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This article is the ninth in the series of Fungal Diversity Notes, where 107 taxa distributed in three phyla, nine classes, 31 orders and 57 families are described and illustrated. Taxa described in the present study include 12 new genera, 74 new species, three new combinations, two reference specimens, a re-circumscription of the epitype, and 15 records of sexual-asexual morph connections, new hosts and new geographical distributions. Twelve new genera comprise Brunneofusispora, Brunneomurispora, Liua, Lonicericola, Neoeutypella, Paratrimmatostroma, Parazalerion, Proliferophorum, Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis, Septomelanconiella, Velebitea and Vicosamyces. Seventy-four new species are Agaricus memnonius, A. langensis, Aleurodiscus patagonicus, Amanita flavoalba, A. subtropicana, Amphisphaeria mangrovei, Baorangia major, Bartalinia kunmingensis, Brunneofusispora sinensis, Brunneomurispora lonicerae, Capronia camelliae-yunnanensis, Clavulina thindii, Coniochaeta simbalensis, Conlarium thailandense, Coprinus trigonosporus, Liua muriformis, Cyphellophora filicis, Cytospora ulmicola, Dacrymyces invisibilis, Dictyocheirospora metroxylonis, Distoseptispora thysanolaenae, Emericellopsis koreana, Galiicola baoshanensis, Hygrocybe lucida, Hypoxylon teeravasati, Hyweljonesia indica, Keissleriella caraganae, Lactarius olivaceopallidus, Lactifluus midnapurensis, Lembosia brigadeirensis, Leptosphaeria urticae, Lonicericola hyaloseptispora, Lophiotrema mucilaginosis, Marasmiellus bicoloripes, Marasmius indojasminodorus, Micropeltis phetchaburiensis, Mucor orantomantidis, Murilentithecium lonicerae, Neobambusicola brunnea, Neoeutypella baoshanensis, Neoroussoella heveae, Neosetophoma lonicerae, Ophiobolus malleolus, Parabambusicola thysanolaenae, Paratrimmatostroma kunmingensis, Parazalerion indica, Penicillium dokdoense, Peroneutypa mangrovei, Phaeosphaeria cycadis, Phanerochaete australosanguinea, Plectosphaerella kunmingensis, Plenodomus artemisiae, P. lijiangensis, Proliferophorum thailandicum, Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis kaveriana, Pseudohelicomyces menglunicus, Pseudoplagiostoma mangiferae, Robillarda mangiferae, Roussoella elaeicola, Russula choptae, R. uttarakhandia, Septomelanconiella thailandica, Spencermartinsia acericola, Sphaerellopsis isthmospora, Thozetella lithocarpi, Trechispora echinospora, Tremellochaete atlantica, Trichoderma koreanum, T. pinicola, T. rugulosum, Velebitea chrysotexta, Vicosamyces venturisporus, Wojnowiciella kunmingensis and Zopfiella indica. Three new combinations are Baorangia rufomaculata, Lanmaoa pallidorosea and Wojnowiciella rosicola. The reference specimens of Canalisporium kenyense and Tamsiniella labiosa are designated. The epitype of Sarcopeziza sicula is re-circumscribed based on cyto- and histochemical analyses. The sexual-asexual morph connection of Plenodomus sinensis is reported from ferns and Cirsium for the first time. In addition, the new host records and country records are Amanita altipes, A. melleialba, Amarenomyces dactylidis, Chaetosphaeria panamensis, Coniella vitis, Coprinopsis kubickae, Dothiorella sarmentorum, Leptobacillium leptobactrum var. calidus, Muyocopron lithocarpi, Neoroussoella solani, Periconia cortaderiae, Phragmocamarosporium hederae, Sphaerellopsis paraphysata and Sphaeropsis eucalypticola., Rungtiwa Phookamsak thanks CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for Young Staff 2019–2021 (grant number 2019FY0003), the Research Fund from China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. Y71B283261), the Yunnan Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security (Grant No. Y836181261), and National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) project code 31850410489 for financial research support. Kevin D. Hyde thanks the Foreign Experts Bureau of Yunnan Province, Foreign Talents Program (2018; Grant No. YNZ2018002), Thailand Research grants entitled Biodiversity, phylogeny and role of fungal endophytes on above parts of Rhizophora apiculata and Nypa fruticans (Grant No: RSA5980068), the future of specialist fungi in a changing climate: baseline data for generalist and specialist fungi associated with ants, Rhododendron species and Dracaena species (Grant No: DBG6080013), Impact of climate change on fungal diversity and biogeography in the Greater Mekong Subregion (Grant No: RDG6130001). Jianchu Xu thanks the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDY-SSW-SMC014). Peter E Mortimer would like to thank the National Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for financial support under the following grants: 41761144055, 41771063 and Y4ZK111B01. Olivier Raspé is grateful to the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique-FNRS (Belgium) for travel grants. Samantha C. Karunarathna thanks CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for funding his postdoctoral research (Grant No. 2018PC0006) and the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC, project code 31750110478). Dhanushaka N. Wanasinghe would like to thank CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for funding his postdoctoral research (Grant No. 2019PC0008). E.B. Gareth Jones is supported under the Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program (DSFP), King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia., Aniket Ghosh, Kanad Das, Priyanka Uniyal, Rajendra P. Bhatt, Tahir Mehmood, and Upendra Singh are grateful to the Head, Department of Botany & Microbiology & USIC Dept. HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal and thank to the Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata for providing all kinds of facilities during the present study and UGC for providing fellowship to Aniket Ghosh, Priyanka Uniyal and Tahir Mehmood. K. P. Deepna Latha acknowledge the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) in the form of a PhD fellowship (Grant No. 001/FSHP/2011/CSTE) and the Principal Chief Conservator of forests, Kerala State, for granting permission (No. WL10- 4937/2012, dated 03-10-2013) to collect agarics from the forests of Kerala. K. N. Anil Raj thanks the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India, in the form of an award of CSIR Research Associateship (09/043(0178) 2K17 dated: 31/03/2017). Mao-Qiang He and Rui-Lin Zhao thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project ID: 31470152 and 31360014) and the Foundation of Innovative Group of Edible Mushrooms Industry of Beijing (Project ID:BAIC05-2017). Mingkwan Doilom would like to thank the 5th batch of Postdoctoral Orientation Training Personnel in Yunnan Province and the 64th batch of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation., Tatiana Baptista Gibertoni and Renato Lu´cio Mendes Alvarenga acknowledge Dr. Viacheslav Spirin for the taxonomic and morphological advises, CNPq for the Ph.D scholarship of RLMA (140283/ 2016-1), Po´s-Graduac¸a˜o em Biologia de Fungos (UFPE, Brazil), Capes (Capes-SIU 008/13), CNPq (PQ 307601/2015-3) and FACEPE (APQ 0375-2.03/15) for funding the research. Margarita Duen˜as, M. Teresa Telleria and Marı´a P. Martı´n acknowledge financial support from the Agreement ENDESA and San Ignacio de Huinay Foundations and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas, CSIC (Projects No. 2011HUIN10, 2013CL0012, 2014CL0011), the AECID (Agencia Espan˜ola de Cooperacio´n Internacional para el Desarrollo) and Plan Nacional I ? D?i project no. CGL2015–67459–P; to Reinhard Fitzek (San Ignacio del Huinay Foundation, Chile) for his invaluable help during fieldwork, and M. Glenn (Seton Hall University, US) for revising the text and Miguel Jerez and Yolanda Ruiz Leo´n for SEM technical assistance. Sandra Nogal-Prata was supported by a Predoctoral Grant from the Ministerio de Economı´a y Competitividad (Spain) (BES-2016-077793). Armin Mesˇic´ and Zdenko Tkalcˇec thank Croatian Science Foundation for their partial support under the project HRZZ-IP-2018-01-1736 (ForFungiDNA) and are grateful to Milan Cˇ erkez for collecting specimens of coprinoid taxa for this study. Hyang Burm Lee was supported by the Graduate Program for the Undiscovered Taxa of Korea, and the Project on Survey and Discovery of Indigenous Fungal Species of Korea funded by NIBR and Project on Discovery of Fungi from Freshwater and Collection of Fungarium funded by NNIBR of the Ministry of Environment (MOE), and in part carried out with the support of Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (PJ013744), Rural Development Administration, and BK21 PLUS program funded by Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea., Mubashar Raza would like to thank the CASTWAS for the PhD Fellowship. Sanjay K. Singh, Paras Nath Singh, Shiwali Rana and Frank Kwekucher Ackah thank Director, MACS, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India for providing facilities. Shiwali Rana and Frank Kwekucher Ackah thank UGC (Junior Research Fellowship) and DST, Govt. of India (CV Raman Fellowship for African Researchers), respectively. Gen-Nuo Wang, Huang Zhang, Wei Dong and Xian-Dong Yu thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project ID: NSF 31500017). Bandarupalli Devadatha and V. Venkateswara Sarma thank The Ministry of Earth sciences, Govt. of India (Sanction order: MOES/36/OO1S/ Extra/40/2014/PC-IV dt.14.1.2015) for a funding of the project, T, District Forest Office, Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu and PCCF (Head of Forest Force), Chennai, Tamil Nadu Forest Department for providing permission to collect samples from Muthupet mangroves, and Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University is thanked for providing the facilities. Myung Soo Park, Seung-Yoon Oh and Young Woon Lim thank the Marine Bio Resource Bank Program of the Ministry of Ocean & Fisheries, Korea. Olinto Pereira thanks the CAPES, CNPq and FAPEMIG for financial support. Neven Matocˇec, Ivana Kusˇan and Margita Jadan express their gratitude to Livio Lorenzon, Enrico Bizio and Raffaella Trabucco (MCVE) for their kind help with loan of Sarcopeziza sicula type material; parts of their, research were financed by Public Institutions Sjeverni Velebit National Park and Paklenica National Park. Dong-Qin Dai and LiZhou Tang thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. NSFC 31760013, NSFC 31260087, NSFC 31460561), the Scientific Research Foundation of Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2017ZZX186) and utilization of endophytes and the Thousand Talents Plan, Youth Project of Yunnan Provinces. Ting-Chi Wen, Chada Norphanphoun and Shi-Ke Huang are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31760014) and the Science and Technology Foundation of Guizhou Province (No. [2017]5788). Monika C. Dayarathne thanks to Thailand Research Fund (TRF) Grant No MRG6080089 for financial research support. Napalai Chaiwan thanks The Royal Golden Jubilee Ph. D. Program (PHD60K0147) under Thailand Research Fund, for financial research supports on project entitle ‘‘Fungi on limestone outcrops from southern Thailand to lower himalyas’’. Saranyaphat Boonmee and Sirinapa Konta would like to thank the National Research Council of Thailand (Grant No. 61215320023, 61215320013) and the Thailand Research Fund (Grant No. TRG6180001) for research financial support. Saisamorn Lumyong would like to thank the Thailand Research Fund (RTA 5880006) and Chiang Mai University for partially support this research work. Itthyakorn Promputtha would like to thank Chiang Mai University for partially supported this research work. Lei Cai acknowledges China-Thailand Joint Lab on Microbial Biotechnology (Most KY201701011) for financial support. PhD students from Mae Fah Laung and Chiang Mai Universities thank the Mushroom Research Foundation for research financial support and PhD Fellowships.

Current approved therapies for pulmonary hypertension (PH) aim to restore the balance between endothelial mediators in the pulmonary circulation. These drugs may exert vasodilator effects on poorly oxygenated vessels. This may lead to the derivation of blood perfusion towards low ventilated alveoli, i.e., producing ventilation-perfusion mismatch, with detrimental effects on gas exchange. The aim of this study is to analyze the oxygen-sensitivity in vitro of 25 drugs currently used or potentially useful for PH. Additionally, the study analyses the effectiveness of these vasodilators in the pulmonary vs. the systemic vessels. Vasodilator responses were recorded in pulmonary arteries (PA) and mesenteric arteries (MA) from rats and in human PA in a wire myograph under different oxygen concentrations. None of the studied drugs showed oxygen selectivity, being equally or more effective as vasodilators under conditions of low oxygen as compared to high oxygen levels. The drugs studied showed low pulmonary selectivity, being equally or more effective as vasodilators in systemic than in PA. A similar behavior was observed for the members within each drug family. In conclusion, none of the drugs showed optimal vasodilator profile, which may limit their therapeutic efficacy in PH. This work was supported by grants from Mineco (SAF2011-28150, SAF2016-77222, PID2019- 107363RB-I00), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI15/01100, FIS PI14/01733) with funds from the European Union (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER) and Fundación contra la Hipertensión Pulmonar (Empathy project). D.M.-C., M.C., G.M.-P. and S.E.-R. were funded by a Formación de Personal Investigador grant (BES-2012-051904), Universidad Complutense, Ciberes grant and a FPU grant from Ministerio de Educación, respectively. Sí

20 Pags.- 4 Figs.- 5 Tabls., In more than 60 families of angiosperms, the self- and cross-fertilization is avoided through a complex widespread genetic system called self-incompatibility (SI). One of the major puzzling issues concerning the SI is the evolution of this system in species with complex polyploid genomes. Among plums, one of the first fruits species to attract human interest, polyploid species represent enormous genetic potential, which can be exploited in breeding programs. However, molecular studies in these species are very scarce due to the complexity of their genome. In order to study the SFB gene [the male component of gametophytic self-incompatibility system (GSI)] in plum species, 36 plum accessions belonging to diploid and hexaploid species were used. A total of 19 different alleles were identified; 1 of them was revealed after analyzing sequences. Peptide sequence analysis allowed identifying the five domains features of the SFB gene. Polymorphism analysis showed a subtle difference between domesticated and open pollinated Tunisian accessions and suggested a probable influence of the ploidy level. Divergence analysis between studied sequences showed that a new specificity may appear after 5.3% of divergence at synonymous sites between pairs of sequences in Prunus insititia, 6% in Prunus cerasifera, 8% and 9% in Prunus domestica and Prunus salicina respectively. Furthermore, sites under positive selection, the ones more likely to be responsible for specificity determination, were identified. A positive and significant Pearson correlation was found between the divergence between sequences, divergence time, fixed substitutions (MK test), and PSS number. These results supported the model assuming that functionally distinct proteins have arisen not as a result of chance fixation of neutral variants, but rather as a result of positive Darwinian selection. Further, the role that plays recombination can not be ruled out, since a rate of 0.08 recombination event per polymorphic sites was identified., This research was supported by the Tunisian ‘Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique’ and the Project PCI ref. AP/038338/11, funded by the ‘Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo-AECID’of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Uncaria tomentosa, which is widely commercialized as an herbal medicine, constitutes an important source of secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities. For instance, we have previously reported, for the first time, of a polyphenolic profile rich in proanthocyanidins from extracts of U. tomentosa plants, as well as their antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activity on aerial bacteria, and cytotoxicity on cancer cell lines. These promising results prompted this research to evaluate the polyphenolic contents of U. tomentosa commercial products. We report a detailed study on the polyphenolic composition of extracts from U. tomentosa bark products (n = 18) commercialized in Costa Rica and Spain. Using HPLC-DAD/TQ-ESI-MS, a total of 25 polyphenolic compounds were identified, including hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ol monomers, procyanidin dimers, procyanidin trimers, as well as propelargonidin dimers. Our findings on the polyphenolic profile for all commercial samples show analogous composition to previous reports on U. tomentosa bark material, for instance a 41&ndash, 49% content of procyanidin dimers and the presence of propelargonidin dimers (8&ndash, 15%). However, most of the 18 commercial samples exhibit low proanthocyanidin contents (254.8&ndash, 602.8 &micro, g/g), more similar to previous U. tomentosa inner bark reports, while some exhibit better results, with one sample (SP-2) showing the highest contents (2386.5 &micro, g/g) representing twice the average value of all 18 commercial products. This sample also exhibits the highest total phenolics (TP) and total proanthocyanidins (PRO) contents, as well as the highest Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value (1.31 &micro, g TE/g). One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a Tukey post hoc test indicated significant difference (p &lt, 0.05) between products from Costa Rica and Spain for TP and PRO findings, with samples from Spain exhibiting a higher average value. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis results showed a positive correlation (p &lt, 0.05) between TP, PRO, and ORAC results, and an especially important correlation between ORAC antioxidant values and procyanidin dimers (r = 0.843, p &lt, 0.05), procyanidin trimers (r = 0.847, p &lt, 0.05), and propelargonidin dimers (r = 0.851, p &lt, 0.05) contents. Finally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results indicated some variability in the composition regardless of their origin. However, only one sample (SP-2) stands out significatively, showing the highest PC1 because of its particularly high proanthocyanidins contents, which could be attributed to the 15% bark polyphenolic extract labeled in this commercial product, which differentiate this sample from all other 17 commercial samples. Therefore, our findings confirmed previous results on the value of extracts in the elaboration of potential commercial products from U. tomentosa, rich in proanthocyanidins and exhibiting high antioxidant activity.

The potential application of silicon oxycarbonitride (SiOCN), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and silicon oxycarbide¿SiC (SiOC¿SiC) for photothermal devices such as volumetric solar absorbers has been studied evaluating the response to thermal shock from a Fresnel lens. The accelerated ageing test comprises fast heating (32¿C min¿1 ) and cooling rates (27¿C min¿1 ) from 100 to 1000¿C and dwelling times of 10 min. Porous materials (SiOCNp and SiOCp) failed the thermal shock tests; they were massively degraded by the formation of a large depression in the focus of solar radiation. Dense materials (SiOCd and SiOC¿SiCd) withstood 100 cycles of thermal shock ageing tests due to the formation of a protective silica layer. The absorptance values for dense materials remained fairly constant before and after thermal shock tests: from 94.5 to 94.3% for SiOCd and from 93.3 to 93.3% for SiOC¿SiCd . These preliminary studies indicate their potential for high-temperature solar receiver applications., This research was funded by MINISTERIO DE ECONOMÍA, INDUSTRIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD OF SPAIN, [ENE2012-39385-CO3-01] and SPANISH RESEARCH AGENGY AND THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (AEI/FEDER, UE), [MAT2016-78700-R].We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

The NH, SO and CO van der Waals complexes with imidazole are characterized using highly correlated ab initio methods. The aim is to compare the behavior of greenhouse effect gases and pollutants in the presence of imidazole for predicting the ability of new materials, such as Zeolite Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF's), for CO capture, storage and gas filters. Imidazole is considered as the simplest model to study the nature of host-guest interactions in ZIF's. Hydrogen bonding plays an important role in these polar gas capture processes, leading to three equilibrium structures of the imidazole + NH, five of the imidazole + SO, and twelve of the imidazole + CO. Real harmonic frequencies confirm the minimum energy character of these geometries. The complexation processes carry out important changes in the charge distribution of the ring. Binding energies calculated with CCSD(T)-F12 theory predict a favored adsorption of ammonia with respect to CO. In this case, the formation of intramolecular bonds involving the unprotonated nitrogen is clearly favored energetically. The binding energy corresponding to the most stable structure I1A of SO is approximately twice of the corresponding value of CO. Carbon monoxide presents the largest number of possible equilibrium structures which assure its capture by solid ZIF's although binding energies are relatively low., This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Program under grant n PIRSES-GA- 2012-31754, the FIS2013-40626-P and FIS2016-76418-P projects of the MINECO, Spain. The authors also acknowledge the COST Actions 1401 and 1405. S.D. acknowledges MAEC-ACID (Spain) for the grant.

36 Pags.- 4 Figs.- 5 Tabls. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044238, The agronomic performance and fruit quality traits were evaluated for ten Prunus rootstocks: Garnem, PADAC 150, PADAC 04-03, PADAC 04-01, Rootpac® 70, PM 105 AD, AGAF 0301-04, Krymsk® 1, Krymsk® 86 and PAC 847. These rootstocks were budded with ‘Subirana’ flat peach cultivar in September 2007 and planted in two adjacent plots in northern Tunisia (36°41′N, 10°15′E) on a heavy and calcareous soil typical of the Mediterranean area. Tree mortality, vegetative growth, rate of bud failure and fruit quality were assessed. Significant differences were found among rootstocks for the agronomic and fruit quality traits. Growing conditions generated varying levels of tree mortality, the highest with Krymsk® 1 rootstock. In contrast, all trees on PADAC 04-03 and PADAC 04-01 survived well. The lowest vigor was induced by Krymsk® 1 with a reduction of 90% in trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) and canopy volume as compared to Garnem. PADAC 150 also expressed a low vigor. The highest canopy volume was found on Rootpac® 70 as similarly for Garnem. The remaining rootstocks induced a medium vigor level. Trees on vigorous rootstocks as Rootpac® 70 showed the lowest rate of bud failure, while dwarfing rootstocks induced the highest buds abscission. Yield was higher for AGAF 0301-04 in 2011 and 2012 as compared to the rest of rootstocks. The highest yield efficiency was recorded on PM 105 AD and AGAF 0301-04 rootstocks. Rootpac® 70 presented the highest fruit weight and fruit diameter. The highest level of soluble solids content (SSC) was recorded on Krymsk® 1, and the lowest on Garnem, although differences were not significant when compared to the other rootstocks. The less vigorous rootstocks seem to induce a better fruit quality of peach based on fruit sugar content. This study provides information that new Prunus rootstocks for peach can lead to a better agronomic performance than Garnem, mainly in vigor and in productive parameters. The peach-plum hybrid PADAC 04-03 induced good yield, with large fruit size and acceptable efficiency with significant smaller trees than Garnem., This research was partially supported by the Bi-lateral Cooperation Project between Tunisia and Spain ‘Compatibilité des portes greffes Prunus avec les espèces fruitières à noyau’ (Ref. A/5525/06) and funded by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI).

We present a novel lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device for the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers using simple voltage measurements. The biosensor functionalization is performed in-situ, immediately before its use, facilitating reagents storage and massive devices fabrication. Sensitivity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) are tunable depending on the in-chip flown sample volumes. As a proof-of-concept, the system has been tested and adjusted to quantify two proteins found in blood that are susceptible to be used combined, as a screening tool, to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa): prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and spondin-2 (SPON2). This combination of biomarkers has been reported to be more specific for PCa diagnostics than the currently accepted but rather controversial PSA indicator. The range of detection for PSA and SPON2 could be adjusted to the clinically relevant range of 1 to 10. ng/ml. The system was tested for specificity to the evaluated biomarkers. This multiplex system can be modified and adapted to detect a larger quantity of biomarkers, or different ones, of relevance to other specific diseases., This research was partially supported by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación (MAEC) (MAEC-AECID, Convocatoria 2011-12) and by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECID) (586678 para el Programa II.E) with a scholarship. CIBER-BBN is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&i Plan 2008–2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. The Nanobioengineering group has support from the Commission for Universities and Research of the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2009 SGR 505).

