30 research outputs found
New insights into Capsicum spp relatedness and the diversification process of Capsicum annuum in Spain
The successful exploitation of germplasm banks, harbouring plant genetic resources indispensable for plant breeding, will depend on our ability to characterize their genetic diversity. The Vegetable Germplasm Bank of Zaragoza (BGHZ) (Spain) holds an important Capsicum annuum collection, where most of the Spanish pepper variability is represented, as well as several accessions of other domesticated and non-domesticated Capsicum spp from all over the five continents. In the present work, a total of 51 C. annuum landraces (mainly from Spain) and 51 accessions from nine Capsicum species maintained at the BGHZ were evaluated using 39 microsatellite (SSR) markers spanning the whole genome. The 39 polymorphic markers allowed the detection of 381 alleles, with an average of 9.8 alleles per locus. A sizeable proportion of alleles (41.2%) were recorded as specific alleles and the majority of these were present at very low frequencies (rare alleles). Multivariate and model-based analyses partitioned the collection in seven clusters comprising the ten different Capsicum spp analysed: C. annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. pubescens, C. bacatum, C. chacoense and C. eximium. The data clearly showed the close relationships between C. chinense and C. frutescens. C. cardenasii and C. eximium were indistinguishable as a single, morphologically variable species. Moreover, C. chacoense was placed between C. baccatum and C. pubescens complexes. The C. annuum group was structured into three main clusters, mostly according to the pepper fruit shape, size and potential pungency. Results suggest that the diversification of C. annuum in Spain may occur from a rather limited gene pool, still represented by few landraces with ancestral traits. This ancient population would suffer from local selection at the distinct geographical regions of Spain, giving way to pungent and elongated fruited peppers in the South and Center, while sweet blocky and triangular types in Northern Spain
The disk of the eruptive protostar V900 Mon; a MATISSE/VLTI and MUSE/VLT perspective
In this work, we study the silicate dust content in the disk of one of the
youngest eruptive stars, V900 Mon, at the highest angular resolution probing
down to the inner 10 au of said disk, and study the historical evolution of the
system traced in part by a newly discovered emission clump. We performed
high-angular resolution mid-infrared interferometric observations of V900 Mon
with MATISSE/VLTI with a spatial coverage ranging from 38-m to 130-m baselines,
and compared them to archival MIDI/VLTI data. We also mined and re-analyzed
archival optical and infrared photometry of the star to study its long-term
evolution since its eruption in the 1990s. We complemented our findings with
integral field spectroscopy data from MUSE/VLT. The MATISSE/VLTI data suggest a
radial variation of the silicate feature in the dusty disk, whereby at large
spatial scales ( au) the protostellar disk's emission is dominated by
large-sized () silicate grains, while at smaller spatial scales
and closer to the star ( au), silicate emission is absent suggesting
self-shielding. We propose that the self-shielding may be the result of small
dust grains at the base of the collimated CO outflow previously detected by
ALMA. A newly discovered knot in the MUSE/VLT data, located at a projected
distance approximately 27,000 au from the star, is co-aligned with the
molecular gas outflow at a P.A. of () consistent with the
position angle and inclination of the disk. The knot is seen in emission in
H, [N II], and the [S II] doublet and its kinematic age is about 5150
years. This ejected material could originate from a previous eruption.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy &
Astrophysic
From Transit Hub to Major Supplier of Illicit Cigarettes to Argentina and Brazil: The Changing Role of Domestic Production and Transnational Tobacco Companies in Paraguay Between 1960 and 2003
Background Paraguay has reportedly been a major transit hub for illicit tobacco products since the 1960s, initially to supply markets in Argentina and Brazil and, more recently, other regional markets and beyond. However, to date there has been no systematic analysis, notably independent of the tobacco industry, of this trade including the roles of domestic production and transnational tobacco companies (TTCs). This article fills that gap by detailing the history of Paraguay’s illicit cigarette trade to Brazil and Argentina of TTC products and Paraguayan production between 1960 and 2003. The effective control of illicit cigarette flows, under Article 15 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, requires fuller understanding of the changing nature of the illicit trade.
Methods We systematically searched internal industry documents to understand the activities and strategies of leading TTCs in Paraguay and subregion over time. We also mapped illicit trade volume and patterns using US government and UN data on the cigarette trade involving Paraguay. We then estimated Paraguay’s cigarette production from 1989 to 2003 using tobacco leaf flows from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade).
Results We identify four phases in the illicit tobacco trade involving Paraguay: 1) Paraguay as a transit hub to smuggle BAT and PMI cigarettes from the U.S. into Argentina and Brazil (from the 1960s to the mid-1970s); 2) BAT and PMI competing in north-east Argentina (1989–1994); 3) BAT and PMI competing in southern and southern-east Brazil (mid to late 1990s); and 4) the growth in the illicit trade of Paraguayan manufactured cigarettes (from the mid- 1990s onwards). These phases suggest the illicit trade was seeded by TTCs, and that the system of supply and demand on lower priced brands they developed in the 1990s created a business opportunity for manufacturing in Paraguay. Brazil’s efforts to fight this trade, with a 150% tax on exports to Latin American countries in 1999, further prompted supply of the illicit trade to shift from TTCs to Paraguayan manufacturers.
