Resurrection of the sea pen genus Ptilella Gray, 1870 and description of Ptilella grayi n. sp. from the NE Atlantic (Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)

The order Pennatulacea covers a group of specialized and morphologically distinct octocorals found in all oceans from intertidal areas to more than 6000 m in depth. Sea pens constitute an important structural component in marine soft-bottom communities by increasing the complexity of these environments. Despite being both morphologically distinctive and ecologically important, the taxonomy and systematics of sea pens is still poorly understood. Recent molecular studies have shown the existence of convergent morphological features, making the current familial distribution of genera unstable. The genus Pennatula Linnaeus, 1758 was one of the first described octocoral genera. It is the type genus of its family, Pennatulidae. Colonies of this genus have a characteristic morphology. Recent sampling efforts in the northeastern Atlantic have provided a number of colonies initially attributable to the genus Pennatula. Both morphological and molecular (mtMutS, Cox1 and 28S genes) study of this material supports the polyphyletic nature of this genus and the need to resurrect the genus Ptilella Gray, 1870 to accommodate these and other species. A new species, Ptilella grayi n. sp., is described and illustrated. The species Pennatula bayeri is proposed to be a junior synonym of Pennatula bellissima (here also considered in the genus Ptilella)

EMBT haciendo (casi) nada en Mercaders = EMBT doing (almost) nothing in Mercaders

Cualquier indagación sobre proyectos representativos en la historia contemporánea de la vivienda, nos lleva inevitablemente a darnos cuenta como predomina en gran parte de ellos una actitud que tiene que ver con producir indiscriminadamente nuevos productos arquitectónicos. EMBT construyen su propia casa en la calle Mercaders de Barcelona, e inciden en entender la arquitectura no como la creación de nuevos productos sino como una capa más dentro de un sustrato ya informado(materia no prima), una característica puramente postproductiva. Como ellos apuntan su nueva capa de información se ‘instala’, añade sólo información precisa de su tiempo, pero no intenta volver hacia atrás ni rehabilitar o restaurar el edificio existente. Esta comunicación persigue poner de manifiesto la existencia velada de esta otra actitud dentro del campo de la vivienda, una actitud no opuesta y si complementaria, que opera desde una voluntad de no ser, de hacer con (casi) nada. ABSTRACT: Any inquiry about representative projects in the contemporary history of housing, lead us to inevitably understand how in lots of them dominates an attitude related to the indiscriminate production of new architectural products. EMBT build their own house on Mercaders street of Barcelona, and promote the understanding of architecture not as the creation of new products but as a new layer within a substrate already full of information (not a raw material), a feature purely postproductive. As they point, the new information layer is ‘installed’, adds only precise information of its time, but does not try to get back or restore the existing building. This paper aims to demonstrate the veiled existence of this different attitude within the housing field, an attitude not opposed but complementary, that works from a desire of not to do, a desire to do with (almost) nothing

The Sustainable Management of Metals: An Analysis of Global Research

The objective of this study was to analyze research trends in the field of sustainable management of metals on a global level between 1993 and 2017. To do so, a bibliometric analysis was carried out on a total of 6967 articles. The results revealed the growing interest in this research field, particularly over the last five year-period during which 63% of all articles were published. The three journals in which most articles had been published were the Journal of Cleaner Production, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, and Chemsuschem. The countries that published the most articles were China, the United States, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A sizeable network of collaboration has been established between countries for the joint publication of studies. The main lines of research have been focused on metal decontamination in water and soil, waste management oriented towards reuse and recycling, and the innovation of processes for cleaner and more efficient production. The results revealed the need for comprehensive studies that integrate different disciplines within the same analytical framework, and to promote research that contributes to the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social)

Study of the Alpine fracturing in the basement-cover system of the Boadella-Darnius zone (Eastern Pyrenees)

This work focusses on the Alpine faulting that affected the basementcover boundary in the Boadella-Darnius area (Eastern Pyrenees). We study the response of the Palaeozoic granitic basement, characterized by an intense jointing pattern, and the conglomeratic stratified cover to the orogeny. The used methodology is based on the analysis of the orientation of minor faults and associated structural elements (slickensides and fault striations), on fault crosscutting relationships, and on the relationship between the inferred stress tensors and tilting. The results point to a strike-slip regime, with σ1 directions rotating from NNW-SSE to NNESSW, close to N-S. Alpine faulting is accommodated by reactivated fractures in the basement and by newly formed faults in the cover rocksEste trabajo se centra en la fracturación alpina que afectó el límite zócalocobertera en la zona de Boadella-Darnius (Pirineo Oriental). Se estudia la respuesta del zócalo granítico paleozoico dotado de un intenso diaclasado y de la cobertera conglomerática estratificada a la orogenia. La metodología utilizada se basa en el análisis de la orientación de fallas menores y de los elementos estructurales asociados (espejos y estrías de falla), en las relaciones de corte entre ellas, así como en la relación de los tensores de esfuerzos inferidos con el basculamiento. Los resultados indican un régimen tectónico de strike-slip, con direcciones de σ1 que evolucionan en sentido horario de NNW-SSE a NNESSW, muy cercano a N-S. La fracturación se manifiesta en el zócalo con fallas reactivadas y en la cobertera mediante fallas neoformada

Cartografía de praderas de Posidonia oceanica en el litoral valenciano a partir de imágenes SPOT-5

Posidonia oceánica es la fanerógama marina (planta superior) dominante en el Mar Mediterráneo y forma praderas submarinas que colonizan los fondos arenosos hasta unos 40 m de profundidad. Esta planta endémica desempeña funciones muy importantes en los ambientes marinos mediterráneos. Dichas características, junto con las amenazas a las que está sometida, determinan que éste sea un hábitat prioritario en cuanto a protección y, por ello, figura en el anexo I de la Directiva Hábitats (92/43/CEE). La fragilidad de estos ecosistemas marinos y la rápida regresión que han sufrido en los últimos años obligan a una monitorización y evaluación continua, ya que presentan un crecimiento muy lento, lo que magnifica su vulnerabilidad. El uso de sensores pasivos para el muestreo de praderas de Posidonia, junto con las técnicas de observación tradicionales, permite la cartografía de grandes extensiones litorales de forma rápida y económica. Trabajos recientes demuestran la viabilidad de las imágenes espaciales, si bien este método no se ha usado muy profusamente en el área mediterránea. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo el diseño de una metodología para la cartografía de Posidonia utilizando técnicas de clasificación digital de imágenes SPOT-5 de 2006 y 2010. Dicha metodología ha sido testada en dos zonas del litoral valenciano: El Portet (Moraira) y la bahía de Altea, alcanzando precisiones superiores al 78 % y llegando a discriminar 3 categorías temáticas hasta los 15 m de profundidad. La metodología presentada ha permitido la obtención de una cartografía de Posidonia, que complementa la ya disponible, posibilitando un mejor conocimiento de las comunidades bentónicas

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: fundamentals, applications, and challenges

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that provides an accurate in situ quantitative chemical analysis and, thanks to the developments in new spectral processing algorithms in the last decade, has achieved a promising performance as a quantitative chemical analyzer at the atomic level. These possibilities along with the fact that little or no sample preparation is necessary have expanded the application fields of LIBS. In this paper, we review the state of the art of this technique, its fundamentals, algorithms for quantitative analysis or sample classification, future challenges, and new application fields where LIBS can solve real problems

A New Multi-Objective Approach for Molecular Docking Based on RMSD and Binding Energy

Ligand-protein docking is an optimization problem based on predicting the position of a ligand with the lowest binding energy in the active site of the receptor. Molecular docking problems are traditionally tackled with single-objective, as well as with multi-objective approaches, to minimize the binding energy. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-objective formulation that considers: the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) difference in the coordinates of ligands and the binding (intermolecular) energy, as two objectives to evaluate the quality of the ligand-protein interactions. To determine the kind of Pareto front approximations that can be obtained, we have selected a set of representative multi-objective algorithms such as NSGA-II, SMPSO, GDE3, and MOEA/D. Their performances have been assessed by applying two main quality indicators intended to measure convergence and diversity of the fronts. In addition, a comparison with LGA, a reference single-objective evolutionary algorithm for molecular docking (AutoDock) is carried out. In general, SMPSO shows the best overall results in terms of energy and RMSD (value lower than 2A for successful docking results). This new multi-objective approach shows an improvement over the ligand-protein docking predictions that could be promising in in silico docking studies to select new anticancer compounds for therapeutic targets that are multidrug resistant.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Dos modelos por ensayo y error: Villa Stonborough y Villa Moller = Two trial and error processes: Villa Stonborough and Villa Moller.

Uno de los procesos de desarrollo más comunes para llevar a cabo un proyecto arquitectónico es el ensayo y error. Un proceso de selección de pruebas que se suele abordar de dos maneras, o bien se efectúa con el fin de ir depurando una posición más óptima, o bien sirve para explorar nuevas vías de investigación. Con el fin de profundizar en esto, el artículo presenta el análisis de dos diferentes procesos de proyecto de viviendas desarrolladas por ensayo y error, obras referenciales en la historia de la arquitectura, la Villa Stonborough de Wittgenstein y la Villa Moller de Adolf Loos. Ambas aunque pertenecientes al mismo periodo histórico, están desarrolladas de maneras muy opuestas, casi enfrentadas. De su estudio se pretende localizar los conceptos que han impulsado sus diferentes vías de producción, para poder extrapolados a otros casos similares. ABSTRACT: One of the most common processes to develop an architectonic project is the trial and error method. The process of selection of tests is usually done on two different ways. Or it is done with the goal to find out the most optimized position, or it is used to explore new ways of research. In order to investigate this item, the article shows the analysis of two different processes of housing projects that have been done by trial and error. Constructions, that are references in the history of architecture, the Villa Stonborough by Wittgenstein and the Villa Moller by Adolf Loos. Although both of them belong to the same historical period, they are developed by different ways, almost confronted. Thanks to this analysis we will attempt to localize the concepts that drove into their different way of production and then we will try to extrapolate these properties to other similar cases