Variations in weed population densities, rate of change and community diversity in RR-soybeans and RR-maize strip crops under two herbicide strategies

Concerns about the sustainability of large-scale, direct-drilled RR-soybeans (Glycine max), and RR-maize (Zea mays) under monoculture in central Argentina are growing steadily. An experiment was conducted during three consecutive years to determine the effects of crops and systems (monocultures and strips) and herbicide strategy on weed density, population rate of change (l), b community diversity (H́), crop yields and Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Not only crops but also crop systems differentially influenced weed densities along their growth and development. For crop harvests, weed densities increased in both maize crop systems as compared to in the one for soybeans, but the lowest increase occurred in soybean strips. Differences were leveled by both herbicide strategies, which achieved 73% efficacy during the critical periods in both crops. l of annual monocotyledonous increased, thus shifting the weed community composition. Species richness and H́ were not affected by crop systems, but both herbicide strategies, particularly POST, either in soybeans in monoculture or in maize strips, significantly enhanced H́. Crop yields significantly increased in the maizestrip system with POST (Year 1) or PRE (Years 2 and 3) strategies, thus increasing LER above 1. Herbicide Environmental Load treatments fall within very low or low field use rating.A preocupação com a sustentabilidade do plantio direto da monocultura e do consórcio de soja e milho RR plantados em grande escala na região central da Argentina cresce continuamente. Durante três anos consecutivos, foram determinados os efeitos das culturas de soja e de milho RR, dos sistemas de plantio (monoculturas e consorciado), e a ação de herbicidas sobre a densidade de plantas daninhas, a taxa de mudança da população, a diversidade da comunidade, as safras e a razão de área equivalente. Não apenas as culturas, mas também os sistemas de plantio, influenciaram as densidades de plantas daninhas ao longo de seu crescimento e desenvolvimento. Durante as safras, a densidade de plantas daninhas aumentou em ambos os sistemas de plantio para milho, em comparação com a soja; o menor aumento ocorreu no plantio consorciado da soja. As diferenças foram semelhantes devido à ação dos herbicidas, os quais alcançaram 73% de eficácia durante os períodos críticos nas duas culturas. A taxa de mudança da população de monocotiledôneas anuais aumentou, o que deslocou a composição da comunidade de plantas daninhas. Os sistemas de plantio não alteraram a diversidade de espécies, porém a aplicação de ambos os herbicidas, particularmente em pós-emergência, na soja em monocultura ou no milho em consórcio melhorou a diversidade. A colheita aumentou no sistema de milho em consórcio com controle em pós (ano 1) ou em pré (anos 2 e 3), aumentando assim a razão de área equivalente para valor acima de 1. Os tratamentos com herbicidas – quanto a impactos ambientais – são classificados como muito baixo ou baixo, em relação à utilização em campo

Ação de herbicidas sobre as plantas daninhas na soja e milho RR em plantio consorciado

Concerns about the sustainability of large-scale, direct-drilled RR-soybeans (Glycine max), and RR-maize (Zea mays) under monoculture in central Argentina are growing steadily. An experiment was conducted during three consecutive years to determine the effects of crops and systems (monocultures and strips) and herbicide strategy on weed density, population rate of change (l), b community diversity (H́), crop yields and Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Not only crops but also crop systems differentially influenced weed densities along their growth and development. For crop harvests, weed densities increased in both maize crop systems as compared to in the one for soybeans, but the lowest increase occurred in soybean strips. Differences were leveled by both herbicide strategies, which achieved 73% efficacy during the critical periods in both crops. l of annual monocotyledonous increased, thus shifting the weed community composition. Species richness and H́ were not affected by crop systems, but both herbicide strategies, particularly POST, either in soybeans in monoculture or in maize strips, significantly enhanced H́. Crop yields significantly increased in the maizestrip system with POST (Year 1) or PRE (Years 2 and 3) strategies, thus increasing LER above 1. Herbicide Environmental Load treatments fall within very low or low field use rating.A preocupação com a sustentabilidade do plantio direto da monocultura e do consórcio de soja e milho RR plantados em grande escala na região central da Argentina cresce continuamente. Durante três anos consecutivos, foram determinados os efeitos das culturas de soja e de milho RR, dos sistemas de plantio (monoculturas e consorciado), e a ação de herbicidas sobre a densidade de plantas daninhas, a taxa de mudança da população, a diversidade da comunidade, as safras e a razão de área equivalente. Não apenas as culturas, mas também os sistemas de plantio, influenciaram as densidades de plantas daninhas ao longo de seu crescimento e desenvolvimento. Durante as safras, a densidade de plantas daninhas aumentou em ambos os sistemas de plantio para milho, em comparação com a soja; o menor aumento ocorreu no plantio consorciado da soja. As diferenças foram semelhantes devido à ação dos herbicidas, os quais alcançaram 73% de eficácia durante os períodos críticos nas duas culturas. A taxa de mudança da população de monocotiledôneas anuais aumentou, o que deslocou a composição da comunidade de plantas daninhas. Os sistemas de plantio não alteraram a diversidade de espécies, porém a aplicação de ambos os herbicidas, particularmente em pós-emergência, na soja em monocultura ou no milho em consórcio melhorou a diversidade. A colheita aumentou no sistema de milho em consórcio com controle em pós (ano 1) ou em pré (anos 2 e 3), aumentando assim a razão de área equivalente para valor acima de 1. Os tratamentos com herbicidas – quanto a impactos ambientais – são classificados como muito baixo ou baixo, em relação à utilização em campo.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Ação de herbicidas sobre as plantas daninhas na soja e milho RR em plantio consorciado

Concerns about the sustainability of large-scale, direct-drilled RR-soybeans (Glycine max), and RR-maize (Zea mays) under monoculture in central Argentina are growing steadily. An experiment was conducted during three consecutive years to determine the effects of crops and systems (monocultures and strips) and herbicide strategy on weed density, population rate of change (l), b community diversity (H́), crop yields and Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Not only crops but also crop systems differentially influenced weed densities along their growth and development. For crop harvests, weed densities increased in both maize crop systems as compared to in the one for soybeans, but the lowest increase occurred in soybean strips. Differences were leveled by both herbicide strategies, which achieved 73% efficacy during the critical periods in both crops. l of annual monocotyledonous increased, thus shifting the weed community composition. Species richness and H́ were not affected by crop systems, but both herbicide strategies, particularly POST, either in soybeans in monoculture or in maize strips, significantly enhanced H́. Crop yields significantly increased in the maizestrip system with POST (Year 1) or PRE (Years 2 and 3) strategies, thus increasing LER above 1. Herbicide Environmental Load treatments fall within very low or low field use rating.A preocupação com a sustentabilidade do plantio direto da monocultura e do consórcio de soja e milho RR plantados em grande escala na região central da Argentina cresce continuamente. Durante três anos consecutivos, foram determinados os efeitos das culturas de soja e de milho RR, dos sistemas de plantio (monoculturas e consorciado), e a ação de herbicidas sobre a densidade de plantas daninhas, a taxa de mudança da população, a diversidade da comunidade, as safras e a razão de área equivalente. Não apenas as culturas, mas também os sistemas de plantio, influenciaram as densidades de plantas daninhas ao longo de seu crescimento e desenvolvimento. Durante as safras, a densidade de plantas daninhas aumentou em ambos os sistemas de plantio para milho, em comparação com a soja; o menor aumento ocorreu no plantio consorciado da soja. As diferenças foram semelhantes devido à ação dos herbicidas, os quais alcançaram 73% de eficácia durante os períodos críticos nas duas culturas. A taxa de mudança da população de monocotiledôneas anuais aumentou, o que deslocou a composição da comunidade de plantas daninhas. Os sistemas de plantio não alteraram a diversidade de espécies, porém a aplicação de ambos os herbicidas, particularmente em pós-emergência, na soja em monocultura ou no milho em consórcio melhorou a diversidade. A colheita aumentou no sistema de milho em consórcio com controle em pós (ano 1) ou em pré (anos 2 e 3), aumentando assim a razão de área equivalente para valor acima de 1. Os tratamentos com herbicidas – quanto a impactos ambientais – são classificados como muito baixo ou baixo, em relação à utilização em campo.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Newly described clinical and immunopathological feature of dermatitis herpetiformis.

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an inflammatory cutaneous disease with typical histopathological and immunopathological findings clinically characterized by intensely pruritic polymorphic lesions with a chronic-relapsing course. In addition to classic clinical manifestations of DH, atypical variants are more and more frequently reported and histological and immunological are added to them, whereas the impact on quality of life of patients with DH is increasingly important to a certain diagnosis. The aim of this paper is to describe all the possible clinical, histological, and immunological variants of DH in order to facilitate the diagnosis of a rare disease and, therefore, little known

Ação de herbicidas sobre as plantas daninhas na soja e milho RR em plantio consorciado

Concerns about the sustainability of large-scale, direct-drilled RR-soybeans (Glycine max), and RR-maize (Zea mays) under monoculture in central Argentina are growing steadily. An experiment was conducted during three consecutive years to determine the effects of crops and systems (monocultures and strips) and herbicide strategy on weed density, population rate of change (l), b community diversity (H́), crop yields and Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Not only crops but also crop systems differentially influenced weed densities along their growth and development. For crop harvests, weed densities increased in both maize crop systems as compared to in the one for soybeans, but the lowest increase occurred in soybean strips. Differences were leveled by both herbicide strategies, which achieved 73% efficacy during the critical periods in both crops. l of annual monocotyledonous increased, thus shifting the weed community composition. Species richness and H́ were not affected by crop systems, but both herbicide strategies, particularly POST, either in soybeans in monoculture or in maize strips, significantly enhanced H́. Crop yields significantly increased in the maizestrip system with POST (Year 1) or PRE (Years 2 and 3) strategies, thus increasing LER above 1. Herbicide Environmental Load treatments fall within very low or low field use rating.A preocupação com a sustentabilidade do plantio direto da monocultura e do consórcio de soja e milho RR plantados em grande escala na região central da Argentina cresce continuamente. Durante três anos consecutivos, foram determinados os efeitos das culturas de soja e de milho RR, dos sistemas de plantio (monoculturas e consorciado), e a ação de herbicidas sobre a densidade de plantas daninhas, a taxa de mudança da população, a diversidade da comunidade, as safras e a razão de área equivalente. Não apenas as culturas, mas também os sistemas de plantio, influenciaram as densidades de plantas daninhas ao longo de seu crescimento e desenvolvimento. Durante as safras, a densidade de plantas daninhas aumentou em ambos os sistemas de plantio para milho, em comparação com a soja; o menor aumento ocorreu no plantio consorciado da soja. As diferenças foram semelhantes devido à ação dos herbicidas, os quais alcançaram 73% de eficácia durante os períodos críticos nas duas culturas. A taxa de mudança da população de monocotiledôneas anuais aumentou, o que deslocou a composição da comunidade de plantas daninhas. Os sistemas de plantio não alteraram a diversidade de espécies, porém a aplicação de ambos os herbicidas, particularmente em pós-emergência, na soja em monocultura ou no milho em consórcio melhorou a diversidade. A colheita aumentou no sistema de milho em consórcio com controle em pós (ano 1) ou em pré (anos 2 e 3), aumentando assim a razão de área equivalente para valor acima de 1. Os tratamentos com herbicidas – quanto a impactos ambientais – são classificados como muito baixo ou baixo, em relação à utilização em campo.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Integrative genomic analysis reveals distinct transcriptional and genetic features associated with chromosome 13 deletion in multiple myeloma

Background and Objectives The chromosome 13 deletion (Delta(13)) is one of the most frequent chromosomal alterations in multiple myeloma (MM). Delta(13) is associated with an unfavorable prognosis, although there is increasing agreement that its prognostic relevance must be related to the ploidy status and the presence of different chromosomal translocations. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptional features of Delta(13) in MM.Design and Methods Highly purified plasma cells from 80 newly diagnosed MM patients were characterized by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and high-density oligonucleotide microarray for gene expression profiling and chromosomal alterations.Results We identified 67 differentially expressed genes in the patients with and without the chromosome 13 deletion, all of which were downregulated in the cases with Delta(13): 44 mapped along the whole chromosome 13, seven on chromosome 11 and three on chromosome 19. Functional analyses of the selected genes indicated their involvement in protein biosynthesis, ubiquitination and transcriptional regulation. An integrative genomic approach based on regional analyses of the gene expression data identified distinct chromosomal regions whose global expression modulation could differentiate Delta(13)-positive cases, in particular the upregulation of 1q21-1q42 and the downregulation of 19p and almost the entire chromosome 11. FISH analyses confirmed the close relationship between Delta(13)-positivity and the presence of extra copies of 1q21-1q42 (p=6x10(-4)) or the absence of chromosome 11 and 19 trisomy (p=5x10(-4)).Interpretation and Conclusions Our results indicate that distinct types of chromosomal aberrations are closely related to the transcriptional profiles of Delta(13)-positive cases, suggesting that the contribution of Delta(13) to the malignancy should be considered together with associated abnormalities

Effects of 12-months treatment with zoledronate or teriparatide on intima-media thickness of carotid artery in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: A pilot study

Atherosclerosis and osteoporosis are interrelated entities and share similar pathogenic mechanisms. Recent studies showed that key proteins of bone metabolism, such as osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteopontin (OPN), are also involved in vascular atherosclerosis and calcifications. The carotid intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) is an early quantitative marker of generalized atherosclerosis. Aim of study was to investigate whether 12-months treatment with zoledronate (ZLN) or teriparatide (TPT) affects CA-IMT and circulating OPG and OPN levels. In this study, 11 postmenopausal osteoporotic women (aged 73, 70.5\u201374.5 years; median, range interquartile) treated with 5 mg/year iv ZLN; 9 postmenopausal osteoporotic women (aged 70, 62.5\u201373.5 years) treated with 20 \ub5g/day sc TPT; and 10 aged-, body mass index (BMI)-, glycemic, and lipid profiles-matched, free from anti-osteoporotic and hypocholesterolemic drugs, controls were prospectively investigated at baseline and after 12 months. At baseline, median CA-IMT was similar in the three groups and increased after 12 months. CA-IMT increased significantly in TPT-treated patients (1.0, 0.8\u20131.2 vs 1.1, 0.9\u201315 mm, P = 0.04), though the change was minimal. After 12 months of treatment, CA-IMT positively correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (r = 0.767, P = 0.008) and negatively with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (r = 120.65, P = 0.03), suggesting interplay between active bone remodeling and lipid profile. At baseline and after 12 months, median serum OPG and OPN levels did not differ among the groups and did not correlate with changes in CA-IMT. In conclusion, ZLN and TPT treatments are safe on carotid walls in osteoporotic women with subclinical atherosclerosis; circulating OPG and OPN are not affected by long-term anti-osteoporotic treatments and do not correlate with CA-IMT

BIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF CMA-03/06, A NEWLY ESTABLISHED INTERLEUKIN-6 INDEPENDENT VARIANT OF THE CMA-03 HUMAN MYELOMA CELL LINE.

The growth and survival of multiple myeloma (MM) cells in the bone marrow microenvironment is regulated by functional complex interactions between the tumor cells and the surrounding bone marrow stromal cells mediated by adhesion molecules and the production of several cytokines of which interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been identified as the most important. Major advances in the investigation of MM biology were made possible by the availability of human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs). The IL-6-dependent CMA-03 cell line was established in our laboratory from a peritoneal effusion of a refractory relapsed MM patient. By gradually decreasing the IL-6 added to the culture, an IL-6-independent variant, CMA-03/06, could be obtained. The aim of this study was to perform a biological and molecular characterization of this novel cell line and to provide insights into the signaling pathways and target genes involved in the growth and survival of CMA-03/06. The growth, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) characterization of CMA-03/06 cell line was performed by means of standard procedures. IL-6 production into the culture media was determined using a high sensitivity IL-6 specific ELISA. Genome-wide profiling data were generated by means of Affymetrix GeneChip Human Mapping 250K NspI arrays; copy number (CN) alterations were calculated using the DNAcopy Bioconductor package, based on circular binary segmentation method. Global gene expression profiling (GEP) was performed by means of the GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST Arrays (Affymetrix); the supervised analyses were done using the rank Prod method and a 2 fold change cut off. The immunophenotypic analysis of the two cell lines showed a significant difference in the expression of three antigens: CD45 was considerably reduced in CMA-03/06 cells, whereas they were found positive for both chains of IL-6 receptor, CD126 and CD130, almost undetectable in CMA-03. Conventional cytogenetic and FISH analyses did not reveal differences between the 2 HMCLs. Unlike CMA-03, the addition of IL-6 to the culture medium of CMA-03/06 cells or co-culture with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells did not induce an increase in CMA-03/06 proliferation. IL-6 was not detected in the supernatants from either CMA-03 or CMA-03/06 cell lines within 48 h, suggesting that the IL-6 independence of CMA03/06 cells is not a result of the development of an autocrine IL-6 loop. Nevertheless, IL-6 induced the activation of STAT3 and STAT1 in both cell lines, even if a slight constitutive STAT3 phosphorylation was found in CMA-03/06. The genome-wide analysis allowed the identification of about 100 altered chromosomal regions common to both HMCLs, mostly DNA gains. Comparison of CMA-03/06 and CMA-03 cells evidenced a different CN in only 15 small chromosomal regions, 8 of which did not contain any transcript, whereas few genes were located on the other ones. GEP analysis of CMA-03/06 compared with CMA-03 identified 140 upregulated and 168 downregulated genes, many of which particularly relevant for MM biology, mainly involved in cellular signaling, cell cycle, cell adhesion, cell development, regulation of transcription, immunologic, inflammatory or defense activity, cytokine receptor activity, apoptosis. None of the genes differentially expressed in CMA-03/06 compared with CMA-03 except 2 were positioned on the chromosomal regions showing a different CN. Finally, CMA-03/06 cell line showed a lower susceptibility to camptothecin-induced apoptosis compared to CMA-03 cells. The novel CMA03/06 cell line may thus represent a suitable model for studies investigating molecular mechanisms involved in clonal evolution towards IL-6 and/or stroma-independent growth and survival of myeloma cells

Planning and management of urban and landscape heritage Planification et gestion du patrimoine urbain et paysager

The book has been prepared in the framework of the EUROMED IV Project “Mutual Heritage: from historical integration to contemporary active participation” dealing with the recent architectural and urban heritage in the Mediterranean world. It intends to highlight the most relevant theoretical principles and the nowadays related methodological and operational issues regarding the planning and management of heritage cities and landscapes in different cultural contexts. An extensive series of examples and good practices is presented, which aims at giving the players involved with the heritage management useful suggestions and insights to translate heritage principles and concepts into efficient operational tools appropriate to each specific situation