University of Valencia
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Genomic and phenotypic characterization of 26 novel marine bacterial strains with relevant biogeochemical roles and widespread presence across the global ocean
No full textProkaryotes dominate global oceans and shape biogeochemical cycles, yet most taxa remain uncultured and uncharacterized as of today. Here we present the characterization of 26 novel marine bacterial strains from a large isolate collection obtained from Blanes Bay (NW Mediterranean) microcosm experiments made in the four seasons. Morphological, cultural, biochemical, physiological, nutritional, genomic, and phylogenomic analyses were used to characterize and phylogenetically place the novel isolates. The strains represent 23 novel bacterial species and six novel genera: three novel species pertaining to class Alphaproteobacteria (families Rhodobacteraceae and Sphingomonadaceae), six novel species and three new genera from class Gammaproteobacteria (families Algiphilaceae, Salinispheraceae, and Alteromonadaceae), 13 novel species and three novel genera from class Bacteroidia (family Flavobacteriaceae), and one new species from class Rhodothermia (family Rubricoccaceae). The bacteria described here have potentially relevant roles in the cycles of carbon (e.g., carbon fixation or energy production via proteorhodopsin), nitrogen (e.g., denitrification or use of urea), sulfur (oxidation of sulfur compounds), phosphorus (acquisition and use of different forms of phosphorus and remodeling of membrane phospholipids), and hydrogen (oxidation of hydrogen to obtain energy). We mapped the genomes of the presented strains to the Tara Oceans metagenomes to reveal that these strains were globally distributed, with those of the family Flavobacteriaceae being the most widespread and abundant, while Rhodothermia being the rarest and most localized. While molecular-only approaches are also important, our study stresses the importance of culturing as a powerful tool to further understand the functioning of marine bacterial communities
A combined BET and IQA-REG study of the activation energy of non-polar zw-type [3+2] cycloaddition reactions
No full textA combined Bonding Evolution Theory (BET) and Interacting Quantum Atoms-Relative Energy Gradient (IQA-REG) study is carried out on a non-polar zw-type [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction. BET is the joint use of Catastrophe Theory and the topology of the Electron Localization Function (ELF) to characterise molecular mechanisms, while IQA is a quantum topological energy partitioning method and REG is a method to compute chemical insight at atomistic level, usually in connection with energy. This 32CA reaction involves the simplest nitrone with ethylene and has been studied here at B3LYP/6311G(d,p) level within the context of Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT), which is based on the idea that changes in electron density, and not molecular orbital interactions, are responsible for chemical reactivity. We aim to determine the origin of the high activation energy of 32CA reactions involving zwitterionic three-atom-components. The BET study and IQA-REG method are applied to the overall activation energy path. While BET suggests that the barrier is mainly associated with the rupture of the nitrone CQN double bond, IQA-REG indicates that it is mainly related to the rupture of the ethylene CQC double bond. The present study shows that activation energies can be accurately and easily described by IQA-REG, and its complementary use with BET helps achieving a more detailed description of molecular mechanisms
Calcium oxide nanofertilizer as alternative to common calcium products for the improvement of the amount of peel fruit calcium
No full textThe necessity to improve the effectivity of fertilizers in agriculture, to be more in agreement with the new ecological trends, is a must nowadays. For this purpose, nanoparticles (NPs) could be an interesting alternative thanks to its enhanced characteristics due to the high surface-to-volume ratio. In this point, the use of NPs as nanofertilizers has been demonstrated that could be an alternative to conventional products using bulk macro and micronutrients. However, the effect of NPs on fruits has not been studied yet, although their effect on plants showed enhanced growth, root, shoot length, higher amount of biomass without phytotoxicity effects. In addition, the study of these nanomaterials directly on field has been avoided until now. Therefore, in this work the effect of CaO NPs as foliar feeding nanofertilizers was studied directly on field for different fruits (cherries, apples, peaches, pears, tomatoes, grape, Paraguayan and apricots). For this purpose, the NPs size, the effect of the presence of chelate agents in the product and comparison with bulk fertilizers was evaluated. The results showed that the use of CaO NPs increase the content of Ca2+ in the peel fruit and the peel cell width. In addition, the products using CaO NPs showed similar results than those obtained when a bulk Ca2+ commercially available product is used but using 20 times less CaO than the commercial product. Therefore, the proposed CaO NPs as foliar fertilizer alternative foliar to improve the peel Ca2+ content and the cell width has been demonstrated
Cobaltabis(dicarbollide) Interaction with DNA Resolved at the Atomic Scale
