Determination of pulsation periods and other parameters of 2875 stars classified as MIRA in the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS)

We have developed an interactive PYTHON code and derived crucial ephemeris data of 99.4% of all stars classified as 'Mira' in the ASAS data base, referring to pulsation periods, mean maximum magnitudes and, whenever possible, the amplitudes among others. We present a statistical comparison between our results and those given by the AAVSO International Variable Star Index (VSX), as well as those determined with the machine learning automatic procedure of Richards et al. 2012. Our periods are in good agreement with those of the VSX in more than 95% of the stars. However, when comparing our periods with those of Richards et al, the coincidence rate is only 76% and most of the remaining cases refer to aliases. We conclude that automatic codes require still more refinements in order to provide reliable period values. Period distributions of the target stars show three local maxima around 215, 275 and 330 d, apparently of universal validity, their relative strength seems to depend on galactic longitude. Our visual amplitude distribution turns out to be bimodal, however 1/3 of the targets have rather small amplitudes (A $<$ 2.5$^{m}$) and could refer to semi-regular variables (SR). We estimate that about 20% of our targets belong to the SR class. We also provide a list of 63 candidates for period variations and a sample of 35 multiperiodic stars which seem to confirm the universal validity of typical sequences in the double period and in the Petersen diagramsComment: 14 pages, 14 figures, and 8 tables. Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, September 201

BODYWAY: ESTEREOTIPOS DE BELLEZA EN LA ESCUELA; INCIDENCIA DE LOS MEDIOS Y REPERCUSIÓN EN LOS CONTEXTOS

Desde los planteamientos de la investigación como estrategia pedagógica (IEP) de Mejía y Manjarrés (2012) se enmarcan múltiples análisis para efecto de la organización de nuevos proyectos curriculares de ciencias en general y de la enseñanza de la química en particular; a partir de lo cual se pretenden aportar al fortalecimiento y flexibilidad de la enseñanza de las ciencias desde una perspectiva investigativa en el marco de la educación en ciencias para la sustentabilidad, que permita la relación de elementos que caracterizan la dimensión y complejidad química en los distintos ambientes de formación, mediante la inclusión de aspectos de relevancia, en pro de generar y desarrollar procesos más consecuentes relacionados con el contexto social, y cultural de los estudiantes. Partiendo de lo anterior en el espacio del CLUB DE CIENCIAS DECONSTRUYENDO CONOCIMIENTO AMBIENTAL, se plantea como forma de mejorar los procesos de enseñanza, la relacion de los aspectos teoricos con las problematicas de la vida diaria, esto mediante la autoreflexion por parte de quienes participan en las situaciones sociales de enseñanza, con el fin de mejorar la racionalidad sus propias practicas educativas y su comprension sobre las mismas, ademas de una construccion social desde las diversas situaciones en las instituciones en que estas practicas se realizan. A partir de lo anterior se procedió a diseñar una propuesta metodológica de para realizar una investigación que permite evidenciar la incidencia que tienen los medios de comunicación masivos en los estereotipos de belleza que poseen las personas, y a su vez como se ven permeados mediante los procesos formativos y la edad de los individuos

