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Eudendrium capillaroides Schuchert, 2008 has not been reported since its original description. The new and abundant material found in Ceuta, southern coast of the Strait of Gibraltar, allows us to refine the morphological diagnosis of this species. Eudendrium capillaroides is characterized by small monosiphonic colonies, a dense ring at the base of the hydranth, and it seems to have a preference for growing on other hydroids. Male gonophores on atrophied polyps, two-chambered (occasionally one chamber), and female gonophores on reduced polyps in the initial stages of development but hydrants later completely atrophied. Nematocysts are heterotrichous microbasic euryteles of two size classes, a larger size densely distributed in a band on the hydrant body basally and a smaller size abundant mainly on the tentacles. Furthermore, we carried out molecular analyses to assess the status of E. capillaroides and its most similar congener E. capillare within the genus Eudendrium. The use of few morphological characters or incomplete descriptions may thus lead to an incorrect wide distribution of a nominal species that actually represents a species complex. This can particularly be the case in less conspicuous species, such as many hydroids, where the degree of diversity might be underestimated. The accurate description of tiny, inconspicuous and/or cryptic species is important in order to better estimate global marine diversity as well as to understand marine communities and the relationships between their components.

Eudendrium capillaroides Schuchert, 2008 has not been reported since its original description. The new and abundant material found in Ceuta, southern coast of the Strait of Gibraltar, allows us to refine the morphological diagnosis of this species. Eudendrium capillaroides is characterized by small monosiphonic colonies, a dense ring at the base of the hydranth, and it seems to have a preference for growing on other hydroids. Male gonophores on atrophied polyps, two-chambered (occasionally one chamber), and female gonophores on reduced polyps in the initial stages of development but hydrants later completely atrophied. Nematocysts are heterotrichous microbasic euryteles of two size classes, a larger size densely distributed in a band on the hydrant body basally and a smaller size abundant mainly on the tentacles. Furthermore, we carried out molecular analyses to assess the status of E. capillaroides and its most similar congener E. capillare within the genus Eudendrium. The use of few morphological characters or incomplete descriptions may thus lead to an incorrect wide distribution of a nominal species that actually represents a species complex. This can particularly be the case in less conspicuous species, such as many hydroids, where the degree of diversity might be underestimated. The accurate description of tiny, inconspicuous and/or cryptic species is important in order to better estimate global marine diversity as well as to understand marine communities and the relationships between their components.

The natural regeneration of forests in mining areas is typically hampered by edaphic stress. Semiarid conditions add a climatic stress that challenges the restoration of these harsh ecosystems. This is the case of Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Masters mixed forests in the Western Mediterranean region colonizing mining structures abandoned three decades ago. We studied the factors controlling the natural establishment of nine shrub and tree species key in these forests in eight metal mine tailings in SE Spain. In addition, we assessed the success of reintroducing 1480 individuals of the nine species 15 months after planting in one of the tailings. Specifically, we analyzed the effect of (i) species identity in terms of sapling survival, growth, nutritional status and metal bioaccumulation, and (ii) adding organic amendments into the planting holes on the same parameters. Our results indicated that natural colonization is a recent process, with seedling cohorts that vary up to two orders of magnitude among species and a practical absence of adult plants in most species excepting T. articulata. We identified seed limitation as a key factor controlling seedling density, which was significantly explained by the distance from the border of the tailing to the closest adult out of the tailing. Soil metal concentration did not have any explanatory power on the density of naturallyestablished seedlings, whereas soil fertility was relevant only for Rhamnus lycioides L. Overall survival of planted individuals was over 80%, survival and growth remarkably differing among species. Organic amendments had neutral or negative effects on plant survival, but significantly increased the growth of survivors despite their modest effects on leaf nutrient contents. Most species showed high metal bioaccumulation, which was exacerbated by organic amendments. We discuss how biodiversity conservation programs can benefit from the affordable and successful plantation of stress-tolerant local spe

