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El chile habanero constituye una de las hortalizas más importantes en la cultura culinaria de México debido a sus características aromáticas singulares. Su cultivo se concentra en el sur y sureste de México, usándose típicamente los principios de la agricultura convencional. Bajo este modelo se utilizan grandes cantidades de fertilizantes y plaguicidas, lo que afecta la producción con inocuidad. Con el objetivo de evaluar dos proporciones de composta como sustrato (100 y 50 %), además de un testigo, con y sin la aplicación de microorganismos eficientes (EM), bajo un diseño completamente al azar, se realizó un ensayo en Villaflores, Chiapas, México (N 16º 32’ y W 93º 45’). Los seis tratamientos tuvieron cinco repeticiones, cada una con cinco plantas. Las plántulas se trasplantaron a los 21 días después de la siembra (DDS) en bolsas de polietileno con las proporciones señaladas. El manejo orgánico se fundamentó en la aplicación del biofertilizante cada ocho días, hasta los 64 DDS. Los parámetros evaluados fueron altura de planta, diámetro de tallo, número y peso de frutos, así como diámetro polar y ecuatorial. Se realizó análisis de varianza, pruebas de medias (Tukey p ≤ 0,05) y correlaciones simples (Pearson). Se determinó superioridad estadística de los parámetros evaluados en los tratamientos de uso de la enmienda orgánica en sus dos proporciones, mejorándose las variables fenológicas y de rendimiento con la aplicación de los EM, en simetrías del 5 al 20 %. Las correlaciones señalaron correspondencia de las variables fenológicas y de los componentes de rendimiento del chile habanero.

Here, we propose a model of remote memory (BaconREM), which is an extension of a previously published Bayesian model of context fear learning (BACON) that accounts for many aspects of recently learned context fear. BaconREM simulates most known phenomenology of remote context fear as studied in rodents and makes new predictions. In particular, it predicts the well-known observation that fear that was conditioned to a recently encoded context becomes hippocampus-independent and shows much-enhanced generalization (“hyper-generalization”) when systems consolidation occurs (i.e., when memory becomes remote). However, the model also predicts that there should be circumstances under which the generalizability of remote fear may not increase or even decrease. It also predicts the established finding that a “reminder” exposure to a feared context can abolish hyper-generalization while at the same time making remote fear again hippocampus-dependent. This observation has in the past been taken to suggest that reminders facilitate access to detail memory that remains permanently in the hippocampus even after systems consolidation is complete. However, the present model simulates this result even though it totally moves all the contextual memory that it retains to the neo-cortex when context fear becomes remote.

Limited information is available in Mexico regarding the use of Lupinus angustifolius L. as a green manure. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of six Lupinus angustifolius varieties as green manure in terms of above-ground biomass production, expressed as dry matter (DM), and total nitrogen (N) accumulation at successive harvest dates. Additionally, the study aimed to estimate N2 fixation 110 days after sowing (DAS). The varieties Haags Blaue, Boregine, Borlu, Probor, Sonate, and Boruta were sown during the winter season of 2018-2019 using a randomized block factorial design. The N difference method was employed to estimate N2 fixation, with wheat serving as the reference crop. Data on above-ground biomass production, N concentration, and total N accumulation were recorded at different harvest times: 80, 95, and 110 DAS. The biomass yield of all varieties significantly increased from the first to the last harvest, with the highest yield observed at the final harvest (ranging from 7,632 to 10,200 kg ha-1). The highest total N accumulation from biomass was recorded at the last harvest. On average, the Borlu, Boregine, Haags Blaue, and Boruta varieties accumulated 195.4 kg ha-1 of total N (ranging from 195.6 to 221.2 kg ha-1). The proportion of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) through N2 fixation averaged 80.09% (ranging from 72% to 93%), resulting in an average N fixation of 160 kg ha-1 (ranging from 106 to 185 kg ha-1) in above-ground biomass. All six varieties demonstrated potential as green manure, considering their above-ground biomass production, total N accumulation, and ability to fix N2.

The aim of the current study was to assess the performance of Canavalia ensiformis and Mucuna deeringiana (Leguminosae) as a green manure in the agricultural soil of the Frailesca region of Chiapas, México, in terms of aboveground biomass accumulation, plant height, number of leaves, canopy coverage, and the accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Each species was sowed at two population densities under a randomized complete block design with three replications. Every 30 days after sowing (DAS), the following variables were quantified: plant length, number of leaves, canopy coverage, biomass yield, and N, P, and K content. A variance analysis and mean comparison test (Tukey 0.05) were performed for each variable. The biomass yield in M. deeringiana fluctuated from 9150 to 33,160 kg ha-1 on a fresh basis and from 4490 to 15,890 kg ha-1 on a dry basis, whereas the yield in C. ensiformis varied from 9343 to 26,390 kg ha-1 and from 4513 to 13,150 kg ha-1, respectively. The longest recorded plant length was 513.00 cm in M. deeringiana and 155 cm in C. ensiformis, with a total of 353 and 322 leaves, respectively. The accumulation of N, P, and K was 463.99 kg ha-1, 84.22 kg ha-1, and 49.26 kg ha-1 in M. deeringiana and 341.90 kg ha-1, 43.40 kg ha-1, and 36.82 kg ha-1 in C. ensiformis, respectively. Both C. ensiformis and M. deeringiana have potential as green manure for the Frailesca region of Chiapas in terms of biomass production and N accumulation.

