Trace elements and C and N isotope composition in two mushroom species from a mine-spill contaminated site

Fungi play a key role in the functioning of soil in terrestrial ecosystems, and in particular in the remediation of degraded soils. The contribution of fungi to carbon and nutrient cycles, along with their capability to mobilise soil trace elements, is well-known. However, the importance of life history strategy for these functions has not yet been thoroughly studied. This study explored the soil-fungi relationship of two wild edible fungi, the ectomycorrhizal Laccaria laccata and the saprotroph Volvopluteus gloiocephalus. Fruiting bodies and surrounding soils in a mine-spill contaminated area were analysed. Isotope analyses revealed Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies were 15N-enriched when compared to Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, likely due to the transfer of 15N-depleted compounds to their host plant. Moreover, Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies δ13C values were closer to host plant values than surrounding soil, while Volvopluteus gloiocephalus matched the δ13C composition to that of the soil. Fungal species presented high bioaccumulation and concentrations of Cd and Cu in their fruiting bodies. Human consumption of these fruiting bodies may represent a toxicological risk due to their elevated Cd concentrations

Ancient mitochondrial pseudogenes reveal hybridization between distant lineages in the evolution of the Rupicapra genus

© The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Gene 628 (2017): 63-71, doi:10.1016/j.gene.2017.07.035.Mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts) inserted in the nuclear genome are frequently found in population studies. Its presence is commonly connected with problems and errors when they are confounded with true mitochondrial sequences. In the opposite side, numts can provide valuable phylogenetic information when they are copies of ancient mitochondrial lineages. We show that Rupicapra individuals of different geographic origin from the Cantabrian Mountains to the Apennines and the Caucasus share a nuclear COI fragment. The numt copies are monophyletic, and their pattern of differentiation shows two outstanding features: a long evolution as differentiated true mitochondrial lineage, and a recent integration and spread through the chamois populations. The COI pseudogene is much older than the present day mitochondrial clades of Rupicapra and occupies a basal position within the Rupicapra-Ammotragus- Arabitragus node. Joint analysis of this numt and a cytb pseudogene with a similar pattern of evolution places the source mitochondrial lineage as a sister branch that separated from the Ammotragus-Arabitragus lineage 6 million years ago (Mya). The occurrence of this sequence in the nucleus of chamois suggests hybridization between highly divergent lineages. The integration event seems to be very recent, more recent than the split of the present day mtDNA lineages of Rupicapra (1.9 Mya). This observation invites to think of the spread across the genus by horizontal transfer through recent male-biased dispersal.This work was funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Spain. (Grant number CGL2011-25117).2018-07-1

An optimization tool to design the field of a Solar Power Tower plant allowing heliostats of different sizes

The design of a Solar Power Tower plant involves the optimization of the heliostat field layout. Fields are usually designed to have all heliostats of identical size. Although the use of a single heliostat size has been questioned in the literature, there are no tools to design fields with heliostats of several sizes at the same time. In this paper, the problem of optimizing the heliostat field layout of a system with heliostats of different sizes is addressed. We present an optimization tool to design solar plants allowing two heliostat sizes. The methodology is illustrated with a particular example considering different heliostat costs.MTM2013-41286-P (Spain) MTM2015-65915-R (Spain) P11-FQM-7603 (Andalucía) TD1207 (EU COST Action

Detection of mecC-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in river water : a potential role for water in the environmental dissemination

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health concern due to limited treatment options. The recent description of a mecA homologue, mecC in human and cattle, led to studies to detect this new variant in human and other animal species. Detection of mecC in wild boar and fallow deer in a Spanish game estate led us to further investigate the presence of mecC-MRSA at this location. Samples from cattle, wild animals, workers and river water were tested. A further three mecC-MRSA isolates were obtained from river water. Molecular characterization (multilocus sequence typing and spa typing) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (broth microdilution) showed that isolates were similar to those detected in wild animals. Whole genome sequencing confirmed that the isolates from the river water and wild animals in the same geographic area were all closely related isolates of ST425 mecC-MRSA. The presence of mecC-MRSA in the river water highlights the potential role of water in the dissemination of mecC-MRSA

Observation of a correlated free four-neutron system

A long-standing question in nuclear physics is whether chargeless nuclear systems can exist. To our knowledge, only neutron stars represent near-pure neutron systems, where neutrons are squeezed together by the gravitational force to very high densities. The experimental search for isolated multi-neutron systems has been an ongoing quest for several decades1, with a particular focus on the four-neutron system called the tetraneutron, resulting in only a few indications of its existence so far2–4, leaving the tetraneutron an elusive nuclear system for six decades. Here we report on the observation of a resonance-like structure near threshold in the four-neutron system that is consistent with a quasi-bound tetraneutron state existing for a very short time. The measured energy and width of this state provide a key benchmark for our understanding of the nuclear force. The use of an experimental approach based on a knockout reaction at large momentum transfer with a radioactive high-energy 8 He beam was key.S

Streptococcus parasanguinis: new pathogen associated with asymptomatic mastitis in sheep.

We describe two unusual cases in sheep of subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus parasanguinis. This bacterium has been associated with the development of experimental endocarditis; its presence at relatively high concentrations in apparently healthy sheep milk may pose a health risk in persons with predisposing heart lesions

Reflections on the documentary abstract and it?s practice: revision and systematization of theoreticalpractical approaches

[Resumen] Se realiza una categorización de los estudios del resumen documental a partir de la revisión de los diferentes modelos y propuestas de los investigadores en este campo. Se señala la evolución de la investigación en esta actividad de tratamiento documental de contenido, atendiendo a las aproximaciones de la textolingüística y el estructuralismo lingüístico, los enfoques semióticos, las orientaciones de la psicología cognitiva, o el funcionalismo sociointeraccional. Para ello, se establecen distintas etapas, que van desde los postulados precientíficos iniciales hacia avances metateóricos y procedimentales más complejos y dinámicos. Las nuevas orientaciones y tendencias son clasificadas en base a tres dimensiones: el enfoque del texto/producto, el enfoque del proceso-actividad resumidora y la aproximación comunicativo-sociocultural, como puente integrador entre ambos. Finalmente, se alude a una fusión necesaria de las teorías resumidoras existentes para configurar un mapa consolidado de modelos resumidores en distintos ámbitos de especialidad.[Abstract] We elaborate a study of the documentary abstract´s categorisation based on the revision of the different models the investigators in this field´s proposal. In this paper it is indicated the evolution of the investigation about the activity of the documentary treatment focusing on content. This research is developing through various interdisciplinary approaches, such as, textolingüístique approache, linguistic estructuralism approach, semiotic approach, including mental psychology orientation, and sociointeractional functionalism. In order to achieve the purpose, different stages are established: starting from the initial pre-scientific proposals which postulated towards the more complex and dynamic metatheoretical and procedural advances. The new directions and tendencies are classified on the basis of three dimensions: text/ product approach, abstracting process-activity approach and the communicative-sociocultural approach, as the integrating bridge between both. Finally, it guide to a necessary fusion of the existing summarizing theories in order to form a consolidated map of abstracting models in different scopes of specialty