Human myiasis in Ecuador.

We review epidemiological and clinical data on human myiasis from Ecuador, based on data from the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) and a review of the available literature for clinical cases. The larvae of four flies, Dermatobia hominis, Cochliomyia hominivorax, Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis, and Lucilia eximia, were identified as the causative agents in 39 reported clinical cases. The obligate D. hominis, causing furuncular lesions, caused 17 (43.5%) cases distributed along the tropical Pacific coast and the Amazon regions. The facultative C. hominivorax was identified in 15 (38%) clinical cases, infesting wound and cavitary lesions including orbital, nasal, aural and vaginal, and occurred in both subtropical and Andean regions. C. hominivorax was also identified in a nosocomial hospital-acquired wound. Single infestations were reported for S. haemorrhoidalis and L. eximia. Of the 39 clinical cases, 8 (21%) occurred in tourists. Ivermectin, when it became available, was used to treat furuncular, wound, and cavitary lesions successfully. MPH data for 2013–2015 registered 2,187 cases of which 54% were reported in men; 46% occurred in the tropical Pacific coast, 30% in the temperate Andes, 24% in the tropical Amazon, and 0.2% in the Galapagos Islands. The highest annual incidence was reported in the Amazon (23 cases/100,000 population), followed by Coast (5.1/100,000) and Andes (4.7/100,000). Human myiasis is a neglected and understudied ectoparasitic infestation, being endemic in both temperate and tropical regions of Ecuador. Improved education and awareness among populations living in, visitors to, and health personnel working in high-risk regions, is required for improved epidemiological surveillance, prevention, and correct diagnosis and treatment

Systematic Literature Review on the LDAP Protocol As a Centralized Mechanism for the Authentication of Users in Multiple Systems

The protocol LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) allows centralized identity authentication, where the information of the directory is faster and easier to read. This article carries out a systematic literature review (SLR) according to what is proposed in the article by Bárbara Kitchenham [1], aimed to identify different methods for users’ authentication in multiple systems using LDAP protocol, an analysis of criteria is carried out about different studies published in five digital libraries (Scopus, IEEEXplorer, Scientific.net, Google Scholar, DBLP), and two academic magazines (Revista Energía of UNL, Revista Científica of UTB), making relevant conclusions of the use of four mechanisms for the authentication of users of multiple systems such as: Languaje PHP, SSO (Single sign-on), IAM (Identity and Access Management), and T-RBAC (Access control based on roles and tasks), predominantly the use of the PHP language for its administrative tools for managing LDAP servers.     Keywords: LDAP, authentication, user management, systematic literature review, securit

CIP-OFIAGRO: estudio de perdidas pos-cosecha en la cadena de la papa en Ecuador.

Peer Revie

Spatial variation of trace elements in the peri-urban soil of Madrid

Purpose The peri-urban region to the south east of Madrid contains a mixture of housing, manufacturing industry and farming, some of which disperse metals, in particular cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc, into the soil. We have mapped the concentrations of these elements and identified the major influences on their distributions. Material and methods We sampled the topsoil at 125 sites across 1,050 km2 of peri-urban land to the south east of the city on two grids, one nested inside the other. At each site, we measured the current contents of the four trace elements in the soil. We used robust geostatistical methods to model the complex spatial distributions of the data as mixtures of fixed and random effects. The empirical best linear unbiased predictor was used to map the elements. Site descriptors (lithology, land cover, cultivation, relief, erosion, and stoniness) were then included as covariates to identify significant effects on trace element concentrations. Results and discussion The complex spatial distributions of the elements seem to arise from several sources. The concentrations generally increase from southeast to northwest, i.e.;with increasing proximity to Madrid itself, the main potential source of pollution. This pattern is clear for lead and similar for copper and zinc, though with "hot spots" at or near industrial sites. The spatial pattern of cadmium is more complex and depends on varied lithology, industry, and land use such as irrigation and cultivation. In general, the concentrations of the four elements appear to decrease with increases in stoniness and erosion, and to be largest on the valley floors. Conclusions Robust geostatistical methods enabled us to analyze and map the complex patterns of spatial variation of trace elements in a peri-urban region of Madrid. They show that distance to the city center, lithology, manufacturing industry, and cultivation all play their parts in loading the soil with lead, copper, zinc, and cadmium. In the event, none of the metals has yet exceeded the legislative thresholds, but some concentrations are already substantially greater than would arise from natural sources, especially closest to Madrid itself. © 2013 The Author(s)

Impact of three co-occurring physical ecosystem engineers on soil Collembola communities

The interplay between organisms with their abiotic environment may have profound effects within ecological networks, but are still poorly understood. Soil physical ecosystem engineers (EEs) modify the abiotic environment, thereby potentially affecting the distribution of other species, such as microarthropods. We focus on three co-occurring physical EEs (i.e. cattle, vegetation, macrodetritivore) known for their profound effect on soil properties (e.g. pore volume, microclimate, litter thickness). We determined their effects on Collembola community composition and life-form strategy (a proxy for vertical distribution in soil) in a European salt marsh. Soil cores were collected in grazed (compacted soil, under short and tall vegetation) and non-grazed areas (decompacted soil, under short and tall vegetation), their pore structure analysed using X-ray computed tomography, after which Collembola were extracted. Collembola species richness was lower in grazed sites, but abundances were not affected by soil compaction or vegetation height. Community composition differed between ungrazed sites with short vegetation and the other treatments, due to a greater dominance of epigeic Collembola and lower abundance of euedaphic species in this treatment. We found that the three co-occurring EEs and their interactions modify the physical environment of soil fauna, particularly through changes in soil porosity and availability of litter. This alters the relative abundance of Collembola life-forms, and thus the community composition within the soil. As Collembola are known to play a crucial role in decomposition processes, these compositional changes in litter and soil layers are expected to affect ecosystem processes and functioning

