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Resumo Neste artigo, buscamos compreender como a botânica se estabeleceu enquanto área de estudo e pesquisa no Museu Paulista entre os anos de 1895 e 1927. O foco recai na constituição da Seção de Botânica, evidenciando as redes de relações pessoais e institucionais para a formação das coleções e manutenção do horto. A análise transitou entre a história institucional e as práticas científicas, e possibilitou um olhar para o cotidiano dos trabalhos no Museu e, em especial, para as práticas de botânica. O estudo redimensiona o espaço dedicado à botânica no Museu Paulista e mostra como, ao longo dos anos, diversas ações ora impulsionaram, ora refrearam os estudos da flora, em uma instituição que também passava por transformações e redefinia suas finalidades. Abstract In this article, we seek to understand how Museu Paulista established an area of botanic st udy and research f rom 1895 to 1927. The focus is on the constitution of the Botany Section and highlights personal and institutional network relationships for garden collection formation and maintenance. The analysis was made on institutional history and scientific practices and allowed a look at the museum’s daily work, particularly botanic practices. The study resizes the space dedicated to botany at the Museu Paulista. It shows how, over the years, various actions have sometimes promoted and sometimes suppressed the studies of flora in an institution undergoing transformations and redefining its purposes.

The species Dactylorhiza sambucina, which is included into the Red Data Book of Russian Federation, should be excluded from the Flora of Russia. Its reports from the Orel Region were based on the incorrectly determined herbarium specimens of other taxa. Reports from the Bryansk Region although not confirmed by herbarium specimens are also obviously erroneous as evidenced by their collection date. Reports from the Republic of Chuvashia were already earlier acknowledged as incorrect by Margarita Gafurova in the “Flora of Chuvashia”., Вид Dactylorhiza sambucina, внесенный в Красную книгу Российской Федерации, должен быть исключен из состава флоры России. Его указания для Орловской области основываются на неверно определенных гербарных образцах других видов, в первую очередь – Dactylorhiza incarnata. Указания для Брянской области, хотя и не подтверждены гербарными образцами, также наверняка были определены неверно, исходя из указанной даты регистрации растения в поле. Указания для Республики Чувашия, третьего региона России, откуда вид приводился, были ранее идентифицированы как недостоверные М. М. Гафуровой во «Флоре Чувашии».

The article presents first data of the work on DNA barcoding of type specimens of ALTB Herbarium (Barnaul, Russia). Obtained sequences of ITS and trnL-trnF, trnH-psbA markers of DNA were deposited in NCBI GenBank, and corresponding dataset was published in the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)., В статье представлены первые результаты работы по ДНК-штрихкодированию типовых образцов, хранящихся в гербарии Алтайского государственного университета (ALTB, г. Барнаул, Россия). Полученные нуклеотидные последовательности маркерных фрагментов ДНК (ITS, trnL-trnF, trnH-psbA) внесены в базу данных NCBI GenBank, и соответствующий датасет опубликован в GBIF.

Purpose: Dysphagia impacts many poststroke survivors with wide-ranging prevalence in the acute and chronic phases. One relatively unexplored manifestation of poststroke swallowing impairment is that of primary or co-occurring esophageal dysphagia. The incidence of esophageal dysphagia in this population is unknown despite the shared neuroanatomy and physiology with the oropharynx. We aimed to determine the presence of abnormal esophageal clearance in an acute poststroke sample using the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP) Component 17 (esophageal clearance) as our outcome measure. Method: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, cohort study of 57 poststroke patients with acute, first-ever, ischemic strokes. All participants received a modified barium swallow study (MBSS) using the MBSImP protocol and scoring metrics. Swallowing impairment was determined using a combination of MBSImP scores and Penetration–Aspiration Scale scores. Swallowing outcome measures were collected including Functional Oral Intake Scale and International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) scores. We performed tests of association and logistic regression analysis to determine if statistically significant associations exist between judgments of esophageal clearance and other swallowing impairments and/or swallowing outcome measures. Results: In our study of poststroke patients who received an MBSS as part of their care, 57.9% had abnormal esophageal clearance. Statistically significant associations were also identified in measures of pharyngeal physiology (MBSImP scores) and swallowing outcome measures (IDDSI scores and alternate means of nutrition). Conclusions: Abnormal esophageal clearance was identified in greater than half of our poststroke patients. There is a dearth of scientific research regarding esophageal function poststroke. While esophageal visualization during the MBSS is not diagnostic of esophageal impairment, it may serve as an indicator for those poststroke patients who require dedicated esophageal testing to best determine the full nature of their swallowing pathophysiology and make the most effective treatment recommendations.

In this work, La0.85Sr0.15–xBaxGa0.85Mg0.15O3–δ (LSBGM), with 0≤x≤0.075, were prepared as electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells applications. The efect of barium and sintering temperature on the structure and electrical properties was studied. A fast combustion method was used, starting with nitrate salts and citric acid as fuel. The XRD spectra showed two main phases corresponding to LSGM orthorhombic (space group Imma) and LSGM-cubic (space group Pm-3 m). From literature, both structures are reported as high oxygen ion conductive species, but normally, they are not reported to appear together. Major secondary phases were LaSrGaO4, BaLaGaO4, and BaLaGaO7. SEM revealed a material with low porosity, indicating incomplete densifcation. The sample La0.85Sr0.075Ba0.075Ga0.85Mg0.15O3–δ showed a conductivity of 0.016 and 0.058 S cm−1 at 600 °C and 800 °C, respectively. This means an improvement of 34% compared to the non-barium sample La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.85Mg0.15O3-δ at 600 °C. Thus, this composition could be used in SOFC., This work was funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) / Scholarship Program/DOCTORADO NACIONAL/21202168.

One of the countries with high biodiversity is Indonesia. The potential of existing plants has not been maximally empowered by the community, especially in the Liwa Botanical Gardens. The involvement of the staff in the KRL is very necessary to be able to directly collect the observed plants and make a herbarium. Constraint faced in making herbarium is in the drying process. So far, the herbarium drying process is still being carried out in Department of Biology, University of Lampung. This PKM activity will begin with a pre-test to determine the initial ability of KRL staff on the importance of the drying process and the practice of making simple herbarium dryers instead of ovens. At the end of the activity, KRL staff were given a post-test to determine the increase in knowledge about the importance of drying herbariums. With this PKM activity, KRL staff increase their knowledge and skills in using simple tools for drying plant samples and in the long term the availability of more diverse herbariums in an effort to conserve potential plants in KRL. The result of this activity was an increase in score points by 28.08 and a percentage increase in knowledge of 51.63%.

[EN] The project arose from the need to build a columbarium in the extension of the Robregordo Cemetery, in the mountains of the Sierra de Madrid, whose first extension had been completed a few years earlier. The access, from the new extension, has no covered area in which to mourn the arrival of the coffin or ashes; a gate-like door, a perimeter wall of irregular granite ashlars that separates the interior from the exterior and two cypress trees placed symmetrically to serve as a reference from a more distant position are the pre-existing elements on the site., [ES] El proyecto nace desde la necesidad de ejecutar un grupo de columbarios en la ampliación del Cementerio de Robregordo, en la Sierra de Madrid, cuya primera ampliación se había finalizado unos años antes. El acceso, desde la nueva ampliación, no presenta ningún ámbito a cubierto en el que poder realizar la espera de duelo a la llegada del féretro o las cenizas; una puerta a modo de cancela, un muro perimetral de sillares de granito irregulares que separa el interior del exterior y dos cipreses colocados de manera simétrica que sirviese de referencia desde una posición más lejana son las preexistencias en el lugar.

