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Background/Objective:To evaluate the relation between docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status and neurodevelopment in the offsprings of gestational diabetic mothers (ODMs).Subjects/Methods:A prospective cohort study was performed. The offspring of 63 pregnant women (23 controls, 21 diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 19 insulin-treated GDM) were recruited. Maternal and venous cord plasma DHA percentages were analyzed. Skin temperature and activity in children were recorded for 72 h at 3 and 6 months of life. Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Scale of Infant Development II (BSID II) at 6 and 12 months of age.Results:Cord plasma DHA percentage was significantly lower in the ODMs compared with that in the controls (Control 6.43 [5.04-7.82]a; GDM+diet 5.65 [4.44-6.86]ab; GDM+insulin 5.53 [4.45-6.61]b). Both mental (Control 102.71 [97.61-107.81]a; GDM+diet 100.39 [91.43-109.35]a; GDM+insulin 93.94 [88.31-99.57]b) and psychomotor (Control 91.52 [81.82-101.22]a; GDM+diet 81.67 [73.95-89.39]b; GDM+insulin 81.89 [71.96-91.85]b) scores evaluated by the BSID II were significantly lower at 6 months in ODMs, even after adjusting for confounding factors such as breastfeeding, maternal educational level and gender. Cord plasma DHA percentage correlated with the psychomotor score from BSID II (r=0.27; P=0.049) and with the intra-daily variability in activity (r=−0.24; P=0.043) at 6 months. Maternal DHA was correlated with several sleep rhythm maturation parameters at 6 months.Conclusions:Lower DHA levels in cord plasma of ODMs could affect their neurodevelopment. Maternal DHA status was also associated with higher values in the sleep rhythm maturation parameters of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Enfermería Global is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Soil organic carbon ( SOC) plays an essential role in the sustainability of natural and agricultural systems. The identification of sensitive SOC fractions can be crucial for an understanding of SOC dynamics and stabilization. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of long-term no-tillage ( NT) on SOC content and its distribution between particulate organic matter ( POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (Min) fractions in five different cereal production areas of Aragon (north-east Spain). The study was conducted under on-farm conditions where pairs of adjacent fields under NT and conventional tillage ( CT) were compared. An undisturbed soil nearby under native vegetation (NAT) was included. The results indicate that SOC was significantly affected by tillage in the first 5 cm with the greatest concentrations found in NT (1.5-43% more than in CT). Below 40 cm, SOC under NT decreased (20-40%) to values similar or less than those under CT. However, the stratification ratio ( SR) never reached the threshold value of 2. The POM-C fraction, disproportionate to its small contribution to total SOC (10-30%), was greatly affected by soil management. The pronounced stratification in this fraction ( SR>2 in NT) and its usefulness for differentiating the study sites in terms of response to NT make POM-C a good indicator of changes in soil management under the study conditions. Results from this on-farm study indicate that NT can be recommended as an alternative strategy to increase organic carbon at the soil surface in the cereal production areas of Aragon and in other analogous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water retention curve (θ(ψ)), which defines the relationship between soil volumetric water content (θ) and matric potential (ψ), is of paramount importance in characterizing the hydraulic behaviour of soils. However, few methods are so far available for estimating θ(ψ) in undisturbed soil samples. We present a new design of TDR-pressure cell (TDR-Cell) for estimating θ(ψ) in undisturbed soil samples. The TDR-Cell consists of a 50-mm-long and 50-mm internal diameter stainless steel cylinder (which constitutes the outer frame of a coaxial line) attached to a porous ceramic disc and closed at the ends with two aluminium lids. A 49-mm-long and 3-mm-diameter stainless steel rod, which runs longitudinally through the centre of the cylinder, constitutes the inner rod of a coaxial TDR probe. The TDR-Cell was used to determine the θ(ψ) curves of a packed sand and seven undisturbed soil samples from three profiles of agricultural soils. These θ(ψ) curves were subsequently compared to those obtained from the corresponding 2-mm sieved soils using the pressure plate method. Measurements of bulk electrical conductivity, σa, as a function of the water content, σa(θ), of the undisturbed soil samples were also performed. An excellent correlation ( R2 = 0·988) was found between the θ values measured by TDR on the different undisturbed soils and the corresponding θ obtained from the soil gravimetric water content. A typical bimodal θ(ψ) function was found for most of the undisturbed soil samples. Comparison between the θ(ψ) curves measured with the TDR-Cell and those obtained from the 2-mm sieved soils showed that the pressure plate method overestimates θ at low ψ values. The σa(θ) relationship was well described by a simple power expression ( R2 > 0·95), in which the power factor, defined as tortuosity, ranged between 1·18 and 3·75. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In semiarid agroecosystems of the Ebro valley (NE Spain) soils are characterized by tow soil organic matter (SOM) and a weak structure. In this study we investigated the individual and combined effect of tillage system (no-tillage, NT; reduced tillage, RT; conventional tillage, CT) and cropping system (barley-fallow rotation at the Peflaflor site, PN-BF and continuous barley at the Peñaflor site, PN-BB) on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage as well as the physical protection of SOM fractions by soil aggregates in three long-term experimental sites. In both cropping systems, total SOC content was more than 30% higher in NT compared with CT in the 0- to 5-cm depth. The suppression of fallowing in the PN-BB cropping system led to a greater SOC stabilization only in NT. In all the three sites, greater proportion of water-stable macroaggregates (>250 pm) was found under NT than under CT in the 0- to 5-cm depth. Macroaggregate organic C concentration (250-2000 pm) was greater in NT compared with CT in the BB cropping system, but did not differ with tillage treatment in the PN-BF rotation. Greater proportion of microaggregates within macroaggregates in NT compared with CT was only found in the Agramunt site (AG). However, greater C stabilized inside these microaggregates was observed in AG, Selvanera site (SV), and PN-BB in the 0- to 5-cm depth. The results of this study demonstrate that in the semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems of the Ebro valley, the adoption of NT together with the suppression of long-fallowing period can significantly increase the amount of SOC stabilized in the soil surface and improve soil structure and aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-six fungi isolated from cyclamen phylloplanes were identified and assessed in vitro for antagonism to B. cinerea on leaves, petals, petioles and peduncles. The estimation of pathogen conidial production was used as indicator of biocontrol ability of each of the strains. They were classified by cluster analysis resulting in four categories according to their behavior in the different organs. The most promising category included 34 isolates that significantly reduced pathogen inoculum in all the organs. Correspondence analysis showed association among leaf isolations, strains of Clonostachys rosea and Penicillium spp. and the best biocontrol performance. The statistical analysis was successful in dealing with this complex set of experimental data. Leaf fungal diversity was higher than those of petals and petiols, with Shannon values of 2.7, 0.9 and 0.5 respectively. Evidence for antibiosis and hyperparasitism was found for C. rosea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time domain reflectometiy (TDR) is a technique that allows simultaneous estimates of apparent permittivity (ϵa) and hence volumetric water content (θ) and bulk electrical conductivity (σa). Difficulties arise for θ and σa determination, however, when uncoated TDR probes (UP) are used in highly conductive media. This work shows that σa can be estimated in highly conductive media using a TDR probe coated with a high-dielectric insulator (CP). To this end, the Dalton method for σa estimations was applied to a 10-cm-long three-rod TDR probe insulated with a 0.2-mm-thick epoxy-ceramic composite coating with a relative permittivity, ϵr, of 32.3. This method was calibrated on different NaCl-water solutions (0-15 dS m-1) and compared with the standard long-time TDR method for σa estimations using an UP. The method was subsequently used for determining σa in four different soils with different values of θ and σa (0-6 dS m-1) and again compared with the standard TDR procedure. The low error (RMSE = 1.5) for the comparison between the ϵa measured with the CP and that calculated with the analytical solution for coaxial probes indicates that the CP is accurate enough for ϵa estimations. For σa values <4 dS m-1, the UP allows determinations of ϵa and the most accurate estimations of σa using the standard TDR method (R2 = 0.99). For higher σa values, however, estimations of ϵa were only possible using the CP, where σa was satisfactorily determined (R2 = 0.99) using the Dalton method. To this end, a previous calibration between the real and the apparent bulk electrical conductivity estimated with the CP was required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under semiarid conditions, soil quality and productivity can be improved by enhancing soil organic matter content by means of alternative management practices. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of no-till (NT) and cropping intensification as alternative soil practices to increase soil organic C (SOC). At the same time, we studied the influence of these management practices on two SOC fractions (particulate organic matter C, POM-C, and the mineral-associated C, Min-C), in semiarid agroecosystems of the Ebro River valley. Soil samples were collected from five soil layers (0-5-, 5-10-, 10-20-, 20-30-, 30-40-cm depth) during July 2005 at three long-term tillage experiments located at different sites in the Ebro River valley (northeast Spain). Soil bulk density, SOC concentration and content, SOC stratification ratio, POM-C, and Min-C were measured. Higher soil bulk density was observed under NT than under reduced tillage (RT), subsoil tillage (ST), or conventional tillage (CT). At the soil surface (0-5-cm depth), the highest total SOC concentration, POM-C, and Min-C were measured under NT, followed by RT, ST, and CT, respectively. In the whole soil profile (0-40 cm), similarly, slightly greater SOC content was measured under NT than under CT with the exception of the Selvanera site, where deep subsoil tillage combined with moldboard plowing accumulated more SOC than NT. In semiarid Mediterranean agro-ecosystems where CT consists in moldboard plowing, NT is a viable management practice to increase SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) have contributed to CO2 emissions from soils to the atmosphere and to global climate change. We hypothesized that in semiarid agroecosystems of the Mediterranean region, a shift from the traditional management system (including conventional tillage [CT] and a cereal-fallow rotation) to a more conservative system, including no-till (NT) and continuous cropping, could reduce CO2 emissions during the cropping season. Thus, in this study, we studied the effects of tillage and cropping systems on C inputs and soil CO2 fluxes during three cropping seasons at three different sites in the Ebro River valley (northeast Spain). Carbon inputs ranged from 650 to 6000 kg ha-1 and seasonal average CO2 flux ranged from 0.10 to 1.76 g CO2 m-2 h-1. Differences in rainfall led to marked differences in C inputs and soil fluxes among growing seasons. Although differences among tillage treatments were weak, CO2 fluxes under NT were always lower. Intensification of cropping systems led to an increase in C input. A move from CT to NT together with cropping intensification is suitable to increase C inputs and to reduce soil CO2 fluxes in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas species causing pith necrosis symptoms on tomato and pepper collected in different areas of Argentina were identified as Pseudomonas corrugata , P. viridiflava and Pseudomonas spp. Their diversity was analysed and compared with reference strains on the basis of their phenotypic characteristics, copper and antibiotic sensitivity tests, serology, pathogenicity, DNA fingerprinting and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of a 16S rRNA gene fragment. All P. corrugata strains tested were copper-resistant while P. viridiflava strains were more variable. Numerical analysis of phenotypic data showed that all P. corrugata strains formed a single phenon that clustered at a level of about 93%, while all the P. viridiflava strains clustered in a separated phenon at a level of 94%. Genomic analysis by repetitive (rep)-PCR and 16S rRNA-RFLP fingerprinting and serological analysis showed that the two species contained considerable genetic diversity. Inoculations of tomato and pepper plants with strains from both hosts caused similar pith necrosis symptoms. Strains of both P. corrugata and P. viridiflava were grouped according to their geographical origin and not according to the original host. This is the first report of Pseudomonas viridiflava causing pith necrosis on pepper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the second phase of the European International Project on Climatic and Hydrological Interactions between Vegetation, Atmosphere, and Land Surface (ECHIDA) Field Experiment in a Desertification Threatened Area (EFEDA) the spatial variability of the soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics of layers at 2–12- and 17–27-cm depth was characterized. A simplified method, based on particle size distribution and simple infiltration tests, was used. It provided these characteristics at the nodes of a 1-km grid over 10 × 10 km[sup 2] around the town of Tomelloso (Castilla–La