Biological interactions between fish and jellyfish in the northwester Mediterranean

Tesi per compendi de publicacions, amb diverses seccions retallades per drets dels editors.Jellyfish are important components of marine ecosystems, being a key link between lower and higher trophic levels. Jellyfish blooms occur sporadically and unpredictably in coastal areas and often have important socio-economic consequences for fisheries and tourism. This PhD thesis addresses some questions regarding the potential impact, positive and/or negative, that jellyfish have on fish populations in the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean). Firstly, the natural diet of one of the most abundant jellyfish in the area, the scyphomedusa Pelagia noctiluca, was studied analyzing its gut contents and conducting biomarker analyses (stable isotopes and fatty acids). These results were complemented with laboratory experiments to calculate their digestion times and also with the records of fish larvae and jellyfish abundances in the field. All together, these results were used to estimate the potential feeding impact of P. noctiluca on fish eggs and larvae and competition between both groups of organisms. Results suggest that the potential consumption of ichthyoplankton by the jellyfish and competition between them may be high. Secondly, the association between the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo and Cotylorhiza tuberculata and the carangid fishes Trachurus mediterraneus, Trachurus trachurus and Caranx rhonchus was studied in detail. For this purpuse, field observations of jellyfish and their hosted fish were carried out during summer to describe fish behavior. Moreover, laboratory experiments were performed to determine the survival capability of the jellyfishassociated fish to the venom of their hosts. Finally, biomarker analyses were conducted to understand the significance of the association. All this information demonstrated the benefit of the association for the fish.Las medusas son componentes importantes de los ecosistemas marinos ya que son un vínculo clave entre el zooplancton más pequeño y los niveles tróficos superiores. Las proliferaciones de medusas ocurren esporádica e impredeciblemente en áreas costeras y con frecuencia tienen importantes consecuencias socioeconómicas para la pesca y el turismo. Esta tesis doctoral aborda algunas cuestiones relacionadas con el potencial impacto de las medusas, tanto positivo como negativo, sobre las poblaciones de peces en la costa catalana (NO Mediterráneo). En primer lugar, se estudió la dieta natural de una de las medusas más abundante en la zona, Pelagia noctiluca, analizando su contenido estomacal y sus biomarcadores (isótopos estables y ácidos grasos). Estos resultados se complementaron con sus tiempos de digestión (obtenidos mediante experimentos de laboratorio) y también con las abundancias en mar abierto de larvas de peces y medusas. En conjunto, estos resultados demostraron que el potencial impacto de depredación de P. noctiluca sobre huevos y larvas de peces es alto y que existe una probable competencia entre ambos grupos por el alimento. En segundo lugar, se estudió la asociación entre las medusas Rhizostoma pulmo y Cotylorhiza tuberculata y los peces carángidos Trachurus mediterraneus, Trachurus trachurus y Caranx rhonchus. Para ello, se estudió durante el período de verano el comportamiento en el mar de los peces asociados. Además, se realizaron experimentos de laboratorio para determinar la capacidad de supervivencia de estos peces al veneno de sus medusas anfitrionas. Finalmente, se realizaron análisis de biomarcadores para comprender la importancia de estas asociaciones. Toda esta información demostró el beneficio obtenido por los peces cuando se asocian a medusas.Postprint (published version

Association of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein with increases in liver fat in African ancestry men

