Displacement of Biomfhalaria glabrata by thiara granifera under natural conditions in the Dominican Republic

After a study of the population dynamics of Biomphalaria glabrata snails in several breeding places in the Dominican Republic, the snail Thiara granifera was introduced in some B. glabrata habitats. T. granifera became established in one point in one habitat in the townof Quisqueya, in the east of the country. Around this point of establishment 6 points were selected in order to observe the population dynamics of both species of snails and the chemical and biological characteristics at each point. Four of these points already harbored B. glabrata. One control point was selected also harboring B. glabrata. After 14 months of observations, the results showed that T. granifera was competing with and displacing B. glabrata. This competition does not seem to be competition for food or vital space. Rather, B. glabrata avoids the presence of T. granifera and moves away to new areas, and this is possibly due to a chemical substance(s) secreted by T. granifera or by physical contact with the large number of individuals of T. granifera.

La crisi sub-prime i el crack de 1929: Comparació d'episodis d'eufòria financera

Treball de recerca realitzat per un alumne d'ensenyament secundari i guardonat amb un Premi CIRIT per fomentar l'esperit científic del Jovent l'any 2009. La present investigació té per objecte d’estudi la relació, atès el període de turbulències econòmiques que travessa el món globalitzat, entre els episodis d’eufòria financera i les crisi financeres i econòmiques, i la periodicitat amb les que aquestes es produeixen. Aquesta pretén confrontar-se des d’una aproximació històric-econòmica, mitjançant l’anàlisi i la comparació de dos successos -el crack borsari de 1929 i la crisi sub-prime- per tal de demostrar la existència de comuns denominadors, i, a la llum dels resultats, apreciar les conclusions que aporta la Història. Serà, doncs, aquesta periodicitat i les seves implicacions la qual s'ambicionarà contrastar amb la realitat mitjançant l'aplicació i l'anàlisi pràctica de dos episodis rellevants i paradigmàtics, amb el recolzament i l'autoritat del model comparatiu establerts per l'economista John Kenneth Galbraith al seu llibre ''Breve historia de la euforia financiera''.

40Ar/39Ar dating of Penninic Front tectonic displacement (W Alps) during the Lower Oligocene (31-34 Ma)

Direct absolute dating of the Penninic Frontal Thrust tectonic motion is achieved using the Ar-40/Ar-39 technique in the Pelvoux Crystalline Massif (Western Alps). The dated phengites were formed syn-kinematically in shear zones. They underline the brittle-ductile stretching lineation, pressure-shadow fibres and slickensides consistent with underthrusting of the European continental slab below the propagating Penninic Thrust. Chlorite-phengite thermobarometry yields 10-15 km and T similar to 280 degrees C, while Ar-40/Ar-39 phengite ages mainly range between 34 and 30 Ma, with one younger age at 27 Ma. This Early Oligocene age range matches a major tectonic rearrangement of the Alpine chain. Preservation of prograde Ar-40/Ar-39 ages is ascribed to passive exhumation of the Pelvoux shear zone network, sandwiched between more external thrusts and the Penninic Front reactivated as an E-dipping detachment fault. Partial resetting in the Low Temperature part of argon spectra below 24 Ma is ascribed to brittle deformation and alteration of phengites.

Re-opening the black box in societal metabolism: the application of MuSIASEM to water

