Occurrence and Etiology of Brown Apical Necrosis on Persian (English) Walnut Fruit.

In 1998, a severe fruit drop was observed in Italy, principally on cv. Lara Persian (English) walnut (Juglans regia). Dropped fruit showed a brown patch at the blossom end and blackening and rot of inner tissues. The disease, called brown apical necrosis (BAN), was investigated on fruit collected in Italy and France in 1999. In 2000, studies were carried out in three walnut orchards located in Italy and in France to substantiate the etiology of BAN. Isolations performed from inner diseased fruit tissues yielded several fungi, in decreasing frequency of isolation: species of Fusarium and Alternaria, and one species each of Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, and Phomopsis. However, only Fusarium spp. were recovered from stigmas of BAN-affected fruit. The fungi associated with BAN-diseased fruit and species composition differed among locations and over time, confirming results obtained in previous investigations. The species of Fusarium used in pathogenicity tests reproduced BAN-disease symptoms when inoculated on fruit, whereas an Alternaria alternata isolate caused only limited necrosis of the style. However, the role of the other fungi commonly isolated from BAN-diseased fruit remains to be defined. The walnut blight pathogen, Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis, occasionally was isolated from BAN-diseased fruit. No correlation was found between the extent of external brown patches and the size of inner lesions. Repeated isolations from and inoculations of fruit demonstrated that BAN can be considered a complex disease, and the inner infections originate from the style of the fruit

The activity of hsp90α promoter is regulated by NF-κB transcription factors

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ON THE LOCALIZED PHYSICAL EXERGY DISAGGREGATION FOR DISSIPATIVE COMPONENT ISOLATION IN THERMOECONOMICS

Thermoeconomics is a discipline that connects Thermodynamics and Economics concepts, usually used for rational cost allocation to the final products of a thermal plant, by means of a model that describes the cost formation process of the overall system. Generally, exergy or monetary costs of the external resources are distributed to the final products. Exergy is the thermodynamic magnitude used in thermoeconomics and the physical exergy disaggregation has been introduced in thermoeconomics as alternatives for the isolation of the dissipative components and residues allocation. For plants with dissipative equipment, such as condenser or valve, the productive diagram, based on total exergy (E Model), need to merge this dissipative equipment with other productive components. In order to isolate the condenser, the productive diagram must use, at least, the H&S Model and to isolate the valve, the UFS Model has to be considered.Both disaggregation models greatly increase the thermoeconomic modeling complexity. Bearing this in mind, this work aims to evaluate the advantages of combining the E Model with these other models in order to adequately isolate the dissipative equipment. The plants studied herein are two different steam turbine cogeneration systems, with dissipative components (condenser or valve). The different monetary and exergy unit costs obtained for the two final products of each plant are compared and analyzed.  The results show that localized physical exergy disaggregation for dissipative component isolation in thermoeconomics is feasible, since it reduces the complexity of the productive structure and is also consistent from the point of view of thermodynamics

Aislamiento de bacterias nativas de Oncorhynchus mykiss con potencial probiótico frente a Yersinia ruckeri

The aim of this study was to identify native bacteria isolated from the intestinal tract of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with probiotic properties against Yersinia ruckeri. In the study, 48 healthy trout from the hatchery of the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano (Puno, Peru) were used. The intestinal tract of the fry and juveniles was removed, and samples were taken from the intestinal mucosa. The samples were cultured on MRS agar and incubated at 30 °C for 24-48 h. The colonies were identified by their morphology and their inhibitory effect was evaluated in vitro against a Yersinia ruckeri strain isolated from a high mortality outbreak. Three isolates compatible with the genus Lactobacillus and one isolate compatible with the genus Bacillus were identified. These isolates showed inhibition halos greater than 9 mm in diameter against Y. ruckeri.  El objetivo del estudio fue identificar bacterias nativas aisladas del tracto intestinal de trucha arco iris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) con propiedades probióticas frente a Yersinia ruckeri. Se utilizaron 48 truchas sanas provenientes de la eclosería de la Universidad Nacional del Altiplano (Puno, Perú). El tracto intestinal de los alevines y juveniles fue extraído y se tomaron muestras de la mucosa intestinal. Las muestras fueron sembradas en agar MRS e incubadas a 30 °C por 24-48 h. Las colonias fueron identificadas por su morfología y se evaluó su efecto inhibitorio in vitro frente a una cepa de Yersinia ruckeri, aislada de un brote de alta mortalidad. Se identificaron tres aislados compatibles con el género Lactobacillus y un aislado compatible con el género Bacillus. Estos aislados mostraron halos de inhibición mayores a 9 mm de diámetro frente a Y. ruckeri. &nbsp

Treatment with 5-Fluorouracil and Celecoxib Displays Synergistic Regression of Ultraviolet Light B-Induced Skin Tumors

Standard chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of pre-cancerous skin lesions and non-melanoma skin cancers are not completely effective. Several studies have suggested that repeated inflammatory sunburn reactions, which include the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the subsequent production of prostaglandins, play a role in skin cancer development. COX-2 inhibition has been demonstrated to be a potent means of preventing skin cancer development in mice; however, COX-2 inhibitors alone are not effective as chemotherapeutic agents. Data in a variety of cancer types suggest greater efficacy in treating tumors with combination chemotherapies. Therefore, we hypothesized that a combination of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the COX-2 inhibitor and anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib would act synergistically to regress tumors in a murine model of ultraviolet light B- (UVB-) induced carcinogenesis. We found that topical treatment with 5-FU and celecoxib together was up to 70% more effective in reducing the number of UVB-induced skin tumors than 5-FU treatment alone. Our data suggest that more effective chemotherapy regimens can be developed to treat the millions of pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions that arise every year, which could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in costs and cosmetic defects (scarring) associated with surgical interventions

Distinct colonization patterns and cDNA-AFLP transcriptome profiles in compatible and incompatible interactions between melon and different races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis

Background: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis Snyd. & Hans. (FOM) causes Fusarium wilt, the most important infectious disease of melon (Cucumis melo L.). The four known races of this pathogen can be distinguished only by infection on appropriate cultivars. No molecular tools are available that can discriminate among the races, and the molecular basis of compatibility and disease progression are poorly understood. Resistance to races 1 and 2 is controlled by a single dominant gene, whereas only partial polygenic resistance to race 1,2 has been described. We carried out a large-scale cDNA-AFLP analysis to identify host genes potentially related to resistance and susceptibility as well as fungal genes associated with the infection process. At the same time, a systematic reisolation procedure on infected stems allowed us to monitor fungal colonization in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Results: Melon plants (cv. Charentais Fom-2), which are susceptible to race 1,2 and resistant to race 1, were artificially infected with a race 1 strain of FOM or one of two race 1,2 w strains. Host colonization of stems was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, 16, 18 and 21 days post inoculation (dpi), and the fungus was reisolated from infected plants. Markedly different colonization patterns were observed in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Five time points from the symptomless early stage (2 dpi) to obvious wilting symptoms (21 dpi) were considered for cDNA-AFLP analysis. After successful sequencing of 627 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) differentially expressed in infected plants, homology searching retrieved 305 melon transcripts, 195 FOM transcripts expressed in planta and 127 orphan TDFs. RNA samples from FOM colonies of the three strains grown in vitro were also included in the analysis to facilitate the detection of in planta-specific transcripts and to identify TDFs differentially expressed among races/strains. Conclusion: Our data suggest that resistance against FOM in melon involves only limited transcriptional changes, and that wilting symptoms could derive, at least partially, from an active plant response. We discuss the pathogen-derived transcripts expressed in planta during the infection process and potentially related to virulence functions, as well as transcripts that are differentially expressed between the two FOM races grown in vitro. These transcripts provide candidate sequences that can be further tested for their ability to distinguish between races. Sequence data from this article have been deposited in GenBank, Accession Numbers: HO867279-HO867981

Soybean yield fertilized with multiple nutrients source in integrated system in sand soil.

The rotation of annual crops with pastures, in the crop-livestock integration system (ILP), has been used as one of the alternatives for the economic and ecological sustainability of agricultural production systems

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)