A new gorgonian genus from deep-sea Antarctic waters (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Plexauridae)

Mesogligorgia scotiae gen. nov., sp. nov. is described and illustrated from a colony collected in the Scotia Sea, 2,201–2,213 m in depth, on the ANDEEP-I cruise. The new taxon is placed in the family Plexauridae because of: 1) the presence of a horny axis with a crosschambered central core and numerous loculi, 2) retractile polyps in calyces with distinct spicular components, and 3) armed polyps with large sclerites with a poorlydeveloped collaret and eight well-developed points. The irregularly distributed sclerites running along the axis, into a thick mesogloeal coenenchyme, and the elongated spindles with irregular ends are the most distinctive characters of the newly proposed genus

Motives for exercising and associations with body composition in Icelandic adolescents

The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the motives that lead Icelandic teenagers to engage in physical exercise and the possible associations with variables of their body composition. For this purpose, the Self-Report of Reasons for the Practice of Physical Exercise questionnaire (AMPEF) was administered to 387 students (54% boys and 46% girls, Mage = 13.38 years) from Reykjavik (Iceland). The results reveal the subscales Revitalization and Enjoyment, Strength and Endurance, Challenge and Competition as the main motives for exercising among the participants. Boys score higher in all subscales than girls except for Revitalization and Enjoyment. Associations between the motive Weight Management and Appearance, and BMI and Fat % levels were found. It can be concluded that the participants’ physical exercise practice is based on the feelings and experiences they perceive in the sports practice process

On the Hardware Implementation of Triangle Traversal Algorithms for Graphics Processing

Current GPU architectures provide impressive processing rates in graphical applications because of their specialized graphics pipeline. However, little attention has been paid to the analysis and study of different hardware architectures to implement specific pipeline stages. In this work we have identified one of the key stages in the graphics pipeline, the triangle traversal procedure, and we have implemented three different algorithms in hardware: bounding-box, zig-zag and Hilbert curve-based. The experimental results show that important area-performance trade-offs can be met when implementing key image processing algorithms in hardwar

The gastropod-symbiotic sea anemone genus Isosicyonis Carlgren, 1927 (Actiniaria : Actiniidae): a new species from the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) that clarifies the taxonomic position of the genus

A second species of the sea anemone genus Isosicyonis is described and illustrated from 16 specimens collected in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) on the Polarstern cruises ANT XVII/3, ANT XXI/2 and ANT XXIII/8. Isosicyonis striata n. sp. is easily distinguishable externally from the other species of the genus Isosicyonis alba by its pattern: white longitudinal stripes on the column, oral disc, and tentacles. It is also distinguished by internal features including the retractor muscles, parietobasilar muscles, marginal sphincter muscles, number of mesenteries, and cnidae. The genus Isosycionis is currently only known from the Southern Ocean. Both species of Isosicyonis live in association with a gastropod, with a single sea anemone occupying almost the whole shell of its gastropod host. The description of this new species, and our re-examination of Isosicyonis alba, resolves the controversial higher taxonomic position of the genus, confirming its placement within the Endomyaria

A new species of Hormathia (Actiniaria, Hormathiidae) from the eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica

A new species of sea anemone in the genus Hormathia, is described and illustrated based on fortytwo specimens collected during the Polarstern cruises ANT XV/3 and ANT XVII/3 in the Weddell Sea. The main features of the new taxon are the crown of flattened and hooked tubercles at the distal end of the scapus, the regular arrangement of pointed tubercles along the column and the cnidom. The new species shares the pointed tubercles, at least in the upper part of the scapus, with two other species of Hormathia in the southern hemisphere: Hormathia spinosa Hertwig 1882 and H. pectinata Hertwig 188

Antropología democrática

En el marco de las ciencias humanas la antropología debe armonizar sus diferentes disciplinas principales y secundarias hasta ser global. Una antropología global incluye un humanismo antropológico que oriente hacia un modelo social de convivencia. Tal modelo viene a ser el de la democracia, que también ha de ser global: humanista, regenerada en sus instituciones y participativa. La síntesis de una democracia global con el contexto de una antropología global es una global antropología democrática.In the framework of humanistic sciences, anthropology must harmonize its different branches, both the main ones and the secondary ones. A global anthropology involves an anthropological humanism leading to a social model of citizenship. This model is the democratic one, which ought to be global as well: humanist, regenerated in its institutions and participative. The synthesis of a global democracy and the context of a global anthropology is a global democratic anthropology

New record of the sea anemone Kadosactis antarctica (Carlgren, 1928): re-description of an Antarctic deep-sea sea anemone, and a discussion of its generic and familial placement

Sagartiogeton antarcticus Carlgren, 1928 is an Antarctic deep-sea species of sea anemone only known from its holotype. The species has been assigned to the genera Sagartiogeton and Kadosactis, and is currently placed within the family Kadosactidae Riemann-Zu¨rneck, 1991. Kadosactis antarctica is re-described based on 11 specimens collected during the cruise of the R/V Polarstern ANT XIX/3 (ANDEEP-I) to the Scotia Sea and off the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica). The description includes a complete account of cnidae and photographs. Because the mesogloea is thickened on the aboral surface on the base of the tentacles, this feature becomes a generic character of Kadosactis rather than a differential specific character among the species of the genus as previously proposed. Furthermore, the known distribution of the species is enlarged to include the southern branch of the Scotia Sea