A case of modular phenotypic plasticity in the depth gradient for the gorgonian coral Antillogorgia bipinnata (Cnidaria: Octocorallia).

Background: Phenotypic plasticity, as a phenotypic response induced by the environment, has been proposed as a key factor in the evolutionary history of corals. A significant number of octocoral species show high phenotypic variation, exhibiting a strong overlap in intra- and inter-specific morphologic variation. This is the case of the gorgonian octocoral Antillogorgia bipinnata (Verrill 1864), which shows three polyphyletic morphotypes along a bathymetric gradient.

Decreased axial coracoid inclination angle is associated with rotator cuff tears.

Purpose: Coracoid morphology has been related to coracoid impingement mainly resulting in anterior shoulder pain aggravated by forward flexion and internal rotation. However, the coracoid process morphology can also affect the inclination of the coracoacromial ligament and subsequently the subacromial space in the same way that acromial slope does. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the coracoid body-glenoid surface, coracoid tip-glenoid surface, and coracoid body-coracoid tip angles (coracoid inclination angles) on rotator cuff tears (RCTs).

Impact of anthropometric features on the applicability and accuracy of FibroScan (M and XL) in overweight/obese patients.

Background And Aim: Transient elastography is the reference method for liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in the general population, having lower applicability in obese patients. We evaluated the applicability and diagnostic accuracy of the M and XL probes in overweight/obese patients to establish the most appropriate approach.

Methods: From May 2013 to March 2015, we evaluated patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 kg/m .

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees.

Premise Of The Study: Field methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes.

Methods And Results: Living trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood.

Unstable Malaria Transmission in the Southern Peruvian Amazon and Its Association with Gold Mining, Madre de Dios, 2001-2012.

The reemergence of malaria in the last decade in Madre de Dios, southern Peruvian Amazon basin, was accompanied by ecological, political, and socioeconomic changes related to the proliferation of illegal gold mining. We conducted a secondary analysis of passive malaria surveillance data reported by the health networks in Madre de Dios between 2001 and 2012. We calculated the number of cases of malaria by year, geographic location, intensity of illegal mining activities, and proximity of health facilities to the Peru-Brazil Interoceanic Highway.

Identification of Blood Meals from Potential Arbovirus Mosquito Vectors in the Peruvian Amazon Basin.

The transmission dynamics of many arboviruses in the Amazon Basin region have not been fully elucidated, including the vectors and natural reservoir hosts. Identification of blood meal sources in field-caught mosquitoes could yield information for identifying potential arbovirus vertebrate hosts. We identified blood meal sources in 131 mosquitoes collected from areas endemic for arboviruses in the Peruvian Department of Loreto by sequencing polymerase chain reaction amplicons of the cytochrome b gene.

Epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Peru.

Malaria in Peru, dominated by Plasmodium vivax, remains a public health problem. The 1990s saw newly epidemic malaria emerge, primarily in the Loreto Department in the Amazon region, including areas near to Iquitos, the capital city, but sporadic malaria transmission also occurred in the 1990s-2000s in both north-coastal Peru and the gold mining regions of southeastern Peru. Although a Global Fund-supported intervention (PAMAFRO, 2005-2010) was temporally associated with a decrease of malaria transmission, from 2012 to the present, both P.

Preserved Renal Function in Kidney Transplantation over a Thrombosed Aortobifemoral Bypass Graft: The Role of Retrograde Flow and Early Thrombolysis.

Aortobifemoral bypass (ABFB) thrombosis is not uncommon, and when the artery of a renal graft is implanted on a bypass the risk of graft loss is high. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman with a previous history of ABFB under antiplatelet therapy and a kidney allograft implanted on the vascular prosthesis, who presented with acute limb ischemia and severe renal impairment. Imaging techniques revealed a complete thrombosis of the proximal left arm of the ABFB.

A Self-Provisioning Mechanism in OpenStack for IoT Devices.

