Mathematical modeling of reaction mechanism of formation of photochemical smog by applying the semi-implicit method

To simulate the different mechanisms we considered a reactor of constant temperature and volume, where the only reactions that are carried out are those with reported kinetic constants [1]. For example, to simulate the formaldehyde kinetic you make a serial of seven chemical reactions where intervene nine chemical species [2].The change in concentration with respect to the time of one specie is mathematically represented by means of an ordinary differential equation. In the studied cases, the mechanism of reaction can be represented as a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. In the simulation of the mechanism of reaction, the medullar part is the solution of all the ordinary differential equation that describe the temporary evolution of the concentration of each the species. The differential equation that comes from the kinetic present what it is called rigidity, principally due to the simultaneous presence of radical with called rigidity, principally due to the simultaneous presence of radicals with a really short life time as the presence of hydroperoxide HO2• and species that remain almost constant as the oxygen. The main problem to carry out the precise integration of the differential equation system that represents the mechanism of reaction of the atmospheric chemistry, is the wide when variation of the kinetic constant as it appears in the reactions 2 and 7 which brings as a consequence the instability when applying an explicit numerical method because for any change in so different scales. When this happens, it is said that the differential equation system is rigid. In order to solve the problem that the rigidity of a differential equation system represented we should use special numerical method that ensures precision and stability in its integration. To achieve this whit a classical explicit method it is required a lot of computing time, besides the possible instability. When using the semi implicit method, we developed a computer package using language C++ to solve the system of nonlinear ordinary differential equation. Solving the matrix system with the method mentioned above, it is found the numerical value of the concentration of the five chemical species for every time step, given the initial concentration. The computer program used to solve the system of differential equation was developed in UNAM

On the TGF/lightning ratio asymmetry

Africa is one of the most productive lightning regions on Earth, yet it has a lower TGF-to-lightning ratio especially compared with Central America. In this paper we have analyzed the global distribution of different meteorological parameters in order to explain the TGF/lightning ratio asymmetry. We show here that a drier surface and larger CAPE in Africa may produce thunderstorms with intense electric charge regions but elevated in the atmosphere and closer to each other, which allows for higher flash rates and less energetic, shorter and smaller flashes. The results we present here suggest that continental thunderstorms in Africa more rarely fulfill the lightning and thundercloud requirements for TGF production inferred from observations and models.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Reassessment of genotype 1 hepatitis c virus subtype misclassification by LiPA 2.0: implications for direct-acting antiviral treatment

The accuracy of LiPA 2.0 for hepatitis C virus 1 (HCV-1) subtype classification was analyzed. LiPA 2.0 genotype results from 101 HCV-1-infected patients were compared to genotype findings determined by direct core sequencing. Eleven (11%) samples were misclassified. Given the influence of the HCV-1-subtype in the anti-HCV therapy response, an alternative classification method is warranted.Fil: Guelfo, Javier R.. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Macias, Juan. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Neukam, Karin. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Di Lello, Federico Alejandro. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; España. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mira José Antonio. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Merchante, Nicolás. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Mancebo, María. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Nuñez Torres, Rocío. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Pineda, Juan A.. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; EspañaFil: Real. Luis M.. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología; Españ

Phosphorus restriction does not prevent the increase in fibroblast growth factor 23 elicited by high fat diet

This study was designed to evaluate the influence of phosphorus (P) restriction on the dele- terious effects of high fat diets on mineral metabolism. Twenty-four rats were allotted to 3 groups (n = 8 each) that were fed different diets for 7 months. Rats in group 1 were fed nor- mal fat-normal P (0.6%) diet (NF-NP), rats in group 2 were fed high fat- normal P diet (HF- NP) and rats in group 3 were fed high fat-low P (0.2%) diet (HF-LP). Blood, urine and tissues were collected at the end of the experiments. When compared with the control group (NF- NP), rats fed HF diets showed increases in body weight, and in plasma concentrations of tri- glycerides and leptin, and decreased plasma calcitriol concentrations. In rats fed HF-NP plasma fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) was higher (279.6 ± 39.4 pg/ml vs 160.6 ± 25.0 pg/ml, p = 0.018) and renal klotho (ratio klotho/GAPDH) was lower (0.75 ± 0.06 vs 1.06 ± 0.08, p < 0.01) than in rats fed NF-NP. Phosphorus restriction did not normalize plasma FGF23 or renal klotho; in fact, rats fed HF-LP, that only ingested an average of 22.9 mg/day of P, had higher FGF23 (214.7 ± 32.4 pg/ml) concentratio ns than rats fed NF-NP (160.6 ± 25. 0 pg/ml), that ingested and average of 74.4 mg/day of P over a 7 month period. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that severe P restriction over a prolonged period of time (7 months) does not normalize the increase in circulating FGF23 induced by HF diets. These data indi- cate that the deleterious effects of high fat diet on the FGF23/klotho axis are not eliminated by reduced P intake

