The anatomical components of the cardiac outflow tract of the bichir, polypterus senegalus. Evolutionary significance

El resumen aparece en el Program & Abstracts of the 10th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Barcelona 2013.Anatomical Record, Volume 296, Special Feature — 1: P-077.In chondrichthyans and actinopterygians, the outflow tract of the heart, namely, the cardiac portion intercalated between the ventricle and the ventral aorta, consists of two anatomical components: conus arteriosus and bulbus arteriosus. In chondrichthyans and extant representatives of phylogenetically ancient actinopterygian groups, the conus and bulbus are well-developed in size, whereas in most teleosts, the bulbus is markedly larger than the conus. Current knowledge about the cardiac outflow tract of the polypteriformes is scarce and highly contradictory, a fact that contrasts with their crucial phylogenetic position at the source of the actinopterygian lineage. In fact, it remains uncertain whether they have a bulbus at the arterial pole of the heart. The present study aimed to elucidate the anatomical arrangement of the cardiac outflow tract of the bichir in an attempt to improve our understanding of the evolution of the vertebrate heart. We examined the hearts from 12 bichirs using histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. Our findings showed that the outflow tract of the bichir consists of two components, namely, a long conus arteriosus, largely composed of myocardial tissue and furnished with a variable number of valves at its luminal side, and a very short, elastin rich bulbus arteriosus, devoid of myocardium. The bulbus has an arterial-like histological composition. However, it differs from the aorta because it has a thicker wall, shows a different arrangement of the histological elements, is covered by the epicardium and is crossed by coronary arteries. The present observations are consistent with the notion that the conus arteriosus and the bulbus arteriosus have coexisted from the beginning of the jawed vertebrate radiation. This is of particular interest, because there is evidence that the bulbus arteriosus, which is a second heart field derivative, is homologous with the intrapericardial portions of the aorta and pulmonary artery of birds and mammals.Proyecto CGL2010-16417/BOS; Fondos FEDER

The Myosin Heavy Chain specific A4.1025 antibody discriminates different cardiac segments in ancient groups of gnathostomes: Morphological and evolutionary implications

El resumen aparece en el Program & Abstracts of the 11th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Washington DC 2016. Anatomical Record, Volume 299, Special Feature: 263.The pan-Myosin Heavy Chain (pan-MyHC) marker MF20 have been reported to show similar, homogeneous signal in the myocardial segments of the heart of teleosts and tetrapods. However, in an ongoing study of the myocardial structure of the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula; Chondrichthyes), we observed differential immunostaining of the cardiac segments using another pan-MyHC, the A4.1025 antibody. In order to investigate the relevance of this finding for better understanding of the morphology and evolution of the vertebrate heart, we performed immunohistochemistry, slot blot and western blot in several species of chondrichthyans, actinopterygians and mammals using the above mentioned antibodies. In the dogfish heart, A4.1025 and MF20 specifically recognized MyHC isoforms, although with different degree of affinity. MF20 reactivity was homogeneous and high in all the myocardial segments. However, A4.1025 reactivity was heterogeneous. It was high in the sinus venosus (external layer), atrium and atrioventricular region, low in the ventricle and conus arteriosus, and null in the internal layer of the sinus venosus. A heterogeneous pattern of A4.1025 immunoreactivity was also detected in two other elasmobranchs, a holocephalan, a polypteryform and an acipenseriform. In all of these species, MF20 immunoreactivity was homogeneous. In addition, both markers showed a homogeneous immunoreactivity pattern in teleosts and mammals. Our results indicate that in the hearts of ancient gnathostomes, in all of which a conspicuous conus arteriosus exists, one or more MyHC isoforms with low affinity for A4.1025 show segment-specific distributions. Thus, A4.1025 appears to be an appropriated marker to identify the cardiac segments and their boundaries. We propose that the segmentspecific distribution of MyHC isoforms may generate a particular type of myocardial contractility associated with the presence of a conus arteriosus.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. CGL2014-52356-P, CEIMAR, BIO 203, FEDE

Repertori i usos lingüístics d'un alumne intern d'origen marroquí d'un centre penitenciari de l'àrea metropolitana de Barcelona

