Analycity and smoothing effect for the coupled system of equations of Korteweg - de Vries type with a single point singularity

We study that a solution of the initial value problem associated for the coupled system of equations of Korteweg - de Vries type which appears as a model to describe the strong interaction of weakly nonlinear long waves, has analyticity in time and smoothing effect up to real analyticity if the initial data only has a single point singularity at $x=0.

Enhancing the Antibiotic Antibacterial Effect by Sub Lethal Tellurite Concentrations: Tellurite and Cefotaxime Act Synergistically in Escherichia coli

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria during the last decades has become a public health concern worldwide. Aiming to explore new alternatives to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and given that the tellurium oxyanion tellurite is highly toxic for most microorganisms, we evaluated the ability of sub lethal tellurite concentrations to strengthen the effect of several antibiotics. Tellurite, at nM or µM concentrations, increased importantly the toxicity of defined antibacterials. This was observed with both Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria, irrespective of the antibiotic or tellurite tolerance of the particular microorganism. The tellurite-mediated antibiotic-potentiating effect occurs in laboratory and clinical, uropathogenic Escherichia coli, especially with antibiotics disturbing the cell wall (ampicillin, cefotaxime) or protein synthesis (tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin). In particular, the effect of tellurite on the activity of the clinically-relevant, third-generation cephalosporin (cefotaxime), was evaluated. Cell viability assays showed that tellurite and cefotaxime act synergistically against E. coli. In conclusion, using tellurite like an adjuvant could be of great help to cope with several multi-resistant pathogens

Microsatellite analysis of populations of the endangered tree Gomortega keule suggests pre-Columbian differentiation

Temperate forests have been affected extensively by human activities, resulting in land cover changes and population fragmentation. However, these anthropogenic effects can be superimposed onto the natural history of species, making it difficult to determine which effect is more important for a particular species. Gomortega keule is an endangered tree that is found in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots in central–south Chile. Human activities have significantly impacted on the original habitat in this region in recent years and are commonly considered to be the main cause of the scarcity of this species. However, aspects of the natural history of this evergreen tree may also help to explain its present-day genetic structure. In this study, we undertook microsatellite genotyping of the two southernmost populations of G. keule, which are 7.5 km apart and well isolated from other populations. We found that there was genetic differentiation between these populations, suggesting that they exhibited at least some differentiation before becoming isolated, most likely before human activities first impacted the region some two centuries ago. Molecular estimates of their divergence time supported a more ancient differentiation of the populations than would be explained by human activities alone. It is possible that their isolation may have followed the extinction of megafaunal seed dispersers around 12,000 years before present in this region, as indicated by fruit characteristics, the absence of recruitment by seedlings and the existence of clonal trees

Evaluation of the microclimate in a traditional Colombian greenhouse used for cut flower production

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record. Cut flower production in the Bogotá savanna is one of Colombia’s main export products. Flower production is mainly carried out in greenhouses, as this type of production system has substantial advantages over crops grown in open fields. Protected agriculture provides timely climate management that improves crop yields. The objective of this work was to build and validate a 3D CFD numerical model to understand the spatial distribution of temperatures because of the air flow dynamics inside a typical greenhouse in the Bogotá savanna. Root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were the statistical indicators used between experimental and simulated wind speed and temperature data. The simulations considered twelve evaluation scenarios that were established based on the climatic conditions characteristic of the study region. The results indicate that under regional conditions of temperature and wind for this type of passive greenhouse, there is a deficient ventilation rate. This rate does not exceed 35 exchanges h−1 compared to the recommended rates for crops, which is between 45 and 60 air exchanges h−1. This renewal rate contributes to the heterogeneity of the microclimatic dynamics of the greenhouse, presenting hot spots with temperature values above 32 °C in all examined scenarios. For the lower air speed scenarios (<1 ms−1), these areas of high temperature can reach up to 50% of the cultivated area. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies should seek technical solutions to optimize the microclimatic conditions of the greenhouse design used in the Colombian floriculture sector.Sistema General de Regalías and the Gobernacion de Cundinamarc

Influence of the Height in a Colombian Multi-Tunnel Greenhouse on Natural Ventilation and Thermal Behavior: Modeling Approach

