Five novel dimers in which the steroid cores are bridged by a 6,5,6‐trioxabispiroacetal moiety were synthesized by gold(I)‐catalyzed hydroalkoxylation–hydration of steroid diynediols. The double ...spiroacetalization proceeded with excellent yield and produced almost exclusively the C2 symmetrical trans diastereomer. A small amount of the cis unsymmetrical diastereomer was isolated only in one case. Density Functional Theory calculations were used to further analyze and justify the population of the diastereomers. Characterization of the obtained dimers was based on combined 1D and 2D NMR techniques. X‐ray diffraction of one of the obtained dimers corroborated the anticipated V‐shaped structure and provided additional structural insights on the crystal network. Unexpectedly, the crystalline array showed interconnected voids, resulting in channels that make this new class of steroid dimers suitable candidates for the development of applications on solid state supramolecular chemistry.
Dimers in which the steroid cores are bridged by a 6,5,6‐trioxabispiroacetal moiety were synthesized by a gold(I)‐catalyzed hydroalkoxylation‐hydration of steroid diynediols. X‐ray diffraction revealed a V‐shaped structure and a crystalline array with interconnected voids, resulting in channels.
Zoning is a key prescriptive tool for administration and management of protected areas. However, the lack of zoning is common for most protected areas in developing countries and, as a consequence, ...many protected areas are not effective in achieving the goals for which they were created. In this work, we introduce a quantitative method to expeditiously zone protected areas and we evaluate its ecological implications on hypothetical zoning cases. A real-world application is reported for the Talampaya National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Argentina.
Our method is a modification of the zoning forest model developed by Bos Bos, J., 1993. Zoning in forest management: a quadratic assignment problem solved by simulated annealing. Journal of Environmental Management 37, 127–145.. Main innovations involve a quadratic function of distance between land units, non-reciprocal weights for adjacent land uses (mathematically represented by a non-symmetric matrix), and the possibility of imposing a connectivity constraint. Due to its intrinsic spatial dimension, the zoning problem belongs to the NP-hard class, i.e. a solution can only be obtained in non-polynomial time Nemhausser, G., Wolsey, L., 1988. Integer and Combinatorial Optimization. John Wiley, New York.. For that purpose, we applied a simulated annealing heuristic implemented as a FORTRAN language routine.
Our innovations were effective in achieving zoning designs more compatible with biological diversity protection. The quadratic distance term facilitated the delineation of core zones for elements of significance; the connectivity constraint minimized fragmentation; non-reciprocal land use weightings contributed to better representing management decisions, and influenced mainly the edge and shape of zones.
This quantitative method can assist the zoning process within protected areas by offering many zonation scheme alternatives with minimum cost, time and effort. This ability provides a new tool to improve zoning within protected areas in developing countries.
Rangeland utilization for livestock production in central Argentina has apparently resulted in the replacement of preferred mid-grasses (Poa ligularis and Stipa clarazii) by preferred short-grasses ...(Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis) and avoided grasses (Stipa tenuissima and Stipa eriostachya). However, the botanical composition in the pristine condition is unknown due to the lack of historical data and relict areas. The objective of this study was to analyze soil phytolith assemblages from a representative site of central Argentina rangelands to test the presumed floristic changes. Soil phytolith assemblages (SPAs) were compared with three plant phytolith assemblages (PPAs), each of it made up of two species. One PPA was integrated by the preferred mid-grasses P. ligularis and S. clarazii, another by the preferred short-grasses P. napostaense and S. tenuis, and a third one by the avoided grasses S. eriostachya and S. tenuissima. For each PPA, the proportion of species representing the best fit with SPAs was estimated by considering all possible lineal combinations between the phytolith assemblage of the two integrating species, and selecting that representing the minimum distance to SPA. The highest degree of similarity between SPAs and PPAs corresponded to the PPA integrated by P. ligularis and S. clarazii. Our results support the hypothesis of the dominance of preferred mid-grasses in the pristine condition in rangelands of central Argentina, and that a shift towards the dominance of preferred short-grasses and avoided grasses has occurred in its present disturbed condition.
