Sowing density effect on common bean leaf area development

Sowing density is a major management factor that affects growth and development of grain crops by modifying the canopy light environment and interplant competition for water and nutrients. While the effects of sowing density and plant architecture on static vegetative and reproductive growth traits have been explored previously in the common bean, few studies have focused on the impacts of sowing density on the dynamics of node addition and leaf area development. We present the results from two sites of field experiments where the effects of sowing densities (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 35 plants m-2) and genotypes with contrasting plant architectures (two each from growth habits I through III) on the dynamics of node addition and leaf area were assessed. Analysis of the phyllochron (°C node-1) indicated genotype and density effects (but no interaction) on the rate of node addition. While significant, these differences amounted to less than two days of growth at either site. In terms of leaf area development, analysis using a power function reflected large differences in the dynamics and final size of individual plant leaf area between the lower density (20 plants m-2) at the growth habit, but not genotype level. These differences in node addition and leaf development dynamics translated to marked differences between growth habits and sowing densities in estimated leaf area indices, and consequently, in the estimated fraction of intercepted light at lower densities

4. SISTEMA INTEGRADO DE GESTIÓN DE LA INFORMACIÓN WEB PARA EJECUCIÓN DE PROCESOS DE EVALUACIÓN SOBRE MANTENIMIENTO CORRECTIVO Y FALLAS DE MAQUINARIA INDUSTRIAL

Las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC’s), han fortalecido la trans­formación y evolución sistemática de las empresas, produciendo variantes trascendentales en el uso de las nuevas tecnologías y el impulso hacia la tenden­cia de innovar en los ámbitos del sector económico, productivo y social. En el área de mantenimiento muchas empresas llevan sus registros en papel o en software no especializado y aunque tienen la información, no pueden acceder fácilmente a registros históricos, ni a registros estadísticos sobre su gestión y muchas veces esta información está dispersa, restándoles competitividad. La plataforma propuesta (SIGIVEC) permite solventar en gran medida estas limitaciones sirviendo como la entrada a la cultura de registro sistemático, en tiempo real y descentralizado, aprovechando las TIC’s para reali­zar inicialmente el registro de los eventos correctivos para que a partir de bases de datos e indicadores el usuario puede indicadores el usuario puede revisar fácilmente casos similares ocurrido en su empresa, soluciones, recursos, costos, etc, llevándolo a imple­mentar acciones de mejora continua por medio de indicadores medibles para, reducir costos de man­tenimiento, vigilar los procesos de mantenimiento y la formulación de análisis en la toma de decisión y sus etapas de desarrollo industrial y permitirle a la empresa pensar en la generación de una cultura de mantenimiento preventivo. Adicionalmente la pla­taforma funciona como un observatorio tecnológico para el SENA, este ahorra tiempo administrativo en recolectar información, clasificar, analizar y comu­nicar al sector público y privado información índole general relacionada con mantenimiento, también es un insumo que le permite entre otras direccionar los diseños curriculares de los programas de formación relacionados con mantenimiento. El concepto de software de mantenimiento actual evolucionaría a la tecnología de Big Data en la Nube y sería parte de la revolución industrial conocida como Industria 4.0 enfocado en el intercambio de datos

4. SISTEMA INTEGRADO DE GESTIÓN DE LA INFORMACIÓN WEB PARA EJECUCIÓN DE PROCESOS DE EVALUACIÓN SOBRE MANTENIMIENTO CORRECTIVO Y FALLAS DE MAQUINARIA INDUSTRIAL

