Electrochemical response of several cathode configurations prepared with Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ and Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 for IT-SOFC Setevich, Cristian; Prado, Fernando Daniel; Caneiro, Alberto The electrochemical response of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) electrodes prepared by an acetic acid-based gel route has been investigated by impedance spectroscopy (IS) as a function of temperature (400 ≤ T ≤ 900 °C) and oxygen partial pressure (1 × 10−3 ≤ pO2 ≤ 1 atm). Several electrode configurations were studied using Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (GDC) as the electrolyte. These consisted of one BSCF layer (cell A), a BSCF layer with an intermediate porous GDC layer (cell B), and graded electrodes using a composite BSCF+GDC, with variations in the surface area of GDC (cells C and D). The optimum heat treatment for the electrode assemblages was determined to be around 850–900 °C. Analysis of the impedance spectra shows that at T ≥ 600 °C a low frequency (LF) contribution, associated to the gas phase diffusion is systematically the rate-limiting step. All the electrodes show an intermediate frequency (IF) arc related to mixed processes. For cells A and B, the IF response is related to the oxide ion transfer at the electrode/electrolyte surface and the charge transfer at the electrode surface, while for cells C and D the mixed process involves the charge transfer and the molecular oxygen dissociation at the electrode surface.

The importance of biogeographical history and extant environmental conditions as drivers of freshwater decapod distribution in southern South America Tumini, Georgina; Giri, Federico; Williner, Verónica; Collins, Pablo Agustin A topical issue in macroecology is whether the distribution of organisms is related to biogeographical history or current environmental conditions. Distributions of freshwater decapods in southern South America have been mainly attributed to historical factors, such as geoclimatic events, marine ingressions, tectonic uplifts and glaciations. Here, we test the hypothesis that current distributions are strongly influenced by local environmental conditions. Generalised linear models were used to quantify the importance of altitude, stability of the waterbody, annual temperature range (ATR), pH and conductivity on the distribution of five freshwater decapod families in Argentina (Sergestidae, Palaemonidae, Parastacidae, Aeglidae and Trichodactylidae), while accounting for effects of latitude and longitude. Decapod occurrence was strongly associated with interacting spatial and environmental factors. Latitudinal and/or longitudinal gradients were important predictors for the occurrence of Acetes paraguayensis (Sergestidae), Palaemonidae, Aeglidae and Trichodactylidae. However, the longitudinal pattern for Palaemonidae was reversed, increasing from east to west, when environmental variables were included in the analyses, whereas for Trichodactylidae, the longitudinal pattern was sufficiently explained by inclusion of local environmental variables. Altitude, water stability and ATR were important predictors of all families, while Palaemonidae, Parastacidae and Trichodactylidae were significantly associated with pH and Palaemonidae and Aeglidae with conductivity. Interactions terms were often significant, especially with latitude. Our results show that the macrodistribution of freshwater decapods is not solely a result of historical processes, a finding that disagrees with current understandings. Significant relationships between decapod occurrence and environmental variables indicates limited plasticity and strong adaptation to local habitats, highlighting the importance of including environmental factors in studies of crustacean biogeography and macroecology.

FullSSR: Microsatellite Finder and Primer Designer Metz, Sebastián Darío; Cabrera, Juan Manuel; Rueda, Eva Carolina; Giri, Federico; Amavet, Patricia Susana Microsatellites are genomic sequences comprised of tandem repeats of short nucleotide motifs widely used as molecular markers in population genetics. FullSSR is a new bioinformatic tool for microsatellite (SSR) loci detection and primer design using genomic data from NGS assay. The software was tested with 2000 sequences of Oryza sativa shotgun sequencing project from the National Center of Biotechnology Information Trace Archive and with partial genome sequencing with ROCHE 454� from Caiman latirostris, Salvator merianae, Aegla platensis, and Zilchiopsis collastinensis. FullSSR performance was compared against other similar SSR search programs. The results of the use of this kind of approach depend on the parameters set by the user. In addition, results can be affected by the analyzed sequences because of differences among the genomes. FullSSR simplifies the detection of SSRs and primer design on a big data set. The command line interface of FullSSR was intended to be used as part of genomic analysis tools pipeline; however, it can be used as a stand-alone program because the results are easily interpreted for a nonexpert user.

