La plataforma carbonatada epeírica (Formaciones Imón e Isábena) del Triásico superior del Noreste de la Península Ibérica

Las principales unidades litoestratigráficas localizadas en el límite Triásico/Jurásico del noreste de la Península Ibérica son las facies Keuper, los carbonatos de la Formación Imón/Formación Isábena y las dolomías, evaporitas y lutitas de la Formación Carniolas de Cortes de Tajuña/Zona de Anhidrita. Los carbonatos del Triásico superior son conocidos como Formación Imón en la Cordillera Ibérica, Cordilleras Costero Catalanas y Depresión del Ebro y como Formación Isábena en la vertiente surpirenaica. La asociación de foraminíferos (Gandinella falsofriedli, Aulotortus friedli, Trochammina jaunensis, Agathammina austroalpina, Trocholina cf. laevis y Trocholina crassa) localizada en la base de la Formación Imón y de la Formación Isábena determina una edad Alauniense terminal-Sevatiense medio (Noriense superior). La asociación de bivalvos (Neoschizodus reziae, Pseudocorbula alpina, Protocardia cf. Rhaetica y Laternula cf. amicii) localizada en la parte alta de la Formación Imón indica un “Retiense” (Noriense p.p.). La Formación Imón está constituida básicamente por dolomías bien estratificadas, mientras que la Formación Isábena está formada por calizas. La Formación Imón presenta dos tipos de dolomías: dolomías grises en la base y dolomías blancas a techo. A partir del estudio petrológico, mineralógico, de elementos traza e isótopos de oxígeno y de carbono de las dolomías, se ha establecido que las dolomías grises son de origen “seepage-reflux” y las dolomías blancas de origen hipersalino. Las curvas de isopacas de la Formación Imón son redondeadas a elongadas y presentan pendientes muy suaves, lo cual sugiere que la sedimentación de esta plataforma carbonatada estuvo controlada por la subsidencia termal. El modelo sedimentológico de los materiales carbonatados de la Formación Imón y de la Formación Isábena es el de una plataforma carbonatada epeírica.The lithostratigraphic units associated with the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula are the Keuper evaporites and lutites, the Imón Formation/Isábena Formation carbonates and the Cortes de Tajuña Formation/Anhidrite zone evaporites, dolomitic breccias and lutites. The upper Triassic carbonates are known as the Imón Formation in the Iberian Ranges, the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the Ebro Depression, and as the Isábena Formation in the southern Pyrenees. The foraminifera associations (Gandinella falsofriedli, Aulotortus friedli, Trochammina jaunensis, Agathammina austroalpina, Trocholina cf. laevis and Trocholina crassa), which are located in the lower part of the Imón and Isábena sections, indicate a late Alaunian-mid Sevatian (late Norian) age. The bivalve associations (Neoschizodus reziae, Pseudocorbula alpina, Protocardia cf. rhaetica and Laternula cf. amicii), located in the uppermost part of the Imón Formation indicate a “Rhaetian” (Norian p.p.) age. The Imón Formation consists of stratified dolomites whereas the Isábena Formation is made up of limestones. The Imón dolomites present two dolomites types: grey dolsparites and white dolmicrites. These dolomites are interpreted as seepage-reflux (grey dolomites) and hypersaline dolomites (white dolomites) according to with their mineralogy, elemental geochemistry and stable isotope characteristics. The isopach curves are round to elongated with very gentle slopes, indicating that thermal subsidence played the main role in controlling the sedimentation of this upper Triassic carbonate platform. The sedimentary model of the Imón Formation and the Isábena Formation is an epeiric carbonate platform

Fluorescent PLGA Nanocarriers for Pulmonary Administration: Influence of the Surface Charge

Nearly four million yearly deaths can be attributed to respiratory diseases, prompting a huge worldwide health emergency. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic’s death toll has surpassed six million, significantly increasing respiratory disease morbidity and mortality rates. Despite recent advances, it is still challenging for many drugs to be homogeneously distributed throughout the lungs, and specifically to reach the lower respiratory tract with an accurate sustained dose and minimal systemic side effects. Engineered nanocarriers can provide increased therapeutic efficacy while lessening potential biochemical adverse reactions. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), a biodegradable polymer, has attracted significant interest as an inhalable drug delivery system. However, the influence of the nanocarrier surface charge and its intratracheal instillation has not been addressed so far. In this study, we fabricated red fluorescent PLGA nanocapsules (NCs)—Cy5/PLGA—with either positive (Cy5/PLGA+) or negative surface charge (Cy5/PLGA-). We report here on their excellent colloidal stability in culture and biological media, and after cryo-storage. Their lack of cytotoxicity in two relevant lung cell types, even for concentrations as high as 10 mg/mL, is also reported. More importantly, differences in the NCs’ cell uptake rates and internalization capacity were identified. The uptake of the anionic system was faster and in much higher amounts—10-fold and 2.5-fold in macrophages and epithelial alveolar cells, respectively. The in vivo study demonstrated that anionic PLGA NCs were retained in all lung lobules after 1 h of being intratracheally instilled, and were found to accumulate in lung macrophages after 24 h, making those nanocarriers especially suitable as a pulmonary immunomodulatory delivery system with a marked translational character. © 2022 by the authors

La serie Triasica de Los Pastores (Algeciras)

Seven superimposed lithostratigraphic units have been distinguished in the Upper Trias of Los Pastores (Algeciras). The four lower units (1 to 4) show clayey-sandy-evaporitic Keuper facies. Pollen associations obtained from dark pelitic levels, and bivalves sampled from carbonate intercalations within these four lower units allow to date them as Carnian. These lower units can be correlated with the K1 to K3 units of the Keuper of the Subbetic and of other regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Concerning the three higher units, the unit 6 is pelitic-carbonatic and evaporitic and it also bears Carnian pollen associations. The units 5 and 7, however, are carbonatic and show clearly marine facies and organisms (Involutinidae and dasycladacean algae) of the same type than those shown by the Upper Triassic of Alpine Facies of the Internal Zones of the Chain (Alpujarrides and Rondaides). The Trias of Los Pastores belongs to an arid ecuatorial phytogeographical province, whose the vegetation was dominated by xerophytic elements. It was deposited in a wide coastal flat with marginal terrigenuos influence and close to a carbonate platform, in peritidal and shallow marine depositional environments, very sensitive to sea-level fluctuations. The marine carbonate intercalations bear low-diversity, dwarf and opportunistic marine faunal associations, typical of shallow, restricted, unstable and ecologicaUy inmature environments, as it has been confirmed independently by facies analysis.En el Trías de superior de Los Pastores (Algeciras) se han podido diferenciar siete unidades litoestratigráficas superpuestas. Las unidades inferiores (1 a 4) muestran facies arcilloso- arenoso-evaporíticas de tipo Keuper. De ellas se han obtenido asociaciones del Carniense, de polen, procedentes de niveles pelíticos oscuros, y de bivalvos, procedentes de intercalaciones carbonatadas. Estas unidades inferiores se pueden correlacionar con las unidades K1 a K3 del Keuper del Subbético y del resto de la Península Ibérica. De las tres unidades superiores, la unidad 6 es de naturaleza pelítico-carbonatada y evaporítica y ha suministrado asimismo asociaciones de polen del Carniense. Las unidades 5 y 7, sin embargo, son de naturaleza carbonatada y presentan facies y organ.ismos francamente marinos (Involutínidos y algas dasycladáceas) de características análogas a las que muestra el Trías superior de Facies Alpina de las Zonas Internas de la Cordillera Bética (Rondaides y Alpujárrides). El Trías de Los Pastores pertenece a una provincia fitogeográfica ecuatorial árida, cuya vegetación estaba dominada por elementos xerofíticos. Se depositó en una extensa llanura costera con influencia terrígena marginal y adyacente a una plataforma carbonatada, en ambientes de tipo perimareal y marino muy somero, muy sensibles a las variaciones en el nivel del mar. Las intercalaciones carbonatadas marinas contienen asociaciones de faunas autóctonas de baja diversidad, oportunistas y de nanismo endémico, propias de ambientes someros, restringidos, inestables e inmaduros ecológicamente, que confirman las características del medio sedimentario deducidas del análisis de las facies

Analyzing and Modeling Real-World Phenomena with Complex Networks: A Survey of Applications

The success of new scientific areas can be assessed by their potential for contributing to new theoretical approaches and in applications to real-world problems. Complex networks have fared extremely well in both of these aspects, with their sound theoretical basis developed over the years and with a variety of applications. In this survey, we analyze the applications of complex networks to real-world problems and data, with emphasis in representation, analysis and modeling, after an introduction to the main concepts and models. A diversity of phenomena are surveyed, which may be classified into no less than 22 areas, providing a clear indication of the impact of the field of complex networks.Comment: 103 pages, 3 figures and 7 tables. A working manuscript, suggestions are welcome

