Assessing the responses of exploited marine populations in a context of rapid climate change: the case of blackspot seabream from Strait of Gibraltar.

Assessing the response of exploited marine populations in a context of rapid climate change: the case of blackspot seabream from the Strait of Gibraltar.— There is a growing concern over the decline of fisheries and the possibility of the decline becoming worse due to climate change. Studies on small–scale fisheries could help to improve our understanding of the effect of climate on the ecology of exploited stocks. The Strait of Gibraltar is an important fishery ground for artisanal fleets. In this area, b lackspot seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ) is the main species targeted by artisanal fisheries in view of its relevance in landed weight. The aims of this study were to explore the possible effects of two atmospheric oscillations, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO), on the capture of blackspot seabream in the Strait of Gibraltar, to determine their association with oceanographic conditions, and to improve our knowledge about the possible effects of climate change on fisheries ecology so that fishery management can be improved. We used two types of data from different sources: (i) landings per unit of effort reported from a second working group between Morocco and Spain on Pagellus bogaraveo in the Gibraltar Strait area, for the period 1983–2011 , and (ii) the recorded blackspot seabream landings obtained from the annual fisheries statistics published by the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusian Regional Government). Our results indicate that the long–term landing of blackspot seabream in the Strait of Gibraltar is closely associated with atmospheric oscillations. Thus, prolonged periods of positive trends in the NAO and AO could favour high fishery yields. In contrast, negative trends in NAO and AO could drastically reduce yield.Postprint0,000

Analysis of the effect of atmospheric oscillations on physical condition of pre–reproductive bluefin tuna from the Strait of Gibraltar

Analysis of the effect of atmospheric oscillations on physical condition of pre–reproductive bluefin tuna from the Strait of Gibraltar .— The aim of this study was to explore the possible effects of atmospheric oscillations: North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO), on the physical condition of bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ). We estimated a fitness ratio from 3,501 pairs of length–weight data based on bluefin tuna caught in bait–boat fisheries before the spawning season (January, February and March), for each length class and year. In order to obtain a single fitness ratio (K–mean) per year we determined the average for all length classes. We also evaluated Le Cren’s condition index (K LC ). We observed significant positive correlations between the atmospheric oscillations and both physical condition indexes. In the case of K–mean, the AO explained 75% of the observed variability. Regarding K LC , the NAO explained approximately 73% of the observed variability, while the AO explained 70% of the observed variability. The increase in physical conditions of bluefin tuna in association with positive atmospheric oscillations could be mediated by the increase in the prevalence of strong trade winds. We concluded that the increase in the prevalence of strong westerly winds, mediated by a positive AO or NAO, favours the trip from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean by reducing energy costs due to migration and by increasing the supply of nutrients at the surface by the mixing of deep water and surface water in local areas such as the Strait of Gibraltar.Postprin

Influence of Short Carbon-Chain Alcohol (Ethanol and 1-Propanol)/Diesel Fuel Blends over Diesel Engine Emissions

Oxygenated fuels, in this case short carbon-chain alcohols, have been investigated as alternative fuels to power compression ignition engines. A major advantage of short-chain alcohols is that they can be produced from renewable resources, i.e., cultivated commodities or biomass-based biorefineries. However, before entering the market, the effects of short-chain alcohols on engine performance, exhaust emissions, noise and sound quality need to be understood. This work sheds light on the relationship between the physicochemical properties of the alcohol/diesel fuel blends (ethanol and 1-propanol) on engine performance, exhaust emissions and, for the first time, on noise and sound quality. It has been demonstrated that when the content of alcohol in blends increased, soot and soluble organic material emissions drastically decreased, mainly due to the increase of oxygen content in the fuel. Reduction in soot emissions combined with higher thermodynamic efficiency of alcohol fuels, with respect to diesel fuel, enable their utilization on compression ignition engines. There is also an improvement in the soot-NOx trade off, leading to large reductions on soot with a small effect on NOx emissions. The oxygen content within the fuel reduces CO and THC emissions at extra-urban driving operation conditions. However, hydrocarbons and CO emissions increased at urban driving conditions, due to the high heat of vaporization of the alcohol fuels which reduces cylinder temperature worsening fuel atomization, vaporization and mixing with air being more significant at lower cylinder temperature conditions (low engine loads and speeds). Similarly, the higher the presence of alcohol in the blend, the higher the noise emitted by the engine due to their low tendency to auto-ignition. The optimization of alcohol quantity and the calibration of engine control parameters (e.g., injection settings) which is out of the scope of this work, will be required to overcome noise emission penalty. Furthermore, under similar alcohol content in the blend (10% v/v), the use of propanol is preferred over ethanol, as it exhibits lower exhaust emissions and better sound quality than ethanol

Bioprospection of Phytotoxic Plant-Derived Eudesmanolides and Guaianolides for the Control of Amaranthus viridis, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Lolium perenne Weeds

