De novo Analysis of the Epiphytic Transcriptome of the Cucurbit Powdery Mildew Fungus Podosphaera xanthii and Identification of Candidate Secreted Effector Proteins.

The cucurbit powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera xanthii is a major limiting factor for cucurbit production worldwide. Despite the fungus's agronomic and economic importance, very little is known about fundamental aspects of P. xanthii biology, such as obligate biotrophy or pathogenesis. To design more durable control strategies, genomic information about P. xanthii is needed. Powdery mildews are fungal pathogens with large genomes compared with those of other fungi, which contain vast amounts of repetitive DNA sequences, much of which is composed of retrotransposons. To reduce genome complexity, in this work we aimed to obtain and analyse the epiphytic transcriptome of P. xanthii as a starting point for genomic research. Total RNA was isolated from epiphytic fungal material, and the corresponding cDNA library was sequenced using a 454 GS FLX platform. Over 676,562 reads were obtained and assembled into 37,241 contigs. Annotation data identified 8,798 putative genes with different orthologues. As described for other powdery mildew fungi, a similar set of missing core ascomycete genes was found, which may explain obligate biotrophy. To gain insight into the plant-pathogen relationships, special attention was focused on the analysis of the secretome. After this analysis, 137 putative secreted proteins were identified, including 53 candidate secreted effector proteins (CSEPs). Consistent with a putative role in pathogenesis, the expression profile observed for some of these CSEPs showed expression maxima at the beginning of the infection process at 24 h after inoculation, when the primary appressoria are mostly formed. Our data mark the onset of genomics research into this very important pathogen of cucurbits and shed some light on the intimate relationship between this pathogen and its host plant

Internet y la participación ciudadana juvenil: una página en construcción

Es presenten alguns dels determinants fonamentals de la participació ciutadana juvenil, els quals podrien ser classificats en intrínsecs i extrínsecs i que responen a dimensions culturals, psicològiques, polítiques i socioeconòmiques. Internet es torna un recurs valuós per aconseguir vincles amb els qui viuen a partir dels mateixos codis culturals i competències comunicatives, conformant xarxes que integren comunitats. Aspecte clau, aquest, si es considera que el reconeixement de problemes i necessitats comunes constitueix un element fonamental per a l’inici d’activitats orientades a la coordinació d’esforços per complir objectius que semblen amalgamar-se amb expectatives i valors també compartits. Serà interessant indagar sobre com una major implicació en xarxes socials generada per Internet pot realment incidir en major o menor implicació en la participació política per part de les noves generacions. Les tecnologies digitals representen un punt de partida, i no d’arribada, cap al fet de facilitar la participació dels ciutadans en la presa de decisions públiques.Important variables, such as cultural, psychological, political and socio-economical, determinant in youth citizenship involvement are presented, according to extrinsic and intrinsic origin, and the impact of internet on them is analyzed. Internet becomes a valuable resource to networking with individuals who share similar codes and competences, basic issue, since sharing problem perception and needs is basic to initiate organizational efforts to fulfill expectations. It thus becomes interesting to explore whether a larger involvement with internet may really generate a larger political involvement in younger generations. The digital technologies are a starting point, rather than the end of the road, to citizen involvement in public affairs.Se presentan algunos de los determinantes fundamentales de la participación ciudadana juvenil, los cuales podrían ser clasificados en intrínsecos y extrínsecos y que responden a dimensiones culturales, psicológicas, políticas y socioeconómicas. Internet se vuelve un recurso valioso para lograr vínculos con quienes viven a partir de los mismos códigos culturales y competencias comunicativas, conformando redes que integran comunidades. Aspecto clave, este, si se considera que el reconocimiento de problemas y necesidades comunes constituye un elemento fundamental para el inicio de actividades orientadas a la coordinación de esfuerzos para cumplir objetivos que parecen amalgamarse con expectativas y valores también compartidos. Será interesante indagar acerca de cómo una mayor implicación en redes sociales generada por internet puede realmente incidir en mayor o menor implicación en la participación política por parte de las nuevas generaciones. Las tecnologías digitales representan un punto de partida, y no de llegada, hacia facilitar la participación de los ciudadanos en la toma de decisiones públicas

Genetic fuzzy schedules for charging electric vehicles

This work tackles the problem of scheduling the charging of electric vehicles in a real-world charging station subject to a set of physical constraints, with the goal of minimising the total tardiness with respect to a desired departure date given for each vehicle. We model a variant of the problem that incorporates uncertainty in the charging times using fuzzy numbers. As solving method, we propose a genetic algorithm with tailor-made operators, in particular, a new chromosome evaluation method based on generating schedules from a priority vector. Finally, an experimental study avails the proposed genetic algorithm both in terms of algorithm convergence and quality of the obtained solutions.Acknowledgements. This work was supported by the Spanish Government [Grant Nos.TIN2016-79190-R, MTM2014-55262-P]

An ab initio study of the photodissociation of CH2I and CH2I+

8 pags., 5 figs., 4 tabs.Photodissociation of the CH2I radical and the CH2I+ cation is studied by means of high-level ab initio calculations, including spin-orbit effects. Potential-energy curves (PEC) along the dissociating bond distances involved in some fragmentation pathways of these species are computed for the ground and several excited electronic states. Based on the PECs obtained, the possible photodissociation mechanisms are analyzed and suggested. Significant differences are found between the fragmentation dynamics of the neutral radical and that of the cation. While a relatively simple dissociation dynamics is predicted for CH2I, more complex fragmentation mechanisms involving internal conversion and couplings between different excited electronic states are expected for CH2I+. The species studied here are relevant to atmospheric chemistry, and the present work can help to understand better how their photodissociation may affect chemical processes in the atmosphere.This work was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN, Spain), grant no. PGC2018-096444-B-I00, PID2019-107115GB-C21, PID2021-122549NB-C21, PID2021-122796NB-I00, and PID2021- 122839NB-I00. A. B. acknowledges funding from the I-COOP program from CSIC, grant no. COOPB20364, which made possible a research stay at Instituto de Fısica Fundamental, CSIC. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie grant agreement no. 872081, and from the COST Action CA21101 (COSY). The Centro de Supercomputacion de Galicia (CESGA, Spain) is acknowledged for the use of its resources.Peer reviewe

Creating and Validating the DESEA Questionnaire for Men and Women

In clinical practice, it is essential to be able to identify hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), with its different severity levels and assess the influence the subject's relationship has on the issue. In order to do this, questionnaires are needed that comprise appropriate psychometric properties. We analyzed the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Sexual Desire and Aversion (DESEA) questionnaire that evaluates sexual desire and interpersonal stress (relationship problems) in male and female couples. A pilot study was conducted with a group of 1583 people. Finally, it included 20,424 Spanish speakers who answered the questionnaire via an online link. The requirements for factor analysis were verified followed by the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient calculated the reliability of the test scores at 0.834 in the pilot group and 0.889 in the final group. A 3-factor factorial design explains the 62.08% variance. The KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) test (p= 0.904), Bartlett's test of sphericity (126,115.3;p= 0.000010) and the matrix determinant (0.0020770) verified the appropriateness of the factor analysis. The results show that the DESEA questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating desire and interpersonal stress, both in women and men, in clinical and research contexts

Streptococcus caprae sp. nov., isolated from Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica)

Biochemical and molecular genetic studies were performed on a novel Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative, coccus-shaped organism isolated from tonsil samples of two Iberian ibexes. The micro-organism was identified as a streptococcal species based on its cellular, morphological and biochemical characteristics. 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison studies confirmed its identification as a member of the genus Streptococcus, but the organism did not correspond to any species of this genus. The nearest phylogenetic relative of the unknown coccus from ibex was Streptococcus porci 2923-03T (96.6 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Analysis based on rpoB and sodA gene sequences revealed sequence similarity values lower than 86.0 and 83.8 %, respectively, from the type strains of recognized Streptococcus species. The novel bacterial isolate was distinguished from Streptococcus porci and other Streptococcus species using biochemical tests. Based on both phenotypic and phylogenetic findings, it is proposed that the unknown bacterium be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Streptococcus, for which the name Streptococcus caprae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DICM07-02790-1CT (= CECT 8872T = CCUG 67170T)

Somatic embryogenesis as a regeneration method for clonal propagation of Mediterranean forest species

La mejora y conservación de recursos genéticos en especies forestales lleva siglos de retraso con respecto a las especies agrícolas. Los recursos forestales se han considerado tradicionalmente como recursos �mineros�, en los que primaba la mera extracción dejando exclusivamente a la regeneración natural la labor de sostenibilidad en los montes y dehesas o montados. Hoy en día, el necesario desarrollo del medio rural obliga a la explotación racional de los recursos como medio de garantizar su sostenibilidad. Por ello se está empezando a extender el criterio de que las especies forestales se pueden y deben �cultivar� en determinados espacios. Las características biológicas de las especies forestales las hacen, a menudo, recalcitrantes a las técnicas de mejora y conservación de recursos genéticos tradicionalmente aplicadas a especies agrícolas. En particular, la propagación vegetativa se ha utilizado ampliamente en muchos cultivos leñosos como una herramienta muy poderosa para capturar todo el potencial genético de combinaciones genéticas valiosas. En especies forestales, en particular en las mediterráneas, esta posibilidad raramente se ha podido aplicar debido a la baja capacidad morfogénica de estas especies y la fuerte influencia de la maduración o cambio de fase. En los últimos años la biotecnología forestal ha tenido un desarrollo espectacular. En particular las técnicas de regeneración clonal de plantas basadas en técnicas de cultivo in vitro, fundamentalmente vía embriogénesis somática, se están ya aplicando por muchas empresas privadas e instituciones públicas a nivel semi-operativo con diversas especies, para la conservación de material selecto y el establecimiento de ensayos clonales. Nuestros grupos de trabajo están desarrollando protocolos de regeneración por embriogénesis somática en distintas especies forestales. En esta comunicación se presenta el estado actual de los conocimientos en dos especies típicamente mediterráneas, el alcornoque (Quercus suber L.) y el pino piñonero (Pinus pinea L.), destacando los principales cuellos de botella para su aplicación a gran escala