The amount of biomass produced by various native species of genus Lupinus (L.) growing in Mexico ranges from 2.9-8.2 Mg/ha of dry matter, which can add up to 200 kg/ha of N to soil as green manure. However, information is scarce on the decomposition and mineralisation this biomass in the soil. The above-ground decomposition and N mineralisation of Lupinus mexicanus Cerv. ex Lag. and Lupinus rotundiflorus M.E. Jones species from Mexico using fine-mesh litter bags was evaluated. Litter bags containing 5 g of above-ground air-dried biomass at the vegetative and flowering stages were buried at a depth of 20 cm. Were dug up every 3 weeks over the course of 4 months, dried and re-weighed to determine the lost mass and total N by the Kjeldahl method. The largest decrease in residue mass occurred during the first 3 weeks of incubation. However, the lost mass was higher in younger green manure (75 days old) than in older plants (85 days old) after 18 weeks of exposure in the field. It was found that 60-75% of the total N in the plant material was released in the first 6 weeks. In L. rotundiflorus green manure, it was found that 79.14% of the initial N in the vegetative stage and 77.6% of N in the flowering stage was released 18 weeks after litter bag installation, whereas L. mexicanus were 74.6% and 74.7%, respectively. It was found that both decomposition and N mineralisation occurred quickly in the green manures evaluated.

Recently, sensors deployed on unpiloted aerial systems (UAS) have provided snow depth estimates with high spatial resolution over watershed scales. While light detection and ranging (LiDAR) produces precise snow depth estimates for areas without vegetation cover, there has generally been poorer precision in forested areas. At a constant flight speed, the poorest precision within forests is observed beneath tree canopies that retain foliage into or through winter. The precision of lidar-derived elevation products is improved by increasing the sample size of ground returns but doing so reduces the spatial coverage of a mission due to limitations of battery power. We address the influence of flight speed on ground return density for baseline and snow-covered conditions and the subsequent effect on precision of snow depth estimates across a mixed landscape, while evaluating trade-offs between precision and bias. Prior to and following a snow event in December 2020, UAS flights were conducted at four different flight speeds over a region consisting of three contrasting land types: (1) open field, (2) deciduous forest, (3) conifer forest. For all cover types, we observed significant improvements in precision as flight speeds were reduced to 2 m s−1, as well as increases in the area over which a 2 cm snow depth precision was achieved. On the other hand, snow depth estimate differences were minimized at baseline flight speeds of 2 m s−1 and 4 m s−1 and snow-on flight speeds of 6 m s−1 over open fields and between 2 and 4 m s−1 over forest areas. Here, with consideration to precision and estimate bias within each cover type, we make recommendations for ideal flight speeds based on survey ground conditions and vegetation cover.

Con el objetivo de caracterizar el suelo del agroecosistema maíz con los sistemas de producción convencional, agroecológico y mixto, para documentar e identificar estrategias que consideren los aspectos ambientales, sociales y económicos que conlleven a alternativas para la producción sostenible, se estudiaron las propiedades físico-químicas y biológicas de 35 muestras obtenidas en 28 ejidos de la región Frailesca, interpretadas con la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-021-RECNAT-2000. Los resultados indican una acidez generalizada para los tres sistemas con un pH de 5.05, 5.25 y 5.24, la capacidad intercambio catiónico es baja (13.96, 12.54, y 14.95 cmol(+) kg‑1) y niveles medios de materia orgánica (3.5, 2.58 y 3.45%). Así mismo, los macronutrientes, como el fósforo se encuentra en niveles altos (75.36, 74.78 y 45.05 mg kg‑1) y el potasio se encontró en niveles bajos (3.86, 3.12 y 2.66 mg kg‑1) y los micronutrientes se encuentran en niveles medios como el hierro (3.24, 2.03 y 2.62 mg kg‑1) y boro (1.58, 1.06 y 1.37 mg kg-1). Para el caso de la textura del suelo presentan suelos franco-arcillo-arenoso y franco-arenoso. Desde el punto de vista de las características biológicas del suelo, la macrofauna con el sistema agroecológico reportó mayor diversidad de seres vivos de acuerdo al índice de Shannon y Weaver (H’ = 1.121), destacan coleópteros, anélidos, himenópteros, isópteros y gasterópodos. En ese mismo sentido, para el caso de microorganismos sobresale en diversidad de microorganismos (H’ = 1.121) reportando entomopatógenos (Beauveria bassiana y Metarhizium anisopliae), fijadores de nitrógeno (Rhizobium, Azotobacter y Azospirillum) y hongos patógenos como Rizhoctonia, Fusarium y Alternaria y el sistema con menor diversidad fue el convencional con H’ = 0.789. Bajo estas condiciones el suelo, es necesario una estrategia que permita aumentar la calidad y las prácticas de agricultura puedan ser sostenibles.

La investigación se efectuó durante el secano 2017, con el objetivo de evaluar la eficiencia de los sistemas de cultivo: maíz-frijol, maíz-calabaza, maíz-frijol-calabaza, maíz, frijol y calabaza manejados bajo el enfoque orgánico. Se utilizó el diseño completamente al azar, con tres repeticiones. El mayor rendimiento de grano se obtuvo con el sistema maíz monocultivo con 2688.88 kg ha-1, mientras, el menor rendimiento se tuvo con el sistema de cultivo maíz-frijol-calabaza con 1668.08 kg ha-1. Para frijol, el mayor rendimiento se obtuvo con en el monocultivo con 382.21 kg ha-1y el menor rendimiento se cuantificó para el sistema maíz-frijol con 202.12 kg ha-1. El mejor rendimiento total de fruto de calabaza fue para el sistema maíz-calabaza con 3715.27 kg ha-1. En cuanto al uso de la tierra, las mayores eficiencias (UET), se tuvieron con los policultivos, al sembrar el sistema maíz-calabaza se obtuvo un UET de 2.94; el sistema maíz-frijol-calabaza arrojó un índice de 1.92, y finalmente el sistema de maíz-frijol arrojó un indicador de 1.46. Se concluyó que, en los agroecosistemas tropicales, los policultivos son más eficientes en el uso de la tierra con relación a los monocultivos de las especies básicas cuando se manejan bajo el enfoque de la agricultura orgánica, lo cual señala que las interrelaciones ecológicas que suceden en los cultivos múltiples benefician al sistema integral, contribuyendo con la producción sostenible e inocua de maíz, frijol y calabaza.