OBJECTIVES: Understanding how aging impacts swallowing can help differentiate typical from atypical behaviors. This study aimed to quantify age-related swallowing alterations observed during a modified barium swallow study. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Adult fluoroscopy suite in a metropolitan hospital at an academic center. PARTICIPANTS: 195 healthy adults distributed across 3 age categories: 21–39; 40–59; 60+ years. MEASUREMENTS: 17 physiologic components of swallowing across three functional domains (oral, pharyngeal, esophageal), including summed composite scores (Oral Total [OT] and Pharyngeal Total [PT]), from the validated and standardized Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile. RESULTS: Most components (65%) demonstrated no impairment (scores of “0”). The odds of a worse (higher) score increased significantly with age for: Tongue Control during Bolus Hold, Hyolaryngeal Movement, Laryngeal Closure, Pharyngeal Contraction, and Pharyngoesophageal Segment Opening. OT and PT scores for 40–59-year-olds were worse than the youngest group (p=.01 and p

Biogenic Mn oxides are reactive and ubiquitous in many Earth surface environments, yet their role in radionuclide sequestration at U mill-tailings sites still require an improved understanding at the nano- and molecular-scales. This study concerns the uptake of Ba, utilized as a safe and chemically appropriate surrogate for radioactive Ra, by biogenic Mn oxides produced by a fungal species, Coprinopsis urticicola, isolated from the mine water of the Ningyo-toge U mine, Okayama, Japan. The biogenic Mn oxides were identified as birnessite nanocrystals O binding to the newly overlying MnO6 layer during coprecipitation. Static desorption experiments for 7 days reveal that the steady-state release rate of adsorbed Ba is ∼1.4 times faster than that of the coprecipitated Ba, when the Ba concentration in the initial loading solution was ∼10–8 mol/L, indicating that the release of intercalated (coprecipitation) Ba to solution is retarded. The present study demonstrates the importance of fungus-generated Mn oxides as an efficient absorber of Ba2+, and likely Ra2+, among soil compounds in U mill-tailings. This may be applicable to other contaminated sites due to the ubiquitous occurrence of fungi in the environment.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive BC subtype with a higher metastatic rate and a worse 5-year survival ratio than the other BC. It is an urgent need to develop a noninvasive treatment with high efficiency to resist TNBC cell proliferation and invasion. Internal wireless electric stimulation (ES) based on piezoelectric materials is an emerging noninvasive strategy, with adjustable ES intensity and excellent biosafety. In this study, three different barium titanate nanoparticles (BTNPs) with different crystal phases and piezoelectric properties were studied. Varying intensities of internal ES were generated from the three BTNPs (

International audience; In this paper, synchrotron radiation photoemission techniques are used to unravel the pending nature of the two Ba 4d components, also observed on Ba 3d lines, and commonly named Ba(α) and Ba(β). Investigations were carried out on the (001) surface of epitaxial very thin (≤ 20 nm) films combined with DFT calculations. Photoelectron diffraction experiments reveal different behaviors for Ba(α) and Ba(β) components. While six well defined diffraction features corresponding to the BaTiO$_3$ bulk structure are observed for the Ba(α) component, no feature really appears in the diffraction pattern of Ba(β). This observations reveal the absence of forward scattering processes, hence this component comes mostly from surface BaO plane. Supporting these results, DFT calculations demonstrate a shift to lower binding energy (BE) only for the Ba 4d peak from the topmost BaO layer with respect to the photoelectron peak stemming from bulk layers. Hence, only one peak (the Ba(α) one) should be observed for a sample with a complete TiO$_2$ termination. This hypothesis is supported by photoemission measurements carried out at low photon energy in grazing angle emission, in order to enhance the signal from topmost layers with respect to the bulk. For each sample, the Ba(β)/Ba(α) intensity ratio is well reproduced by a model where the Ba(β) signal is only coming from the topmost surface BaO plane.

Purpose: Prior studies suggest there may be differences in videofluoroscopic measures of swallowing across different barium concentrations. Whether different barium products of identical concentration result in similar swallowing physiology remains unknown. This is important, as barium intended for videofluoroscopy (i.e., Bracco Varibar) is not available globally. Our aim was to identify differences in healthy swallowing across five different barium stimuli. Method: Twenty healthy adults (10 women), aged 22–54 years, underwent videofluoroscopy including comfortable sips of thin liquid barium: two sips of 20% weight-to-volume (w/v) barium prepared with E-Z-HD powder, and two sips each of 20%w/v and 40%w/v barium prepared with Liquid Polibar Plus and E-Z-Paque powder. Recordings were analyzed according to the Analysis of Swallowing Physiology: Events, Kinematics and Timing Method. Measures of timing, kinematics and residue were obtained. Chi-square, Friedman's, and Wilcoxon signed-ranks test were used to identify differences across stimuli. Results: Significant differences were seen across barium stimuli for upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening duration, UES diameter, pharyngeal area at maximum constriction, and residue. In all cases, smaller values were seen with the 20%w/v E-Z-HD stimulus; however, this stimulus had questionable opacity for visualization. Patterns of residue severity were not explained by barium concentration. Conclusions: This study confirms that some measures of swallowing are influenced by barium product and/or concentration. Measures are not necessarily similar across different barium products at the same concentration. This study illustrates the importance of using standard and appropriate stimuli in videofluoroscopy, and for clinicians to report not only the product but also the concentration of stimuli used. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20669712

Surgeons have traditionally believed that swallowing is mainly dependent on gravity after total glossolaryngectomy. However, swallowing function after total glossolaryngectomy varies widely among patients, and a thorough analysis is lacking. The authors aimed to clarify the swallowing function after total glossolaryngectomy and determine whether it is primarily dependent on gravity. The authors retrospectively analyzed videofluorographic examinations of patients who underwent total glossolaryngectomy and free or pedicle flap reconstruction. The authors enrolled 20 patients (12 male; mean age, 61 years; age range, 43 to 89 years). All patients demonstrated constriction of the reconstructed pharynx to some degree, and no patient's ability to swallow was dependent on gravity alone. Videofluorography showed excellent barium clearance in eight patients and poor clearance in 12. All patients with excellent clearance showed strong constriction of the posterior pharyngeal wall, whereas only 8.3 percent of the patients with poor clearance showed adequate constriction, which was significantly different ( p = 0.0007). Velopharyngeal closure and lip closure also contributed significantly to excellent clearance ( p = 0.041). The shape of the reconstructed pharynx (depressed, flat, protuberant) showed no statistically significant association with excellent clearance. Contrary to previous understanding, constriction of the remnant posterior pharyngeal wall played an important role in swallowing after total glossolaryngectomy, and gravity played a secondary role. Dynamic posterior pharyngeal wall movement might result from the increased power of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle and compensate for the immobility of the transferred flap. A well-functioning pharyngeal constrictor muscle and complete velopharyngeal and lip closures can contribute to excellent barium clearance in patients after total glossolaryngectomy.Therapeutic, III.

