Just Keep Tweeting: Emergency Responder\u27s Social Media Use Before and During Emergencies

This study investigates how emergency response organizations use social media during emergency preparedness and response. Using qualitative (interviews and documents) and quantitative (Facebook posts) data, the study identifies several uses of social media in emergency preparedness and emergency management, as well as the organizational context that affects this use. Findings indicate that social media support various purposes of use, including information dissemination, obtaining input from the public and other organizations, and participation by other emergency response organizations. Branding of the organization during the emergency preparedness phase was found to be an important aspect of information dissemination, and helps social media to be useful tool to connect with the public and other organizations during the emergency response phase. Nevertheless, social media use in the emergency response domain still has to overcome leadership and staff adoption barriers

La cuenca del río Iténez en Bolivia: descripción ecológica

La cuenca del río Iténez en Bolivia, a pesar de las evidencias de su importancia en términos de recursos naturales y biodiversidad, es poco conocida desde el punto de vista ecológico. Por esta razón, el presente trabajo realiza una síntesis de los antecedentes existentes sobre los ambientes acuáticos y humedales de esta región. Como marco descriptivo se utiliza el mapa de Sistemas Ecológicos Acuáticos (SEA) de la Amazonia boliviana, y como criterio básico de descripción, se propone una clasificación de ambientes acuáticos y humedales ajustada a la zona de estudio. En base a antecedentes bibliográficos, se presentan los rasgos ecológicos conocidos para cada uno de los SEA.A bacia do rio Iténez* na Bolivia, apesar das evidencias de sua importancia com relação aos recursos naturais e biodiversidade, é pouco conhecida do ponto de vista ecológico. Por este motivo, o presente trabalho realiza urna síntese do conhecimento pretérito existente sobre os ambientes aquáticos dessa região. Como marco descritivo, é utilizado o mapa de Sistemas Ecológicos Aquáticos (SEA) da Amazonia boliviana, e como critério básico de descrição, é proposta urna classificação de ambientes aquáticos e zonas tímidas ajustada á área de estudo. Com base no conhecimento bibliográfico, sao apresentadas as características ecológicas conhecidas para cada um dos SEA.* Iténez e denominado rio Guaporé no Brasil.The Iténez* river basin is characterized by abundant natural resources and a high biodiversity, but is poorly known from the ecological point of view. The present paper presents a synthesis of the existent knowledge on the aquatic ecosystems and wetlands of this región. Ecological Aquatic Systems (EAS) are used as a descriptive framework. A classification of aquatic ecosystems and wetlands of the region is proposed. Based on an exhaustive literature review, the main ecological characteristics of each of the EAS are presented.* The Iténez river is known as Guaporé river in Brasil

First Record of the Invasive Asian Fish Tapeworm \u3ci\u3eBothriocephalus acheilognathi\u3c/i\u3e in Honduras, Central America

This paper provides the first report of the invasive Asian fish tapeworm, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934, in Honduras. The cestode was found in Profundulus portillorum (Cyprinodontiformes: Profundulidae), which represents a new host record, and which is a member of a genus faced with a variety of conservation challenges, now potentially complicated by the presence of this pathogenic cestode. Nearly complete sequence data from the ITS-1 5.8S and ITS-2 regions corroborate the determination based on morphological characteristics. Several species of carp were introduced to Honduras for aquaculture purposes in the early 1980s and the presence of the Asian fish tapeworm in Honduras may be related to these introductions. In addition, this report documents the currently known geographical distribution of this parasite in Central America, first recorded from Panamá and now from Honduras

El reuso de lejias, una alternativa para disminuir la contaminación en aguas residuales en la elaboración de aceitunas verdes de la variedad Arauco

Las aceitunas de la variedad Arauco se colocaron con lejía al 2,25% durante ocho horas en bidones por triplicado. La lejía se reutilizó previa restitución del título hasta diez veces. Luego se lavaron con agua estanca durante cuatro y doce horas. Finalmente, las aceitunas se colocaron en salmuera acidificada al 0,2% 0 de ácido clorhídrico y ácido acético para la correspondiente fermentación láctica. El primer desamarizado sin reuso se tomó como testigo. A las muestras extraídas se le realizaron los siguientes análisis: DBO5, DQO, conductividad, fenoles, sólidos sedimentables. Se siguieron las diez fermentaciones con análisis físico-químico: pH, acidez, lejía residual y microbiológico. Del análisis de los datos se concluye que se puede reusar la lejía hasta cinco veces sin afectar las características organolépticas de las aceitunas.Fil: Maldonado, Mariela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gatto, E. Universidad Católica de Cuyo. Facultad Don Bosco; ArgentinaFil: Callejón, D. Universidad Católica de Cuyo. Facultad Don Bosco; ArgentinaFil: Barbero, M.A. Universidad Católica de Cuyo. Facultad Don Bosco; ArgentinaFil: Crespo, Diana Elvira. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Santi, A. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; ArgentinaFil: Cerchiai, E. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; Argentin

Evaluation of a Bayesian inference network for ligand-based virtual screening

Background Bayesian inference networks enable the computation of the probability that an event will occur. They have been used previously to rank textual documents in order of decreasing relevance to a user-defined query. Here, we modify the approach to enable a Bayesian inference network to be used for chemical similarity searching, where a database is ranked in order of decreasing probability of bioactivity. Results Bayesian inference networks were implemented using two different types of network and four different types of belief function. Experiments with the MDDR and WOMBAT databases show that a Bayesian inference network can be used to provide effective ligand-based screening, especially when the active molecules being sought have a high degree of structural homogeneity; in such cases, the network substantially out-performs a conventional, Tanimoto-based similarity searching system. However, the effectiveness of the network is much less when structurally heterogeneous sets of actives are being sought. Conclusion A Bayesian inference network provides an interesting alternative to existing tools for ligand-based virtual screening

Genetic indicators of iron limitation in wild populations of \u3cem\u3eThalassiosira oceanica\u3c/em\u3e from the northeast Pacific Ocean

Assessing the iron (Fe) nutritional status of natural diatom populations has proven challenging as physiological and molecular responses can differ in diatoms of the same genus. We evaluated expression of genes encoding flavodoxin (FLDA1) and an Fe-starvation induced protein (ISIP3) as indicators of Fe limitation in the marine diatom Thalassiosira oceanica. The specificity of the response to Fe limitation was tested in cultures grown under Fe- and macronutrient-deficient conditions, as well as throughout the diurnal light cycle. Both genes showed a robust and specific response to Fe limitation in laboratory cultures and were detected in small volume samples collected from the northeast Pacific, demonstrating the sensitivity of this method. Overall, FLDA1 and ISIP3 expression was inversely related to Fe concentrations and offered insight into the Fe nutritional health of T. oceanica in the field. As T. oceanica is a species tolerant to low Fe, indications of Fe limitation in T. oceanica populations may serve as a proxy for severe Fe stress in the overall diatom community. At two shallow coastal locations, FLD1A and ISIP3 expression revealed Fe stress in areas where dissolved Fe concentrations were high, demonstrating that this approach may be powerful for identifying regions where Fe supply may not be biologically available

TOR-mediated autophagy regulates cell death in Drosophila neurodegenerative disease

Autophagy can help cells to dispose of damaged proteins, alleviating cell death in genetic models of Huntington’s disease and retinal degradation

Molecular Phylogeny Restores the Supra-Generic Subdivision of Homoscleromorph Sponges (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha)

Homoscleromorpha is the fourth major sponge lineage, recently recognized to be distinct from the Demospongiae. It contains <100 described species of exclusively marine sponges that have been traditionally subdivided into 7 genera based on morphological characters. Because some of the morphological features of the homoscleromorphs are shared with eumetazoans and are absent in other sponges, the phylogenetic position of the group has been investigated in several recent studies. However, the phylogenetic relationships within the group remain unexplored by modern methods.Here we describe the first molecular phylogeny of Homoscleromorpha based on nuclear (18S and 28S rDNA) and complete mitochondrial DNA sequence data that focuses on inter-generic relationships. Our results revealed two robust clades within this group, one containing the spiculate species (genera Plakina, Plakortis, Plakinastrella and Corticium) and the other containing aspiculate species (genera Oscarella and Pseudocorticium), thus rejecting a close relationship between Pseudocorticium and Corticium. Among the spiculate species, we found affinities between the Plakortis and Plakinastrella genera, and between the Plakina and Corticium. The validity of these clades is furthermore supported by specific morphological characters, notably the type of spicules. Furthermore, the monophyly of the Corticium genus is supported while the monophyly of Plakina is not.As the result of our study we propose to restore the pre-1995 subdivision of Homoscleromorpha into two families: Plakinidae Schulze, 1880 for spiculate species and Oscarellidae Lendenfeld, 1887 for aspiculate species that had been rejected after the description of the genus Pseudocorticium. We also note that the two families of homoscleromorphs exhibit evolutionary stable, but have drastically distinct mitochondrial genome organizations that differ in gene content and gene order