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Deep incision in an Aptian carbonate succession indicates major sea-level fall in the Cretaceous

Long-term relative sea-level cycles (0 5 to 6 Myr) have yet to be fully understood for the Cretaceous. During the Aptian, in the northern Maestrat Basin (Eastern Iberian Peninsula), fault-controlled subsidence created depositional space, but eustasy governed changes in depositional trends. Relative sea-level history was reconstructed by sequence stratigraphic analysis. Two forced regressive stages of relative sea-level were recognized within three depositional sequences. The first stage is late Early Aptian age (intra Dufrenoyia furcata Zone) and is characterized by foreshore to upper shoreface sedimentary wedges, which occur detached from a highstand carbonate platform, and were deposited above basin marls. The amplitude of relative sea-level drop was in the order of tens of metres, with a duration of 2 km wide and cut 115 m down into the underlying Aptian succession. With the subsequent transgression, the incision was back-filled with peritidal to shallow subtidal deposits. The changes in depositional trends, lithofacies evolution and geometric relation of the stratigraphic units characterized are similar to those observed in coeval rocks within the Maestrat Basin, as well as in other correlative basins elsewhere. The pace and magnitude of the two relative sea-level drops identified fall within the glacio-eustatic domain. In the Maestrat Basin, terrestrial palynological studies provide evidence that the late Early and Late Aptian climate was cooler than the earliest part of the Early Aptian and the Albian Stage, which were characterized by warmer environmental conditions. The outcrops documented here are significant because they preserve the results of Aptian long-term sea-level trends that are often only recognizable on larger scales (i.e. seismic) such as for the Arabian Plate

Implications of TP53 allelic state for genome stability, clinical presentation and outcomes in myelodysplastic syndromes

Tumor protein p53 (TP53) is the most frequently mutated gene in cancer1,2. In patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), TP53 mutations are associated with high-risk disease3,4, rapid transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML)5, resistance to conventional therapies6–8 and dismal outcomes9. Consistent with the tumor-suppressive role of TP53, patients harbor both mono- and biallelic mutations10. However, the biological and clinical implications of TP53 allelic state have not been fully investigated in MDS or any other cancer type. We analyzed 3,324 patients with MDS for TP53 mutations and allelic imbalances and delineated two subsets of patients with distinct phenotypes and outcomes. One-third of TP53-mutated patients had monoallelic mutations whereas two-thirds had multiple hits (multi-hit) consistent with biallelic targeting. Established associations with complex karyotype, few co-occurring mutations, high-risk presentation and poor outcomes were specific to multi-hit patients only. TP53 multi-hit state predicted risk of death and leukemic transformation independently of the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R)11. Surprisingly, monoallelic patients did not differ from TP53 wild-type patients in outcomes and response to therapy. This study shows that consideration of TP53 allelic state is critical for diagnostic and prognostic precision in MDS as well as in future correlative studies of treatment response

Aspectos bio y cronoestratigráficos del Mioceno de Berá (Tarragona)

A study has been made of the Molluscs, Foraminifera, the palynology and the Calcareous nannoplankton of some clay silt beds recently discovered in a well perforation close to the hermitage of Berá (Tarragona); the excellent conservation of the paleontological remains permits a more detailed assessment. Overall, most of the characteristics indicate that one is dealing with a sedimentation in neritic conditions at about 30 m depth with certain estuarine influences. The abundant presence of Orbulina, T. mayeri together with G. praemenardii and the absence of G. fohsi peripheroronda (present in other nearly levels) leads the authors to ascribe the beds to the biozone of G. mayeri of Serravallian age; Nannoplankton data are in agreement with such a notion.Se estudian los Moluscos, Foraminíferos, Palinología y Nanoplancton calcáreo de unos nuevos niveles arcilloso-limosos descubiertos en la excavación de un pozo en las proximidades de la Ermita de Berá (Tarragona); la excelente conservación de los restos paleontológicos permite un estudio más exhaustivo. En conjunto, la mayoría de las características indican que se trataría de una sedimentación en condiciones neríticas alrededor de los 30 metros de profundidad con ciertas influencias de carácter estuarino. La presencia de abundantes Orbulina, T. mayeri, junto con G. praemenardii y ausencia de G. fohsi peripheroronda (presente en otras secciones próximas) permite atribuir los niveles a la biozona de G. mayeri, de edad Serravalliense; los datos de Nanoplancton son acordes con dicha edad