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Ksar Ghilène is a 300 inhabitant isolated village located in the Sahara desert at the South of Tunisia and belonging to the region of Kébili. Due to the particular location of this site, there was no local fresh water source before 2006 and this community had been depending on the external water supply, transported by trucks. The 10.5 kWp PV-powered RO desalination system (based on the international patent DESSOL®) with a nominal water capacity of 50 m3/d was commissioned in June 2006 and currently in operation. The whole project was developed by Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias within the framework of the Spanish–Tunisian cooperation, thanks to the economic support of the Spanish cooperation and the Canary Islands cooperation. This paper presents and assesses the operation data and lessons learnt with the whole system for the period 2006–2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rumen digestion of three maize hybrids with contrasting characteristics: flint (PROZEA 33), semi dent (AW 190 mg) and dent (CL 849 EXP), presented in the form of whole grains and three milling fractions, was evaluated. Each material was incubated in the rumens of 3 Hereford steers, fitted with rumen cannulaes, in nylon bags, for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 and 48 hours for the three fractions, and 48 hours only for whole grain. The information obtained was fitted by an exponential equation with lag time, and the results subjected to analysis of variance and compared by test of Tukey. The highest effective degradability (ED) (p<0.05) was that of the dent hybrid, followed by the semi dent and, finally, the flint hybrid, but the last two were not significantly different. The comparison between fractions shows that the highest ED was found in the smallest one (p<0.05), with no differences between the other two. The ED of the whole grains was very low for all hybrids. It is concluded that the particle size obtained by grinding and the hybrid type affect the rumen digestion of the maize grain, and that the whole grains of maize are poorly digested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se reportan los aspectos reproductivos (temporada de desove, la talla y el peso de madurez, y la fecundidad) de Octopus hubbsorum para la Isla Espíritu Santo, sur del Golfo de California (México). Se capturó un total de 230 pulpos (46% hembras y 54% machos) entre junio de 2006 y junio de 2007. La proporción sexual no fue significativamente diferente a 1:1 (P > 0.05) a excepción de noviembre, cuando se capturaron más machos que hembras. Se establecieron cuatro fases de madurez gonádica para ambos sexos: inmaduro, desarrollo, maduro y predesove (para hembras) o desove (para machos). La principal temporada de desove de O. hubbsorum se presentó en otoño, cuando se registró una temperatura superficial del mar entre 24 y 29 °C. La talla y el peso de madurez fue de 390 mm y 445 g, respectivamente, para los machos y de 490 mm y 680 g, respectivamente, para las hembras. La fecundidad potencial promedio fue de 205,144 ovocitos por hembra y la fecundidad relativa promedio fue de 309 ovocitos por gramo de peso corporal de la hembra. Aparentemente las hembras en desarrollo utilizan sustancias provenientes de la glándula digestiva. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive aspects (spawning season, size and weight at maturity, and fecundity) of Octopus hubbsorum are reported for Espíritu Santo Island, southern Gulf of California (Mexico). A total of 230 octopuses were captured (46% females and 54% males) between June 2006 and June 2007. The sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1 (P > 0.05) except in November, when more males were captured than females. Four sexual maturity stages were established for both sexes: immature, maturing, mature, and prespawning (for females) or spawning (for males). The principal spawning season of O. hubbsorum occurred in autumn, when sea surface temperature ranged from 24 to 29 °C. The size and weight at maturity were 390 mm and 445 g, respectively, for males and 490 mm and 680 g, respectively, for females. The mean potential fecundity was 205,144 oocytes per female and the mean relative fecundity was 309 oocytes per gram of female body weight. Maturing females apparently use substances stored in the digestive gland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work the conditions of atoms formation in the flame atomizer for atomic absorption were determined for a big group of chemical elements: the thermal stability of compounds which produced the free atoms, the atomization modes isobaric and equimolar, for the stoichiometric and reduction airacetylene flames, the time of particles evaporation, and was constructed the evaporation graphic for Mg based on the diffusion model of Langmuir equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of E-cadherin expression in squamous cell carcinomas of the supraglottic larynx. 101 primary carcinomas were retrospectively studied. The level of E-cadherin expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. There was a significant correlation between decreased E-cadherin expression and the presence of nodal metastases (P=0.007). T-stage (P=0.025) and histological grade (P=0.043) were also associated with nodal metastases. Multivariate analysis confirmed that these three parameters were independent predictors of nodal metastases. Decreased E-cadherin expression also correlated with an increase in recurrence rates (P=0.019). However, in multivariate analysis only pathological N-stage was significantly associated with disease-specific survival. We conclude that E-cadherin is an independent predictor of nodal metastases in supraglottic squamous cell carcinomas. Determination of E-cadherin expression levels might be useful in identifying patients with clinically negative lymph nodes who are at risk of occult metastases, allowing more effective treatment strategies to be implemented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Prothymosin (ProTα) is an acidic nuclear protein, widely distributed in mammalian cells, whose expression is regulated by c-myc and linked to cell proliferation. ProTα interacts with histone H1 via its acidic domain, and its overexpression provokes the unfolding of chromatin fibers. Here we show that incubation of human native metaphase chromosomes with ProTα induces their extensive unravelling suggesting a function of this protein in chromosome decondensation. Copyright © 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]