On extending actions of groups

Problems of dense and closed extension of actions of compact transformation groups are solved. The method developed in the paper is applied to problems of extension of equivariant maps and of construction of equivariant compactifications

Groundwater-dependent ecosystems: Recent insights from satellite and field-based studies

© 2015 Author(s). Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are at risk globally due to unsustainable levels of groundwater extraction, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In this review, we examine recent developments in the ecohydrology of GDEs with a focus on three knowledge gaps: (1) how do we locate GDEs, (2) how much water is transpired from shallow aquifers by GDEs and (3) what are the responses of GDEs to excessive groundwater extraction? The answers to these questions will determine water allocations that are required to sustain functioning of GDEs and to guide regulations on groundwater extraction to avoid negative impacts on GDEs. We discuss three methods for identifying GDEs: (1) techniques relying on remotely sensed information; (2) fluctuations in depth-to-groundwater that are associated with diurnal variations in transpiration; and (3) stable isotope analysis of water sources in the transpiration stream. We then discuss several methods for estimating rates of GW use, including direct measurement using sapflux or eddy covariance technologies, estimation of a climate wetness index within a Budyko framework, spatial distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) using remote sensing, groundwater modelling and stable isotopes. Remote sensing methods often rely on direct measurements to calibrate the relationship between vegetation indices and ET. ET from GDEs is also determined using hydrologic models of varying complexity, from the White method to fully coupled, variable saturation models. Combinations of methods are typically employed to obtain clearer insight into the components of groundwater discharge in GDEs, such as the proportional importance of transpiration versus evaporation (e.g. using stable isotopes) or from groundwater versus rainwater sources. Groundwater extraction can have severe consequences for the structure and function of GDEs. In the most extreme cases, phreatophytes experience crown dieback and death following groundwater drawdown.We provide a brief review of two case studies of the impacts of GW extraction and then provide an ecosystem-scale, multiple trait, integrated metric of the impact of differences in groundwater depth on the structure and function of eucalypt forests growing along a natural gradient in depth-to-groundwater. We conclude with a discussion of a depth-to-groundwater threshold in this mesic GDE. Beyond this threshold, significant changes occur in ecosystem structure and function

Cute hypotensor effect of the vascular occlusion exercise on elderly adults

Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la respuesta cardíaca aguda después de realizar una sesión de ejercicio con oclusión vascular en adultos mayores (AM). Sujetos y método: 22 participantes voluntarios, fueron sometidos al protocolo experimental de ejercicio dinámico de prensión manual con un 30% de presión de oclusión (PO), después de registrar los valores basales y en reposo de presión arterial sistólica (PAS), presión arterial diastólica (PAD) y frecuencia cardíaca (FC). Evaluadas en condiciones basales y entre los 5 y 30 minutos post-oclusión. Resultados: Al finalizar el protocolo se observó una reducción significativa en la PAS y FC a los 15’, 20’ y 25’ (p<0,05) y para la PAD a los 10’ y 20’ (p<0,05). Conclusión: El efecto agudo del ejercicio con oclusión vascular genera una reducción significativa de PAS, PAD y FC hasta 25 minutos post-oclusión, en los AM analizadosThe objective of this study was to evaluate the acute cardiac response after performing an exercise session with vascular occlusion in elderly adults (EA). Twenty-two volunteer participants underwent the experimental protocol of dynamic manual grip exercise with 30% occlusion pressure (OP), after recording the baseline values and resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR). All measures were taken in basal conditions and between 5 and 30 minutes’ post-occlusion. At the end of the protocol, there was a significant reduction in SBP and HR at 15 ', 20' and 25 '(p <0.05) and for DBP at 10' and 20 '(p <0.05).). The acute effect of exercise with vascular occlusion generates a significant reduction of SBP, Basal Diastolic Pressure (BDP) and HR up to 25 minutes’ post-occlusion, in the EA analyze

