116 p. ; It is clear that the amount of people reaching old age is increasing worldwide. During last decades, the percentage of population aged more than 65 has been increasing. In fact, United Nations Organization reports indicate that the percentage of population aged more than 60 years was around a 10% in 1999 in the world but this increase will reach the 20% in 2050. Part of this effect is due to the increase lifespan of humans during last decades. It has been calculated that between 2045 and 2050 the lifespan of people aged 80 years will be around 10 years. It means that the number of nonagenarians and even centenarians will increase soon (United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, World Population Ageing 2013). Currently Europe has reached a 20% of population aged more than 60 years and in 2050 this proportion will be around 30%. Taken into consi-deration the needs of this population, the sustainability of social and health systems needs to be revised. Several initiatives have been proposed to increase health and independen-cy in elderly people. Increasing healthspan in aged population is one of the most important challenges in the near future. For example, the program EIP-AHA (Europa Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing) of the European Union pursues three main objectives involved in the increase in health span in European citizens. It is widely known that life habits deeply affect the capacity of cells, organs and tissues. Sedentary life habits and the increasing consume of saturated fatty acids is severely affecting the risk to suffer cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and metabolic diseases, all of them associated to chronic treatment during ageing. All sections (8) were also accompanied by different posters that have been associated to the different sections in this book. The reader of this book will then find a picture of the different fields included in the study of the biological ageing in different models from molecular to epidemiological aspects. I hope this information will be useful to, at least, understand how complex in the Biogerontology field and how much effort we have to do to increase longevity and, more importantly, health span during ageing.
La Vigilancia Tecnológica es un proceso sistemático de captación y análisis de información científico-tecnológica que sirve de apoyo en los procesos de toma de decisiones, en especial en las empresas de base tecnológica y en las instituciones de investigación y desarrollo. A través de los estudios de Vigilancia Tecnológica, se detectan fuentes de información esenciales para hacer frente a las decisiones tecnológicas, se extrae información relevante sobre tendencias tecnológicas, novedades, invenciones, potenciales socios o competidores, aplicaciones tecnológicas emergentes, a la vez que se contemplan aspectos regulatorios y de mercado que pueden condicionar el éxito de una innovación tecnológica. Toda esta información codificada y analizada brinda a un gestor, ya sea una empresa o institución científica, la posibilidad de trazar planes y formular estrategias tecnológicas, minimizando la incertidumbre. Este proyecto se propone desarrollar un sistema de vigilancia tecnológica, especializado en biotecnología, que permita realizar de forma sistemática la captura, el análisis, la difusión y la explotación de las informaciones técnicas útiles para el desarrollo y el crecimiento de las empresas de biotecnología en la provincia de Córdoba. Se partirá del análisis de los recursos disponibles en el sistema de innovación de la provincia de Córdoba (bases de datos, red de bibliotecas, servicios de documentación bibliográfica, etc.) y se determinarán los recursos específicos que son necesarios incorporar o desarrollar para poner en marcha el sistema. El diseño del sistema, basado en las aplicaciones informáticas disponibles y en las que se desarrollen en forma específica, pondrá a disposición de las instituciones científicas y de las empresas participantes la información analizada y estructurada. Como complemento se desarrollará un servicio de alertas sobre noticias de biotecnología, nuevos productos y tecnologías, novedades legislativas, ayudas y subvenciones, proyectos en desarrollo, etc. Como base del sistema se creará y se mantendrá una biblioteca on-line, donde se clasificarán y actualizarán las novedades tecnológicas, documentos clave y prospectivos, ofertas y demandas tecnológicas, eventos, boletines, etc. Como productos de este proyecto se dispondrá, además del diseño completo del sistema, de un portal básico que permitirá iniciar las actividades búsqueda, captura y de difusión. Se elaborará un documento final que expondrá, como resultados de la investigación realizada, las características del sistema, los recursos disponibles, los que deben ser adquiridos y/o desarrollados y que superan las posibilidades presupuestarias del propio proyecto. ; Fil: Martín, Sandra Gisela. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Sistema de Bibliotecas; Argentina
