On Rank Problems for Planar Webs and Projective Structures

We present old and recent results on rank problems and linearizability of geodesic planar webs.Comment: 31 pages; LaTeX; corrected the abstract and Introduction; added reference

Zooplankton community dynamics in the N. Aegean front (E. Mediterranean) in the winter spring period

Zooplankton community composition was studied in the North Aegean frontal area in the winter-spring period along a trophic gradient going from the less saline and cold modified Black Sea water to the high salinity and temperature waters of Levantine origin. Samples were collected at the upper 100 m of three stations positioned along this gradient by using three nets with different mesh sizes (45 μm, 200 μm and 500 μm). Τhe community composition (all sizes) was differentiated along the gradient with smoother seasonal succession and higher diversity with increasing oligotrophy and salinity. The temporal variability of the community composition revealed significant changes in the January-April period as well as gradual decrease of diversity index values at the station positioned within the front.  The major characteristic at this station was the abrupt increment and dominance of Centropages typicus in April, especially within the layer occupied by the modified Black Sea water. Significant difference in the community composition between March and April was a common feature in the whole study area and for all zooplankton fractions, though not of the same strength. The inflow of the Black Sea water and the trophic gradient were found to be important factors for the observed temporal variability and its spatial differentiation, while changes in the phytoplankton and protozoa abundance and community composition could account for the seasonal succession in species dominance

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis as a tool to extract fishing footprints and estimate fishing pressure: application to small scale coastal fisheries and implications for management in the context of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive

In the context of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and with the intention of contributing to the implementation of a future maritime spatial plan, it was decided to analyze data from the small scale coastal fisheries sector of Greece and estimate the actual extent of its activities, which is largely unknown to date. To this end we identified the most influential components affecting coastal fishing: fishing capacity, bathymetry, distance from coast, Sea Surface Chlorophyll (Chl-a) concentration, legislation, marine traffic activity, trawlers and purse seiners fishing effort and no-take zones. By means of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) conducted through a stepwise procedure, the potential fishing footprint with the corresponding fishing intensity was derived. The method provides an innovative and cost-effective way to assess the impact of the, notoriously hard to assess, coastal fleet. It was further considered how the inclusion of all relevant anthropogenic activities (besides fishing) could provide the background needed to plan future marine activities in the framework of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and form the basis for a more realistic management approach

EngiMath online course. Effective feedback from upc mathematics teachers (concept)

EngiMath is a 3 ECTS online course in engineering mathematics, in seven different languages, and it is the main and practical output of the ERASMUS+ project entitled “Mathematics online learning model in engineering education” in which the authors were participating. The course is integrated with Learning Management Systems such as Moodle and it is compatible with other platforms using Learning Tools Interoperability. Once the project is finished, authors undertake, with the support of the Institute of Education Sciences at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTECH (UPC), an innovation project, EngiMath@UPC, with three practical objectives: a) to incorporate EngiMath into the teaching activity of the widest as possible range of students at UPC, b) to gather students and faculty feedback regarding the tracking of materials and their performance in the student training process, and c) to statistically analyze the data collected in order to validate and adjust the follow-up of the materials. In connection with the above mentioned objective b) a training course addressed to the math professors has been prepared at UPC. The paper introduces, on the one hand, the EngiMath course as an online open educational resource for the academic community benefit, and on the other hand, analyzes the valuable feedback given by the training activity participants. Details on the online course implementation as well as main conclusions will be presented and discussed throughout the document

