Rhetoric with Humor: An Analysis of Hispanic/Latino Comedians\u27 Uses of Humor

Hispanic/Latino comedians\u27 use of humor as argument is a rich environment to study. The relationship between the comedian (as the joke teller) and the audience (as the receivers of the joke) creates an environment where many topical boundaries fall, and the comedian is free to express him/herself without fear of persecution or ridicule. More specifically, this setting allows the comedian to use the platform as joke teller to communicate arguments to the audience through humor. Comedians who use humor rhetorically often communicate arguments about well-known stereotypes freely because audiences attend shows expecting to laugh. Using Kenneth Burke\u27s (1959) perspective by incongruity as a lenses, this study analyzes the strategies and meanings in the arguments made through humor created by George Lopez and Carlos Mencia from a rhetorical perspective. The primary goal is to create a method that communication scholars are able to apply not only to Hispanic/Latino comedians, but to the overall use of humorous messages with arguments. By establishing the importance of understanding messages created in a communicative setting where humor is expected, Lopez\u27 and Mencia\u27s strategies become clearer. In this case, this method revealed how Lopez and Mencia made strategic arguments through enthymemes and incongruity humor and how those uses of humor affect the stereotypical identities of the Hispanic/Latino population. The results of this study will be used to examine potential rhetorical strengths of using humor not only for Lopez and Mencia, but also for humor users in general

Damping of nuclear excitations at finite temperature

Abstract We calculate the damping of single-particle motion and of vibrational motion to lowest order in the coupling between the particles and the vibrations, using the finite temperature Matsubara formalism. The derived formulas have a complicated structure which however can be mostly understood in physical terms. We apply the theory to single-particle states in heavy nuclei, to the giant dipole vibration in 90Zr, and to the giant quadrupole vibration in 208Pb. Even at temperatures of the order of 3 MeV the main peak of the giant vibrations remains essentially unaffected although it acquires a long tail at the low-energy end

Notas sobre planejamento de assistência médica na América Latina e no Caribe

Attention is called to the fact that the efforts to improve health of populations in Latin America have generally failed. The inequality in the distribution of ill-health is great. The authors accept the fact that the lack of resources available to the health sector may be a restriction towards the improvement of the situation, but they argue that a much more important issue is the misuse of such resources and their maldistribution within the health sector. The lack of integration and coordination between the health services, the conflict of public and private health systems, the under-utilization of existing services and the gap between planning and real implementation are discussed.Chama-se a atenção para o fato de que os esforços para a melhoria da saúde das populações da América Latina, geralmente têm falhado. A desigualdade na distribuição de saúde é grande. Aceita-se o fato de que a falta de recursos disponíveis para o setor saúde pode ser empecilho para a melhoria da situação, mas argumenta-se que um fator muito mais importante é o uso indevido de tais recursos e sua má distribuição dentro do setor saúde. São discutidas as faltas de integração e coordenação dos serviços de saúde, o conflito entre sistemas público e privado de saúde, a sub-utilização dos serviços existentes, o distanciamento entre o planejamento e a sua real implementação

Genomic population structure of freshwater-resident and anadromous ide (<i>Leuciscus idus</i>) in north-western Europe

Climate change experts largely agree that future climate change and associated rises in oceanic water levels over the upcoming decades, will affect marine salinity levels. The subsequent effects on fish communities in estuarine ecosystems however, are less clear. One species that is likely to become increasingly affected by changes in salinity is the ide (Leuciscus idus). The ide is a stenohaline freshwater fish that primarily inhabits rivers, with frequent anadromous behavior when sea salinity does not exceed 15%. Unlike most other anadromous Baltic Sea fish species, the ide has yet to be subjected to large‐scale stocking programs, and thus provides an excellent opportunity for studying the natural population structure across the current salinity gradient in the Danish Belts. To explore this, we used Genotyping‐by‐Sequencing to determine genomic population structure of both freshwater resident and anadromous ide populations in the western Baltic Sea region, and relate the results to the current salinity gradient and the demographic history of ide in the region. The sample sites separate into four clusters, with all anadromous populations in one cluster and the freshwater resident populations in the remaining three. Results demonstrate high level of differentiation between sites hosting freshwater resident populations, but little differentiation among anadromous populations. Thus ide exhibit the genomic population structure of both a typical freshwater species, and a typical anadromous species. In addition to providing a first insight into the population structure of north‐western European ide, our data also (1) provide indications of a single illegal introduction by man; (2) suggest limited genetic effects of heavy pollution in the past; and (3) indicate possible historical anadromous behavior in a now isolated freshwater population