Abstract Background Filamin C (encoded by the FLNC gene) is essential for sarcomere attachment to the plasmatic membrane. FLNC mutations have been associated with myofibrillar myopathies, and cardiac ...involvement has been reported in some carriers. Accordingly, since 2012, the authors have included FLNC in the genetic screening of patients with inherited cardiomyopathies and sudden death. Objectives The aim of this study was to demonstrate the association between truncating mutations in FLNC and the development of high-risk dilated and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies. Methods FLNC was studied using next-generation sequencing in 2,877 patients with inherited cardiovascular diseases. A characteristic phenotype was identified in probands with truncating mutations in FLNC . Clinical and genetic evaluation of 28 affected families was performed. Localization of filamin C in cardiac tissue was analyzed in patients with truncating FLNC mutations using immunohistochemistry. Results Twenty-three truncating mutations were identified in 28 probands previously diagnosed with dilated, arrhythmogenic, or restrictive cardiomyopathies. Truncating FLNC mutations were absent in patients with other phenotypes, including 1,078 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Fifty-four mutation carriers were identified among 121 screened relatives. The phenotype consisted of left ventricular dilation (68%), systolic dysfunction (46%), and myocardial fibrosis (67%); inferolateral negative T waves and low QRS voltages on electrocardiography (33%); ventricular arrhythmias (82%); and frequent sudden cardiac death (40 cases in 21 of 28 families). Clinical skeletal myopathy was not observed. Penetrance was >97% in carriers older than 40 years. Truncating mutations in FLNC cosegregated with this phenotype with a dominant inheritance pattern (combined logarithm of the odds score: 9.5). Immunohistochemical staining of myocardial tissue showed no abnormal filamin C aggregates in patients with truncating FLNC mutations. Conclusions Truncating mutations in FLNC caused an overlapping phenotype of dilated and left-dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies complicated by frequent premature sudden death. Prompt implantation of a cardiac defibrillator should be considered in affected patients harboring truncating mutations in FLNC.
Restoration of palatable grasses on degraded rangelands dominated by unpalatable grasses in central Argentina is limited by low availability of seeds and safe sites for seedling establishment. The ...objective of our study was to determine how mechanical disturbance of unpalatable grasses (
Stipa spp.) in combination with seeding of a palatable grass (
Poa ligularis) influenced species composition in a degraded rangeland excluded from livestock grazing. In April 2001 10 blocks were uniformly distributed on a previously burned site dominated by unpalatable grasses, and treatments applied in 8
m×8
m experimental plots. Treatments were ‘disked and seeded’ and control (no disking, no seeding). Perennial plant cover and end-of-season standing crop, at species or species group level, were assessed in December 2002/2003 and in December 2004/2006, respectively.
P. ligularis out-competed both tillers of unpalatable grasses that survived mechanical disturbance and seedlings of unpalatable grasses established after mechanical disturbance. The cover and end-of-season standing crop of unpalatable grasses was higher in the control than in the ‘disked and seeded’ treatment, whereas the cover and end-of-season standing crop of
P. ligularis was higher in the latter than in the former treatment. Our results suggest that a rapid transition from a state dominated by unpalatable grasses to a state dominated by palatable grasses can be achieved by mechanical disturbance of unpalatable grasses in combination with seeding of palatable grasses in semiarid rangelands of central Argentina.
Because preferences for food flavor decline during and after a meal, intake could be increased by offering the same food in different flavors simultaneously. The objective of this study was to ...determine the effects of offering the same hay with different flavors on forage intake by lambs. Individually penned lambs were given
ad libitum access to either alfalfa hay (Trial 1) or pasture (alfalfa-grass) hay (Trial 2). In both trials, lambs in the variety of flavors (VF) treatment were simultaneously fed the same amount of natural, garlic, oregano, and basil flavored hay, whereas lambs in the natural flavor (NF) treatment were fed natural hay. There was no difference (
P
>
0.05) between treatments in daily intake of alfalfa hay in Trial 1 (mean daily intake ± S.D. was 1620
±
234
g for VF and 1583
±
262
g for NF). In Trial 2 lambs in the VF treatment ingested 10% more (
P
<
0.07) pasture hay than lambs in the NF treatment (mean daily intake ± S.D. was 1446
±
181
g for VF and 1320
±
214
g for NF). Variety of flavor tended to increase consumption of pasture hay (middle quality hay), but did not increase consumption of alfalfa hay (high quality hay).
Argentina was the third country in the Americas to establish a protected natural area by 1904. More than 200 protected areas currently encompass 5% of the land area of the country. We show that the ...evolution of objectives, management and policy issues, and financial and other constraints related to Argentina's protected areas followed global scientific and social trends of the last century. Main features of both global and local trends were a shift in objectives from protecting scenic beauty and offering recreation opportunities toward considering an array of new ecological goods and services, the integration of local native populations and other stakeholders in planning and conservation tasks, an increased and potentially negative impact of uncontrolled use for tourism and recreation, and a pervasive lack of funds that severely hinders both planning and management. Current increasing involvement of nongovernmental organizations and the private sector may have potential short-term benefits for the protection of natural areas. However, this will also introduce additional complexity to the valuation of ecological goods and services provided by protected natural areas. Adequate valuing of goods and services emerges as a key issue in the task of striking a balance between economic interest and long-term conservation. Argentina fue el tercer país americano en establecer un área natural protegida (año 1904). Actualmente, más de 200 áreas protegidas ocupan el 5% de la superficie del país. El presente trabajo muestra que la evolución de objetivos, acciones de manejo, decisiones politícas y restricciones (principalmente de financiamiento), siguieron comentes científicas y sociales globales desarrolladas durante el último sigio. Las principales características de tendencias, tanto globales corno locales, fueron: un cambio de objetivos, desde la originaria protección de belleza escénica y oportunidades recreativas hasta la actual consideración de bienes y servicios ecológicos; la integración de comunidades locales y grupos de interés en las tareas de planificación y conservación; un creciente y potencialmente negativo impacto asociado al uso no controlado del turismo y recreación y una ubicua falta de financiación que limita severamente la planificación y el manejo. La creciente participación del sector privado y Organizaciones No Gubernamentales puede generar potenciales beneficiós a corto plazo. Sin embargo, ello agregará complejidad adicional a la valuación de bienes y servicios ecológicos generados por las áreas naturales protegidas. Una adecuada valoración de esos bienes y servicios surge corno cuestión clave para alcanzar un balance entre el interés económico y la conservación a largo plazo.
