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In a time of unprecedented coral reef decline, improved aquaculture protocols and high-quality live feeds may contribute to the sustainability of the ornamentals industry producing new valuable and stronger specimens bred under controlled conditions, mitigating the pressure on wild natural stocks. In the present study, the effect of microalgae enriched live feed diets (15 ind. mL−1), the copepod Acartia tonsa and the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, were tested on early larvae stages (0–15 days post hatch) of the orchid dottyback Pseudochromis fridmani. Enriched A. tonsa significantly improved P. fridmani larval growth, survival, biochemical composition, as well as the morphological development of liver, intestine and skeletal system, compared to rotifers treatment. The results obtained showed that is feasible to totally replace the enriched rotifer B. plicatilis with the enriched copepod A. tonsa during first larval feeding of orchid dottybacks, resulting in a more robust larvae with better culture performance. Indeed, feeding larvae with enriched A. tonsa avoid the different negative effects when used enriched rotifers diets, which led to liver steatosis and nuclear pyknosis, delays in intestine and skeletal development, altered proximate composition and FA content. This study provided valuable information about rearing and breeding under controlled conditions of P. fridmani, contributing to its mass scale production and to the implementation of new hatchery protocols employing high quality live feeds. more...

El posicionamiento de México como un país de tránsito desde finales de los años 80, sobre todo en relación con los Estados Unidos, nos permite tener en cuenta su condición geopolítica como un lugar de deslocalización y relocalización mundial. Al mismo tiempo, podemos por lo tanto pensar en los efectos que esta situación tiene en los dos países. En esta condición de tránsito, las posibilidades narrativas de un discurso histórico desde y hacia México y los Estados Unidos han cambiado significativamente, modificando las formas de entender la producción artística. En ese sentido, debemos entender las correlaciones no como un interior y un exterior, sino más bien en términos de flujo y porosidad. Este texto muestra cómo las narrativas y las prácticas del arte contemporáneo mexicano se han transformado a partir de las relaciones binacionales con los Estados Unidos y al mismo tiempo rastrea algunos casos en los que se puede ver cómo es que la producción artística local se ha alterado en los últimos veinte años a partir de los flujos por el territorio Mexicano. more...

The positioning of Mexico as a country of transit, since the end of the 1980s, particularly in relation to the United States, allows us to take into account its geopolitical condition as a place of global delocalisation and relocalisation. At the same time, we can therefore consider the effects of this situation on both countries. In this condition of transit, the narrative possibilities of a historical discourse both to and from Mexico and the United States have changed considerably, modifying thus the ways of understanding artistic production. In this sense, we must understand the correlations not as an inside and an outside, but rather in terms of flow and porosity. This article shows how narratives and practices within contemporary Mexican art have changed based on the bilateral relations with the Unites States, and it also elaborates on some particular cases in which local artistic production has transformed in the last 20 years due to the flows relative to the Mexican territory. more...

La superaleación Hastelloy C–276 usada para la fabricación de impelentes de bombas centrífugas al ser sometidos a condiciones externas desfavorables puede ocasionar la aparición del fenómeno de la corrosión a una bomba centrifuga encargada del transporte de licor lixiviado. Se realizó el análisis microestructural de la superaleación donde se consideró para ello el material sin estar expuesto a condiciones de trabajo y otro retirado de servicio a causa de la corrosión. Se observa que, la mayor área sobre la estructura le corresponde a la austenita dendrítica, con un 76,89 %, lo cual es consistente con la matriz de la superaleación C-276, la ferrita ocupa un 18,33 % y, por último, la presencia de precipitados con 4,79 %. El contenido de austenita está asociado al Ni, elemento mayoritario y ganmágeno, que convierte a la misma en una estructura con estas características. more...

In vitro cell culture systems serve as instrumental platforms for probing biological phenomena and elucidating intricate cellular mechanisms. These systems afford researchers the opportunity to scrutinize cellular responses within a regulated environment, thereby circumventing the ethical and logistical challenges associated with in vivo experimentation. Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures have emerged as a viable alternative to mimic in vivo environments. Within this context, spheroids are recognized as one of the most straightforward and efficacious models, presenting a promising substitute for conventional monolayer cultures. The application of 3D cultures of fish cells remains limited, focusing mainly on physiological and morphological characterization studies. However, given the capacity of spheroids to emulate in vivo conditions, researchers are exploring diverse applications of these 3D cultures. These include eco-toxicology, immunology, drug screening, endocrinology, and metabolism studies, employing a variety of cell types such as fibroblasts, hepatocytes, embryonic cells, gonadal cells, gastrointestinal cells, and pituitary cells. This review provides a succinct overview, concentrating on the most frequently employed methods for generating fish cell spheroids and their applications to date. The aim is to compile and highlight the significant contributions of these methods to the field and their potential for future research. more...