15 páginas, 5 figuras y 1 tabla, Human fascioliasis is a worldwide, pathogenic food-borne trematodiasis. Impressive clinical pictures comprising puzzling polymorphisms, manifestation multifocality, disease evolution changes, sequelae and mortality, have been reported in patients presenting with neurological, meningeal, neuropsychic and ocular disorders caused at distance by flukes infecting the liver. Proteomic and mass spectrometry analyses of the Fasciola hepatica excretome/secretome identified numerous, several new, plasminogen-binding proteins enhancing plasmin generation. This may underlie blood-brain barrier leakage whether by many simultaneously migrating, small-sized juvenile flukes in the acute phase, or by breakage of encapsulating formations triggered by single worm tracks in the chronic phase. Blood-brain barrier leakages may subsequently occur due to a fibrinolytic system-dependent mechanism involving plasmin-dependent generation of the proinflammatory peptide bradykinin and activation of bradykinin B2 receptors, after different plasminogen-binding protein agglomeration waves. Interactions between diverse parasitic situations and non-imbalancing fibrinolysis system alterations are for the first time proposed that explain the complexity, heterogeneity and timely variations of neurological disorders. Additionally, inflammation and dilation of blood vessels may be due to contact system-dependent generation bradykinin. This baseline allows for search of indicators to detect neurological risk in fascioliasis patients and experimental work on antifibrinolytic treatments or B2 receptor antagonists for preventing blood-brain barrier leakage., Financial support for Valencia team obtained by Project No. 2017/ACDE/001583 de Innovación para el Desarrollo of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Madrid, Spain; by Health Research Project No. PI16/00520, Subprograma Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento de la Acción Estratégica en Salud (AES), Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación, ISCIII-MINECO, Madrid, Spain; by the Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales – RICET (Project No. RD16/0027/0023 of the PN de I + D + I, ISCIII-Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa RETICS), Ministry of Health and Consumption, Madrid; by Project No. 2016/099 of the PROMETEO Program, Programa of Ayudas para Grupos de Investigación de Excelencia, Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain; and by Project No. 2017/01 of the V Convocatoria de Proyectos de Cooperación al Desarrollo de la Universidad de Valencia de 2016, Valencia, Spain. Financial support for Salamanca team obtained by Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (Project AGL2015-67023-C2-2-R), Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of the State General Administration cofinanced with FEDER Funds, Madrid and by the Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales – RICET (Project No. RD16/0027/0018 of the PN de I + D + I, ISCIII-Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa RETICS), Ministry of Health and Consumption, Madrid, Spain. M. Reguera-Gomez was supported by a fellowship of the Programa de Ayudas de Formación de Profesorado Universitario 2015 (fellowship No. FPU15/03626), Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Madrid, Spain.

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) is associated with numerous adverse effects. Argentina is one of the countries affected by arsenicism; however, there are few studies that evaluate inorganic As exposure and its effects on child population. The aim of this study is to evaluate exposure to As through water and food in child populations living in the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Chaco (n = 101), and to determine the impact of this exposure analysing biomarkers of exposure (urine and hair As contents) and effect [8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)]. The populations selected live in three areas with different levels of As in the drinking water (Santa Teresa de Carballo, 0.925 mg/L; Taco Pozo, 0.210 mg/L; Jumi Pozo, 0.016 mg/L). The As intakes through water and food are especially high in the areas with the greatest As exposure (Santa Teresa de Carballo, 1575 ± 8 μg/day; Taco Pozo, 386 ± 8 μg/day; Jumi Pozo, 39 ± 1 μg/day). The total As contents in most of the samples of hair (0.11–13.11 mg/kg) and urine (31–4258 μg/g creatinine) are higher than the reference values (hair: 1 mg/kg; urine: 50 μg/g creatinine). The increase in the level of As exposure alters the profile of metabolites in urine, with a decrease of dimethylarsinic acid (10%) and an increase in the percentages of monomethylarsonic acid (4%) and inorganic As (6%). The results also show high values of 8-OHdG (3.7–37.8 μg/g creatinine), a oxidative DNA damage marker, in the two areas with greater As exposure., This work was supported by projects AECID-A/019010/08 and CSIC 200870I232

This article belongs to the Special Issue "Recent Advances in Plant Phenolics".-- This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license., The phenolic composition of extracts from Uncaria tomentosa L. from different regions of Costa Rica was studied using advanced analytical techniques such as UPLC/TQ-ESI-MS and 13C-NMR. Samples from leaves, stems, bark and wood (n = 22) were subjected to extraction to obtain phenolic and alkaloid extracts, separately. Comparatively, higher values of total phenolic content were observed for leaves, stems and bark (225–494 gallic acid equivalents/g) than for wood extracts (40–167 gallic acid equivalents/g). A total of 32 non-flavonoid and flavonoid compounds were identified in the phenolic extracts: hydroxybenzoic acids (benzoic, salicylic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, prochatechuic, gallic, syringic and vanillic acids), hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic and isoferulic acids), flavan-3-ols monomers [(+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin)], procyanidin dimers (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7 and two other of unknown structure) and trimers (C1, T2 and one of unknown structure), flavalignans (four unknown structures pertaining to the cinchonain family) and propelargonidin dimers (four unknown structures, reported for the first time in U. tomentosa). Additionally, alkaloid extracts obtained from the plant residue after phenolic extraction exhibited a content of tetracyclic and pentacyclic alkaloids ranging between 95 and 275 mg/100 g of dry material for bark extracts, and between 30 and 704 mg/100 g for leaves extracts. In addition, a minor alkaloid was isolated and characterized, namely 18,19-dehydrocorynoxinoic acid. Our results confirmed the feasibility of U. tomentosa as a suitable raw material for obtaining phenolic- and alkaloid-rich extracts of potential interest., This project was partially funded by a grant from the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID) (Refs. A/023397/09 and A/030037/10) and a joint grant from the Costa Rica-USA Foundation (CRUSA) and the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC) (Ref. CR0024)., We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

The Membrane Theory of Aging proposes that lifespan is inversely related to the level of unsaturation in membrane phospholipids. Calorie restriction (CR) without malnutrition extends lifespan in many model organisms, which may be related to alterations in membrane phospholipids fatty acids. During the last few years our research focused on studying how altering the predominant fat source affects the outcome of CR in mice. We have established four dietary groups: one control group fed 95 % of a pre-determined ad libitum intake (in order to prevent obesity), and three CR groups fed 40 % less than ad libitum intake. Lipid source for the control and one of the CR groups was soybean oil (high in n-6 PUFA) whereas the two remaining CR groups were fed diets containing fish oil (high in n-3 PUFA), or lard (high in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids). Dietary intervention periods ranged from 1 to 18 months. We performed a longitudinal lifespan study and a cross-sectional study set up to evaluate several mitochondrial parameters which included fatty acid composition, H+ leak, activities of electron transport chain enzymes, ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial ultrastructure, and mitochondrial apoptotic signaling in liver and skeletal muscle. These approaches applied to different cohorts of mice have independently indicated that lard as a fat source often maximizes the effects of 40 % CR on mice. These effects could be due to significant increases of monounsaturated fatty acids levels, in accordance with the Membrane Theory of Aging., Supported by NIH grant 1R01AG028125 (to JJR, PN and JMV), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BFU2011-23578 (to JMV), Junta de Andalucía Proyectos de Excelencia grant P09-CVI-4887 (to JMV), Junta de Andalucía Proyectos Internacionales grant (to JMV), and BIO-276 (Junta de Andalucía and the University of Córdoba, to JMV). RdC is funded by the Intramural Research program of the NIA/NIH. JALD, JA, LFdR and EGC were funded by a predoctoral fellowship of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación and BIO-276. HK was funded by a predoctoral fellowship of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo and BIO-276. MCR and MdR were supported by BIO-276.

The kinetics of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in the gills and digestive gland of Crassotrea angulata at three concentrations of cadmium (0.088 μM, 0.44 μM and 2.22 μM) was monitored for 28 days. The relationship between accumulation and toxicity was studied using metallothionein-like protein (MTLP) concentration and reduced glutathione levels (GSH) as biochemical endpoints. The activity of enzymes which form part of the antioxidant defense system, in particular glutathione reductase (GR), total glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as enzymatic endpoints, was also assessed. A first order kinetic model demonstrated that the accumulation process does not take place linearly, as the Cd concentration in gills and digestive gland tended toward a stationary state. Metallothionein-like protein is clearly induced by Cd accumulation; however, at high Cd concentrations the detoxification mechanism of this protein is affected. High Cd concentrations (2.22 μM) lead to a decrease in GSH levels, and also inhibit antioxidant enzyme activities, demonstrating the adverse effect of this metal on the antioxidant balance system., Dayanara Macías Mayorga received a fellowship from the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECID) during this work. This study has been funded by the Junta de Andalucia in the framework of the activities of the research group RNM 306 of the Research Plan of Andalusia and the project CSIC-FCT 2007PT0040.

The characteristics and functional properties of gelatine from freshwater fish skin (Barbus callensis) were investigated. The gelatine extraction efficiency was improved by an acid-swelling process in the presence of barbel crude acid protease extract. Barbel skin gelatine (BSG) contained 92.15% protein, 0.31% lipid and 0.72% ash. The amino acid profile of BSG showed a high percentage of imino acids. The electrophoretic profile showed that BSG is mainly composed of α- and β-components. BSG showed an excellent solubility and possessed interfacial properties, which were governed by the protein concentration. Biological activities of the hydrolysates obtained after digestion of BSG with several commercial proteases were evaluated. The results suggested that these hydrolysates are a good source of natural inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and prolyl endopeptidase and could potentially be used as dietary ingredients in the management of type 2-diabetes and/or neuropathological disorders. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., This work was funded by Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunisia, and also by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC-AECID).

23 Pags.- 3 Tabls.- 4 Figs. The definitive version is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044238, The introduction of some new rootstocks requires knowledge of the potential ‘translocated’ and ‘localized’ graft incompatibilities before releasing these rootstocks into the market. Trials were established at the Aula Dei Experimental Station (Zaragoza, Spain) to assess graft compatibility between five European plum (Prunus domestica L.) and six Japanese plum (Prunus salicina L.) cultivars with thirty-eight rootstocks belonging to peach × almond hybrids, as well as slow-growing, fast-growing and interspecific hybrid plum groups. Some of these rootstocks are under process of selection and others are commercial rootstocks already introduced into the European market. External visual diagnosis of the scion-rootstock graft combinations was performed by observing symptoms of the ‘translocated’ incompatibility in the nursery. Visual symptoms of ‘translocated’ incompatibility were only found on the Japanese plum cv. ‘Golden Japan’ budded on the plum-apricot hybrid AP-45. The ‘localized’ graft incompatibility was assessed after internal macroscopically examination of graft unions. In the case of the European plum cvs., ‘President’ and ‘Reine Claude Tardive of Chambourcy’ exhibited good graft compatibility with all the tested rootstocks, with the exception of ‘President’ budded on the pentaploid plum hybrid rootstock Damas GF 1869. ‘Reine Claude Verte’ cv. showed ‘localized’ incompatibility with Myrobalan B and Myrobalan GF 3-1 since the second year after budding. ‘Stanley’ cv. showed ‘localized’ incompatibility with the six evaluated peach × almond hybrid rootstocks, although it was compatible with all plum based rootstocks. In the case of Japanese plums, four cultivars (‘Angeleno’, ‘Black Amber’,’ Delbarazur’ and ‘Songold’) did not show any graft incompatibility, but ‘Friar’ showed ‘localized’ incompatibility on Myrobalan B. In the case of peach-almond and P. cerasifera based rootstocks (Adarcias, GF 677, Damas GF 1869, Myrobalan B, Myrobalan 29 C, Myrobalan GF 3-1 and Marianna GF 8-1), ‘Golden Japan’ trees showed similar symptoms to those caused by TomRV in Myrobalan and peach rootstocks and ‘localized’ incompatibility. Finally, this study confirmed the interest of P. insititia specie as well as several interspecific Prunus hybrids as a good source of rootstocks for the plum industry., Financial support was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) grants CDTI IDEI-20130949, AGL2011-24576 and AGL2014-52063-R, and was co-funded by the FEDER and the Regional Government of Aragón (A44). G. Reig and C. Font i Forcada were supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). O. Zarrouk was supported by a fellowship from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI). A. Salazar was supported by a fellowship from the Secretary of Education, Science and Technology (SENESCYT) of the Ecuadorian Government.

236U, 239Pu and 240Pu are present in soils mainly as a result of the local- and global-fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests carried out mainly in the 1950's and 1960's. In this work we provide new data on the presence of 236U and 239,240Pu in surface soils (i.e. up to 5 cm depth) from Chile and Africa. The results were obtained by low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). In the case of the Chilean samples, 236U/239Pu atom ratios show a high variability and are in general higher than the reported value for the global fallout in the Northern Hemisphere, ranging from 0.2 to 1.5. The 236U atomic concentrations range from 3.5 × 106 to 9.1 × 106 atoms/g, and are at least two orders of magnitude lower than the reported values in the Northern Hemisphere. The measured 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio in soils from South-Africa and Mozambique are of about 0.17, in agreement with the expected one for global-fallout at those coordinates. To best knowledge of the authors the present work is the first publication on 236U concentrations and 236U/239Pu atom ratios in soils from South-America and Africa., This work has been financed thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (project FIS2015-69673-P), AECID (project A1/037813/11), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CTQ2014-52309-P), FEDER and Junta de Extremadura (projects IB16114 and GR18068) in Spain.

All rights reserved. Tef grain is becoming very attractive in the Western countries since it is a gluten-free grain with appreciated nutritional advantages. However there is little information of its functional properties and starch digestibility and how they are affected by variety type and particle size distribution. This work evaluates the effect of the grain variety and the mill used on tef flour physico-chemical and functional properties, mainly derived from starch behavior. In vitro starch digestibility of the flours by Englyst method was assessed. Two types of mills were used to obtain whole flours of different granulation. Rice and wheat flours were analyzed as references. Protein molecular weight distribution and flour structure by SEM were also analyzed to justify some of the differences found among the cereals studied. Tef cultivar and mill type exhibited important effect on granulation, bulking density and starch damage, affecting the processing performance of the flours and determining the hydration and pasting properties. The color was darker although one of the white varieties had a lightness near the reference flours. Different granulation of tef flour induced different in vitro starch digestibility. The disc attrition mill led to higher starch digestibility rate index and rapidly available glucose, probably as consequence of a higher damaged starch content. The results confirm the adequacy of tef flour as ingredient in the formulation of new cereal based foods and the importance of the variety and the mill on its functional properties., The research was supported by the Spanish Institutions Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (Projects AGL2012-35088 and AGL2011-22669), and Comunidad de Castilla y León (Project VA252A12-2). W. Abebe thanks the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECID) grant and Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture for providing the tef cultivars flours.

27 páginas; 4 tablas; 2 figuras, Two hydrothermal treatments were assayed on secondary date varieties from the Tunisian coastal oasis in order to obtain valuable solid extracts, rich in dietary fiber and antioxidants. The steam explosion treatment (SET) is based on high temperatures and pressures, with an explosive decompression. The steam treatment (ST), without rapid decompression, has lower pressures and temperatures, but longer treatments than SET. The recovery of the fiber concentrates (FCs) was very similar for the different assayed conditions. Only its granulometry showed differences, increasing the fraction with size lower than 4 mm in more intense treatments. Treatment conditions had higher influence than date variety in the FCs chemical composition. It was approximately 0.1–2% soluble sugar, 0.7–2% uronic acids, 4–8% phenols, 5–11% fat, 5–22% non-cellulosic sugars, 9–14% protein, 12–20% cellulose, and 44–71% lignin, depending on treatment conditions. They had also very high antiradical activity (230–580 mmols Trolox/Kg FC). The use of ST reactor is highly recommended because it could be easily scaled up to the industry. The FC obtained by hydrothermal treatments from date fruits could be considered as a very interesting ingredient for healthier food, especially for bakery or dairy products due to its pleasant chocolate/coffee flavor., This research was supported by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación – Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo MAEC-AECID REF. 550352 (Spain), and by the Banq Islamique de Développement BID (Saudi Arabia REF. 36/11201707).

The influence of mass balance in the LiCrNiMnO//LiTiO (LCrNMO//LTO) full cell on its electrochemical performance at different rates is described. The effect of the variation of the molar fraction of LTO to LCrNMO (χ) at different rates is described in detail. The full cell showed a reversible working potential at about 3 V. For every rate tested, the discharge capacity, normalized to total mass of both electrode materials (Q), reached a maximum value approximately at the stoichiometric value of χ=1. When χ1 Q decreases due to the increase in the total weight of active electrode materials. When the discharge rates were increased to ≥1 C (1 C=147.5 mA g or 0.260 mA cm), the maximum Q delivered by the full cell was shifted slightly beyond the stoichiometry (χ=1.1). Furthermore, the LCrNMO//LTO full cell exhibited an outstanding ultralong cycling behavior: with a capacity retention of 93 % after 1000 cycles. Its cyclability is as high as 99.994 %. The LiCrNMO//LTO full cell is a promising lithium-ion battery for practical applications, especially for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, for which a long cycle life and reasonable power are required. However, it is demonstrated that the optimization of anode to cathode materials is one of the most important parameters to take into account to achieve high energy and power densities., Financial support through the projects MAT2014‐54994‐R (MINECO), PIE‐201460E123 (CSIC) and 2009MA0007 (CSIC/CNRST) are gratefully recognized. M.A. thanks the AECI for the MAEC‐AECI fellowship.

Al-doped oxyapatite-type lanthanum silicates La9.33Si 6-xAlxO26-x/2□x/2 (x = 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1) powders have been prepared by the solid state reaction at high temperature in order to determine the influence of anionic vacancies on the electrical properties of the material. The crystal structure and properties of La9.33Si6-xAlxO 26-x/2□x/2 powders have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) technique and complex impedance analysis. All the compounds of La 9.33Si6-xAlxO 26-x/2□x/2 oxyapatites doped with Al3+ consist of a hexagonal structure with a P63/m space group. Lanthanum silicates doped with trivalent Al3+ have a higher conductivity than those without trivalent Al3+ at the Si4+ site. The extra oxygen O(4) atoms in site 2a (0, 0, 0.25) occupy channels running through the structure that are responsible for the high oxygen ion conduction. However, Al substitution seems to produce oxygen vacancies and create another pathway for oxide ions. The expansion of the channels (La(1)-O(4) distance) leads to an increase in the conductivity. For the best sample (x = 1), the conductivity observed was 5 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 750 °C. © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V., This work was supported by Spanish Agency of International Cooperation (AECI-B/026856/09).

Trypsin enzymes have been studied in a wide variety of animal taxa due to their central role in protein digestion as well as in other important physiological and biotechnological processes. Crustacean trypsins exhibit a high number of isoforms. However, while differences in properties of isoenzymes are known to play important roles in regulating different physiological processes, there is little information on this aspect for decapod trypsins. The aim of this review is to integrate recent findings at the molecular level on trypsin enzymes of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus, into higher levels of organization (biochemical, organism) and to interpret those findings in relation to the feeding ecology of these crustaceans. Trypsin in lobster is a polymorphic enzyme, showing isoforms that differ in their biochemical features and catalytic efficiencies. Molecular studies suggest that polymorphism in lobster trypsins may be non-neutral. Trypsin isoenzymes are differentially regulated by dietary proteins, and it seems that some isoenzymes have undergone adaptive evolution coupled with a divergence in expression rate to increase fitness. This review highlights important but poorly studied issues in crustaceans in general, such as the relation among trypsin polymorphism, phenotypic (digestive) flexibility, digestion efficiency, and feeding ecology., Most of the work outlined on this topic was supported by the International Foundation for Science (No. A/4306-1 and No. A/4306-2) granted to EP, the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional/Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP/AECI) from Spain, and the Program ʻDoctorado Iberoamericano en Ciencias’ at the University of Cadiz, Spain.

In the last 20–30 years, the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea has increased and global warming is allowing the establishment of tropical-affinity species into more temperate zones. Sessile communities are particularly useful as a baseline for ecological monitoring; however, a lack of historical data series exists for sessile marine organisms without commercial interest. Hydroids are ubiquitous components of the benthic sessile fauna on rocky shores and have been used as bio-indicators of environmental conditions. In this study on the benthic hydroid assemblages of the Chafarinas Islands (Alboran Sea, South-Western Mediterranean), we characterized the hydroid assemblages, identified the bathymetric gradients, and compared them with a previous study carried out in 1991. Hydroid assemblages showed a significant difference both between year and among depths. Furthermore, eight species not present in 1991 were found, including two possible new species and the tropical and subtropical species Sertularia marginata. Due to its strategic position at the entrance of the Mediterranean and the existence of previous data on hydroid assemblages, the Chafarinas Islands are proposed as a possible monitoring point for entrance of Atlantic tropical species into the Mediterranean Sea. Junta de Andalucía. P05- RNM-369 Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España. PCI2005-A7-0347 Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación de España. A/5481/06 y A/8688/07

PMCID: PMC4104696, In this paper we analyzed changes in hepatocyte mitochondrial mass and ultrastructure as well as in mitochondrial markers of fission/fusion and biogenesis in mice subjected to 40% calorie restriction (CR) for 18. months versus ad libitum-fed controls. Animals subjected to CR were separated into three groups with different dietary fats: soybean oil (also in controls), fish oil and lard. Therefore, the effect of the dietary fat under CR was studied as well. Our results show that CR induced changes in hepatocyte and mitochondrial size, in the volume fraction occupied by mitochondria, and in the number of mitochondria per hepatocyte. Also, mean number of mitochondrial cristae and lengths were significantly higher in all CR groups compared with controls. Finally, CR had no remarkable effects on the expression levels of fission and fusion protein markers. However, considerable differences in many of these parameters were found when comparing the CR groups, supporting the idea that dietary fat plays a relevant role in the modulation of CR effects in aged mice., Supported by NIH grant 1R01AG028125-01A1 (to JJR, PN and JMV), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and European FEDERBFU2011-23578 (to JMV), Junta de Andalucía Proyectos de Excelencia grant P09-CVI-4887 (to JMV), Junta de Andalucía Proyectos Internacionales (to JMV), and BIO-276 (Junta de Andalucía and the University of Córdoba, to JMV and EGC). JALD and LFdR were funded by predoctoral fellowships of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación and by BIO-276. HK was funded by a predoctoral fellowship of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo and by BIO-276.

