Large scale validation of an am fungal-based biofertilizer and its management with rhizobium for bean production, in central and western cuba

Non-Peer ReviewedForty workshops were given to teach farmers how to improve fertilizer use efficiency in bean through the use of biofertilizers. Experiments were set up in 50 fields on commercial farms. Two treatments were applied in all fields: coating of bean seeds with an inoculant of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (EcoMic®) and a non-inoculated control. In 15 fields, a third treatment, EcoMic ® plus a rhizobial inoculant with a nodulation enhancement factor (Azofert®), was applied. All field received half the recommended rate of N-P-K. The effect of EcoMic® was positive in all fields. Yield increase ranged between 0.2 and 0.4 t ha-1. The combined application of EcoMic ® and Azofert® yield was additive and averaged about 0.58 t ha-1, an increment corresponding to 52.5% yield increase

The stability of expanding reactive shocks in a van der Waals fluid

Despite the extensive literature accumulated since the pioneering works of Dyakov and Kontorovich in the 1950s, the stability of steady shocks is still an open question when realistic boundary conditions are accounted. The consideration of a supporting mechanism, which is indeed a necessary condition for shock steadiness, modifies the perturbation shock dynamics in the unstable range. The Noh problem is a suitable example to form steady expanding shocks. This configuration is of great interest to the high-energy-density-physics community because of its direct application to inertial confinement fusion and astrophysics, for which the stagnation of a supersonically converging material via an accretion shock front is ubiquitous. In this work, we extend the generalized Noh problem, both base-flow solution and linear stability analysis, to conditions where endothermic or exothermic transformations undergo across the shock. Within the spontaneous acoustic emission conditions found for a van der Waals gas [J. W. Bates and D. C. Montgomery, The Dyakov-Kontorovich instability of shock waves in real gases, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1180 (2000)], we find that cylindrical and spherical expanding shocks become literally unstable for sufficiently high mode numbers. Counterintuitively, the effect of exothermicity or endothermicity across the shock is found to be stabilizing or destabilizing, respectively.A.C.R. and C.H. work has been supported with project No. PID2019-108592RB-C41 Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCINN). C.H. work has been also supported by the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with UC3M (H2SFE-CM-UC3M). A.L.V. work has been supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy

On the stability of piston-driven planar shocks

We present a theoretical and numerical stability analysis for a piston-driven planar shock against two-dimensional perturbations. The results agree with the well-established theory for isolated planar shocks: in the range of hc < h < 1 + 2M2, where h is the Dyakov-Kontorovich (DK) parameter related to the slope of the Rankine-Hugoniot curve, hc is its critical value corresponding to the onset of the spontaneous acoustic emission (SAE) and M2 is the downstream Mach number, non-decaying oscillations of shock-front ripples occur. The effect of the piston is manifested in the presence of additional frequencies occurring by the reflection of the sonic waves on the piston surface that can reach the shock. An unstable behaviour of the shock perturbation is found to be possible when there is an external excitation source affecting the shock, whose frequency coincides with the self-induced oscillation frequency in the SAE regime, thereby being limited to the range hc < h < 1 + 2M2. An unstable evolution of the shock is also observed for planar shocks restricted to one-dimensional perturbations within the range 1 < h < 1 + 2M2. Both numerical integration of the Euler equations via the method of characteristics and theoretical analysis via Laplace transform are employed to cross-validate the results.The work of A.C.R and C.H. has been supported with project TED2021-129446B-C41 (MICINN/FEDER, UE). The work of C.H. has also received support from the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with UC3M (H2SAFE-CM-UC3M). The work of A.L.V. has been supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the US Department of Energy

Comparative aspects of the internal reproductive system of males in species of Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, and Rutelinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) from Mexico

The anatomy of the internal male reproductive systems of 12 species of Melolonthinae (Phyllophaga, Chlaenobia, Macrodactylus, Isonychus), six species of Dynastinae (Cyclocephala), and three species of Rutelinae (Paranomala) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) of Mexico are described. A total of 350 male specimens representing 21 species were collected. From each species, the reproductive systems were obtained by micro-dissection, placed in a liquid fixative, stained, and drawn to scale. The internal genitalia of each species was described and compared among the species examined. The reproductive system of the Melolonthinae species is comprised of two testicles, each with six follicles, two deferent ducts, two accessory glands, two glandular ducts, an ejaculatory duct, and the aedeagus (not described for any of the species examined). The number of testicular follicles per testicle is as reported in different species of other Scarabaeoidea subfamilies. The length of the accessory glands and the ejaculatory duct varies in the species studied. The ejaculatory bulb is present in all of the species of Dynastinae and Rutelinae examined but in only three species of Melolonthinae.Se describió la anatomía del sistema reproductivo interno de los machos en 12 especies de Melolonthinae (Phyllophaga, Chlaenobia, Macrodactylus, Isonychus), seis de Dynastinae (Cyclocephala) y tres de Rutelinae (Paranomala) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) de México. Se recolectaron un total de 350 ejemplares machos representantes de 21 especies. De cada especie se obtuvieron los sistemas reproductivos por microdisección y fueron colocados en un líquido fijador, después teñidos y dibujados a escala. Se describió la genitalia interna de cada especie y se comparó entre las especies examinadas. El sistema reproductivo de las especies de Melolonthinae consta de dos testículos cada uno con seis folículos, dos conductos deferentes, dos glándulas accesorias, dos conductos glandulares, un conducto eyaculador y el edeago (no descrito en ninguna especie). El número de folículos testiculares por testículo es igual al conocido en diferentes especies de otras subfamilias de Scarabaeoidea. La longitud de las glándulas accesorias y del conducto eyaculador varían dependiendo de cada especie estudiada. Un bulbo eyaculador está presente sólo en tres especies de Melolonthinae y en todas las especies de Dynastinae y Rutelinae examinadas

Effects of Environmental Enrichment in Maternally Separated Rats: Age and Sex-Specific Outcomes

Maternal separation (MS) early in life is related to an increase in anxiety and depressive-like behaviors and neurobiological alterations mostly related to alterations in hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. Environmental enrichment (EE) has been used to ameliorate the effects of MS. However, the outcomes of this intervention at different developmental periods after MS have not been studied. We subjected male and female Sprague-Dawley pups to MS and subsequently compared the effects of EE started either in the pre-pubertal period [postnatal day (PND) 22] or adulthood (PND 78). Anxiety and depressive-like behaviors as well as in hippocampal synaptic density and basal corticosterone, oxytocin, and vasopressin levels were measured. Our results support the beneficial effects of adulthood EE in decreasing anxiety in males as well as promoting synaptic density in ventral hippocampal CA3. Males displayed higher levels of vasopressin while females displayed higher oxytocin, with no changes in basal corticosterone for any group after EE

Airborne Laser Scanning Quantification of Disturbances from Hurricanes and Lightning Strikes to Mangrove Forests in Everglades National Park, USA

Airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurements derived before and after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma (2005) were used to quantify the impact of hurricanes and lightning strikes on the mangrove forest at two sites in Everglades National Park (ENP). Analysis of LIDAR measurements covering 61 and 68 ha areas of mangrove forest at the Shark River and Broad River sites showed that the proportion of high tree canopy detected by the LIDAR after the 2005 hurricane season decreased significantly due to defoliation and breakage of branches and trunks, while the proportion of low canopy and the ground increased drastically. Tall mangrove forests distant from tidal creeks suffered more damage than lower mangrove forests adjacent to the tidal creeks. The hurricanes created numerous canopy gaps, and the number of gaps per square kilometer increased from about 400~500 to 4000 after Katrina and Wilma. The total area of gaps in the forest increased from about 1~2% of the total forest area to 12%. The relative contribution of hurricanes to mangrove forest disturbance in ENP is at least 2 times more than that from lightning strikes. However, hurricanes and lightning strikes disturb the mangrove forest in a related way. Most seedlings in lightning gaps survived the hurricane impact due to the protection of trees surrounding the gaps, and therefore provide an important resource for forest recovery after the hurricane. This research demonstrated that LIDAR is an effective remote sensing tool to quantify the effects of disturbances such as hurricanes and lightning strikes in the mangrove forest

Mapping Height and Biomass of Mangrove Forests in Everglades National Park with SRTM Elevation Data

We produced a landscape scale map of mean tree height in mangrove forests in Everglades National Park (ENP) using the elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM data was calibrated using airborne lidar data and a high resolution USGS digital elevation model (DEM). The resulting mangrove height map has a mean tree height error of 2.0 m (RMSE) over a pixel of 30 m. In addition, we used field data to derive a relationship between mean forest stand height and biomass in order to map the spatial distribution of standing biomass of mangroves for the entire National Park. The estimation showed that most of the mangrove standing biomass in the ENP resides in intermediate- height mangrove stands around 8 m. We estimated the total mangrove standing biomass in ENP to be 5.6 X 109 kg

