The formation of wood and its control

Wood continues to increase in importance as a sustainable source of energy and shelter. Wood formation is a dynamic process derived from plant secondary (radial) growth. Several experimental systems have been employed to study wood formation and its regulation. The use of genetic manipulation approaches and genome-wide analyses in model plants have significantly advanced our understanding of wood formation. In this review, we provide an update of our knowledge of the genetic and hormonal regulation of wood formation based on research in different plants systems, as well as considering the subject from an evo-devo perspective

Determining the composition of lignins in different tissues of Silber Birch

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Synthesis of fractal light pulses by quasi-direct space-to-time pulse shaping

This paper was published in OPTICS LETTERS and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of OSA. The paper can be found at the following URL on the OSA website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.37.001145. Systematic or multiple reproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law[EN] We demonstrated a simple diffractive method to map the self-similar structure shown in squared radial coordinate of any set of circularly symmetric fractal plates into self-similar light pulses in the corresponding temporal domain. The space-to-time mapping of the plates was carried out by means of a kinoform diffractive lens under femtosecond illumination. The spatio-temporal characteristics of the fractal pulses obtained in this way were measured by means of a spectral interferometry technique assisted by a fiber optics coupler (STARFISH). Our proposal allows synthesizing suited sequences of focused fractal femtosecond pulses potentially useful for several current applications, such as femtosecond material processing, atomic, and molecular control of chemical processes or generation of nonlinear effects. © 2012 Optical Society of America.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) and FEDER, through the projects FIS2010-15746, DPI2008-02953, and SAUUL (CSD2007-00013) and the Fundació Caixa Castelló (P1-1B2010-26).Monsoriu Serra, JA.; Mendoza-Yero, O.; Alonso, B.; Minguez-Vega, G.; Sola, I.; Lancis, J. (2012). Synthesis of fractal light pulses by quasi-direct space-to-time pulse shaping. Optics Letters. 37(7):1145-1147. https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.37.001145S11451147377Berry, M. V. (1979). Diffractals. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, 12(6), 781-797. doi:10.1088/0305-4470/12/6/008Allain, C., & Cloitre, M. (1987). Spatial spectrum of a general family of self-similar arrays. Physical Review A, 36(12), 5751-5757. doi:10.1103/physreva.36.5751Hamburger-Lidar, D. A. (1996). Elastic scattering by deterministic and random fractals: Self-affinity of the diffraction spectrum. Physical Review E, 54(1), 354-370. doi:10.1103/physreve.54.354Jaggard, A. D., & Jaggard, D. L. (1998). Scattering from fractal superlattices with variable lacunarity. Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 15(6), 1626. doi:10.1364/josaa.15.001626Fermann, M. E., Kruglov, V. I., Thomsen, B. C., Dudley, J. M., & Harvey, J. D. (2000). Self-Similar Propagation and Amplification of Parabolic Pulses in Optical Fibers. Physical Review Letters, 84(26), 6010-6013. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.84.6010Kruglov, V. I., Peacock, A. C., Harvey, J. D., & Dudley, J. M. (2002). Self-similar propagation of parabolic pulses in normal-dispersion fiber amplifiers. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 19(3), 461. doi:10.1364/josab.19.000461Ilday, F. Ö., Buckley, J. R., Clark, W. G., & Wise, F. W. (2004). Self-Similar Evolution of Parabolic Pulses in a Laser. Physical Review Letters, 92(21). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.92.213902Dudley, J. M., Finot, C., Richardson, D. J., & Millot, G. (2007). Self-similarity in ultrafast nonlinear optics. Nature Physics, 3(9), 597-603. doi:10.1038/nphys705Vinoy, K. J., Jose, K. A., Varadan, V. K., & Varadan, V. V. (2001). Hilbert curve fractal antenna: A small resonant antenna for VHF/UHF applications. Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, 29(4), 215-219. doi:10.1002/mop.1136Matteo, J. A., & Hesselink, L. (2005). Fractal extensions of near-field aperture shapes for enhanced transmission and resolution. Optics Express, 13(2), 636. doi:10.1364/opex.13.000636Wang, S.-W., Chen, X., Lu, W., Li, M., & Wang, H. (2007). Fractal independently tunable multichannel filters. Applied Physics Letters, 90(21), 211113. doi:10.1063/1.2743380Saavedra, G., Furlan, W. D., & Monsoriu, J. A. (2003). Fractal zone plates. Optics Letters, 28(12), 971. doi:10.1364/ol.28.000971Tao, S. H., Yuan, X.-C., Lin, J., & Burge, R. E. (2006). Sequence of focused optical vortices generated by a spiral fractal zone plate. Applied Physics Letters, 89(3), 031105. doi:10.1063/1.2226995Furlan, W. D., Giménez, F., Calatayud, A., & Monsoriu, J. A. (2009). Devil’s vortex-lenses. Optics Express, 17(24), 21891. doi:10.1364/oe.17.021891Furlan, W. D., Saavedra, G., & Monsoriu, J. A. (2007). White-light imaging with fractal zone plates. Optics Letters, 32(15), 2109. doi:10.1364/ol.32.002109Mendoza-Yero, O., Fernández-Alonso, M., Mínguez-Vega, G., Lancis, J., Climent, V., & Monsoriu, J. A. (2009). Fractal generalized zone plates. Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 26(5), 1161. doi:10.1364/josaa.26.001161Mendoza-Yero, O., Mínguez-Vega, G., Fernández-Alonso, M., Lancis, J., Tajahuerce, E., Climent, V., & Monsoriu, J. A. (2009). Optical filters with fractal transmission spectra based on diffractive optics. Optics Letters, 34(5), 560. doi:10.1364/ol.34.000560Lavrinenko, A. V., Zhukovsky, S. V., Sandomirski, K. S., & Gaponenko, S. V. (2002). Propagation of classical waves in nonperiodic media: Scaling properties of an optical Cantor filter. Physical Review E, 65(3). doi:10.1103/physreve.65.036621Mínguez-Vega, G., Mendoza-Yero, O., Lancis, J., Gisbert, R., & Andrés, P. (2008). Diffractive optics for quasi-direct space-to-time pulse shaping. Optics Express, 16(21), 16993. doi:10.1364/oe.16.016993Alonso, B., Sola, Í. J., Varela, Ó., Hernández-Toro, J., Méndez, C., San Román, J., … Roso, L. (2010). Spatiotemporal amplitude-and-phase reconstruction by Fourier-transform of interference spectra of high-complex-beams. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 27(5), 933. doi:10.1364/josab.27.000933Lepetit, L., Chériaux, G., & Joffre, M. (1995). Linear techniques of phase measurement by femtosecond spectral interferometry for applications in spectroscopy. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 12(12), 2467. doi:10.1364/josab.12.002467Kavehrad, M., & Hamzeh, B. Y. (2004). Ultrashort-pulsed FSO communication system with wavelet fractal modulation. Performance, Quality of Service, and Control of Next-Generation Communication Networks II. doi:10.1117/12.57067

