Los micromamíferos (Lagomorpha, Eulipotyphla y Rodentia) del yacimiento del Pleistoceno Medio de Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, España): Estudio sistemático y consideraciones paleoambientales

The micromammal association established in this work is the following: Lagomorpha: Oryctolagus cuniculus; Eulipotyphla: Crocidura cf. russula, cf. Sorex sp., Neomys sp., Soricidae indet. and Talpa sp.; and Rodentia: Eliomys quercinus, Apodemus cf. sylvaticus, Cricetulus (Allocricetus) bursae, Arvicola aff. sapidus, Microtus (Iberomys) brecciensis and Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus. This association is characteristic of the Middle Pleistocene. The morphological state of Cricetulus (A.) bursae, Arvicola aff. sapidus and Microtus (I.) brecciensis allows to place it in the advanced, but not final, Middle Pleistocene, which agrees with the numerical data of the site (243–337 ka) that places it in the MIS 8 or 9. The micromammals indicate the predominance of the open spaces with abundant vegetation mainly of herbaceous and bushes but also with some areas with trees. The climate would be of Mediterranean type, similar to the actual or perhaps a little milder and more humid.La asociación de micromamíferos determinada en este trabajo es la siguiente: Lagomorpha: Oryctolagus cuniculus; Eulipotyphla: Crocidura cf. russula, cf. Sorex sp., Neomys sp., Soricidae indet. y Talpa sp.; y Rodentia: Eliomys quercinus, Apodemus cf. sylvaticus, Cricetulus (Allocricetus) bursae, Arvicola aff. sapidus, Microtus (Iberomys) brecciensis y Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus. Es una asociación característica del Pleistoceno Medio. El estadio evolutivo de Cricetulus (A.) bursae, Arvicola aff. sapidus y Microtus (I.) brecciensis le aproximan a las poblaciones de dichas especies de algunos yacimientos de la Península Ibérica del Pleistoceno Medio avanzado, pero no final, lo que es acorde con las dataciones numéricas obtenidas en el yacimiento (243-337 ka) que le sitúan en el MIS 8 o 9. Los micromamíferos indican la predominancia de los espacios abiertos con abundante vegetación herbácea y arbustiva, en los que podría haber también alguna zona arbolada. El clima que indican es de tipo mediterráneo, similar al actual en la zona o quizás algo más benigno y más húmedo

La política de creación de clusters institucionales: el cluster del sector naval de Galicia (ACLUNAGA)

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolNeste traballo, realizamos unha aproximación práctica ós novos plans de política industrial para mellora-la competitividade mediante a potenciación das vantaxes do territorio, sendo o seu obxectivo a revitalización de agrupamentos sectoriais territoriais. Inicialmente, debullámo- las condicións que deben cumprir estes agrupamentos para que se poidan emprender actuacións encamiñadas á creación de clusters institucionais. Entre elas atópanse a tradición histórica na zona, a concentración xeográfica, o exceso de capacidade sobre a demanda local e a existencia dunha rede de relacións cooperativas. O sector da construcción naval en Galicia cumpre a maior parte delas; sen embargo, a ausencia de actitudes cooperativas entre os seus axentes impulsou ó Goberno galego a encarrila-las actuacións necesarias para a súa institucionalización a través da creación de ACLUNAGA (Asociación Cluster Naval Galego)In this paper, we make a practical approximation to the new industrial policy in competitiveness improvement through the encouragement of territory advantages, and which objective is to revive territorial sectorial clusters. At first, we pick the conditions that these clusters have to fulfill in order to undertake actions designed to create institutional clusters. Among them, we find the historic tradition, the geographic concentration, the excess of capacity over the local demand and the presence of a cooperation relations set. The shipbuilding in Galicia fulfill most of them, although the lack of cooperation attitude between its agents have impulsed the government of Galicia in directing neccesary actions for its institutionalitation through the creation of ACLUNAGA (Asociación Cluster Naval Gallego)En este trabajo, realizamos una aproximación práctica a los nuevos planes de política industrial para la mejora de la competitividad mediante la potenciación de las ventajas del territorio, y cuyo objetivo radica en la revitalización de agrupamientos sectoriales territoriales. Inicialmente, desgranamos las condiciones que deben cumplir estos agrupamientos para que se puedan emprender actuaciones encaminadas a la creación de clusters institucionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la tradición histórica en la zona, la concentración geográfica, el exceso de capacidad sobre la demanda local y la existencia de un entramado de relaciones cooperativas. El sector de la construcción naval en Galicia cumple la mayor parte de ellas; sin embargo, la ausencia de actitudes cooperativas entre sus agentes ha impulsado al Gobierno gallego a encarrilar las actuaciones necesarias para su institucionalización a través de la creación de ACLUNAGA (Asociación Cluster Naval Galego)S