No full textBoron neutron capture therapy represents a promising avenue for cancer treatment that requires nontoxic drugs with a high boron content efficiently distributed into cancerous cells. The metallacarborane o-cobaltabis(dicarbollide) ([COSAN]−) fulfills these requirements and constitutes an attractive candidate. Nevertheless, the interaction of this promising drug with nucleic acids, the assumed target of the biological damage, is poorly understood since contradictory results are reported in the literature. This work establishes the DNA/[COSAN]− interaction strength, mechanism, and time scale at the atomistic level by using a combination of microsecond-molecular dynamics and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations and by quantifying the absolute binding free energy. Results show that the DNA/[COSAN]− interaction is highly dependent on the ionic strength of the medium. A relatively weak DNA major groove binding (ΔGbind= −2.49 kcal/mol) driven mostly by dihydrogen B-H···H-N bonding is observed in the simulations only at a high NaCl concentration, whereas DNA intercalation mode is deemed highly unlikely
Transhumanismo y neuroeducación en perspectiva orteguiana
No full textEste artículo incide en la significatividad de los fines de la educación y la importancia vital de los deseos. Frente a las pretensiones de una tecnología a merced del mercado de las promesas transhumanistas, se retoma la pedagogía del cascabel de Ortega y la importancia de cultivar deseos ascendentes, que no tienen su fundamento en la técnica sino en la vida humana (y no posthumana). El artículo concluye con una defensa del compromiso ético-cívico de una genuina educación humanista radicada en el sentimiento moral de la compasió
How to solve patent disputes? Special mention to Spanish judicial proceedings and arbitration
No full textInventions have been key pieces throughout history and their correct protection canfavour their promotion or harm their development. The conflicts that arise in the patent´s areaare particularly complex from a technical and legal point of view.For this reason, specialised judicial procedures have been established, although they are notcompletely effective in many cases. On the other hand, ADRs are a very interestingalternative and can be much more satisfactory for the parties involved, despite it is necessaryto analyze case by case to choose the best alternative. In particular, arbitration stands out asa very effective alternative
Distribución global del orden Conulariida y sus implicaciones paleobiogeográficas
No full textLos conuláridos son un orden extinto de cnidarios escifozoos que vivieron desde el Ediacárico superior hasta el Triásico Superior. Aspectos tales como su dinámica macroevolutiva, representación ecológica y distribución paleogeográfica han sido poco estudiados. Se ha realizado una base de datos actualizada para conocer la distribución paleobiogeográfica del grupo durante todo su registro fósil. Los conuláridos son organismos cosmopolitas bien representados en latitudes altas, formando comunidades en regiones polares de baja diversidad pero muy abundantes. Gracias a sus adaptaciones al frío sobrevivieron en estos hábitats de aguas frías, a los que habrían sido desplazados incapaces de competir con otros grupos en latitudes intertropicales
Carbamazepine exposure in the sea anemones Anemonia sulcata and Actinia equina: Metabolite identification and physiological responses
No full textPharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants (EC) have been increasingly detected and measured in coastal waters and large effort has been devoted to knowing the effects these substances have in coastal ecosys- tems. Anthozoa class is underrepresented in ecotoxicology studies despite some of their species being endan- gered. Anemonia sulcata and Actinia equina are species widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea. The objectives of this work have been to evaluate the ability of these species to accumulate carbamazepine (CBZ) from water, to determine the effects of this pharmaceutical on some physiological and biochemical endpoints and to characterize the degradation routes followed by this compound in Anthozoa tissues (biotransformation) and water. Sea anemones were exposed to 1 μg L−1 and 100 μg L−1 of CBZ in artificial sea water in a semi-static system for 8 days. At several times small portions of the tentacles and whole organisms were taken. Ion transport (measured as NKATPase activity), energetic metabolism (measured as glucose and lactate levels) and nitrogen excretion (measured as ammonia concentration in tissues) were determined. CBZ-exposed individuals of A. sulcata and A. equina were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) on a quadrupole-time-of-flight (QqTOF). The structures of nine metabolites have been tentatively identified using HRMS and HRMS/MS data with the aid of the free available Medline database. The current work constitutes the first study on the identification of Cnidarian metabolites of CBZ in species of the Anthozoa cla
Sustainability reporting: some challenges from and for the European Union
No full textSustainability reporting emerged strongly at the end of the last century. For the last few years, its status has changed from voluntary to compulsory, at least in the European context. Yet it is not only Europe that is firmly committed to the new reporting system because, internationally, the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation also works at speed in the field. Thus there are two new bodies, the Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB) of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which share the common goal of developing sustainability standards, and with some differences that constitute challenges. In this paper, I focus on the second aspect, particularly on the different views about 'materiality'. This is a rather difficult notion with distinct angles that have provoked some interesting discussions not only institutionally, but also in the academia
Nonlocal perimeter, curvature and minimal surfaces for measurable sets.
No full textIn this paper we study the nonlocal perimeter associated with a nonnegative radial kernel