Seed dormancy responses to temperature relate to Nothofagus species distribution and determine temporal patterns of germination across altitudes in Patagonia

507-520. Seeds integrate environmental cues that modulate their dormancy and germination. Although many mechanisms have been identified in laboratory experiments, their contribution to germination dynamics in existing communities and their involvement in defining species habitats remain elusive. . By coupling mathematical models with ecological data we investigated the contribution of seed temperature responses to the dynamics of germination of three Nothofagus species that are sharply distributed across different altitudes in the Patagonian Andes. . Seed responsiveness to temperature of the three Nothofagus species was linked to the thermal characteristics of their preferred ecological niche. In their natural distribution range, there was overlap in the timing of germination of the species, which was restricted to mid - spring. By contrast, outside their species distribution range, germination was temporally uncoupled with altitude. This phenomenon was described mathematically by the interplay between interspecific differences in seed population thermal parameters and the range in soil thermic environments across different altitudes. . The observed interspecific variations in seed responsiveness to temperature and its environmental regulation, constitute a major determinant of the dynamics of Nothofagus germination across elevations. This phenomenon likely contributes to the maintenance of patterns of species abundance across altitude by placing germinated seeds in a favorable environment for plant growth

Correlaciones entre los parámetros colorimétricos y la composición fenólica durante la maceración prefermentativa de vinos blancos

La maceración del mosto con los hollejos antes de la fermentación, como proceso de mejora de las características aromáticas en los vinos blancos, produce un cambio en la composición fenólica del vino dependiendo principalmente del tiempo y la temperatura. Durante los ensayos de maceración realizados en mostos de Zalema se produce un incremento significativo (p<0.001) del contenido de flavonoides, principalmente catequina y quercetina-3-rutinosido, siendo este incremento mayor en mostos macerados a temperaturas elevadas. El análisis discriminante permite diferenciar los mostos por la temperatura de maceración, siendo los flavonoides y los ácidos hidroxicinámicos las variables con mayor poder discriminatorio. La maceración prefermentativa produce una variación de todos los parámetros colorimétricos estudiados, más intensas en los mostos macerados a mayores temperaturas (20 ºC y 25 ºC). Si se correlacionan los parámetros del color con la composición fenólica se observa que los mayores coeficientes de regresión se establecen entre el ácido caftárico y las variables cromáticas b* y croma (C*ab). Con el fin de establecer si las diferentes temperaturas de maceración conducen a vinos diferentes en cuanto a su composición fenólica y color, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis de la varianza en el que se ha puesto de manifiesto diferencias significativas en la mayoría de los compuestos fenólicos pero no sobre los parámetros cromáticos estudiados

Gain-of-Function Dynamin-2 Mutations Linked to Centronuclear Myopathy Impair Ca2+-Induced Exocytosis in Human Myoblasts

Gain-of-function mutations of dynamin-2, a mechano-GTPase that remodels membrane and actin filaments, cause centronuclear myopathy (CNM), a congenital disease that mainly affects skeletal muscle tissue. Among these mutations, the variants p.A618T and p.S619L lead to a gain of function and cause a severe neonatal phenotype. By using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) in immortalized human myoblasts expressing the pH-sensitive fluorescent protein (pHluorin) fused to the insulin-responsive aminopeptidase IRAP as a reporter of the GLUT4 vesicle trafficking, we measured single pHluorin signals to investigate how p.A618T and p.S619L mutations influence exocytosis. We show here that both dynamin-2 mutations significantly reduced the number and durations of pHluorin signals induced by 10 μM ionomycin, indicating that in addition to impairing exocytosis, they also affect the fusion pore dynamics. These mutations also disrupt the formation of actin filaments, a process that reportedly favors exocytosis. This altered exocytosis might importantly disturb the plasmalemma expression of functional proteins such as the glucose transporter GLUT4 in skeletal muscle cells, impacting the physiology of the skeletal muscle tissue and contributing to the CNM disease.Fil: Bayonés, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; ArgentinaFil: Guerra Fernández, María José. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Hinostroza, Fernando. Universidad Catolica de Maule; ChileFil: Báez Matus, Ximena. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Vásquez Navarrete, Jacqueline. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Gallo, Luciana Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; ArgentinaFil: Parra, Sergio. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Martínez, Agustín D.. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: González Jamett, Arlek. Universidad de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Marengo, Fernando Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; ArgentinaFil: Cárdenas, Ana M.. Universidad de Valparaíso; Chil

