Microsatellite pedigree reconstruction provides evidence that ‘Müller-Thurgau’ is a grandson of ‘Pinot’ and ‘Schiava Grossa’

‘Müller-Thurgau’ has recently been proven to be a cross between ‘Riesling’ and ‘Madeleine Royale’, a 19th century cross whose parents are unknown. Parentage analysis based on 93 grape cultivars of central Europe genotyped at 57 microsatellites provides here evidence that ‘Madeleine Royale’ = ‘Pinot’ × ‘Schiava Grossa’. Since ‘Riesling’ is known to be a progeny of ‘Gouais Blanc’, ‘Müller-Thurgau’ is therefore a grandchild of ‘Pinot’ (either ‘Pinot’ noir, gris or blanc), ‘Schiava Grossa’ (or ‘Frankenthaler’ or ‘Trollinger’) and ‘Gouais Blanc’ (or ‘Heunisch Weiss’)

Identity and parentage of two alpine grape cultivars from Switzerland (Vitis vinifera L. Lafnetscha and Himbertscha)

Four closely related white grape cultivars from the Western Alps (Switzerland) - Humagne Blanc, Completer, Lafnetscha and Himbertscha - and three putative relatives or synonyms - Gouais Blanc, Plantscher and Bordeaux Blanc - were analyzed with up to 50 microsatellite markers. Humagne Blanc and Completer are ancient cultivars from the Haut-Valais and Graubünden regions, respectively. Lafnetscha and Himbertscha are lesser-known cultivars scarcely cultivated in Haut-Valais. Lafnetscha is frequently considered as synonym of Completer. Himbertscha might be related to Gouais Blanc, one of the parents of Chardonnay, Gamay, etc. Plantscher, a putative synonym of Lafnetscha, is scarcely cultivated in Haut-Valais (Switzerland) and Bordeaux Blanc (or Gros Bourgogne) is a cultivar of unknown origin (despite its names) cultivated in Switzerland. Our results allowed us to determine the true-to-type Lafnetscha and confirmed that Lafnetscha is not a synonym of Completer. Plantscher is not a synonym of Lafnetscha but a synonym of Bordeaux Blanc (or Gros Bourgogne) and is a likely parent or progeny of the Hungarian Furmint. Himbertscha is not related to Gouais Blanc and shares at least one allele at each locus with Humagne Blanc, providing strong evidence of a parent/progeny relationship. Given that Humagne Blanc is an older cultivar, we propose that it is the parent of Himbertscha. Alleles at 49 out of 50 microsatellite loci are consistent with Lafnetscha being the progeny of Completer and Humagne Blanc. The exception is a 10-base pair discrepancy at one locus (VVMD 36), most likely due to the occurrence of a null allele, since this parentage is supported at other markers by very high likelihood ratios. With Lafnetscha = Completer x Humagne Blanc, we present the second grape cultivar parentage showing a multiple repeat discrepancy at one locus. This study emphasizes that one multiple repeat unit discrepancy is not sufficient to reject a parentage, and that the greater is the number of loci, the greater are the chances to encounter null alleles or clonal mutations

Evaluation of Analytical Methods to Study Aquifer Properties with Pumping Tests in Coastal Aquifers with Numerical Modelling (Motril-Salobreña Aquifer)

Two pumping tests were performed in the unconfined Motril-Salobreña detrital aquifer in a 250 m-deep well 300 m from the coastline containing both freshwater and saltwater. It is an artesian well as it is in the discharge zone of this coastal aquifer. The two observation wells where the drawdowns are measured record the influence of tidal fluctuations, and the well lithological columns reveal high vertical heterogeneity in the aquifer. The Theis and Cooper-Jacob approaches give average transmissivity (T) and storage coefficient (S) values of 1460 m2 /d and 0.027, respectively. Other analytical solutions, modified to be more accurate in the boundary conditions found in coastal aquifers, provide similar T values to those found with the Theis and Cooper-Jacob methods, but give very different S values or could not estimate them. Numerical modelling in a synthetic model was applied to analyse the sensitivity of the Theis and Cooper-Jacob approaches to the usual boundary conditions in coastal aquifers. The T and S values calculated from the numerical modelling drawdowns indicate that the regional flow, variable pumping flows, and tidal effect produce an error of under 10 % compared to results obtained with classic methods. Fluids of different density (freshwater and saltwater) cause an error of 20 % in estimating T and of over 100 % in calculating S. The factor most affecting T and S results in the pumping test interpretation is vertical heterogeneity in sediments, which can produce errors of over 100 % in both parameters.This research has been financed by Project CGL2012-32892 (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain) and by the Research Group Sedimentary Geology and Groundwater (RNM-369) of the Junta de Andalucía

Naturalised Vitis Rootstocks in Europe and Consequences to Native Wild Grapevine

The genus Vitis is represented by several coexisting species in Europe. Our study focuses on naturalised rootstocks that originate in viticulture. The consequences of their presence to the landscape and to native European species (Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris) are evaluated. This study compares ecological traits (seven qualitative and quantitative descriptors) and the genetic diversity (10 SSR markers) of populations of naturalised rootstocks and native wild grapevines. 18 large naturalised rootstock populations were studied in the Rhône watershed. Wild European grapevines are present in four main habitats (screes, alluvial forests, hedges, and streamside hedges). In contrast, naturalised rootstock populations are mainly located in alluvial forests, but they clearly take advantage of alluvial system dynamics and connectivity at the landscape level. These latter populations appear to reproduce sexually, and show a higher genetic diversity than Vitis vinifera ssp. silvestris. The regrouping of naturalised rootstocks in interconnected populations tends to create active hybrid swarms of rootstocks. The rootstocks show characters of invasive plants. The spread of naturalised rootstocks in the environment, the acceleration of the decline of the European wild grapevine, and the propagation of genes of viticultural interest in natural populations are potential consequences that should be kept in mind when undertaking appropriate management measures

Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa

Groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa supports livelihoods and poverty alleviation1,2, maintains vital ecosystems, and strongly influences terrestrial water and energy budgets. Yet the hydrological processes that govern groundwater recharge and sustainability—and their sensitivity to climatic variability—are poorly constrained4. Given the absence of firm observational constraints, it remains to be seen whether model-based projections of decreased water resources in dry parts of the region4 are justified. Here we show, through analysis of multidecadal groundwater hydrographs across sub-Saharan Africa, that levels of aridity dictate the predominant recharge processes, whereas local hydrogeology influences the type and sensitivity of precipitation–recharge relationships. Recharge in some humid locations varies by as little as five per cent (by coefficient of variation) across a wide range of annual precipitation values. Other regions, by contrast, show roughly linear precipitation–recharge relationships, with precipitation thresholds (of roughly ten millimetres or less per day) governing the initiation of recharge. These thresholds tend to rise as aridity increases, and recharge in drylands is more episodic and increasingly dominated by focused recharge through losses from ephemeral overland flows. Extreme annual recharge is commonly associated with intense rainfall and flooding events, themselves often driven by large-scale climate controls. Intense precipitation, even during years of lower overall precipitation, produces some of the largest years of recharge in some dry subtropical locations. Our results therefore challenge the ‘high certainty’ consensus regarding decreasing water resources in such regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The potential resilience of groundwater to climate variability in many areas that is revealed by these precipitation–recharge relationships is essential for informing reliable predictions of climate-change impacts and adaptation strategies

The Next Generation of Platinum Drugs: Targeted Pt(II) Agents, Nanoparticle Delivery, and Pt(IV) Prodrugs

The platinum drugs, cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, prevail in the treatment of cancer, but new platinum agents have been very slow to enter the clinic. Recently, however, there has been a surge of activity, based on a great deal of mechanistic information, aimed at developing nonclassical platinum complexes that operate via mechanisms of action distinct from those of the approved drugs. The use of nanodelivery devices has also grown, and many different strategies have been explored to incorporate platinum warheads into nanomedicine constructs. In this Review, we discuss these efforts to create the next generation of platinum anticancer drugs. The introduction provides the reader with a brief overview of the use, development, and mechanism of action of the approved platinum drugs to provide the context in which more recent research has flourished. We then describe approaches that explore nonclassical platinum(II) complexes with trans geometry or with a monofunctional coordination mode, polynuclear platinum(II) compounds, platinum(IV) prodrugs, dual-threat agents, and photoactivatable platinum(IV) complexes. Nanoparticles designed to deliver platinum(IV) complexes will also be discussed, including carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, upconversion nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles. Additional nanoformulations, including supramolecular self-assembled structures, proteins, peptides, metal–organic frameworks, and coordination polymers, will then be described. Finally, the significant clinical progress made by nanoparticle formulations of platinum(II) agents will be reviewed. We anticipate that such a synthesis of disparate research efforts will not only help to generate new drug development ideas and strategies, but also will reflect our optimism that the next generation of approved platinum cancer drugs is about to arrive.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (CA034992