Sap flow of a wild cherry tree plantation growing under Mediterranean conditions: Assessing the role of environmental conditions on canopy conductance and the effect of branch pruning on water productivity

In recent decades, wild cherry has been one of the species most widely used for reforestation in Europe. Studies aiming to select and improve trees to give them the best growth rates and wood properties have increased in response to growers’ demands. However, information relating to key physiological processes such as transpiration or stomatal conductance and to the effect of the common practice of pruning on plant–water relations is scarce. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of environmental conditions on canopy conductance dynamics. Its secondary objective was to examine the short- and medium-term effects of branch pruning on tree transpiration, growth and derived water productivity. To this end, we measured sap flow in an experimental plantation where trees were subjected to drip irrigation and rain-fed conditions and where variables characterizing climate, soil and tree growth were also monitored. The results demonstrated that the Jarvis–Stewart approach was appropriate for studying the responses of canopy conductance to environmental factors. As well as the role of vapour pressure deficit and net radiation in controlling the daily variations of canopy conductance, the single effects of decreasing soil water content (optimum relative extractable water, REW, higher than 0.4) and increasing air temperature (optimum of 21 °C), as summer conditions approached, were correctly incorporated into the modelling exercise. Soil water content exerted the greatest control on canopy conductance for trees growing under rain-fed conditions, while air temperature did for irrigated trees. Pruning significantly reduced transpiration to about 35% when pre- and post-sub-periods were compared, but also affected annual water productivity regardless of the irrigation treatment. To assess the long-term effects of pruning on water productivity, measurements in both pruned and unpruned trees would be desirable.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The Gypsy Database (GyDB) of mobile genetic elements: release 2.0

This article introduces the second release of the Gypsy Database of Mobile Genetic Elements (GyDB 2.0): a research project devoted to the evolutionary dynamics of viruses and transposable elements based on their phylogenetic classification (per lineage and protein domain). The Gypsy Database (GyDB) is a long-term project that is continuously progressing, and that owing to the high molecular diversity of mobile elements requires to be completed in several stages. GyDB 2.0 has been powered with a wiki to allow other researchers participate in the project. The current database stage and scope are long terminal repeats (LTR) retroelements and relatives. GyDB 2.0 is an update based on the analysis of Ty3/Gypsy, Retroviridae, Ty1/Copia and Bel/Pao LTR retroelements and the Caulimoviridae pararetroviruses of plants. Among other features, in terms of the aforementioned topics, this update adds: (i) a variety of descriptions and reviews distributed in multiple web pages; (ii) protein-based phylogenies, where phylogenetic levels are assigned to distinct classified elements; (iii) a collection of multiple alignments, lineage-specific hidden Markov models and consensus sequences, called GyDB collection; (iv) updated RefSeq databases and BLAST and HMM servers to facilitate sequence characterization of new LTR retroelement and caulimovirus queries; and (v) a bibliographic server. GyDB 2.0 is available at http://gydb.org

Engineering the reciprocal space for ultrathin GaAs solar cells

III-V solar cells dominate the high efficiency charts, but with significantly higher cost than other solar cells. Ultrathin III-V solar cells can exhibit lower production costs and immunity to short carrier diffusion lengths caused by radiation damage, dislocations, or native defects. Nevertheless, solving the incomplete optical absorption of sub-micron layers presents a challenge for light-trapping structures. Simple photonic crystals have high diffractive efficiencies, which are excellent for narrow-band applications. Random structures a broadband response instead but suffer from low diffraction efficiencies. Quasirandom (hyperuniform) structures lie in between providing high diffractive efficiency over a target wavelength range, broader than simple photonic crystals, but narrower than a random structure. In this work, we present a design method to evolve a simple photonic crystal into a quasirandom structure by modifying the spatial-Fourier space in a controlled manner. We apply these structures to an ultrathin GaAs solar cell of only 100 nm. We predict a photocurrent for the tested quasirandom structure of 25.3 mA/cm$^2$, while a planar structure would be limited to 16.1 mA/cm$^2$. The modified spatial-Fourier space in the quasirandom structure increases the amount of resonances, with a progression from discrete number of peaks to a continuum in the absorption. The enhancement in photocurrent is stable under angle variations because of this continuum. We also explore the robustness against changes in the real-space distribution of the quasirandom structures using different numerical seeds, simulating variations in a self-assembly method

