GIARPS: the unique VIS-NIR high precision radial velocity facility in this world

GIARPS (GIAno & haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both the high resolution spectrographs HARPS-N (VIS) and GIANO (NIR) working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a high resolution (R=115,000 in the visual and R=50,000 in the IR) and over in a wide spectral range (0.383 - 2.45 micron) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and the large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planet search and hot Jupiters, atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instrument can measure high precision radial velocity by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS - N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. Young stars and proto-planetary disks, cool stars and stellar populations, moving minor bodies in the solar system, bursting young stellar objects, cataclysmic variables and X-ray binary transients in our Galaxy, supernovae up to gamma-ray bursts in the very distant and young Universe, can take advantage of the unicity of this facility both in terms of contemporaneous wide wavelength range and high resolution spectroscopy.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Conference Proceeding

Mesotelioma maligno epitelioide

This is a male patient of 57 years old with personal medical history of smoking, and to suffer alcoholism, high blood pressure, dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic kidney disease stage V. He had several hospital admissions by pleural effusion in one of them was appreciated serohematic aspect of the liquid with negative cytological study of neoplastic cells. He evolved torpidly and joined to effusion dysphagia, fever, hemoptysis and intense epigastric pain. Pathological findings showed a malignant mesothelioma type epithelioid with invasion to the lung, the diaphragm and the pericardium that led him to death with a pulmonary embolism saddle. The morphological characteristics of this tumor are very similar to adenocarcinoma, so special cytochemical techniques are required for diagnosis.Se trata de un paciente masculino de 57 años, con antecedentes patológicos personales de ser fumador y de padecer alcoholismo, hipertensión arterial, miocardiopatía dilatada y enfermedad renal crónica estadio V. Tuvo varios ingresos por derrame pleural, en uno de ellos se apreció aspecto serohemático del líquido con estudio citológico negativo de células neoplásicas. Evolucionó tórpidamente y se sumaron al derrame la disfagia, la fiebre, la hemoptisis y una epigastralgia intensa. Los hallazgos anatomopatológicos mostraron un mesotelioma maligno tipo epitelioide con invasión al pulmón, al diafragma y al pericardio que lo llevó a fallecer con un tromboembolismo pulmonar en silla de montar. Las características morfológicas de este tumor son muy similares al adenocarcinoma, por lo que se requieren técnicas citoquímicas especiales para su diagnóstico

Microangiopatía trombótica

A female patient of 26 years old, with personal pathological history of congenital glaucoma and blindness in the right eye that three days before his admission to “Arnaldo Milian Castro” Hospital began with chills, fever of 39-410°C, universal headache, nausea, projectile vomiting and fetid dark urine, fot those reasons she was admitted in the “Celestino Hernández Robau” Hospital with the presumptive diagnosis of dengue; she evolved bad, so she was sent to “Arnaldo Milian Castro” Hospital with the same symptoms and taking consciousness. On physical examination of the central nervous system, It was appreciated nuchal rigidity ++, bilateral Babinsky, somnolence, disorientation and Glasgow 13/15. An axial computerized tomography was realized that showed hypodense of both thalamuses badly definite, in the midline of both cerebellar hemispheres an image of similar characteristics and III ventricle collapsed. It raised vasculitis with multiple several cerebral infarctions and possible meningoencephalitis and died 26 days admitted. Pathologic findings allowed the diagnosis of damage and multiple organ failure in patient suffering thrombotic microangiopathy.Se trata de una paciente femenina de 26 años de edad, con antecedentes patológicos personales de glaucoma congénito y ceguera del ojo derecho que tres días antes de su ingreso en el Hospital “Arnaldo Milián Castro” comenzó con escalofríos, fiebre de 39-410°C, cefalea universal, náuseas, vómitos en proyectil y orinas oscuras fétidas, razones por las que fue ingresada en el Hospital “Celestino Hernández Robau” con el diagnóstico presuntivo de dengue; evolucionó mal, por lo que fue remitida al Hospital “Arnaldo Milián Castro”, con iguales síntomas y toma de la conciencia. En el examen físico del sistema nervioso central se apreció rigidez nucal ++, Babinsky bilateral, somnolencia, desorientación y Glasgow 13/15. Se le realizó una tomografía axial computadorizada que mostró hipodensidad de ambos tálamos mal definida, en línea media de ambos hemisferios cerebelosos una imagen de similares características y III ventrículo colapsado. Se planteó vasculitis con infartos cerebrales múltiples y posible meningoencefalitis y falleció a los 26 días de ingresada. Los hallazgos anatomopatológicos permitieron el diagnóstico de daño y fallo multiorgánico en paciente que padecía microangiopatía trombótica

Four simple recommendations to encourage best practices in research software [version 1; referees: awaiting peer review]

Scientific research relies on computer software, yet software is not always developed following practices that ensure its quality and sustainability. This manuscript does not aim to propose new software development best practices, but rather to provide simple recommendations that encourage the adoption of existing best practices. Software development best practices promote better quality software, and better quality software improves the reproducibility and reusability of research. These recommendations are designed around Open Source values, and provide practical suggestions that contribute to making research software and its source code more discoverable, reusable and transparent. This manuscript is aimed at developers, but also at organisations, projects, journals and funders that can increase the quality and sustainability of research software by encouraging the adoption of these recommendations. Keyword

Manejo sostenible de suelos en la agricultura cubana

La Estrategia Ambiental, identificó a la degradación de suelos como uno de los cinco problemas ambientales principales de Cuba, basándose en los resultados de más de 30 años de investigación científica sobre la situación de los suelos, bosques, recursos hídricos y calidad de la atmósfera. En éste trabajo se analizan, a partir de la importancia de la conservación y mejoramiento de suelos para la nutrición mineral de las plantas, las principales estratégicas utilizadas por los productores cubanos para resolver los problemas derivados de la aplicación indiscriminada de tecnologías agresivas en nuestros suelos y el déficit de los fertilizantes minerales que se produce por una parte, por los efectos de contaminación que provoca su uso indiscriminado y por otra las dificultades económicas enfrentadas por el país producto de la caída del campo socialista. Se proporcionan elementos sobre el manejo de nutrientes realizadas en la agricultura cubana bajo los principios de la agricultura ecológica y sus principales resultados, destacándose los altos niveles de producción y uso de los abonos orgánicos y biofertilizantes logrados y la cantidad de áreas beneficiadas con la aplicación de medidas temporales y permanentes de conservación de suelos, lo que ha permitido mantener en niveles aceptables la fertilidad de los mismos, producciones con rendimientos satisfactorios, mayor calidad de los productos y una incidencia directa sobre la economía de los productores y sobre el medio ambiente.Summary: The Cuban environmental strategy has identifyed the soils degradation like one of the main five environmental problems of Cuba, based on the results of more than 30 years of scientific research, on the situation of soils, forests, hidric resoures and quality of atmosphere. In this paer it work is analyzed, starting from the importance of the conservation and improvement of soils for the mineral nutrition of the plants, the main strategies used for the Cuban agricultural producers to solve the derived problems from the indiscriminate application of aggressive technologies in our soils and the deficit of the mineral fertilizers that takes place for the effects of contamination caused for its indiscriminate use and on the other hand, for the economic difficulties faced by the country after the collapse of the socialist block. Elements are given, on the management of nutrients carried out in the Cuban agriculture under the principles of the ecological agriculture and their main results, outstanding the high production levels and use achieved from the organic manures and biofertilizantes and the quantity of areas benefitted with the application of temporary and permanent measures of soil conservation, which has allowed to maintain acceptable levels of fertility with satisfactory yields, a better quality of the products and a direct positive incidence on the economy of the farmers and benefits to the the environment

Heterologous Expression, Purification and Immunoreactivity of the Antigen 5 from Polybia paulista Wasp Venom

Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is responsible for a high number of sting accidents and anaphylaxis events in Southeast Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The specific detection of allergy to the venom of this wasp is often hampered by the lack of recombinant allergens currently available for molecular diagnosis. Antigen 5 (~23 kDa) from P. paulista venom (Poly p 5) is a highly abundant and glycosylated allergenic protein that could be used for development of component-resolved diagnosis (CRD). Here, we describe the cloning and heterologous expression of the antigen 5 (rPoly p 5) from P. paulista venom using the eukaryotic system Pichia pastoris. The expression as a secreted protein yielded high levels of soluble rPoly p 5. The recombinant allergen was further purified to homogeneity (99%) using a two-step chromatographic procedure. Simultaneously, the native form of the allergen (nPoly p 5) was purified from the wasp venom by Ion exchange chromatography. The rPoly p 5 and nPoly p 5 were then submitted to a comparative analysis of IgE-mediated immunodetection using sera from patients previously diagnosed with sensitization to wasp venoms. Both rPoly p 5 and nPoly p 5 were recognized by specific IgE (sIgE) in the sera of the allergic individuals. The high levels of identity found between nPoly p 5 and rPoly p 5 by the alignment of its primary sequences as well as by 3-D models support the results obtained in the immunoblot. Overall, we showed that P. pastoris is a suitable system for production of soluble rPoly p 5 and that the recombinant allergen represents a potential candidate for molecular diagnosis of P.paulista venom allergy

Sodium dodecyl sulfate free gel electrophoresis/electroelution sorting for peptide fractionation

Shotgun proteomics based on peptide fractionation by using liquid chromatography has become the common procedure for proteomic studies, although in the very beginning of the field, protein separation by using electrophoresis was the main tool. Nonetheless, during the last two decades, the electrophoretic techniques for peptide mixtures fractionation have evolved as a result of relevant technological improvements. We also proposed the combination of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for protein fractionation and sodium dodecyl sulfate free polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for peptide separation as a novel procedure for proteomic studies. Here, we present an optimized device for sodium dodecyl sulfate free polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis improving peptide recoveries respect to the established electrophoretic technique off gel electrophoresis meanwhile conserving the excellent resolution described for the former technique in slab gel based systems. The device simultaneously allows the separation and the collection of fractionated peptides in solution