Access to Natural History Collections helps researchers to better understand the natural world. Millions of digital images of herbarium specimens are openly available via the Internet. However, using these images in a data-intensive research project raises basic questions like: "How do I efficiently access, and verify, hundreds of thousands of images?", and, "How do I cite a version of a large image corpus?" Here, we present a method to cite, verify and mobilize such image corpora across different locations and medium types. We demonstrate our method with >100k images made available through the Botanical Research Institute of Texas using available tools (e.g., rsync, Preston) and technologies (e.g., internet, postal service). Our results show that our packaging method allows the US Postal Service to transfer a packaged corpus at about 3 images/s, whereas retrieving individual images via HTTP achieved a transfer rate of about 0.2 images/s. Our results support that signed digital packaging of image corpora enables distributed storage using readily available transfer and storage methods. In addition, our method is future proof because they can be used with any digital media, including those that are not yet available. included files are: 00_Poelen_DD2023.mp4 - recorded presentation (see also https://vimeo.com/832006741) 00_Poelen_DD2023.pdf - presentation slides 00_Poelen_DD2023.pptx - presentation slides (powerpoint) 00_Poelen_DD2023_Abstract.pdf - presentation abstract. Part of: Digital Data in Biodiversity Data Conference 2023 @ Arizona State University 5-7 June 2023. Provenance: preston head \ --remote https://linker.bio\ --anchor hash://sha256/0154b9ddce4d2e280e627a08d1a2d42884201af6ac1ec19606e393deda57f4bb hash://sha256/0154b9ddce4d2e280e627a08d1a2d42884201af6ac1ec19606e393deda57f4bb preston head\ --remote https://linker.bio\ --anchor hash://sha256/0154b9ddce4d2e280e627a08d1a2d42884201af6ac1ec19606e393deda57f4bb\ | preston cat\ --remote https://linker.bio\ --anchor hash://sha256/0154b9ddce4d2e280e627a08d1a2d42884201af6ac1ec19606e393deda57f4bb\ | md5sum\ | sed 's+^+hash://md5/+g'\ | cut -d ' ' -f1 hash://md5/bae7f441cdd2648d2356b2330e4b71e8 preston alias\ --remote https://linker.bio\ --anchor hash://sha256/0154b9ddce4d2e280e627a08d1a2d42884201af6ac1ec19606e393deda57f4bb . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., In part funded by Nation Science Foundation OAC 1839201 .

This study aims to assess breast cancer (BC) association with metals and whether polymorphisms in CYP1A1, CYP1B1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 act as confounders or as modifiers of those relationships. We performed a secondary analysis of 499 histologically confirmed BC cases and the same number of age-matched population controls. We measured urinary concentrations of 18 metals with mass spectrometry. We determined the genetic variants of interest by allelic discrimination and multiplex PCR. After adjusting for covariates, we found BC negatively associated with arsenic, barium, cobalt, copper, magnesium, molybdenum and vanadium concentrations and positively with those of caesium, manganese, tin and thallium. Most associations remained after stratifying by the genetic variants. We identified that polymorphisms in CYP1B1, CYP1A1 and GSTM1 genes interacted with some metals on BC: interaction p-values CYP1B1 G119T × antimony= 0.036, CYP1B1 G119T × cobalt0.001, CYP1B1 G119T × tin= 0.032, CYP1A1 A4889G × aluminium= 0.018, CYP1A1 A4889G × arsenic= 0.031, CYP1A1 A4889G × nickel= 0.036, CYP1A1 A4889G × vanadium= 0.031 and GSTM1 deletion × barium= 0.035. Exposure to various individual metals, along with genetic characteristics may contribute to BC development. Further studies are warranted to confirm our results.

Chicago classification version 4.0 (CCv4.0) introduced stringent diagnostic criteria for oesophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO), in order to increase the clinical relevance of the diagnosis, although this has not yet been demonstrated.To determine the prevalence of EGJOO using CCv4.0 criteria in patients with CCv3.0-based EGJOO, and to assess if provocative manoeuvres can predict a conclusive CCv4.0 diagnosis of EGJOO.Clinical presentation, high resolution manometry (HRM) with rapid drink challenge (RDC), and timed barium oesophagogram (TBE) data were extracted for patients diagnosed with EGJOO as per CCv3.0 between 2018 and 2020. Patients were then re-classified according to CCv4.0 criteria, using clinically relevant symptoms (dysphagia and/or chest pain), and abnormal barium emptying at 5 min on TBE. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses identified HRM predictors of EGJOO.Of 2010 HRM studies, 144 (7.2%) fulfilled CCv3.0 criteria for EGJOO (median age 61 years, 56.9% female). Upon applying CCv4.0 criteria, EGJOO prevalence decreased to 1.2%. On ROC analysis, integrated relaxation pressure during RDC (RDC-IRP) was a significant predictor of a conclusive EGJOO diagnosis by CCv4.0 criteria (area under the curve: 96.1%). The optimal RDC-IRP threshold of 16.7 mm Hg had 87% sensitivity, 97.1% specificity, 95.7% negative predictive value and 91.3% positive predictive value for a conclusive EGJOO diagnosis; lower thresholds (10 mmHg, 12 mmHg) had better sensitivity but lower specificity.CCv4.0 criteria reduced the prevalence of EGJOO by 80%, thereby refining the diagnosis and identifying clinically relevant outflow obstruction. Elevated RDC-IRP can predict conclusive EGJOO per CCv4.0.

La flora del Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Iguaque, única área protegida de la provincia de Ricaurte, Boyacá, Colombia, representa la extraordinaria diversidad vegetal de la Cordillera Oriental colombiana. Nuestro primer objetivo consiste en reportar 88 novedades para esta flora regional, incluidas once especies de Lycophyta y Monilophyta y 77 especies de Angiospermae, con base en trabajo de herbario, de campo y reciente literatura. Sobresalen nuevos registros de Cactaceae, Cleomaceae, Cornaceae, Monimiaceae, Osmundaceae, Phrymaceae, Rosaceae, Woodsiaceae y Xyridaceae. Burmeistera glabrata (Campanulaceae), Cornus peruviana (Cornaceae) y Nothoscordum gracile (Amaryllidaceae) son nuevos reportes para el departamento de Boyacá. Los taxones endémicos Melpomene anazalea (Polypodiaceae), Piper daniel-gonzalezii var. moniquiranum (Piperaceae), Masdevallia aenigma y Stelis boyacensis (Orchidaceae), Espeletia cayetana y E. raquirensis (Asteraceae) presentan evidente grado de amenaza. Nuestro segundo objetivo consiste en actualizar la nomenclatura de 31 binomios, siete de ellos, de las familias Acanthaceae, Asteraceae, Crassulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Poaceae y Rosaceae, con estatus taxonómico incierto. Nuestro trabajo permitirá actualizar los siguientes taxones en el Herbario Nacional Colombiano y en la catalogación de la Flora de Colombia: a nivel de género, Bartsia, Blechnum, Cheilanthes, Chenopodium, Cleome, Cordia, Diplostephium, Habracanthus, Hyptis, Lycopodium, Schefflera, Terpsichore y Vasquezia; y a nivel de especie, Melpomene anazalea, Opuntia soederstromiana, Rubus alutaceus, Spilotantha amanda, Stelis alleyoop, S. angustifolia, S. boyacensis y S. pleistantha.

