Análisis de los procedimientos de control interno en la sección de almacenamiento y suministro (SAA) en los municipios de la región de Tras-os-Montes y Alto Douro (Portugal).

Como el control interno es una de las piezas clave para la gestión eficiente, eficaz y transparente de los bienes públicos, tenemos la intención de analizar los procedimientos de control interno adoptados en la sección de almacenamiento y suministro en los municipios de Trás-os-Montes y Alto Douro. En este sentido, se estudió una muestra de 10 ayuntamientos de los distritos de Vila Real y Bragança, preguntándole a los dirigentes de la sección a través de una encuesta, de febrero a marzo de 2011. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en las dimensiones relativas a los documentos/información de requisición y los procedimientos relativos a la devolución de hoja de pedido. Por lo tanto, hemos identificado la necesidad de mejorar la aplicación de procedimientos de control interno en varias dimensiones, excepto en los procedimientos de compromiso, el cambio de las condiciones concertadas en la hoja de pedido y en los procedimientos del almacenamiento, posibilitando de esa forma el cumplimiento de las normas de la contabilidad pública resultadas del POCAL (Decreto-Ley n.º 54-A/99, 22 de febrero)

Bioavailability of orange juice (poly)phenols: the impact of short-term cessation of training by male endurance athletes

Background: Physical exercise has been reported to increase the bioavailability of citrus flavanones. Objective: To investigate the bioavailability of orange juice (OJ) (poly)phenols in endurance-trained men before and after cessation of training for 7 days. Design: Ten fit endurance-trained males, with a maximal oxygen consumption of 58.2 ± 5.3 mL/kg/min, followed a low (poly)phenol diet for 2 d before drinking 500 mL of OJ, containing 398 µmol of (poly)phenols of which 330 µmol were flavanones. After the volunteers stopped training for 7 days the feeding study was repeated. Urine samples were collected 12 h pre- and 24 h post-OJ orange consumption. Bioavailability was assessed by the quantitative analysis of urinary flavanone metabolites and (poly)phenol catabolites using HPLC-HR-MS. Results: While training, 0-24 h urinary excretion of flavanone metabolites, mainly hesperetin-3-O-glucuronide, hesperetin-3´-sulfate, naringenin-4´-O-glucuronide, naringenin-7-O-glucuronide, was equivalent to 4.2% of OJ flavanone intake. This increased significantly to 5.2% when OJ was consumed after the volunteers stopped training for 7 days. Overall, this trend, although not significant, was also observed with OJ-derived colonic catabolites which after supplementation in the trained state were excreted in amounts equivalent to 51% of intake compared to 59% after cessation of training. However, urinary excretion of three colonic catabolites of bacterial origin, most notably, 3-(3´-hydroxy-4´-methoxyphenyl)hydracrylic acid, did increase significantly when OJ was consumed post- compared to pre-cessation of training. Data were also obtained on inter-individual variations in flavanone bioavailability. Conclusion: A 7-day cessation of endurance training enhanced, rather than reduced, the bioavailability of OJ flavanones. The biological significance of these differences and, whether or not they extend to the bioavailability of other dietary (poly)phenols, remains to be determined. Hesperetin-3´-O-glucuronide and the colonic microbiota-derived catabolite 3-(3´-hydroxy-4´-methoxyphenyl)hydracrylic acid are key biomarkers of the consumption of hesperetin-O-glycoside-containing OJ and other citrus products

Denitrification-derived nitric oxide modulates biofilm formation in Azospirillum brasilense

Azospirillum brasilense is a rhizobacterium that provides beneficial effects on plants when they colonize roots. The formation of complex bacterial communities known as biofilms begins with the interaction of planktonic cells with surfaces in response to appropriate signals. Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule implicated in numerous processes in bacteria, including biofilm formation or dispersion, depending on genera and lifestyle. Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 produces NO by denitrification having a role in root growth promotion. We analyzed the role of endogenously produced NO on biofilm formation in A. brasilense Sp245 and in a periplasmic nitrate reductase mutant (napA::Tn5; Faj164) affected in NO production. Cells were statically grown in media with nitrate or ammonium as nitrogen sources and examined for biofilm formation using crystal violet and by confocal laser microscopy. Both strains formed bio- films, but the mutant produced less than half compared with the wild type in nitrate medium showing impaired nitrite production in this condition. NO measurements in biofilm confirmed lower values in the mutant strain. The addition of a NO donor showed that NO influences biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner and reverses the mutant phenotype, indicating that Nap positively regulates the formation of biofilm in A. brasilense Sp245.Fil: Arruebarrena Di Palma, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Cintia Mariana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Moreno Ramírez, Lizbeth. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; MéxicoFil: Xiqui Vazquez, Maria L.. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; MéxicoFil: Baca, Beatriz E.. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; MéxicoFil: Pereyra, María Alejandra. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lamattina, Lamattina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Creus, Cecilia Mónica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Enhanced mitochondrial testicular antioxidant capacity in Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rats: role of coenzyme Q

