The Economic Impact of Water Evaporation Losses from Water Reservoirs in the Segura Basin,SE Spain

In this paper we assess the economic impact of evaporation losses from great dams (GDs) and on-farm agricultural water reservoirs (AWRs) in the semi-arid Segura River basin, SE Spain. Evaporation losses from water reservoirs reduce the high water use efficiency reached in agriculture by means of other techniques such as well-built water pipes or drip irrigation and have a substantial economic impact. Evaporation losses have been calculated using Class-A pan evaporation data and pan coefficients, whereas their economic impact has been assessed using an economic mathematical programming model that simulates land and water allocation in the different irrigated areas of the basin. Our results show that annual evaporation from GDs and AWRs represents 8.7% of the water currently available for irrigation in the Segura basin. The economic impact of such losses has been estimated in a reduction of 6.3% of the value of agricultural production and 5.4% of the farm net margin. As less water is effectively available for farmers the basin’s irrigated area is reduced in a 7.5%. This impact is greater, in both absolute and relative terms, in the areas accommodating the most intensive and profitable irrigated agriculture. The applied methodology and results could be useful to regional water agencies and collective irrigation schemes for future planning and management, including the assessment of alternatives for reducing evaporation from reservoirs.     

Gas-phase hydrogen-transfer reduction of acrolein using 2-propanol over MgO/B2O3 and SiO2/AlPO4 catalysts

Two MgO/B2O3 and SiO2/AlPO4 catalysts designated BM50 and PM2, respectively, were used in the gas-phase hydrogen transfer between acrolein and 2-propanol to obtain allyl alcohol and propanal. The acid-base properties and catalytic activity of the two systems were found to be rather different. Thus, the MgO/B2O3 catalyst is more selective towards allyl alcohol than is the SiO2/ AlPO4 catalyst (conversion to the alcohol was 28% with the former and 0% with the latter). This special selectivity is discussed in terms of the different ways in which acrolein can be adsorbed on the catalytic surface as revealed by temperature-programmed desorption profiles and DRIFT spectra for pre-adsorbed acrolein. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Catalytic use of zeolites in the Prins reaction of arylalkenes

The Prins reaction of various arylalkenes with paraformaldehyde on different zeolites as solid acid catalysts was studied. The main product of the reaction under the experimental conditions used was found to be the corresponding 1,3-dioxane. Of the catalysts tested, beta (75) zeolite proved the most active and selective in the Prins reaction of styrene, with a selectivity of 41.4% and a conversion of 95%. Other zeolites such as USY and, especially, ZSM-5, provided much lower yields. The reactions of other arylalkenes were found to be strongly influenced by the substituents on the double bond.     

Recurrent bilateral renal calculi in a tetraplegic patient

An 18-year-old male developed C-5 complete tetraplegia following a motor-cycle accident in May 1975. The neuropathic bladder was managed by an indwelling urethral catheter. He developed recurrent episodes of urinary infection with Proteus species. In September 1975, an X-ray of the abdomen revealed small calculi in both the kidneys. In July 1976, he underwent transurethral resection of the bladder neck and division of the external urethral sphincter; subsequently, he was put on a penile sheath drainage. He continued to suffer from repeated episodes of urinary tract infection with Proteus, Providencia, and Pseudomonas species, and he was treated with antibiotics. In 1980, intravenous urography (IVU) showed two large stones in the left kidney with marked caliectasis. The IVU performed in 1984 showed an increase in the size of the calculi in the left kidney which was grossly hydronephrotic. There were clusters of small calculi in the right kidney. The left renal calculi were treated by percutaneous lithotripsy in two sessions. In 1988, an X-ray of the abdomen revealed staghorn calculus in the right kidney and recurrence of stones in the left kidney. The staghorn calculus in the right kidney was treated by percutaneous nephrostolithotomy in two sessions. In 1991, he was admitted with acute urinary infection. IVU showed a stone in the pelviureteric junction with no excretion of contrast in the left kidney. Percutaneous nephrostomy drainage was established followed by left percutaneous nephrostolithotomy. In 1992, he was found to retain large amount of urine in the bladder; subsequently, his mother was taught to perform regular intermittent catheterisations. In 1995, he was admitted with acute urine infection. Abdominal X-ray revealed recurrence of large stones in both kidneys. With multiple sessions of Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL), about 80% clearance was achieved on the left side. Right staghorn renal stone awaits treatment. This case shows that recurrent urinary infection in spinal cord injury patients is a predisposing factor for renal lithiasis. These patients require annual urological evaluation. Urinary tract calculi, if detected, should be dealt with promptly to prevent renal damage due to urinary obstruction and urosepsis. Renal calculi can be treated effectively and safely by ESWL in spinal cord injury patients, thus avoiding the need for an invasive procedure. It is essential to achieve low-pressure, adequate emptying of the urinary bladder in patients with spinal cord injury in order to prevent recurrent urinary infection and its sequelae. Social issues involved in the care of a tetraplegic patient play a vital role in the implementation of ideal medical treatment and need to be addressed promptly to avoid any compromise in the quality of medical care.     

