Penta-quark states with hidden charm and beauty

More and more hadron states are found to be difficult to be accommodated by the quenched quark models which describe baryons as 3-quark states and mesons as antiquark-quark states. Dragging out an antiquark-quark pair from the gluon field in hadrons should be an important excitation mechanism for hadron spectroscopy. Our recent progress on the penta-quark states with hidden charm and beauty is reviewed.Comment: Plenary talk at the 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics 2011 (APFB2011), 22-26 Aug., 2011, Seoul, Kore

Dynamics of Starbursting Dwarf Galaxies: I Zw 18

I Zw 18 is a prototype Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD), characterized by a strong starburst and extremely low metallicity (Z ~ 0.02 Zsun). It has long been considered a candidate young galaxy in the Local Universe, but recent studies indicate the presence of old stars. We analysed archival VLA observations of the 21 cm line and found that the HI associated to the starburst region forms a compact fast-rotating disk. The HI column densities are very high, up to ~50-100 Msun/pc^2 (~0.6-1.2 x 10^22 atoms/cm^2). The rotation curve is flat with a steep rise in the inner parts, indicating the presence of a strong central concentration of mass. Mass models with a dark matter halo show that baryons may dominate the gravitational potential in the inner regions. A radial inflow/outflow motion of ~15 km/s is also present. I Zw 18 appears structurally different from typical dwarf irregulars in terms of gas distribution, stellar distribution and dynamics. It may be considered as a "miniature" high-surface-brightness disk galaxy. These dynamical properties must be tightly related to the starburst. They also shed new light on the question of the descendants of BCDs. There is also extended HI emission towards the outlying stellar complex I Zw 18 C and a ~13.5 kpc HI tail. An interaction/merger between gas-rich dwarfs is the most likely explanation for the starburst.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysic

In-spiraling Clumps in Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies

Giant star-formation clumps in dwarf irregular galaxies can have masses exceeding a few percent of the galaxy mass enclosed inside their orbital radii. They can produce sufficient torques on dark matter halo particles, halo stars, and the surrounding disk to lose their angular momentum and spiral into the central region in 1 Gyr. Pairs of giant clumps with similarly large relative masses can interact and exchange angular momentum to the same degree. The result of this angular momentum loss is a growing central concentration of old stars, gas, and star formation that can produce a long-lived starburst in the inner region, identified with the BCD phase. This central concentration is proposed to be analogous to the bulge in a young spiral galaxy. Observations of star complexes in five local BCDs confirm the relatively large clump masses that are expected for this process. The observed clumps also seem to contain old field stars, even after background light subtraction, in which case the clumps may be long-lived. The two examples with clumps closest to the center have the largest relative clump masses and the greatest contributions from old stars. An additional indication that the dense central regions of BCDs are like bulges is the high ratio of the inner disk scale height to the scale length, which is comparable to 1 for four of the galaxies.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, accepted by ApJ 1/5/201

A modelling tool for engine and exhaust aftertreatment performance analysis in altitude operation

