Editorial : Autophagy : from big data to physiological significance

Autophagy is a fundamental catabolic process where cytoplasmic components are sequestered into double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes and their content is degraded. Our knowledge about autophagy sharply increased during the last decade. This significant progress helped us to understand better the molecular mechanisms of autophagy and to elucidate its role in health and disease. This special issue contains a collection of three original research papers and 12 review articles covering a broad range of topics highlighting how big data and screening approaches can help toward uncovering the molecular mechanisms of autophagy

Socioeconomic and territorial impact of the ski industry in the Spanish Pyrenees: mountain development and leisure induced urbanization

26 páginas, 8 figuras.[EN] This article assesses the territorial impact of the ski industry in two areas of the Spanish Pyrenees (Aragon Pyrenees and the Catalan High Pyrenees). By analyzing the changes on demographic dynamics and structure, economic portfolio, and evolution of the built structure of these areas since the construction of the ski resorts, we, firstly, identify a trend towards urbanization emerging in these areas, and secondly, that this trend unfolds in two different models: around the ski resorts at the northern end of valleys in the Aragon study site, and in regional centers at the bottom of the main valleys in the Catalan High Pyrenees. In this fashion the ski industry, which offers seasonal services to a mostly urban clientele, contributes to the redefinition of peripheral rural areas taking into account urban needs. The towns, by the ski resorts in Aragon, and in the bottom of the valleys in Catalonia, have grown to become small nodes of a large network that expands the physical, economic and cultural influence of the low lands cities over the Spanish mountains.[ES] Se evalúa el impacto territorial de la actividad del esquí en los Pirineos españoles (Pirineos Aragoneses y Alto Pirineo Catalán). A partir del análisis de los cambios registrados en la dinámica y estructura demográfica y de las prácticas económicas, desde la instalación de las estaciones de esquí, se identifica, en primer lugar, una tendencia urbanizadora emergente y, en segundo lugar, que dicha tendencia se manifiesta en dos modelos diferentes: en el Pirineo aragonés se limita a las cabeceras de los valles, mientras que en el Pirineo Catalán se expande a los fondos de valle y cabeceras comarcales. De esta manera, la actividad del esquí contribuye a redefinir las zonas rurales periféricas, teniendo en cuenta las necesidades urbanas. Los pueblos próximos a las estaciones de esquí en Aragón y de los fondos de valle en Cataluña han crecido hasta convertirse en pequeños núcleos de una gran red que expande la influencia física, económica y cultural de las ciudades de las tierras bajas hacia las montañas españolas.This work has been supported by the research projects: PROBASE (CGL2006-11619/HID), INDICA (CGL2011-27753-CO2-01 y 02) and HIDROCAES (CGL2011-27574-CO2-02), financed by Spanish Commission of Science and Technology.Peer reviewe

Autophagy in Cell Fate and Diseases

Autophagy pathway has been one of the hot topics during the last decade. From a general notion about its cellular role, autophagy becomes a more sophisticated phenomenon with significant implications in cellular homeostasis. Consequently, autophagy represents an emerging new factor in human diseases. Despite its general task, the bulk degradation of cellular constituents during starvation settings, autophagy possesses important cross talk and interrelationships with several cellular processes such as apoptosis and senescence, among others. This entire panorama gives us a complex but exciting scenario. Consequently, with the aim of encompassing the whole spectrum, in this chapter, we review three main topics: autophagy as a cellular process; autophagy in cell fate; and autophagy in disease. We discuss the emerging role of selective type of autophagy to avoid apoptosis or necrosis and the novel relationship between autophagy and senescence to understand the real extent that autophagy pathway has over cell fate. Finally, we briefly describe the current trends on autophagy in human pancreatic diseases and its role in cancer cell metabolism

Heterogeneous Catalytic Approaches in C-H Activation Reactions

This review summarizes the development of user-friendly, recyclable and easily separable heterogeneous catalysts for C–H activation during the last decade until December 2015

Indirect costs associated with surgery for low back pain-a secondary analysis of clinical trial data.

This study examines the indirect costs associated with surgery for axial low back pain using data obtained from a prospective multicenter clinical trial that compared Charité artificial disc replacement with anterior lumbar interbody fusion using iliac crest bone graft. While 75% of study subjects reported full- or part-time employment prior to surgery, this percentage dropped to 45% at 6 weeks postoperatively. Return to preoperative employment levels occurred at approximately 6 months postoperatively. Two years after surgery, employment levels were 16% higher than preoperative levels. Lost productivity related to absenteeism resulted in lost wages averaging $2884 per patient during the first postoperative year. Although short-term indirect costs of surgery are substantial from a societal perspective, the higher employment rate at 2 years suggests a long-term economic benefit. The findings demonstrate the significant, though not surprising, impact of spinal disability on productivity, and the importance of including measurement of lost productivity and return to work in the economic evaluation of related interventions

Quantum Noise Limits for Nonlinear, Phase-Invariant Amplifiers

Any quantum device that amplifies coherent states of a field while preserving their phase generates noise. A nonlinear, phase-invariant amplifier may generate less noise, over a range of input field strengths, than any linear amplifier with the same amplification. We present explicit examples of such nonlinear amplifiers, and derive lower bounds on the noise generated by a nonlinear, phase-invariant quantum amplifier.Comment: RevTeX, 6 pages + 4 figures (included in file; hard copy sent on request

LP 133-373: A New Chromospherically Active Eclipsing dMe Binary with a Distant, Cool White Dwarf Companion

We report the discovery of the partially eclipsing binary LP 133-373. Nearly identical eclipses along with observed photometric colors and spectroscopy indicate that it is a pair of chromospherically active dM4 stars in a circular 1.6 day orbit. Light and velocity curve modeling to our differential photometry and velocity data show that each star has a mass and radius of 0.340+/-0.014 Msolar and 0.33+/-0.02 Rsolar. The binary is itself part of a common proper motion pair with LP 133-374, a cool DC or possible DA white dwarf with a mass of 0.49-0.82 Msolar, which would make the system at least 3 Gyr ol

Variation in perception of environmental changes in nine Solomon Islands communities : implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

Community-based approaches are pursued in recognition of the need for place-based responses to environmental change that integrate local understandings of risk and vulnerability. Yet the potential for fair adaptation is intimately linked to how variations in perceptions of environmental change and risk are treated. There is, however, little empirical evidence of the extent and nature of variations in risk perception in and between multiple community settings. Here, we rely on data from 231 semi-structured interviews conducted in nine communities in Western Province, Solomon Islands, to statistically model differential perceptions of risk and change within and between communities. Overall, people were found to be less likely to perceive environmental changes in the marine environment than they were for terrestrial systems. The distance to the nearest market town (which may be a proxy for exposure to commercial logging and degree of involvement with the market economy) and gender had the greatest overall statistical effects on perceptions of risk. Yet, we also find that significant environmental change is under reported in communities, while variations in perception are not always easily related to commonly assumed fault lines of vulnerability. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for methods that engage with the drivers of perceptions as part of community-based approaches. In particular, it is important to explicitly account for place, complexity and diversity of environmental risk perceptions, and we reinforce calls to engage seriously with underlying questions of power, culture, identity and practice that influence adaptive capacity and risk perception