Spatial distribution and pollution assessment of selected heavy metals such as barium (Ba), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in sediments of the Brahmaputra River watershed in Bangladesh was investigated. The mean abundances (ppm) of heavy metals in sediment samples were in decreasing order Ba (375.60) V (67.60) Cr (54.10) Zn (48.20) Ni (22.28) Pb (20.25) Cu (7.59) As (4.21). Concentrations of Pb and As in the sediments are enriched relative to the average upper continental crust composition, while Ba, V, Cr, Zn, Ni, and Cu decrease considerably. A higher concentration of Pb and Ni indicates that Brahmaputra River watershed samples receive a significant contribution from anthropogenic sources of heavy metals. Chromium displays marked positive correlation with V (r = 0.91, p = 0.01), inferring a similar source materials input into the watershed. The geo-accumulation index (I

Nephropathic cystinosis is a lysosomal storage disorder with known myopathic features, including dysphagia. Evaluation of oropharyngeal swallowing physiology can be standardized using the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP), a validated assessment tool used to analyze and rate swallowing across 17 distinct physiologic domains. Our objective was to better characterize swallowing impairments in nephropathic cystinosis using MBSImP analysis.We retrospectively evaluated 40 video fluoroscopic swallowing studies performed at two time points over 1 y in patients with nephropathic cystinosis with various levels of oral and pharyngeal stage dysphagia. Patients completed two self-administered dysphagia outcome measures (the M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory [MDADI] and the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool [EAT-10]).We demonstrated oral stage and pharyngeal stage dysphagia across domains that impacted bolus control, transit, and clearance through both the oral cavity and pharyngeal lumen. Also captured were deficits related to onset and completeness of laryngeal closure that impact airway protection during swallow. There were significant correlations between pharyngeal total score and EAT-10 (r = 0.5, p 0.001) and between oral total score and EAT-10 (r = 0.7, p 0.001), MDADI-e (r = -0.6, p 0.001), MDADI-p (r = -0.5, p 0.001) and MDADI-c (r = -0.6, p 0.001). There were no differences in oral or pharyngeal total scores across the 1-y time span.This study identifies oral and pharyngeal stage dysphagia as crucial to patients with nephropathic cystinosis and paves the path for future studies of treatment targets.

Documenting species and population diversity is becoming increasingly important as the destruction and degradation of natural ecosystems are leading to a worldwide biodiversity loss. Despite the rapid development of genetic tools, many species remain undocumented and little is known about the diversity of individuals and populations, especially for tropical African plants. In this study, we aim to identify putative hidden species and/or differentiated populations in the tropical African tree Staudtia kamerunensis Warb. (Myristicaceae), a widespread species characterized by a high morphological diversity and a complex taxonomical history. Historical herbarium vouchers were sampled and leaf or cambium samples were collected in the field, dried in silica gel, and subsequently genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci (SSRs), as well as sequenced for two nuclear genes (At103, Agt1) and one plastid region (psbA-trnH). These genetic data were then analyzed using Bayesian clustering, population genetics, and the construction of haplowebs to assess genetic clustering patterns, the distribution of genetic diversity, and genetic differentiation among populations. Multiple genetically differentiated clusters were observed in parapatry throughout Central Africa. Genetic diversity was high and similar among these clusters, apart from the most differentiated populations in southeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), which showed lower levels of genetic diversity. The genetic breaks detected between S. kamerunensis populations are likely not indicative of hidden species but rather result from ancient rainforest fragmentation during cold and dry periods in the Pliocene and/or Pleistocene. The strong genetic divergence between populations in southeast DR Congo could be the result of an ongoing speciation linked to ecological niche differentiation.

Blood supply is especially weak near the gastric fundus. Making the anastomosis in this area would increase the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL). In cervical anastomosis, the gastric conduit needs to travel through the thorax. Therefore, the relative length between the stomach and the thorax is an essential factor in deciding if the poorly supplied area could be removed. This study was to explore if a small relative gastric length was a risk of cervical AL. If all other conditions are equal, could intrathoracic anastomosis be a better choice?Patients who underwent esophagectomy with a preoperative barium swallow in West China Hospital between 2014 and 2017 were included. The length of the greater curvature and the thorax were obtained from the barium esophagogram. The ratio between the length of the greater curvature and the thorax was the relative gastric length calculated from the greater curvature (RGL-G).A total of 782 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. The cervical AL group had a significantly higher ratio of patients with an RGL-G less than 1.3 (26.7% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.003). The multivariate logistic regression proved that RGL-G less than 1.3 was a risk factor for cervical anastomotic leakage (p = 0.012). Correspondingly, RGL-G less than 1.3 was not a risk factor (6.3% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.289) in the intrathoracic anastomosis group.RGL-G less than 1.3 was a new risk factor for cervical AL, but it would not be a problem for intrathoracic anastomosis.

This study's aim was to determine the presence, as well as to evaluate the health and environmental impacts, of chemical elements from firearm shots during shooter practice at outdoor shooting ranges, both in the environment and on the shooters' hands. Two high-precision devices were used for measuring suspended particles that are released during discharge of Taurus PT 100 .40 caliber pistols. The analysis of collected data allowed the identification of specific distribution patterns of samples that were adsorbed. Moreover, samples were collected from the opisthenar area of the hand to investigate both the occurrence and deposition of particles and chemical elements through scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results indicate that copper, lead, and zinc concentration profiles will be able to delimit and reveal more precise details regarding shots made with nontoxic ammunition (NTA). In particular, the residual graphic analysis indicated that the majority of metal deposited in the shooter's hand is zinc. Further, the metals barium and lead also were detected. Due to the exposure to these elements, it could be concluded that engineering controls and administrative management should be sought in order to avoid human overexposure and environmental release of these airborne toxic metals.

Barium poisoning is rare but potentially severe. We describe a case of acute barium carbonate poisoning with cardiac arrest, managed with intravenous potassium, dialysis and endoscopic removal of retained ceramic glazes.A 38-year-old woman presented with vomiting 90 min after ingesting 3 cups of barium and strontium carbonate. Initial bloods noted potassium 2.8 mmol/L and creatinine 53 μmol/L. Electrocardiogram demonstrated prolonged corrected QT interval 585msec. Initial management included intravenous potassium. Four hours post-ingestion she developed proximal muscle weakness in upper limbs with a potassium of 2.2 mmol/L. At 15 h post-ingestion she developed profound muscle weakness, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest. Treatment included defibrillation, endotracheal intubation and continuous veno-venous haemodialysis (CVVHD) for metabolic derangement and enhanced elimination of barium. Chest X-ray 17 h post-ingestion demonstrated a large radio-opaque mass in the stomach, thought to be the ceramic glaze. Endoscopy removed the retained material 41 h post-ingestion. She was extubated 58 h post-ingestion and CVVHD was ceased on day 3. Serum creatinine peaked at 348 μmol/L on day 7, but normalised by discharge. Biphasic barium concentrations were noted, notably 94 μmol/L on admission, 195 μmol/L at 16 h, 95 μmol/L at 20 h, and 193 μmol/L at 30 h post-ingestion.In barium poisoning with hypokalaemia, prompt potassium supplementation is required but rebound hyperkalaemia can occur. Endoscopic removal of ceramic glazes may be useful more than 12 h post-ingestion. Consider extracorporeal methods to enhance barium elimination in severe cases.

