Molecular Diagnostics in the Mycosphaerella Leaf Spot Disease Complex of Banana and for Radopholus similis

Mycosphaerella leaf spots and nematodes threaten banana cultivation worldwide. The Mycosphaerella disease complex involves three related ascomycetous fungi: Mycosphaerella fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. The exact distribution of these three species and their disease epidemiology remain unclear, since their symptoms and life cycles are rather similar. Diagnosing these diseases and the respective causal agents is based on the presence of host symptoms and fungal fruiting structures, but is time consuming and not conducive to preventive management. In the present study, we developed rapid and robust species-specific diagnostic tools to detect and quantify M. fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. Conventional species-specific PCR primers were developed based on the actin gene that detected as little as 100, 1 and 10 pg/µl DNA from, respectively, M. fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. Furthermore, TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR assays that were developed based on the ß-tubulin gene detected quantities as low as 1 pg/µl DNA of each species from pure cultures and 1.6 pg/µl DNA/mg of M. fijiensis from dry leaf tissue. The efficacy of the tests was validated using naturally infected banana leaves. Similar technology has been used to develop a quantitative PCR assay for the banana burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, which is currently being validate

Wnt/β-catenin signaling stimulates the expression and synaptic clustering of the autism-associated Neuroligin 3 gene

Indexación: Scopus.Synaptic abnormalities have been described in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The cell-adhesion molecule Neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3) has an essential role in the function and maturation of synapses and NLGN3 ASD-associated mutations disrupt hippocampal and cortical function. Here we show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling increases Nlgn3 mRNA and protein levels in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells and primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons. We characterized the activity of mouse and rat Nlgn3 promoter constructs containing conserved putative T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancing factor (TCF/LEF)-binding elements (TBE) and found that their activity is significantly augmented in Wnt/β-catenin cell reporter assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays and site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that endogenous β-catenin binds to novel TBE consensus sequences in the Nlgn3 promoter. Moreover, activation of the signaling cascade increased Nlgn3 clustering and co-localization with the scaffold PSD-95 protein in dendritic processes of primary neurons. Our results directly link Wnt/β-catenin signaling to the transcription of the Nlgn3 gene and support a functional role for the signaling pathway in the dysregulation of excitatory/inhibitory neuronal activity, as is observed in animal models of ASD.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-018-0093-y.pd

Habilidade competitiva relativa de milhã em convivência com arroz irrigado e soja.

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Comitê da suinocultura da região da AMAUC: a trajetória do TAC da suinocultura.

Projeto: 06.09.06.001

The limiting behavior of solutions to p-Laplacian problems with convection and exponential terms

We consider, for $a,l\geq1,$ $b,s,\alpha>0,$ and $p>q\geq1,$ the homogeneous Dirichlet problem for the equation $-\Delta_{p}u=\lambda u^{q-1}+\beta u^{a-1}\left\vert \nabla u\right\vert ^{b}+mt^{l-1}e^{\alpha t^{s}}$ in a smooth bounded domain $\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^{N}.$ We prove that under certain setting of the parameters $\lambda,$ $\beta$ and $m$ the problem admits at least one positive solution. Using this result we prove that if $\lambda,\beta>0$ are arbitrarily fixed and $m$ is sufficiently small, then the problem has a positive solution $u_{p},$ for all $p$ sufficiently large. In addition, we show that $u_{p}$ converges uniformly to the distance function to the boundary of $\Omega,$ as $p\rightarrow\infty.$ This convergence result is new for nonlinearities involving a convection term.Comment: 18 page

Constructal alkaline membrane fuel cell (AMFC) design

This paper introduces a structured procedure to optimize the internal structure (relative sizes, spacing) and external shape (aspect ratios) of a single alkaline membrane fuel cell so that net power is maximized. The optimization of flow geometry is conducted for the smallest (elemental) level of a fuel cell stack, i.e., the single alkaline membrane fuel cell, which is modeled as a unidirectional flow system. The polarization curve, total and net power, and efficiency are obtained as functions of temperature, pressure, electrolyte solution concentration (KOH), geometry and operating parameters. The optimization is subjected to fixed total volume. There are two levels of optimization: (i) the internal structure, which basically accounts for the relative thicknesses of two reaction and diffusion layers and the membrane space, and (ii) the external shape, which accounts for the external aspect ratios of a square section plate that contains all single alkaline membrane fuel cell components. The available volume is distributed optimally through the system so that the net power is maximized. Temperature and pressure gradients play important roles, especially as the fuel and oxidant flow paths increase. The optimized internal structure and external shape are a result of an optimal balance between electrical power output and pumping power required to supply fuel and oxidant to the fuel cell through the gas channels. In the process, a third level of optimization was found with respect to the KOH concentration in the electrolyte solution that leads to a 3-way maximized net power output. The numerical results show that the maxima found are sharp, since a variation of up to 600% in net power was observed within the tested range of AMFC external aspect ratios, what emphasizes the importance of finding the optimal AMFC parameters, no matter how complex the actual design might be. It is also shown that the three times maximized net power increases monotonically with total volume raised to the power 0.7 (~3/4), similarly to metabolic rate and mass in animal design. Due to the fact that precision and low computational time are combined, it is expected that the model could be used as an important tool for AMFC design, control and optimization at the fuel cell stack level

Why not "do simple things in a simple way": Use of the Pap test as the first step in screening genetic stability for human cultured stem cell therapy?

The aim of this study was to analyze adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) using the Pap test as a first screening step to evaluate genetic stability. Human adipose tissue from six healthy female donors was obtained from elective liposuction procedures. The cells were isolated, cultivated at P2/P3, characterized by flow cytometric analysis, and differentiation induced. The AT-MSCs were stained by Papanicolaou staining and analyzed according to the Bethesda classification, and viability-apoptosis relationships were evaluated. The results of the Pap test for Sample I indicated high-grade alterations consistent with genetic instability; for Samples II-V, atypical cells of undetermined significance; and for Sample VI, normal cells. These results demonstrate the potential of using the Pap test as an initial screening step to evaluate the genetic stability of cultured AT-MSCs and also suggest its use for other adherent cells such as embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells

Constructal alkaline membrane fuel cell (AMFC) design

This paper introduces a structured procedure to optimize the internal structure (relative sizes, spacing) and external shape (aspect ratios) of a single alkaline membrane fuel cell so that net power is maximized. The optimization of flow geometry is conducted for the smallest (elemental) level of a fuel cell stack, i.e., the single alkaline membrane fuel cell, which is modeled as a unidirectional flow system. The polarization curve, total and net power, and efficiency are obtained as functions of temperature, pressure, electrolyte solution concentration (KOH), geometry and operating parameters. The optimization is subjected to fixed total volume. There are two levels of optimization: (i) the internal structure, which basically accounts for the relative thicknesses of two reaction and diffusion layers and the membrane space, and (ii) the external shape, which accounts for the external aspect ratios of a square section plate that contains all single alkaline membrane fuel cell components. The available volume is distributed optimally through the system so that the net power is maximized. Temperature and pressure gradients play important roles, especially as the fuel and oxidant flow paths increase. The optimized internal structure and external shape are a result of an optimal balance between electrical power output and pumping power required to supply fuel and oxidant to the fuel cell through the gas channels. In the process, a third level of optimization was found with respect to the KOH concentration in the electrolyte solution that leads to a 3-way maximized net power output. The numerical results show that the maxima found are sharp, since a variation of up to 600% in net power was observed within the tested range of AMFC external aspect ratios, what emphasizes the importance of finding the optimal AMFC parameters, no matter how complex the actual design might be. It is also shown that the three times maximized net power increases monotonically with total volume raised to the power 0.7 (~3/4), similarly to metabolic rate and mass in animal design. Due to the fact that precision and low computational time are combined, it is expected that the model could be used as an important tool for AMFC design, control and optimization at the fuel cell stack level