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordfirst_pagesettings Open AccessArticle Influence of the Height in a Colombian Multi-Tunnel Greenhouse on Natural Ventilation and Thermal Behavior: Modeling Approach by Edwin Villagrán 1,Jorge Flores-Velazquez 2,*ORCID,Mohammad Akrami 3,*ORCID andCarlos Bojacá 1ORCID 1 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Bogotá 111321, Colombia 2 Coordination of Hydrosciences, Postgraduate Collage, Carr Mex Tex km 36.5, Montecillo Edo de Mexico 62550, Mexico 3 Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed. Academic Editors: Muhammad Sultan, Yuguang Zhou, Walter Den and Uzair Sajjad Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13631; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413631 Received: 25 October 2021 / Revised: 25 November 2021 / Accepted: 6 December 2021 / Published: 9 December 2021 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Engineering Technologies and Applications) Download PDF Browse Figures Citation Export Abstract The dimensions of a passive greenhouse are one of the decisions made by producers or builders based on characteristics of the available land and the economic cost of building the structure per unit of covered area. In few cases, the design criteria are reviewed and the dimensions are established based on the type of crop and local climate conditions. One of the dimensions that is generally exposed to greater manipulation is the height above the gutter and the general height of the structure, since a greenhouse with a lower height has a lower economic cost. This has led some countries in the tropical region to build greenhouses that, due to their architectural characteristics, have inadequate microclimatic conditions for agricultural production. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect on air flows and thermal distribution generated by the increase of the height over gutter of a Colombian multi-tunnel greenhouse using a successfully two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The simulated numerical results showed that increasing the height of the greenhouse allows obtaining temperature reductions from 0.1 to 11.7 °C depending on the ventilation configuration used and the external wind speed. Likewise, it was identified that the combined side and roof ventilation configuration (RS) allows obtaining higher renovation indexes (RI) in values between 144 and 449% with respect to the side ventilation (S) and roof ventilation (R) configurations. Finally, the numerical results were successfully fitted within the surface regression models responses.Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)Asociación Colombiana de Exportadores de Flores (Asocolflores)Centro de Innovación de la Floricultura Colombiana (Ceniflores

Epigenetics as a therapeutic target in osteoarthritis

Review[Abstract] Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogenous, complex disease affecting the integrity of diarthrodial joints that, despite its high prevalence worldwide, lacks effective treatment. In recent years it has been discovered that epigenetics may play an important role in OA. Our objective is to review the current knowledge of the three classical epigenetic mechanisms—DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) modifications, including microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)—in relation to the pathogenesis of OA and focusing on articular cartilage. The search for updated literature was carried out in the PubMed database. Evidence shows that dysregulation of numerous essential cartilage molecules is caused by aberrant epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, and it contributes to the development and progression of OA. This offers the opportunity to consider new candidates as therapeutic targets with the potential to attenuate OA or to be used as novel biomarkers of the disease.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI19/01213Xunta de Galicia; IN607D2022/12Xunta de Galicia; IN607A 2021/

Geomorphology and paleoecology of the arid diagonal in Southern South America

Por medio de investigaciones geomorfológicas, pedológicas y palinológicas se ha reconstruido la localización, extensión y dinámica de la Diagonal Árida para diferentes fases del Cuaternario Superior. Los resultados se muestran a través de perfiles de los pisos altitudinales geoecológicos, por diagramas de variación, tanto temporal como espacial de diferentes indicadores y parámetros paleoclimáticos, y por bosquejos cartográficos de la extensión de la Diagonal Árida, así como de diferentes regímenes pluviométricos, y de la distribución de los sistemas atmosféricos actuales y del  pasado. Estas nvestigaciones paleoecológicas se han complementado en la Región de Cuyo con estudios de los cambios recientes - siglos XVI al XX - en la dinámica ambiental y las adaptaciones de los grupos humanos, enfocados principalmente al proceso de desertificación. estudios de los cambios recientes - siglos XVI al XX - en la dinámica ambiental y las adaptaciones de los grupos humanos, enfocados principalmente al proceso de desertificación.Position, extent and intensity of the Arid Diagonal at various time slices during the upper Quaternary were reconstructed. Geomorphic, pedologic and palynologic evidences indicate significant shifts of the geoecological belts with regard to altitude and extent. In this paper these are shown as N-S-transects, as elevationjtime graphs of various paleoclimatic indicators and as maps. The latter give an idea of the extent and the moisture conditions of the Arid Diagonal, as well as of the patterns of modern and past atmospheric circulation.Fil: Abraham, Elena Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Garleff, K.. No especifíca;Fil: Liebricht, H.. No especifíca;Fil: Regairaz, A. C.. No especifíca;Fil: Schäbitz, Frank. No especifíca;Fil: Squeo, Francisco A.. No especifíca;Fil: Stingl, H.. No especifíca;Fil: Veit, H.. No especifíca;Fil: Villagrán, C.. No especifíca

