Development of technical economic analysis for optimal sizing of a hybrid power system: a case study of an industrial site in Tlemcen Algeria

The current study aimed to develop an optimal sizing simulation model for an off-grid photovoltaic-wind hybrid power system of an industrial site in Algeria. The loss of power supply probability algorithm was used for sizing our hybrid system. The technical and economic evaluation for the case study showed that the storage system occupied the most critical part of the total investment cost of the hybrid system. The investment cost analysis indicated a unique optimal configuration for each size of the batteries bank. For one day's autonomy, the best size of the hybrid system corresponded to 61 PV panels and 9 wind turbines. Based on a levelized cost of energy analysis, the cost of the batteries represented for this combination is 52% of the total investment cost. The wind turbines accounted for 42% and the PV panels for only 3%. This combination of the hybrid system resulted in an energy cost that was very competitive with most European countries. However, the public energy grid cost in the case study region was still six times lower due to government subsidies. The findings are very encouraging and can help decision-makers adopt alternative and more sustainable solutions in energy policy. These results will aid in determining future research directions in Algeria's hybrid renewable energy systems.National funds funded Luís Frölén Ribeiro through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, through project UIDB/50022/2020 – LAETAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetotelluric Imaging of the Lithosphere Across the Variscan Orogen (Iberian Autochthonous Domain, NW Iberia)

A new magnetotelluric (MT) survey comprising 17 MT soundings throughout a 30 km long N30°W transect in the Iberian autochthons domain of NW Iberia (Central Iberian Zone) is presented. The 2-D inversion model shows the resistivity structure of the continental crust up to 10 km depth, heretofore unavailable for this region of the Variscan Orogen. The MT model reveals a wavy structure separating a conductive upper layer underlain by a resistive layer, thus picturing the two main tectonic blocks of a large-scale D2 extensional shear zone (i.e., Pinhel shear zone). The upper layer represents a lower grade metamorphic domain that includes graphite-rich rocks. The lower layer consists of high-grade metamorphic rocks that experienced partial melting and are associated with granites (more resistive) emplaced during crustal thinning. The wavy structure is the result of superimposed crustal shortening responsible for the development of large-scale D3 folds (e.g., Marofa synform), later deflected and refolded by a D4 strike-slip shear zone (i.e., Juzbado-Penalva do Castelo shear zone). The later contribution to the final structure of the crust is marked by the intrusion of postkinematic granitic rocks and the propagation of steeply dipping brittle fault zones. Our study demonstrates that MT imaging is a powerful tool to understand complex crustal structures of ancient orogens in order to design future prospecting surveys for mineral deposits of economic interest

Nutritional value of meat lipid fraction from red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) obtained from wild and farmed specimens

Research Areas; Agriculture, Dairy & Animal ScienceArticle in International JournalABSTRACT - The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a feathered game species of great socioeconomic importance in its native range and also in the UK. The aim of this study was to present a detailed comparison of meat's lipid fraction obtained from wild and farm-raised specimens and simultaneously compare the breast and leg meat portions. Meat from wild specimens had a significant (P < 0.05) lower proportion of saturated fatty acid (less 5.1%) and presented better P/S and n-6/n-3 ratios, and atherogenicity index than farm-raised counterparts. The wild specimens presented significant (P < 0.001) higher contents of total vitamin E (8.8 vs. 2.2 mu g/g of fresh meat), is for that reason less prone to lipid peroxidation than farm-raised specimens. Meat portions differed significantly (P < 0.05) on total lipid and total cholesterol contents and in all partial sums of fatty acids. The breast was leaner (0.86 vs. 1.47 g/100 g of meat), with lower total cholesterol (37.5 vs. 54.7 mg/100 g of meat), lower saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (less 0.27, 0.28, 0.10, and 0.11 g/100 g of fresh meat, correspondingly). Regarding the fatty acid ratios and lipid quality indexes, breast meat presents better n-6/n-3 ratio and atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes.CIISAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Semen collection using electroejaculation and sperm parameters in pacas (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus, 1766)

ABSTRACT Pacas (Cuniculus paca) are highly hunted animals because of the flavor of their meat, and commercial breeding is recommended. However, this species has a relatively low reproductive rate. This study aimed to collect semen from pacas through electroejaculation and obtain the sperm parameters of this species for the first time. Seven male pacas were used, submitted to an anesthetic protocol before stimulation by an electroejaculator appropriate for the species. The stimulus protocol was performed in three series: series I, 10 stimuli with 1 and 2 V; series II, 10 stimuli with 3 and 4 V; and series III, 10 stimuli with 5 V and interval between series of 2 s. The collected material was evaluated for color, volume, motility, vigor, and concentration. The sperm parameters collected showed a mean volume of 0.43±0.33 mL, concentration of 45.5±42.44×106 sperm/mL, motility of 33.33±32.14%, and mean vigor of 2.6±1.15. In this study, the anesthetic protocol did not seem to favor semen collection by electroejaculation in the pacas. The electrical stimulation protocol was able to stimulate all animals in the study; however, there were few samples with sperm cells and a low rate of motility and vigor in most ejaculates

Evidence for the Gompertz Curve in the Income Distribution of Brazil 1978-2005

This work presents an empirical study of the evolution of the personal income distribution in Brazil. Yearly samples available from 1978 to 2005 were studied and evidence was found that the complementary cumulative distribution of personal income for 99% of the economically less favorable population is well represented by a Gompertz curve of the form $G(x)=\exp [\exp (A-Bx)]$, where $x$ is the normalized individual income. The complementary cumulative distribution of the remaining 1% richest part of the population is well represented by a Pareto power law distribution $P(x)= \beta x^{-\alpha}$. This result means that similarly to other countries, Brazil's income distribution is characterized by a well defined two class system. The parameters $A$, $B$, $\alpha$, $\beta$ were determined by a mixture of boundary conditions, normalization and fitting methods for every year in the time span of this study. Since the Gompertz curve is characteristic of growth models, its presence here suggests that these patterns in income distribution could be a consequence of the growth dynamics of the underlying economic system. In addition, we found out that the percentage share of both the Gompertzian and Paretian components relative to the total income shows an approximate cycling pattern with periods of about 4 years and whose maximum and minimum peaks in each component alternate at about every 2 years. This finding suggests that the growth dynamics of Brazil's economic system might possibly follow a Goodwin-type class model dynamics based on the application of the Lotka-Volterra equation to economic growth and cycle.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables. LaTeX. Accepted for publication in "The European Physical Journal B