Optimizing growth and feed conversion ratios by improving gut function and health is critial to ensuring cost-effective production in aquaculture, especially in the current context of low fishmeal and low fish oil-based diets. However, the use of practical diets based on high levels of plant-based raw materials as an alternative to traditional marine ingredients has been associated with negative effects on fish performance, feed utilization, and health. Organic acids and their salts have been widely used as functional ingredients not only for their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties, but also for their potential to promote animal digestive capacity and gut health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a mixture of formic acid and sodium formate (Amasil NA®, BASF, Germany- AMA diet) at a dietary level of 0.3%, on key performance indicators, gut morphology and disease resistance to Vibrio anguillarum in juvenile gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). The results of the present study showed that fish fed the AMA diet for 8 weeks, performed similar to fish fed the control diet in terms of growth but presented an optimization of 8% in the utilization of a low in fishmeal and high in plant proteins based diet. The AMA-diet also increased the folds length of gilthead sea bream anterior gut, increasing intestinal absorption area, and decreasing the submucosa width and goblet cell size in the posterior gut when included in a high dietary plant protein content diet. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with Amasil NA® at 0.3% increased gilthead sea bream disease resistance against V. anguillarum compared with fish fed the unsupplemented diet. These results highlight the potential of this combination of formic acid and sodium formate based product as a feed efficiency enhancer, and as a gut health promoter in gilthead sea bream plant protein-based diets. more...

Reseña de: Immanuel Kant. La cuestión de las razas, seguido de Georg Forster, “Algo que añadir sobre las razas humanas”. Editado por Natalia A. Lerussi y Manuel Sánchez Rodríguez. Abada Editores, Madrid, 2021, 247 páginas. ISBN: 978-84-17301-76-7. ORCID more...

The objective of this study was to determine if selected fish genotypes could benefit from the use of functional additives in novel aqua feed formulations to improve growth performance, gut microbiota, immune response, and disease resistance in fish. Two batches of juvenile European sea bass selected for high growth (HG; selected sires x selected dams), and wild types (WT; wild sires x selected females) were fed a “future diet” coated with three different functional additives for 12 weeks as follows: (i) 2 weeks with a high dose, followed by (ii) 10 weeks with a low dose. The functional additives tested were a mixture of probiotics (PROB), organic acids (ORG), and phytogens (PHYTO). A pathogen challenge test (Vibrio anguillarum) and a stress condition (overcrowding) were performed after each dose. At the end of the feeding experiment, fish from the HG group performed better than fish from the WT group in terms of body weight, relative growth, SGR, and DGI. The results of the two challenge tests performed after two weeks of high dose and ten weeks of low dose showed a significant effect of diet on fish survival. GALT-associated gene expression analysis revealed an interaction between the genotype and diet for il-1β in the distal gut. Finally, regarding the gut microbiota, discriminant analysis showed no clear separation between fish fed the future diet and those fed the same diet with experimental additives. Nevertheless, the relative abundance of certain taxa varied between experimental groups. For example, fish fed the ORG diet had higher relative abundance of Streptococcus in both genotypes, whereas fish fed the PHYTO diet had higher abundance of Lactobacillales. In contrast, fish fed PROB had lower abundance of Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. more...

Amid growing concerns about antibiotic resistance, innovative strategies are imperative in addressing bacterial infections in aquaculture. Quorum quenching (QQ), the enzymatic inhibition of quorum sensing (QS), has emerged as a promising solution. This study delves into the QQ capabilities of the probiotic strain Bacillus velezensis D-18 and its products, particularly in Vibrio anguillarum 507 communication and biofilm formation. Chromobacterium violaceum MK was used as a biomarker in this study, and the results confirmed that B. velezensis D-18 effectively inhibits QS. Further exploration into the QQ mechanism revealed the presence of lactonase activity by B. velezensis D-18 that degraded both long- and short-chain acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). PCR analysis demonstrated the presence of a homologous lactonase-producing gene, ytnP, in the genome of B. velezensis D-18. The study evaluated the impact of B. velezensis D-18 on V. anguillarum 507 growth and biofilm formation. The probiotic not only controls the biofilm formation of V. anguillarum but also significantly restrains pathogen growth. Therefore, B. velezensis D-18 demonstrates substantial potential for preventing V. anguillarum diseases in aquaculture through its QQ capacity. The ability to disrupt bacterial communication and control biofilm formation positions B. velezensis D-18 as a promising eco-friendly alternative to conventional antibiotics in managing bacterial diseases in aquaculture. more...

Most commercial products available for Artemia sp. enrichment include high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to boost its nutritional value, though with limited success. In this regard, the present study evaluated the alternative utilization of eicosapentaenoic acid (20 : 5n-3; EPA) oils to improve the n-3 long-chain highly unsaturated fatty acid content (n-3 LC-HUFA) in enriched Artemia sp. to feed greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) larvae. Five experimental emulsions containing increasing levels of EPA from 0.8% to 60% of total fatty acids (TFA) and n-3 LC-HUFA (1.3%–70.6% TFA) were formulated. Each diet was fed to greater amberjack larvae (17–35 days posthatch (dph)) in three replicate 200-L tanks. The dietary EPA supplementation significantly improved larval growth during the feeding trial and survival at 35 dph (P more...

