Proyecto de ozonosondeos del Observatorio Atmosférico de Izaña

Ponencia presentada en: 1er Encuentro sobre Meteorología y Atmósfera de Canarias, celebrado en el Puerto de la Cruz, los días 12,13 y 14 de noviembre de 2003. El encuentro estuvo organizado por el Centro Meteorológico Territorial en Canarias Occidental, con la colaboración del Observatorio Atmosférico de Izaña y del Grupo de Física de la Atmósfera de la Facultad de Física (Universidad de La Laguna)El programa de ozonosondeos del Observatorio Atmosférico de lzaña comenzó en Noviembre de 1992 y continúa sin interrupción hasta la actualidad. Este programa tiene por objeto la vigilancia espaciotemporal y el estudio de las características de la distribución vertical del ozono en la troposfera y baja estratosfera, prestando especial atención a la denominada "capa de ozono" y a los intercambios troposfera-estratosfera. Para la determinación del ozono se utiliza un sensor electroquímico que asciende impulsado por un globo hasta una altitud aproximada de 30 Km. Esta información se complementa con los datos de temperatura, humedad, presión y dirección y fuerza del viento. Normalmente se realiza un ozonosondeo cada miércoles a 12 TMG. En la actualidad, la estación de Tenerife forma parte de la Red de Vigilancia Atmosférica Mundial (VAM), coordinada por la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM), y de la "Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change" (NDSC), dedicadas a la detección y estudio de posibles cambios físicos y químicos en la atmósfera

The Siderophore Piscibactin Is a Relevant Virulence Factor for Vibrio anguillarum Favored at Low Temperatures

Vibrio anguillarum causes vibriosis, a hemorrhagic septicaemia that affects many cultured marine fish species worldwide. Two catechol siderophores, vanchrobactin and anguibactin, were previously identified in this bacterium. While vanchrobactin is a chromosomally encoded system widespread in all pathogenic and environmental strains, anguibactin is a plasmid-encoded system restricted to serotype O1 strains. In this work, we have characterized, from a serotype O2 strain producing vanchrobactin, a novel genomic island containing a cluster of genes that would encode the synthesis of piscibactin, a siderophore firstly described in the fish pathogen Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida. The chemical characterization of this siderophore confirmed that some strains of V. anguillarum produce piscibactin. An in silico analysis of the available genomes showed that this genomic island is present in many of the highly pathogenic V. anguillarum strains lacking the anguibactin system. The construction of single and double biosynthetic mutants for vanchrobactin and piscibactin allowed us to study the contribution of each siderophore to iron uptake, cell fitness, and virulence. Although both siderophores are simultaneously produced, piscibactin constitute a key virulence factor to infect fish, while vanchrobactin seems to have a secondary role in virulence. In addition, a transcriptional analysis of the gene cluster encoding piscibactin in V. anguillarum showed that synthesis of this siderophore is favored at low temperatures, being the transcriptional activity of the biosynthetic genes three-times higher at 18°C than at 25°C. We also show that iron levels and temperature contribute to balance the synthesis of both siderophoresThis work was supported by grants AGL2015-63740-C2-1-R and AGL2015-63740-C2-2-R (AEI/FEDER, EU) from the State Agency for Research (AEI) of Spain, and co-funded by the FEDER Programme from the European Union. The support of Xunta de Galicia (Spain) with grant GRC-2014/007 is also acknowledgedS

Intervenções em ruínas e espaços abandonados: experiências pedagógicas

Comunicação realizada no âmbito do 2º seminário intermédio do projeto NoVOID - "Ruínas e terrenos vagos nas cidades portuguesas: Explorando a vida obscura dos espaços urbanos abandonados e propostas de planeamento alternativo para a cidade perfurada". A comunicação apresentou à comunidade académica e público em geral os resultados de investigação desenvolvidos em 2 unidades curriculares do Mestrado Integrado em Arquitectura da Universidade do MinhoEste trabalho foi financiado por Fundos Nacionais através da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), no âmbito do Projeto PTDC/ATP-EUR/1180/2014 (NoVOID – Ruinas e terrenos vagos nas cidades portuguesas: explorando a vida obscura dos espaços urbanos abandonados e propostas de planeamento alternativo para a cidade perfurada)

Tomb Location and Grave Goods: Continuous Use and Destruction in the Rio de Gor Megalithic Necropoleis

Rio de Gor Megalithic necropoleis are one of the most important funerary clusters in Southern Iberian Peninsula. We attempted to study megalith and settlement characteristics in relation to social organization according to the scarce and old available data. Firstly, an evaluation of previous unsystematic surveys and looters destructions of monuments has been made by taking into account location of preserved tombs. Visibility GIS analysis, with the help of ancient cartographic data, have let us to suggest a hypothetical location of graves that have disappeared. GIS techniques have been used to geo-reference old archaeological maps in order to identify their approximate position. Secondly, analysis of topographic location, Total Viewshed and Cumulative Viewshed Analysis using GIS was performed to evaluate the role of visual dominance over the entire terrain. The results have shown that graves were used to mark routes in two ways, from South to North along the river course and from the valley to the plateau. Settlements were located near the valley bottom although there are some chronological and hierarchical differences. Thirdly, we have seen that tombs were not only used for a long period of time but also that they were probably arranged in groups around some of the most monumental examples, those containing rich grave goods and marking the river course in the Chalcolithic period. Probably routes from the valley to the plateau were generated by the addition of tombs from the beginning of the Late Neolithic and the system was completed with the building of great trapezoidal tombs during the third millennium BC. Fourthly, tomb reuse has been proven in the Middle and the Late Bronze Age, when there was not only pursuit for justification by tradition but also redefinition of territorial control linked to elite. This is shown by the fact that the Late Bronze Age use of the megaliths was only in relation to rich burials as can be inferred from the great amount of silver ornaments they contain.Consejería de Cultura de la Junta de Andalucí

Magneto-optical hyperthermia agents based on probiotic bacteria loaded with magnetic and gold nanoparticles

This work was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through the projects PID2019- 111461GB-I00 to N.G. and J.M.DV, and PGC2018-096016-B-I00 to LG.). S.T. and J.J.C. acknowledge funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant 823717−ESTEEM3. A.G. acknowledges Junta de Andalucía for the postdoctoral contract within the PAIDI 2020 program (DOC_00791). Y.FA. thanks Santander-Universidad Zaragoza Fellowship program for her PhD position. J.M.D.L. acknowledges the financial support by the Spanish MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 through the project NanoSmart (RYC-2016-21042)Probiotic bacteria were used as carriers of metallic nanoparticles to develop innovative oral agents for hyperthermia cancer therapy. Two synthetic strategies were used to produce the different therapeutic agents. First, the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum was simultaneously loaded with magnetic (MNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of different morphologies to produce AuNP+MNP-bacteria systems with both types of nanoparticles arranged in the same layer of bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS). In the second approach, the probiotic was first loaded with AuNP to form AuNP-bacteria and subsequently loaded with MNP-EPS to yield AuNP-bacteria-EPS-MNP with the MNP and AuNP arranged in two different EPS layers. This second strategy has never been reported and exploits the presence of EPS–EPS recognition which allows the layer-by-layer formation of structures on the bacteria external wall. The AuNP+MNP-bacteria and AuNP-bacteria-EPS-MNP samples were characterized by scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis spectroscopy. The potential of these two heterobimetallic systems as magnetic hyperthermia or photothermal therapy agents was assessed, validating their capacity to produce heat either during exposure to an alternating magnetic field or a near-infrared laser light. The probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum has already been proposed as an oral drug carrier, able to overcome the stomach medium and deliver drugs to the intestines, and it is actually marketed as an oral supplement to reinforce the gut microbiota, thus, our results open the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies using these new heterobimetallic AuNP/MNP-bacteria systems in the frame of gastric diseases, using them, for example, as oral agents for cancer treatment with magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal therapy.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through the project PID2019- 111461GB-I00Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through the project PGC2018-096016-B-I00European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant 823717−ESTEEM3PAIDI 2020 program (DOC_00791)Spanish MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 through the project NanoSmart (RYC-2016-21042

Physiological, morphological and behavioural responses of self-feeding precocial chicks copying with contrasting levels of water salinity during development