Background: Midfoot arthrodesis has long been successfully included in the treatment paradigm for a variety of pathologic foot conditions. A concern with midfoot arthrodesis is the rate of nonunion, which historically has been reported between 5% and 10%. Plantar plating has also been noted to be more biomechanically stable when compared to traditional dorsal plating in previous studies. Practical advantages of plantar plating include less dorsal skin irritation and the ability to correct flatfoot deformity from the same medial incision. The purpose of this study is to report the arthrodesis rate, the success of deformity correction, and the complications associated with plantar-based implant placement for arthrodesis of the medial column. Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of all consecutive patients between 2012 and 2019 that underwent midfoot arthrodesis with plantar-positioned implants. Radiographic outcomes and complications are reported on 62 patients who underwent midfoot arthrodesis as part of a correction for hallux valgus deformity, flatfoot deformity, degenerative arthritis, Lisfranc injury, or Charcot neuroarthropathy correction. Results: Statistically significant improvement was seen in the lateral talus–first metatarsal angle (Meary angle) and medial arch sag angle for patients treated for flatfoot deformity correction. In patients treated for hallux valgus deformity, there was a reduction in the intermetatarsal angle from 15.4 to 6.8 degrees. The overall nonunion rate was 6.45% in all patients. The rate of nonunion was higher at the NC joint compared to the TMT joint and with compression claw plates. One symptomatic nonunion required revision surgery (1.7%). There were no nonunions when excluding neuroarthropathy patients and smokers. The odds ratio (OR) for nonunion in patients with neuroarthropathy was 6.05 ( P < .05), and in active smokers the OR was 2.33 ( P < .05). Conclusion: Plates placed on the plantar bone surface for midfoot arthrodesis achieved and maintained deformity correction with rare instances of symptomatic hardware for a variety of orthopedic conditions. An overall clinical and radiographic union rate of 94% was achieved. The radiographic union rate improved to 100% when excluding both neuroarthropathy patients and smokers. The incidence of nonunion was higher in smokers, neuroarthropathy patients, naviculocuneiform joint fusions, use of compression claw plates, and when attempting to fuse multiple joints. Incisional healing complications were rarely seen other than in active smokers. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

Abstract Background The leishmaniasis are parasitic diseases caused by protozoans of the genus Leishmania, highly divergent eukaryotes, characterized by unique biological features. To survive in both the mammalian hosts and insect vectors, these pathogens make use of a number of mechanisms, many of which are associated with parasite specific proteases. The metalloprotease GP63, the major Leishmania surface antigen, has been found to have multiple functions required for the parasite’s survival. GP63 is encoded by multiple genes and their copy numbers vary considerably between different species and are increased in those from the subgenus Viannia, including L. braziliensis. Results By comparing multiple sequences from Leishmania and related organisms this study sought to characterize paralogs in silico, evaluating their differences and similarities and the implications for the GP63 function. The Leishmania GP63 genes are encoded on chromosomes 10, 28 and 31, with the genes from the latter two chromosomes more related to genes found in insect or plant parasites. Those from chromosome 10 have experienced independent expansions in numbers in Leishmania, especially in L. braziliensis. These could be clustered in three groups associated with different mRNA 3′ untranslated regions as well as distinct C-terminal ends for the encoded proteins, with presumably distinct expression patterns and subcellular localizations. Sequence variations between the chromosome 10 genes were linked to intragenic recombination events, mapped to the external surface of the proteins and predicted to be immunogenic, implying a role against the host immune response. Conclusions Our results suggest a greater role for the sequence variation found among the chromosome 10 GP63 genes, possibly related to the pathogenesis of L. braziliensis and closely related species within the mammalian host. They also indicate different functions associated to genes mapped to different chromosomes. For the chromosome 10 genes, variable subcellular localizations were found to be most likely associated with multiple functions and target substrates for this versatile protease.

Visceral Leishmaniasis and HIV-AIDS coinfection (VL/HIV) is considered a life-threatening pathology when undiagnosed and untreated, due to the immunosuppression caused by both diseases. Serological tests largely used for the VL diagnosis include the direct agglutination test (DAT), ELISA and immunochromatographic (ICT) assays. For VL diagnosis in HIV infections, different studies have shown that the use of the DAT assay facilitates the VL diagnosis in co-infected patients, since the performance of the most widely used ELISA and ICT tests, based on the recombinant protein rK39, are much less efficient in HIV co-infections. In this scenario, alternative recombinant antigens may help the development of new serological diagnostic methods which may improve the VL diagnosis for the co-infection cases. This work aimed to evaluate the use of the recombinant Lci2 antigen, related to, but antigenically more diverse than rK39, for VL diagnosis in co-infected sera through ELISA assays. A direct comparison between recombinant Lci2 and rK39 was thus carried out. The two proteins were first tested using indirect ELISA with sera from VL afflicted individuals and healthy controls, with similar performances. They were then tested with two different sets of VL/HIV co-infected cases and a significant drop in performance, for one of these groups, was observed for rK39 (32% sensitivity), but not for Lci2 (98% sensitivity). In fact, an almost perfect agreement (Kappa: 0.93) between the Lci2 ELISA and DAT was observed for the coinfected VL/HIV patients. Lci2 then has the potential to be used as a new tool for the VL diagnosis of VL/HIV co-infections.

