Preveraison water deficit accelerates berry color change in merlot grapevines

In red varieties, berry color change from green to red is one of the first events associated with ripening and is often used as an indicator of veraison by viticulturists. Water deficit can accelerate ripening and increase pigment accumulation in the berry skin. The impact of water deficit on the timing and progression of berry color change in the vineyard has been largely overlooked. Here we present three years of observations (2011 to 2013) on the progression of color change in Merlot vines subjected to water deficit (WD) or irrigation (C) regimes. Water deficit did not affect the date at which berries started changing color in 2011 and 2012, but pigmentation began three days earlier in WD than in C vines in 2013. Water deficit accelerated pigmentation in all three years and WD berries completed color change five days earlier than C berries on average. \ua9 2016 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture

Eosinophils as a Biomarker in Asthma and COPD

Asthma and COPD are two diseases related to eosinophils. But at present, we do not know with certainty how much these cells participate in these diseases, beyond that the treatment of the underlying cause produces the resolution of eosinophilia in a “reactive” way. Eosinophil-related diseases are a spectrum of systemic diseases such as Asthma and COPD in pneumology area. Under inflammatory conditions, the number of circulating eosinophils or tissues can increase dramatically, with rapid development of eosinophilia and we can obtain in a simple laboratory test. In general, the number of eosinophils in the blood can provide useful information and considering the differential diagnosis and for the subsequent test of patients presenting with eosinophilia. The treatment of eosinophilia currently in number of 300 cells in which is the criteria and the target to be treat. The best known and most used of all treatments for diseases related to eosinophils are corticosteroids, which decrease circulating and tissue eosinophils in a few hours, through mechanisms that include the direct activation of eosinophil program death. Targeted treatment against eosinophils could improve airway remodeling through mechanisms that are not fully known, and their effects on lung function are variable and decreasing symptoms in patients

Planeación estratégica y satisfacción del servicio académico según estudiantes de la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana – Iquitos 2018

La presente investigación es de tipo básica con diseño no experimental - correlacional que busca determinar la correspondencia entre la planeación estratégica y la satisfacción del servicio académico que brinda la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP) en base a la relación establecida entre las variables y los componentes de la variable planeación estratégica con el nivel de satisfacción del servicio académico que presentan los estudiantes al finalizar el año académico 2018. La población estuvo constituida por 340 estudiantes matriculados del IV y V ciclo de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Negocios siendo el tamaño de la muestra de 180 estudiantes. La recopilación de datos se llevó a cabo a través de cuestionarios en dos momentos. Los datos sobre la planeación estratégica y los de satisfacción del servicio académico se determinaron dentro del 2018. Se ha llegado a establecer que casi la mitad de los estudiantes tienen una expectativa moderada frente al servicio académico y un comportamiento similar en cuanto a la planeación estratégica aplicada por la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP)

Diseño de una cara emocional para un robot humanoide

Proyecto de Graduación (Licenciatura en Ingeniería en Mecatrónica) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Área Académica de Ingeniería en Mecatrónica, 2016.The following document describes the design process for an emotional face for a humanoid robot in the Autonomous Robots and Cognitive Systems (ARCOSLAB) from the University of Costa Rica. This project comes up as an opportunity to upgrade the robot appearance, and to allow the robot to interact with people. The project was divided in two main areas the study and selection of the suitable emotions for the robot and the mechanical and electrical design of the face. During the first stage emotions were studied and selected based in the scenarios where the robot will be used. In the second stage the mechanical design was made, as well as the electrical and control design to perform the movement of the actuators. Finally, a prototype was built to analyze strengths and weaknesses in the design and make some test with different people.Laboratorio de Robots Autónomos Sistemas cognitivos (ARCOS-LAB

Electrochemical Properties of Al2O3-Fe/Si Composites Prepared by High-Energy Mechanical Milling

open accessThe growing demand in the manufacture of advanced materials with desired and unique properties (e.g. high mechanical strength, durability, good corrosion resistance and low cost of maintenance/replacing) is one of reasons to motivate the researchers to pay special attention in Ceramics as high performance materials for industrial applications. This is because conventional materials cannot meet the engineering requirements during their service that is why the need for advanced ceramic materials to achieve these industrial requirements. In the present work a study was made on Al2O3-matrix ceramic composites reinforced with 2%wt. or 5% wt. of Fe/Si particulates that were produced using a mechanical ball milling at high-energy condition. The electrochemical behavior of these ceramics was investigated by anodic polarization and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in a solution containing 0.5N NaCl, whereas the morphology and microstructural features were examined by optical or Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

Heterologous expression of AtNPR1 gene in olive for increasing fungal tolerance

The NPR1 gene encodes a key component of SAR signaling mediated by salicylic acid (SA). After a pathogen infection, the accumulation of SA releases NPR1 monomers in the cytosol that are translocated to the nucleus, activating the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Overexpression of NPR1 has conferred resistance to fungal, viral and bacterial pathogens in several plant species. The aim of this research was to generate transgenic olive plants expressing the gene AtNPR1 from Arabidopsis thaliana to obtain material resistant to fungal pathogens. Three transgenic lines expressing AtNPR1 gene under the control of the constitutive promoter CaMV35S were obtained following the protocol of Torreblanca et al. (2010), using an embryogenic line derived from a seed of cv. Picual. Level of AtNPR1 expression in transgenic calli varied greatly among the different lines, being higher in the line NPR1-780. The elicitation of embryogenic calli in liquid medium with AS did not increase endochitinase activity, a PR protein. However, jasmonic acid induced a transient increase in chitinase activity after 24 h of treatment in all the lines, being the increment higher in transgenic NPR1 than in control. After maturation and germination of transgenic somatic embryos, plants were micropropagated and acclimated to ex vitro conditions. The expression of AtNPR1 did not alter the growth of transgenic plants neither in vitro nor in the greenhouse. Experiments are in progress to determine the resistance of transgenic AtNPR1 plants to V. dalihae and R. necatrix.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Research projects: Plan Nacional AGL2014-52518-C2-1-R; AGL2017-83368-C2-1-R and Junta de Andalucía P11-AGR799