A preliminary inspection of natural zeolites samples in the north east of Ethiopia showed a large deposit of highly pure stilbite (hereafter called |CaNa|-STI). Rietveld refinement of synchrotron powder diffraction data (C2/m, a = 13.62(1) Å, b = 18.2563(1) Å, c = 11.28(1) Å, β = 127.8(2)°) has shown that both Ca2+ and Na+ ions reside at the intersection of the ten- and eight-ring channels, and are completely surrounded by H2O molecules that make close contacts with the zeolite framework. Therefore, no coordination of the cations with framework oxygen atoms is observed. In an attempt to improve the defluoridation capacity, |CaNa|-STI was subjected to a NH4+ and subsequent Ca2+ ion-exchange treatment. Analysis of the diffraction pattern of the |Ca–NH4|-STI sample revealed the presence of a mixture of crystals with monoclinic and orthorhombic symmetry. This double-exchange treatment notably improved the ability of this material to remove fluoride from water, what is probably related to the formation of connectivity defects that are generated during the exchange treatments., The financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Spanish Agency for Cooperation and Development through the Scientific Cooperation Program project number A1/035517/11 is acknowledged.

Based on 261 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, we analyzed 57 grapevine genotypes, consisting of 29 wild grapevines (Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris) prospected from the northwest part of Tunisia and 28 cultivated accessions (V. vinifera subsp. vinifera) maintained in the repository of the Arid Land Institute of Medenine (Tunisia). Pair-wise multilocus comparison with the ICVV SNP database allowed the identification of 13 cultivated genotypes, including ten synonymous groups with known Mediterranean or international varieties, three cases of color sports, and two misnomers. Genotypic analysis showed a high level of genetic diversity for both wild and cultivated groups. Multivariate and structure analyses clearly differentiated wild from cultivated grapevines and showed high average posterior probabilities of assignment to their group of origin. The clustering results largely supported the perceived classification and reflect that most of the present Tunisian cultivated varieties do not derive directly from the local wild populations but could correspond to materials introduced from different locations during historical times. Parentage analysis allowed the determination of the genetic origin of four Tunisian cultivars, >Garai>, >Jerbi> (from Kerkennah), >Mahdoui>, and >Reine de Vignes faux>, and showed that >Heptakilo> and >Planta Fina>, two old and widely distributed varieties in the Mediterranean basin, had an important role in the origin of Tunisian grapevines. The present study demonstrates the efficacy of SNP makers for germplasm characterization and genetic studies in grapevine. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg., This work was funded by AECID (Agencia Española de CooperaciónInternacionalpara el Desarrollo, Spain) within the framework of projects A/023457/09 and A/031064/10.

et al., The PR-toxin is a potent mycotoxin produced by Penicillium roqueforti in moulded grains and grass silages and may contaminate blue-veined cheese. The PR-toxin derives from the 15 carbon atoms sesquiterpene aristolochene formed by the aristolochene synthase (encoded by ari1). We have cloned and sequenced a four gene cluster that includes the ari1 gene from P. roqueforti. Gene silencing of each of the four genes (named prx1 to prx4) resulted in a reduction of 65-75% in the production of PR-toxin indicating that the four genes encode enzymes involved in PR-toxin biosynthesis. Interestingly the four silenced mutants overproduce large amounts of mycophenolic acid, an antitumor compound formed by an unrelated pathway suggesting a cross-talk of PR-toxin and mycophenolic acid production. An eleven gene cluster that includes the above mentioned four prx genes and a 14-TMS drug/H+ antiporter was found in the genome of Penicillium chrysogenum. This eleven gene cluster has been reported to be very poorly expressed in a transcriptomic study of P. chrysogenum genes under conditions of penicillin production (strongly aerated cultures). We found that this apparently silent gene cluster is able to produce PR-toxin in P. chrysogenum under static culture conditions on hydrated rice medium. Noteworthily, the production of PR-toxin was 2.6-fold higher in P. chrysogenum npe10, a strain deleted in the 56.8kb amplifiable region containing the pen gene cluster, than in the parental strain Wisconsin 54-1255 providing another example of cross-talk between secondary metabolite pathways in this fungus. A detailed PR-toxin biosynthesis pathway is proposed based on all available evidence. © 2013 Elsevier Inc., This work was supported by a Grant of the European Union (EUROFUNGBASE, LSSG-CT-2005-018964). Pedro Hidalgo received a fellowship from the AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo).

The present work aims are to study the dry sliding wear behavior of WC-12wt%Co materials, with or without addition of Cr3C2/VC grain growth inhibitors, and to sinter them by two different consolidation techniques: conventional sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The dry sliding wear tests were performed on a tribometer with a ball-on-disc configuration using a WC-Co ball as a counterpart material with a normal contact load of 60N, a sliding distance of 10,000m and a sliding speed of 0.1m/s. The influence of the grain growth inhibitors and the consolidation techniques in sintered samples were related to the friction coefficient, wear rates and wear pattern damage. Samples sintered by non-conventional technique (SPS) show the best wear resistance and lower friction coefficient. The addition of inhibitors reduces the wear rates in materials consolidated by both techniques. The differences in the wear damage are related to microstructural parameters, mechanical properties and wear rates. © 2013., The work is supported financially by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation by the project MAT2009-14144-C03-C02. L. Espinosa-Fernández, acknowledges the AECI program for the realization of the Ph.D in the ITM-UPV. A. Borrell, acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for her Juan de la Cierva contract (JCI-2011-10498).

Niche theory predicts that coexisting species with similar trophic requirements should demonstrate resource partitioning, particularly where resources are scarce. Conversely, this is not expected between species that do not share primary resources. This study analyses the patterns of spatial coexistence and habitat selection, on two spatial scales, of three species of semidesert regions in Morocco: the Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis), the Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) and the Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor). Co-occurrence analysis results point to between-species segregation on a macrohabitat scale. Hotelling's T test of the species-presence data showed a pattern of macrohabitat selection that diverged from habitat availability for the three species with differences among them. Both the classification tree and the pattern of microhabitat selection obtained by model averaging showed scant overlap between the Sandgrouse and the Courser, suggesting habitat partitioning between them on a fine scale. Our results confirm spatial segregation of the three species, especially between species with different trophic strategies: the Sandgrouse versus the Stone Curlew and the Courser. The latter two species were best segregated on a microhabitat scale, supporting the conclusions that macro- and microhabitat selection are major factors in bird community configuration in arid ecosystems and contributing to reduce potential competition., This study was funded by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional via a project within the PCI programme (Code A/3895/05). The Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG) is partly supported by the REMEDINAL-2 research network of the Comunidad de Madrid-European Social Fund (Code S-2009/AMB/1783).

[ES] A partir de suelos del Valle del Río Cauto (Granma, Cuba) afectados por sales, se aislaron seis bacterias procedentes de nódulos de Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Los aislados se sometieron a diferentes niveles de sales (0,17 - 6,6 dS m-1 de NaCl), pH (4,5 - 9) y temperatura (28 - 45 oC), con el objetivo de determinar su tolerancia a estos tipos de estrés. La variación en el gen 16S rRNA, se examinó a través del análisis de restricción de amplificados 16S rDNA (ARDRA) y secuenciación directa. Tres aislados, VIBA-1, VIBA-2 y VIBA-6, mostraron resultados similares al control (0,17 dS m-1) con 2,6 y 3,4 dS m-1 de NaCl. Todas las cepas crecieron a pH 7 y 9 hasta 40 oC, solo dos de ellas (VIBA-4 y VIBA-5) crecieron a 45 oC. El análisis de filogenia, confirmó la estrecha relación de la cepa Bradyrhizobium liaoningense con el aislamiento VIBA-1, y los aislamientos VIBA-2, VIBA-3, VIBA-5 y VIBA-6, con la cepa Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense, y uno de ellos a Rhizobium radiobacter (formalmente Agrobacterium tumefaciens, VIBA-4). Todos los aislados con excepción de VIBA-4, formaron nódulos en las plantas cuando fueron inoculadas. La sobrevivencia de estas cepas en condiciones de estrés (salinidad, alcalinidad y temperatura), evidencia su habilidad para crecer bajo estas condiciones ambientales específicas. Los resultados indicaron que, en un entorno de suelos salinos de Cuba, existen cepas de Bradyrhizobium que pueden establecer simbiosis con Caupí, pero la diversidad de estos microorganismos es aún escasa, debido a que sólo dos especies lograron nodular la leguminosa., [EN] In soils of Cauto River Valley (Granma, Cuba) affected by salts, six new bacteria isolated from nodules of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp were obtained. The six isolates were subjected to differents salt levels (0,17- 6,6 dS m-1 of NaCl), pH levels (4,5 - 9) and temperatures (28 - 45 oC) with the objective to determine their tolerance to these abiotic stresses. Variation within the 16S rRNA gene, was examined by amplified 16S rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and direct sequencing to show genetic diversity. Three isolates (VIBA-1, VIBA-2 and VIBA-6) achieved similar results as the control with 2,6 and 3,4 dS m-1 of NaCl. All of the isolates could grow at pH 7 and 9 and got growth until 40 oC, only two of them (VIBA-4 and VIBA-5) grew at 45 oC. Phylogeny analysis confirmed the close relationship of one isolate with Bradyrhizobium liaoningense (VIBA-1) and four isolates with Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense (VIBA-2, VIBA-3, VIBA-5 and VIBA-6) and one to Rhizobium radiobacter (formely Agrobacterium tumefaciens, VIBA-4). All of them, with the exception of VIBA-4, were able to nodulate in the plants when they were inoculated. The survival of these strains in the different abiotic stress (salinity, alkalinity and temperature), evidenced their ability to grow under this specific environment. The findings indicated that under Cuban saline soils there are Bradyrhizobium strains able to establish symbiosis with cowpea, but the diversity is still low, being characterized only two different species able to nodulate., Este trabajo se llevó a cabo como parte del proyecto AECID, referencia A/8500/07 y A/019119/08, y desarrollado entre CSIC, (Madrid, España) y la Universidad de Granma, Cuba. BRD fue respaldado por los contratos de la Junta de Comunidades de CastillaLa Mancha (POII09-0182-3834 y POII10-0211-5015).

