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IT'S LATE AFTERNOON, which, in the early summer in Montana, is a long time coming, this far north, and I'm driving carefully because it's the witching hour on Highway 83, [...]

ABSTRACTA study was performed on a collection of 84 isolates from decaying plant tissues and soils in Argentina previously identified as Trichoderma harzianum. Based on multiple phenotypic characters and multilocus phylogenetic analyses, 10 species were distinguished, three of which are described as new species: T. austroindianum, T. hortense, and T. syagri. Among the remaining seven identified species, the following five can be added to the Argentine mycobiota: T. afarasin, T. afroharzianum, T. endophyticum, T. guizhouense, and T. neotropicale. Trichoderma afroharzianumand T. endophyticumwere the most frequent species found in the samples. In addition, a collection of isolates previously identified as T. harzianumwith antagonistic abilities were reidentified as T. afroharzianum, thus highlighting the importance of correct identification of biocontrol species.

The current control system of an industrial box furnace usually uses a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. Typically this control system requires on-site tuning and a specific heuristic knowledge, such that the furnace can have acceptable performance but not optimal. However, by using a proper model in the operating range of the furnace from the designing phase, it can be designed a more efficient control system capable to reach a better performance in this industrial process. In this sense, the main objective of this paper is the design and validation of an advanced control strategy in the early design stage of an industrial box furnace. The goals are to decrease the controller tuning time during the furnace commissioning process, improve the furnace performance with respect to classical industrial controllers, and decrease the system energy expenses. Thus, a comparative analysis in a simulated environment has been carried out between the performance of a PID controller by its typical industrial use, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) due to the optimal results in similar industrial processes, and a Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning (VRFT) control by its feasibility of implementation. Results show that the advanced MPC and VRFT controllers are more efficient in the used fuel/gas than the PID. MPC shows the best balance between performance and actuation, it improves the control performance up to 87.2% with respect to the VRFT controller.

Based on new collections ofMelophia ruprechtiaeonRuprechtia laxiflorafrom Tucumán, Argentina, and comparison with the type specimen, Ophiodothella ruprechtiaecomb. nov. is proposed and described. It is associated with leafspots; the development of the anamorphic and teleomorphic structures are distinguished and its holomorphic cycle is described in the studied host.

Background: We hypothesized that children's perceptions of more neighborhood hazards would be associated with less physical activity, less aerobic fitness, and a higher body mass index. Objective: To examine the association between a hazardous neighborhood context and physical activity in children. Methods: Fourth-grade students (n = 796) of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds completed measures of neighborhood hazards, self-reported physical activity, physical fitness, height, and weight. Parents (n = 518) completed telephone interviews and provided data on their education level and occupation. Results: As expected, children from families of lower socioeconomic status perceived significantly more neighborhood hazards. Contrary to our hypothesis, the perception of more hazards was significantly associated with more reported physical activity. This finding was not explained by school heterogeneity, alteration of the hazards measure, or differences in socioeconomic status. Conclusion: To further examine the relationship between neighborhood hazards and physical activity, we suggest that future studies include assessments of sedentary behavior, parental fear of violence, parental regulation of children's leisure activities, and cost and quality of available play areas and organized sports. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:1143-1148

La epidermólisis ampollosa (EA) es una enfermedad rara que se caracteriza por la formación de ampollas y vesículas en la piel y en las mucosas. Existen 4 tipos: simple, juntural, distrófica y síndrome de Kindler. Pueden tener complicaciones graves como vía aérea difícil, sindactilia, sobreinfección de las heridas o carcinoma epidermoide.

A comprehensive regional organic geochemical study was performed on outcrop and core samples from the Eagle Ford Group with the aim of determining variations in organic matter source, thermal maturity, and depositional environments. Total organic carbon (TOC) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis parameters show that the Eagle Ford Group has excellent hydrocarbon source rock potential and is dominated by type II kerogen. Distributions of regular steranes, hopanes, and monoaromatic steroids confirm a marine carbonate depositional environment. Aryl isoprenoid ratios suggest the occurrence of intermittent photic zone anoxia. The n-alkane and sterane distributions and the presence of pregnanes, homopregnanes, and gammacerane suggest deposition under hypersaline conditions particularly in west and east Texas. In east Texas, biomarkers indicate that the Eagle Ford Group was partially sourced from terrigenous organic matter and deposited under oxic-suboxic conditions. Thermal maturity parameters including the temperature at which the peak corresponding to the compounds produced from the thermal degradation of kerogen in the Rock-Eval chromatogram maximizes (Tmax), vitrinite reflectance, and biomarker ratios indicate that in west and central Texas, the Eagle Ford Group is immature to marginally mature; in southwest Texas it is in the oil to dry gas window; and in east Texas, the Eagle Ford is in the main stage of oil generation. Geochemical logs of biomarker ratios show that the Lower Eagle Ford Formation has the highest TOC and hydrogen index, particularly in the Lozier Canyon Member; experienced stronger anoxic conditions during deposition; and has lower clay content compared with the Upper Eagle Ford Formation. Geochemical parameters show that the latter may have received an additional siliciclastic and terrigenous organic matter input under oxicdysoxic conditions. Isotope data indicate a marine organic matter source for the Eagle Ford Group, but surprisingly, $13C values do not show significant organic facies, depositional environment, or thermal matu-rity variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty retention is an issue of concern to schools and colleges of pharmacy. The reasons why faculty leave are multifactorial but often involve a breach of unwritten contract obligations between the faculty member and the organization. This article provides strategies for retaining faculty based on published literature that include perceived breaches of unwritten contracts and our own perspectives as departmental and university administrators and senior faculty members who have been involved in devising and implementing institutional change. Retention begins with recruitment but then needs to be nurtured during onboarding and as part of the overall enculturation process for new faculty members. Particular attention to the factors that influence the retention of underrepresented minorities must be incorporated to help ensure that pharmacy educators reflect the diversity of the US population.

With the advance to one scientific name for each fungal species, the generic names in the class Sordariomycetestypified by sexual and asexual morphs are evaluated based on their type species to determine if they compete with each other for use or protection. Recommendations are made for which of the competing generic names should be used based on criteria such as priority, number of potential names changes, and frequency of use. Some recommendations for well- known genera include Arthriniumover Apiospora, Colletotrichumover Glomerella, Menisporaover Zignoella, Microdochiumover Monographella, Nigrosporaover Khuskia, and Plectosphaerellaover Plectosporium.All competing generic names are listed in a table of recommended names along with the required action. If priority is not accorded to sexually typified generic names after 2017, only four names would require formal protection: Chaetosphaerellaover Oedemium, Diatrypeover Libertella, Microdochiumover Monographella, and Phaeoacremoniumover Romelliaand Togninia.Concerning species in the recommended genera, one replacement name (Xylaria benjaminiinom. nov.) is introduced, and the following new combinations are made: Arthrinium sinense, Chloridium caesium, C. chloroconium, C. gonytrichii, Corollospora marina, C. parvula, C. ramulosa, Juncigena fruticosae, Melanospora simplex, Seimatosporium massarina, Sporoschisma daemonoropis, S. taitense, Torpedospora mangrovei, Xylaria penicilliopsis, and X. termiticolacombs. nov.

Secondary forests are now prominent features in Neotropical landscapes, yet little is known about their conservation value for nonvolant mammalian communities. We performed a 20-month study using transect walks to survey the nonvolant mammal fauna in primary and secondary forests at La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands of northeastern Costa Rica. We found that secondary forests can hold complex mammalian communities and no species exhibited habitat preferences between primary and secondary forests. With few exceptions, behavioral and group dynamic characteristics of mammal species were similar between forest types. Our research allows us to address methodological questions and assess the effectiveness of transect sampling. Monthly detection rates vary widely by species and likely reflect short-term changes in behavior rather than population fluctuations. Air temperature and rainfall are the factors most associated with monthly detection rates for various species. Small-scale areas of higher and lower use are evident for several species. Neither time of morning for surveys nor number of observers per trail affects detection rate. We report current abundances for the most commonly observed species and note generally lower densities in the Caribbean lowlands than elsewhere in the Neotropics. This research highlights that in less seasonal, evergreen forests climatic factors can still affect mammalian behavior. Overall, we find that secondary forests are of high conservation value and that transect walks are an effective methodology to sample many nonvolant mammal species, and we present recommendations on how to sample properly to conduct rigorous and long-term studies.Los bosques secundarios son mucho más comunes en el neotrópico, pero poco se sabe sobre su importancia en la conservación de comunidades de mamíferos no voladores. Durante 20 meses llevamos a cabo un estudio usando líneas de transectos para investigar la fauna de mamíferos no voladores en bosques primarios y secundarios en la Estación Biológica La Selva en las tierras bajas caribeñas al noreste de Costa Rica. Pudimos constatar que los bosques secundarios pueden albergarcomplejas comunidades de mamíferos y ninguna especie exhibe preferencias de hábitat entre bosque primario y secundario. Con pocas excepciones, las características dinámicas de grupo y comportamiento de especies de mamíferos fueron similares entre los dos tipos de bosque. Nuestra investigación nos permite abordar cuestiones metodológicas y evaluar la eficacia del muestreo con transectos. Las tasas mensuales de detección varían de acuerdo a la especie y probablemente reflejan cambios a corto plazo en las fluctuaciones del comportamiento en vez de la población. La temperatura del aire y la precipitación son los factores más asociados con las tasas mensuales de detección de distintas especies. Encontramos que varias especies muestran diferentes incidencias de uso en zonas pequeñas. Ni la hora de la mañana, ni el número de observadores en las encuestas por transecto afectan la tasa de detección. Presentamos la abundancia actual de las especies más comúnmente observadas y notamos en general bajas densidades en las tierras bajas del Caribe más que en otras partes del neotrópico. Esta investigación resalta que en los bosques menos estacionales, factores climáticos aún pueden afectar el comportamiento de mamíferos. En general, encontramos que los bosques secundarios son de alto valor para la conservación y que los muestreos en transectos son una metodología eficaz para estudiar muchas especies de mamíferos no voladores y presentamos recomendaciones sobre cómo llevar a cabo muestreos adecuados para realizar estudios rigurosos a largo plazo.

The discovery of an interesting new synnematousTalaromycesspecies from Argentinean semi-arid soil has enlarged the number of synnema-producing species.Talaromyces systylus sp. nov.is characterized by the production of indeterminate synnemata on Malt Extract Agar and coarsely rough-walled, globose conidia and conidial chains arranged in columns. The optimal growing temperature was 30°C.Talaromyces systylus was compared with other related species phylogenetically based on ITS, BenA and CaM markers.

The article focuses on the use of technology and data analytics by health information management leaders for improving the coding performance of International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision ((ICD-10). It discusess the impact of electronic health record and clinical documentation improvement on the management of coding productivity; and a survey by Forbes Insights and Dun & Bradstreet on the impact of sufficient technology and manpower on the same.

The ecological role of scavenging is underestimated, in part, because of limited data on facultative scavengers. Here, we describe a keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) sequestering vertebrate carrion ~1 m off the ground. This observation is the first record of a toucan species supplementing their diet with carrion, and expands the list of facultative scavengers in the Neotropics, an area where scavenging is poorly understood. We caution that vertebrate remains found in gut-content analyses for toucans may be from scavenging, and we highlight that the consumption of vertebrate carrion by toucans could have landscape-level implications in the redistribution and movement of carcass nutrients and energy.

Purpose. The primary purpose of the current study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a hip hop dance intervention, Latin Active, among low-income Mexican-American adolescents. Mexican-descent adolescents tend to have disproportionate rates of low physical activity, overweight status, and obesity.Design. A 5-week intervention design with pretest and post-test self-report measures.Setting. Charter middle school (grades 6–9) health/science classes in a low-income neighborhood were the setting for the Latin Active intervention.Participants. Overall, 81 participants were recruited; 73 (n = 41, female; n = 32, male) provided active parental consent to complete pretest/post-test surveys.Intervention. The Latin Active program included 10 interactive 50-minute lessons that were delivered twice a week during science/health classes. The curriculum was created on the basis of Social Cognitive Theory, Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy, and feedback from key stakeholders. The lessons focused on increasing physical activity as well as neighborhood barriers.Measures. The self-report pretest (n = 73) and post-test (n = 56) surveys included measures for frequency of vigorous physical activity, self-efficacy, and neighborhood barriers.Analysis. Paired-sample t-test analyses were conducted to assess mean differences from pretest to post-test results for intervention outcomes by gender.Results. The Latin Active program (with 77% retention at post-test) significantly increased vigorous physical activity and dance (p < . 05) and increased self-efficacy (p < . 05) among girls, and it decreased perception of neighborhood barriers (p < . 05) among boys.Conclusion. A hip hop physical activity program, Latin Active demonstrated preliminary efficacy to increase girl's vigorous physical activity and boy's perception of neighborhood barriers to physical activity. Future research will need to use a randomized, controlled design and investigate the effect of the program on measures of body mass index.

