Feral horse management in Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist, Argentina

The number of feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in the world has been estimated at 1.5–2 million, of which 5,000–10,000 occur in Argentina. Feral horses are considered an invasive alien species in Argentina, and as such, create a problem for biodiversity conservation. Only the population in Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist, Buenos Aires province, has been managed. In this paper, I discuss the conflicts between feral horse advocates, government authorities, and researchers that occurred after management actions were implemented and identify some factors that contributed to the conflict in positive and negative manners as well as some confusing concepts and ideas. I also summarize the studies that have been completed to describe this feral horse population demography and impact on biodiversity in Argentina. Lastly, I elaborate on the challenges impeding the future management of feral horses in Argentina

Neuroprotective role of phosphoserine in primary open-angle glaucoma patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the neuroprotective role of phosphoserine (P-Ser) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients and to compare its therapeutic effectiveness to placebo treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients (24 males and 27 females) between 35 and 61 years (average 46 years ± 3.8 SD) affected by POAG were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided in two groups: group A included 28 subjects that received an oral P-Ser treatment for 12 months; and group B included 23 subjects that received an oral placebo treatment for 12 months. Complete ophthalmological examination, standard automated perimetric examination, analysis of ON fibers via scanning laser polarimetry and glaucoma staging was performed in all patients at enrolment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 14.0 (Collage Station, TX, USA). RESULTS: Mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) analysis by means of 30-2 full threshold of the visual fields (VFs), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness by means of GDx, and IOP were considered to evaluate P-Ser therapy effectiveness in both groups. A statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) in VF, RNFL thickness and IOP compared to pre-treatment was found in patients in group A. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a significant improvement in several variables in patients with glaucoma treated with P-Ser compared to placebo and suggests a potential neuroprotective effect of P-Ser in treating glaucoma patients in association with the traditional hypotonic topical therapy

Processing of Hand-Related Verbs Specifically Affects the Planning and Execution of Arm Reaching Movements

Even though a growing body of research has shown that the processing of action language affects the planning and execution of motor acts, several aspects of this interaction are still hotly debated. The directionality (i.e. does understanding action-related language induce a facilitation or an interference with the corresponding action?), the time course, and the nature of the interaction (i.e. under what conditions does the phenomenon occur?) are largely unclear. To further explore this topic we exploited a go/no-go paradigm in which healthy participants were required to perform arm reaching movements toward a target when verbs expressing either hand or foot actions were shown, and to refrain from moving when abstract verbs were presented. We found that reaction times (RT) and percentages of errors increased when the verb involved the same effector used to give the response. This interference occurred very early, when the interval between verb presentation and the delivery of the go signal was 50 ms, and could be elicited until this delay was about 600 ms. In addition, RTs were faster when subjects used the right arm than when they used the left arm, suggesting that action–verb understanding is left-lateralized. Furthermore, when the color of the printed verb and not its meaning was the cue for movement execution the differences between RTs and error percentages between verb categories disappeared, unequivocally indicating that the phenomenon occurs only when the semantic content of a verb has to be retrieved. These results are compatible with the theory of embodied language, which hypothesizes that comprehending verbal descriptions of actions relies on an internal simulation of the sensory–motor experience of the action, and provide a new and detailed view of the interplay between action language and motor acts

Disentangling the sense of ownership from the sense of fairness. Commentary on Baumard, Andr\ue9 and Sperber, Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Both evolutionary and developmental research indicate that humans are adapted to respecting property rights, independently (and possibly orthogonally) to considerations of fairness. We offer evidence from psychological experiments suggesting that enforcing one\u2019s rights and respecting others\u2019 possessions is a basic cognitive mechanism, automatically activated and grounded in humans\u2019 sensory-motor system. This may entail an independent motivation that is more profound than considerations of fairness and impartiality

Relative abundance and residence status of many-coloured chaco-finch (<i>Saltatricula multicolor</i>) in south-western Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Se estudió la abundancia relativa y el estatus de residencia del Pepitero Chico (Saltatricula multicolor) en el sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, entre marzo de 1998 y mayo de 1999. Saltatricula multicolor fue registrada durante la mayor parte del año, excepto en los meses de julio y agosto. Su abundancia relativa fue mayor en noviembre y diciembre, y mayor en el arbustal que en el caldenal. Los resultados sugieren que la especie presenta desplazamientos dentro de la región o incluso a mayores distancias. Saltatricula multicolor parece ser un habitante regular del Distrito del Caldén, incluyendo en su distribución parte de la provincia de La Pampa y el sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Relative abundance and residence status of the Many-coloured Chaco-Finch (Saltatricula multicolor) were studied in south-western Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, between March 1998 and May 1999. Saltatricula multicolor was regularly recorded, except in July and August. Relative abundance was higher in November and December, and greater in the shrubland than in the caldenal. Results suggest that this species suffers displacements within the region, or even to a greater extent. Saltatricula multicolor appears to be a regular inhabitant of the Caldén District, including a portion of La Pampa Province and south-western Buenos Aires Province within its geographical distribution

Compatibility effects with destination and origin of motion

Previous studies highlighted spatial compatibility effects other than those strictly arising from stimulus-response locations. In particular, the so-called Destination Compatibility (DC) effect refers to faster responses for dynamic (i.e., moving) stimuli the end point of which is spatially compatible with the response key. Four experiments examined whether the DC effect also occurs with static visual stimuli symbolically representing either motion destination alone (Experiment 1a), or both motion origin and destination (Experiments 1b, 2a, and 2b). Overall, our results are consistent in showing a DC effect; most importantly, the present findings reveal a predominance of the effect of destination of motion over that of origin, even when both the starting and ending positions of the stimulus are symbolically represented and participants are instructed to respond according to motion origin. This finding suggests that the DC effect is independent from other stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effects

L’apoptosi delle cellule del cristallino umano in coltura

In questo studio si è utilizzato una coltura di cellule del cristallino umano prelevate dopo facoemulsione, per studiare le eventuali modificazioni della proliferazione e della sopravvivenza cellulare e per individuare effetti collaterali e secondari di sostanze normalmente utilizzate negli interventi chirurgici oculari. Sono stati esaminati due anestetici locali (la lidocaina e la ropivacaina) e l’eparina, di norma usata come anti-trombotico. I nostri risultati evidenziano che la lidocaina possiede un’elevata azione citotossica e citostatica, viceversa la ropivacaina presenta una tossicità nettamente inferiore. Inoltre dopo trattamento con diverse concentrazioni di eparina, sia UFH che LMWH, non si è riscontrato alcun effetto tossico e si è verificato che, a tempi brevi, l’eparina non sembra determinare inibizione della proliferazione cellulare, mentre sembra indurre la formazione di aggregati cellulari (sincizi), probabilmente modificando l’adesione cellulare con conseguenze non note. Quanto esposto porta a concludere che la lidocaina possa essere utilizzata per la prevenzione della cataratta secondari