Mancha, Spain). A total number of 78 sample points were used to address the problem of soil surface properties variability and its consequences on the monthly and annual water balance. The Simple Soil Plant Atmosphere Transfer model (SiSPAT) 1D Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) model was run with a 1-yr climatic forcing for the 78 soil profiles until equilibrium was reached. As no runoff was generated, the spatial variability of the water budget components only concerned soil evaporation, transpiration, and deep drainage. It was found that (i) the choice of the type of boundary condition at the bottom of the soil profile was greatly influencing the final variability, (ii) the variability of transpiration was the largest in situations of water stress for the vegetation, and (iii) soil evaporation was the most sensitive component when plants were well supplied with water. Various aggregation methods of soil surface parameters (use of the arithmetic mean, median of the parameters, or parameters associated to the average soil texture of the Clapp and Hornberger classification) were assessed. The use of median parameters in a single 1D simulation was found to provide the best agreement with the average of the 78 simulations performed for each grid cell using locally measured soil properties. The use of average soil texture... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ganser syndrome is a rare medical disorder situated between hysterical etiopathogenesis and psychosis, factitious disorders and organic lesions which results in a difficult diagnosis. It is listed in DSM VI as a dissociative disorder whose main symptom is approximate answers, other accompanying symptoms appearing in Ganser: clouding of consciousness, somatic conversion symptoms and hallucinations. Psychopathologically explains a mental state of escape from a situation difficult to being tolerated. Organically appears in pathologies involving the frontal lobes Objectives: We present a case of a XX year old man who suddenly develops a depressive disorder with no apparent cause. Initially he was a professionally developed man. Famous archaeologist. University professor. Guitarist in a musical group. He deteriorated through the years, appearing dementia data with auditive hallucinations and resistant headache. He begins to have difficulty speaking correctly, with paraphasias and short answers, continually repeating "I don't know", Short-term amnesia and bed-chair life Methods: It was impossible to perform both the Mini-Mental State Examination test and the fototest because the patient refused claiming to be very nervous. The CT and MRI showed a slight temporary atrophy and vascular age changes. Subsequently, PET was performed without notable findings. Antidepressant and anxiolytic treatment was introduced without success as well as treatment for dementia and antipsychotic treatment. Results: The headache was improved. The rest of the symptoms did not disappear Conclusions: Ganser syndrome is a psychiatric condition that is difficult to diagnose and treat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Diaeta is the property of Asociacion Argentina de Dietistas & Nutricionistas Dietistas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique allows simultaneous estimation of apparent permittivity (εa) and bulk electrical conductivity (δa). In highly conductive media, however, the signal is completely attenuated, which precludes permittivity measurements. This study showed that δa can be estimated in conductive media by applying long-time TDR waveform analysis to a TDR probe partially insulated with a high-dielectric coating. Four 10-cm-long three-rod TDR probes with identical geometry but different percentages of rod coating were tested: an uncoated sensor (P0) and probes with 50% (P50), 75% (P75), and 95% (P95) of the rod length coated with an insulator with a relative permittivity (εr) of 32.3. A good relationship (r² = 0.99) was found between the εa estimated, if possible, with P0 immersed in several conductive and nonconductive media and the corresponding values estimated with P50, P75, and P95 The results also show that, for δa values ranging between 0.4 and 0.75 S m-1, simultaneous measurements of εa and δa were only possible using the partially coated probes. A good correlation was found between the δa estimated with P0 inserted in different soil columns wetted with highly saline solutions (i.e., δa > 0.2 S m-1) and those values estimated with P50, P75, and P95 (r² = 0.96, RMSE = 1.08, and SD = 0.38). For δa < 0.2 S m-1, the accuracy of the partially coated TDR probes for estimations of δa decreased as the percentage of the rod coating increased, with errors up to 292% when δa determined by P95 was compared with that estimated by P0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]