2005/2006 ; Questa tesi di dottorato è stata realizzata nell'ambito del progetto ECOManage (Jntegrated Ecological Coastal Zone Management System ), un progetto internazionale che ha come obiettivi comprendere e descrivere come gli ecosistemi estuarini rispondano agli impatti antropici, allo scopo di promuovere l'uso sostenibile, la protezione e la gestione della risorsa idrica; e fornire un supporto scientifico agli enti ambientali locali riguardo alle migliori pratiche politiche da attuare. I siti di interesse del progetto sono tre diverse aree costiere: un estuario con mangrovie (Santos, in Brasile), un grande estuario con estese aree intertidali (Bahia Bianca, in Argentina) e un fiordo (Puerto Aysen, in Cile). Le fasce costiere sono oggigiorno una delle zone più minacciate del mondo a causa della loro attrattiva e della disponibilità di risorse per lo sviluppo urbano e industriale. Per questo motivo molte di queste aree hanno raggiunto condizioni ambientali critiche come risultato della forte pressione antropica e del sovrasfruttamento delle risorse. Le aree costiere sono tra le più vulnerabili della Terra, quindi qualsiasi attività messa in pratica, dovrebbe essere accuratamente pianificata. Inoltre ciò che accade sulle coste ha effetti che vanno molto al di là delle comunità acquatiche e umane locali, causando conseguenze a lungo termine o irreparabili. In questa tesi ci si è occupati di due delle aree di studio costiere del progetto ECOManage: Santos e Bahia Bianca. Le due aree di studio sono sottoposte ad un notevole stress, causato specialmente da una mediocre pianificazione del territorio e dalle attività umane. La baia di Santos è contraddistinta dalla presenza di ecosistemi unici e di grande valore come la Mata Atlantica (foresta atlantica) e le foreste di mangrovie che sono costantemente sotto forte pressione provocata da un enorme sviluppo urbano nell'area che influenza anche la qualità dell'estuario stesso. Per questa ragione e per avere un'idea chiara delle condizioni di inquinamento dell'acqua dell'estuario di Santos, è stato calcolato un indice di qualità, applicando i principi dell'analisi Fuzzy, sulla base di campionamenti di acqua, sedimenti e organismi effettuati dal CETESB nel 1999 e nel 2000. L'indice di qualità evidenzia quelle aree dell'estuario in cui è presente un grado elevato, moderato e accettabile di inquinamento. Bahia Bianca è caratterizzata da estesi campi agricoli e da pascoli che la rendono una delle principali province argentine per l'esportazione di grano e di lana. Quest'area, pur essendo meno disturbata dal punto di vista ambientale rispetto alla baia di Santos, subisce un rilevante stress a causa delle attività agricole intensive che provocano erosione del suolo e degradazione del terreno. Lo scopo generale di questa ricerca è di creare un sistema di informazione completo e integrato usando le tecniche di telerilevamento e GIS, come fonte di dati per l'analisi dei problemi locali di Santos e Bahia Bianca, come ad esempio la perdita di suolo e l 'urbanizzazione. Inoltre stimare e comparare i risultati ottenuti da due modelli di erosione per evidenziare l'importanza della copertura vegetale come prevenzione dei processi di perdita del suolo che affliggono queste due aree. Nell'area di Santos è stata inclusa anche, come importante fonte di informazioni per gli studi attuali e futuri, un'analisi multitemporale della copertura del suolo, per determinare i cambiamenti di uso del suolo lungo un periodo di sette anni e la predizione dei cambiamenti nel futuro, applicando specifici software e tecniche di modellizzazione. Un sistema di supporto alle decisioni spaziale (SDSS) è stato elaborato per l'area di studio brasiliana per analizzare uno dei più importanti problemi di Santos: l'urbanizzazione, fornendo alle autorità locali uno strumento affidabile per i processi decisionali. L'analisi dei cambiamenti di copertura del suolo ha evidenziato le aree più vulnerabili alle pressioni antropiche (principalmente a causa della deforestazione e dell'urbanizzazione). I risultati ottenuti enfatizzano come le aree soggette maggiormente alle attività umane siano localizzate in zone di bassa e media elevazione, mentre le aree con maggior altitudine e forte pendenza ne sono meno influenzate. La maggior parte delle classi nelle due mappe di copertura del suolo (derivate dalla classificazione di due immagini satellitari Landsat del 1993 e del 2000) sono rimaste le stesse. Ciò è molto significativo in termini di impatto ambientale. La predizione della copertura del suolo per il 20 l O è stata ottenuta attraverso un'interpolazione basata sulle mappe di copertura del 1993 e del 2000. L'andamento di copertura del suolo per il 2010 rileva un apparente diminuzione degli effetti antropici e una copertura più uniforme. Ciò può essere giustificato dal miglioramento dell'applicazione delle leggi ambientali vigenti nell'area (CONAMA, 2002). La possibilità di predire la copertura del suolo del futuro è molto importante per effettuare valutazioni ambientali e per prevenire attività umane incontrollate, prevedendo possibili scenari riguardanti l'uso e la copertura del suolo dopo un numero specifico di anni. Per lo studio della degradazione del terreno e degli impatti dell'uomo sull'ambiente nelle due aree di studio, sono state elaborate delle mappe di rischio di erosione usando due diversi modelli, il RUSLE e l'USPED. Quest'ultimo permette di quantificare non solo la perdita di suolo ma anche i processi di deposizione che hanno luogo in una determinata regione. Il tasso di erosione è piuttosto basso sia per Santos che per Bahia Bianca, dove sembra che i processi di erosione siano determinati principalmente dalle caratteristiche topografiche delle due aree. Più bassi livelli di erosione sono stati trovati in terreni pianeggianti: in Santos le mangrovie hanno un tasso molto basso di erosione, mentre la vegetazione bassa ha un tasso più elevato; in Bahia Bianca le pianure intertidali hanno un tasso molto basso di erosione, mentre il suolo nudo a maggiori altitudini presenta un incremento dell'erosione. Ciò nonostante nell'area di Santos, la Mata Atlantica delle zone montane (che si trova prevalentemente ad altitudini maggiori a 570 m) presenta