Presence of Vibrio mediterranei associated to major mortality in stabled individuals of Pinna nobilis L.

A major epizootic event attributed to Haplosporidium pinnae leading to 100% mortality of Pinna nobilis L. populations along Mediterranean coastlines started in the fall of 2016. As a result, a project to rescue 221 adult individuals of the endangered pen shell, Pinna nobilis was conducted in November 2017 in the two areas of the Spanish coast where the species was still abundant and apparently free from infection by H. pinnae: Port Lligat in the Costa Brava, and the Alfacs Bay in the Ebro Delta. For biosecurity reasons, the 106 individuals from the Ebro Delta were stabled at the IRTA facilities located next to Alfacs Bay, whereas the 115 individuals from Port Lligat were stabled in different institutions throughout the Spanish territory. Initial biopsies showed that individuals from the Ebro Delta were free of the parasite, whereas most individuals from Port Lligat were already parasitized and died in the following months. Individuals at IRTA were hold in five tanks and fed ca. 4% of their dry weight with a mix of three species of phytoplankton and fine riverine sediments (13% OM). Seawater was filtered through 10, 5 and 1 μm to ensure the absence of the parasite and disinfected with UV light. No individuals died during the 4 initial months of captivity, but two died in April–May at temperatures from 17 to 19 °C. A peak of mortalities occurred during the summer months and early fall (53%) with maximums coinciding with temperatures above 25 °C. Individuals were again analyzed by PCR and histology for the presence of H. pinnae, Mycobacteria sp., and other locally important pathogens of commercial bivalves (Vibrio splendidus, V. aestuarianus and Herpesvirus OsHV-1 microVar), and therefore considered as potential pathogens of pen shells. However, with the exception of 3 individuals that were positive for Mycobacteria sp., results were all negative for the studied pathogens. Microbiological culture and isolation of bacteria from three moribund individuals, sacrificed for study purposes, showed V. mediterranei as the dominant species, and further PCR analyses confirmed the presence of the bacterium in ten deceased individuals. Overall, our results suggest the V. mediterranei is an opportunistic pathogen of stabled individuals possibly subjected to stress from captivity, and that antibiotic treatment (Florfenicol) combined with vitamins and mineral supplementation and reduction of water temperature (15 to 18 °C), can be used to mitigate (not to eradicate) the disease. Further research is needed to determine diets and stabling conditions that minimize captivity stress and prevent the emergence of the disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Separación por membranas

En este artículo se presentan los fundamentos de algunas técnicas de separación de productos basadas en el tamaño y tipo de membranas por las que se hace pasar una mezcla de componentes en fase fluida con el objetivo de distribuirlos en dos corrientes diferentes. Además, se comentan algunas de sus aplicaciones y se muestran los modelos matemáticos necesarios para el diseño de sistemas de este tipoVidal Brotons, DJ.; Gras Romero, ML.; Castelló Gómez, ML.; Pérez Esteve, E.; Barrera Puigdollers, MC.; Betoret Valls, N. (2017). Separación por membranas. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83393DE

Filtración convencional de mezclas de líquidos y sólidos

En este apartado vamos a ver las ecuaciones matemáticas que se han desarrollado, siguiendo la teoría de la filtración, para relacionar la velocidad de filtración con el tiempo y el volumen de filtrado según se trabaje a caudal constante o a presión constante. Además, se presentarán los diferentes equipos de filtración sólido-líquido habituales en la industria agroalimentariaVidal Brotons, DJ.; Castelló Gómez, ML.; Gras Romero, ML.; Pérez Esteve, E.; Barrera Puigdollers, MC.; Betoret Valls, N. (2017). Filtración convencional de mezclas de líquidos y sólidos. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83526DE

The effect of external stimulation on functional networks in the aging healthy human brain

Understanding the brain changes occurring during aging can provide new insights for developing treatments that alleviate or reverse cognitive decline. Neurostimulation techniques have emerged as potential treatments for brain disorders and to improve cognitive functions. Nevertheless, given the ethical restrictions of neurostimulation approaches, in silico perturbation protocols based on causal whole-brain models are fundamental to gaining a mechanistic understanding of brain dynamics. Furthermore, this strategy could serve to identify neurophysiological biomarkers differentiating between age groups through an exhaustive exploration of the global effect of all possible local perturbations. Here, we used a resting-state fMRI dataset divided into middle-aged (N =310, <65 years) and older adults (N =310, ≥65) to characterize brain states in each group as a probabilistic metastable substate (PMS) space. We showed that the older group exhibited a reduced capability to access a metastable substate that overlaps with the rich club. Then, we fitted the PMS to a whole-brain model and applied in silico stimulations in each node to force transitions from the brain states of the older- to the middle-aged group. We found that the precuneus was the best stimulation target. Overall, these findings could have important implications for designing neurostimulation interventions for reversing the effects of aging on whole-brain dynamics