The extreme genetic diversity of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi has been proposed to be associated with the clinical outcomes of the disease it provokes: Chagas disease (CD). To address this question, we analysed the similarities and differences in the CD pathophysiogenesis caused by different parasite strains. Using syngeneic mice infected acutely or chronically with 6 distant parasite strains, we integrated simultaneously 66 parameters: parasite tropism (7 parameters), organ and immune responses (local and systemic; 57 parameters), and clinical presentations of CD (2 parameters). While the parasite genetic background consistently impacts most of these parameters, they remain highly variable, as observed in patients, impeding reliable one-dimensional association with phases, strains, and damage. However, multi-dimensional statistics overcame this extreme intra-group variability for each individual parameter and revealed some pathophysiological patterns that accurately allow defining (i) the infection phase, (ii) the infecting parasite strains, and (iii) organ damage type and intensity. Our results demonstrated a greater variability of clinical outcomes and host responses to T. cruzi infection than previously thought, while our multi-parametric analysis defined common pathophysiological patterns linked to clinical outcome of CD, conserved among the genetically diverse infecting strains., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (SAF2013-42850-R); “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” (PI12/00289); “Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales” (RICET 2010RD12/0018/0004); European Union (HEALTH-FE-2008-22303, ChagasEpiNet); “Universidad Autónoma de Madrid” and “Comunidad de Madrid” (CC08-UAM/SAL-4440/08); AECID Cooperation with Argentine

We report evidence for the electrochemical performances of two Li-ion full cells, built up by the combination of LiCoNiMnO cathode material with MnSn intermetallic and LiTiO spinel as the anode materials, respectively. MnSn and LiTiO electrode materials illustrate different working voltage versus the redox couple Li/Li and different reaction mechanisms during lithium insertion/deinsertion cycles. The structure, morphological characteristics and the electrochemical properties of the studied materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical techniques. The two full-cell configurations showed different electrochemical behaviors. The MnSn//LiCoNiMnO configuration exhibits high working voltage (~ 3.5 V) and specific capacity (~ 200 mAh/g) but suffers from high irreversible capacity loss during the first cycles and capacity fading during cycling. The LiTiO//LiCoNiMnO cell demonstrated excellent cycling properties at different C-rates with 100% capacity retention after 150 cycles at 1 C. Although the working voltage (~ 2.2 V) and the specific capacity (~ 140 mAh/g) are lower than those of the MnSn//LiCoNiMnO configuration, the other measured electrochemical properties suggest that the LiTiO//LiCoNiMnO full cell is a potential candidate for battery application due to its excellent cycling performance and improved safety., The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF, France) and, the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain) under the project MAT2014-54994-R. A. Mahmoud is grateful to the Walloon region for a Beware Fellowship Academia 2015-1, RESIBAT no 1510399, and to the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID, Spain) for the MAEC-AECI fellowship.

14 páginas.-- 7 figuras.-- 5 tablas.-- r eferencias.-- Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article(doi:10.1007/s11356-017-9016-3) contains supplementary material,which is available to authorized users, Pyrimethanil (2-aniline-4, 6-dimethylpyrimidine, PRM) is used in fruit packing plants to control fungal infections and diseases. The effluents greatly polluted with this fungicide, as a point source contamination, need to be technologically treated for their regeneration before they reach water bodies. This work evaluates the use of organo-montmorillonites, synthetized in our laboratory, for their application in adsorption and coagulation/flocculation processes for the removal of PRM from water. The adsorption-desorption performance of PRM in a raw montmorillonite (Mt) and several organo-montmorillonites (organo-Mt) obtained by different amounts and types of exchanged surfactants (octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA) and didodecyldimethylammonium (DDAB) bromides and benzyltrimethylammonium chloride (BTMA)) was studied. The PRM adsorption on raw Mt was assigned mainly to an interlayer occupancy, while hydrophobic interactions between PRM and the surfactants in the exchanged samples increased PRM adsorption, which was correlated with the surfactant loading. PRM desorption showed irreversible behavior in raw Mt, which changed to reversible for organo-Mt samples, and was also correlated with the increase of surfactant loading. Two of the organo-Mt with high surfactant loading (twice the CEC) were assayed for the removal of commercial PRM in coagulation/flocculation tests, and their performance was compared to that of the native clay (Mt). The use of the organo-Mt produced flocculation at a very low ratio (0.5 g L−1), whereas no flocculation was observed with Mt. These results proved the feasibility of the use of organo-Mt for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with PRM using a low organo-Mt/liquid ratio, Financial support of the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation—FONARSEC FS-Nano 008 and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ref. CTM2013-42306-R, supported by funds from the European Regional Development Fund) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development—Spanish Ministry of Education A/023433/10-09 is gratefully acknowledged. R.M.T.S. is a member of the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET) and F.M. Flores acknowledges CONICET and Argentine (BEC.AR) fellowships.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Antioxidants and Health Promotion.-- et al., Apart from alkaloids, bioactive properties of Uncaria tomentosa L. have been attributed to its phenolic constituents. Although there are some reports concerning low-molecular-weight polyphenols in U. tomentosa, its polymeric phenolic composition has been scarcely studied. In this study, phenolic-rich extracts from leaves, stems, bark and wood (n = 14) of Uncaria tomentosa plants from several regions of Costa Rica were obtained and analysed in respect to their proanthocyanidin profile determined by a quadrupole-time-of-flight analyser (ESI-QTOF MS). Main structural characteristics found for U. tomentosa proanthocyanidins were: (a) monomer composition, including pure procyanidins (only composed of (epi)catechin units) and propelargonidins (only composed of (epi)afzelechin units) as well as mixed proanthocyanidins; and (b) degree of polymerization, from 3 up to 11 units. In addition, U. tomentosa phenolic extracts were found to exhibit reasonable antioxidant capacity (ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) values between 1.5 and 18.8 mmol TE/g) and antimicrobial activity against potential respiratory pathogens (minimum IC of 133 µg/mL). There were also found to be particularly cytotoxic to gastric adenocarcinoma AGS and colon adenocarcinoma SW620 cell lines. The results state the particularities of U. tomentosa proanthocyanidins and suggest the potential value of these extracts with prospective use as functional ingredients., This project was partially funded by grant from the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID) (Ref. A/023397/09 and A/030037/10) and a joint grant from the Costa Rica-USA Foundation (CRUSA) and the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC) (Ref. CR0024). Authors also thank financial support from the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) and European funding from FEDER program (projects AVANSECAL-CM S2013/ABI-3028 and ALIBIRD-CM S2013/ABI-2728) and from the University of Costa Rica. Special thanks are due to Eng. Juan Jose Cordero from Costa Rican National Production Council (CNP).

33 Pags.- 8 Figs.- 5 Tabls. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0265931X, The purpose of this study is to understand and quantify the relationships between current 137Cs inventories and the soil properties and the physiographic characteristics. A total of 36 cores were taken in seven transects with different slopes, lithology and land use. The analysis focused on the 137Cs mass activity as well as inventories and its relationship with soil properties as grain size and organic matter. The mass activity of 137Cs and the inventories varied between 3.6 and 63.7 Bq kg−1 and between 521.7 and 3304.4 Bq m−2, respectively. At uncultivated soils, high concentrations of 137Cs are located in the top 10 cm and decreased exponentially in depth. Cultivated soils record disturbed and heterogeneous 137Cs profiles with values of mass activity and inventories up to 38.7 Bq kg−1 and 2510.8 Bq m−2, respectively. The 137Cs inventories were significantly higher in uncultivated soils (mean: 2086.9 Bq m−2) compared to cultivated soils (mean: 1397.1 Bq m−2). The 137Cs mass activity showed a significant positive correlation with organic matter, silt and clay, but it was negatively correlated with sand and pH respectively. High levels of 137Cs were found at altitudes between 500 m and 640 m a.s.l, and at slopes from 8° to 11°, as well as in dense scrub land and Fersialitic soils. A principal component analysis showed that more than 86.7% of the variance in 137Cs mass activity was explained by the organic matter content and the land use. The results of this study provide insights into the effects of soil properties and physiographic factors on the behaviour of 137Cs in soils of Mediterranean environments of North Africa and strengthen the reliability of this radioisotope as an erosion tracer., Thanks, are given to the project AECID (AP/037 737/11, 2011) that facilitated the initial research and to project CGL2014-52986-R.

8 pags., 3 figs., 5 tabs., Various isotopologues of 2-hydroxyacetonitrile (OHCHCN), a detectable astrophysical molecule, are characterized using explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory (CCSD(T)-F12/AVTZ-F12). Rovibrational parameters and far infrared transitions are computed to help the interpretation of the rotational spectra and radioastronomical observations. OHCHCN displays non-rigid properties. The OH internal rotation intertransforms two conformers, gauche and trans, whose energy separation reaches 1.41 kcal/mol. The process is restricted by energy barriers of V = ~ 645 cm and V = ~ 425 cm. Isotopic effects on the rotational constants and on the torsional energy levels are evaluated for isotopic varieties containing the most abundant cosmological isotopes (C, C, N and D). Effects are relevant for ODCHCN where the ground vibrational state splits in two components separated by 0.51 cm. This gap has been evaluated to be 3.20 cm for the main isotopologue. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]., This research was supported by the FIS2013-40626-P and FIS2016-76418-P projects of the MINECO, Spain. The authors also acknowledge the COST Actions 1401 and 1405. S.D. acknowledges MAEC-ACID (Spain) for the grant.

10 páginas, 5 tablas, 1 figura., Live yeast cultures and yeast hydrolyzates can be used as rumen fermentation modifiers, but their effects and mode of action are different. Whereas the effects of live yeast cultures on rumen fermentation are well documented, yeast hydrolyzates have received much less attention. The influence of a yeast hydrolyzate from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, obtained after ethanol production from sugarcane (YHS), on in vitro rumen fermentation was investigated using both batch cultures and Rusitec fermenters inoculated with ruminal fluid from sheep. Batch cultures (300 mg dry matter (DM)) with two mixed diets (AHC, 0.5:0.5 alfalfa hay:concentrate; BSC, 0.15:0.85 barley straw:concentrate) as substrate were supplemented with increasing doses of YHS (0, 3.3, 6.7, 10.0 and 13.3 ml/l) and incubated for 16.5 h at 39 °C. Supplementation of increasing amounts of YHS to AHC-cultures increased (P < 0.05) linearly total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and butyrate molar proportion, and decreased (P < 0.001) acetate proportion and acetate:propionate ratio. In contrast, only subtle effects of YHS on NH-N concentrations and molar proportions of isovalerate and caproate were observed for the BSC diet. Longer-term effects of YHS supplementation on rumen fermentation of AHC diet were investigated using four Rusitec fermenters in a cross-over experimental design with two 14-day incubation periods. Fermenters were given daily 30 g of diet DM, and in each period half of them were supplemented daily with 5 ml of YHS (10.0 ml/l) Supplementing with YHS did not affect (P > 0.05) total VFA production, lactate concentrations, DM and aNDFom disappearance or enzymatic activities (amylase, xylanase and carboxymethylcellulase). Compared with the unsupplemented fermenters, YHS treatment increased (P < 0.001) NH-N concentrations and molar proportions of propionate and butyrate at the expense of acetate, and decreased (P < 0.001) acetate:propionate ratio. In addition, YHS supplementation tended (P < 0.07) to reduce CH/total VFA ratio and to increase microbial growth in the liquid phase of the fermenters. The automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) of samples taken on days 3, 8 and 14 of incubation from solid and liquid content of fermenters revealed that YHS supplementation increased (P < 0.02) bacterial diversity in the liquid phase and tended to increase (P < 0.08) it in the solid phase. The results indicate that YHS at a dose of 10 ml/l may be a useful dietary additive for ruminants, because it promoted a shift in fermentation toward propionate production, reduced the CH/total VFA ratio and increased microbial growth with a 50:50 alfalfa hay:concentrate diet., Funding was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project AGL2008-04707-C02-02 and Acción Integrada AIB2010NZ-00190). A. Díaz gratefully acknowledges the receipt of grants from the Spanish AECID and the Junta de Castilla y León. C. Saro gratefully acknowledges the receipt of scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (AP2006- 03049).