un'erosione molto bassa, evidenziando l 'importanza di una buona copertura vegetale nelle aree altrimenti soggette ad un elevato rischio di erosione. Comunque i livelli di erosione riscontrati nelle due aree di studio sono inferiori a quanto ci si aspettava: un'erosione molto elevata è stata rilevata solo nei terreni a maggior pendenza. Sfortunatamente la validazione dei risultati di erosione/sedimentazione non è possibile dal momento che non sono disponili misure in campo, ad ogni modo i risultati appaiono affidabili se confrontati con studi precedenti effettuati in località vicine con peculiarità simili. Inoltre i modelli di erosione sono un importante strumento per la valutazione dei processi di perdita di suolo e per l'elaborazione di mappe di rischio di erosione che possono essere utilizzate come utile riferimento per la pianificazione delle attività future, allo scopo di diminuire gli effetti erosivi attuali e di prevenire future degradazioni del suolo. Infine, l'elaborazione di un sistema di supporto decisionale spaziale per l'analisi dei problemi di urbanizzazione di Santos è stato possibile utilizzando i GIS. L'SDSS è stato progettato per valutare i problemi urbani di Santos, poiché c'è un numero considerevole di persone che vivono in aree protette come le riserve ecologiche delle mangrovie, comportando una forte pressione su questo fragile ed unico ecosistema, rendendo la loro sistemazione un importante problema da risolvere. Nella maggior parte dei casi queste persone appartengono alle classi sociali più basse, con stipendi miseri e uno stile di vita molto povero, aumentando la difficoltà della loro risistemazione. Essi dovrebbero venire al più presto spostati in zone più adeguate e più salubri. L'SDSS indica i posti più appropriate per realizzare questo progetto, tenendo in considerazione una serie di criteri. I fattori e le limitazioni considerate sono la topografia, la presenza di corpi d'acqua, la localizzazione di insediamenti urbani già esistenti, il tasso di erosione, il tipo di copertura del suolo, l'esistenza di aree protette. Tale strumento è un elemento prezioso che facilita la proposta di possibili soluzioni e gestioni del territorio attuabili per migliorare il problema dell'urbanizzazione a Santos e nei dintorni. Per questa ragione la realizzazione di un SDSS in questa tesi viene considerata come un metodo utile e affidabile per aiutare le autorità locali con i processi decisionali riguardanti le politiche da attuare per risolvere questo ed altri problemi critici che minacciano la città di Santos al momento attuale. È molto importante, quindi, fornire ai responsabili regionali e locali dei mezzi utili come i GIS, il telerilevamento, e strumenti di pianificazione attendibili come l'SDSS, come quelli realizzati in questa tesi, per aiutarli nel prendere decisioni, nel gestire il territorio e nell'affrontare i problemi odierni evitando un peggioramento dello scenario attuale. ; This thesis is developed within the ECOManage Project which have the strategic objectives to understand and quantify similarities and differences of estuarine system function in response to anthropogenic impacts in order to recommend restoration and/or sustainable development measures and to provide scientific support to local environmental managers on best-practice policies on 3 different coastal zones, including an estuary with mangroves (Santos-Brazil), a large estuary with wide intertidai areas (Bahia Bianca-Argentina) and a fiord (Aysen-Chile). This thesis focus mainly on two of Ecomanage study areas: Santos (Brazil) and Bahia Bianca (Argentina). Coastal areas, broadiy defined as near-coast waters and the adjacent land area, are nowadays one of the most threatened zones all over the world, due to their attractiveness, convenience and availability of resources for urban and industrial development. Therefore, many of these areas worldwide have reached critical environmental conditions as a result of great anthropologic pressure and overexploitation of their resources. Coastal areas are among the most vulnerable of Earth's ecosystems, any activity carried out in these areas should be carefully planned since what happens to the coasts has effects that reach far beyond their local aquatic and human communities, thus, causing irreparable or long term consequences. The two study areas that this thesis approach are characterized for being under significant environmental stress specially caused by poor urban planning and other anthropogenic activities like intensive agriculture. Santos is characterized by the presence of valuable and unique ecosystems as Mata Atlantica (Atlantic forest) and mangrove forests that are currently under great stress due to strong urban development in the area, which is also affecting the quality of its estuary. For this reason and so to have an appreciative idea of water quality conditions of Santos Estuary a quality index was also calculated applying Fuzzy set principles and based on water, sediment and organism samples collected by CETESB in 1999 and 2000. The quality index highlighted those areas with bad, moderate and acceptable pollution in the estuary. Bahia Bianca it is characterized by its extensive crop fields and pastures for grazing which make of i t one of the most important provinces in Argentina for grain and wool exportation. These area is under stress due to the intense agricultural activities which cause soil erosion and land degradation, however it is less environmentally affected than Santos Estuary. The general aim of this research is to create a complete information system using GIS and remote sensing techniques as data