Asymptotic and Lyapunov stability of Poisson equilibria

This paper includes results centered around three topics, all of them related with the nonlinear stability of equilibria in Poisson dynamical systems. Firstly, we prove an energy-Casimir type sufficient condition for stability that uses functions that are not necessarily conserved by the flow and that takes into account certain asymptotically stable behavior that may occur in the Poisson category. This method is adapted to Poisson systems obtained via a reduction procedure and we show in examples that the kind of stability that we propose is appropriate when dealing with the stability of the equilibria of some constrained systems. Finally, we discuss two situations in which the use of continuous Casimir functions in stability studies is equivalent to the topological stability methods introduced by Patrick {\it et al.}Comment: 23 pages, 2 figure

Bacterial Infection Elicits Heat Shock Protein 72 Release from Pleural Mesothelial Cells

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been implicated in infection-related processes and has been found in body fluids during infection. This study aimed to determine whether pleural mesothelial cells release HSP70 in response to bacterial infection in vitro and in mouse models of serosal infection. In addition, the in vitro cytokine effects of the HSP70 isoform, Hsp72, on mesothelial cells were examined. Further, Hsp72 was measured in human pleural effusions and levels compared between non-infectious and infectious patients to determine the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid Hsp72 compared to traditional pleural fluid parameters. We showed that mesothelial release of Hsp72 was significantly raised when cells were treated with live and heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae. In mice, intraperitoneal injection of S. pneumoniae stimulated a 2-fold increase in Hsp72 levels in peritoneal lavage (p<0.01). Extracellular Hsp72 did not induce or inhibit mediator release from cultured mesothelial cells. Hsp72 levels were significantly higher in effusions of infectious origin compared to non-infectious effusions (p<0.05). The data establish that pleural mesothelial cells can release Hsp72 in response to bacterial infection and levels are raised in infectious pleural effusions. The biological role of HSP70 in pleural infection warrants exploration

Status of the BMV experiment

In this contribution we present the status of the BMV experiment whose goal is to measure the vacuum magnetic birefringence

Genetic validation of the unexpected presence of a tropical tuna, bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), in the Mediterranean

Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus, Lowe, 1839) is one of the eight recognized species of the genus Thunnus. It is considered a tropical species distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. To date, no validated presence of this species has been reported inside the Mediterranean Sea. This study, however, confirms, for the first time, the presence of three young individuals of this species within the Mediterranean Sea.Versión del editor1,83

Implications for fishery management in small tunas the case of genetic population structure of bullet tuna in the west Mediterranean

Knowledge of population structure of species is needed to establish appropriate management regulations. Of particular concern are those commercial species; these exploited fish populations can undergo loss of genetic variability that ultimately may lead the loss of regional small populations. This situation could occur in the small tuna species, which in some cases are heavily targeted by artisanal fisheries. Here, we focused on the Bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) with an extensive sampling (n = 431) along the north and south coast of the west Mediterranean and one location on the east Atlantic. The analysis of the mtDNA control region revealed that seven (about 1.6%) individuals were not identified as Bullet tuna suggesting a species misidentification with possible implications in stock assessment. Population genetics results showed clear genetic differentiation between the Iberian Peninsula and North African locations. These results have a clear impact on the conservation and management strategies, and if it is confirmed in other small pelagic species, the pattern of population structure in the Mediterranean is more complex than initially expected

Birefringence of interferential mirrors at normal incidence Experimental and computational study

In this paper we present a review of the existing data on interferential mirror birefringence. We also report new measurements of two sets of mirrors that confirm that mirror phase retardation per reflection decreases when mirror reflectivity increases. We finally developed a computational code to calculate the expected phase retardation per reflection as a function of the total number of layers constituting the mirror. Different cases have been studied and we have compared computational results with the trend of the experimental data. Our study indicates that the origin of the mirror intrinsic birefringence can be ascribed to the reflecting layers close to the substrate.Comment: To be published in Applied Physics

Multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analysis reveals multiple introductions in Spain of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. Pruni, the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni is the causal agent of the bacterial spot disease of stone fruits, almond and some ornamental Prunus species. In Spain it was first detected in 2002 and since then, several outbreaks have occurred in different regions affecting mainly Japanese plum, peach and almond, both in commercial orchards and nurseries. As the origin of the introduction(s) was unknown, we have assessed the genetic diversity of 239 X. arboricola pv. pruni strains collected from 11 Spanish provinces from 2002 to 2013 and 25 reference strains from international collections. We have developed an optimized multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) scheme targeting 18 microsatellites and five minisatellites. A high discriminatory power was achieved since almost 50% of the Spanish strains were distinguishable, confirming the usefulness of this genotyping technique at small spatio-temporal scales. Spanish strains grouped in 18 genetic clusters (conservatively delineated so that each cluster contained haplotype networks linked by up to quadruple-locus variations). Furthermore, pairwise comparisons among populations from different provinces showed a strong genetic differentiation. Our results suggest multiple introductions of this pathogen in Spain and redistribution through contaminated nursery propagative plant material

The BMV experiment : a novel apparatus to study the propagation of light in a transverse magnetic field