Characterization of the different behaviours exhibited by juvenile flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758) under rearing conditions

Aim of study: To describe the common behaviour of flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) under rearing conditions. Area of study: Tepic, Mexico. Material and methods: Behaviours exhibited by mullets were videorecorded with submersible cameras installed inside of three tanks. A total of 690 min per day (07:30 - 18:30 h) were recorded per tank during a week. Afterwards, the different behaviours exhibited by juvenile M. cephalus were described, identified and characterized in an ethogram and grouped into two categories: a) locomotion, including three different observed behaviours (resting, swimming and fast swimming) and b) feeding, including three behaviours (surface feeding, bottom feeding and rubbing). Each of the behavioural variables were quantified. Main results: M. cephalus is a species with a constant locomotion associated to feeding, since fish showed continuous movement during most of day light period. On the contrary, fish exhibited reduced movement during dark periods. Mullets were observed to be a non-aggressive fish species under conditions of the present study, since the absence of dominance and aggression towards conspecifics was observed, which suggested a high predisposition for adaptation to captivity. Finally, behavioural frequencies of grey mullet juveniles were similar among the three tanks for most of the behavioural variables analysed (p>0.05) except for the variable bottom feeding (p=0.02). Research highlights: Results from this study could be of interest for the aquaculture industry to optimize rearing techniques and welfare for the production of grey mullet.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mid-Infrared Laser Spectroscopy Applications I: Detection of Traces of High Explosives on Reflective and Matte Substrates

Mid-infrared (MIR) lasers have revolutionized infrared vibrational spectroscopy, converting an already dominant spectroscopic analysis technique into an even more powerful, easier to use, and quicker turn-around cadre of versatile spectroscopic tools. A selection of applications, revisited under the umbrella of MIR laser-based properties, very high brightness, collimated beams, polarized sources, highly monochromatic tunable sources, and coherent sources, is included. Applications discussed concern enhanced detection, discrimination, and quantification of high explosives (HEs). From reflectance measurements of chemical residues on highly reflective metallic substrates to reflectance measurements of HEs deposited on non-reflective, matte substrates is discussed. Coupling with multivariate analyses (MVA) techniques of Chemometrics allowed near trace detection of HEs, with sharp discrimination from highly MIR absorbing substrates

Enhancing a de novo enzyme activity by computationally-focused ultra-low-throughput screening

Directed evolution has revolutionized protein engineering. Still, enzyme optimization by random library screening remains sluggish, in large part due to futile probing of mutations that are catalytically neutral and/or impair stability and folding. FuncLib is a novel approach which uses phylogenetic analysis and Rosetta design to rank enzyme variants with multiple mutations, on the basis of predicted stability. Here, we use it to target the active site region of a minimalist-designed, de novo Kemp eliminase. The similarity between the Michaelis complex and transition state for the enzymatic reaction makes this system particularly challenging to optimize. Yet, experimental screening of a small number of active-site variants at the top of the predicted stability ranking leads to catalytic efficiencies and turnover numbers ( 2 104 M 1 s 1 and 102 s 1) for this anthropogenic reaction that compare favorably to those of modern natural enzymes. This result illustrates the promise of FuncLib as a powerful tool with which to speed up directed evolution, even on scaffolds that were not originally evolved for those functions, by guiding screening to regions of the sequence space that encode stable and catalytically diverse enzymes. Empirical valence bond calculations reproduce the experimental activation energies for the optimized eliminases to within 2 kcal mol 1 and indicate that the enhanced activity is linked to better geometric preorganization of the active site. This raises the possibility of further enhancing the stabilityguidance of FuncLib by computational predictions of catalytic activity, as a generalized approach for computational enzyme designKnut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Wallenberg Academy Fellowship) 2018.0140Human Frontier Science Program RGP0041/2017FEDER Funds/Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities BIO2015-66426-R RTI2018-097142-B-100FEDER/Junta de Andalucia - Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento E.FQM.113.UGR18Swedish National Infrastructure for computing (SNAC) 2018/2-3 2019/2-