First data on Balna Cameron hosts and new synonymy for Balna sinuosa Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010 (Hym., Figitidae: Aspicerinae)

En este estudio se exponen los primeros huéspedes conocidos para el género Balna Cameron, 1883. Se caracterizan por primera vez los machos de B. variabilis Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010. Balna sinuosa Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010 se sinonimiza con B. variabilis Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010. Se aportan los caracteres diagnósticos para diferenciar B. variabilis y se comenta la variabilidad morfológica de esta especie.This study presents the first known host for the genus Balna Cameron, 1883. Males of B. variabilis Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010 and B. nigriceps Cameron, 1883 are characterized for the first time. Balna sinuosa Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010 is considered a new synonymy of B. variabilis Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar, 2010. Diagnostic characters to differentiate B. variabilis are given and the morphological variability of B. variabilis is discussed

Multiplexed-shotgun-genotyping data resolve phylogeny within a very recently derived insular lineage

Premise of the study: Endemic plants on oceanic islands have long served as model systems for studying patterns and processes of evolution. However, phylogenetic studies of island plants frequently illustrate a decoupling of molecular divergence and ecological/morphological diversity, resulting in phylogenies lacking the resolution required to interpret patterns of evolution in a phylogenetic context. The current study uses the primarily Macaronesian fl owering plant genus Tolpis to illustrate the utility of multiplexed shotgun genotyping (MSG) for resolving relationships at relatively deep (among archipelagos) and very shallow (within archipelagos) nodes in this small, yet diverse insular plant lineage that had not been resolved with other molecular markers. • Methods: Genomic libraries for 27 accessions of Macaronesian Tolpis were generated for genotyping individuals using MSG, a form of reduced-representation sequencing, similar to restriction-site-associated DNA markers (RADseq). The resulting data fi les were processed using the program pyRAD, which clusters MSG loci within and between samples. Phylogenetic analyses of the aligned data matrix were conducted using RAxML. • Key results: Analysis of MSG data recovered a highly resolved phylogeny with generally strong support, including the fi rst robust inference of relationships within the highly diverse Canary Island clade of Tolpis . • Conclusions: The current study illustrates the utility of MSG data for resolving relationships in lineages that have undergone recent, rapid diversifi cation resulting in extensive ecological and morphological diversity. We suggest that a similar approach may prove generally useful for other rapid plant radiations where resolving phylogeny has been diffi cult.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The potential role of hybridization in diversification and speciation in an insular plant lineage: insights from synthetic interspecific hybrids

Hybridization is recognized as an important process in plant evolution, and this may be particularly true for island plants where several biotic and abiotic factors facilitate interspecific hybridization. Although rarely done, experimental studies could provide insights into the potential of natural hybridization to generate diversity when species come into contact in the dynamic island setting. The potential of hybridization to generate morphological variation was analysed within and among 12 families (inbred lines) of an F4 hybrid generation between two species of Tolpis endemic to the Canary Islands. Combinations of characters not seen in the parents were present in hybrids. Several floral and vegetative characters were transgressive relative to their parents. Morphometric studies of floral, vegetative and fruit characters revealed that several F4 families were phenotypically distinct from other families, and from their parents. The study demonstrates that morphologically distinct pollen-fertile lines, potentially worthy of taxonomic recognition if occurring in nature, can be generated in four generations. The ability of the hybrid lines to set self-seed would reduce gene flow among the lines, and among the hybrids and their parental species. Selfing would also facilitate the fixation of characters within each of the lines. Overall, the results show the considerable potential of hybridization for generating diversity and distinct phenotypes in island lineages

Hypoalbuminemia and advanced age are risk factors for delayed gastric emptying after pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background:delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is one of the most common complications after pancreatoduodenectomy. It could be related to some baseline patient-related characteristics. This study aims to assess the predictive factors associated to DGE in the cohort of patients included in the PAUDA clinical trial. Methods:this study was a retrospective analysis based on the 80 patients included in a randomized clinical trial conducted and published by our group. A descriptive analysis and a bivariate regression model were carried out. Some factors were further scrutinized for associations using the Pearson correlation coefficient and, finally, a multiple regression model using a stepwise selection of variables was conducted. Results:DGE was diagnosed in 36 (45 %) out of 80 patients (DGE group). The number of patients older than 60 years old in the DGE group was greater than in the group without DGE (32 vs 28 patients, p = 0.009]). Likewise, the number of patients with a preoperative albumin 200 & mu;mol/L (14 vs 8 patients, p = 0.039); postoperative haemorrhage (7 vs 1 patients, p = 0.011); postoperative intraabdominal abscess (12 vs 5 patients, p = 0.017); and postoperative biliary fistula (5 vs 0 patients, p = 0.011), was also greater in the DGE group. Two risk factors were associated with DGE: the patient's age at the time of surgery and preoperative hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin concentration & LE; 35g/L). Conclusions:the patient's age at the time of surgery and the preoperative nutritional status are independent risk factors to the development of DGE after pancreatoduodenectomy

Diversification of Aeonium Species Across Macaronesian Archipelagos: Correlations Between Genome-Size Variation and Their Conservation Status

The rich endemic flora of the Macaronesian Islands places these oceanic archipelagos among the top biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The radiations that have determined the evolution of many of these insular lineages resulted in a wealth of endemic species, many of which occur in a wide range of ecological niches, but show small distribution areas in each of them. Aeonium (Crassulaceae) is the most speciose lineage in the Canary Islands (ca. 40 taxa), and as such can be considered a good model system to understand the diversification dynamics of oceanic endemic floras. The present study aims to assess the genome size variation within Aeonium distribution, i.e., the Macaronesian archipelagos of Madeira, Canaries and Cabo Verde, and analyse it together with information on distribution (i.e., geography and conservation status), taxonomy (i.e., sections), morphological traits (i.e., growth-form), geological data (i.e., island’s geological age), and environmental variables (i.e., altitude, annual mean temperature, and precipitation). Based on extensive fieldwork, a cytogeographic screening of 24 Aeonium species was performed. The conservation status of these species was assessed based on IUCN criteria. 61% of the taxa were found to be threatened (4% Endangered and 57% Vulnerable). For the first time, the genome size of a comprehensive sample of Aeonium across the Macaronesian archipelagos was estimated, and considerable differences in Cx-values were found, ranging from0.984 pg (A. dodrantale) to 2.768 pg (A. gorgoneum). An overall positive correlation between genome size and conservation status was found, with the more endangered species having the larger genomes on average. However, only slight relationships were found between genome size, morphological traits, and environmental variables. These results underscore the importance of characterizing the cytogenomic diversity and conservation status of endemic plants found in Macaronesian Islands, providing, therefore, new data to establish conservation priorities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Conservation of oceanic island floras: Present and future global challenges

Currentthreatstotheplanet’sbiodiversityareunprecedented,andtheyparticularlyimperilinsular floras.Inthisinvestigation,weusethethreatfactorsidentifiedbytheMillenniumEcosystem Assessmentasthemaindriversofbiodiversitylossonislandstodefineandrank13current,continuing threatstotheplantdiversityofninefocalarchipelagoswherevolcanicorigin(orintheSeychellesa prolongedisolationafteracontinentalorigin)hasproducedahighdegreeofendemicityandfragilityin the faceofhabitatalteration.Wealsoconductaglobalendangermentassessmentbasedonthe numbersofinsularendemicplantsintheendangered(EN)andcriticallyendangered(CR)IUCN categoriesfor53islandgroupswithanestimated9951endemicplantspecies,providinga representativesampleoftheworld’sinsularsystemsandtheirfloristicrichness.Ouranalysesindicate that isolationdoesnotsignificantlyinfluenceendangerment,butplantendemicsfromverysmall islandsaremoreoftencriticallyendangered.Weestimatethatbetween3500and6800oftheestimated 70,000 insularendemicplantspeciesworldwidemightbehighlythreatened(CR+EN)andbetweenca. 2000 and2800ofthemincriticaldangerofextinction(CR).Basedontheseanalyses,andona worldwideliteraturereviewofthebiologicalthreatfactorsconsidered,weidentifychallenging questionsforconservationresearch,asking(i)whatarethemosturgentprioritiesfortheconservation of insularspeciesandfloras,and(ii)withtheknowledgeandassetsavailable,howcanweimprovethe impactofconservationscienceandpracticeonthepreservationofislandbiodiversity?Ouranalysis indicatesthatthesynergisticactionofmanythreatfactorscaninducemajorecologicaldisturbances, leadingtomultipleextinctions.Wereviewweaknessesandstrengthsinconservationresearchand managementintheninefocalarchipelagos,andhighlighttheurgentneedforconservationscientiststo shareknowledgeandexpertise,identifyanddiscusscommonchallenges,andformulatemulti- disciplinaryconservationobjectivesforinsularplantendemicsworldwide.Toourknowledge,thisisthe mostup-to-dateandcomprehensivesurveyyettoreviewthethreatfactorstonativeplantsonoceanic islandsanddefinepriorityresearchquestions

