Glyphosate resistance in perennial Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass), endowed by reduced glyphosate translocation and leaf uptake

Background: In a large cropping area of northern Argentina, Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass) has evolved towards glyphosate resistance. This study aimed to determine the molecular and biochemical basis conferring glyphosate resistance in this species. Experiments were conducted to assess target EPSPS gene sequences and 14C-glyphosate leaf absorption and translocation to meristematic tissues. Results: Individuals of all resistant (R) accessions exhibited significantly less glyphosate translocation to root (11% versus 29%) and stem (9% versus 26%) meristems when compared with susceptible (S) plants. A notably higher proportion of the applied glyphosate remained in the treated leaves of R plants (63%) than in the treated leaves of S plants (27%). In addition, individuals of S. halepense accession R 2 consistently showed lower glyphosate absorption rates in both adaxial (10-20%) and abaxial (20-25%) leaf surfaces compared with S plants. No glyphosate resistance endowing mutations in the EPSPS gene at Pro-101-106 residues were found in any of the evaluated R accessions. Conclusion: The results of the present investigation indicate that reduced glyphosate translocation to meristems is the primary mechanism endowing glyphosate resistance in S. halepense from cropping fields in Argentina. To a lesser extent, reduced glyphosate leaf uptake has also been shown to be involved in glyphosate-resistant S. halepense.Fil: Vila Aiub, Martin Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Balbi, María C.. No especifíca;Fil: Distéfano, Ana J.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Hopp, Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Yu, Qin. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Powles, Stephen B.. University of Western Australia; Australi

Biofertilización: experiencias realizadas en la provincia del Chaco en cultivos intensivos y extensivos

Rural Extension fosters innovation which is an important tool for solving problems associated with rural producers' needs, for the loss of natural and social capital and for the lack of productive structure diversification. In this work, actions were articulated among AgroTechnical Institute, Directorate of Agriculture, Chaco Directorate of Rural Soil and Water, Institute of Rural Development and Small-size Family Producers (IDRAF) and Chaco Directorate of Territory Support and Agencies. To achieve the aim, participatory methodology was selected. Three major decisions were made as regards place, participants and working method. Biofertilization technology is an efficient alternative in sustainable production, achieving important results as a plant growth promoter and in soil phytopathogens control. The producers were open-minded and determined to implement this technology at the time of carrying out inoculation and different measurements. None of them had previously applied biofertilizers, so training and working cooperatively between producers and technicians was important. It is crucial to continue researching in the field of biofertilizers in different local crops as biological products are influenced by environmental conditions. Socializing about biofertilization and products that are currently on the market is one of the aims shared by the different institutions that work in Chaco.La Extensión Rural, como promotora de la innovación, es una herramienta importante para la resolución de problemas asociados a las necesidades de los productores rurales, la pérdida del capital natural y social, o la falta de diversificación de la estructura productiva. En este trabajo se articularon acciones entre el Instituto Agrotécnico, la Dirección de Agricultura, Dirección de Suelos y Agua Rural del Chaco, Instituto de Desarrollo Rural y Agricultura Familiar (IDRAF) y la Dirección de Apoyo Territorial y Agencias de la provincia del Chaco. Para lograr el objetivo se utilizó un método participativo en donde se definieron 3 grandes decisiones: dónde trabajar, con quién trabajar y cómo trabajar con los participantes. La tecnología de biofertilización es una alternativa eficiente en producción sustentable, logrando resultados importantes como promotora de crecimiento vegetal y en el control de fitopatógenos del suelo. Los productores con los que se trabajó en estas experiencias se mostraron abiertos y dispuestos a probar esta tecnología, siendo ellos los que llevaron adelante la inoculación y las distintas mediciones en los ensayos. Ninguno había aplicado biofertilizantes anteriormente, por lo que fue importante la capacitación y el trabajo en conjunto productor-técnico. Es importante seguir generando información de la respuesta de los biofertilizantes en los distintos cultivos regionales, ya que al ser productos biológicos están influenciados con las condiciones ambientales. La difusión de la biofertilización y de los productos que actualmente se encuentran en el mercado es uno de los objetivos compartidos con las distintas instituciones que trabajamos articuladamente en la provincia del Chaco

Mutational screening of the TPO and DUOX2 genes in Argentinian children with congenital hypothyroidism due to thyroid dyshormonogenesis

[Purpose]: Primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common endocrine disease in children and one of the preventable causes of both cognitive and motor deficits. We present a genetic and bioinformatics investigation of rational clinical design in 17 Argentine patients suspected of CH due to thyroid dyshormonogenesis (TDH). [Methods]: Next-Generation Sequencing approach was used to identify variants in Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) and Dual Oxidase 2 (DUOX2) genes. A custom panel targeting 7 genes associated with TDH [(TPO), Iodothyrosine Deiodinase I (IYD), Solute Carrier Family 26 Member 4 (SLC26A4), Thyroglobulin (TG), DUOX2, Dual Oxidase Maturation Factor 2 (DUOXA2), Solute Carrier Family 5 Member 5 (SLC5A5)] and 4 associated with thyroid dysembryogenesis [PAX8, FOXE1, NKX2-1, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Receptor (TSHR)] has been designed. Additionally, bioinformatic analysis and structural modeling were carried out to predict the disease-causing potential variants. [Results]: Four novel variants have been identified, two in TPO: c.2749-2 A > C and c.2752_2753delAG, [p.Ser918Cysfs*62] and two variants in DUOX2 gene: c.425 C > G [p.Pro142Arg] and c.2695delC [p.Gln899Serfs*21]. Eighteen identified TPO, DUOX2 and IYD variants were previously described. We identified potentially pahogenic biallelic variants in TPO and DUOX2 in 7 and 2 patients, respectively. We also detected a potentially pathogenic monoallelic variant in TPO and DUOX2 in 7 and 1 patients respectively. [Conclusions]: 22 variants have been identified associated with TDH. All described novel mutations occur in domains important for protein structure and function, predicting the TDH phenotype.This study was funded by grants from the Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCyT-ANPCyT-MINCyT, PICT 2014-1193 to CMR, PICT 2015-1811 and PICT-2018-02146 to H.M.T.), CONICET (PIP 2015-11220150100499 to C.M.R.), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT 2016-20020150100099BA and 2020-20020190100050BA to C.M.R.) and Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria/FEDER (PI16/01920 and PI20/01589 to R.G.-S.)

Planck early results. IX. XMM-Newton follow-up for validation of Planck cluster candidates

We present the XMM-Newton follow-up for confirmation of Planck cluster candidates. Twenty-five candidates have been observed to date using snapshot (~10ks) exposures, ten as part of a pilot programme to sample a low range of signal-to-noise ratios (4 5 candidates. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of XMM-Newton allows unambiguous discrimination between clusters and false candidates. The 4 false candidates have S/N ? 4.1. A total of 21 candidates are confirmed as extended X-ray sources. Seventeen are single clusters, the majority of which are found to have highly irregular and disturbed morphologies (about ~70%). The remaining four sources are multiple systems, including the unexpected discovery of a supercluster at z = 0.45. For 20 sources we are able to derive a redshift estimate from the X-ray Fe K line (albeit of variable quality). The new clusters span the redshift range 0.09 ? z ? 0.54, with a median redshift of z ~ 0.37. A first determination is made of their X-ray properties including the characteristic size, which is used to improve the estimate of the SZ Compton parameter, Y500. The follow-up validation programme has helped to optimise the Planck candidate selection process. It has also provided a preview of the X-ray properties of these newly-discovered clusters, allowing comparison with their SZ properties, and to the X-ray and SZ properties of known clusters observed in the Planck survey. Our results suggest that Planck may have started to reveal a non-negligible population of massive dynamically perturbed objects that is under-represented in X-ray surveys. However, despite their particular properties, these new clusters appear to follow the Y500?YX relation established for X-ray selected objects, where YX is the product of the gas mass and temperature.The Planck Collaboration thanks Norbert Schartel for his support to the validation process and granting discretionary time for the observation of Planck cluster candidates. The present work is based: on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA); and on observations made with the IAC80 telescope operated on the island of Tenerife by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in the Spanish Observatorio del Teide. This research has made use of the following databases: SIMBAD, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France; the NED database, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; BAX, which is operated by the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Tarbes-Toulouse (LATT), under contract with the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES); and the SZ repository operated by IAS Data and Operation Center (IDOC) under contract with CNES. A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members, indicating which technical or scientific activities they have been involved in, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/Planck_Collaboration. The Planck Collaboration acknowledges the support of: ESA; CNES and CNRS/INSU-IN2P3-INP (France); ASI, CNR, and INAF (Italy); NASA and DoE (USA); STFC and UKSA (UK); CSIC, MICINN and JA (Spain); Tekes, AoF and CSC (Finland); DLR and MPG (Germany); CSA (Canada); DTU Space (Denmark); SER/SSO (Switzerland); RCN (Norway); SFI (Ireland); FCT/MCTES (Portugal); and DEISA (EU)

Planck early results. XII. Cluster Sunyaev-Zeldovich optical scaling relations

We present the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signal-to-richness scaling relation (Y500 ? N200) for the MaxBCG cluster catalogue. Employing a multifrequency matched filter on the Planck sky maps, we measure the SZ signal for each cluster by adapting the filter according to weak-lensing calibrated mass-richness relations (N200 ? M500). We bin our individual measurements and detect the SZ signal down to the lowest richness systems (N200 = 10) with high significance, achieving a detection of the SZ signal in systems with mass as low as M500 ? 5 × 1013 M . The observed Y500 ? N200 relation is well modeled by a power law over the full richness range. It has a lower normalisation at given N200 than predicted based on X-ray models and published mass-richness relations. An X-ray subsample, however, does conform to the predicted scaling, and model predictions do reproduce the relation between our measured bin-average SZ signal and measured bin-average X-ray luminosities. At fixed richness, we find an intrinsic dispersion in the Y500 ? N200 relation of 60% rising to of order 100% at low richness. Thanks to its all-sky coverage, Planck provides observations for more than 13 000 MaxBCG clusters and an unprecedented SZ/optical data set, extending the list of known cluster scaling laws to include SZ-optical properties. The data set offers essential clues for models of galaxy formation. Moreover, the lower normalisation of the SZ-mass relation implied by the observed SZ-richness scaling has important consequences for cluster physics and cosmological studies with SZ clusters.The authors from the consortia funded principally by CNES, CNRS, ASI, NASA, and Danish Natural Research Council acknowledge the use of the pipeline running infrastructures Magique3 at Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (France), CPAC at Cambridge (UK), and USPDC at IPAC (USA). We acknowledge the use of the HEALPix package (Górski et al. 2005). A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members, indicating which technical or scientific activities they have been involved in, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/Planck

Planck early results. VIII. The all-sky early Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster sample

We present the first all-sky sample of galaxy clusters detected blindly by the Planck satellite through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect from its six highest frequencies. This early SZ (ESZ) sample is comprised of 189 candidates, which have a high signal-to-noise ratio ranging from 6 to 29. Its high reliability (purity above 95%) is further ensured by an extensive validation process based on Planck internal quality assessments and by external cross-identification and follow-up observations. Planck provides the first measured SZ signal for about 80% of the 169 previously-known ESZ clusters. Planck furthermore releases 30 new cluster candidates, amongst which 20 meet the ESZ signal-to-noise selection criterion. At the submission date, twelve of the 20 ESZ candidates were confirmed as new clusters, with eleven confirmed using XMM-Newton snapshot observations, most of them with disturbed morphologies and low luminosities. The ESZ clusters are mostly at moderate redshifts (86% with z below 0.3) and span more than a decade in mass, up to the rarest and most massive clusters with masses above 1 × 1015 M?.The authors thank N. Schartel, ESA XMM-Newton project scientist, for granting the Director Discretionary Time used for confirmation of SZ Planck candidates. This research has made use of the following databases: SIMBAD, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France; the NED database, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; BAX, operated by the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Tarbes-Toulouse (LATT), under contract with the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), SZ repository operated by IAS Data and Operation Center (IDOC) under contract with CNES. The authors acknowledge the use of software provided by the US National Virtual Observatory. A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members, indicating which technical or scientific activities they have been involved in, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/Planck

