Las icnitas del Museo Numantino de Soria y su importancia para el patrimonio paleontológico.

Entre los materiales de la colección del Museo Numantino de Soria destaca una gran cantidad de especímenes con icnitas procedentes de la Comarca de Tierras Altas (Norte de la provincia de Soria). Todas ellas fueron recogidas en afloramientos de la Fm. Huérteles de edad Berriasiense. La colección conserva icnitas de dinosaurios, pterosaurios, cocodrilomorfos y tortugas. Si sumamos el número de holotipos que presenta, así como la cantidad de icnitas que preservan gran cantidad de detalles anatómicos y el hecho de que existan pocos lugares a nivel mundial con de yacimientos con icnitas de dicha edad hacen que dicha colección sea única y suponga un lugar de gran interés científico y patrimonial. Within the material of the collection of the Museo Numantino de Soria stand out the great amount of specimens with footprints. All of them come from the Tierra Altas region (North of Soria province). The footprints were recovered in the outcrops of the Hue´rteles Formation, that is Berriasian in age. The collection preserves tracks from dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodilomorphs and turtles. The number of holotypes, as well as the quantity of footprints preserving anatomical details, and the fact that there are few places in the world with Berriasian tracksites, makes the collection unique. Thus, it is a significant place both scientifically and patrimonally

On the Energy Transfer Performance of Mechanical Nanoresonators Coupled with Electromagnetic Fields

We study the energy transfer performance in electrically and magnetically coupled mechanical nanoresonators. Using the resonant scattering theory, we show that magnetically coupled resonators can achieve the same energy transfer performance as for their electrically coupled counterparts, or even outperform them within the scale of interest. Magnetic and electric coupling are compared in the Nanotube Radio, a realistic example of a nano-scale mechanical resonator. The energy transfer performance is also discussed for a newly proposed bio-nanoresonator composed of a magnetosomes coated with a net of protein fibers.Comment: 9 Pages, 3 Figure

Un itinerario paleoicnológico por el Prepirineo y Valle del Ebro de Aragón

Se pretende poner en valor la gran riqueza de yacimientos de icnitas de mamíferos y aves del Cenozoico del Prepirineo y del Valle del Ebro de Aragón diseñando un itinerario paleoicnológico que incluya los principales yacimientos. Además de la importancia científica, se quiere destacar el valor de este patrimonio paleontológico como recurso turístico y didáctico. En algunos de estos yacimientos se han llevado a cabo a lo largo de las últimas décadas diversas acciones de conservación y adecuación que permiten el acceso y la visita a los mismos, lo que posibilita su potenciación como recurso socio-económico del territorio. This work aims to put in value the great wealth of mammal and avian tracksites of the Cenozoic from the Pre- pyrenees and the Ebro Valley, by designing a paleoichnological itinerary which includes the main sites. In addition to the scientific importance, we want to emphasize the value of this paleontological heritage as a tourist and educational resource. In some of these sites, conservation and adaptation actions have been carried out over the last decades. That allows accessing and visiting these sites, and thus, strengthening them as socio-economic resource of the region

3Dpaleo.net, una plataforma web de fósiles en 3D hiperrealista para fomentar la difusión y el conocimiento del patrimonio paleontológico

3Dpaleo.net es una plataforma web en fase de desarrollo que muestra modelos tridimensionales hiperrealistas y en alta definición de algunos de fósiles más emblemáticos del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad de Zaragoza y del Museo del Jurásico de Asturias (MUJA), colaboradores de la primera fase del proyecto. Se trata de una iniciativa promovida por la empresa Paleoymás con el fin de explorar y explotar las posibilidades de las nuevas tecnologías, aplicándolas a la divulgación de la paleontología y a la mejora de técnicas expositivas y de difusión del conocimiento. 3Dpaleo.net facilita, a través de internet, la visualización de los fósiles y de algunos de sus detalles más interesantes. 3Dpaleo.net is a website, under development, that shows high definition hyperrealistic 3D models of some emblematic fossils of the museums that have collaborated in this first stage of the project: The Natural Sciences Museum of the University of Zaragoza and the Jurassic Museum of Asturias (MUJA). It is promoted by Paleoymás with the aim of exploring and developing the possibilities of new technologies, applying them to the popularization of paleontology and the improvement of both; expositive technics and knowledge sharing. 3Dpaleo.net helps through the internet to display fossils and some of their most interesting details

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Suggest Ligand’s Binding to Nicotinamidase/Pyrazinamidase

The research on the binding process of ligand to pyrazinamidase (PncA) is crucial for elucidating the inherent relationship between resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and PncA’s activity. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods were performed to investigate the unbinding process of nicotinamide (NAM) from two PncA enzymes, which is the reverse of the corresponding binding process. The calculated potential of mean force (PMF) based on the steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations sheds light on an optimal binding/unbinding pathway of the ligand. The comparative analyses between two PncAs clearly exhibit the consistency of the binding/unbinding pathway in the two enzymes, implying the universality of the pathway in all kinds of PncAs. Several important residues dominating the pathway were also determined by the calculation of interaction energies. The structural change of the proteins induced by NAM’s unbinding or binding shows the great extent interior motion in some homologous region adjacent to the active sites of the two PncAs. The structure comparison substantiates that this region should be very important for the ligand’s binding in all PncAs. Additionally, MD simulations also show that the coordination position of the ligand is displaced by one water molecule in the unliganded enzymes. These results could provide the more penetrating understanding of drug resistance of M. tuberculosis and be helpful for the development of new antituberculosis drugs