Substitution of fish-based ingredients may alter the nutritional profile of the feeds, including the vitamin contents, ultimately leading to unbalanced vitamin supply. Vitamin A plays an essential role in epithelium preservation, cell differentiation, reproduction, and vision. It also intervenes in skeletogenesis through chondrocytes development. Therefore, low levels of vitamin A may cause poor growth and abnormal bone development among other symptoms. Besides, in gilthead seabream excess vitamin A altered bone structure and homeostasis, indicating that an upper level for vitamin A in feeds for this species must be defined. For this purpose, a practical plant-based diet (FM 10% and FO 6%) containing five increasing levels of vitamin A (24,000, 26,000, 27,000, 31,000, and 37,000 IU/kg) supplemented as retinyl acetate was formulated to identify the effects of high levels of vitamin A for gilthead seabream juveniles. The trial was conducted with 450 total fish distributed into 15 tanks, where each diet was tested in triplicates for 70 days. At the end of the trial, samples were taken for analyses of vitamin A—relevant markers. At the end of the trial the high levels of vitamin A supplementation did not cause a reduction in growth, whereas no significant effect was observed for the feed efficiency, specific growth rate, and feed convertion ratio. Although not significant, retinol content in liver showed a tendency to increase with the elevation of dietary vitamin A levels. Although minor, the highest level of vitamin A dietary content (37,000 IU/kg) caused a significant increase in caudal vertebrae partial fusion as well as caudal vertebrae malformations. Increasing dietary vitamin A was related to a reduction in the occurrence of microhemorrhages in the liver and a reduction in the presence of eosinophils associated to the pancreas. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that gilthead seabream juveniles fed a plant-based diet are able to tolerate very high levels of vitamin A supplementation when supplemented as retinyl acetate. Nevertheless, further supplementation should be avoided in order to reduce the prevalence of anomalies affecting the caudal vertebrae. more...

Functional ingredients have profiled as suitable candidates for reinforcing the fish antioxidant response and stress tolerance. In addition, selective breeding strategies have also demonstrated a correlation between fish growth performance and susceptibility to stressful culture conditions as a key component in species domestication processes. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the ability of a selected high-growth genotype of 300 days post-hatch European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles to use different functional additives as endogenous antioxidant capacity and stress resistance boosters when supplemented in low fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) diets. Three isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets (10% FM/6% FO) were supplemented with 200 ppm of a blend of garlic and Labiatae plant oils (PHYTO0.02), 1000 ppm of a mixture of citrus flavonoids and Asteraceae and Labiatae plant essential oils (PHYTO0.1) or 5000 ppm of galactomannan-oligosaccharides (GMOS0.5). A reference diet was void of supplementation. The fish were fed the experimental diets for 72 days and subjected to a H2O2 exposure oxidative stress challenge. The fish stress response was evaluated through measuring the circulating plasma cortisol levels and the fish gill antioxidant response by the relative gene expression analysis of nfΚβ2, il-1b, hif-1a, nd5, cyb, cox, sod, cat, gpx, tnf-1α and caspase 9. After the oxidative stress challenge, the genotype origin determined the capacity of the recovery of basal cortisol levels after an acute stress response, presenting GS fish with a better pattern of recovery. All functional diets induced a significant upregulation of cat gill gene expression levels compared to fish fed the control diet, regardless of the fish genotype. Altogether, suggesting an increased capacity of the growth selected European sea bass genotype to cope with the potential negative side-effects associated to an H2O2 bath exposure. more...

European sea bass production has increased in recent decades. This increase is associated with an annually rising demand for sea bass, which encourages the aquaculture industries to increase their production to meet that demand. However, this intensification has repercussions on the animals, causing stress that is usually accompanied by dysbiosis, low feed-conversion rates, and immunodepression, among other factors. Therefore, the appearance of pathogenic diseases is common in these industries after immunodepression. Seeking to enhance animal welfare, researchers have focused on alternative approaches such as probiotic application. The use of probiotics in European sea bass production is presented as an ecological, safe, and viable alternative in addition to enhancing different host parameters such as growth performance, feed utilization, immunity, disease resistance, and fish survival against different pathogens through inclusion in fish diets through vectors and/or in water columns. Accordingly, the aim of this review is to present recent research findings on the application of probiotics in European sea bass aquaculture and their effect on growth performance, microbial diversity, enzyme production, immunity, disease resistance, and survival in order to help future research. more...

La Fiebre Mediterránea Familiar (FMF) es un trastorno autoinflamatorio hereditario de herencia autosómica recesiva, producida por mutaciones en el gen MEFV. La aparición de la enfermedad se produce antes de los 30 años de edad y se caracteriza por ataques recurrentes de fiebre y serositis con una duración de 1-4 días y de curación espontánea. Presentamos el caso de una familia que cumple criterios clínicos de FMF y presenta únicamente una mutación heterocigota en el gen MEFV lo cual viene a corroborar la posibilidad de un patrón de expresividad dominante en la FMF more...