The interactions between herbivores and their host plants play a key role in ecological processes. Understanding the width and nature of these interactions is fundamental to ecology and conservation. Recent research on DNA-based inference of trophic associations suggests that the host range of phytophagous insects in the tropics may be wider than previously thought based on traditional observation. However, the reliability of molecular inference of ecological associations, still strongly dependent on PCR and thus exposed to the risk of contamination with environmental DNA, is under debate. Here, we explored alternative procedures to reduce the chance of amplification of external, nondiet DNA, including surface decontamination and analysis of mid/hind guts, comparing the results with those obtained using the standard protocol. We studied 261 specimens in eight species of Neotropical Chrysomelidae that yielded 316 psbA-trnH intergenic spacer sequences (cpDNA marker of putative diets) from unique and multiple-band PCR results. The taxonomic identity of these sequences was inferred using the automated pipeline BAGpipe, yielding results consistent with 31 plant families. Regardless of the protocol used, a wide taxonomic spectrum of food was inferred for all chrysomelid species. Canonical Correspondence Analysis using these data revealed significant differences attributed mainly to species (expectedly, since they represent different ecologies), but also to treatment (untreated vs. cleaned/gut samples) and PCR results (single vs. multiple bands). Molecular identification of diets is not straightforward and, regardless of the species’ niche breadth, combining approaches that reduce external contamination and studying multiple individuals per species may help increasing confidence in results., This research was primarily funded by the programme on “Ecology and Conservation Biology” of the Spanish Fundación BBVA (BIOCON08-045), with additional help from the Interuniversity Cooperation and Research Programme (PCI C/032352/10) for fieldwork and a predoctoral scholarship to GDC, both from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC). GDC also received support from a SENESCYT scholarship (Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ecuador). All samples used in this study were obtained with acknowledged collection and exportation permits (special authorizations: DGPN/DB-035-2009, DGPN/DB-12-2010, and DGPN/DB-40-2011) by the Direction of Biodiversity of the Nicaraguan Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA).

Trabajo presentado en la III Conferencia Iberoamericana de Interacciones Beneficiosas Microorganismo-Planta-Ambiente (IBEMPA), celebrada en Lima (Perú), del 6 al 10 de noviembre de 2017, Azospirillum brasilense is a PGPR with a substantial potential as biofertiliser for leguminous and non-leguminous plants. Agriculturally important crops, especially sugar cane, have been often inoculated with A. brasilense producing increase in growth parameters and yield in different soils and climatic regions. Furthermore, sugar cane inoculated with A. brasilense has been grown in intercropping with legumes like beans and soybean. In field experiments of intercropping of sugarcane inoculated with A. brasilense 8-I and soybean, carried out in Cuban soils, an increase in most of the growth parameters of sugar cane have been observed, but it is not known the effects produced by Azospirillum inoculation on the other plant of the intercropping. This work analyzes the variations in plant and nodule development, nitrogenase activity and colonization of roots in soybean inoculated with A. brasilense and Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Soybean seeds were inoculated with A. brasilensis 8-I and B. japonicum USDA 110 and let grown under controlled environmental conditions for 5 weeks. A. brasilense inoculation did not produced changes in the height and biomass of aerial part of the plant or in nitrogenase activity. However increases in root and nodule biomass were detected. The root colonization by Azospirillum was studied using light and electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry. A. brasilense colonized root surface by adhesion to mucilaginous material and afterwards the bacteria take the advantage of the break caused by the emergence of a secondary root to enter in the intercellular spaces of plant root parenchyma and between epidermal root cells, allowing soybean root colonization by Azospirillum. Root morphology change as a consequence of A. brasilense colonization, producing a matrix between two layers of parenchyma root cells. This matrix facilitates bacteria multiplication and the anaerobic environment to express the nitrogenase activity. Inmunolocalization with the specific antibody made against A. brasilense 8-I demonstrated his presence in the break caused by the emergence of a secondary root, in the intercellular spaces and in the intercellular matrix. These results suggested that A. brasilense 8-I inoculation could be suitable candidate as biofertilizer and/or inoculant of leguminous with agricultural purposes., Funded by AECID

CANDIPOP Project from GEIH-GEMICOMED (SEIMC) and REIPI: B. Padilla, P. Muñoz, J. Guinea, J. R. Paño Pardo, J. García-Rodríguez, C. García Cerrada, J. Fortún, P. Martín, E. Gómez, P. Ryan, C. Campelo, I. de los Santos Gil, V. Buendía, B. P. Gorricho, M. Alonso, F. S. Sanz, J. M. Aguado, P. Merino, F. González Romo, M. Gorgolas, I. Gadea, J. E. Losa, A. Delgado-Iribarren, A. Ramos, Y. Romero, I. Sánchez Romero, O. Zaragoza, M. Cuenca-Estrella, J. Rodriguez-Baño, A. Isabel Suarez, A. Loza, A. I. Aller García, E. Martín-Mazuelos, M. R. Pérez de Pipaón, J. Garnacho, C. Ortiz, M. Chávez, F. L. Maroto, M. Salavert, J. Pemán, J. Blanquer, D. Navarro, J. J. Camarena, R. Zaragoza, V. Abril, C. Gimeno, S. Hernáez, G. Ezpeleta, E. Bereciartua, J. L. Hernández Almaraz, M. Montejo, R. A. Rivas, R. Ayarza, A. M. Planes, I. R. Camps, B. Almirante, J. Mensa, M. Almela, M. Gurgui, F. Sánchez-Reus, J. Martinez-Montauti, M. Sierra, J. P. Horcajada, L. Sorli, J. Gómez, A. Gené, M. Urrea, M. Valerio, A. Díaz-Martín, F. Puchades, A. Mularoni., [Objective] Paradoxical growth (PG) and trailing effect (TE) are frequently observed during antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). These two phenomena interfere with the determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical impact of TE and PG., [Methods] We analysed the frequency of TE and PG of 690 Candida isolates collected from a population-based study performed in Spain (CANDIPOP) and correlated the results with clinical outcome of the patients., [Results] Around 70% (484/690) of the isolates exhibited TE to azoles. Candida tropicalis showed the highest presence of TE (39/53 isolates exhibited residual growth >25% of control). No TE was seen in most of the isolates from the psilosis complex. PG was mainly associated with echinocandins. In patients treated with fluconazole within the first 48 hours after blood sampling (n = 221), the presence of TE to azoles tended to be associated with lower 30-day mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25–1.00) but not with clinical failure (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.45–1.54). In the subgroup of 117 patients treated with echinocandins, the presence of PG was not associated with patient's response to antifungal treatment (OR for 30-day mortality 1.63, 95% CI 0.76–4.03; OR for clinical failure 1.17, 95% CI 0.53–2.70)., [Conclusions] TE or PG are widely expressed among Candida spp., although they do not seem to influence clinical outcome., C. Rueda was funded by a Sara Borrell contract from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS, reference number CD11/00110). O. Zaragoza was funded by grant SAF2014-54336-R from the Spanish Ministry for Economics and Competitivity. The CANDIPOP study was funded by research grants from Gilead, MSD, Astellas and Pfizer and by funding from the Fundacion SEIMC-GESIDA and the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, cofinanced by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’ ERDF and the Spanish Network for the Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015). MC-E has received grant support from Astellas Pharma, bioMerieux, Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Schering-Plough, Soria Melguizo SA, Ferrer International, the Europea Union, the ALBAN program, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education, the Spanish Health Research Fund, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), the Ramón Areces Foundation and the Mutua Madrileña Foundation.

Hypothalamic appetite regulation is a vital homeostatic process underlying global energy balance in animals and humans, its disturbances resulting in feeding disorders with high morbidity and mortality. The objective evaluation of appetite remains difficult, very often restricted to indirect measurements of food intake and body weight. We report here, the direct, non-invasive visualization of hypothalamic activation by fasting using diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging, in the mouse brain as well as in a preliminary study in the human brain. The brain of fed or fasted mice or humans were imaged at 7 or 1.5Tesla, respectively, by diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging using a complete range of b values (10, This work was supported in part by grants SAF-2008-01327 and SAF2011-23622 to SC, grant CTQ-2010-20960-C02-02 to PLL, grants S-BIO-2006-0170 and S2010/BMD-2349 to SC, PLL andMSM and grant CAM/UAM (CCG10-UAM/TIC-5864) to LFLF. BL and ABSDC held predoctoral fellowships from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (BES 2009-027615) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development.

6 páginas.-- 4 tablas.-- 12 referencias.-- Comunicación oral presentada en el XIII Simposio Hispano-Portugués de Relaciones Hídricas en las Plantas “Aprendiendo a optimizar el uso del agua en las plantas para hacer de nuestro entorno un ambiente más sostenible” Libro de resúmenes . 18 – 20 de octubre de 2016 Pamplona (España) y organizado por El Grupo de Fisiología del Estrés en Plantas (Unidad asociada al CSIC), The non-climateric character of pomegranate (P. granatum) fruit underlines the importance of determining the optimum harvest time to improve fruit quality. The effect of irrigation withholding during 6, 15, 25 and 36 d before harvest was evaluated in order to clarify whether fruit ripening is critical or non-critical from the yield, fruit characteristics and composition point of view. The results indicated that this phenological period is critical because irrigation is essential during most of this phenological period to achieve maximum yield. However, a 6 d of irrigation restriction at the end of ripening period can be used as a tool to come early harvest time, saves irrigation water, enhances the bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, punicalagin and ellagic acid) and increases the price of the fruit without affecting marketable yield and fruit size., This research was supported by MINECO (CICYT/FEDER AGL2013-45922-C2-1-R and AGL2013-45922-C2-2-R). This work is a result of the PR internship (19925/IV/15) funded by the Fundación Séneca - Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia (Seneca Foundation - Agency for Science and Technology in the Region of Murcia) under the Jiménez de la Espada Program for Mobility, Cooperation and Internationalization. AG and ZNC were funded by a FPU and an AECID grant from the Spanish Government, respectively.

Bionanocomposite foams based on alginate, potato starch and the microfibrous clay mineral sepiolite as reinforcing filler were prepared by lyophilization. Spectroscopic techniques were applied in order to assess the interaction mechanism established between the inorganic fibers and the polysaccharide chains, which is established between the hydroxyl groups in the polysaccharide chains and the silanol groups at the external surface of the sepiolite fibers. The textural properties studied by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry, FE-SEM and X-ray microtomography, revealed a decrease in porosity as the sepiolite content increased. Mechanical properties were also determined for the studied foams, showing an increase in compression moduli from 7.3 MPa in the foam without sepiolite to 29 MPa in foams containing 10% starch, 40% sepiolite and 50% alginate. Horizontal burning tests were carried out for a preliminary evaluation of the role of the inorganic fibers on the fire resistance properties of the bionanocomposite foams, revealing that bionanocomposite foams with sepiolite content >25% behave as auto-extinguishable materials. Post-synthesis cross-linking with CaCl was carried out in some of these samples, leading to an increase in the compression modulus up to 40 MPa for the optimal composition., Financial support from the CICYT (projects MAT2009-09960 & MAT2015-71117-R), the MICINN (project RyC-2007-00381), and the EU COST Action MP1202. C.R.S.M. thanks the AECID for the award of a Master fellowship.

10 pags.,3 figs., 7 tabs., Various astrophysical relevant molecules obeying the empirical formula CHNO are characterized using explicitly correlated coupled cluster methods (CCSD(T)-F12). Rotational and rovibrational parameters are provided for four isomers: methyl isocyanate (CHNCO), methyl cyanate (CHOCN), methyl fulminate (CHONC), and acetonitrile N-oxide (CHCNO). A CHCON transition state is inspected. A variational procedure is employed to explore the far infrared region because some species present non-rigidity. Second order perturbation theory is used for the determination of anharmonic frequencies, rovibrational constants, and to predict Fermi resonances. Three species, methyl cyanate, methyl fulminate, and CHCON, show a unique methyl torsion hindered by energy barriers. In methyl isocyanate, the methyl group barrier is so low that the internal top can be considered a free rotor. On the other hand, acetonitrile N-oxide presents a linear skeleton, C symmetry, and free internal rotation. Its equilibrium geometry depends strongly on electron correlation. The remaining isomers present a bend skeleton. Divergences between theoretical rotational constants and previous parameters fitted from observed lines for methyl isocyanate are discussed on the basis of the relevant rovibrational interaction and the quasi-linearity of the molecular skeleton. Published by AIP Publishing, This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Program under Grant No. PIRSES-GA-2012-31754 and the FIS2013- 40626-P project of the MINECO, Spain. The authors also acknowledge the COST Actions 1401 and 1405. S.D. acknowledges MAEC-ACID (Spain) for the grant.

