Reinforcing Literacy Instruction in an ELL context

An analysis of the phonic method used for Literacy teaching in an ELL context, suggest that phonics instruction is essential but not enough in any effective Literacy program. Through phonics instruction children develop decoding skills, however, reading and writing require other important skills. The Whole Language Approach´s principles refer to the use of context when reading, highlighting the importance of developing comprehension skills. A two-school comparison based in the Literacy skills required enables us to demonstrate that isolated phonics instruction is not sufficient. In this way, a proposal of improvements to reinforce Literacy instruction in an ELL context is presented in order to achieve a more effective teaching of reading and writing

Papel de las cascadas de las MAPKS (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases) en la transducción de señales de estrés ambiental en macrófitos intermareales y árticos.

Nuestra hipótesis de trabajo es que al tratarse de sistemas altamente fluctuantes y hostiles, los organismos que los ocupan están realmente estresados, aunque muy bien adaptados a esas condiciones, y sin duda, estos sistemas de control y respuesta han de estar bien desarrollados tanto en macrófitos intermareales como en macrófitos árticos. Los objetivos que se plantearon fueron los siguientes: 1. Desarrollar y poner a punto un método de extracción de proteínas fosforiladas eficiente en macroalgas, en el que se mantenga intacto el estado de fosforilación. 2. Determinar la presencia de proteínas MAPKs tipo-p38 y tipo-JNK en respuesta a factores ambientales tales como emersión y radiación en macrófitos intermareales en el Sur de España. 3. Detectar y analizar la actividad de proteínas MAPKs tipo-p38 y tipo-JNK en respuesta al aumento de temperatura y radiación ultravioleta en dos especies de Laminariales árticas. La Memoria de Tesis Doctoral, y sus tres capítulos principales conforman la actualidad en cuanto al papel que desarrollan las quinasas de proteínas tipo MAPKs en la transducción de señales de estrés ambiental en macrófitos. En ella se ha desarrollado un nuevo procedimiento para detectar la presencia de homólogos de MAPKs en varias especies de macrofitos (Capítulo I), se ha planteado la hipótesis que defiende la fosforilación y defosforilación de quinasas de proteínas como p38 y JNK que cíclicamente experimentan macrófitos intermareales del sur de España, en respuesta al estrés ambiental impuesto en situación de marea baja y de alta irradiancia (Capítulo II), y se ha demostrado la activación de dos proteínas tipo MAPKs similares a p38 y JNK de mamíferos en dos especies de kelps árticas, en respuesta a factores ambientales estresantes como: aumento de temperatura y radiación UV (Capítulo III). Las principales conclusiones obtenidas en esta Tesis doctoral son: 1. Se ha desarrollado y puesto a punto un método novedoso y eficiente para la extracción de fosfoproteínas de macroalgas que preserva intacto el estado de fosforilación de fosfoproteínas tipo MAPK. Este método constituye una valiosa herramienta en el estudio de la Ecología Molecular y la Proteómica de macroalgas. 2. Se ha detectado por primera vez la presencia y la activación de proteínas tipo MAPK tales como, p38 y JNK, en diferentes tipos de macrófitos. 3. Las proteínas tipo MAPK se encuentran involucradas en la respuesta al estrés ambiental en macrófitos intermareales de las costas del Sur de España. Se ha puesto de manifiesto la existencia de un ciclo de fosforilación/defosforilación de estas MAPKs tipo p38 y tipo JNK, de 40 y 42 kDa respectivamente, en respuesta a dos factores ambientales: la emersión y la radiación (PAR y UV). 4. La respuesta de fosforilación obtenida en el medio natural en ambas MAPKs (tipo p38 de 40 kDa y tipo JNK de 42 kDa) es diferente, y varía según el grupo de macrófitos. Las rodofíceas (Jania rubens y Corallina elongata) son las que presentan una respuesta más rápida, seguidas de las clorofíceas (Chaetomorpha area y Ulva rigida) y por último de las heterocontofíceas (Dilophus spiralis y Dictyota dichotoma), desde el inicio de la emersión. La fosforilación de la MAPK tipo p38 precede en el tiempo a la fosforilación de la MAPK tipo JNK. 5. Se ha demostrado por primera vez la presencia y la activación de dos MAPKs (tipo p38 y tipo JNK), en dos especies de Laminariales del Ártico en respuesta a estrés ambiental (aumento de la temperatura y radiación UV). La MAPK tipo p38 en Laminaria solidungula tiene un peso molecular de 40 KDa y de 42 KDa en Saccharina latissima, mientras que dos MAPKs tipo JNK se han detectado en ambas especies mostrando 42 y 36 KDa de peso molecular en Laminaria solidungula, y 40 y 36 KDa en Saccharina latissima. 6. La fosforilación de ambas MAPKs aumenta en respuesta al estrés ambiental. Existe una respuesta diferencial entre las especies de Laminariales árticas. S. latissima, que crece en la zona media sublitoral, muestra una mayor fosforilación a baja temperatura, mientras que en L. Solidungula, que crece a mayor profundidad, la fosforilación es mayor a la más alta de las temperaturas ensayadas. 7. La exposición bajo PAR+UVA+UVB induce una mayor fosforilación que bajo PAR+UVA en L. solidungula, especialmente a 7° C. En S. latissima esta respuesta ocurre únicamente en la MAPK tipo JNK, mientras que no se encuentran diferencias en el caso de la fosforilación de la MAPK tipo p38 entre PAR+UVA y PAR+UVA+UVB a ninguna temperatura. Fecha de Lectura de Tesis Doctoral: 21 de Septiembre de 2016.Las algas, al igual que las plantas vasculares, están frecuentemente expuestas a condiciones ambientales cambiantes. Para sobrevivir en estas situaciones han desarrollado una compleja red de señales bioquímicas que les permite percibir los cambios ambientales y desarrollar una respuesta que las proteja frente a los mismos. Cuando las plantas han de responder a una situación de estrés se pone en marcha una compleja red de fosforilaciones y defosforilaciones de quinasas de proteínas específicas denominadas MAP quinasas (Mitogen Acitvated Protein Kinases-MAPK), lo que lleva a la activación/desactivación de grupos de genes específicos. Estas proteínas constituyen tres cascadas bien descritas en células de mamíferos, en plantas y de manera escasa en algas. Los resultados esta Tesis Doctoral se han obtenido con especies de macrófitos procedentes de dos sistemas costeros muy diversos y que presentan peculiares características cada uno: el sistema intermareal de Punta Carnero (Algeciras) y el ecosistema costero Ártico de Ny Ålesund (Spitsbergen). La elección de estos ecosistemas no es banal, ya que se trata de medios extremadamente variables. Nuestra hipótesis de trabajo es que al tratarse de sistemas altamente fluctuantes y hostiles, los organismos que los ocupan están realmente estresados, aunque muy bien adaptados a esas condiciones, y sin duda, estos sistemas de control y respuesta han de estar bien desarrollados tanto en macrófitos intermareales como en macrófitos árticos. Los resultados esta Tesis Doctoral se han obtenido con especies de macrófitos procedentes de dos sistemas costeros muy diversos y que presentan peculiares características cada uno: el sistema intermareal de Punta Carnero (Algeciras) y el ecosistema costero Ártico de Ny Ålesund (Spitsbergen). La elección de estos ecosistemas no es banal, ya que se trata de medios extremadamente variables

