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Biological control of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) using entomopathogenic fungi is being studied as a viable control strategy. The efficacy of a Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae)-based attractant-contaminant device (ACD) to control C. capitata was evaluated in a medium-scale (40 ha) 2-yr field trial using a density of 24 ACD per ha. Results showed that this density was adequate to efficiently reduce fruitfly populations and that the inoculation dishes (IDs) needed replacing mid-season to provide protection for the entire season. In this study, fungal treatment was even more effective than conventional chemical treatment. Population dynamics in fungus-treated fields along with the infectivity study of field-aged IDs in the laboratory found that the ACD remained effective for at least 3 mo. The results suggest M. anisopliae-based ACD can be used to control C. capitata in the field. The implications of its use, especially as a tool in an integrated pest management program, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Sterile and wild-type C. capitata males showed similar susceptibility to M. anisopliae. [•] Sterile males were less attracted to infective dishes than wild-type males. [•] Under laboratory conditions, M. anisopliae did not impair mating performance of sterile males. [•] Infective device seems to be compatible with C. capitata Sterile Insect Technique under laboratory conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT One of the most important protected areas of Mexico where payment for environmental services has been introduced is the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in the state of Michoacán. This paper presents a spatial and chronological portrait of land degradation in the Angangueo sector of the MBBR; land-use changes over about four decades are analysed by assessing data for the years 1971, 1994, 2009 and 2010. A significant landsliding episode occurred in February 2010, when several debris flows affected the area of the Reserve, causing 16 deaths, substantial damage to roads, electricity and the water supply system, and indirect consequences for crop production, cattle farming and tourism. Changes in land cover between 2009 and 2010 were assessed to determine the likely role of deforestation on landsliding as well as to estimate the significance of landslides in land-use change. The former was demonstrated because digital photo interpretation and field observations revealed that the debris flows began in deforested zones. The findings also indicated that 54·57 ha of forest were either degraded or destroyed as a consequence of landslides and winds. In the Angangueo basin, the rate of land-cover change from 1971 to 1994 was 0·96 per cent, from 1994 to 2009 it had decreased to 0·91 per cent, but for the year 2010 had increased to 0·97 per cent, mainly as a result of the landsliding episode of February 2010. The MBBR has experienced a relatively significant amount of land-cover change over the past four decades, although deforestation has not increased as severely as in other areas of Mexico. This suggests that payments for environmental services can reduce the human-induced deforestation; however, mitigation of the impact caused by hazards in forest areas should be sought from a perspective that includes disaster theory and geodiversity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging as a non-invasive tool for quantification of the grades of liver steatosis in chickens.Methods: We used two different diets: a standard diet (SD group) and a hyperlipidaemic diet (HD group). The ARFI technique was performed in all the animals in the right hepatic lobe and shear wave velocity (SWV) was measured and expressed in metres per second (m/s). Plasma lipid levels were analysed. Steatosis was quantified by using semiquantitative analysis. Statistical analysis was used and Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated.Results: Mean SWV was 0.94 ± 0.16 m/s (range 0.8-1.3 m/s) in the SD group and 1.91 ± 0.25 m/s (range 1.3-2.2 m/s) in the HD group (p < 0.001). The lowest SWVs (≤1.3 m/s) corresponded to the chickens in the SD group, with 100% of the animals returning a score of 0, whereas the range of SWV in the HD group chickens was between 1.6 and 2.2 m/s. A substantial correlation was observed between SWVs with histological semiquantitative analysis of steatosis (r = 0.85, p < 0.001).Conclusion: ARFI imaging is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that allows discrimination between the grades of liver steatosis in chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present in this work some possible uses of an Excel worksheet for teaching a non-experimental subject to freshmen university students. We show two different kinds of applications: On the one hand we use the program as an aid for teachers and students in solving systematic exercises and, on the other hand, as a tool for understanding interesting problems that are usually not considered because the students lack the mathematical skills needed. With our approach, we are able to generalize results from a great variety of initial conditions in a fast, clear and interactive way. We have selected Excel because of its widespread presence and its ease of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and implementation of AqquaScan, an Internet-based service for remote monitoring and integrated management of decentralised WWTPs. AqquaScan is a multi-user and multi-WWTP service. It has been built according to criteria such as flexibility, scalability and interoperability with the idea of providing an open environment suited to quickly accommodate future scenarios (e.g. incorporation of new plants or upgrading of existing installations). Both, the management of plant information and users interfaces have been implemented in distributed software components that communicate with one another via web services. The implemented web services can be exploited to develop customised user interfaces for visualising the monitored data. By default, a customised web-based client module has been programmed in order for users to be able to exploit the facilities offered within AqquaScan: (1) real-time monitoring of on-line signals; (2) visualisation of historical data; (3) changing operational parameters; (4) notification of time-event information; and (5) storage of measurements from laboratory analysis. At present, AqquaScan is fully operative and is offering supervision services to eleven industrial WWTPs distributed around Northern Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides disasters in Mexico caused more than 3500 deaths between 1935 and 2006. Such disasters have been mainly associated to intense precipitation events derived from hurricanes, tropical storms and their interactions with cold fronts, although earthquake triggered landslides have also occurred to a lesser extent. The impact of landsliding in Mexico is basically determined by the geomorphic features of mountain ranges and dissected plateaus inhabited by vulnerable communities. The present contribution provides a comprehensive temporal assessment of historical landslide disasters in Mexico. Moreover, it aims at exploring the future directions of risk management and disaster prevention, in order to reduce the impact of landslides on populations as a result of climatic change, urban sprawl, land use change and social vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to insert a flexible endoscope deep into the small intestine. A new method, double-balloon enteroscopy, has been developed to improve access to the small intestine, and the aim of this study was to evaluate its usefulness for examination of the small intestine of dogs. The method uses two balloons, one attached to the tip of the endoscope and another attached to the tip of an overtube. The double-balloon endoscope is advanced through the intestine by being held alternately by the balloon on the endoscope and the balloon on the overtube. The technique was applied in two dogs of medium size, using both oral and anal approaches, and it was possible to examine the whole surface of the mucosa of their small intestines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes an unusual case of abnormal accumulated glycogen and sarcoplasmic masses in a Spanish-bred filly. Based on the histochemical and ultrastructural findings conducted, the authors asserted that the filly had a neuromuscular disorder characterized by sarcoplasmic masses with abnormal accumulations of glycogen after observing the presence of sarcoplasmic masses in glycolytic myofibers.

Rainfall-induced landsliding represents a major hazard in Mexico. About 200 municipalities in the states of Puebla, Veracruz and Hidalgo were affected by flooding and mass movement processes that resulted from a tropical depression from the Atlantic Ocean in October 1999. Hundreds of slope failures were triggered by intense precipitation, which in some localities reached 420 mm during a 24-h period. According to official information, 263 people died and 1 475 654 inhabitants were affected by flooding and landsliding.Rainfall event and cycle coefficient defined and the ratios between event and antecedent rainfalls, respectively, and the mean annual rainfall are summed to give a total coefficient. For landslide-triggering rainfalls in the Sierra Norte, values for the total coefficient of 0.8 and 0.4 for beginning and end of the wet season, respectively, appear to be important.In addition, a hazard assessment was carried out through the development of a landslide susceptibility indicator. This was elaborated by using aerial photographs, integrating field observations and the coupling of slope instability analysis within a digital elevation model framework. Field validation indicated that this approach provides a good representation of shallow translational failures; 81% of the observed landslides were satisfactorily predicted as potential unstable zones. Results suggested that this type of DEM-based hazard assessment can be extremely valuable not only after, but also before any landslide-related event, so that disaster preparedness and planning could be adequately structured. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the configuration of the electrocardiogram of the QRS complex during growth in the Spanish-bred (Andalusian) horse. Examination of the amplitude values of the QRS complex; Effect of age on the form and amplitude of the QRS complex; Correlation of the effect of age and the changes of the heart in the thorax during growth.