Because diabetes mellitus is associated with impairment of testicular function, ultimately leading to reduced fertility, this study was conducted to evaluate the existence of a cause-effect relationship between increased oxidative stress in diabetes and reduced mitochondrial antioxidant capacity. The susceptibility to oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity (in terms of glutathione, coenzyme Q, and vitamin E content) of testis mitochondrial preparations isolated from Goto-Kakizaki (GK) non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats and from Wistar control rats, 1 yr of age, was evaluated. It was found that GK mitochondrial preparations showed a lower susceptibility to lipid peroxidation induced by ADP/Fe(2+), as evaluated by oxygen consumption and reactive oxygen species generation. The decreased susceptibility to oxidative stress in diabetic rats was associated with an increase in mitochondrial glutathione and coenzyme Q9 contents, whereas vitamin E was not changed. These results demonstrate a higher antioxidant capacity in diabetic GK rats. We suggest this is an adaptive response of testis mitochondria to the increased oxidative damage in diabetes mellitu

Glycan-independent role of calnexin in the intracellular retention of Charcot-Marie-tooth 1A Gas3/PMP22 mutants

Missense point mutations in Gas3/PMP22 are responsible for the peripheral neuropathies Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A and Dejerine Sottas syndrome. These mutations induce protein misfolding with the consequent accumulation of the proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and the formation of aggresomes. During folding, Gas3/PMP22 associates with the lectin chaperone calnexin. Here, we show that calnexin interacts with the misfolded transmembrane domains of Gas3/PMP22, fused to green fluorescent protein, in a glycan-independent manner. In addition, photobleaching experiments in living cells revealed that Gas3/PMP22-green fluorescent protein mutants are mobile but diffuse at almost half the diffusion coefficient of wild type protein. Our results support emerging models for a glycan-independent chaperone role for calnexin and for the mechanism of retention of misfolded membrane proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum

The mitochondrial genome of the hexactinellid sponge Aphrocallistes vastus: Evidence for programmed translational frameshifting

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) of numerous sponges have been sequenced as part of an ongoing effort to resolve the class-level phylogeny of the Porifera, as well as to place the various lower metazoan groups on the animal-kingdom tree. Most recently, the partial mtDNA of two glass sponges, class Hexactinellida, were reported. While previous phylogenetic estimations based on these data remain uncertain due to insufficient taxon sampling and accelerated rates of evolution, the mtDNA molecules themselves reveal interesting traits that may be unique to hexactinellids. Here we determined the first complete mitochondrial genome of a hexactinellid sponge, <it>Aphrocallistes vastus</it>, and compared it to published poriferan mtDNAs to further describe characteristics specific to hexactinellid and other sponge mitochondrial genomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>A. vastus </it>mtDNA consisted of a 17,427 base pair circular molecule containing thirteen protein-coding genes, divergent large and small subunit ribosomal RNAs, and a reduced set of 18 tRNAs. The <it>A. vastus </it>mtDNA showed a typical hexactinellid nucleotide composition and shared a large synteny with the other sequenced glass sponge mtDNAs. It also contained an unidentified open reading frame and large intergenic space region. Two frameshifts, in the <it>cox3 </it>and <it>nad6 </it>genes, were not corrected by RNA editing, but rather possessed identical shift sites marked by the extremely rare tryptophan codon (UGG) followed by the common glycine codon (GGA) in the +1 frame.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hexactinellid mtDNAs have shown similar trends in gene content, nucleotide composition, and codon usage, and have retained a large gene syntenty. Analysis of the mtDNA of <it>A. vastus </it>has provided evidence diagnostic for +1 programmed translational frameshifting, a phenomenon disparately reported throughout the animal kingdom, but present in the hexactinellid mtDNAs that have been sequenced to date.</p

Changes in soil biological properties in different management and tillage systems in petrocalcic argiudoll

We analyzed the effect of different tillage systems under different land-use histories, on biological properties of soil during one year. The experiment was carried out at a Petrocalcic Argiudoll of Tres Arroyos (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The specific aim was to describe and compare the soil organic carbon (SOC), the soil basal respiration (BR) and the activities of the enzyme dehydrogenase, urease and acid-phosphomonoesterase under zero and conventional tillage on soils under pasture and intensive agriculture. The SOC concentration was highest in summer (postharvest) independently of tillage system or land-use history. However, in autumn the plots under conventional tillage showed higher values of SOC than those with zero tillage, independently of land-use history. The BR had a significant benefit in favour of summer pasture soils. The effect of land-use history or the tillage system on the enzymes activity was dependent of sampling season. The soil enzymes were more sensible than SOC and BR. In temporal studies the effect of sampling season is strongest that others factors as tillage systems or land-use history.Fil: Moreno, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Biganzoli, Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Casas, Cecilia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Manso L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Barrow; ArgentinaFil: Moreira, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Silvestro, Luciana Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; Argentin

Chemical constituents of Cardiospermum corindum L. and their distribution in Sapindaceae

AbstractPhytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of Cardiospermum corindum L. led to the isolation of two triterpenes [friedelin (1) and friedelinol (2)], two coumarins, [umbelliferone (4) and scopoletin (5)], three methoxylated flavones [umuhengerin (3), luteolin 3’,4’-dimethyl ether (6) and chrysoeriol (7)], one non-cyanogenic glucoside [epidermin (8)] and one cyclitol [(L)-quebrachitol (9)]. To our knowledge, 2, 3, 6 and 8 were isolated for the first time within Sapindaceae. Of these classes of metabolites, the distribution of methoxylated flavonoids in Cardiospermum is reviewed, including the new records, indicating that polymethoxylated flavonoid (3) may be value as chemotaxonomic markers for this genus

Precision neuromodulation: Promises and challenges of spinal stimulation for multi-modal rehabilitation

Spinal cord injury results in multiple, simultaneous sensorimotor deficits. These include, but are not limited to, full or partial paralysis of muscles below the lesion, muscle spasms, spasticity, and neuropathic pain. Bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction are also prevalent. Yet, the majority of emerging spinal stimulation-based therapies focus on a single issue: locomotor rehabilitation. Despite the enormous potential of these translational advances to transform the lives of people living with spinal cord injury, meaningful recovery in other domains deemed critical priorities remains lacking. Here, we highlight the importance of considering the diverse patterns of neural transmission that underlie clinically similar presentations when developing spinal stimulation-based therapies. We also motivate advancement of multi-modal rehabilitation paradigms, which leverage the dense interconnectivity of sensorimotor spinal networks and the unique ability of electrical stimulation to modulate these networks to facilitate and guide simultaneous rehabilitation across domains

Pollen Sterility—A Promising Approach to Gene Confinement and Breeding for Genetically Modified Bioenergy Crops

Advanced genetic and biotechnology tools will be required to realize the full potential of food and bioenergy crops. Given current regulatory concerns, many transgenic traits might never be deregulated for commercial release without a robust gene confinement strategy in place. The potential for transgene flow from genetically modified (GM) crops is widely known. Pollen-mediated transfer is a major component of gene flow in flowering plants and therefore a potential avenue for the escape of transgenes from GM crops. One approach for preventing and/or mitigating transgene flow is the production of trait linked pollen sterility. To evaluate the feasibility of generating pollen sterility lines for gene confinement and breeding purposes we tested the utility of a promoter (Zm13Pro) from a maize pollen-specific gene (Zm13) for driving expression of the reporter gene GUS and the cytotoxic gene barnase in transgenic rice (Oryza sativa ssp. Japonica cv. Nipponbare) as a monocot proxy for bioenergy grasses. This study demonstrates that the Zm13 promoter can drive pollen-specific expression in stably transformed rice and may be useful for gametophytic transgene confinement and breeding strategies by pollen sterility in food and bioenergy crops