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential of two functional additives as gill endogenous antioxidant capacity boosters in European sea-bass juveniles fed low-FM/FO diets when challenged against physical and biological stressors. For that purpose, two isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets with low FM (10%) and FO (6%) contents were supplemented with 5000 ppm plant-derived galactomannan–oligosaccharides (GMOS) or 200 ppm of a mixture of garlic and labiate plant essential oils (PHYTO). A control diet was void from supplementation. Fish were fed the experimental diet for nine weeks and subjected to a confinement stress challenge (C challenge) or a confinement stress challenge combined with an exposure to the pathogen Vibrio anguillarum (CI challenge). Both GMOS and PHYTO diets attenuated fish stress response, inducing lower circulating plasma cortisol and down-regulating nfκβ2 and gr relative gene-expression levels in the gill. This attenuated stress response was associated with a minor energetic metabolism response in relation to the down-regulation of nd5 and coxi gene expression. more...

Fish genetically selected for growth (GS) and reference (REF) fish were fed with CTRL (15% FM, 5–7% FO) or FUTURE (7.5% FM, 10% poultry meal, 2.2% poultry oil + 2.5% DHA-algae oil) diets during a 12-months production cycle. Samples from initial (t0; November 2019), intermediate (t1; July 2020) and final (t2; November 2020) sampling points were used for Illumina 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the adherent microbiota of anterior intestine (AI). Samples from the same individuals (t1) were also used for the gene expression profiling of AI by RNA-seq, and subsequent correlation analyses with microbiota abundances. Discriminant analyses indicated the gut bacterial succession along the production cycle with the proliferation of some valuable taxa for facing seasonality and different developmental stages. An effect of genetic background was evidenced along time, decreasing through the progression of the trial, namely the gut microbiota of GS fish was less influenced by changes in diet composition. At the same time, these fish showed wider transcriptomic landmarks in the AI to cope with these changes. Our results highlighted an enhanced intestinal sphingolipid and phospholipid metabolism, epithelial turnover and intestinal motility in GS fish, which would favour their improved performance despite the lack of association with changes in gut microbiota composition. Furthermore, in GS fish, correlation analyses supported the involvement of different taxa with the down-regulated expression of pro-inflammatory markers and the boosting of markers of extracellular remodelling and response to bacterium. Altogether, these findings support the combined action of the gut microbiome and host transcriptionally mediated effects to preserve and improve gut health and function in a scenario of different growth performance and potentiality. more...

SARS-CoV-2 has spread across the world, causing high mortality and unprecedented restrictions on social and economic activity. Policymakers are assessing how best to navigate through the ongoing epidemic, with computational models being used to predict the spread of infection and assess the impact of public health measures. Here, we present OpenABM-Covid19: an agent-based simulation of the epidemic including detailed age-stratification and realistic social networks. By default the model is parameterised to UK demographics and calibrated to the UK epidemic, however, it can easily be re-parameterised for other countries. OpenABM-Covid19 can evaluate non-pharmaceutical interventions, including both manual and digital contact tracing, and vaccination programmes. It can simulate a population of 1 million people in seconds per day, allowing parameter sweeps and formal statistical model-based inference. The code is open-source and has been developed by teams both inside and outside academia, with an emphasis on formal testing, documentation, modularity and transparency. A key feature of OpenABM-Covid19 are its Python and R interfaces, which has allowed scientists and policymakers to simulate dynamic packages of interventions and help compare options to suppress the COVID-19 epidemic. more...

An effective replacement for fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) based on plant-based raw materials in the feed of marine fish species is necessary for the sustainability of the aquaculture sector. However, the use of plant-based raw materials to replace FM and FO has been associated with several negative health effects, some of which are related to oxidative stress processes that can induce functional and morphological alterations in mucosal tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary oligosaccharides of plant origin (5,000 ppm; galactomannan oligosaccharides, GMOS) and a phytogenic feed additive (200 ppm; garlic oil and labiatae plant extract mixture, PHYTO) on the oxidative stress status and mucosal health of the gills of juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). The experimental diets, low FM and FO diets (10%FM/6%FO) were supplemented with GMOS from plant origin and PHYTO for 63 days. GMOS and PHYTO did not significantly affect feed utilization, fish growth, and survival. GMOS and PHYTO downregulated the expression of β-act, sod, gpx, cat, and gr in the gills of the fish compared with that in fish fed the control diet. The expression of hsp70 and ocln was upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the GMOS group compared with that in the control group, whereas the expression of zo-1 was downregulated in the PHYTO group compared with that in the GMOS group. The morphological, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical parameters of the fish gills were mostly unaffected by GMOS and PHYTO. However, the PHYTO group had lower incidence of lamellar fusion than did the control group after 63 days. Although the tissular distribution of goblet cells was unaffected by GMOS and PHYTO, goblet cell size showed a decreasing trend (−11%) in the GMOS group. GMOS and PHYTO significantly reduced the concentration of PCNA+ in the epithelium of the gills. The above findings indicated that GMOS and PHYTO in low FM/FO-based diets protected the gill epithelia of D. labrax from oxidative stress by modulating the expression of oxidative enzyme-related genes and reducing the density of PCNA+ cells in the gills of the fish. more...

