Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Cientificas Research Articles

Urban ecology in Latin America should be more interdisciplinary: Interview with Dr. Lucas M. Leveau

Interview with Dr. Lucas Matias Leveau, a Research Assistant and teacher of Community Ecology at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is interested in the biodiversity of human-modified environments, especially urban areas, and crops, and is currently fellow of CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas). He is interested mainly in factors that mold bird communities and bird behavior in urban areas based on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Dr. Leveau uses several approach types, such as field observation, international collaborative work, and meta-analysis Dr. Leveau compounds the Editorial Board of the Journal of Urban Ecology.

Pro-inflammatory monocyte profile in patients with major depressive disorder and suicide behaviour and how ketamine induces anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages by NMDAR and mTOR

BackgroundDepression is a highly prevalent disorder that is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite an unknown aetiology, evidence suggests that the innate and adaptive immune systems play a significant role in the development and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD). The non-competitive glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, (R,S)-ketamine (ketamine), has demonstrated rapid and robust efficacy as an antidepressant when administered at sub-anaesthetic doses.MethodsOur goal was to characterize the pro-inflammatory profile of patients with MDD by measuring pro-inflammatory cytokines in plasma and circulating monocyte subsets and to understand how ketamine induces an anti-inflammatory program in monocyte and macrophages in vitro and vivo.FindingOur results show that patients with MDD without other comorbidities (N = 33) exhibited significantly higher levels of pro-inflammatory IL-12 and IL-6 in plasma and that these cytokines were associated with increased numbers of non-classical (CD11b+CD16brightCD14neg) monocytes and increased activation state (CD40+CD86+) of classical monocytes in circulation. Remarkably, we have demonstrated that sub-anaesthetic doses of ketamine programs human monocytes into M2c-like macrophages by inducing high levels of CD163 and MERTK with intermediate levels of CD64 and stimulating mTOR-associated gene expression in vitro. The NMDAR antagonist MK-801, but not the α-amino-3‑hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) antagonist, NBQX, also polarizes macrophages to an M2c-like phenotype, but this phenotype disappears upon mTOR pathway inhibition. Sub-anaesthetic doses (10 mg/kg) of ketamine administration in mice both promote reduction of circulating classical pro-inflammatory monocytes and increase of alternative M2 macrophage subtypes in the spleen and CNS.InterpretationOur results suggest an anti-inflammatory property of ketamine that can skew macrophages to an M2-like phenotype, highlighting potential therapeutic implications not only for patients with MDD but also other inflammatory-based diseases.FundingThis study was supported by grants from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT-FONCYT).

Eruptive history of Incahuasi, Falso Azufre and El Cóndor Quaternary composite volcanoes, southern Central Andes

This work was funded by CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas, Argentina) project PIP IU 286, Fundacion Miguel Lillo (Argentina), through a scholarship awarded to PG by the CONICET–JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) International Cooperation Program, and by the JSPS KAKENHI grant 15H02630 awarded to YO.

Investigación educativa en Argentina: impacto de las políticas de ciencia y tecnología en dos agencias del Estado, ANPCYT y CONICET

El artículo pretende realizar una descripción sobre la incidencia en la investigación educativa en Argentina, a partir del análisis de dos agencias del Estado, Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCYT) y el Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). El periodo estudiado abarca de 2000 a 2015, y se analizan algunos lineamientos de las políticas públicas de ciencia y tecnología, y su incidencia en la investigación educativa, considerando la base profesional de investigadores y becarios, así como los proyectos financiados. A tal fin, se han consultado normativas de ambas agencias, bases de datos, informes de gestión y demás indicadores estadísticos oficiales. Se observan cambios importantes en los marcos jurídicos que regulan ambas instituciones, además de un importante incremento en el financiamiento de diversas líneas de investigación, como así también en el número de investigadores y becarios. Sin embargo, el impacto sobre la investigación educativa en particular, presenta resultados discordantes respecto de los niveles de producción científica y consolidación y expansión de una base de especialistas en el área.