In this paper, we describe in detail the BMV (Bir\'efringence Magn\'etique du Vide) experiment, a novel apparatus to study the propagation of light in a transverse magnetic field. It is based on a very high finesse Fabry-Perot cavity and on pulsed magnets specially designed for this purpose. We justify our technical choices and we present the current status and perspectives.Comment: To be published in the European Physical Journal

Fenotipo de Cintura Hipertrigliceridémica en la población con Enfermedad Renal Crónica. Cohorte NEFRONA

Antecedentes y objetivo El fenotipo de cintura hipertrigliceridémica (FCH) se define para población general. La Enfermedad Renal Crónica (ERC) asocia cambios en la composición corporal, elevada comorbilidad y una epidemiología reversa en relación con el colesterol y el índice de masa corporal. Nuestro objetivo fue identificar los puntos de corte en población con ERC y analizar su relación con el riesgo cardiovascular (RCV). Métodos Incluimos 2271 enfermos renales de la cohorte NEFRONA. Seleccionamos los puntos de corte de triglicéridos y cintura mediante análisis de quintiles y curvas ROC, utilizando presencia de enfermedad ateroesclerótica moderada-severa (EA2-3) como variable resultado. Analizamos la prevalencia del mismo y su asociación con otros factores de riesgo cardiovascular, incluimos análisis de regresión multivariable para medir la magnitud de su efecto frente a las variables EA2-3 y evento o muerte cardiovascular (EoMCV). Resultados Seleccionamos los puntos de corte: Triglicéridos = 143 mg/dl con cintura > 102 cm en varones o 94 cm en mujeres (Sensibilidad 26%; Especificidad 87%). La prevalencia del FCH específico fue 22.4%, sin diferencias entre estadios de ERC. Asoció aumento de riesgo independiente frente a EA2-3 (OR 1.61; IC 95%: 1.12-2.32, p = 0.011) y EoMCV (HR 3.08; IC 95%: 1.66-5.72, p = 0.000). Identificamos una interacción entre FCH y fósforo. Conclusiones Adaptar la definición del FCH en la población con ERC mejora su rendimiento diagnóstico. Identifica un RCV adicional en una población donde otros métodos de cribado no han mostrado utilidad, siendo de fácil acceso clínico. Su interacción con los niveles de fósforo podría reflejar un papel en la regulación del metabolismo óseo-mineral. Background and objective The hypertriglyceridaemic waist (HTW) phenotype is defined for the general population. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) tends to bring on changes in body composition, is associated with higher comorbidity than the general population and, furthermore, shows reverse epidemiology with related prognostic variables like cholesterol and body mass index. Our objective was to identify cut-off points in the population with CKD and to analyse its relationship with cardiovascular risk (CVR). Methods We included 2271 CKD patients from the NEFRONA cohort. Triglyceride and waist cut-off points were selected through quintiles analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluation, using the presence of moderate to severe atherosclerosis score (AS 2-3) as outcome variable. Then, we analysed HTW prevalence and its association with other cardiovascular risk factors, and we measured the magnitude of its effect on AS 2-3 and cardiovascular event or death (CVEoD) by multivariate regression analysis. Results We selected the cut-off points: triglyceride concentrations =143 mg/dl with waist circumference values >102 cm in men and 94 cm in women (sensitivity 26%; specificity 87%). Specific HTW prevalence was 22.4%, without significative differences between CKD stages. The multivariate regression analysis shows specific HTW as an independent AS 2-3 (OR 1.61; 95% CI: 1.12-2.32, p = 0.011) and CVEoD (HR 3.08; 95% CI: 1.66-5.72, p = 0.000) risk factor. An interaction between phosphorus level and specific HTW was identified. Conclusions Adapting the HTW definition might improve specificity to assess cardiovascular risk in the population with CKD. It identifies an additional CVR in a population in which other screening methods have not proven to be useful, and it is easily clinically accessible. Its interaction with phosphorus levels suggests an association between HTW and bone-mineral metabolism regulation

Bacterial infection elicits heat shock protein 72 release from pleural mesothelial cells

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been implicated in infection-related processes and has been found in body fluids during infection. This study aimed to determine whether pleural mesothelial cells release HSP70 in response to bacterial infection in vitro and in mouse models of serosal infection. In addition, the in vitro cytokine effects of the HSP70 isoform, Hsp72, on mesothelial cells were examined. Further, Hsp72 was measured in human pleural effusions and levels compared between non-infectious and infectious patients to determine the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid Hsp72 compared to traditional pleural fluid parameters. We showed that mesothelial release of Hsp72 was significantly raised when cells were treated with live and heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae. In mice, intraperitoneal injection of S. pneumoniae stimulated a 2-fold increase in Hsp72 levels in peritoneal lavage (p,0.01). Extracellular Hsp72 did not induce or inhibit mediator release from cultured mesothelial cells. Hsp72 levels were significantly higher in effusions of infectious origin compared to non-infectious effusions (p,0.05). The data establish that pleural mesothelial cells can release Hsp72 in response to bacterial infection and levels are raised in infectious pleural effusions. The biological role of HSP70 in pleural infection warrants exploration