Trinexapac-ethyl reduces plant height and seed yield in forage sorghum.

Forage sorghum presents tall plants, what makes mechanical seed harvesting a difficult task. Plant hormones can reduce plant height and facilitate the harvesting. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl on plant height and seed yield in forage sorghum. This research was carried out at Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, in two seasons (2017 and 2018), in a randomized complete block design, four replications and three varieties (BRS Ponta Negra, 1141574 and 0947216) under application of Trinexapac-ethyl in two stages of the plant growth (V8, V12, V8 + V12). The characteristics evaluated were: plant height, seed yield and mass of 1000 seeds. The effect of the hormone was significant in both stages of growth, with a significant reduction in plant height. The hormone applied twice at growth stages V8 + V12 had a greater effect in reducing plant height. However, the hormone reduced seed yield in the three varieties, what implies the need for further studies comparing the advantage of plant height reduction and the loss in seed yield

VINAZAS Y HONGOS DEL SUELO

     The purpose of this research was to study the biocidal effect of three agroindustrial subproducts, concretely sugar beet, sugar cane and wine vinasse. Two tests were carried out. The first centred on studying the action of the three agroindustrial subproducts in vitro. In dilutions at initial doses of 1%, 3% and 5%, their performance against six phytopathogenic fungi was analyzed: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis race 0 and 1, F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Pythium aphanidermatum and Phytophthora parasitica. Next, the antagonistic capacity of the solutions assayed in vitro was tested in soil, studying the incidence of the subproducts on the Fusarium populations in these soils.      Results from in vitro testing determined that wine vinasse is what shows a 100% capacity to suppress fungal growth with concentrations that are not very high, between 5% and 7% for Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis race 0 and 1, S. sclerotiorum, P. aphanidermatum and P. parasitica and 10-15% for Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum. On the other hand, sugar cane vinasse produced an increase at high concentrations and sugar beet vinasse showed an approximate 100% suppressor effect on fungal growth for only some of the phytopathogens tested: S. sclerotiorum (15%), P. aphanidermatum (7%), P. parasitica (15%) and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radiciscucumerinum (15%).      In the soil samples analyzed none of the three vinasse extracts decreased fusaric microbiota, producing an increase in the three samples tested. This would implicitly convey an improvement in soil quality by producing a potential increase in bacterial and fungal microbiota.     El propósito de este trabajo fue estudiar el efecto biocida de tres subproductos agroindustriales, concretamente de la vinaza de remolacha, la vinaza de caña de azúcar y la vinaza de vino. Se realizaron dos estudios, el primero se centró en estudiar in vitro la acción de los tres subproductos agroindustriales analizando su comportamiento en diluciones a las dosis iniciales del 1%, 3% y 5% frente a seis hongos fitopatógenos: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis raza 0 y 1, F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Pythium aphanidermatum y Phytophthora parasitica. Posteriormente, se estudió la capacidad antagonista de las disoluciones ensayadas in vitro, sobre suelos, estudiando la incidencia de los subproductos mencionados sobre las poblaciones fusáricas presentes en dichos suelos.      Los resultados obtenidos para los ensayos realizados in vitro determinan que la vinaza de vino es la que presenta una capacidad de supresión del crecimiento fúngico del 100% a concentraciones no muy elevadas, entre el 5% y 7% para Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis raza 0 y 1, S. sclerotiorum, P. aphanidermatum y P. parasitica y al 10-15% para Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum. Por el contrario, la vinaza de caña de azúcar produce un incremento a altas concentraciones y la vinaza de remolacha presenta efecto supresor del crecimiento fúngico aproximadamente del 100% sólo para algunos de los fi topatógenos ensayados: S. sclerotiorum (15%), P. aphanidermatum (7%), P. parasitica (15%) y Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum (15%).      En las muestras de suelo analizadas ninguno de los tres extractos de vinaza consigue disminuir la microbiota fusárica, produciendo un incremento en las tres muestras ensayadas, lo que podría llevar implícito una mejora en la calidad de los suelos al producirse un posible incremento en la microbiota bacteriana y fúngica de los mismos