Epidemiological And Genetic Characteristics Associated With The Severity Of Acute Viral Bronchiolitis By Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Objective: to assess the epidemiological and genetic factors associated with severity of acute viral bronchiolitis (AVB) by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Data source: the key words "bronchiolitis", "risk factor", "genetics" and "respiratory syncytial virus", and all combinations among them were used to perform a search in the PubMed, SciELO, and Lilacs databases, of articles published after the year 2000 that included individuals younger than 2 years of age. Data synthesis: a total of 1,259 articles were found, and their respective summaries were read. Of these, 81 were selected, which assessed risk factors for the severity of AVB, and were read in full; the 60 most relevant studies were included. The epidemiologic factors associated with AVB severity by RSV were prematurity, passive smoking, young age, lack of breastfeeding, chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease, male gender, ethnicity, viral coinfection, low weight at admission, maternal smoking during pregnancy, atopic dermatitis, mechanical ventilation in the neonatal period, maternal history of atopy and/or asthma during pregnancy, season of birth, low socioeconomic status, Down syndrome, environmental pollution, living at an altitude > 2,500 meters above sea level, and cesarean section birth. Conversely, some children with severe AVB did not present any of these risk factors. In this regard, recent studies have verified the influence of genetic factors on the severity of AVB by RSV. Polymorphisms of the TLRs, RANTES, JUN, IFNA5, NOS2, CX3CR1, ILs, and VDR genes have been shown to be associated with more severe evolution of AVB by RSV. Conclusion: the severity of AVB by RSV is a phenomenon that depends on the varying degrees of interaction among epidemiological, environmental, and genetic variables. © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.896531543Chávez-Bueno, S., Mejías, A., Welliver, R.C., Respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: Current and future strategies for treatment and prophylaxis (2006) Treat Respir Med, 5, pp. 483-494Ogra, P.L., Respiratory syncytial virus: The virus, the disease and the immune response (2004) Paediatr Respir Rev, 5, pp. 119-S126Stockman, L.J., Curns, A.T., Anderson, L.J., Fischer-Langley, G., Respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations among infants and young children in the United States, 1997-2006 (2012) Pediatr Infect Dis J, 31, pp. 5-9Leader, S., Kohlhase, K., Recent trends in severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among US infants, 1997 to 2000 (2003) J Pediatr, 143, pp. 127-S132Ranmuthugala, G., Brown, L., Lidbury, B.A., Respiratory syncytial virus - The unrecognised cause of health and economic burden among young children in Australia (2011) Commun Dis Intell, 35, pp. 177-184Simões, E.A., Carbonell-Estrany, X., Impact of severe disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus in children living in developed countries (2003) Pediatr Infect Dis J, 22, pp. 13-S18. , discussion S18-20Albernaz, E.P., Menezes, A.M., César, J.A., Victora, C.G., Barros, F.C., Halpern, R., Risk factors associated with hospitalization for bronchiolitis in the post-neonatal period (2003) Rev Saude Publica, 37, pp. 485-493Deshpande, S.A., Northern, V., The clinical and health economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus disease among children under 2 years of age in a defined geographical area (2003) Arch Dis Child, 88, pp. 1065-1069Fryzek, J.P., Martone, W.J., Groothuis, J.R., Trends in chronologic age and infant respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization: An 8-year cohort study (2011) Adv Ther, 28, pp. 195-201Sung, C.C., Chi, H., Chiu, N.C., Huang, D.T., Weng, L.C., Wang, N.Y., Viral etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized young children in Northern Taiwan (2011) J Microbiol Immunol Infect, 44, pp. 184-190García, M.L., Ordobás Gabin, M., Calvo Reya, C., González Alvarez, M., Aguilar Ruiz, J., Arregui Sierra, A., Viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in hospitalized infants: Etiology, clinical features and risk factors (2001) An Esp Pediatr, 55, pp. 101-107Riccetto, A.G., Ribeiro, J.D., Silva, M.T., Almeida, R.S., Arns, C.W., Baracat, E.C., Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract disease: Incidence and associated risks (2006) Braz J Infect Dis, 10, pp. 357-361Salomão Junior, J.B., Gardinassi, L.G., Simas, P.V., Bittar, C.O., Souza, F.P., Rahal, P., Human respiratory syncytial virus in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infection (2011) J Pediatr (Rio J), 87, pp. 219-224Sly, P.D., Jones, C.M., Viral co-detection in infants hospitalized with respiratory disease: Is it important to detect? (2011) J Pediatr (Rio J), 87, pp. 277-280Miller, E.K., Williams, J.V., Gebretsadik, T., Carroll, K.N., Dupont, W.D., Mohamed, Y.A., Host and viral factors associated with severity of human rhinovirus-associated infant respiratory tract illness (2011) J Allergy Clin Immunol, 127, pp. 883-891Nascimento, M.S., Souza, A.V., Ferreira, A.V., Rodrigues, J.C., Abramovici, S., Silva