sources for the analysis of local problems of Santos and Bahia Bianca i.e. soil loss, urbanization. Furthermore, to estimate and compare rates of soil erosion obtained by two different erosion models stressing the importance of vegetation coverage as prevention of soil loss processes affecting these two study areas. The integration of landcover analysis making emphasis on multitemporal studies in the area of Santos to detect landcover change over a seven year period and the prediction of landcover change using specific software and modeling techniques was also included as an important source of information for the present and future studies. A Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) was elaborated for Santos study area to tackle one of its most important problems, urbanization, therefore providing local authorities with a reliable tool for decision making processes. Santos landcover change analysis highlighted the most vulnerable areas regarding anthropogenic pressures, mainly deforestation and urbanization. Results obtained emphasize that areas mostly affected by anthropogenic activities are located on low and medium elevations, while those areas characterized by high elevations and steep slopes are less influenced by human activities. Most of the classes in both cases seem to remain as themselves, between 70% and 90% of the area represented by each class does not suffer any impact or transformation into other class, which is quite significant in terms of environmental impact. Landcover prediction of 2010 was obtained through interpolation of surfaces based on the input landcover maps of 1993 and 2000. Landcover trend map of 20 l O highlight an apparent decrease of anthropogenic effects and a more uniform landcover. This could be justified by the improvement in application of environmental laws in the area (CONAMA, 2002). The possibility to predict future landcover is quite significant for performing environmental assessment and preventing uncontrolled anthropogenic activities in this way foreseeing possible scenarios regarding landuse and lancover after a specified number of years. Another important factor that was taken into consideration for Iand degradation and environmental impacts of human activities in these two areas, was the calculation of erosion risk maps using two different models, the RUSLE and USPED, the latest one also gives a quantification of deposition processes taking place. Erosion rates tend to be quite low for both study areas. In Santos and Bahia Bianca it seems that erosion processes are mainly determined by topographic characteristics of each area. Lower erosion rates are found on plain terrains: in Santos mangroves have very low erosion rates, while low vegetation have higher erosion rates; for Bahia Bianca intertidal flats have very low erosion rates, while bare soil at higher elevation increase its erosion rates. Nevertheless, in Santos Mata Atlantica of highlands is mainly found at elevations of more than 570 m, but erosion rates are still very low, this fact highlight the importance of a good vegetation cover in those areas at high risk of erosion. However, erosion rates obtained for Santos and Bahia Bianca, are quite lower than expected, very high erosion values were found only on steep slopes. Unfortunately, validation of erosion-sedimentation results was not possible since in-situ field measurements were not available, nevertheless, results tend to be quite reliable if compared to previous studies performed in nearby areas with similar characteristics. Nevertheless erosion modeling is an important tool for assessment of soil loss processes and elaboration of soil erosion risk maps which are useful references for planning future activities, decreasing current erosion effects as well as preventing future soil degradation. Finally, the elaboration of a Spatial Decision Support System for analyzing urbanization problems in Santos was also possible by the application of GIS. The SDSS was designed to evaluate urban problems in Santos, as there is a considerable number of people living in protected areas as mangrove ecological reserves, which put significant pressure on this fragile and unique ecosystem, so making their relocation an important issue to be solved. In most of the cases these people belong to the lowest social class, characterized by very low incomes and living in extreme poor conditions, which make the difficult task of relocation even more difficult. These people must be conveniently moved as soon as possible to adequate and safe areas. The SDSS indicates the most appropriate places for doing so, taking into consideration a series of local factors and constraints such as, topography, water bodies, existing urban settlements, erosion and landuse, that are the basis of the analysis performed to determine "suitable" locations. The SDSS was an important asset that facilitated the proposal of feasible solutions and viable recommendations to improve urbanization problems in the area of Santos and surroundings. For this reason the elaboration of a SDSS within this thesis, was intended to be a useful and reliable tool to help local authorities with the decision making process for solving Santos most critical threats affecting the city at the present time. It is important to provide regional responsible authorities with the right tools as remote sensing and GIS and reliable planning sources like SDSS thus, helping them in the decision making process for efficiently face current problems avoiding a worsening of the present scenarios. ; XIX Ciclo ; 1973 ; Versione digitalizzata della tesi di dottorato cartacea.
The involvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction was initially studied by the use of compounds with different affinities for each cannabinoid receptor or for the proteins involved in endocannabinoids inactivation. The generation of genetically modified mice with selective mutations in these endocannabinoid system components has now provided important advances in establishing their specific contribution to drug addiction. These genetic tools have identified the particular interest of CB1 cannabinoid receptor and endogenous anandamide as potential targets for drug addiction treatment. Novel genetic tools will allow determining if the modulation of CB2 cannabinoid receptor activity and 2-arachidonoylglycerol tone can also have an important therapeutic relevance for drug addiction. ; This work was supported by the Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación" (#SAF2007-64062 and SAF2011-29864), "Instituto de Salud Carlos III" (RETICS- Red de Trastornos Adictivos-Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud: #RD06/0001/0001, #RD06/0001/1004), grants #10/00316 and #10/01708, Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (PNSD #2009/026), the Catalan Government (SGR2009-00131) and the ICREA Foundation (ICREA Academia-2008)
While recent studies have identified higher than anticipated heterogeneity of mutation rate across genomic regions, mutations in exons and introns are assumed to be generated at the same rate. Here we find fewer somatic mutations in exons than expected from their sequence content and demonstrate that this is not due to purifying selection. Instead, we show that it is caused by higher mismatch-repair activity in exonic than in intronic regions. Our findings have important implications for understanding of mutational and DNA repair processes and knowledge of the evolution of eukaryotic genes, and they have practical ramifications for the study of evolution of both tumors and species. ; We acknowledge funding from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2015-66084-R, MINECO/FEDER, UE), La Fundació la Marató de TV3, EU H2020 Programme 2014-2020 under grant agreements no. 634143 (MedBioinformatics) and by the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant 682398). IRB Barcelona is a recipient of a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence Award from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO; Government of Spain) and is supported by CERCA (Generalitat de Catalunya). R. Sabarinathan is supported by an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 568-2014) co-funded by the European Commission (EMBOCOFUND2012, GA-2012-600394) support from Marie Curie Actions. A.Gonzalez-Perez is supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract
1. We address associations of taxonomic diversity (TD), functional diversity (FD), and phylogenetic diversity (PD) of ant assemblages with gradients of elevation to assess whether energetic limitations or deterministic or stochastic niche-building processes are more relevant to the assembly of communities. 2. We sampled ant assemblages using pitfall traps in grassland habitats along an elevational gradient of 1712 m in the Guadarrama Mountains of Central Spain. The relationships of alpha and beta diversity metrics with soil temperature, productivity, elevation, and geographical distances were examined with generalised additive (mixed) models. 3. The facets of diversity showed strong and partially coincident responses to the gradients, but the responses and the similarities among them weakened or disappeared when the effects of species richness were factored out. TD and FD changed roughly in a similar manner with elevation and productivity, but PD did not show clear responses to those factors. Taxonomic and functional richness increased with productivity and decreased with elevation. Mean pairwise functional and phylogenetic dissimilarities did not change along the gradients. Elevation and productivity gradients accounted for much of the beta TD among assemblages but only explained a moderate variation of functional traits and phylogenetic relationships, while geographical distances were more explanatory of beta PD. 4. The partial redundancies among facets of diversity suggest that the spatial variation of diversity is mainly related to the sheer number of species. However, both environmental filtering and limiting similarity could be acting in concordance to reduce the number of species present in communities ; Administrative and financial support was received from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CGL2014‐53789‐R) and Sierra de Guadarrama Park, which provided the permits for the sampling (ref 10/101642.9/16). Mariola Silvestre, Javier Seoane, and Francisco M. Azcárate work within the Madrid's Government research group network REMEDINAL3‐CM (S‐2013/MAE‐2719). Carlos P. Carmona was supported by the Estonian Research Council (PSG293) and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence EcolChange). Mariola Silvestre was supported by an FPI grant from MINECO. Special thanks to Héctor Miranda, Laura Morgado, and Miguel Blázquez for laboratory assistance and Violeta Hevia, Joaquin Calatayud, and Anders Forsman for your tips. Alberto González helped us to make the map and Xavier Espadaler to identify some species. We appreciate the use of data from Instituto Geográfico Nacional and Nuria Plaza for provided access with the satellite imagery