Microclimatic Evaluation of Five Types of Colombian Greenhouses Using Geostatistical Techniques

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordn Colombia, the second-largest exporter of cut flowers worldwide and one of the South American countries with the largest area of crops under cover, passive or naturally ventilated greenhouses predominate. Locally, there are several types of greenhouses that differ in architecture, size, height, shape of roof and ventilation surfaces, of which many characteristics of the microclimate generated in their interior environment are unknown. This generates productive limitations that in some way may be limiting the yield, quality and health of the final products harvested; in addition, Colombian producers do not have the ability to monitor the microclimate of their farms, much less to correlate microclimate data with data on crop production and yield. Therefore, there is a need for the Colombian grower to know the most relevant microclimate characteristics generated in the main greenhouses used locally. The objective of this work was to carry out a microclimatic characterization of the five most used types of greenhouses in Colombia. The main results allowed determining that in these structures, there are conditions of high humidity and low vapor pressure for several hours of the day, which affects the physiological processes of growth and development of the plants. It was also identified that for each type of greenhouse, depending on the level of radiation, there is a significant microclimatic heterogeneity that may be the cause of the heterogeneity in plant growth, which is a common characteristic observed by the technical cultivation personnel. Therefore, it can be concluded that it is urgent to propose microclimatic optimization strategies to help ensure the sustainability of the most important production systems in the country.Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)Asociación Colombiana de Exportadores de Flores (Asocolflores)Centro de Innovación de la Floricultura Colombiana (Ceniflores

Age and terminal reproductive attempt influence laying date in the Thorn‐tailed Rayadito

Age‐specific variation in reproductive effort can affect population dynamics, and is a key component of the evolution of reproductive tactics. Late‐life declines are a typical feature of variation in reproduction. However, the cause of these declines, and thus their implications for the evolution of life‐history tactics, may differ. Some prior studies have shown late‐life reproductive declines to be tied to chronological age, whereas other studies have found declines associated with terminal reproduction irrespective of chronological age. We investigated the extent to which declines in late life reproduction are related to chronological age, terminal reproductive attempt or a combination of both in the Thorn‐tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a small passerine bird that inhabits the temperate forest of South America. To this end we used long‐term data (10 years) obtained on reproductive success (laying date, clutch size and nestling weight) of females in a Chilean population. Neither chronological age nor terminal reproductive attempt explained variation in clutch size or nestling weight, however we observed that during the terminal reproductive attempt older females tended to lay later in the breeding season and younger females laid early in the breeding season, but this was not the case when the reproductive attempt was not the last. These results suggests that both age‐dependent and age‐independent effects influence reproductive output and therefore that the combined effects of age and physiological condition may be more relevant than previously thought

Comparative serology techniques for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a rural population from the state of Querétaro, Mexico

Immunological diagnostic methods for Trypanosoma cruzi depend specifically on the presence of antibodies and parasitological methods lack sensitivity during the chronic and “indeterminate” stages of the disease. This study performed a serological survey of 1,033 subjects from 52 rural communities in 12 of the 18 municipalities in the state of Querétaro, Mexico. We detected anti-T. cruzi antibodies using the following tests: indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA), indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), ELISA and recombinant ELISA (rELISA). We also performed Western blot (WB) analysis using iron superoxide dismutase (FeSOD), a detoxifying enzyme excreted by the parasite, as the antigen. Positive test results were distributed as follows: ELISA 8%, rELISA 6.2%, IFA and IHA 5.4% in both cases and FeSOD 8%. A comparative study of the five tests was undertaken. Sensitivity levels, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, concordance percentage and kappa index were considered. Living with animals, trips to other communities, gender, age, type of housing and symptomatology at the time of the survey were statistically analysed using SPSS software v.11.5. Detection of the FeSOD enzyme that was secreted by the parasite and used as an antigenic fraction in WBs showed a 100% correlation with traditional ELISA tests