The widespread digitization of natural history collections, combined with novel tools and approaches is revolutionizing biodiversity science. The ‘extended specimen’ concept advocates a more holistic approach in which a specimen is framed as a diverse stream of interconnected data. Herbarium specimens that by their very nature capture multispecies relationships, such as certain parasites, fungi and lichens, hold great potential to provide a broader and more integrative view of the ecology and evolution of symbiotic interactions. This particularly applies to parasite–host associations, which owing to their interconnectedness are especially vulnerable to global environmental change. Here, we present an overview of how parasitic flowering plants is represented in herbarium collections. We then discuss the variety of data that can be gathered from parasitic plant specimens, and how they can be used to understand global change impacts at multiple scales. Finally, we review best practices for sampling parasitic plants in the field, and subsequently preparing and digitizing these specimens. Plant parasitism has evolved 12 times within angiosperms, and similar to other plant taxa, herbarium collections represent the foundation for analysing key aspects of their ecology and evolution. Yet these collections hold far greater potential. Data and metadata obtained from parasitic plant specimens can inform analyses of co-distribution patterns, changes in eco-physiology and species plasticity spanning temporal and spatial scales, chemical ecology of tripartite interactions (e.g. host–parasite–herbivore), and molecular data critical for species conservation. Moreover, owing to the historic nature and sheer size of global herbarium collections, these data provide the spatiotemporal breadth essential for investigating organismal response to global change. Parasitic plant specimens are primed to serve as ideal examples of extended specimen concept and help motivate the next generation of creative and impactful collection-based science. Continued digitization efforts and improved curatorial practices will contribute to opening these specimens to a broader audience, allowing integrative research spanning multiple domains and offering novel opportunities for education.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for ten metals or metalloids in public drinking water systems. Our objective was to estimate metal concentrations in community water systems (CWSs) across the USA, to establish if sociodemographic or regional inequalities in the metal concentrations exist, and to identify patterns of concentrations for these metals as a mixture.We evaluated routine compliance monitoring records for antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, thallium, and uranium, collected from 2006-11 (2000-11 for uranium; timeframe based on compliance monitoring requirements) by the US EPA in support of their second and third Six-Year Reviews for CWSs. Arsenic, barium, chromium, selenium, and uranium (detectable in10% records) were included in the main analyses (subgroup and metal mixture analyses; arsenic data reported previously). We compared the mean, 75th percentile, and 95th percentile contaminant concentrations and the percentage of CWSs with concentrations exceeding the MCL across subgroups (region, sociodemographic county-cluster, size of population served, source water type, and CWSs exclusively serving correctional facilities). We evaluated patterns in CWS metal concentration estimate profiles via hierarchical cluster analysis. We created an online interactive map and dashboard of estimated CWS metal concentrations for use in future analyses.Average metal concentrations were available for a total of 37 915 CWSs across the USA. The total number of monitoring records available was approximately 297 000 for arsenic, 165 000 for barium, 167 000 for chromium, 165 000 for selenium, and 128 000 for uranium. The percentage of analysed CWSs with average concentrations exceeding the MCL was 2·6% for arsenic (MCL=10 μg/L; nationwide mean 1·77 μg/L; n=36 798 CWSs), 2·1% for uranium (MCL=30 μg/L; nationwide mean 4·37 μg/L; n=14 503 CWSs), and less than 0·1% for the other metals. The number of records with detections was highest for uranium (63·1%). 75th and 95th percentile concentrations for uranium, chromium, barium, and selenium were highest for CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities, CWSs reliant on groundwater, and CWSs in the Central Midwest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct clusters: an arsenic-uranium-selenium cluster and a barium-chromium cluster.Uranium is an under-recognised contaminant in CWSs. Metal concentrations (including uranium) are elevated in CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities independent of location or region, highlighting environmental justice concerns.US National Institutes of Health Office of the Director, US National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences, and US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

La mayoría de las especies de plantas introducidas en México no han sido evaluadas para priorizar las acciones de gestión para erradicarlas o contenerlas o para mitigar los daños causados por invasiones de plantas nocivas. Se evaluaron 42 taxa (41 especies y una variedad) de malezas introducidas de la familia Leguminosae usando criterios empíricos y derivados de teoría, en el desarrollo de un modelo centrado en el comportamiento de las especies en el extranjero, su tiempo de residencia y las localidades ocupadas, y la presencia en México de los parientes congenéricos nativos y no nativos. Los datos se obtuvieron a partir de fuentes bibliográficas y de la base de datos “Malezas Introducidas en México” que incluye información de 11 herbarios de México. También desarrollamos un proceso de puntuación para calificar la expansión de las introducidas de acuerdo con tiempo de residencia y número de localidades ocupadas. Clasificamos a las leguminosas introducidas en cuatro categorías de prioridad de atención. Albizia lebbeck, Pueraria phaseoloides, Lablab purpureus, Securigera varia, Delonix regia, Clitoria ternatea y Spartium junceum deben recibir prioridad de atención alta; consideramos que ocho especies requieren una atención prioritaria media, y siete atención prioritaria baja. 20 taxa fueron clasificados como no prioritarios. El modelo de evaluación desarrollado todavía necesita un mayor refinamiento, ya que especies aparentemente inocuas obtuvieron puntajes altos y una potencialmente peligrosa (Cassia fistula) se clasificó en la categoría no prioritaria. Esperamos que el presente modelo de evaluación funcionará como una herramienta y con baja dependencia de expertos, para identificar a las especies introducidas que requieren un análisis de riesgo más completo para priorizar esfuerzos para el manejo de las plantas introducidas nocivas.

RESUMEN Los ecosistemas andinos constituyen uno de los más importantes centros de biodiversidad del mundo, sin embargo, sus coberturas boscosas tienden a desaparecer rápidamente debido a que están sometidas a una fuerte presión antrópica. En este estudio, se caracterizan las angiospermas presentes en los parches de bosque, sus bordes y en zonas de vegetación abierta o potrero de un área andina de la Cordillera Central de Colombia. Entre marzo de 2017 y febrero de 2018 se realizaron recolecciones de material fértil mediante recorridos del área. Se obtuvo información complementaria de colecciones históricas depositadas en herbarios. El material herborizado se depositó en el Herbario Nacional Colombiano (COL). Se registran 431 especies, agrupadas en 92 familias y 239 géneros, se encontraron cinco familias de magnólidas con siete géneros y 29 especies, 18 de monocotiledóneas (66/131) y 69 eudicotiledóneas (166/271). La mayor riqueza a nivel de especies la presentan Orchidaceae (54), Rubiaceae (24), Asteraceae (22), Araceae (22) y Piperaceae (20). Las hierbas terrestres son la forma de vida más numerosa (31,8 %), seguidas por arbustos (26,5 %) y árboles (17,6 %). A pesar de tratarse de áreas rodeadas por actividades productivas, principalmente agropecuarias, se encontraron 30 especies endémicas de Colombia, 170 taxones representan nuevos registros para la vertiente oriental de la Cordillera Central del departamento de Antioquia, dos nuevos registros para el departamento y cuatro nuevas especies. ABSTRACT The Andean ecosystems constitute one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world; however, their forest covers tend to disappear rapidly as they are subjected to strong anthropic pressure. In this study, the angiosperms present in the forest patches, its edge, and in areas of open vegetation or pasture of an Andean area of the Central Cordillera of Colombia are characterized. General collections of fertile material were made through tours between March 2017 and February 2018. Complementary information was obtained from historic collections deposited in herbaria and the botanical material was deposited in the Herbario Nacional Colombiano (COL). A total of 431 species are recorded, grouped into 92 families and 239 genera, five families of magnolids were found with seven genera and 29 species, 18 monocotyledons (66/131) and 69 eudicotyledons (166/271). The highest species richness is presented by Orchidaceae (54), Rubiaceae (24), Asteraceae (22), Araceae (22), and Piperaceae (20). Terrestrial herbs is the most numerous life form (31.8 %), followed by shrubs (26.5 %) and trees (17.6 %). Despite being areas surrounded by productive activities, mainly agricultural, 30 species are endemic to Colombia, 170 taxa are new records for the eastern slope of the Central mountain range of the department of Antioquia, two are new records for the department, and four new species are reported.

