Parásitos gastrointestinales de loros habladores silvestres en Chaco, Argentina

Desde su captura hasta el destino final, los loros silvestres experimentan diferentes condiciones durante el transporte, originando así oportunidades de infección y transmisión de enfermedades. Conocer la prevalencia de parásitos en loros habladores silvestres (Amazona aestiva) permitirá un control más eficiente de las parasitosis en aquellos individuos destinados al cautiverio. Además, este trabajo ayudará a determinar qué parásitos son específicos del loro hablador, y cuales son los resultados de infecciones desde otras especies hospedadoras durante el proceso de comercialización. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir los parásitos gastrointestinales de los loros habladores en la región del Impenetrable Chaqueño, en Argentina. Fueron colectadas muestras de heces de 38 pichones y cuatro adultos. También se examinaron cuatro pichones muertos. Un tercio de los nidos inspeccionados (n=21) y un cuarto de los individuos examinados fueron positivos a la presencia de protozoos y helmintos. A nivel individual, Eimeria sp fue el parasito más prevalente (25%), seguido de Isospora sp (5%), Giardia lamblia (5%), Capillaria sp (2%) y Ascaridia sp (2%). Las inspecciones en busca de parásitos en las vísceras de los cuatro pichones hallados muertos por causas naturales, fueron negativas. Como en la mayoría de los estudios con loros silvestres, la prevalencia de parásitos intestinales en el loro hablador fue baja, si se compara con los valores reportados para loros en cautiverio. Debido a que los pichones de este loro son capturados frecuentemente para el tráfico de mascotas, conocer el ensamble de parásitos intestinales y su prevalencia en individuos silvestres, puede ser útil para el tratamiento de pichones destinados al cautiverio.From capture to final destination, wild parrots experience several conditions during transport which enhance/promote chances of infections and transmission of diseases. A better understanding of the prevalence of parasites in wild blue-fronted amazons (Amazona aestiva) will allow a more efficient control of the parasitosis in those individuals destined to captivity. Furthermore, it will be helpful in determining which parasites are specific to the blue-fronted amazons and which are the result of infections from other host species during the commercialization process. The objective of this study was to establish the baseline of gastrointestinal parasites of wild blue-fronted amazons in the Chaco region. We collected fecal samples of 38 nestlings and 4 adults, andexamined four dead nestlings. One-third of examined nests (n=21) and one quarter of the individuals examined were positive for protozoa and helminths. At the individual level, Eimeria sp was the most prevalent (25%), followed by Isospora sp (5%), Giarda lamblia (5%), Capillaria sp (2%) and Ascaridia sp (2%). The tests for parasites in theviscera of the four nestlings found dead from natural causes were negative. As in most wild studies, the prevalence of intestinal parasites in blue-fronted amazons was low, when compared to the parasitic infection levels reported for parrots in captivity. Because the nestlings of this parrot are frequently captured for pet trade, knowledge of theassemblage and prevalence of intestinal parasites of the species in wild individuals can be useful for the treatment of nestlings destined for captivity.Fil: Berkunsky, Igor. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ruggera, Román Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: López, M. S.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Faegre, S. I.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Aramburu, Rosana Mariel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Área Zoología; Argentin

On low-frequency variability of the midlatitude ocean gyres

This paper studies the large-scale low-frequency variability of the wind-driven midlatitude ocean gyres and their western boundary currents, such as the Gulf Stream or Kuroshio, simulated with the eddy-resolving quasi-geostrophic model. We applied empirical orthogonal functions analysis to turbulent flow solutions and statistically extracted robust and significant large-scale decadal variability modes concentrated around the eastward jet extension of the western boundary currents. In order to interpret these statistical modes dynamically, we linearized the governing quasi-geostrophic equations around the time-mean circulation and solved for the corresponding full set of linear eigenmodes with their eigenfrequencies. We then projected the extracted decadal variability on the eigenmodes and found that this variability is a multimodal coherent pattern phenomenon rather than a single mode or a combination of several modes as in the flow regimes preceding developed turbulence.The first two authors are thankful to the Natural Environment Research Council for the support of this work through the grant NE/J006602/1 and the use of ARCHER (the UK National Supercomputing Service). We express our gratitude to S. Burbidge and M. Harvey for their help with Imperial College London cluster, as well as to A. Thomas for his help with managing and maintaining the data storage. The last two authors were supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under grant TIN2013-41049-P, and this support is gratefully acknowledged. We would also like to thank unknown referees for valuable comments and suggestions, which helped us to improve the paper.Shevchenko, IV.; Berloff, PS.; Guerrero López, D.; Román Moltó, JE. (2016). On low-frequency variability of the midlatitude ocean gyres. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 795:423-442. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2016.208S42344279

Abundance and Distribution of Elasmobranchs in NAFO Regulatory Area (Divisions 3MNO) (Elasmobranch Fisheries – Oral)