Filho, L.V., High rate of viral identification and coinfections in infants with acute bronchiolitis (2010) Clinics (Sao Paulo), 65, pp. 1133-1137Groothuis, J.R., Fryzek, J.P., Makari, D., Steffey, D., Martone, W.J., Respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization trends in infants with chronic lung disease of infancy, 1998-2008 (2011) Clin Epidemiol, 3, pp. 245-250Gouyon, J.B., Rozé, J.C., Guillermet-Fromentin, C., Glorieux, I., Adamon, L., Di Maio, M., Hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in preterm infants at < 33 weeks gestation without bronchopulmonary dysplasia: The CASTOR study (2012) Epidemiol Infect, 15, pp. 1-11Semple, M.G., Taylor-Robinson, D.C., Lane, S., Smyth, R.L., Household tobacco smoke and admission weight predict severe bronchiolitis in infants independent of deprivation: Prospective cohort study (2011) PLoS One, 6, p. 22425Koehoorn, M., Karr, C.J., Demers, P.A., Lencar, C., Tamburic, L., Brauer, M., Descriptive epidemiological features of bronchiolitis in a population-based cohort (2008) Pediatrics, 122, pp. 1196-1203Ochoa Sangrador, C., González De Dios, J., Idoneidad y Adecuación). Consensus conference on acute bronchiolitis (VI): Prognosis of acute bronchiolitis. Review of scientific evidence (2010) An Pediatr (Barc), 72 (354), pp. e1-3634. , Grupo de Revisión del Proyecto aBREVIADo (BRonquiolitis-Estudio de VariabilidadGrimwood, K., Cohet, C., Rich, F.J., Cheng, S., Wood, C., Redshaw, N., Risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis hospital admission in New Zealand (2008) Epidemiol Infect, 136, pp. 1333-1341López Guinea, A., Casado Flores, J., Martín Sobrino, M.A., Espínola Docio, B., De La Calle Cabrera, T., Serrano, A., García Teresa, M.A., Severe bronchiolitis. Epidemiology and clinical course of 284 patients (2007) An Pediatr (Barc), 67, pp. 116-122Chan, P.W., Lok, F.Y., Khatijah, S.B., Risk factors for hypoxemia and respiratory failure in respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis (2002) Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 33, pp. 806-810Garcia, C.G., Bhore, R., Soriano-Fallas, A., Trost, M., Chason, R., Ramilo, O., Mejias, A., Risk factors in children hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis versus non-RSV bronchiolitis (2010) Pediatrics, 126, pp. 1453-e1460Chatzimichael, A., Tsalkidis, A., Cassimos, D., Gardikis, S., Tripsianis, G., Deftereos, S., The role of breastfeeding and passive smoking on the development of severe bronchiolitis in infants (2007) Minerva Pediatr, 59, pp. 199-206Jones, L.L., Hashim, A., McKeever, T., Cook, D.G., Britton, J., Leonardi-Bee, J., Parental and household smoking and the increased risk of bronchitis, bronchiolitis and other lower respiratory infections in infancy: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2011) Respir Res, 12, p. 5Bradley, J.P., Bacharier, L.B., Bonfiglio, J., Schechtman, K.B., Strunk, R., Storch, G., Severity of respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis is affected by cigarette smoke exposure and atopy (2005) Pediatrics, 115, pp. 7-e14Hervás, D., Reina, J., Yañez, A., Del Valle, J.M., Figuerola, J., Hervás, J.A., Epidemiology of hospitalization for acute bronchiolitis in children: Differences between RSV and non-RSV bronchiolitis (2012) Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 31, pp. 1975-1981Oñoro, G., Pérez Suárez, E., Iglesias Bouzas, M.I., Serrano, A., Martínez De Azagra, A., Severe bronchiolitis. Changes in epidemiology and respiratory support (2011) An Pediatr (Barc), 74, pp. 371-376Damore, D., Mansbach, J.M., Clark, S., Ramundo, M., Camargo Jr., C.A., Prospective multicenter bronchiolitis study: Predicting intensive care unit admissions (2008) Acad Emerg Med, 15, pp. 887-894Papoff, P., Moretti, C., Cangiano, G., Bonci, E., Roggini, M., Pierangeli, A., Incidence and predisposing factors for severe disease in previously healthy term infants experiencing their first episode of bronchiolitis (2011) Acta Paediatr, 100, pp. 17-e23Vidaurreta, S.M., Marcone, D.N., Ellis, A., Ekstrom, J., Cukier, D., Videla, C., Acute viral respiratory infection in children under 5 years: Epidemiological study in two centers in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2011) Arch Argent Pediatr, 109, pp. 296-304Dornelles, C.T., Piva, J.P., Marostica, P.J., Nutritional status, breastfeeding, and evolution of infants with acute viral bronchiolitis (2007) J Health Popul Nutr, 25, pp. 336-343Al-Shehri, M.A., Sadeq, A., Quli, K., Bronchiolitis in Abha, Southwest Saudi Arabia: Viral etiology and predictors for hospital admission (2005) West Afr J Med, 24, pp. 299-304Che, D., Nicolau, J., Bergounioux, J., Perez, T., Bitar, D., Bronchiolitis among infants under 1 year of age in France: Epidemiology and factors associated with mortality (2012) Arch Pediatr, 19, pp. 700-706Fjaerli, H.O., Farstad, T., Bratlid, D., Hospitalisations for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in Akershus, Norway, 1993-2000: A population-based retrospective study (2004) BMC Pediatr, 4, p. 25Meissner, H.C., Selected populations at increased risk from respiratory syncytial virus infection (2003) Pediatr Infect Dis J, 22, pp. 40-S45Riccetto, A.G., Silva, L.H., Spilki, F.R., Morcillo, A.M., Arns, C.W., Baracat, E.C., Genotypes and clinical data of respiratory syncytial virus and metapneumovirus in Brazilian infants: A new perspective (2009) Braz J Infect Dis, 13, pp. 35-39D'Elia, C., Siqueira, M.M., Portes, S.A., Sant'Anna, C.C., Respiratory syncytial virus - Associated lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized infants (2005) Rev Soc Bras Med Trop, 38, pp. 7-10Weigl, J.A., Puppe, W., Schmitt, H.J., Variables explaining the duration of hospitalization in children under two years of age admitted with acute airway infections: Does respiratory syncytial virus have a direct impact? (2004) Klin Padiatr, 216, pp. 7-15Brand, H.K., De Groot, R., Galama, J.M., Brouwer, M.L., Teuwen, K., Hermans, P.W., Infection with multiple viruses is not associated with increased disease severity in children with bronchiolitis (2012) Pediatr Pulmonol, 47, pp. 393-400De Paulis, M., Gilio, A.E., Ferraro, A.A., Ferronato, A.E., Do Sacramento, P.R., Botosso, V.F., Severity of viral coinfection in hospitalized infants with respiratory syncytial virus infection (2011) J Pediatr (Rio J), 87, pp. 307-313Jartti, T., Söderlund-Venermo, M., Hedman, K., Ruuskanen, O., Mäkelä, M.J., New molecular virus detection methods and their clinical value in lower respiratory tract infections in children (2013) Paediatr Respir Rev, 14, pp. 38-45Carroll, K.N., Gebretsadik, T., Griffin, M.R., Dupont, W.D., Mitchel, E.F., Wu, P., Maternal asthma and maternal smoking are associated with increased risk of bronchiolitis during infancy (2007) Pediatrics, 119, pp. 1104-1112Bloemers, B.L., Van Furth, A.M., Weijerman, M.E., Gemke, R.J., Broers, C.J., Van Den Ende, K., Down syndrome: A novel risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis - A prospective birth-cohort study (2007) Pediatrics, 120, pp. 1076-e1081Karr, C., Lumley, T., Schreuder, A., Davis, R., Larson, T., Ritz, B., Effects of subchronic and chronic exposure to ambient air pollutants on infant bronchiolitis (2007) Am J Epidemiol, 165, pp. 553-560Choudhuri, J.A., Ogden, L.G., Ruttenber, A.J., Thomas, D.S., Todd, J.K., Simoes, E.A., Effect of altitude on hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus infection (2006) Pediatrics, 117, pp. 349-356Moore, H.C., De Klerk, N., Holt, P., Richmond, P.C., Lehmann, D., Hospitalisation for bronchiolitis in infants is more common after elective caesarean delivery (2012) Arch Dis Child, 97, pp. 410-414Thomsen, S.F., Stensballe, L.G., Skytthe, A., Kyvic, K.O., Backer, V., Bisgaard, H., Increased concordance of severe respiratory syncytial virus infection in identical twins (2008) Pediatrics, 121, pp. 493-496Tal, G., Mandelberg, A., Dalal, I., Cesar, K., Somekh, E., Tal, A., Association between common Toll-like receptor 4 mutations and severe respiratory syncytial virus disease (2004) J Infect Dis, 189, pp. 2057-2063Douville, R.N., Lissitsyn, Y., Hirschfeld, A.F., Becker, A.B., Kozyrskyj, A.L., Liem, J., TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms: No impact on human immune responsiveness to LPS or respiratory syncytial virus (2010) PLoS One, 5, p. 12087Löfgren, J., Marttila, R., Renko, M., Rämet, M., Hallman, M., Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly polymorphism in respiratory syncytial virus epidemics (2010) Pediatr Pulmonol, 45, pp. 687-692Mandelberg, A., Tal, G., Naugolny, L., Cesar, K., Oron, A., Houri, S., Lipopolysaccharide hyporesponsiveness as a risk factor for intensive care unit hospitalization in infants with respiratory syncitial virus bronchiolitis (2006) Clin Exp Immunol, 144, pp. 48-52Puthothu, B., Forster, J., Heinzmann, A., Krueger, M., TLR-4 and CD14 polymorphisms in respiratory syncytial virus associated disease (2006) Dis Markers, 22, pp. 303-308Mailaparambil, B., Krueger, M., Heinze, J., Forster, J., Heinzmann, A., Polymorphisms of toll like receptors in the genetics of severe RSV associated diseases (2008) Dis Markers, 25, pp. 59-65Amanatidou, V., Sourvinos, G., Apostolakis, S., Neonaki, P., Tsilimigaki, A., Krambovitis, E., RANTES promoter gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to severe respiratory syncytial virus-induced bronchiolitis (2008) Pediatr Infect Dis J, 27, pp. 38-42Kresfelder, T.L., Janssen, R., Bont, L., Venter, M., Confirmation of an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the VDR gene with respiratory syncytial virus related disease in South African children (2011) J Med Virol, 83, pp. 1834-1840Janssen, R., Bont, L., Siezen, C.L., Hodemaekers, H.M., Ermers, M.J., Doornbos, G., Genetic susceptibility to respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis is predominantly associated with innate immune genes (2007) J Infect Dis, 196, pp. 826-834Amanatidou, V., Sourvinos, G., Apostolakis, S., Tsilimigaki, A., Spandidos, D.A., T280 M variation of the CX3C receptor gene is associated with increased risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis (2006) Pediatr Infect Dis J, 25, pp. 410-414Ampuero, S., Luchsinger, V., Tapia, L., Palomino, M.A., Larrañaga, C.E., SP-A1, SP-A2 and SP-D gene polymorphisms in severe acute respiratory syncytial infection in Chilean infants (2011) Infect Genet Evol, 11, pp. 1368-1377Mulet, J.F., Rodríguez De Torres, B.O., Viral induced bronchiolitis and genetics (2010) An Pediatr (Barc), 73, pp. 159-16

