Enigmatic traces in infaunal bivalves from the late Quaternary of Argentina, Southwestern Atlantic. Bioerosion, bioclaustration or nothing?

Ichnological investigations were carried out on late Quaternary shells of the intertidal deep infaunal bivalve Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) found along the southwestern Atlantic, between Uruguay and the southernmost Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. Analyses reveal distinctive marks that are spread on the outer shell surface only. The marks are regular-unbranched-elongate, perpendicular to the outer shell growth lines, with deflections on the margins, never interconnected, without bifurcations, conforming bottom-up constructions. They occur in hundreds of specimens from many samples taken from sediments ranging in age from the late Pleistocene to the Recent. These marks have never been reported or described for this species and their origin and formation remain elusive. We describe these traces thoroughly and we propose an explanation for their preservation on about half the shells examined. Potential destructive boring structures (excavated from outside-in) or bioerosion activities by other macro- or micro-organisms are dismissed. These antimarginal asymmetric traces point instead to a process of constructive bioclaustrations (grown from the bottom-up) produced in situ during the life of the bivalve by unknown symbiont organisms. Additionally, the regular pattern observed for the marks exclude host growth as a consequence of abiotic/extrinsic causes. From a palaeoecological perspective, these structures suggest a biotic interaction that was hitherto undescribed neither for bivalves nor for the late Quaternary of the southwestern Atlantic.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoCentro de Investigaciones Geológica

Enigmatic traces in infaunal bivalves from the late Quaternary of Argentina, Southwestern Atlantic. Bioerosion, bioclaustration or nothing?

Ichnological investigations were carried out on late Quaternary shells of the intertidal deep infaunal bivalve Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) found along the southwestern Atlantic, between Uruguay and the southernmost Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. Analyses reveal distinctive marks that are spread on the outer shell surface only. The marks are regular-unbranched-elongate, perpendicular to the outer shell growth lines, with deflections on the margins, never interconnected, without bifurcations, conforming bottom-up constructions. They occur in hundreds of specimens from many samples taken from sediments ranging in age from the late Pleistocene to the Recent. These marks have never been reported or described for this species and their origin and formation remain elusive. We describe these traces thoroughly and we propose an explanation for their preservation on about half the shells examined. Potential destructive boring structures (excavated from outside-in) or bioerosion activities by other macro- or micro-organisms are dismissed. These antimarginal asymmetric traces point instead to a process of constructive bioclaustrations (grown from the bottom-up) produced in situ during the life of the bivalve by unknown symbiont organisms. Additionally, the regular pattern observed for the marks exclude host growth as a consequence of abiotic/extrinsic causes. From a palaeoecological perspective, these structures suggest a biotic interaction that was hitherto undescribed neither for bivalves nor for the late Quaternary of the southwestern Atlantic.Fil: Richiano, Sebastián Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Aguirre, Marina Laura. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Farinati, Ester Amanda. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología; ArgentinaFil: Davies, Karen Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Castellanos, Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Gómez-Peral, Lucia. E.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas; Argentin

Choosing a travel agency franchise by mean of a global composite indicator: an application in Spain

This paper highlights the complexity of the franchise partner selection process from a franchisee's perspective. The purpose of this article is, firstly, to propose the definition of a system of indicators which include all the relevant information which the potential franchisee should take into consideration when choosing a chain secondly, to obtain a global composite indicator for the construction of a ranking of franchisors. In order to illustrate the procedure, a sample of travel agency franchisors in Spain and a suitable database to quantify the indicators are considered. The paper concludes constructing a complete order of the franchisors in the travel agency industry. In addition, the results show the most important characteristics of franchisors that potential franchisees must take into account. The value of the paper is significant as it provides a practical frame – work for potential franchisees in the selection of franchisors. First published online: 12 Sep 201