The Dark Matter Density in the Solar Neighborhood reconsidered

Both the gas flaring and the dip in the rotation curve, which was recently reconfirmed with precise measurements using the VERA VLBI array in Japan, suggest doughnut-like substructure in the dark matter (DM) halo. A global fit to all available data shows that the data are indeed best described by an NFW DM profile complemented by two doughnut-like DM substructures with radii of 4.2 and 12.4 kpc, which coincide with the local dust ring and the Monocerus ring of stars, respectively. Both regions have been suggested as regions with tidal streams from "shredded" satellites. If real, the radial extensions of these nearby ringlike structures enhance the local dark matter density by a factor of four to about 1.3$\pm0.3$ GeV/cm$^3$. It is shown that i) this higher DM density is perfectly consistent with the local gravitational potential determining the surface density and the local matter density (Oort limit), ii) previous determinations of the surface density were biased by the assumption of a smoothly varying DM halo and iii) the s-shaped gas flaring is explained. Such a possible enhancement of the local DM density is of great interest for direct DM searches and would change the directional dependence for indirect DM searches.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, extended version, accepted for publication in JCA

Transpiration of Eucalyptus woodlands across a natural gradient of depth-to-groundwater

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]. Water resources and their management present social, economic and environmental challenges, with demand for human consumptive, industrial and environmental uses increasing globally. However, environmental water requirements, that is, the allocation of water to the maintenance of ecosystem health, are often neglected or poorly quantified. Further, transpiration by trees is commonly a major determinant of the hydrological balance of woodlands but recognition of the role of groundwater in hydrological balances of woodlands remains inadequate, particularly in mesic climates. In this study, we measured rates of tree water-use and sapwood 13C isotopic ratio in a mesic, temperate Eucalypt woodland along a naturally occurring gradient of depth-to-groundwater (DGW), to examine daily, seasonal and annual patterns of transpiration. We found that: (i) the maximum rate of stand transpiration was observed at the second shallowest site (4.3 m) rather than the shallowest (2.4 m); (ii) as DGW increased from 4.3 to 37.5 m, stand transpiration declined; (iii) the smallest rate of stand transpiration was observed at the deepest (37.5 m) site; (iv) intrinsic water-use efficiency was smallest at the two intermediate DGW sites as reflected in the Δ13C of the most recently formed sapwood and largest at the deepest and shallowest DGW sites, reflecting the imposition of flooding at the shallowest site and the inaccessibility of groundwater at the deepest site; and (v) there was no evidence of convergence in rates of water-use for co-occurring species at any site. We conclude that even in mesic environments groundwater can be utilized by trees. We further conclude that these forests are facultatively groundwater-dependent when groundwater depth is <9 m and suggest that during drier-than-average years the contribution of groundwater to stand transpiration is likely to increase significantly at the three shallowest DGW sites

Data from: Children with type 1 diabetes who experienced a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis

Manuscript abstract: Importance: Landmark studies showed that partial clinical remission in new-onset type 1 diabetes is associated with reduced prevalence of long-term complications, but early clinical indicators of this favorable outcome are poorly characterized. Aim: To determine if there were any differences in lipid parameters, especially LDL-cholesterol, between remitters and non-remitters 4 to 5 years after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes after controlling for hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, and pubertal status. Subjects and Methods: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study of 123 subjects of mean age 11.9 ± 2.9 years, [male 11.7 ± 2.9 years, (n=55); female 12.0 ± 2.9 years, (n=68), p=0.60] with type 1 diabetes of 4-5 years duration. Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the 4th or 5th year after diagnosis in line with the American Diabetes Association recommendation to initiate screening for complications in children either at the beginning of puberty or 4-5 years after diagnosis. Puberty was defined by Tanner stages II-V. Partial clinical remission was defined by the gold-standard insulin-dose adjusted hemoglobin A1c (IDAA1c) of ≤9. Results: There were 44 (35.8%) remitters (age 13.0 ± 2.5y; male 52.3%). Both the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in remitters compared to non-remitters: LDL-C: 78.8 ± 28.7 mg/dL vs. 91.6 ± 26.5 mg/dL, p=0.023; and total cholesterol: 151.5 ± 32.6 mg/dL vs. 167.0 ± 29.6 mg/dL, p=0.015. Other lipid fractions were similar between the groups. There were no differences between the groups for glycemic control, body mass index z score, thyroid function, celiac disease occurrence, or vitamin D status. Though a greater number of remitters were in puberty compared to non-remitters (86.4% vs. 60.8%, p=0.006), LDL-C concentration was similar in prepubertal remitters vs. non-remitters (p=0.93), but was significantly lower in remitters in puberty compared to non-remitters in puberty (p=0.018) after adjusting for age and duration of diabetes. Conclusions: Children with type 1 diabetes who underwent a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis regardless of their age, glycemic control, adiposity, or pubertal status. This early divergence in lipidemia may explain the dichotomy in the prevalence of long-term complication in type 1 diabetes between remitters and non-remitters. It also offers a pathway for targeted lipid monitoring in type 1 diabetes, by establishing non-remission as a non-modifiable risk factor for vascular complication in type 1 diabetes

