Infection risk of Monilinia fructicola on stone fruit during cold storage and immersion in the dump tank

Monilinia spp. is the main pathogen responsible for postharvest losses of stone fruit. Several studies have examined the conditions for Monilinia spp. infection in the field, but very limited information is available about postharvest. Storing fruit for 1 day in the cold room or dumping fruit in a water tank are the most common handling operations during the postharvest of fruit. Then, the aim of this study was to investigate the risk of Monilinia fructicola infection for two peach and one nectarine cultivars during cold storage and water dump operations. A new methodology was performed using a dry inoculum of M. fructicola. A set of fruit was used as control to demonstrated that at 20 °C 60% relative humidity (RH) was not able to infect fruit, however, the disease was developed when was already infected. In addition, M. fructicola was able to infect and develop disease in fruit at 20 °C 100 RH. The storage of fruit with the presence of M. fructicola conidia on their surface for up to 30 days at 0 °C 100% RH or 4 °C 100% RH did not suppose an important risk of infection since only 3.3 and 3.8%, respectively of fruit were already infected. Overall, all treatments tested with the water dump operation gave optimal conditions to M. fructicola to infect fruit when it was superficially dry inoculated or it was immersed with water contaminated with conidia, increasing the need for water disinfection. In addition, when fruit was immersed in water free from M. fructicola conidia, the postharvest operation gave optimal conditions to develop infections already produced.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Fur Activates the Expression of Salmonella enterica Pathogenicity Island 1 by Directly Interacting with the hilD Operator In Vivo and In Vitro

Previous studies have established that the expression of Salmonella enterica pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1), which is essential for epithelial invasion, is mainly regulated by the HilD protein. The ferric uptake regulator, Fur, in turn modulates the expression of the S. enterica hilD gene, albeit through an unknown mechanism. Here we report that S. enterica Fur, in its metal-bound form, specifically binds to an AT-rich region (BoxA), located upstream of the hilD promoter (PhilD), at position -191 to -163 relative to the hilD transcription start site. Furthermore, in a PhilD variant with mutations in BoxA, PhilD*, Fur·Mn2+ binding is impaired. In vivo experiments using S. enterica strains carrying wild-type PhilD or the mutant variant PhilD* showed that Fur activates hilD expression, while in vitro experiments revealed that the Fur·Mn2+ protein is sufficient to increase hilD transcription. Together, these results present the first evidence that Fur·Mn2+, by binding to the upstream BoxA sequence, directly stimulates the expression of hilD in S. enterica

Enhanced shelf-life of the formulated biocontrol agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CPA-8 combining diverse packaging strategies and storage conditions

Two effective biocontrol products (named as BA3 and BA4) based on Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CPA-8 have been reported as a potential alternative to chemical applications against brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. on stone fruit. To have practical use, this study aimed to describe the best packaging strategies (bags or flasks, atmosphere, and temperature of storage) to not only guarantee efficacy but also stability and ease of application of the products to be handled through the normal channels of distribution and storage. In terms of the viability neither the BA3 nor the BA4 product has been compromised after twelve months of storage. However, storage at 4 °C affected the stability and visual aspect of both CPA-8 formulations, mainly associated not only to the increase of RH but also aw. Moreover, it should be pointed out that flasks did not conserve refrigerated BA3 samples in a suitable way, since RH and aw increased noticeably making their visual properties unsightly after 10 months of cold storage. At that time, the BA4 products were better preserved at 4 °C when packaged in flasks. Finally, this study also demonstrated that the most suitable packaging conditions for long-term storability (stored at 22 °C) did not show any negative effect in the biocontrol efficacy of CPA-8 in nectarines artificially infected with M. fructicola and provide suitable product delivery and field application. In conclusion, these results contribute to the final stage of development of these two CPA-8 products, practically ready for registration, thus contributing to the environmental-friendly management of postharvest diseases in stone fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Effective communication models in advertising campaigns. A strategic analysis in the search for effectiveness

