Diet and condition of American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)in three central Florida lakes

Understanding the diet of crocodilians is important because diet affects condition, behavior, growth, and reproduction. By examining the diet of crocodilians, valuable knowledge is gained about predator-prey interactions and prey utilization among habitats. In this study, I examined the diet and condition of adult American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in three central Florida lakes, Griffin, Apopka, and Woodruff. Two hundred adult alligators were captured and lavaged from March through October 2001, from April through October 2002, and from April through August 2003. Alligators ate a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate prey, but vertebrates were more abundant and fish dominated alligator diets in the lakes. Species composition of fish varied among the lakes. The majority of the diet of alligators from Lakes Apopka and Woodruff was fish, 90% and 84% respectively. Lake Apopka alligators consumed a significantly (P = 0.006) higher proportion of fish in their diet. Fish were 54% of the diet of Lake Griffin alligators and the infrequent occurrence of reptiles, mammals, birds, and amphibians often resulted in a large biomass. Differences in alligator diets among lakes may be due to differences in sample size (higher numbers of samples from Lake Griffin), prey availability, habitat, prey vulnerability, or prey size. Alligator condition (Fulton’s Condition Factor, K) was significantly (P < 0.001) different among the lakes. Alligators from Lake Apopka had the highest condition, followed by those from Lake Griffin, and alligators from Lake Woodruff had the lowest condition. Composition of fish along with diversity and equitability of fish in alligator diets may have contributed to differences in condition among lakes. Condition was probably also due to factors other than diet such as alligator hunting behavior, alligator density, or year-round optimal temperature that prolongs feeding. The observed diet and condition differences probably reflect both habitat differences and prey availability in these three lakes.

Some central limit theorems for doubly restricted partitions

Let P_{K, L}(N) be the number of unordered partitions of a positive integer N into K or fewer positive integer parts, each part not exceeding L. A distribution of the form

Ʃ/N≤x P_K,L(N)

is considered first. For any fixed K, this distribution approaches a piecewise polynomial function as L increases to infinity. As both K and L approach infinity, this distribution is asymptotically normal. These results are proved by studying the convergence of the characteristic function.

The main result is the asymptotic behavior of P_K,K(N) itself, for certain large K and N. This is obtained by studying a contour integral of the generating function taken along the unit circle. The bulk of the estimate comes from integrating along a small arc near the point 1. Diophantine approximation is used to show that the integral along the rest of the circle is much smaller.

λ-designs and related combinatorial configurations

This thesis deals with two problems. The first is the determination of λ-designs, combinatorial configurations which are essentially symmetric block designs with the condition that each subset be of the same cardinality negated. We construct an infinite family of such designs from symmetric block designs and obtain some basic results about their structure. These results enable us to solve the problem for λ = 3 and λ = 4. The second problem deals with configurations related to both λ -designs and (ѵ, k, λ)-configurations. We have (n-1) k-subsets of {1, 2, ..., n}, S₁, ..., S_n-1 such that S_i ∩ S_j is a λ-set for i ≠ j. We obtain specifically the replication numbers of such a design in terms of n, k, and λ with one exceptional class which we determine explicitly. In certain special cases we settle the problem entirely.

Home range and habitat use by Kemp's Ridley turtles in West-Central Florida

The Kemp's ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is an endangered species whose recovery depends in part on the identification and protection of required habitats. We used radio and sonic telemetry on subadult Kemp's ridley turtles to investigate home-range size and habitat use in the coastal waters of west-central Florida from 1994 to 1996. We tracked 9 turtles during May-August up to 70 days after release and fou.ld they occupied 5-30 km2 foraging ranges. Compositional analyses indicated that turtles used rock outcroppings in their foraging ranges at a significantly higher proportion than expected. based on availability within the study area. Additionally. turtles used live bottom (e.g .• sessile invertebrates) and green macroalgae habitats significantly more than seagrass habitat. Similar studies are needed through'mt the Kemp's ridley turtles' range to investigate regional and stage-specific differences in habitat use. which can then be used to conserve important foraging areas.

How central are clients in sexual networks created by commercial sex?

Sex workers are traditionally considered important vectors of transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STI). The role of clients is commonly overlooked, partially due to the lack of evidence on clients' position in the sexual network created by commercial sex. Contrasting the diffusion importance of sex workers and their clients in the map of their sexual encounters in two Web-mediated communities, we find that from diffusion perspective, clients are as important as sex workers. Their diffusion importance is closely linked to the geography of the sexual encounters: as a result of different movement patterns, travelling clients shorten network distances between distant network neighborhoods and thus facilitate contagion among them more than sex workers, and find themselves more often in the core of the network by which they could contribute to the persistence of STIs in the community. These findings position clients into the set of the key actors and highlight the role of human mobility in the transmission of STIs in commercial sexual networks.

Etnografía y alimentación entre los Toba-Nachilamole#ek y wichí-Lhuku’tas del Chaco Central (Argentina), Cap. 1, 2 y 3.

Se reproducen tres capítulos relacionados con la ictiología del libro de Pastor Arenas, gracias a su gentileza.

Catéteres venosos centrales de larga duración y sus complicaciones. Reservorio venoso subcutáneo versus catéter central de inserción periférica : revisión bibliográfica.