Conclusion This paper extends evidence of the longstanding complicity of TTCs in the illicit trade to this region and the consequent growth of Paraguayan production in the 1990s. Our findings confirm the need to better understand the factors influencing how the illicit tobacco trade has changed over time, in specific regional contexts, and amid tobacco industry globalization. In Paraguay, the changing roles of TTC and domestic production have been central to shifting patterns of illicit supply and distribution since the 1960s. Important questions are raised, in turn, about TTCs efforts to participate as legitimate partners in global efforts to combat the problem, including a leading role in data gathering and analysis
ALMA and VLA Observations of EX Lupi in its Quiescent State
Extreme outbursts in young stars may be a common stage of pre-main-sequence
stellar evolution. These outbursts, caused by enhanced accretion and
accompanied by increased luminosity, can also strongly impact the evolution of
the circumstellar environment. We present ALMA and VLA observations of EX Lupi,
a prototypical outburst system, at 100 GHz, 45 GHz, and 15 GHz. We use these
data, along with archival ALMA 232 GHz data, to fit radiative transfer models
to EX Lupi's circumstellar disk in its quiescent state following the extreme
outburst in 2008. The best fit models show a compact disk with a characteristic
dust radius of 45 au and a total mass of 0.01 M. Our modeling
suggests grain growth to sizes of at least 3 mm in the disk, possibly spurred
by the recent outburst, and an ice line that has migrated inward to
au post-outburst. At 15 GHz, we detected significant emission over the expected
thermal disk emission which we attribute primarily to stellar (gyro)synchrotron
and free-free disk emission. Altogether, these results highlight what may be a
common impact of outbursts on the circumstellar dust.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 15 pages, 8 figure
Anti-IL-6 Receptor Tocilizumab in Refractory Graves? Orbitopathy: National Multicenter Observational Study of 48 Patients
Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is the most common extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease (GD). Our aim was to assess the e cacy and safety of Tocilizumab (TCZ) in GO refractory to conventional therapy. This was an open-label multicenter study of glucocorticoid-resistant GO treated with TCZ. The main outcomes were the best-corrected visual acuity (BVCA), Clinical Activity Score (CAS) and intraocular pressure (IOP). These outcome variables were assessed at baseline, 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th month after TCZ therapy onset. The severity of GO was assessed according to the European Group on Graves’ Orbitopathy (EUGOGO). We studied 48 (38 women and 10 men) patients (95 eyes); mean age standard deviation 51 11.8 years. Before TCZ and besides oral glucocorticoids, they had received IV methylprednisolone (n = 43), or selenium (n = 11). GO disease was moderate (n =29) or severe (n = 19) and dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) (n = 7). TCZ was used in monotherapy (n = 45) or combined (n = 3) at a dose of 8 mg/kg IV every four weeks (n = 43) or 162 mg/s.c. every week (n = 5). TCZ yielded a significant improvement in all of the main outcomes at the 1st month that was maintained at one year. Comparing the baseline with data at 1 year all of the variables improved; BCVA (0.78 0.25 vs. 0.9 0.16; p = 0.0001), CAS (4.64 1.5 vs. 1.05 1.27; p = 0.0001) and intraocular pressure (IOP) (19.05 4.1 vs. 16.73 3.4 mmHg; p = 0.007). After a mean follow-up of 16.1 2.1 months, low disease activity (CAS 3), was achieved in 88 eyes (92.6%) and TCZ was withdrawn in 29 cases due to low disease activity (n = 25) or ine cacy (n = 4). No serious adverse events were observed. In conclusion, TCZ is a useful and safe therapeutic option in refractory GO treatment.This work was also partially supported by RETICS Programs, RD08/0075 (RIER) and RD12/0009/0013 from “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (ISCIII) (Spain)
A genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of the lentil MLO genes
Revista electrónica on linePowdery mildew is a widespread fungal plant disease that can cause significant losses in
many crops. Some MLO genes (Mildew resistance locus O) have proved to confer a durable
resistance to powdery mildew in several species. Resistance granted by the MLO gene family
members has prompted an increasing interest in characterizing these genes and implementing
their use in plant breeding. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a widely grown food
legume almost exclusively consumed as dry seed with an average world production of 4.5
million tons. Powdery mildew causes severe losses on certain lentil cultivars under particular
environmental conditions. Data mining of the lentil CDC Redberry draft genome allowed to
identify up to 15 gene sequences with homology to known MLO genes, designated as
LcMLOs. Further characterization of these gene sequences and their deduced protein
sequences demonstrated conformity with key MLO protein characteristics such as the presence
of transmembrane and calmodulin binding domains, as well as that of other conserved
motifs. Phylogenetic and other comparative analyses revealed that LcMLO1 and LcMLO3
are the most likely gene orthologs related to powdery mildew response in other species,
sharing a high similarity with other known resistance genes of dicot species, such as pea
PsMLO1 and Medicago truncatula MtMLO1 and MtMLO3. Sets of primers were designed
as tools to PCR amplify the genomic sequences of LcMLO1 and LcMLO3, also to screen
lentil germplasm in search of resistance mutants. Primers were used to obtain the complete
sequences of these two genes in all of the six wild lentil relatives. Respective to each gene,
all Lens sequences shared a high similarity. Likewise, we used these primers to screen a
working collection of 58 cultivated and 23 wild lentil accessions in search of length polymorphisms
present in these two genes. All these data widen the insights on this gene family and
can be useful for breeding programs in lentil and close related species.S
Estudio de esquemas conceptuales en torno a la corriente eléctrica construidos por alumnos de segundo de BUP, tercero de BUP y COU
Botella orgánica
A día de hoy el plástico causa muchos problemas al medioambiente, por lo que hemos pensado una alternativa capaz de hacer frente a los daños medioambientales que producen las botellas convencionales de plástico.Hemos utilizado un bioplástico junto a una calabaza butternut reseca, para dar estructura a lo que sería nuestra botella orgánica, siendo estas más económicas respecto al tiempo de uso. El fin de este material amorfo utilizado es dar resistencia a impactos, deformación elástica y proteger a la calabaza de ser comida por otros seres vivos. Hemos puesto a prueba este material haciendo distintos tipos de ensayos para comprobar sus propiedades y hemos comprobado que estamos ante un material 100 % biodegradable