The aim of this paper is to introduce a plug-and-play mechanism for an Internet of Things (IoT) device to instantiate a Software as a Service (SaaS) application in a private cloud, built up with OpenStack. The SaaS application is the digital avatar of a physical object connected to Internet. As a proof of concept, a Vending Machine is retrofitted and connected to Internet with and Arduino Open Hardware device.

The masquerade game: marine mimicry adaptation between egg-cowries and octocorals.

Background. Background matching, as a camouflage strategy, is one of the most outstanding examples of adaptation, where little error or mismatch means high vulnerability to predation. It is assumed that the interplay of natural selection and adaptation are the main evolutionary forces shaping the great diversity of phenotypes observed in mimicry; however, there may be other significant processes that intervene in the development of mimicry such as phenotypic plasticity.

Cultural Assets and Substance Use Among Hispanic Adolescents.

Research on cultural factors and substance use among Hispanic adolescents has focused primarily on acculturation, while specific core Hispanic values and attributes have received minimal attention. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between traditional Hispanic cultural assets and substance use among adolescents. A purposive sample of 225 Hispanic adolescents (47% male) aged 13 to 16 years were recruited from community venues (e.

Ethyl-bridged hybrid column as an efficient alternative for HPLC analysis of plasma amino acids by pre-column derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate.

Conventional C18 silica columns have proven to be useful for the analysis of amino acids (AA) from protein hydrolysates but undesirable peak overlapping is usually found when analyzing body fluids given that a large number of AAs are present in the samples. As an alternative to silica packings, an ethyl-bridged packing for reversed-phase liquid chromatography of derivatized AAs with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (AQC) has been evaluated. The new packing material improves the separation efficiency allowing better separations when analyzing biological fluids.

Population genomics studies identify signatures of global dispersal and drug resistance in Plasmodium vivax.

Plasmodium vivax is a major public health burden, responsible for the majority of malaria infections outside Africa. We explored the impact of demographic history and selective pressures on the P. vivax genome by sequencing 182 clinical isolates sampled from 11 countries across the globe, using hybrid selection to overcome human DNA contamination.

Breath gas concentrations mirror exposure to sevoflurane and isopropyl alcohol in hospital environments in non-occupational conditions.

Anaesthetic gases and disinfectants are a primary source of air contamination in hospitals. A highly sensitive sorbent-trap methodology has been used to analyse exhaled breath samples with detection limits in the pptv range, which allows volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to be detected at significantly lower levels (5-6 orders of magnitude below) than the recommended exposure limits by different organizations. Two common VOCs used in hospital environments, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and sevoflurane, have been evaluated.

Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) variation in the Anastrepha fraterculus cryptic species complex (Diptera, Tephritidae) of the Andean region.

The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) was sequenced for Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1830) originating from 85 collections from the northern and central Andean countries of South America including Argentina (Tucumán), Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The ITS1 regions of additional specimens (17 collections) from Central America (México, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panamá), Brazil, Caribbean Colombia, and coastal Venezuela were sequenced and together with published sequences (Paraguay) provided context for interpretation. A total of six ITS1 sequence variants were recognized in the Andean region comprising four groups.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current as a diversification trigger for deep-sea octocorals.

Background: Antarctica is surrounded by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the largest and strongest current in the world. Despite its potential importance for shaping biogeographical patterns, the distribution and connectivity of deep-sea populations across the ACC remain poorly understood. In this study we conducted the first assessment of phylogeographical patterns in deep-sea octocorals in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean, specifically a group of closely related bottlebrush octocorals (Primnoidae: Tokoprymno and Thourella), as a test case to study the effect of the ACC on the population structure of brooding species.

Next-Generation Sequencing of Plasmodium vivax Patient Samples Shows Evidence of Direct Evolution in Drug-Resistance Genes.

Understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance in Plasmodium vivax, the parasite that causes the most widespread form of human malaria, is complicated by the lack of a suitable long-term cell culture system for this parasite. In contrast to P. falciparum, which can be more readily manipulated in the laboratory, insights about parasite biology need to be inferred from human studies.