Introducción: Los catéteres venosos centrales (CVC) de larga duración representan una alternativa para muchos pacientes receptores de tratamientos intravenosos prolongados y agresivos. Dentro de estos, es frecuente el uso de los reservorios venosos subcutáneos (RVS) y de los catéteres centrales de inserción periférica (PICC). En ambos, a pesar de sus numerosas ventajas, pueden surgir complicaciones que comprometan el funcionamiento del dispositivo y provocar la necesidad de retirarlo. Estas, además, pueden poner en peligro el bienestar e incluso la vida del paciente. Objetivos: Analizar las complicaciones asociadas a la implantación y uso de RVS y PICC. Metodología: Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos: Scopus, ScienceDirect, Dialnet plus, ProQuest, OvidSP, SciELO, Cuiden y Elsevier. Resultados: Se seleccionaron seis estudios realizados sobre pacientes portadores de RVS y cinco sobre los PICC. En ellos se analizaron las complicaciones surgidas y los motivos de retirada de los dispositivos por complicaciones asociadas. Conclusiones: Los PICC presentan una morbilidad y una tasa de retirada por complicaciones mayor que los RVS. Las infecciones, obstrucciones y trombosis son las complicaciones con mayor prevalencia en ambos dispositivos junto con las extracciones accidentales en el caso de los PICC. Además, representan los motivos más habituales de retirada del CVC por alguna complicación. Las complicaciones pueden estar influenciadas por distintos factores, entre otros, los cuidados y mantenimiento que se realicen del dispositivo. Idioma: Español.

PICC vs Catéter central insertado en vena subclavia en pacientes críticos

[Es]Introducción: actualmente, en servicios como UCIs, quirófanos y Urgencias cada vez es más común el empleo de CVCS y PICC. Ambos están asociados a graves complicaciones como CLABSI, TVP, EP, arritmia, etc. Dado que la enfermería juega un papel importante tanto en la inserción de estos dispositivos, como en el mantenimiento y prevención de las adversidades, es necesario poseer los conocimientos y habilidades adecuados para su afrontamiento. Objetivo y metodología: determinar cuál de los dos supone menor riesgo de complicaciones en pacientes críticos mediante la evidencia científica y utilizando la EBE. Para ello se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica de estudios encontrados en bases de datos como Pubmed, Cochrane y Cinhal mediante la combinación de términos MeSH y palabras clave con operadores booleanos. Resultados y discusión: se han incluido en total 13 publicaciones (6 RS, 4 estudios de cohorte, 1 ECA y 2 GPC), de las cuales 3 poseen calidad alta, 3 media y 5 baja. Tanto los PICC como los CVCS implican diversas complicaciones, divididas en infecciosas, trombo-embolicas y mecánicas/otras. Existe insuficiente evidencia científica y gran heterogeneidad entre los artículos, lo que dificulta su extrapolación. Conclusiones: en pacientes críticos los PICC poseen mayor riesgo de TVP, los CVCS de complicaciones mecánicas, y ambos presentan tasas similares de CLABSI. Es importante escoger de forma individualizada el catéter a implantar, estimando los riesgos-beneficios de cada uno. Los cuidados preventivos son fundamentales en la reducción de estas contingencias. Son necesarios más estudios prospectivos comparativos.

Las competencias docentes del profesor de la Facultad de Filosofía de la Universidad Central del Ecuador y su incidencia en la calidad educativa

515 p.

O resgate da sensorialidade na transferência

Face às transformações sócio-culturais ocorridas ao longo do século XX, que favoreceram a predominância de configurações psicopatológicas distintas das neuroses, a metapsicologia freudiana passou por críticas e revisões, que visavam tanto compreender quanto tratar essas patologias que desde então ficaram em evidência. O narcisismo se mostrou um conceito central nessa reformulação teórica, que permitiu a construção de uma segunda teoria tópica do aparelho psíquico, quando o inconsciente deixou de ser entendido como subproduto da consciência. Neste novo modelo, embora o conflito edipiano ainda mantenha um lugar de destaque na cena psíquica, sua importância no desvelamento dos processos de instauração das psicopatologias passou a um plano secundário. A aquisição de um sentido vital e o desenvolvimento de estilos subjetivos como tributários das marcações sensoriais estabelecidas nos primórdios da relação materno-infantil passaram, radativamente, a ocupar um lugar de destaque na teorização psicanalítica e, consequentemente, os processos infralingüísticos adquiriram relevo como moduladores da eficácia da cura pela palavra. Neste trabalho discuto aspectos de algumas das intuições freudianas acerca da forma como se constitui um psiquismo em sua teorização, e apresento a relevância de contribuições à sua teoria, realizadas por psicanalistas como Ferenczi, Winnicott, Anzieu e Haag, entre outros. A contribuição desses autores para a o entendimento das condições e obstáculos para o estabelecimento de um Eu capaz de agir de forma criativa na interação com seu meio, permite que se pense no fenômeno humano em uma perspectiva que rompe com os dualismos - aos quais Freud se manteve aderido - e compreende a subjetivação como um processo complexo e interminável. A categoria sensorialidade desempenha um papel significativo e precisa ser considerada na compreensão dos fenômenos que emergem no campo transferencial. Apresento um caso clínico como fio condutor e como ilustração da importância de seu resgate na prática da terapia psicanalítica contemporânea, visto que pretendo reafirmar a soberania da clínica para interpelar a teoria e enriquecê-la.

Proyecto de un parque eólico para la alimentación de las bombas de la central hidráulica de Belesar (Lugo).

[ES]El proyecto consiste en el estudio de las necesidades energéticas de las bombas de una central hidráulica y la construcción de un parque eólico para satisfacer dichas necesidades. Para ello será necesario llevar a cabo un estudio del área y así encontrar el lugar más adecuado para ubicar los aerogeneradores, teniendo en cuenta la frecuencia, velocidad y dirección de los vientos predominantes del lugar. Después habrá que estudiar el mercado y elegir el aerogenerador adecuado para las condiciones del lugar y del viento, atendiendo también a otras cuestiones de relevancia. Se estudiará, además, la posibilidad de inyectar un posible exceso de electricidad a la red general. Una vez hecho esto, habrá que calcular el coste del proyecto.