The shelf-break front formed between Argentinean shelf waters and the Malvinas Current (MC) flow shows a conspicuous band of high phytoplankton biomass throughout spring and summer, detected by ocean ...color sensors. That area is the feeding and spawning ground of several commercial species of fish and squid and is thought to play an important role in CO
2 sequestration by the ocean. Phytoplankton blooms in this area have been attributed mainly to coccolithophorids, a group of calcite-producing phytoplankton. Here we present the environmental factors associated with the spring bloom at the Patagonian shelf-break (40°–48°S) in the austral spring 2004. A remarkable bloom of diatoms and dinoflagellates (approximately 1200
km long) was observed along the front, where integrated chlorophyll values ranged from 90.3 to 1074
mg
m
−2. It is suggested that supply of macro-nutrients by upwelling and probably iron by both upwelling and shelf transport contribute to maintaining the spring bloom. Strong water column stability along the front allowed the accumulation of algal cells mainly in the top 50
m and their maintenance in the euphotic layer. East of the shelf-break front, macronutrient levels were high (surface nitrate=16.6
μM, phosphate=0.35
μM, silicate=4.0
μM), associated with low phytoplankton biomass (<2
mg
m
−3). This was due to mixing and advection associated with the MC flow and to grazing pressure at a transitional site between the MC and the high chlorophyll patch. Primary production rates (determined by the
14C technique) ranged between 1.9 and 7.8
g
C
m
−2
d
−1. Primary production was highest near 42°S partly because of the elevated phytoplankton biomass, which consumed most of the nitrate and phosphate in surface waters in this region. These high primary production rates are comparable with maximal seasonal productivity at eastern boundary currents. The large bloom extent at the Patagonian shelf-break (approximately 55,000
km
2 patch of >2
mg
m
−3 chlorophyll), the associated primary production rates and diatom dominance indicate a potentially significant biological control of gases such as O
2 and CO
2 in surface layers. The main factors favoring the development and maintenance of these blooms are nutrient supply from MC upwelling and water column stability. Other processes such as mixing or grazing play an important role in biomass modulation in the region.
Here we report that in skeletal muscle cells the contribution to insulin resistance and inflammation of two common dietary long-chain fatty acids depends on the channeling of these lipids to distinct ...cellular metabolic fates. Exposure of cells to the saturated fatty acid palmitate led to enhanced diacylglycerol levels and the consequent activation of the protein kinase Cθ/nuclear factor κB pathway, finally resulting in enhanced interleukin 6 secretion and down-regulation of the expression of genes involved in the control of the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ-coactivator 1α) and triglyceride synthesis (acyl-coenzyme A: diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2). In contrast, exposure to the monounsaturated fatty acid oleate did not lead to these changes. Interestingly, co-incubation of cells with palmitate and oleate reversed both inflammation and impairment of insulin signaling by channeling palmitate into triglycerides and by up-regulating the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial β-oxidation, thus reducing its incorporation into diacylglycerol. Our findings support a model of cellular lipid metabolism in which oleate protects against palmitate-induced inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells by promoting triglyceride accumulation and mitochondrial β-oxidation through PPARα- and protein kinase A-dependent mechanisms.
Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a foot disorder in adults secondary to an inflammatory response caused by repetitive micro-trauma. We evaluated and compared the impact on quality of life (QoL) related to ...foot health and general health between males and females with PF.
In this cross-sectional descriptive study, patients with PF were recruited from a podiatry clinic. Physical examination, sociodemographic data, and the self-reported Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) were recorded. The FHSQ has three sections and provides two composite scores from 0 to 100. Higher scores (close to 100) reflect better QoL related to foot health and health in general; lower scores (close to 0) denote a worse QoL related to these health items.
One hundred patients (49 males 42.38 ± 14.065 years old and 51 females 43.90 ± 14.305 years old) were recruited. Section one of the FHSQ evaluates four foot domains, and significant differences (
<0.05) were shown for foot pain and footwear, with males having higher scores than females, but not for foot function and general foot health (
>0.05). Section two assesses four domains of general wellbeing, and significant differences (
<0.05) were shown for overall health, physical function, social capacity, and vigor, with males having higher scores than females.
Females with PF showed a worse health-related QoL for foot pain, foot function, footwear, and general foot health than males. A better health-related QoL was also shown for males with PF than for females with regard to general health, physical activity, social capacity, and vigor.
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