The phytotoxicities of a selection of eudesmanolides and guaianolides, including natural products and new derivatives obtained by semisynthesis from plant-isolated sesquiterpene lactones, were evaluated in bioassays against three weeds of concern in agriculture (Amaranthus viridis L., Echinochloa crus-galli L., and Lolium perenne L.). Both eudesmanolides and guaianolides were active against the root and shoot growth of all the species, with the eudesmanolides generally showing improved activities. The IC50 values obtained for the herbicide employed as positive control (on root and shoot growth, respectively, A. viridis: 27.8 and 85.7 μM; E. crus-galli: 167.5 and 288.2 μM; L. perenne: 99.1 and 571.4 μM) were improved in most of the cases. Structure–activity relationships were discussed, finding that hydroxylation of the A-ring and C-13 as well as the position, number, and orientation of the hydroxyl groups and the presence of an unsaturated carbonyl group can significantly influence the level of phytotoxicity. γ-Cyclocostunolide was the most active compound in the series, followed by others such as dehydrozaluzanin C and α-cyclocostunolide (outstanding their IC50 values on A. viridis)─natural products that can therefore be suggested as models for herbicide development if further research indicates effectiveness on a larger scale and environmental safety in ecotoxicological assessments.14 página

Evaluation of the phytotoxic and antifungal activity of C-17-sesquiterpenoids as potential biopesticides

BACKGROUND Natural products are a promising source for the development of new pesticides with alternative mechanisms of action. In this study, we evaluated the phytotoxic and antifungal activity of a novel family of natural C-17-sesquiterpenoids and performed a study of the effect caused by the elimination of the alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactone system and its importance to their biological activity. RESULTS Many tested compounds exhibited a strong phytotoxic activity. Lappalone and pertyolide B were the most potent molecules from the tested group. Lappalone displayed a strong inhibition profile against selected weed species, reaching a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 5.0 mu m against Echinochloa crus-galli L. shoot and 5.7 mu m against the germination rate of Amaranthus viridis L., as well as a good stimulation of the germination of Phelipanche ramosa L. Pertyolide B demonstrated excellent inhibition against Amaranthus viridis L. (IC50: 56.7, 70.3 and 24.0 mu m against the root and shoot growth, and germination rate, respectively) and Allium cepa L. (representative of the Liliaceae family, with IC50 values of 25.3 and 64.4 mu m against root and shoot growth). Regarding the antifungal activity, pertyolide B presented significant activity against Colletotrichum fragareae and Fusarium oxysporum with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 6.6 mu g mu L-1. CONCLUSION The bioassays revealed that frequently the presence of the alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactone system is not essential for the bioactivities of sesquiterpene lactones, and suggest that C-17-sesquiterpenoids may function through a different mechanism of action not related to the widely assumed Michael addition

Environmental variablity in three major Mediterranean tuna spawning grounds.

We propose four different environmental indicators, three related to temperature variability in three major spawning grounds of tuna species in the Mediterranean, and one related to the sea surface salinity variability in the Balearic Sea. These oceanographic indicators show the annual variability of environmental parameters affecting growth and survival of tuna eggs and larval. The indicators are intended to provide quick access to assessment working groups and fisheries scientist to identify potentially anomalous year

The Factor Inhibiting HIF Asparaginyl Hydroxylase Regulates Oxidative Metabolism and Accelerates Metabolic Adaptation to Hypoxia.

Animals require an immediate response to oxygen availability to allow rapid shifts between oxidative and glycolytic metabolism. These metabolic shifts are highly regulated by the HIF transcription factor. The factor inhibiting HIF (FIH) is an asparaginyl hydroxylase that controls HIF transcriptional activity in an oxygen-dependent manner. We show here that FIH loss increases oxidative metabolism, while also increasing glycolytic capacity, and that this gives rise to an increase in oxygen consumption. We further show that the loss of FIH acts to accelerate the cellular metabolic response to hypoxia. Skeletal muscle expresses 50-fold higher levels of FIH than other tissues: we analyzed skeletal muscle FIH mutants and found a decreased metabolic efficiency, correlated with an increased oxidative rate and an increased rate of hypoxic response. We find that FIH, through its regulation of oxidation, acts in concert with the PHD/vHL pathway to accelerate HIF-mediated metabolic responses to hypoxia

Gaia Focused Product Release: Asteroid orbital solution: Properties and assessment

