Eciton army ants - umbrella species for conservation in neotropical forests

Identification of priority areas for conservation is crucial for the maintenance and protection of biodiversity, particularly in tropical forests where biodiversity continues to be lost at alarming rates. Surveys and research on umbrella species can provide efficient and effective approaches to identify potential areas for conservation at small geographical scales. Army ants of the genus Eciton are keystone species in neotropical forests due to their major role as top predators and due to the numerous vertebrate- and invertebrate associated species that depend upon their colonies for survival. These associates range from the iconic army ant-following birds to a wide range of arthropod groups, some of which have evolved intricate morphological, behavioural and/or chemical strategies to conceal their presence and integrate into the colony life. Furthermore, Eciton colonies require large forested areas that support a diverse leaf litter prey community and several field-based and genetic studies have demonstrated the negative consequences of forest fragmentation for the long-term maintenance of these colonies. Therefore, Eciton species will not only act as umbrella for their associates but also for many other species in neotropical forests, in particular for those that require a large extent of forest. This review summarises past and recent accounts of the main taxonomic groups found associated with Eciton colonies, as well research assessing the impact of forest fragmentation on this army ant, to encourage the adoption of Eciton army ants as umbrella species for the identification of priority areas for conservation and assessments of the effect of disturbance in neotropical forests

Typology of Stigma

This study begins with an analysis of the proposed site and campus of what is being called the “Corridor of Hope” in Las Vegas. Followed by an analysis of “Haven for Hope” in Texas which is a built campus that is being used as a model for what the “Corridor of Hope” will become. This base analysis of the proposed campus will be used to compare and contrast with other typologies of shelters that exist. In order to better understand the homeless population in and around the Las Vegas valley, an initial demographic analysis is done, followed by a geographical and ethnographic study. This study allows for a better understanding of the diverse types of homeless situations and sets a framework for understanding what the needs are of each type of homeless in the Vegas valley. Shelter typologies and their sites are analyzed to understand whether they fully accommodate the diverse populations within the homeless community and whether they perpetuate social stigma. The program ratios, spatial relations, materiality, color and other urban theories of design will be used to analyze these typologies. This analysis will facilitate a comparison between typologies and of “Haven for Hope”. Once there is a better understanding of the current accommodations and of the different groups in the homeless community, the Las Vegas area can be analyzed and compared to the areas from all the shelters studied. This is an attempt to better understand the demographics of Las Vegas and why existing shelters, health clinics, and government housing are located in specific areas. This analysis will begin to answer whether these locations are the most beneficial for society and whether the stigma of shelters can be better addressed by, placing them in areas that may have been socially unacceptable, a change of site and/or architectural layout, etc. From the studies conducted, the typologies that were the most successful will begin to inform what type of program, sites, and size of shelters work best. But also show, what accommodations are needed to better serve the diversity in the homeless population allowing for different typologies of shelters to be formed to improve and de-stigmatize shelters.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/arch_grad_capstones/1003/thumbnail.jp

A systematic review of population monitoring studies of sea turtles and its application to conservation

Sea turtles are keystone species in marine environments due to their essential role as seagrass grazers and population regulation of jellyfish and sponges in coral reefs. However, due to their predominant presence in coastal areas, sea turtle populations face significant threats due to the impact of human activities. In this systematic review, 655 peer-reviewed publications were ana-lyzed to assess the extent of population monitoring for all seven sea turtle species. The analyses revealed that, although population monitoring studies have increased for sea turtles in the past four decades, these have been biased towards certain species and oceanic regions. Furthermore, sea turtle population monitoring has been undertaken primarily using field-based methods, with satellite tracking and nest surveys being the most commonly used methods; however, the im-plementation of genetic methods for population monitoring has increased since the 2000s. Direct conservation recommendations from this study include the urgent need to establish population monitoring studies in the Critically Endangered Kemp's ridley and hawksbill and the Data Defi-cient flatback. Furthermore, population monitoring programs should be implemented in South-east Asia and Northern and Central Africa, where knowledge on sea turtle populations is still limited. Finally, due to the long-distance movements of sea turtles, we also advocate for interna-tional cooperation and collaboration of local communities to protect these ecologically important and iconic marine species

Factor V Leiden and Inflammation

Factor V Leiden, is a variant of human factor V (FV), also known as proaccelerin, which leads to a hypercoagulable state. Along these years, factor V Leiden (FVL) has been studied from the pathophysiologic point of view, and research has been focused on finding clinical approaches for the management of the FVL associated to a trombophilic state. Less attention has been paid about the possible role of FVL in inflammatory conditions known to be present in different disorders such as uremia, cirrhosis, liver transplantation, depression as well as sepsis, infection or, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Whether platelet FVL will increase the activation of coagulation and/or in which proportion is able to determine the final outcome in the previously mentioned inflammatory conditions is a subject that remains uncertain. This paper will review the association of FVL with inflammation. Specifically, it will analyze the important role of the endothelium and the contribution of other inflammatory components involved at both the immune and vascular levels. This paper will also try to emphasize the importance of being a FVL carrier in associations to diseases where a chronic inflammation occurs, and how this condition may be determinant in the progression and outcome of a specific clinic situation

Evaluation of reproductive sucess and conservation strategies for Senecio coincyi (Asteraceae), a narrow and threatened species

Senecio coincyi is a threatened endemic plant of central western Spain, with a very narrow extent of occurrence. The reproductive success and germination behaviour of this species were studied. The area of occupancy, habitat types and size of 13 known subpopulations of S. coincyi were evaluated. The number of individuals that form all these subpopulations was counted. In addition, the number of flowers and cypselas per fruit head and the number of fruit heads per individual plant were recorded in a subset of subpopulations. Germination tests were carried out to evaluate the effect of temperature and light regimes on, and possible intraspecific variation in, cypsela germination. Cypselas reached very high germination percentages (90?100%) from 15?C to 30?C. However, the germination decreased (19%) at 10?C. The light conditions assayed (16-h light photoperiod and complete darkness) did not significantly affect cypsela germination. In general, there was no intraspecific variability in germination patterns of S. coincyi cypselas. Livestock is the most important factor that can be a threat for this species. S. coincyi showed high reproductive success and, therefore, its conservation problems are not due to agents related to its reproduction, but rather to other factors such as alteration of its habitat caused by the presence of livestock

Layered double hydroxides-indomethacin nanohybrids: intercalation, pH influence, stability and release properties

In this work, three pH values (8, 9 and 10) were studied for the insertion of Indomethacin (Indo) molecules into Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs). The obtained results showed that the LDH materials have been a good storage for the drug. LDHs provide thermal stability with an increase in the thermal decomposition of the drug around 100°C more. Indo into LDHs exhibited higher photostability to UV light irradiation. In vitro drug release experiments in a phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4) have been carried out. The loading amount of intercalated Indo was increased to 66 % at pH 8, and showed a profile of sustained release of 97 % in 8h. The release profiles were fitted by mathematical models, which describe various kinetic models that served to investigate the drug release mechanism, being the Bhaskar kinetics model the most appropriate. The results showed that the nanohybrids can be used as an effective drug delivery system.Fil: Mendieta, Silvia Nazaret. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Oliva, Marcos Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Celso Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Reyes Nuñez, Patricio. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Longhi, Marcela Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología Farmacéutica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Granero, Gladys Ester. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología Farmacéutica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología Farmacéutica; ArgentinaFil: Crivello, Mónica Elsie. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Química; Argentin