[EN] New regulation standards on engine pollutant emissions are widening the engine operating conditions subjected to type approval tests as a way to prevent from the gap between regulated and real-driving emissions. In this regard, ambient temperature and driving altitude are new boundaries to be considered. Although the basis of the impact of these variables has been studied concerning the engine performance, new challenges appear to meet the emission limits and the aftertreatment conversion efficiency. In this work, a gas dynamic modelling tool is approached to explore the maximisation of the engine torque when operating at high altitude in a wide range of ambient temperatures. Particular focus is put on the modelling of the combustion, the turbocharger and the exhaust aftertreatment system. Starting from a sea-level calibration, the proposed methodology accounts for mechanical criteria as well as the impact on the engine raw emissions and exhaust flow properties to define new combustion settings for altitude operation. Next, these boundaries are applied to the exhaust aftertreatment system to analyse the impact on the catalyst conversion efficiency and the particulate filter performance concerning pressure drop and filtration efficiency.This research has been partially supported by FEDER and the Government of Spain through project TRA2016-79185-R. Additionally, the Ph.D. student Bárbara Diesel has been funded by a grant from the Government of Generalitat Valenciana with reference ACIF/2018/109.Serrano, J.; Piqueras, P.; Sanchis-Pacheco, EJ.; Barbara-Diesel, C. (2019). A modelling tool for engine and exhaust aftertreatment performance analysis in altitude operation. Results in Engineering. 4:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2019.100054S1114Dardiotis, C., Martini, G., Marotta, A., & Manfredi, U. (2013). Low-temperature cold-start gaseous emissions of late technology passenger cars. Applied Energy, 111, 468-478. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.04.093Ko, J., Jin, D., Jang, W., Myung, C.-L., Kwon, S., & Park, S. (2017). Comparative investigation of NOx emission characteristics from a Euro 6-compliant diesel passenger car over the NEDC and WLTC at various ambient temperatures. Applied Energy, 187, 652-662. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.11.105Cédric, L., Goriaux, M., Tassel, P., Perret, P., André, M., & Liu, Y. (2016). Impact of Aftertreatment Device and Driving Conditions on Black Carbon, Ultrafine Particle and NOx Emissions for Euro 5 Diesel and Gasoline Vehicles. Transportation Research Procedia, 14, 3079-3088. doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2016.05.454Hooftman, N., Messagie, M., Van Mierlo, J., & Coosemans, T. (2018). A review of the European passenger car regulations – Real driving emissions vs local air quality. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 86, 1-21. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2018.01.012Serrano, J., Piqueras, P., Abbad, A., Tabet, R., Bender, S., & Gómez, J. (2019). Impact on Reduction of Pollutant Emissions from Passenger Cars when Replacing Euro 4 with Euro 6d Diesel Engines Considering the Altitude Influence. Energies, 12(7), 1278. doi:10.3390/en12071278Luján, J. M., Climent, H., García-Cuevas, L. M., & Moratal, A. (2018). Pollutant emissions and diesel oxidation catalyst performance at low ambient temperatures in transient load conditions. Applied Thermal Engineering, 129, 1527-1537. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.10.138Piqueras, P., García, A., Monsalve-Serrano, J., & Ruiz, M. J. (2019). Performance of a diesel oxidation catalyst under diesel-gasoline reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion conditions. Energy Conversion and Management, 196, 18-31. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2019.05.111Faria, M. V., Varella, R. A., Duarte, G. O., Farias, T. L., & Baptista, P. C. (2018). Engine cold start analysis using naturalistic driving data: City level impacts on local pollutants emissions and energy consumption. Science of The Total Environment, 630, 544-559. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.232Weber, C., Sundvor, I., & Figenbaum, E. (2019). Comparison of regulated emission factors of Euro 6 LDV in Nordic temperatures and cold start conditions: Diesel- and gasoline direct-injection. Atmospheric Environment, 206, 208-217. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.02.031Ko, J., Myung, C.-L., & Park, S. (2019). Impacts of ambient temperature, DPF regeneration, and traffic congestion on NOx emissions from a Euro 6-compliant diesel vehicle equipped with an LNT under real-world driving conditions. Atmospheric Environment, 200, 1-14. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.11.029Bermúdez, V., Serrano, J. R., Piqueras, P., Gómez, J., & Bender, S. (2017). Analysis of the role of altitude on diesel engine performance and emissions using an atmosphere simulator. International Journal of Engine Research, 18(1-2), 105-117. doi:10.1177/1468087416679569Ramos, Á., García-Contreras, R., & Armas, O. (2016). Performance, combustion timing and emissions from a light duty vehicle at different altitudes fueled with animal fat biodiesel, GTL and diesel fuels. Applied Energy, 182, 507-517. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.08.159Yu, L., Ge, Y., Tan, J., He, C., Wang, X., Liu, H., … Wang, X. (2014). Experimental investigation of the impact of biodiesel on the combustion and emission characteristics of a heavy duty diesel engine at various altitudes. Fuel, 115, 220-226. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2013.06.056Wang, H., Ge, Y., Hao, L., Xu, X., Tan, J., Li, J., … Yang, R. (2018). The real driving emission characteristics of light-duty diesel vehicle at various altitudes. Atmospheric Environment, 191, 126-131. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.07.060Hamedi, M. R., Doustdar, O., Tsolakis, A., & Hartland, J. (2019). Thermal energy storage system for efficient diesel exhaust aftertreatment at low temperatures. Applied Energy, 235, 874-887. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.11.008Luján, J. M., Serrano, J. R., Piqueras, P., & Diesel, B. (2019). Turbine and exhaust ports thermal insulation impact on the engine efficiency and aftertreatment inlet temperature. Applied Energy, 240, 409-423. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.02.043Sujesh, G., & Ramesh, S. (2018). Modeling and control of diesel engines: A systematic review. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 57(4), 4033-4048. doi:10.1016/j.aej.2018.02.011Galindo, J., Serrano, J. R., Arnau, F. J., & Piqueras, P. (2009). Description of a Semi-Independent Time Discretization Methodology for a One-Dimensional Gas Dynamics Model. Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 131(3). doi:10.1115/1.2983015Serrano, J. R., Olmeda, P., Arnau, F. J., Dombrovsky, A., & Smith, L. (2014). Analysis and Methodology to Characterize Heat Transfer Phenomena in Automotive Turbochargers. Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 137(2). doi:10.1115/1.4028261Serrano, J. R., Olmeda, P., Arnau, F. J., Dombrovsky, A., & Smith, L. (2015). Turbocharger heat transfer and mechanical losses influence in predicting engines performance by using one-dimensional simulation codes. Energy, 86, 204-218. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2015.03.130Serrano, J. R., Olmeda, P., Páez, A., & Vidal, F. (2010). An experimental procedure to determine heat transfer properties of turbochargers. Measurement Science and Technology, 21(3), 035109. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/21/3/035109Torregrosa, A. J., Serrano, J. R., Arnau, F. J., & Piqueras, P. (2011). A fluid dynamic model for unsteady compressible flow in wall-flow diesel particulate filters. Energy, 36(1), 671-684. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2010.09.047Galindo, J., Serrano, J. R., Piqueras, P., & García-Afonso, Ó. (2012). Heat transfer modelling in honeycomb wall-flow diesel particulate filters. Energy, 43(1), 201-213. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2012.04.044Macián, V., Serrano, J. R., Piqueras, P., & Sanchis, E. J. (2019). Internal pore diffusion and adsorption impact on the soot oxidation in wall-flow particulate filters. Energy, 179, 407-421. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2019.04.200Serrano, J. R., Climent, H., Piqueras, P., & Angiolini, E. (2016). Filtration modelling in wall-flow particulate filters of low soot penetration thickness. Energy, 112, 883-898. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2016.06.121Lee, K. W., & Gieseke, J. A. (1979). Collection of aerosol particles by packed beds. Environmental Science & Technology, 13(4), 466-470. doi:10.1021/es60152a013Logan, B. E., Jewett, D. G., Arnold, R. G., Bouwer, E. J., & O’Melia, C. R. (1995). Clarification of Clean-Bed Filtration Models. 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Local fishermen’s perceptions of the usefulness of artificial reef ecosystem services in Portugal