Evolutionary theory has long proposed a connection between trait evolution and diversification rates. In this work, we used phylogenetic methods to evaluate the relationship of lineage-specific speciation rates and the mode of evolution of body size and tooth morphology in the Neogene and Quaternary radiation of horses (7 living and 131 extinct species). We show that diversification pulses are a recurrent feature of equid evolution but that these pulses are not correlated with rapid bursts in phenotypic evolution. Instead, rapid cladogenesis seems repeatedly associated with extrinsic factors that relaxed diversity bounds, such as increasing productivity and geographic dispersals into the Old World. This evidence suggests that diversity dynamics in Equinae were controlled mainly by ecological limits under diversity dependence rather than rapid ecomorphological differentiation., This work was supported by the Humboldt Foundation (Germany) and the Spanish and Argentinian governments (projects CGL2010-19116/BOS, CGL 2015-68333P, AECID A/030111/10, ANPCYT-PICT-11-0561, and FONCYT PICT 2015-1512).

Aquaculture industry in the Mediterranean region exhibits a growing interest for the Mediterranean meager Argyrosomus regius. Some preliminary works showed a good growth performance of the species in nearly isosmotic salinities. However, the patterns of alteration of prolactin (Prl) as well as growth hormone (Gh)/insulin growth factor-1 (Igf1) axis at the molecular level are not yet described in this species. Therefore, we cloned and sequenced partial cDNAs for pituitary prolactin (prl) and growth hormone (gh), hepatic insulin-like growth factor (igf1), and β-actin (actb). Expression patterns of these transcripts were tested in juveniles of A. regius acclimated to four different environmental salinities: (1) 5 ‰ (hyposmotic); (2) 12 ‰ (isosmotic); (3) 38 ‰ (hyperosmotic; seawater control); and (4) 55 ‰ (extremely hyperosmotic). All investigated transcripts shared high sequence identities with their counterparts in other perciformes. prl mRNA levels showed inverse pattern with increasing salinities. gh mRNA enhanced significantly in both 12 and 55 ‰ salinity groups in comparison with the control group, while igf1 showed its maximum expression levels under the nearly isosmotic environment. The results indicated clear sensitivity of prl, gh and igf1 to changes in environmental salinity, which can possibly control the euryhalinity capacity of this species., This work was carried out as a part of the Spanish-Egyptian joint project AP/039755/11(Development of molecular, physiological and immunological biomarkers for the detection of stress related to the Mediterranean meager aquaculture Argyrosomus regius) awarded from the Spanish agency of international cooperation (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, AECID) and the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, to Juan Miguel Mancera (Universidad de Cádiz, Spain) and Khaled Mohammed-Geba (Menofia University, Egypt).

17 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tabla. -- The definitive version is available at http://www.elsevier.com, In this work we analyze through a polyphasic approach several Bradyrhizobium strains isolated in Venezuela from root nodules of Centrosema species. The analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the strains belong to three clusters within genus Bradyrhizobium which have 100% similarity with Bradyrhizobium daqingense CCBAU 15774TBradyrhizobium guangxiense CCBAU 53363T and Bradyrhizobium viridifuturi SEMIA 690T. The results of recA and glnII gene analysis confirmed the identification of the strains CMVU02 and CMVU30 as Bradyrhizobium viridifuturi but the nodC gene analysis showed that they belong to a new symbiovar for which we propose the name tropici. Nevertheless, the concatenated recA and glnII gene phylogenetic analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization and phenotypic characterization showed that the strains A9T, CMVU44T and CMVU04 belong to two novel Bradyrhizobium species. The analysis of the nodC gene showed that these strains also represent two new symbiovars. Based on these results we propose the classification of the strain A9T isolated from Centrosema molle into the novel species Bradyrhizobium centrosemae (sv. centrosemae) sp. nov. (type strain A9T = LMG 29515T = CECT 9095T). and the classification of the strains CMVU44T and CMVU04 isolated from C. macrocarpum into the novel species Bradyrhizobium americanum (sv. phaseolarum) sp. nov. (type strain CMVU44T = LMG 29514T = CECT 9096T)., This research was funded by the AECID Spanish-Venezuelan projects ref. A/021330/08 and A/023939/09 from Spanish Ministry of External Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC).

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design of a training tool intended to improve deminers' technique during close-in detection tasks. Design/methodology/approach - Following an introduction that highlights the impact of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the importance of training for enhancing the safety and the efficiency of the deminers, this paper considers the utilization of a sensory tracking system to study the skill of the hand-held detector expert operators. With the compiled information, some critical performance variables can be extracted, assessed, and quantified, so that they can be used afterwards as reference values for the training task. In a second stage, the sensory tracking system is used for analysing the trainee skills. The experimentation phase aims to test the effectiveness of the elements that compose the sensory system to track the hand-held detector during the training sessions. Findings - The proposed training tool will be able to evaluate the deminers' efficiency during the scanning tasks and will provide important information for improving their competences. Originality/value - This paper highlights the need of introducing emerging technologies for enhancing the current training techniques for deminers and proposes a sensory tracking system that can be successfully utilised for evaluating trainees' performance with hand-held detectors. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited., The authors acknowledge funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007‐2013 TIRAMISU) under Grant Agreement No. 284747 and partial funding under Robocity2030 S‐0505/DPI‐0176 and FORTUNA A1/039883/11 (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo – AECID). Dr Roemi Fernández acknowledges support from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC. Dr Héctor Montes acknowledges support from Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC.

et al., Malignant progression in cancer requires populations of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) endowed with unlimited self renewal, survival under stress, and establishment of distant metastases. Additionally, the acquisition of invasive properties driven by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical for the evolution of neoplastic cells into fully metastatic populations. Here, we characterize 2 human cellular models derived from prostate and bladder cancer cell lines to better understand the relationship between TIC and EMT programs in local invasiveness and distant metastasis. The model tumor subpopulations that expressed a strong epithelial gene program were enriched in highly metastatic TICs, while a second subpopulation with stable mesenchymal traits was impoverished in TICs. Constitutive overexpression of the transcription factor Snai1 in the epithelial/ TIC-enriched populations engaged a mesenchymal gene program and suppressed their self renewal and metastatic phenotypes. Conversely, knockdown of EMT factors in the mesenchymal-like prostate cancer cell subpopulation caused a gain in epithelial features and properties of TICs. Both tumor cell subpopulations cooperated so that the nonmetastatic mesenchymal-like prostate cancer subpopulation enhanced the in vitro invasiveness of the metastatic epithelial subpopulation and, in vivo, promoted the escape of the latter from primary implantation sites and accelerated their metastatic colonization. Our models provide new insights into how dynamic interactions among epithelial, self-renewal, and mesenchymal gene programs determine the plasticity of epithelial TICs., T. Celià-Terrassa is a recipient of a doctoral fellowship from the CSIC. Ó. Meca-Cortés, A. Arnal-Estapé, and C. Estarás are recipients of doctoral fellowships and F. Mateo of a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN). R.R. Gomis is a researcher of the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats. Financial support was provided to T.M. Thomson by MICINN (SAF2008-04136-C02-01 and SAF2011-24686), the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2009SGR1482), the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional y Desarrollo (A/023859/09), and the Xarxa de Referencia en Biotecnologia; to P.L. Fernández by MICINN (FIS-PI080274), the Fondo de Investigaciones de la Seguridad Social (PI080274), the Spanish National Biobank Network, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII-RETIC RD06/0020), the Xarxa de Bancs de Tumours de Catalunya-Pla Director d’Oncologia, and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) — Unión Europea “Una manera de hacer Europa”; and to R.R. Gomis by the BBVA Foundation and MICINN (SAF2007-62691).

The occurrence of in vitro production of biogenic amines in bacteria isolated from ice-preserved sardine and mackerel was studied. Biogenic amine production was investigated by means of amino acid decarboxylation by growth on decarboxylase differential medium, biogenic amine detection by thinlayer chromatography (TLC) and decarboxylase gene detection by PCR. Decarboxylase medium overestimate the number of biogenic amine-producer strains, as the production of amine was confirmed by TLC in only five out the 17 presumptive strains. On the producer strains, PCR was used to confirm the presence of the genes encoding the amino acid decarboxylase responsible for the synthesis of these amines. Moreover, biogenic amine-producer bacteria were molecularly identified by sequencing their 16S rRNA. Form sardine, enterobacteria producing simultaneously several biogenic amines were isolated. A Kluyvera intermedia strain producing histamine, putrescine and cadaverine, and an Enterobacter asburiae strain producing only the diamines cadaverine and putrescine were identified. From mackerel, lactic acid bacteria from the Enterococcus durans species producing tyramine were isolated. This study constitutes the first description of the presence on these putatively harmful species on ice-preserved sardine and mackerel., This work was supported by grants RM2008-00002 (Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria), AGL2008-01052, Consolider INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00063 FUN-C-FOOD (Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología), S2009/AGR-1469 (ALIBIRD) (Comunidad de Madrid), Tunisian Ministry of High Education and Scientific Research and Programa de Cooperación Interuniversitaria e Investigación Científica (AECI), Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación, Spain (B/019335/08). We are grateful to M. V. Santamaría and J. M. Barcenilla. J. A. Curiel and G. Landeta are recipients of predoctoral fellowships from the I3P-CSIC and CONACyT, respectively.

12 páginas, 1 figura, 3 tablas., Ecological network theory predicts that in mutualistic systems specialists tend to interact with a subset of species with which generalists interact (i.e. nestedness). Approaching plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) association using network analyses will allow the generality of this pattern to be expanded to the ubiquitous plant-AMF mutualism. • Based on certain plant-AMF specificity recently suggested, networks are expected to be nested as a result of their mutualistic nature, and modular, with certain species interacting more tightly than others. Network analyses were used to test for nestedness and modularity and to compare the different contribution of plant and AMF to the overall nestedness. • Plant-AMF networks share general network properties with other mutualisms. Plant species with few AMFs in their roots tend to associate with those AMFs recorded in most plant species. AMFs present in a few plant species occur in plant species sheltering most AMF (i.e. nestedness). This plant-AMF network presents weakly interlinked subsets of species, strongly connected internally (i.e. modularity). Both plants and AMF show a nested structure, although AMFs have lower nestedness than plants. • The plant-AMF interaction pattern is interpreted in the context of how plant-AMF associations can be underlying mechanisms shaping plant community assemblages., We thank J. P. Castillo, M. Morales, C. Silva and L. Sortibrán for help with field samplings and S. Donat and M. Morales for laboratory assistance. This work was funded by AECID (projects A017475⁄08, A023461⁄09), DGAPA-UNAM (project IN-224808-3; IN-202811-3), and CYTED (acción 409AC0369). J.G.S-M. was supported by a ‘Ramón y Cajal’ postdoctoral contract from MICINN.