Thermal imaging to detect spatial and temporal variation in the water status of grapevine (Vitis Vinifera L.)

Thermal imaging can detect variation in stomatal conductance and therefore spatial variation in the water status of grapevine. Temporal variation can also be assessed, using indices that relate canopy temperature to reference temperatures, but, as yet, there is no standard approach to obtain these reference values. Also, the potential of above-canopy imaging is uncertain for vine rows with mainly vertically oriented leaves. Thermal images of the side (vertical leaves) and top (horizontal leaves) of ‘Tempranillo’ (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevine rows were captured on different dates and in different plots in a vineyard in the Rioja, Spain. Reference temperatures were determined separately (i) as the temperature of artificial leaves placed in the grapevine canopy, or (ii) by calculation from the leaf energy budget. With respect to imaging the side of grapevine rows, the two approaches exhibited similar potential to indicate variation in stomatal conductance or stem water potential within a single date and time of day. Over different dates (implying temporal as well as spatial variability) and both sides of the grapevines, the use of the artificial surfaces resulted in stronger correlations between thermal indices and physiological variables than the application of energy budget models. The use of such reference surfaces would allow a standardised approach to thermography. Imaging the top of rows produced some highly significant correlations between thermal indices and physiological variables. Modified artificial leaves could be developed to standardise the determination of reference temperatures, at the same spatial resolution as the leaves of interest. That imaging the top of grapevine canopies provides useful information on water status suggests that aerial imaging could be used to assess spatial variation in water status across entire vineyards.This work was funded by the Agencia de Desarrollo Económico de La Rioja (Televitis Project 2008-I-ID-00132). O.M. Grant was funded by Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship Grant No. 252196 ‘IMPRESS’ (Imaging of Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses).Peer Reviewe

Linking genetic maps and simulation to optimize breeding for wheat flowering time in current and future climates

In Australian wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, optimizing wheat phenology is essential for yield potential and to avoid stress, especially around flowering. Breeding could be accelerated by identifying key loci and developing models to predict genotype flowering times under different pedoclimatic scenarios. Here, association genetics for heading date, earliness components (photoperiod sensitivity [PS]; vernalization requirement [VR]; earliness per se [EPS]) and simulation model (APSIM) phenology parameters from a panel of Australian cultivars and breeding lines identified loci with stable, repeatable effects. Major chromosomal regions with stable effects included the Ppd-D1 region on chromosome 2D for PS and EPS, one region on 5B for PS, one region on 6B for EPS, and the Vrn-A1 region on 5A for VR. Regions with stable, smaller effects were detected on 1A and 2D for PS, on 5A and 6B for EPS, and on 1A and 5D for VR. Other regions with stable effects on heading date and earliness components were located on 1A, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B and 7B (PS and EPS), 2A, 3A and 7A (EPS and VR). Quantitative trait loci (QTL)-based model parameters were used to simulate heading dates across the Australian wheat belt for set of independent genotypes. Comparisons of average observed and predicted heading dates for four main regions of the Australian wheat belt showed good performance in prediction of independent lines from QTL information alone (r(2) = .61-.83). The model allows testing of putative genotypes under various pedoclimatic scenarios including for adaptation to anticipated climate changes

Recomendaciones para el manejo de los pacientes críticos con COVID-19 en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the admission of a high number of patients to the ICU, generally due to severe respiratory failure. Since the appearance of the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, at the end of 2019, in China, a huge number of treatment recommendations for this entity have been published, not always supported by sufficient scientific evidence or with methodological rigor necessary. Thanks to the efforts of different groups of researchers, we currently have the results of clinical trials, and other types of studies, of higher quality. We consider it necessary to create a document that includes recommendations that collect this evidence regarding the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, but also aspects that other guidelines have not considered and that we consider essential in the management of critical patients with COVID-19. For this, a drafting committee has been created, made up of members of the SEMICYUC Working Groups more directly related to different specific aspects of the management of these patients

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease