Atmospheric indices allow anticipating the incidence of jellyfish coastal swarms

Jellyfish swarms affect littoral ecosystems, are unpleasant for bathers and jeopardize coastal socio-economic sectors. Anticipating the incidence of jellyfish swarms could be useful for implementing preventive management measures. Macroclimatic indices are good candidates for this type of anticipation since they are macro-ecologically related to oceanographic characteristics that affect marine species after a certain time lag. An increase of jellyfish swarms has been recently reported in the Mediterranean Sea. From 2005 to 2018, jellyfish swarms in the littoral of the province of Malaga (Spain, northwest coast of the Alboran Sea), mainly formed by the mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca), were frequent during summer. We recorded data on jellyfish swarm incidence in the province of Malaga from 2005 to 2018 using the reports in local newspapers, searches in Google Search Engine, and a citizen science application for mobile phones as information sources. With this information, we classified the period in years of low, medium and high incidence of jellyfish swarms. Then, we tested if the known effects of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in winter on the sea surface temperature (SST) during the year, which in turn affects the proliferation of jellyfish, could explain the inter-annual variation in this incidence. Our hypothesis significantly explained the variation in the medium versus low incidence of jellyfish swarms, with medium incidence in the summers of higher SST. This suggests that medium incidence of jellyfish swarms was caused by the proliferation of jellyfish. This also suggests that years of medium incidence of jellyfish in the beach during summer could be anticipated by computing the average AO and NAO values of the previous winter. Years of high incidence of swarms could not be explained by this process. We speculate that they may be caused by a change in the distribution of the swarms rather than by proliferation. Jellyfish may be pushed from the pelagic western anticyclonic gyre of the Alboran Sea to the northern coast by eddies that are formed when, as recent literature has shown, this gyre is weakened by westerly winds and the Atlantic jet. Citizen science has contributed useful data to build macroecological models that may result in better management plans based on scientific data

Ediacaran–Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the Ossa Morena and Central Iberian zones (SW Iberia) as revealed by Sm–Nd isotope systematics

Sm–Nd isotopic analyses of Palaeozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks in the southwest Iberian Massif (western end of the European Variscan Belt) are presented in order to unravel its complex poly-orogenic evolution during the closure of the Rheic Ocean and the amalgamation of Pangea. The Gondwanan margin in southwest Iberia SW Iberia is subdivided into the Ossa Morena and Central Iberian zones, separated by the Badajoz–Córdoba Shear Zone which represents a cryptic suture zone between these terranes. The relationships between these terranes, and between units preserved within the suture zone (e.g. the Sierra Albarrana Group) during the Palaeozoic and Neoproterozoic are controversial. Sm–Nd isotopic studies of representative sedimentary sequences covering the entire pre-Variscan record of the Ossa Morena and Central Iberian zones show very similar characteristics from the uppermost Ediacaran onwards. These data indicate that their accretion to one another must have been completed by the Late Neoproterozoic–Ediacarin that time (an event assigned to Cadomian orogeny) and that they never separated substantially from each other since that time. The Sm–Nd isotopic composition of the Sierra Albarrana Group metasedimentary rocks is similar to that of the pre-Cadomian sequences of the Ossa Morena Zone (Serie Negra), suggesting derivation from a common source. The common provenance of the Palaeozoic sequences in the two zones is identical to that of the pre-Cadomian Serie Negra of the Ossa Morena Zone, which in accordance with the data presented herein and published U–Pb zircon data indicates a West African affinity

Microbiological and Physicochemical Changes in Natural Green Heat-Shocked Aloreña de Málaga Table Olives

11 Páginas; 5 Tablas; 6 FigurasPreserving the highly appreciated natural freshness of Aloreña de Málaga table olives and preventing their progressive darkening during processing is a major challenge. In this work, heat-shocked (60°C, 5 min) fruits were processed according to the three denominations referred to in the Protected Designation of Origen (cured, fresh green, and traditional) and their characteristics compared with those that followed the habitual industrial process (controls). The results revealed that the effects of the heat treatment on the evolution of pH, titratable acidity, salt, sugar, organic acid, ethanol content, texture, and color of fruits as well as on microbial populations (yeasts and lactic acid bacteria) were slight in the case of the fresh green and cured presentations. However, the differences between heat-shocked and its control were remarkable in the traditional process. Notably, the heat treatment favored lactic acid fermentation, retention of the green appearance of the fruits, stability during packaging, and led to the highest sensory evaluation. The metagenomic analysis carried out at the end of the fermentation revealed the presence in all samples of three genera (Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Celerinatantimonas) which encompassed most of the sequences. The number of Lactobacillus sequences was statistically higher (p ≥ 0.05) in the case of traditional heat-shocked fruits than in its control.The research leading to these results has received funding from Junta de Andalucía Government through the PrediAlo project (AGR-7755: www.predialo.science.com.es) and FEDER European funds. FA-L wishes to express thanks to the Spanish government for his RyC postdoctoral research contract while VR-G would like to thank ceiA3, Spanish Government, Bank of Santander, IG-CSIC and ‘Aloreña de Málaga’ Olive Manufacturing Association for her predoctoral fellowship. Authors express their gratitude to Dr. Borja Sánchez (IPLA-CSIC) for his invaluable help in the metagenomic analysis.Peer reviewe