El objetivo del trabajo fue caracterizar las arvenses del banco de semillas de agroecosistemas representativos de la región tropical denominada Frailesca, en el estado de Chiapas, México. Los sistemas definidos estuvieron representados por los suelos de vega (márgenes de los ríos), potreros (pastizales), terrenos intermedios para el cultivo de maíz y en sucesión secundaria (acahual). La metodología se fundamentó en la germinación directa, para lo cual se obtuvieron muestras compuestas de suelo a tres profundidades (0-10, 10-20 y 20-30 cm), las cuales se colocaron en charolas de 50 x 30 x 10 cm, ubicándolas en invernadero para evitar su contaminación, proporcionándoles riegos regulares. Cada sistema estuvo representado por tres réplicas, 36 unidades de muestreo totales. Las variables evaluadas fueron número de especies e individuos emergidos, densidad y dominancia relativa, diversidad florística y similitud de comunidades y efectos alelopáticos de las arvenses dominantes. Los resultados indican que los sistemas manejados intensivamente para actividades agrícolas, específicamente terrenos de vega e intermedios para el monocultivo de maíz, presentaron bancos de semillas más dinámicos, lo cual sucede en los primeros 10 cm de profundidad. Las especies de arvenses dominantes de los bancos evaluados fueron Cyperus rotundus L. y Melampodium divaricatum Rich. La diversidad florística determinó índices similares entre los sistemas y profundidades. La mayor similitud entre comunidades se presentó en los agroecosistemas manejados con el cultivo maíz. No se determinaron efectos alelopáticos de las especies dominantes sobre la germinación y crecimiento de los cultivos representativos de la región.

Red osier dogwood (ROD) (Cornus stolonifer) is a popular ornamental shrub in most parts of North America. It has a record of ethnopharmacological uses by native North Americans. With increasing awareness about the health benefits of natural antioxidants, efforts are needed to develop methods for producing plant-based antioxidants as sources of nutraceuticals or functional food ingredients. This study aimed at establishing an optimum temperature for hydrothermal extraction of phenolic compounds from the leaves and stems of ROD. Spray-dried extracts obtained from hydrothermal extraction at four different temperatures, as well as their raw materials and spent residue were analyzed for moisture content and water activity. The samples were extracted with organic solvent and their total phenolic content, phenolic composition and antioxidant activity were also determined. Moisture content was below 10% and the water activity was below 0.6 inclusive, which are recommended for storing dry plant products. Glucogallic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, quercetin 3-O-malonylglucoside and quercetin were the phenolic compounds identified in all the samples. Rutin was the predominant compound. As expected, all the spray-dried extracts had higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity than the raw materials and spent materials. Among the temperatures studied, 98 °C was the most effective in extracting the phenolic compounds. The spray-dried extracts may find application in high-value antioxidant-rich products such as functional food ingredients and nutraceuticals. The spent materials retained a considerable amount of phenolic antioxidants and can therefore be useful in preparing antioxidant-rich animal feed.

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Other Introduction/Purpose: Midfoot arthrodesis is a reliable procedure for deformity correction and pain relief. First tarsometatarsal arthrodesis can be used for correction of hallux valgus deformity with large intermetatarsal angles or first-ray hypermobility. Midfoot arthrodesis is also integral in correction of pes planovalgus deformity with midfoot collapse. First tarsometatarsal arthrodesis has a nonunion rate of 2-15%. Arthrodesis is completed traditionally through a dorsal approach. Due to high nonunion rates, recent studies have investigated plater based plates. These have been shown to have superior strength by creating a tension band construct as the foot is loaded. Tibialis anterior footprint is at risk when accessing first tarsometatarsal joint for arthrodesis. We explore whether the tibialis insertional footprint can be released and repaired with no deleterious effects. Methods: Patients included were undergoing first tarsometatarsal joint or naviculocuneiform joint arthrodesis with a plantar based plate and screw construct for hallux valgus deformity with large intermetatarsal angle or first-ray hypermobility, and those with first TMT joint arthritis, pes planovalgus, Lisfranc injury, or Charcot neuroarthropathy. Medial based surgical approach is centered over the first tarsometatarsal joint. Saphenous neurovascular bundle is retracted dorsally. Release of the capsular structures allowed for complete visualization and distraction of the joint. The distal-most attachment of the tibialis anterior tendon onto the first metatarsal is release in line with the capsulotomy. Primary insertion on the medial cuneiform was preserved. A cuff of released insertional tissue is preserved and reflected distally for repair. Standard tarsometatarsal arthrodesis joint preparation was completed. Plantar plate then fixed and compressed. Deep fascial layers were then closed over the plated were previous tendon release was performed. Results: In 62 patients, none had tibialis anterior tendon rupture, weakness, or irritation, with average follow-up of 36.2 months. Nine wound complications were recognized during the study. Twelve percent of patients experiencing delayed incisional healing that went on to heal with local wound care. Smokers accounted for six of the seven patients (OR 24.62, p

