Campodeidos (Insecta: Diplura) cavernícolas de Catalunya y huesca, II. Géneros Campodea Westwood y Paratachycampa Wygodzinsky

Hom estudia 50 exemplars de diplurs campodèids, recol·lectats en coves de Catalunya i servats al Museu de Zoologia de Barcelona. Dels dos gèneres considerats, només dues espècies són certament troglobies, Paratachycampa hispanica Bareth & Condé i Campodea (C.) egena Cde. (forma tipus i cf. egena Bareth & Condé), i una espècie endogea, que també és troglòfila de vegades, C. (C.) zuluetai Silvestri. Hom exposa una hipòtesi sobre l'origen i la cronologia de l'arribada a Catalunya i Osca dels campodèids, així com de la colonització de llurs coves

Campodeidos "(Insecta: Diplura)" cavernícolas de Cataluña y Huesca. I. Géneros "Plusiocampa" Silv., "Litocampa" Silv. y "Podocampa" Silv.

Hom estudia material de campodeids recollit per membres del Museu de Zoologia de Barcelona. Els 220 exemplars determinats en aquesta primera part es reparteixen en formes dels gèneres Plusiocampa (3), Litocampa (3) i Podocampa (1), una de les quals, Plusiocampa bonneti escolai, es considera subspècie nova

Nanoplastics: From tissue accumulation to cell translocation into Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes. resilience of immune cells exposed to nanoplastics and nanoplastics plus Vibrio splendidus combination

Plastic litter is an issue of global concern. In this work Mytilus galloprovincialis was used to study the distribution and effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs) of different sizes (50 nm, 100 nm and 1 mu m) on immune cells. Internalization and translocation of NPs to hemolymph were carried out by in vivo experiments, while endocytic routes and effects of PS NPs on hemocytes were studied in vitro. The smallest PS NPs tested were detected in the digestive gland and muscle. A fast and size-dependent translocation of PS NPs to the hemolymph was recorded after 3 h of exposure. The internalization rate of 50 nm PS NPs was lower when caveolae and clathrin endocytosis pathways were inhibited. On the other hand, the internalization of larger particles decreased when phagocytosis was inhibited. The hemocytes exposed to NPs had changes in motility, apoptosis, ROS and phagocytic capacity. However, they showed resilience when were infected with bacteria after PS NP exposure being able to recover their phagocytic capacity although the expression of the antimicrobial peptide Myticin C was reduced. Our findings show for the first time the translocation of PS NPs into hemocytes and how their effects trigger the loss of its functional parameters

Improved limits on short-wavelength gravitational waves from the cosmic microwave background

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is affected by the total radiation density around the time of decoupling. At that epoch, neutrinos comprised a significant fraction of the radiative energy, but there could also be a contribution from primordial gravitational waves with frequencies greater than ~ 10^-15 Hz. If this cosmological gravitational wave background (CGWB) were produced under adiabatic initial conditions, its effects on the CMB and matter power spectrum would mimic massless non-interacting neutrinos. However, with homogenous initial conditions, as one might expect from certain models of inflation, pre big-bang models, phase transitions and other scenarios, the effect on the CMB would be distinct. We present updated observational bounds for both initial conditions using the latest CMB data at small scales from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) in combination with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), current measurements of the baryon acoustic oscillations, and the Hubble parameter. With the inclusion of the data from SPT the adiabatic bound on the CGWB density is improved by a factor of 1.7 to 10^6 Omega_gw < 8.7 at the 95% confidence level (C.L.), with weak evidence in favor of an additional radiation component consistent with previous analyses. The constraint can be converted into an upper limit on the tension of horizon-sized cosmic strings that could generate this gravitational wave component, with Gmu < 2 10^-7 at 95% C.L., for string tension Gmu. The homogeneous bound improves by a factor of 3.5 to 10^6 Omega_gw < 1.0 at 95% C.L., with no evidence for such a component from current data.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Un modelo multirregional para la proyección de la población de las provincias españolas

La realización de proyecciones de población es un tema de estudio con cierta tradición pero que, a consecuencia de su complejidad y dificultad, no ha sido abordado adecuadamente en nuestro país, ya sea en número de trabajos como en validez de sus resultados - En especial se echan en falta proyecciones de la población española donde se tenga en cuenta explícitamente la dirección de los flujos migratorios interprovinciales. El objetivo de este trabajo es dar un paso adelante en este sentido. En la actualidad diversos grupos de investigación, tanto demógrafos como geógrafos, intentan desarrollar métodos y técnicas donde el espacio intervenga de modo explícito en los análisis demográficos.Peer reviewe

Dos nuevas especies y una subespecie de campodeidos cavernícolas de la cornisa cantábrica (Diplura, Campodeidae)

A total of 139 specimens of campodeid diplurans, collected from 27 caves of Cantabrian Cornice (Spain) are studied and two new species and one subspecies are described: Podocampa asturiana n. sp., Podocampa asturiana riberiensis n. ssp. and Litocampa zaldivarae n. sp. P. asturiana n. sp. differs from its most closely related species, P. group fragiloides (an endogean species) by troglomorphic characters; P. asturiana riberiensis n. ssp. is distinct from the type species by the number of trochanteral bacilliform sensilla; and L. zaldivarae n. sp. is easely recognized from Litocampa espanoli by the number of macrochaetae posterior lateral in IV urotergite. These new discoveries show the value and diversity of this family of apterygote insects in the Cantabrian subterranean environment.Se han estudiado un total de 139 ejemplares de zipluros campodeidos, recolectados en 27 grutas de la cornisa cantábrica y se han descrito dos nuevas especies y una subespecie: Podocampa asturiana sp. n., Podocampa asturiana riberiensis ssp. n. y Litocampa zaldivarae sp. n. P. asturiana sp. n. difiere de la especie más próxima, Podocampa grupo fragiloides (una forma de hábitat endógeo), por características relacionadas con su facies cavernícola; P. asturiana riberiensis ssp. n. difiere de la especie tipo por el número de sensilos baciliformes trocanterales; y L. zaldivarae sp. n. es fácilmente distinguible de Litocampa espanoli por el número de macroquetas laterales posteriores del IV uroterguito. Estos nuevos hallazgos indican la riqueza y diversidad de esta familia de insectos apterigotos en el medio subterráneo cantábrico

Hybrid modeling of renewable energy systems and its application to a hot water solar plant

IFAC - CONFERENCE ON CONTROL METHODOLOGIES AND TECHNOLOGY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY 29/03/2010 Vilamoura, PortugalA family of models that can be applied to various types of renewable energy plants is proposed. The methodology is used to model a solar plant for the production of sanitary water (the hot water production system installed at the “Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío”, Seville, Spain). A detailed examination of the behavior of the plant has produced a model which has served to identify niches of inefficiency in the operation. The model is later used to tune the parameters of a controller to improve operation.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología DPI 2007-66718-C04-01Junta de Andalucía TEP-0272