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The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. Variation in forage composition decreases the accuracy of diets delivered to dairy cows. However, variability of forages can be managed using a renewal reward model (RRM) and genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize sampling and monitoring practices for farm conditions. Specifically, use of quality control charts to monitor forage composition can identify changes in composition for which adjustment in the formulated diet will result in a better match of the nutrients delivered to cows. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the use of a clustering algorithm to estimate the mean time (d) the process is stable or in control (T Stable) and the magnitude of the change in forage composition between stable periods (Δ Forage) for corn silage and alfalfa-grass silage, which are input parameters for the RRM; (2) to compare optimized farm-specific sampling practices (number of samples, sampling interval, and control limits [Δ Limit ]) using previously proposed defaults and our estimates for the T Stable and Δ Forage input parameters; and (3) to conduct a simulation study to compare the number of recommended diet changes under the proposed sampling and monitoring protocols. We estimated the T Stable and Δ Forage parameters for corn silage NDF and starch and alfalfa-grass silage NDF and CP using a k-means clustering approach applied to forage samples collected from 8 farms, 3×/wk during a 16-wk period. We compared 4 sampling and monitoring protocols that resulted from the 2 methods for estimating T Stable and Δ Forage (default values and our proposed method) and either optimizing only the control limit or optimizing the control limits, the number of samples, and the number of days between sampling. We simulated the outcomes of implementing the optimized monitoring protocols using a quality control chart for corn silage and alfalfa-grass silage of each farm. Estimates of T ^ S t a b l e and Δ ^ F o r a g e from the k-means clustering analysis were, respectively, shorter and larger than previously proposed default values. In the simulated quality control monitoring, larger Δ ^ F o r a g e estimates increased the optimized Δ Limit , resulting in fewer detected shifts in composition of forages, a lower frequency of false alarms, and a lower quality control cost ($/d). Recommended diet reformulation intervals from the simulated quality control analysis were specific for the type of forage and farm management practices. The median of the diet reformulation intervals for all farms using our optimal protocols was 14 d (quartile [Q] 1 = 8, Q 3 = 26) for corn silage and 16 d (Q 1 = 8, Q 3 = 26) for alfalfa-grass silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: grade 3 and 4 obesity is a chronic and progressive disease. Liraglutide 3 mg could be an effective adjuvant therapy in these subjects. Objectives: to evaluate changes in weight loss, body composition, metabolic parameters and vitamin D levels in subjects with grade 3 and 4 obesity treated for 8 months with liraglutide 3 mg. Methods: a total of 67 subjects with a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 had anthropometric parameters, body composition, metabolic parameters and vitamin D levels determined at baseline and after 8 months of treatment with liraglutide 3 mg. Results: a significant reduction in weight, BMI and abdominal circumference was evident after 8 months of treatment with liraglutide (p < 0.001), with a mean percentage of weight loss of 13.04 % and a mean weight loss of 14.99 kg at the end of the intervention. The final body composition data showed a significant improvement in the percentage of fat and fat mass (kg) (p < 0.001). The average loss of muscle mass was 2.02 kg (p = 0.213). The healthy visceral fat index (VGI) (< 13) increased to 67.17 % (p < 0.001) at 8 months. There was a significant reduction in blood pressure (p < 0.001) and an improvement in the biochemical variables studied. There was a significant increase in 25-OH vitamin D (p < 0.001) at the end of the intervention. Conclusions: Treatment with liraglutide was safe and effective in patients with obesity with a positive impact on weight loss, vitamin D levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. Variation in feed components contributes to variation and uncertainty of diets delivered to dairy cows. Forages often have a high inclusion rate (50% to 70% of DM fed) and variable composition, and thus are an important contributor to nutrient variability of delivered diets. Our objective was to quantify the variation and identify the main sources of variability in corn silage and alfalfa-grass haylage composition at harvest (fresh forage) and feed-out (fermented forage) on New York dairy farms. Corn silage and alfalfa-grass haylage were sampled on 8 New York commercial dairy farms during harvest in the summer and fall of 2020 and during their subsequent feed-out in the winter and spring of 2021. At harvest, a composite sample of fresh chopped forage of every 8-ha section of individual fields was collected from piles delivered for silo filling. During a 16-wk feed-out period, 2 independent samples of each forage were collected 3 times per week. The fields of origin of each forage sample during feed-out were identified and recorded using silo maps created at filling. A mixed-model analysis quantified the variance of corn silage DM, NDF, and starch and haylage DM, NDF, and CP content. Fixed effects included soil type, weather conditions, and management practices during harvest and feed-out, and random effects were farm, silo unit, field, and day. At harvest, between-farm variability was the largest source of variation for both corn silage and haylage, but within-farm sources of variation exceeded farm-to-farm variation for haylage at feed-out. At feed-out, haylage DM and NDF content had higher within-farm variability than corn silage. In contrast, corn silage starch showed higher within-farm variation at feed-out than haylage CP content. For DM content at feed-out, day-to-day variation was the most relevant source of within-farm variation for both forages. However, for the nutrient components at feed-out (NDF and CP for haylage; NDF and starch for corn silage) silo-to-silo variation was the largest source of variability. Weather conditions systematically explained a proportion of the farm-to-farm variability for both forages at harvest and feed-out. We concluded that because of the high farm-to-farm variation, corn silage and haylage must be sampled on individual farms. We also concluded that due to the high silo-to-silo variability, and the still significant day-to-day and field-to-field variability within-farm, corn silage and haylage should be sampled within individual silos to better capture changes in forage components at feed-out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dream world and the waking world are rarely sharply opposed or excluded; rather, one of the characteristics of such a relationship is the possibility of an imminent irruption of one into the other. The general thesis of this article is that the philosophical tradition from Aristotle to Husserl does not have an orientation to access the phenomenon of dreams that does not privilege wakefulness. This difficulty is behind a series of problems and paradoxes that can be exemplarily explained through an approach to the Aristotelian theory of sleeping (hýpnon) and dreaming (enýpnion) in the three treatises dedicated to the subject in Parva naturalia. The Aristotelian thematization is analyzed and criticized in the face of a possible phenomenology of sleeping and dreaming, of which there are already some vestiges in Husserl and Heidegger, but which was systematically developed in Fink. The article proposes that by reworking the “missing pieces” of the Aristotelian approach, as well as the priority that the first person has in phenomenology, it would be possible to open a path of exploration that leads to thinking about the dream in the reality of its concrete realization. This approach allows us to highlight three fundamental requirements to think about the phenomenalization of dreaming, namely: the interweaving of the worlds of waking and dreaming, the maximization and mobile organization of sensations during sleep and, finally, the emergence of the affective realm. These three problematic backgrounds put on the table the question about the limits of manifestation (of dreams) and, in that sense, open a possible dialogue with contemporary French phenomenology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant threat to elderly populations and repeated infections that occur throughout life are poorly protective. To assess the role of prior RSV infections as well as elderly immune senescence on vaccine efficacy, we compared immune responses after virus-like particle (VLP) immunization of elderly