Benchmarking scientific performance by decomposing leadership of Cuban and Latin American institutions in Public Health

Comparative benchmarking with bibliometric indicators can be an aid in decision-making with regard to research management. This study aims to characterize scientific performance in a domain (Public Health) by the institutions of a country (Cuba), taking as reference world output and regional output (other Latin American centers) during the period 2003---2012. A new approach is used here to assess to what extent the leadership of a specific institution can change its citation impact. Cuba was found to have a high level of specialization and scientific leadership that does not match the low international visibility of Cuban institutions. This leading output appears mainly in non-collaborative papers, in national journals; publication in English is very scarce and the rate of international collaboration is very low. The Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri stands out, alone, as a national reference. Meanwhile, at the regional level, Latin American institutions deserving mention for their high autonomy in normalized citation would include Universidad de Buenos Aires (ARG), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BRA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (ARG), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (BRA) and the Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou (BRA). We identify a crucial aspect that can give rise to misinterpretations of data: a high share of leadership cannot be considered positive for institutions when it is mainly associated with a high proportion of non-collaborative papers and a very low level of performance. Because leadership might be questionable in some cases, we propose future studies to ensure a better interpretation of findings.

La productividad científica argentina en Ciencias Sociales: Economía, Psicología, Sociología y Ciencia Política en el CONICET (2004-2008)

This study analyses a dataset elaborated by the author, using as sources the CVs of 414 Argentine researchers in economics, sociology, political science, and psychology affiliated with the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET). The findings indicate that the researchers’ publication patterns vary across the different scientific disciplines. Moreover, a multivariate regression analysis reveals that the place where the researchers’ doctoral studies occurred has a positive and statistically significant association with the circuit of scholarly journals in which they choose to publish.

Obituary: Rafael Pont-Lezica (1940?2011)

Rafael Pont-Lezica, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology Emeritus Professor at the Universite de Toulouse, passed away on September 26, 2011 after losing his fight with cancer. He had studied agronomy at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, in Argentina, and in 1978 earned a Ph. D. at the Universite de Gembloux, Belgium. Rafael began his scientific career as a Research Assistant in Plant Physiology at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (1966–1971), where his work was centered on plant morphogenesis and secondary metabolism. He then became Assistant Professor in Biology at the Fundacion Bariloche, in Argentina (1972–1977), where he developed an interest in sugar metabolism, particularly in the synthesis of cellulose precursors and protein glycosylation. He obtained a Humboldt Stiftung Fellowship in Dr. Heinrich Kaus’ lab in Kaiserslautern, West Germany (1978–1979) and from 1979 to 1988 he was a Professor at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, in Argentina, where he co-founded, with Dr. Horacio Pontis, the Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas. His main research topics there were on lectin biosynthesis and protein glycosylation. In the course of his first collaboration with Joe Varner, from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA, he focused his attention on the study of the plant cell wall. As a consequence he was invited as a visiting professor at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA (1987–1991). A crucial result of this fruitful collaboration was the development of the tissue printing technique, which became an alternative to in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. In 1992, Rafael obtained a professorship at the Universite de Toulouse and set up his own research group. Following his retirement in 2009, he became Emeritus Professor at the Universite de Toulouse. As such he kept up an intense research activity, interacting with his former team, today called Cell Wall Proteins and Development, in reference to his mentorship. Rafael's main research interest was the identification of Arabidopsis thaliana RGD-containing or integrin-like proteins involved in cell wall/plasma membrane contacts. He also began to work on plant cell wall proteomics. He presented the first overview of cell wall proteins and identified proteins that had never been described before. His most recent contribution was the setting up of two international research programs, introducing Brachypodium distachyon as a model plant for biomass production in our lab: European Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) and Comite Francais d'evaluation de la Cooperation Universitaire et Scientifique avec le Bresil (COFECUB). All these developments led to new insights in plant cell wall biology. At the Universite de Toulouse, Rafael directed the Plant Science Master's Program (1999–2004) and the European Marie Curie Training Program SIGNAL (Plant Signaling and Biotechnology; 2001–2005). He was a member of numerous scientific groups and councils at the local, national, and international levels [the Fundacion Bariloche, the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, the Universite de Toulouse, the Ecole Doctorale de Biologie in Toulouse, the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET) in Argentina, among others]. Although he developed his career in many different universities and countries, he stayed in touch with the colleagues with whom he had worked. Rafael was an appreciated teacher, always encouraging graduate students, postdocs, and young colleagues in the lab. His sound judgment and numerous personal qualities were appreciated and called upon by his colleagues and collaborators. As a researcher and a human being, he was enthusiastic and creative, communicating his drive and love of life to those around him.