[EN] America's first urban centers may have been located in the Supe Valley, Peru. After investigating the location and the orientation of the main built structures, we show that it is not only the presence of the Supe River that determines their orientation but also that astronomical relationships within the orientation of the buildings dictate their setting within the valley. The southernmost position of moonrise on the horizon seems to be the most important astronomical target. There is the possibility of a trend toward attributing greater importance to the June solstice sunrise and the rising of certain stars or asterisms. These orientations could relate to specific moments throughout the year, in particular to seasonal rains, subsequent river flooding, and agricultural cycles. This is one of the earliest examples of the interaction of land- and skyscapes in human cultures and indeed the first in the Americas., [ES] El valle del río Supe en Perú posiblemente alberga una de las primeras manifestaciones de urbanismo en América. Los resultados de la investigación sobre la localización y orientación de los edificios principales muestran que no es sólo la presencia del río Supe la que determina la orientación de estos edificios, pero la localización dentro del valle también viene dictada por posibles relaciones astronómicas. Se muestra que la orientación más importante de estas estructuras concuerdan con la salida más meridional de la luna. Existe la posibilidad de una tendencia de atribuir una importancia creciente del solsticio de junio y la salida de ciertas estrellas y asterismos. Estas orientaciones se pueden relacionar con momentos concretos a lo largo del ciclo anual, en particular con las estaciones de lluvia las crecidas subsequentes del río y los ciclos terrenal agrícolas. De esta manera, los monumentos del valle del Supe aparecen como una de las primeras muestras de interacción del paisaje y el celaje en culturas humanas de América.

The membrane domain of eukaryotic HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) has the conserved capacity to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proliferation and membrane association into Organized Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (OSER) structures. These formations develop in response to overexpression of particular proteins, but also occur naturally in cells of the three eukaryotic kingdoms. Here, we characterize OSER structures induced by the membrane domain of Arabidopsis HMGR (1S domain). Immunochemical confocal and electron microscopy studies demonstrate that the 1S:GFP chimera co-localizes with high levels of endogenous HMGR in several ER compartments, such as the ER network, the nuclear envelope, the outer and internal membranes of HMGR vesicles and the OSER structures, which we name ER-HMGR domains. After high-pressure freezing, ER-HMGR domains show typical crystalloid, whorled and lamellar ultrastructural patterns, but with wide heterogeneous luminal spaces, indicating that the native OSER is looser and more flexible than previously reported. The formation of ER-HMGR domains is reversible. OSER structures grow by incorporation of ER membranes on their periphery and progressive compaction to the inside. The ER-HMGR domains are highly dynamic in their formation versus their disassembly, their variable spherical-ovoid shape, their fluctuating borders and their rapid intracellular movement, indicating that they are not mere ER membrane aggregates, but active components of the eukaryotic cell.

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.

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 sit

Digestive proteases from marine organisms have been poorly applied to biomedicine. Exceptions are trypsin and other digestive proteases from a few cold-adapted or temperate fish and crustacean species. These enzymes are more efficient than enzymes from microorganism and higher vertebrates that have been used traditionally. However, the biomedical potential of digestive proteases from warm environment species has received less research attention. This review aims to provide an overview of this unrealised biomedical potential, using the debridement application as a paradigm. Debridement is intended to remove nonviable, necrotic and contaminated tissue, as well as fibrin clots, and is a key step in wound treatment. We discuss the physiological role of enzymes in wound healing, the use of exogenous enzymes in debridement, and the limitations of cold-adapted enzymes such as their poor thermal stability. We show that digestive proteases from tropical crustaceans may have advantages over their cold-adapted counterparts for this and similar uses. Differences in thermal stability, auto-proteolytic stability, and susceptibility to proteinase inhibitors are discussed. Furthermore, it is proposed that the feeding behaviour of the source organism may direct the evaluation of enzymes for particular applications, as digestive proteases have evolved to fill a wide variety of feeding habitats, natural substrates, and environmental conditions. We encourage more research on the biomedical application of digestive enzymes from tropical marine crustaceans.

Our research aimed to evaluate the formation of Maillard reaction products in sun-dried coffee cascara and their impact on the safety and health promoting properties of a novel beverage called “Instant Cascara” (IC) derived from this coffee by-product. Maillard reaction products in sun-dried coffee cascara have never been reported. “Instant Cascara” (IC) extract was obtained by aqueous extraction and freeze-drying. Proteins, amino acids, lipids, fatty acid profile, sugars, fiber, minerals, and vitamins were analyzed for its nutritional characterization. Acrylamide and caffeine were used as chemical indicators of safety. Colored compounds, also called melanoidins, their stability under 40 °C and in light, and their in vitro antioxidant capacity were also studied. A safe instant beverage with antioxidant properties was obtained to which the following nutritional claims can be assigned: “low fat”, “low sugar” “high fiber” and “source of potassium, magnesium and vitamin C”. For the first time, cascara beverage color was attributed to the presence of antioxidant melanoidins (>10 kDa). IC is a potential sustainable alternative for instant coffee, with low caffeine and acrylamide levels and a healthy composition of nutrients and antioxidants.

