Expression profile of transcripts encoding cell wall remodelling proteins in tomato fruit cv. Micro-Tom subjected to 15°C storage

To extend fruit market life, tomatoes are harvested before red ripe and kept at temperatures below optimum (20°C). In this work, Micro-Tom tomatoes stored at 20°C (normal ripening) were compared with those stored at 15°C or 4°C (chilling injury inducer) for 7 days. In contrast to 4°C, storage at 15°C delayed ripening with the benefit of not enhancing oxidative metabolism and of enabling ripening upon being transferred to 20°C. The transcriptional expression profile of enzymes related to cell wall metabolism was compared at the three temperatures. Although endo-β-1,4-glucanase (Cel1), which is associated with fruit decay, was largely increased after removal from 4°C storage, its expression was not modified in fruits stored at 15°C. Enhanced transcriptional expression of xyloglucan endotransgylcosylase/hydrolases (XTHs) XTH1, –2, –10 and –11, and of two β-xylosidases (Xyl1–2) was detected in fruits stored at 15°C with respect to those at 20°C. Following 2 days at 20°C, these transcripts remained higher in fruits stored at 15°C and XHT3 and –9 also increased. Ethylene evolution was similar in fruits kept at 15°C and 20°C; thus, the changes in the transcript profile and fruit properties between these treatments may be under the control of factors other than ethylene.EEA San PedroFil: Müller, Gabriela L. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina.Fil: Budde, Claudio Olaf. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Pedro; Argentina.Fil: Lauxmann, Martin A. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina.Fil: Triassi, Agustina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina.Fil: Andreo, Carlos Santiago. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina.Fil: Drincovich, María Fabiana. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina.Fil: Lara, María Valeria. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI); Argentina

How much effort is required to accurately describe the complex ecology of a rodent‐borne viral disease?

We use data collected on 18, 1-ha live trapping grids monitored from 1994 through 2005 and on five of those grids through 2013 in the mesic northwestern United States to illustrate the complexity of the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)/Sin Nombre virus (SNV) host-pathogen system. Important factors necessary to understand zoonotic disease ecology include those associated with distribution and population dynamics of reservoir species as well as infection dynamics. Results are based on more than 851,000 trap nights, 16,608 individual deer mice and 10,572 collected blood samples. Deer mice were distributed throughout every habitat we sampled and were present during every sampling period in all habitats except high altitude habitats over 1900 m. Abundance varied greatly among locations with peak numbers occurring mostly during fall. However, peak rodent abundance occurred during fall, winter and spring during various years on three grids trapped 12 months/yr. Prevalence of antibodies to SNV averaged 3.9% to 22.1% but no grids had mice with antibodies during every month. The maximum period without antibody-positive mice ranged from 1 to 52 months, or even more at high altitude grids where deer mice were not always present. Months without antibody-positive mice were more prevalent during fall than spring. Population fluctuations were not synchronous over broad geographic areas and antibody prevalences were not well spatially consistent, differing greatly over short distances. We observed an apparently negative, but nonstatistically significant relationship between average antibody prevalence and average deer mouse population abundance and a statistically significant positive relationship between the average number of antibody positive mice and average population abundance. We present data from which potential researchers can estimate the effort required to adequately describe the ecology of a rodentborne viral system. We address different factors affecting population dynamics and hantavirus antibody prevalence and discuss the path to understanding a complex rodent-borne disease system as well as the obstacles in that path.Fil: Douglass, Richard J.. University of Montana; Estados UnidosFil: Vadell, María Victoria. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones e Ingeniería Ambiental. Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades Transmitidas por Vectores; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Boundary value problems for second order linear difference equations: application to the computation of the inverse of generalized Jacobi matrices