Understanding Dwarf Galaxies in order to Understand Dark Matter

Much progress has been made in recent years by the galaxy simulation community in making realistic galaxies, mostly by more accurately capturing the effects of baryons on the structural evolution of dark matter halos at high resolutions. This progress has altered theoretical expectations for galaxy evolution within a Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model, reconciling many earlier discrepancies between theory and observations. Despite this reconciliation, CDM may not be an accurate model for our Universe. Much more work must be done to understand the predictions for galaxy formation within alternative dark matter models.Comment: Refereed contribution to the Proceedings of the Simons Symposium on Illuminating Dark Matter, to be published by Springe

Interaction of mumps virus V protein variants with STAT1-STAT2 heterodimer: experimental and theoretical studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mumps virus V protein has the ability to inhibit the interferon-mediated antiviral response by inducing degradation of STAT proteins. Two virus variants purified from Urabe AM9 mumps virus vaccine differ in their replication and transcription efficiency in cells primed with interferon. Virus susceptibility to IFN was associated with insertion of a non-coded glycine at position 156 in the V protein (VGly) of one virus variant, whereas resistance to IFN was associated with preservation of wild-type phenotype in the V protein (VWT) of the other variant.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>VWT and VGly variants of mumps virus were cloned and sequenced from Urabe AM9 vaccine strain. VGly differs from VWT protein because it possesses an amino acid change Gln₁₀₃Pro (Pro¹⁰³) and the Gly¹⁵⁶insertion. The effect of V protein variants on components of the interferon-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), STAT1 and STAT2 proteins were experimentally tested in cervical carcinoma cell lines. Expression of VWT protein decreased STAT1 phosphorylation, whereas VGly had no inhibitory effect on either STAT1 or STAT2 phosphorylation. For theoretical analysis of the interaction between V proteins and STAT proteins, 3D structural models of VWT and VGly were predicted by comparing with simian virus 5 (SV5) V protein structure in complex with STAT1-STAT2 heterodimer. <it>In silico </it>analysis showed that VWT-STAT1-STAT2 complex occurs through the V protein Trp-motif (W¹⁷⁴, W¹⁷⁸, W¹⁸⁹) and Glu⁹⁵residue close to the Arg⁴⁰⁹and Lys⁴¹⁵of the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of STAT2, leaving exposed STAT1 Lys residues (K⁸⁵, K⁸⁷, K²⁹⁶, K⁴¹³, K⁵²⁵, K⁶⁷⁹, K⁶⁸⁵), which are susceptible to proteasome degradation. In contrast, the interaction between VGly and STAT1-STAT2 heterodimer occurs in a region far from the NLS of STAT2 without blocking of Lys residues in both STAT1 and STAT2.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that VWT protein of Urabe AM9 strain of mumps virus may be more efficient than VGly to inactivate both the IFN signaling pathway and antiviral response due to differences in their finest molecular interaction with STAT proteins.</p

Recent advances in food allergy

Food allergy is a public health issue that has significantly increased worldwide in the past decade, affecting consumers’ quality of life and making increasing demands on health service resources. Despite recent advances in many areas of diagnosis and treatment, our general knowledge of the basic mechanisms of the disease remain limited i.e., not at pace with the exponential number of new cases and the explosion of new technologies. Many important key questions remain: What defines a major allergen? Why do some individuals develop food allergies and others do not? Which are the environmental factors? Could the environmental factors be monitored through epigenetics or modified by changes in the microbiome? Can tolerance to food be induced? Why are some foods more likely to trigger allergies than others? Does the route and timing of exposure have any role on sensitization? These and many other related questions remain unanswered. In this short review some of these topics are addressed in the light of recent advances in the area

II Jornadas de la Sociedad Española para la Conservación y Estudio de Los Mamíferos (SECEM) Soria 7-9 diciembre 1995