XI. Yeast sequencing reports. The complete sequence of an 18,002 bp segment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XI contains the HBS1, MRP-L20 and PRP16 genes,and six new open reading frames

We report the sequence of an 18,002 bp DNA fragment from the right arm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XI. This segment contains nine complete open reading frames (ORFs), YKR401 to YKR409, and part of another ORF, YKR400, covering altogether 87·2% of the entire sequence. One of them, YKR400, encodes an NAD-dependent 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase. YKR404, YKR405 and YKR406 correspond to the previously characterized HBS1, MRP-L20 and PRP16 genes, coding for a translation elongation factor, a mitochondrial ribosomal protein and an ATP-binding protein, respectively. The putative product of YKR407 contains the zinc-binding region signature of neutral zinc metallopeptidases. The five other ORFs do not show significant homology to any known protein. The sequence data reported here have been assigned EMBL accession number Z27116.     

Senescence-Independent Anti-Inflammatory Activity of the Senolytic Drugs Dasatinib,Navitoclax, and Venetoclax in Zebrafish Models of Chronic Inflammation

Telomere shortening is the main molecular mechanism of aging, but not the only one. The adaptive immune system also ages, and older organisms tend to develop a chronic pro-inflammatory status with low-grade inflammation characterized by chronic activation of the innate immune system, called inflammaging. One of the main stimuli that fuels inflammaging is a high nutrient intake, triggering a metabolic inflammation process called metainflammation. In this study, we report the anti-inflammatory activity of several senolytic drugs in the context of chronic inflammation, by using two different zebrafish models: (i) a chronic skin inflammation model with a hypomorphic mutation in spint1a, the gene encoding the serine protease inhibitor, kunitz-type, 1a (also known as hai1a) and (ii) a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH) model with inflammation induced by a high-fat diet. Our results show that, although these models do not manifest premature aging, the senolytic drugs dasatinib, navitoclax, and venetoclax have an anti-inflammatory effect that results in the amelioration of chronic inflammation.     

Differential Proteomic Analysis of the Pancreas of Diabetic db/db Mice Reveals the Proteins Involved in the Development of Complications of Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin-resistance. Diabetes results from pancreatic inability to secrete the insulin needed to overcome this resistance. We analyzed the protein profile from the pancreas of ten-week old diabetic db/db and wild type mice through proteomics. Pancreatic proteins were separated in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and significant changes in db/db mice respect to wild type mice were observed in 27 proteins. Twenty five proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) and their interactions were analyzed using search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins (STRING) and database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID). Some of these proteins were Pancreatic α-amylase, Cytochrome b5, Lithostathine-1, Lithostathine-2, Chymotrypsinogen B, Peroxiredoxin-4, Aspartyl aminopeptidase, Endoplasmin, and others, which are involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins, as well as in oxidative stress, and inflammation. Remarkably, these are mostly endoplasmic reticulum proteins related to peptidase activity, i.e., they are involved in proteolysis, glucose catabolism and in the tumor necrosis factor-mediated signaling pathway. These results suggest mechanisms for insulin resistance, and the chronic inflammatory state observed in diabetes.     

Estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration in waters over the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay: a comparison of remote sensing algorithms

Ocean colour imagery is used increasingly as a tool to assess water quality via chlorophyll-a concentration (chl-a) estimations in European waters. The Bay of Biscay is affected by major river discharges, which alter the constituents of the marine waters. Chlorophyll-a algorithms, designed for use at global scales, are less accurate due to the variability of optically active in-water constituents. Hence, regionally parameterized empirical algorithms are necessary. The main objective of the present study was to develop a regional algorithm to retrieve chl-a in surface water using in situ R _rs, for a subsequent application to Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) satellite images. To address this objective, a platform was developed initially and a measurement procedure adapted for the field HR4000CG Spectrometer. Subsequently, the procedure was tested during a survey over the south-eastern Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic Ocean), to establish a MERIS chl-a algorithm for the area, by comparing different global remote sensing chl-a algorithms, with band ratios. Results validated with the jackknife resampling procedure show a satisfactory relationship between the R _rs(510)/R _{r s}(560) and chl-a (R ² _jac?=?0.681). This ratio is better correlated to chl-a than those obtained with established chl-a remote sensing algorithms. High content in coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM > 0.4 m^?1) and suspended particulate matter (SPM > 2.8 mg l^?1) influenced this relationship, with yellow substances having a stronger effect.     

Genetic Manipulation in Mucorales and New Developments to Study Mucormycosis

The study of the Mucoralean fungi physiology is a neglected field that the lack of effective genetic tools has hampered in the past. However, the emerging fungal infection caused by these fungi, known as mucormycosis, has prompted many researchers to study the pathogenic potential of Mucorales. The main reasons for this current attraction to study mucormycosis are its high lethality, the lack of effective antifungal drugs, and its recent increased incidence. The most contemporary example of the emergence character of mucormycosis is the epidemics declared in several Asian countries as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, this pressure to understand mucormycosis and develop new treatment strategies has encouraged the blossoming of new genetic techniques and methodologies. This review describes the history of genetic manipulation in Mucorales, highlighting the development of methods and how they allowed the main genetic studies in these fungi. Moreover, we have emphasized the recent development of new genetic models to study mucormycosis, a landmark in the field that will configure future research related to this disease.