Cooperación entre Universidad y Empresa en el desarrollo del TFG en el Grado de Ingeniería Química

Se ha constituido de modo ficticio una empresa de ingeniería con estudiantes del TFG en el Grado en Ingeniería Química, encargada de diseñar las distintas secciones de una planta industrial de producción de detergentes. El diseño de las distintas unidades de acuerdo con las directrices publicadas en la Guía Docente del TFG constituyen las memorias presentadas por el estudiante. Como formación complementaria se ha propuesto el diseño de páginas web, ya que hoy en día es la principal vía de información y publicidad. Se ha realizado un curso para emprendedores de la Cámara de Comercio de la Comunidad de Madrid. Además se han presentado las principales fuentes de financiación para poder constituir una empresa y desarrollar una actividad empresarial. Se han programado varias charlas y coloquio ofrecidas por profesionales de las empresas Maxam y Técnicas Reunidas, referentes en el sector químico y de la ingeniería. Se han establecido tutorías en grupo para realizar el seguimiento de los TFG. Además se ha planificado y realizado una visita guiada a planta de detergentes de CEPSA Química en Algeciras (Cádiz). Como formación específica para estudiantes de doctorado se ha asistido al 4º Congreso de Innovación Educativa en Ingeniería Química en Santander

Assessment of platelet REACtivity after transcatheter aortic valve replacement

OBJECTIVES: The REAC-TAVI (Assessment of platelet REACtivity after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) trial enrolled patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) pre-treated with aspirin + clopidogrel, aimed to compare the efficacy of clopidogrel and ticagrelor in suppressing high platelet reactivity (HPR) after TAVI. BACKGROUND: Current recommendations support short-term use of aspirin + clopidogrel for patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR despite the lack of compelling evidence. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter investigation. Platelet reactivity was measured at 6 different time points with the VerifyNow assay (Accriva Diagnostics, San Diego, California). HPR was defined as (P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) ≥208. Patients with HPR before TAVR were randomized to either aspirin + ticagrelor or aspirin + clopidogrel for 3 months. Patients without HPR continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (registry cohort). The primary endpoint was non-HPR status (PRU <208) in ≥70% of patients treated with ticagrelor at 90 days post-TAVR. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were included. Of these, 48 (71%) had HPR (PRU 273 ± 09) and were randomized to aspirin + ticagrelor (n = 24, PRU 277 ± 08) or continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (n = 24, PRU 269 ± 49). The remaining 20 patients (29%) without HPR (PRU 133 ± 12) were included in the registry. Overall, platelet reactivity across all the study time points after TAVR was lower in patients randomized to ticagrelor compared with those treated with clopidogrel, including those enrolled in the registry (p < 0.001). The primary endpoint was achieved in 100% of patients with ticagrelor compared with 21% with clopidogrel (p < 0.001). Interestingly, 33% of clopidogrel responder patients at baseline developed HPR status during the first month after TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: HPR to clopidogrel is present in a considerable number of patients with AS undergoing TAVR. Ticagrelor achieves a better and faster effect, providing sustained suppression of HPR to these patients. (Platelet Reactivity After TAVI: A Multicenter Pilot Study [REAC-TAVI]; NCT02224066)

Assessment of Platelet REACtivity After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: The REAC-TAVI Trial

OBJECTIVES: The REAC-TAVI (Assessment of platelet REACtivity after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) trial enrolled patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) pre-treated with aspirin + clopidogrel, aimed to compare the efficacy of clopidogrel and ticagrelor in suppressing high platelet reactivity (HPR) after TAVI. BACKGROUND: Current recommendations support short-term use of aspirin + clopidogrel for patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR despite the lack of compelling evidence. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter investigation. Platelet reactivity was measured at 6 different time points with the VerifyNow assay (Accriva Diagnostics, San Diego, California). HPR was defined as (P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) ≥208. Patients with HPR before TAVR were randomized to either aspirin + ticagrelor or aspirin + clopidogrel for 3 months. Patients without HPR continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (registry cohort). The primary endpoint was non-HPR status (PRU <208) in ≥70% of patients treated with ticagrelor at 90 days post-TAVR. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were included. Of these, 48 (71%) had HPR (PRU 273 ± 09) and were randomized to aspirin + ticagrelor (n = 24, PRU 277 ± 08) or continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (n = 24, PRU 269 ± 49). The remaining 20 patients (29%) without HPR (PRU 133 ± 12) were included in the registry. Overall, platelet reactivity across all the study time points after TAVR was lower in patients randomized to ticagrelor compared with those treated with clopidogrel, including those enrolled in the registry (p < 0.001). The primary endpoint was achieved in 100% of patients with ticagrelor compared with 21% with clopidogrel (p < 0.001). Interestingly, 33% of clopidogrel responder patients at baseline developed HPR status during the first month after TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: HPR to clopidogrel is present in a considerable number of patients with AS undergoing TAVR. Ticagrelor achieves a better and faster effect, providing sustained suppression of HPR to these patients. (Platelet Reactivity After TAVI: A Multicenter Pilot Study [REAC-TAVI]; NCT02224066)

Assessment of Platelet REACtivity After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement : The REAC-TAVI Trial

The REAC-TAVI (Assessment of platelet REACtivity after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) trial enrolled patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) pre-treated with aspirin + clopidogrel, aimed to compare the efficacy of clopidogrel and ticagrelor in suppressing high platelet reactivity (HPR) after TAVI. Current recommendations support short-term use of aspirin + clopidogrel for patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR despite the lack of compelling evidence. This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter investigation. Platelet reactivity was measured at 6 different time points with the VerifyNow assay (Accriva Diagnostics, San Diego, California). HPR was defined as (P2Y reaction units (PRU) ≥208. Patients with HPR before TAVR were randomized to either aspirin + ticagrelor or aspirin + clopidogrel for 3 months. Patients without HPR continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (registry cohort). The primary endpoint was non-HPR status (PRU <208) in ≥70% of patients treated with ticagrelor at 90 days post-TAVR. A total of 68 patients were included. Of these, 48 (71%) had HPR (PRU 273 ± 09) and were randomized to aspirin + ticagrelor (n = 24, PRU 277 ± 08) or continued with aspirin + clopidogrel (n = 24, PRU 269 ± 49). The remaining 20 patients (29%) without HPR (PRU 133 ± 12) were included in the registry. Overall, platelet reactivity across all the study time points after TAVR was lower in patients randomized to ticagrelor compared with those treated with clopidogrel, including those enrolled in the registry (p < 0.001). The primary endpoint was achieved in 100% of patients with ticagrelor compared with 21% with clopidogrel (p < 0.001). Interestingly, 33% of clopidogrel responder patients at baseline developed HPR status during the first month after TAVR. HPR to clopidogrel is present in a considerable number of patients with AS undergoing TAVR. Ticagrelor achieves a better and faster effect, providing sustained suppression of HPR to these patients. (Platelet Reactivity After TAVI: A Multicenter Pilot Study [REAC-TAVI]; NCT02224066

Genomic characterization of individuals presenting extreme phenotypes of high and low risk to develop tobacco-induced lung cancer

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may modulate individual susceptibility to carcinogens. We designed a genome-wide association study to characterize individuals presenting extreme phenotypes of high and low risk to develop tobacco-induced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and we validated our results. We hypothesized that this strategy would enrich the frequencies of the alleles that contribute to the observed traits. We genotyped 2.37 million SNPs in 95 extreme phenotype individuals, that is: heavy smokers that either developed NSCLC at an early age (extreme cases); or did not present NSCLC at an advanced age (extreme controls), selected from a discovery set (n=3631). We validated significant SNPs in 133 additional subjects with extreme phenotypes selected from databases including >39,000 individuals. Two SNPs were validated: rs12660420 (p(combined)=5.66x10(-5); ORcombined=2.80), mapping to a noncoding transcript exon of PDE10A; and rs6835978 (p(combined)=1.02x10(-4); ORcombined=2.57), an intronic variant in ATP10D. We assessed the relevance of both proteins in early-stage NSCLC. PDE10A and ATP10D mRNA expressions correlated with survival in 821 stage I-II NSCLC patients (p=0.01 and p<0.0001). PDE10A protein expression correlated with survival in 149 patients with stage I-II NSCLC (p=0.002). In conclusion, we validated two variants associated with extreme phenotypes of high and low risk of developing tobacco-induced NSCLC. Our findings may allow to identify individuals presenting high and low risk to develop tobacco-induced NSCLC and to characterize molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and resistance to develop NSCLC

Tissue-specific study across the stem reveals the chemistry and transcriptome dynamics of birch bark.

Tree bark is a highly specialized array of tissues that plays important roles in plant protection and development. Bark tissues develop from two lateral meristems; the phellogen (cork cambium) produces the outermost stem-environment barrier called the periderm, while the vascular cambium contributes with phloem tissues. Although bark is diverse in terms of tissues, functions and species, it remains understudied at higher resolution. We dissected the stem of silver birch (Betula pendula) into eight major tissue types, and characterized these by a combined transcriptomics and metabolomics approach. We further analyzed the varying bark types within the Betulaceae family. The two meristems had a distinct contribution to the stem transcriptomic landscape. Furthermore, inter- and intraspecies analyses illustrated the unique molecular profile of the phellem. We identified multiple tissue-specific metabolic pathways, such as the mevalonate/betulin biosynthesis pathway, that displayed differential evolution within the Betulaceae. A detailed analysis of suberin and betulin biosynthesis pathways identified a set of underlying regulators and highlighted the important role of local, small-scale gene duplication events in the evolution of metabolic pathways. This work reveals the transcriptome and metabolic diversity among bark tissues and provides insights to its development and evolution, as well as its biotechnological applications.peerReviewe