-West Pacific (i.e. northern Australia) and the Western Atlantic (i.e. Lake Nicaragua-Río San Juan system in Central America) subpopulations. P. pristis reaches a maximum size of at least 705 cm total length (TL), size-at-birth is 72−90 cm TL, female size-at-maturity is reached by 300 cm TL, male size-at-maturity is 280−300 cm TL, age-at-maturity is 8−10 yr, longevity is 30−36 yr, litter size range is 1−20 (mean of 7.3 in Lake Nicaragua), and reproductive periodicity is suspected to be biennial in Lake Nicaragua (Western Atlantic) but annual in Australia (Indo-West Pacific). There was a weak relationship between litter size and maternal size in Lake Nicaragua, and lifetime reproductive output for an individual female from Lake Nicaragua was estimated as 73 pups. Future demographic models should aim to capture the variability and uncertainty in life history parameters for P. pristis and we encourage a conservative approach to any application for conservation and management

AUTONOMIC CONTROL OF HEART RATE AFTER EXERCISE IN TRAINED WRESTLERS

The objective of this study was to establish differences in vagal reactivation, through heart rate recovery and heart rate variability post exercise, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestlers (BJJW). A total of 18 male athletes were evaluated, ten highly trained (HT) and eight moderately trained (MT), who performed a maximum incremental test. At the end of the exercise, the R-R intervals were recorded during the first minute of recovery. We calculated heart rate recovery (HRR60s), and performed linear and non-linear (standard deviation of instantaneous beat-to-beat R-R interval variability – SD1) analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), using the tachogram of the first minute of recovery divided into four segments of 15 s each (0-15 s, 15-30 s, 30-45 s, 45-60 s). Between HT and MT individuals, there were statistically significant differences in HRR60s (p <0.05) and in the non linear analysis of HRV from SD130-45s (p <0.05) and SD145-60s (p <0.05). The results of this research suggest that heart rate kinetics during the first minute after exercise are related to training level and can be used as an index for autonomic cardiovascular control in BJJW

Secreted phospholipase A2 activity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: There is increased interest in the contribution of the innate immune system to multiple sclerosis (MS), including the activity of acute inflammatory mediators. The purpose of this study was to test the involvement of systemic secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) enzymes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an MS model, and to determine if enzyme activity is elevated in MS patients. METHODS: A non-invasive urinary assay was developed in order to monitor enzymatically active sPLA2 levels in Dark Agouti rats after induction of EAE. Some Rats were treated with nonapeptide CHEC-9, an uncompetitive sPLA2 enzyme inhibitor, during the initial rise in urinary enzyme levels. Body weight and clinical EAE score were measured for 18 days post immunization (PI), after which the rats were sacrificed for H&E and myelin staining, and for ED-1 immunocytochemistry, the latter to quantify macrophages and activated microglia. The urinary sPLA2 assay was also applied to un-timed samples collected from a cross section of 44 MS patients and 14 healthy controls. RESULTS: Mean levels of enzymatically active sPLA2 in the urine increased following immunization and peaked between days 8–10 PI which was just prior to the onset of EAE symptoms. At this time, a transient attenuation of activity was detected in the urine of CHEC-9 treated rats consistent with the activity-dependent properties of the inhibitor. The peptide also reduced or abolished EAE symptoms compared to vehicle-injected controls. Histopathological changes in the spinal cords of the EAE rats correlated generally with clinical score including a significant reduction in ED-1+ cells after peptide treatment. Multiple Sclerosis patients also showed elevations in sPLA2 enzyme activity. Mean levels of sPLA2 were increased 6-fold in the urine of patients with active disease and 4-fold for patients in remission, regardless of immunomodulating therapy. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that sPLA2 enzymes, traditionally thought to be part the acute phase inflammatory response, are therapeutic targets for MS