[Background & aim]: A diet quality index (DQI) is a tool that provides an overall score of an individual's dietary intake when assessing compliance with food-based dietary guidelines. A number of DQIs have emerged, albeit their associations with health-related outcomes are debated. The aim of the present study was to assess whether adherence to dietary intervention, and the overall quality of the diet, can predict body composition changes., [Methods]: To this purpose, overweight/obese adolescents (n = 117, aged: 13–16 years; 51 males, 66 females) were recruited into a multi-component (diet, physical activity and psychological support) family-based group treatment programme. We measured the adolescents' compliance and body composition at baseline and after 2 months (intensive phase) and 13 months (extensive phase) of follow-up. Also, at baseline, after 6 months, and at the end of follow-up we calculated the DQI., [Results]: Global compliance with the dietary intervention was 37.4% during the intensive phase, and 14.3% during the extensive phase. Physical activity compliance was 94.1% at 2-months and 34.7% at 13months and psychological support compliance were growing over the intervention period (10.3% intensive phase and 45.3% during extensive phase). Adolescents complying with the meal frequency criteria at the end of the extensive phase had greater reductions in FMI z-scores than those did not complying (Cohen's d = 0.53). A statistically significant association was observed with the diet quality index. DQI-A variation explained 98.1% of BMI z-score changes and 95.1% of FMI changes., [Conclusions]: We conclude that assessment of changes in diet quality could be a useful tool in predicting body composition changes in obese adolescents involved in a diet and physical activity intervention programme backed-up by psychological and family support.

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 41–49% content of procyanidin dimers and the presence of propelargonidin dimers (8–15%). However, most of the 18 commercial samples exhibit low proanthocyanidin contents (254.8–602.8 µg/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 µg/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 µg TE/g). One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a Tukey post hoc test indicated significant difference (p < 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 sho

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, Proliferophoru

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.

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 Mari

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.

In eukaryotes, the formation of a 5'-cap and 3'-poly(A) dependent protein-protein bridge is required for translation of its mRNAs. In contrast, several plant virus RNA genomes lack both of these mRNA features, but instead have a 3'-CITE (for cap-independent translation enhancer), a RNA element present in their 3'-untranslated region that recruits translation initiation factors and is able to control its cap-independent translation. For several 3'-CITEs, direct RNA-RNA long-distance interactions based on sequence complementarity between the 5'- and 3'-ends are required for efficient translation, as they bring the translation initiation factors bound to the 3'-CITE to the 5'-end. For the carmovirus melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), a 3'-CITE has been identified, and the presence of its 5'-end in cis has been shown to be required for its activity. Here, we analyze the secondary structure of the 5'-end of the MNSV RNA genome and identify two highly conserved nucleotide sequence stretches that are complementary to the apical loop of its 3'-CITE. In in vivo cap-independent translation assays with mutant constructs, by disrupting and restoring sequence complementarity, we show that the interaction between the 3'-CITE and at least one complementary sequence in the 5'-end is essential for virus RNA translation, although efficient virus translation and multiplication requires both connections. The complementary sequence stretches are invariant in all MNSV isolates, suggesting that the dual 5'-3' RNA: RNA interactions are required for optimal MNSV cap-independent translation and multiplication.

[Background] Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most prevalent congenital infection acquired worldwide, with higher incidence in developing countries and among HIV-exposed children. Less is known regarding vertical transmission of parvovirus B19 (B19V) and enterovirus (EV). We aimed to assess the prevalence of CMV, B19V and EV vertical transmission and compare results of screening of congenital CMV obtained from two different specimens in a semirural Mozambican maternity., [Methods] A cross sectional study was conducted among pregnant mothers attending Manhiça District Hospital upon delivery. Information on maternal risk factors was ascertained. Dried umbilical cord (DUC) samples were collected in filter paper for CMV, B19V and EV detection by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) to test for CMV by RT-PCR. Maternal blood samples and placental biopsy samples were also obtained to investigate CMV maternal serology, HIV status and immunopathology., [Results] From September 2014 to January 2015, 118 mothers/newborn pairs were recruited. Prevalence of maternal HIV infection was 31.4% (37/118). CMV RT-PCR was positive in 3/115 (2.6%) of DUC samples and in 3/96 (6.3%) of NPA samples obtained from neonates. The concordance of the RT-PCR assay through DUC with their correspondent NPA sample was moderate (Kappa = 0.42 and p<0.001. No differences on cCMV prevalence were found among HIV-exposed and unexposed. All (100%) mothers were seropositive for CMV IgG. RT-PCR of EV and B19V in DUC were both negative in all screened cases. No histological specific findings were found in placental tissues. No risk factors associated to vertical transmission of these viral infections were found., [Conclusions] This study indicates the significant occurrence of vertical transmission of CMV in southern Mozambique. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the true burden, clinical relevance and consequences of congenital infections with such pathogens in resource-constrained settings.

