Machine Learning Techniques for Assistive Robotics

Assistive robots are a category of robots that share their area of work and interact with humans [...

Brassinosteroid Applications Enhance the Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses, Production and Quality of Strawberry Fruits

Brassinosteriods (BRs) have increasingly been used to improve the yields and quality of various crops. In this work we studied the effect of two brassinosteroids, BB16 and EP24, on the growth promotion of Fragaria ananassa plants under normal conditions or exposed to water or saline stress. The influence of both BRs on the plant development and fruit quality was evaluated when cultivated in semi-hydroponic conditions. A marked growth-promoting effect was observed with both compounds when plants were cultivated under normal irrigation conditions and under saline and water stresses. BB16 and EP24 yielded plants with a higher dry weight, root length and surface, a higher number and area of leaves, a higher total weight of fruits per plant, and a higher percentage of fruits of commercial quality. Additionally, a higher content of chlorophyll, number of leaves, and increased dry weight was detected in plants treated with both BRs and exposed to water and saline stresses. Finally, when evaluating the production and quality of fruits obtained under semi-hydroponic conditions, we observed that the pre-harvest treatment with both compounds induced a higher fruit production and better quality of fruits. These results suggest the potential of these compounds to achieve a more sustainable management of strawberry cultivation.EEA FamailláFil: Furio, Ramiro Nicolás. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina.Fil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; ArgentinaFil: Mariotti Martinez, Jorge Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina.Fil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Coll, Yamilet. Universidad La Habana. Facultad de Química. Centro de Estudios de Productos Naturales; CubaFil: Diaz Ricci, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Diaz Ricci, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; Argentina

Cyano radical emission at small spatial scales towards massive protostars

Context. The cyano radical (CN), one of the first detected interstellar molecular species, is a key molecule in many astrochemical chains. In particular, it is detected towards molecular cores, the birth places of stars, and it is involved in the rich chemistry that takes place at these sites. Aims. At present, there are not many studies on the emission of this molecular species at small spatial scales towards massive young stellar objects. We therefore present a high-angular resolution CN study towards a sample of massive protostars, with the aim of unveiling the spatial distribution at the small scale of the emission of this radical in relation to star-forming processes. Methods. The interstellar CN has a strong emission line at the rest frequency 226 874.764 MHz, thus we searched for observing projects in the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) database regarding high-mass star-forming regions observed at Band 6. The used data set was observed in ALMA Cycle 3 with angular and spectral resolutions of 0.′′7 and 1.13 MHz, respectively. A sample of ten high-mass star-forming regions located in the first Galactic quadrant were selected on the basis that they present a clear emission of CN at the mentioned frequency. Results. We found that the CN traces both molecular condensations and the diffuse and extended gas surrounding them. In general, the molecular condensations traced by the maximums of the CN emission do not spatially coincide with the peaks of the continuum emission at 1.3 mm, which trace the molecular cores where massive stars are born. Based on the presence or lack of near-IR emission associated with such cores, we suggest that our sample is composed of sources at different stages of evolution. The CN is present in all sources, suggesting that this radical may be ubiquitous along the different star formation stages, and hence it may be involved in different chemical reactions occurring during the period of star formation. Additionally, other molecules such as CH3OCHO and CH2CHCN were detected towards the continuum peaks of some of the analysed cores. We found that the missing flux coming from extended spatial scales that are filtered out by the interferometer is an important issue to take into account in the analysis of some spectral features and the spatial distribution of the emission.Fil: Paron, Sergio Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, Martin Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Marinelli Andino, Alejandro Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Areal, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Naila Constanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Measured GFR in murine animal models: review on methods, techniques, and procedures

Animal models; Glomerular filtration rate; Kidney damageModels animals; Taxa de filtració glomerular; Dany renalModelos animales; Tasa de filtración glomerular; Daño renalChronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, with increasing rates of morbidity and mortality. Thus, early detection is essential to prevent severe adverse events and the progression of kidney disease to an end stage. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the most appropriate index to evaluate renal function in both clinical practice and basic medical research. Several animal models have been developed to understand renal disease induction and progression. Specifically, murine models are useful to study the pathogenesis of renal damage, so a reliable determination of GFR is essential to evaluate the progression of CKD. However, as in clinical practise, the estimation of GFR in murine by levels of serum/urine creatinine or cystatin-C could not be accurate and needed other more reliable methods. As an alternative, the measurement of GFR by the clearance of exogenous markers like inulin, sinistrin, 51Cr-EDTA, 99mTc-DTPA, 125I-iothalamate, or iohexol could be performed. Nevertheless, both approaches—estimation or measurement of GFR—have their limitations and a standard method for the GFR determination has not been defined. Altogether, in this review, we aim to give an overview of the current methods for GFR assessment in murine models, describing each methodology and focusing on their advantages and limitations.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work is supported by funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with the following grants: AERR is a recipient of a contract from the Sara Borrell programme (C21/00142) and STT of PFIS FI20/00147

Protection of Strawberry Plants against Charcoal Rot Disease (Macrophomina phaseolina) Induced by Azospirillum brasilense

Some Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) can induce protection against pathogens, increasing plant tolerance to various diseases. This so-called biocontrol activity is replacing harmful practices in agriculture caused by the use of agrochemicals. Azospirillum brasilense is one of the PGPR already effectively used as a resistance inducer in several crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of PGPR A. brasilense strains isolated from strawberry and petunia plants (REC3, 2A1, 2A2, and 2E1) against the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina, which is the causal agent of the strawberry charcoal rot disease. In vitro antagonism assays and enzymatic tests on Petri dishes revealed no direct inhibition on M. phaseolina growth by any of the A. brasilense strains. However, strawberry plants treated with REC3 and 2A1 strains increased callose and lignin deposition and stomatal closure compared to untreated plants. In addition, treatments with either bacterial strains induced a defense response in strawberry plants against virulent isolates of M. phaseolina evidenced by an increased tolerance to the charcoal rot disease. These results suggest that A. brasilense REC3 and 2A1 strains can be used for the activation of innate immunity in strawberry plants as a strategy for managing charcoal rot in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.EEA FamailláFil: Viejobueno, Josefina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Albornoz, Patricia Liliana. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Albornoz, Patricia Liliana. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Camacho, María. Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera; EspañaFil: Santos, Berta de los. Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera; EspañaFil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; Argentin

Carbon nanotubes as catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation: The effect of surface chemistry

Three magnetic carbon nanotube (CNT) samples, named A30 (N-doped), E30 (undoped) and E10A20 (selectively N-doped), synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition, were modified by introducing oxygenated surface groups (oxidation with HNO3, samples CNT-N), and by heat treatment at 800 °C for the removal of surface functionalities (samples CNT-HT). Both treatments lead to higher specific surface areas. The acid treatment results in more acidic surfaces, with higher amounts of oxygenated species being introduced on Ndoped surfaces. Heat-treated samples are less hydrophilic than those treated with nitric acid, heat treatment leading to neutral or basic surfaces, only N-quaternary and N-pyridinic species being found by XPS on N-doped surfaces. These materials were tested in the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of highly concentrated 4-nitrophenol solutions (4-NP, 5 g L−1) at atmospheric pressure, T=50 °C and pH=3, using a catalyst load of 2.5 g L−1 and the stoichiometric amount of H2O2 needed for the complete mineralization of 4-NP. The high temperature treatment enhanced significantly the activity of the CNTs towards CWPO, evaluated in terms of 4-NP and total organic carbon conversion, due to the increased hydrophobicity of their surface. In particular, E30HT and E10A20HT were able to remove ca. 100% of 4-NP after 8 h of operation. On the other hand, by treating the CNTs with HNO3, the activity of the less hydrophilic samples decreased upon increasing the concentration of surface oxygen-containing functionalities, whilst the reactivity generated inside the opened nanotubes improved the activity of the highly hydrophilic A30 N.This work is a result of project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by NORTE 2020, under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the ERDF and of Project Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM - UID/EQU/50020/2019 - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). M. Martín Martínez acknowledges the postdoc grant 2017-T2/AMB-5668 from Comunidad de Madrid, Programme “Atracción de talento investigador”. B. Machado acknowledges the exploratory project under FCT Investigator Programme (ref. IF/00301/ 2015) with the financial support of FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC). S. Morales Torres acknowledges the financial support from University of Granada (Reincorporación Plan Propio).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Carbon nanotubes as catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation: structure-reactivity relationships

Magnetic neat and N-doped carbon nanotubes with different properties have been synthesized by chemical vapour deposiüon and tested in the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of 4-nitrophenol solutions (5 g L') at relatively mild operating conditions (atmospheric pressure, T = 50 °C, pH = 3)~using a catalyst load = 2.5 g L-' and [H202]o = 17.8 g L-1. The results demonstrate that the catalyst hydrophobicity/ hydrophilicity is a detenninant property in the CWPO reaction, since it affects the rate ofH202 decomposition. The controlled formation ofreactive radicais (HO* and HOO*) at hydrophobic surfaces avoids the formation of non-reactive species (02 and H20), increasing

Hydrophobicity in catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation

Organic pollutants, such as phenol and its derivatives, are commonly present in wastewaters from several industries. These compounds are difficult to remove by conventional biological processes, mainly when present at high concentrations (1-10 g L-1)1. Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) is regarded as a potential solution for the treatment of aqueous effluents containing this type of recalcitrant, toxic and non-biodegradable compounds

Performance of petunia crop in response to inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense = Desempeño del cultivo de petunia en respuesta a la inoculación con Azospirillum brasilense

The present study was carried out to analyze the performance of Petunia hybrida when inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense REC3. Parameters evaluated were root length, dry weight of roots and shoots, leaf area, leaf greenness, precocity (days to flowering) and number of flowers in plants. Azospirillum inoculation increased root growth, shoot weight and number of flowers compared to controls. Time to flowering, a fundamental feature from the economic point of view, was shortened in inoculated plants. These findings indicated that inoculation with A. brasilense strain REC3 resulted in an increase in vegetative growth and an early and profuse flowering, thus reducing fertilization costs and environmental pollution.El presente estudio se llevó a cabo para analizar el comportamiento de Petunia hybrida en respuesta a la inoculación con Azospirillum brasilense REC3. Los parámetros evaluados fueron: longitud de raíz, peso seco de raíces y tallos, área foliar, verdor de las hojas, precocidad (días hasta floración) y número de flores. La inoculación con Azospirillum incrementó el crecimiento radicular, el peso de los tallos y el número de flores comparando con los controles. El tiempo transcurrido hasta la floración, rasgo fundamental desde el punto de vista económico, disminuyó en plantas inoculadas. Estos hallazgos indican que la inoculación con A. brasilense REC3 contribuye a incrementar el crecimiento vegetativo y a obtener una floración más temprana y abundante, por lo que podrían así reducirse los costos de producción y la contaminación ambientalEEA FamailláFil: Toffoli, Lucia Mercedes. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Medrano, Norma Nelly. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero Molina, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Pedraza, Raúl Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; ArgentinaFil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; Argentin

Desempeño del cultivo de petunia en respuesta a la inoculación con Azospirillum brasilense

El presente estudio se llevó a cabo para analizar el comportamiento de Petunia hybrida en respuesta a la inoculación con Azospirillum brasilense REC3. Los parámetros evaluados fueron: longitud de raíz, peso seco de raíces y tallos, área foliar, verdor de las hojas, precocidad (días hasta floración) y número de flores. La inoculación con Azospirillum incrementó el crecimiento radicular, el peso de los tallos y el número de flores comparando con los controles. El tiempo transcurrido hasta la floración, rasgo fundamental desde el punto de vista económico, disminuyó en plantas inoculadas. Estos hallazgos indican que la inoculación con A. brasilense REC3 contribuye a incrementar el crecimiento vegetativo y a obtener una floración más temprana y abundante, por lo que podrían así reducirse los costos de producción y la contaminación ambiental.The present study was carried out to analyze the performance of Petunia hybrida when inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense REC3. Parameters evaluated were root length, dry weight of roots and shoots, leaf area, leaf greenness, precocity (days to flowering) and flower numbers in plants. Azospirillum inoculation increased root growth, shoot weight and number of flowers compared to controls. Time to flowering, a fundamental feature from the economic point of view, was shortened in inoculated plants. These findings indicated that inoculation with A. brasilense strain REC3 resulted in an increase in vegetative growth and an early and profuse flowering, thus reducing fertilization costs and environmental pollution.Fil: Toffoli, Lucía Mercedes. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Tucuman-Santiago del Estero. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Medrano, Norma Nelly. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Tucuman-Santiago del Estero. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Zamora, Martin Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero Molina, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Pedraza, Raúl Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; ArgentinaFil: Salazar, Sergio Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Tucuman-Santiago del Estero. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; Argentin