A scenario-based analysis of the effect of carbon pricing on organic livestock farm performance: A case study of Spanish dehesas and rangelands.

The current livestock farm production model is being questioned due to its excessive use of resources and impacts on the environment, and it has played a major role in climate change due to the excessive level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A valid tool in the reduction of such emissions is the imposition of a tax on CO2 emissions that can act as an economic and financial instrument. Additionally, livestock production based on grazing animals is proposed as a more sustainable model that involves improved environmental practices and provides society with various ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration. The main purpose of this paper is to estimate the maximum price per tonne of CO2 equivalent (eq) that could be borne by the various models of organic livestock farms in the dehesas and rangelands of southwestern Spain. With this purpose in mind, we have made a scenario-based estimation of the environmental-economic balance in three different scenarios considering farm emissions and CO2 sequestration levels. The results show that the maximum price that farms can bear is within a range of € 0.20 to € 792/tn of CO2 eq depending on the scenario analysed and the production model. In the cases in which carbon sequestration balances GHG emissions, the implementation of carbon pricing implies additional economic income for farm accounts.

Zebularine regulates early stages of mESC differentiation: effect on cardiac commitment.

Lineage commitment during embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation is controlled not only by a gamut of transcription factors but also by epigenetic events, mainly histone deacetylation and promoter DNA methylation. The DNA demethylation agent 5'-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AzadC) has been widely described as an effective promoter of cardiomyogenic differentiation in various stem cell types. However, its toxicity and instability complicate its use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of zebularine (1-(ß-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-1), a stable and non-toxic DNA cytosine methylation inhibitor, on mouse ESC (mESC) differentiation. Herein, we report that treating embryoid bodies, generated from mESCs, with 30 µM zebularine for 7 days led to greater cell differentiation and induced the expression of several cardiac-specific markers that were detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time PCR, immunostaining and flow cytometry. Zebularine enhanced the expression of cardiac markers and the appearance of beating cells that responded to cardiac drugs, including ion channel blockers (diltiazem) and ß-adrenergic stimulators (isoproterenol). Gene promoter methylation status was assessed using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and validated by bisulfite sequencing analysis. Global gene expression profiling using microarrays showed that zebularine-differentiated cells are distinct from control ESCs. Pathway analysis revealed an enhancement of cellular processes such as embryonic development, cardiovascular system development and function. In addition, the whole-cell proteins exhibited different profiles as analyzed by two-dimensional differential-in-gel-electrophoresis. Our results indicate that zebularine regulates mesodermal differentiation of mESCs, controls promoter methylation of crucial cardiac genes and may help to improve cardiomyogenic differentiation.

Estudio sobre talleres de movilidad para personas mayores / Study about physical activity programs to elderly people

El objetivo de este trabajo fué estudiar los efectos del ejercicio físico, practicado en dos Talleres de Movilidad del Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, en la Salud Física Percibida, el Equilibrio Psicológico, la capacidad para realizar las Actividades Instrumentales de la Vida Diaria, el Ocio y Tiempo Libre, y las Redes de Apoyo Social de las personas mayores asistentes a dichos talleres. Para ello, se administró una entrevista estructurada con diversos cuestionarios estandarizados a 100 sujetos de ambos talleres de movilidad. Los resultados muestran que, en líneas generales y con algunas matizaciones, el ejercicio físico es beneficioso, al mejorar la percepción global de salñud, propiciar el ocio activo durante el tiempo libre y permitir la creación de nuevas redes de apoyo social (AU)

Relaciones abuelos/as nietos/as. Percepción de la situación actual por preadolescentes y adolescentes tempranos / Relations grandfather/mothers grandsons/daugther. Perception of her presentdays situation for adolescent

Con este estudio se ha pretendido saber cómo perciben los niños/as el envejecimiento; valorarlas redes de apoyo afectivo y confidencial que establecen con sus abuelos/as; y determinar en qué medida conocen la situación biopsicosocial de los mismos. Para ello se ha elaborado un cuestionario con preguntas que detectan juicios de valor sobre la vejez, miden microsistema relacional (Inventario DUKE-UNC) y proporcionan información sobre la salud de los abuelos. El cuestionario ha sido aplicado por una persona adiestrada a 205 niños en tres colegios de la ciudad de Sevilla (España), seleccionados según criterios de edad: la mitad preadolescentes (entre 8 y 11 años), la otra mitad adolescentes (entre 12 y 16 años), con una proporción similar de niñas y de niños. Los datos obtenidos se han procesado y analizado con paquete estadístico SPSS 10.0.Los resultados muestran que los niños/as se relacionan (63 por ciento) con personas mayores, la mitad de ellos (58.5 por ciento) con sus abuelos/as. Ponen de manifiesto que conceptualizan la vejez como una etapa competente de la vida, y que no creen que la muerte sea consecuencia de la misma. Cuando perciben que sus abuelos/as se sienten solos/as, tienden a visitarles más a menudo y conocen mejor su situación de salud. Por otro lado, la cuarta parte de los encuestados refiere que sus abuelos/as no les proporcionan apoyo afectivo y/o confidencial suficiente (AU)