A role for septins in the interaction between the Listeria monocytogenes INVASION PROTEIN InlB and the Met receptor.

Septins are conserved GTPases that form filaments and are required for cell division. During interphase, septin filaments associate with cellular membrane and cytoskeleton networks, yet the functional significance of these associations have, to our knowledge, remained unknown. We recently discovered that different septins, SEPT2 and SEPT11, regulate the InlB-mediated entry of Listeria monocytogenes into host cells. Here we address the role of SEPT2 and SEPT11 in the InlB-Met interactions underlying Listeria invasion to explore how septins modulate surface receptor function. We observed that differences in InlB-mediated Listeria entry correlated with differences in Met surface expression caused by septin depletion. Using atomic force microscopy on living cells, we show that septin depletion significantly reduced the unbinding force of InlB-Met interaction and the viscosity of membrane tethers at locations where the InlB-Met interaction occurs. Strikingly, the same order of difference was observed for cells in which the actin cytoskeleton was disrupted. Consistent with a proposed role of septins in association with the actin cytoskeleton, we show that cell elasticity is decreased upon septin or actin inactivation. Septins are therefore likely to participate in anchorage of the Met receptor to the actin cytoskeleton, and represent a critical determinant in surface receptor function.

Rehabilitación del Parque Recreativo Cariari : propuesta de actividades de educación ambiental

El proyecto de rehabilitación del "Parque Recreativo Cariari" se enmarca en el proyecto más amplio "Proyecto Limón Ciudad Puerto". Se ubica en la zona más desfavorecida de Costa Rica, a nivel social y de infraestructuras. Nuestra labor en el proyecto de rehabilitación, se centra en la preparación de la propuesta de actividades de educación ambiental, aprovechando los recursos biológicos y geológicos del parque, así como las infraestructuras que incluirá una vez rehabilitado. Para la realización del proyecto fue necesaria una gran revisión bibliográfica, una serie de encuestas y reuniones con escuelas, profesores y la responsable del Ministerio de Educación Pública en la región. También se contactó con personal especializado con materias claves para los talleres. Además se acordó con universidades nacionales la realización de prácticas de sus estudiantes de los sectores de turismo ecológico y administración. Así, el resultado, son los 18 talleres, y la preparación de un hormiguero y un mariposario abierto, que se implementarán durante la rehabilitación del parque. De llevarse a cabo correctamente, se espera que transmitan a sus participantes la importancia ambiental de la zona, implicándolos en la conservación de esta. A nivel general, se espera que el parque sea vía de escape y ayude al progreso social y mejora de la calidad de vida de Limón.

Design Methodology for Corrugated Metal Pipe Tiedowns, HR-332, Phase 1, 1993

Questionnaires were sent to transportation agencies in all 50 states in the U.S., to Puerto Rico, and all provinces in Canada asking about their experiences with uplift problems of - corrugated metal pipe (CMP). Responses were received from 52 agencies who reported 9 failures within the last 5 years. Some agencies also provided design standards for tiedowns to resist uplift. There was a wide variety in restraining forces used; for example for a pipe 6 feet in diameter, the resisting force ranged from 10 kips to 66 kips. These responses verified the earlier conclusion based on responses from Iowa county engineers that a potential uplift danger exists.when end restraint is not provided for CMP and that existing designs have an unclear theoretical or experimental basis. In an effort to develop more rational design standards, the longitudinal stiffness of three CMP ranging from 4 to 8 feet in diameter were measured in the laboratory. Because only three tests were conducted, a theoretical model to evaluate the stiffness of pipes of a variety of gages and corrugation geometries was also developed. The experimental results indicated a "stiffness" EI in the range of 9.11 x 10^5 k-in^2 to 34.43 x 10^5 k-in^2 for the three pipes with the larger diameter pipes having greater stiffness. The theoretical model developed conservatively estimates these stiffnesses.

Fishery of the Goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara (Teleostei: Epinephelidae) based on local ecological knowledge and fishery records in Yucatan, Mexico

The Goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara, a large-bodied (similar to 2.5 m TL, > 400 kg) and critically endangered fish (Epinephelidae), is highly Vulnerable to overfishing. Although protected from fishing in many countries, its exploitation in Mexico is unregulated; a situation that puts its populations at risk. Fishery records of E. itajara are scarce, which prevents determination of its fishery status. This work aimed to elucidate the E itajara fishery in the northern Yucatan Peninsula by 1) analyzing available catch records and 2) interviewing veteran fishermen (local ecological knowledge) from two traditional landing sites: Dzilam de Bravo and Puerto Progreso. Historic fishery records from two fishing cooperatives were analyzed in order to elucidate the current situation and offer viable alternatives for conservation and management. Catches have decreased severely. Local knowledge obtained from fishermen represented a very important source of information for reconstructing the fisheries history of this species. Conservation measures that incorporate regional and international regulations on critically endangered fish species are suggested

Notes per a un exemplar de la Conquesta de València (València, Digo de Gumiel, 1515)

En aquest treball s’ofereix una descripció de l’exemplar de l’Aureum opus regalium privilegiorum civitatis et Regni Valentiae cum historia cristianissimi Regis Iacobi ipsius primi conquistatoris conservat a la Casa del Libro (San Juan, Puerto Rico), una de les darreres aventures editorials de l’impressor Diego de Gumiel (30 d’octubre de 1515).