cotton rats and young cotton rats, both previously RSV infected, in order to mimic the human population. We show that immunization of RSV-experienced young or elderly animals resulted in the same levels of anti-pre-F IgG, anti-G IgG, neutralizing antibody titers, and protection from challenge indicating that the delivery of F and G proteins in a VLP is equally effective in activation of protective responses in both elderly and young populations. Our results suggest that F and G protein-containing VLPs induce anti-RSV memory established in prior RSV infections equally well in both young and elderly animals and thus can be an effective vaccine for the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper tests a simple but fascinating hypothesis, namely, that racism is a strictly modern reality. We will not find specifically racist theories before the eighteenth century. We also intend to establish a suggestive contrast with Spanish thought of the 16th century. The goal is to corroborate an issue that, perhaps, will amaze more than one: the verifiable circumstance that racism is absent in the doctrines of the jurists, moralists, theologians, and humanists (as well as early ethnologists) of imperial Spain in the 16th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will present and analyze the ideological components of the doctrine of Sabino Arana, the intellectual and political father of Basque nationalism. Going directly to the sources, we will unravel the main components of his doctrine. We can see that two are the main ingredients in the construction of it: religious integrism and racism. We will verify that even the linguistic issue -the preservation of the Basque language-had to do with the preservation of ethnic purity. Such elements, closely correlated, are linked with some others. Indeed, in Arana's ideology we will also find abundant doses of xenophobia, ruralism, traditionalism, indigenism, isolationism, reactionism, anti-liberalism, anti-socialism and anti-Spanish sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copoazú (Theobroma grandiflorum) is an Amazonian fruit with great economic potential, due to its high nutritional value, being an important source of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. Its pulp of high viscosity and acidity makes its industrial processing difficult. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of enzymatic liquefaction with two commercial pectinolytic enzymes (Rapidase® LIQ Plus and Rapidase® Citrus Cloudy) at different temperature conditions (15 to 45 °C) and incubation time (2 to 5 h) on the Physicochemical characteristics of the juice and the technological properties of the copoazú residue, under a response surface design. Juice yields of up to 87.96% were obtained with the Rapidase® LIQ Plus enzyme at 15 ° C and during 2 h of incubation, showing the use of hydrolytic enzymes as an ideal biotechnological alternative for the physicochemical and rheological adaptation of the copoazu pulp, with potential positive impact for its implementation in remote areas, where the fruit is produced, eliminating the problems generated by the high viscosity of the pulp. The copoazú residue has a high content of dietary fiber (42.48% on a wet basis). In addition, it presented excellent characteristics such as swelling capacity (CH) (3.85 g of water / g of dry matter) and water retention capacity (CRA) (3.94 g of water / g of dry matter). Consequently, the solid byproduct from the enzymatic clarification of copoazú pulp has quality characteristics similar to those registered in commercial fiber additives used by the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a set of situations of daily mobility referred to the social collective of femal domestic workers in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region. Our main objective is to identify--from a structural perspective--the general features o these workers' mobility and their relation to socia differentiation as a characteristic of the metropolitan city. Domestic workers represent a high proportion of the female metropolitan workers. This group ha been characterized by extremely vulnerable socia conditions and precarious labor relations. Regarding mobility, they make the longest trips, with mor transfers, and mainly by public transport. Th spatiality of their trips reveals the social geography of cities and their residential inequalities. W relied on the quantitative analysis of the mobility data generated by public institutions in terms o socio-territorial differentiation. Results show th metropolitan articulation and differentiation between residential and employment locations, where thre mobility subsystems can be distinguished: local subregional, and metropolitan. This approach help to understand the current metropolitan dynamic in terms of scenarios of multiple interactions and diverse social temporalities, evincing socio-spatia segregation processes in city and mobility model that favor inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each cow in a group has different nutritional requirements even if the group is formed by cows of similar age, number of lactations, and lactation stage. Common dairy farm management setup does not support formulating a diet that accurately matches individual nutritional requirements for each cow; therefore, a proportion of cows in the group will be overfed and another proportion underfed. Overfeeding and underfeeding cows increases the risk of metabolic diseases, decreases milk production, and increases nutrient waste. Consequently, profitability of dairy farms and the environment are negatively affected. Nutritional grouping is a management strategy that aims to allocate lactating cows homogeneously according to their nutritional requirements. Groups of cows with more uniform nutritional requirements facilitates the formulation of more accurate diets for the group. Current availability of large data streams on dairy farms facilitates the design of algorithms to implement nutritional grouping. Our review summarizes important factors to consider when grouping cows, describes nutritional grouping approaches, and summarizes benefits of implementing nutritional grouping in dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we want to investigate the ideological sources of Basque nationalism. Some of these sources are more remote than others, but all of them will come together in the 19th century writers and apologists, many of whom will develop pre-nationalist or proto-nationalist ideas. Therefore, we will not analyze the work of Sabino Arana himself. We will go further back, because we are interested in tracing where some of the ideological elements come from that later would become part of the worldview built by Basque nationalism. To investigate the origin of certain myths that would enter with force in the discursive apparatus of said political movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal anti-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antibodies acquired by the fetus through the placenta protect neonates from RSV disease through the first weeks of life. In the cotton rat model of RSV infections, we previously reported that immunization of dams during pregnancy with virus-like particles assembled with mutation stabilized pre-fusion F protein as well as the wild type G protein resulted in robust protection of their offspring from RSV challenge. Here we describe the durability of those protective responses in dams, the durability of protection in offspring, and the transfer of that protection to offspring of two consecutive pregnancies without a second boost immunization. We report that four weeks after birth, offspring of the first pregnancy were significantly protected from RSV replication in both lungs and nasal tissues after RSV challenge, but protection was reduced in pups at 6 weeks after birth. However, the overall protection of offspring of the second pregnancy was considerably reduced, even at four weeks of age. This drop in protection occurred even though the levels of total anti-pre-F IgG and neutralizing antibody titers in dams remained at similar, high levels before and after the second pregnancy. The results are consistent with an evolution of antibody properties in dams to populations less efficiently transferred to offspring or the less efficient transfer of antibodies in elderly dams. Author summary: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection of infants. Because there is no licensed vaccine for RSV as well as potential safety issues with any new vaccine, protection of infants from RSV is problematic. A possible safe approach for infant protection is the transfer of maternal anti-RSV antibodies, induced by immunization, across the placenta to the fetus serving to protect the newborn for months after birth. In a cotton rat model, we have previously shown that maternal immunization with virus-like particles assembled with the RSV F and