Zinc Deficiency Leads to Lipid Changes in Drosophila Brain Similar to Cognitive-Impairing Drugs: An Imaging Mass Spectrometry Study

Several diseases and disorders have been suggested to be associated with zinc deficiency, especially learning and memory impairment. To have better understanding about the connection between lipid changes and cognitive impairments, we investigated the effects of a zinc-chelated diet on certain brain lipids ofDrosophila melanogasterby using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The data revealed that there are increases in the levels of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol in the central brains of the zinc-deficient flies compared to the control flies. In contrast, the abundance of phosphatidylethanolamine in the brains of the zinc-deficient flies is lower. These data are consistent with that of cognitive-diminishing drugs, thus providing insight into the biological and molecular effects of zinc deficiency on the major brain lipids and opening a new treatment target for cognitive deficit in zinc deficiency

Inertización y valorización de polvos de lijado de barnices procedentes de residuos de la industria de la madera

The present article describes the findings of the first stageof the analysis of xiloarcilla, a material made of clayand a wood industry by-product, namely the wood andpolyurethane varnish powder pump-suctioned off woodcomponents during sanding and polishing. This powderwas added to the clay in proportions of from 1% to 5%by weight. The prime materials as well as the xiloarcillacompound were characterized, in the latter case primarilyto determine its physical-mechanical properties andchemical and environmental feasibility as a constructionmaterial.En este articulo se presentan los resultados obtenidos,en una primera etapa, del estudio del material que denominaremoscomo xiloarcilla, compuesto por arcilla y porun subproducto de las industrias de la madera, que eneste caso son los polvos del lijado y del barnizado y excedentesde estos productos utilizados en el acabado demuchos componentes de madera (PLB), estos polvos seadicionaron a la arcilla en cantidades entre el 1% y el5% del peso total del compuesto. Se realizo un estudiode caracterizacion de los materiales aislados y posteriormentedel compuesto xiloarcilla, con enfasis en el comportamientofisico-mecanico y su respuesta quimica ymedioambiental, como material de construccion

Construcción y monitorización del Laboratorio REVen para el estudio del impacto de las ventanas integrando eficiencia energética y calidad ambiental interior

REVen Project: “Energy retrofitting of social housing, using innovative window products satisfying CE marking requirements”. (BIA2014-56650-JIN) aims to carry out a comprehensive analysis of window impact on aspects related to energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. REVen Laboratory has been built to characterize the energy flows and internal environmental conditions. This article describes the construction and monitoring of this laboratory analyzing the data of its first year of operation. Results can affirm that in the conditions of the test, a significant improvement on thermal comfort is observed obtaining an annual energy saving of 25 %.El proyecto REVen “Rehabilitación energética de viviendas sociales, aplicando productos innovadores de ventana con marcado CE” (BIA2014-56650-JIN), tiene como objetivo realizar un análisis integral del impacto de la ventana en los aspectos relativos a eficiencia energética y calidad ambiental. Para caracterizar los flujos de energía y las condiciones ambientales internas se ha construido el Laboratorio REVen. Este artículo describe la construcción y la monitorización de este laboratorio analizando los datos de su primer año de funcionamiento. Los resultados permiten afirmar que se logra una mejora significativa del confort térmico obteniendo un ahorro de energía anual del 25 %

Recombinase-based conditional and reversible gene regulation via XTR alleles

Synthetic biological tools that enable precise regulation of gene function within in vivo systems have enormous potential to discern gene function in diverse physiological settings. Here we report the development and characterization of a synthetic gene switch that, when targeted in the mouse germline, enables conditional inactivation, reports gene expression and allows inducible restoration of the targeted gene. Gene inactivation and reporter expression is achieved through Cre-mediated stable inversion of an integrated gene-trap reporter, whereas inducible gene restoration is afforded by Flp-dependent deletion of the inverted gene trap. We validate our approach by targeting the p53 and Rb genes and establishing cell line and in vivo cancer model systems, to study the impact of p53 or Rb inactivation and restoration. We term this allele system XTR, to denote each of the allelic states and the associated expression patterns of the targeted gene: eXpressed (XTR), Trapped (TR) and Restored (R)

Adaptation of O157:H7 and non-O157 Escherichia coli strains in orange juice and subsequent resistance to UV-C radiation