Dos raros incunables en lengua catalana

En este trabajo se ofrece una panorámica de los estimables fondos incunables de La Casa del Libro (San Juan, Puerto Rico) y se analizan los contenidos de dos impresos barceloneses en lengua catalana de temática religiosa: Vida e transit de Sanct Jheronim (1493) y Gamaliel (c. 1493). El examen de ambos ejemplares confirma su importancia, en especial del segimdo, pues se trata de un ejemplar único en el mundo. También se apuntan diversos aspectos de su dilatada trayectoria y se ofrece una hipótesis sobre su origen.

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009 : analysis of individual data for 25 676 887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75 000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems. FUNDING: Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (Toronto, Canada), Cancer Focus Northern Ireland (Belfast, UK), Cancer Institute New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), Cancer Research UK (London, UK), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA), Swiss Re (London, UK), Swiss Cancer Research foundation (Bern, Switzerland), Swiss Cancer League (Bern, Switzerland), and University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY, USA).

Fruit production in Chile: bright past, uncertain future

In 2007 (the last agricultural census), Chile had 308, 445 ha of fruit orchards: an increase of almost 32% from the previous census (1997). The most important species were table grapes (20%), avocados (13%) and apples (12%). Some 22% of the fruit crops growing area corresponded to juvenile orchards; within the species with higher proportion of juvenile orchards were prunes (42%) and blueberries (56%). Most orchards are located between latitude 27º18` S (Copiapó) and 40º36´S (Puerto Varas). The industry is driven by the export component which accounts for more than 50% of the fruits produced. In the crop season 2009-2010, approximately 254 million boxes (around 2.5 million tons) were exported, representing over US$ 3.5 million. Processed and fresh fruits represented 8.2 and 26.7% of the total forest and agricultural Chilean exports in 2008, respectively. The main markets for this fruits were USA/Canada (42%) and Europe (32%). The fruit grower receives, on average, 12-16% of the total price of the fruit in its final destination. Each year the fruit industry employs 450.000 people directly, of which 1/3 are permanent. Even though the fruit industry employs the highest proportion of the agricultural labor and the growing area has increased in the last 20 years, the proportion of agricultural employment has decreased from 19.5% in 1989 to 10.8% in 2008. It might also be noted that Chile invests only 0.7% of the GDP in research. In the last 40 years, the fruit industry has been a motor for the Chilean economic development, but the lower rates of currency exchange, the rising costs of energy (oil, electricity), and the increasing scarcity of hand labor have drastically reduced the profitability and are putting at risk the viability of a large proportion of the fruit orchards in Chile. It is estimated that this season around 65% of the orchards will have a negative economic balance in their operations. Higher investment in research, improvements in fruit quality and various orchard management practices, as well as higher financial support from the Government are needed for the long term viability of the fruit industry in Chile.

Algunas adventicias notables en el Euphorbieto-Eleusinetum geminatae (ass. nova) de Barcelona

Alternantherarepens (L.j Steud. ( =A. achymnthaR. Br.). Amarantácea procumbente, de hojas elíptico-orbiculares y glomérulos blanco-plateados. Fué hallada en el puerto de Barcelona, junto a las vías del ferrocarril, hacia la parte central del muelle denominado de Barcelona.

Reconstructing native American migrations from whole-genome and whole-exome data.

There is great scientific and popular interest in understanding the genetic history of populations in the Americas. We wish to understand when different regions of the continent were inhabited, where settlers came from, and how current inhabitants relate genetically to earlier populations. Recent studies unraveled parts of the genetic history of the continent using genotyping arrays and uniparental markers. The 1000 Genomes Project provides a unique opportunity for improving our understanding of population genetic history by providing over a hundred sequenced low coverage genomes and exomes from Colombian (CLM), Mexican-American (MXL), and Puerto Rican (PUR) populations. Here, we explore the genomic contributions of African, European, and especially Native American ancestry to these populations. Estimated Native American ancestry is 48% in MXL, 25% in CLM, and 13% in PUR. Native American ancestry in PUR is most closely related to populations surrounding the Orinoco River basin, confirming the Southern American ancestry of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. We present new methods to estimate the allele frequencies in the Native American fraction of the populations, and model their distribution using a demographic model for three ancestral Native American populations. These ancestral populations likely split in close succession: the most likely scenario, based on a peopling of the Americas 16 thousand years ago (kya), supports that the MXL Ancestors split 12.2kya, with a subsequent split of the ancestors to CLM and PUR 11.7kya. The model also features effective populations of 62,000 in Mexico, 8,700 in Colombia, and 1,900 in Puerto Rico. Modeling Identity-by-descent (IBD) and ancestry tract length, we show that post-contact populations also differ markedly in their effective sizes and migration patterns, with Puerto Rico showing the smallest effective size and the earlier migration from Europe. Finally, we compare IBD and ancestry assignments to find evidence for relatedness among European founders to the three populations.

El Barceloneta I. Una embarcación medieval a tingladillo en Barcelona

El año 2008 una intervención arqueológica en un solar cercano al Port Vell de Barcelona permitió estudiar y localizar una importante área del puerto medieval de la ciudad entre el que destacaría el muelle construido en el año 1477 y un pecio de construcción de casco previo y a tingladillo. El presente artículo realiza una aproximación al pecio Barceloneta I desde diferentes enfoques como los estudios palinológicos, dendrocronológicos, además del estudio histórico y arquitectónico. El conjunto de resultados permite situar la embarcación como la evidencia material de las complejas redes de comunicación marítima entre el Atlántico y el Mediterráneo en época Bajo Medieval así como avanzar en el conocimiento de la construcción naval en este periodo.

La Comunicación para el desarrollo y las redes sociales

Investigamos cómo incluir la comunicación para el desarrollo y el cambio social en una plataforma de Facebook. Analizamos si las si las redes sociales pueden actuar en función de la comunicación para el desarrollo, en un contexto delimitado: las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. Analizamos de qué manera los aspectos formales del uso y manejo de la página de Facebook de la Fundación Agenda Ciudadana de San Juan, Puerto Rico, pueden vincularse con temas relacionados con el desarrollo y los derechos otorgados a la ciudadanía. Esta investigación intenta buscar la manera de potenciar nuevos espacios de diálogo entre los ciudadanos mediante las redes sociales.

Trabajo de embarque

Práctica de embarque em el "Coco IX”, es un yate privado a motor propiedad de la empresa Iberostar Hoteles y Apartamentos S.L, con bandera española y lista 7ª. Tiene como puerto base el Club de Mar situado en la ciudad de Palma de Mallorca.

Projecte d'un centre de repoblació de 30.000 postlarves anulas de llamàntols del Mediterrani (Homarus gammarus) a "Sa Caleta de Binillautí" situada a Menorca (Illes Balears)

Aquest Projecte Fi de Carrera consisteix en l’elaboració d’un projecte per poder realitzar la implantació d’un centre de repoblació de llamàntols del mediterrani i contribuir en el restabliment de l’equilibri de crustacis marins a la costa de Menorca. El centre de repoblació s’ubica en una piscifartoria de cria de llobarros i aurades actualment tancada a ‘Sa Caleta de Binillautí’ de Menorca. Es realitza la reforma pertinent de les instal·lacions i edificacions existent per adaptar-les al cultiu del llamàntol. El procés aqüícola consisteix en agafar llamàntols femella gràvides del medi, els ous s’eclosionen i s’obtenen les larves de llamàntol en condicions controlades. D’aquesta manera s’augmenta la taxa de supervivència de les larves. Aquestes es preengreixen en el viver i s’obtenen les postlarves d’últim estadi aptes per engreixar-les en les muscleres del port de Maó. Finalment aquestes postlarves o juvenils serveixen per repoblar la costa del mar de Menorca. Ha estat indispensable l’elaboració d’una memòria, uns annexes relacionats amb la memòria, el plec de condicions, uns plànols i un pressupost. Dins del projecte s’ha de destacar la importància de les particularitats del cultiu del llamàntol, les instal·lacions de subministrament d’aigua marina i l’estudi de viabilitat realitzat.

Los indígenas sanapanás, Carlos Casado y las fotografias de de Sanctis

El español Carlos Casado del Alisal se estableció en la ciudad de Rosario en el año 1857, y configuró un importante número de empresas dedicadas a la producción del trigo, del quebracho colorado de la zona del Chaco Paraguayo, y en especial a la exportación de ambos recursos desde el Puerto de Rosario a Europa y a los Estados Unidos. En este artículo nos referimos a la colaboración que hizo el español republicano Matías Alonso Criado al facilitar a Casado la llegada de la Orden Salesiana a la zona costera del Chaco con la finalidad de "educar" a los indígenas sanapanás. Para elaborar este artículos hemos consultado el Archivio della Sacra Congregazione degli Affari Ecclesiastici Straordinari del Archivio Segreto Vaticano (en adelante A.S.V., A.E.S.).