The systematics and distribution of the order Polycladida within the Macaronesian archipelagos are analysed. New species (Marcusia alba sp. nov., Prostheceraeus crisostomum sp. nov., Parviplana sodade sp. nov., Euplana claridade sp. nov., Stylochus salis sp. nov. and Distylochus fundae sp. nov.), new variety (Pseudoceros rawlinsonae var. galaxy), new records and records of shared species among different archipelagos are studied to compare the marine flatworm biodiversity of each island. The complex of archipelagos known as Macaronesia (including Madeira, Selvagens Islands, Canary Islands, Azores and Cape Verde) share a volcanic origin and European political influence. The five archipelagos are located along the eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean and are subject to similar trade winds, streams (like the Gulf Stream) and cold currents. The term Macaronesia has suffered several changes throughout the years and it still is a topic of discussion in present times. The new delimitation of Macaronesia is mainly based on systematic studies on the invertebrate fauna of the islands. The resulting analyses shed new light on the differences and similarities among these archipelagos. In addition, molecular analyses employing 28S nuclear gene sequences are compared to verify relationships among anatomically similar species of marine polyclads ; The authors thank Annie Machordom and Iván Acevedo for access to the facilities of the molecular biology laboratory of the National Museum of Natural Sciences and logistic support. We also thank Lourdes Alcaraz for her help and support during the investigations in this laboratory. Likewise, we thank María Valladolid and Manuela Gallardo for access and assistance provided in the histology laboratory of the National Museum of Natural Sciences. We cannot forget Christoph Bleidorn and Maite Aguado who contributed decisively to the financing of this study – thank you very much. We would like to thank the MIMAR project (Monitoring, control and mitigation of proliferation of marine organisms associated with human disturbances and climate change in the Macaronesian Region), co-financed by FEDER funds through the INTERREG V-A MAC program 2014–2020
This research article discusses the permanence of racialized epistemic hegemony in the NaturalSciences curriculum, by analyzing the degree of the racialization of school texts published in Colombia before and after the 1991 Political Constitution. Such hegemony configures another way of naturalizing and reproducing racism in school. The methodology used was qualitative and interpretive, with a methodological design based on content analysis. In this regard, a tertiary level of racialization (level ii) was found for school texts published during the years 1980 to 1990 and a secondary level or racialization (level I) for those published between 2000 and 2010, from the mediation of text contents, concening the manifestations of scientific racism and the use of the expression race. ; Este artículo de investigación discute sobre la permanencia de la hegemonía epistémica racializadaen el currículo de Ciencias Naturales, al analizar el grado de racialización de los textos escolares publicados en Colombia antes y después de la Constitución Política de 1991, pues tal hegemonía configura otra forma de naturalizar y reproducir el racismo en la escuela. La metodología utilizada en el texto fue de corte cualitativa e interpretativa, con un diseño metodológico basado en el análisis de contenido. Al respecto, se encontró un grado de racialización terciario (nivel ii) para los textos escolares publicados durante los años 1980 a 1990 y un grado de racialización secundario (nivel i) para los textos entre el 2000 y el 2010, a partir de la mediación de los contenidos de los textos, con relación a las manifestaciones de racismo científico y al uso de la expresión raza. ; Este artigo de pesquisa discute a permanência da hegemonia epistêmica racializada no currículodas ciências naturais, ao analisar grau de racialização dos textos escolares publicados na Colômbiaantes e depois da Constituição Política de 1991, pois tal hegemonia configura outra forma de naturalizar e reproduzir o racismo na escola. A metodologia utilizada no texto foi ...