This study assessed the acid-adaptation of pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli in orange juice and the microbial resistance to the subsequent UV-C radiation treatment. Nine Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and one strain of a non-pathogenic surrogate E. coli were used in this study. Each E. coli strain was inoculated in orange juice, following pre-exposure during 0, 1, 2, and 3 h at 10 °C. Then, the inoculated juices with the ten different strains separately were exposed to 0 and 2 J/cm2 of UV-C radiation. The D value (i.e., the UV-C dose in J/cm2 required to cause a one-log reduction in the target microorganism) was calculated. Further, the resistance coefficient [RC; i.e., the ratio between the D-values for the control condition (D0h) and each pre-exposure tested time (D1h, D2h, D3h)] were determined. The results indicated that the resistance of E. coli was influenced by the pre-exposure period in the orange juice, with increased resistance to UV-C observed for periods >2 h. Furthermore, the sensitivity of cells to subsequent UV-C treatment was found to be strain-dependent. The results may allow the development of more reliable UV-C radiation processes for orange juice processing aiming the inactivation of pathogenic E. coli.Fil: Oteiza, Juan Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Centro de Investigación y Asistencia Técnica a la Industria; ArgentinaFil: Caturla, Magdevis Y. R.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: do Prado Silva, Leonardo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Câmara, Antonio A.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Barril, Patricia Angelica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial. Centro de Investigación y Asistencia Técnica a la Industria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sant'Ana, Anderson S.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Giannuzzi, Leda. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Zaritzky, Noemi Elisabet. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentin

Los documentos de idoneidad técnica como potenciales incentivadores de la industrialización de la construcción

The first part of this work2 proceeds to determine the relative weight of a series of functional elements in convention building construction as a preliminary to a study of two residential buildings, simulating the intensive application of sistems, products and/or components certified with DIT, DIT Plus and ETA (Spanish technical approvals, Spanish technical approvals plus and European technical approvals) on them. The work concludes highlighting that the number of approvals (DIT, DIT Plus and ETA) issued and the availability of industrialised construction products (fachades, inside partitions, roofing...), available for an estimated 70% of the value of functional elements in residential buildings. The relatively scant use of industrialised elements (understanding in this point –only in this work context- as the ones approved with the mentioned ‘documents’) in residential construction in Spain cannot, therefore, be attributed to a market scarcity of such elements, components or subsystems.En la primera parte de este trabajo1 se desglosa la incidencia de los elementos funcionales en la edificación, como paso previo para el estudio de dos edificios de viviendas, en los que se ha simulado la aplicación intensiva de sistemas, productos y/o componentes acreditados con DIT, DIT Plus o DITE. El trabajo concluye destacando que hay una relación directa entre el número de ‘documentos’ (DIT, DIT Plus o DITE) otorgados y la disponibilidad de productos industrializados para la construcción (fachadas, cerramientos interiores, cubiertas…), estimado en un 70% del valor los elementos funcionales de los edificios de viviendas. Así, la relativamente escasa utilización de elementos industrializados (entendido en este caso –a efectos únicamente de este trabajo- como los que cuentan con los ‘documentos’ aludidos) en la construcción de viviendas en España, no puede imputarse a una carencia de elementos, componentes o subsistemas industrializados de mercado

Selection of nature-based solutions to improve comfort in schools during heat waves

Climate change impacts particularly affect vulnerable populations such as children. Therefore, addressing the adaptation of educational buildings is crucial in avoiding these negative effects on school performance. In this paper, three educational buildings, located in Badajoz (Spain), Evora (Portugal) and Porto (Portugal), serve as pilot samples to study the suitability of nature-based solutions (NBS), chosen for each one of three climatic zones. The NBS selected include green roofs, vertical structures with vegetation to shade holes, outdoor trees and free-cooling ventilation. The scenarios of the different NBS implemented in the three models were simulated with the software EnergyPlus, which allows optimising the appropriate decision before renovation operations begin. The results obtained from the simulations suggest energy performance improvements after applying the most adequate NBS selection to each one of the three buildings tested. Particularly, a reduction in radiation on both roofs and facades is required in the case of Evora and Badajoz, where both climate zones have similar features, that is, warm and dry. While in Porto, milder and more humid than the former ones, it is very effective to operate mainly on the roof, complemented by small ventilation operations.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of this work by the LIFE+ Programme under the responsibility of the Directorate General for the Environment of the European Commission through the agreement LIFE17 CCA/ES/00088, LIFE myBUILDINGisGREEN