Dry matter distribution of banderita grass [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.] at different plant strata

Objective: To evaluate the dry matter distribution of banderita grass [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.] in different plant strata. Design/Methodology/Approach: A randomized block experimental design with five repetitions was used for the experiment. Each repetition consisted of three plants which were evaluated at different days after sowing (DAS), in three different plant strata: basal stratum (BS), middle stratum (MS), and upper or apical stratum (AS). The following variables were evaluated: dry matter yield (DMY), morphological composition (MC), leaf area (LA), plant height (PH), leaf:stem ratio (L:SR), and aerial part:root ratio (Ap:rR). An analysis of variance was performed, using the PROC GLM procedure of the SAS software; in addition, a comparison of means was carried out using Tukey’s test (α<0.05). Results: SB made a greater contribution to DMY at 50 DAS, with a 16 g DMY plant-1 average, followed by MS, with 9 g DM plant-1, and AS with 3 g plant-1. The MC (g) in the BS registered that the stem made a greater contribution than the rest of the components (average: 12.3 g plant-1), while leaves from the MS and AS made the greatest contribution (2.6 g plant-1) up to 64 DAS. However, they were surpassed by the stem in the MS and by the inflorescence in the AS. In addition, BS registered the highest LA (173.4 cm2). The largest PH was recorded at 120 DAS (96 cm). The highest L:SR ratio reached 1.10 at 50 DAS, while Ap:rR recorded 3.82 at 92 DAS. Study Limitations/Implications: The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions. Therefore, any extrapolation or comparison with field conditions should be done with caution. Findings/Conclusions: The basal and middle part of a banderita grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) plant contains the highest forage accumulation (mainly in the leaves and the stem), while the highest biomass content in the apical part is produced by the inflorescence

Growth Hormone Reprograms Macrophages toward an Anti-Inflammatory and Reparative Profile in an MAFB-Dependent Manner

Growth hormone (GH), a pleiotropic hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, regulates immune and inflammatory responses. In this study, we show that GH regulates the phenotypic and functional plasticity of macrophages both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, GH treatment of GM-CSF–primed monocyte–derived macrophages promotes a significant enrichment of anti-inflammatory genes and dampens the proinflammatory cytokine profile through PI3K-mediated downregulation of activin A and upregulation of MAFB, a critical transcription factor for anti-inflammatory polarization of human macrophages. These in vitro data correlate with improved remission of inflammation and mucosal repair during recovery in the acute dextran sodium sulfate–induced colitis model in GH-overexpressing mice. In this model, in addition to the GH-mediated effects on other immune cells, we observed that macrophages from inflamed gut acquire an anti-inflammatory/reparative profile. Overall, these data indicate that GH reprograms inflammatory macrophages to an anti-inflammatory phenotype and improves resolution during pathologic inflammatory responses.This work was supported in part by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (SAF2017-82940-R Agencia Estatal de Investigación/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (AEI/FEDER), Unión Europea [UE] [to M.M.], SAF2017-83785-R AEI/FEDER, UE [to Á.L.C.] and FJCI-2016-29990 AEI/FEDER, UE [to B.S.P.]), from the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud Program of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RD12/0012/0006 and RD12/0012/0007, Red de Investigación en Inflamación y Enfermedades Reumáticas), and the Regional Government of Madrid (B2017/BMD-3804 [to C.M.-A.])