La investigació que es presenta és l'estudi de cas d'un alumne intern d'origen marroquí d'un centre penitenciari de l'àrea metropolitana de Barcelona en el marc del projecte europeu KA2 StrategicPartnershipRiUscire. Els primers resultats del projecte evidencien la diversitat cultural i el plurilingüisme presents en el context penitenciari i la necessitat de millorar la competència intercultural i la competència lingüística dels alumnes interns per tal de contribuir a la seva reinserció social i laboral. El present estudi pretén indagar en el repertori i els usos lingüístics del jove i conèixer com valora la seva competència lingüística en les diferents llengües així com les actituds que manifesta entorn a les llengües del seu repertori lingüístic. La recerca adopta una metodologia qualitativa de caràcter exploratori i ha consistit en analitzar una entrevista semiestructurada utilitzant el mètode de l'anàlisi del discurs tenint en compte què diu l'entrevistat i com ho diu.This paper presents a case study of an internal student of Moroccan origin at a prison located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona within the framework of the European project KA2 StrategicPartnershipRiUscire. The first results of the European project suggest the cultural diversity and plurilingualism of the prison context and the need to improve the intercultural competence and linguistic competence of internal students, in order to contribute to their social and professional reintegration. The present study aims to investigate in the linguistic repertoire and the linguistic uses of the young man. We have also explored how he values his linguistic competence in different languages as well as his attitudes towards languages that make up his linguistic repertoire. The exploratory research is framed within a qualitative methodology and consists in analysing a semi-structured interview that the young man gave in the prison considering the discourse analysis method taking into account what the interviewee says and how.La investigación que se presenta es el estudio de caso de un alumno interno de origen marroquí de un centro penitenciario del área metropolitana de Barcelona en el marco del proyecto europeo KA2 StrategicPartnershipRiUscire. Los primeros resultados del proyecto evidencian la diversidad cultural y plurilingüe presente en el contexto penitenciario y la necesidad de mejorar la competencia intercultural y la competencia lingüística de los alumnos con el fin de contribuir a su reinserción social y laboral. El presente estudio pretende indagar en el repertorio y los usos lingüísticos del joven y conocer como valora su competencia lingüística en las diferentes lenguas así como las actitudes que manifiesta entorno a las lenguas de su repertorio lingüístico. La investigación adopta una metodología cualitativa de carácter exploratorio y ha consistido en analizar una entrevista semiestructurada utilizando el método de análisis del discurso teniendo en cuenta qué dice el entrevistado y cómo lo dice.Ce travail c'est une étude de cas dans le cadre du projet européen KA2 Strategic Partnership RiUscire sur un jeune d'origine marocaine interné dans un centre pénitentiaire de la zone métropolitaine de Barcelone. On vise à étudier le répertoire et les usages linguistiques du jeune, les attitudes à propos des langues de son répertoire linguistique et comment il valorise ses compétences linguistiques. La recherche a adopté une méthodologie qualitative de nature exploratoire consistant à analyser un entretien semi-structuré en utilisant la méthode d'analyse du discours et en tenant compte de ce que dit l'interviewé et de la manière dont il le dit. Les premiers résultats montrent la diversité culturelle et le plurilinguisme présents dans le milieu pénitentiaire et suggèrent la nécessité d'améliorer les compétences interculturelles et les compétences linguistiques des étudiants internes afin de contribuer à leur réinsertion sociale et professionnelle

Anatomical, histochemical and immunohistochemical characterization of the outflow tract of ray hearts (Rajiformes; Chondrichthyes)

El resumen aparece en el Program & Abstracts of the 11th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Washington DC 2016. Anatomical Record, Volume 299, Special Feature: 264.Recent work has shown that the cardiac outflow tract of sharks and chimaeras does not consist of a single myocardial component, the conus arteriosus, as classically accepted, but two, namely, the myocardial conus arteriosus and the non-myocardial bulbus arteriosus. However, the anatomical composition of the outflow tract of the batoid hearts remains unknown. The present study was designed to fill this gap. The material examined consisted of hearts of two species of rays, namely, the Mediterranean starry ray (Raja asterias) and sandy ray (Leucoraja circularis). They were studied using scanning electron microscopy, and histochemical and inmunohistochemical techniques. In both species, the outflow tract consists of two components, proximal and distal with regard to the ventricle. The proximal component is the conus arteriosus; it is characterized by the presence of compact myocardium in its wall and several transverse rows of pocket-shaped valves at its luminal side. Each valve consists of a leaflet and its supporting sinus. Histologically, the leaflet has two fibrosas, inner and outer, and a middle coat, the spongiosa. The distal component lacks myocardium. Its wall consists of smooth muscle cells, elastic fibers and collagen. Thus, it shows an arterial-like structure. However, it differs from the aorta because it is covered by the epicardium and crossed by coronary arteries. These findings indicate that the distal component is morphologically equivalent to the bulbus arteriosus of sharks and chimaeras. In contrast to foregoing descriptions, the valves of the first transverse row are distally anchored to the bulbus arteriosus and not to the ventral aorta. Our findings give added support to the notion that presence of a bulbus arteriosus at the arterial pole of the heart is common to all chondrichtyans, and not an apomorphy of actinopterygians as classically thought.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. CGL2014-52356-P, CEIMAR, BIO 203, FEDE