Las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC’s), han fortalecido la trans­formación y evolución sistemática de las empresas, produciendo variantes trascendentales en el uso de las nuevas tecnologías y el impulso hacia la tenden­cia de innovar en los ámbitos del sector económico, productivo y social. En el área de mantenimiento muchas empresas llevan sus registros en papel o en software no especializado y aunque tienen la información, no pueden acceder fácilmente a registros históricos, ni a registros estadísticos sobre su gestión y muchas veces esta información está dispersa, restándoles competitividad. La plataforma propuesta (SIGIVEC) permite solventar en gran medida estas limitaciones sirviendo como la entrada a la cultura de registro sistemático, en tiempo real y descentralizado, aprovechando las TIC’s para reali­zar inicialmente el registro de los eventos correctivos para que a partir de bases de datos e indicadores el usuario puede indicadores el usuario puede revisar fácilmente casos similares ocurrido en su empresa, soluciones, recursos, costos, etc, llevándolo a imple­mentar acciones de mejora continua por medio de indicadores medibles para, reducir costos de man­tenimiento, vigilar los procesos de mantenimiento y la formulación de análisis en la toma de decisión y sus etapas de desarrollo industrial y permitirle a la empresa pensar en la generación de una cultura de mantenimiento preventivo. Adicionalmente la pla­taforma funciona como un observatorio tecnológico para el SENA, este ahorra tiempo administrativo en recolectar información, clasificar, analizar y comu­nicar al sector público y privado información índole general relacionada con mantenimiento, también es un insumo que le permite entre otras direccionar los diseños curriculares de los programas de formación relacionados con mantenimiento. El concepto de software de mantenimiento actual evolucionaría a la tecnología de Big Data en la Nube y sería parte de la revolución industrial conocida como Industria 4.0 enfocado en el intercambio de datos

TMEM16A calcium-activated chloride currents in supporting cells of the mouse olfactory epithelium

Glial-like supporting (or sustentacular) cells are important constituents of the olfactory epithelium that are involved in several physiological processes such as production of endocannabinoids, insulin, and ATP and regulation of the ionic composition of the mucus layer that covers the apical surface of the olfactory epithelium. Supporting cells express metabotropic P2Y purinergic receptors that generate ATP-induced Ca2+ signaling through the activation of a PLC-mediated cascade. Recently, we reported that a subpopulation of supporting cells expresses also the Ca2+-activated Cl- channel TMEM16A. Here, we sought to extend our understanding of a possible physiological role of this channel in the olfactory system by asking whether Ca2+ can activate Cl- currents mediated by TMEM16A. We use whole-cell patch-clamp analysis in slices of the olfactory epithelium to measure dose-response relations in the presence of various intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, ion selectivity, and blockage. We find that knockout of TMEM16A abolishes Ca2+-activated Cl- currents, demonstrating that TMEM16A is essential for these currents in supporting cells. Also, by using extracellular ATP as physiological stimuli, we found that the stimulation of purinergic receptors activates a large TMEM16A-dependent Cl- current, indicating a possible role of TMEM16A in ATP-mediated signaling. Altogether, our results establish that TMEM16A-mediated currents are functional in olfactory supporting cells and provide a foundation for future work investigating the precise physiological role of TMEM16A in the olfactory system

Influence of plant density and growth habit of common bean on leaf area development and N accumulation

Crop yield requires leaf area to intercept solar radiation and to undertake photosynthesis, both of which depend on nitrogen (N) accumulation. Further, the amount of accumulated plant N at the beginning of seed fill serves as the reservoir for N required in synthesizing the proteins in developing seeds. For common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), resolution of the basic characteristics limiting production is challenging because of variation in plant growth-habit and in wide-ranging plant spacing. Field experiments were undertaken at two low-latitude locations with three plant growth-habit types and six plant densities to measure canopy leaf area and leaf N accumulation at the beginning of seed fill. Plant spacing of 20 plants m−2 or more was sufficient to result in equal leaf area and N accumulation for all six plant genotypes at each location. However, the low-altitude, higher-temperature location had lower accumulated leaf N and yield than the high-altitude, cooler-temperature location. These results indicate attention needs to be given to physiological or agronomic approaches to overcome the negative impact of high temperature on N accumulation by common bean

Novel insights into the cardio-protective effects of FGF21 in lean and obese rat hearts

Aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hepatic metabolic regulator with pleotropic actions. Its plasma concentrations are increased in obesity and diabetes; states associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. We therefore investigated the direct effect of FGF21 on cardio-protection in obese and lean hearts in response to ischemia. Methods and Results: FGF21, FGF21-receptor 1 (FGFR1) and beta-Klotho (βKlotho) were expressed in rodent, human hearts and primary rat cardiomyocytes. Cardiac FGF21 was expressed and secreted (real time RT-PCR/western blot and ELISA) in an autocrine-paracrine manner, in response to obesity and hypoxia, involving FGFR1-βKlotho components. Cardiac-FGF21 expression and secretion were increased in response to global ischemia. In contrast βKlotho was reduced in obese hearts. In isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes, FGF21 activated PI3K/Akt (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt), ERK1/2(extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) pathways. In Langendorff perfused rat [adult male wild-type wistar] hearts, FGF21 administration induced significant cardio-protection and restoration of function following global ischemia. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt, AMPK, ERK1/2 and ROR-α (retinoic-acid receptor alpha) pathway led to significant decrease of FGF21 induced cardio-protection and restoration of cardiac function in response to global ischemia. More importantly, this cardio-protective response induced by FGF21 was reduced in obesity, although the cardiac expression profiles and circulating FGF21 levels were increased. Conclusion: In an ex vivo Langendorff system, we show that FGF21 induced cardiac protection and restoration of cardiac function involving autocrine-paracrine pathways, with reduced effect in obesity. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into FGF21-induced cardiac effects in obesity and ischemia

Genetic fixity in the human major histocompatibility complex and block size diversity in the class I region including HLA-E

BACKGROUND: The definition of human MHC class I haplotypes through association of HLA-A, HLA-Cw and HLA-B has been used to analyze ethnicity, population migrations and disease association. RESULTS: Here, we present HLA-E allele haplotype association and population linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis within the ~1.3 Mb bounded by HLA-B/Cw and HLA-A to increase the resolution of identified class I haplotypes. Through local breakdown of LD, we inferred ancestral recombination points both upstream and downstream of HLA-E contributing to alternative block structures within previously identified haplotypes. Through single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of the MHC region, we also confirmed the essential genetic fixity, previously inferred by MHC allele analysis, of three conserved extended haplotypes (CEHs), and we demonstrated that commercially-available SNP analysis can be used in the MHC to help define CEHs and CEH fragments. CONCLUSION: We conclude that to generate high-resolution maps for relating MHC haplotypes to disease susceptibility, both SNP and MHC allele analysis must be conducted as complementary techniques

A Bacia do Algarve: estratigrafia, paleogeografia e tectónica

A “Bacia do Algarve” corresponde, segundo a literatura científica tradicional, aos terrenos mesocenozóicos que orlam o Sul de Portugal, desde o Cabo de São Vicente ao rio Guadiana (~140km), penetrando irregularmente para o interior entre 3 km a 25 km, sobre terrenos de idade carbónica da Zona Sul Portuguesa. O hiato, de aproximadamente 70 milhões de anos, materializado pela discordância angular entre as rochas sedimentares de tipo flysch do Carbónico, metamorfizadas e deformadas durante a orogenia varisca, e as rochas sedimentares continentais do Triásico inferior provável, separa dois ciclos de Wilson. Os sedimentos carbónicos metamorfizados resultam do empilhamento orogénico de um possível prisma de acrecção associado à orogenia varisca e ao fecho de um oceano paleozóico e formação da Pangeia, enquanto que os sedimentos continentais triásicos resultam do fim do colapso e do arrasamento do orógeno varisco e início do estiramento continental que viriam a culminar com a separação das placas litosféricas África, Eurásia e América.Os sedimentos mais recentes do Mesozóico e os mais antigos bem datados do Cenozóico encontram-se separados por um outro hiato que ultrapassa ligeiramente os 70 milhões de anos na área emersa. Este hiato resulta duma alteração tectónica radical no contexto onde nessa época geológica se inseria a Bacia do Algarve. Esta mudança, que ocorreu no fim do Cenomaniano, resultou da rotação do vector de deslocamento da trajectória de África em relação à Eurásia, de aproximadamente NW-SE para SW-NE (segundo as coordenadas actuais, e.g. Dewey et al, 1989), poria termo ao regime distensivo e de bacia de tipo rifte na Bacia do Algarve, com o fim do regime transtensivo entre a região noroeste da placa África e sudoeste da placa Eurásia e início da colisão

Dynamical Boson Stars

The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model for particles. In the 1950s John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called {\em geons}, but none were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name {\em boson stars}. Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems, and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.Comment: 79 pages, 25 figures, invited review for Living Reviews in Relativity; major revision in 201