Proponents of artificial reef (AR) deployment are often motivated by the usefulness of such structures. The usefulness of ARs is related to their capability of providing ecosystem services/additional functions. We present two distinct Portuguese AR case studies: (1) The Nazaré reef off the central coast of Portugal and (2) the Oura reef off the Algarve coast. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local fishermen in the fishing towns of Nazaré and Quarteira pre-and post-AR deployment. The main focus of the interviews was to understand fishermen's perception of AR usefulness (or lack thereof) in terms of nine ecosystem services/additional functions potentially provided by the ARs. We tested the null hypothesis that ARs do not provide additional ecosystem services/additional functions. When queried pre-AR deployment, fishermen indicated that ARs are most likely to provide three ecosystem services: "habitat and refuge," "biodiversity preservation" and "food production." Fishermen had similar perceptions post-deployment. For the Nazaré reef, fishermen tended to have a positive or neutral perception of ecosystem services/additional functions being provided by ARs. For the Oura reef, fishermen tended to have a mostly neutral perception of AR ecosystem services; however, there were also some positive and other negative perceptions. It was difficult for stakeholders to conceptualize some of the ecosystem services/additional functions provided by ARs prior to actively using them. As a result, some stakeholders changed their perception of the ecosystem services/additional functions after using the structures. These results indicate that stakeholders likely need to perceive ARs as useful in order for them to provide their support for AR installation. Likewise, their support is often needed to justify the use of public funds to install ARs, therefore making it imperative for resource managers to undertake similar interviews with fishermen when considering the use of ARs in other areas.MARE program, within the project "Implantacao e estudo integrado de sistemas recifais" PROMAR program "Elaboracao de estudos de caracterizacao do estado de colonizacao e impacto socioeconomico do recife artificial da Nazare" - 02-PE/2011/GJinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pretreatment of therapeutic cells with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor enhances their efficacy in an in vitro model of cell-based therapy in myocardial infarct.

The potential of cell-based therapies in diseases involving ischemia-reperfusion is greatly hampered by the excessive loss of administered cells in the harsh and oxidative environment where these cells are supposed to act. Therefore, we investigated if inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in the therapeutically added cells would lead to their increased viability and, subsequently, to an enhanced effect in an in vitro simulated ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) setting. Ischemic conditions were simulated by oxygen and glucose deprivation for 160 min using H9c2 rat cardiomyoblast cells. After 30 min of reperfusion, these cells received 4 types of treatments: no added cells (I-R model), fluorescently labeled (Vybrant DiD) therapeutic H9c2 cells with vehicle (H9c2) or PARP inhibitor (10 microM or 100 microM PJ34) pretreatment. We assessed viability (live, apoptotic and necrotic) of both 'postischemic' and therapeutic cells with flow cytometric analysis using calcein-AM/ethidium homodimer-2 fluorescent staining after 24 h of co-culture. Further measurements on necrosis and metabolic activity were performed using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and resazurin based assays. The percentage of surviving therapeutic cells increased significantly with PARP inhibition (untreated, 52.02+/-5.01%; 10 microM PJ34, 63.38+/-4.50%; 100 microM PJ34, 64.99+/-3.47%). The percentage of necrotic cells decreased in a similar manner (untreated, 37.23+/-4.40%; 10 microM PJ34, 26.83+/-3.49%; 100 microM PJ34, 24.96+/-2.43%). Notably, the survival of the cells that suffered I-R injury was also significantly higher when treated with PARP-inhibited therapeutic cells (I-R model, 36.44+/-5.05%; H9c2, 42.81+/-5.11%; 10 microM PJ34, 52.07+/-5.80%; 100 microM PJ34, 54.95+/-5.55%), while necrosis was inhibited (I-R model, 43.64+/-4.00%; H9c2, 37.29+/-4.55%; 10 microM PJ34, 30.18+/-4.60%; 100 microM PJ34, 25.52+/-3.47%). In subsequent experiments, PARP inhibition decreased LDH-release of the observed combined cell population and enhanced the metabolic activity. Thus, our results suggest that pretreating the therapeutically added cells with a PARP inhibitor could be beneficial in the setting of cell-based therapies

A commercial porcine circovirus(PCV)type 2a-based vaccine reduces PCV2d viremia and shedding and prevents PCV2d transmission to naïve pigs under experimental conditions.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccination has been effective in protecting pigs from clinical disease and today is used extensively. Recent studies in vaccinated populations indicate a major PCV2 genotype shift from the predominant PCV2 genotype 2b towards 2d. The aims of this study were to determine the ability of the commercial inactivated PCV2a vaccine Circovac® to protect pigs against experimental challenge with a 2013 PCV2d strain and prevent transmission. Thirty-eight pigs were randomly divided into four groups with 9–10 pigs per group: NEG (sham-vaccinated, sham-challenged), VAC (PCV2a-vaccinated, sham-challenged), VAC + CHAL (PCV2a-vaccinated and PCV2d-challenged), and CHAL (sham-vaccinated, PCV2d-challenged). Vaccination was done at 3 weeks of age using Circovac® according to label instructions. The CHAL and VAC + CHAL groups were challenged with PCV2d at 7 weeks of age and all pigs were necropsied 21 days post-challenge (dpc). The VAC-CHAL pigs seroconverted to PCV2 by 21 days post vaccination (dpv). At PCV2d challenge on 28 dpv, 3/9 VAC and 1/9 VAC + CHAL pigs were seropositive. NEG pigs remained seronegative for the duration of the study. Vaccination significantly reduced PCV2d viremia (VAC + CHAL) at dpc 14 and 21, PCV2d fecal shedding at dpc 14 and 21 and PCV2d nasal shedding at dpc 7, 14 and 21 compared to CHAL pigs. Vaccination significantly reduced mean PCV2 antigen load in lymph nodes in VAC + CHAL pigs compared to CHAL pigs. When pooled serum or feces collected from VAC + CHAL and CHAL pigs at dpc 21 were used to expose single-housed PCV2 naïve pigs, a pooled fecal sample from CHAL pigs contained infectious PCV2 whereas this was not the case for VAC + CHAL pigs suggesting reduction of PCV2d transmission by vaccination. Under the study conditions, the PCV2a-based vaccine was effective in reducing PCV2d viremia, tissue loads, shedding and transmission indicating that PCV2a vaccination should be effective in PCV2d-infected herds