A barley mutant with chromosome condensation in late tetrad stage

HereditasVolume 101, Issue 2 p. 261-263 Open Access A barley mutant with chromosome condensation in late tetrad stage A. R. PRINA, A. R. PRINA Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-26800 Svalov, Sweden *Fellow of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y T6cnicas. Republics ArgentinaSearch for more papers by this authorA. HAGBERG, A. HAGBERG Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-26800 Svalov, Sweden Departamento de Genética, CC 25 INTA. 1712 Castelar, Republica Argentina.Search for more papers by this author A. R. PRINA, A. R. PRINA Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-26800 Svalov, Sweden *Fellow of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y T6cnicas. Republics ArgentinaSearch for more papers by this authorA. HAGBERG, A. HAGBERG Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-26800 Svalov, Sweden Departamento de Genética, CC 25 INTA. 1712 Castelar, Republica Argentina.Search for more papers by this author First published: December 1984 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-5223.1984.tb00925.x AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume101, Issue2December 1984Pages 261-263 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Computational Biology in Argentina

Computational biology is an interdisciplinary science bred from fields as disparate as mathematics, chemistry, statistics, physics, biology, and computer science. Although the exact definition of computational biology is far from being precise and unambiguous, it is a fact that hundreds of scientists around the world have been increasingly using skills from the above-mentioned fields to approach different biological questions. It is not our aim to elucidate here the definition of computational biology and its differences from related fields such as bioinformatics. However, to review the state of this discipline in Argentina, we need at least a working definition. In this sense, any interdisciplinary research in which the main interest is in studying biological problems and where the working hypothesis can be tested by means of simulation and computational modeling will be considered as belonging to the computational biology field or at least as employing a computational biology approach. It is interesting to note that computational biology research can be implemented in two different ways depending on how the “interdisciplinary” nature of this field is assembled. On one hand, a scientist with formal training in a given field (for example, a molecular biologist) could acquire other skills (such as programming or mathematical training) in his attempt to answer a given biological question. Alternatively, working teams made up of members specializing in different fields may work together to reach a scientific explanation of a problem. We think that the first approach is more common among the scientific community because it depends entirely on the scientist's desire to discover an explanation for their problems and on their capacity to explore different areas of science. The second approach is generally dependent on the availability of research and development programs, funded by public or private resources, that favor collaborations between different research institutions to form multidisciplinary teams. We will see that the first approach is more common in Argentina. This paper summarizes the state of the art of computational biology in Argentina. Our aim is to offer as broad a view as possible of the different groups of scientists and their main research interests. Also, we present a brief review of educational, research, and development policies related to the field. We hope that this review may encourage overseas researchers to contact and collaborate with Argentinean teams, as well as organizing and facilitating the exchange of information between researchers in our country. However, this review will probably be far from complete, due to the lack of centralized information on computational biology, and for this reason we apologize for any potential omissions. (For author information, see Box 1.) Box 1. Authors' Biographies Gustavo Parisi, Ph.D., is the Structural Bioinformatics Group leader and professor at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is also a researcher at the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET). For his Ph.D. thesis, he developed a model of protein molecular evolution which takes into account protein structure to simulate sequence divergence. His principal research interest is focused on the introduction of evolutionary information in the development of bioinformatics tools to study protein structure. Virginia Gonzalez, a graduate student in biotechnology, is part of the Structural Bioinformatics Group at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a member of the DNALinux developer team and is currently working on her doctorate in Sequential, Structural, and Dynamic Characterization of Allergenic Proteins. She is also part of the Latin America Solanaceae Genome Project (LAT-SOL) working on the sequence annotation of the tomato mitochondrial genome. Sebastian Bassi worked for five years as a genome database curator at Advanta Seeds, a plant biotechnology company. He was in charge of the molecular marker database for all crops in the enterprise. He is the leader of the DNALinux bioinformatics distribution and has developed several Web-based utilities for bioinformatics analysis. He is part of the developer team for Biopython (http://www.biopython.org/), and is currently writing a book on Python for Bioinformatics and doing bioinformatics support for the tomato mitochondrial genome sequencing project, which is part of the Latin America Solanaceae Genome Project (LAT-SOL).