Distributive Implications of Fertility Changes in Latin America Badaracco, Nicolás; Gasparini, Leonardo Carlos; Marchionni, Mariana Fertility rates significantly fell over the last decades in Latin America. In order to assess the extent to which these changes contributed to the observed reduction in income poverty and inequality we apply microeconometric decompositions to microdata from national household surveys from seven Latin American countries. We find that changes in fertility rates were associated to a non-negligible reduction in inequality and poverty in the region. The main channel was straightforward: lower fertility implied smaller families and hence larger per capita incomes. Lower fertility also fostered labor force participation, especially among women, which contributed to the reduction of poverty and inequality in most countries, although the size of this effect was smaller.

Transcranial electrical neuromodulation based on the reciprocity principle Fernandez Corazza, Mariano; Turovets, Sergei; Luu, Phan; Anderson, Erik; Tucker, Don A key challenge in multi-electrode transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is to find a current injection pattern that delivers the necessary current density at a target and minimizes it in the rest of the head, which is mathematically modeled as an optimization problem. Such an optimization with the Least Squares (LS) or Linearly Constrained Minimum Variance (LCMV) algorithms is generally computationally expensive and requires multiple independent current sources. Based on the reciprocity principle in electroencephalography (EEG) and TES, it could be possible to find the optimal TES patterns quickly whenever the solution of the forward EEG problem is available for a brain region of interest. Here, we investigate the reciprocity principle as a guideline for finding optimal current injection patterns in TES that comply with safety constraints. We define four different trial cortical targets in a detailed seven-tissue finite element head model, and analyze the performance of the reciprocity family of TES methods in terms of electrode density, targeting error, focality, intensity, and directionality using the LS and LCMV solutions as the reference standards. It is found that the reciprocity algorithms show good performance comparable to the LCMV and LS solutions. Comparing the 128 and 256 electrode cases, we found that use of greater electrode density improves focality, directionality, and intensity parameters. The results show that reciprocity principle can be used to quickly determine optimal current injection patterns in TES and help to simplify TES protocols that are consistent with hardware and software availability and with safety constraints.

Misleading reporting and interpretation of results in major infertility journals Glujovsky, Demian; Sueldo, Carlos; Borghi, Carolina; Nicotra, Pamela; Andreucci, Sara; Ciapponi, Agustín Objective To evaluate the proportion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in top infertility journals indexed on PubMed that reported their results with proper effect estimates and their precision estimation, while correctly interpreting both measures. Design Cross-sectional study evaluating all the RCTs published in top infertility journals during 2014. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) Not applicable. Intervention(s) Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) Proportion of RCTs that reported both relative and absolute effect size measures and its precision. Result(s) Among the 32 RCTs published in 2014 in the top infertility journals reviewed, 37.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1-56.3) did not mention in their abstracts whether the difference among the study arms was statistically or clinically significant, and only 6.3% (95% CI, 0.8-20.8) used a CI of the absolute difference. Similarly, in the results section, these elements were observed in 28.2% (95% CI, 13.7-46.7) and 15.6% (95% CI, 5.3-32.8), respectively. Only one study clearly expressed the minimal clinically important difference in their methods section, but we found related proxies in 53% (95% CI, 34.7-70.9). None of the studies used CIs to draw conclusions about the clinical or statistical significance. We found 13 studies where the interpretation of the findings could be misleading. Conclusion(s) Recommended reporting items are underused in top infertility journals, which could lead to misleading interpretations. Authors, reviewers, and editorial boards should emphasize their use to improve reporting quality.

