Distribució i ecologia dels macròfits submergits del delta de l'Ebre

Data on distribution and phenology of 16 species of submerged macrophytes in the Ebro Delta are given, together with a summarized table of some physical and chemical parameters of the waters where they were found. The distribution of the spermatophytes in relation to the salinity of the water is: freshwater (Nasturtium officinale and Myriophyllum verticillatum), β-oligohaline waters, up to 1 g Cl- l-1 (Ceratophyllum demersum, M. spicatum, Utricularia vulgaris, Potamogeton nodosus, P. pusillus, P. crispus, Zannichellia palustris and Najas minor). Oligo-β-mesohaline waters, up to 4 g Cl- l-1, (Najas marina). Mixohaline waters, 0,5-17 g Cl- l-1 (Potamogeton pectinatus, Ruppia maritima and Ruppia Cirrhosa). α-meso-polyhaline waters, 5-17 g - l-1 (Zostera noltii and Z. Marina). The submerged spermatophytes that are dominant in the coastal lagoons in the freshwater period (April-December) are: P. pectinatus, R. Cirrhosa and N. Marina. It seems that in α-oligohaline waters these enter into competition with each other. Field observations suggest that Najas dominate in clay and organic mud areas, P. pectinatus in silty-clay sediments and Ruppia in those of sandy composition

Development of an urban bird indicator: using data from monitoring schemes in two large european cities

[eng] Development of urban bird indicators using data from monitoring schemes in two large European cities.— Bird monitoring projects have provided valuable data for developing biological indicators to evaluate the state of natural and agricultural habitats. However, fewer advances have been made in urban environments. In this study we used bird monitoring data from 2002 to 2012 in two cities with different climates (Brussels and Barcelona), to generate two multi–species urban indicators to evaluate temporal trends on abundance of urban avifauna. To do this we used two different conceptual approaches, one based on a list of widespread species in European cities (WSEC) and another based exclusively on species widespread at city level (WCS) regardless of the birds occurring in other cities. The two indicators gave a similar general pattern, although we found a 3% difference in the mean annual change in both cities, thus suggesting that the values provided by urban indicators may differ depending on the conceptual approach and, hence, by the species list used to generate them. However, both indicators may have their own value and could be treated as complementary indices.[cat] Desarrollo de indicadores de aves urbanas a partir de datos de sistemas de monitoreo en dos grandes ciudades europeas.— Los proyectos de monitoreo de aves han proporcionado datos valiosos para el desarrollo de indicadores biológicos que evalúan el estado de los hábitats naturales y agrícolas; sin embargo, los avances han sido menores en los ambientes urbanos. En este estudio se utilizaron los datos del monitoreo de aves de dos ciudades climáticamente diferentes (Bruselas y Barcelona; período 2002–2010) para generar dos indicadores urbanos multiespecíficos que valorasen las tendencias temporales en la abundancia del conjunto de las aves urbanas. Para hacer esto, utilizamos dos enfoques conceptuales distintos, uno basado en una lista de especies de amplia distribución en las ciudades europeas (WSEC) y otro basado exclusivamente en especies de amplia distribución a nivel de ciudad (WSC), independientemente de las aves de otras ciudades. Los dos indicadores dieron un patrón general similar, aunque un 3% de diferencia entre ellos en cuanto a los valores de cambio promedio anual se encontró en ambas ciudades. Esto sugiere que los valores producidos por los indicadores urbanos pueden diferir dependiendo de la aproximación conceptual y, por tanto, por la lista de especies utilizada para generarlos. Ambos indicadores pueden tener su propio interés y pueden ser tratados como complementarios

Valorization of Hemp Core Residues: Impact of NaOH Treatment on the Flexural Strength of PP Composites and Intrinsic Flexural Strength of Hemp Core Fibers

Hemp core is a lignocellulosic residue in the production chain of hemp strands. Huge amounts of hemp core are gathered annually in Europe (43,000 tons) with no major application end. Such lignocellulosic wastes have potential as filling or reinforcing material to replace synthetic fibers and wood fibers in polymer composites. In this study, hemp core biomass was treated under different NaOH concentrations and then defibrated by means of Sprout Waldron equipment to obtain single fibers. Polypropylene matrix was reinforced up to 50 wt.% and the resulting hemp core fibers and the flexural properties were investigated. The results show that the flexural strength of composites increased with the intensity of NaOH treatment. The effect of NaOH was attributed to the removal of extractives and lignin in the fiber cell wall leading to improved interfacial adhesion characteristics. Besides, a methodology was established for the estimation of the intrinsic flexural strength of hemp core fibers. The intrinsic flexural strength of hemp core fibers was calculated to be 940 MPa for fibers treated at 10 wt.% of NaOH. In addition, a relationship between the lignin content and the intrinsic strength of the fibers was established

DNA Methylomes Reveal Biological Networks Involved in Human Eye Development, Functions and Associated Disorders

This work provides a comprehensive CpG methylation landscape of the different layers of the human eye that unveils the gene networks associated with their biological functions and how these are disrupted in common visual disorders. Herein, we firstly determined the role of CpG methylation in the regulation of ocular tissue-specification and described hypermethylation of retinal transcription factors (i.e., PAX6, RAX, SIX6) in a tissue-dependent manner. Second, we have characterized the DNA methylome of visual disorders linked to internal and external environmental factors. Main conclusions allow certifying that crucial pathways related to Wnt-MAPK signaling pathways or neuroinflammation are epigenetically controlled in the fibrotic disorders involved in retinal detachment, but results also reinforced the contribution of neurovascularization (ETS1, HES5, PRDM16) in diabetic retinopathy. Finally, we had studied the methylome in the most frequent intraocular tumors in adults and children (uveal melanoma and retinoblastoma, respectively). We observed that hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes is a frequent event in ocular tumors, but also unmethylation is associated with tumorogenesis. Interestingly, unmethylation of the proto-oncogen RAB31 was a predictor of metastasis risk in uveal melanoma. Loss of methylation of the oncogenic mir-17-92 cluster was detected in primary tissues but also in blood from patients.The research leading to these results was supported by European Research Council Advanced Grant EPINORC, RecerCaixa Foundation, Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras (FEDER), Federación Española de Enfermedades Neuromusculares (ASEM), Fundación Isabel Gemio, COST CM1406, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI/00816) and Health and Sciences Departments of the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya). M.E. is an Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) Research Professor. We thank the staff of the Biobank Facility at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Institute of Rare Diseases Research (BioNER-ISCIII), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and Banc de Sang i Teixits (BST) of the Catalan Ministry of Health. We also thank Dr. Mercedes Hurtado (Department of Ophthalmology, University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe) and Dr. Dolores Pinazo (Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Peset University Hospital) for obtaining samples from glaucomatous patients. We thank the patients and their families.S