In striving for effectiveness these days, sales alone cannot be the single foremost objective. Other factors can contribute to the creation of a virtuous cycle and have an impact on sales. These too should be measured when determining the overall effectiveness of a campaign. In this article we present an analysis of the winning cases in the Effectiveness Awards for commercial communications in Spain from 2010-2018. We will use it to identify the most widely employed communication models and evaluation metrics currently in use when considering the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. To compare and provide professional assessment we have sought out and compiled the opinions of professionals from the advertising sector who have previously sat on the Effectiveness Awards jury. The main objective is to identify and categorise the most effective models of communication currently in use. To this end 280 cases have been analysed from the Effectiveness Awards between 2010 and 2018 and a total of 48 in-depth interviews have been carried out. Among the main results we highlight the superiority of emotional models over rational ones. We found cultural emotion provides the best results though when it comes to gains in efficiency, a correlation of both yields improved averages in business.En la actualidad, las marcas no pueden definir como único objetivo vender si lo que pretenden es ser eficaces. Existen otros indicadores que contribuyen a crear un ciclo virtuoso que acaba teniendo un impacto en ventas y, por tanto, deben ser medidos para determinar la efectividad de una campaña. Por medio de este artículo, presentamos un análisis de los casos ganadores en los Premios a la Eficacia en comunicación comercial en España (Premios Eficacia) en el periodo comprendido entre 2010-2018 para determinar los modelos de comunicación más utilizados y métricas de evaluación que, en la actualidad, se están aplicando para considerar el nivel de eficacia real que tiene una campaña de publicidad. Además, se recopila la opinión de profesionales del sector de la publicidad que han formado parte del jurado de los Premios Eficacia para contrastar y aportar su valoración profesional. El objetivo principal es identificar y categorizar los modelos de comunicación que son más eficaces en la actualidad. Para ello se han analizado 280 casos premiados en los Premios Eficacia en los años comprendidos entre 2010 y 2018 y se han realizado un total de 48 entrevistas en profundidad. Entre los principales resultados destacamos que existe una superioridad de los modelos emocionales sobre los racionales, siendo el emocional cultural el que ofrece mejores resultados, así como una correlación de los mismos respecto a la eficacia obtenida, generando un mayor promedio en los resultados de negocio

Presència de contaminants del Conveni d’Estocolm en els aliments de Catalunya: part I: plaguicides organoclorats

Plaguicides organoclorats; Compostos tòxics; Protecció de la salutOrganochlorine pesticides; Toxic compounds; Health protectionPlaguicidas organoclorados; Compuestos tóxicos; Protección de la saludEl Departament de Salut va posar en marxa, l’octubre de 2004, el Programa Estocolm. L’objectiu d’aquest Programa és identificar i quantificar la possible presència dels contaminants del Conveni d’Estocolm en els aliments produïts i consumits a Catalunya, a fi d’obtenir informació que permeti emprendre les accions oportunes per protegir la salut de les persones dels seus efectes nocius. Els resultats de la primera campanya són els que es presenten en aquest article.The Department of Health launched in October 2004, the Stockholm Programme. The objective of this program is to identify and quantify the possible presence of contaminants of Stockholm Convention on foods produced and consumed in Catalonia, in order to obtain information to take appropriate actions to protect health of people from its harmful effects. The results of the first campaign are presented in this article.El Departamento de Salud puso en marcha, en octubre de 2004, el Programa Estocolmo. El objetivo de este Programa es identificar y cuantificar la posible presencia de los contaminantes del Convenio de Estocolmo en los alimentos producidos y consumidos en Cataluña, a fin de obtener información que permita emprender las acciones oportunas para proteger la salud de las personas de los sus efectos nocivos. Los resultados de la primera campaña son los que se presentan en este artículo

Ingesta de metalls pesants i arsènic a partir de la dieta a Catalunya: part II (el mercuri i el plom)