Woodford Shale samples, obtained from a cored outcrop in southeastern Oklahoma, were geochemically analyzed to determine vertical variations of organic facies, thermal maturity, and an evaluation of their depositional environments. Total organic carbon values ranged from 5.01 to 14.81%, indicating a good source rock potential. In this area, the Woodford Shale is marginally mature, as indicated by vitrinite reflectance values. Rock-Eval data revealed that the samples are dominated by type II kerogen. Biomarker ratios, based on pristane, phytane, steranes, and hopanes, show a mix of marine and terrigenous organic matter. High-salinity conditions and water density stratification also prevailed during deposition of this formation, as indicated by the presence of gammacerane. The Woodford Shale was subdivided into lower, middle, and upper members based on the integration of geochemical and geologic data. Moreover, the presence and extent of photic zone anoxia (PZA) were determined by the presence of aryl isoprenoids. The lower and upper Woodford Shale members were deposited under dysoxic to suboxic conditions and episodic periods of PZA. The middle member was deposited under anoxic conditions and persistent PZA. In addition, aryl isoprenoids helped infer the position of the chemocline during deposition of the different members. The relative hydrocarbon potential parameter was used in determining transgressive and regressive cycles within the Woodford Shale. This study undoubtedly demonstrates the significant lithologic and chemical variability that occurs within shales. The application of this workflow to regional studies can have direct influence on exploration and production activities in shale-gas systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three species of Cercophorawere found during a survey of the biodiversity of microfungi in northwest Argentina. Cercophora argentinapossesses a unique combination of morphological characters and is described as a new species, while C. costaricensisand C. solarisare reported as new records for Argentina. Other species of Cercophoraknown from this region include C. natalitaand C. coprogena, which is fully illustrated for the first time and determined herein to be a synonym of C. californica. All other species are described and illustrated.

The holotypes and isotypes of 20 Hypoxylontaxa described by Spegazzini have been examined and their taxonomic positions and nomenclatural problems are discussed. Two new combinations, Annulohypoxylon apiahynumcomb. nov. and A. subeffusumcomb. nov., are proposed. H. goliathis considered a synonym of Rosellinia bunodes. H. albostigmatosumand H. guarapienseare synonyms of H. anthochroum, H. anthracodermaof H. monticulosum, H. mbaienseof H. notatum, H. paulistanumof H. diatrypeoides, H. plumbeumand H. rubiginosumvar. microcarpumof H. perforatum. H. porteriand H. intermediumbelong in Biscogniauxia capnodes, H. puiggariiin Annulophypoxylon subeffusum, H. subvinosum. in H. lenormandii, H. turbinatumvar. guaraniticumin Phylacia turbinataand H. valsarioidesin Creosphaeria sassafras. H. leptascumis transferred to A. leptascum, H. circostomumto Nemania circostomaand H. latissimumto N. latissima. The holotype of H. albostigmatosumhas been recovered, thus the lectotypification by Shear no longer is needed. H. subnigricansand H. umbilicatumare confirmed as good taxa. H. anthochroumand H. lenormandiiare reported as first records from Argentina (Tucumán).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services funded a project in six western states to decrease the payment error rate in short-stay admissions (≤2 days) and decrease the number of inpatient discharges for short stays. Seventeen hospitals were recruited to implement the Case Management Assignment Protocol (CMAP), which standardizes the decision-making process at admission, thereby increasing the number of hospitalized patients assigned to the correct status of inpatient or observation.