Ahora / Ara

La cinquena edició del microrelatari per l’eradicació de la violència contra les dones de l’Institut Universitari d’Estudis Feministes i de Gènere «Purificación Escribano» de la Universitat Jaume I vol ser una declaració d’esperança. Aquest és el moment en el qual les dones (i els homes) hem de fer un pas endavant i eliminar la violència sistèmica contra les dones. Ara és el moment de denunciar el masclisme i els micromasclismes començant a construir una societat més igualitària. Cadascun dels relats del llibre és una denúncia i una declaració que ens encamina cap a un món millor

Contrasting habitats occupied by sibling spider crabs Maja squinado and Maja brachydactyla (Brachyura, Majidae) can influence the biochemical variability displayed by newly hatched larvae

We compared the biochemical composition of newly hatched larvae (NHL) of Maja squinado and Maja brachydactyla, recording significant differences in carbohydrate levels, amylase activity and fatty acid content (20:4n−6, 20:5n−3 and 22:6n−3). Multivariate analysis clearly discriminated NHL of both species, suggesting that trophically stable environments might favor NHL with more homogenous biochemical profiles (Atlantic M. brachydactyla) and less predictable trophic scenarios favor intra-specific variability in the biochemical profile of NHL (Mediterranean M. squinado).The authors also thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism on a previous version of this work. This work was supported by the Acção Integrada Luso-Espanhola 2010 “Dinâmica da flora microbiana intestinal e de enzimas digestivas em larvas de invertebrados marinhos num oceano em mudança à escala global” (Portugal: No. E-116/10; Spain: PT2009-0069).publishe

Presence of Vibrio mediterranei associated to major mortality in stabled individuals of Pinna nobilis L

A major epizootic event attributed to Haplosporidium pinnae leading to 100% mortality of Pinna nobilis L. populations along Mediterranean coastlines started in the fall of 2016. As a result, a project to rescue 221 adult individuals of the endangered pen shell, Pinna nobilis was conducted in November 2017 in the two areas of the Spanish coast where the species was still abundant and apparently free from infection by H. pinnae: Port Lligat in the Costa Brava, and the Alfacs Bay in the Ebro Delta. For biosecurity reasons, the 106 individuals from the Ebro Delta were stabled at the IRTA facilities located next to Alfacs Bay, whereas the 115 individuals from Port Lligat were stabled in different institutions throughout the Spanish territory. Initial biopsies showed that individuals from the Ebro Delta were free of the parasite, whereas most individuals from Port Lligat were already parasitized and died in the following months. Individuals at IRTA were hold in five tanks and fed ca. 4% of their dry weight with a mix of three species of phytoplankton and fine riverine sediments (13% OM). Seawater was filtered through 10, 5 and 1 μm to ensure the absence of the parasite and disinfected with UV light. No individuals died during the 4 initial months of captivity, but two died in April–May at temperatures from 17 to 19 °C. A peak of mortalities occurred during the summer months and early fall (53%) with maximums coinciding with temperatures above 25 °C. Individuals were again analyzed by PCR and histology for the presence of H. pinnae, Mycobacteria sp., and other locally important pathogens of commercial bivalves (Vibrio splendidus, V. aestuarianus and Herpesvirus OsHV-1 microVar), and therefore considered as potential pathogens of pen shells. However, with the exception of 3 individuals that were positive for Mycobacteria sp., results were all negative for the studied pathogens. Microbiological culture and isolation of bacteria from three moribund individuals, sacrificed for study purposes, showed V. mediterranei as the dominant species, and further PCR analyses confirmed the presence of the bacterium in ten deceased individuals. Overall, our results suggest the V. mediterranei is an opportunistic pathogen of stabled individuals possibly subjected to stress from captivity, and that antibiotic treatment (Florfenicol) combined with vitamins and mineral supplementation and reduction of water temperature (15 to 18 °C), can be used to mitigate (not to eradicate) the disease. Further research is needed to determine diets and stabling conditions that minimize captivity stress and prevent the emergence of the disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Differential dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during a verbal n-back task according to sensory modality

Functional neuroimaging studies carried out on healthy volunteers while performing different n-back tasks have shown a common pattern of bilateral frontoparietal activation, especially of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Our objective was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the pattern of brain activation while performing two similar n-back tasks which differed in their presentation modality. Thirteen healthy volunteers completed a verbal 2-back task presenting auditory stimuli, and a similar 2-back task presenting visual stimuli. A conjunction analysis showed bilateral activation of frontoparietal areas including the DLPFC. The left DLPFC and the superior temporal gyrus showed a greater activation in the auditory than in the visual condition, whereas posterior brain regions and the anterior cingulate showed a greater activation during the visual than during the auditory task. Thus, brain areas involved in the visual and auditory versions of the n-back task showed an important overlap between them, reflecting the supramodal characteristics of working memory. However, the differences found between the two modalities should be considered in order to select the most appropriate task for future clinical studies. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved