Sobre les causes del descens de les poblacions de Callista chione (Linnaeus, 1758) a la costa del Maresme, Catalunya

Trabajo final de carrera presentado por Enric Real García para obtener el Grado en Ciencias Ambientales por la Facultad de Biología de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), realizado bajo la dirección del Dr. Franz Peters del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 20 pages, 8 figures, 3 tablesThe populations of the bivalve Callista chione (L.), have experimented a severe decline in recent years in the Maresme coast, Catalonia, (Spain), where it has a considerable commercial interest. This trend is framed within a general decline of most other fisheries and tends to be attributed to overfishing. We have addressed other possible causes such as changes in the quality of coastal waters in terms of chemical nutrient or chlorophyll concentrations or the effect of sand extraction for beach nourishment, but have failed to establish general relationships with catch per unit effortPeer Reviewe

Equity research - EDP Renováveis

Mestrado em FinançasA EDPR é uma empresa que opera no sector da energia renovável e é hoje uma das mais importantes a trabalhar nesta área. O seu principal objectivo consiste em ser uma referência na indústria, por desenvolver, construir e operar as melhores centrais eólicas e solares no mundo. Ao contrário de muitas outras empresas que estão a ter alguns problemas com a actual conjuntura económica, a EDPR, ao investir num moderno e atractivo sector, tem conseguido ultrapassar com sucesso as dificuldades e por isso, está a construir um crescimento significativo e sólido. A elaboração deste estudo tem o propósito de obter o valor intrínseco das acções da EDPR, assente numa análise do seu desempenho operacional e do seu ambiente exógeno. O método adoptado para determinar este valor consiste no Free Cash Flow to Firm, uma vez que, de acordo com a revisão da literatura, é o mais adequado a aplicar à EDPR. A avaliação realizada levou à conclusão de que em 31/12/2014, as acções da EDPR tinham um valor intrínseco de - 6.49, estando dessa forma subvalorizadas, uma vez que a sua cotação era - 5.40 na data referida. Deste modo, com uma potencial valorização de 20.2%, foi possível dar uma recomendação de compra aos investidores interessados.EDPR is a company that operates in the sector of the renewable energy and it is today one of the most important working in this area. Its main goal consists on being a reference in the industry for developing, building and operating the best wind farms and solar plants in the world. Unlike many other companies that are having some problems with the present economic framework, EDPR, by investing in a modern and most required sector, is successfully managing to overcome the difficulties and therefore it is building a significant and solid growth. The elaboration of this study has the aim to achieve the intrinsic value of EDPR stocks, by making a research of the operational performance and its exogenous environment. The method adopted in order to determine this value consists on the Free Cash Flow to Firm, since, according with the literature review, this is the most suitable one to apply to EDPR. The valuation performed led to the conclusion that on 31/12/2014, EDPR shares had an intrinsic value of - 6.49, being thus undervalued, since its quotation was - 5.40 at the time referred to. Therefore, with a potential appreciation of 20.2%, it was able to give a buy recommendation to the interested investors

Complete and incomplete spin transitions in 1D chain iron(II) compounds.

The synthesis and characterisation of two new octahedral iron(II) SCO coordination polymers [FeL1(bimm)] (1) and [FeL2(bppa)](MeOH)0.5 (2) (L1 = [3,30]-[1,2- phenylenebis-(iminomethylidyne)bis(4-phenyl-,4-butanedionato)(2-)-N,N0,O2,O20], L2 = [E,E]-[{diethyl 2,20-1,2- phenylenebis(iminomethylidyne)bis(3-oxo-3-phenylpropanato)}(2-)-N,N0,O3,O30], bimm = bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)methane and bppa = 1,3-bis(pyridine-4-yl)propane) is presented. Results from X-ray structure analysis at different temperatures revealed in the case of 1 that the transition from a gradual to a cooperative SCO with a 5 K wide hysteresis is due to an increase of the short intermolecular contacts, which exceed a certain threshold for the cooperative effect. In the case of compound 2 an incomplete spin transition with a 4 K wide hysteresis was observed. The low temperature wMT product remains constant at a value typical for a mixed HS/LS state in stepwise spin transitions. A quantitative correlation between the cooperative effects of 12 monomer and polymer iron(II) SCO complexes and their structural properties derived from X-ray structure analysis, the so-called crystal contact index, CCI, is introduced

Scale-Down Characterisation of Post-Centrifuge Flocculation Processes and the Study of its Impact upon Downstream Processing during Mammalian Cell Antibody Production

The high demand for biopharmaceuticals has been met thanks to improved upstream productivity. Downstream, which has not advanced at the same pace, calls for new clarification strategies to cope with the increased process-related impurities associated with upstream improvements. This thesis has focused on the implementation of polyelectrolyte flocculation between centrifugation and depth filtration during the primary recovery of a monoclonal antibody Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell process. A high-throughput, automated ultra scale-down (USD) flocculation methodology was developed with industrial relevance in mind for process development activities. The impact flocculation had on depth filtration and protein A chromatography performance was subsequently investigated and supported by analytical assays and techniques to assess impurity removal. Cell densities at time of harvest > 20x10^6 cells/mL were critical for flocculation to occur on centrifuged CHO cell cultures. Flocculant addition time limited the flocculation scale-up success between two vessels with different geometrical ratios and working volumes (1.5 L and 800 µL). The influence of mixing time scales (macromixing, mesomixing and micromixing) on this variable defined the USD flocculation scale-up basis, which was: predominance of micromixing in the vessels (flocculant addition time scale-up) and constant power input per unit volume (impeller speed scale-up). The implementation of constant pressure, single-layer USD filtration methods with flocculated feeds was precluded due to the low filter capacity values obtained ( 490 L/m^2). Flocculation achieved larger depth filtration capacities and lower process-related impurities before protein A chromatography when compared to the current manufacturing processing option. Post-protein A chromatography, the clear eluate obtained with flocculation contrasted with the turbid eluate of the current processing option. Mass spectrometry data confirmed the turbid eluate was mainly constituted of negatively charged CHO cell protein precipitates

The acquisition of tense and aspect in Spanish

One of the main challenges when acquiring a language is to determine whatthe association between forms and meanings is in the specific language thechild is acquiring. This process implies parsing the input to recognize the basicunits in the language and relating them to their exact meaning. This task isespecially complicated in the case of tense and aspect

Cooperative thermal and optical switching of spin states in a new two-dimensional coordination polymer

{Fe(pmd)2[Cu(CN)2]2} (pmd = pyrimidine) displays a rigid two-dimensional structure and undergoes thermal- and optical-driven spin crossover behaviour; cooperative elastic coupling between iron(II) ions in the framework induces thermal hysteresis in the HS↔LS conversion and sigmoidal HS→LS relaxation of the photo-induced HS state at low temperatures.Niel, Virginie, [email protected] ; Galet Domingo, Ana Guadalupe, [email protected] ; Gaspar Pedros, Ana Belen, [email protected] ; Real Cabezos, Jose Antonio, [email protected]

Técnicas estruturantes do Pop-Up

Pop-up or paper engineering is the main theme of this essay, which has a theoretical, and a practical approach. The theoretical approach comprises the techniques explanation so it can be used as a practical guide. The practical approach has the goal to demonstrate that through experimentation, by the use of several techniques, we can achieve different and interesting results. The calendar was the selected layout to represent the designated techniques. This was the chosen format due to the multiplicity of themes and designs that already exist. Since this three-dimensional process could reach a great variety of difficulty levels, a calendar was thought to be the best way to display it. Pop-ups were initially used as a way to facilitate the understanding of certain texts, but this process started to be innovated and was used in marketing as a way to draw attention and enhance some products from others. Nowadays, pop-up can be found in books, mainly children's books, and in certain commercial products like postcards. Experimentation is key to explore the world of pop-up. Different levels of popup were chosen for this work so there could be a global understanding in relation to this method. The results were not always the expected ones but thanks to repetition the techniques began to improv

Photoinduced HS state in the first spin-crossover chain containing a cyanocarbanion as bridging ligand

A new polymeric approach, based on cyanocarbanion ligands, for the design of spin crossover (SCO) compounds led us to the compound [Fe(abpt)2(tcpd)] (1) (tcpd^2 = (C[C(CN)2|3)^2 , abpt = 4-amino-3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole) which has been characterised as the first SCO molecular chain involving a cyanocarbanion as bridging ligand.Gomez Garcia, Carlos Jose, [email protected]

Biological activity and cellular uptake of [Ru(eta(5)-C5H5)(PPh3)(Me(2)bpy)][CF3SO3] complex