Sexual dimorphism in shells of the southwestern Atlantic gastropod Olivella plata (Ihering, 1908) (Gastropoda: Olividae)

Sexual dimorphism in shells of the southwestern Atlantic gastropod Olivella plata (Ihering, 1908) (Gastropoda: Olividae)

The practice of retort

struggle in discourse”, at the Fifth International Pragmatics Conference. Author Villalon gladly acknowledges the financial assistance provided by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas (CONICIT), the Asociacion de Profesores de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (AP-UCV), and the Vicerrectorado Academico of that same university. Both writers are indebted to panel coordinator Charles L. Briggs and its two lively discussants, Allen D. Grimshaw and Michael Silverstein, for their insightful commentaries on the original draft of this paper. Sandra Angeleri gratefully acknowledges Charles Briggs’ intellectual support and encouragement, as well as the financial assistance of the Consejo de Desarrollo Cientifico y Humanistico (CDCH) of the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) in carrying out her original work (Angeleri 1996).

Sweet Entanglement: Argentina and the World Bank 1985‐9

Development Policy ReviewVolume 8, Issue 4 p. 393-409 Sweet Entanglement: Argentina and the World Bank 1985-9 Diana Tussie, Diana TussieSearch for more papers by this authorMirta Botzman, Mirta BotzmanSearch for more papers by this author Diana Tussie, Diana TussieSearch for more papers by this authorMirta Botzman, Mirta BotzmanSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1990 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7679.1990.tb00167.xCitations: 5 *Dr Diana Tussie is a Senior Research Fellow at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales and a member of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires. Mirta Botzman is a Researcher at the Centro de Economia Internacional (CEI), Buenos Aires. This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the IDRC-sponsored workshop on cross-conditionality at the Overseas Development Council, Washington DC in September 1989 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume8, Issue4December 1990Pages 393-409 RelatedInformation

A result about the Hilbert transform along curves

Let G G be a connected and simply connected, nilpotent Lie group and let γ : ( − 1 , 1 ) → G \gamma :( - 1,1) \to G be a (connected) analytic curve such that γ ( 0 ) = 0 \gamma (0) = 0 . Then the Hilbert transform along γ \gamma , \[ T f ( x ) = p . v . ∫ 0 > | t | > 1 f ( x γ ( t ) − 1 ) d t / t , Tf(x) = p.v.\int _{0 > |t| > 1} {f(x\gamma {{(t)}^{ - 1}})dt/t} , \] is bounded on L p ( G ) , 1 > p > ∞ {L^p}(G),1 > p > \infty .

Chapman Conference on Sediment Transport Processes in Estuaries

During the week of June 13–17, 1988, 72 sediment transport researchers “aggregated” at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Bahfa Blanca, Argentina, to participate in an AGU Chapman Conference on Sediment Transport Processes in Estuaries. The main goals of the meeting were to discuss recent advances in estuarine science, to appraise promising future research directions, and to develop contacts and establish working relationships between Latin American and non‐Latin‐ American estuarine researchers. The meeting drew participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, the U.S., Canada, Britain, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, The Netherlands, and South Africa. Meeting cosponsors were UNESCO, Secretaria de Ciencía y Técnica, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas, Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Universidad del Sur, Municipalidad de Bahia Blanca, Asociaciôn Argentina de Geofisicos y Geodestas (AGU sister organization), and the Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia (IADO).

Parasitogenic Octavus Neuropathy as a Cause of Mass Stranding of Odontoceti

this fraction. The MW suggested for F8-200 by the standards used in the Sephadex G-200 column ranged from 13 to 17K. In a preliminary study performed in 6.5% SDS-PAGE with the active F2-50 of hemolymph and intestinal homogenate of the unconcentrated samples, only a 14-17K band was detected (data not shown). When 10-fold concentrated F2-50 of intestinal homogenate was analyzed for protein components in SDS-PAGE, the sample revealed the presence of 5 major proteins of apparent MW of 75, 59, 42, 23, and 16K, together with other minor components. The protein having a MW in the 16K band appeared to be present at the highest concentration (Fig. 2). The intestinal homogenate was prepared without protease inhibitors to avoid toxicity. Therefore, part of the major or minor proteins detected might represent degradation products. The relative contribution of each of these components to the process of differentiation is under study at present. As F250 contained components under 75K, a contamination of F2-50 samples with the inhibitory fraction was possible, but the lack of inhibitory action suggests either negligible contamination, or neutralization of its activity by some other component. This work was supported by funds of Secretaria de Estado de Ciencia y Tecnologia y Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. A.M.K. and S.M.G.C. are members of the Research Career of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas from Argentina. roteins detected might represent