Cyanobacteria are key microbes in topsoil communities that have important roles in preventing soil erosion, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and influencing soil hydrology. However, little is known regarding the identity and distribution of the microbial components in the photosynthetic assemblages that form a cohesive biological soil crust (biocrust) in drylands of Europe. In this study, we investigated the cyanobacterial species colonizing biocrusts in three representative dryland ecosystems from the most arid region in Europe (SE Spain) that are characterized by different soil conditions. Isolated cyanobacterial cultures were identified by a polyphasic approach, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing, phylogenetic relationship determination, and morphological and ecological habitat assessments. Three well-differentiated groups were identified: heterocystous-cyanobacteria (Nostoc commune, Nostoc calcicola, Tolypothrix distorta and Scytonema hyalinum), which play an important role in N and C cycling in soil; nonheterocystous bundle-forming cyanobacteria (Microcoleus steenstrupii, Trichocoleus desertorum, and Schizothrix cf. Calcicola); and narrow filamentous cyanobacteria (Leptolyngbya frigida and Oculatella kazantipica), all of which are essential genera for initial biocrust formation. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of cyanobacterial species composition in biocrusts from important and understudied European habitats, such as the Mediterranean Basin, a hotspot of biodiversity, where these species are keystone pioneer organisms ; This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Government and European Regional Funds (CGL2013-44870-R, CGL2014-59946-R and CGL2017-86258-R). The study has also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 706351, Project Cyano4REST. B.R-R. was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the foundation Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
We have generated and characterized seven human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a single family, including unaffected and affected individuals clinically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The reprogramming of the PBMCs was performed using non-integrative Sendai virus containing the reprogramming factors POU5F1 (OCT4), SOX2, KLF4 and MYC. All iPSC lines exhibited a normal karyotype and pluripotency was validated by immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and their ability to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers. These iPSC lines are a valuable resource to study the molecular mechanisms underlying ASD ; This study was funded in part by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grants (GNT1044175 and GNT1098255) awarded to E.G.S, M.B.D, I.S and P.J.L. K.B is supported by an E.H. Flack Fellowship and P.J.L is supported by the Vincent Chiodo Foundation. Additional infrastructure funding to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute was provided by the Australian Government NHMRC Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support Scheme and the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The MCRI iPSC Core Facility is supported by the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation. M.B and E.G.S are Research Fellows, and I.S is a Practitioner Fellow, of the NHMRC
The Male Warrior Hypothesis (MWH) establishes that men's psychology has been shaped by inter-group competition to acquire and protect reproductive resources. In this context, sex-specific selective pressures would have favored cooperation with the members of one's group in combination with hostility towards outsiders. We investigate the role of developmental testosterone, as measured indirectly through static markers of prenatal testosterone (2D:4D digit ratio) and pubertal testosterone (body musculature and facial masculinity), on both cooperation and aggressive behavior in the context of intergroup conflict among men. Supporting the MWH, our results show that the intergroup conflict scenario promotes cooperation within group members and aggression toward outgroup members. Regarding the hormonal underpinnings of this phenomenon, we find that body musculature is positively associated with aggression and cooperation, but only for cooperation when context (inter-group competition) is taken into account. Finally, we did not find evidence that the formidability of the group affected individual rates of aggression or cooperation, controlling for individual characteristics ; Research was funded by a Regular FONDECYT project (#1170513) to J.A.M.R. and a FONDECYT Iniciación project (#11181293) to P.P. from the government of Chile
Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a neglected disease that affects about 7 million people in Latin America, recently emerging on other continents due to migration. As infection in mice is characterized by depletion of plasma L-arginine, the effect on infection outcome was tested in mice with or without L-arginine supplementation and treatment with 1400W, a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We found that levels of L-arginine and citrulline were reduced in the heart and plasma of infected mice, whereas levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, an endogenous iNOS inhibitor, were higher. Moreover, L-arginine supplementation decreased parasitemia and heart parasite burden, improving clinical score and survival. Nitric oxide production in heart tissue and plasma was increased by L-arginine supplementation, while pharmacological inhibition of iNOS yielded an increase in parasitemia and worse clinical score. Interestingly, electrocardiograms improved in mice supplemented with L-arginine, suggesting that it modulates infection and heart function and is thus a potential biomarker of pathology. More importantly, L-arginine may be useful for treating T. cruzi infection, either alone or in combination with other antiparasitic drugs. ; This work was supported by (NG) grants from "Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias" (PI12/ 00289); "Universidad Autónoma de Madrid" and "Banco de Santander" (CEAL-AL/2015- 12); "Ministerio de Economía y competitividad" SAF2015-63868-R (MINECO/FEDER); by (MF) grants from "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación" (SAF2010-17833);grants from "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación" (SAF2010-17833); SAF2016-75988-R (MINECO/FEDER) "Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales" (RICET RD12/0018/ 0004); European Union (HEALTH-FE-2008-22303, ChagasEpiNet); AECID Cooperation with Argentina (A/025417/09 and A/031735/10), Comunidad de Madrid (S-2010/BMD-2332) and "Fundación Ramón Areces"