Intoxicación crónica con el fruto maduro de karwinskia humboldtiana en ratas wistar: daño renal

Karwinskia humboldtiana (Kh) es un arbusto venenoso responsable de numerosos casos de intoxicación accidental en humanos. En la literatura se ha descrito a la intoxicación crónica con Kh como uno polineuropatía sin describir si existen o no alteraciones en órganos distintos al SNC y SNP como lo es el riñón. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la morfología renal en un modelo de intoxicación crónica con Kh. Se utilizaron 32 ratas Wistar, se dividieron en cuatro grupos (n=8) en donde 5 ratas de cada grupo fueron intoxicadas y 3 fueron control no intoxicadas. A las ratas intoxicadas se les administraron por vía oral 3,5 g/kg del fruto seco y molido de Kh fraccionados en 5 dosis de 1,5; 0,5; 0,5; 0,5 y 0,5 g/kg los días 0, 3, 7, 10 y 14 respectivamente. Las ratas control solo recibieron agua. Cada grupo fue sacrificado a diferentes tiempos según la evolución de la parálisis. Se obtuvieron muestras de riñón, se procesaron hasta obtener bloques de parafina y resinas epóxicas, se obtuvieron cortes y se tiñeron y contrastaron para su observación al microscopio de luz y electrónico de transmisión (MET) respectivamente. A microscopia de luz identificamos congestión vascular, necrosis de los túbulos contorneados y fibrosis de la cápsula de renal, en la etapa de parálisis se realizo un conteo de los glomérulos afectados en las muestras tratadas con Kh, a MET además de los hallazgos previamente descritos se identificó la presencia de abundantes depósitos de matriz extracelular en la membrana basal de la cápsula renal y en la barrera de filtración de todos los grupos intoxicados, siendo más evidentes en el grupo de recuperación, lo que demuestra que la intoxicación crónica con Kh es una intoxicación sistémica y no exclusiva del SNC y SNP

Stellar populations of bulges at low redshift

This chapter summarizes our current understanding of the stellar population properties of bulges and outlines important future research directions.Comment: Review article to appear in "Galactic Bulges", Editors: Laurikainen E., Peletier R., Gadotti D., Springer Publishing. 34 pages, 12 figure

Copper Induces Damage, Oxidative Stress and Cell Death in Endothelium of Chronic Intoxicated Wistar Rats

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are part of the functional balance of various systems, they can generate cellular damage by oxidative stress associated with disease processes such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and aging. Some studies report that copper induces damage to the endothelium, which could be associated with cardiovascular pathologies. This study was an experimental comparative, prospective, longitudinal, and controlled clinical trial in a murine animal model. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were included, the distribution of the groups was time-depending chronic exposition to copper, and a control group. Results show gradual alterations in the groups treated with copper: areas with loss of the endothelium, signs of disorganization of smooth muscle fibers in the tunica media, as well as areas with the fragmentation of the elastic sheets. A significant statistical difference was observed in the active- Caspase-3 analysis expression in the aortic endothelium and endothelium of the capillaries and arterioles of the lung between the control group vs 300 ppm of copper. Expression of eNOS was detected in the endothelium of the aorta and vessels of the lung. Our study shows histological changes in the walls of the great vessels of intoxicated rats with copper, and the increment of inflammatory cells in the alveoli of the study model, mainly at a high dose of copper exposition. These results will be useful to understand more about the mediators involved in the effect of copper over endothelium and cardiovascular diseases in chronic intoxication in human

Nutritional value of Acacia amentacea and parkinsonia texana grown in semiarid conditions

In order to evaluate the nutritional value of Parkinsonia texana and Acacia amentacea, two leguminosae species of the Tamaulipan scrubland, Northeastern Mexico, two experiments were carried out: the first tested the effects of season and browse species on chemical composition as nutritional variable to small ruminants; the second tested the effect of the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on fermentation parameters. Foliage samples were collected from three sites. Data of chemical composition were analysed using analysis of variance for a bi-factorial arrangement, whereas the effect of PEG was analysed by a strip plot design. Results of chemical composition were affected by interacting factors season*species as individually they were significantly different (P<0.001). Addition of PEG affected (P<0.001) fermentation parameters. Significantly higher values of neutral detergent fibre (42%), condensed tannins (19%), purines (9 μmol), partitioning factor (PF) (6.1) and gross energy losses (GEL=6.7%) were found in A. amentacea, while P. texana gave higher crude protein (18%), in vitro true organic matter digestibility (82%), metabolisable energy (ME) [2.1 Mcal/kg dry matter (DM)], A (183 mL), c (0.07/h) and L (0.86 h). Addition of PEG increased ME, and affected (P<0.001) fermentation parameters A and c, while purines and PF decreased. Results indicate that chemical composition and fermentation parameters vary according to seasons and species. PEG addition increases the fermentation parameters, which indicates that PEG counteracts the detrimental effects of secondary components of samples. Data suggest that using both species combined could supply necessary nutritional requirements to small ruminants in the Tamaulipan scrubland