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Midfoot fusions have long been used to treat a variety of procedures in the foot. Indications may include hallux valgus correction, first ray instability, midfoot arthritis, pes planovalgus, trauma, and Charcot reconstruction. One of the drawbacks of this procedure is nonunion, which has been consistently reported between 5-10%. Placing implants and obtaining fixation along the plantar surface of the bone may create a tension band implant construct during physiologic loading that helps to compress the arthrodesis site and thereby may further optimize the healing potential. This study reports on the radiographic and clinical outcomes of plantar plating and arthrodesis of midfoot joints for a variety of procedures. Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of consecutive patients between 2012-2019 that underwent a midfoot fusion with plantar positioned implants by a fellowship-trained foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon at a single institution. 62 patients underwent arthrodesis of the midfoot as part of a correction for hallux valgus, flatfoot deformity, midfoot arthritis, Lisfranc injury, Charcot correction or a combination these diagnoses. Average follow-up was 36.2 months (range, 16-66 months). For those treated for a flatfoot deformity, the lateral talus-first metatarsal (Meary’s) angle and medial arch sag angle (MASA) were compared on preoperative and postoperative imaging to obtain the magnitude of radiographic correction achieved. For those treated for hallux valgus deformity, the inter-metatarsal angle (IMA) was utilized to establish the magnitude of deformity correction. Serial weight-bearing radiographs were independently evaluated for malunion, nonunion, or hardware migration to be logged as complications at the arthrodesis site. Results: The 1st TMT joint was fused in 43 patients, and the NC joint was fused in 23 patients. Five patients had simultaneous fusion of the 1st TMT and NC joints. Two patients underwent arthrodesis of the talonavicular (TN) joint with one patient having simultaneous arthrodesis of the TN and NC joints. We found statistically significant improvement in the lateral talus-first metatarsal-angle (Meary’s) and medial arch sag angle (MASA) for those treated for flatfoot corrections. For those treated for hallux valgus, there was significant reduction in the Intermetatarsal angle (IMA) from 15.4 to 6.8 degrees. The overall nonunion rate was 6.45% in all patients. The nonunion rate was reduced to 3.3%when excluding the Charcot neuroarthropathy patients. There was one symptomatic nonunion requiring revision surgery (1.7%). Conclusion: Deformity correction was successfully maintained in those treated for hallux valgus and flatfoot deformities. There were significant improvements in the IMA, the MASA, and Meary’s angle Plates implanted on the plantar bone surface for midfoot arthrodesis provided and maintained deformity correction without hardware irritation for a variety of orthopedic conditions. A clinical and radiographic union rate of94% (97% when excluding Charcot neuroarthropathy patients) was achieved. The risk of nonunion appeared to be higher in diabetic patients, in smokers, with the utilization of claw plates, and when fusion constructs included the NC joint.

BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a major neglected disease, potentially fatal, whose control is still impaired by inefficient and/or expensive treatment and diagnostic methods. The most promising approach for VL diagnosis uses serological assays with recombinant proteins, since they are more efficient and easier to perform. Tests developed for the human form of the disease, however, have not been shown to be efficient for its diagnosis in the canine host, the major reservoir for the American VL.Methodology/principal findingsHere, we describe a systematic approach aimed at the production of a new chimeric protein potentially able to be used for both human and canine VL diagnosis and based both on in silico gene design and experimental data. Starting from the previous identification of Leishmania infantum recombinant antigens efficient for the diagnosis of either human or canine VL, three of the best performing antigens were selected (Lci2, Lci3 and Lci12). After a preliminary evaluation validating the chimeric approach, DNA fragments encoding predicted antigenic regions from each protein, enriched with repeats, were joined in various combinations to generate a total of seventeen chimeric genes optimized for prokaryotic expression. These were assessed for optimal expression and purification yield, with four chimeric proteins being efficiently produced. Their diagnostic potential was then evaluated through ELISA assays with sera from VL afflicted humans and dogs. After two rounds of gene design, the results showed high levels of sensitivity for the best chimeric protein, named Q5, in humans (82%) and dogs (100%) with 100% specificity in comparison with healthy controls. A single non-specific reaction was seen with serum from individuals with tegumentary leishmaniasis.ConclusionThe newly described chimeric protein is potentially useful for the detection of both humans and dogs afflicted with VL, with its use in rapid tests necessary for validation as a new diagnostic tool.

El trabajo se realizó con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de dos biofertilizantes en la producción de maíz, solos y combinados con dos fórmulas de fertilización química. El experimento se realizó bajo un diseño experimental de bloques al azar, con nueve tratamientos y cuatro repeticiones, conformando un total de 36 unidades experimentales. Los biofertilizantes evaluados fueron las especies Azospirillum brasilense y Chromobactherium violaceum, y las fórmulas de fertilización química 80-23-15 y 160-46-30 de N, P y K. El mejor rendimiento de grano de maíz se logró con el tratamiento Azospirillum brasilense + 160-46-30 de N-P-K, con 5.97 t ha-1, en segundo lugar Chromobacterium violaceum + 80-23-15 de N-P-K con 5.87 t ha-1. El menor rendimiento de 4.30 t ha-¹ se tuvo con el Testigo absoluto. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que cuando se utiliza biofertilizantes existe un incremento en el rendimiento de maíz por efecto de la aplicación de microorganismos benéficos. El análisis económico mostró que los mayores beneficios netos se tuvieron con los tratamientos Azospirillum brasilense + Chromobacterium violaceum + fertilización química 160-46-30 y Azospirillum brasilense + fertilización quimica 160-46-30. Se concluye que el uso del biofertilizante Azospirillum brasilense representó un incremento en el rendimiento de grano de 27.98% (1.67 t ha-1) con respecto al testigo absoluto, lográndose un mayor beneficio neto.

Analysis of energy flows and economic dynamics allows the diversity of variables involved in the agroecosystem production to be observed in the same dimension. In this way, efficiency and performance can be analysed integrally to identify critical points to be improved. The objective of this study was to analyse the energy-economic efficiency within three management strategies (Management I, Management II and Management III) of the maize agroecosystem in the Frailesca region of Chiapas (Mexico). The hypothesis was that systemic typologies, defined by modes of production, can lead to different efficiencies for the system performance. The study was descriptive; case studies were selected as representative based on their technological variants. The efficiency analysis was conducted using a balance of inputs and outputs expressed in energy and economic terms. Management III resulted in better energy use efficiency, with 6.47, while Management I and Management II were more economically feasible, with a benefit/cost ratio of 1.56 pesos.

The ability to automatically delineate individual tree crowns using remote sensing data opens the possibility to collect detailed tree information over large geographic regions. While individual tree crown delineation (ITCD) methods have proven successful in conifer-dominated forests using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, it remains unclear how well these methods can be applied in deciduous broadleaf-dominated forests. We applied five automated LiDAR-based ITCD methods across fifteen plots ranging from conifer- to broadleaf-dominated forest stands at Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA, USA, and assessed accuracy against manual delineation of crowns from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. We then identified tree- and plot-level factors influencing the success of automated delineation techniques. There was relatively little difference in accuracy between automated crown delineation methods (51−59% aggregated plot accuracy) and, despite parameter tuning, none of the methods produced high accuracy across all plots (27—90% range in plot-level accuracy). The accuracy of all methods was significantly higher with increased plot conifer fraction, and individual conifer trees were identified with higher accuracy (mean 64%) than broadleaf trees (42%) across methods. Further, while tree-level factors (e.g., diameter at breast height, height and crown area) strongly influenced the success of crown delineations, the influence of plot-level factors varied. The most important plot-level factor was species evenness, a metric of relative species abundance that is related to both conifer fraction and the degree to which trees can fill canopy space. As species evenness decreased (e.g., high conifer fraction and less efficient filling of canopy space), the probability of successful delineation increased. Overall, our work suggests that the tested LiDAR-based ITCD methods perform equally well in a mixed temperate forest, but that delineation success is driven by forest characteristics like functional group, tree size, diversity, and crown architecture. While LiDAR-based ITCD methods are well suited for stands with distinct canopy structure, we suggest that future work explore the integration of phenology and spectral characteristics with existing LiDAR as an approach to improve crown delineation in broadleaf-dominated stands.

Current strategies for the control of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) rely on its efficient diagnosis in both human and canine hosts. The most promising and cost effective approach is based on serologic assays with recombinant proteins. However, no single antigen has been found so far which can be effectively used to detect the disease in both dogs and humans. In previous works, we identified Leishmania infantum antigens with potential for the serodiagnosis of VL. Here, we aimed to expand the panel of the available antigens for VL diagnosis through another screening of a genomic expression library. Seven different protein-coding gene fragments were identified, five of which encoding proteins which have not been previously studied in Leishmania and rich in repetitive motifs. Poly-histidine tagged polypeptides were generated from six genes and evaluated for their potential for diagnosis of VL by ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) with sera from infected humans and dogs. None of those was valid for the detection of human VL (26-52% sensitivity) although their performance was increased in the canine sera (48-91% sensitivity), with one polypeptide useful for the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. Next, we assayed a mixture of three antigens, found to be best for human or canine VL, among 13 identified through different screenings. This "Mix" resulted in similar levels of sensitivity for both human (84%) and canine (88%) sera. With improvements, this validates the use of multiple proteins, including antigens identified here, as components of a single system for the diagnosis of both forms of leishmaniasis.

The goal of the Pacific Ocean Boundary Ecosystem and Climate Study (POBEX) was to diagnose the large-scale climate controls on regional transport dynamics and lower trophic marine ecosystem variability in Pacific Ocean boundary systems. An international team of collaborators shared observational and eddy-resolving modeling data sets collected in the Northeast Pacific, including the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the California Current System (CCS), the Humboldt or Peru-Chile Current System (PCCS), and the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE) region. POBEX investigators found that a dominant fraction of decadal variability in basin- and regional-scale salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll, and zooplankton taxa is explained by a newly discovered pattern of ocean-climate variability dubbed the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). NPGO dynamics are driven by atmospheric variability in the North Pacific and capture the decadal expression of Central Pacific El Niños in the extratropics, much as the PDO captures the low-frequency expression of eastern Pacific El Niños. By combining hindcasts of eddy-resolving ocean models over the period 1950–2008 with model passive tracers and long-term observations (e.g., CalCOFI, Line-P, Newport Hydrographic Line, Odate Collection), POBEX showed that the PDO and the NPGO combine to control low-frequency upwelling and alongshore transport dynamics in the North Pacific sector, while the eastern Pacific El Niño dominates in the South Pacific. Although different climate modes have different regional expressions, changes in vertical transport (e.g., upwelling) were found to explain the dominant nutrient and phytoplankton variability in the CCS, GOA, and PCCS, while changes in alongshore transport forced much of the observed long-term change in zooplankton species composition in the KOE as well as in the northern and southern CCS. In contrast, cross-shelf transport dynamics were linked to mesoscale eddy activity, driven by regional-scale dynamics that are largely decoupled from variations associated with the large-scale climate modes. Preliminary findings suggest that mesoscale eddies play a key role in offshore transport of zooplankton and impact the life cycles of higher trophic levels (e.g., fish) in the CCS, PCCS, and GOA. Looking forward, POBEX results may guide the development of new modeling and observational strategies to establish mechanistic links among climate forcing, mesoscale circulation, and marine population dynamics.

La investigación se realizó en Villaflores, Chiapas, México, localizado entre los paralelos 16º 15’ 14’’ de latitud Norte y en el meridiano 93º 15’ 22’’ de longitud Oeste, con una altitud de 557 msnm y clima cálido subhúmedo. El objetivo fue evaluar la respuesta de las plantas de café en etapa de vivero, manejadas bajo el enfoque ecológico, a la utilización de tres abonos orgánicos (composta, bocashi y vermiabono) empleados bajo diferentes proporciones (25%, 50%, 75% y 100%). El diseño experimental utilizado fue completamente al azar con el arreglo de tratamientos bifactorial con 13 tratamientos y tres repeticiones, haciendo un total de 39 unidades experimentales, cada unidad experimental constó de 30 plántulas establecidas en bolsa de vivero de 13*20 cm. Los resultados indican que los abonos orgánicos composta y bocashi mostraron los mejores beneficios en la producción de plantas de café en la etapa de vivero, sobresaliendo las proporciones de 25% y 50%. Para el número de hojas la proporción que acumuló la mayor cantidad fue 50% de composta; para esta misma proporción se cuantificó el mayor peso seco y verde de raíz, tallo y hojas, por lo que se considera como uno de los tratamientos más pertinentes para la producción de plántulas de café en la etapa de vivero.