Effect of different combinations of glycerol and/or trehalose on physical and structural properties of whey protein concentrate-based edible films Perez, Leonardo Martin; Piccirilli, Gisela Noemi; Delorenzi, Nestor Jorge; Verdini, Roxana Andrea The aim of the present study was to develop and characterize edible films produced from whey protein concentrate (WPC) and plasticized with different contents of glycerol (Gly) and/or trehalose (Tre) in order to evaluate new edible film formulations for their potential use in food packaging applications. Additionally, potential changes in the film mechanical properties during storage at ambient and freezing conditions were considered. Moisture content, solubility, thickness, transparency, microstructure, colour parameters, and mechanical properties were assessed. The films incorporated with Tre were more insoluble in water than WPC/Gly films, being more suitable for food applications. WPC/Gly and WPC/Tre films were clear enough to be used as see-through packaging. However, when Tre was included into WPC/Gly film formulations, film opacity increased. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images suggested that this phenomenon may be related to the growth of Tre crystals in the film matrix. Moreover, when Tre concentration increased in the WPC/Gly matrix, film surface was more heterogeneous. Interestingly, the presence of Tre in WPC-based films was effective in preventing Maillard reaction after heating. WPC/Tre films were the most rigid but the least stable for storage, resulting more susceptible to rupture and cracking. Only WPC/Gly and WPC/Gly-Tre 8% films were rather flexible, manageable, and stable up to 90 days of storage under ambient and freezing conditions. These findings can be used to better design applications of edible films containing plasticizers that may crystallize over time in order to optimize film formulation in a rational manner towards their eventual application as food packaging.

Xylanase production by solid-state fermentation and study of separation with flexible polymers chains Gómez García, Ricardo; Medina, Miguel A.; Farruggia, Beatriz Monica; Picó, Guillermo Alfredo; Aguilar, Cristobal N. Xylanase is a key biocatalyst for several modern bioprocesses. It is required in large amounts and regularly it requires to be induced with xylan. Corn cob can be considered as an important source of xylan, for this reason the use of such agroindustrial residue can be an attractive alternative if it is used as support and nutrient source for fungal growth and xylanase production. One important aspect in the production of enzymes with industrial interest, refers to the process of recovery. Although the accumulation of extracellular enzymes during the solid-state fermentation facilitates their recovery, most of the methodologies used for time-consuming purification plus they are expensive and low yields. Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) are an attractive bioseparative technique for purification and ideal for the recovery of enzymes and other biomolecules due to the low interfacial tension and high water content, which provides a favorable environment for the preservation of the biological activity of labile molecules. In this study, it was possible to produce xylanase, allow us to obtain enzymatic activities at 2300 U L−1 and these results show us the ability of the microorganism to degrade and invade the substrate for growth. Enzyme was efficiently concentrated by ATPS

On L¹ convergence of barycentric sequences of empirical measures Meson, Alejandro Mario; Vericat, Fernando In a previous article we proved a pointwise ergodic theorem for or sequences of barycentres of empirical measures which are defined from the action of Fuchsian groups and for L 2 maps valuated in CAT(0) spaces. In this note we extend this result to the L 1 -setting for maps valuated in nonpositively curved spaces.

The dicrotic notch analyzed by a numerical model Politi, Teresa; Ghigo, Arthur; Fernández, Juan Manuel Francisco; Khelifa, Ismaïl; Gaudric, Julien; Fullana, José María; Lagrée, Pierre Yves Divergent concepts on the origin of the dicrotic notch are widespread in medical literature and education. Since most medical textbooks explain the origin of the dicrotic notch as caused by the aortic valve closure itself, this is commonly transmitted in medical physiology courses. We present clinical data and numerical simulations to demonstrate that reflected pressure waves could participate as one of the causes of the dicrotic notch. Our experimental data from continuous arterial pressure measurements from adult patients undergoing vascular surgery suggest that isolated changes in peripheral vascular resistance using an intravenous bolus of phenylephrine (a selective alpha 1-receptor agonist and thus a potent vasoconstrictor) modify the dicrotic notch. We then explore the mechanisms behind this phenomenon by using a numerical model based on integrated axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations to compute the hemodynamic flow. Our model illustrates clearly how modifications in peripheral artery resistance may result in changes in the amplitude of the dicrotic notch by modifying reflected pressure waves. We believe that this could be a useful tool in teaching medical physiology courses.