Intercomparison of five nets used for mesozooplankton sampling

Intercomparison of nets commonly used for mesozooplankton sampling in the Black and Mediterranean seas was attempted within SESAME (Southern European Seas: Assessing and Modelling Ecosystem Changes) project. Five nets were compared: three Juday nets equipped with 150 μm, 180 μm and 200 μm mesh size, Nansen net (100 μm mesh size) and WP2 (200 μm mesh size). Replicated samples were collected at one station in the western Black Sea offshore waters in April 2009. Collected samples were analyzed at species level (except for meroplankton), stages (for copepods) and size length. A decrease of total abundance values was observed with increasing mesh size, due to the significantly higher numbers of animals smaller than 1 mm in the samples obtained by fine mesh size than with coarser nets. Few comparisons were revealed significant for the abundance of animals with 1-2 mm length, while no significance was detected for specimens larger than 2 mm. The above differences resulted in discripancies between nets regarding species and stages composition. Biomass values did not differ significantly between nets, due to the strong contribution to total biomass of the large animals fraction (Calanus euxinus). The smallest and the largest animals revealed high variability between replicates collected by Nansen, Juday- 200 μm and WP2 nets. Correction factors were calculated for the conversion of abundance values between each couple of nets. The detected differences between nets regarding the abundance and biomass, the community taxonomic composition and size structure, as well as the estimated correction factors, provide useful information for the harmonization of data obtained by the above nets in the Black Sea

Darboux theory of integrability for a class of nonautonomous vector fields

The goal of this paper is to extend the classical Darboux theory of integrability from autonomous polynomial vector fields to a class of nonautonomous vector fields. We also provide sufficient conditions for applying this theory of integrability and we illustrate this theory in several examples.Postprint (published version

An objective framework to test the quality of candidate indicators of good environmental status

Large efforts are on-going within the EU to prepare the Marine Strategy Framework Directive's (MSFD) assessment of the environmental status of the European seas. This assessment will only be as good as the indicators chosen to monitor the 11 descriptors of good environmental status (GEnS). An objective and transparent framework to determine whether chosen indicators actually support the aims of this policy is, however, not yet in place. Such frameworks are needed to ensure that the limited resources available to this assessment optimize the likelihood of achieving GEnS within collaborating states. Here, we developed a hypothesis-based protocol to evaluate whether candidate indicators meet quality criteria explicit to the MSFD, which the assessment community aspires to. Eight quality criteria are distilled from existing initiatives, and a testing and scoring protocol for each of them is presented. We exemplify its application in three worked examples, covering indicators for three GEnS descriptors (1, 5, and 6), various habitat components (seaweeds, seagrasses, benthic macrofauna, and plankton), and assessment regions (Danish, Lithuanian, and UK waters). We argue that this framework provides a necessary, transparent and standardized structure to support the comparison of candidate indicators, and the decision-making process leading to indicator selection. Its application could help identify potential limitations in currently available candidate metrics and, in such cases, help focus the development of more adequate indicators. Use of such standardized approaches will facilitate the sharing of knowledge gained across the MSFD parties despite context-specificity across assessment regions, and support the evidence-based management of European seas

Losartan activates sirtuin 1 in rat reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation

© 2015 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Aim: To investigate a possible association between losartan and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation (ROLT) in rats. Methods: Livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were preserved in University of Wisconsin preservation solution for 1 h at 4°C prior to ROLT. In an additional group, an antagonist of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), losartan, was orally administered (5 mg/kg) 24 h and 1 h before the surgical procedure to both the donors and the recipients. Transaminase (as an indicator of liver injury), SIRT1 activity, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+, a co-factor necessary for SIRT1 activity) levels were determined by biochemical methods. Protein expression of SIRT1, acetylated FoxO1 (ac-FoxO1), NAMPT (the precursor of NAD+), heat shock proteins (HSP70, HO-1) expression, endoplasmic reticulum stress (GRP78, IRE1α, p-eIF2) and apoptosis (caspase 12 and caspase 3) parameters were determined by Western blot. Possible alterations in protein expression of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), such as p-p38 and p-ERK, were also evaluated. Furthermore, the SIRT3 protein expression and mRNA levels were examined. Results: The present study demonstrated that losartan administration led to diminished liver injury when compared to ROLT group, as evidenced by the significant decreases in alanine aminotransferase (358.3 133.44 vs 206 33.61, P + (0.87 0.22 vs 1.195 0.144, P < 0.05) the co-factor necessary for SIRT1 activity, as well as with decreases in ac-FoxO1 expression. Losartan treatment also provoked significant attenuation of endoplasmic reticulum stress parameters (GRP78, IRE1α, p-eIF2) which was consistent with reduced levels of both caspase 12 and caspase 3. Furthermore, losartan administration stimulated HSP70 protein expression and attenuated HO-1 expression. However, no changes were observed in protein or mRNA expression of SIRT3. Finally, the protein expression pattern of p-ERK and p-p38 were not altered upon losartan administration. Conclusion: The present study reports that losartan induces SIRT1 expression and activity, and that it reduces hepatic injury in a ROLT model.Supported by Grants from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, No. FIS PI12/00519; fellowship from Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, No. 2012FI_B00382; Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (to Pantazi E)Peer Reviewe

Distinct non-coding RNA cargo of extracellular vesicles from M1 and M2 human primary macrophages

Macrophages are important antigen presenting cells which can release extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying functional cargo including non-coding RNAs. Macrophages can be broadly classified into M1 ‘classical’ and M2 ‘alternatively-activated’ macrophages. M1 macrophages have been linked with inflammation-associated pathologies, whereas a switch towards an M2 phenotype indicates resolution of inflammation and tissue regeneration. Here, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the small RNA cargo of EVs from human M1 and M2 primary macrophages. Using small RNA sequencing, we identified several types of small non-coding RNAs in M1 and M2 macrophage EVs including miRNAs, isomiRs, tRNA fragments, piRNA, snRNA, snoRNA and Y-RNA fragments. Distinct differences were observed between M1 and M2 EVs, with higher relative abundance of miRNAs, and lower abundance of tRNA fragments in M1 compared to M2 EVs. MicroRNA-target enrichment analysis identified several gene targets involved in gene expression and inflammatory signalling pathways. EVs were also enriched in tRNA fragments, primarily originating from the 5′ end or the internal region of the full length tRNAs, many of which were differentially abundant in M1 and M2 EVs. Similarly, several other small non-coding RNAs, namely snRNAs, snoRNAs and Y-RNA fragments, were differentially enriched in M1 and M2 EVs; we discuss their putative roles in macrophage EVs. In conclusion, we show that M1 and M2 macrophages release EVs with distinct RNA cargo, which has the potential to contribute to the unique effect of these cell subsets on their microenvironment

Losartan activates sirtuin 1 in rat reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation

© 2015 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Aim: To investigate a possible association between losartan and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation (ROLT) in rats. Methods: Livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were preserved in University of Wisconsin preservation solution for 1 h at 4°C prior to ROLT. In an additional group, an antagonist of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), losartan, was orally administered (5 mg/kg) 24 h and 1 h before the surgical procedure to both the donors and the recipients. Transaminase (as an indicator of liver injury), SIRT1 activity, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+, a co-factor necessary for SIRT1 activity) levels were determined by biochemical methods. Protein expression of SIRT1, acetylated FoxO1 (ac-FoxO1), NAMPT (the precursor of NAD+), heat shock proteins (HSP70, HO-1) expression, endoplasmic reticulum stress (GRP78, IRE1α, p-eIF2) and apoptosis (caspase 12 and caspase 3) parameters were determined by Western blot. Possible alterations in protein expression of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), such as p-p38 and p-ERK, were also evaluated. Furthermore, the SIRT3 protein expression and mRNA levels were examined. Results: The present study demonstrated that losartan administration led to diminished liver injury when compared to ROLT group, as evidenced by the significant decreases in alanine aminotransferase (358.3 133.44 vs 206 33.61, P + (0.87 0.22 vs 1.195 0.144, P < 0.05) the co-factor necessary for SIRT1 activity, as well as with decreases in ac-FoxO1 expression. Losartan treatment also provoked significant attenuation of endoplasmic reticulum stress parameters (GRP78, IRE1α, p-eIF2) which was consistent with reduced levels of both caspase 12 and caspase 3. Furthermore, losartan administration stimulated HSP70 protein expression and attenuated HO-1 expression. However, no changes were observed in protein or mRNA expression of SIRT3. Finally, the protein expression pattern of p-ERK and p-p38 were not altered upon losartan administration. Conclusion: The present study reports that losartan induces SIRT1 expression and activity, and that it reduces hepatic injury in a ROLT model.Supported by Grants from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, No. FIS PI12/00519; fellowship from Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, No. 2012FI_B00382; Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (to Pantazi E)Peer Reviewe