Brazil Current volume transport variability during 2009-2015 from a longterm moored array at 34.5°S

The Brazil Current, the western limb of the subtropical gyre of the South Atlantic Ocean, is one of the major Western Boundary Currents of the global ocean. Here, we present the first multiyear continuous daily time series of Brazil Current absolute volume transport obtained using 6+ years of observations from a line of four pressure-recording inverted echo sounders (PIES) deployed at 34.5°S. The array was augmented in December 2012 with two current meter-equipped PIES and in December 2013 with a moored Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler on the upper continental slope. The Brazil Current is bounded by the sea surface and the neutral density interface separating South Atlantic Central Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water, which is on average at a reference pressure of 628 ± 46 dbar, and it is confined west of 49.5°W. The Brazil Current has a mean strength of −14.0 ± 2.8 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1; negative indicates southward flow) with a temporal standard deviation of 8.8 Sv and peak-to-peak range from −41.7 to +20 Sv. About 80% of the absolute transport variance is concentrated at periods shorter than 150 days with a prominent peak at 100 days. The baroclinic component accounts for 85% of the absolute transport variance, but the barotropic variance is not negligible. The baroclinic and barotropic transports are uncorrelated, demonstrating the need to measure both transport components independently. Given the energetic high frequency transport variations, statistically significant seasonal to interannual variability and trends have yet to be detected.Fil: Chidichimo, María Paz. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement. Département Ecologie, Biodiversité et Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Continentaux; FranciaFil: Piola, Alberto Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement. Département Ecologie, Biodiversité et Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Continentaux; FranciaFil: Meinen, Christopher S.. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; Argentina. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Perez, Renellys. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Campos, Edmo. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. American University Of Sharjah.; Emiratos Árabes UnidosFil: Dong, Shenfu. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Lumpkin, Rick. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Garzoli, S. L.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unido

¿De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de comunicación comunitaria? Etnografía de un proceso desde la universidad

What do we talk about when we talk about community communication? Ethnography of a process from the university The research systematized the conceptualization of Community Communication developed by the Area of Community Communication (ACC) from 2004 to 2017, assuming that it is a concept in definition and that it is carried out in the practices themselves, with the participation of the intervening actors.A self-ethnography was carried out on ACC field projects with inmates from the penal unit, rural producers who work on food sovereignty, members of social organizations, and women who worked on gender violence and memory of the neighborhood in Paraná.The initial analytical categories were communication, community and intervention, adding after the category of university, process, dialogue, time, celebration and participation.In terms of context, we also analyze the place of Community Communication in other academic spaces of Social Communication of national universities and inquire about university extension policies that frame the practices.  La investigación sistematizó la conceptualización de la comunicación comunitaria desarrollada por el Área de Comunicación Comunitaria (ACC) de 2004 a 2017, suponiendo que se trata de un concepto en definición y que se realiza en las prácticas mismas, con la participación de los actores intervinientes. Se realizó una autoetnografía sobre los proyectos en terreno del ACC con internos de la unidad penal, productores rurales que trabajan la soberanía alimentaria, integrantes de organizaciones sociales y mujeres que trabajaron sobre violencia de género y memoria barrial en Paraná. Las categorías analíticas iniciales fueron comunicación, comunidad e intervención, agregándose luego universidad, proceso, diálogo, tiempo, celebración y participación. En términos de contexto, analizamos también el lugar de la comunicación comunitaria en otros espacios académicos de Comunicación Social de las universidades nacionales e indagamos sobre las políticas de extensión universitaria que enmarcan las prácticas. &nbsp

Highly variable upper and abyssal overturning cells in the South Atlantic

The Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) is a primary mechanism driving oceanic heat redistribution on Earth, thereby affecting Earth’s climate and weather. However, the full-depth structure and variability of the MOC are still poorly understood, particularly in the South Atlantic. This study presents unique multiyear records of the oceanic volume transport of both the upper (~3100 meters) overturning cells based on daily moored measurements in the South Atlantic at 34.5°S. The vertical structure of the time-mean flows is consistent with the limited historical observations. Both the upper and abyssal cells exhibit a high degree of variability relative to the temporal means at time scales, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Observed variations in the abyssal flow appear to be largely independent of the flow in the overlying upper cell. No meaningful trends are detected in either cell.Fil: Kersalé, Marion. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos. University of Miami; Estados UnidosFil: Meinen, Christopher S.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Perez, Renellys C.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Le Hénaff, Matthieu. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos. University of Miami; Estados UnidosFil: Valla, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Lamont, Tarron. University of Cape Town; SudáfricaFil: Sato, Olga T.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Dong, Shenfu. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Terre, T.. University of Brest; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: van Caspel, M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Chidichimo, María Paz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: van den Berg, Marcel Alexander. Department of Environmental Affairs; SudáfricaFil: Speich, Sabrina. University Of Cape Town; SudáfricaFil: Piola, Alberto Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ecole Normale Superieure. Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique; Francia. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Campos, Edmo. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. American University Of Sharjah.; Emiratos Árabes UnidosFil: Ansorge, Isabelle. University of Cape Town; SudáfricaFil: Volkov, Denis L.. University of Miami; Estados Unidos. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Lumpkin, Rick. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Garzoli, S. L.. University of Miami; Estados Unidos. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unido

Adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with resected BRAF-mutated melanoma: DESCRIBE-AD real-world retrospective observational study

BRAF and MEK inhibitor, dabrafenib plus trametinib, adjuvant therapy is effective for high-risk resected melanoma patients with BRAF-V600 mutations. However, real-world evidence is limited. We aimed to determine the feasibility of this therapy in routine clinical practice. DESCRIBE-AD, a retrospective observational study, collected real-world data from 25 hospitals in Spain. Histologically confirmed and resected BRAF-mutated melanoma patients aged & GE;18 years who were previously treated with dabrafenib plus trametinib adjuvant therapy, were included. The primary objectives were treatment discontinuation rate and time to discontinuation. The secondary objectives included safety and efficacy. From October 2020 to March 2021, 65 patients were included. Dabrafenib and trametinib discontinuation rate due to treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade was 9%. Other reasons for discontinuation included patients' decisions (6%), physician decisions (6%), unrelated adverse events (3%), disease progression (5%), and others (5%). The median time to treatment discontinuation was 9 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 5-11]. G3-4 TRAEs occurred in 21.5% of patients, the most common being pyrexia (3%), asthenia (3%), and diarrhoea (3%). Unscheduled hospitalisations and clinical tests occurred in 6 and 22% of patients, respectively. After 20-month median follow-up (95% CI, 18-22), 9% of patients had exitus due to disease progression, with a 12-month relapse-free survival and overall survival rates of 95.3% and 100%, respectively. Dabrafenib and trametinib adjuvant therapy proved effective for melanoma patients in a real-world setting, with a manageable toxicity profile. Toxicity frequencies were low leading to low incidence of unscheduled medical visits, tests, and treatment discontinuations

A New Integrated Variable Based on Thermometry, Actimetry and Body Position (TAP) to Evaluate Circadian System Status in Humans

The disruption of the circadian system in humans has been associated with the development of chronic illnesses and the worsening of pre-existing pathologies. Therefore, the assessment of human circadian system function under free living conditions using non-invasive techniques needs further research. Traditionally, overt rhythms such as activity and body temperature have been analyzed separately; however, a comprehensive index could reduce individual recording artifacts. Thus, a new variable (TAP), based on the integrated analysis of three simultaneous recordings: skin wrist temperature (T), motor activity (A) and body position (P) has been developed. Furthermore, we also tested the reliability of a single numerical index, the Circadian Function Index (CFI), to determine the circadian robustness. An actimeter and a temperature sensor were placed on the arm and wrist of the non-dominant hand, respectively, of 49 healthy young volunteers for a period of one week. T, A and P values were normalized for each subject. A non-parametric analysis was applied to both TAP and the separate variables to calculate their interdaily stability, intradaily variability and relative amplitude, and these values were then used for the CFI calculation. Modeling analyses were performed in order to determine TAP and CFI reliability. Each variable (T, A, P or TAP) was independently correlated with rest-activity logs kept by the volunteers. The highest correlation (r = −0.993, p<0.0001), along with highest specificity (0.870), sensitivity (0.740) and accuracy (0.904), were obtained when rest-activity records were compared to TAP. Furthermore, the CFI proved to be very sensitive to changes in circadian robustness. Our results demonstrate that the integrated TAP variable and the CFI calculation are powerful methods to assess circadian system status, improving sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in differentiating activity from rest over the analysis of wrist temperature, body position or activity alone

Bladder cancer index: cross-cultural adaptation into Spanish and psychometric evaluation

BACKGROUND: The Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) is so far the only instrument applicable across all bladder cancer patients, independent of tumor infiltration or treatment applied. We developed a Spanish version of the BCI, and assessed its acceptability and metric properties. METHODS: For the adaptation into Spanish we used the forward and back-translation method, expert panels, and cognitive debriefing patient interviews. For the assessment of metric properties we used data from 197 bladder cancer patients from a multi-center prospective study. The Spanish BCI and the SF-36 Health Survey were self-administered before and 12 months after treatment. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through the multi-trait multi-method matrix. The magnitude of change was quantified by effect sizes to assess responsiveness. RESULTS: Reliability coefficients ranged 0.75-0.97. The validity analysis confirmed moderate associations between the BCI function and bother subscales for urinary (r = 0.61) and bowel (r = 0.53) domains; conceptual independence among all BCI domains (r ≤ 0.3); and low correlation coefficients with the SF-36 scores, ranging 0.14-0.48. Among patients reporting global improvement at follow-up, pre-post treatment changes were statistically significant for the urinary domain and urinary bother subscale, with effect sizes of 0.38 and 0.53. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish BCI is well accepted, reliable, valid, responsive, and similar in performance compared to the original instrument. These findings support its use, both in Spanish and international studies, as a valuable and comprehensive tool for assessing quality of life across a wide range of bladder cancer patients

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Frequency and characteristics of familial melanoma in Spain: The FAM-GEM-1 Study

Similar to that observed in other countries, familial melanoma accounts for 6.6% of melanoma diagnoses in Spain. Although no differences in the multivariate analysis were found, some better prognosis factors, such as Breslow index, seem more frequent in familial melanoma, which reflect a better early detection marker and/or a different biological behavior

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016