[Background] Renal epithelioid angiomyolipomas (EAML) are rare tumors with aggressive behavior. EAML can be sporadic or develop within the tuberous sclerosis complex syndrome, where mutations of TSC1 or TSC2 genes (critical negative regulators of mTOR Complex 1) result in an increased activation of mTOR pathway. Optimal EAML treatment, including mTOR inhibitors, remains undetermined., [Case presentation] Here we present the case of a young adult with a renal EAML that after radical nephrectomy developed metastases, first in liver and then in lumbar vertebrae. After complete surgical resection of these lesions, liver recurrence was detected, this time with incomplete surgical resection. After finding a new liver lesion, systemic treatment with sirolimus started. The patient exhibited a complete and durable response to this drug, being disease free at the time of publication, after 36 months of treatment. Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) of MTOR, TSC1 and TSC2 genes in the primary tumor, metastasis and blood of the patient, revealed one inactivating TSC2 mutation (c.2739dup; p.K914*) in the tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased TSC2 protein content and increased phospho-S6 in the tumor cells, demonstrating mTOR pathway activation., [Conclusion] NGS on an EAML patient with an extraordinary response to sirolimus uncovered TSC2 inactivation as the mechanism for the response. This study supports NGS as a useful tool to identify patients sensitive to mTOR inhibitors and supports the treatment of malignant EAML with these drugs.

Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a neglected disease that affects about 7 million people in Latin America, recently emerging on other continents due to migration. As infection in mice is characterized by depletion of plasma L-arginine, the effect on infection outcome was tested in mice with or without L-arginine supplementation and treatment with 1400W, a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We found that levels of L-arginine and citrulline were reduced in the heart and plasma of infected mice, whereas levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, an endogenous iNOS inhibitor, were higher. Moreover, L-arginine supplementation decreased parasitemia and heart parasite burden, improving clinical score and survival. Nitric oxide production in heart tissue and plasma was increased by L-arginine supplementation, while pharmacological inhibition of iNOS yielded an increase in parasitemia and worse clinical score. Interestingly, electrocardiograms improved in mice supplemented with L-arginine, suggesting that it modulates infection and heart function and is thus a potential biomarker of pathology. More importantly, L-arginine may be useful for treating T. cruzi infection, either alone or in combination with other antiparasitic drugs.

Uncaria tomentosa constitutes an important source of secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities mainly attributed until recently to alkaloids and triterpenes. We have previously reported for the first-time the polyphenolic profile of extracts from U. tomentosa, using a multi-step process involving organic solvents, as well as their antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activity on aerial bacteria, and cytotoxicity on cancer cell lines. These promising results prompted the present study using food grade solvents suitable for the elaboration of commercial extracts. We report a detailed study on the polyphenolic composition of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of U. tomentosa bark and leaves (n = 16), using High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-DAD/TQ-ESI-MS). A total of 32 compounds were identified, including hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols monomers, procyanidin dimers and trimers, flavalignans–cinchonains and propelargonidin dimers. Our findings showed that the leaves were the richest source of total phenolics and proanthocyanidins, in particular propelargonidin dimers. Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that the contents of procyanidin and propelargonidin dimers were significantly different (p < 0.05) in function of the plant part, and leaves extracts showed higher contents. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl (DPPH) values indicated higher antioxidant capacity for the leaves (p < 0.05). Further, correlation between both methods and procyanidin dimers was found, particularly between ORAC and propelargonidin dimers. Finally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis results clearly indicated that the leaves are the richest plant part in proanthocyanidins and a very homogenous material, regardless of their origin. Therefore, our findings revealed that both ethanol and water extraction processes are adequate for the elaboration of potential commer