Several amino acids (AA) are known to regulate key metabolic pathways that are crucial for immune responses. In particular, arginine (ARG) appears to have important roles regarding immune modulation since it is required for macrophage responses and lymphocyte development. Moreover, citrulline (CIT) is a precursor of arginine, and it was reported as an alternative to ARG for improving macrophage function in mammals. The present study aimed to explore the effects of dietary ARG and CIT supplementation on the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) immune status. Triplicate groups of fish (23.1 ± 0.4 g) were either fed a control diet (CTRL) with a balanced AA profile, or the CTRL diet supplemented with graded levels of ARG or CIT (i.e., 0.5 and 1% of feed; ARG1, CIT1, ARG2, and CIT2, respectively). After 2 and 4 weeks of feeding, fish were euthanized and blood was collected for blood smears, plasma for humoral immune parameters and shotgun proteomics, and head-kidney tissue for the measurement of health-related transcripts. A total of 94 proteins were identified in the plasma of all treatments. Among them, components of the complement system, apolipoproteins, as well as some glycoproteins were found to be highly abundant. After performing a PLS of the expressed proteins, differences between the two sampling points were observed. In this regard, component 1 (61%) was correlated with the effect of sampling time, whereas component 2 (18%) seemed associated to individual variability within diet. Gilthead seabream fed ARG2 and CIT2 at 4 weeks were more distant than fish fed all dietary treatments at 2 weeks and fish fed the CTRL diet at 4 weeks. Therefore, data suggest that the modulatory effects of AA supplementation at the proteome level were more effective after 4 weeks of feeding and at the higher inclusion level (i.e., 1% of feed). The bactericidal activity increased in fish fed the highest supplementation level of both AAs after 4 weeks. Peripheral monocyte numbers correlated positively with nitric oxide, which showed an increasing trend in a dose-dependent manner. The colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor tended to be up-regulated at the final sampling point regardless of dietary treatments. Data from this study point to an immunostimulatory effect of dietary ARG or CIT supplementation after 4 weeks of feeding in the gilthead seabream, particularly when supplemented at a 1% inclusion level. more...

El presente artículo consiste en un estudio del proceso de finalización de la pintura no-figurativo en la plástica costarricense, a través de la obra Ola creciente (1967) de Rafael Ángel Felo García, como un acercamiento a la pintura costarricense de la década de los setenta del siglo XX. Metodológicamente, se recurre al análisis semiótico del texto artístico, esto para interpretar el signo de manera gradual, a través de los tres niveles del signo (sintáctico, semántico y pragmático). Además, se conceptualizan las nociones de “expresionismo” y de “arte abstracto” como acercamiento teórico. Por otra parte, se refiere a la I Bienal Centroamericana de Pintura (1971) como contexto socio-histórico costarricense. Esto permite observar cómo el veredicto de dicho certamen tuvo influencia directa en el proceso de conclusión del arte no-figurativo costarricense, al tiempo que devela referencialidades no antes vistas, u obviadas por la crítica, en Ola creciente de este pintor costarricense. more...

Desde el 2009 ha aparecido una pregunta por la condición de la crítica de arte en México, que algunos han identificado como una crisis y que relacionan con su supuesta ineficacia. Sin embargo, esa supuesta ineficacia es producto de la mitologización de la labor crítica, así como de la falta de una genealogía que permita identificar cómo es que la crítica de arte ha funcionado en diferentes momentos. Lo que me interesa mostrar en este texto es precisamente que la crítica en México ha enunciado de diferentes maneras el espacio y el tiempo y que la supuesta crisis de la crítica actual es producida, parcialmente, por la introducción de la noción de “lo contemporáneo” como parte de un proceso. Dicho proceso tiene que ver, en parte, con la pérdida de vigencia del concepto de estilo, que era fundamental para poder determinar si una obra era “de arte” o no, y que dejó de operar a mediados de la década de los noventa. more...