Hallazgos hematológicos en perros y gatos en Lima, Perú

The aim of this study was to conduct a haematological evaluation of dogs and cats in Lima, Peru. A total of 460 blood samples (410 dogs and 50 cats) were collected between December 2017 and May 2018. The smears were stained with Wright and the reticulocytes were stained with Brilliant cresyl blue. Descriptive statistics were performed for quantitative variables in the erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid series, as well as the frequency analysis of qualitative variables between species indicator of type of anaemia and leukaemia, ability of medullary regeneration, abnormal morphological changes, out of physiological range and presence of extra and intracellular microorganisms. The most frequent alterations were normochromic normocytic anaemia (23.2% dog, 10% cat), megaloblastic anaemia (5.1% dog), severe hypochromic microcytic anaemia (4% cat), neutrophilic chronic myeloid leukaemia (7.1% dog, 8% cat), monocytosis with cytoplasmic vacuolization in monocytes (4.9% dog), severe thrombocytosis with platelet aggregates (6% cat), polychromatophilia (6.3% dog), dacrocytes (54.4% dog, 64% cat), acanthocytes (11.7% dog, 40% cat) , macrocytes (14.6% dog, 6% cat), small leukocytes (10% dog, 6% cat), Cytauxzoon felis (20% cat), Anaplasma spp (0.2% dog) and Mycoplasma spp (2% dog, 20% cat). Only significant differences were observed between sexes in total platelets (p=0.0087) and eosinophils (p=0.0260) being greater in male dogs. It is concluded that the prevalence of C. felis in the cats studied is relatively low and there is a risk of zoonosis of Anaplasma spp and Mycoplasma spp in the owners of affected animals in Lima, Perú.El objetivo del estudio fue realizar una evaluación hematológica a perros y gatos en Lima, Perú. Se colectaron 460 muestras de sangre (410 perros y 50 gatos) entre diciembre de 2017 y mayo de 2018. Los frotis se colorearon con Wright y las láminas de reticulocitos con Azul de cresil brillante. Se realizó estadística descriptiva para variables cuantitativas en las series eritroide, mieloide y linfoide, así como el análisis de frecuencias de variables cualitativas entre especies indicadoras de tipo de anemia y leucemia, capacidad de regeneración medular, cambios morfológicos anormales, salida de rango fisiológico y presencia de microorganismos extra e intracelular. Predominaron la anemia normocítica normocrómica (23.2% perro, 10% gato), anemia megaloblástica (5.1% perro), anemia severa microcítica hipocrómica (4% gato), leucemia mieloide crónica de neutrófilos (7.1% perro, 8% gato), monocitosis con vacuolización citoplasmática en monocitos (4.9% perro), trombocitosis severa con agregados plaquetarios (6% gato), policromatofilia (6.3% perro), los dacriocitos (54.4% perro, 64% gato), acantocitos (11.7% perro, 40% gato), macrocitos (14.6% perro, 6% gato), leucocitos pequeños (10% perro, 6% gato), Cytauxzoon felis (20% gato), Anaplasma spp (0.2% perro) y Mycoplasma spp (2% perro, 20% gato). Solo se evidenciaron diferencias significativas entre sexos en las plaquetas totales (p=0.0087) y los eosinófilos (p=0.0260) siendo mayor en perros machos. Se concluye que la prevalencia de C. felis en los gatos estudiados es relativamente baja y existe un riesgo de zoonosis de Anaplasma spp y Mycoplasma spp en los propietarios de animales afectados en Lima, Perú. &nbsp

Bacterial Toxicity of Potassium Tellurite: Unveiling an Ancient Enigma

Biochemical, genetic, enzymatic and molecular approaches were used to demonstrate, for the first time, that tellurite (TeO(3) (2−)) toxicity in E. coli involves superoxide formation. This radical is derived, at least in part, from enzymatic TeO(3) (2−) reduction. This conclusion is supported by the following observations made in K(2)TeO(3)-treated E. coli BW25113: i) induction of the ibpA gene encoding for the small heat shock protein IbpA, which has been associated with resistance to superoxide, ii) increase of cytoplasmic reactive oxygen species (ROS) as determined with ROS-specific probe 2′7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H(2)DCFDA), iii) increase of carbonyl content in cellular proteins, iv) increase in the generation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs), v) inactivation of oxidative stress-sensitive [Fe-S] enzymes such as aconitase, vi) increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, vii) increase of sodA, sodB and soxS mRNA transcription, and viii) generation of superoxide radical during in vitro enzymatic reduction of potassium tellurite

Diagnóstico sobre el estado y vigencia de los derechos humanos en el sur de Jalisco: DESCA, seguridad pública y participación ciudadana

Los trabajos que se presentan en este diagnóstico versan sobre la situación de los derechos económicos, sociales, culturales y ambientales del Sur de Jalisco. Para realizarlo se hizo el diseño de un cuestionario de 131 reactivos, el cual se aplicó en población abierta de 16 municipios de la región durante un periodo de siete meses. La investigación arrojó información valiosa para medir el cumplimiento de los derechos en cinco dimensiones: capacidades humanas básicas; sustentabilidad y medio ambiente; autonomía, participación ciudadana y gobierno local; seguridad pública y sistema de justicia, así como una dimensión sociocultural (discriminación, género y cultura). Una vez que se obtuvo toda la información, se hizo el análisis de las cinco dimensiones y se redactaron cinco textos de divulgación, los cuales constituyen la parte medular de este diagnóstico.ITESO, A.C.John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundatio

Izaña Atmospheric Research Center. Activity Report 2019-2020

Editors: Emilio Cuevas, Celia Milford and Oksana Tarasova.[EN]The Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (IARC), which is part of the State Meteorological Agency of Spain (AEMET), is a site of excellence in atmospheric science. It manages four observatories in Tenerife including the high altitude Izaña Atmospheric Observatory. The Izaña Atmospheric Observatory was inaugurated in 1916 and since that date has carried out uninterrupted meteorological and climatological observations, contributing towards a unique 100-year record in 2016. This reports are a summary of the many activities at the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center to the broader community. The combination of operational activities, research and development in state-of-the-art measurement techniques, calibration and validation and international cooperation encompass the vision of WMO to provide world leadership in expertise and international cooperation in weather, climate, hydrology and related environmental issues.[ES]El Centro de Investigación Atmosférica de Izaña (CIAI), que forma parte de la Agencia Estatal de Meteorología de España (AEMET), representa un centro de excelencia en ciencias atmosféricas. Gestiona cuatro observatorios en Tenerife, incluido el Observatorio de Izaña de gran altitud, inaugurado en 1916 y que desde entonces ha realizado observaciones meteorológicas y climatológicas ininterrumpidas y se ha convertido en una estación centenaria de la OMM. Estos informes resumen las múltiples actividades llevadas a cabo por el Centro de Investigación Atmosférica de Izaña. El liderazgo del Centro en materia de investigación y desarrollo con respecto a las técnicas de medición, calibración y validación de última generación, así como la cooperación internacional, le han otorgado una reputación sobresaliente en lo que se refiere al tiempo, el clima, la hidrología y otros temas ambientales afines

Immunoglobulin, glucocorticoid, or combination therapy for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: a propensity-weighted cohort study

Background: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a hyperinflammatory condition associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, has emerged as a serious illness in children worldwide. Immunoglobulin or glucocorticoids, or both, are currently recommended treatments. Methods: The Best Available Treatment Study evaluated immunomodulatory treatments for MIS-C in an international observational cohort. Analysis of the first 614 patients was previously reported. In this propensity-weighted cohort study, clinical and outcome data from children with suspected or proven MIS-C were collected onto a web-based Research Electronic Data Capture database. After excluding neonates and incomplete or duplicate records, inverse probability weighting was used to compare primary treatments with intravenous immunoglobulin, intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, or glucocorticoids alone, using intravenous immunoglobulin as the reference treatment. Primary outcomes were a composite of inotropic or ventilator support from the second day after treatment initiation, or death, and time to improvement on an ordinal clinical severity scale. Secondary outcomes included treatment escalation, clinical deterioration, fever, and coronary artery aneurysm occurrence and resolution. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN69546370. Findings: We enrolled 2101 children (aged 0 months to 19 years) with clinically diagnosed MIS-C from 39 countries between June 14, 2020, and April 25, 2022, and, following exclusions, 2009 patients were included for analysis (median age 8·0 years [IQR 4·2–11·4], 1191 [59·3%] male and 818 [40·7%] female, and 825 [41·1%] White). 680 (33·8%) patients received primary treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, 698 (34·7%) with intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, 487 (24·2%) with glucocorticoids alone; 59 (2·9%) patients received other combinations, including biologicals, and 85 (4·2%) patients received no immunomodulators. There were no significant differences between treatments for primary outcomes for the 1586 patients with complete baseline and outcome data that were considered for primary analysis. Adjusted odds ratios for ventilation, inotropic support, or death were 1·09 (95% CI 0·75–1·58; corrected p value=1·00) for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids and 0·93 (0·58–1·47; corrected p value=1·00) for glucocorticoids alone, versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Adjusted average hazard ratios for time to improvement were 1·04 (95% CI 0·91–1·20; corrected p value=1·00) for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, and 0·84 (0·70–1·00; corrected p value=0·22) for glucocorticoids alone, versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Treatment escalation was less frequent for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids (OR 0·15 [95% CI 0·11–0·20]; p<0·0001) and glucocorticoids alone (0·68 [0·50–0·93]; p=0·014) versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Persistent fever (from day 2 onward) was less common with intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids compared with either intravenous immunoglobulin alone (OR 0·50 [95% CI 0·38–0·67]; p<0·0001) or glucocorticoids alone (0·63 [0·45–0·88]; p=0·0058). Coronary artery aneurysm occurrence and resolution did not differ significantly between treatment groups. Interpretation: Recovery rates, including occurrence and resolution of coronary artery aneurysms, were similar for primary treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin when compared to glucocorticoids or intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids. Initial treatment with glucocorticoids appears to be a safe alternative to immunoglobulin or combined therapy, and might be advantageous in view of the cost and limited availability of intravenous immunoglobulin in many countries. Funding: Imperial College London, the European Union's Horizon 2020, Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Foundation, UK National Institute for Health and Care Research, and National Institutes of Health

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London