Context. We report the exploitation of a sample of Solar System observations based on data from the third Gaia Data Release (Gaia DR3) of nearly 157 000 asteroids. It extends the epoch astrometric solution over the time coverage planned for the Gaia DR4, which is not expected before the end of 2025. This data set covers more than one full orbital period for the vast majority of these asteroids. The orbital solutions are derived from the Gaia data alone over a relatively short arc compared to the observation history of many of these asteroids. Aims. The work aims to produce orbital elements for a large set of asteroids based on 66 months of accurate astrometry provided by Gaia and to assess the accuracy of these orbital solutions with a comparison to the best available orbits derived from independent observations. A second validation is performed with accurate occultation timings. Methods. We processed the raw astrometric measurements of Gaia to obtain astrometric positions of moving objects with 1D sub-mas accuracy at the bright end. For each asteroid that we matched to the data, an orbit fitting was attempted in the form of the best fit of the initial conditions at the median epoch. The force model included Newtonian and relativistic accelerations to derive the observation equations, which were solved with a linear least-squares fit. Results. Orbits are provided in the form of state vectors in the International Celestial Reference Frame for 156 764 asteroids, including near-Earth objects, main-belt asteroids, and Trojans. For the asteroids with the best observations, the (formal) relative uncertainty σa/a is better than 10-10. Results are compared to orbits available from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and MPC. Their orbits are based on much longer data arcs, but from positions of lower quality. The relative differences in semi-major axes have a mean of 5 × 10-10 and a scatter of 5 × 10-

Adjuvant Ozonetherapy in Advanced Head and Neck Tumors: A Comparative Study

Advanced head and neck (H&N) tumors have a poor prognosis, and this is worsened by the occurrence of hypoxia and ischemia in the tumors. Ozonetherapy has proved useful in the treatment of ischemic syndromes, and several studies have described a potential increase of oxygenation in tissues and tumors. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the clinical effect of ozonetherapy in patients with advanced H&N cancer in the course of their scheduled radiotherapy. Over a period of 3 years, 19 patients with advanced H&N tumors who were undergoing treatment in our department with non-standard fractionated radiotherapy plus oral tegafur. A group of 12 patients was additionally treated with intravenous chemotherapy before and/or during radiotherapy. In the other group of seven patients, systemic ozonetherapy was administered twice weekly during radiotherapy. The ozonetherapy group was older (64 versus 54 years old, P = 0.006), with a higher percentage of lymph node involvement (71% versus 8%, P = 0.019) and with a trend to more unfavorable tumor stage (57% versus 8% IVb + IVc stages, P = 0.073). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the chemotherapy (median 6 months) and ozonetherapy (8 months) groups. Although these results have to be viewed with caution because of the limited number of patients, they suggest that ozonetherapy could have had some positive effect during the treatment of our patients with advanced H&N tumors. The adjuvant administration of ozonetherapy during the chemo–radiotherapy for these tumors merits further research

The PARP inhibitor olaparib enhances the sensitivity of Ewing sarcoma to trabectedin

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.Recent preclinical evidence has suggested that Ewing Sarcoma (ES) bearing EWSR1-ETS fusions could be particularly sensitive to PARP inhibitors (PARPinh) in combination with DNA damage repair (DDR) agents. Trabectedin is an antitumoral agent that modulates EWSR1-FLI1 transcriptional functions, causing DNA damage. Interestingly, PARP1 is also a transcriptional regulator of EWSR1-FLI1, and PARPinh disrupts the DDR machinery. Thus, given the impact and apparent specificity of both agents with regard to the DNA damage/DDR system and EWSR1-FLI1 activity in ES, we decided to explore the activity of combining PARPinh and Trabectedin in in vitro and in vivo experiments. The combination of Olaparib and Trabectedin was found to be highly synergistic, inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, and the accumulation of G2/M. The drug combination also enhanced γH2AX intranuclear accumulation as a result of DNA damage induction, DNA fragmentation and global DDR deregulation, while EWSR1-FLI1 target expression remained unaffected. The effect of the drug combination was corroborated in a mouse xenograft model of ES and, more importantly, in two ES patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in which the tumors showed complete regression. In conclusion, the combination of the two agents leads to a biologically significant deregulation of the DDR machinery that elicits relevant antitumor activity in preclinical models and might represent a promising therapeutic tool that should be further explored for translation to the clinical setting.Enrique de Álava’s lab is supported by the AECC (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain-FEDER (PI081828, RD06/0020/0059 RD12/0036/0017, PT13/0010/0056, PI110018, ISCIII Sara Borrell postdoc grant CD06/00001), the European Project EuroSARC (FP7-HEALTH-2011- two-stage, Project ID 278742 EUROSARC), Fundación Memoria de D. Manuel Solorzano Barruso, Fundación Cris contra el cancer, and Fundación María García Estrada. JLO was sponsored by the CSIC and the European Social Fund (post-doctoral grant JAE DOC) and is at present funded by the AECC. ATA is sponsored by the Fundaçao para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (fellowship SFRH/BD/69318/2010). OMT is funded by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias-ISCIII (CES12/021) and the AECC. DHM is funded by the AECC. Work supported by the Xarxa de Bancs de Tumors de Catalunya (XBTC) sponsored by Pla Director d’Oncologia de Catalunya. AMC acknowledges funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (PIRG-08- GA-2010-276998) and ISCIII-FEDER (CP13/00189).Peer Reviewe