Root-to-Shoot Hormonal Communication in Contrasting Rootstocks Suggests an Important Role for the Ethylene Precursor Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid in Mediating Plant Growth under Low-Potassium Nutrition in Tomato

Selection and breeding of rootstocks that can tolerate low K supply may increase crop productivity in low fertility soils and reduce fertilizer application. However, the underlying physiological traits are still largely unknown. In this study, 16 contrasting recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between domestic and wild tomato species (Solanum lycopersicum × Solanum pimpinellifolium) have been used to analyse traits related to the rootstock-mediated induction of low (L, low shoot fresh weight) or high (H, high shoot fresh weight) vigor to a commercial F1 hybrid grown under control (6 mM, c) and low-K (1 mM, k). Based on hormonal and ionomic composition in the root xylem sap and the leaf nutritional status after long-term (7 weeks) exposure low-K supply, a model can be proposed to explain the rootstocks effects on shoot performance with the ethylene precursor aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) playing a pivotal negative role. The concentration of this hormone was higher in the low-vigor Lc and Lk rootstocks under both conditions, increased in the sensitive HcLk plants under low-K while it was reduced in the high-vigor Hk ones. Low ACC levels would promote the transport of K vs. Na in the vigorous Hk grafted plants. Along with K, Ca, and S, micronutrient uptake and transport were also activated in the tolerant Hk combinations under low-K. Additionally, an interconversion of trans-zeatin into trans-zeatin riboside would contribute to decrease ACC in the tolerant LcHk plants. The high vigor induced by the Hk plants can also be explained by an interaction of ACC with other hormones (cytokinins and salicylic, abscisic and jasmonic acids). Therefore, Hk rootstocks convert an elite tomato F1 cultivar into a (micro) nutrient-efficient phenotype, improving growth under reduced K fertilization.This research has received funding from the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (project AGL2014-59728-R) and from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365 (project ROOTOPOWER).USD 2,116.5 APC fee funded by the EC FP7 Post-Grant Open Access PilotPeer reviewe

Improving the Statistical Qualities of Pseudo Random Number Generators

Pseudo random and true random sequence generators are important components in many scientific and technical fields, playing a fundamental role in the application of the Monte Carlo methods and stochastic simulation. Unfortunately, the quality of the sequences produced by these generators are not always ideal in terms of randomness for many applications. We present a new nonlinear filter design that improves the output sequences of common pseudo random generators in terms of statistical randomness. Taking inspiration from techniques employed in symmetric ciphers, it is based on four seed-dependent substitution boxes, an evolving internal state register, and the combination of different types of operations with the aim of diffusing nonrandom patterns in the input sequence. For statistical analysis we employ a custom initial battery of tests and well-regarded comprehensive packages such as TestU01 and PractRand. Analysis results show that our proposal achieves excellent randomness characteristics and can even transform nonrandom sources (such as a simple counter generator) into perfectly usable pseudo random sequences. Furthermore, performance is excellent while storage consumption is moderate, enabling its implementation in embedded or low power computational platforms.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU), the State Research Agency (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under project RTI2018-097263-B-I00 (ACTIS)

New taxonomic arrangement of the subgenus Elongasida Escalera, 1906 of the genus Alphasida Escalera, 1905 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

[ES] Como consecuencia de nuestra actual remodelación taxonómica de la tribu Asidini, la composición específica y la posición sistemática de los subgéneros Elongasida Escalera, 1906 y Pseudoelongasida Escalera, 1922, habían ya cambiado en relación con lo señalado en el último Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera de Löbl & Smetana. El subgénero Elongasida ha perdido las especies A. asperata Solier, 1836 y A. inesperata Escalera, 1921 incorporadas al subgénero Glabrasida y el subgénero Pseudoelongasida ha pasado de ser un subgénero del género Asida a ser un subgénero del género Alphasida, recuperando como válida la especie A. tenuecostata Fairmaire, 1880 que había sido considerada antes incertae sedis. En este trabajo se hace una revisión de los dos subgéneros y se propone la fusión de ambos en el único subgénero Elongasida, que se convertiría así en ibérico-marroquí. Pseudoelongasida pasa a ser nova synonymia y el nuevo subgénero resultante de la fusión cuenta con 12 especies: las 2 norteafricanas, las 8 ibéricas ya conocidas y 2 especies nuevas descritas aquí, conservadas como nomen in litteris en las colecciones del MNCN de Madrid: Alphasida (Elongasida) levantina sp. nov. y Alphasida (Elongasida) moroderi sp. nov.[EN] As a consequence of our current taxonomic remodeling of the Asidini tribe we are doing, the specific composition and systematic position of the subgenres Elongasida Escalera, 1906 and Pseudoelongasida Escalera, 1922, they had already changed in relation to what was pointed out in the last Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera from Löbl & Smetana. Elongasida has lost the species A. asperata Solier, 1836 and A. inesperata Escalera, 1921 incorporated to subgenre Glabrasida and subgenre Pseudoelongasida has gone from being a subgenre of genre Asida to be a subgenre of genre Alphasida, recovering like valid the species A. tenuecostata Fairmaire, 1880 that had been previously considered incertae sedis. In this work a revision of the two subgenera is made and it is proposed the fusion of both in the unique subgenre Elongasida that would become Iberian-Moroccan. Pseudoelongasida becomes a new synonymia and the new subgenus resulting from the fusion has twelve species: two North Africans, eight Iberians already known and two new species described here, preserved as nomen in litteris in the collections of MNCN of Madrid: Alphasida (Elongasida) levantina sp. nov. and Alphasida (Elongasida) moroderi sp. nov.Peer reviewe

Combined therapies of antithrombotics and antioxidants delay in silico brain tumor progression

Glioblastoma multiforme, the most frequent type of primary brain tumor, is a rapidly evolving and spatially heterogeneous high-grade astrocytoma that presents areas of necrosis, hypercellularity and microvascular hyperplasia. The aberrant vasculature leads to hypoxic areas and results in an increase of the oxidative stress selecting for more invasive tumor cell phenotypes. In our study we assay in silico different therapeutic approaches which combine antithrombotics, antioxidants and standard radiotherapy. To do so, we have developed a biocomputational model of glioblastoma multiforme that incorporates the spatio-temporal interplay among two glioma cell phenotypes corresponding to oxygenated and hypoxic cells, a necrotic core and the local vasculature whose response evolves with tumor progression. Our numerical simulations predict that suitable combinations of antithrombotics and antioxidants may diminish, in a synergetic way, oxidative stress and the subsequent hypoxic response. This novel therapeutical strategy, with potentially low or no toxicity, might reduce tumor invasion and further sensitize glioblastoma multiforme to conventional radiotherapy or other cytotoxic agents, hopefully increasing median patient overall survival time.Comment: 8 figure

Laboratory and field performances of grave emulsion manufactured using nanocellulose crystals as an asphalt-emulsion emulsifier

Versión aceptada de: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2023.2216305[Abstract:] This research examines the feasibility of substituting commercial emulsifiers made by the chemical and petrochemical industries with nanocellulose. To achieve this, various bitumen emulsions are created using nanocellulose fibers and crystals as emulsifying agents. A grave-emulsion type GE-1 manufactured using bitumen emulsion produced with nanocellulose is studied. A control GE-1 is also tested. Modified proctor tests are employed to obtain the optimal fluid content; the optimum bitumen emulsion content is determined using an immersion-compression test. The compactability of GE-1 is analysed using a gyratory compactor. Finally, the moisture damage resistance (tensile strength ratio), stiffness (resilient modulus), and permanent deformation (repeated load axial test) are studied. A trial section constructed on a real scale. The cores are collected after one year and the stiffness is analysed. The results indicate that conventional emulsifying agents can be partially replaced with nanocellulose crystals in the manufacture of cationic slow-setting bituminous emulsions for grave emulsions.The EMULCELL project was co-financed by the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness-Government of Spain, and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (Ref. IDI-20171097). The authors would also like to thank ‘Repsol’, ‘Química de los Pavimentos’ and ‘Áridos de Astariz’ for providing part of the necessary materials to conduct this research

Influence of the milling parameters on the mechanical work intensity in planetary mills

The formation of ZnSe via a mechanically-induced self-sustaining reaction (MSR) from a Zn/Se mixture showed that only size reduction and mixing of the reactants without product formation occurred during the induction period prior to ignition. Therefore, all mechanical energy supplied by the planetary mill during this time, called the ignition time (t ig), was used exclusively in the activation of the reactants. This system was chosen to study the dependence of t ig on the main parameters characterising the milling intensity of planetary mills. The variation of the ignition time with the process conditions reflected changes in the mechanical dose rate of the planetary mill. A direct relationship between the inverse of the ignition time and the power of the planetary mill was established, which allows the validation of theoretical models proposed in the literature for the energy transfer in milling devices and the comparison of milling equipment efficienciesCSIC No. 2009SK0002Gobierno de España No. MAT2011-2298

Tumores en ganado ovino sacrificado en matadero

Trabajo presentado al: XL Congreso Nacional y el XVI Congreso Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia. (Castellón de la Plana, España, 16-18 septiembre 2015).Peer Reviewe

