Introduction. The recent introduction of three-and four-dimensional ultrasonography opens a promising perspective in prenatal diagnosis. Objective. To assess the use of the STIC technique as a screening tool in order to perform a ''basic and extended fetal cardiac evaluation''. Methods and material. A number of volumes are prospectively obtained during the routine morphological scan by a general sonographer in 28 patients randomly selected among those attending our unit. Afterwards, an experimented examiner in fetal echocardiography proceeds to their offline analysis. The successful rate of volume acquisition and analysis is evaluated, as well as the percentage of cases in which a ''basic'' or ''extended'' cardiac evaluation is possible through single sweep and multiplanar navigation. Cases with chromosomal anomalies, cardiac abnormalities or extracardiac malformations are excluded. Results. A number of 58 volumes are included, with gestational ages ranging between 17 and 35 weeks. STIC acquisition was possible in all cases. A ''basic cardiac study'' was achieved in 100% of cases, while an ''extended cardiac study'' was achieved in 86% of them. Multiplanar study improved the visualization of those structures not identifiable through the initial acquisition single plane in all cases. Conclusions. We present the first study on a nationwide scale about the introduction and applications of the STIC technology. STIC volumes can be obtained by operators inexperienced in fetal echocardiography and their offline analysis enables recognition of most of the structures and views necessary to assess fetal cardiac anatomy.

Large constellations of bright artificial satellites in low Earth orbit pose significant challenges to ground-based astronomy [1]. Currently orbiting constellation satellites have visual brightnesses between apparent magnitudes 4 and 6, satellite operators, astronomers, and other users of the night sky are working on brightness mitigation strategies [2,3]. Here we report the outcome of an international optical observation campaign of a prototype constellation satellite, AST Space Mobile’s “BlueWalker 3”. BlueWalker 3 features a 64.3 m2 phased-array antenna, as well as a 10.0 m2 Launch Vehicle Adapter (LVA)1. The peak brightness of the satellite reached an apparent visual magnitude of 0.4. This made the new satellite one of the brightest objects in the night sky. With an apparent visual magnitude of 5.5, the LVA which jettisoned on 2022-11-10 (UT), for which an orbital ephemeris was not publicly released until four days later, was four times brighter than the current International Astronomical Union recommendation of magnitude 7 [2,5]. The expected build-out of constellations with tens of thousands of new, brighter objects will make active satellite tracking and avoidance strategies a necessity for ground-based telescopes. However, this requires a complete and highly accurate set of satellite orbits. For BlueWalker 3, we determine that at present these location predictions are only accurate to within 7.2 ± 3.1 arcmin. [1] See https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=265584&x=

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The Plectranthus ornatus Codd. (also known as acetaminofem and boldo) has been found to have various pharmaceutical uses, including insecticidal properties. The metabolite composition of P. ornatus varies depending on soil and climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to optimize the growth and metabolite composition of P. ornatus (N = 72) through biodynamic substrate cultivation in Machetá-Cundinamarca, Colombia, located at 1850 masl, over a period of 60 days. Four different substrates were tested: sandy, vermicompost, horse manure, and biodynamic substrate, with the aim of identifying significant differences that would indicate optimization.The study evaluated root growth, plant material growth, and relative metabolite amounts (%) present in an ethanolic extract obtained under the same conditions. Additionally, the volatile fraction was identified using HS-SPME/GC-MS, and soil analysis was performed. The results showed that the plants grown in the biodynamic substrate had the highest growth in plant material and root (p < 0.05), while the plants grown in the sandy substrate had the highest concentration of volatile fraction in the extract. Furthermore, the plants grown in the biodynamic substrate exhibited greater vitality, and the physicochemical/microbiological composition of this substrate at the end of the trial showed a higher concentration of nutrients required for aromatics cultivation and a higher concentration of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.In conclusion, this study suggests that in the long term, the biodynamic substrate may be more efficient in obtaining metabolites of pharmaceutical interest, and a combination with sandy substrate should be considered for optimal results.

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