Density Profile and Flow of Miscible Fluid with Dissimilar Constituent Masses

A computer simulation model is used to study the density profile and flow of a miscible gaseous fluid mixture consisting of differing constituent masses (m(A) = m(B)/3) through an open matrix. The density profile is found to decay with the height proportional to exp(-m(A(B))h), consistent with the barometric height law. The flux density shows a power-law increase proportional to (p(c) - p)(a) with mu similar or equal to 2.3 at the porosity 1 - p above the pore percolation threshold 1 - p(c). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Nutritional Value and Sensory Properties of Cookies Prepared from Flour Mixes of Carrot (Daucus Carota), Lupine (Lupinus Perennis) and Barley (Hordeum Vulgare)

Nutritional value and sensory properties of cookies prepared by the combination of different proportions of carrot flour (CF), lupine flour (LF) and barley flour (BF) blends were analyzed. Eight formulations (F) of cookies were prepared from (F1) Control (100% Wheat flour “WF”), (F2) 33.33% CF, 33.33% LF and 33.33% BF, (F3) 33.33% CF, 41.66% LF and 25% BF, (F4) 33.33% CF, 25% LF and 41.66% BF, (F5) 33.33% CF, 25% LF and 41.66% BF, (F6) 41.66% CF, 33.33% LF and 25% BF, (F7) 25% CF, 41.66% LF and 33.33% BF, (F8) 41.66% CF, 25% LF and 33.33% BF. Cookies were subjected to analysis as moisture value, crude protein, Vitamin A as well as mineral analysis (potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron) and evaluated for consumer acceptance by sensory analysis. Cookies prepared from formulation F8 showed high levels of vitamin A, (30UI/100 g), potassium (417.42 mg/100 g), calcium (182.40 mg/100 g) and iron (6.88 mg/100 g) in comparison with the others formulations. In the moisture value, F2 had similar value that the control cookies, The F3, F5 and F7 had high value in crude protein. Sensory evaluation established that cookies prepared with the formulation 8 were more acceptable than cookies prepared from other formulations

Optical Trapping of Single Nanostructures in a Weakly Focused Beam. Application to Magnetic Nanoparticles

"This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see [insert ACS Articles on Request author-directed link to Published Work, see https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b04676."[EN] Optical trapping of individual particles is believed to be only effective under highly focused beams because these conditions strengthen the gradient forces. This is especially critical in the beam propagating direction, where the scattering and absorption forces must be counterbalanced. Here, we demonstrate that optical trapping of nanostructures is also possible in a weakly focused beam. We study the theoretical conditions for effective three-dimensional optical confinement and verify them experimentally on iron-oxide-based nanoparticles with and without a silica coating, for which scattering, absorption, and gradient forces exist. This chemical approach to their all-optical control is, in turn, convenient for making magnetic nanostructures biocompatible. Weakly focused beams reduce the irradiance in the focal region and therefore the photon damage to the samples, which is further important to delay quantum dot quenching in the trap or to prevent artifacts in the study of biomolecular motor dynamics.We are grateful to Dr. Maria Acebron and Dr. Beatriz H. Juarez for their support in the silica encapsulation of the nano particles. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, Grant MAT2015-71806-R). IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the "Severo Ochoa" Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant SEV-2016-0686). H.R.-R. is supported by an FPI-UAM fellowship.Rodríguez-Rodríguez, H.; De Lorenzo, S.; De La Cueva, L.; Salas, G.; Arias-Gonzalez, JR. (2018). Optical Trapping of Single Nanostructures in a Weakly Focused Beam. Application to Magnetic Nanoparticles. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 122(31):18094-18101. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b04676S18094181011223

Cortisol and testosterone increase financial risk taking and may destabilize markets

It is widely known that financial markets can become dangerously unstable, yet it is unclear why. Recent research has highlighted the possibility that endogenous hormones, in particular testosterone and cortisol, may critically influence traders’ financial decision making. Here we show that cortisol, a hormone that modulates the response to physical or psychological stress, predicts instability in financial markets. Specifically, we recorded salivary levels of cortisol and testosterone in people participating in an experimental asset market (N = 142) and found that individual and aggregate levels of endogenous cortisol predict subsequent risk-taking and price instability. We then administered either cortisol (single oral dose of 100 mg hydrocortisone, N = 34) or testosterone (three doses of 10 g transdermal 1% testosterone gel over 48 hours, N = 41) to young males before they played an asset trading game. We found that both cortisol and testosterone shifted investment towards riskier assets. Cortisol appears to affect risk preferences directly, whereas testosterone operates by inducing increased optimism about future price changes. Our results suggest that changes in both cortisol and testosterone could play a destabilizing role in financial markets through increased risk taking behaviour, acting via different behavioural pathways.This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (grant ES/G005230/1). CC was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (ECO2012-34928). PNT was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (PP00P1_128574 PP00P1_150739 and CRSII3_141965). RER was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Mr/J004685/1)