Fire enhances changes in phosphorus (P) dynamics determining potential post-fire soil recovery in Mediterranean woodlands.

Soil phosphorus (P), which is essential for ecosystem functioning, undergoes notable changes after fire. However, the extent to which fire characteristics affect P dynamics remains largely unknown. This study investigated the impact of type of fire (prescribed burning and natural wildfires) of different levels of severity on P dynamics in Mediterranean soils.

Personalized voltage maps guided by cardiac magnetic resonance in the era of high-density mapping.

Background: Voltage mapping could identify the conducting channels potentially responsible for ventricular tachycardia (VT). Standard thresholds (0.5-1.

Non-invasive detection of slow conduction with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for ventricular tachycardia ablation.

Aims: Non-invasive myocardial scar characterization with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been shown to accurately identify conduction channels and can be an important aid for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation. A new mapping method based on targeting deceleration zones (DZs) has become one of the most commonly used strategies for VT ablation procedures. The aim of the study was to analyse the capability of CMR to identify DZs and to find predictors of arrhythmogenicity in CMR channels.

Effects of forest residue mulching on organic matter and nutrient exports after wildfire in North-Central Portugal.

The quick implementation of emergency stabilization measures is vital for minimizing post-fire soil erosion and the associated fertility loss. Mulching has proven to be highly effective in minimizing post-fire soil erosion, however few studies have investigated its impacts on organic matter (OM) and nutrient mobilization from burned forest areas. This study evaluates the effectiveness of forest residue mulching at reducing OM, N and P losses within the sediments after a moderate-severity wildfire over a period of 5 years (Ermida, North-central Portugal).

Biochar impacts on runoff and soil erosion by water: A systematic global scale meta-analysis.

Biochar application to soil has the potential to affect soil and vegetation properties that are key for the processes of runoff and soil erosion. However, both field and pot experiments show a vast range of effects, from strong reductions to strong increases in runoff and/or soil erosion. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify and interpret the impacts of biochar on runoff and soil erosion through the first systematic meta-analysis on this topic.

Effectiveness of community-based initiatives for mitigation of land degradation after wildfires.

Local communities, informed about the main post-fire environmental threats, applied land restoration techniques after the 2017 Ponte Caldelas wildfire (Galicia, Spain). Volunteers crews, supervised by local researchers/technicians identified high-severity burned areas and applied: post-fire mulch by using corn mulch (chopped corn at a rate of 4 Mg ha), corn strip mulch (chopped corn on 1-m wide contourline-strips at the bottom of plots, at 1 Mg ha) and wheat mulch (wheat straw, at 2 Mg ha), as well as acorn seeding with native oak (Quercus robur) acorns. Furthermore, the mulch effect on seed germination/root elongation was tested in the laboratory using direct topsoil samples and <0.

Can straw-biochar mulching mitigate erosion of wildfire-degraded soils under extreme rainfall?

High severity wildfires cause a drastic alteration of soil carbon cycling - both oxidising and thermally altering soil organic matter (SOM) - and usually are followed by strong runoff and erosion events. To restore wildfire-degraded soils, SOM needs to be rebuilt while soil erosion is prevented. Post-fire straw mulching has been shown to mitigate soil erosion by providing a protective cover against rainsplash.

Tools Used to Measure the Physical State of Women with Celiac Disease: A Review with a Systematic Approach.

Celiac disease (CD) is an immunological disorder that mainly affects the small intestine, generating an inflammatory process in response to the presence of gluten (a protein). Autoimmune diseases are part of a group of diseases that are difficult to diagnose without a specific protocol or consensus to detect them due to the number of symptoms and diseases with which it has a relationship. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyze the diagnostic tools of CD used in middle-aged women, to compare the use and effectiveness of the different tools, and to propose a strategy for the use of the tools based on the results found in the literature.

Total polyphenol content and metals determination in Spanish virgin olive oils by means of a dispersive liquid-liquid aerosol phase extraction method and ICP-MS.

This report presents a study on the determination of total polyphenols together with metals in several samples of olive oil produced in Spain. The results provided by applying a conventional extraction method were compared against those encountered by means of the so-called Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Aerosol Phase Extraction method. The novel method is based on the dispersion of the extracting solution in the sample.

Predicting the effectiveness of different mulching techniques in reducing post-fire runoff and erosion at plot scale with the RUSLE, MMF and PESERA models.

Wildfires have become a recurrent threat for many Mediterranean forest ecosystems. The characteristics of the Mediterranean climate, with its warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters, make this a region prone to wildfire occurrence as well as to post-fire soil erosion. This threat is expected to be aggravated in the future due to climate change and land management practices and planning.

Factors Affecting the Completion of Genitourinary Physical Examinations Prior to Urologic Consultation.

Background: Proper instruction during medical training regarding performing adequate physical examinations prior to urologic consultations greatly improves patient care. We evaluated the frequency of genitourinary (GU) physical examinations performed prior to urologic consultation to determine the influence of factors affecting the completion of these examinations.

Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2014, 1,596 consultations were requested by primary providers and completed by the urology department at a major tertiary care teaching institution.

Aerosol-Phase Extraction Method for Determination of Ca, K, Mg, and Na in Biodiesel through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry.

A novel extraction method was developed, optimized, and validated for the elemental analysis of organic samples. The method, called aerosol-phase extraction (APE), is based on nebulization of the extracting aqueous solution (0.1 mol·L nitric acid) on the sample.

The Discovery of Novel Antimalarial Aminoxadiazoles as a Promising Nonendoperoxide Scaffold.

Since the appearance of resistance to the current front-line antimalarial treatments, ACTs (artemisinin combination therapies), the discovery of novel chemical entities to treat the disease is recognized as a major global health priority. From the GSK antimalarial set, we identified an aminoxadiazole with an antiparasitic profile comparable with artemisinin (1), with no cross-resistance in a resistant strains panel and a potential new mode of action. A medicinal chemistry program allowed delivery of compounds such as 19 with high solubility in aqueous media, an acceptable toxicological profile, and oral efficacy.

Women Urologists: Trends in Mentoring and Career Choices.

Introduction: We examined trends in the mentorship and career choices of women urologists.

Methods: An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 1,563 women urologists in January 2015. Descriptive data are presented as the percent and mean.

A broad analysis of resistance development in the malaria parasite.

Microbial resistance to chemotherapy has caused countless deaths where malaria is endemic. Chemotherapy may fail either due to pre-existing resistance or evolution of drug-resistant parasites. Here we use a diverse set of antimalarial compounds to investigate the acquisition of drug resistance and the degree of cross-resistance against common resistance alleles.

Mid-term and scaling effects of forest residue mulching on post-fire runoff and soil erosion.

Mulching is an effective post-fire soil erosion mitigation treatment. Experiments with forest residue mulch have demonstrated that it increased ground cover to 70% and reduced runoff and soil loss at small spatial scales and for short post-fire periods. However, no studies have systematically assessed the joint effects of scale, time since burning, and mulching on runoff, soil loss, and organic matter loss.

Women Urologists: Changing Trends in the Workforce.

Objective: To characterize the current workforce of women urologists in the United States.

Materials And Methods: An anonymous electronic survey was sent to all members of the Society of Women in Urology and all female non-Society of Women in Urology members of the American Urologic Association. The survey was distributed in January of 2015.

Determination of fat-soluble vitamins in vegetable oils through microwave-assisted high-performance liquid chromatography.

In this manuscript, a study of the effect of microwave radiation on the high-performance liquid chromatography separation of tocopherols and vitamin K1 was conducted. The novelty of the application was the use of a relatively low polarity mobile phase in which the dielectric heating effect was minimized to evaluate the nonthermal effect of the microwave radiation over the separation process. Results obtained show that microwave-assisted high-performance liquid chromatography had a shorter analysis time from 31.

Case Study of Small Molecules As Antimalarials: 2-Amino-1-phenylethanol (APE) Derivatives.

Antiparasitic oral drugs have been associated to lipophilic molecules due to their intrinsic permeability. However, these kind of molecules are associated to numerous adverse effects, which have been extensively studied. Within the Tres Cantos Antimalarial Set (TCAMS) we have identified two small, soluble and simple hits that even presenting antiplasmodial activities in the range of 0.

Polyacrylamide application versus forest residue mulching for reducing post-fire runoff and soil erosion.

For several years now, forest fires have been known to increase overland flow and soil erosion. However, mitigation of these effects has been little studied, especially outside the USA. This study aimed to quantify the effectiveness of two so-called emergency treatments to reduce post-fire runoff and soil losses at the microplot scale in a eucalyptus plantation in north-central Portugal.

Rapid and sensitive determination of carbohydrates in foods using high temperature liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection.

In the present work, an evaporative light scattering detector was used as a high-temperature liquid chromatography detector for the determination of carbohydrates. The compounds studied were glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, and lactose. The effect of column temperature on the retention times and detectability of these compounds was investigated.

A Divergent SAR Study Allows Optimization of a Potent 5-HT2c Inhibitor to a Promising Antimalarial Scaffold.

From the 13 533 chemical structures published by GlaxoSmithKline in 2010, we identified 47 quality starting points for lead optimization. One of the most promising hits was the TCMDC-139046, a molecule presenting an indoline core, which is well-known for its anxiolytic properties by interacting with serotonin antagonist receptors 5-HT2. The inhibition of this target will complicate the clinical development of these compounds as antimalarials.

Microwave high performance liquid chromatography with UV-visible detection. Application to vitamins determination.

The present work describes the first attempt to use microwave reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (MW-HPLC) to carry out the separation of organic compounds. Biotin and riboflavin were selected for the characterization of the new separation technique. Additional vitamins (nicotinamide, pyridoxine and thiamine) were used as reference compounds.