One of the most intriguing questions in evolutionary biology is the degree to which behavior is a necessary consequence of morphology. We explore this issue by examining phototactic behavior in epigean (eyed surface-dwelling) and troglomorphic (blind cave) forms of the teleost Astyanax fasciatus whose eyes were modified during embryogenesis by removing one or both lens vesicles from the epigean form or by transplanting the lens vesicle from an epigean fish into the optic cup of a blind cave form. Lens removal results in eye degeneration and blindness in adult epigean fish, whereas lens transplantation stimulates growth of the eye, inducing the development of optic tissues in the normally eyeless adult cave fish. Photoresponsiveness was examined by placing fish in an aquarium with one half illuminated and the other half dark and scoring their presence in the illuminated or dark half. Both the eyeless epigean fish and cave fish with induced eyes are indifferent to the illumination whereas the surface forms are scotophilic, suggesting that optic development and phototactic behavior are decoupled. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 300B:72–79, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Four field trips in a Podocarpus parlatorei forest in north-west Argentina yielded 240 collections of Coryneliales. Sixty-eight were of a new species, Tripospora militaris sp. nov., and the remainder belonged to Corynelia oreophila. A key to the four known Tripospora species is given.

Four field trips in a Podocarpus parlatoreiforest in north-west Argentina yielded 240 collections of Coryneliales. Sixty-eight were of a new species, Tripospora militarissp. nov., and the remainder belonged to Corynelia oreophila. A key to the four known Triposporaspecies is given.

Although there are at least twice as many non-tenure-track first-time pharmacy faculty as tenured and tenure-track first-time pharmacy faculty entering academia based on data collected from 2013 to 2019, there are ongoing equity, inclusion, and advancement issues between these categories of faculty that require consideration. Contracts with clear descriptions of responsibilities are needed along with regular evaluations and promotion opportunities based on the faculty member’s performance of the assigned responsibilities, appropriate compensation including fringe benefits, inclusion in institutional voting and governance, and due process protections against abrupt termination. Further, universities and schools and colleges of pharmacy should foster a culture that values all faculty regardless of rank or position. The purpose of this commentary is to describe ongoing efforts and lessons learned by one public university with a college of pharmacy that has non-tenure-track and tenure-track faculty. Our hope is to provide insight into how these experiences could be used as a basis to inform changes in policy by other universities with a school or college of pharmacy, as well as to inform possible changes to the Academy’s policies.

Facultative scavengers are important members of food webs that help shape trophic interactions. Unfortunately, the role of facultative scavengers is underestimated, in part, because we have not fully documented what organisms use carrion. As part of a scavenging project at La Selva Biological Station (Costa Rica), we observed bullet ants (Paraponera clavata) tearing apart and removing mouse carcasses. Of our 202 deployed mouse carcasses, we found bullet ants on 18 occasions. All of our bullet ant observations came from carcasses placed above-ground level (on lianas and branches; n = 100), and the majority of these were in primary forest. To our knowledge, this is the first report and description of bullet ants associating and removing carrion. We suspect that scavenging rates by bullet ants are likely higher than what we report here, and that bullet ants may be an important component of the scavenging communities in Neotropical rainforests.

The abundances and habitat preferences of peccaries in Neotropical forests are important to understand because these keystone species influence many aspects of the ecosystem. In the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica, we conducted walking surveys for ~2 years to study the behavior and population trends of collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), and found that peccaries are abundant at La Selva Biological Station and overall, detection rates were relatively constant through time. A stable estimate of detection rates was achieved only after 7–9 months of surveying. We found no habitat preferences between primary and secondary forest, yet there were some differences in group dynamics—group radius was larger and sighting distance was greater in primary forest, whereas the number of singletons was higher in secondary forest. More peccaries were seen closer to the laboratory clearing than at greater distances, for a variety of probable reasons: habituation to humans, lower predation and hunting pressure, and various environmental and habitat factors. Peccary groups had spatially clumped distributions across the landscape and were more active diurnally than nocturnally. Collared peccary densities are relatively high at La Selva compared to other Neotropical sites, with the exception of Barro Colorado Island. We combined our data with a review of the historical literature to assess changes in the populations of peccaries in the Caribbean lowlands. We found that collared peccaries have likely increased in abundance at La Selva, seemingly a few years after the extirpation of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari), which were abundant in the area 40–50 years ago. An understanding of the group dynamics, behavior, and habitat preference of collared peccaries is essential for management decisions and conservation efforts. Additionally, assessment of population changes should be carefully considered in a historical context, with a particular focus on how the populations of the 2 peccary species have changed, and how these species might differentially affect their environment.