It has been reported that the immune response mediated by T CD8+ lymphocytes plays a critical role in the control of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and that the clinical symptoms of Chagas disease appear to be related to the competence of the CD8+ T immune response against the parasite. Herewith, in silico prediction and binding assays on TAP-deficient T2 cells were used to identify potential HLA-A∗02:01 ligands in the T. cruzi TcCA-2 protein. The TcCA-2-specific CD8+ T cells were functionality evaluated by Granzyme B and cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Chagas disease patients stimulated with the identified HLA-A∗02:01 peptides. The specific cells were phenotypically characterized by flow cytometry using several surface markers and HLA-A∗02:01 APC-labeled dextramer loaded with the peptides. In the T. cruzi TcCA-2 protein four T CD8+ epitopes were identified which are processed and presented during Chagas disease. Interestingly, a differential cellular phenotypic profile could be correlated with the severity of the disease. The TcCA-2-specific T CD8+ cells from patients with cardiac symptoms are mainly effector memory cells (TEM and TEMRA) while, those present in the asymptomatic phase are predominantly naive cells (TNAIVE). Moreover, in patients with cardiac symptoms the percentage of cells with senescence features is significantly higher than in patients at the asymptomatic phase of the disease. We consider that the identification of these new class I-restricted epitopes are helpful for designing biomarkers of sickness pathology as well as the development of immunotherapies against T. cruzi infection ; This work was supported by grants SAF2012-35777 and SAF2013-48527-R from Programa Estatal I+D+i (MINECO); Network of Tropical Diseases Research RICET, grants RD12/ 0018/0021 and RD12/0018/0018 (MSSSI, Spain) and FEDER. MS and BC were also supported by grant FIS, 2009SGR385 from ISCIII (MSSSI, Spain). Coauthor Concepción Marañón is employed by Genomic Medicine Department, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer / University of Granada / Andalusian Regional Government. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer / University of Granada / Andalusian Regional Government provided support in the form of salaries for author Concepción Marañón, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the author contributions section
Frontiers in Microbiology 6 (2015): 797 This Document is Protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. It is reproduced with permission ; Cyanobacteria are thought to play a key role in carbonate formation due to their metabolic activity, but other organisms carrying out oxygenic photosynthesis (photosynthetic eukaryotes) or other metabolisms (e.g., anoxygenic photosynthesis, sulfate reduction), may also contribute to carbonate formation. To obtain more quantitative information than that provided by more classical PCR-dependent methods, we studied the microbial diversity of microbialites from the Alchichica crater lake (Mexico) by mining for 16S/18S rRNA genes in metagenomes obtained by direct sequencing of environmental DNA. We studied samples collected at the Western (AL-W) and Northern (AL-N) shores of the lake and, at the latter site, along a depth gradient (1, 5, 10, and 15 m depth). The associated microbial communities were mainly composed of bacteria, most of which seemed heterotrophic, whereas archaea were negligible. Eukaryotes composed a relatively minor fraction dominated by photosynthetic lineages, diatoms in AL-W, influenced by Si-rich seepage waters, and green algae in AL-N samples. Members of the Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria classes of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant bacterial taxa, followed by Planctomycetes, Deltaproteobacteria (Proteobacteria), Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi. Community composition varied among sites and with depth. Although cyanobacteria were the most important bacterial group contributing to the carbonate precipitation potential, photosynthetic eukaryotes, anoxygenic photosynthesizers and sulfate reducers were also very abundant. Cyanobacteria affiliated to Pleurocapsales largely increased with depth. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed considerable areas of aragonite-encrusted Pleurocapsa-like cyanobacteria at microscale. Multivariate statistical analyses showed a strong positive correlation of Pleurocapsales and Chroococcales with aragonite formation at macroscale, and suggest a potential causal link. Despite the previous identification of intracellularly calcifying cyanobacteria in Alchichica microbialites, most carbonate precipitation seems extracellular in this system ; We are grateful to Eleonor Cortés for help and good company during the field trip and to Eberto Novelo for helpful discussions at the UNAM lab. This research was funded by the European Research Council Grants ProtistWorld (PI PL-G., Grant Agreement no. 322669) and CALCYAN (PI KB, Grant Agreement no. 307110) under the European Union's Seventh Framework Program and the RTP Génomique environnementale of the CNRS (project MetaStrom, PI DM)
A major challenge for further development of drug screening procedures, cell replacement therapies and developmental studies is the identification of expandable human stem cells able to generate the cell types needed. We have previously reported the generation of an immortalized polyclonal neural stem cell (NSC) line derived from the human fetal ventral mesencephalon (hVM1). This line has been biochemically, genetically, immunocytochemically and electrophysiologically characterized to document its usefulness as a model system for the generation of A9 dopaminergic neurons (DAn). Long-term in vivo transplantation studies in parkinsonian rats showed that the grafts do not mature evenly. We reasoned that diverse clones in the hVM1 line might have different abilities to differentiate. In the present study, we have analyzed 9 hVM1 clones selected on the basis of their TH generation potential and, based on the number of v-myc copies, v-myc down-regulation after in vitro differentiation, in vivo cell cycle exit, TH+ neuron generation and expression of a neuronal mature marker (hNSE), we selected two clones for further in vivo PD cell replacement studies. The conclusion is that homogeneity and clonality of characterized NSCs allow transplantation of cells with controlled properties, which should help in the design of long-term in vivo experiments ; This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (formerly Science and Innovation; PLE2009-0101, SAF2010-17167), Comunidad Autónoma Madrid (S2011-BMD-2336), Instituto Salud Carlos III (RETICS TerCel, RD06/0010/0009) and European Union (Excell, NMP4-SL-2008-214706). This work was also supported by an institutional grant from Foundation Ramón Areces to the Center of Molecular Biology Severo Ochoa