Planck early results. X. Statistical analysis of Sunyaev-Zeldovich scaling relations for X-ray galaxy clusters

All-sky data from the Planck survey and the Meta-Catalogue of X-ray detected Clusters of galaxies (MCXC) are combined to investigate the relationship between the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signal and X-ray luminosity. The sample comprises ?1600 X-ray clusters with redshifts up to ?1 and spans a wide range in X-ray luminosity. The SZ signal is extracted for each object individually, and the statistical significance of the measurement is maximised by averaging the SZ signal in bins of X-ray luminosity, total mass, or redshift. The SZ signal is detected at very high significance over more than two decades in X-ray luminosity (1043 erg s?1 L500E(z)?7/3 2 × 1045 erg s?1). The relation between intrinsic SZ signal and X-ray luminosity is investigated and the measured SZ signal is compared to values predicted from X-ray data. Planck measurements and X-ray based predictions are found to be in excellent agreement over the whole explored luminosity range. No significant deviation from standard evolution of the scaling relations is detected. For the first time the intrinsic scatter in the scaling relation between SZ signal and X-ray luminosity is measured and found to be consistent with the one in the luminosity ? mass relation from X-ray studies. There is no evidence of any deficit in SZ signal strength in Planck data relative to expectations from the X-ray properties of clusters, underlining the robustness and consistency of our overall view of intra-cluster medium properties.This research has made use of the X-Rays Clusters Database (BAX) which is operated by the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Tarbes-Toulouse (LATT), under contract with the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). We acknowledge the use of the HEALPix package (Górski et al. 2005). The Planck Collaboration acknowledges the support of: ESA; CNES and CNRS/INSU-IN2P3-INP (France); ASI, CNR, and INAF (Italy); NASA and DoE (USA); STFC and UKSA (UK); CSIC, MICINN and JA (Spain); Tekes, AoF and CSC (Finland); DLR and MPG (Germany); CSA (Canada); DTU Space (Denmark); SER/SSO (Switzerland); RCN (Norway); SFI (Ireland); FCT/MCTES (Portugal); and DEISA (EU). A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members, indicating which technical or scientific activities they have been involved in, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/Planck

Planck early results. VII. The Early Release Compact Source Catalogue

A brief description of the methodology of construction, contents and usage of the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue (ERCSC), including the Early Cold Cores (ECC) and the Early Sunyaev-Zeldovich (ESZ) cluster catalogue is provided. The catalogue is based on data that consist of mapping the entire sky once and 60% of the sky a second time by Planck, thereby comprising the first high sensitivity radio/submillimetre observations of the entire sky. Four source detection algorithms were run as part of the ERCSC pipeline. A Monte-Carlo algorithm based on the injection and extraction of artificial sources into the Planck maps was implemented to select reliable sources among all extracted candidates such that the cumulative reliability of the catalogue is ?90%. There is no requirement on completeness for the ERCSC. As a result of the Monte-Carlo assessment of reliability of sources from the different techniques, an implementation of the PowellSnakes source extraction technique was used at the five frequencies between 30 and 143 GHz while the SExtractor technique was used between 217 and 857 GHz. The 10? photometric flux density limit of the catalogue at |b| > 30? is 0.49, 1.0, 0.67, 0.5, 0.33, 0.28, 0.25, 0.47 and 0.82 Jy at each of the nine frequencies between 30 and 857 GHz. Sources which are up to a factor of ?2 fainter than this limit, and which are present in ?clean? regions of the Galaxy where the sky background due to emission from the interstellar medium is low, are included in the ERCSC if they meet the high reliability criterion. The Planck ERCSC sources have known associations to stars with dust shells, stellar cores, radio galaxies, blazars, infrared luminous galaxies and Galactic interstellar medium features. A significant fraction of unclassified sources are also present in the catalogs. In addition, two early release catalogs that contain 915 cold molecular cloud core candidates and 189 SZ cluster candidates that have been generated using multifrequency algorithms are presented. The entire source list, with more than 15 000 unique sources, is ripe for follow-up characterisation with Herschel, ATCA, VLA, SOFIA, ALMA and other ground-based observing facilities.The production of the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue was funded by NASA and carried out at the US Planck Data Center at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), California Institute of Technology, on behalf of and in collaboration with the LFI and HFI Data Processing Centers and with many contributions by members of the Planck Collaboration. The Planck Collaboration acknowledges the support of: ESA; CNES and CNRS/INSU-IN2P3-INP (France); ASI, CNR, and INAF (Italy); NASA and DoE (USA); STFC and UKSA (UK); CSIC, MICINN and JA (Spain); Tekes, AoF and CSC (Finland); DLR and MPG (Germany); CSA (Canada); DTU Space (Denmark); SER/SSO (Switzerland); RCN (Norway); SFI (Ireland); FCT/MCTES (Portugal); and DEISA (EU). A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members with the technical or scientific activities they have been involved into, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=PLANCK&page=Planck_Collaboration

Planck early results. XI. Calibration of the local galaxy cluster Sunyaev-Zeldovich scaling relations

We present precise Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect measurements in the direction of 62 nearby galaxy clusters (z < 0.5) detected at high signal-tonoise in the first Planck all-sky data set. The sample spans approximately a decade in total mass, 2 × 1014 M < M500 < 2 × 1015 M, where M500 is the mass corresponding to a total density contrast of 500. Combining these high quality Planck measurements with deep XMM-Newton X-ray data, we investigate the relations between D2 A Y500, the integrated Compton parameter due to the SZ effect, and the X-ray-derived gas mass Mg,500, temperature TX, luminosity LX,500, SZ signal analogue YX,500 = Mg,500 × TX, and total mass M500. After correction for the effect of selection bias on the scaling relations, we find results that are in excellent agreement with both X-ray predictions and recently-published ground-based data derived from smaller samples. The present data yield an exceptionally robust, high-quality local reference, and illustrate Planck?s unique capabilities for all-sky statistical studies of galaxy clusters.The Planck Collaboration acknowledges the support of: ESA; CNES and CNRS/INSU-IN2P3-INP (France); ASI, CNR, and INAF (Italy); NASA and DoE (USA); STFC and UKSA (UK); CSIC, MICINN and JA (Spain); Tekes, AoF and CSC (Finland); DLR and MPG (Germany); CSA (Canada); DTU Space (Denmark); SER/SSO (Switzerland); RCN (Norway); SFI (Ireland); FCT/MCTES (Portugal); and DEISA (EU). The present work is partly based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA). This research has made use of the following databases: SIMBAD, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France; the NED database, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; BAX, which is operated by the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Tarbes-Toulouse (LATT), under contract with the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). A description of the Planck Collaboration and a list of its members, including the technical or scientific activities in which they have been involved, can be found at http://www.rssd.esa.int/Planck

Non-alcoholic beverages and risk of bladder cancer in Uruguay

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer is the fourth most frequent malignancy among Uruguayan men. A previous study from Uruguay suggested a high risk of bladder cancer associated with maté drinking. We conducted an additional case-control study in order to further explore the role of non-alcoholic beverages in bladder carcinogenesis. METHODS: In the time period 1996–2000, 255 incident cases with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and 501 patients treated in the same hospitals and in the same time period were frequency matched on age, sex, and residence. Both cases and controls were face-to-face interviewed on occupation, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and intake of maté, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Statistical analysis was carried out by unconditional multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Ever maté drinking was positively associated with bladder cancer (odds ratio [OR] 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–3.9) and the risk increased for increasing duration and amount of maté drinking. Both coffee and tea were strongly associated with bladder cancer risk (OR for coffee drinking 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.3; OR for tea drinking 2.3, 95% CI 1.5–3.4). These results were confirmed in a separate analysis of never-smokers. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that drinking of maté, coffee and tea may be risk factors for bladder carcinoma in Uruguay