Allelic Variation of MYB10 Is the Major Force Controlling Natural Variation in Skin and Flesh Color in Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) Fruit

Independent mutations in the transcription factor MYB10 cause most of the anthocyanin variation observed in diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) and octoploid cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa). The fruits of diploid and octoploid strawberry (Fragaria spp) show substantial natural variation in color due to distinct anthocyanin accumulation and distribution patterns. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is controlled by a clade of R2R3 MYB transcription factors, among which MYB10 is the main activator in strawberry fruit. Here, we show that mutations in MYB10 cause most of the variation in anthocyanin accumulation and distribution observed in diploid woodland strawberry (F. vesca) and octoploid cultivated strawberry (F. xananassa). Using a mapping-by-sequencing approach, we identified a gypsy-transposon in MYB10 that truncates the protein and knocks out anthocyanin biosynthesis in a white-fruited F. vesca ecotype. Two additional loss-of-function mutations in MYB10 were identified among geographically diverse white-fruited F. vesca ecotypes. Genetic and transcriptomic analyses of octoploid Fragaria spp revealed that FaMYB10-2, one of three MYB10 homoeologs identified, regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in developing fruit. Furthermore, independent mutations in MYB10-2 are the underlying cause of natural variation in fruit skin and flesh color in octoploid strawberry. We identified a CACTA-like transposon (FaEnSpm-2) insertion in the MYB10-2 promoter of red-fleshed accessions that was associated with enhanced expression. Our findings suggest that cis-regulatory elements in FaEnSpm-2 are responsible for enhanced MYB10-2 expression and anthocyanin biosynthesis in strawberry fruit flesh.Peer reviewe

Allelic Variation of MYB10 is the Major Force Controlling Natural Variation of Skin and Flesh Color in Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) fruit

Anthocyanins are the principal color-producing compounds synthesized in developing fruits of strawberry (Fragaria spp.). Substantial natural variation in color have been observed in fruits of diploid and octoploid accessions, resulting from distinct accumulation and distribution of anthocyanins in fruits. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is controlled by a clade of R2R3 MYB transcription factors, among which MYB10 has been shown as the main activator in strawberry fruit. Here, we show that MYB10 mutations cause most of the anthocyanin variation observed in diploid woodland strawberry (F. vesca) and octoploid cultivated strawberry (F. ×ananassa). Using a mapping-by-sequencing approach, we identified a gypsytransposon insertion in MYB10 that truncates the protein and knocks out anthocyanin biosynthesis in a white-fruited F. vesca ecotype. Two additional lossof-function MYB10 mutations were identified among geographically diverse whitefruited F. vesca ecotypes. Genetic and transcriptomic analyses in octoploid Fragaria spp. revealed that FaMYB10-2, one of three MYB10 homoeologs identified, residing in the F. iinumae-derived subgenome, regulates the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in developing fruit. Furthermore, independent mutations in MYB10-2 are the underlying cause of natural variation in fruit skin and flesh color in octoploid strawberry. We identified a CACTA-like transposon (FaEnSpm-2) insertion in the MYB10-2 promoter of red-fleshed accessions that was associated with enhanced expression and anthocyanin accumulation. Our findings suggest that putative cis regulatory elements provided by FaEnSpm-2 are required for high and ectopic MYB10-2 expression and induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruit flesh. We developed MYB10-2 (sub-genome) specific DNA markers for marker-assisted selection that accurately predicted anthocyanin phenotypes in octoploid segregating populations