La retroacció correctiva oral amb estudiants adults poc escolaritzats

En els últims anys, el feedback correctiu ha despertat molt interès i s'han dut a terme un nombre considerable de recerques en aquest àmbit, especialment en la didàctica de l'anglès com a llengua segona o estrangera. El present article se centra en el feedback correctiu oral que el docent proporciona a l'alumne quan produeix un enunciat que conté un error en un context d'ensenyament del català com a llengua addicional amb alumnes poc escolaritzats d'un centre educatiu en seu penitenciària. Per a dur a terme l'estudi, s'han enregistrat 5 classes, que han estat transcrites i codificades per a l'anàlisi seguint la classificació de Fu i Nassaji (2016). Els resultats mostren que hi ha un alt nombre d'errors de pronunciació i lèxics, a banda d'un ús freqüent del castellà (llengua comuna) quan s'esperaria que l'alumne utilitzi el català. Pel que fa a les estratègies de feedback correctiu oral, les més freqüents són les reformulacions i les traduccions. Les incitacions són menys freqüents però destaquen les peticions d'aclariment i les elicitacions. El alumnes perceben el feedback correctiu oral proporcionat en la majoria dels casos. i en un terç de les ocasions porten a reparació.In recent years, corrective feedback has aroused much interest and a considerable number of studies have been carried out in this field, especially in English as a second or foreign language, but in Catalan as an additional language it is still in its early stages. This article focuses on the oral corrective feedback that the teacher provides to the students when they produce a statement that contains an error in a context of Catalan as an additional language with low-educated adult students of an educational center located in a penitentiary context. Data were collected during 5 lessons that were recorded, transcribed and coded for the analysis. The results of the study show that there is a high number of mistakes of pronunciation and lexicon, apart from frequent use of Spanish (language shared with the teacher) when the students are expected to use Catalan. Furthermore, related with oral corrective feedback, the findings show that the most common strategies are recasts and translations. Prompts are less common, but clarification requests and elicitation stand out. Finally, in most cases, students notice the oral corrective feedback provided. With recasts and translations the number of uptake is very high, but only a third of the cases conduct to repair. Prompts lead students to a correction of the error by the students.En los últimos años, la retroalimentación correctiva ha despertado mucho interés y se han llevado a cabo un número considerable de investigaciones en este ámbito, especialmente en la didáctica del inglés como segunda lengua o lengua extranjera, pero la investigación en el contexto de la enseñanza del catalán como lengua adicional es aún incipiente. Este artículo se centra en la retroalimentación correctiva oral que la docente proporciona al alumnado cuando produce un enunciado que contiene un error en un contexto de enseñanza del catalán como lengua adicional con alumnos poco escolarizados de un centro educativo en sede penitenciaria. Para llevar a cabo el estudio se registraron 5 sesiones de aula, que se transcribieron y codificaron para el análisis. Los resultados del estudio muestran que hay un alto número de errores de pronunciación y de léxico, además de un uso frecuente del castellano (lengua compartida con la docente) cuando se espera que el alumnado utilice el catalán. En cuanto a las estrategias de retroalimentación correctiva oral, las más frecuentes son las reformulaciones y las traducciones. Las incitaciones son menos frecuentes, pero destacan las peticiones de aclaración y las elicitaciones. En la mayoría de los casos, el alumnado percibe la retroalimentación correctiva oral proporcionada por la docente. Con las reformulaciones y las traducciones, el número de respuestas de los alumnos es muy alto, pero sólo un tercio de las ocasiones conduce a la reparación. Las incitaciones son las estrategias que provocan una corrección del error con más frecuencia por parte de los alumnos

Determination of the spatiotemporal dependence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm viability after treatment with NLC-colistin

The emergence of colistin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, particularly after long-term inhalation treatments, has been recently reported. Nanoencapsulation may enable preparations to overcome the limitations of conventional pharmaceutical forms. We have determined the time-dependent viability of P. aeruginosa biofilms treated with both free and nanoencapsulated colistin. We also examined the relationship between the optimal anti-biofilm activity of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC)-colistin and the structural organization of the biofilm itself. The results showed the more rapid killing of P. aeruginosa bacterial biofilms by NLC-colistin than by free colistin. However, the two formulations did not differ in terms of the final percentages of living and dead cells, which were higher in the inner than in the outer layers of the treated biofilms. The effective anti-biofilm activity of NLC-colistin and its faster killing effect recommend further studies of its use over free colistin in the treatment of P. aeruginosa infections in CF patients

Evaluation of draw solutions and commercially available forward osmosis membrane modules for wastewater reclamation at pilot scale

