Phylogenetic relationships among false truffle genera of Paxillaceae-Alpova, Melanogaster, Neoalpova, and Paralpova, gen. nov.

A phylogenetic analysis of nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), nuc rDNA 28S domains D1-D2 (28S), and the region between conserved domains 6 and 7 of RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) from multiple species of Alpova and Melanogaster revealed four major clades, proposed here as distinct genera: Melanogaster, Alpova s. str. containing the type species A. cinnamomeus, Neoalpova for the species around N. rubescens, and the new genus Paralpova, proposed here for P. artikutzensis, sp. nov. Alpova, Neoalpova, and Paralpova form a monophyletic lineage of hypogeous fungi with a pseudoparenchymatic structure in their peridium (at least in the inner layer) that could be interpreted as a single genus, but they are separated due to distinct morphological and ecological traits. Alpova s. str. is employed for species strictly associated with Alnus, lacking a conspicuous odor, and producing relatively small basidiomata and basidiospores <10 µm long. Neoalpova and Paralpova occur under other hosts, present a conspicuous odor, have larger basidiomata and basidiospores than Alpova, and have a prosenchymatic peridiopellis. Finally, Paralpova is characterized by the yellowish gleba, monosporic or bisporic basidia, and basidiospores >15 µm long with a mean length/width ratio (Qm) of <2.0. In addition, two new species of Neoalpova are proposed: N. arenicola, associated with Mediterranean forests in sandy soils and with spores slightly smaller and wider than those of N. rubescens, and N. montecchii, a cryptic species very similar to N. rubescens but for its putatively smaller peridiopellis elements and its genetic profile.

Reduction of atmospheric emissions due to switching from fuel oil to natural gas at a power plant in a critical area in Central Mexico.

A case study was conducted to evaluate the SO2 emission reduction in a power plant in Central Mexico, as a result of the shifting of fuel oil to natural gas. Emissions of criteria pollutants, greenhouse gases, organic and inorganic toxics were estimated based on a 2010 report of hourly fuel oil consumption at the "Francisco Pérez Ríos" power plant in Tula, Mexico. For SO2, the dispersion of these emissions was assessed with the CALPUFF dispersion model. Emissions reductions of > 99% for SO2, PM and Pb, as well as reductions >50% for organic and inorganic toxics were observed when simulating the use of natural gas. Maximum annual (993 µg/m3) and monthly average SO2 concentrations were simulated during the cold-dry period (152-1063 µg/m3), and warm-dry period (239-432 µg/m3). Dispersion model results and those from Mexico City's air quality forecasting system showed that SO2 emissions from the power plant affect the north of Mexico City in the cold-dry period. The evaluation of model estimates with 24 hr SO2 measured concentrations at Tepeji del Rio suggests that the combination of observations and dispersion models are useful in assessing the reduction of SO2 emissions due to shifting in fuels. Being SO2 a major precursor of acid rain, high transported sulfate concentrations are of concern and low pH values have been reported in the south of Mexico City, indicating that secondary SO2 products emitted in the power plant can be transported to Mexico City under specific atmospheric conditions. Implications: Although the surroundings of a power plant located north of Mexico City receives most of the direct SO2 impact from fuel oil emissions, the plume is dispersed and advected to the Mexico City metropolitan area, where its secondary products may cause acid rain. The use of cleaner fuels may assure significant SO2 reductions in the plant emissions and consequent acid rain presence in nearby populated cities and should be compulsory in critical areas to comply with annual emission limits and health standards.

Measures of entropy and complexity in altered states of consciousness.

Quantification of complexity in neurophysiological signals has been studied using different methods, especially those from information or dynamical system theory. These studies have revealed a dependence on different states of consciousness, and in particular that wakefulness is characterized by a greater complexity of brain signals, perhaps due to the necessity for the brain to handle varied sensorimotor information. Thus, these frameworks are very useful in attempts to quantify cognitive states. We set out to analyze different types of signals obtained from scalp electroencephalography (EEG), intracranial EEG and magnetoencephalography recording in subjects during different states of consciousness: resting wakefulness, different sleep stages and epileptic seizures. The signals were analyzed using a statistical (permutation entropy) and a deterministic (permutation Lempel-Ziv complexity) analytical method. The results are presented in complexity versus entropy graphs, showing that the values of entropy and complexity of the signals tend to be greatest when the subjects are in fully alert states, falling in states with loss of awareness or consciousness. These findings were robust for all three types of recordings. We propose that the investigation of the structure of cognition using the frameworks of complexity will reveal mechanistic aspects of brain dynamics associated not only with altered states of consciousness but also with normal and pathological conditions.