Forest structure comprises numerous quantifiable biometric components and characteristics, which include tree geometry and stand architecture. These structural components are important in the understanding of the past and future trajectories of these biomes. Tropical forests are often considered the most structurally complex and yet least understood of forested ecosystems. New technologies have provided novel avenues for quantifying biometric properties of forested ecosystems, one of which is LIght Detection And Ranging (lidar). This sensor can be deployed on satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and terrestrial platforms. In this study we examined the efficacy of a terrestrial lidar scanner (TLS) system in a tropical forest to estimate forest structure. Our study was conducted in January 2012 at La Selva, Costa Rica at twenty locations in a predominantly undisturbed forest. At these locations we collected field measured biometric attributes using a variable plot design. We also collected TLS data from the center of each plot. Using this data we developed relative vegetation profiles (RVPs) and calculated a series of parameters including entropy, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), number of layers and plant area index to develop statistical relationships with field data. We developed statistical models using a series of multiple linear regressions, all of which converged on significant relationships with the strongest relationship being for mean crown depth (r2 = 0.88, p < 0.001, RMSE = 1.04 m). Tree density was found to have the poorest significant relationship (r2 = 0.50, p < 0.01, RMSE = 153.28 n ha-1). We found a significant relationship between basal area and lidar metrics (r2 = 0.75, p < 0.001, RMSE = 3.76 number ha-1). Parameters selected in our models varied, thus indicating the potential relevance of multiple features in canopy profiles and geometry that are related to field-measured structure. Models for biomass estimation included structural canopy variables in addition to height metrics. Our work indicates that vegetation profiles from TLS data can provide useful information on forest structure.

Forested settings present challenges for understanding the full extent of past human landscape modifications. Field-based archaeological reconnaissance in forests is low-efficiency and most remote sensing techniques are of limited utility, and together, this means many past sites and features in forests are unknown. Archaeologists have increasingly used light detection and ranging (lidar), a remote sensing tool that uses pulses of light to measure reflecting surfaces at high spatial resolution, to address these limitations. Archaeology studies using lidar have made significant progress identifying permanent structures built by large-scale complex agriculturalist societies. Largely unaccounted for, however, are numerous small and more practical modifications of landscapes by smaller-scale societies. Here we show these may also be detectable with lidar by identifying remnants of food storage pits (cache pits) created by mobile hunter-gatherers in the upper Great Lakes during Late Precontact (ca. AD 1000-1600) that now only exist as subtle microtopographic features. Years of intensive field survey identified 69 cache pit groups between two inland lakes in northern Michigan, almost all of which were located within ~500 m of a lakeshore. Applying a novel series of image processing techniques and statistical analyses to a high spatial resolution DTM we created from commercial-grade lidar, our detection routine identified 139 high potential cache pit clusters. These included most of the previously known clusters as well as several unknown clusters located >1500 m from either lakeshore, much further from lakeshores than all previously identified cultural sites. Food storage is understood to have emerged regionally as a risk-buffering strategy after AD 1000 but our results indicate the current record of hunter-gatherer cache pit food storage is markedly incomplete and this practice and its associated impact on the landscape may be greater than anticipated. Our study also demonstrates the potential of harnessing commercial-grade lidar for other fine-grained archaeology applications.

The forests of Kalimantan are under severe pressure from extensive land use activities dominated by logging, palm oil plantations, and peatland fires. To implement the forest moratorium for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, Indonesia’s government requires information on the carbon stored in forests, including intact, degraded, secondary, and peat swamp forests. We developed a hybrid approach of producing a wall-to-wall map of the aboveground biomass (AGB) of intact and degraded forests of Kalimantan at 1 ha grid cells by combining field inventory plots, airborne lidar samples, and satellite radar and optical imagery. More than 110 000 ha of lidar data were acquired to systematically capture variations of forest structure and more than 104 field plots to develop lidar-biomass models. The lidar measurements were converted into biomass using models developed for 66 439 ha of drylands and 44 250 ha of wetland forests. By combining the AGB map with the national land cover map, we found that 22.3 Mha (10 ^6 ha) of forest remain on drylands ranging in biomass from 357.2 ± 12.3 Mgha ^−1 in relatively intact forests to 134.2 ± 6.1 Mgha ^−1 in severely degraded forests. The remaining peat swamp forests are heterogeneous in coverage and degradation level, extending over 3.62 Mha and having an average AGB of 211.8 ± 12.7 Mgha ^−1 . Emission factors calculated from aboveground biomass only suggest that the carbon storage potential of more than 15 Mha of degraded and secondary dryland forests will be about 1.1 PgC.

A neurally oriented conceptual and computational model of fear conditioning ("Fraidy Rat" or FRAT) has been constructed that accounts for many aspects of delay and context conditioning. Conditioning and extinction are the result of neuromodulation-controlled LTP at synapses of thalamic, cortical, and hippocampal afferents on principal cells and inhibitory interneurons of lateral and basal amygdala. The phenomena accounted for by the model (and simulated by the computational version) include conditioning, secondary reinforcement, blocking, the immediate shock deficit, extinction, renewal, and a range of empirically valid effects of pre- and post-training ablation or inactivation of hippocampus or amygdala nuclei.

There are sex differences in anxiety disorders with regard to occurrence and severity of episodes such that females tend to experience more frequent and more severe episodes. Contextual fear learning and generalization are especially relevant to anxiety disorders, which are often defined by expressing fear and/or anxiety in safe contexts. In contextual fear conditioning, a representation of the context must first be created, and then that representation must be paired with an aversive consequence. With some variation, the experiments presented here use a 3-d procedure in which day 1 consists of pre-exposure to the to-be-shocked context, day 2 consists of a single context--shock pairing after some placement-to-shock interval (PSI), and day 3 consists of testing in either the same or a novel context. With shorter pre-exposure periods, male rats showed more contextual fear, consistent with previous literature; however, after longer pre-exposure periods, female rats showed greater contextual fear. Additionally, while pre-exposure and PSI are both periods of time prior to the shock, it was found that they were not equivalent to each other. Animals with 120 sec of pre-exposure and a 30-sec PSI show a differential level and time course of fear expression than animals who received no pre-exposure and a 150-sec PSI, and this further depended on sex of the rat. Additionally, an experiment comparing recently versus remotely acquired contextual fear was run. Males were again shown to have greater contextual fear at both time points, and this contextual fear incubated/increased over time in males but not females. To facilitate identification of what processes caused sex differences, we used BaconX, a conceptual and computational model of hippocampal contextual learning. Computational simulations using this model predicted many of our key findings. Furthermore, these simulations suggest potential mechanisms with regard to hippocampal computation; namely, an increased feature sampling rate in males, which may account for the sex differences presented here and in prior literature.