A new Anagyrus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Argentina, parasitoid of Hypogeococcus sp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Harrisia pomanensis (Cactaceae) Triapitsyn, Serguei V.; Aguirre, María Belén; Logarzo, Guillermo Alejandro A new species of Anagyrus Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), A. lapachosus sp. n., is described from Salta Province of Argentina as a parasitoid of Hypogeococcus sp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Harrisia pomanensis cactus (Cactaceae). It is a candidate “new association” biological control agent for quarantine evaluation and possible following introduction to Puerto Rico (USA) against another Hypogeococcus sp., commonly called the Harrisia cactus mealybug and often misidentified as H. pungens Granara de Willink (according to our unpublished data the latter attacks only Amaranthaceae), which devastates or threatens the native cacti there and also in some other Caribbean islands (Triapitsyn, Aguirre et al. 2014; Carrera-Martínez et al. 2015). Species of Anagyrus in Argentina were recently reviewed and keyed by Triapitsyn, Logarzo et al. (2014) who also described two new taxa reared in that country from Hypogeococcus spp., A. cachamai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Aguirre and A. quilmes Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Aguirre; these were then further illustrated by Triapitsyn, Aguirre et al. (2014). All the specimens had been initially preserved in 80% ethanol; later they were dried using a critical point dryer, point-mounted, and then two females and two males were slide-mounted in Canada balsam. Terms for morphological features in the description are those of Gibson (1997). Measurements are given in micrometers (µm) as length or length: width (for the wings). An abbreviation used is: F = antennal funicle segment. Type specimens are deposited in the collections of Fundación e Instituto Miguel Lillo, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina (IMLA), Museo de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina (MLPA), and Entomology Research Museum, University of California, Riverside, California, USA (UCRC). We thank Vladimir V. Berezovskiy (UCRC) for mounting specimens and M. Andrea Saracho Bottero (Instituto Superior de Entomología “Dr. Abraham Willink” (INSUE)) for assistance in collecting. This study was funded by the USDA-APHIS (Agreement No. 34-WI-14-1001-0861-IA to FuEDEI).

Cities and methods from complexity science Balmaceda, Beatriz; Fuentes, Miguel Angel The dynamics of human society is now been studying in the context of the artificial environment created by cities. In this work, the authors describe some of the formal methods used in complexity science to study urban systems. The authors discuss some of the important quantitative approaches on cities paying attention to some of the deepest controversies in present scientific studies. The authors will stress the importance of a transdisciplinary approach when studying this type of cooperative social environments.

Neglected Tropical Protozoan Diseases: Drug Repositioning as a Rational Option Sbaraglini, Maria Laura; Vanrell, Maria Cristina; Bellera, Carolina Leticia; Benaim, Gustavo; Carrillo, Carolina; Talevi, Alan; Romano, Patricia Silvia Neglected tropical diseases represent a major sanitary problem and a huge economic burden to endemic countries, and are currently expanding to non-endemic countries owing to migration currents. Though long abandoned in the past, recent research on novel therapeutics has already started to show results. Drug repositioning is one of the prominent, more successful strategies to approach the development of new treatments for these diseases. Here we present an overview on the limitations of the current available medications to treat African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis, along with a review on drug candidates presently undergoing clinical trials and drug candidates identified through drug repositioning initiatives.