De novo transcriptome characterization of Ulva lacinulata under in situ emersion/immersion cyclic conditions.

The green algal genus Ulva Linnaeus (Ulvaceae, Ulvales, Chlorophyta) displays a worldwide distribution in marine, freshwater and brackish ecosystems, and are really well adapted to fluctuating natural environments. Despite increasing interest on the analysis of the ecophysiological responses showed by organisms to face environmental shifts, knowledge of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying those responses are still scarce. These responses determine the survival of organisms under pressure of different environmental stresses and the regular ecosystem behaviour. In order to disentangle the genetic networks that might regulate the adaptation mechanisms of these organisms in a changing environment, the characterization of the de novo transcriptome from Ulva lacinulata derived from a coastal ecosystems of southern Spain under in situ cyclic conditions of emersion/immersion by using Next Generation Sequencing technologies was carried out. Transcriptome sequencing and transcript-level expression analysis were performed by Illumina®NextSeq® 550 system platform. A total of 100,251 unigenes were expressed during emersion/immersion process. Based on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), genes associated with different biosynthetic metabolic pathways were annotated according to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Orthology (KEGG). These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying rapid and successful ecophysiological response of marine macroalgae in cyclic tidal conditions.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Impact of increased resolution on the representation of the Canary upwelling system in climate models

We investigate the representation of the Canary upwelling system (CUS) in six global coupled climate models operated at high and standard resolution as part of the High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). The models' performance in reproducing the observed CUS is assessed in terms of various upwelling indices based on sea surface temperature (SST), wind stress, and sea surface height, focusing on the effect of increasing model spatial resolution. Our analysis shows that possible improvement in upwelling representation due to the increased spatial resolution depends on the subdomain of the CUS considered. Strikingly, along the Iberian Peninsula region, which is the northernmost part of the CUS, the models show lower skill at higher resolution compared to their corresponding lower-resolution version in both components for all the indices analyzed in this study. In contrast, over the southernmost part of the CUS, from the north of Morocco to the Senegalese coast, the high-ocean- and high-atmosphere-resolution models simulate a more realistic upwelling than the standard-resolution models, which largely differ from the range of observational estimates. These results suggest that increasing resolution is not a sufficient condition to obtain a systematic improvement in the simulation of the upwelling phenomena as represented by the indices considered here, and other model improvements notably in terms of the physical parameterizations may also play a role.</p

Genome Sequence of Paracoccus sp. JM45, a Bacterial Strain Isolated from a Marine Sponge with a Dual Quorum Sensing Inhibition Activity.

The draft genome sequence of Paracoccus sp. strain JM45, isolated from a marine sponge harvested off the west coast of Ireland, is reported here. Quorum sensing and quorum sensing inhibition activities have been reported recently for this bacterium, and genomic analysis supports its potential use for novel therapeutic development

Multidecadal Modulation of ENSO Teleconnection with Europe in Late Winter: Analysis of CMIP5 Models

Many studies point to a robust ENSO signature on the North Atlantic–European (NAE) sector associated with a downstream effect of Rossby wave trains. Some of these works also address a nonstationary behavior of the aforementioned link, but only few have explored the possible modulating factors. In this study the internal causes within the ocean–atmosphere coupled system influencing the tropospheric ENSO–Euro-Mediterranean rainfall teleconnection have been analyzed. To this aim, unforced long-term preindustrial control simulations from 18 different CMIP5 models have been used. A nonstationary impact of ENSO on Euro-Mediterranean rainfall, being spatially consistent with the observational one, is found. This variable feature is explained by a changing ENSO-related Rossby wave propagation from the tropical Pacific to the NAE sector, which, in turn, is modulated by multidecadal variability of the climatological jet streams associated with the underlying sea surface temperature (SST). The results, therefore, indicate a modulation of the ENSO–Euro-Mediterranean rainfall teleconnection by the internal (and multidecadal) variability of the ocean–atmosphere coupled system.This study was supported by the European project PREFACE (603521), and the Spanish projects TRACS (CGL2009-10285) and MULCLIVAR (CGL2012- 38923-C02-01).Peer reviewe

Coumarin: a novel player in microbial quorum sensing and biofilm formation inhibition

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat worldwide, causing serious problems in the treatment of microbial infections. The discovery and development of new drugs is urgently needed to overcome this problem which has greatly undermined the clinical effectiveness of conventional antibiotics. An intricate cell-cell communication system termed quorum sensing (QS) and the coordinated multicellular behaviour of biofilm formation have both been identified as promising targets for the treatment and clinical management of microbial infections. QS systems allow bacteria to adapt rapidly to harsh conditions, and are known to promote the formation of antibiotic tolerant biofilm communities. It is well known that biofilm is a recalcitrant mode of growth and it also increases bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics. The pharmacological properties of coumarins have been well described, and these have included several that possess antimicrobial properties. More recently, reports have highlighted the potential role of coumarins as alternative therapeutic strategies based on their ability to block the QS signalling systems and to inhibit the formation of biofilms in clinically relevant pathogens. In addition to human infections, coumarins have also been found to be effective in controlling plant pathogens, infections in aquaculture, food spoilage and in reducing biofouling caused by eukaryotic organisms. Thus, the coumarin class of small molecule natural product are emerging as a promising strategy to combat bacterial infections in the new era of antimicrobial resistance

Phosphorylation of MAP Kinases crucially controls the response to environmental stress in Dunaliella viridis