Children with type 1 diabetes who experienced a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis

IMPORTANCE: Landmark studies showed that partial clinical remission in new-onset type 1 diabetes is associated with reduced prevalence of long-term complications, but early clinical indicators of this favorable outcome are poorly characterized. AIM: To determine if there were any differences in lipid parameters, especially LDL-cholesterol, between remitters and non-remitters 4 to 5 years after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes after controlling for hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, and pubertal status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study of 123 subjects of mean age 11.9 +/- 2.9 years, [male 11.7 +/- 2.9 years, (n = 55); female 12.0 +/- 2.9 years, (n = 68), p = 0.60] with type 1 diabetes of 4-5 years duration. Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the 4th or 5th year after diagnosis in line with the American Diabetes Association recommendation to initiate screening for complications in children either at the beginning of puberty or 4-5 years after diagnosis. Puberty was defined by Tanner stages II-V. Partial clinical remission was defined by the gold-standard insulin-dose adjusted hemoglobin A1c (IDAA1c) of \u3c /=9. RESULTS: There were 44 (35.8%) remitters (age 13.0 +/- 2.5y; male 52.3%). Both the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in remitters compared to non-remitters: LDL-C: 78.8 +/- 28.7 mg/dL vs. 91.6 +/- 26.5 mg/dL, p = 0.023; and total cholesterol: 151.5 +/- 32.6 mg/dL vs. 167.0 +/- 29.6 mg/dL, p = 0.015. Other lipid fractions were similar between the groups. There were no differences between the groups for glycemic control, body mass index z score, thyroid function, celiac disease occurrence, or vitamin D status. A greater number of remitters were in puberty compared to non-remitters (86.4% vs. 60.8%, p = 0.006). LDL-C concentration was similar in prepubertal remitters vs. non-remitters (p = 0.93), but was significantly lower in remitters in puberty compared to non-remitters in puberty (p = 0.018) after adjusting for age and duration of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Children with type 1 diabetes who underwent a honeymoon phase had significantly lower LDL cholesterol 5 years after diagnosis. This early divergence in lipidemia may explain the dichotomy in the prevalence of long-term complication in type 1 diabetes between remitters and non-remitters. It also offers a pathway for targeted lipid monitoring in type 1 diabetes, by establishing non-remission as a non-modifiable risk factor for vascular complication in type 1 diabetes

Alternative Fermented Soy-Based Beverage: Impact of Inulin on the Growth of Probiotic Strains and Starter Culture

The number of people with dietary restrictions on dairy products has increased significantly due to lactose intolerance/allergy or adoption of vegan diets. Organic acid-producing probiotics have been used in fermented beverages, such as those based on soy, with good results. Such molecules have in fact been described for their role in sensory analyses and benefits to human health. Therefore, this study suggested the evaluation of an alternative soy extract-based beverage that could act as a functional food. For this purpose, products and biomass concentrations were monitored throughout soy extract fermentation through acidification kinetics and cell count. The effect of inulin on the growth of the probiotic strains Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus acidophilus in co-culture with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus was evaluated (technical replicates). It was observed that the addition of inulin reduced the time of fermentation by L. acidophilus, while no statistically significant effect was observed in the post-acidification period. In B. longum fermentation, the process did not change in the presence of inulin, but there was a significant increase in viability and survival in the post-acidification period. Therefore, it can be concluded that the strains studied can be used in the formulation of soy-based drinks and that inulin positively influenced the viability of both probiotics in fermented drinks teste