Técnicas para o processamento de fósseis de Bivalves: Um estudo de caso sobre a formação Corumbataí, Bacia do Paraná, Brasil

The Corumbataí Formation belongs to the Passa Dois Group in Paraná Basin, Brazil, and dates from the end of the Paleozoic Era, more precisely from the (Upper) Permian Period. The Formation’s fossil record is composed mainly of silicified bivalve mollusks embedded in sandstone, which are usually difficult to process and prepare. The present article describes some of the techniques commonly used in fossil processing, and tests their efficacy on fossil bivalves from the Corumbataí Formation. Mechanical and chemical treatments were performed, and the results show that the former are considerably more efficient than the latter.A Formação Corumbataí faz parte do Grupo Passa Dois na Bacia do Paraná e data do final da Era Paleozóica, mais precisamente do Período Permiano (Superior). Seu registro fóssil conta principalmente com moluscos bivalves silicificados e imersos em matrizes de arenito, os quais são de difícil processamento e preparo. Este trabalho descreve algumas das técnicas utilizadas no processamento desses fósseis, testando a eficácia de cada uma no tratamento dos bivalves fósseis da Formação Corumbataí. Tratamentos mecânicos e químicos foram utilizados e os resultados indicam que os primeiros são mais eficientes do que os últimos

Histórico dos estudos sobre a malacofauna fóssil da formação corumbataí, Bacia do Paraná, Brasil

The Corumbataí Formation belongs to the Passa Dois Group in Paraná Basin, Brazil, and dates from the end of the Paleozoic Era, more precisely from the (Upper) Permian Period. The Formation’s fossil record, which is composed mainly of bivalve mollusks, has begun to be studied at the first decades of the 20th century. At first, the research was primarily conducted by foreigner paleontologists; only by the 1940’s Brazilian scientists joined them in the study of the Formation, which was conducted until the beginning of the present decade. Despite the intense research, the study on some topics such as systematics remains incomplete.A Formação Corumbataí é uma das formações que compõem o Grupo Passa Dois na Bacia do Paraná e data do final da Era Paleozóica, mais precisamente do Período Permiano (Superior). Seu registro fóssil é composto principalmente por moluscos bivalves e começou a ser estudado nas primeiras décadas do século XX, no início principalmente por paleontólogos estrangeiros. Somente na década de 1940 cientistas brasileiros começaram a produzir estudos sobre essa Formação e o fizeram até o início da presente década. Apesar da extensa pesquisa, o estudo sobre alguns tópicos, como, por exemplo, sistemática, permanece incompleto

A large accumulation of avian eggs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina) reveals a novel nesting strategy in Mesozoic birds

We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of Mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m2. These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods.Fil: Fernández, Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Rodolfo Andres. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Sede Alto Valle. Instituto de Investigaciones En Paleobiologia y Geologia; ArgentinaFil: Fiorelli, Lucas Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Transferencia Tecnológica de Anillaco; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Jose Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "san Juan Bosco"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Salvador, Rodrigo B.. Universidade de Sao Paulo. Instituto Quã­mica de Sao Carlos; BrasilFil: Cotaro, Carlos N.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Kaiser, Gary W.. Royal British Columbia Museum; CanadáFil: Dyke, Gareth J.. University Of Southampton; Reino Unid

Displays and Photonics Application Group activities

Displays and Photonics Application Group (GDAF) is devoted to design and development of passive and active devices and sensors for their applications in WDM networks, CWDM, POP, and RF over fiber networks using different technologies such as optical fibers, liquid crystals, and integrated optics. The group is also very active in modeling, electrooptical characterization, and addressing electronics of LCDs. In this article we are going to describe the main activities carried out in the group.Publicad

Socio-environmental impacts of non-native and transplanted aquatic mollusc species in South America: What do we really know?

The impacts of biological invasions remain poorly known for some habitats, regions and taxa. To date, there has been no comprehensive effort to review and synthesize the impacts of invasive mollusc species in South America. In this paper, we provide a synoptic view on what is known on documented socio-ecological impacts of aquatic no-native mollusc species (NNMS) and transplanted mollusc species (TMS) from South America. An expert group involving malacologists and taxonomists from different countries, the “South America Alien Molluscs Specialists” (eMIAS), shared and summarized the scientific literature, databases, and published and unpublished information on confirmed impacts of NNMS and TMS in South America. Three broad categories, non-mutually exclusive were used as a framework: “Environmental/Biodiversity impacts”, “Economic and social effects”, and “Human health impacts”. Some 21 NNMS and seven TMS have documented impacts on at least one of those three categories. We encourage targeting the less known areas of research, such as economic valuation of human health (and veterinary) impacts attributable to NNMS or TMS and expand our knowledge of environmental impacts for the species listed in this study.Fil: Carranza, Alvar. Universidad de la República; Uruguay. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Uruguay; UruguayFil: Agudo Padrón, Ignacio. Projeto “avulsos Malacológicos”; BrasilFil: Collado, Gonzalo A.. Universidad del Bio Bio; Chile. Sociedad Malacológica Chile; ChileFil: Damborenea, Maria Cristina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fabres, Alejandra. Sociedad Malacológica Chile; Chile. Universidad Católica de Maule; ChileFil: Gutierrez Gregoric, Diego Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Lodeiros, Cesar. Universidad Técnica de Manabí; Ecuador. Universidad de Oriente; VenezuelaFil: Ludwig, Sandra. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Pastorino, Roberto Santiago Guido. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Penchaszadeh, Pablo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Salvador, Rodrigo B.. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa,; Nueva Zelanda. The Artic University of Norway; NoruegaFil: Spotorno, Paula. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande; BrasilFil: Thiengo, Silvana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Vidigal, Teofania Heloisa Dutra Amorim. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Darrigran, Gustavo Alberto. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División de Zoología Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Efficacy and safety assessment of different dosage of benznidazol for the treatment of Chagas disease in chronic phase in adults (MULTIBENZ study): Study protocol for a multicenter randomized Phase II non-inferiority clinical trial

