Business Administration

The north of Algeria is the main earthquake-related tsunami generation zone that threatens the Balearic Islands. In this work we review the major seismic series of the area -the 1980 El Asnam and the 2003 Boumerdes-Zemmouri earthquakes-in order to obtain a probable worst characteristic earthquake rupture. We estimate rupture dimensions of 55 km × 16 km, reaching the fault plane a depth of 13 km. The dip and rake have been taken as constants, with values of 50° and 90° respectively, while the strike is adjusted to the local tectonic structure. With these characteristics a magnitude M W = 7.3 earthquake is obtained for an average slip of 4 metres; these values being reasonable for the seismotectonics of the area. Nine sources along the northern coast of Algeria have been proposed, some of them have been mapped offshore and others that are less known are probable continuations of onshore structures. Based on numerical simulations the tsunami impacts of the nine potential events on Majorca have been studied. Catastrophic tsunamis cannot be triggered from these sources in the Balearic Islands. However, wave elevations up to 2 m can generate flooding in low areas and wave amplifications in bays and harbours that can be damaging, as witnessed in historical events.

MTs (metallothioneins) increase the resistance of cells to exposure to high Cu (copper) levels. Characterization of the MT-Cu complex suggests that MT has an important role in the cellular storage and/or delivery of Cu ions to cuproenzymes. In this work we investigate how these properties contribute to Cu homoeostasis by evaluating the uptake, accumulation and efflux of Cu in wildtype and MT I/II null rat fibroblast cell lines. We also assessed changes in the expression of Cu metabolism-related genes in response to Cu exposure. At sub-physiological Cu levels (0.4 µM), the metal content was not dependent on MT; however, when extracellular Cu was increased to physiological levels (10 µM), MTs were required for the cell's ability to accumulate the metal. The subcellular localization of the accumulated metal in the cytoplasm was MT-dependent. Following supra-physiological Cu exposure (> 50 µM), MT null cells had a decreased capacity for Cu storage and an elevated sensitivity to a minor increment in intracellular metal levels, suggesting that intracellular Cu toxicity is due not to the metal content but to the interactions of the metal with cellular components. Moreover, MT null cells failed to show increased levels of mRNAs encoding MT I, SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) and Ccs1 (Cu chaperone for SOD) in response to Cu exposure. These results support a role for MT in the storage of Cu in a safe compartment and in sequestering an intracellular excess of Cu in response to supra-physiological Cu exposure. Gene expression analysis suggests the necessity of having MT as part of the signalling pathway that induces gene expression in response to Cu.

Background: Cold storage is used to inhibit peach fruit ripening during shipment to distant markets. However, this cold storage can negatively affect the quality of the fruit when it is ripened, resulting in disorders such as wooliness, browning or leathering. In order to understand the individual and combined biological effects that factors such as cold storage and ripening have on the fruit and fruit quality, we have taken a comparative EST transcript profiling approach to identify genes that are differentially expressed in response to these factors.

This contribution evaluates the application of coastal video systems to monitoring and management of coastal stability problems on sandy coastlines. Specifically, video-derived parameters (coastal state indicators or CSIs) are developed which facilitate the measurement of the shoreline evolution (erosion/accretion) and response to storms, seasonal cycles and anthropogenic interventions like beach/shoreface nourishment and dredging. The primary variable which forms the basis for all the CSIs discussed in this contribution is the shoreline position derived from timeaveraged video images. These waterlines are used to generate secondary products including shoreline contours at a constant pre-defined level, (intertidal) beach volumes, and momentary shoreline positions which reflect the sand volume in a meter wide section of the intertidal coast. Videoderived coastal state indicators were verified via comparisons with traditional topographical/bathymetric surveying techniques and a good agreement was found in all cases. CSIs were computed for three contrasting sandy coastal environments including an unprotected natural beach, a protected beach and a spit. Firstly, results are presented which demonstrate the advantages of coastal video systems over and above infrequent traditional topographic/bathymetric surveying methods. Namely, the ability of video-derived CSIs to quantify the magnitude, accurate location, precise timing and rates of change associated with individual extreme events and seasonal variability in the wave climate. Secondly, video-derived coastal state indicators were used to monitor two different types of human intervention, including beach nourishments and a dredged pit in a navigation channel. The video-derived datasets of coastal state indicators offered significant improvement to current CZM practices, facilitating better timing of management interventions as well as more effective monitoring of the spatial impact and longevity of these actions.

A user-friendly system called coastal modeling system (SMC) has been developed by the Spanish Ministry of Environment and the University of Cantabria. The system includes several numerical models specifically developed for the application of the methodology proposed in the Spanish Beach Nourishment and Protection Manual. According to this methodology, the SMC is structured into five-modules: (1) Pre-process module; (2) Short-term module; (3) Long-term module; (4) Coastal terrain module; and (5) Tutorial module. The pre-process module allows the processing of a database of morphodynamic information used as input for the different programs and models of the SMC. Short-, Long-term modules include numerical models to analyze coastal systems on different scales of variability (hours-months-years) and are composed of morphodynamic evolution models in cross-profile 2DV and beach plan 2DH. The coastal terrain module allows the user to modify the working bathymetry and to combine bathymetries from different sources in only one working bathymetry. The tutorial module includes a comprehensive collection of coastal engineering design and analysis software. The SMC has a dynamic design and allows the incorporation of future new databases and morphodynamic models. The SMC system is freely distributed to coastal practitioners and has already been implemented in several countries. r

We tested competing models of group effectiveness for 71 distance collaboration groups (equipos) comprised of 200 Mexican business students solving cases via electronic communication in a virtual education program. For one model, task cohesion was specified as an exogenous variable leading to collective efficacy and, ultimately, group effectiveness; whereas, in the second model, task cohesion was specified as a mediator of the relationship between collective efficacy and group effectiveness. The results provided support for the model where task cohesion mediated the relationship between collective efficacy and group effectiveness and where group behavioral performance (facilitating team and peer performance) had a direct effect on group effectiveness. The implications of these findings for the study and management of distance collaboration groups are discussed. #

Aims: This study was performed to elucidate whether mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are involved in the modulation of the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle cells by fatty acids. Main methods: C2C12 myoblasts were cultured in differentiation medium containing 2% horse serum for 3 days, and treated with each fatty acid. Phosphorylation levels of MAPKs were examined by immunoblot analysis. Key findings: The mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), oleic acid (OA) and n−6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−6 PUFAs), linoleic acid (LA), γ-linoleic acid (GLA), and arachidonic acid (AA) increased the proliferation of C2C12 cells. On the other hand, n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFs) did not affect the proliferation of C2C12 cells. In addition, the treatment of cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (c9,t11 CLA) showed an increased cell proliferation. However, trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (t10,c12 CLA) significantly inhibited cell proliferation. Treatment of C2C12 cells with LA, OA, and c9,t11 CLA increased phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK during proliferation. During cell differentiation, OA, LA, and c9,t11 CLA stimulated differentiation of C2C12 cells, whereas t10,c12 CLA inhibited differentiation. We also found that OA, LA, and c9, t11 CLA increased phosphorylation level of ERK1/2, but not JNK during differentiation. Significance: These results suggest that fatty acids are able to modulate the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle and MAPKs may be involved in the modulation of the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle cells by fatty acids.

Bailahuén" is the common name of a medicinal shrub native to Chile where this resinous herb is widely used for its liver stimulating properties. Although the official species is Haplopappus baylahuen Remy (Asteraceae), other species of the same genus are also used in different regions as "bailahuén". A thin layer chromatography (TLC) method for rapid identification of different species and detection of adulterations is described for four of the species: Haplopappus baylahuen, Haplopappus taeda Reiche, Haplopappus multifolius Phil., and Haplopappus remyanus Wedd. To confirm efficiency in all species antioxidant properties were screened in resins, infusions, and methanolic extracts by tests of lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes and free radical scavenging activity by DPPH. In both studies Haplopappus baylahuen showed the lowest antioxidant capacity. In DPPH analyses, infusion and resins of Haplopappus baylahuen also showed the lowest and Haplopappus remyanus the major inhibiting activity of free radicals, while Haplopappus multifolius proved to have the highest result when the methanolic extracts were used. The chemical characterization of the studied species showed important levels of flavonoids and coumarins, with flavonoids predominating in Haplopappus taeda, coumarins in Haplopappus multifolius and both of them in Haplopappus baylahuen and Haplopappus remyanus.

Interest in multimodal function optimization is expanding rapidly since real-world optimization problems often demand locating multiple optima within a search space. This article presents a new multimodal optimization algorithm named as the Collective Animal Behavior (CAB). Animal groups, such as schools of fish, flocks of birds, swarms of locusts and herds of wildebeest, exhibit a variety of behaviors including swarming about a food source, milling around a central location or migrating over large distances in aligned groups. These collective behaviors are often advantageous to groups, allowing them to increase their harvesting efficiency to follow better migration routes, to improve their aerodynamic and to avoid predation. In the proposed algorithm, searcher agents are a group of animals which interact to each other based on the biological laws of collective motion. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of finding global and local optima of benchmark multimodal optimization problems with a higher efficiency in comparison to other methods reported in the literature.

RESUME. La construction de la digue Torres, digue d'agrandissement du port de Gijón (Espagne), requiert une étude préalable des répercussions de l'ouvrage sur la morphodynamique des plages alentour. Cet article traite de la morphodynamique de la plage de San Lorenzo, directement affectée par la présence de la nouvelle digue : les changements induits dans la propagation de la houle, principalement une réduction de l'énergie incidente et la diffraction des fronts, se manifestent sur la plage par une augmentation de la pente du profil et une rotation de la ligne de côte dans le sens horaire. Un rechargement de sable permet d'exploiter ce changement de configuration pour augmenter la largeur de plage sèche, actuellement déficitaire dans la zone ouest, et d'améliorer ainsi la fonctionnalité de la plage.