G proteins protects offspring from RSV infection. Here we describe protection of offspring, following a single immunization, through two pregnancies showing that offspring of the first were well protected from RSV challenge. However, offspring of the second pregnancy were very weakly protected although the levels of total anti-pre-F antibodies and neutralizing antibody titers in the dams remained at constant and high levels before and after the second pregnancy. This result is consistent with an evolution of antibody properties in the dams to those less efficiently transferred to offspring and highlights the importance of appropriate strategies for maternal immunization, such as immunization during each pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the 21st century, but mainly as of 2006, in the Republic of Ecuador a significant indigenous influence was felt at the socio-political level, which was manifested in constitutional texts, state development plans and public policies. We will analyze certain inputs that the indigenous peoples have offered in the Andean country and that have represented elements of resistance against neoliberal hegemony and extractive developmentalism. Specifically, we will examine how discourses and practices have been built around Good Living (Sumak Kawsay) and how such process is articulated with more advanced global logics of indigenism in the Latin American region. We will verify what it means, politically and epistemically, the commitment that Ecuador has made to endow the country with the rights of nature and to define itself, for the first time in its history, as plurinational and multiethnic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to analyze the role played by ideology in regard to the historical implementation of human rights, questioning whether this implementation has fulfilled an eminently ideological function. The reflection will pass through the vision of two scholars who have held one of the most interesting contemporary philosophical discussions: Louis Althusser and Michel Foucault. At first, the Althusserian theory of ideology will be outlined, in order to defend that human rights have operated as an "ideological apparatus", questioning the individual from an immanently capitalist context. Then, we will verify that Michel Foucault was very critical of the Althusserian approaches. The notion of a transcendental subject will be crucial in such criticism, since in the Foucaultian perspective there are never subjects that are constituted prior to effective dynamics of power. In Foucaultian analysis, ideology will no longer occupy an essential place. The contributions of Slavoj Žižek will also be, by the way, decisive throughout this discussion. Finally, some critical reflections will be drawn to think about the emancipatory possibility of human rights in the contemporary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a model application to systematize nutritional grouping (NG) management in commercial dairy farms. The model has 4 sub-sections: (1) real-time data stream integration, (2) calculation of nutritional parameters, (3) grouping algorithm, and (4) output reports. A simulation study on a commercial Wisconsin dairy farm was used to evaluate our NG model. On this dairy farm, lactating cows (n = 2,374 ± 185) are regrouped weekly in 14 pens according to their parity and lactation stage, for which 9 diets are provided. Diets are seldom reformulated and nutritional requirements are not factored to allocate cows to pens. The same 14 pens were used to simulate the implementation of NG using our model, closely following the current farm criteria but also including predicted nutritional requirements (net energy for lactation and metabolizable protein; NE L and MP) and milk yield in an attempt to generate more homogeneous groups of cows for improved diet accuracy. The goal of the simulation study was to implement a continuous weekly system for cows' pen allocation and diet formulation. The predicted MP and NE L requirements from the NG were used to formulate the diets using commercial diet formulation software and the same feed ingredients, feed prices, and other criteria as the current farm diets. Diet MP and NE L densities were adjusted to the nutritional group requirements. Results from the simulation study indicated that the NG model facilitates the implementation of an NG strategy and improves diet accuracy. The theoretical diet cost and predicted nitrogen supply with NG decreased for low-nutritional-requirement groups and increased for high-nutritional-requirement groups compared with current farm groups. The overall average N supply in diets for NG management was 15.14 g/cow per day less than the current farm grouping management. The average diet cost was $3,250/cow per year for current farm management and $3,219/cow per year for NG, which resulted in a theoretical $31/cow per year diet cost savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are developing a real-time, data-integrated, data-driven, continuous decision-making engine, The Dairy Brain, by applying precision farming, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things. This is a transdisciplinary research and extension project that engages multidisciplinary scientists, dairy farmers, and industry professionals. Dairy farms have embraced large and diverse technological innovations such as sensors and robotic systems, and procured vast amounts of constant data streams, but they have not been able to integrate all this information effectively to improve whole-farm decision making. Consequently, the effects of all this new smart dairy farming are not being fully realized. It is imperative to develop a system that can collect, integrate, manage, and analyze on- and off-farm data in real time for practical and relevant actions. We are using the state-of-the-art database management system from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for High Throughput Computing to develop our Agricultural Data Hub that connects and analyzes cow and herd data on a permanent basis. This involves cleaning and normalizing the data as well as allowing data retrieval on demand. We illustrate our Dairy Brain concept with 3 practical applications: (1) nutritional grouping that provides a more accurate diet to lactating cows by automatically allocating cows to pens according to their nutritional requirements aggregating and analyzing data streams from management, feed, Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI), and milking parlor records; (2) early risk detection of clinical mastitis (CM) that identifies first-lactation cows under risk of developing CM by analyzing integrated data from genetic, management, and DHI records; and (3) predicting CM onset that recognizes cows at higher risk of contracting CM, by continuously integrating and analyzing data from management and the milking parlor. We demonstrate with these applications that it is possible to develop integrated continuous decision-support tools that could potentially reduce diet costs by $99/cow per yr and that it is possible to provide a new dimension for monitoring health events by identifying cows at higher risk of CM and by detecting 90% of CM cases a few milkings before disease onset. We are securely advancing toward our overarching goal of developing our Dairy Brain. This is an ongoing innovative project that is anticipated to transform how dairy farms operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The congenital hearing loss causes important changes in the cerebral organization, as well as a delay in the neurodevelopment of the child. The adequate implementation of neonatal auditory screening programs guarantees early diagnosis and intervention. The equipment used in these programs must be easy to operate, portable and present automatic methods for the detection of hearing loss. In this paper we present the Control Module, based on the STM32F429xx microcontroller, of the neonatal screening system known as Infantix, developed by the Neurosciences Center of Cuba. This module has among its functions, feed and control the rest of the system, process the bioelectrical signals from the recording module, store the patient data and their tests, and establish the interface with the user. As a result, a Control Module was obtained, which provides portability to the system, powered by battery and low consumption. The implemented module presents a friendly user interface and the ability to run tests automatically, without the need for highly qualified personnel. With the development of this module, a new alternative for the early detection of hearing loss emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced copy number of ribosomal protein (Rp) genes adversely affects both flies and mammals. Xrp1 encodes a reportedly Drosophila-specific AT-hook, bZIP protein responsible for many of the effects including the elimination of Rp mutant cells by competition