Publications

Comparison of Methods to Obtain a Liquid Phase in Marine Sediment Toxicity Bioassays with Paracentrotus lividus Sea Urchin Embryos

<i>Perkinsoide chabelardi</i> n. gen., a protozoan parasite with an intermediate evolutionary position: possible cause of the decrease of sardine fisheries?

Summary Phenotypic scrutiny on the life cycle of Icthyodinium chabelardi ( Perkinsoide chabelardi n. gen.) based on ultrastructural techniques, and molecular phylogenetic analysis of RNA gene sequences, were carried out in order to elucidate the taxonomic position of this parasite. The absence of plastid, presence of trichocysts, and chromosomes or chromatin condensed and low in number, suggested that this protozoan could be considered a dinoflagellate syndinial parasite. However, the life cycle, schizogonic divisions and structure of schizonts inside the host, the nuclei without the typical dinoflagellate appearance, presence of rhoptrias‐like structures, a possible pseudo‐conoid, and the biflagellated spore, resembled those of the genus Perkinsus. Phylogenetic analysis of genes transcribing for the RNA forming the small subunit and the large subunit suggests that this parasite has an ambiguous evolutionary position within the group formed by dinoflagellates, perkinsids and syndinials. Because of differences with dinoflagellates and similarities with perkinsids, we propose to change the generic name to P. chabelardi n. gen. High stationary infection prevalence on Sardina pilchardus eggs was observed. This protozoan parasite caused the death of all the infected sardine eggs, and therefore a high impact in the recruitment of this fishery in the Atlantic coast is expected.

Bolaform Surfactant-Induced Au Nanoparticle Assemblies for Reliable Solution-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection

Related publication: García-Lojo, D; Méndez-Merino, D; Pérez-Juste, I; Acuña, A; García-Río, L; Rodríguez-Patón, A; Pastoriza-Santos, I; Pérez-Juste, J. Bolaform surfactant-induced Au nanoparticle assemblies for reliable solution-based SERS detection. Adv.Mater. Technol. 2022, 2101726. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202101726 Abstract: Solution-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection typically involves the aggregation of citrate-stabilized Au nanoparticles into colloidal assemblies. Although this sensing methodology offers excellent prospects for sensitivity, portability, and speed, it is still challenging to control the assembly process by a salting-out effect, which affects the reproducibility of the assemblies and, therefore, the reliability of the analysis. This work presents an alternative approach that uses a bolaform surfactant, B20, to induce the plasmonic assembly. The decrease of the surface charge and the bridging effect, both promoted by the adsorption of B20, are hypothesized as the key points governing the assembly. Furthermore, molecular dynamic simulations supported the bridging effect of the B20 by showing the preferential bridging of surfactant monomers between two adjacent Au(111) slabs. The colloidal assemblies showed excellent SERS capabilities towards the rapid, on-site detection and quantification of beta-blockers and analgesic drugs in the nanomolar regime, with a portable Raman device. Interestingly, the application of state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks, such as ResNet, allows a 100% accuracy in classifying the concentration of different binary mixtures. Finally, the colloidal approach was successfully implemented in a millifluidic chip allowing the automation of the whole process, as well as improving the performance of the sensor in terms of speed, reliability, and reusability without affecting its sensitivity.

Recent advances in dietary flavonoids for management of type 2 diabetes

SYSTEMATIC DESIGN OF ACID-BASE TITRATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: APPLICATION TO THE RESOLUTION OF A MIXTURE OF TWO AMINO ACIDS

SYSTEMATIC DESIGN OF ACID-BASE TITRATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: APPLICATION TO THE RESOLUTION OF A MIXTURE OF TWO AMINO ACIDS

Application of Releasing Packaging in Beverages

Inbreeding load in finite populations from dominant and overdominant mutations

Inbreeding depression is a widespread phenomenon that reflects the burden of deleterious effects hidden in heterozygosis in non-inbred populations but exposed in homozygosis in inbred individuals, known as inbreeding load ( B ). This load can be due to partially or fully recessive deleterious mutations (dominance model) or to heterozygote advantage (overdominance model, where both homozygotes are deleterious relative to the heterozygote). There are many studies addressing the changes in inbreeding load in finite populations assuming the dominance model. However, the contribution of overdominance to inbreeding depression has been focused on infinite-size populations. We carried out computer simulations to investigate the joint impact of dominant and pure overdominant mutations on inbreeding load, both for self-fertilizing populations and for panmictic populations suffering from a drastic bottleneck. We found that the overdominant inbreeding load can be substantially reduced by drift even for symmetrical overdominance, at least when considering mutations of small effect. For panmictic bottlenecked populations, the reduction in inbreeding load under dominance and overdominance loci cannot be easily distinguished. However, while purging depletes inbreeding load from dominant loci, slowing inbreeding depression and leading to partial fitness recovery, for overdominant loci fitness declines monotonically.

Variation in Concentrations of the Fungicides Tebuconazole and Dichlofluanid Following Successive Applications to Greenhouse-Grown Lettuces

Residual levels and degradation rates of tebuconazole and dichlofluanid in lettuce plants grown in a greenhouse under agricultural conditions typical of northwestern Spain were studied. Lettuce plants were sprayed four times with a homogeneous 0.2% aqueous solution of Folicur Combi (wettable powder containing 40% dichlofluanid and 10% tebuconazole) at a rate of 2500 g/ha. Samples were collected 1, 5, and 9 days after the first two applications and at times ranging from 1 to 27 days after the last two applications. All samples were stored in a refrigerator at 4 degrees C. Fungicide levels were determined by solid-liquid extraction (SLE) followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detection (GC-MSD). Recovery was good for tebuconazole (98%) but low for dichlofluanid (29%); precision was good (<10% for both analytes), and quantification limits were low (<1.5 mg/kg). Seven days after the last application, dichlofluanid levels were below the maximum allowed limit established in Spain (10 mg/kg), but tebuconazole levels were above the corresponding limit (5 mg/kg). Tebuconazole concentration dynamics was accurately fitted by zeroth- or combined first- and zeroth-order models (depending on variety), but modeling of the behavior of dichlofluanid was less satisfactory, probably due to its instability.