Anticancer activity of the new [Ru(eta(5)-C5H5)(PPh3)(Me(2)bpy)][CF3SO3] (Me(2)bpy = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) complex was evaluated in vitro against several human cancer cell lines, namely A2780, A2780CisR, HT29, MCF7, MDAMB231 and PC3. Remarkably, the IC50 values, placed in the nanomolar and sub-micromolar range, largely exceeded the activity of cisplatin. Binding to human serum albumin, either HSA (human serum albumin) or HSA(faf) (fatty acid-free human serum albumin) does not affect the complex activity. Fluorescence studies revealed that the present ruthenium complex strongly quench the intrinsic fluorescence of albumin. Cell death by the [Ru(eta(5)-C5H5)(PPh3)(Me(2)bpy)][CF3SO3] complex was reduced in the presence of endocytosis modulators and at low temperature, suggesting an energy-dependent mechanism consistent with endocytosis. On the whole, the biological activity evaluated herein suggests that the complex could be a promising anticancer agent. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

A new family of iron(II)-cyclopentadienyl compounds shows strong activity against colorectal and triple negative breast cancer cells

The following is available online, Figure S1—1H NMR spectrum of complexes 6, in acetone-d6, Table S1. Bond lengths [Å] and angles [°] for [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(PhCN)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 1, [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(p-NCPhNH2)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 4 and [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(p-NCPhBr)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 5, Table S2. Relevant TD-DFT (PBE0) excitation energies (λ), oscillator strengths (f) and compositions (only those > 5% are shown), for complexes 1–6, compared with experimental data (λexp). Both calculated and experimental values were obtained in dichloromethane, Figure S2—UV-Vis spectra of complexes 1–6 in DMSO along the 24 h study, Figure S3—UV-Vis spectra of complexes 1–6 in DMSO/DMEM mixture along the 24 h study and its variation plot (%) (bottom), Figure S4. ‘FeCp’ compounds affect the colony formation ability of SW480 cell line. Analysis of the colony formation ability, after 48 h of incubation with 1/4 IC50 and IC50, in SW480 cell line. Representative images of colony formation assay in SW480 cell line, Figure S5. ‘FeCp’ compounds induce apoptosis colorectal cancer-derived cell line. Apoptotic cell death was analyzed by Annexin V fluorescein isothiocyanate (AV-FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) assay in SW480 cells, after incubation with IC50 and 2×IC50 concentrations for 48 h. Representative histograms of SW480 cell line double stained with AV and PI, Table S4. Crystal data and structure refinement for [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(PhCN)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 1, [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(p-NCPhNH2)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 4 and [Fe(η5-Cp)(CO)(p-NCPhBr)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] 5.A family of compounds with the general formula [Fe(η5-C5H5)(CO)(PPh3)(NCR)]+ has been synthesized (NCR = benzonitrile (1); 4-hydroxybenzonitrile (2); 4-hydroxymethylbenzonitrile (3); 4-aminobenzonitrile (4); 4-bromobenzonitrile (5); and, 4-chlorocinnamonitrile (6)). All of the compounds were obtained in good yields and were completely characterized by standard spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 crystallize in the monoclinc P21/c space group and packing is determined by short contacts between the phosphane phenyl rings and cyclopentadienyl (compounds 1 and 4) or π-π lateral interactions between the benzonitrile molecules (complex 5). DFT and TD-DFT calculations were performed to help in the interpretation of the experimental UV-Vis. data and assign the electronic transitions. Cytotoxicity studies in MDA-MB-231 breast and SW480 colorectal cancer-derived cell lines showed IC50 values at a low micromolar range for all of the compounds in both cell lines. The determination of the selectivity index for colorectal cells (SW480 vs. NCM460, a normal colon-derived cell line) indicates that the compounds have some inherent selectivity. Further studies on the SW480 cell line demonstrated that the compounds induce cell death by apoptosis, inhibit proliferation by inhibiting the formation of colonies, and affect the actin-cytoskeleton of the cells. These results are not observed for the hydroxylated compounds 2 and 3, where an alternative mode of action might be present. Overall, the results indicate that the substituent at the nitrile-based ligand is associated to the biological activity of the compounds.Centro de Química Estrutural acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for the Project UIDB/00100/2020. This work was also funded in the scope of the project PTDC/QUI-QIN/28662/2017 (FCT) and by the strategic program UID/BIA/04050/2019 (FCT). A. Pilon and Ana Rita Brás thank FCT for their Ph.D. Grants (SFRH/BD/139412/2018 and SFRH/BD/139271/2018, respectively). A. Valente acknowledges the CEECIND 2017 Initiative (CEECIND/01974/2017). P. J Costa thank FCT for Investigador FCT Program IF/00069/2014, exploratory project IF/00069/2014/CP1216/CT0006, and strategic project UID/MULTI/04046/2019. P. J. Costa also acknowledges FCT, Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa (Lisboa 2020), Portugal 2020, FEDER/FN, and the European Union for project LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-028455 / PTDC/QUI-QFI/28455/2017