On the occurrence of Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Sobre la presència de Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) al mar Mediterrani S’informa de la captura de quatre exemplars de Zenopsis conchifer, espècie que va ser citada per primera vegada al Mediterrani l’any 2007, a las costes de la península Ibèrica. Un dels exemplars va ser capturat prop de l’estret de Gibraltar, per la qual cosa probablement es tractava d’un individu errant. Malgrat aquestes captures no hi ha evidència de l’existència d’una població estable, raó per la qual l’espècie ha de continuar sent considerada com a exòtica al Mediterrani.The capture of four specimens of Silvery John Dory (Zenopsis conchifer),a species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in 2006, is reported from the Iberian coast (western Mediterranean). One of the specimens was caught near the Strait of Gibraltar and is probably a vagrant. Despite these catches, there is no evidence of a self–sustaining population, so this species should be considered as alien in the Mediterranean.Sobre la presencia de Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) in el Mar Mediterráneo Se informa de la captura de cuatro ejemplares de Zenopsis conchifer, especie cuya primera cita en el Mediterráneo data del año 2007, en las costas de la península ibérica. Uno de los ejemplares fue capturado cerca del estrecho de Gibraltar, por lo que probablemente se trataría de un individuo errante. A pesar de estas capturas, no hay evidencia de la existencia de una población

Estado de degradación proteolítica del queso de Los Pedroches

Las imágenes electroforéticas en gel de poliacrilamida de seis muestras de quesos de los Pedroches maduros, elaborados por diferentes productores, indican que la as-caseína aparece más degradada en todos los quesos que la B-caseína, que apenas es hidrolizada en algunos quesos. La hidrólisis enzimática de la as-caseína (fundamentalmente de la as2- y as3-) origina cuatro productos de escisión de mayor movilidad. La degradación proteolítica de la B-caseína rinde siete fragmentos polipeptídicos de alto peso molecular y baja movilidad electroforética, que se sitúan en la región de la K • y y-caseína. Algunos de estos polipéptidos pueden corresponder a caseínas minoritarias equivalentes a la y-,, TS- y R-caseína eencontradas en qquesos maduros eelaborados con leche de vaca

Principales componentes químicos y parámetros físicos del queso de Los Pedroches

Se ha determinado la composición química bruta, los principales componentes mmerales y dos parámetros físicos, el pH y la ow, de un lote heterogéneo de 16 quesos de Los Pedroches maduros, elaborados todos eUos por productores diferentes. Los valores medios hallados, que pueden considerarse como representativos de esta variedad de queso, han sido: humedad 34,5 O/o, proteínas 3 1,7 0/o, gras:J 26,7 Ofo, ácido láctico 1,5 0/o y cenizas 6,3 0/o. Sobre la base de la m~tcria seca, el contenido medio en sal es del 4,8 0/o, el de calcio de 1 ,S 0/o y el de fósforo de 1,2 Ofo (relación Ca/1' = 1,27). El valor pll medio es de 5,45 y la aw de 0,90

The Role of Habitat Shaping Motion Detection in Two Songbirds

Double cones of birds are photoreceptors associated with motion perception, and perceiving motion is highly important to detect predators. Predation risks varies between habitats and may impose selective pressures that could affect organisms’ traits. There is evidence that birds show interspecific variations in visual system properties, such as the photoreceptor densities (single and double cones) and distribution across the retina. However, little is known about the relationship between the distribution of double cones and predator scanning strategies in birds living in different habitats. The goal of this study was to compare double cones distributions of birds that live in open vs. closed habitats. We measured the density and distribution of double cones in 2 species of the order Passeriformes. We found that the density of double cones in both species (open and closed habitat) is greater in the retina dorsal region. This result suggests that other visual traits might be taken into account in future work to better elucidate the relationship between habitat type and sensing motion. Moreover, the White-throated Sparrow had a more homogeneous distribution of double cones, result expected for this closed habitat species. Future work is suggested to be done using more individuals and more species to assess fully understand the evolution of predator- prey interactions and learn how prey can optimize vigilance strategies in different habitats with different predation pressure

Differential representation of sunflower ESTs in enriched organ-specific cDNA libraries in a small scale sequencing project

BACKGROUND: Subtractive hybridization methods are valuable tools for identifying differentially regulated genes in a given tissue avoiding redundant sequencing of clones representing the same expressed genes, maximizing detection of low abundant transcripts and thus, affecting the efficiency and cost effectiveness of small scale cDNA sequencing projects aimed to the specific identification of useful genes for breeding purposes. The objective of this work is to evaluate alternative strategies to high-throughput sequencing projects for the identification of novel genes differentially expressed in sunflower as a source of organ-specific genetic markers that can be functionally associated to important traits. RESULTS: Differential organ-specific ESTs were generated from leaf, stem, root and flower bud at two developmental stages (R1 and R4). The use of different sources of RNA as tester and driver cDNA for the construction of differential libraries was evaluated as a tool for detection of rare or low abundant transcripts. Organ-specificity ranged from 75 to 100% of non-redundant sequences in the different cDNA libraries. Sequence redundancy varied according to the target and driver cDNA used in each case. The R4 flower cDNA library was the less redundant library with 62% of unique sequences. Out of a total of 919 sequences that were edited and annotated, 318 were non-redundant sequences. Comparison against sequences in public databases showed that 60% of non-redundant sequences showed significant similarity to known sequences. The number of predicted novel genes varied among the different cDNA libraries, ranging from 56% in the R4 flower to 16 % in the R1 flower bud library. Comparison with sunflower ESTs on public databases showed that 197 of non-redundant sequences (60%) did not exhibit significant similarity to previously reported sunflower ESTs. This approach helped to successfully isolate a significant number of new reported sequences putatively related to responses to important agronomic traits and key regulatory and physiological genes. CONCLUSIONS: The application of suppressed subtracted hybridization technology not only enabled the cost effective isolation of differentially expressed sequences but it also allowed the identification of novel sequences in sunflower from a relative small number of analyzed sequences when compared to major sequencing projects