Blackspot seabream early life stages dispersal by hydrodynamic modelling (Strait of Gibraltar - Alboran Sea)

The Blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) is a commercially appreciated demersal fish, widespread in the north-eastern Atlantic and middle-western Mediterranean. The Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) is an important fishing area where artisanal fleets from Spain and Morocco target this species using special longline gears known as “voracera”. Different studies on the health status of this species claim an overexploitation of the resource without any kind of objective management measures implemented yet by the associated countries. Improving the knowledge of the population dynamics, and particularly during the spawning window, is crucial for a better management of the fishing effort for this species. There is an agreement in literature in considering the SoG as an especially energetic and dispersive spawning zone for this species. Once spawned, eggs and larvae (ELS) are assumed to be scattered by the currents towards both sides of the SoG, mostly to the eastwards Alboran basin, where high concentrations of juveniles occur. A high resolution hydrodynamic model coupled to a Lagrangian particle tracking system is employed to assess the potential dispersal pathways of blackspot seabream ELS spawned in the SoG. Recursive releases of passive tracers in different virtual spawning spots and depths within the SoG region are tracked under different tidal conditions in order to obtain an overall characterization of the spatial dispersion patterns of the studied species. Semidiurnal tidal currents emerge as the primary factor in determining the horizontal dispersion and pathway of the spawning products, although the spring-neap tidal cycle and the spawning depth can be also important variables depending on the region considered as well as the arrival zone for the ELS dispersal paths over the Alboran SeaUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional CEIMA

Three-Layered Complex Interactions among Capsidless (+)ssRNA Yadokariviruses, dsRNA Viruses, and a Fungus

We have previously discovered a virus neo-lifestyle exhibited by a capsidless positive-sense (+), single-stranded (ss) RNA virus YkV1 (family Yadokariviridae) and an unrelated double-stranded (ds) RNA virus YnV1 (proposed family "Yadonushiviridae") in a phytopathogenic ascomycete, Rosellinia necatrix. YkV1 has been proposed to replicate in the capsid provided by YnV1 as if it were a dsRNA virus and enhance YnV1 replication in return. Recently, viruses related to YkV1 (yadokariviruses) have been isolated from diverse ascomycetous fungi. However, it remains obscure whether such viruses generally show the YkV1-like lifestyle. Here, we identified partner viruses for three distinct yadokariviruses, YkV3, YkV4a, and YkV4b, isolated from R. necatrix that were coinfected with multiple dsRNA viruses phylogenetically distantly related to YnV1. We first established transformants of R. necatrix carrying single yadokarivirus cDNAs and fused them with infectants by single partner candidate dsRNA viruses. Consequently, YkV3 and YkV4s replicated only in the presence of RnMBV3 (family Megabirnaviridae) and RnMTV1 (proposed family "Megatotiviridae"), respectively. The partners were mutually interchangeable between the two YkV4 strains and three RnMTV1 strains but not between other combinations involving YkV1 or YkV3. In contrast to YkV1 enhancing YnV1 accumulation, YkV4s reduced RnMTV1 accumulation to different degrees according to strains. Interestingly, YkV4 rescued the host R. necatrix from impaired growth induced by RnMTV1. YkV3 exerted no apparent effect on its partner (RnMBV3) or host fungus. Overall, we revealed that while yadokariviruses generally require partner dsRNA viruses for replication, each yadokarivirus partners with a different dsRNA virus species in the three diverse families and shows a distinct symbiotic relation in a fungus. IMPORTANCE A capsidless (+)ssRNA virus YkV1 (family Yadokariviridae) highjacks the capsid of an unrelated dsRNA virus YnV1 (proposed family "Yadonushiviridae") in a phytopathogenic ascomycete, while YkV1 trans-enhances YnV1 replication. Herein, we identified the dsRNA virus partners of three yadokariviruses (YkV3, YkV4a, and YkV4b) with genome organization different from YkV1 as being different from YnV1 at the suborder level. Their partners were mutually interchangeable between the two YkV4 strains and three strains of the partner virus RnMTV1 (proposed family "Megatotiviridae") but not between other combinations involving YkV1 or YkV3. Unlike YkV1, YkV4s reduced RnMTV1 accumulation and rescued the host fungus from impaired growth induced by RnMTV1. YkV3 exerted no apparent effect on its partner (RnMBV3, family Megabirnaviridae) or host fungus. These revealed that while each yadokarivirus has a species-specific partnership with a dsRNA virus, yadokariviruses collectively partner extremely diverse dsRNA viruses and show three-layered complex mutualistic/antagonistic interactions in a fungus