The green unicellular microalga Dunaliella viridis has the ability to cope with a wide variety of environmental stressful conditions, such as thermal and osmotic shocks, high PAR, UV radiation and nitrogen deficiency. The lack of a rigid cell wall makes D. viridis an excellent model organism to study stress signaling in eukaryotic unicellular organisms. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are highly conserved serine/threonine kinases that convert extracellular stimuli into a wide range of responses at both cellular and nuclear levels. In eukaryotic cells, MAPKs are involved in both cell proliferation and differentiation (ERK pathway) and stress responses (JNK and p38 pathways), through protein kinase cascades. Significantly lesser phosphorylation levels of ERK-like protein were observed in D. viridis cultures acclimated to high salinity (3-4 M NaCl). In contrast, JNK-like and p38-like proteins phosphorylation levels increased in stressed cells. Likewise, the efficacy of specific commercial inhibitors of the phosphorylation of ERK (PD98059), JNK (SP600125) and p38 (SB203580) revealed the importance of JNK-like proteins in the maintenance of cell viability, the highlighted participation of p38-like proteins and the non-direct implication of the ERK-like proteins in the acclimatization process. In summary, specific blockade of JNK- and p38-like cascades in stressed cells led to rapid cell death. The behavior of MAPK-like proteins in algae is not known in depth, so the analysis of their mechanism of action, as well as their function in this model microalga, will allow to estimate the fate of unicellular eukaryotic organisms in aquatic ecosystems subjected to environmental stress derived from the conditions prevailing within a framework of global climate change.Peer reviewe

Multidecadal modulation of ENSO teleconnection with Europe in late 2 winter: analysis of CMIP5 models

Many studies point to a robust ENSO signature on the North Atlantic-European (NAE) sector associated with a downstream effect of Rossby wave trains. Some of these works also address a nonstationary behavior of the aforementioned link, but only few have explored the possible modulating factors. In this study the internal causes within the ocean-atmosphere coupled system influencing the tropospheric ENSO-Euro-Mediterranean rainfall teleconnection have been analyzed. To this aim, unforced long-term preindustrial control simulations from 18 different CMIP5 models have been used. A nonstationary impact of ENSO on Euro-Mediterranean rainfall, being spatially consistent with the observational one, is found. This variable feature is explained by a changing ENSO- elated Rossby wave propagation from the tropical Pacific to the NAE sector, which, in turn, is modulated by multidecadal variability of the climatological jet streams associated with the underlying sea surface temperature (SST). The results, therefore, indicate a modulation of the ENSO-Euro-Mediterranean rainfall teleconnection by the internal (and multidecadal) variability of the ocean-atmosphere coupled system

Stratospheric role in interdecadal changes of El Niño impacts over Europe

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.The European precipitation response to El Niño (EN) has been found to present interdecadal changes, with alternated periods of important or negligible EN impact in late winter. These periods are associated with opposite phases of multi-decadal sea surface temperature (SST) variability, which modifies the tropospheric background and EN teleconnections. In addition, other studies have shown how SST anomalies in the equatorial Pacific, and in particular, the location of the largest anomalous SST, modulate the stratospheric response to EN. Nevertheless, the role of the stratosphere on the stationarity of EN response has not been investigated in detail so far. Using reanalysis data, we present a comprehensive study of EN teleconnections to Europe including the role of the ocean background and the stratosphere in the stationarity of the signal. The results reveal multidecadal variability in the location of EN-related SST anomalies that determines different teleconnections. In periods with relevant precipitation signal over Europe, the EN SST pattern resembles Eastern Pacific EN and the stratospheric pathway plays a key role in transmitting the signal to Europe in February, together with two tropospheric wavetrains that transmit the signal in February and April. Conversely, the stratospheric pathway is not detected in periods with a weak EN impact on European precipitation, corresponding to EN-related SST anomalies primarily located over the central Pacific. SST mean state and its associated atmospheric background control the location of EN-related SST anomalies in different periods and modulate the establishment of the aforementioned stratospheric pathway of EN teleconnection to Europe too.BA was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council grant NE/M006123/1, the European Project 603557-STRATOCLIM and “Ayudas para la contratación de personal postdoctoral en formación en docencia e investigación en departamentos de la UCM”. JLP and BRF were funded by the European Project PREFACE. MI and NC acknowledge support from the European Project 603557-STRATOCLIM under program FP7-ENV.2013.6.1-2. NC was also supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the PALEOSTRAT (CGL2015-69699-R) project