We present a taxonomic, spatial, and thematic overview of the current state of knowledge on helminth parasites of Mexican amphibians. Sixty-six host species have been studied so far, representing 17.5% of the amphibian species distributed in Mexico. A total of 139 nominal species of helminths – 68 platyhelminths, 62 nematodes, three acanthocephalans, three annelids (hirudineans), and three arthropods (pentastomids) – have been recorded parasitizing these hosts. Most taxa found in larval stages have not been identified at the species level. The gastrointestinal nematode Aplectana itzocanensis exhibits the broadest host range, while the bladder fluke Gorgoderina attenuata and A. itzocanensis show the widest geographic distribution. Our analysis of helminthological studies evidenced gaps and biases on research efforts that have been devoted to relatively few host species, regions, and approaches. Most helminthological records come from two species, the cane toad Rhinella marina and the Montezuma's frog Lithobates montezumae, and most studies have focused on describing the helminth fauna of a host species in a particular location or on the description of new helminth species. The highest proportion of records corresponds to the Veracruzan biogeographic province, and helminth richness is significantly correlated with host richness and with total amphibian richness by biogeographic province. Only three provinces (Yucatan Peninsula, Pacific Lowlands, and Baja Californian) have positive, yet still low helminth species discovery effort. Based on our findings, we recommend pursuing research approaches unexplored in Mexico and we provide guidelines to improve research on helminths parasitizing amphibians.

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a reduced life expectancy. Although unhealthy lifestyle or suicide risk plays a role, the main causes are diverse medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Albeit pharmacological secondary side effects might also trigger previous conditions, studies in naïve patients reflect diverse anomalies at the onset. Patients with a first episode of psychosis, display a wide scope of metabolic abnormalities, ranging from normality till pathological values depending on the parameters studied. We attempted to evaluate the metabolic syndrome and glycemic homeostasis in a subset of antipsychotic-naïve patients with a first episode of non-affective psychosis. Patients (n = 84) showed a similar prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared with a matched control sample (n = 98) (6% vs 4%, P = 0.562), while glucose homeostasis values differed significantly (14% vs. 5%, P = 0.034). Our results suggest that metabolic syndrome is not a useful clinical condition to be evaluated in patients before pharmacological treatment. Abnormal glycemic homeostasis at the onset of the disease requires specific diagnostic tools and preventive measures in order to avoid future cardiovascular events. New strategies must be implemented in order to evaluate the cardiovascular risk and subsequent morbidity in patients at the onset of the disease.

The main goal of this work consisted in cloning, purifying and characterizing a protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) from promastigotes of Leishmania major. The gene was cloned and amplified by PCR using specific oligonucleotides and the recombinant protein was purified by affinity chromatography. The peak with maximal protein concentration was analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and revealed a protein of 44·9 kDa with PP2C activity. This activity was dependent on divalent cations (Mg+2 and Mn+2) and was optimal at pH of 8·5, using phosphothreonine as the substrate. Sanguinarine inhibited the activity of the recombinant LmPP2C, while protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors had no effect. The recombinant LmPP2C was used to generate polyclonal antibodies. These antibodies recognized a protein of 44·9 kDa in different Leishmania species; the LmPP2C was localized in the flagellar pocket and the flagellum of promastigotes.

The discrepancy between abundances computed using optical recombination lines (ORLs) and collisionally excited lines (CELs) is a major, unresolved problem with significant implications for the determination of chemical abundances throughout the Universe. In planetary nebulae (PNe), the most common explanation for the discrepancy is that two different gas phases coexist: a hot component with standard metallicity, and a much colder plasma enhanced in heavy elements. This dual nature is not predicted by mass loss theories, and direct observational support for it is still weak. In this work, we present our recent findings that demonstrate that the largest abundance discrepancies are associated with close binary central stars. OSIRIS-GTC tunable filter imaging of the faint O ii ORLs and MUSE-VLT deep 2D spectrophotometry confirm that O ii ORL emission is more centrally concentrated than that of [Oiii] CELs and, therefore, that the abundance discrepancy may be closely linked to binary evolution.

When high strength and high ductility are required, the Twinning Induced Plasticity steels are an excellent choice. Their mechanical advantages are perfectly known in the automotive industry. Then, they are currently deeply studied. During the deformation at high temperature, TWIP steel experiences dynamic recrystallization. This mechanism results from dislocation interactions, and it depends of temperature, stress, strain, and strain rate. Experimental data give the maximum stress reached by the material, but the critical stress which determinates the DRX onset must be calculated from the strain hardening rate. Both stress and strain change simultaneously, and this variation gives the analytic data to determine σc, which is located at the inflection point of θ-σ plot. The main purpose of this paper was to study how the chemical composition and the experimental parameters (temperature and strain rate) affect the DRX, by the calculation and analysis of the σc values. Hot compression tests were applied to a pair of TWIP steels to compare the DRX onset and its relationship with the vanadium addition. The experimental variables were temperature and strain rate. The true stress–true strain plots were used to calculate σc by cutting data up to a previous point before the σp value, then, a polynomial fit and derivation were applied. The Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z) versus the stresses (peak and critical) plots show how the micro-alloying element vanadium improves the strain hardening in the analyzed TWIP steels.