CFTR channel in oocytes from Xenopus laevis and its regulation by xShroom1 protein Palma, Alejandra Graciela; Galizia, Luciano; Kotsias, Basilio Aristides; Marino, Gabriela Inés Shroom is a family of related proteins linked to the actin cytoskeleton. xShroom1 is constitutively expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and it is required for the expression of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). As there is a close relationship between ENaC and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), we examined the action of xShroom1 on CFTR expression and activity. Biotinylation was used to measure CFTR surface expression, and currents were registered with voltage clamp when stimulated with forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Oocytes were coinjected with CFTR complementary RNAs (cRNAs) and xShroom1 sense or antisense oligonucleotides. We observed an increment in CFTR currents and CFTR surface expression in oocytes coinjected with CFTR and xShroom1 antisense oligonucleotides. MG-132, a proteasome inhibitor, did not prevent the increment in currents when xShroom1 was suppressed by antisense oligonucleotides. In addition, we inhibited the delivery of newly synthesized proteins to the plasma membrane with BFA and we found that the half-life of plasma membrane CFTR was prolonged when coinjected with the xShroom1 antisense oligonucleotides. Chloroquine, an inhibitor of the late endosome/lysosome, did not significantly increase CFTR currents when xShroom1 expression was inhibited. The higher expression of CFTR when xShroom1 is suppressed is in concordance with the functional studies suggesting that the suppression of the xShroom1 protein resulted in an increment in CFTR currents by promoting the increase of the half-life of CFTR in the plasma membrane. The role of xShroom1 in regulating CFTR expression could be relevant in the understanding of the channel malfunction in several diseases.

Functional green-tuned proteorhodopsin from modern stromatolites Albarracín, Virginia Helena; Kraiselburd, Ivana; Bamann, Christian; Wood, Phillip G.; Bamberg, Ernst; Farias, Maria Eugenia; Gärtner, Wolfgang The sequenced genome of the poly-extremophile Exiguobacterium sp. S17, isolated from modern stromatolites at Laguna Socompa (3,570 m), a High-Altitude Andean Lake (HAAL) in Argentinean Puna revealed a putative proteorhodopsin-encoding gene. The HAAL area is exposed to the highest UV irradiation on Earth, making the microbial community living in the stromatolites test cases for survival strategies under extreme conditions. The heterologous expressed protein E17R from Exiguobacterium (248 amino acids, 85% sequence identity to its ortholog ESR from E. sibiricum) was assembled with retinal displaying an absorbance maximum at 524 nm, which makes it a member of the green-absorbing PR-subfamily. Titration down to low pH values (eventually causing partial protein denaturation) indicated a pK value between two and three. Global fitting of data from laser flash-induced absorption changes gave evidence for an early red-shifted intermediate (its formation being below the experimental resolution) that decayed (τ1 =3.5μs) into another red-shifted intermediate. This species decayed in a two-step process (τ2 =84μs, τ3 = 11 ms), to which the initial state of E17-PR was reformed with a kinetics of 2 ms. Proton transport capability of the HAAL protein was determined by BLM measurements. Additional blue light irradiation reduced the proton current, clearly identifying a blue light absorbing, M-like intermediate. The apparent absence of this intermediate is explained by closely matching formation and decay kinetics.