with wild type cells. Irbp18, an evolutionarily conserved bZIP gene, heterodimerizes with Xrp1 and with another bZip protein, dATF4. We show that Irbp18 is required for the effects of Xrp1, whereas dATF4 does not share the same phenotype, indicating that Xrp1/Irbp18 is the complex active in Rp mutant cells, independently of other complexes that share Irbp18. Xrp1 and Irbp18 transcripts and proteins are upregulated in Rp mutant cells by auto-regulatory expression that depends on the Xrp1 DNA binding domains and is necessary for cell competition. We show that Xrp1 is conserved beyond Drosophila, although under positive selection for rapid evolution, and that at least one human bZip protein can similarly affect Drosophila development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal vaccination may be the most effective and safest approach to the protection of infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, a severe acute lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children worldwide. We previously compared five different virus-like particle (VLP)-associated, mutation-stabilized prefusion F (pre-F) proteins, including the prototype DS-Cav1 F VLPs. We showed that alternative versions of prefusion F proteins have different conformations and induce different populations of anti-F protein antibodies. Two of these alternative pre-F VLPs, the UC-2 F and UC-3 F VLPs, stimulated in mice higher titers of neutralizing antibodies than DS-Cav1 F VLPs (M. L. Cullen, R. M. Schmidt, M. G. Torres, A. A. Capoferri, et al., Vaccines 7:21–41, 2019, https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines7010021). Here we describe a comparison of these two pre-F VLPs with DS-Cav1 F VLPs as maternal vaccines in cotton rats and report that UC-3 F VLPs significantly increased the neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers in pregnant dams compared to DS-Cav1 F VLPs. The neutralizing antibody titers in the sera of the offspring of the dams immunized with UC-3 F VLPs were significantly higher than those in the sera of the offspring of dams immunized with DS-Cav1 VLPs. This increase in serum NAb titers translated to a 6- to 40-fold lower virus titer in the lungs of the RSV-challenged offspring of dams immunized with UC-3 F VLPs than in the lungs of the RSV-challenged offspring of dams immunized with DS-Cav1 F VLPs. Importantly, the offspring of UC-3 F VLP-immunized dams showed significant protection from lung pathology and from induction of inflammatory lung cytokine mRNA expression after RSV challenge. Immunization with UC-3 F VLPs also induced durable levels of high-titer neutralizing antibodies in dams. IMPORTANCE Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant human pathogen severely impacting neonates and young children, but no vaccine exists to protect this vulnerable population. Furthermore, direct vaccination of neonates is likely ineffective due to the immaturity of their immune system, and neonate immunization is potentially unsafe. Maternal vaccination may be the best and safest approach to the protection of neonates through the passive transfer of maternal neutralizing antibodies in utero to the fetus after maternal immunization. Here we report that immunization of pregnant cotton rats, a surrogate model for human maternal immunization, with novel RSV virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidates containing stabilized prefusion RSV F proteins provides significant levels of protection of the offspring of immunized dams from RSV challenge. We also found that antibodies induced by VLPs containing different versions of the prefusion F protein varied by 40-fold in the extent of protection provided to the offspring of vaccinated dams upon RSV challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Aims: to assess the prevalence of metabolic health in Mallorca obese patients. Methods: participants were classified in metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically non-healthy obese (MNHO). Food, toxic and lifestyle habits, time of obesity evolution, breastfeeding, obesity in childhood and family history of obesity and diabetes mellitus, as well as glycemia, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceridemia were evaluated in 457 obese patients. Results: prevalence of MHO was 49.2% and that of MNHO was 50.8%. MHO phenotype decreased with age. All patients showed inadequate habits. Consumption of fruits, salads and vegetables, tobacco and physical activity were similar between both groups; 37.4% of patients consumed sugary sweet drinks, and 52.9% consumed alcohol, higher in MNHO (4.3%) than in MHO (0.4%). MNHO showed higher values of BMI, abdominal circumference, fat percentage and visceral fatty index, as well as all metabolically studied outcomes. Conclusions: more than half of assessed obese population showed metabolic complications, but all obese population showed similar inadequate food and lifestyle habits. Increase of age, low educational level, years of obesity evolution, and visceral localization of fat are associated with a metabolically non-healthy status. Criteria to define and typify the metabolic state of obese subjects should be unified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects upon a decisive issue, namely, the relation between modernity and coloniality in the Latin American context. What remains to be settled is whether European modernity is inherently colonial, or, in other words, whether all modern European thought is indistinguishably and inseparably interwoven with grammars of coloniality that, even today, are reproduced in the arenas of knowledge and power. The guiding thread of this inquiry will be the theoretical proposals of Walter Mignolo, a thinker who argues precisely for the consubstantiality of modernity and coloniality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this theoric-reflexiv text, we will investigate critically some of the components that shaped the epistemic paradigm of European modernity, considering that quantification, mathematization and measurable objectivity are not only theoretical principles found in modern science, since they constituted something more: They were the elements through which a new worldview arose. With this, a new way of understanding and imagining nature was established; and also a new way of intervening and violating it. Some critical theories will be exposed, like the Amerindian perspectivism and the decoloniality, that have responded to this supposedly universal and homogeneous vision, concluding that despite the existence of world patterns of power and knowledge, alternatives for the wise and acting on the environment pass through decolonizing the Method of extracting resources; for which not only certain economic practices and some models of accumulation must be reversed, but in turn must neutralize the epistemic violence that justifies and protects such practices and models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Such a theoretical clash is related to the post-Marxist invective hurled against a tradition ostensibly rooted in now-discredited essentialist parameters, and discernibly incapable, for the same reasons, of comprehending the new forms of political subjectivation that surfaced in the societies of late capitalism. This dispute will unfold, almost paradigmatically, between Ernesto Laclau and Slavoj Žižek. Despite the controversy's playing field already being determined, to a large extent, by the universe of Gramscian theory -- the notions of 'hegemony', 'antagonism' and 'collective will' will thus be decisive -- the more general debate over postmodernity and multiculturalism will also shape an inescapable backdrop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beaches, besides being a tourist recreation center, contain a large amount of microscopic biome with different species. Most pathogens are present in the sand, causing a high probability of human-parasite infection, especially by direct contact and poor hygienic habits. Likewise, the close bond that exists between animals and humans creates an environment conducive to the emergence of zoonoses of importance in public health, especially those related to companion animals such as dogs and cats. The monitoring usually carried out on tourist beaches includes as indicators of sanitary quality, total coliforms, fecal coliforms and in some cases enterococci, excluding the search for parasites as part of the parameters that define the sanitary status of the beaches. Consequently, the results do not fully reflect the environmental conditions of the beaches and the risk of affecting human health. In this review, forty-two articles (42) from Latin America were analyzed, as well as specialized literature from Europe and the United States, in which arguments are presented that support the permanent inclusion of parasites as indicators of health quality such as Ancylostoma sp., Strongyloides sp. and Taxocara sp., demonstrating