[Objectives] The clinical correlation of fluconazole antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) for Candida isolates and its integration with pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) parameters is unclear. We analysed the impact of fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, 24-hour area under the concentration–time curve (AUC24) and AUC24/MIC ratio on the outcome of candidemic patients., [Methods] We included 257 episodes of candidaemia treated with fluconazole monotherapy for ≥72 hours from a population-based surveillance conducted in 29 hospitals (CANDIPOP Project). AST was centrally performed by European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) microdilution methods. Primary outcome was clinical failure (30-day mortality and/or persistent candidaemia for ≥72 hours from initiation of therapy). Secondary outcomes included early (3–7 days) and late (3–30 days) mortality., [Results] Rates of clinical failure, early and late mortality among evaluable episodes were 32.3% (80/248), 3.1% (8/257) and 23.4% (59/248). There was no relationship between fluconazole MIC values or PK/PD parameters and clinical failure. Although MIC values ≥2 mg/L by EUCAST (positive predictive value 32.1%, negative predictive value 68.7%) and ≥0.5 mg/L by CLSI (positive predictive value 34.8%, negative predictive value 74.4%) appeared to be optimal for predicting clinical failure, no significant associations remained after multivariate adjustment (odds ratio 1.67; 95% confidence interval 0.48–5.79; p 0.423). Lack of association was consistent for alternative thresholds (including proposed clinical breakpoints). The only association found for secondary outcomes was between an AUC24/MIC ratio >400 h by CLSI and early mortality (odds ratio 0.18; 95% confidence interval 0.04–0.98; p 0.026)., [Conclusions] High fluconazole MIC values did not negatively impact outcome of patients with candidaemia treated with fluconazole. No effect of PK/PD targets on the risk of clinical failure was found.

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 specif

[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.

[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.

[Background] Flavan‐3‐ol compounds are important secondary metabolites which show high antioxidant activity and are responsible for bitterness and astringency of food products. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential for selecting grape materials with higher seed flavanol content from a breeding population. The composition and content of flavan‐3‐ols from 151 genotypes obtained from crossing wine grape varieties was evaluated by UPLC in three consecutive years. [Results] Chromatograms of flavan‐3‐ol compounds showed the same 12 compounds for all samples, but quantitative differences were observed between genotypes as well as parental varieties. The most abundant compounds were (−)‐epicatechin and (+)‐catechin followed by proanthocyanidins A2 and B2. Progeny showed higher values than the parental genotypes for every detected compound indicating directional transgressive segregation. With these results genotypes with as much as five times more flavanols than their parents could be identified. The year effect was significant; however, high correlations between years for each compound indicated that there is a strong genetic component in the determination of flavanol content. [Conclusion] Higher contents of seed flavan‐3‐ols can be obtained by hybridisation, and those genotypes could be used for extracting healthy phytochemicals, adding value to seeds as a sub‐product in wine elaboration

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.

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.

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.

Thymic atrophy occurs during infection being associated with apoptosis of double positive (DP) and premature exit of DP and double negative (DN) thymocytes. We observed for the first time that a significant bone marrow aplasia and a decrease in common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) preceded thymic alterations in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. In addition, depletion of the DN2 stage was previous to the DN1, indicating an alteration in the differentiation from DN1 to DN2 thymocytes. Interestingly, infected mice deficient in IL-6 expression showed higher numbers of DP and CD4 thymocytes than wild type infected mice, while presenting similar percentages of DN1 thymocytes. Moreover, the drop in late differentiation stages of DN thymocytes was partially abrogated in comparison with wild type littermates. Thus, our results suggest that thymic atrophy involves a drop in CLPs production in bone marrow and IL-6-dependent and independent mechanisms that inhibits the differentiation of DN thymocytes.

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.].

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.