Análisis del efecto del cambio climático sobre la distribución del conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) en España

El conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) es una especie nativa de la península ibérica, ampliamente distribuida. Pese a ser una especie muy prolífica, la fuerte presión cinegética y las enfermedades en las últimas décadas han mermado considerablemente sus poblaciones, alterando su distribución original. Esto ha conllevado que la UICN en 2019 declarara a la especie en peligro, indicando que se deben tomar medidas urgentes para su recuperación, entre ellas medidas de adaptación al cambio climático. Los modelos de distribución de las especies son una herramienta que permite pronosticar cómo el cambio climático podría afectar a las distribuciones, aportando información espacial precisa sobre la vulnerabilidad de estas especies. Se analizó el efecto potencial de distintos escenarios de cambio climático sobre la distribución del conejo en España peninsular. Para la construcción de los modelos se han seleccionado una serie de variables predictoras tanto climáticas como no climáticas (topográficas, espaciales y actividad antrópica). A partir de la distribución conocida (presencias/ausencias) de la especie y del conjunto de variables, como técnica de modelación se aplicó una regresión logística multifactorial y el algoritmo de la función de favorabilidad. Los resultados mostraron un decrecimiento de zonas favorables en el futuro a medio-largo plazo, especialmente en los escenarios de cambio climático más extremos, con caídas de hasta un 26% de zonas potencialmente favorables. Se encontró que el factor puro climático explicó un 9,79% del modelo y los factores no climáticos un 12,60%, habiendo un gran solapamiento entre ambos (77,60%). El decrecimiento potencial observado de la distribución, así como la proporción de explicación del clima, especialmente en su efecto compartido, confirman la necesidad de implementar medidas de adaptación al cambio climático para esta especie, tanto legislativas, como de conservación ex situ e in situ, a corto plazo

Guía faunística de las aguas de la Plataforma Patagónica y las Islas Malvinas.

Las pesquerías que se desarrollan en la Plataforma Patagónica se sitúan entre las más importantes en la actualidad, tanto por los altos rendimientos como por el elevado precio de mercado de sus productos, con la consiguiente trascendencia socioeconómica. Las especies explotadas de mayor interés son la merluza argentina, merluza austral, calamar y pota, aunque otras especies no-objetivo, tales como la rosada, bertorella, merluza de cola y polaca entre otras, han ido adquiriendo una importancia cada vez mayor en los últimos años. Esta guía pretende ser un manual de identificación rápida de las especies que aparecen en los caladeros de Malvinas (Atlántico Sudoccidental). Por supuesto no refleja todas las especies existentes en la zona sino sólo las más frecuentes y algunas otras que, aún no siendo frecuentes, es posible que aparezcan ocasionalmente. Cada especie está presentada por una cabecera en donde figuran el nombre de la Familia a la que pertenecen, el nombre científico, los nombres comunes si los hay, tanto en castellano como en inglés, incluyendo los que se dan a bordo de algunos barcos de la flota española (que en algún caso son los únicos que se conocen). Inmediatamente debajo figura un dibujo y una fotografía de la especie, conjuntamente con una descripción taxonómica y biológica de la especie, así como su posible interés comercial. Esta guía faunística es uno de los resultados del proyecto cofinanciado por la UE “Data collection for stock assessment of two hakes (Merluccius hubbsi and Merluccius australis) in International and Falkland waters of the SW Atlantic”, desarrollado durante 2000-2001 y en el que el IEO participa, a través del C. O. de Vigo, como coordinador.Versión del edito

FRW Cosmology with Non-positively Defined Higgs Potentials

We discuss the classical aspects of dynamics of scalar models with non-positive Higgs potentials in the FRW cosmology. These models appear as effective local models in non-local models related with string field theories. After a suitable field redefinition these models have the form of local Higgs models with a negative extra cosmological term and the total Higgs potential is non-positively defined and has rather small coupling constant. The non-positivity of the potential leads to the fact that on some stage of evolution the expansion mode gives place to the mode of contraction, due to that the stage of reheating is absent. In these models the hard regime of inflation gives place to inflation near the hill top and the area of the slow roll inflation is very small. Meanwhile one can obtain enough e-foldings before the contraction to make the model under consideration admissible to describe inflation.Comment: 40 pages, 20 figures, typos correcte

Spectral characterization of laser-accelerated protons with CR-39 nuclear track detector

CR-39 nuclear track material is frequently used for the detection of protons accelerated in laser-plasma interactions. The measurement of track densities allows for determination of particle angular distributions, and information on the kinetic energy can be obtained by the use of passive absorbers. We present a precise method of measuring spectral distributions of laser-accelerated protons in a single etching and analysis process. We make use of a one-to-one relation between proton energy and track size and present a precise calibration based on monoenergetic particle beams. While this relation is limited to proton energies below 1 MeV, we show that the range of spectral measurements can be significantly extended by simultaneous use of absorbers of suitable thicknesses. Examples from laser-plasma interactions are presented, and quantitative results on proton energies and particle numbers are compared to those obtained from a time-of-flight detector. The spectrum end points of continuous energy distributions have been determined with both detector types and coincide within 50-100 keV

The Absence of Caspase-8 in the Dopaminergic System Leads to Mild Autism-like Behavior

In the last decade, new non-apoptotic roles have been ascribed to apoptotic caspases. This family of proteins plays an important role in the sculpting of the brain in the early stages of development by eliminating excessive and nonfunctional synapses and extra cells. Consequently, impairments in this process can underlie many neurological and mental illnesses. This view is particularly relevant to dopamine because it plays a pleiotropic role in motor control, motivation, and reward processing. In this study, we analyze the effects of the elimination of caspase-8 (CASP8) on the development of catecholaminergic neurons using neurochemical, ultrastructural, and behavioral tests. To do this, we selectively delete the CASP8 gene in cells that express tyrosine hydroxylase with the help of recombination through the Cre-loxP system. Our results show that the number of dopaminergic neurons increases in the substantia nigra. In the striatum, the basal extracellular level of dopamine and potassium-evoked dopamine release decreased significantly in mice lacking CASP8, clearly showing the low dopamine functioning in tissues innervated by this neurotransmitter. This view is supported by electron microscopy analysis of striatal synapses. Interestingly, behavioral analysis demonstrates that mice lacking CASP8 show changes reminiscent of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our research reactivates the possible role of dopamine transmission in the pathogenesis of ASD and provides a mild model of autism

Calibration and performance tests of detectors for laser-accelerated protons

We present the calibration and performance tests carried out with two detectors for intense proton pulses accelerated by lasers. Most of the procedures were realized with proton beams of 0.46-5.60 MeV from a tandem accelerator. One approach made use of radiochromic films, for which we calibrated the relation between optical density and energy deposition over more than three orders of magnitude. The validity of these results and of our analysis algorithms has been confirmed by controlled irradiation of film stacks and reconstruction of the total beam charge for strongly non-uniform beam profiles. For the spectral analysis of protons from repeated laser shots, we have designed an online monitor based on a plastic scintillator. The resulting signal from a photomultiplier directly measured on a fast oscilloscope is especially useful for time-of-flight applications. Variable optical filters allow for suppression of saturation and an extension of the dynamic range. With pulsed proton beams we have tested the detector response to a wide range of beam intensities from single particles to 3 ×105 protons per 100 ns time interval.Project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and co-funded with FEDER's funds within the INNPACTO 2011 program under Grant No. IPT-2011-0862-900000. This work was supported by the Spanish Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica (I+D+i) under Grant No. TEC 2013-48036-C3-1-R and the Valencian Local Government under Grants PROMETEOII/2013/010 and ISIC 2011/013. The work of A. J. Gonzalez is financed by CSIC with a JAE-Doc contract under Junta de Ampliacion de Estudios program, cofinanced by the European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

The Absence of Caspase-8 in the Dopaminergic System Leads to Mild Autism-like Behavior

In the last decade, new non-apoptotic roles have been ascribed to apoptotic caspases. This family of proteins plays an important role in the sculpting of the brain in the early stages of development by eliminating excessive and nonfunctional synapses and extra cells. Consequently, impairments in this process can underlie many neurological and mental illnesses. This view is particularly relevant to dopamine because it plays a pleiotropic role in motor control, motivation, and reward processing. In this study, we analyze the effects of the elimination of caspase-8 (CASP8) on the development of catecholaminergic neurons using neurochemical, ultrastructural, and behavioral tests. To do this, we selectively delete the CASP8 gene in cells that express tyrosine hydroxylase with the help of recombination through the Cre-loxP system. Our results show that the number of dopaminergic neurons increases in the substantia nigra. In the striatum, the basal extracellular level of dopamine and potassium-evoked dopamine release decreased significantly in mice lacking CASP8, clearly showing the low dopamine functioning in tissues innervated by this neurotransmitter. This view is supported by electron microscopy analysis of striatal synapses. Interestingly, behavioral analysis demonstrates that mice lacking CASP8 show changes reminiscent of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our research reactivates the possible role of dopamine transmission in the pathogenesis of ASD and provides a mild model of autism.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RTI2018-098645-B-I00, PID2019-109569GB-I00, RTI2018-099778-B-I00Junta de Andalucía P18-RT-1372, US-1264806, PI-0080-2017, PI-0009-2017, PI-0134-2018, PEMP-0008-2020, P20_00958, CTS-510Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI18/01691Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz-INiBICA LI19/06IN-CO22, IN-C09European Union 95568