Major Novel QTL for Resistance to Cassava Bacterial Blight Identified through a Multi-Environmental Analysis

Cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, has been positioned as one of the most promising crops world-wide representing the staple security for more than one billion people mainly in poor countries. Cassava production is constantly threatened by several diseases, including cassava bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam), it is the most destructive disease causing heavy yield losses. Here, we report the detection and localization on the genetic map of cassava QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) conferring resistance to CBB. An F1 mapping population of 117 full sibs was tested for resistance to two Xam strains (Xam318 and Xam681) at two locations in Colombia: La Vega, Cundinamarca and Arauca. The evaluation was conducted in rainy and dry seasons and additional tests were carried out under controlled greenhouse conditions. The phenotypic evaluation of the response to Xam revealed continuous variation. Based on composite interval mapping analysis, 5 strain-specific QTL for resistance to Xam explaining between 15.8 and 22.1% of phenotypic variance, were detected and localized on a high resolution SNP-based genetic map of cassava. Four of them show stability among the two evaluated seasons. Genotype by environment analysis detected three QTL by environment interactions and the broad sense heritability for Xam318 and Xam681 were 20 and 53%, respectively. DNA sequence analysis of the QTL intervals revealed 29 candidate defense-related genes (CDRGs), and two of them contain domains related to plant immunity proteins, such as NB-ARC-LRR and WRKY

Propiedades de durabilidad en concreto y análisis microestructural en pastas de cemento con adición de mucílago de nopal como aditivo natural

The present study evaluated the addition of a 3% nopal cactus mucilage solution to cement pastes, in its effects on setting times, flow, hydration, and microstructure, as well as on capillary water absorption and chloride diffusion in concrete. Hydration was characterized through XRD and microstructure was characterized with SEM. The mucilage solution/cement and water/cement ratios tested were 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60. The results in cement pastes indicate that the addition of mucilage increases setting times, reduces flow, slows cement hydration, and inhibits the formation of calcium hydroxide crystals in comparison with the control. Capillary absorption was significantly reduced in concrete containing mucilage, and chloride diffusion coefficients dropped up to 20% in the mixture with a mucilage/cement ratio = 0.30. The mixture with a mucilage/cement ratio = 0.45 displayed marginal reduction, and the mixture with mucilage/cement ratio = 0.60 exhibited a diffusion coefficient that was greater than the control for the specimens without moist curing.En esta investigación se evaluó el efecto de una solución de mucílago de nopal al 3% en los tiempos de fraguado, fluidez, hidratación y microestructura de pastas de cemento, y absorción capilar de agua y difusión de cloruros en concreto. La hidratación fue caracterizada por XRD y la microestructura por medio de SEM. Las relaciones solución de mucílago/cemento y agua/cemento fueron 0,30; 0,45 y 0,60. Los resultados en las pastas de cemento indican que el mucílago retarda los tiempos de fraguado, reduce la fluidez, retarda la hidratación del cemento, e inhibe la formación de cristales de hidróxido de calcio, comparados con los controles. La absorción capilar en concreto conteniendo mucílago se redujo significativamente y los coeficientes de difusión de cloruros disminuyeron hasta 20% en la mezcla mucílago/cemento = 0.30. En la relación mucílago/cemento = 0.45 la reducción fue marginal y en la relación mucílago/cemento = 0,60 el coeficiente de difusión fue mayor que el control para los especímenes sin curado en húmedo

The relationship of the atlantic diet with cardiovascular risk factors and markers of arterial stiffness in adults without cardiovascular disease