Fossil Evidence Regarding the Evolution of Nothofagus Blume

Information on fossil Nothofagus, and related genera, is reviewed based on pollen grains, leaves, woods, and flowers and fruits. The available data suggest that ancestors of Nothofagus and related families probably originated in West Gondwanaland. By the Santonian, Nothofagus was the only living genus already differentiated in the southern Hemisphere. Northern counterparts included several species in living genera of the Betulaceae, Myricaceae, and Ulmaceae. Rapid evolution and speciation of Nothofagus took place in the Eocene. After the pollen types and the main leaf forms were established in the Cretaceous and Eocene, respectively, the rate of morphological change was slow. More speciation was possible after the Miocene in New Guinea and also in other areas during the Plio-Pleistocene. Several lines of evidence support former suggestions of giving Nothofagus a higher taxonomic rank. Nothofagus Blume has frequently captured the interest of botanists and paleobotanists. It plays a dominant role in the temperate forests of the Southern Hemisphere, has economic importance as a timber source, and has an intriguing distribution as a vicariant of the other genera in Fagaceae. It comprises 34 species living in South America, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and New Guinea. It certainly lived in Antarctica, but perhaps never in South Africa. The Fagaceae are usually associated with the Betulaceae in the order Fagales (Thorne, 1983; Takhtajan, 1980), sometimes including also the Balanopaceae (Cronquist, 1968). Other related orders are Didymelales, Casuarinales, Myricales, and Hamamelidales, all included in the subclass Hamamelidae. Although this subclass has been subjected to considerable systematic rearrangement (Thorne, 1973), the taxa mentioned above were not very much affected. The Fagaceae have been segregated into three subfamilies since De Candolle (1864), and this classification has been supported by modern studies such as those of Forman (1966) and Hjelmqvist (1948) on the female cupule. The only objection has been the proposal to segregateNothofagus as a new family, made by Kuprianova (1965), on the basis of the pollen grains. More recent support for some kind of segregation was advanced by Crepet and Daghlian (1980), Smiley and Huggins (1981), Thorne (1983), Nixon (1984), and Jones (1984b). The classification of the species of Nothofagus into two sections and four series was suggested by van Steenis (1953) and Soepadmo (1972) on the basis of the female cupule and vegetative morphology. Recent information does not support fully such an arrangement (Elias, 1971; Philipson & Philipson, 1979; Hill, 1983), but no alternative system has been proposed. In recent years a growing body of information has accumulated about fossil materials of Nothofagus and related genera, shedding some light on its history and phylogenetical development. This information has not been fully used, and speculation about the evolution and paleobiogeography of the genera has been based mainly on the evidence of living plants (van Steenis, 1971; Darlington, 1965; Melville, 1973, 1981; Cracraft, 1975; Humphries, 1981, 1985; Heads, 1985). Therefore, it seems reasonable to review information concerning fossil forms. Modern and fossil data are reviewed first in this paper, followed by a discussion. The review of fossil data is arranged by type of fossil (pollen, leaves, woods, and flowers and fruits). In each case, a brief statement about their morphology in living plants is given. The discussion starts with the Cretaceous history of the genus, and also deals with the fossil record of related families. Then, the Paleogene account comprises the differentiation of species within the genera, so the morphology of the living ones is also considered. Finally, the Neogene part deals mainly with biogeography, and the information concerns primarily living plants. The fossil evidence was compiled by Wolfe (1973) and Muller (1981). When some information is given without menI Departamento de Ciencias Biol6gicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Guiraldes 2620, 1428 Buenos Aires, Repfiblica Argentina. Member of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas (CONICET). ANN. MISSOURI BOT. GARD. 73: 276-283. 1986. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.211 on Tue, 09 Aug 2016 05:15:09 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 1986] ROMERO-NOTHOFAGUS EVOLUTION 277 tioning the source, it may be found in these reviews. However, in important cases the original publication is given. Other more recent papers, or ones not considered by Wolfe or Muller, are quoted as well. The references to paleogeography are based on Smith et al. (1981) and those to age are based on Harland et al. (1982).