The X-ray to [Ne V]3426 flux ratio: discovering heavily obscured AGN in the distant Universe

We investigate the possibility of using the ratio between the 2-10 keV flux and the [Ne V]3426 emission line flux (X/NeV) as a diagnostic diagram to discover heavily obscured, possibly Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) up to z~1.5. First, we calibrate a relation between X/NeV and the cold absorbing column density N_H using a sample of 74 bright, nearby Seyferts with both X-ray and [Ne V] data available in the literature. Similarly to what is found for the X-ray to [O III]5007 flux ratio (X/OIII), we found that the X/NeV ratio decreases towards large column densities. Essentially all local Seyferts with X/NeV values below 15 are found to be Compton-Thick objects. Second, we apply this diagnostic diagram to different samples of distant obscured and unobscured QSOs in the SDSS: blue, unobscured, type-1 QSOs in the redshift range z=[0.1-1.5] show X/NeV values typical of unobscured Seyfert 1s in the local Universe. Conversely, SDSS type-2 QSOs at z~0.5 classified either as Compton-Thick or Compton-Thin on the basis of their X/OIII ratio, would have been mostly classified in the same way based on the X/NeV ratio. We apply the X/NeV diagnostic diagram to 9 SDSS obscured QSOs in the redshift range z=[0.85-1.31], selected by means of their prominent [Ne V]3426 line and observed with Chandra ACIS-S for 10ks each. Based on the X/NeV ratio, complemented by X-ray spectral analysis, 2 objects appear good Compton-Thick QSO candidates, 4 objects appear as Compton-Thin QSOs, while 3 have an ambiguous classification. When excluding from the sample broad lined QSOs with a red continuum and thus considering only genuine narrow-line objects, the efficiency in selecting Compton-Thick QSOs through the [Ne V] line is about 50% (with large errors, though), more similar to what is achieved with [O III] selection. [abridged]Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

First universal newborn screening program for severe combined immunodeficiency in Europe: two-years' experience in Catalonia (Spain)

Newborn screening; Severe combined immunodeficiency; T-cell receptor excision circlesCribratge de nadons; Immunodeficiència combinada greu; Cercles d'excisió de receptors de cèl·lules TCribado de recién nacidos; Inmunodeficiencia combinada grave; Círculos de escisión de receptores de células TSevere combined immunodeficiency (SCID), the most severe form of T-cell immunodeficiency, can be screened at birth by quantifying T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) in dried blood spot (DBS) samples. Early detection of this condition speeds up the establishment of appropriate treatment and increases the patient's life expectancy. Newborn screening for SCID started in January 2017 in Catalonia, the first Spanish and European region to universally include this testing. The results obtained in the first 2 years of experience are evaluated here. All babies born between January 2017 and December 2018 were screened. TREC quantification in DBS (1.5 mm diameter) was performed with the Enlite Neonatal TREC kit from PerkinElmer (Turku, Finland). In 2018, the retest cutoff in the detection algorithm was updated based on the experience gained in the first year, and changed from 34 to 24 copies/μL. This decreased the retest rate from 3.34 to 1.4% (global retest rate, 2.4%), with a requested second sample rate of 0.23% and a positive detection rate of 0.02%. Lymphocyte phenotype (T, B, NK populations), expression of CD45RA/RO isoforms, percentage and intensity of TCR αβ and TCR γδ, presence of HLA-DR+ T lymphocytes, and in vitro lymphocyte proliferation were studied in all patients by flow cytometry. Of 130,903 newborns screened, 30 tested positive, 15 of which were male. During the study period, one patient was diagnosed with SCID: incidence, 1 in 130,903 births in Catalonia. Thirteen patients had clinically significant T-cell lymphopenia (non-SCID) with an incidence of 1 in 10,069 newborns (43% of positive detections). Nine patients were considered false-positive cases because of an initially normal lymphocyte count with normalization of TRECs between 3 and 6 months of life, four infants had transient lymphopenia due to an initially low lymphocyte count with recovery in the following months, and three patients are still under study. The results obtained provide further evidence of the benefits of including this disease in newborn screening programs. Longer follow-up is needed to define the exact incidence of SCID in Catalonia

Coordinated response to imported vaccine-derived poliovirus infection, Barcelona, Spain, 2019-2020

