ESC observations of SN 2005cf: II. Optical Spectroscopy and the high velocity features

The ESC-RTN optical spectroscopy data-set for SN 2005cf is presented and analyzed. The observations range from -11.6 and +77.3 days with respect to B-band maximum light. The evolution of the spectral energy distribution of SN 2005cf is characterized by the presence of high velocity SiII and CaII features. SYNOW synthetic spectra are used to investigate the ejecta geometry of silicon. Based on the synthetic spectra the SiII high velocity feature appears detached at 19500 km/s. We also securely establish the presence of such feature in SN 1990N, SN 1994D, SN 2002er and SN 2003du. On a morphological study both the CaII IR Triplet and H&K absorption lines of SN 2005cf show high velocity features centered around 24000 km/s. When compared with other Type Ia SNe based on the scheme presented in Benetti et al. 2005 SN 2005cf definitely belongs to the LVG group.Comment: A&A accepted for publicatio

Reproduction of the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus

9th International Congress on the Biology of Fish. 5-9 Julio de 2010, BarcelonaThe dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834), is a specie of great importance in the Mediterranean on both a commercial and recreational level. Due to its great exploitation, since 2004, it has been classified on the IUNCIN Red List as endangered specie. Aimed at studying the reproduction of the dusty grouper with major interest in its repopulation and production, the Catalan Aquaculture Network (XRAq) and the Aquàrium of Barcelona have put together a reproductive stock. They have used visual and electronic identification methods and have experimented with different types of holding facilities. Preliminary results on the reproductive aspect (maturity state of the gonads and steroid hormone levels) as well as the productive aspects (conversion index and growth rate) among others are presented in this study. The information generated by this work allows to keep gathering more information about growth and reproduction aspects of an important specie in the meditarranean areaPeer Reviewe

Duplication of Hemolysin Genes in a Virulent Isolate of Vibrio harveyi

Vibrio harveyi VIB 645, which is very pathogenic towards salmonids and produces extracellular product with a high titer of hemolytic activity towards fish erythrocytes, was found to contain two closely related hemolysin genes (designated vhhA and vhhB), whereas the majority of strains examined (11 of 13) carried only a single hemolysin gene. Both genes from VIB 645 were cloned and sequenced. The open reading frames (ORFs) of vhhA and vhhB shared a high level of identity (98.8%) and were predicted to encode identical polypeptides comprising 418 amino acid residues. The VHH protein shows homology to the lecithinase of V. mimicus and V. cholerae. Transformants of Escherichia coli containing the ORF of either vhhA or vhhB displayed weak hemolytic activity in rainbow trout blood agar. The hemolytic activity was very high when the ORF of vhhB was cloned in E. coli together with the native promoter. Surprisingly, the level of vhh-specific RNA transcript produced by VIB 645 was found to be very low. We conclude that the hemolytic phenotype of VIB 645 is not due to increased expression of one or both copies of the vhh gene