Tapeworm eggs in a 270 million-year-old shark coprolite

Remains of parasites in vertebrates are rare from the Mesozoic and Paleozoic. Once most parasites that live in – or pass through – the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrates, fossil feces (coprolites) or even intestinal contents (enterolites) can eventually preserve their remains. Here we announce the discovery of a spiral shark coprolite from the Paleozoic bearing a cluster of 93 small oval-elliptical smooth-shelled structures, interpreted as eggs of a tapeworm.The eggs were found in a thin section of an elasmobranch coprolite. Most of the eggs are filled by pyrite and some have a special polar swelling (operculum), suggesting they are non-erupted eggs. One of the eggs contains a probable developing larva. The eggs are approximately 145–155 mm in length and 88–100 mm in width and vary little in size within the cluster. The depositional and morphological features of the eggs closely resemble those of cestodes. Not only do the individual eggs have features of extant tapeworms, but their deposition all together in an elongate segment is typical to modern tapeworm eggs deposited in mature segments (proglottids). This is the earliest fossil record of tapeworm parasitism of vertebrates and establishes a timeline for the evolution of cestodes. This discovery shows that the fossil record of vertebrate intestinal parasites is much older than was hitherto known and that the interaction between tapeworms and vertebrates occurred at least since the Middle-Late Permian

Modelling two Energetic Storm Particle Events Observed by Solar Orbiter Using the Combined EUHFORIA and iPATH Models

By coupling the EUropean Heliospheric FORcasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA) and the improved Particle Acceleration and Transport in the Heliosphere (iPATH) model, two energetic storm particle (ESP) events, originating from the same active region (AR 13088) and observed by Solar Orbiter (SolO) on August 31 2022 and September 05 2022, are modelled. While both events originated from the same active region, they exhibited notable differences, including: 1) the August ESP event lasted for 7 hours, while the September event persisted for 16 hours; 2) The time intensity profiles for the September event showed a clear cross-over upstream of the shock where the intensity of higher energy protons exceeds those of lower energy protons, leading to positive (``reverse'') spectral indices prior to the shock passage. For both events, our simulations replicate the observed duration of the shock sheath, depending on the deceleration history of the CME. Imposing different choices of escaping length scale, which is related to the decay of upstream turbulence, the modelled time intensity profiles prior to the shock arrival also agree with observations. In particular, the cross-over of this time profile in the September event is well reproduced. We show that a ``reverse'' upstream spectrum is the result of the interplay between two length scales. One characterizes the decay of upstream shock accelerated particles, which are controlled by the energy-dependent diffusion coefficient, and the other characterizes the decay of upstream turbulence power, which is related to the process of how streaming protons upstream of the shock excite Alfv\'{e}n waves. Simulations taking into account real-time background solar wind, the dynamics of the CME propagation, and upstream turbulence at the shock front are necessary to thoroughly understand the ESP phase of large SEP events.Comment: Accepted by A&A. 16 pages, 11 figure

Fishing Gear Modifications to Reduce Elasmobranch Mortality in Pelagic and Bottom Longline Fisheries Off Northeast Brazil

One of the biggest challenges of fisheries research is reducing the bycatch of unwanted species. The incidental fishing mortality of species with low reproductive rates, such as elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays), is recognized as a key threat for their populations. In the present study, gear modifications related to the type of hook and position of the hook in the water column were tested to examine their effects on catch rates and mortality of elasmobranch species in both pelagic and coastal environments. Comparisons between circle (size 18/0, 0° offset) and J-style (size 9/0, 10° offset) hooks demonstrated that the circle hooks have a greater efficiency in reducing the mortality of most species caught, both in pelagic and coastal longline fisheries. Internal lodging of the hook was significantly less frequent for the individuals caught with circle hooks, which likely contributed to their higher survival rate at haulback. Additionally, circle hooks also increased the CPUE of elasmobranchs caught in the pelagic longline fishery, which was particularly evident for Carcharhinus falciformis and Prionace glauca. The position of the hook in the water column exhibited a strong influence on the species caught in the coastal bottom longline fishery. Suspending hooks in the middle of the water column reduced the bycatch of common demersal species, such as Carcharhinus acronotus, Ginglymostoma cirratum, and Dasyatis americana, while increasing the CPUE of potentially aggressive species, such as Galeocerdo cuvier and Carcharhinus leucas. The interaction of the type of hook utilized with its position in the water column appears to be an essential factor in the optimization of longline selectivity and minimization of bycatch mortality

PADRÕES CITOGENÉTICOS DE DUAS ESPÉCIES DE CICLÍDEOS DE BACIAS DO SEMI-ÁRIDO DO BRASIL: Crenicichla menezesi E Cichlasoma orientale

A família Cichlidae é considerada um modelo para estudos de radiação adaptativa entre vertebrados. Contudo, dados citogenéticos com vistas ao entendimento da evolução cariotípica dessa família ainda são incipientes, sobretudo para espécies da região semi-árida do nordeste do Brasil. O presente estudo traz as primeiras informações cariotípicas das espécies neotropicais Crenicichla menezesi e Cichlasoma orientale, a partir de técnicas de coloração convencional, bandamento-C, impregnação argêntea e coloração com fluorocromos base-específicos. Ambas as espécies apresentam 2n=48 cromossomos, com distinções em relação ao cariótipo, onde C. menezesi exibe 4m+44st/a (NF=52) e C. orientale6sm+10st+32a (N=54). Os sítios ribossomais são simples localizados nos braços curtos do primeiro par (m) em C. menezesi e no terceiro (sm) em C. orientale. Em ambas as espécies os blocos heterocromáticos concentraram-se as regiões centroméricas e pericentroméricas e de forma conspícua em colocalização com as RONs (CMA+/DAPI-). Entre os ciclídeos, o clado Neotropical revela um conservadorismo cromossômico numérico (2n=48), mas que contempla um variado dinamismo evolutivo quanto aos padrões estruturais do cariótipo. As duas espécies analisadas, Crenicichla menezesi e Cichlasoma orientale, típicas de regiões semi-áridas, reforçam esta condição.Palavras-chave: diversidade cariotípica, evolução cromossômica, citogenética de peixes.The family Cichlidae is considered a model for studies of adaptive radiation among vertebrates. However, cytogenetic data focusing to understanding the karyotype evolution of this family are still incipient, particularly for species of semi-arid region of northeastern of Brazil. This study presents the first karyotypic information of neotropical species Crenicichla menezesi and Cichlasoma orientale, by use of conventional staining, C-banding, silver staining and staining with base-specific fluorochromes. Both species have 2n=48 chromosomes, with some distinctions in relation to karyotype, once C. menezesi displays 4m+44 st/a (NF=52) and C. orientale 6sm+10st+32 (N=54). Ribosomal sites are unique, located on the short arms of the first pair (m) in C. menezesi and on third pair (sm) in C. orientale. In both species the heterochromatic blocks are concentrated in the centromeric and pericentromeric regions and conspicuously in colocalization with NORs (CMA+/DAPI-). Among cichlids, the Neotropical clade reveals a numerical chromosomal conservatism (2n=48), but that includes a varied evolutionary dynamics as the structural patterns of the karyotype. The two species analyzed, Crenicichla menezesi and Cichlasoma orientale, typical species of semi-arid regions reinforce this condition.Keywords: Karyotype diversity; chromosomal evolution; fish cytogenetic.

Amyloid β peptides modify the expression of antioxidant repair enzymes and a potassium channel in the septohippocampal system

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by extracellular accumulations of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides, intracellular accumulation of abnormal proteins, and early loss of basal forebrain neurons. Recent studies have indicated that the conformation of Aβ is crucial for neuronal toxicity, with intermediate misfolded forms such as oligomers being more toxic than the final fibrillar forms. Our previous work shows that Aβ blocks the potassium (K(+)) currents IM and IA in septal neurons, increasing firing rates, diminishing rhythmicity and firing coherence. Evidence also suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays a role in AD pathogenesis. Thus we wished to determine the effect of oligomeric and fibrillar forms of Aβ₁₋₄₂ on septohippocampal damage, oxidative damage, and dysfunction in AD. Oligomeric and fibrillar forms of Aβ₁₋₄₂ were injected into the CA1 region of the hippocampus in live rats. The rats were sacrificed 24 hours and 1 month after Aβ or sham injection to additionally evaluate the temporal effects. The expression levels of the K(+) voltage-gated channel, KQT-like subfamily, member 2 (KCNQ₂) and the OS-related genes superoxide dismutase 1, 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase, and monamine oxidase A, were analyzed in the hippocampus, medial, and lateral septum. Our results show that both forms of Aβ exhibit time-dependent differential modulation of OS and K(+) channel genes in the analyzed regions. Importantly, we demonstrate that Aβ injected into the hippocampus triggered changes in gene expression in anatomical regions distant from the injection site. Thus the Aβ effect was transmitted to anatomically separate sites, because of the functional coupling of the brain structures