In this paper we address the complexity of the analysis of water use in relation to the issue of sustainability. In fact, the flows of water in our planet represent a complex reality which can be studied using many different perceptions and narratives referring to different scales and dimensions of analysis. For this reason, a quantitative analysis of water use has to be based on analytical methods that are semantically open: they must be able to define what we mean with the term “water” when crossing different scales of analysis. We propose here a definition of water as a resource that deal with the many services it provides to humans and ecosystems. WE argue that water can fulfil so many of them since the element has many characteristics that allow for the resource to be labelled with different attributes, depending on the end use –such as drinkable. Since the services for humans and the functions for ecosystems associated with water flows are defined on different scales but still interconnected it is necessary to organize our assessment of water use across different hierarchical levels. In order to do so we define how to approach the study of water use in the Societal Metabolism, by proposing the Water Metabolism, tganized in three levels: societal level, ecosystem level and global level. The possible end uses we distinguish for the society are: personal/physiological use, household use, economic use. Organizing the study of “water use” across all these levels increases the usefulness of the quantitative analysis and the possibilities of finding relevant and comparable results. To achieve this result, we adapted a method developed to deal with multi-level, multi-scale analysis - the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach - to the analysis of water metabolism. In this paper, we discuss the peculiar analytical identity that “water” shows within multi-scale metabolic studies: water represents a flow-element when considering the metabolism of social systems (at a small scale, when describing the water metabolism inside the society) and a fund-element when considering the metabolism o ecosystems (at a larger scale when describing the water metabolism outside the society). The theoretical analysis is illustrated using two case which characterize the metabolic patterns regarding water use of a productive system in Catalonia and a water management policy in Andarax River Basin in Andalusia.

Possible competitive displacement of planorbids by Melanoides tuberculata in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Several species of snails, including Pomacea haustrum, Marisa cornuarietis and Helisoma duryi, have been identified as probable competitors and/or predators of planorbid intermediate hosts of Schistosoma. During the last few years, studies carried out in the Caribbean region have shown reductions and even disappearances of populations of Biomphalaria glabrata and B. straminea in breeding places where the snail Melanoides tuberculata was introduced. Observations made over a period of 10 years in two lakes close to Belo Horizonte, MG, showed that there were marked reductions in autochthonous populations of B. glabrata and B. straminea after the arrival of M. tuberculata, both Biomphalaria species disappearing completely after eight years.

Avian erythrocytes have functional mitochondria, opening novel perspectives for birds as animal models in the study of ageing.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to mammalian erythrocytes, which have lost their nucleus and mitochondria during maturation, the erythrocytes of almost all other vertebrate species are nucleated throughout their lifespan. Little research has been done however to test for the presence and functionality of mitochondria in these cells, especially for birds. Here, we investigated those two points in erythrocytes of one common avian model: the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of mitochondria in erythrocytes of this small passerine bird, especially after removal of haemoglobin interferences. High-resolution respirometry revealed increased or decreased rates of oxygen consumption by erythrocytes in response to the addition of respiratory chain substrates or inhibitors, respectively. Fluorometric assays confirmed the production of mitochondrial superoxide by avian erythrocytes. Interestingly, measurements of plasmatic oxidative markers indicated lower oxidative stress in blood of the zebra finch compared to a size-matched mammalian model, the mouse. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, those findings demonstrate that avian erythrocytes possess functional mitochondria in terms of respiratory activities and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Interestingly, since blood oxidative stress was lower for our avian model compared to a size-matched mammalian, our results also challenge the idea that mitochondrial ROS production could have been one actor leading to this loss during the course of evolution. Opportunities to assess mitochondrial functioning in avian erythrocytes open new perspectives in the use of birds as models for longitudinal studies of ageing via lifelong blood sampling of the same subjects.

Opening statement by Mr Michael Scanlan, Secretary General of the Department of Health & Children at the meeting of the DÃil Committee of Public Accounts on 7th May 2009

Opening statement by Mr Michael Scanlan, Secretary General of the Department of Health & Children at the meeting of the Dáil Committee of Public Accounts on 7th May 2009 Click here to download PDF 37kb

Untargeted profiling of urinary steroid metabolites after testosterone ingestion: opening new perspectives for antidoping testing.