An intensive evaluation of draw solutions (DS) was performed by focusing on the wastewater reuse applications of hybrid forward osmosis (FO) processes. The substances studied were potassium formate, potassium phosphate, magnesium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium polyacrylate and polyethylene glycol, and their osmotic pressure, conductivity, pH, thermostability, sunlight exposure, toxicity, FO filtration performance and replenishment costs were determined. Additionally, commercially available FO membrane modules were evaluated at pilot scale. The results revealed that the most relevant DS properties for wastewater reuse under the studied conditions were the DS regeneration method, DS replacement price, pH adjustment and toxicity. These properties were shown to be more relevant than filtration flux when a maximum DS osmotic pressure value of 10 bar was used. This was the limit for efficient DS recovery. When the different FO membranes were compared, thin-film composite (TFC) flat-sheet membranes showed the highest flux and the highest salt rejection, and the lowest permeability and salt rejection values were presented by cellulose triacetate (CTA) hollow fibre membranes. Based on the information obtained, a TFC-FO/nanofiltration (NF) demonstration plant will be constructed next to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in San Pedro del Pinatar, in the region of Murcia (Spain). This represents the world's first FO demonstration plant for municipal wastewater reclamation and its results will allow this technology to be evaluated for wastewater reuse for agricultural purpose

Myosin heavy chain isoforms in the myocardium of the atrioventricular junction of Scyliorhinus canicula (Chondrichthyes, Carcharhiniformes)

Coincide la versión posprint (aceptada) con la publicada (pdf del editor)The atrioventricular (AV) junction of the fish heart, interposed between the atrium and the ventricle, has been studied anatomically and histologically in several chondrichthyan and teleost species. Nonetheless, knowledge about myosin heavy chain (MyHC) in the AV myocardium remains scarce. This is the first report to provide data on the MyHC isoform distribution in the myocardium of the AV junction in chondrichthyans, specifically in Scyliorhinus canicula, a shark species whose heart reflects the primitive cardiac anatomical design in gnathostomes. The anti-MyHC A4.1025 antibody was used to detect differences regarding MyHC isoforms in the five dogfish examined, as the fast-twitch isoforms MYH2 and MYH6 have a higher affinity for this antibody than the slow-twitch isoforms MYH7 and MYH7B. The histochemical findings show that the myocardium of the AV junction connects the atrial trabeculated myocardium with the trabeculated layer of the ventricular myocardium. The immunohistochemical results indicate that the distribution of MyHC isoforms in the AV junction is heterogeneous. The atrial portion of the AV myocardium is positive against the A4.1025 antibody, as that of the atrial myocardium. In contrast, the ventricular portion of the AV junction is not labelled, as is the case with the ventricular myocardium. This dual condition suggests that the myocardium of the AV junction has two contraction patterns: its atrial portion contracts in line with the atrial myocardium, whereas its ventricular portion follows the contraction pattern of the ventricular myocardium. Thus, the transition of the contraction wave from the atrium to the ventricle may be established in the AV segment because of its heterogeneous MyHC isoform distribution. The findings support the hypothesis that a distinct MyHC isoform distribution in the AV myocardium enables a synchronous contraction of inflow and outflow cardiac segments in vertebrates lacking a specialized cardiac conduction system.FEDER Funds; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant/Award Numbers: CGL2017-85090-P, FPU15/03209, PRE2018-08317

Long-term evaluation of a forward osmosis-nanofiltration demonstration plant for wastewater reuse in agriculture

Hybrid forward osmosis (FO) processes such as forward osmosis with membrane bioreactors (FO-MBR), electrodialysis (FO-ED), nanofiltration (FO-NF) or reverse osmosis (FO-RO) present promising technologies for wastewater reuse in agriculture as they meet high effluent quality requirements, especially regarding boron and/or salt content. An FO-NF demonstration plant for this application was built and operated treating 3 m3 h−1 of real wastewater with a salinity of 3-5 mS cm−1 and 1.5 mg L−1 of boron in continuous mode for 480 days. Three draw solutions (DS) were evaluated in different periods of experimentation. Sodium polyacrylate led to reversible fouling on the FO and NF membranes and the permeate was not suitable for irrigation. Magnesium sulphate, used as DS in a second phase, generated severe irreversible fouling on NF membranes and therefore it was discarded. Finally, magnesium chloride showed the best performance, with FO-NF membranes presenting a stable permeability and low membrane fouling during long-term operation. The FO-NF permeate showed high quality for irrigation, achieving a conductivity value of 1 mS cm−1, a boron concentration below 0.4 mg L−1 and an average SAR of 1.98 (mequ L−1)0.5. DS replacement costs were reduced by working with high rejection NF membranes. However, energy consumption costs associated with the NF step make the global process more energy intensive than conventional technology.