New Rubiaceae from Venezuela

Four new species of Rubiaceae are described from Venezuela: three from Territorio Federal Amazonas (Guettarda leiantha, Psychotria davidsae, Psychotria plowmanii), and one from Estado Zulia (Hillia zuliaensis). One variety is described from Estado Yaracuy (Psychotria aubletiana var. villipila). These new taxa have resulted from a joint project of exploration in Venezuela under a grant to the Missouri Botanical Garden by the National Science Foundation and to the Division of Biological Investigations, National Park Institute, Herbario Nacional of Caracas, Venezuela by CONICIT (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnol6gicas). Since 1977 the Missouri Botanical Garden, recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation of the United States, and the Herbario Nacional of Venezuela, recipient of a similar grant from the equivalent organization of Venezuela (CONICIT), have been conducting joint botanical explorations into various portions of Venezuela to make inventories of the flora in those areas previously unexplored, especially where changes might be forthcoming due to the construction of dams, drainage projects, or agricultural and lumbering activities. These explorations have resulted in a large number of additions to the known flora of Venezuela, as well as a considerable assemblage of undescribed taxa. In the present paper a few taxa of undescribed Rubiaceae are presented. Guettarda leiantha Steyerm., sp. nov. TYPE: Venezuela. Amazonas: along road between Paso El Diablo and Cafio de Culebra, 25-30 km SE of Puerto Ayacucho, 100m, 12 May 1980, Steyermark, Davidse & Guanchez 122318 (holotype, VEN; isotype, MO). Arbor 5-metralis, ramis glabris; foliis petiolatis, petiolis 1-2 cm longis modice crispato-pilosis; laminis elliptico-ovatis apice acuminatis basi acutis 12-17 cm longis, 5.5-7.5 cm latis, subtus praeter axillas barbellatas atque nervos breviter crispato-villosulos glabris, supra costa media sparse vel modice adpresso-pilosula aliter glabris, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 7 tenuibus adscendentibus ante marginem 3-4 mm anastomosantibus; inflorescentia semel dichotoma, quoque ramulo inflorescentiae 8-15-flora semel vel non nihil dichotoma; pedunculo tenui 4-5 cm longo, 0.5 mm lato modice minute crispato-pilosulo; floribus tetrameris; calyce hypanthioque 1.5 mm longis, hypanthio 1 mm longo, 0.8 mm lato glabro, lobis calycis paullo inaequalibus suborbiculari-ovatis obtusis 0.30.4 mm longis, 0.3-0.4 mm latis sparsim ciliolatis; corolla tenuiter hypocraterimorpha 10 mm longa, tubo 8 mm longo, 1 mm lato extus glabro intus basi annulo denso piloso instructo inde 5 mm sparsim piloso, lobis ovali-oblongis apice rotundatis 1.5 mm longis, 1.5 mm latis, uno vel duobus lobis parce crenulatis intus marginibus papillatis extus glabris; antheris linearibus 2.7 mm longis in parte tertia superiore insertis; stylo 9 mm longo glabro. Tree 5 m tall, branches glabrous. Leaves petiolate, petioles 1-2 cm long, moderately crisppilose; leaf-blades elliptic-ovate, acuminate at apex, acute at base, 12-17 cm long, 5.5-7.5 cm wide, sparsely to moderately appressed-pilosulous above on midnerve, elsewhere glabrous, leaf axils beneath slightly barbellate, shortly crispvillosulous on main and secondary nerves, glabrous on surface, lateral nerves ca. 7 each side, slender. Inflorescence with 2 primary axes either not forked or once-forked, each fork bearing 815 flowers; peduncle slender, 4-5 cm long, 0.5 mm thick, moderately minutely crisp-pilosulous; flowers tetramerous; calyx and hypanthium 1.5 mm long, hypanthium 1 mm long, 0.8 mm wide; calyx lobes slightly unequal, suborbicularovate, obtuse, 0.3-0.4 mm by 0.3-0.4 mm, sparsely ciliolate; corolla slenderly hypocrateriform, 10 mm long, the tube 8 mm long, 1 mm broad, glabrous without, sparsely pilose in the basal 5 mm within with a dense pilose ring at the very base, lobes oval-oblong, rounded at apex, 1.5 mm by 1.5 mm, glabrous without, papillate within on margins, 1 or 2 of the lobes inconspicuously crenulate; anthers linear, included, 2.7 mm long, inserted in the uppermost 1/3 of tube; filaments 0.5 mm long; style filiform, 9 mm long, glabrous; fruit not seen. ' Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166. ANN. MISSOURI BOT. GARD. 71: 1175-1179. 1984. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.112 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 04:51:30 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 1176 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [VOL. 71 This taxon is allied to G. acreana Krause and G. ulei Krause, from which it may be distinguished by the completely glabrous exterior of the corolla, glabrous hypanthium, inflorescence with only two slender primary axes either once or not at all forked, and glabrous lower surface