Background: Studying the adherence of the population to the Atlantic Diet (AD) could be simplified by an easy and quickly applied dietary index. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship of an index measuring compliance with recommendations regarding the Atlantic diet and physical activity with cardiovascular disease risk factors, cardiovascular risk factors, obesity indexes and arterial stiffness markers. Methods: We included 791 individuals from the EVIDENT study (lifestyles and arterial ageing), (52.3 ± 12 years, 61.7% women) without cardiovascular disease. Compliance with recommendations on AD was collected through the responses to a food frequency questionnaire, while physical activity was measured by accelerometer. The number of recommendations being met was estimated using a global scale between 0 and 14 points (a higher score representing greater adherence). Blood pressure, plasma lipid and glucose values and obesity rates were measured. Cardiovascular risk was estimated with the Framingham equation. Results: In the overall sample, 184 individuals (23.3%) scored between 0–3 on the 14-point index we created, 308 (38.9%) between 4 and 5 points, and 299 (37.8%) 6 or more points. The results of multivariate analysis yield a common tendency in which the group with an adherence score of at least 6 points shows lower figures for total cholesterol (p = 0.007) and triglycerides (p = 0.002). Similarly, overall cardiovascular risk in this group is the lowest (p < 0.001), as is pulse wave velocity (p = 0.050) and the mean values of the obesity indexes studied (p < 0.05 in all cases). Conclusion: The rate of compliance with the Atlantic diet and physical activity shows that greater adherence to these recommendations is linked to lower cardiovascular risk, lower total cholesterol and triglycerides, lower rates of obesity and lower pulse wave velocity values

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in wild ruminants in Spain

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii which infects warm-blooded species worldwide. Humans can be infected through ingestion of tissue cysts from raw or undercooked meat, including game meat. A nationwide large-scale cross-sectional study was conducted to assess exposure to T. gondii in seven wild ruminant species in Spain. A total of 2,040 serum samples from 77 sampling sites randomly distributed in the five bioregions (BRs) covering mainland Spain were tested for antibodies against T. gondii using the modified agglutination test. The overall seroprevalence was 22.0% (449/2,040). Seroprevalence by species in decreasing order was as follows: 39.6% (141/356) in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 37.1% (138/372) in fallow deer (Dama dama), 16.6% (92/553) in red deer (Cervus elaphus), 14.0% (26/186) in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), 11.5% (24/209) in mouflon (Ovis aries musimon), 7.8% (27/346) in Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica) and 5.6% (1/18) in Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia). Seropositivity was detected in 74.0% (57/77) of the sampling sites. Results indicate widespread but not homogeneous exposure to T. gondii in wild ruminant populations in Spain during the last two decades and highlight differences related to animal species and spatial distribution of these species in this country; this implies potential consequences of T. gondii for animal health, conservation and public health

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in wild ruminants in Spain

Trabajo presentado a la: XII Reunión de Ungulados Silvestres Ibéricos (RUSI). Vila Real, Portugal. 1-2 octubre.Peer reviewe

Protein and amino acids digestibility of two black soldier fly larvae meal forms in broilers

A trial was conducted to evaluate the protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) digestibility of two types dehydrated Black Soldier fly (i.e. Hermetia illucens) larvae meal: a defatted meal (DF) and a full fat meal (FF) in broilers. These insects were all fed with agri-food by-products. A total of 140 male broilers of 21 days of age were used. Five experimental feeds were formulated to calculate standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA using the regression method. After 7 days of receiving the experimental diets, animals were slaughtered and the terminal ileum content was collected to determine CP and the individual AA digestibility

Low Latency Estimation of Motor Intentions to Assist Reaching Movements along Multiple Sessions in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Feasibility Study

A corrigendum on Low Latency Estimation of Motor Intentions to Assist Reaching Movements along Multiple Sessions in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Feasibility Study by Ibáñez, J., Monge-Pereira, E., Molina-Rueda, F., Serrano, J. I., del Castillo, M. D., Cuesta-Gómez, A., et al. (2017). Front. Neurosci. 11:126. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00126. In the recently published article, there were incorrect and missing contents in the Acknowledgments section

The QUIJOTE experiment: project overview and first results

QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife) is a new polarimeter aimed to characterize the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background and other Galactic and extragalactic signals at medium and large angular scales in the frequency range 10-40 GHz. The multi-frequency (10-20~GHz) instrument, mounted on the first QUIJOTE telescope, saw first light on November 2012 from the Teide Observatory (2400~m a.s.l). During 2014 the second telescope has been installed at this observatory. A second instrument at 30~GHz will be ready for commissioning at this telescope during summer 2015, and a third additional instrument at 40~GHz is now being developed. These instruments will have nominal sensitivities to detect the B-mode polarization due to the primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r=0.05.Comment: To appear in "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII", Proceedings of the XI Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society, Teruel, Spain (2014