Oral Acid Load Down-Regulates Fibroblast Growth Factor 23

Increased dietary acid load has a negative impact on health, particularly when renal function is compromised. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a bone-derived hormone that is elevated during renal failure. The relationship between metabolic acidosis and FGF23 remains unclear. To investigate the effect of dietary acid load on circulating levels of FGF23, rats with normal renal function and with a graded reduction in renal mass (1/2 Nx and 5/6 Nx) received oral NH4Cl for 1 month. Acid intake resulted in a consistent decrease of plasma FGF23 concentrations in all study groups when compared with their non-acidotic control: 239.3 ± 13.5 vs. 295.0 ± 15.8 pg/mL (intact), 346.4 ± 19.7 vs. 522.6 ± 29.3 pg/mL (1/2 Nx) and 988.0 ± 125.5 vs. 2549.4 ± 469.7 pg/mL (5/6 Nx). Acidosis also decreased plasma PTH in all groups, 96.5 ± 22.3 vs. 107.3 ± 19.1 pg/mL, 113.1 ± 17.3 vs. 185.8 ± 22.2 pg/mL and 504.9 ± 75.7 vs. 1255.4 ± 181.1 pg/mL. FGF23 showed a strong positive correlation with PTH (r = 0.877, p < 0.0001) and further studies demonstrated that acidosis did not influence plasma FGF23 concentrations in parathyroidectomized rats, 190.0 ± 31.6 vs. 215 ± 25.6 pg/mL. In conclusion, plasma concentrations of FGF23 are consistently decreased in rats with metabolic acidosis secondary to increased acid intake, both in animals with intact renal function and with decreased renal function. The in vivo effect of metabolic acidosis on FGF23 appears to be related to the simultaneous decrease in PTH

Objectifying user attention and emotion evoked by relevant perceived product components

[EN] A company’s aim is to develop products that engage user attention and evoke positive emotions. Customers base their emotional evaluation on product components that are relevant for their perception. This paper presents findings of both identifying relevant product components and measuring emotions evoked by relevant perceived product components. To validate results, the comparison with self-reporting methods identifies similarities and differences between explicit expressed and implicit recorded customer requirements. On the one hand, eye tracking is applied to deduce the attention provoked by perceived product components. In order to link the product strategy with product components, the paper presents results considering the fact that the gaze track is affected by current thoughts. (Köhler et al., 2013, 2014a, b; Köhler and Schmitt, 2012) On the other hand, since self-reporting tools are only useful for obtaining information about the conscious part of customers’ emotions, there is a need for measurement methods that measure the changes in physiological signals (bio-signals). Arousal is similar to emotional intensity and is related to the galvanic skin response. Positive or negative emotions are defined by the valence that is measured by facial electromyography. Findings are presented that relate changes in bio-signals on the aesthetical design to the global product impression as well as to emotions and, subsequently, linking changes in physiological signals to the evaluation of semantic concepts and design parameters. The presented approach provides conclusions and valid information about products as well as product components that provoke certain emotions and about product components linked to a certain product concept, which could be part of a product strategy. Consequently, hard facts and special design rules for emotional product design can be deduced.The paper presents results from the cooperative research project CONEMO (Consumer Evaluation Measurement for Objectified Industrial Use – funded by the CORNET program) of the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL), RWTH Aachen University, Germany, together with the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia (IBV), Spain. The funding agencies are IMPIVA (operational program FEDER of the Comunidad Valenciana, Spain) and AiF (Germany). The CORNET promotion plan 47EN of the Research Community for Quality (FQS), August-Schanz-Str. 21A, 60433 Frankfurt/Main, was funded by the AiF within the program for sponsorship by Industrial Joint Research and Development (IGF) of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technologies based on an enactment of the German parliament. The authors would like to express their gratitude to all parties involved.Schmitt, R.; Köhler, M.; Durá-Gil, JV.; Diaz Pineda, JA. (2014). Objectifying user attention and emotion evoked by relevant perceived product components. Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems. 3(2):315-324. doi:10.5194/jsss-3-315-2014S31532432Beaujean, P., Grob, R., Häfen, K., Köbler, E., Köhler, M., Quattelbaum, B., Schmitt, R., Seitz, R., Wagner, M., and Willach, A.: Emotionale Produktgestaltung – Wert der wahrgenommenen Qualität, in: Proceedings: Tagungsband zum AWK, edited by: Brecher, C., Klocke, F., Schmitt, R., and Schuh, G., Shaker, 2011.Berghaus, N.: Eye-Tracking im stationären Einzelhandel. Eine empirische Analyse der Wahrnehmung von Kunden am Point of Purchase, dissertation, University Duisburg-Essen, 2005.Cacioppo, J. T., Tassinary, L. G., and Fridlund, A. J.: The skeletomotor system, in: Principles of Psychophysiology: Physical Social, and Inferential elements, edited by: Caccioppo, J. T. Tassinary, L. G., Cambridge University Press, New York, 325–384, 1990.Cacioppo, J. T., Bernston, G. G, Larsen, J. T., Poehlmann, K. M., and Ito, T. A.: The psychophysiology of emotion, in: Handbook of Emotions, edited by: Lewis, M. and Haviland-Jones, J. M., The Guilford Press, New York, 173–191, 2004.Czerwinski, M., Horvitz, E., and Cutrell, E.: Subjective duration assessment: an implicit probe for software usability, in: Proceedings of the IHM-HCI 2001 Conference, Vol. 2, 167–170, 2001.Desmet, P.: Designing Emotions. Delft University of Technology, Department of Industrial Design, 2002.Duchowski, A. T.: Eye Tracking Methodology: Theory and Practice, Vol. 2., Springer, London, 2007.Falk, B., Schmitt, R., and Quattelbaum, B.: Product Quality from the Customers' Perspective – Systematic Elicitation and Deployment of Perceived Quality Information, in: Proceedings of the 6th CIRP-Sponsored International Conference on Digital Enterprise Technology, 216 pp., 2008.Hawlitzky, N.: Integriertes Qualitätscontrolling von Unternehmensprozessen, Gestaltung eines Quality-Gate-Konzeptes, dissertation, Technical University München, 2002.Heino, A., Van der Molen, H. H., and Wilde, G. J. S.: Risk-homeostatic processes in car following behaviour: electrodermal responses and verbal risk estimates as indicators of the perceived level of risk during a car-driving task, Report VK 90-22, Traffic Research Centre, University of Groningen, Haren, 1990.Hofer, N. and Mayerhofer, W.: Die Blickregistrierung in der Werbewirkungsforschung. Grundlagen und Ergebnisse, in: Der Markt, No. 49, 149 pp., 2010.Jiao, R., Zhang, Y., and Helander, M.: A Kansei mining system for affective design, Journal of Expert Systems with Applications, 30, 658–673, 2006.Köhler, M. and Schmitt, R.: Systematic Consumer Evaluation Measurement for Objectified Integration into the Product Development Process, in: Advances in Affective and Pleasurable Design, edited by: Ji, Y. G., CRC Press, 503–512, 2012.Köhler, M., Falk, B., and Schmitt, R.: Objectifying user attention caused by visually perceived product components, in: Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Metrology, https://doi.org/10.1051/metrology/201314002, 2013.Köhler, M., Falk, B., and Schmitt, R.: Applying Eye-Tracking in Kansei Engineering Methodology for Design Evaluations in Product Development, KEER conference, Linköping, available at: http://dqi.id.tue.nl/keer2014/papers/KEER2014_125 (last access: 30 September 2014), 2014a.Köhler, M., Falk, B., and Schmitt, R.: Integrating User Attention for Design Evaluations in Customer-Orientated Product Development, in: Advances in Affective and Pleasurable Design, edited by: Ji, Y. G. and Choi, S., Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics AHFE 2014, 19–23 July 2014, CRC Press, 428–439, 2014b.Kroeber-Riel, W. and Weinberg, P.: Konsumentenverhalten, Vol. 6, Vahlen, 1996.Lang, P. J., Greenwald, M. K., Bradley, M. M., and Hamm, A. O.: Looking at pictures: affective, facial, visceral, and behavioral reactions, Psychophysiology, 30, 261–273, 1993.Laparra-Hernández, J., Belda-Lois, J. M., Medina, E., Campos, N., and Poveda, R.: EMG and GSR signals for evaluating user's perception of different types of ceramic flooring, Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 39, 326–332, 2009.Meffert, H.: Marketing. Grundlagen marktorientierter Unternehmensführung, Vol. 9, Gabler, 2000.Nagamachi, M.: Kansei/Affective Engineering, CRC Press, Florida, 2011.Nielsen, J. and Levy, J.: Measuring usability: preference vs. performance, Communications of the ACM 37, No. 4, 66–75, 1994.Regueiro, R. and León, O.: Estrés en desiciones cotidianas, Journal of Psicothema, 15, 533–538, 2003.Sattler, H.: Methoden zur Messung von Präferenzen für Innovationen, Zeitschrift für betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (zfbf), Vol. 54/06, 154–176, 2006.Schütte, S.: Designing Feelings into Products. Integrating Kansei Engineering Methodology in Product Development, dissertation, University Linköping, 2002.Tversky, A. and Kahneman, D.: 1 Availability: a heuristic for judging frequency and probability, Cognitive Psychol., 5, 207–232, 1973.Yarbus, A. L.: Eye Movements and Vision, Plenum Press, 1967