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)

[EN] Morphological and size dimorphism between genders of the benthopelagic shrimp Pasiphaea sivado are reported for the first time in the present work. All five pleopod protopods of females are thinner and more elongated than the male pleopod protopods, which in turn are anteriorly rounded and have robust shapes. The shape variability of the second pleopod protopods was also analysed using geometric morphometrics techniques which clearly differentiated between the thinner, elongated shape of the females and the robust shape of males. An important application of the observations of sexual dimorphism in pleopod shape in adult P. sivado is, from now on, the ability to quickly assess the gender of individuals when fisheries and population biology studies are carried out in the field unaided by a magnifying. A critical size from which the population sex ratio biases changed from female to male dominance was found in all studied western Mediterranean populations of P. sivado. This critical size different and became progressively smaller from populations in the Alboran Sea to populations in the Catalan Sea. Concerning sex ratio, no significant tendency of gender segregation was found across the bathymetric distribution range of the species, suggesting that this species does not perform differential depth distribution by gender, [ES] Se estudia por vez primera el dimorfismo sexual morfológico y de talla en el camarón bentopelágico Pasiphaea sivado. Los cinco protopodios de los pleópodos de las hembras son más esbeltos y alargados que los de los machos, los cuales son redondeados anteriormente y de aspecto más robusto. La variabilidad de forma de los protopodios de los segundos pleópodos se ha analizado mediante técnicas de morfometría geométrica, las cuales diferenciaron claramente las formas esbeltas y alargadas de las hembras respecto a las de los machos. Una importante aplicación práctica de estos resultados es que van a permitir una identificación rápida del sexo, sin auxilio de lupa, de los individuos adultos en estudios de pesquerías y de biología de poblaciones. Se identificó una talla crítica a partir de la cual los machos dominan significativamente su proporción en todas las poblaciones geográficas estudiadas en el Mediterráneo occidental. Esta talla es distinta y progresivamente menor desde las poblaciones más occidentales en el mar de Alborán hasta las más nororientales en el mar Catalán. Por lo que respecta a la proporción de sexos, no se detectó ninguna tendencia significativa a lo largo de la distribución batimétrica de la especie, lo que sugiere que la especie no lleva a cabo distribución diferencial entre machos y hembras en relación a la profundidad

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.

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

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.

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.

El artículo tiene por propósito analizar el origen y desarrollo de los programas para agresores de violencia de género en las prisiones de España. Primeramente, se realizará un retrato histórico-normativo de su evolución en el marco del tratamiento penitenciario con el fin de comprender el conjunto de circunstancias que posibilitaron el nacimiento de las intervenciones intramuros. En la segunda parte del trabajo se desarrollará un análisis crítico centrado en los programas de violencia de género, momento en el cual se discutirá su contribución a la consolidación de una nueva etapa de la política penitenciaria y el replanteamiento de los límites entre el control y la rehabilitación. Las conclusiones consideran en qué medida los programas pueden ser contemplados como un avance real., This article analyzes the origin and development of “battering programs” in Spanish prisons. Firstly, we will provide a historical as well as a legal portrait of the evolution of the regulatory rehabilitation programs within prison treatment. This part is done with the purpose of understanding the circumstances that made possible the emergence of specific interventions. In the second part we will focus on a critical analysis, in which, we discuss how the programs for perpetrators of domestic violence make up a new stage in the Spanish prison policy and we will examine how these programs accentuate the boundaries between control and rehabilitation.

The margin of the continental slope of the Volcanic Province of Canary Islands is characterised by seamounts, submarine hills and large landslides. The seabed morphology including detailed morphology of the seamounts and hills was analysed using multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, and very high resolution seismic profiles. Some of the elevation data are reported here for the first time. The shape and distribution of characteristics features such as volcanic cones, ridges, slides scars, gullies and channels indicate evolutionary differences. Special attention was paid to recent geological processes that influenced the seamounts. We defined various morphosedimentary units, which are mainly due to massive slope instability that disrupt the pelagic sedimentary cover.We also studied other processes such as the role of deep bottom currents in determining sediment distribution. The sediments are interpreted as the result of a complex mixture ofmaterial derived froma) slope failures on seamounts and submarine hills; and b) slides and slumps on the continental slope.

We compared the clinical efficacy of fluconazole and echinocandins in the treatment of candidemia in real practice. The CANDIPOP study is a prospective, population-based cohort study on candidemia carried out between May 2010 and April 2011 in 29 Spanish hospitals. Using strict inclusion criteria, we separately compared the impact of empirical and targeted therapy with fluconazole or echinocandins on 30-day mortality. Cox regression, including a propensity score (PS) for receiving echinocandins, stratified analysis on the PS quartiles and PS-based matched analyses, were performed. The empirical and targeted therapy cohorts comprised 316 and 421 cases, respectively; 30-day mortality was 18.7% with fluconazole and 33.9% with echinocandins (p 0.02) in the empirical therapy group and 19.8% with fluconazole and 27.7% with echinocandins (p 0.06) in the targeted therapy group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis including PS showed that empirical therapy with fluconazole was associated with better prognosis (adjusted hazard ratio 0.38; 95% confidence interval 0.17–0.81; p 0.01); no differences were found within each PS quartile or in cases matched according to PS. Targeted therapy with fluconazole did not show a significant association with mortality in the Cox regression analysis (adjusted hazard ratio 0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.41–1.46; p 0.63), in the PS quartiles or in PS-matched cases. The results were similar among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Empirical or targeted treatment with fluconazole was not associated with increased 30-day mortality compared to echinocandins among adults with candidemia.