IgE in Paragonimus ohirai-Infected Rats: Effect of X-Irradiation

Once organisms entered the alveolar macrophages the growth of these organisms was similar, independent of the animal species. To our knowledge it has not been determined whether adult rats are more susceptible to Toxoplasma after intranasal and pulmonary inoculation than after intraperitoneal inoculation. Differences in alveolar and peritoneal macrophages have been observed also in mice; alveolar macrophages may exert a stronger antibacterial action than the peritoneal exudate macrophages (Walker, 1976. In Immunobiology of the macrophages, D. S. Nelson (ed.). Academic Press, pp. 91-111). It would be of interest to determine whether the rat peritoneal macrophages could protect rat alveolar macrophages. It is not clear whether the low multiplication of Toxoplasma in peritoneal cells of rats is associated with killing or whether this is merely an inhibition of rate or multiplication. Ultrastructural studies may clarify this problem. This work was supported in part by the Vicerrectoria de Investigaci6n, Universidad de Costa Rica, and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnolo6gicas (CONICIT). We thank Aleida Quir6s and Zaida Umafia for their excellent secretarial assistance and Fabio Camacho for his concerned care of the laboratory animals.

DETERMINATION OF FRESH PAPAYA'S TEXTURE BY PENETRATION TESTS

Journal of Food ScienceVolume 39, Issue 1 p. 156-159 DETERMINATION OF FRESH PAPAYA'S TEXTURE BY PENETRATION TESTS M. PELEG, M. PELEG Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Tecnologicas e Industriales INVESTI, Apartado 7668, Carmelitas, Caracas, VenezuelaSearch for more papers by this author M. PELEG, M. PELEG Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Tecnologicas e Industriales INVESTI, Apartado 7668, Carmelitas, Caracas, VenezuelaSearch for more papers by this author First published: January 1974 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1974.tb01011.xCitations: 11 This study was financed by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnológicas (CONICIT), (National Venezuelan Council of Scientific & Technological Research). The author expresses his thanks to Mr. Gomez Brito for his technical aid, and to Mrs. Helga and Mr. Peter Bastiansen for the fruit supply. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume39, Issue1January 1974Pages 156-159 RelatedInformation

Histology and ultrastructure of the neurohypophysis of the South American lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa.

The neurohypophysis of the South American lungfish Lepidosiren paradoxa has been studied with light and electron microscopy, including the Falck-Hillarp technique for catecholamines. The pars nervosa hypophyseos is a well-marked, dorsally located subdivision of the pituitary gland composed of lobes or follicles, each one constituted of a central core of ependymal cells, a subependymal hilar region made up of nerve fibers and a peripheric palisade zone of nerve endings which contact capillary vessels. Four types of neurosecretory axons can be distinguished under the electron microscope. Type I, the most common, contains spherical elementary granules of high electron density, 1500–1800 A in diameter. The scarce type II axons contain irregularly-shaped elementary granules. Type III contains only small clear vesicles, 400–600 A in diameter. Type IV, mostly present in regions of the gland contacting the pars intermedia, contain large granulated vesicles, 900–1000 A in diameter. The Falck-Hillarp technique revealed axons with a positive reaction for catecholamines at sites corresponding approximately to the location of type IV of the electron microscope. Ependymal cells are of large size, linking the cerebrospinal fluid, the nerve endings and the blood vessels. A conspicuous membrane-bound, spherical dense material, 1400–2000 A in diameter, is observed in both the apical and vascular processes of these cells. The ependymal processes which traverse the hilar and palisade regions contain structures resembling degenerated neurosecretory axons. These results are discussed in relation with the currently available information on the comparative anatomy of the pars nervosa. The possible functional significance of ependymal cells and of each type of axon are also discussed. This study was aided by the following grants: NIH NS 06953 to Prof. De Robertis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas to Prof. Zambrano, Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires and Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Universidad Nacional de la Plata: to Prof. Iturriza. The authors are indebted to Prof. De Robertis for his generosity in granting us his laboratory facilities, and to Dr. F. J. J. Risso and Mr. A. Fernandez (Resistencia, Chaco) who provided the specimens used in this study. The able microtechnical assistance of Miss L. Riboldazzi and Mrs. R. Rana and the photographic work of Mr. A. Saenz are much appreciated.