Valorization of Ferulic Acid from Agro-Industrial by-Products for Application in Agriculture

The use of bioplastic mulch in agriculture has increased dramatically in the last years throughout the world. Nowadays, biodegradable materials for mulching films strive to constitute a reliable and more sustainable alternative to classical materials such as polyethylene (PE). The main challenge is to improve their durability in the soil to meet the required service length for crop farming by using benign and sustainable antioxidant systems. Here, we report the design and fabrication of biodegradable materials based on polybutylene (succinate adipate) (PBSA) for mulching applications, incorporating a fully biobased polymeric antioxidant deriving from ferulic acid, which can be extracted from an industrial by-product. Poly-dihydro (ethylene ferulate) (PHEF) from ferulic acid was synthesized by a two-step polymerization process. It is characterized by improved thermal stability in comparison with ferulic acid monomer and therefore suitable for common industrial processing conditions. Different blends of PBSA and PHEF obtained by melt mixing or by reactive extrusion were prepared and analyzed to understand the effect of the presence of PHEF. The results demonstrate that PHEF, when processed by reactive extrusion, presents a remarkable antioxidant effect, even in comparison with commercial additives, preserving a high level of the mechanical properties of the PBSA matrix without affecting the biodegradable character of the blend

Recent trends in molecular diagnostics of yeast infections : from PCR to NGS

The incidence of opportunistic yeast infections in humans has been increasing over recent years. These infections are difficult to treat and diagnose, in part due to the large number and broad diversity of species that can underlie the infection. In addition, resistance to one or several antifungal drugs in infecting strains is increasingly being reported, severely limiting therapeutic options and showcasing the need for rapid detection of the infecting agent and its drug susceptibility profile. Current methods for species and resistance identification lack satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, and often require prior culturing of the infecting agent, which delays diagnosis. Recently developed high-throughput technologies such as next generation sequencing or proteomics are opening completely new avenues for more sensitive, accurate and fast diagnosis of yeast pathogens. These approaches are the focus of intensive research, but translation into the clinics requires overcoming important challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of existing and recently emerged approaches that can be used in the identification of yeast pathogens and their drug resistance profiles. Throughout the text we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology and discuss the most promising developments in their path from bench to bedside

Effect of systemic corticosteroid therapy for acute heart failure patients with elevated C-reactive protein

The current study explores whether degree of inflammation, reflected by C-reactive protein (CRP) level, modifies the effect of intravenous (IV) corticosteroid administered in the emergency department (ED) on clinical outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF).We selected patients diagnosed with AHF in the ED, with confirmed N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide > 300 pg/mL and CRP > 5 mg/L in the ED from the Epidemiology of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Departments (EAHFE) registry. In these 1109 patients, 121 were treated by corticosteroid. The corticosteroid therapy hazard ratio (HR) for 30 day all-cause mortality was 1.26 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75-2.09, P = 0.38]. Although not statistically significant, HRs tended to decrease with increasing CRP level, with point estimates favouring corticosteroid at CRP levels above 20. In patients with CRP > 40 mg/L, with adjusted HRs of 0.56 (95% CI 0.20-1.55, P = 0.27) for 30 day all-cause mortality, 0.92 (95% CI 0.52-1.62, P = 0.78) for 30 day post-discharge ED revisit, hospitalization, or death, and adjusted odds ratio of 0.61 (95% CI 0.17-2.14, P = 0.44) for in-hospital all-cause mortality.The present analysis suggests that corticosteroids might have the potential to improve outcomes in AHF patients with inflammatory activation. Larger, prospective studies of anti-inflammatory therapy should be considered to assess potential benefit in patients with the highest degree of inflammation.© 2022 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology