Fish discards management in selected Spanish and Portuguese métiers: Identification and potential valorisation

15 páginas, 4 tablasWith the aim of promoting the responsible and sustainable management of marine resources, the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have established a set of international guidelines on by-catch management and reduction of discards. In this framework, the minimisation of discards and the optimal valorisation of inevitable unwanted biomass are the main objectives of the optimal and efficient discards management network that has been developed in FAROS LIFE + Project. According to FAO, in 2008, around 27 million tonnes of marine biomass were used for non-food purposes, these including fish meal, fish oil, bait or high-added value compounds production by pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries. In this work, the most important discarded species by the selected métiers of interest for FAROS project have been analysed regarding possible valorisation options in a wide variety of sectors, including food products for human consumption. A protocol to easily determine the most suitable valorisation strategies for each of them has been also established. In order to carry out this approach, several factors as the status of stocks in the environment, the valorisation potential of each species or by-product and the amounts discarded by métier have been taken into accountLIFE + Program of the European Union (FAROS Project – LIFE08 ENV/E/000119)Peer reviewe

Design, construction and characterization of pneumatic system for measurement of roughness

Este artículo tiene como propósito presentar los resultados obtenidos a partir del diseño, construcción y caracterización de un amplificador neumático tobera-aleta, empleado en la medición de rugosidad de superficies planas. Para la construcción del sensor se utilizaron materiales de bajo costo y la mayoría de las piezas se obtuvieron mediante mecanizado. La adquisición de datos se realizó a través de PC utilizando como interfaz una tarjeta Arduino. El modelo matemático no-lineal del sensor está basado en las ecuaciones de flujo de gas perfecto a través de un orificio y la ley de continuidad para un volumen de control. La caracterización de parámetros físicos se obtuvo por medio de técnicas de laboratorio basadas en la respuesta transitoria que experimenta la presión de un gas en procesos de llenado y vaciado de cámaras de volumen constante, haciendo uso de herramientas computacionales para el ajuste de curvas experimentales. La validación del modelo se hizo con base en las especificaciones de respuesta transitoria que presenta un sistema dinámico frente a una entrada paso o escalón. Para la medición de la rugosidad, se empleó el modelo matemático de rugosidad promedio, Ra, y los datos medidos por el sensor fueron obtenidos en papeles de lija desde el tamaño P1000 hasta el tamaño P2000, tomando como referencia para su validación los valores de rugosidad promedio indicados por la norma FEPA.This article aims to present the results obtained from the design, construction and characterization of a pneumatic flapper-nozzle amplifier, employed in the measurement of average surface roughness. In the construction of the sensor, low cost materials were used and most pieces were obtained by machining. The data acquisition was performed through PC, using an Arduino interface board. The nonlinear mathematical model of the sensor is based on equations of perfect gas flow through an orifice and the continuity law for a control volume. The characterization of physical parameters obtained through laboratory techniques based on the transient response of the gas pressure in the pressurization and depressurization processes of constant volume chambers, using computational tools for adjusting experimental curves. The validation of the model was based on the specifications of transient response that presents a dynamic system for a step input. For the measurement of the roughness, the mathematical model of average roughness, Ra, was used, and the measured data by the sensor were obtained in sandpapers from P1000 to P2000 size, with reference for validation values of average roughness indicated by the FEPA standard

A single-chain variable fragment intrabody prevents intracellular polymerization of Z α1-antitrypsin while allowing its antiproteinase activity.

Mutant Z α1-antitrypsin (E342K) accumulates as polymers within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hepatocytes predisposing to liver disease, whereas low levels of circulating Z α1-antitrypsin lead to emphysema by loss of inhibition of neutrophil elastase. The ideal therapy should prevent polymer formation while preserving inhibitory activity. Here we used mAb technology to identify interactors with Z α1-antitrypsin that comply with both requirements. We report the generation of an mAb (4B12) that blocked α1-antitrypsin polymerization in vitro at a 1:1 molar ratio, causing a small increase of the stoichiometry of inhibition for neutrophil elastase. A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) intrabody was generated based on the sequence of mAb4B12. The expression of scFv4B12 within the ER (scFv4B12KDEL) and along the secretory pathway (scFv4B12) reduced the intracellular polymerization of Z α1-antitrypsin by 60%. The scFv4B12 intrabody also increased the secretion of Z α1-antitrypsin that retained inhibitory activity against neutrophil elastase. MAb4B12 recognized a discontinuous epitope probably located in the region of helices A/C/G/H/I and seems to act by altering protein dynamics rather than binding preferentially to the native state. This novel approach could reveal new target sites for small-molecule intervention that may block the transition to aberrant polymers without compromising the inhibitory activity of Z α1-antitrypsin

Description of an experimental set up for the culture of benthic foraminifera in controlled pH conditions

10 páginas, 4 figuras, 1 tabla[EN] Acidification of the oceans is one of the consequences of ongoing increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The effects on organisms that build their shells of calcium carbonate are not sufficiently studied and might be detrimental. Simulating ocean acidification scenarios in the laboratory is a reasonable way to study their response to decreased pH and carbonate ion concentrations. In this study we describe in detail an experimental system to carry out ocean acidification experiments with non-symbiotic benthic foraminifera. We test the performance of the designed experimental set up by running a long-term experiment (90 days) using a potentially suitable benthic foraminiferal species for culturing (Miliolinella spp.). Although foraminifera did not survive the experimental period likely due to ciliates infestation, seawater pH measurement results indicate that the design is suitable for carrying out ocean acidification experiments[ES] La acidificación oceánica es una de las consecuencias del aumento progresivo de la concentración de CO2 en la atmósfera. Los efectos en los organismos que construyen sus conchas con carbonato cálcico no están suficientemente estudiados, pero podrían ser perjudiciales. La simulación en laboratorio de diferentes escenarios de acidificación oceánica es una forma de estudiar la respuesta de esos organismos al descenso de pH y de la concentración del ion carbonato. En este estudio se describe minuciosamente un sistema experimental diseñado para realizar experimentos de acidificación oceánica con foraminíferos bentónicos sin simbiontes. La viabilidad del diseño experimental se ha probado con un experimento de larga duración (90 días) utilizando una especie de foraminífero bentónico potencialmente apta para ser cultivada (Miliolinella spp.). Aunque los foraminíferos no sobrevivieron durante todo el experimento debido a contaminación por ciliados, los resultados de las medidas del pH marino ponen de manifiesto que el diseño es adecuado para llevar a cabo experimentos de acidificación oceánicaThis research leading to these results was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Sciences and Innovation and co-founded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional 2007-2012 (FEDER) through the CATARINA Project (CTM2010-17141/MAR) and GRACCIEPeer reviewe

Dogs are resistant to prion infection, due to the presence of aspartic or glutamic acid at position 163 of their prion protein

Unlike other species, prion disease has never been described in dogs even though they were similarly exposed to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent. This resistance prompted a thorough analysis of the canine PRNP gene and the presence of a negatively charged amino acid residue in position 163 was readily identified as potentially fundamental as it differed from all known susceptible species. In the present study, the first transgenic mouse model expressing dog prion protein (PrP) was generated and challenged intracerebrally with a panel of prion isolates, none of which could infect them. The brains of these mice were subjected to in vitro prion amplification and failed to find even minimal amounts of misfolded prions providing definitive experimental evidence that dogs are resistant to prion disease. Subsequently, a second transgenic model was generated in which aspartic acid in position 163 was substituted for asparagine (the most common in prion susceptible species) resulting in susceptibility to BSE‐derived isolates. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that the amino acid residue at position 163 of canine cellular prion protein (PrPC) is a major determinant of the exceptional resistance of the canidae family to prion infection and establish this as a promising therapeutic target for prion diseases.MINECO/FEDER. Grant Numbers: AGL2015‐65046‐C2‐1‐R, AGL2008‐05296‐C02 Interreg. Grant Number: POCTEFA EFA148/1

Pathogenic LRRK2 regulates centrosome cohesion via Rab10/RILPL1-mediated CDK5RAP2 displacement

Mutations in LRRK2 increase its kinase activity and cause Parkinson's disease. LRRK2 phosphorylates a subset of Rab proteins which allows for their binding to RILPL1. The phospho-Rab/RILPL1 interaction causes deficits in ciliogenesis and interferes with the cohesion of duplicated centrosomes. We show here that centrosomal deficits mediated by pathogenic LRRK2 can also be observed in patient-derived iPS cells, and we have used transiently transfected cell lines to identify the underlying mechanism. The LRRK2-mediated centrosomal cohesion deficits are dependent on both the GTP conformation and phosphorylation status of the Rab proteins. Pathogenic LRRK2 does not displace proteinaceous linker proteins which hold duplicated centrosomes together, but causes the centrosomal displacement of CDK5RAP2, a protein critical for centrosome cohesion. The LRRK2-mediated centrosomal displacement of CDK5RAP2 requires RILPL1 and phospho-Rab proteins, which stably associate with centrosomes. These data provide fundamental information as to how pathogenic LRRK2 alters the normal physiology of a cell.We are grateful to Erich Nigg and Francis Barr for providing a variety of constructs and antibodies, and to Dario Alessi for providing various A549 cell lines and MEF cells. We thank LauraMontosa for excellent technical assistance with confocal microscopy. This work was supported by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research (to S.H.), intramural funding from Rutgers University (to S.H.), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2017-89402-R to S.H.), the BBVA Foundation (to S.H., S.A.C., and R.W. M.), the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU12/04367 to J.M. P., FPU15/05233 to A.J. L.O.), and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (EST18/00412 to A.J.L. O.)

Consecuencias del estrés calórico sobre la reproducción del ganado vacuno

Heat stress represents one of the major environmental factors that adversely affect the reproductive performance of cattle. In this paper the behavioral adjustments, physical mechanisms and physiological responses to heat loss are described; bos indicus adaptive advantages with respect to bos Taurus, pathophysiology of heat stress and heat stress effects in animal reproduction, both the male and the female.El estrés calórico representa unos de los principales factores del medio ambiente que repercuten negativamente en el desempeño reproductivo del ganado vacuno. En este trabajo se describen los ajustes conductuales, mecanismos físicos y respuestas fisiológicas para la pérdida calórica; ventajas adaptativas del bos indicus con respecto al bos Taurus, fisiopatología del estrés calórico y repercusiones del estrés calórico en la reproducción animal, tanto en el macho como en la hembra

Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) biomass estimation during transfers using acoustic and optic techniques

Our results show that the use of an acoustic transducer in transfers offers the possibility of performing an automatic counting with error below 10%, which is decreased to 1.2% after improving structure and algorithms. Moreover, the proposed procedure for automatic sizing using stereoscopic system achieved an accurate estimation of SFL distribution compared to true data from harvests, automatically measuring 20% of the fis

Lacustrine stromatolites: Useful structures for environmental interpretation – an example from the Miocene Ebro Basin

The significance of stromatolites as depositional environmental indicators and the underlying causes of lamination in the lacustrine realm are poorly understood. Stromatolites in a ca 600 m thick Miocene succession in the Ebro Basin are good candidates to shed light on these issues because they are intimately related to other lacustrine carbonate and sulphate facies, grew under variable environmental conditions and show distinct lamination patterns. These stromatolites are associated with wave-related, clastic-carbonate laminated limestones. Both facies consist of calcite and variable amounts of dolomite. Thin planar stromatolites (up to 10 cm thick and less than 6 m long) occurred in very shallow water. These stromatolites represented first biological colonization after: (i) subaerial exposure in the palustrine environment (i.e. at the beginning of deepening cycles); or (ii) erosion due to surge action, then coating very irregular surfaces on laminated limestones (i.e. through shallowing or deepening cycles). Sometimes they are associated with evaporative pumping. Stratiform stromatolites (10 to 30 cm high and tens of metres long) and domed stromatolites (10 to 30 cm high and long) developed in deeper settings, between the surge periods that produced hummocky cross-stratification and horizontal lamination offshore. Changes in stromatolite lamina shape, and thus in the growth forms through time, can be attributed to changes in water depth, whereas variations in lamina continuity are linked to water energy and sediment supply. Growth of the stromatolites resulted from in situ calcite precipitation and capture of minor amounts of fine-grained carbonate particles. Based on texture, four types of simple laminae are distinguished. The simple micrite and microsparite laminae can be grouped into light and dark composite laminae, which represent, respectively, high and low Precipitation/Evaporation ratio periods. Different lamination patterns provide new ideas for the interpretation of microbial laminations as a function of variations in climate-dependent parameters (primarily the Precipitation/Evaporation ratio) over variable timescales