Effects of Primary Leachates of Conventional and Alternative Plastics In&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Cyprinodon Variegatus&lt;/i&gt; Fish Larvae: Endocrine Disruption and Toxicological Responses

Computational Design of Centralized HIV-1 Genes

The extreme genetic diversity of the HIV-1 remains as a daunting challenge for the development of an effective AIDS vaccine. One strategy for creating a single vaccine that protects against the HIV-1 expanding population is to reconstruct centralized immunogenic sequences that minimize the genetic distance to circulating strains that the vaccine is targeting. Such centralized genes can be estimated with inferred consensus, ancestral and center-of-tree sequences. Although the increased breadth of antibody and T-cell responses induced by the centralized vaccines to date are encouraging, they are modest and may only be partly effective in combating HIV-1. One of the reasons of this limited success might be that several features of HIV-1 molecular evolution have not been yet taken into account in the design of these centralized vaccines, the most important likely being its high recombination rate and complex nucleotide substitution process. Here we describe evolutionary methodologies for the inference of centralized HIV-1 genes, with particular focus on the sources of error introduced by recombination and the model of evolution, in order to foster the development of more effective immunogens before synthesis and assessment in the lab, and final testing in AIDS vaccine trials.

Polyphenol-Protein Interaction Influences the Stability and Bioactivity of Resveratrol Analogues

Post-stroke depression: Antidepressive effects of a chemically characterized maqui berry extract in a mouse model (Aristotelia chilensis (molina) stuntz)

Mood disorders occur in 30% of stroke patients, and of these post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most significant. This study aimed to evaluate the antidepressive-like effects and in vivo antioxidant activity of a chemically characterized maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz) extract obtained from an optimized extraction method, on a murine PSD model. The extraction process was optimized to maximize anthocyanin content, and the phytochemical profile of the extract was evaluated using a multi-methodological approach including a liquid chromatographic method coupled with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The antidepressive-like activity was investigated through despair swimming and tail suspension tests. The in vivo antioxidant activity was evaluated in mouse brain tissue by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation products. A number of compounds have been first identified in maqui berry here, including malvidin-glucoside, GABA, choline and trigonelline. Moreover, the results showed that the antidepressive-like activity exerted by the extract, which was found to restore normal mouse behavior in both despair swimming and tail suspension tests, could be linked to its antioxidant activity, leading to the conclusion that maqui berries might be useful for supporting pharmacological therapy of PSD by modulating oxidative stress.

The Current State of Knowledge in Biological Properties of Cirsimaritin

The search for natural plant-based products as new pharmacological alternatives to treat various human pathologies has taken on great importance for researchers and research laboratories. In this context, research has intensified to extract and identify natural molecules endowed with biological effects. The objective of this study is to review the source and pharmacological properties of cirsimaritin. The identification and isolation of this flavonoid from various natural sources, including medicinal plants such as Artemisia judaica, Cirsium japonicum, Lithocarpus dealbatus, Microtea debilis, and Ocimum sanctum, has been carried out and verified using different spectral techniques. Biological effect investigations are carried out with a wide variety of experimental models in vitro and in vivo and laboratory techniques. The results of these research works showed the biological properties of cirsimaritin including anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. The mechanisms involved in the multiple activities of this molecule are diverse and include sub-cellular, cellular, and molecular levels. Indeed, this bioactive induces anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects by inhibiting cell membrane receptors, interference with signaling pathways, and inhibiting transcriptional factors such as Nf-κB involved in cell promotion and proliferation. In the light of these results, cirsimaritin appears as a promising and viable alternative natural bioactive drug to treat many pathological conditions.

Exploration of Indian Traditional recipe “Tarvaani” from the drained rice gruel for nutritional and probiotic potential

An evaluation of inbreeding measures using a whole-genome sequenced cattle pedigree

Metallodielectric Hollow Shells: Optical and Catalytic Properties

Abstract Metallodielectric composites with tunable optical properties were prepared by layer‐by‐layer assembly of gold nanorods on polystyrene (PS) spheres and subsequent deposition of SiO 2 or TiO 2 encapsulating shells through a sol–gel process. The optical properties of the core‐shells were tailored in the visible and the near‐infrared region through the gold nanorod aspect ratio and the gold nanoparticle density. Removal of the PS core by dissolution in an appropriate solvent, such as THF, yielded metallodielectric hollow shells with optical properties identical to those of the original composites. The presence of gold and the porosity of the SiO 2 or TiO 2 shells, suitable to allow diffusion of reactants and products, make these materials of interest as catalysts, as demonstrated by the reduction of potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) with NaBH 4 .

Anti-inflammatory activity of flavonols via inhibiting MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in RAW264.7 macrophages

Key Technologies in Semi-physical Periscope Scene Simulation System

For the purpose of training the periscope operator on shore, the periscope scene simulation system is designed based on VR technology. The structure of system is introduced at first. Then the method using stencil buffer to achieve the periscope circle window clipping is proposed, which can efficiently ensure the clipping and has little influence in rendering effect. By changing the vertical and horizontal angle of view to achieve the control the display at different magnification, the switching of LOD at different magnification is realized by altering the visible range of LODs. By applying callback functions of OpenGL in Vega Prime, achieved the display of Chinese characters in the coach console. The results show that system can simulate the whole process of periscope training and have good performance in economic efficiency and reliability.