Course of infection with Lymphocystis disease virus in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) is the etiological agent of lymphocystis disease (LCD), a pathology that affects a wide variety of fish species. Data about LCDV pathogenesis are very short, and mainly limited to histopathological studies of skin lesions. Recent studies on viral genome detection (both by PCR or DNA-DNA in situ hybridization) suggest that LCDV establish a systemic and persistent infection in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), but further studies are necessary to prove if this infection is productive or not. In the present study viral quantification and viral mRNA detection (by qPCR and RT-qPCR) have been used to investigate LCDV multiplication in different organs of juvenile gilthead seabream. In addition, a histopathological study was carried out. Animals were collected from two commercial farms in Southwestern Spain. In one farm, where no LCD outbreaks have been recorded, apparently healthy fish were collected, whereas in the other farm, diseased and recovered (two months after LCD symptoms disappearance) fish were sampled. All the animals were LCDV-infected, and viral gene expression was detected in every organ analysed (caudal fin, intestine, liver, spleen, kidney and brain). In asymptomatic animals, both apparently healthy and recovered, a low-titre infection was observed, with the highest viral copy numbers detected in brain and kidney. In diseased fish, viral loads were significantly higher than in subclinical infected animals, being maximal in caudal fin, where lymphocysts were present in the dermis. Different histological alterations were observed in the internal organs from diseased fish analysed, although no hypertrophied cells were detected in any of them. In recovered fish, most of the organs examined presented similar histological features to those in healthy animals. Thus, pathological changes were only detected in the intestine and liver, although they were less severe than those observed in diseased fish. The results presented showed that LCDV establishes a systemic infection in juvenile gilthead seabream, which can be subclinical. In addition, although the disease is self-limiting, the virus is not removed after disease recovery, but produces a persistent infection.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Quantum simulation of Anderson and Kondo lattices with superconducting qubits

We introduce a mapping between a variety of superconducting circuits and a family of Hamiltonians describing localized magnetic impurities interacting with conduction bands. This includes the Anderson model, the single impurity one- and two-channel Kondo problem, as well as the 1D Kondo lattice. We compare the requirements for performing quantum simulations using the proposed circuits to those of universal quantum computation with superconducting qubits, singling out the specific challenges that will have to be addressed.Comment: Longer versio

Endozoochorus seed dispersal by goats: recovery, germinability and emergence of five Mediterranean shrub species

Herbivores can play an important role as seed dispersal vectors, ungulates constituting potential seed dispersal agents of Mediterranean grasses and shrubs. We evaluated the role of domestic goats as seed dispersers of five representative Mediterranean forage shrub species [Cistus albidus L., Phillyrea angustifolia L., Calicotome villosa (Poir.) Link., Rhamnus lycioides L. and Atriplex halimus L.]. Following seed ingestion by goats, total faeces were collected at 24-h intervals for five days. The total number of seeds recovered varied among species, with R. lycioides showing the minimum recovery percentage (1.3%) and C. albidus (35.8%), the maximum. Seed recovery was significantly related to seed hardness and length. In most species, the maximum amount of seeds recovered occurred 48-72 h after ingestion. The passage through the goat gut significantly depressed seed germination in C. albidus, C. villosa and A. halimus; inhibited it in R. lycioides and increased it in P. angustifolia. Seedling emergence was significantly lower in intact dung pellets than in broken-down ones, and both significantly lower than in uneaten seeds (control). The results of this study show that goats can potentially favor or inhibit seed dispersal of browsed Mediterranean shrub species. Therefore, goat grazing could be a potential management tool for expanding target shrub species populations or preventing shrub encroachment in undesired areas

Impact of the dicyanomethylene substitution position on the cyclophane macrocycle formation in carbazole-based biradicals

π-Conjugated biradical compounds, featuring unique unsaturated valences and radical centers in the ground state, are fundamentally important for understanding the nature of chemical bonds and have potential applications in material science. [1] Recently, it has been demonstrated that several -conjugated mono- and biradicals systems form long strain -bonds between two unpaired electrons resulting in macrocyclic or staircase oligomers or polymers by self-assembly processes. [2] Therefore, these materials are potential building blocks for dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) since the aggregates can be formed or broken upon soft external stimuli. For instance, 2,7-dicyanomethylene-9-(2-ethylhexyl)carbazole biradical (p-Cz-alkyl in Figure 1) reversibly converts upon soft stimuli (temperature, pressure, light) to a cyclophane tetramer as a result from the formation (or bond cleavage) of long C-C single bonds.[3] Here, we present an experimental and theoretical study in order to investigate how the N-substitution and the change from para- to meta-dicyanomethylene substitution on carbazole-based biradicals affects their biradical character and thus, their tendency to act as useful motifs for DCC (see Figure 1).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Real Time Leak Isolation in Pipelines Based on a Time Delay Neural Network

In this paper, the one leak isolation problem in a water pipeline is tackled using a Time Delay Neural Network. This scheme comes as an alternative to achieve better computing performance since the classical model-based methods usually have high workloads due to the pipe mathematical model complexity compared with the leak dynamics speed. The Neural Network structure could have better time performance exploiting the parallel architecture of some electronics devices like an FPGA. The authors propose a scheme where, due to the difficulty in obtaining training data from a real pipeline, a mathematical model is used to generate synthetic training data. Such training data is obtained using different leak magnitudes and leak positions and it is also corrupted by random noise in order to emulate real data pipe. Finally, to show the potentiality of this method, some results are presented by using real-noisy databases coming from a pipeline prototype.Following the classical leak diagnosis hypothesis, only flow and pressure sensor at both ends of the aqueducts are used for the treatment.ITESO, A.C

Improved prediction of the optical properties in pi-conjugated polymers: the case of benzochalcogenodiazole-based copolymers with different heteroatom substitution

Donor−acceptor (D−A) approach to conjugated polymer design has become a widely used method for preparing conjugated polymers with narrow band gaps.1 One outstanding D−A polymer is poly(cyclopentadithiophene)benzothiadiazole, PCPDTBT (P1 in Figure 1), for which power conversion efficiencies in solar cells of 4.5-5.5% are reported.2 In this work, we use resonance Raman (RR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the tuning of the electronic and structural properties of cyclopentadithiophene-benzochalcogenodiazole D−A polymers, wherein a single atom in the benzochalcogenodiazole unit is varied from sulfur to selenium to tellurium (Fig. 1).3 Sophisticated DFT calculations have been carried out using long-range corrected functionals, considering both tuned and default range-separation parameters, aiming at predicting their optical and charge transport properties. In addition, the nature of the electronic excitation is described by analyzing the enhancement pattern in the RR spectra using Raman excitation wavelengths coincident with the various transitions in the copolymers.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Determinación de órganos diana para la multiplicación y persistencia del virus de la enfermedad de linfocistis (LCDV) en dorada (Sparus aurata, L.)

La enfermedad de linfocistis es la única patología de etiología viral descrita en dorada cultivada En la cuenca mediterr nea, la prevalencia es cercana al 100 , ocasionando graves p rdidas económicas debido a la imposibilidad de comercializar los peces afectados En el presente trabajo se ha abordado el estudio de la patog nesis del virus de la enfermedad de linfocistis (LCDV) en dorada, además se han establecido los órganos implicados en la multiplicación vírica Para ello, se ha diseñado un protocolo de hibridación in situ empleando sondas RNA marcadas con digoxigenina dirigidas contra el gen que codifica la proteína principal de la cápside (MCP) viral, y se ha evaluado en poblaciones de dorada. En paralelo, se ha procedido a la cuantificación del número de copias de genoma viral por PCR a tiempo real y cuantificación relativa de la transcripción del gen que codifica la MCP viral mediante qRT-PCR. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el LCDV establece una infección sistémica en alevines de dorada, pudiendo detectarse señal de hibridación tanto en órganos internos (hígado, bazo, riñón) como en músculo y aleta. También se han observado diversos daños histopatológicos en animales enfermos, mientras que en animales recuperados de la enfermedad estos daños parecen revertir, aunque en estos animales la infección persiste, si bien sólo a niveles detectables mediante PCR a tiempo real.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Potential risk of Artemia sp as a transmission vector of lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV)

4 páginas, 1 figura. XI Congreso Nacional de Acuicultura (Vigo, 24-28 septiembre 2007). Ed. Antonio Cerviño Eiroa, Alejandro Guerra Díaz y Carmen Pérez Acosta.[EN] Cysts and naupliis of Artemia sp. were analysed. Specific nested-PCR revealed lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) genome. Infective viral particle has been observed by CPE development in inoculated cell cultures. Viral genome was found by in situ hybridization in nauplii and adults of natural infected artemia, as in nauplii of bath challenged artemia. No morphological damages have been observed. Artemia is a bio-accumulator of fish pathogens, with a possible role as environmental reservoir of fish pathogens. These results have shown the risk of artemia as a source of viral pathogens to fish larvae.[ES] En el presente trabajo se han realizado estudios virológicos en distintos lotes de quistes comerciales de artemias utilizados como alimento de larvas de peces marinos en piscifactorías. Mediante nested-PCR se ha detectado genoma del virus de linfocistis (LCDV) en homogeneizados de quistes y nauplios de artemia. La existencia de partículas víricas infectivas en estos homogeneizados se ha demostrado mediante la aparición de efectos citopáticos en cultivos celulares. Los ensayos de hibridación in situ han demostrado la existencia del LCDV en artemias infectadas naturalmente, así como en artemias inoculadas mediante baño, sin observarse alteraciones morfológicas. Las artemias actúan por tanto como bioacumuladores, pudiendo desempeñar un papel importante como reservorios ambientales de patógenos de peces. Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto el riesgo potencial de las artemias como fuente de patógenos víricos en estadios larvarios.Irene Cano es contratada postdoctoral en el ICMAN.CSIC dentro del Fondo social europeo- I3P-CSIC, en el marco del proyecto AGL2006-17777-C03-02/ACU (IP: Carmen Sarasquete).Peer reviewe

Headache of recent onset in adults: a prospective population-based study

One hundred consecutive adult patients with headache of recent onset were prospectively studied. Every patient was examined by craneal CT scan. Their mean age was 46 years (range 17-82). Neurological examination was normal in 80 patients. Organic headache represented 39% of the entire group, and 26% of them had a normal neurological examination. The yield of CT scan in patients with headaches and a normal neurological examination was 22.5% (95% IC: 14%-33%); of which we encountered the following pathologies: intracranial tumors (13), hydrocephalus (2), arachnoid cyst (l), toxoplasmic abscess (1) and parenchymal hemorrhage (1). The clinical characteristics of the headache on their own was insufficient to rule out the possibility of an intracranial tumor. Neuroimaging studies should be performed in all adult patients with non-vascular headache of recent onset, I and previously headache-free individual