Incidência de ferrugem em folhas de pessegueiro e nectarineira do germoplasma IAC

The occurrence of rust leaf disease (Tranzschelia discolor f. sp domesticae) was verified in 24 peach and nectarine selections at the Jundiaí Experimental Station (23&deg;08'S and 46&deg;55'W) State of São Paulo, Brazil. The trees of the germoplasm bank were evaluated using a sympton scale to evaluate selection susceptibility to the pathogen, at different levels. The less susceptible selections were: 1) peaches 'Regis' and IAC 4685-45 and 2) nectarines 'Josefina' and IAC N 2680-91.Avaliou-se, em fins do verão de 1993, o grau de incidência da ferrugem (Tranzschelia discolor f. sp. domesticae), em dezoito seleções IAC de pessegueiro e seis de nectarineira, mantidos em lote de germoplasma na Estação Experimental de Jundiaí (23&deg;08'S; 46&deg;55'W). A porcentagem de incidência do patógeno foi estimada através de observações macroscópicas das folhas, atribuindo-se notas de 1 a 5 (1 = nula, 2 = leve, 3 = moderada, 4 = severa, 5 = muito severa), conforme o grau da severidade do sintoma. Todo o material pesquisado mostrou-se suceptível ao patógeno, entretanto, as seleções apresentaram sensíveis variações em graus de susceptibilidade. As seleções com maior tolerância ao patógeno foram: 1) pêssegos 'Régis' e IAC 4685-45 e 2) nectarinas 'Josefina' e IAC N 2680-91

Differentially expressed genes reflect disease-induced rather than disease-causing changes in the transcriptome.

Comparing transcript levels between healthy and diseased individuals allows the identification of differentially expressed genes, which may be causes, consequences or mere correlates of the disease under scrutiny. We propose a method to decompose the observational correlation between gene expression and phenotypes driven by confounders, forward- and reverse causal effects. The bi-directional causal effects between gene expression and complex traits are obtained by Mendelian Randomization integrating summary-level data from GWAS and whole-blood eQTLs. Applying this approach to complex traits reveals that forward effects have negligible contribution. For example, BMI- and triglycerides-gene expression correlation coefficients robustly correlate with trait-to-expression causal effects (r &lt;sub&gt;BMI &lt;/sub&gt; = 0.11, P &lt;sub&gt;BMI &lt;/sub&gt; = 2.0 × 10 &lt;sup&gt;-51&lt;/sup&gt; and r &lt;sub&gt;TG &lt;/sub&gt; = 0.13, P &lt;sub&gt;TG &lt;/sub&gt; = 1.1 × 10 &lt;sup&gt;-68&lt;/sup&gt; ), but not detectably with expression-to-trait effects. Our results demonstrate that studies comparing the transcriptome of diseased and healthy subjects are more prone to reveal disease-induced gene expression changes rather than disease causing ones

Black hole thermodynamical entropy

As early as 1902, Gibbs pointed out that systems whose partition function diverges, e.g. gravitation, lie outside the validity of the Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) theory. Consistently, since the pioneering Bekenstein-Hawking results, physically meaningful evidence (e.g., the holographic principle) has accumulated that the BG entropy $S_{BG}$ of a $(3+1)$ black hole is proportional to its area $L^2$ ($L$ being a characteristic linear length), and not to its volume $L^3$. Similarly it exists the \emph{area law}, so named because, for a wide class of strongly quantum-entangled $d$-dimensional systems, $S_{BG}$ is proportional to $\ln L$ if $d=1$, and to $L^{d-1}$ if $d>1$, instead of being proportional to $L^d$ ($d \ge 1$). These results violate the extensivity of the thermodynamical entropy of a $d$-dimensional system. This thermodynamical inconsistency disappears if we realize that the thermodynamical entropy of such nonstandard systems is \emph{not} to be identified with the BG {\it additive} entropy but with appropriately generalized {\it nonadditive} entropies. Indeed, the celebrated usefulness of the BG entropy is founded on hypothesis such as relatively weak probabilistic correlations (and their connections to ergodicity, which by no means can be assumed as a general rule of nature). Here we introduce a generalized entropy which, for the Schwarzschild black hole and the area law, can solve the thermodynamic puzzle.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in EPJ