We have named generalized Jacobi matrices to those that are practically tridiagonal, except for the two final entries and the two first entries of its first andits last row respectively. This class of matrices encompasses both standard Jacobiand periodic Jacobi matrices that appear in many contexts in pure and appliedmathematics. Therefore, the study of the inverse of these matrices becomes ofspecific interest. However, explicit formulas for inverses are known only in a fewcases, in particular when the coefficients of the diagonal entries are subjected tosome restrictions.We will show that the inverse of generalized Jacobi matrices can be raisedin terms of the resolution of a boundary value problem associated with a secondorder linear difference equation. In fact, recent advances in the study of lineardifference equations, allow us to compute the solution of this kind of boundaryvalue problems. So, the conditions that ensure the uniqueness of the solution ofthe boundary value problem leads to the invertibility conditions for the matrix,whereas that solutions for suitable problems provide explicitly the entries of theinverse matrix.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Leucine Supplementation Does Not Improve Muscle Recovery from Resistance Exercise in Young Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Crossover Study

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(2): 486-497, 2021. This study aimed to investigate the effects of free leucine supplementation on muscle recovery from resistance exercise (RE) in young adults. Fourteen untrained subjects (23.9 ± 3.6 years old) underwent RE sessions (leg press and hack squat: three sets of 8-12 reps at 70% 1RM) supplemented with leucine (LEU: two daily doses of 3g) or a placebo (PLA), separated by a seven-day washout period. Following each occasion, participants were evaluated in three subsequent days (24h, 48h, and 72h) for muscle recovery via a repetition-to-failure test. The following markers were assessed: repetition performance, perceived exertion, lactate, creatine kinase, muscle soreness (DOMS), testosterone, and cortisol. No significant difference was observed between LEU and PLA conditions (p \u3e 0.05). Number of repetitions performed in the repetition-to-failure tests, perceived exertion, cortisol, and testosterone:cortisol ratio did not change over time (p \u3e 0.05). Creatine kinase increased immediately after exercise, at 24h, and 48h, and was attenuated at 72h post-exercise, while testosterone, lactate, and DOMS increased at 24h post-exercise (p \u3c 0.05) and remained elevated up to 72h. All outcomes were similar between LEU and PLA. Results indicate that a 6g daily dose of free leucine supplementation does not improve muscle recovery following lower-limb RE in untrained young adults

Branched-chain amino acids do not improve muscle recovery from resistance exercise in untrained young adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BCAA supplementation on muscle recovery from resistance exercise (RE) in untrained young adults. Twenty-four young adults (24.0 ± 4.3 years old) were assigned to 1 of 2 groups (n = 12 per group): a placebo-supplement group or a BCAA-supplement group. The groups were supplemented for a period of 5 days. On day 1 and 3, both groups underwent a RE session involving two lower body exercises (hack squat and leg press) and then were evaluated for muscle recovery on the 3 subsequent moments after the RE session [30 min (day 3), 24 h (day 4), and 48 h (day 5)]. The following indicators of muscle recovery were assessed: number of repetitions, rating of perceived exertion in the last RE session, muscle soreness and countermovement jump (CMJ) during recovery period (30 min, 24 h, and 48 h after RE session). Number of repetitions remained unchanged over time (time, P > 0.05), while the rating of perceived exertion increased (time, P  0.05). Muscle soreness increased (time, P  0.05). The results indicate that BCAA supplementation does not improve muscle recovery from RE in untrained young adults

Differential Regulation of Lipoprotein and Hepatitis C Virus Secretion by Rab1b

Secretory cells produce diverse cargoes, yet how they regulate concomitant secretory traffic remains insufficiently explored. Rab GTPases control intracellular vesicular transport. To map secretion pathways, we generated a library of lentivirus-expressed dominant-negative Rab mutants and used it in a large-scale screen to identify regulators of hepatic lipoprotein secretion. We identified several candidate pathways, including those mediated by Rab11 and Rab8. Surprisingly, inhibition of Rab1b, the major regulator of transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, differently affected the secretion of the very-low-density lipoprotein components ApoE and ApoB100, despite their final association on mature secreted lipoprotein particles. Since hepatitis C virus (HCV) incorporates ApoE and ApoB100 into its virus particle, we also investigated infectious HCV secretion and show that its regulation by Rab1b mirrors that of ApoB100. These observations reveal differential regulation of hepatocyte secretion by Rab1b and advance our understanding of lipoprotein assembly and lipoprotein and HCV secretion