In 2019, the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, Spain, was notifi ed of a vaccine-derived poliovirus infection. The patient had an underlying common variable immunodefi ciency and no signs of acute fl accid paralysis. We describe the ongoing coordinated response to contain the infection, which included compassionate-use treatment with pocapavir

Stepwise strategy based on 1H-NMR fingerprinting in combination with chemometrics to determine the content of vegetable oils in olive oil mixtures

1H NMR fingerprinting of edible oils and a set of multivariate classification and regression models organised in a decision tree is proposed as a stepwise strategy to assure the authenticity and traceability of olive oils and their declared blends with other vegetable oils (VOs). Oils of the 'virgin olive oil' and 'olive oil' categories and their mixtures with the most common VOs, i.e. sunflower, high oleic sunflower, hazelnut, avocado, soybean, corn, refined palm olein and desterolized high oleic sunflower oils, were studied. Partial least squares (PLS) discriminant analysis provided stable and robust binary classification models to identify the olive oil type and the VO in the blend. PLS regression afforded models with excellent precisions and acceptable accuracies to determine the percentage of VO in the mixture. The satisfactory performance of this approach, tested with blind samples, confirm its potential to support regulations and control bodies. Keywords: Adulteration; Authentication; Decision tree; Multivariate data analysis; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Olive oil

Diarrea del viajero asociada a Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas hydrophila is a bacteria frequently found in fresh water and saline water. Certain strains of the species have been known to cause disease in fish and amphibians for several years, although some controversy exists about its ability to cause illness in humans. Nevertheless, either through open wounds or contaminated food or water, it can give rise to infection. However, almost all articles refer to isolated cases, rather than to outbreaks.In most cases it produces gastroenteritis in healthy people, whilst possibly causing septicemia in people with low inmmunity.In 1998, there was concern in the hotel sector due to a considerable rise in the number of cases of gastroenteritis among tourists holidaying in certain areas of the coast of the island of Tenerife.The Public Health Services of the Canarian Community iniciated an epidemiological study in order to establish the magnitude of the problem and the associated factors.The inicial analysis showed a large number of tourists affected but not seriously, and only in one particular area of the coast. This suggested traveller’s diarrohea probably associated with contaminated drinking water.Aeromonas hydrophila es una bacteria que se encuentra frecuentemente en aguas dulces y salobres. Desde hace varios años se conoce que determinadas cepas de la especie pueden causar enfermedad en pescados y en anfibios, existiendo cierta controversia sobre su patogeneicidad en humanos. No obstante, puede dar lugar a infección en personas, que la adquieren bien a través de heridas abiertas o bien por ingestión de alimentos o agua contaminados. Sin embargo, en prácticamente la totalidad de las publicaciones se hace referencia a casos aislados más que a brotes producidos por esta bacteria. Generalmente la infección por A. hydrophila da lugar a gastroenteritis en personas sanas, pudiendo generar una septicemia en individuos inmunodeprimidos.En 1998 se produjo una alarma en el sector hotelero por un incremento considerable de los casos de gastroenteritis entre los turistas que acudían durante sus vacaciones a determinadas zonas costeras de la isla de Tenerife.Tras tener conocimiento de la situación, la Dirección General de Salud Pública inició una investigación epidemiológica con el objetivo de conocer la magnitud real del problema detectado e identificar los factores asociados a la misma, para poner en marcha las medidas correctoras y de control necesarias. El análisis inicial permitió determinar que se trataba de un proceso de gran magnitud en su extensión aunque de carácter leve, que afectaba únicamente a los turistas en una zona costera en concreto, compatible por lo tanto con la diarrea del viajero, planteándose un origen probablemente hídrico

An NLO QCD analysis of inclusive cross-section and jet-production data from the ZEUS experiment

The ZEUS inclusive differential cross-section data from HERA, for charged and neutral current processes taken with e+ and e- beams, together with differential cross-section data on inclusive jet production in e+ p scattering and dijet production in \gamma p scattering, have been used in a new NLO QCD analysis to extract the parton distribution functions of the proton. The input of jet data constrains the gluon and allows an accurate extraction of \alpha_s(M_Z) at NLO; \alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1183 \pm 0.0028(exp.) \pm 0.0008(model) An additional uncertainty from the choice of scales is estimated as \pm 0.005. This is the first extraction of \alpha_s(M_Z) from HERA data alone.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, to be submitted to EPJC. PDFs available at http://durpdg.dur.ac.uk/hepdata in LHAPDFv