There is an increasing interest from the aquafeed industry in functional feeds containing selected additives that improve fish growth performance and health status. Functional feed additives include probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, and phytogenics (substances derived from plants and their extracts). This study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of a mucilage extract rich in galactomannan oligosaccharides (GMOS), a mixture of garlic and labiatae-plants oils (PHYTO), and a combination of them (GMOSPHYTO), on gut microbiota composition of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed with a low fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO) diet. Three experimental diets and a control diet (plant-based formulation with 10% FM and 6% FO) were tested in a 63-days feeding trial. To analyze the microbiota associated to feeds and the intestinal autochthonous (mucosa-adhered) and allochthonous (transient) microbial communities, the Illumina MiSeq platform for sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and QIIME2 pipeline were used. Metabarcoding analysis of feed-associated bacteria showed that the microbial communities of control (CTRL) feed deeply differed from those of experimental diets. The number of reads was significantly lower in CTRL feed than in other feeds. The OTU (operational taxonomic unit) number was instead similar between the feeds, ranging from 42 to 50 OTUs. The variation of resident gut microbiota induced by diet was lower than the variation of transient intestinal microbiota, because feedstuffs are a major source of allochthonous bacteria, which can temporarily integrate into the gut transient microbiome. However, the composition of transient bacterial communities was not simply a mirror of feed-borne bacteria. Indeed, the microbial profile of feeds was different from both faecal and mucosa profiles. Our findings suggest that the dietary inclusion of GMOS (0.5%) and PHYTO (0.02%) in a low FM and FO diet induces changes in gut microbiota composition of European sea bass. However, if on allochthonous microbiota the combined inclusion of GMOS and PHYTO showed an antagonistic effect on bactericidal activity against Vibrionales, at mucosa level, only GMOSPHYTO diet increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidales, Lactobacillales, and Clostridiales resident bacterial orders. The main beneficial effects of GMOS and PHYTO on gut microbiota are the reduction of coliforms and Vibrionales bacteria, which include several potentially pathogenic species for fish, and the enrichment of gut microbiota composition with butyrate producer taxa. Therefore, these functional ingredients have a great potential to be used as health-promoting agents in the farming of European sea bass and other marine fish. more...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the philosophies of the late Heidegger and the young Marx side by side to show how, while differing radically in some important aspects, both philosophies are motivated by similar concerns and are not so different as to preclude a productive dialogue between them. In so far as both thinkers can be said to have thought, taking the word in a Heideggerian sense, the "same", the way both philosophies diverge from each other can be especially illuminating when it comes to offering a clear interpretation of them (a task which is especially important to gain an understanding of Heidegger's philosophy which is often obscure). We'll see how Heidegger's notion of finitude implies a series of criticisms of Marx's philosophy. Finally, I'll pose a question regarding the limits of Heidegger's criticism of Marx, considering that this criticism goes as far as to criticize the idea that all human beings are equal and so implies a rejection of the idea of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

European sea bass were fed four low FM/FO (10%/6%) diets containing galactomannan oligosaccharides (GMOS), a mixture of garlic oil and labiatae plants oils (PHYTO), or a combination of both functional products (GMOSPHYTO) for 63 days before exposing the fish to an intestinal Vibrio anguillarum infection combined with crowding stress. In order to evaluate functional diets efficacy in terms of gut health maintenance, structural, cellular, and immune intestinal status were evaluated by optical and electron microscopy and gene expression analyses. A semi-automated software was adapted to determine variations in goblet cell area and mucosal mucus coverage during the challenge test. Feeding with functional diets did not affect growth performance; however, PHYTO and GMOS dietary inclusion reduced European sea bass susceptibility to V. anguillarum after 7 days of challenge testing. Rectum (post-ileorectal valve) showed longer (p = 0.001) folds than posterior gut (pre-ileorectal valve), whereas posterior gut had thicker submucosa (p = 0.001) and higher mucus coverage as a result of an increased cell density than rectum. Functional diets did not affect mucosal fold length or the grade of granulocytes and lymphocytes infiltration in either intestinal segment. However, the posterior gut fold area covered by goblet cells was smaller in fish fed GMOS (F = 14.53; p = 0.001) and PHYTO (F = 5.52; p = 0.019) than for the other diets. PHYTO (F = 3.95; p = 0.049) reduced posterior gut goblet cell size and increased rodlet cell density (F = 3.604; p = 0.068). Dietary GMOS reduced submucosal thickness (F = 51.31; p = 0.001) and increased rodlet cell density (F = 3.604; p = 0.068) in rectum. Structural TEM analyses revealed a normal intestinal morphological pattern, but the use of GMOS increased rectum microvilli length, whereas the use of PHYTO increased (p≤0.10) Ocln, N-Cad and Cad-17 posterior gut gene expression. After bacterial intestinal inoculation, posterior gut of fish fed PHYTO responded in a more controlled and belated way in terms of goblet cell size and mucus coverage in comparison to other treatments. For rectum, the pattern of response was similar for all dietary treatments, however fish fed GMOS maintained goblet cell size along the challenge test. more...

Terrestrial protein and lipid sources are commonly used as substitutes for marine fishery-derived raw ingredients in fish diets. However, their use is related with several side-effects on marine fish performance, health, or disease resistance. Physical barriers of the skin, gills, and gut constitute the primary defense mechanism of fish. Skin mucus mucosal mucins, water, proteins, ions, and lipids determine the physical, chemical, and protective characteristics of skin mucus. Very little is known about the influence of diet composition on fish skin mucus fatty acid profile. Gilthead sea bream skin mucus contained 10% of total lipids (TL), which consisted of 50⁻60% neutral (NL) and 40⁻50% polar lipids (PL) fractions. Σn−3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) deposition was preferential in the NL fraction, whereas Σn−6LC-PUFA accumulation was similar in both lipid classes. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n−3) was the main LC-PUFA stored in skin mucus (14% TL) in relation to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n−3) (2⁻3% TL) and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n−6) (2% TL). This study denotes the importance of DHA as component of skin mucus lipids compared to other essential fatty acids, such as EPA and ARA, as well as importance of maintaining an adequate Σn−3/ Σn−6 ratio, regardless of dietary intake. more...

El presente artículo analiza el texto pictórico El jardín de las delicias (1480-1490) del pintor neerlandés Jerónimo Bosch (1450-1516), El Bosco, a partir de los postulados teóricos de Michel Foucault. En primera instancia, se observan los componentes icónicos y su referencialidad, como parte de una visión de mundo determinada por lo sociocultural. Por otra parte, se estudia la relación de la pintura con el discurso religioso, dentro del desarrollo de la “pastoral” y la condición de la monstruosidad humana, explicadas por Michel Foucault en su texto Los anormales. more...

Dietary fatty acids have been shown to exert a clear effect on the stress response, modulating the release of cortisol. The role of fatty acids on the expression of steroidogenic genes has been described in mammals, but little is known in fish. The effect of different fatty acids on the release of cortisol and expression of stress-related genes of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) head kidney, induced by a pulse of adenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH), was studied. Tissue was maintained in superfusion with 60 min of incubation with EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid (ARA), linoleic acid or α-linolenic acid (ALA) during 490 min. Cortisol was measured by RIA. The quantification of stress-related genes transcripts was conducted by One-Step TaqMan real-time RT-PCR. There was an effect of the type of fatty acid on the ACTH-induced release of cortisol, values from ALA treatment being elevated within all of the experimental period. The expression of some steroidogenic genes, such as the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and c-fos, were affected by fatty acids, ALA increasing the expression of StAR after 1 h of ACTH stimulation whereas DHA, ARA and ALA increased the expression of c-fos after 20 min. ARA increased expression of the 11β-hydroxylase gene. Expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was increased in all the experimental treatments except for ARA. Results corroborate previous studies of the effect of different fatty acids on the release of cortisol in marine fish and demonstrate that those effects are mediated by alteration of the expression of steroidogenic genes. more...

Las obras artísticas, como resultado manifiesto de un determinado grupo humano, en su existir exponen la presencia social. Asimismo, se constituyen en eco de las transformaciones sociales y en repercusión de los productos culturales heredados. Por ende, sirven como lectura primigenia de los cambios contextuales que les dan origen. En este sentido, el estudio de los textos paisajistas de Felo García posibilita una lectura de las formaciones socio-culturales, en la Costa Rica de fin de siglo XX. El tema eje de este estudio consiste en el análisis semiótico de las obras pictóricas “Panal” (1991) y “Enjambre” (1994), donde se observa el proceso de (re)presentación del espacio nacional, a través de la pintura de paisaje urbano del artista costarricense Rafael Ángel “Felo” García, durante el último cuarto del siglo XX. De este modo, el producto cultural servirá como objeto de estudio, particularmente en su (re)presentación de un espacio nacional, el cual establece una nueva visión o re-visión de esta imagen, que fue construyéndose a lo largo de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX y durante la mayor parte del siglo XX. Este proceso se dio a través de formas como: el discurso literario, el periodístico, los himnos, los monumentos, entre otros, y se ha instaurado en el imaginario colectivo costarricense. more...

The human ATRX gene encodes hATRX, a chromatin-remodeling protein harboring an helicase/ATPase and ADD domains. The ADD domain has two zinc fingers that bind to histone tails and mediate hATRX binding to chromatin. dAtrx, the putative ATRX homolog in Drosophila melanogaster, has a conserved helicase/ATPase domain but lacks the ADD domain. A bioinformatic search of the Drosophila genome using the human ADD sequence allowed us to identify the CG8290 annotated gene, which encodes three ADD harboring- isoforms generated by alternative splicing. This Drosophila ADD domain is highly similar in structure and in the amino acids which mediate the histone tail contacts to the ADD domain of hATRX as shown by 3D modeling. Very recently the CG8290 annotated gene has been named dadd1. We show through pull-down and CoIP assays that the products of the dadd1 gene interact physically with dAtrxL and HP1a and all of them mainly co-localize in the chromocenter, although euchromatic localization can also be observed through the chromosome arms. We confirm through ChIP analyses that these proteins are present in vivo in the same heterochromatic regions. The three isoforms are expressed throughout development. Flies carrying transheterozygous combinations of the dadd1 and atrx alleles are semi-viable and have different phenotypes including the appearance of melanotic masses. Interestingly, the dAdd1-b and c isoforms have extra domains, such as MADF, which suggest newly acquired functions of these proteins. These results strongly support that, in Drosophila, the atrx gene diverged and that the dadd1-encoded proteins participate with dAtrx in some cellular functions such as heterochromatin maintenance. more...

RESUMEN: El presente artículo trata de revisar algunas de las ideas clave del pensamiento de Estrabón y su finalidad dentro de la Geografía: el determinismo geográfico, la geografía económica y el imperialismo. Una nueva lectura crítica del texto permite llegar a conclusiones sustancialmente distintas a las de buena parte de la historiografía actual. Así el determinismo geográfico posidoniano no influye teóricamente en Estrabón, quien por el contrario lo crítica; la geografía económica, por sus inexactitudes internas y por el peso de la tradición geográfica anterior, no responde a los intereses romanos de apropiación de las materias primas provinciales; y por último el imperialismo existe con matices, dado que es cierto que la conquista romana es aprobada cuando se produce sobre poblaciones bárbaras, pero cuando se lleva a cabo sobre las ciudades y países helénicos, Estrabón se limita a un sospechoso silencio. ABSTRACT: The present article try to re-examine some of the key questions in Strabo's thought and its intention in the Geography: the geographical determinism, the economic geography and the imperialism. A new critical lecture of the text allow us to reach new conclusions, differents to those of a big part of the actual historiography. So that the geographical posidonian determinism does not have theoretical influence on Strabo, who, on the contray, critics him. The economic geography for its internals misakes, and for the previous geographical traditional weight, doesn't respond to the roman interests on the appropriation of the provintials primes goods; and last the imperialism exists with some nuances, as it is true that Strabo is agreed with roman conquest when it is done on barbarians, but when it is done on hellenistic towns or nations Strabo confines himself to a suspicious silence. more...

In this paper I offer a critical reading of some aspects of Heidegger's late philosophy and evaluate how these relate to his nationalist claim that we need to stay rooted in the soil of our homeland. In response to this claim, Žižek suggests thet being-rootless is the primordial state of being-human and that what we represent as our roots are secondary attempts to obfuscate this dimension. First, I will present Heidegger's philosophy of technology to elucidate his thesis that the essence of modern technology (Gestell) determinates the way we come to experience the totality of beings in our times as "standing reserve". In the second section, I expound his aesthetics where art is seen as a mode of approaching entities that follows a different logic to that of the Gestell. However, this analysis of Heidegger's philosophy of art will reveal a political dimension to the concept of earth which I take to be a reactionary attempt to neutralize the eventual dimension of the Gestell. In the third section, I offer a critical re-interpretation of Heidegger's philosophy following Žižek's clue. I argue that modern art is characterized by its self-reflexive character which can be deemed transcendental once we accept the ontological dimension of art following Heidegger. These works offer a rooting in our own rootless condition analogous to the grounding in the Abgrund of Hegel's absolute knowledge. Finally, I offer an analysis of Quentin Tarantino's Inglorius Basterds from the perspective of the conceptual framework developed in the previous pages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

This study builds a strategic design model adversarial justice under the signs of theoretical frameworks and construction of new paradigms to strengthen international human rights policy under the principles of due process of law. The experiences that the Mexican state has developed since 2008, traffic in adversarial and inquisitorial model to deal with different variables in addition to its legislation on constitutional matters, trial guarantees, restorative justice; as well as the incorporation of international treaties into its positive law; confronts new manifestations that globalization has made macrocriminality and a culture, often corrupt, simulation, opacity and impunity, experiences, all of them, analyzed in light of Criminal Science to provide legal mechanisms and whose utility is considered and placed on the table of theoretical discussion and, where appropriate, legislative effect to be incorporated into the new criminal legislation of the Republic of Uruguay. The autonomy of the prosecution, combating the so-called tax havens, the fight against organized crime since the Palermo Convention, innovation mechanisms such forfeiture by the state to absorb the profits or illegal proceeds seeking legalized through corrupt and elastic taxation rules for "the laundering of" practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

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The effect of high dose vanadium ion implantation and pulsed laser annealing on the crystal structure and sub-bandgap optical absorption features of V-supersaturated silicon samples has been studied through the combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. Interest in V-supersaturated Si focusses on its potential as a material having a new band within the Si bandgap. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry measurements and formation energies computed through quantum calculations provide evidence that V atoms are mainly located at interstitial positions. The response of sub-bandgap spectral photoconductance is extended far into the infrared region of the spectrum. Theoretical simulations (based on density functional theory and many-body perturbation in GW approximation) bring to light that, in addition to V atoms at interstitial positions, Si defects should also be taken into account in explaining the experimental profile of the spectral photoconductance. The combination of experimental and theoretical methods provides evidence that the improved spectral photoconductance up to 6.2 µm (0.2 eV) is due to new sub-bandgap transitions, for which the new band due to V atoms within the Si bandgap plays an essential role. This enables the use of V-supersaturated silicon in the third generation of photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...