SIZE-REACTIVITY OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN THE CAPE VERDE FRONTAL ZONE

Oral communicationDissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a major role in the recycling, export and sequestration of biogenic organic carbon, being a key component of ocean biogeochemical cycles and of the biological and microbial carbon pumps. Microbial degradation of DOM not only produces CO 2 but also generates dissolved molecules of decreasing bioavailability that can accumulate in the oceans for hundreds to thousands of years. The size-reactivity continuum (SRC) model is the conceptual framework to explain the DOM reactivity on a size basis, although field tests are still scarce and some of the pieces of this puzzle remain unclear. Taking advantage of the FLUXES-I cruise in the Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ), we have studied the size fractionated reactivity of the high (HMW; >1 KDa) and low (LMW; <1 KDa) molecular weight fractions of the DOM from surface down to 4000 m, using a high-efficiency and low-concentration-factor ultrafiltration cell. The wide ageing range covered by the water masses of the CVFZ makes it an excellent site to test the SRC model. Regarding the bulk C and N pools, the water masses with higher oxygen utilization were more depleted in HMW molecules, with a significant preference for the degradation of large N-containing compounds. Accordingly, preferential degradation of HMW fluorescent protein-like compounds was observed. In parallel, fluorescent humic-like compounds of both HMW and LMW were generated as by-product of the degradation of HMW organic compounds, and the remineralization of the DOM increases the aromaticy of both fractions, but especially the LMW one.ASL

Behçet's disease: New insight into the relationship between procoagulant state, endothelial activation/damage and disease activity

Background: Behçet disease (BD) is associated with a prothrombotic state of unknown origin that may lead to life-threatening events. Calibrated Automated Thrombogram (CAT) and Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM) are two global haemostasis assays that may reveal new insights into the physiopathological mechanisms of the disease and its procoagulant condition. Methods. 23 BD patients who had no signs or symptoms of current thrombosis and 33 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the study. We performed ROTEM and CAT tests and assessed erythrocyte count, platelet count, platelet contribution to clot formation and plasma levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP), thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), D-dimer and E-selectin (ES). Results: Both ROTEM and CAT tests showed a hypercoagulable state in the BD patients. Plasma levels of PAI-1, fibrinogen, TAT, CRP and ES were significantly increased in this group compared to controls. The disease activity (DA) was significantly correlated with levels of ES and the maximum clot firmness, and this last one, in turn, correlated with rising levels of ES, PAI-1, CRP and fibrinogen. CAT parameters did not correlate with DA or ES. Conclusions: Both ROTEM and CAT tests reveal that patients with BD have a procoagulant state even in the absence of thrombosis. ROTEM test indicates that increased levels of fibrinogen and PAI-1 may be involved in the prothrombotic state of this pathology, while platelets do not significantly contribute. Moreover, CAT assay demonstrate that plasma from BD patients is able to generate more thrombin than controls in response to the same stimulus and that this effect is independent of the DA and the endothelial impairment suggesting the involvement of another factor in the hypercoagulable state observed in BD patients. This study also shows that endothelium activation/damage may be a contributing factor in both the procoagulant and clinical conditions of BD, as shown by the direct correlation between ES levels, ROTEM parameters and DAThis work was supported by grants from FIS PS09/00531 and FIS PI12/0183

DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER MOLECULAR FINGERPRINT OF THE WATER MASSES IN THE CAPE VERT FRONTAL ZONE

Oral communicationOcean water masses have been traditionally characterized by the thermohaline and conservative chemical properties (e.g. preformed nutrients) at their respective source regions. However, water masses also can exhibit characteristic levels of other individual compounds or emerging properties associated to compound classes. In this regard, the objective of this contribution is to characterize the dissolved organic matter (DOM) molecular fingerprint of the water masses present in the Cape Vert Frontal Zone (CVFZ). For this purpose, a set of 133 samples was collected from the surface to 4000 m depth in the CVFZ during the FLUXES I cruise (12 July - 11 August 2017) and isolated by solid-phase extraction (SPE), using styrene divinyl benzene polymer cartridges (PPL). The molecular analysis of these SPE-PPL extracts was performed using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), a method capable of identifying thousands of molecular formulae in DOM. These analyses have been combined with an optimum multiparameter (OMP) water mass analysis to obtain characteristic molecular indices for the eleven water masses present in the CVFZ, stemming from the subtropical and subpolar North and South Atlantic as well as from the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. In particular, emerging properties such as the molecular diversity (D), mean molecular mass (MW), mean C:N ratio, aromaticity index (AI), double bond equivalent (DBE), and main molecular groups, as well as different compounds (e.g. Lignin) and individual heteroatoms were quantified.ASL

Surface waters of the NW Iberian margin: upwelling on the shelf versus outwelling of upwelled waters from the Rías Baixas

A set of hydrographic surveys were carried out in the Ría of Vigo (NW Spain) at 2–4 d intervals during four 2–3 week periods in 1997, covering contrasting seasons. Residual exchange fluxes with the adjacent shelf were estimated with a 2-D, non-steady-state, salinity–temperature weighted box model. Exchange fluxes consist of a steady-state term (dependent on the variability of continental runoff) and a non-steady-state term (dependent on the time changes of density gradients in the embayment). More than 95% of the short-time-scale variability of the exchange fluxes in the middle and outer ría can be explained by the non-steady-state term that, in turns, is correlated (R2>75%) with the offshore Ekman transport. Conversely, 96% of the variability of exchange fluxes in the inner ría rely on the steady-state term. The outer and middle ría are under the direct influence of coastal upwelling, which enhances the positive residual circulation pattern by an order of magnitude: from 10 2 to 10 3 m3s−1. On the contrary, downwelling provokes a reversal of the circulation in the outer ría. The position of the downwelling front along the embayment depends on the relative importance of Ekman transport (Qx, m3s−1km−1) and continental runoff (R, m3s−1). When Qx/ R>7±2 the reversal of the circulation affects the middle ría. Our results are representative for the ‘Rías Baixas’, four large coastal indentations in NW Spain. During the upwelling season (spring and summer), 60% of shelf surface waters off the ‘Rías Baixas’ consist of fresh Eastern North Atlantic Central Water (ENACW) upwelled in situ. The remaining 40% consists of upwelled ENACW that previously enters the rías and it is subsequently outwelled after thermohaline modification. During the downwelling season (autumn and winter), 40% of the warm and salty oceanic subtropic surface water, which piled on the shelf by the predominant southerly winds, enters the rias

Dissolved organic nitrogen production and export by meridional overturning in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic

Research articleDissolved organic matter (DOM) is produced in the surface and exported towards the deep ocean, adding ∼ 2 PgC/year to the global carbon export. Due to its central role in the Meridional Overturning Circulation, the eastern subpolar North Atlantic (eSPNA) contributes largely to this export. Here we quantify the transport and budget of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the eSPNA, in a box delimited by the OVIDE 2002 section and the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland sills. The Meridional Overturning Circulation exports >15.9 TgN/year of DON downward and, contrary to the extended view that these are materials of subtropical origin, up to 33% of the vertical flux derives from a net local DON production of 7.1 ± 2.6 TgN/year. The low C:N molar ratio of DOM production (7.4 ± 4.1) and the relatively short transit times in the eSPNA (3 ± 1 year) suggest that local biogeochemical transformations result in the injection of fresh bioavailable DOM to the deep ocean.Versión del editor3,79

Simultaneous optimization of circadian and color performance for smart lighting systems design

We present in this work a method to design lighting sources that can be adapted to different temperatures of color and, simultaneously, with a tunable circadian character. We obtained an acceptable range of tuning in both parameters compared to the bibliography. This kind of lighting source has potential applications particularly in building lighting, but also in farming or agriculture. At the same time, we have shown the possibilities of multiobjective optimizations in the lighting industry. The optimization has been developed using the Genetic Algorithm and multiobjective merit functions. The lighting source is able to work under two different regimes regarding the circadian effect, with a design based on a combination of two monochromatic and two white Lighting Emitting Diodes (enough for controlling the circadian character and the color performance at the same time). A prototype, which can be manually or automatically controlled, has been also implemented and evaluated, with a performance in terms of color coordinates very close to the daylight, showing a modulation of the Circadian Efficacy of Radiation between 6% and 16%, and a Color Rendering Index above 80%

Thermophysical Characterization of TFSI Based Ionic Liquid and Lithium Salt Mixtures

Este artigo pertence ás actas do The 23rd International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry.[Abstract] The ionic liquids (ILs) doped with metal salts have become a real alternative as electrolytes for batteries, but the right choice of these compounds for reaching the adequate properties and performance is still a challenge, and strategies are therefore needed for achieving it. The thermophysical properties of IL 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([bmpyr] [TFSI]) and its mixture with bis-(trifluoromethane)-sulfonimide lithium salt (from 0.1 m to saturation level) were determined in this work. These properties are density (ρ), speed of sound (U), and corresponding derived magnitudes, such as the bulk modulus and the thermal coefficient, as well as electrical conductivity (σ) against temperature. Density shows a linear decreasing dependence with temperature and a clear increase with the addition of salt, whereas the thermal expansion coefficient increases with temperature and salt addition. Speed of sound decreases with both temperature and salt concentration, and the adiabatic compressibility calculated by means of the well-known Laplace equation increases, as expected, with temperature in all the studied cases, although a small variation with concentration was observed. Electrical conductivity increases with temperature following the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann (VFT) equation and decreases with the addition of salt.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) Program through the projects MAT2014-57943-C3-1-P, MAT2014-57943-C3-3-P, MAT2017-89239-C2-1-P as well as by Xunta de Galicia through the GRC (Grupo de Referencia Competitiva) ED431C 2016/001 project, and the Galician Network of Ionic Liquids (ReGaLIs) ED431D 2017/06. P. Vallet and J. J. Parajó are thankful for funding support from the FPI (Formación de Personal Investigador) Program from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Education and Universities and I2C postdoctoral Program of Xunta de Galicia, respectively.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2016/001Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/0

Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytokines in Multiple System Atrophy: a Cross-Sectional Catalan MSA Registry Study

Introduction: Neuroinflammation is a potential player in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly the aggressive ones, such as multiple system atrophy (MSA). Previous reports on cytokine levels in MSA using serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been inconsistent, including small samples and a limited number of cytokines, often without comparison to Parkinson's disease (PD), a main MSA differential diagnosis. Methods: Cross-sectional study of CSF levels of 38 cytokines using a multiplex assay in 73 participants: 39 MSA patients (19 with parkinsonian type [MSAp], 20 with cerebellar type [MSAc]; 31 probable, 8 possible), 19 PD patients and 15 neurologically unimpaired controls. None of the participants was under non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at the time of the lumbar puncture. Results: There were not significant differences in sex and age among participants. In global non-parametric comparisons FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons, CSF levels of 5 cytokines (FGF-2, IL-10, MCP-3, IL-12p40, MDC) differed among the three groups. In pair-wise FDR-corrected non-parametric comparisons 12 cytokines (FGF-2, eotaxin, fractalkine, IFN-α2, IL-10, MCP-3, IL-12p40, MDC, IL-17, IL-7, MIP-1β, TNF-α) were significantly higher in MSA vs. non-MSA cases (PD + controls pooled together). Of these, MCP-3 and MDC were the most significant ones, also differed in MSA vs. PD, and were significant MSA-predictors in binary logistic regression models and ROC curves adjusted for age. CSF levels of fractalkine and MIP-1α showed a strong and significant positive correlation with UMSARS-2 scores. Conclusion: Increased CSF levels of cytokines such as MCP-3, MDC, fractalkine and MIP-1α deserve consideration as potential diagnostic or severity biomarkers of MSA.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bacterioplankton responses to riverine and atmospheric inputs in a coastal upwelling system (Ría de Vigo, NW Spain)

Original research paperAnthropogenic pressures are changing the magnitude and nature of matter inputs into the ocean. The Ría de Vigo (NW Spain) is a highly productive and dynamic coastal system that is likely affected by such alterations. Previous nutrient-addition microcosm experiments conducted during contrasting hydrographic conditions suggested that heterotrophic bacteria are limited by organic carbon (C) and occasionally co-limited by inorganic nutrients in this coastal area. In order to assess short-term responses in biomass, production, and respiration of heterotrophic bacteria from the Ría de Vigo to increasing amounts of natural inputs of matter, we conducted 6 microcosm experiments, wherein surface seawater collected in spring, summer, and autumn was mixed with increasing amounts of dissolved natural matter concentrates from riverine and atmospheric origin. Simultaneous experiments with controlled inorganic and/or organic additions indicated that bacteria were co-limited by inorganic nutrients and C in spring and summer and primarily limited by C in autumn. Production responded more than biomass to increasing inputs of matter, whereas respiration did not change. The bacterial production response to increasing dissolved organic C load associated with riverine and atmospheric inputs was strongly related to the relative phosphorus (P) content of the dissolved matter concentrates. Our data suggest that bacterial production might decrease with the increase of P-deficient allochthonous matter inputs, which would have important biogeochemical consequences for C cycling in coastal areas.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, MINECO, CSIC, Xunta of Galicia and European Union (Marie Curie Grants)Versión del edito