Experiencias institucionales en torno a la diversidad: el caso de estudiantes de profesorado en educación primaria de la provincia Salta, Argentina; Institutional experiences on diversity. For students of Primary Education Teachers in Salta Province, Argentina Sanchez, Lorena Elizabeth En las últimas décadas Argentina ha considerado central a las políticas educativas, la educación en general y la formación docente en particular son objeto de constantes debates, evaluaciones y modificaciones tendientes a la mejora. Entre otros avances y conquistas significativas se destaca la inclusión de colectivos sociales históricamente excluidos de la educación superior. En formación docente la atención a la diversidad cultural se instala como un nuevo paradigma rompiendo una histórica tradición que tendió a la homogenización cultural. De acuerdo a las últimas legislaciones todas las modalidades y carreras de profesorados tienen el desafío de atender y formar en y para el respeto por la diversidad cultural. Con la intención de conocer el sentido que estas orientaciones toman en contextos específicos, en este caso en Salta, provincia del norte de Argentina, se indagó sobre las particularidades que asume la formación docente frente a la diversidad cultural en contextos urbanos. Desde un enfoque cualitativo, y con la participación de estudiantes avanzados se reconocen las características que asume el tratamiento de la diversidad desde sus propias experiencias formativas en el profesorado. En este artículo se recuperan los resultados de la aplicación de un cuestionario a cincuenta y dos participantes. Así mismo se problematizan los componentes que conformaron estas construcciones subjetivas acerca de las funciones y rol de la formación docente según los lineamientos pasados y presentes de la política educativa.; In recent decades Argentina has considered core educational policies, education in general and teacher training in particular are the subject of ongoing discussions, evaluations and modifications aimed at improvement. Among other advances and significant gains inclusion of historically excluded social groups higher education stands out. In teacher training attention to cultural diversity it is installed as a new paradigm breaking a historical tradition that tended to cultural homogenization. According to the latest legislation all types and races professorships are challenged to meet and train and respect for cultural diversity. With the intention of knowing the sense that these guidelines take in specific contexts, in this case in Salta province in northern Argentina, was asked about the special features of teacher education to cultural diversity in urban contexts. From a qualitative approach, involving advanced students the characteristics that the treatment of diversity from their own formative experiences in the faculty are recognized. This article presents the results of a questionnaire to fifty two participants recover. Also the components that made these subjective constructions on the functions and role of teacher education as past and present educational policy guidelines are problematize.

Characterization of drying paint coatings by dynamic speckle and holographic interferometry measurements Budini, Nicolas; Mulone, C.; Balducci, N.; Vincitorio, F. M.; López, A. J.; Ramil, A. In this work we implemented dynamic speckle and holographic interferometry techniques to characterize the drying process of solvent-based paint coatings. We propose a simple way to estimate drying time by measuring speckle activity and incrementally fitting experimental data through standard regression algorithms. This allowed us predicting drying time after about 20-30 min of paint application, which is fast regarding usual times required to reach the so-called tack-free state (≈ 2 h). In turn, we used holographic interferometry to map small thickness variations of the coating surface during drying. We also demonstrate that results obtained from both techniques correlate to each other, which allows improvingthe accuracy of the drying time estimation.

How the foraging decisions of a small ruminant are influenced by past feeding experiences with low-quality food Catanese, Francisco Hernan; Distel, Roberto Alejandro; Fernandez, Paola Alejandra; Villalba, Juan Jose Feeding experiences with low-quality foods can be improved when these foods are ingested in close temporal association with foods of higher nutritional quality. However, preference for low-quality foods in nature seems to be rather insensitive to past positive experiences and more related to their intrinsic nutritional value. An explanation for this observation is still lacking, mainly because little is known about how herbivores use information about low-quality foods during foraging. Our objective was to provide original information about this issue using a small ruminant (sheep; Ovis aries) as animal model. We manipulated the sheep’s experience with a low-quality food (wheat straw) using a conditioning procedure (“oral-delay conditioning procedure”), and then we evaluated the use of this information in a simulated foraging scenario provided with wheat straw and a variable amount of a high-quality food in spatially separated feeding stations. Inclusion of wheat straw into the diet was strongly dependent on the availability of the high-quality food. We observed a threshold level in the availability of the high-quality food, which defined a zone of drastic change in the likelihood of inclusion of the wheat straw into the diet (i.e., acceptance or rejection of wheat straw). This threshold level did not change for sheep with (CS+) or without (CS-) a previous positive experience with wheat straw. However, once foraging conditions stimulated all sheep to start including the wheat straw into the diet (i.e., below the threshold level), the intake of this food was greater by CS+ sheep. This increased intake was not explained by a higher motivation to eat the wheat straw but to a greater amount of time spent foraging this food and less time spent searching for the preferred higher-quality alternative. We discuss these results based on optimal foraging models and learning models of diet selection.

