Spatial distribution patterns and movements of Holothuria arguinensis in the Ria Formosa (Portugal)

Holothurian populations are under pressure worldwide because of increasing demand for beche-de-mer, mainly for Asian consumption. Importations to this area from new temperate fishing grounds provide economic opportunities but also raise concerns regarding future over-exploitation. Studies on the habitat preferences and movements of sea cucumbers are important for the management of sea cucumber stocks and sizing of no-take zones, but information on the ecology and behavior of temperate sea cucumbers is scarce. This study describes the small-scale distribution and movement patterns of Holothuria arguinensis in the intertidal zone of the Ria Formosa national park (Portugal).Mark/recapture studieswere performed to record theirmovements over time on different habitats (sand and seagrass). H. arguinensis preferred seagrass habitats and did not show a size or life stage-related spatial segregation. Its density was 563 ind. ha−1 and mean movement speed was 10 m per day. Movement speed did not differ between habitats and the direction of movement was offshore during the day and shoreward during the night. Median home range size was 35 m2 and overlap among home ranges was 84%. H. arguinensis' high abundance, close association with seagrass and easy catchability in the intertidal zone, indicate the importance of including intertidal lagoons in future studies on temperate sea cucumber ecology since those systems might require different management strategies than fully submerged habitats

Improving I/O performance through an in-kernel disk simulator

This paper presents two mechanisms that can significantly improve the I/O performance of both hard and solid-state drives for read operations: KDSim and REDCAP. KDSim is an in-kernel disk simulator that provides a framework for simultaneously simulating the performance obtained by different I/O system mechanisms and algorithms, and for dynamically turning them on and off, or selecting between different options or policies, to improve the overall system performance. REDCAP is a RAM-based disk cache that effectively enlarges the built-in cache present in disk drives. By using KDSim, this cache is dynamically activated/deactivated according to the throughput achieved. Results show that, by using KDSim and REDCAP together, a system can improve its I/O performance up to 88% for workloads with some spatial locality on both hard and solid-state drives, while it achieves the same performance as a ‘regular system’ for workloads with random or sequential access patterns.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

De l'agressivité envers les sorcières et les illuminées (Inquisition de Tolède, 1529-1655)

« De l'agressivité envers les sorcières et les illuminées (Inquisition de Tolède, 1529-1655) », dans Hommage à Francis Cerdan, ed. Françoise Cazal, Toulouse, CNRS-Université Toulouse-Le Mirail, 2008, p. 119-134.In the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, nobody escapes the weight from the relation to the other one, or its glance, not even the women. On the contrary, they are even more exposed to it, given the "justifiable" suspicions than arouse their condition considered as too close to the Devil and their supposed moral or physical inconstancy. Now, because culturally an aura of wickedness precedes the female condition, to judge the driving of a woman is not simple. The question which appears from the confrontation of the trials of witches and visionaries studied is the following one : as far as anybody does not know the real intentions of the women which have a link with the supernatural, in which their slightest schemes are going to be able to be likened to a devilish or heterodox threat which it is advisable to counter ?Aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles, personne n'échappe au poids de la relation à l'autre, ni à son regard, pas même les femmes. Au contraire, elles y sont même plus exposées, étant donné les soupçons « légitimes » que suscitent leur condition considérée comme trop proche du Diable et leur supposée inconstance morale ou physique. Or, parce que culturellement une aura de malignité précède la condition féminine, juger de la conduite d'une femme n'est pas simple. La question qui surgit de la confrontation des procès de sorcières et d'illuminées étudiés est la suivante : dans la mesure où personne ne connaît les véritables intentions des femmes qui ont un lien avec le surnaturel, en quoi leurs moindres agissements vont-ils pouvoir être assimilés à une menace diabolique ou hétérodoxe qu'il convient de contrer

Nitrogen metabolism and gene expression landscape in maritime pine

This work was supported by the ProCoGen grant (FP7-KBBE-2011-5) and by the MicroNUpE grant (BIO2015-73512-JIN).Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) is one the most important conifer species in the southwestern Mediterranean region because of its economic and environmental potential. For this reason, a work program in functional genomics has been developed in the frame of the ProCoGen project. One objective was to complete the knowledge about P. pinaster transcriptome with the tissue-specific localization of the gene expression of the low accumulated transcripts in sharper regions (Cañas et al. 2017). In order to reach these objectives total RNA was obtained from isolated tissues through laser capture microdissection (LCM). Due to the limiting amount from these extracts, the RNA samples were reverse-transcribed and the resultant cDNA amplified using our CRA+ protocol (Cañas et al. 2014). The obtained reads were assembled to improve the previous reference transcriptome. Reads were mapped against this transcriptome and the read accounts analyzed in order to found gene co-expression networks using the WGCNA software. These results have allowed us the characterization of nitrogen metabolism in maritime pine during the seedling stage stablishing relationships between the different components. This include the identification of new genes with low or very localized expression as occurred for the PpGS1c gene encoding a new cytosolic glutamine synthetase. From this starting point, we are developing a new project, MicroNUpE, to identify and study the genes involved in ammonium uptake and regulation in different root tissues that will be isolated through LCM. Cañas et al. (2017). Plant J, doi:10.1111/tpj.13617. Cañas et al. (2014). Tree Physiol, 34:1278-1288.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Santa fingida y falsos prodigios : el proceso instruido por el Tribunal de Toledo contra María Pizarro, ilusa (1636-1641)

En el siglo XVII frente a la proliferación de movimientos heterodoxos que se desarrollaron entorno a la fe mística y a extravagancias pseudoreligiosas originadas por un afán de prácticas maravillosistas, el Tribunal de la Inquisición de Toledo tuvo que juzgar algunos casos de superchería religiosa, como lo fue el de María Pizarro en 1636, acusada de ilusa y condenada como tal en 1641. A través de un proceso muy completo, varios fenómenos sobrenaturales, maravillosos, estructuran la vida de esta mujer : una vida repleta de visiones y de demonios cuyos efectos fomentaron su veneración popular como santa. ¿Cómo y por qué la Inquisición de Toledo, preocupada por la popularidad de esta mujer que gozó de los honores de santidad durante más de catorce años, decidió pronunciar una opinión contraria y perseguirla por el delito de ilusa ? Y sobre todo, ¿ por qué (consciente o inconscientemente, lo que tratará de averiguar el Tribunal inquisitorial) se hizo pasar por una santa ? ¿ Qué beneficios podía sacar de ello a nivel religioso y social ? Un proceso que despierta la espinosa cuestión del verbo y del protagonismo femenino en el ámbito religioso