T Cell Migration from Inflamed Skin to Draining Lymph Nodes Requires Intralymphatic Crawling Supported by ICAM-1/LFA-1 Interactions.

T cells are the most abundant cell type found in afferent lymph, but their migration through lymphatic vessels (LVs) remains poorly understood. Performing intravital microscopy in the murine skin, we imaged T cell migration through afferent LVs in vivo. T cells entered into and actively migrated within lymphatic capillaries but were passively transported in contractile collecting vessels. Intralymphatic T cell number and motility were increased during contact-hypersensitivity-induced inflammation and dependent on ICAM-1/LFA-1 interactions. In vitro, blockade of endothelial cell-expressed ICAM-1 reduced T cell adhesion, crawling, and transmigration across lymphatic endothelium and decreased T cell advancement from capillaries into lymphatic collectors in skin explants. In vivo, T cell migration to draining lymph nodes was significantly reduced upon ICAM-1 or LFA-1 blockade. Our findings indicate that T cell migration through LVs occurs in distinct steps and reveal a key role for ICAM-1/LFA-1 interactions in this process

X-RED: A Satellite Mission Concept To Detect Early Universe Gamma Ray Bursts

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic eruptions known in the Universe. Instruments such as Compton-GRO/BATSE and the GRB monitor on BeppoSAX have detected more than 2700 GRBs and, although observational confirmation is still required, it is now generally accepted that many of these bursts are associated with the collapse of rapidly spinning massive stars to form black holes. Consequently, since first generation stars are expected to be very massive, GRBs are likely to have occurred in significant numbers at early epochs. X-red is a space mission concept designed to detect these extremely high redshifted GRBs, in order to probe the nature of the first generation of stars and hence the time of reionisation of the early Universe. We demonstrate that the gamma and x-ray luminosities of typical GRBs render them detectable up to extremely high redshifts (z~10-30), but that current missions such as HETE2 and SWIFT operate outside the observational range for detection of high redshift GRB afterglows. Therefore, to redress this, we present a complete mission design from the science case to the mission architecture and payload, the latter comprising three instruments, namely wide field x-ray cameras to detect high redshift gamma-rays, an x-ray focussing telescope to determine accurate coordinates and extract spectra, and an infrared spectrograph to observe the high redshift optical afterglow. The mission is expected to detect and identify for the first time GRBs with z > 10, thereby providing constraints on properties of the first generation of stars and the history of the early Universe.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, spie.cls neede

Associated Benthic Fauna to the Vermetid Reefs along the Mediterranean Spanish Coast

The aim of this study was to investigate the benthic fauna associated to nearshore vermetid reefs. Sampling was conducted along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, in three different areas, using scraping techniques, to characterize the taxonomic assemblage living among and inside the Dendropoma empty shells. The results showed high abundance and very low taxa diversity

Dissection of Besnoitia besnoiti intermediate host life cycle stages: From morphology to gene expression.

Cyst-forming Apicomplexa (CFA) of the Sarcocystidae have a ubiquitous presence as pathogens of humans and farm animals transmitted through the food chain between hosts with few notable exceptions. The defining hallmark of this family of obligate intracellular protists consists of their ability to remain for very long periods as infectious tissue cysts in chronically infected intermediate hosts. Nevertheless, each closely related species has evolved unique strategies to maintain distinct reservoirs on global scales and ensuring efficient transmission to definitive hosts as well as between intermediate hosts. Here, we present an in-depth comparative mRNA expression analysis of the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages of Besnoitia besnoiti strain Lisbon14 isolated from an infected farm animal based on its annotated genome sequence. The B. besnoiti genome is highly syntenic with that of other CFA and also retains the capacity to encode a large majority of known and inferred factors essential for completing a sexual cycle in a yet unknown definitive host. This work introduces Besnoitia besnoiti as a new model for comparative biology of coccidian tissue cysts which can be readily obtained in high purity. This model provides a framework for addressing fundamental questions about the evolution of tissue cysts and the biology of this pharmacologically intractable infectious parasite stage

Dissection of Besnoitia besnoiti intermediate host life cycle stages: From morphology to gene expression

Cyst-forming Apicomplexa (CFA) of the Sarcocystidae have a ubiquitous presence as pathogens of humans and farm animals transmitted through the food chain between hosts with few notable exceptions. The defining hallmark of this family of obligate intracellular protists consists of their ability to remain for very long periods as infectious tissue cysts in chronically infected intermediate hosts. Nevertheless, each closely related species has evolved unique strategies to maintain distinct reservoirs on global scales and ensuring efficient transmission to definitive hosts as well as between intermediate hosts. Here, we present an in-depth comparative mRNA expression analysis of the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages of Besnoitia besnoiti strain Lisbon14 isolated from an infected farm animal based on its annotated genome sequence. The B. besnoiti genome is highly syntenic with that of other CFA and also retains the capacity to encode a large majority of known and inferred factors essential for completing a sexual cycle in a yet unknown definitive host. This work introduces Besnoitia besnoiti as a new model for comparative biology of coccidian tissue cysts which can be readily obtained in high purity. This model provides a framework for addressing fundamental questions about the evolution of tissue cysts and the biology of this pharmacologically intractable infectious parasite stage

Assessment of the resilience of Barcelona urban services in case of flooding: the RESCCUE project

En el marco del Proyecto europeo RESCCUE, las proyecciones climáticas para la ciudad de Barcelona muestran aumentos significativos de las intensidades máximas de precipitación para el horizonte del 2071-2100. En este trabajo se presenta la evaluación de la resiliencia de los servicios urbanos de la ciudad frente a episodios de inundación para condiciones de lluvia actuales y futuras. El uso de modelos sectoriales e integrados ha permitido valorar la respuesta del sistema de drenaje de la ciudad tanto a nivel de sistema de alcantarillado subterráneo como a nivel superficial analizando el comportamiento hidráulico del conjunto de las superficies urbanas (calles, plazas, parques, etc.). Por otro lado, los parámetros asociados a las inundaciones superficiales (extensión de las zonas inundables, calado y velocidad) han sido empleados para estimar potenciales afectaciones futuras en otros servicios urbanos estratégicos como el tráfico superficial, el sistema eléctrico y el sistema de recogida de residuos.Los autores agradecen el apoyo del proyecto RESCCUE (RESilience to cope with Climate Change in Urban arEas – a multisectorial approach focusing on water), financiado por el programa H2020 de la Unión Europea (Acuerdo No. 700174).Peer Reviewed"Russo, B. a1,b, Velasco, M. a2, Monjo, R. c, Martínez-Gomariz, E. d, Sánchez, D. e1, Domínguez, J. L. e2, Gabàs, A.f1, Gonzalez, A.f2 aAQUATEC (SUEZ Advanced Solutions). Paseo de la Zona Franca, 46-48, 08038, Barcelona, España. bGrupo de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental (GIHA), Escuela Politécnica de La Almunia (EUPLA), Universidad de Zaragoza. Calle Mayor 5, 50100, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Zaragoza, España. cFundación de investigación del Clima (FIC). Gran Via, 22, Dpdo. 7°, Dcha (Escalera 2), 28013, Madrid, España. dCentro Tecnológico del agua (CETaqua). Carretera d’Esplugues, 75, 08940, Cornellà del Llobregat, Barcelona, España. eInstitut de Recerca en Energía de Catalunya (IREC). Jardins de les Dones de Negre, 1, 2ª pl., 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, España. fDepartament de Resiliència Urbana. Gerència Adjunta de Mobilitat i Infraestructures, Ecología Urbana, Ajuntament de Barcelona, España. E-mail: a1 [email protected], a2 [email protected], c [email protected], d [email protected], e1 [email protected], e2 [email protected], f1 [email protected], f2 [email protected]"Postprint (published version

Assessment of urban flood resilience in Barcelona for current and future scenarios: the RESCCUE project

The results of recent climate projections for the city of Barcelona show a relevant increment of the maximum rainfall intensities for the period 2071–2100. Considering the city as a system of systems, urban resilience is strictly linked to the proper functioning of urban services and the knowledge of the cascading effects that may occur in the case of the failure of one or more critical infrastructures of a particular strategic sector. In this context, the aim of this paper is to assess urban resilience through the analysis of the behavior of the main urban services in case of pluvial floods for current and future rainfall conditions due to climate change. A comprehensive flood risk assessment including direct, indirect, tangible and intangible impacts has been performed using cutting edge sectorial and integrated models to analyze the resilience of different urban services (urban drainage, traffic, electric and waste sectors) and their cascade effects. In addition, the paper shows how the information generated by these models can be employed to feed a more holistic analysis to provide a general overview of the city’s resilience in the case of extreme rainfall events. According to the obtained results, Barcelona could suffer a significant increase of socio-economic impacts due to climate change if adaptation measures are not adopted. In several cases, these impacts have been geographically distributed showing the specific situation of each district of the city for current and future scenarios. This information is essential for the justification and prioritization of the implementation of adaptation measures.This research was funded by Horizon2020 Programme, Grant Agreement No. 700174. This paper presents some of the results achieved in the framework of the RESCCUE project (Resilience to Cope with Climate Change in Urban Areas—a multisectoral approach focusing on water) (www.resccue.eu). RESCCUE is a research project funded by the European Commission under the H2020 program, and its main goal is to provide methodologies and tools for the evaluation, planning and management of urban resilience in the context of climate change.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version