Combined physiological and behavioural responses to salt loads during development have rarely been studied in air-breathing vertebrates able to inhabit hypersaline habitats, but they may be of particular importance in understanding, for example, the differences among species in patterns of habitat use or ontogenetic diet switches. Here, we compared the physiological and behavioural responses of self-feeding precocial chicks developed in contrasting levels of water salinity. The model species was the Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) a precocial shorebird that breeds in a range of habitats from freshwater to hypersaline wetlands. Specifically, we compared resting metabolic rate (RMR), heat shock proteins (Hsp70), plasma ions, hematocrit, body mass, body size, growth rate and headshaking behaviour of captive-reared Black-winged Stilt fledglings developed under fresh (0 ½), saline (20 ½), and hypersaline (60 ½) water. Contrary to expectations, none of the physiological and morphological variables measured differed significantly among treatments. Likewise, the RMR of wild and captive-reared fledglings was similar. Surprisingly, the saltgland mass of wild fledglings from freshwater and those from hypersaline habitats was also similar. However, head-shaking, a behavioural response associated to minimize salt intake and to expel the secretions of salt glands, differed according to salinity source: head-shaking rate increased with increasing salinity. The results of this study support the key role of behavioural osmoregulation in avoiding salt stress during development.Trabajo financiado por: Fundacão para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Ayuda SFRH / BD / 74228 / 2010 y UID/MAR/04292/2013 para Afonso Duarte dos Reis Rocha Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Ayuda CGL2011-27485 Junta de Extremadura y Fondos FEDER. Ayuda GR15080peerReviewe

Análisis de procesos de intercambio estratosfera-troposfera, a través de medidas de ozono, trazadores radioactivos y diferentes herramientas dinámicas

Ponencia presentada en: IV Simposio Nacional de Predicción del Instituto Nacional de Meteorología, celebrado en 1999 en MadridEn este trabajo se analizan diferentes episodios en los que los valores de ozono fueron anormalmente altos o bajos en la troposfera sobre Madrid, Tenerife y Azores utilizando para ello datos de ozonosondeos, trazadores radioactivos y diferentes herramientas dinámicas. El desarrollo de DANAs al oeste de la Península, afecta de una manera muy importante a la distribución de ozono troposférico en la región sub tropical, sobre todo en primavera y verano, ya que dichos desarrollos inducen generalmente procesos de intercambio estratosfera-troposfera. Por otro lado, el ozono se puede considerar como un excelente indicador de procesos de intercambio estratosfera-troposfera. Para el análisis detallado de la distribución espacio-temporal del ozono troposférico son de gran utilidad las herramientas dinámicas utilizadas hasta ahora casi exclusivamente en tareas de predicción

Smart biosensing device for tracking fish behaviour

Biosensor technology for tracking individual challenged fish behaviour has the potential to revolutionize aquaculture, allowing farmers and breeders to orientate selective breeding towards more robust and efficient fish or improve culture conditions for a more sustainable and ethical production. The proposed solution within the AQUAEXCEL2020 EU project is a stand-alone, small and light (1 g) device (AEFishBIT), based on a tri-axial accelerometer and a microprocessor. It is externally attached to the operculum to monitor physical activity by mapping accelerations in x- and y-axes, while operculum beats (z-axis) serve as a measurement of respiratory frequency. The conducted operculum attachment protocol does not show signs of tissue damage or growth impairment in active feeding gilthead sea bream. AEFishBIT offers a wide range of new information based on individual behaviour, allowing to point out the asynchrony of movements as an indirect measure of aging and adaptability to farming environment, as well as to discriminate different coping behaviour (proactive or reactive) of gilthead sea bream challenged with low water oxygen concentrations. AEFishBIT also provides reliable information of disease outcome in fish parasitized with an intestinal myxozoan, emerging as a powerful tool for sensing the quality of the environment and improving selective breeding protocols.The study has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, GA no 652831 (AQUAEXCEL2020)

Genetic parameter estimations of new traits of morphological quality on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) by using IMAFISH_ML software

© 2021 The Authors.In this study, a total of 18 novel productive traits, three related to carcass [cNiT] and fifteen related to morphometric [mNiT]), were measured in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) using Non-invasive Technologies (NiT) as implemented in IMAFISH_ML (MatLab script). Their potential to be used in industrial breeding programs were evaluated in 2348 offspring reared under different production systems (estuarine ponds, oceanic cage, inland tank) at harvest. All animals were photographed, and digitally measured and main genetic parameters were estimated. Heritability for growth traits was medium (0.25–0.37) whereas for NiT traits medium-high (0.24–0.61). In general, genetic correlations between mNiT, cNiT and growth and traits were high and positive. Image analysis artifacts such as fin unfold or shades, that may interfere in the precision of some digital measurements, were discarded as a major bias factor since heritability of NiT traits after correcting them were no significantly different from original ones. Indirect selection of growth traits through NiT traits produced a better predicted response than directly measuring Body Weight (13–23%), demonstrating that this methodological approach is highly cost-effective in terms of accuracy and data processing time.This study was funded from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) by Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAPAMA), framed in PROGENSA-II III project (Mejora de la Competitividad del Sector de la Dorada a Través de la Selección Genética, programa JACUMAR)