The effects of subsampling and between-haul variation on the size-selectivity estimation of Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi gayi)

Using the data collected in a size selectivity experiment on Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi gayi) carried out in 2000, the selectivity parameters for four codend mesh sizes (100, 110, 130, and 140 mm of mesh size opening) were estimated and modelled by the SELECT model. These analyses included considerations of the sampling proportions of the catch in the codend and cover. Furthermore, the analyses took into account between-haul variation. The l(50) values were 30.8, 29.9, 30.0, and 41.2 cm of total length, respectively, values lower than the estimates obtained from previous studies. The contribution of explanatory variables to the selectivity model was also tested in order to determine the role of mesh size, catch size (in number), and towing speed. Increases in catch size and in towing speed were accompanied by decreases in the l(50) estimates. These results demonstrate how incorporation of subsampling effect and explanatory variables to model between-haul variation can improve selectivity estimates and management of a valuable resource

ELOVL6 Genetic Variation Is Related to Insulin Sensitivity: A New Candidate Gene in Energy Metabolism

BACKGROUND: The elongase of long chain fatty acids family 6 (ELOVL6) is an enzyme that specifically catalyzes the elongation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids with 12, 14 and 16 carbons. ELOVL6 is expressed in lipogenic tissues and it is regulated by sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1). OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether ELOVL6 genetic variation is associated with insulin sensitivity in a population from southern Spain. DESIGN: We undertook a prospective, population-based study collecting phenotypic, metabolic, nutritional and genetic information. Measurements were made of weight and height and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Insulin resistance was measured by homeostasis model assessment. The type of dietary fat was assessed from samples of cooking oil taken from the participants' kitchens and analyzed by gas chromatography. Five SNPs of the ELOVL6 gene were analyzed by SNPlex. RESULTS: Carriers of the minor alleles of the SNPs rs9997926 and rs6824447 had a lower risk of having high HOMA_IR, whereas carriers of the minor allele rs17041272 had a higher risk of being insulin resistant. An interaction was detected between the rs6824447 polymorphism and the intake of oil in relation with insulin resistance, such that carriers of this minor allele who consumed sunflower oil had lower HOMA_IR than those who did not have this allele (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variations in the ELOVL6 gene were associated with insulin sensitivity in this population-based study

Flora y vegetación serpentinícola ibérica: Sierras de Alpujata y de la Robla (Málaga, España)

Se ha estudiado la flora y vegetación de dos de los afloramientos perido¬títicos del sur de la Península Ibérica, que incluyen la Sierra de Alpujata (71 Km2) y La Robla (7 Km2) en la provincia de Málaga. La flora serpentinícola muestra características diferentes del resto de la flora que vive sobre suelos zonales, debido a las limitaciones causadas por la composición de los suelos serpentínicos. Los resultados muestran una presencia elevada de serpentinófitos (18 de un total de 27) de los cuales 13 son ser¬pentinófitos estrictos aunque ninguno es exclusivo de las sierras estudiadas. En cuanto a la vegetación, casi todas las asociaciones y comunidades son endémicas de sustratos serpentínicos. Se describe una subasociación nueva y se reivindican, invierten y corrigen nombres de sintaxones. El paisaje vegetal está dominado por matorrales edafoxerófilos (Staehelino-Ulicion baetici), formaciones climácicas de pinos (Pinus pinaster) y coscojas (Quercus coccifera) (Pino-Juniperion phoeniceae), comunidades edafohigrófilas de sau¬cedas (Salicion pedicellatae) y juncales (Molinio-Holoschoenion). La Sierra de Alpujata es el tercer afloramiento del sur de la Península en cuanto a riqueza en vegetación ser¬pentinícola, por detrás solo de Sierra Bermeja y Sierra de las Nieves peridotítica (Sierra Parda). La presencia de especies endémicas y protegidas junto a sus hábitats incluidos en la Directiva 92/43CEE hacen de la Sierra de Alpujata una candidata a ser declarada como LIC (Lugar de Inetrés Comunitario). Este trabajo podría ser de gran valor para el seguimiento de la restauración y regeneración de la Sierra de Alpujata tras el incendio sufrido en el verano de 2012.Iberian serpentine flora and vegetation: Alpujata and La Robla mountains (Malaga, Spain). The flora and vegetation of two peridotite outcrops in the south of the Iberian Peninsula have been studied: Sierra de Alpujata (71 Km2) and La Robla (7 Km2) in the province of Malaga. Serpentine flora and vegetation show different characteris¬tics from the rest of the flora that lives on zonal soils, due to the limitations caused by the serpentine soil composition. The results show a high presence of serpentinophytes (18 out of 27) of which 13 are obligate serpentinophytes although none is exclusive from the studied outcrops. In terms of vegetation, almost all associations and com¬munities are endemic to serpentine substrates. A new subassociation is described and some syntaxa names are claimed, reversed or corrected. The landscape is dominated by xerophytic shrublands (Staehelino-Ulicion baetici), climax communities of pine (Pinus pinaster) and shrub oaks (Quercus coccifera) (Pino-Juniperion phoeniceae) and ripar¬ian forests (Salicion pedicellatae) mixed with higrophytic grasslands on wet soils and streams (Molinio-Holoschoenion). Sierra de Alpujata is the third outcrop of the south of the Iberian Peninsula regarding serpentine vegetation richness, after Sierra Bermeja and Sierra de las Nieves (peridotites of Sierra Parda). The presence of endemic and protected species together with their habitats included in the 92/43/EU Directive may drive Sierra de Alpujata to be a candidate to obtain the declaration of SCI (Site of Comunitarian Interest). This work could be of great value to monitor the restoration and regeneration of Sierra de Alpujata after the fire in the summer of 2012