Solar irradiance and precipitation are the most likely drivers of the seasonal variation of net primary productivity (NPP) in tropical forests. Since their roles remain poorly understood, we use litter traps, dendrometer bands and census data collected from one hectare permanent plots to quantify the seasonality of above-ground NPP components and weather parameters in 13 sites distributed along a 2800-m altitudinal gradient ranging from lowland Amazonia to the high Andes. We combine canopy leaf area index and litterfall data to describe the seasonality of canopy production. We hypothesize that solar irradiance is the primary driver of canopy phenology in wetter sites, whereas precipitation drives phenology in drier systems. The seasonal rhythm of canopy NPP components is in synchrony with solar irradiance at all altitudes. Leaf litterfall peaks in the late dry season, both in lowland (averaging 0.54 ± 0.08 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5) and montane forests (averaging 0.29 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 8). Peaks in above-ground coarse woody NPP appears to be triggered by the onset of rainfall in seasonal lowland rain forests (averaging 0.26 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5, in November), but not in montane cloud forests.

The Cuban Twin Registry is a nation-wide, prospective, population-based twin registry comprising all zygosity types and ages. It was initiated in 2004 to study genetic and environmental contributions to complex diseases with high morbidity and mortality in the Cuban population. The database contains extensive information from 55,400 twin pairs enrolled in the period 2004–2006. Additionally, 2,600 new multiple births have been included from 2007 to date. In the past 4 years, more than 130 studies have been carried out using the registry with a classical genetic epidemiological approach in which concordance rates for monozygotic and dizygotic twins and heritability of various disease traits were estimated. This article summarizes the history, registry's methodology, recent research findings, and future directions of work.

This research work studies the dynamically recrystallized austenitic grain size (D rec) in a new family of low carbon NiCrCuV advanced ultra-high strength steel (A-UHSS) microalloyed with boron under hot deformation conditions. For this purpose, uniaxial hot-compression tests are carried out in a low carbon A-UHSS microalloyed with different amounts of boron (14, 33, 82, 126 and 214 ppm) over a wide range of temperatures (950, 1000, 1050 and 1100°C) and constant true strain rates (10−3, 10−2 and 10−1 s−1). Deformed samples are prepared and chemically etched with a saturated aqueous picric acid solution at 80°C in order to reveal the D rec and examined by light optical (LOM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The D rec is related to the Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z), and thereafter the D rec divided by Burger's vector (b) is related to the steady state stress (σ ss) divided by the shear modulus (µ) (Derby model). Results shown that the D rec in the current steels is fine (≈ 23 μm) and almost equiaxed, and the recrystallized grain size-flow stress relationship observed after of plastic deformation is consistent with the general formulation proposed by Derby. It is corroborated that boron additions to the current A-UHSS do not have meaningful influence on the D rec.

The Chimalapas region, in eastern Oaxaca, Mexico, holds lowland rainforests, tropical dry forests, and cloud forests typical of the Neotropics, as well as montane pine and pine-oak forests more typical of the Nearctic. Totaling more than 600,000 ha, much of the region is forested, and in a good state of preservation. The Chimalapas avifauna is by far the most diverse for any region of comparable size in the country, totalling at least 464 species in the region as a whole (with more than 300 species in the lowland rainforest) representing 44% of the bird species known from Mexico. Within the region, the humid Atlantic lowlands hold 317 species, the montane regions 113 species, and the southern dry forested lowlands 216 species. Important species present in the region include Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja and several other large eagles, Black Penelopina nigra and probably Horned Oreophasis derbianus Guans, Scarlet Macaw Ara macao, Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow Aimophila sumichrasti, Rose-bellied Bunting Passerina rositae, and Resplendent Quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno. The area holds immense lowland rainforests and cloud forests that rank among the largest and best preserved in all of Mesoamerica, including a complete lowland-to-highland continuum, with entire watersheds preserved more or less intact.

We have studied the contents of trace elements of nutritional or toxicological interest in 90 samples of whole, low-fat, skim, condensed, evaporated and powdered milks. Slurries of the samples were prepared with Triton X-100 and analysed using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The temperature–time programme of the graphite oven was optimized for each element, and the accuracy, precision, selectivity and sensitivity of the method were verified. Concentrations of the trace elements we investigated were: Pb 0–0·211 μg/g, Cd 0–28·985 ng/g, Al 0·528–4·025 μg/g, Cu 0·041–0·370 μg/g, Cr 0–0·177 μg/g, Mn 0·024–0·145 μg/g, Se 0–237·333 ng/g, Zn 0·297–0·827 μg/g and Ni 0·058–1·750 μg/g. (A value of zero indicates that the element was undetectable by our methods.) Concentrations of the pairs of elements Cu–Cd, Mn–Cd, Mn–Cu, Zn–Mn, Ni–Cu, Ni–Mn and Ni–Zn were significantly correlated (P<0·001). Linear discriminant analysis confirmed the separation between the six types of milk analysed.

The following result is well known and easy to prove (see [14, Theorem 2.2.6]).

Theorem 0. If A is a primitive associative Banach algebra, then there exists a Banach space X such that A can be seen as a subalgebra of the Banach algebra BL(X) of all bounded linear operators on X in such a way that A acts irreducibly on X and the inclusion A[rarrhk]BL(X) is continuous.

In fact, if X is any vector space on which the primitive Banach algebra A acts faithfully and irreducibly, then X can be converted in a Banach space in such a way that the requirements in Theorem 0 are satisfied and even the inclusion A[rarrhk]BL(X) is contractive.

Roughly speaking, the aim of this paper is to prove the appropriate Jordan variant of Theorem 0.

The only finite-dimensional simple non-Lie Mal'cev complex algebra is given the structure of an H*-algebra and it is proved that this is the only topologically simple non-Lie Mal'cev H*-algebra.