Pharmacogenetics of ugt genes in North African populations

Cytochrome P450 (CYP450), sulfotransferase (SULT), and glucuronidase (UGT) enzymes play roles in the phase I and phase II metabolism of most clinically prescribed drugs. As polymorphisms in these genes may alter enzyme activities, most prescribed drugs will differ in their efficacy and side effects. In prior work, we showed that besides polymorphisms in CYP450, those in SULT and UGT also give rise to different serum levels of some drug metabolites than detected in wild-type carriers of the genes [1]. [...

Anatomía de la madera de Abies spp. del área mediterránea: aproximación filética

An analysis was made of the wood anatomy of seven species, one subspecies and two varieties of the genus Abies from the Mediterranean area (A. alba, A. borisii-regis, A. cephalonica, A. cilicica, A. nordmanniana, A. nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani, A. numidica, A. pinsapo, A. pinsapo var. marocana and A. pinsapo var. tazaotana) in order to find phyletically relevant features to help clarify and complement the evolutionary patterns based on molecular studies. The wood structure within the genus was qualitatively similar, except for specific features characteristic of certain provenances. However, the wood biometry allowed the different taxa to be grouped in accordance with their anatomical similarity. A. alba, A. pinsapo, A. pinsapo var. marocana and A. pinsapo var. tazaotana possess biometric features which distinguish them from the other Mediterranean firs. Furthermore, A. numidica showed biometric features which distinguish it from the eastern firs (A. borisii-regis, A. cephalonica, A. cilicica, A. nordmanniana and A. nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani) and place it closer to certain Iberian populations of A. pinsapo. The maximum ray height in number of cells, frequency of rays with more than 30 cells and tracheid length can be regarded as specific patterns of the Mediterranean fir phylum.En este trabajo se ha analizado la anatomía de la madera de siete especies, una subespecie y dos variedades del género Abies procedentes del área mediterránea (A. alba, A. borisii-regis, A. cephalonica, A. cilicica, A. nordmanniana, A. nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani, A. numidica, A. pinsapo, A. pinsapo var. marocana y A. pinsapo var. tazaotana) con el fin de buscar caracteres filéticamente relevantes que ayuden a clarificar y complementar los patrones evolutivos basados en estudios moleculares. Las maderas estudiadas fueron cualitativamente similares, exceptuando ciertos caracteres propios de algunas procedencias. No obstante, la biometría de la madera permitió agrupar los diferentes taxones según su afinidad anatómica. A. alba, A. pinsapo, A. pinsapo var. marocana y A. pinsapo var. tazaotana mostraron caracteres biométricos afines que los distinguen del resto de abetos mediterráneos. Por otro lado, A. numidica mostró caracteres biométricos que lo distinguen de los abetos orientales (A. borisii-regis, A. cephalonica, A. cilicica, A. nordmanniana y A. nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani) y lo asemejan a determinadas poblaciones ibéricas de A. pinsapo. La altura máxima de radios en número de células, la frecuencia de radios de más de 30 células y la longitud de traqueidas, pueden ser considerados como patrones específicos del phylum de los abetos mediterráneos

Masculine, feminine and neutral sports: Extracurricular sport modalities in practice

The present work constitutes a novel approach to extracurricular sport modalities. The aim was to analyze the participation model and to determine the relevance of sex in this context. Data from 616 students, aged 15 to 17, were collected. The questionnaire on sport lifestyle from a gender perspective (Alvariñas-Villaverde et al., 2009) was used for assessment. The results showed that sport choice corresponds to sports traditionally associated with men or women. Nevertheless, these coexist with other neutral sports. Girls’ practice was more diverse, while boys’ profile was more resistant to changing classic patterns. Specific strategies are needed to make boys become more interested in typically female activities

Influence of abiotic factors in the biomass of deep water shrimps, P. longirostris and A. antennatus, off Catalano-Levantine Mediterranean coast of Spain.

Deep-water shrimps show large inter-annual fluctuations in biomass. We analysed the influence of some abiotic factors in these fluctuations using survey data (2006-2009). While P. longirostris biomass was feebly affected by the T-S of the water masses, these factors, particularly salinity, seemed to have a significant effect on A. antennatus a species considered to be stenothermal and stenohaline, whose biomass distribution showed a direct relationship with the Levantine Intermediate Water