Eight patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who were in clinical remission but showed residual masses after therapy were examined with magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T at the end of therapy, with the sequences TR/TE:500/35,500/70,2000/35 and 2000/70. Residual masses were found in lymphoid areas (7), spleen (3) and kidney (1). In three patients, T2 showed high signal intensity. Disease progressed in the following 1-3 months and active lymphoma was histologically identified. In the other five patients, T2 showed a very low signal intensity. One of them had a distant relapse in lymphoid areas but the remaining four patients are asymptomatic after a mean follow-up time of 13 months, suggesting that the lymphoma is cured and the mass inactive. We conclude that magnetic resonance imaging seems to distinguish active from non-active residual masses after treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients otherwise in clinical remission. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Salivary biomarkers could be useful to evaluate stress, fitness level, and skeletal muscle damage associated to exercise in horses in an easy and non-painful way. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate if cortisol in saliva (sCor), salivary alpha-amylase (sAMY) and butyrylcholinesterase (sBChE) and lactate (sLA) and creatine kinase (sCK) in saliva of horses can show changes during a standardized exercise test, and if they are related to heart rate variability (HRV) parameters related to sympathetic and parasympathetic tone, fitness level or skeletal muscle damage. For this purpose, ten endurance horses were submitted to a standardized exercise test in field conditions. Saliva and blood were obtained at basal time (TB), after the seven bouts of velocity (T + 01 to T + 07), and 5, 15, 30, and 45 min later (T + 5, T + 15, T + 30, and T + 45). Five endurance horses in resting condition (control group) were also enrolled. HRV and fitness level parameters, and plasma CK as a marker of muscle damage were also evaluated. Salivaryalpha-amylase increased at T + 30 (P = 0.03), sBChE at T + 5 (P = 008), and sCK at T + 07 (P = 0.009) after the exercise test, with significant differences between the exercise and control groups' results. The sCor did not show significant changes during the exercise test in the exercise group but higher concentration compared to the control horses (P < 0.001) were observed. sCor, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK showed a positive correlation (r values between 0.47 and 0.64) with the sympathetic tone and a negative correlation (r values between −0.37 and −0.56) with the parasympathetic tone. In conclusion, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK showed significant increases in ten endurance horses after an increasing intensity velocity exercise. Values of sCor, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK were associated with HRV, which is used to evaluate stress, and therefore, they could be potentially used to assess the exercise-related stress after a physical effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation was carried out on 64 healthy adult competition pigeons (Spanish Poulers) to determine reference values of electrocardiographic parameters in standard lead II; a comparative study between males and females was also performed to find changes in the electrocardiographic patterns related to sex. P wave was positive and monophasic; PR segment depression was present in 64% of records; the QRS pattern obtained was in most cases of the rS type, followed by the QS configuration. ST slurring (absence of ST) was observed in 47% of records and the mean electrical axis was in all cases negative. Statistically significant differences related to sex were found for P-wave, R-wave and T-wave amplitudes, showing the males have greater amplitudes than females, associated with the increase of cardiac tissue mass. No sex-related differences were found in heart rate and mean electrical axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation was undertaken to determine values of electrocardiographic parameters in Spanish-bred horses at different stages of growth. The study was carried out on 179 healthy Spanish-bred (Andalusian) horses (98 females and 81 males), which were aged between 1 month and 17 years. The ECGs showed P waves of different configurations. The bifid shape deflection of the P wave was generally more frequent than the simple one in animals from 6 months of age. The first component of bifid P waves (P1) did not vary in a statistically significant way with increasing age, showing a mean value of 0.105 mV. The amplitudes of the P2 (the second component of the bifid P waves) and simple P waves showed statistically significant differences between the age groups. The highest values were found in animals up to 3 months and over 2 years of age. Several configurations of the T wave were observed in the different age groups: a negative shape was generally present for the youngest animals (foals up to 2 years old); the biphasic (/+) pattern became more frequent in animals 3 and 4 years old. In adult horses the positive configuration was the most frequent. No statistically significant differences according to age were found for the amplitude values of the different T-wave configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The transition of proteins from their soluble functional state to amyloid fibrils and aggregates is associated with the onset of several human diseases. Protein aggregation often requires some structural reshaping and the subsequent formation of intermolecular contacts. Therefore, the study of the conformation of excited protein states and their ability to form oligomers is of primary importance for understanding the molecular basis of amyloid fibril formation. Here, we investigated the oligomerization processes that occur along the folding of the amyloidogenic human protein β2-microglobulin. The combination of real-time two-dimensional NMR data with real-time small-angle X-ray scattering measurements allowed us to derive thermodynamic and kinetic information on protein oligomerization of different conformational states populated along the folding pathways. In particular, we could demonstrate that a long-lived folding intermediate (I-state) has a higher propensity to oligomerize compared to the native state. Our data agree well with a simple five-state kinetic model that involves only monomeric and dimeric species. The dimers have an elongated shape with the dimerization interface located at the apical side of β2-microglobulin close to Pro32, the residue that has a trans conformation in the I-state and a cis conformation in the native (N) state. Our experimental data suggest that partial unfolding in the apical half of the protein close to Pro32 leads to an excited state conformation with enhanced propensity for oligomerization. This excited state becomes more populated in the transient I-state due to the destabilization of the native conformation by the trans-Pro32 configuration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]