Experimentation at Industrial Setting to Improve the Effectiveness of the ETL Procedures Implementation in a Business Intelligence Environment

Business Intelligence (BI) relies on Data Warehouse (DW), a historical data repository designed to support the decision making process. Without an effective Data Warehouse, organizations cannot extract the data required for information analysis in time to enable more effective strategic, tactical, and operational insights. This paper presents an approach and a Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool to increase efficiency and effectiveness of ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) programs development. An experimental evaluation of the approach is carried out in a controlled experiment that carefully evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of the tool in an industrial setting. The results indicate that our approach can indeed be used as method aimed at improving ETL process development

DETERIORAÇÃO SÓCIOECONÔMICA E AMBIENTAL NA SUBBACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO ARROIO INHAMANDÁ, SÃO PEDRO DO SUL (RS)

Os Diagnósticos Sócioeconômicos e Ambientais fazem parte de um conjunto de projetos ambientais que visam contribuir para a utilização racional e sustentável dos recursos naturais, bem como avaliar as relações entre o homem e a ambiência dentro das unidades naturais, ou seja, as bacias hidrográficas. A utilização deste diagnóstico específico permite analisar as deteriorações sociais, econômicas, tecnológicas, sócio-econômicas e ambientais, com o intuito de fornecer subsídios para programas de Educação Ambiental Técnica. Visa também a disseminação de conhecimentos e conseqüentemente a busca de alternativas para a melhoria da qualidade e do nível de vida da população. O referido diagnóstico foi realizado na área rural da Sub-Bacia Hidrográfica do Arroio Inhamandá, no município de São Pedro do Sul (RS). Os resultados obtidos apresentam um elevado índice de deterioração nas cinco linhas abordadas pelo diagnóstico, demonstrando a real necessidade de programas que visem a ações para a melhor utilização dos recursos naturais, além da melhoria da qualidade de vida da comunidade rural

AVALIAÇÃO DE IMPACTOS AMBIENTAIS NA ILHA DAS FLORES, PORTO ALEGRE (RS)

Ambiência é a soma das condições externas circundantes no interior das quais um organismo, uma condição, uma comunidade ou um objeto existe. No Brasil a deterioração da ambiência atinge 40%. Para determinar os impactos causados pelo homem no meio surgiram as Avaliações de Impactos Ambientais (AIA). A AIA é elaborada através do EIA (Estudo de Impacto Ambiental) e do RIMA (Relatório de Impacto Ambiental). A metodologia para o presente estudo utilizou-se de uma matriz de interações que apresenta dois atributos principais: magnitude e importância do impacto ambiental. Com o objetivo de quantificar os impactos causados pelos moradores da Ilha das Flores (Porto Alegre, RS), aplicou-se a referida matriz em uma propriedade da Ilha para determinar a viabilidade da permanência destes moradores no local. Os resultados permitiram concluir que o empreendimento é viável, desde que sejam tomadas as devidas medidas compensatórias e mitigadoras, para que fique de acordo com as exigências ambientais