Las legumbres contienen sustancias bioactivas conocidas como fitoquímicos con propiedades antioxidantes. El proceso de germinación puede dar lugar a alimentos con características nutricionales y sensoriales mejoradas; así como incrementar sus niveles en antioxidantes. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo principal evaluar la efectividad de la germinación en la mejora del valor nutricional y la biodisponibilidad de antioxidantes de la dieta, concretamente, de la melatonina en legumbres. Hasta la fecha, no existen datos acerca de los niveles de melatonina en semillas de legumbres y hortalizas. Los estudios realizados han dado lugar a información novedosa y confirman la presencia de melatonina en semillas de hortalizas y legumbres comerciales y sus correspondientes germinados. Los valores más elevados de melatonina se encontraron en germinados de col roja comercial. El proceso de germinación modifica el perfil de los componentes bioactivos, siendo dependiente del tipo de legumbre y de las condiciones en las que se realiza. Las investigaciones realizadas han permitido establecer que la germinación de semillas de lenteja y judía pinta durante 8 días, bajo condiciones lumínicas de 12 horas luz/12 horas oscuridad y/o 24 horas en oscuridad, produce un aumento significativo de los contenidos de melatonina e incrementa su capacidad antioxidante. Los niveles máximos de melatonina en lenteja y judía pinta se logran bajo condiciones de 24 horas en oscuridad en el sexto día de germinación. Los contenidos más elevados se alcanzan en germinados de judía pinta (9,4 ng/g m.s.). Por otra parte, el tratamiento combinado de riego suplementado con melatonina pura durante la germinación resulta ser efectivo en el incremento de melatonina (99%). El incremento se atribuye, al menos en parte, a su absorción. El estudio de biodisponbilidad en ratas Sprague Dawley de la melatonina dietética presente en extractos preparados a partir de germinados de judía pinta, revela un incremento de

This study focuses on the relationship between CO production and the ultimate hatchability of the incubation. A total amount of 43316 eggs of red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) were supervised during five actual incubations: three in 2012 and two in 2013. The CO concentration inside the incubator was monitored over a 20-day period, showing sigmoidal growth from ambient level (428 ppm) up to 1700 ppm in the incubation with the highest hatchability. Two sigmoid growth models (logistic and Gompertz) were used to describe the CO production by the eggs, with the result that the logistic model was a slightly better fit (r=0.976 compared to r=0.9746 for Gompertz). A coefficient of determination of 0.997 between the final CO estimation (ppm) using the logistic model and hatchability (%) was found.

This work tackles the study of the quality and authenticity of oils labeled and commercialized as extra virgin sacha inchi oil. Major and minor components as triglycerides, fatty acid methyl esters, tocopherols, sterols and hydrocarbons are determined as well as other physicochemical parameters (density, viscosity, acidity and peroxide value). The results showed that some of the commercialized oils do not fulfill the basic requirement established in the regulation such as the content of ¿-linolenic acid, higher than 44.7 or 55.0% in the cases of P. volubilis and P. huayllabambana, respectively. The calculated stigmasterol/campesterol ratio for genuine sacha inchi oils should be around 4, however not all commercial oils analyzed comply with this requirement. The presence of the flavons sesamin and sesamolin indicates the addition of compounds from sesame oils. Finally, some of the commercial oils showed to contain trans fatty acids although this was not accompanied by the sterene hydrocarbon presence.

The influence of relative humidity (RH) has been determined in SiO2 colloidal nanoparticles, to study their efficacy as a consolidating product by means of the physical changes in the hydric and mechanical properties produced in a siliceous-carbonate stone from a historic building (XVI century) with signs of degradation. Therefore, diverse analytical techniques have been used for the product characterization (TEM-EDS, ESEM-EDS, XRD, DTA-TG, spectrophotometry) together with micro-destructive (SEM, microdrilling resistance) and non-destructive petrophysical tests (hydric tests, ultrasonic velocity, adhesion and microhardness tests) for the characterization of the stone. The precursor water colloidal nanosilica, when is initially exposed to high RH environments, forms agglomerated spherical nanoparticles of amorphous silica, that holds a higher amount of adsorbed water and lower amount of silanol groups on the surface, compared to samples exposed to lower RH. This final product behaves in a similar way than a silica gel, when is exposed once again to lower and higher RH, as a reversible hydration–dehydration process of adsorbed water. Related to the efficacy as a consolidant, the results show differences both, in surface changes, decreasing the amount of released material from the substrate and increasing its surface hardness, as in the interior of the porous structure, increasing absorption and desorption water capillarity rates, ultrasonic velocities and drilling resistance, showing high efficiency and less adverse aspects at lower RH. However, this effect and the possible decay caused by repeated cycles of hydration–dehydration of the silica gel inside the porous of the stone should be assessed in order to determine its durability.

Plant–plant facilitation is a crucial ecological process, as many plant species (facilitated) require the presence of an established individual (nurse) to recruit. Some plant facilitative interactions disappear during the ontogenetic development of the facilitated plant but others persist, even when the two plants are adults. We test whether the persistence of plant facilitative interactions is explained by the phylogenetic diversity of mutualistic and non-mutualistic fungi that the nurse and the facilitated species add to the shared rhizosphere. We classify plant facilitative interactions as persistent and non-persistent interactions and quantify the phylogenetic diversity of mutualistic and non-mutualistic fungi added by the plant species to the shared rhizosphere. Our results show that the facilitated species add less phylogenetic diversity of non-mutualistic fungi when plant facilitative interactions persist than when they do not persist. However, persistent and non-persistent facilitative interactions did not differ in the phylogenetic diversity of mutualistic fungi added by the facilitated species to the shared rhizosphere. Finally, the fungal phylogenetic diversity added by the nurse to the shared rhizosphere did not differ between persistent and non-persistent interactions. This study suggests that considering the fungal associates of the plant species involved in facilitative interactions can shed light on the mechanisms of persistence for plant–plant interactions.

Multivalent glycosystems are potential candidates for anti-adhesive therapy, a non-lethal approach against the ever increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria. In order to fine-tune the glyconanomaterial size and shape for selective bacterial cell agglutination, herein we report the synthesis of sugar-coated dynamic and polymeric 3D-micelles and 1D-carbon nanotubes. The reported shot-gun like synthetic approach is based on the ability of diacetylenic-based neoglycolipids to self-assemble into micelles in water and hierarchically self-assemble into hemimicelles on a single-walled carbon nanotube surface. The affinity of the nanosystems was preliminarily assessed by enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA) using the mannose-specific Concanavalin A lectin as a model receptor. Relative binding potency enhancements, compared to methyl ¿-d-mannopyranoside used as control, from 10- to 25- to 2340-folds in sugar molar basis were observed when passing from 3D dynamic micelles to static micelles, to 1D-mannose coated carbon nanotubes, respectively, indicative of a significant cluster glycoside effect. Importantly, these results were confirmed in vivo showing that the 1D-glyconanoring-coated carbon nanotubes efficiently and selectively regulate the agglutination and proliferation of the enterobacteria Escherichia coli type 1 fimbriae. These findings highlight the potential of sugar coated nano-materials as novel and effective tools in the control of bacterial pathogenesis.

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.

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.

Although it has been traditionally accepted that Arenaria balearica (Caryophyllaceae) could be a relict Tertiary plant species, this has never been experimentally tested. Nor have the palaeohistorical reasons underlying the highly fragmented distribution of the species in the Western Mediterranean region been investigated. We have analysed AFLP data (213) and plastid DNA sequences (226) from a total of 250 plants from 29 populations sampled throughout the entire distribution range of the species in Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia, and the Tuscan Archipelago. The AFLP data analyses indicate very low geographic structure and population differentiation. Based on plastid DNA data, six alternative phylogeographic hypotheses were tested using Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC). These analyses revealed ancient area fragmentation as the most probable scenario, which is in accordance with the star-like topology of the parsimony network that suggests a pattern of long term survival and subsequent in situ differentiation. Overall low levels of genetic diversity and plastid DNA variation were found, reflecting evolutionary stasis of a species preserved in locally long-term stable habitats.