the importance of their determination, main indicator species, laboratory techniques for their isolation and recent studies related to the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment of land suitability classes for rainfed maize (spring–summer agricultural cycle) with current climate conditions (1950–2000) and projected climate change scenarios was carried out for Mexico. The method considered the most restrictive factors or agroclimatic requirements from different variables needed by rainfed maize. These factors were analyzed spatially in a geographic information systems (GIS) context, resulting in areas classified into four suitability levels: high, medium, low, and not suitable for maize. We considered two general circulation models (GCM): HADGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-LR; one radiative forcing concentration representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5 Wm−2 and the far period (2075–2099). Results at a national-level analysis showed that under actual conditions, 57.5% of the area of Mexico presents some level of suitability for rainfed maize. The high suitability class is 11.4% of the country, while 20.7% and 25.3% had medium and low suitability levels, respectively. Other results showed that with the HADGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-LR projections of climate change models, 50.4% and 46.7%, of Mexico’s continental area, respectively, present some level of suitability for the rainfed maize crop. In the first case, with respect to the present climate conditions, the HADGEM2-ES model presented an area decrease of −2.4% and the MPI-ESM-LR model of −5.5% in the high suitability level for the rainfed maize crop. Results at a state-level analysis showed there are five states (Jalisco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Michoacán) in the interval of more than 50,000 km2 of surface with high and medium suitability levels, with a maximum extent change between the present to the projected climate conditions of −46% for the HADGEM2-ES and −57% for the MPI-ESM-LR. In general, the MPI-ESM-LR model showed the most adverse projected conditions for rainfed maize growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on sexed semen breeding techniques has largely focused on purebred cattle production systems and little work has been done evaluating sexed semen use in crossbred dairy cattle. Complementing a crossbreeding reproduction strategy with sexed semen artificial insemination ( AI ) has the potential to increase profit potential of sexed semen technology in the short and long run. The objective of this project was to estimate and compare the expected net present value ( NPV ) of reproduction management programs considering several conventional and sexed semen breeding strategies, cow ages, and breed compositions. While the potential benefits of sexed semen are varied, it is important to note that the focus of this study is on the economic returns to the breeding program. This is not a life-cycle analysis, and therefore, only the sexed semen costs and returns that directly impact the returns to the breeding program are considered. Specifically, a NPV model that incorporates dystocia and stillbirth costs, in addition to improved fertility of crossbred cattle (over purebred cattle), directly into the expected NPV calculation is developed. Increased use of crossbred dairy cattle in the United States make this research particularly timely and relevant. Consistent with previous research, results indicate that pure conventional semen AI and a mixed strategy with one sexed semen AI followed by conventional semen were generally the preferred breeding strategies in terms of expected NPV across all breeds and dam ages evaluated. Similarly, our results also support previous findings that the expected NPV of breeding programs for virgin heifers were consistently higher than lactating cows. In terms of breeds, the crossbreed scenarios generally produced higher expected NPV than scenarios for purebred Holsteins. The most influential factors resulting in these higher returns were the higher cumulative pregnancy rates associated with the crossbreds. Reproductive benefits of crossbred dairy cattle may be able to alleviate some economic pressure currently associated with poor dairy reproduction with AI breeding strategies (especially those incorporating sexed semen). However, it is important to note the likely tradeoffs associated with improvements in fertility (e.g., reduced milk production), the consideration of which is necessary to maximize whole farm profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main challenges that geographers and urban planners face when thinking about mobility in Latin American cities is how to accurately assess the effect produced by severe social and territorial inequality. In an attempt to explore this question, this article analyses three key issues related to the inequality-mobility relationship: a) mobility as a facilitator in the access to goods, services and opportunities at different urban scales, and its direct effects on poverty and social exclusion; b) socially and territorially conditioned assets and competences among individuals when managing mobility needs and territorial control; and c) the uneven appropriation and use of the city, both in terms of proximity and connection to metropolitan networks. Analysis is carried out on secondary information on transport and mobility at the metropolitan scale according to income level and territorial location of households. This is followed by examination of three specific cases in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region that show the importance of territorial features when addressing mobility patterns of particular socioeconomically vulnerable groups, including: mobility of informal settlers in urban peripheries; mobility of domestic workers in gated communities; and mobility of residents at risk of displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods. The key findings highlight how the particular territorial conditions can intensify or attenuate the pre-existing socioeconomic inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article plots a critical route through two currents of thought, dependence theory and all studies related to the problem of coloniality. Coloniality--the highest form of material subjugation and epistemic violence exercised by dominant peoples--also makes up a body of hegemonic accounts that form the same matrix into which colonial regimes of knowledge and power are inserted. Colonialism, incidentally, should be spoken of in the plural, as it underpins and defines many areas. Dependence and coloniality, conversely, are tantamount to two theoretical developments that bear witness to the huge potential in unraveling the different dimensions of the complex political, economic, and cultural processes that constitute colonial denomination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, without seeking to be exhaustive, we intend to take a journey which will enable us to see what a concept of education closely linked to the independence of the "voice of reason" has meant in different historical contexts; we understand this independence, very broadly speaking, as a critical capacity which enables us as human beings to be sufficiently free and, if necessary (as it almost always is), to be able to construct autonomously our own judgments in the face of the inertial weight of tradition and the force of the social consensuses which structure the common sense of our time. We can trace this "enlightened tension" through the history of Western thought from Plato to Condorcet, from Kant to Paulo Freire. In this sense, and to conclude, it will be appropriate to assess what role the educational process is taking on in the contemporary era, where the intensive processes of commodification have also come to permeate all aspects of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we wish firstly to trace the economicist and productivist logic that determined the profound development of Western modernity; a logic that reached its peak in the market societies which were already operating at full capacity in some of the European industrial powers of the nineteenth century. Since then, the commercialisation of social and natural life has continued apace, as Karl Polanyi recognized and examined in depth. This model of civilisation, which became virtually universal towards the end of the twentieth century, met with nodes of counterhegemonic resistance. One such node is to be found in the political discourses constructed on the basis of some of the learnings of the pre-Hispanic cultural world, linked to the Quechua notion of Sumak Kawsay, translated into Spanish as Buen Vivir, and which makes up a very powerful counterpart of the social and cultural development brought about by the overwhelming triumph of the market economy and its associated worldview. Extractivism, one of the most conspicuous results of this modern-western rationale, has been debated and opposed from these discursive spheres. However, when the public policies of a State located on the periphery of the capitalist world-system seek to foster equitable human development (with the fundamental goal of reducing poverty) and, at the same time, aim to recognize the intrinsic rights of nature, inevitable frictions, contradictions and paradoxes arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal immunization directed to control RSV infection in newborns and infants is an appealing vaccination strategy currently under development. In this work we have modeled maternal vaccination against RSV in cotton rats (CR) to answer two fundamental questions on maternal vaccine safety. We tested (i), whether a known, unsafe RSV vaccine ( i.e ., FI-RSV Lot 100 vaccine) induces vaccine enhanced disease in the presence of passively transferred, RSV maternal immunity, and (ii) whether the same FI-RSV vaccine could induce vaccine enhanced disease in CR litters when used to immunize their RSV-primed mothers. Our data show that FI-RSV immunization of pups with subsequent RSV infection results in vaccine-enhanced disease independent of whether the pups were born to RSV-seropositive or RSV-seronegative mothers, and that FI-RSV immunization of RSV-seropositive mothers does not present a health risk to either the mother or the infant. Our study also raises a novel concern regarding infant immunization, namely that “safe” RSV vaccines ( e.g ., live RSV administered intramuscularly) may induce vaccine-enhanced disease in RSV-infected pups born to seropositive mothers. Finally, we describe for the first time a sharp decrease in RSV neutralizing antibody titers in immunized seropositive CR at the time of delivery. This decline may reflect maternal immune suppression, potentially pinpointing a window of increased vulnerability to RSV infection that could be alleviated by effective immunization of expectant mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study approaches Aristotelian reflections on economy through the eyes of Karl Polanyi, as he resorts to the Greek philosopher to find useful elements when building a profound criticism of the modern market society. Aristotle intuited the uncertain future of a social order devoured by economic relations expanding at a hypertrophic rate. In his time, indeed, this was only a potential threat —he never saw the effective culmination of anything like what we are seeing today—. But he was nevertheless able to see the ultimate meaning of what was at stake, and to understand that the unmeasured, uncontrolled growth of market relations would irremediably affect civic balance. He understood that the unrestricted extension of the desire for profit to all human ties would be a powerful threat to the heart of the political community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the use, contents, relationships and political consequences of the concept of displacement within the context of human geography in order to place the debate on gentrification in the complex map of displacement at a global scale. By following an analytical approach and based on the empiric findings of a bibliographic review, the present paper organizes the use of the displacement concept into seven major thematic groups: 1) urban mobility and transport; 2) residential mobility; 3) migration; 4) extreme natural events; 5) political-military conflicts and tensions; 6) infrastructure and territorial planning projects; and 7) gentrification and urban renewal processes. This study concludes that the diversified uses of the displacement concept show the importance of population movement within the analysis of current socio-territorial processes. It is also concluded that research on gentrification may benefit from the findings of other studies on displacement since they refer to a larger debate associated with dispossession on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper is shown the application of neural networks in order to predict academic marks that will be obtained for the students in the subjects of Data Structures I and II, included both in the Informatics Engineering curricula at Higher Polytechnic Institute José Antonio Echeverría in the Republic of Cuba. The main motivation for the present work is justified because selected subjects have a high level of complexity, demanding from the student to be rigorous and a permanent dedication. As a consequence the academic results obtained at the present time are not satisfactory. To reach the goal mentioned above a software based on MATLAB tool was developed and the marks obtained previously by students in some subjects and others data of interest were used. Two neural networks were employed, both with the same architecture, but each one trained with the specific data of each subject (Data Structures I and II). A group of experiments was carried out to contrast the behavior of the neural networks regarding some specific statistics in the data of the sample. An overall effectiveness in prediction superior to 78% for the case of the first subject was achieved, while for the second one effectiveness superior to 75% was reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how the characteristics of Latin American urban transportation generate dimensions of dispute of 'spatial capital', meaning an individually internalizable type of urban resource which results from the combination of objective material conditions and subjective socio-cultural conditions. These conditions determine a socially differentiated use of territory and sometimes are decisive elements in opening new niches for high-end real-estate producers and consumers, hence linking with processes of displacement and exclusion. The study cases compare four neighborhoods from Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, two peripherals and two pericentrals. The results show, considering the role of new infrastructure, a strong difference between residents from the peripheral cases and little difference in the pericentral cases, identifying, however, processes of a dispute over the ownership and use of urban space and the neighborhood, in all the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virus-like particles (VLPs) based on Newcastle disease virus (NDV) core proteins, M and NP, and containing two chimera proteins, F/F and H/G, composed of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein (F) and glycoprotein (G) ectodomains fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the NDV F and HN proteins, respectively, stimulate durable, protective anti-RSV neutralizing antibodies in mice. Furthermore, immunization of mice with a VLP containing a F/F chimera protein with modifications previously reported to stabilize the pre-fusion form of the RSV F protein resulted in significantly improved neutralizing antibody titers over VLPs containing the wild type F protein. The goal of this study was to determine if VLPs containing the pre-fusion form of the RSV F protein stimulated protective immune responses in cotton rats, a more RSV permissive animal model than mice.Methods: Cotton rats were immunized intramuscularly with VLPs containing stabilized pre-fusion F/F chimera protein as well as the H/G chimera protein. The anti-RSV F and RSV G antibody responses were determined by ELISA. Neutralizing antibody titers in sera of immunized animals were determined in plaque reduction assays. Protection of the animals from RSV challenge was assessed. The safety of the VLP vaccine was determined by monitoring lung pathology upon RSV challenge of immunized animals.Results: The Pre-F/F VLP induced neutralizing titers that were well above minimum levels previously proposed to be required for a successful vaccine and titers significantly higher than those stimulated by RSV infection. In addition, Pre-F/F VLP immunization stimulated higher IgG titers to the soluble pre-fusion F protein than RSV infection. Cotton rats immunized with Pre-F/F VLPs were protected from RSV challenge, and, importantly, the VLP immunization did not result in enhanced respiratory disease upon RSV challenge.Conclusions: VLPs containing the pre-fusion RSV F protein have characteristics required for a safe, effective RSV vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is currently no RSV vaccine. Although maternal serum antibodies against RSV are efficiently transferred through placenta protecting human infants from RSV-induced disease, this protection is short-lived and the methods for extending and augmenting protection are not known. The objective of this study was to develop an animal model of maternal RSV vaccination using the Sigmodon hispidus cotton rat. Naïve or RSV-primed female cotton rats were inoculated with live RSV and set in breeding pairs. Antibody transfer to the litters was quantified and the offspring were challenged with RSV at different ages for analysis of protection against viral replication and lung inflammation. There was a strong correlation between RSV-neutralizing antibody (NA) titers in cotton rat mothers and their pups, which also correlated with protection of litters against virus challenge. Passive protection was short-lived and strongly reduced in animals at 4 weeks after birth. Protection of litters was significantly enhanced by inoculating mothers parenterally with live RSV and inversely correlated with the expression of lung cytokines and pathology. Importantly, vaccination and boosting of naïve mothers with the live RSV produced the highest levels of NAs. We conclude that maternal vaccination against RSV in the cotton rat can be used to define vaccine preparations that could improve preexistent immunity and induce subsequent transfer of efficient immunity to infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One can think that the moral reflection on our performances, in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient affections of illnesses neoplásicas, is unnecessary, the certain thing is that the existence of norms and laws don't guarantee the morality of individuals and collective; therefore, it is necessary a continuous philosophical-moral formation, as important as the scientific formation and technique. If we consider that the cancer is the second cause of death in the western world, and the first one in the county espirituana and that the assistance activity on this illness is increased day by day, it is wise and necessary to be about moral and ethical questions in specific areas of knowledge, as the Oncology; since the problems that can arise in the ethical valuation of some situations can be different, depending of if they take decisions that affect to patient with cancerous illnesses or nr. it is Enough to remember some punctual situations of Breast cancer and pregnancy, treatment of the pain in terminals, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Was carried out a descriptive type investigation, of traverse court, retrospective to 323 sick persons with the cancer diagnosis of he/she suckles assisted in the Service of Oncology of the General Hospital Camilo Cienfuegos of Sancti Spíritus in the period understood among January 2003 - January 2008.El cancer of he/she suckles he/she appeared with more frequency in the patients bigger than 50 years, represented by the feminine sex. The biggest number of diagnosed cases was located in the initial stadiums. To the biggest percent in the rehearsed sample they were carried out studies Imagenológico and histológicos they responded to a suspicious diagnosis of malignancy. The type more frequent histológico was the Carcinoma ductal infiltrante and the adult I number of tumors it was well differentiated. They received treatment loco-regional the entirety of the sick persons and hormonal treatment 99,6% of the cases. The biggest number of relapses appeared between 6 and 12 months after the initial treatment, belonging together with the stage III c and stadium IV of the illness. The illness metastásica had therapeutic failure in the first year of treatment. The metastasis at distance appeared with more frequency in the stadiums III. 62 died in this period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

200 patients diagnosed with breast cancer were analyzed over a period of 5 years (January 2007 to January 2012) who were diagnosed, treated breast specialist at the Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Sancti Spiritus consultation. Prognostic factors related to the primary tumor, presence of metastatic lymph nodes, the treatment performed, the disease-free time and survival time were studied. The prevalence of patients aged 60 and older, with more frequent location in the left breast, and the upper-outer quadrant was found in our series was the most affected breast site. The most important and significant in terms of disease free survival time and prognostic factors were tumor size, nodal status, periganglionar infiltration and determining hormone dependency. It was shown that increasing the size of the primary tumor (T) and regional lymph node involvement (N), the more advanced clinical stage and axillary lymph node metastases in the surgical specimen condition exists greater chance of tumor recurrence occurs with an increased likelihood of distant metastasis and death occurs in these patients incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A descriptive cross-sectional study, retrospective concerning the behavior of neutropenia associated with chemotherapy in solid tumors in the period January 2009-2013 treated at the oncology department of the University General Hospital Camilo Cienfuegos province of Sancti Spiritus was performed. The population was 230 neutropenic patients associated with chemotherapy. Research generally describes the relationship between neutropenia with chemotherapy, tumor location, disease entities associated, age, sex, chemotherapy treatments and antibiotics more used. It was observed that there is a high incidence of neutropenia associated with chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer, the most affected group were 50-59 years of age predominating females with a high rate of associated hypertension. The most commonly used treatments were etoposide-platinum and Ceftrixone-amikacin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to highlight the central role that phenomenology in the approach of the fundamental ontological question. On the relevance of phenomenology remains hidden is even sponsored by introducing Martin Heidegger in the introduction to Being and Time only provisional concept of the method and, along with it, not show your specific performance of the work development. However, it is puzzling that the philosopher asserts without major reservations ⪡Ontology is possible only as phenomenology⪢2. To achieve my goal, I analyze the way in which phenomenology operates resolution three unpostponable problems in reading the opus magnum, namely connecting critical-phenomenological ontology, connecting fundamental ontology-analytic existential and free-keyontology phenomenology -and existential-analytic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Developed a recombinant RSV F-protein based subunit vaccine formulated with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL). [•] Vaccine reduced lung viral replication when given in a prime-boost regimen. [•] Animals vaccinated showed no evidence of exacerbation of lung pathology or induction of cytokine storm upon RSV challenge. [•] MPL acts as an adjuvant and immunomodulatory in the F-protein based vaccine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the subtidal circulation and associated variability in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Scotian Shelf, and the Gulf of Maine (GSL-SS-GOM) in 1988-2004 based on results produced by a nested-grid shelf circulation model. The model has a fine-resolution child model (∼ (1/12)°) embedded inside a coarse-resolution parent model (∼ (1/4)°) of the northwest Atlantic. The combination of the semi-prognostic method and the spectral nudging method is used to reduce the model seasonal bias and drift. The child model reproduces the general features of the observed circulation and hydrography over the study region during the study period. The child model results demonstrate that the time-mean circulation in the GSL is affected by the time-mean atmospheric forcing and inflow through the Strait of Belle Isle. The temporal variability in atmospheric forcing affects the outflow through western Cabot Strait, which in turn affects the transport of the Nova Scotian Current and the gulf-wide cyclonic circulation in the GOM. The simulated seasonal variability of salinity in the top 30 m of the GSL-SS-GOM is mainly affected by the equatorward advection of low-salinity waters from the lower St. Lawrence Estuary to the GOM through the Scotian Shelf. The simulated intraseasonal variability of circulation in the GSL is affected by the variability in the estuarine circulation in response to the temporal variability in atmospheric forcing. On the Scotian Shelf, the intraseasonal variability is mainly driven by the variability of wind forcing and mesoscale and nonlinear dynamics over the shelf break and slope region. The interannual variability in the simulated temperature and salinity are spatially coherent in the intermediate waters in the GSL, which is caused partially by the local response to atmospheric variability and partially by variabilities over the southern Newfoundland Shelf that enter the GSL through the eastern Cabot Strait. By comparison, on the Scotian Shelf, the interannual variability of simulated circulation is affected by anomalies produced by the nonlinear dynamics which are advected equatorwards by the shelf break jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burst-suppression pattern in the electroencephalogram (EEG) is associated with severe brain damage and has a bad prognosis in 85% of the cases. Objectives. To identify the prevalence of the EEG burst-suppression pattern (BSP) in fullterm newborns and infants, determine its etiology, clinical features and course. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted. Between January 2008 and December 2012, 4,891 EEGs were reviewed. The EEGs of newborns and infants (< 3 months of age) with BSP were selected. Results. 11 cases identified with burst suppression pattern. The overall prevalence of which was 3.5%; 8.1% among the newborns and 1.2% among infants. Seizures were the main reason for doing an EEG in the newborn period in 7 patients and after day 28 in three. The clinical manifestations were abnormal level of consciousness (n=8), hypotonia (n=2), and spasticity (n=6). The main causes were hypoxic ischemic injury, stroke and kernicterus. There were two cases of early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Two patients died before the third month of age; 8 survived an average of 13 months. All had epilepsy, neurologic retardation and disability. Two patients had persistent EEG burst-suppression pattern; 1 and 3 months after the neonatal period respectively; 7 had focal spikes and an asymmetric pattern. Conclusions. Electroencephalographic burst-suppression pattern predicts a severe neurologic injury in fullterm newborns and infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of extracellular factors regulate morphogenesis during development. However, coordination between extracellular signaling and dynamic morphogenesis is largely unexplored. We address the fundamental question by studying posterior crossvein (PCV) development in Drosophila as a model, in which long-range BMP transport from the longitudinal veins plays a critical role during the pupal stages. Here, we show that RhoGAP Crossveinless-C (Cv-C) is induced at the PCV primordial cells by BMP signaling and mediates PCV morphogenesis cell-autonomously by inactivating members of the Rho-type small GTPases. Intriguingly, we find that Cv-C is also required non-cell-autonomously for BMP transport into the PCV region, while a long-range BMP transport is guided toward ectopic wing vein regions by loss of the Rho-type small GTPases. We present evidence that low level of β-integrin accumulation at the basal side of PCV epithelial cells regulated by Cv-C provides an optimal extracellular environment for guiding BMP transport. These data suggest that BMP transport and PCV morphogenesis are tightly coupled. Our study reveals a feed-forward mechanism that coordinates the spatial distribution of extracellular instructive cues and morphogenesis. The coupling mechanism may be widely utilized to achieve precise morphogenesis during development and homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During development, the growth of the animal body is accompanied by a concomitant elongation of the peripheral nerves, which requires the elongation of integrated nerve fibers and the axons projecting therein. Although this process is of fundamental importance to almost all organisms of the animal kingdom, very little is known about the mechanisms regulating this process. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of novel mutant alleles of GlcAT-P, the Drosophila ortholog of the mammalian glucuronyltransferase b3gat1. GlcAT-P mutants reveal shorter larval peripheral nerves and an elongated ventral nerve cord (VNC). We show that GlcAT-P is expressed in a subset of neurons in the central brain hemispheres, in some motoneurons of the ventral nerve cord as well as in central and peripheral nerve glia. We demonstrate that in GlcAT-P mutants the VNC is under tension of shorter peripheral nerves suggesting that the VNC elongates as a consequence of tension imparted by retarded peripheral nerve growth during larval development. We also provide evidence that for growth of peripheral nerve fibers GlcAT-P is critically required in hemocytes; however, glial cells are also important in this process. The glial specific repo gene acts as a modifier of GlcAT-P and loss or reduction of repo function in a GlcAT-P mutant background enhances VNC elongation. We propose a model in which hemocytes are required for aspects of glial cell biology which in turn affects the elongation of peripheral nerves during larval development. Our data also identifies GlcAT-P as a first candidate gene involved in growth of integrated peripheral nerves and therefore establishes Drosophila as an amenable in-vivo model system to study this process at the cellular and molecular level in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate the current prevalence of the three clonal groups O25b:H4-B2-ST131, O15:H1-D-ST393 and CGA-D-ST69 (where ST stands for sequence type) among Escherichia coli isolates causing extraintestinal infections in Spain and to characterize their virulence background, 500 consecutive non-duplicate E. coli isolates causing extraintestinal infections were analysed. Methods The 500 isolates were collected during February 2009 from five hospitals in different Spanish regions. Phylogenetic groups, STs, serotypes, virulence genes, PFGE profiles, antimicrobial resistance and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes were determined. Results The three clonal groups accounted for 19% of the 500 isolates. Furthermore, they accounted for 37% of the isolates exhibiting trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole plus ciprofloxacin resistance, 34% of aminoglycoside-resistant isolates and 30% of multidrug-resistant isolates. Clonal group ST131 was the most prevalent, and accounted for 12% of isolates overall and for 23% of multidrug-resistant isolates. The ST131 isolates exhibited a significantly higher virulence score (mean of virulence genes 8.1) compared with the ST393 (6.0) and ST69 (5.4) isolates. The prevalence of ESBL-producing isolates was 7%. Six (10%) of the 59 ST131 isolates were positive for CTX-M-15 and one (6%) of the 16 ST393 isolates was positive for CTX-M-14, whereas none of the 22 ST69 isolates produced ESBL enzymes. Conclusions The three clonal groups investigated accounted for 30% of the multidrug-resistant isolates, which gives evidence of an important clonal component in the emergence of resistances among extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli. Notably, a single high virulence clonal group (O25b:H4-B2-ST131) causes approximately 1 in every 10 extraintestinal infections in Spain, representing an important public health threat. A new variant of the ST131 clonal group, which is non-ESBL-producing but trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistant and with high virulence content, is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Edifice collapse of the Jocotitlán volcano produced a debris avalanche deposit whose morphology is characterized by conical hummocks and elongated ridges. We consulted aerial photographs, orthophotographs, and conducted field work to define field relationships between mound morphology and stratigraphy. Based on field evidence and geomorphic and geologic interpretation we sub-divide the deposit into three sectors (north, northeastern, and eastern). We determine the emplacement mechanisms of the different sectors based on their distinct morphologic and lithologic features. In this context, we generate a geomorphometric database comprising 17 variables for each mound and apply multivariate statistical methods (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) to define the relationships between them. The principal components incorporated 73% of the total data variance and seven geomorphometric variables (perimeter, major axis, area, height, distance to the source, axis ratio and circularity index) defined two groups: hummocks and ridges. The circularity index and the axis ratio best characterize the elongated form of hummocks composing the deposits. Contrasts in lithological characteristics, such as material strength and mobility, provide evidence for a transition from a sliding mass (debris avalanche deposit) to a debris-flow-like emplacement. Differences in deposit morphology suggest two collapse mechanisms: magmatic intrusion (Bezymianny-type sector collapse) and a tectonic mass-slide, an earthquake could provide the trigger for both collapses. The eastern lower flank of the volcano then collapsed gravitationally due to a movement along a fault (tectonic activity possibly related to the Acambay–Tixmadeje Fault System). This produced the northeastern sector of the debris avalanche deposit dominated by large elongated ridges. The spatial arrangement of both sectors (the N and NE) suggests that the two failure events occurred simultaneously. Finally, the eastern sector of the deposit was emplaced by posterior remobilization of material from the two other sectors through a debris flow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]