Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability

Guidelines on experimental methods to assess mitochondrial dysfunction in cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are a spectrum of chronic, debilitating disorders characterised by the progressive degeneration and death of neurons. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in most neurodegenerative diseases, but in many instances it is unclear whether such dysfunction is a cause or an effect of the underlying pathology, and whether it represents a viable therapeutic target. It is therefore imperative to utilise and optimise cellular models and experimental techniques appropriate to determine the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to neurodegenerative disease phenotypes. In this consensus article, we collate details on and discuss pitfalls of existing experimental approaches to assess mitochondrial function in in vitro cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases, including specific protocols for the measurement of oxygen consumption rate in primary neuron cultures, and single-neuron, time-lapse fluorescence imaging of the mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial NAD(P)H. As part of the Cellular Bioenergetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CeBioND) consortium ( www.cebiond.org ), we are performing cross-disease analyses to identify common and distinct molecular mechanisms involved in mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction in cellular models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. Here we provide detailed guidelines and protocols as standardised across the five collaborating laboratories of the CeBioND consortium, with additional contributions from other experts in the field

The regulation of neuronal mitochondrial metabolism by calcium

none6mixedLlorente-Folch, I.; Rueda, C.B.; Pardo, B.; Szabadkai, G.; Duchen, M.R.; Satrustegui, J.Llorente Folch, I.; Rueda, C. B.; Pardo, B.; Szabadkai, Gyorgy; Duchen, M. R.; Satrustegui, J

Determination of ATP, ADP, and AMP levels by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in cultured cells

Cytoplasmic and mitochondrial Ca2+ signals couple cellular ATP production to activity-related energy demand. In order to accurately determine the bioenergetic effect of Ca2+ signals, cellular energy charge, i.e., the compound ratio of the phosphorylated adenine nucleotides AMP, ADP, and ATP, should be estimated. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) allows the rapid separation and quantitation of these molecules. Here we describe a protocol applied in our laboratories to quantify ATP, ADP, and AMP nucleotides in cellular extracts

Integrated analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic alterations in mouse models of ALS/FTD identify early metabolic adaptions with similarities to mitochondrial dysfunction disorders

Objective: Sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that results in loss of motor neurons and, in some patients, associates with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Apart from the accumulation of proteinaceous deposits, emerging literature indicates that aberrant mitochondrial bioenergetics may contribute to the onset and progression of ALS/FTD. Here we sought to investigate the pathophysiological signatures of mitochondrial dysfunction associated with ALS/FTD. Methods: By means of label-free mass spectrometry (MS) and mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq), we report pre-symptomatic changes in the cortices of TDP-43 and FUS mutant mouse models. Using tissues from transgenic mouse models of mitochondrial diseases as a reference, we performed comparative analyses and extracted unique and common mitochondrial signatures that revealed neuroprotective compensatory mechanisms in response to early damage. Results: In this regard, upregulation of both Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-Chain Family Member 3 (ACSL3) and mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase 2 (YARS2) were the most representative change in pre-symptomatic ALS/FTD tissues, suggesting that fatty acid beta-oxidation and mitochondrial protein translation are mechanisms of adaptation in response to ALS/FTD pathology. Conclusions: Together, our unbiased integrative analyses unveil novel molecular components that may influence mitochondrial homeostasis in the earliest phase of ALS

Escola d'Arquitectura de Barcelona : documentos y archivo = documents and archive = documents i arxiu

Text en castellà, anglès i catalàDescripció del recurs: 30 maig 2019Los dibujos y el fondo bibliográfico antiguo del Archivo de la Escuela de Arquitectura constituyen el principal centro de atención de este libro. Se muestran no sólo para dar a conocer unos documentes, de interés indudable por sí mismo, sino también para que nos ayuden a examinar la historia de la Escuela y a reflexionar sobre los métodos de enseñar y de aprender arquitectura. A pesar de lo fragmentario y a veces aleatorio de la procedencia del material que se expone, éste permite obtener una visión global de la Escuela. En correspondencia con este carácter, se reúnen una serie de textos que, a modo de mosaico, dan cabida a una variedad de interpretaciones. Evitando mirar únicamente el mundo de la docencia local, se busca establecer la relación de la Escuela con los métodos de enseñanza, con tendencias arquitectónicas y con el desarrollo de la ciudad.The drawings and the old bibliographical source in the Archives of the Escola d'Arquitectura de Barcelona are this book's main focus of attention, serving not only to divulge the contents of a whole documentary source, of undoubtable interest in its own right, but also to help us examine the history of the School and reflect on ways to teach and learn architecture. Despite the fragmentary and occasionally haphazard nature of the provenance of the material published here, it nonetheless allows us to obtain on overall view of the School. In harmony with this character, the accompanying texts form a kind of mosaic which accommodates a whole variety of different interpretations. Finally, in an attempt to go beyond purely local educational considerations, the book establishes links between the School, with training methods and architectural trends, and the development of the city.Els dibuixos de l'Arxiu de l'Escola d'Arquitectura i el seu fons bibliogràfic antic constitueixen el principal centre d'atenció d'aquest llibre. Es mostren no només per donar a conèixer uns documents d'interès indubtable per si mateixos, sinó també perquè ens ajudin a examinar la història de l'Escola i a reflexionar sobre els mètodes d'aprenentatge i ensenyament de l'arquitectura. Malgrat la procedència fragmentària i de vegades aleatòria dels materials que s'hi exposen, aquest recull permet tenir una visió global de l'Escola. En correspondència amb aquest caràcter, es reuneixen una sèrie de textos que, a manera de mosaic, donen cabuda a una varietat d'interpretacions. Evitant mirar únicament el món de la docència local, es busca establir la relació de l'Escola amb els mètodes d'ensenyament, amb tendències arquitectòniques i amb el desenvolupament de la ciutat