El género Isoetes spertenece a la clase Lycopodiopsida (Licófitos). El genero está generalmente poco representado en colecciones debido a la falta de caracteres diagnósticos y a ser poco conspicuo. La distribución actual de las especies del género Isoetes en la provincia de Córdoba se proporciona en una resolución de 1 km2 a partir de varias fuentes: (i) pliegos de los herbarios COA, COFC, MGC, SEV, GDA y GDAC; (ii) 107 nuevas observaciones llevadas a cabo desde el año 2012, y (iii) consulta de publicaciones y bases de datos. Nueve pliegos de herbario han sido correctamente identificados. La especie más frecuente es I. histrix, que se presupone bien representada en la mitad norte de la provincia. El resto de especies, Isoetes durieui, I. longissima e I. delilei, son menos comunes. Con el presente trabajo se actualiza la distribución de este género en la provincia de Córdoba (España), donde algunas de sus especies están catalogadas como amenazadas.

In this study, we investigated four aquatic plants, namely Nuphar pumila (Timm) DC. and Nymphaea candida C.Presl in Nympaeaceae as well as Menyanthes trifoliata L. and Nymphoides peltata (S.G. Gmel.) Kuntze in Menyanthaceae from Mongolia based on field surveys, herbariums, and scientific literature. Additionally In addition, we carefully examined for Nymphaea tetragona Georgi, which was previously recorded in several lakes, Khar-Us, Khar, Buuntsagaan, and Tsetsegt as well as the Ider river in Mongolia. Because we did not find N. tetragona in the field and because it is difficult to identify from herbarium specimens, we believe it has been misidentified at the Khar-Us, Khar, and Tsetsegt lakes to date. More surveys are needed to document its presence. Finally, we provide detailed distribution maps, photo illustrations, and taxonomic notes of four species.

Pollen morphology of herbarium specimens of four Centranthus species (C. ruber, C. longiflorus, C. kellereri and C. calcitrapae) was studied using LM and SEM. The research aim was to provide data on their pollen characteristics and to evaluate the taxonomic value of these data for species-specific identification. Pollen grains are tricolpate, suboblate to prolate (P/E = 0.81–1.42); medium- or large-sized (P = 49.21–90.44 µm; E = 43.89–93.10 µm). Colpi are long or medium-length, wide at equator, tapered to acute or obtuse ends. Exine sculpture is echinate-microechinate-nanoechinate; echini (1.00–1.39 µm high) and microechini (0.55–0.98 µm) are conical, with straight or convex sides and acute apices, nanoechini are 0.22–0.46 µm high. Most important characters of taxa diagnostic at species level for the taxonomy are: size of pollen and colpi, exine structure, size of echini and microechini, and pattern of tectum in areas between echini. Pollen grains of C. calcitrapae and C. macrosiphon (sect. Calcitrapa) are generally smaller in size than grains of C. ruber, C. longiflorus and C. kellereri (sect. Centranthus). Pollen of C. kellereri was analysed for the first time in the current study.

One of the major challenges for Ti-based implants is insufficient osteointegration, which might result in the loosening of the implant. In this study, we fabricated strontium (Sr)-containing barium titanate (BST) on the surface of Ti to improve the bioactivity for osteointegration enhancement. The introduction of Sr significantly reduced the crystallization time and improved crystallinity, which was proved by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with Ti, the BST film showed greater wettability surface and lower elastic modulus and hardness. Furthermore, in synergy with the release of Sr ions, the BST film improved early adhesion and followed osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, the bone implantation experiment suggested that the BST film could significantly improve the in vivo osteogenesis and osteointegration capabilities of Ti implants. In summary, this study revealed that BST-modified Ti has potential application in bone repair.

Nanosized Ba1-xBixFe1-xCuxO3 (12–50 nm) with x values of 0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 system was prepared using the Pechini method. Structural, morphological, surface and optical characterizations were performed for the prepared samples. Cubic phase was the predominant phase for the undoped BaFeO3 and Bi and Cu co-doped BaFeO3 samples. Minor phases of monoclinic Ba2Fe2O5, orthorhombic BaFe2O4 and orthorhombic BaCO3 were identified for all the prepared samples. Ba0.95Bi0.05Fe0.95Cu0.05O3 sample has the lowest band gap (2.43 eV). 98.1% paracetamol removal was achieved with 0.75 g/L of Ba0.95Bi0.05Fe0.95Cu0.05O3 at pH 9 after 120 min. The paracetamol degradation follows the pseudo first-order kinetics. HO• is the main oxidative species responsible for the paracetamol degradation. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was performed at the end of the photocatalytic degradation experiment under optimum operating condition using Ba0.95Bi0.05Fe0.95Cu0.05O3 to explain the reaction mechanism and identify the intermediate by-products which is confirmed by ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy study at different reaction times.

This study was conducted to make an inventory of the monocot plants that were collected before and now which stored in the herbarium of Iraq Natural History Museum for identifying them. The herbarium contains avery large and varied number of plants from different parts in Iraq and for different and varied environments. The plants collected, arranged and identified using taxonomic keys specific to these families. Currently, the plant samples are in the herbarium of Iraq Natural History Museum to be an important scientific reference for all researchers inside and outside the country. With the identification of botanical scientists for each family, gender and year in which it was first diagnosed.

Gunshot residue (GSR) is a composite of unburnt and partially burnt particles from various components of firearm ammunition cartridges. GSR is customarily sampled from small, localized spots and analyzed visually and elementally. The conventional analytical methods for localized GSR are most commonly done through a paired scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) to look for the presence of lead, barium, and antimony, the inorganic components of ammunition primer. Previous GSR analysis primarily focused on the material deposited on a shooter's hands and used swabbing or adhesive stubs to collect GSR. In this study, total gunshot residue (tGSR) from six types of ammunition was collected from fabric that was shot at a muzzle-to-target distance of 15 cm. Subsequently, each tGSR sample was digested in nitric acid and analyzed with total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF). The TXRF technique can simultaneously identify the individual elements in the tGSR and provide absolute elemental quantification. In contrast, EDS scans report the relative elemental compositions of localized GSR samples rather than giving absolute quantitation. This study reliably revealed distinct patterns in six key elements (lead, copper, barium, antimony, iron, and zinc) of tGSR among the ammunition investigated. Elemental profiles were developed from the analyses to represent each ammunition type and the elemental quantities obtained could be used to suggest the category of ammunition that was used.

Existing data demonstrate a significant correlation between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the status of biologically essential and toxic trace elements. However, there is still a lack of data on the steady state of trace elements in ASD. We performed a case-control study to explore the association between the risk of ASD and 23 trace elements in plasma. The results showed that children with ASD had considerably decreased lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), barium (Ba), mercury (Hg), and tin (Sn) levels when compared to their age- and sex-matched controls. Meanwhile, children with ASD had considerably increased plasma chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V) concentrations. We also divided each group into subgroups based on age and gender and created element-related networks for each subgroup. We detected significant element correlations within or between subgroups, as well as changes in correlations that included all elements examined. Finally, more element correlations were observed among males, which may open a new avenue for understanding the complicated process behind the sex ratio of children with ASD. Overall, our data revealed a novel relationship between elements and ASD, which may extend current understanding about ASD.

The combination of ion-mixing and anionic condensation has activated the first barium bismuth zincophosphate of Ba2Bi2[Zn(PO4)4] with unprecedented ∞[Zn(PO4)4]10− chains and balanced overall performance.

Dysphagia, commonly referred to as abnormal swallowing, affects millions of people annually. If not diagnosed expeditiously, dysphagia can lead to more severe complications, such as pneumonia, nutritional deficiency, and dehydration. Bedside screening is the first step of dysphagia characterization and is usually based on pass/fail tests in which a nurse observes the patient performing water swallows to look for dysphagia overt signs such as coughing. Though quick and convenient, bedside screening only provides low-level judgment of impairment, lacks standardization, and suffers from subjectivity. Recently, high resolution cervical auscultation (HRCA) has been investigated as a less expensive and non-invasive method to diagnose dysphagia. It has shown strong preliminary evidence of its effectiveness in penetration-aspiration detection as well as multiple swallow kinematics. HRCA signals have traditionally been collected and investigated in conjunction with videofluoroscopy exams which are performed using barium boluses including thin liquid. An HRCA-based bedside screening is highly desirable to expedite the initial dysphagia diagnosis and overcome all the drawbacks of the current pass/fail screening tests. However, all research conducted for using HRCA in dysphagia is based on thin liquid barium boluses and thus not guaranteed to provide valid results for water boluses used in bedside screening. If HRCA signals show no significant differences between water and thin liquid barium boluses, then the same algorithms developed on thin liquid barium boluses used in diagnostic imaging studies, it can be then directly used with water boluses. This study investigates the similarities and differences between HRCA signals from thin liquid barium swallows compared to those signals from water swallows. Multiple features from the time, frequency, time-frequency, and information-theoretic domain were extracted from each type of swallow and a group of linear mixed models was tested to determine the significance of differences. Machine learning classifiers were fit to the data as well to determine if the swallowed material (thin liquid barium or water) can be correctly predicted from an unlabeled set of HRCA signals. The results demonstrated that there is no systematic difference between the HRCA signals of thin liquid barium swallows and water swallows. While no systematic difference was discovered, the evidence of complete conformity between HRCA signals of both materials was inconclusive. These results must be validated further to confirm conformity between the HRCA signals of thin liquid barium swallows and water swallows., High resolution cervical auscultation (HRCA) is a sensor-based method that is being investigated as a non-invasive method to diagnose swallowing disorders. HRCA signals are usually collected simultaneously with videofluoroscopy exams which are performed using barium boluses including thin liquid to acquire a visual proof of swallowing abnormalities. All research conducted for using HRCA in dysphagia is based on thin liquid barium boluses and thus not guaranteed to provide valid results if used for water boluses commonly used in bedside screening. If HRCA signals show no significant differences between water and thin liquid barium boluses, then the same algorithms developed on thin liquid barium boluses used in diagnostic imaging studies, it can be then directly used with water boluses. This study investigates the similarities and differences between HRCA signals from thin liquid barium swallows compared to those signals from water swallows.

Barium sodium niobate Ba2NaNb5O15 (BNN) ceramics with different amounts of BaO-Na2O-Nb2O5-P2O5 (BNNP) glass were prepared via the conventional solid-state method. The effect of glass content on structural, microstructure and dielectric properties of BNN ceramics was investigated. The XRD results showed that no secondary phase was formed after adding BNNP glass. It was found that such additions reduce the average grains size and refine the microstructure of the obtained ceramics. Moreover, the samples exhibited a stable dielectric constant over the temperature range of 25°C–150°C and their dielectric constants were significantly improved. The ceramic with 7.5 wt% BNNP glass content showed a dielectric constant which is more than twice as much as that of pure BNN ceramic, as well as a low dielectric loss less than 5%.

A common belief in designing deep autoencoders (AEs), a type of unsupervised neural network, is that a bottleneck is required to prevent learning the identity function. Learning the identity function renders the AEs useless for anomaly detection. In this work, we challenge this limiting belief and investigate the value of non-bottlenecked AEs. The bottleneck can be removed in two ways: (1) overparameterising the latent layer, and (2) introducing skip connections. However, limited works have reported on the use of one of the ways. For the first time, we carry out extensive experiments covering various combinations of bottleneck removal schemes and datasets using variants of Bayesian AEs. In addition, we propose the infinitely-wide AEs as an extreme example of non-bottlenecked AEs. Their improvement over the baseline implies learning the identity function is not trivial as previously assumed. Moreover, we find that non-bottlenecked architectures (highest AUROC=0.905) can outperform their bottlenecked counterparts (highest AUROC=0.714) on a recent benchmark of CIFAR (inliers) vs SVHN (anomalies), among other tasks, shedding light on the potential of developing non-bottlenecked AEs for improving anomaly detection.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:33:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-01-01 The time for flowering and fruiting in plants is mainly influenced by environmental factors. Plant species that are subject to different environmental conditions, but phylogenetically close, such as forest and savanna congeneric species pairs growing in forest-savanna transitions in the Neotropics, can be comparatively studied to isolate the effects of the environment from phylogenetic influences. Thus, we performed a comparative study of flowering and fruiting start and duration, as well its relationships with dispersal modes and canopy phenology, analyzing herbarium data for 25 congeneric species pairs from different families, each containing at least one savanna and one forest species. We examined species phenological patterns using digitized specimens from one of the most comprehensive digitized plant datasets in Brazil, the SpeciesLink. We found savanna species having shorter flowering duration (2–5 months) in comparison with forest (3–8 months) congeneric species. Congeneric pairs presented similar reproductive phenological responses for all other studied traits. We found that dispersal mode played an important role in determining fruiting start and duration, while flowering and fruiting start were explained by leaf deciduousness. Although there were many phenological similarities between savanna and forest species, there were differences in flowering duration between savanna and forest species in some congeneric pairs. Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Rodovia Presidente Dutra, Km 137,8, Eugênio de Melo Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane S/N, Vila Industrial Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Rodovia Presidente Dutra, Km 137,8, Eugênio de Melo Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane S/N, Vila Industrial

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of timed barium esophagogram (TBE) in quantitative measurement of improved esophageal emptying in primary achalasia patients treated with POEM. Also, we investigated the correlation of TBE with improvement of clinical symptoms as measured by Eckardt score.This retrospective study included 30 patients who underwent POEM due to primary achalasia. As a baseline study, all patients underwent TBE and were evaluated for clinical status by Eckardt score based on presence and frequency of dysphagia, regurgitation, substernal pain, and weight loss. Follow-up evaluation was performed within 3 months after POEM. Pre- and post-POEM TBE results were compared using a calculated value based on summation of height of the barium columns on 1-, 2- and 5-min delayed images. Also, the correlation of TBE with improvement of Eckardt score was evaluated using Pearson's correlation test.There was a significant decrease in the calculated value of height between pre- and post-POEM TBE studies (40.5 ± 15.8-17.0 ± 11.6, p 0.01). Also, the Eckardt score decreased significantly after POEM (6.7 ± 2.0-0.8 ± 1.0, p 0.01). Pearson's correlation test revealed a positive correlation between improvement of TBE results and Eckardt score (correlation coefficient = 0.56, p 0.01).TBE is an objective method for quantitative measurement of improved esophageal emptying in primary achalasia patients treated with POEM and shows positive correlation with clinical symptoms evaluated by Eckardt score.

Catalytic reduction of NO by CO was studied over La2-xBaxCuO4 (x = 0.0 or 0.4) mixed oxides prepared by coprecipitation method. The catalysts were characterized by X ray diffraction (XRD), O2 temperature-programmed desorption (O2-TPD), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). NO + CO reaction was carried out in a fixed-bed flow reactor, from room temperature to 500 °C, at atmospheric pressure. Both fresh catalysts were active for the NO + CO reaction but when were submitted to thermal aging, the barium free catalyst significantly lost its activity. The partial substitution of La by Ba enhanced the thermal stability and although the activity of the catalyst has decreased, it remains high, approaching 100 % at 500 °C. These results can be associated with reducible copper species observed by XANES in the thermal aged catalyst containing Ba.

Ceramic materials were synthesized in the RO(R=Ba, Sr)–Al2O3–SiO2 system using exothermic synthesis from solutions containing barium and strontium nitrates, silica and organic reducing agents (glycine and carbamide). It was shown that only the use of a mixture of glycine and carbamide as well as the addition of ammonium nitrate allows carrying out a complete exothermic synthesis with the formation of an X-ray amorphous product with a small fraction of the crystalline phase. It was established that monophase materials based on barium and strontium aluminosilicates (BaAl2Si2O8 and SrAl2Si2O8) are formed when the obtained X-ray amorphous product is heat-treated at the temperatures above 10000C. Ceramics from synthesized materials sintered at 15500C has a high refractoriness, open porosity of 0–1.0%, compressive strength of 115–120 MPa; dielectric constant of 3.25–6.0 (at the frequency of 1 MHz) and the loss tangent of (1.5–5.2)10–3. The results shows that the exothermic synthesis ensures the preparation of nano- and sub-microcrystalline powders in the system RO(R=Ba, Sr)–Al2O3–SiO2. Materials based on the obtained aluminosilicates can be used in the manufacture of protective structures for devices operating in the radio frequency band, in radar installations of aviation and rocket technology, in microwave elements, etc.

One of the most epic, fascinating but also tragic lives in the history of botany, is that of Georg Eberhard Rumphius (1627–1702), known as the Merchant of Ambon or the Blind Sheer of Ambon. A remarkable man, in his life he played the roles of soldier, prisoner of war, mercenary, sailor, builder, merchant, physician, biologist, writer, illustrator and, above all, explorer. Rumphius is best known for his monumental achievement, Herbarium Amboinense, the first major record of the eastern Indonesian flora, describing and illustrating over a thousand new plants, including many orchid species. This seven-volume work had its own long and turbulent story, its publication delayed by earthquake, tsunami, fire, loss at sea and political embargo. Yet this masterpiece today stands as a model of excellent science done by a self-taught amateur.

A taxonomic and nomenclatural review of the genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae) in the Mexican state of Michoacán is presented. Six sections and 20 species are here reported. The greatest diversity is in the Balsas Depression province, where at least 12 species occur. There is a strong tendency to thrive in tropical deciduous forest. An identification key is provided, and for each species, the following information is included: protologue citation, type information, habit, habitat, and elevation within the state, regional and global distribution, and phenology. Relevant synonyms are listed, as too are herbarium specimens. Lectotypes are designated for Croton draco, C. niveus, and C. calvescens. One species, Croton rojasii, is described as new and illustrated with photos. It is known only from tropical deciduous forest in the Zicuirán-Infiernillo Biosphere Reserve, at elevations from 400 to 700 m. It belongs to sect. Geiseleria and is remarkable because of the strongly unequal pistillate sepals, the larger of which becoming accrescent and exceeding the fruit.

We describe the morphological features and the phylogenetic relationships of five morphologically similar strains belonging to the genus Coelastrella, which live in different ecological and geographical conditions of terrestrial ecosystems: in the Ural Mountains (Polar, Subpolar, and Northern Urals of Russia) and the Khentii Mountains (Russia and Mongolia). We analysed algal strains stored in the Culture Collection of Algae of the Institute of Biology, Syktyvkar, Russia (SYKOA Ch-045-09, SYKOA Ch-047-11, SYKOA Ch-072-17) and the Culture Collection of Algae at Herbarium of the Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Irkutsk, Russia (IRK-A 2, IRK-A 173). By light microscopy, all samples were assigned to Coelastrella terrestris. However, the phylogenetic analyses based on the nucleotide sequences of 18S rDNA and ITS1-ITS2 showed that only one strain belongs to C. terrestris (IRK-A 173). Other samples were closer to C. oocystiformis (SYKOA Ch-045-09; IRK-A 2) and C. aeroterrestrica (SYKOA Ch-047-11). The strain SYKOA Ch-072-17 is probably a new species for the genus. These results confirmed the high phenotypic variability and the hidden diversity among the members of this green algal group.

Ardisia kalimbahin is herein described and illustrated as a new species. It is the latest addition to the richness of Ardisia in the Philippines. It closely resembles A. romanii Elmer but is distinct in having shorter petiole, shorter elliptic leaves, racemose inflorescence, longer and sparsely puberulent pedicels, magenta corolla lobes, basifixed anthers, shorter filaments, and a beaked stigma. Based on current collection and available herbarium specimens, Ardisia kalimbahin is distributed in the islands of Palawan (Aborlan), Mindoro, and Luzon (Carranglan). Available data is not enough to assess its conservation status; hence, it is proposed as data deficient (DD).

The room-temperature structure of the filled tetragonal tungsten bronze, Ba2NaNb5O15 (BNN), has been the subject of a number of studies, and these studies have given an almost corresponding number of different results. From a group theoretical examination of the different possibilities and a review of the published experimental results we conclude that the room-temperature structure is that proposed by Labbé et al. [J. Phys. Condens. Matter (1989), 2, 25–43] in the space group Bbm2 (Ama2 in standard setting) on a 2\sqrt{2}a × \sqrt{2}a × 2c cell. Upon heating, the structure remains ferroelectric but becomes tetragonal (space group P4bm) at 550 K, then paraelectric (space group P4/mbm) at and above 860 K.