Background: Chagas disease (CD) continues to be a neglected infectious disease with one of the largest burdens globally. Despite the modest cure rates in adult chronic patients and its safety profile, benznidazole (BNZ) is still the drug of choice. Its current recommended dose is based on nonrandomized studies, and efficacy and safety of the optimal dose of BNZ have been scarcely analyzed in clinical trials.Methods/design: MULTIBENZ is a phase II, randomized, noninferiority, double-blind, multicenter international clinical trial. A total of 240 patients with Trypanosoma CD in the chronic phase will be recruited in four different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Spain). Patients will be randomized to receive BNZ 150 mg/day for 60 days, 400 mg/day for 15 days, or 300 mg/day for 60 days (comparator arm). The primary outcome is the efficacy of three different BNZ therapeutic schemes in terms of dose and duration. Efficacy will be assessed according to the proportion of patients with sustained parasitic load suppression in peripheral blood measured by polymerase chain reaction. The secondary outcomes are related to pharmacokinetics and drug tolerability. The follow-up will be 12 months from randomization to end of study participation. Recruitment was started in April 2018.Conclusion: This is a clinical trial conducted for the assessment of different dose schemes of BNZ compared with the standard treatment regimen for the treatment of CD in the chronic phase. MULTIBENZ may help to clarify which is the most adequate BNZ regimen in terms of efficacy and safety, predicated on sustained parasitic load suppression in peripheral blood.Fil: Molina Morant, D.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Fernández, M. L.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Bosch Nicolau, P.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Sulleiro, E.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Bangher, M.. Instituto de Cardiologia de Corrientes Juana Francisca Cabral.; ArgentinaFil: Salvador, F.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Sanchez Montalva, A.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Ribeiro, A.L.P.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: De Paula, A.M.B.. Universidad Federal de Montes Claros; BrasilFil: Eloi, S.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Oliveira Correa, Ronaldo. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Villar, J. C.. Instituto de Cardiología; ColombiaFil: Sosa-Estani, Sergio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Molina, I.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; Españ

Updating the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for the Spanish Population: The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Proposal

Diet-related risk factors and physical inactivity are among the leading risk factors for disability and are responsible for a large proportion of the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are useful tools for nutrition policies and public health strategies to promote healthier eating and physical activity. In this paper, we discuss the process followed in developing the dietary guidelines for the Spanish population by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) and further explain the collaboration with primary healthcare practitioners as presented in the context of the NUTRIMAD 2018 international congress of SENC. From a health in all policies approach, SENC convened a group of experts in nutrition and public health to review the evidence on diet-health, nutrient intake and food consumption in the Spanish population, as well as food preparation, determinants and impact of diet on environmental sustainability. The collaborative group drafted the document and designed the graphic icon, which was then subject to a consultation process, discussion, and qualitative evaluation. Next, a collaborative group was established to plan a dissemination strategy, involving delegates from all the primary healthcare scientific societies in Spain. A product of this collaboration was the release of an attractive, easy-to-understand publication

Country-level gender inequality is associated with structural differences in the brains of women and men

男女間の不平等と脳の性差 --男女間の不平等は脳構造の性差と関連する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-05-10.Gender inequality across the world has been associated with a higher risk to mental health problems and lower academic achievement in women compared to men. We also know that the brain is shaped by nurturing and adverse socio-environmental experiences. Therefore, unequal exposure to harsher conditions for women compared to men in gender-unequal countries might be reflected in differences in their brain structure, and this could be the neural mechanism partly explaining women’s worse outcomes in gender-unequal countries. We examined this through a random-effects meta-analysis on cortical thickness and surface area differences between adult healthy men and women, including a meta-regression in which country-level gender inequality acted as an explanatory variable for the observed differences. A total of 139 samples from 29 different countries, totaling 7, 876 MRI scans, were included. Thickness of the right hemisphere, and particularly the right caudal anterior cingulate, right medial orbitofrontal, and left lateral occipital cortex, presented no differences or even thicker regional cortices in women compared to men in gender-equal countries, reversing to thinner cortices in countries with greater gender inequality. These results point to the potentially hazardous effect of gender inequality on women’s brains and provide initial evidence for neuroscience-informed policies for gender equality