Cross-species tests of 45 microsatellite loci isolated from different species of ungulates in the Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) to generate a multiplex panel

The Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) is an emblematic game species in Spain. To generate a battery of polymorphic markers for multiplex polymerase chain reactions for the Spanish red deer, 45 loci isolated in different species of ungulates were tested. Of the primers tested, 27 amplified but only 21 were polymorphic. Eleven of these markers were subsequently optimized for multiplex in four polymerase chain reactions. This allows analysing several molecular markers jointly to substantially reduce costs. Finally, we report descriptive summary statistics such as number of alleles for the former and also test of disequilibria and heterozygosity for the latter. © 2008 The Authors.Peer Reviewe

Expresión diferencial del gen CsGH3-1 y su relación con la formación de raíces adventicias en los brotes de castaño.

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Análisis por qPCR de la respuesta a P. cinnamomi en clones de castaño in vitro con diferente nivel de resistencia

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Comparative analysis of tissue-specific transcriptomes in the funnel-web spider Macrothele calpeiana (Araneae, Hexathelidae)

Altres ajuts: Beatriu de Pinós (Generalitat de Catalunya, 2010BP-A 00438 i 2010BP-B 00175)The funnel-web spider Macrothele calpeiana is a charismatic Mygalomorph with a great interest in basic, applied and translational research. Nevertheless, current scarcity of genomic and transcriptomic data of this species clearly limits the research in this non-model organism. To overcome this limitation, we launched the first tissue-specific enriched RNA-seq analysis in this species using a subtractive hybridization approach, with two main objectives, to characterize the specific transcriptome of the putative chemosensory appendages (palps and first pair of legs), and to provide a new set of DNA markers for further phylogenetic studies. We have characterized the set of transcripts specifically expressed in putative chemosensory tissues of this species, much of them showing features shared by chemosensory system genes. Among specific candidates, we have identified some members of the iGluR and NPC2 families. Moreover, we have demonstrated the utility of these newly generated data as molecular markers by inferring the phylogenetic position M. calpeina in the phylogenetic tree of Mygalomorphs. Our results provide novel resources for researchers interested in spider molecular biology and systematics, which can help to expand our knowledge on the evolutionary processes underlying fundamental biological questions, as species invasion or biodiversity origin and maintenance

[S IV] in the NGC 5253 Supernebula: Ionized Gas Kinematics at High Resolution

The nearby dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 5253 hosts a deeply embedded radio-infrared supernebula excited by thousands of O stars. We have observed this source in the 10.5{\mu}m line of S+3 at 3.8 kms-1 spectral and 1.4" spatial resolution, using the high resolution spectrometer TEXES on the IRTF. The line profile cannot be fit well by a single Gaussian. The best simple fit describes the gas with two Gaussians, one near the galactic velocity with FWHM 33.6 km s-1 and another of similiar strength and FWHM 94 km s-1 centered \sim20 km s-1 to the blue. This suggests a model for the supernebula in which gas flows towards us out of the molecular cloud, as in a "blister" or "champagne flow" or in the HII regions modelled by Zhu (2006).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal 4 June 201

Characterization of the Hamamatsu S8664 Avalanche Photodiode for X-Ray and VUV-light detection

We present the first operation of the Avalanche Photodiode (APD) from Hamamatsu to xenon scintillation light and to direct X-rays of 22.1 keV and 5.9 keV. A large non-linear response was observed for the direct X-ray detection. At 415 V APD bias voltage it was of about 30 % for 22.1 keV and about 45 % for 5.9 keV. The quantum efficiency for 172 nm photons has been measured to be 69 +/- 15 %.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Elsevie

Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Fluoxetine in a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Mouse Model

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since a large portion of the world’s population is currently unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated and has limited access to approved treatments against COVID-19, there is an urgent need to continue research on treatment options, especially those at low cost and which are immediately available to patients, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Prior in vitro and observational studies have shown that fluoxetine, possibly through its inhibitory effect on the acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide system, could be a promising antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatment against COVID-19. Objectives The aim of this sudy was to test the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of fluoxetine against SARS-CoV-2 in a K18-hACE2 mouse model of infection, and against several variants of concern in vitro, and test the hypothesis of the implication of ceramides and/or their derivatives hexosylceramides. Methods We evaluated the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of fluoxetine in a K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and against variants of concern in vitro, i.e., SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain, Alpha B.1.1.7, Gamma P1, Delta B1.617 and Omicron BA.5. Results Fluoxetine, administrated after SARS-CoV-2 infection, significantly reduced lung tissue viral titres (Figure 1) and expression of several inflammatory markers (i.e., IL-6, TNFα, CCL2 and CXCL10) (Figure 2). It also inhibited the replication of all variants of concern in vitro. A modulation of the ceramide system in the lung tissues, as reflected by the increase in the ratio HexCer 16:0/Cer 16:0 in fluoxetine-treated mice, may contribute to explain these effects (Figure 3). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of fluoxetine in a K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and its in vitro antiviral activity against variants of concern, establishing fluoxetine as a very promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease pathogenesis

Estudio filogenético del gen TCTP en diferentes especies y análisis de su expresión en diferentes procesos de desarrollo

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Will there be cold-related mortality in Spain over the 2021–2050 and 2051–2100 time horizons despite the increase in temperatures as a consequence of climate change?

Global warming is resulting in an increase in temperatures which is set to become more marked by the end of the century and depends on the accelerating pace of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Yet even in this scenario, so-called “cold waves” will continue to be generated and have an impact on health. Objectives: This study sought to analyse the impact of cold waves on daily mortality at a provincial level in Spain over the 2021–2050 and 2051–2100 time horizons under RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5 emission scenarios, on the basis of two hypotheses: (1) that the cold-wave definition temperature (T threshold) would not vary over time; and, (2) that there would be a variation in T threshold

Análisis de la Motivación, la Satisfacción y el Esfuerzo en la Implantación de un Grado Bilingüe

La internacionalización de las enseñanzas a través de la implantación de titulaciones bilingües presenta importantes retos para el alumnado, el profesorado y la institución. La identificación temprana de barreras y problemas es fundamental para lograr con éxito su implantación. Con este objetivo en mente, este trabajo presenta los resultados obtenidos de la evaluación de la implantación de un título bilingüe en un grado de Ingeniería Informática. En concreto, se han contemplado tres ejes fundamentales dentro de esta evaluación: (1) la motivación del alumnado para no elegir enseñanzas en inglés, (2) la satisfacción del alumnado con el desarrollo de las asignaturas en inglés, y (3) el esfuerzo del profesorado en la docencia en inglés. A partir de estos datos se realiza un análisis de la docencia en castellano y la docencia en inglés para el mismo conjunto de asignaturas. El objetivo último del estudio es proponer acciones para la mejora continua, así como extraer conclusiones sobre el funcionamiento del título que puedan servir como referencia para la puesta en marcha o mejora de otras iniciativas de implantación de títulos bilingües.Higher education internationalization by means of bilingual degrees presents great challenges for students, teaching staff and institutions. Early identification of burdens and issues is of utmost importance to offer such studies successfully. Within that goal, this work presents results obtained from the evaluation of a new bilingual degree (English) in Computer Science. Concretely, three main dimensions has been evaluated: (1) students’ motivation to learn in English; (2) students’ satisfaction with English teaching; and (3) perceived staff effort to teach in English. Based on the resulting data we perform an analysis about teaching in English and in Spanish the same subject set. The final goal of this study is to propose concrete actions for continuous enhancement and to derive conclusions about degree development, so that they may be useful for other initiatives of bilingual educational programs