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease with increasing prevalence worldwide, especially in developed countries. While the etiology of NAFLD is complex, the intestinal microbiome may play a role in the development of liver steatosis through bacterial-induced inflammation. Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) is an acute-phase protein produced by the liver and which facilitates bacterial-induced inflammation. LBP levels in the serum tend to be low but are raised during infection or in the presence of bacterial components; thus, levels of LBP are considered to be reflective of bacterial-induced inflammation. While the association of LBP with NAFLD has been investigated in cross-sectional studies, no longitudinal studies have been done to determine if LBP levels are associated with liver fat accumulation. Furthermore, no studies have been performed which show the heritability of LBP levels, which may affect susceptibility to the inflammatory response. Elucidation of the role of LBP in NAFLD can provide insights into the etiology of NAFLD and provide a mechanistic link between the intestinal microbiome and liver fat accumulation, yielding public health importance for the understanding and treatment of NAFLD. This study is the first longitudinal study to look at the associations of LBP with the development of steatosis and it is the first study to determine the heritability of LBP in any population, thus supplying novel information on the associations between LBP and liver fat accumulation. A large family-based study of African ancestry men and women (N = 470) and a large prospective cohort study of African ancestry men (N = 2853) from Tobago were used for this study. LBP was measured in all individuals in the family study. Heritability analyses were performed using SOLAR. In the prospective cohort study, LBP levels were measured at baseline visit (2004-2007), and liver fat was assessed at the follow-up visit (2013-2016, ~10 years later) by computerized tomography (CT) scan, with an overlap of 204 men having both LBP and liver CT completed. Associations were assessed using Spearman correlations and regression analyses. LBP levels in the families were found to have no residual heritability, suggesting that LBP might be entirely environmentally determined in this population. In the prospective cohort, LBP was associated with liver fat infiltration in multivariable analyses which included BMI (p = 0.0469), but not in models which instead included waist circumference. In conclusion, we determined that among African ancestry individuals, LBP levels are completely environmentally determined and that levels may be associated with increases in liver fat accumulation

The Euclid Statistical Matrix Tool

Stataphobia, a term used to describe the fear of statistics and research methods, can result from a lack of improper training in statistical methods. Poor statistical methods training can have an effect on health policy decision making and may play a role in the low research productivity seen in developing countries. One way to reduce Stataphobia is to intervene in the teaching of statistics in the classroom; however, such an intervention must tackle several obstacles, including student interest in the material, multiple ways of learning materials, and language barriers.We present here the Euclid Statistical Matrix, a tool for combatting Stataphobia on a global scale. This free tool is comprised of popular statistical YouTube channels and web sources that teach and demonstrate statistical concepts in a variety of presentation methods. Working with international teams in Iran, Japan, Egypt, Russia, and the United States, we have also developed the Statistical Matrix in multiple languages to address language barriers to learning statistics. By utilizing already-established large networks, we are able to disseminate our tool to thousands of Farsi-speaking university faculty and students in Iran and the United States. Future dissemination of the Euclid Statistical Matrix throughout the Central Asia and support from local universities may help to combat low research productivity in this region

Anverso y reverso del análisis de experiencias en el uso de nuevas tecnologías

La realización de ésta comunicación supone introducir un tema estratégico como la salud integral de las/os trabajadoras/es docentes de las universidades dentro de la conceptualización y desarrollo de las nuevas modalidades de trabajo implementadas a partir de las condiciones impuestas por la pandemia de COVID-19, con sus diferentes miradas.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

A Physical optics simulator for multireflector THz imaging systems

This article presents a physical optics-based simulator for the analysis of terahertz (THz) imaging systems. The simulation starts by calculating the electromagnetic interactions inside the multireflector system and the incident field that the focusing system creates on the target under inspection. In a second step, the electric field that the modeled target scatters back to the system receiver, is also calculated. This allows to predict the imaging behavior of the system for different targets before manufacturing. The simulator results are validated by using measurements from an existing 300-GHz standoff imaging system. This contribution aims to help in the development of better imaging systems for security applications in the near future.Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication TechnologiesMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. TEC2015-65353-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. TEC2015-73908-JINAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. TEC2017-87061-C3-1-RXunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC2015/01

Estudio de bases de datos para el reconocimiento automático de lenguas de signos

Automatic sign language recognition (ASLR) is quite a complex task, not only for the difficulty of dealing with very dynamic video information, but also because almost every sign language (SL) can be considered as an under-resourced language when it comes to language technology. Spanish sign language (LSE) is one of those under-resourced languages. Developing technology for SSL implies a number of technical challenges that must be tackled down in a structured and sequential manner. In this paper, some problems of machine-learning- based ASLR are addressed. A review of publicly available datasets is given and a new one is presented. It is also discussed the current annotations methods and annotation programs. In our review of existing datasets, our main conclusion is that there is a need for more with high-quality data and annotations

Determinación de Mn y Ni en aceros mediante Espectrometría de Absorción Atómica con Llama y Nebulización Thermospray

La complejidad de la matriz influye en la eficiencia de transporte del analito, afecta la sensibilidad y los límites de detección cuando se emplea en la absorción atómica con llama (FAAS) con nebulización neumática. Esto determina que en ocasiones es necesario realizar una separación y precon­centración, para eliminar estas interferencias. En este trabajo se presenta un diseño modificado realizado de un sistema de nebulización no convencional con cámara de precalentamiento (Thermospray). Este permite una eficiencia de transporte del analito de un 99 % y un aumento de sensibilidad de 2 veces. Se reportan las optimizaciones de parámetros instrumentales del dispositivo y la comparación con el sistema de nebulización neumática convencional. Como aplicación se realiza la determinación de Mn y Ni a una muestra certificada de acero

Comunication and cultural diversity. Attitudes and opinios about education community around the temporal classroom of lingüístic acceleration

En este estudio nos centramos en una investigación llevada a cabo en un centro educativo SemiD de la provincia de Huelva acogido al Plan de Educación Compensatoria por su alto porcentaje de alumnado extranjero, el cual cuenta con la única maestra de ATAL permanente de dicha provincia. Uno de los principales objetivos que nos planteábamos en tal investigación, era conocer la opinión de los diferentes agentes de la comunidad educativa con mayor presencialidad en el centro (director, orientadora, maestra de Educación Especial y tutores) sobre la Educación Intercultural y la Atención a la Diversidad dentro de las ATAL. Para ello, nos hemos basado en una metodología cualitativa, centrada esencialmente en la entrevista y la observación participante. Como resultados principales, se puede destacar que el desconocimiento, por parte de todos los agentes, de las culturas presentes en el centro y la falta de participación en la vida escolar, así como las dificultades en la comunicación con el alumnado y las familias extranjeras hacen que las relaciones y las actitudes hacia este colectivo se vean afectadas negativamente en un alto porcentaje. Podemos concluir, tras este proceso investigativo, que los problemas de comunicación debido a la pluralidad de idiomas existentes en el centro influye desfavorablemente en el ámbito y desarrollo escolar de este centro educativo.The present work emerges from the I+D+I Project “Building differences at the school. Studies of the evolution of the ATAL in Andalusia, their teachers and students”. In this case, we focus on a research done in a SemiD school in the province of Huelva included in the Compensatory Education Plan due to its high percentage of foreign students, which counts with the only permanent ATAL teacher of the aforesaid province. One of the main aims that are set out in the research, was to know the opinion of the different agents in the educational community with more attendance in the center (headmaster, counselor, Special Needs teacher and tutors) about the Intercultural Education and Diversity Awareness in the ATAL. For that, we have followed a qualitative methodology, specially based on the interview and participant observation. As main results, we noticed the ignorance, by all the agents, of the cultures present in the center and the lack of involvement in the school life, as well as the difficulties in the communication with the students and the foreign families which affects negatively the relationship and attitudes towards this collective in a high percentage. We can conclude, after this research process, that the communication problems due to the plurality of languages existing in the school influences unfavourably in the ambit and development of this education center

Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulation improves cardiac function and mitochondrial activity in a rat model of early-stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Funding Information: This work was supported by a research grant of Bayer AG (DEU), the National Institute of Health \u201CFondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Instituto de Salud Carlos III\u201D Madrid, Spain [PI21/01145, PI24/00114 and CIBER de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV)]; Axencia Galega de Innovaci\u00F3n (GAIN): Axudas do programa de consolidaci\u00F3n e estruturaci\u00F3n de unidades de investigaci\u00F3n competitivas (GPC IN607B 2021 108 and GPC IN607B 2024\u201302). S.M.-F. was funded by a predoctoral research grant from GAIN-Xunta de Galicia (Spain), X.V.-A. was funded by Sociedad Espa\u00F1ola de Cardiolog\u00EDa (RLD_SEC2016 and SECAINC-INV-ICC 23/02) and A.A.-H. postdoctoral contract is funded by the Sara Borrell Program of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and previously was funded by a postdoctoral research grant from Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) and Foundation of IDIS (FIDIS). Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The AuthorsTargeting cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiac metabolic reprogramming is critical for improving chronic heart failure (HF) treatment. While the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator vericiguat has shown promise in treating HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), its effects on HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), particularly on myocardial bioenergetics, remain undefined. This study aimed to clarify the effects of vericiguat on cardiac function and metabolism in a preclinical model of early-stage HF. Obese ZSF1 (Zucker fatty and spontaneously hypertensive) rats were randomized to receive standard care (n = 10) or vericiguat (3 mg/kg/d p.o.) (n = 10) treatment for 4 weeks. ZSF1 lean rats (n = 10) served as controls. Vericiguat improved diastolic function, reduced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and enhanced cardiac mitochondrial basal respiration, upregulating the levels of several mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins from complexes I, II, III and V, along with the ADP/ATP translocase 1 mRNA levels, and partially reversing mitochondrial cristae diffuse dissolution observed in obese control rat hearts. Vericiguat treatment increased cardiac levels of phosphoproteins involved in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) (6-phosphogluconolactonase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) and in the Krebs cycle (malate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase), while normalizing the mRNA levels of the master regulator of calcium uptake by the mitochondria (MICU1). Furthermore, vericiguat restored the cardiac levels of key metabolites of the PPP such as 6-phosphogluconate, D-ribose 5-phosphate, and arginine, that were diminished in the obese control group. In conclusion, vericiguat elicits beneficial functional and metabolic responses at cardiac level in an animal model of early-stage HFpEF.publishersversionpublishe

Intra-tumoral lymphocyte scoring in colorectal cancer: improving prognostic utility and correlation with underlying cancer biology

BackgroundIntra-tumoral lymphocytes hold prognostic and predictive significance in colorectal cancer (CRC). The internationally validated Immunoscore™ predicts CRC survival risk by averaging percentile scores of tumor-associated CD3+ and CD8+ cell densities, but is limited by increased cost, intra-tumoral heterogeneity and omission of other immunologic variables of importance. To address these limitations, we sought to explore alternative prognostic markers based on CD3+ and CD8+ quantification in CRC.Methods201 resected CRCs were subjected to quantitative CD3/CD8 immunohistochemistry, from which percentile cell counts were averaged (“I-score”) in a manner analogous to the Immunoscore™. I-score and exploratory endpoints, including CD3+ and CD8+ cell densities/percentiles, CD3+-CD8+ density/percentile differences, and CD3+:CD8+ density/percentile ratios were tested for association with clinicopathologic and genomic correlates and disease-specific survival (DSS).ResultsCD3+ density among CRCs was right-skewed and potentially bimodal, while CD8+ density was right-skewed. Density and intra-tumoral variability for CD3+ and CD8+, as well as combination metrics including I-score, CD3+-CD8+ density/percentile differences, and CD3+-CD8+ density/percentile ratios showed distinct clinicopathologic and genomic associations, suggesting that each may hold unique biological significance. CD3+ density, CD8+ density/percentile, I-score and CD3+:CD8+ percentile ratio were associated with DSS; only CD3+:CD8+ percentile ratio was pTNM stage-independent on multivariable analysis. Independently, CD8+ density was as prognostic as I-score, questioning the necessity of CD3, or a combination metric.ConclusionsI-score, in our study, was closely associated with potentially confounding biologic variables such as sex, active smoking, pTNM stage, and mutations in BRAF, and MMR genes. More precise and biologically relevant biomarkers can be achieved by using data-driven CD3+/CD8+ density cutoffs and ratios, while controlling for important clinicopathologic and molecular variables in CRC. Independent validation and inclusion of other relevant immunocyte types could bring these findings closer to clinical utility in CRC