AIM: Antidoping procedures are expected to greatly benefit from untargeted metabolomic approaches through the discovery of new biomarkers of prohibited substances abuse. RESULTS: Endogenous steroid metabolites were monitored in urine samples from a controlled elimination study of testosterone undecanoate after ingestion. A platform coupling ultra-high pressure LC with high-resolution quadrupole TOF MS was used and high between-subject metabolic variability was successfully handled using a multiblock data analysis strategy. Links between specific subsets of metabolites and influential genetic polymorphisms of the UGT2B17 enzyme were highlighted. CONCLUSION: This exploratory metabolomic strategy constitutes a first step toward a better understanding of the underlying patterns driving the high interindividual variability of steroid metabolism. Promising biomarkers were selected for further targeted study.

The Intra-Alpine terrain: A Paleotethyan remnant in the Alpine Variscides

A Cordilleran type evolution is proposed for the Variscan orogen of middle Europe. This orogenesis is regarded as mainly evolving through terrain accretion and subsequent collapse of the overthickened crust. A major terrain accretion took place between late Devonian and early Carboniferous when the Intra-Alpine terrain collided with the Ligerian-Moldanubian active margin. This terrain is regarded as being a segment of the northern margin of Paleotethys. Oblique subduction of Paleotethys under the newly accreted terrain is responsible for the voluminous calc-alkaline magmatism in late Carboniferous. The Paleotethys subduction has generated a lateral displacement of the eastern part of the Intra-Alpine terrain inducing a duplication of its western end. The late Carboniferous closure of Paleotethys in middle Europe is not found eastward where this closure happened only in early-Triassic times, following the simultaneous opening of the Neotethys ocean and the Meliata back-arc. Palinspastic models of the western Tethyan realm are proposed from the Carboniferous to early Jurassic.

OpenSpires : Opening up Oxford like never before

Oxford University learning technologies group offer a model for effective practice in creating and using OER in research-led teaching environments where academic practice includes dissemination of research which aids/supplements teaching but is not primarily designed as a teaching resource. The University is perceived by many people to be an exclusive institution. It is certainly unique and complex, with characteristics and traditions established over 900 years. An Oxford education offers an exciting combination of privilege and open-mindedness. The role and sustainability of open education technologies in this environment is subtle. Any strategy to effectively encourage the uptake of OERs must be informed by original thinking and reflection about the culture of the organisation. The OpenSpires project was a successful initiative to establish a sustainable set of policies and workflows that would allow departments from across the University of Oxford to regularly publish high quality open content material for global reuse.

Opening Education Beyond the Property Relation: From Commons to Communism

Open Education, and specifically the OER movement, seeks to provide universal access to knowledge, undermining the historical enclosure and the increasing privatisation of the public education system. In this paper we examine this aspiration by submitting the implicit theoretical assumptions of Open Education to the test of critical political economy. We acknowledge the Open Education movement's revolutionary potential but outline the inherent limitations of its current focus on the commons (property relations) rather than the social relations of capitalist production (wage work, the company) and because of this, argue that it will only achieve limited, rather than revolutionary, impact.

Violence and displacement. Evidence from the Spanish civil war (1936-1939)

This paper explores the relationship between violence and displacement during civil war focusing on two different forms of population movements (i.e. incoming and outgoing), and two different forms of violence (i.e. direct and indirect). The paper explores the relationship between displacement and violence at the local level in the context of a civil war fought conventionally using fine-grained data from 1,062 municipalities of the region of Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). First, the paper suggests that exogenous and endogenous to the war factors combine to generate patterns of resettlement. Second, the evidence indicates that, in acivil war context, refugee flows and violence are interrelated in multiple ways: the arrival of internal refugees in a locality promotes the perpetration of direct violence against civilians; this, in turn, triggers the departure of people from the locality when the other group approaches. Third, indirect violence (i.e. bombings) shows to be the most significant factor accounting for external displacement at the local level, suggesting that bombing can serve as a strong signal for civilians of the type of armed group they are facing. Finally, the Spanish case suggests that the demographic changes provoked by displacement, combined with the lethality of the conflict, are likely to have long-term political consequences.