ABA-overproduction response under salinity

[SPA] Con el fin de comprender la influencia de la fitohormona ácido abscísico (ABA) en la adaptación al riego salino, dos líneas transgénicas independientes de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), sp12 y sp5, que sobreexpresan constitutivamente el gen NCED1 (codifica para la enzima que cataliza un paso limitante en la biosíntesis de ABA) y la variedad silvestre Ailsa Craig, se han estudiado en experimentos o bien i) como planta entera o ii) como portainjerto bajo condiciones control y de estrés salino. Aunque la expresión constitutiva de NCED disminuye el crecimiento bajo condiciones control, minimiza los efectos producidos por la sal (planta completa) y mejora significativamente el crecimiento cuando se usa como portainjerto. El análisis de la savia xilemática de raíz mostró que los fenotipos resultantes bajo las diferentes condiciones de cultivo eran difíciles de explicar en términos de sobreproducción de ABA. Para intentar explicar estos resultados se llevó a cabo un análisis de expresión de un conjunto de genes relacionados con hormonas y estrés mediante PCR cuantitativa, así como un estudio transcriptómico mediante microarrays en la raíz. Los resultados sugieren que la sobreexpresión de NCED parece alterar diversas rutas de señalización, derivando en una respuesta adaptativa al estrés que podría ayudar a explicar los fenotipos observados. [ENG] With the aim of better understanding the influence of the plan hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in adaptation to saline irrigation, two independent transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines, sp12 and sp5, overexpressing constitutively NCED1 (the enzyme that catalyzes a key rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis) and the wild type Ailsa Craig, have been studied in experiments either i) as whole plants or ii) as rootstocks under control and salinity conditions. While NCED overexpression penalizes growth under control conditions, it minimized the effect of salinity (whole plants) or significantly improved plant growth and yield when used as rootstocks. The analysis of the root xylem sap revealed that the phenotypes resulting under the different conditions were difficult to explain in terms of ABA overproduction. With the aim of explaining these results, the expression of a set of hormone and stress associated genes (analysed by real time PCR) as well as a transcriptomic analysis (by using one-color microarray) were performed in roots. The results suggest that NCED overexpression seems to alter several signalling pathways leading to stress adaptive responses that could help to explain the observed phenotypes.The authors thank Andrew J. Thompson from Cranfield University, the NCED seeds set. This work was supported by CICYT-FEDER (project AGL2011-27996) and European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365(ROOTOPOWER project)

Integration of genetic data on fisheries management models. The European hake case.

The European hake is one of the major commercially important species in Western Europe fisheries. Currently its management is divided into different functional units in the Mediterranean (GFCM, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) and two stocks in the Atlantic: the Southern and the Northern Stock. The basis for the definition of this management stock structure is under permanent discussion and in the latest years there were an increased amount of genetic studies addressing this topic. Integrated ecosystem assessment requires an improved understanding of the marine ecosystem to provide an effective advice. To this end we have gathered hake genetic information from different studies with the aim of developing a spatial assessment model that links the current stocks. These studies show a restricted gene flow between Southern hake and Mediterranean hake, although a smaller genetic distance between Southern and Northern stocks than one expected from two independent populations, suggesting the presence of a major gene flow from northern grounds core stock (Porcupine and Great Sole Banks) towards the Bay of Biscay and the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However the quantitative implementation of genetic metrics (such as Fst, migration rates, etc) into population dynamic models is not straightforward given the different nature and assumptions behind these different approaches. In this work we discuss the problems to link these different disciplines suggesting ways to overcome them. These include ways to improve future genetic sampling and developing plausible scenarios for genetic connectivity in population dynamic models

Root ABA signalling in salinized tomato

[SPA] Con el fin de comprender la influencia de la fitohormona ácido abscísico (ABA) en la adaptación al riego salino, dos líneas transgénicas independientes de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), sp12 y sp5, que sobreexpresan constitutivamente el gen NCED1 (codifica para la enzima que cataliza un paso limitante en la biosíntesis de ABA) y la variedad silvestre Ailsa Craig, se han estudiado en experimentos o bien i) como planta entera o ii) como portainjerto bajo condiciones control y de estrés salino. Aunque la expresión constitutiva de NCED disminuye el crecimiento bajo condiciones control, minimiza los efectos producidos por la sal (planta completa) y mejora significativamente el crecimiento cuando se usa como portainjerto. El análisis de la savia xilemática de raíz mostró que los fenotipos resultantes bajo las diferentes condiciones de cultivo eran difíciles de explicar en términos de sobreproducción de ABA. Para intentar explicar estos resultados se llevó a cabo un análisis de expresión de un conjunto de genes relacionados con hormonas y estrés mediante PCR cuantitativa, así como un estudio transcriptómico mediante microarrays en la raíz. Los resultados sugieren que la sobreexpresión de NCED parece alterar diversas rutas de señalización, derivando en una respuesta adaptativa al estrés que podría ayudar a explicar los fenotipos observados. [ENG] With the aim of better understanding the influence of the plan hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in adaptation to saline irrigation, two independent transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines, sp12 and sp5, overexpressing constitutively NCED1 (the enzyme that catalyzes a key rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis) and the wild type Ailsa Craig, have been studied in experiments either i) as whole plants or ii) as rootstocks under control and salinity conditions. While NCED overexpression penalizes growth under control conditions, it minimized the effect of salinity (whole plants) or significantly improved plant growth and yield when used as rootstocks. The analysis of the root xylem sap revealed that the phenotypes resulting under the different conditions were difficult to explain in terms of ABA overproduction. With the aim of explaining these results, the expression of a set of hormone and stress associated genes (analysed by real time PCR) as well as a transcriptomic analysis (by using one-color microarray) were performed in roots. The results suggest that NCED overexpression seems to alter several signalling pathways leading to stress adaptive responses that could help to explain the observed phenotypes.The authors thank Andrew J. Thompson from Cranfield University, the NCED seeds set. This work was supported by CICYT-FEDER (project AGL2011-27996) and European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365(ROOTOPOWER project).. -2010-5 European Union)