Sarcomas de partes blandas. Análisis de 42 casos

El objetivo de este estudio es valorar el pronóstico a largo plazo de una serie de pacientes tratados en nuestro hospital en relación con diversos factores clínicos, diagnósticos y terapéuticos que podrían condicionarlo. Se revisaron 123 pacientes tratado por tumores malignos de partes blandas entre los años 1979 y 1999, de estos solo 42 cumplieron las características para incluirles en nuestro estudio. Se valoró su evolución teniendo en cuenta las variables pronosticas identificadas en trabajos previamente publicados y nuestra propia experiencia y se realizó el estudio estadístico de las mismas. En el análisis estadístico del estudio se utilizó el programa SPSS versión 8.0WIN y se realizó el análisis de supervivencia mediante el método de Kaplan-Meier. El tiempo de supervivencia total descrito según este método para el total de los casos estudiados presenta una mediana de 33 meses con un error estándar de 8 y un intervalo de confianza del 95% de (17,49), el tiempo libre de enfermedad presenta una mediana de 9 meses con un error estándar de 2 y un intervalo de confianza del 95% de (6,12) y el tiempo de aparición de metástasis presenta una mediana de 26 meses con un error estándar de 5 y un intervalo de confianza del 95% de (17,35). A su vez se realizó el análisis bivariante de las múltiples variables pronosticas. El gran número de variables y la dispersión de la muestra hacen aconsejable estudios multicéntricos prospectivos más numerosos para obtener conclusiones definitivas sobre este tipo de tumores.The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term prognosis of a series of patients treated in our hospital with regard to various clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic factors. A total of 123 patients who had been treated for malignant soft tissue tumours between 1979 and 1999 were reviewed. Of these, only 42 fulfilled the requirements to be included in our study. The outcome was evaluated taking into account prognostic variables identified in previously published studies and our own experience, and a statistical study of these factors as carried out with the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method. The total survival time for all the cases studied was 33+8 (median + SE) months with a 95% confidence interval of 17.49 months. The time free of illness was 9+2 (median + SE) months with a 95% confidence interval of 6.12 months. The time-period until metastasis appeared was 26+5 (median + SE) months with a 95% confidence interval of 17.35 months. At the same time, the bivariant analysis of the many prognostic variables was performed. The high number of variables and the dispersion of the sample group suggest that it would be advisable to carry out more prospective, multicentric studies to reach definitive conclusions about this type of tumour

Application of mixed reality to ultrasound-guided femoral arterial cannulation during real-time practice in cardiac interventions

Producción CientíficaMixed reality opens interesting possibilities as it allows physicians to interact with both, the real physical and the virtual computer-generated environment and objects, in a powerful way. A mixed reality system, based in the HoloLens 2 glasses, has been developed to assist cardiologists in a quite complex interventional procedure: the ultrasound-guided femoral arterial cannulations, during real-time practice in interventional cardiology. The system is divided into two modules, the transmitter module, responsible for sending medical images to HoloLens 2 glasses, and the receiver module, hosted in the HoloLens 2, which renders those medical images, allowing the practitioner to watch and manage them in a 3D environment. The system has been successfully used, between November 2021 and August 2022, in up to 9 interventions by 2 different practitioners, in a large public hospital in central Spain. The practitioners using the system confirmed it as easy to use, reliable, real-time, reachable, and cost-effective, allowing a reduction of operating times, a better control of typical errors associated to the interventional procedure, and opening the possibility to use the medical imagery produced in ubiquitous e-learning. These strengths and opportunities were only nuanced by the risk of potential medical complications emerging from system malfunction or operator errors when using the system (e.g., unexpected momentary lag). In summary, the proposed system can be taken as a realistic proof of concept of how mixed reality technologies can support practitioners when performing interventional and surgical procedures during real-time daily practice.Junta de Castilla y León - Gerencia Regional de Salud (SACyL) (grant number GRS 2275/A/2020)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant number DTS21/00158)Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Aesthetic amputation of fourth metacarpal left hand in a young man: functional result

Las amputaciones en la extremidad superior pueden ser el resultado de un traumatismo, de una elección concreta de tratamiento de deformaciones genéticas, o de una patología, como un tumor maligno.(1) Las amputaciones totales o parciales de los dedos son más frecuentes en varones y en menores de cinco años de edad. Presentamos el caso de un varón de dieciocho años que presenta una fractura abierta de falange proximal del cuarto dedo de la mano izquierda. Se realiza osteosíntesis con agujas de kirschner y antibioterapia intravenosa. El paciente evoluciona a una rigidez de la articulación interfalángica proximal y de la articulación interfalángica distal del 4º dedo. Se indica una artrodesis de la articulación interfalángica proximal, presentando en el postopeatorio una osteomielitis de la falange proximal. Se decide una amputación estética del cuarto radio para conseguir una mano funcional.Upper extremity amputations can be the result of trauma, a specific choice of treatment of genetic disorder or a pathology such as a malignancy. The total or partial amputations of the fingers are more common in men and in children under five years of age. We report the case of an eighteen year-old man who has an open fracture of proximal phalanx of the fourth finger of the left hand. Osteosynthesis with Kirschner wires and intravenous antibiotic therapy was performed. The patient develops a rigidity of the proximal interphalangeal joint and the distal interphalangeal joint of the 4th finger. Arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint, posing on postoperative period an osteomyelitis of the proximal phalanx

Clinical and Economic Evaluation after Adopting Contingent Cell-Free DNA Screening for Fetal Trisomies in South Spain.

Contingent cell-free (cf) DNA screening on the basis of the first-trimester combined test (FCT) results has emerged as a cost-effective strategy for screening of trisomy 21 (T21). Objectives: To assess performance, patients’ uptake, and cost of contingent cfDNA screening and to compare them with those of the established FCT. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study including all singleton pregnancies attending to their FCT for screening of T21 at 2 university hospitals in South Spain. When the FCT risk was ≥1:50, there were major fetal malformations, or the nuchal translucency was ≥3.5 mm, women were recommended invasive testing (IT); if the risk was between 1:50 and 1:270, women were recommended cfDNA testing; and for risks bellow 1:270, no further testing was recommended. Detection rate (DR), false-positive rate (FPR), patients’ uptake, and associated costs were evaluated. Results: We analyzed 10,541 women, including 46 T21 cases. DR of our contingent strategy was 89.1% (41/46) at 1.4% (146/10,541) FPR. Uptake of cfDNA testing was 91.2% (340/373), and overall IT rate was 2.0%. The total cost of our strategy was €1,462,895.7, similar to €1,446,525.7 had cfDNA testing not been available. Conclusions: Contingent cfDNA screening shows high DR, low IT rate, and high uptake at a similar cost than traditional screening.pre-print133 K

Laser shock processing: an emerging technique for the mechanical and surface properties enhancement of metallic materials

Laser Shock Processing (LSP) is as an effective technology for the improvement of surface and mechanical properties of metallic alloys and is an emerging technology in its way to production engineering in direct competence with other well established technologies as, i.e. shot peening. The technique is based on the application of a high intensity pulsed laser beam on a metallic target forcing a sudden vaporization of its surface into a high temperature and density plasma that immediately develops inducing a shock wave propagating into the material. The main advantage of this technique consists on its capability of inducing a relatively deep compression residual stresses field into metallic alloy pieces allowing an improved mechanical behaviour, explicitly, the life improvement under cyclic load connected with improved wear and corrosion resistance. The laser shock effects achieved by this method are comparable to those of shot-peening: that is, a local material compression linked to the generation and displacement of defects, surface state modification and, most important, a compressing residual stress field whose magnitude and depth into the material is generally associated with large improvements in fatigue resistance. Along with a description of the theoretical/computational and experimental methods developed by the authors for the predictive assessment and experimental implementation of LSP treatments, experimental results on the residual stress profiles and associated surface properties modification successfully reached under different LSP irradiation conditions in typical high strength materials will be presented in this paper

Análisis termogravimétrico de la descomposición del diente a diferentes temperaturas

Los dientes expuestos al estrés térmico son útiles en estudios de identificación y circunstancias del fuego. Trabajos recientes de investigación forense aplican novedosas técnicas (histológicas, físico-químicas, moleculares) para conocer los cambios producidos en los mismos como consecuencia de la exposición a altas temperaturas. OBJETIVO: conocer el proceso de degradación del diente en relación con la temperatura mediante técnicas físico-químicas (TG-DSC). MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se realizaron dos ensayos TG-DSC con un analizador termogravimétrico modelo TG/DSC1 de Mettler-Toledo. Los gases emitidos se identificaron mediante un espectrómetro de masas (Thermostar de Pfeiffer-Vacuum). El primer ensayo consistió en calentar pulverizado de diente de 30 a 1000 ºC. El segundo ensayo consistió en someter el diente a temperaturas de 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 y 400 ºC durante una hora. La velocidad de calentamiento de ambos ensayos fue de 10 ºC min-1 con atmósfera oxidante, un flujo de aire de 50 ml min-1, 20 mg de muestra en crisoles de alúmina de 70 µl (7 réplicas). RESULTADOS: El inicio de la descomposición de materia orgánica del diente se produce a los 150 ºC hasta los 400 ºC. A 270 ºC se inicia la descomposición de proteínas, se produce emisión de compuestos orgánicos como CH2O y CO2 a los 343.3 y 346.5 ºC respectivamente. La emisión de óxido nitroso procedente de bases nitrogenadas (ADN y colágeno) se produce a los 347.5 ºC. CONCLUSIONES: Según el estudio termogravimétrico, la materia orgánica dental se descompone completamente antes de los 400 ºC.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Ruthenium nanoparticles supported on carbon-based nanoallotropes as co-catalyst to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of carbon nitride

Development of competent and cost-effective materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been attracting great attention since hydrogen is hailed as a promising environmentally friendly energy source to reduce the greenhouse emissions. Herein, Ru(0) nanoparticles (RuNPs) have been stabilized onto the surface of four different conducting carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) from 0D to 3D, such as 0D carbon nanohorns (CNH), 1D single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and 3D graphite (GP), for their use in the photocatalytic HER. For this aim, the resulting RuNP@CNMs where physically mixed with mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN) in an optimum composition ratio to maximize the photocatalytic HER activity. Notably, the resulting four hybrid RuNPs@CNM/mpg-CN materials showed an outstanding increase in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) when compared with the pristine mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride without co-catalyst. A comparison on the photocatalytic activity of the four hybrid RuNPs@CNMs physically mixed with mpg-CN and a deep study on the fate of the nanohybrids after catalysis are presente