Grasa y hemorragia en el espacio subaracnoideo intracraneal por fractura sacra con disociación espondilopélvica / Intracranial subarachnoid fat and hemorrhage secondary to sacral fracture with spondylopelvic dissociation

Se describe un caso de aparición de grasa y sangre en el espacio subaracnoideo cerebral en un paciente con fractura sacra compleja sin traumatismo craneal asociado, tras varios días de ingreso. Según la literatura revisada, solo hay un caso publicado con hallazgos similares al presentado sin una lesión subyacente como causa. Se explican las diferencias en el mecanismo de producción entre esta migración grasa directa y el síndrome de embolia grasa cerebral, que es intravascular y presenta manifestaciones radiológicas diferentes. Se detallan las características más importantes de la fractura sacra con disociación espondilopélvica. Finalmente, la entidad presentada debe tenerse en cuenta en el diagnóstico diferencial de las escasas causas de grasa en el espacio subaracnoideo y, en el contexto de un traumatismo de alta energía, deben buscarse fracturas en el sacro o en la columna vertebral como posible causa de este hallazgo intracraneal tan poco frecuente (AU)

We describe a case of fat droplets and blood in the cerebral subarachnoid space secondary in a patient with a complex sacral fracture without associated cranial trauma, a few days after admission. To our knowledge, there is only one published case with similar findings and without any other underlying lesion as cause. We explain the differences in the mechanism of production between this direct fat embolism and brain fat embolism syndrome, which is an intravascular embolism with different radiological appearance. The most important features of sacral fracture with spondylopelvic dissociation are described. Finally, this entity should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of the few causes of fat in the subarachnoid space. In the context of high-energy trauma fractures of the sacrum or spine must be ruled out as a potential cause of this uncommon intracranial finding (AU)

Detecting dynamical changes in time series by using the Jensen Shannon divergence.

Most of the time series in nature are a mixture of signals with deterministic and random dynamics. Thus the distinction between these two characteristics becomes important. Distinguishing between chaotic and aleatory signals is difficult because they have a common wide band power spectrum, a delta like autocorrelation function, and share other features as well. In general, signals are presented as continuous records and require to be discretized for being analyzed. In this work, we introduce different schemes for discretizing and for detecting dynamical changes in time series. One of the main motivations is to detect transitions between the chaotic and random regime. The tools here used here originate from the Information Theory. The schemes proposed are applied to simulated and real life signals, showing in all cases a high proficiency for detecting changes in the dynamics of the associated time series.

Intracranial subarachnoid fat and hemorrhage secondary to sacral fracture with spondylopelvic dissociation. / Grasa y hemorragia en el espacio subaracnoideo intracraneal por fractura sacra con disociación espondilopélvica.

We describe a case of fat droplets and blood in the cerebral subarachnoid space secondary in a patient with a complex sacral fracture without associated cranial trauma, a few days after admission. To our knowledge, there is only one published case with similar findings and without any other underlying lesion as cause. We explain the differences in the mechanism of production between this direct fat embolism and brain fat embolism syndrome, which is an intravascular embolism with different radiological appearance. The most important features of sacral fracture with spondylopelvic dissociation are described. Finally, this entity should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of the few causes of fat in the subarachnoid space. In the context of high-energy trauma fractures of the sacrum or spine must be ruled out as a potential cause of this uncommon intracranial finding.

Comparison between the optical properties of aerosols in the fine and coarse fractions over Valladolid, Spain.

Continuous measurements of the optical properties of aerosol particles have been made at Valladolid, Spain, covering the period from June 2011 to July 2012. The measurements were made at two size cuts: sub-10 µm and sub-1 µm (PM10 and PM1). The data measured were the scattering and backscattering coefficients, σs and σbs, obtained from an integrating nephelometer, and the absorption coefficient, σa, obtained from a particle soot absorption photometer. Spectrally resolved data were obtained from both instruments at 3 wavelengths (blue/green/red) at low relative humidity (RH < 40%). The statistical data for the instruments were calculated based on the hourly averages. For the PM10 fraction, the hourly mean values of σs and σa at 550 nm were 33 Mm-1 (StD = 30 Mm-1) and 4 Mm-1 (StD = 3 Mm-1), respectively. For the PM1 fraction, σs and σa mean values were 16 Mm-1 (StD = 14 Mm-1) and 4 Mm-1 (StD = 3 Mm-1), also at 550 nm. The derived parameters analyzed were the single scattering albedo, ω0, the backscatter fraction, σbs/σs, and the Ångström exponents of scattering, absorption and single scattering albedo, αs, αa and αω0. The contribution of the PM10 and the PM1 fractions for all these parameters plays a central role throughout the paper, allowing an improved classification of aerosol types. Our data are dominated by elemental carbon (EC) and elemental carbon/organic carbon mixed (EC/OC). For the PM10 data, dust dominated aerosol is also observed. Although we found that fine particles contribute more than coarse particles for decreasing the ω0 values, results suggest that it is also necessary to quantify the effect of coarse particles. Fine particles were found to produce ω0 spectra that decrease with the wavelength, αω0 > 0, while PM10 fractions were found to produce spectra that can decrease or increase with the wavelength, 0 < αω0 < 0. Both daily cycle and monthly variations are analyzed and related to local features as well as the transport of particles from elsewhere. A diurnal pattern characteristic of urban areas is observed, but it is less evident on weekends. The main long range transport influences are Atlantic advection, anthropogenic events from Central Europe and dust events.

Consciousness as a global property of brain dynamic activity.

We seek general principles of the structure of the cellular collective activity associated with conscious awareness. Can we obtain evidence for features of the optimal brain organization that allows for adequate processing of stimuli and that may guide the emergence of cognition and consciousness? Analyzing brain recordings in conscious and unconscious states, we followed initially the classic approach in physics when it comes to understanding collective behaviours of systems composed of a myriad of units: the assessment of the number of possible configurations (microstates) that the system can adopt, for which we use a global entropic measure associated with the number of connected brain regions. Having found maximal entropy in conscious states, we then inspected the microscopic nature of the configurations of connections using an adequate complexity measure and found higher complexity in states characterized not only by conscious awareness but also by subconscious cognitive processing, such as sleep stages. Our observations indicate that conscious awareness is associated with maximal global (macroscopic) entropy and with the short time scale (microscopic) complexity of the configurations of connected brain networks in pathological unconscious states (seizures and coma), but the microscopic view captures the high complexity in physiological unconscious states (sleep) where there is information processing. As such, our results support the global nature of conscious awareness, as advocated by several theories of cognition. We thus hope that our studies represent preliminary steps to reveal aspects of the structure of cognition that leads to conscious awareness.

Statistical mechanics of consciousness: Maximization of information content of network is associated with conscious awareness.

It is said that complexity lies between order and disorder. In the case of brain activity and physiology in general, complexity issues are being considered with increased emphasis. We sought to identify features of brain organization that are optimal for sensory processing, and that may guide the emergence of cognition and consciousness, by analyzing neurophysiological recordings in conscious and unconscious states. We find a surprisingly simple result: Normal wakeful states are characterized by the greatest number of possible configurations of interactions between brain networks, representing highest entropy values. Therefore, the information content is larger in the network associated to conscious states, suggesting that consciousness could be the result of an optimization of information processing. These findings help to guide in a more formal sense inquiry into how consciousness arises from the organization of matter.

Aerosol properties of mineral dust and its mixtures in a regional background of north-central Iberian Peninsula.

To broaden the knowledge about desert dust (DD) aerosols in western Mediterranean Basin, their fingerprints on optical and microphysical properties are analyzed during DD episodes in the north-central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula between 2003 and 2014. Aerosol columnar properties obtained from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (AE), volume particle size distribution, volume concentration (VC), sphericity, single scattering albedo, among others, are analyzed in order to provide a general characterization, being some of them compared to particle mass surface concentrations PM10, PM2.5, and their ratio, data obtained from EMEP network. The mean intensity of DD episodes exhibits: AOD440nm=0.27±0.12, PM10=24±18µg/m3, AE=0.94±0.40 and PM2.5/PM10=0.54±0.16. The AOD and PM10 annual cycles show maximum intensity in March and summer and minima in winter. A customized threshold of AE=1 distinguishes two types of dusty days, those with a prevailing desert character and those of mixed type, which is corroborated by sphericity values. Three well established intervals are obtained with the fine mode volume fraction (VCF/VCT). Coarse-mode-dominated cases (VCF/VCT≤0.2) present a mineral dust character: e.g., particle maximum concentration about 2µm, non-sphericity, stronger absorption power at shorter wavelengths, among others. The relevance of the fine mode is noticeable in mixtures with a predominance of particles about 0.2-0.3µm radii. Conditions characterized by 0.2

Effect of bovine ABCG2 Y581S polymorphism on concentrations in milk of enrofloxacin and its active metabolite ciprofloxacin.

The ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) is involved in the secretion of several drugs into milk. The bovine Y581S ABCG2 polymorphism increases the secretion into milk of the fluoroquinolone danofloxacin in Holstein cows. Danofloxacin and enrofloxacin are the fluoroquinolones most widely used in veterinary medicine. Both enrofloxacin (ENRO) and its active metabolite ciprofloxacin (CIPRO) reach milk at relatively high concentrations. The aim of this work was to study the effect of the bovine Y581S ABCG2 polymorphism on in vitro transport as well as on concentrations in plasma and in milk of ENRO and CIPRO. Experiments using cells overexpressing bovine ABCG2 showed the effects of ABCG2 on the transport of CIPRO, demonstrating more efficient in vitro transport of this antimicrobial by the S581 variant as compared with the Y581 variant. Animal studies administering 2.5mg/kg of ENRO subcutaneously to Y/Y 581 and Y/S 581 cows revealed that concentrations in plasma of ENRO and CIPRO were significantly lower in Y/S animals. Regardless of the genotype, the antimicrobial profile in milk after the administration of ENRO was predominantly of CIPRO. With respect to the genotype effects on the amounts of drugs present in milk, AUC0-24 values were more than 1.2 times higher in Y/S cows for ENRO and 2.2 times for CIPRO, indicating a greater capacity of Y581S to transfer these drugs into milk. These results emphasize the clinical relevance of this polymorphism as a factor affecting the concentrations in plasma and in milk of drugs of importance in veterinary medicine.

Columnar and surface aerosol load over the Iberian Peninsula establishing annual cycles, trends, and relationships in five geographical sectors.

The study of atmospheric aerosol load over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) under a climatological perspective is accomplished by means of PM10 and AOD440 nm measurements from EMEP and AERONET networks, respectively, in the period 2000-2013. The PM10 annual cycles in five Iberian sectors show a main maximum in summer and a secondary maximum in spring, which is only observed in the southern area for the AOD climatology. The characteristics of PM10-AOD annual cycles of each geographical sector are explained by the different climatology of the air mass origins and their apportioning. The two magnitudes are correlated with a factor ranging between 20 and 90 depending on the sector. The temporal evolution of the aerosol load has shown a notable decrease in the IP since the 1980s. Statistically significant trends are obtained in the Northeastern sector with a reduction of 26% (period 1985-2000) for the total suspended particles, which continues for the PM10 data with a value of 35% per decade (2001-2013), and also in the whole column, 61% per decade in the AOD440 nm (2004-2013).

Coexistence of meconium ileus with duodenal atresia and trisomy 21 in a newborn: a case report.

The coexistence of duodenal atresia (DA) may mask the antenatal ultrasound findings of meconium ileus (MI) and delay its postnatal diagnosis. We report a rare case of MI in a newborn infant diagnosed antenatally to have trisomy 21 and DA. The diagnosis of MI was only established intraoperatively after the patient showed persistent signs of intestinal obstruction following the surgical repair of the DA.

Biochemistry of the tale transcription factors PREP, MEIS, and PBX in vertebrates.

TALE (three amino acids loop extension) homeodomain transcription factors are required in various steps of embryo development, in many adult physiological functions, and are involved in important pathologies. This review focuses on the PREP, MEIS, and PBX sub-families of TALE factors and aims at giving information on their biochemical properties, i.e., structure, interactors, and interaction surfaces. Members of the three sets of protein form dimers in which the common partner is PBX but they can also directly interact with other proteins forming higher-order complexes, in particular HOX. Finally, recent advances in determining the genome-wide DNA-binding sites of PREP1, MEIS1, and PBX1, and their partial correspondence with the binding sites of some HOX proteins, are reviewed. These studies have generated a few general rules that can be applied to all members of the three gene families. PREP and MEIS recognize slightly different consensus sequences: PREP prefers to bind to promoters and to have PBX as a DNA-binding partner; MEIS prefers HOX as partner, and both PREP and MEIS drive PBX to their own binding sites. This outlines the clear individuality of the PREP and MEIS proteins, the former mostly devoted to basic cellular functions, the latter more to developmental functions.

Alopecia areata during treatment of psoriasis with adalimumab and leflunomide: a case and review of the literature.

The pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA) is not clear, even though it is believed to be an autoimmune mechanism which involves T lymphocytes and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α. We report the case of a 43-year-old man with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis who developed AA during his treatment with adalimumab and leflunomide. We perform a review of the literature associating AA with biological therapy and leflunomide. We cannot exclude that the use of these therapies and the development of AA could be coincidental. However, we consider that case reports like ours are essential for clinicians as early alerts if similar observations occur.

Dermatoscopia en la miasis forunculoide / Dermoscopy in Furuncular Myiasis

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