Seguimiento de una reintroducción de corzo (Capreolus capreolus) en ambiente mediterráneo. Dispersión y área de campeoModelos de distribución de los insectívoros ern la Península IbéricaDieta anual del zorro, Vulpes vulpes, en dos hábitats del Parque Nacional de DoñanaDesarrollo juvenil del cráneo en las poblaciones ibéricas de gato montés, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777Presencia y expansión del visón americano (Mustela vison) en las provincias de Teruel y Castellón (Este de España).Preferencias de hábitat invernal de la musaraña común (Crocidura russula) en un encinar fragmentado de la submeseta norteUso de cámaras automáticas para la recogida de información faunística.Dieta del lobo en dos zonas de Asturias (España) que difieren en carga ganadera.Consumo de frutos y dispersión de semillas de serbal (Sorbus aucuparia L.) por zorros y martas en la cordillera Cantábrica occidentalEvaluación de espermatozoides obtenidos postmorten en el ciervo.Frecuencia de aparición de diferentes restos de conejo en excrementos de lince y zorroAtlas preliminar de los mamíferos de Soria (España)Censo y distribución de la marmota alpina (Marmota marmota) en Navarra.Trampeo fotográfico del género Martes en el Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici (Lleida)Peer reviewe

Diets based on virgin olive oil or fish oil but not on sunflower oil prevent age-related alvolar bone resorption by mitochondrial-related mechanisms

Background/Objectives: Aging enhances frequency of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases or periodontitis. Here we reproduced an age-dependent model of the periodontium, a fully physiological approach to periodontal conditions, to evaluate the impact of dietary fat type on gingival tissue of young (6 months old) and old (24 months old) rats.Methods/Findings: Animals were fed life-long on diets based on monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) as virgin olive oil, n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6PUFA), as sunflower oil, or n-3PUFA, as fish oil. Age-related alveolar bone loss was higher in n-6PUFA fed rats, probably as a consequence of the ablation of the cell capacity to adapt to aging. Gene expression analysis suggests that MUFA or n-3PUFA allowed mitochondria to maintain an adequate turnover through induction of biogenesis, autophagy and the antioxidant systems, and avoiding mitochondrial electron transport system alterations.Conclusions: The main finding is that the enhanced alveolar bone loss associated to age may be targeted by an appropriate dietary treatment. The mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are related with an ablation of the cell capacity to adapt to aging. Thus, MUFA or n-3PUFA might allow mitochondrial maintaining turnover through biogenesis or autophagy. They might also be able to induce the corresponding antioxidant systems to counteract age-related oxidative stress, and do not inhibit mitochondrial electron transport chain. From the nutritional and clinical point of view, it is noteworthy that the potential treatments to attenuate alveolar bone loss (a feature of periodontal disease) associated to age could be similar to some of the proposed for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, a group of pathologies recently associated with age-related periodontitis.This study was supported by I+D grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (AGL2008-01057) and the Autonomous Government of Andalusia (AGR832)

Molecular characterization of occult hepatitis B virus infection in patients with end-stage liver disease in Colombia.

ABSTARCT: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) occult infection (OBI) is a risk factor to be taken into account in transfusion, hemodialysis and organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize at the molecular level OBI cases in patients with end-stage liver disease. METHODS: Sixty-six liver samples were obtained from patients with diagnosis of end-stage liver disease submitted to liver transplantation in Medellin (North West, Colombia). Samples obtained from patients who were negative for the surface antigen of HBV (n = 50) were tested for viral DNA detection by nested PCR for ORFs S, C, and X and confirmed by Southern-Blot. OBI cases were analyzed by sequencing the viral genome to determine the genotype and mutations; additionally, viral genome integration events were examined by the Alu-PCR technique. RESULTS: In five cases out of 50 patients (10%) the criteria for OBI was confirmed. HBV genotype F (subgenotypes F1 and F3), genotype A and genotype D were characterized in liver samples. Three integration events in chromosomes 5q14.1, 16p13 and 20q12 affecting Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase T, Ras Protein Specific Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 2, and the zinc finger 263 genes were identified in two OBI cases. Sequence analysis of the viral genome of the 5 OBI cases showed several punctual missense and nonsense mutations affecting ORFs S, P, Core and X. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first characterization of OBI in patients with end-stage liver disease in Colombia. The OBI cases were identified in patients with HCV infection or cryptogenic cirrhosis. The integration events (5q14.1, 16p13 and 20q12) described in this study have not been previously reported. Further studies are required to validate the role of mutations and integration events in OBI pathogenesis