Recently, the importance of elasmobranch fisheries has increased in the NAFO area due to the collapse of some important stocks like cod or American plaice; species like thorny skate are now one of the main resources in the NAFO Regulatory Area, especially in the Grand Bank. Nevertheless, in Flemish Cap (NAFO Div 3M), despite the weakness of the main stocks, elasmobranchs carry on being a resource without direct fishing that is mainly fished as by-catch. Since 1988 a bottom trawl survey was carried out by the European Community in Flemish Cap waters. Furthermore, since 1995, another trawl survey was also carried out in the Regulatory Area of the Grand Bank (NAFO, Div. 3NO); the goal of these surveys is collecting data for the assessment of the main species but these surveys are also an important source of information on biology and population dynamics of other fish species like elasmobranchs. The aim of this work is to show the present status and the recent changes in biomass of the main elasmobranch species in the areas covered by these surveys, with focus on their relative abundance, their spatial distribution and their size distribution. We have found out that thorny skate, that is the most important elasmobranchs in NAFO area, is widely distributed in both sampling areas without signs of stocks differentiation

Mixotrophic ciliate dynamics in two zones of a temperate and highly turbid estuary in South America, Argentina

La mixotrofía es una estrategia de alimentación por medio de la cual un organismo combina la autotrofia y la heterotrofia. La dinámica estacional de cinco ciliados mixótrofos comúnmente presentes en las aguas superficiales de la zona interna y media del estuario de Bahía Blanca, Argentina, rico en nutrientes, somero y con alta turbidez, se estudió mensualmente desde enero a diciembre de 2009. Se registraron los valores de temperatura, salinidad, turbidez y clorofila a, así como también la abundancia y biomasa de Strombidium capitatum, Strombidium acutum, Cyrtostrombidium sp., Lohmanniella oviformis y Tontonia appendiculariformis. La abundancia más alta de los mixótrofos se registró en el invierno en la zona interna, mientras que en la zona media del estuario la presencia de estos ciliados fue casi nula. La contribución más alta de clorofila proveniente de los mixótrofos a la clorofila a total fue 6% en la zona interna y 23% en la zona media (ambas estimaciones registradas en otoño). La baja abundancia de mixótrofos en la zona media del estuario durante el invierno, como usualmente es observado en otros sistemas costeros, podría ser explicada por una presión de pastoreo elevada en esta zona (control de tipo “top-down”) por parte de mesozooplancton (e.g., copépodos), en comparación con la zona interna. La floración secundaria del fitoplancton observada durante los últimos veranos, dominada por diatomeas de pequeño tamaño y fitoflagelados del nanoplancton, podría haber sustentado la alta abundancia de ciliados mixótrofos que se registró en la zona media en otoño y verano.Mixotrophy is a feeding strategy by which some organisms combine autrotrophic and heterotrophic activities. The seasonal dynamics of the five most common mixotrophic ciliates were studied monthly in surface layers of the inner and middle zone of the Bahía Blanca estuary, a nutrient-rich, shallow and highly turbid environment in Argentina, from January to December 2009. Temperature, salinity, turbidity and chlorophyll a were recorded, as well as the abundance and biomass of Strombidium capitatum, Strombidium acutum, Cyrtostrombidium sp., Lohmanniella oviformis and Tontonia appendiculariformis. The highest mixotrophic ciliate abundance was recorded during the austral winter (June-July) in the inner zone, meanwhile in the middle zone of the estuary the presence of these ciliates was almost null. The highest chlorophyll contribution derived from mixotrophic ciliates to total chlorophyll a ranged from 6% in the inner zone to 23% in the middle zone, both registered in autumn. The low abundance of mixotrophs in the middle zone of the estuary during the winter, as is usually observed in other coastal ecosystems, could be explained through a higher grazing pressure in this zone (top-down control) by mesozooplankton (e.g., copepods) in comparison to the inner zone. The secondary bloom of phytoplankton consistently observed during the last summers dominated by small sized diatoms and nanoplankton phytoflagelates, could have sustained the high abundance of mixotrophic ciliates registered in the middle zone in autumn and summer

Hosts and vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units in the Chagas disease endemic region of the Paraguayan Chaco.

Active Trypanosoma cruzi transmission persists in the Gran Chaco region, which is considered hyperendemic for Chagas disease. Understanding domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles and therefore the relationship between vectors and mammalian hosts is crucial to designing and implementing improved effective control strategies. Here we describe the species of triatomine vectors and the sylvatic mammal reservoirs of T. cruzi, in different localities of the Paraguayan and Bolivian Chaco. We identify the T. cruzi genotypes discrete typing units (DTUs) and provide a map of their geographical distribution. A total of 1044 triatomines and 138 sylvatic mammals were captured. Five per cent of the triatomines were microscopically positive for T. cruzi (55 Triatoma infestans from Paraguay and one sylvatic Triatoma guasayana from Bolivia) and 17 animals (12·3%) comprising eight of 28 (28·5%) Dasypus novemcinctus, four of 27 (14·8%) Euphractus sexcinctus, three of 64 (4·7%) Chaetophractus spp. and two of 14 (14·3%) Didelphis albiventris. The most common DTU infecting domestic triatomine bugs was TcV (64%), followed by TcVI (28%), TcII (6·5%) and TcIII (1·5%). TcIII was overwhelmingly associated with armadillo species. We confirm the primary role of T. infestans in domestic transmission, armadillo species as the principal sylvatic hosts of TcIII, and consider the potential risk of TcIII as an agent of Chagas disease in the Chaco

Primary vs. secondary curved fold axes: Deciphering the origin of the Aït Attab syncline (Moroccan High Atlas) using paleomagnetic data

The Aït Attab syncline, located in the Central High Atlas, displays a curved geometry in plan view, and is considered as one of the most spectacular fold shapes in the Central High Atlasic belt. We conducted a paleomagnetic study in Jurassic-Cretaceous red beds to investigate the origin of this geometry. The Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM) is dominated by a secondary magnetization carried by haematite with unvarying normal polarity that has been dated at about 100 Ma. The regional fold test performed in both limbs of the syncline is positive and the paleomagnetic vectors (after tectonic correction) are parallel throughout the curvature, indicating a negative oroclinal bending test. These results are inconsistent with previous works that consider the bent geometry of this syncline to result from subsequent distortion of originally NE–SW trending structures by rotation about a vertical axis. We interpret the NRM data to demonstrate that the changing trend of the Aït Attab syncline is a primary feature, resulting from the influence of pre-existing, NE–SW and E-W-striking extensional faults that developed during a strike-slip regime. Paleomagnetic results also reveal that the tilting observed in the sampled red beds is post Albian, probably linked to the Cenozoic inversion of the High Atlasic belt

Tectonic fabrics vs. mineralogical artifacts in AMS analysis: A case study of the Western Morocco extensional Triassic basins

New magnetic fabric data from 48 sites in Upper Triassic red beds from the Argana, Asni and Tizi n''Tichka areas in the western High Atlas, in combination with rock magnetic analyses, SEM observations and qualitative chemical analyses, reveal that mineralization processes can affect the primary (extensional) or secondary (post-depositional) magnetic fabrics. Twenty out of the 48 analyzed sites show tectonic-related fabrics consistent with the rifting stage (primary). Their orientation suggests that the extensional Atlasic (for the Asni area) and Atlantic (for Argana area) distinct directions prevailing during Liassic times are already present in the Upper Triassic sediments. The other 28 sites show axes switching (including different possibilities, kmax-kmin or kint-kmin), indicating their secondary development related to mineralogical changes after deposition. However, orientation of magnetic susceptibility axes (without considering their relative value) is consistent with the main directions obtained for the rifting stage. This magnetic fabric study also suggests that (i) extension had a small transtensional component and (ii) there is a limited influence of compressional inversion tectonics

ACORDE a Cosmic Ray Detector for ALICE

ACORDE is one of the ALICE detectors, presently under construction at CERN. It consists of an array of plastic scintillator counters placed on the three upper faces of the ALICE magnet. It will act as a cosmic ray trigger, and, together with other ALICE sub-detectors, will provide precise information on cosmic rays with primary energies around $10^{15} \div 10^{-17}$ eV. Here we describe the design review of ACORDE along with the present status and integration into ALICE.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures. Conference Proceeding of the X Pisa Meeting on Advanced Detectors, to be published in a special issue of Nuclear Instruments and Method

Personality in patients with migraine evaluated with the "Temperament and Character Inventory"

The objective of this study was to assess the personality profile of a sample of Mexican patients with migraine using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). A cross-sectional study was performed including adult migraine patients identified from the outpatient neurology clinics of two large teaching hospitals in Mexico City. Patients were asked to voluntarily participate in the study. A physician conducted a standardised diagnostic interview adhering to the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS). Patients were interviewed and administered the TCI. We used two healthy controls groups and a third group of non-migraine pain controls. One hundred and fortytwo subjects with migraine, 108 healthy blood donors, 269 young healthy controls and 30 patients with non-migraine pain (NMP) were included in the study. Patients with migraine had higher scores in the dimension harm avoidance (HA) and all its sub-dimensions (p<0.05) than healthy patients. Patients with non-migraine pain had high scores in HA and low scores in novelty seeking, self-directedness and cooperativeness. Blood donors had high scores in the following subdimensions: HA1, HA4 and C3 (Cooperativeness). Personality features consistent with migraine are avoidance, rigidity, reserve and obsessivity. Our study shows that patients with chronic pain share some of the personality features of patients with migraine but their TCI profile could be indicative of cluster C avoidant personality. Blood donors were shown to have more energy, with a tendency to help other people and be more optimistic. The results support serotoninergic involvement as explaining the physiopathology of migraine