miR-190 Enhances HIF-Dependent Responses to Hypoxia in Drosophila by Inhibiting the Prolyl-4-hydroxylase Fatiga de Lella Ezcurra, Ana Laura; Bertolin, Agustina Paola; Kim, Kevin; Katz, Maximiliano Javier; Gándara, Lautaro; Misra, Tvisha; Luschnig, Stefan; Perrimon, Norbert; Melani, Mariana; Wappner, Pablo Cellular and systemic responses to low oxygen levels are principally mediated by Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIFs), a family of evolutionary conserved heterodimeric transcription factors, whose alpha- and beta-subunits belong to the bHLH-PAS family. In normoxia, HIFα is hydroxylated by specific prolyl-4-hydroxylases, targeting it for proteasomal degradation, while in hypoxia the activity of these hydroxylases decreases due to low oxygen availability, leading to HIFα accumulation and expression of HIF target genes. To identify microRNAs required for maximal HIF activity, we conducted an overexpression screen in Drosophila melanogaster, evaluating the induction of a HIF transcriptional reporter. miR-190 overexpression enhanced HIF-dependent biological responses, including terminal sprouting of the tracheal system, while in miR-190 loss of function embryos the hypoxic response was impaired. In hypoxic conditions, miR-190 expression was upregulated and required for induction of HIF target genes by directly inhibiting the HIF prolyl-4-hydroxylase Fatiga. Thus, miR-190 is a novel regulator of the hypoxia response that represses the oxygen sensor Fatiga, leading to HIFα stabilization and enhancement of hypoxic responses.

Potent inhibition of Western Equine Encephalitis virus by a fraction rich in flavonoids and phenolic acids obtained from Achyrocline satureioides Sabini, Maria Carola; Cariddi, Laura Noelia; Escobar, Franco Matias; Mañas, Fernando Javier; Comini, Laura Raquel; Iglesias, Delvis; Larrauri, Mariana; Núñez Montoya, Susana Carolina; Sereno, José; Contigiani, Marta Silvia; Cantero, Juan Jose; Sabini, Liliana Ines Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC. Asteraceae, -marcela del campo-, possess several pharmacologicalproperties. Previously we reported antiviral activity of an aqueous extract of A. satureioides against analphavirus, Western Equine Encephalitis virus. Alphaviruses are highly virulent pathogens which causeencephalitis in humans and equines. There are no effective antiviral to treat its infections. The aim ofthis study was to evaluate in vitro cytotoxic and antiviral activities against Western Equine Encephalitisvirus of five water extract chromatographic fractions from A. satureioides and identify the main com-pounds of the bioactive fraction. Also, it was to assess in vivo cytogenotoxic ability of the active fraction.Cytotoxicity studies revealed low toxicity of the most of fractions in Vero and in equine peripheral bloodmononuclear cells. Antiviral studies showed that the water crude extract - Sephadex LH 20 - fraction 3MeOH-H2O (Fraction 3) was active against Western Equine Encephalitis virus with Effective Concentra-tion 50% = 5 g/ml. Selectivity Indices were 126.0 on Vero and 133.6 on peripheral blood mononuclearcells, four times higher than aqueous extract selectivity index. Regarding the mechanism of action wedemonstrated that F3 exerted its action in intracellular replication stages. Further, fraction 3 showedimportant virucidal action. Fraction 3 contains, in order of highest to lowest: chlorogenic acid, luteolin,5,7,8-trimethoxyflavone, 3-O-methylquercetin and caffeic acid. Fraction 3 did not induce in vivo toxicnor mutagenic effect. Therefore, it is safe its application as antiviral potential. Further studies of antiviralactivity in vivo will be developed using a murine model.