Modeling Biomass Production in Seasonal Wetlands Using MODIS NDVI Land Surface Phenology

Plant primary production is a key driver of several ecosystem functions in seasonal marshes, such as water purification and secondary production by wildlife and domestic animals. Knowledge of the spatio-temporal dynamics of biomass production is therefore essential for the management of resources—particularly in seasonal wetlands with variable flooding regimes. We propose a method to estimate standing aboveground plant biomass using NDVI Land Surface Phenology (LSP) derived from MODIS, which we calibrate and validate in the Doñana National Park’s marsh vegetation. Out of the different estimators tested, the Land Surface Phenology maximum NDVI (LSP-Maximum-NDVI) correlated best with ground-truth data of biomass production at five locations from 2001–2015 used to calibrate the models (R2 = 0.65). Estimators based on a single MODIS NDVI image performed worse (R2 ≤ 0.41). The LSP-Maximum-NDVI estimator was robust to environmental variation in precipitation and hydroperiod, and to spatial variation in the productivity and composition of the plant community. The determination of plant biomass using remote-sensing techniques, adequately supported by ground-truth data, may represent a key tool for the long-term monitoring and management of seasonal marsh ecosystems.We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).David Aragonés, Isabel Afán, Ricardo Díaz-Delgado and Diego García Díaz (EBD-LAST) provided support for remote-sensing and LSP analyses. Alfredo Chico, José Luis del Valle and Rocío Fernández Zamudio (ESPN, ICTS-RBD) provided logistic support and taxonomic expertise during the field work (validation dataset). Ernesto García and Cristina Pérez assisted with biomass harvesting and processing (calibration dataset). Gerrit Heil provided support in the project design. This study received funding from Ministerio de Medio Ambiente-Parque Nacional de Doñana, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucia (1999–2000): RNM118 Junta de Andalucia (2003); the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No. 641762 to ECOPOTENTIAL project; and the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Plan Estatal de I+D+i 2013–2016, under grant agreement CGL2016-81086-R to GRAZE project

Resistin Regulates Pituitary Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation In Vivo

The adipokine resistin is an insulin-antagonizing factor that also plays a regulatory role in inflammation, immunity, food intake, and gonadal function and also regulates growth hormone (GH) secretion in rat adenopituitary cells cultures with the adipokine. Although adipose tissue is the primary source of resistin, it is also expressed in other tissues, including the pituitary. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible action of resistin on the lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland in vivo (rats in two different nutritional status, fed and fast, treated with resistin on acute and a chronic way) and in vitro (adenopituitary cell cultures treated with the adipokine). Here, by a combination of in vivo and in vitro experimental models, we demonstrated that central acute and chronic administration of resistin enhance mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes which participated on lipolysis and moreover inhibiting mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes involved in lipogenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that resistin has a regulatory role on lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland providing a novel insight in relation to the mechanism by which this adipokine can participate in the integrated control of lipid metabolism

An All Sky Transmission Monitor: ASTMON

We present here the All Sky Transmission MONitor (ASTMON), designed to perform a continuous monitoring of the surface brightness of the complete night-sky in several bands. The data acquired are used to derive, in addition, a subsequent map of the multiband atmospheric extinction at any location in the sky, and a map of the cloud coverage. The instrument has been manufactured to afford extreme weather conditions, and remain operative. Designed to be fully robotic, it is ideal to be installed outdoors, as a permanent monitoring station. The preliminary results based on two of the currently operative units (at Do\~nana National Park - Huelva- and at the Calar Alto Observatory - Almer\'ia -, in Spain), are presented here. The parameters derived using ASTMON are in good agreement with previously reported ones, what illustrates the validity of the design and the accuracy of the manufacturing. The information provided by this instrument will be presented in forthcoming articles, once we have accumulated a statistically amount of data.Comment: 12 Figures, Accepted for publishing in PAS

First reported case of fatal tuberculosis in a wild African elephant with past human-wildlife contact

Tuberculosis is emerging/re-emerging in captive elephant populations, where it causes morbidity and deaths, although no case of TB in wild African elephants has been reported. In this paper we report the first case of fatal TB in an African elephant in the wild. The infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis was confirmed by post-mortem and histological examinations of a female sub-adult elephant aged >12 years that died in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, while under treatment. This case is unique in that during its lifetime the elephant had contact with both humans and wild elephants. The source of the infection was unclear because the elephant could have acquired the infection in the orphanage or in the wild. However, our results show that wild elephants can maintain human TB in the wild and that the infection can be fata

Resistin Regulates Pituitary Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation In Vivo and In Vitro

The adipokine resistin is an insulin-antagonizing factor that also plays a regulatory role in inflammation, immunity, food intake, and gonadal function and also regulates growth hormone (GH) secretion in rat adenopituitary cells cultures with the adipokine. Although adipose tissue is the primary source of resistin, it is also expressed in other tissues, including the pituitary. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible action of resistin on the lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland in vivo (rats in two different nutritional status, fed and fast, treated with resistin on acute and a chronic way) and in vitro (adenopituitary cell cultures treated with the adipokine). Here, by a combination of in vivo and in vitro experimental models, we demonstrated that central acute and chronic administration of resistin enhance mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes which participated on lipolysis and moreover inhibiting mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes involved in lipogenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that resistin has a regulatory role on lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland providing a novel insight in relation to the mechanism by which this adipokine can participate in the integrated control of lipid metabolism.Sara Borrell Postdoctoral program; BFU 2011 and CIBER Obesidad y Nutricion (Instituto de Salud Carlos Tercero (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion). Juan de la Cierva Program (Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia)S