The extinction of contextual fear is commonly an essential requirement for successful exposure therapy for fear disorders. However, experimental work on extinction of contextual fear is limited, and there little or no directly relevant theoretical work. Here, we extend BACON, a neurocomputational model of context fear conditioning that provides plausible explanations for a number of aspects of context fear conditioning, to deal with extinction (calling the model BaconX). In this model, contextual representations are formed in the hippocampus and association of fear to them occurs in the amygdala. Representation creation, conditionability, and development of between-session extinction are controlled by degree of confidence (assessed by the Bayesian weight of evidence) that an active contextual representation is in fact that of the current context (i.e., is "valid"). The model predicts that: (1) extinction which persists between sessions will occur only if at a sessions end there is high confidence that the active representation is valid. It follows that the shorter the context placement-to-US (shock) interval ("PSI") and the less is therefore learned about context, the longer extinction sessions must be for enduring extinction to occur, while too short PSIs will preclude successful extinction. (2) Short-PSI deficits can be rescued by contextual exposure even after conditioning has occurred. (3) Learning to discriminate well between a conditioned and similar safe context requires representations of each to form, which may not occur if PSI was too short. (4) Extinction-causing inhibition must be applied downstream of the conditioning locus for reasonable generalization properties to be generated. (5) Context change tends to cause return of extinguished contextual fear. (6). Extinction carried out in the conditioning context generalizes better than extinction executed in contexts to which fear has generalized (as done in exposure therapy). (7) BaconX suggests novel approaches to exposure therapy.

The context in which sudden fearful events occur can be poorly encoded into memory. Yet, the consequences of the resulting context-impoverished memories remain unknown. We demonstrate that restricting the time available for context encoding during contextual fear conditioning causes maladaptively overgeneralized and inextinguishable fear. However, post-conditioning context exposure enables further context encoding through hippocampal reconsolidation-dependent memory updating. Updating in the conditioning context alleviates overgeneralization and restores capacity for extinction. However, updating in a similar safe context erroneously shifts fear from the dangerous to the safe context. We argue that these phenomena can be explained by uncertainty about where events occurred. Moreover, we show that a hippocampal-neocortical neurocomputational model based on this assumption successfully simulates and explains our observations. These findings reveal that context-impoverished memories are maladaptive and can be improved or distorted after recall, with implications for basic memory theory, memory distortion, and treatment of disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder.

During an investigation of the bionomics and immature stages of the Ceratopogonidae, two new species were encountered. The purpose of this paper is to describe these insects.

Background: Physiological changes in pregnancy may affect drug safety and efficacy, sometimes requiring dose adjustments. Pregnancy-adjusted doses, however, are missing for most medications. Increasingly, pharmacokinetic models can be used for antenatal dose finding. Given the novelty of this technique and questions regarding dose credibility, the acceptability of model-informed antenatal doses should be explored. Objective: We aimed to assess the willingness-to-use and preferred features for model-informed antenatal doses among healthcare practitioners (HCPs) and pregnant women in European countries. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based study drawing on two open surveys was performed between 8 September and 30 November 2022. Each survey comprised statements drawn from prior focus groups, associated with Likert- scales. Themes included respondents' information needs, search behaviours along with their willingness-to-use and preferred features for model-informed antenatal doses. The surveys were disseminated through professional societies, pregnancy websites and social media. A descriptive analysis was performed. Results: In total, 608 HCPs from different specialties and 794 pregnant women across 15 countries participated, with 81% of respondents across both groups in the Netherlands or Belgium. Among pregnant women, 31% were medical professionals and 85% used medication during pregnancy. Eighty-three percent of HCPs found current antenatal pharmacotherapy suboptimal and 97% believed that model-informed antenatal doses would enhance the quality of antenatal care. Most HCPs (93%) and pregnant women (75%) would be willing to follow model-informed antenatal doses. Most HCPs desired access to the evidence (88%), including from pharmacokinetic modelling (62%). Most pregnant women (96%) wanted to understand antenatal dosing rationales and to be involved in dosing decisions (97%). Conclusion: Thewillingness-to-usemodel-informed antenatal doses is high among HCPs and pregnant women provided that certain information needs are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contextual fear conditioning is thought to involve the synaptic plasticity-dependent establishment in hippocampus of representations of to-be-conditioned contexts which can then become associated with USs in the amygdala. A conceptual and computational model of this process is proposed in which contextual attributes are assumed to be sampled serially and randomly during contextual exposures. Given this assumption, moment-to-moment information about such attributes will often be quite different from one exposure to another and, in particular, between exposures during which representations are created, exposures during which conditioning occurs, and during recall sessions. This presents challenges to current conceptual models of hippocampal function. In order to meet these challenges, our model's hippocampus was made to operate in different modes during representation creation and recall, and non-hippocampal machinery was constructed that controlled these hippocampal modes. This machinery uses a comparison between contextual information currently observed and information associated with existing hippocampal representations of familiar contexts to compute the Bayesian Weight of Evidence that the current context is (or is not) a known one, and it uses this value to assess the appropriateness of creation or recall modes. The model predicts a number of known phenomena such as the immediate shock deficit, spurious fear conditioning to contexts that are absent but similar to actually present ones, and modulation of conditioning by pre-familiarization with contexts. It also predicts a number of as yet unknown phenomena.