Clonal Population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains Reside within Multiple Lung Cavities

(MTB) are localized within lung cavities of patients suffering from chronic progressive TB.Multiple cavity isolates from lung of 5 patients who had undergone pulmonary resection surgery were analyzed on the basis of their drug susceptibility profile, and genotyped by spoligotyping and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR. The patients past history including treatment was studied. Three of the 5 patients had extensive drug resistant TB. Heteroresistance was also reported within different cavity isolates of the lung. Both genotyping methods reported the presence of clonal population of MTB strain within different cavities of the each patient, even those reporting heteroresistance. Four of the 5 patients were infected with a population of the Beijing genotype. Post-surgery they were prescribed a drug regimen consisting of cycloserine, a fluoroquinolone and an injectable drug. A 6 month post-surgery follow-up reported only 2 patients with positive clinical outcome, showing sputum conversion.Identical spoligotype patterns and MIRU-VNTR profiles between multiple cavities of each patient, characterize the presence of clonal population of MTB strains (and absence of multiple MTB infection)

Intra-trackway morphological variations due to substrate consistency: the El Frontal dinosaur tracksite (Lower Cretaceous, Spain).

An ichnological and sedimentological study of the El Frontal dinosaur tracksite (Early Cretaceous, Cameros basin, Soria, Spain) highlights the pronounced intra-trackway variation found in track morphologies of four theropod trackways. Photogrammetric 3D digital models revealed various and distinct intra-trackway morphotypes, which reflect changes in footprint parameters such as the pace length, the track length, depth, and height of displacement rims. Sedimentological analyses suggest that the original substrate was non-homogenous due to lateral changes in adjoining microfacies. Multidata analyses indicate that morphological differences in these deep and shallow tracks represent a part of a continuum of track morphologies and geometries produced by a gradient of substrate consistencies across the site. This implies that the large range of track morphologies at this site resulted from similar trackmakers crossing variable facies. The trackways at the El Frontal site present an exemplary case of how track morphology, and consequently potential ichnotaxa, can vary, even when produced by a single trackmaker

Translation without eIF2 Promoted by Poliovirus 2A Protease

Poliovirus RNA utilizes eIF2 for the initiation of translation in cell free systems. Remarkably, we now describe that poliovirus translation takes place at late times of infection when eIF2 is inactivated by phosphorylation. By contrast, translation directed by poliovirus RNA is blocked when eIF2 is inactivated at earlier times. Thus, poliovirus RNA translation exhibits a dual mechanism for the initiation of protein synthesis as regards to the requirement for eIF2. Analysis of individual poliovirus non-structural proteins indicates that the presence of 2Apro alone is sufficient to provide eIF2 independence for IRES-driven translation. This effect is not observed with a 2Apro variant unable to cleave eIF4G. The level of 2Apro synthesized in culture cells is crucial for obtaining eIF2 independence. Expression of the N-or C-terminus fragments of eIF4G did not stimulate IRES-driven translation, nor provide eIF2 independence, consistent with the idea that the presence of 2Apro at high concentrations is necessary. The finding that 2Apro provides eIF2-independent translation opens a new and unsuspected area of research in the field of picornavirus protein synthesis

Manus track preservation bias as a key factor for assessing trackmaker identity and quadrupedalism in basal ornithopods.

BACKGROUND: The Las Cerradicas site (Tithonian-Berriasian), Teruel, Spain, preserves at least seventeen dinosaur trackways, some of them formerly attributed to quadrupedal ornithopods, sauropods and theropods. The exposure of new track evidence allows a more detailed interpretation of the controversial tridactyl trackways as well as the modes of locomotion and taxonomic affinities of the trackmakers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Detailed stratigraphic analysis reveals four different levels where footprints have been preserved in different modes. Within the tridactyl trackways, manus tracks are mainly present in a specific horizon relative to surface tracks. The presence of manus tracks is interpreted as evidence of an ornithopod trackmaker. Cross-sections produced from photogrammetric digital models show different depths of the pes and manus, suggesting covariance in loading between the forelimbs and the hindlimbs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Several features (digital pads, length/width ratio, claw marks) of some ornithopod pes tracks from Las Cerradicas are reminiscent of theropod pedal morphology. This morphological convergence, combined with the shallow nature of the manus tracks, which reduces preservation potential, opens a new window into the interpretation of these tridactyl tracks. Thus, trackmaker assignations during the Jurassic-Cretaceous interval of purported theropod trackways may potentially represent ornithopods. Moreover, the Las Cerradicas trackways are further evidence for quadrupedalism among some basal small- to medium-sized ornithopods from this time interval