Dimensionamento das redes de água de segunda intervenção

Trabalho final de mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia MecânicaPara o dimensionamento de redes de águas de combate contra incêndios é necessário ter em consideração o Regulamento Técnico de Segurança Contra Incêndio em Edifícios (SCIE), publicado através da Portaria nº 1532/2008, e um conjunto de Despachos publicados pela Associação Nacional de Protecção Civil (ANPC). A referida regulamentação, em particular a Portaria nº 1532/2008, tem levantado dúvidas, na esfera da comunidade técnica, sobre a sua interpretação em alguns aspectos de concepção e dimensionamento das redes de 2ª intervenção. É neste contexto que se realizou uma pesquisa bibliográfica, aprofundou-se o conhecimento da legislação vigente e consultouse a comunidade técnica portuguesa envolvida na concepção, dimensionamento, fornecimento de material e instalação de redes de água de segurança contra incêndios. Foram também consultados os Bombeiros e a Autoridade Nacional de Protecção Civil. Após a realização da análise crítica à informação recolhida, foi possível elaborar um conjunto de sugestões de reformulação à legislação portuguesa vigente, que permitissem dimensionar as redes de 2ª intervenção de forma inequívoca. Em particular, definiram-se critérios que permitissem a selecção de bocas de incêndio armada do tipo teatro (BIATT) comerciais, que cumprissem conjuntamente os parâmetros hidráulicos de dimensionamento e o factor K especificado na norma NP EN 671-2. Neste caso, o factor K é o coeficiente de descarga da BIATT, dado pelo quociente entre o caudal e a raiz quadrada da pressão nessa boca de incêndio. Para exibir as diferenças que resultam da aplicação da regulamentação vigente e da reformulação proposta, efectuou-se o dimensionamento das redes de 2ª intervenção para cinco casos de estudos em edifícios habitacionais (UT I) e edifícios de espectáculos (UT VI). Para avaliar as implicações económicas resultantes da aplicação das sugestões propostas efectuou-se um estudo comparativo, tendo-se concluído que as alterações propostas permitem uma redução 9% a 31% do custo total da rede de águas de 2ª intervenção, consoante o caso de estudo em análise.Within the Portuguese legal framework, the design of firefighting water networks in buildings is governed by the Fire Safety in Buildings Technical Standard (RT-SCIE), published in Portaria 1532/2008, as well as a set of guidelines emitted by the Portuguese National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC). Such regulations, namely the Buildings Technical Standard, have been a source of uncertainty for the technical community since its interpretation on subjects involved in the design of Means of Secondary Intervention has been disputed. Considering this, a critical review was set up, current laws and standards were analysed in depth and a wide enquire was promoted towards the technical community. Among the consulted entities are the designers, sellers, installers, firefighters and the authorities. With the collected information, and based both in written articles and experts’ opinions, a set of suggestions to modify the Portuguese legal framework was prepared. Its goal is to allow the design of firefighting water networks in buildings to become more intelligible and avoid some of the reported problems. Among those suggestions is the definition of criteria to selecting Theatre Type Fire Hydrants that allow fulfilling both the code defined hydraulic design parameters and the K factor specified on EN 671‑2 standard. In this case, K factor represents the quotient between the flow ratio and the square root of the pressure in the Theatre Type Fire Hydrant. In order to show the differences between current code specifications and its proposed modifications, five case studies have been used. For those cases (residential buildings and show rooms) firefighting water networks were designed. To evaluate the economic impact of applying such suggestions, a comparative study was performed. It was possible to conclude that the regulations alterations would able to reduce the total costs of the water network system, from 9% to 31% depending on each case studied.N/