Physiological responses of Lupinus luteus to different copper concentrations

Yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.) plants were grown in hydroponic solution for 15 d under different copper concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 10, 25 and 50 μM). With increasing Cu concentration total biomass was not affected, leaf area slightly decreased, while chlorophyll content decreased considerably. Cu content increased significantly both in roots and in leaves, but the contents of other ions were only slightly affected at the highest Cu concentration (Mn content decreased both in roots and in leaves, P content decreased only in leaves and Zn content increased in roots). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased up to day 7 after copper application. Peroxidase (GPOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities also increased, while catalase (CAT) activity remained constan

Location of franchises and large retail chains following the Great Recession. The case of the city of Zaragoza (Spain)

The current retail activity model is rapidly evolving, in order to adapt to consumer changes. For a long time, shopping centres have stood out as the most attractive model. However, the implementation of franchises and large commercial chains in cities is transforming the uses of urban space and configuring new spatial relationships. The city of Saragossa serves as a case study

Simple Dynamics on the Brane

We apply methods of dynamical systems to study the behaviour of the Randall-Sundrum models. We determine evolutionary paths for all possible initial conditions in a 2-dimensional phase space and we investigate the set of accelerated models. The simplicity of our formulation in comparison to some earlier studies is expressed in the following: our dynamical system is a 2-dimensional Hamiltonian system, and what is more advantageous, it is free from the degeneracy of critical points so that the system is structurally stable. The phase plane analysis of Randall-Sundrum models with isotropic Friedmann geometry clearly shows that qualitatively we deal with the same types of evolution as in general relativity, although quantitatively there are important differences.Comment: an improved version, 34 pages, 9 eps figure

Molecular regulation of muscle development and growth in Senegalese sole larvae exposed to temperature fluctuations

Author's accepted version (post-print).NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Aquaculture (2014). Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Aquaculture (2014), 432. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2014.04.035.The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a marine flatfish that is naturally exposed to high temperature fluctuations (12 - 28 ºC) in the wild, with a life cycle predominantly estuarine during larval and juvenile phases. Farming of this species has largely improved in the past years but marked fluctuations of temperature during production still contribute to variation on growth and muscle cellularity, particularly if they occur during early stages of development. Such thermal plasticity of muscle growth must arise through changes in a multitude of physiological and molecular pathways, in which epigenetic gene regulation is likely to play an essential role. In the present work, we review recent studies addressing molecular, physiological and morphological aspects of the thermal plasticity of somatic growth in Senegalese sole larvae and early juveniles, thus aiming to improve sole rearing in aquaculture production. The present study shows that temperature during specific time frames of ontogeny has both short- and long-term effects on growth and muscle cellularity of Senegalese sole. Nevertheless, Senegalese sole also seems to rapidly adapt to environmental temperature through a set of epigenetic mechanisms and physiological responses such as regulation of feed intake, even at early developmental stages

Cell damage produced by magnetic fluid hyperthermia on microglial BV2 cells

We present evidence on the effects of exogenous heating by water bath (WB) and magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) on a glial micro-tumor phantom. To this, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of 30-40 nm were designed to obtain particle sizes for maximum heating efficiency. The specific power absorption (SPA) values (f = 560 kHz, H = 23.9 kA/m) for as prepared colloids (533-605 W/g) dropped to 98-279 W/g in culture medium. The analysis of the intracellular MNPs distribution showed vesicle-trapped MNPs agglomerates spread along the cytoplasm, as well as large (~0.5-0.9 µm) clusters attached to the cell membrane. Immediately after WB and MHT (T = 46 °C for 30 min) the cell viability was ˜70% and, after 4.5 h, decreased to 20-25%, demonstrating that metabolic processes are involved in cell killing. The analysis of the cell structures after MHT revealed a significant damage of the cell membrane that is correlated to the location of MNPs clusters, while local cell damage were less noticeable after WB without MNPs. In spite of the similar thermal effects of WB and MHT on the cell viability, our results suggest that there is an additional mechanism of cell damage related to the presence of MNPs at the intracellular space

Neglected zoonotic agents in cattle abortion: tackling the difficult to grow bacteria.

Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydia abortus and Leptospira spp. are difficult to grow bacteria that play a role in bovine abortion, but their diagnosis is hampered by their obligate intracellular lifestyle (C. burnetii, C. abortus) or their lability (Leptospira spp.). Their importance is based on the contagious spread in food-producing animals, but also as zoonotic agents. In Switzerland, first-line routine bacteriological diagnostics in cattle abortions is regulated by national law and includes only basic screening by staining for C. burnetii due to the high costs associated with extended spectrum analysis. The aim of this study was to assess the true occurrence of these zoonotic pathogens in 249 cases of bovine abortion in Switzerland by serology (ELISA for anti-C. burnetii and C. abortus antibodies and microscopic agglutination test for anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies), molecular methods (real-time PCR and sequencing of PCR products of Chlamydiales-positive cases), Stamp's modification of the Ziehl-Neelsen (mod-ZN) stain and, upon availability of material, by histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). After seroanalysis the prevalence was 15.9% for C. burnetii, 38.5% for C. abortus and 21.4% for Leptospira spp. By real-time PCR 12.1% and 16.9% of the cases were positive for C. burnetii and Chlamydiales, respectively, but only 2.4% were positive for C. burnetii or Chlamydiales by mod-ZN stain. Sequencing of PCR products of Chlamydiales-positive cases revealed C. abortus in 10% of cases and the presence of a mix of Chlamydiales-related bacteria in 5.2% of cases. Pathogenic Leptospira spp. were detected in 5.6% of cases. Inflammatory lesions were present histologically in all available samples which were real-time PCR-positive for Chlamydiales and Leptospira spp. One of 12 real-time PCR-positive cases for C. burnetii was devoid of histological lesions. None of the pathogens could be detected by IHC. Molecular detection by real-time PCR complemented by histopathological analysis is recommended to improve definitive diagnosis of bovine abortion cases and determine a more accurate prevalence of these zoonotic pathogens

Why Airborne Pesticides Are So Dangerous

More than four billion of tons of pesticides are used annually in agriculture worldwide. Part of it drifts down after pulverization, but a volatilized portion moves upwards. Pulverized pesticide applications are controlled by different parameters of fan and climate conditions. This can be mitigated with buffer zones, hedgerows and forest strips. Volatilization is determined by physicochemical parameters of the product and adsorption capacity to soils and leaves, and climate conditions. Prevention is the only efficient approach by banning high vapor pressure active ingredients. Volatilized pesticides are transported by air streams. Subsequently products are retained by mountains or eventually moved further by wind and descend in rain returning them to soil or vegetation. All regions of the planet are submitted to air pollution and nowadays pristine environments are very rare. These pollutants have hazardous effects on environment and toxic effects to skin and when they reach the blood stream directly via the lungs, are more intense to humans than from ingestion. The challenge of this overview highlights sustainability to avoid airborne pesticides by different strategies such as reduction of amounts sprayed through integrated pest management and mainly replacement of hazardous chemical pesticides by harmless ones or by biological control

La innovación del modelo de negocio bancario: el reto de la banca digital

La aparición de la Nueva Economía y de las FinTech ha supuesto un cambio de operativa en el sector bancario. Esto, junto al impacto de la crisis financiera internacional de 2008, justifica el interés por reflexionar sobre el reto tecnológico al que se enfrenta para lograr adaptarse a los cambios del entorno, generando nuevas ventajas competitivas basadas en innovación. El objetivo de la comunicación es analizar la evolución del sector, junto a la necesidad de implantar el nuevo enfoque de innovación del modelo de negocio, proponiendo una "cadena de valor innovadora" basada en las perspectivas de la RSC y de la "economía colaborativa"2017-1

Phase diagram for a class of spin-half Heisenberg models interpolating between the square-lattice, the triangular-lattice and the linear chain limits

We study the spin-half Heisenberg models on an anisotropic two-dimensional lattice which interpolates between the square-lattice at one end, a set of decoupled spin-chains on the other end, and the triangular-lattice Heisenberg model in between. By series expansions around two different dimer ground states and around various commensurate and incommensurate magnetically ordered states, we establish the phase diagram for this model of a frustrated antiferromagnet. We find a particularly rich phase diagram due to the interplay of magnetic frustration, quantum fluctuations and varying dimensionality. There is a large region of the usual 2-sublattice Ne\'el phase, a 3-sublattice phase for the triangular-lattice model, a region of incommensurate magnetic order around the triangular-lattice model, and regions in parameter space where there is no magnetic order. We find that the incommensurate ordering wavevector is in general altered from its classical value by quantum fluctuations. The regime of weakly coupled chains is particularly interesting and appears to be nearly critical.Comment: RevTeX, 15 figure