Alq mutation increases fruit set rate and allows the maintenance of fruit yield under moderate saline conditions

[EN] Arlequin (Alq) is a gain-of-function mutant whose most relevant feature is that sepals are able to become fruit-like organs due to the ectopic expression of the ALQ-TAGL1 gene. The role of this gene in tomato fruit ripening was previously demonstrated. To discover new functional roles for ALQ-TAGL1, and most particularly its involvement in the fruit set process, a detailed characterization of Alq yield-related traits was performed. Under standard conditions, the Alq mutant showed a much higher fruit set rate than the wild type. A significant percentage of Alq fruits were seedless. The results showed that pollination-independent fruit set in Alq is due to early transition from flower to fruit. Analysis of endogenous hormones in Alq suggests that increased content of cytokinins and decreased level of abscisic acid may account for precocious fruit set. Comparative expression analysis showed relevant changes of several genes involved in cell division, gibberellin metabolism, and the auxin signalling pathway. Since pollination-independent fruit set may be a very useful strategy for maintaining fruit production under adverse conditions, fruit set and yield in Alq plants under moderate salinity were assessed. Interestingly, Alq mutant plants showed a high yield under saline conditions, similar to that of Alq and the wild type under unstressed conditions.This work was supported by the research grants AGL2015-64991-C3-3-R and AGL2015-64991-C3-1-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO/FEDER). The PhD grant to CRA (BES-2013-063778) was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.The authors thank Dr Isabel Lopez-Diaz and Dr Esther Carrera for their help in hormone quantification carried out at the Plant Hormone Quantification Service, IBMCP,Valencia, Spain. The authors thank David Harry Rhead for reviewing the manuscript in the English language.Ribelles Alfonso, C.; García Sogo, B.; Yuste-Lisbona, FJ.; Atarés Huerta, A.; Castañeda, L.; Capel, C.; Lozano, R.... (2019). Alq mutation increases fruit set rate and allows the maintenance of fruit yield under moderate saline conditions. Journal of Experimental Botany. 70(20):5731-5744. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz342S57315744702

Tomato POLLEN DEFICIENT 2 encodes a G-Type lectin receptor kinase required for viable pollen grain formation

Pollen development is a crucial biological process indispensable for seed set in flowering plants and for successful crop breeding. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating pollen development in crop species. This study reports a novel male-sterile tomato mutant, pollen deficient 2 (pod2), characterized by the production of non-viable pollen grains and resulting in the development of small parthenocarpic fruits. A combined strategy of mapping-by-sequencing and RNA interference-mediated gene silencing was used to prove that the pod2 phenotype is caused by the loss of Solanum lycopersicum G-Type lectin receptor kinase II.9 (SlG-LecRK-II.9) activity. In situ hybridization of floral buds showed that POD2/SlG-LecRK-II.9 is specifically expressed in tapetal cells and microspores at the late tetrad stage. Accordingly, abnormalities in meiosis and tapetum programmed cell death in pod2 occurred during microsporogenesis, resulting in the formation of four dysfunctional microspores leading to an aberrant microgametogenesis process. RNA-seq analyses supported the existence of alterations at the final stage of microsporogenesis, since we found tomato deregulated genes whose counterparts in Arabidopsis are essential for the normal progression of male meiosis and cytokinesis. Collectively, our results revealed the essential role of POD2/SlG-LecRK-II.9 in regulating tomato pollen development.This work was supported by research grants PID2019-110833RB-C31, PID2019-110833RB-C32, and PID2020-113324GB-100 funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), and the Research and Innovation Programme of the European Union Horizon 2020 (BRESOV Project, ID 774244). A PhD fellowship to MGA was funded by the FPU Programme of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture (ref. AP2010-4528). RLe was supported by a Junta de Andalucía and FEDER research contract (DOC_01129)

Comments on gluon scattering amplitudes via AdS/CFT

In this article we consider n gluon color ordered, planar amplitudes in N=4 super Yang Mills at strong 't Hooft coupling. These amplitudes are approximated by classical surfaces in AdS_5 space. We compute the value of the amplitude for a particular kinematic configuration for a large number of gluons and find that the result disagrees with a recent guess for the exact value of the amplitude. Our results are still compatible with a possible relation between amplitudes and Wilson loops. In addition, we also give a prescription for computing processes involving local operators and asymptotic states with a fixed number of gluons. As a byproduct, we also obtain a string theory prescription for computing the dual of the ordinary Wilson loop, Tr P exp[ i\oint A ], with no couplings to the scalars. We also evaluate the quark-antiquark potential at two loops.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures,v3:minor correction

Energy-dense diets increase FGF23, lead to phosphorus retention and promote vascular calcifications in rats

Rats with normal renal function (Experiment 1, n = 12) and uninephrectomized (1/2Nx) rats (Experiment 2, n = 12) were fed diets with normal P (NP) and either normal (NF) or high fat (HF). Rats with intact renal function (Experiment 3, n = 12) were also fed NF or HF diets with high P (HP). Additionally, uremic (5/6Nx) rats (n = 16) were fed HP diets with NF or HF. Feeding the HF diets resulted in significant elevation of plasma FGF23 vs rats fed NF diets: Experiment 1, 593 ± 126 vs 157 ± 28 pg/ ml (p < 0.01); Experiment 2, 538 ± 105 vs 250 ± 18 pg/ml (p < 0.05); Experiment 3, 971 ± 118 vs 534 ± 40 pg/ml (p < 0.01). Rats fed HF diets showed P retention and decreased renal klotho (ratio klotho/actin) vs rats fed NF diets: Experiment 1, 0.75 ± 0.06 vs 0.97 ± 0.02 (p < 0.01); Experiment 2, 0.69 ± 0.07 vs 1.12 ± 0.08 (p < 0.01); Experiment 3, 0.57 ± 0.19 vs 1.16 ± 0.15 (p < 0.05). Uremic rats fed HF diet showed more severe vascular calcification (VC) than rats fed NF diet (aortic Ca = 6.3 ± 1.4 vs 1.4 ± 0.1 mg/g tissue, p < 0.001). In conclusion, energy-rich diets increased plasma levels of FGF23, a known risk factor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Even though FGF23 has major phosphaturic actions, feeding HF diets resulted in P retention, likely secondary to decreased renal klotho, and aggravated uremic V