Mercuri; Plom; Dieta totalMercury; Lead; Overall dietMercurio; Plomo; Dieta totalInforme sobre la presència dels metalls pesants en els principals aliments consumits a Catalunya i la seva ingesta a través de la dieta, ja que la sola vigilància del contingut en metalls no permet avaluar el risc per a la salut. El treball, realitzat durant el període 2000-2002, es va plantejar com un estudi de dieta total i es van analitzar 1.008 mostres individuals corresponents als 36 aliments més consumits a Catalunya.Report about the presence of heavy metals in the main food consumed in Catalonia and its intake through the diet, since the single metal content monitoring can not assess to health risk. This work, achieved during the period 2000-2002, was raised as a total diet study and 1,008 individual samples from the 36 most consumed foods were analyzed in Catalonia.Informe sobre la presencia de los metales pesados en los principales alimentos consumidos en Cataluña y su ingesta a través de la dieta, ya que la sola vigilancia del contenido en metales no permite evaluar el riesgo para la salud. El trabajo, realizado durante el periodo 2000-2002, se planteó como un estudio de dieta total y se analizaron 1.008 muestras individuales correspondientes a los 36 alimentos más consumidos en Cataluña

Sphingosine-1-phosphate activates chemokine-promoted myeloma cell adhesion and migration involving α4β1 integrin function

51 p.-7 fig.-1 tab.-2 fig.supl.Myeloma cell adhesion dependent on α4β1 integrin is crucial for the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). The α4β1-dependent myeloma cell adhesion is up-regulated by the chemokine CXCL12, and pharmacological blockade of the CXCL12 receptor CXCR4 leads to defective myeloma cell homing to bone marrow (BM). Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) regulates immune cell trafficking upon binding to G-protein-coupled receptors. Here we show that myeloma cells express S1P1, a receptor for S1P. We found that S1P up-regulated the α4β1-mediated myeloma cell adhesion and transendothelial migration stimulated by CXCL12. S1P promoted generation of high-affinity α4β1 that efficiently bound the α4β1 ligand VCAM-1, a finding that was associated with S1P-triggered increase in talin-β1 integrin association. Furthermore, S1P cooperated with CXCL12 for enhancement of α4β1-dependent adhesion strengthening and spreading. CXCL12 and S1P activated the DOCK2-Rac1 pathway, which was required for stimulation of myeloma cell adhesion involving α4β1. Moreover, in vivo analyses indicated that S1P contributes to optimizing the interactions of MM cells with the BM microvasculture and for their lodging inside the bone marrow. The regulation of α4β1-dependent adhesion and migration of myeloma cells by CXCL12-S1P combined activities might have important consequences for myeloma disease progressionThis study was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grant Nos SAF2011-24022 to JT, SAF2009-07035 to AGP, SAF2009-11037 to AH, RD06/0020/0011 to JT and AGP, RD06/0020/0006 to NCG and MG and PI081825 to MG), the Comunidad de Madrid (Grant No. P2010/BMD-2314 to AGP, JT and AH) and the Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua Madrileña (to AGP and MG). AH was also funded by the FP7-People-2009-RG (Grant No. 246655), a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (Grant No. RYC-2007-00697) and the Pro-CNIC Foundation.Peer reviewe

Regional and local environmental conditions do not shape the response to warming of a marine habitat-forming species

The differential response of marine populations to climate change remains poorly understood. Here, we combine common garden thermotolerance experiments in aquaria and population genetics to disentangle the factors driving the population response to thermal stress in a temperate habitatforming species: the octocoral Paramuricea clavata. Using eight populations separated from tens of meters to hundreds of kilometers, which were differentially impacted by recent mortality events, we identify 25 degrees C as a critical thermal threshold. After one week of exposure at this temperature, seven of the eight populations were affected by tissue necrosis and after 30 days of exposure at this temperature, the mean % of affected colonies increased gradually from 3 to 97%. We then demonstrate the weak relation between the observed differential phenotypic responses and the local temperature regimes experienced by each population. A significant correlation was observed between these responses and the extent of genetic drift impacting each population. Local adaptation may thus be hindered by genetic drift, which seems to be the main driver of the differential response. Accordingly, conservation measures should promote connectivity and control density erosion in order to limit the impact of genetic drift on marine populations facing climate change