Molecular analysis of post-harvest withering in grape by AFLP transcriptional profiling

Post-harvest withering of grape berries is used in the production of dessert and fortified wines to alter must quality characteristics and increase the concentration of simple sugars. The molecular processes that occur during withering are poorly understood, so a detailed transcriptomic analysis of post-harvest grape berries was carried out by AFLP-transcriptional profiling analysis. This will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of berry withering and will provide an opportunity to select markers that can be used to follow the drying process and evaluate different drying techniques. AFLP-TP identified 699 withering-specific genes, 167 and 86 of which were unique to off-plant and on-plant withering, respectively. Although similar molecular events were revealed in both withering processes, it was apparent that off-plant withering induced a stronger dehydration stress response resulting in the high level expression of genes involved in stress protection mechanisms, such as dehydrin and osmolite accumulation. Genes involved in hexose metabolism and transport, cell wall composition, and secondary metabolism (particularly the phenolic and terpene compound pathways) were similarly regulated in both processes. This work provides the first comprehensive analysis of the molecular events underpinning post-harvest withering and could help to define markers for different withering processes

System map for prospective food innovators striving for sustainable disruption

Thesis: S.M. in Management Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2016.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 86-88).From sci-fi food-substituting floury drinks to lab-engineered, plant blood-based patties that grill and smell just like steak, food innovation is blossoming. The modern food movement is challenging the assumptions at the root of our current food system in the face of an appalling health and environmental bill; and all of the voices in the system are implicated in this resounding trial. On the one hand, 40% of the food we grow goes to waste in a country in which two thirds of eaters are overweight or obese, prisoners outnumber farmers and all the cattle aligned head to tail could circle the earth up to 35 times. On the other hand, 2.3 billion dollars were injected in food tech in 2015 in the United States alone, to tackle these problems on the private front. But where do dollars meet flaws? What sparks innovation in food and agriculture today and what would a food innovation map look like for the United States? The hereby report presents a selective, subjective and dynamic representation of food and agriculture innovation, after eight months of immersion in the American food system as a buyer, an eater, an investigator and a narrator; all of Netflix and TED's food repertoire; thousands of pages from food, agriculture, agronomy and system thinking literature; days of cumulated conversations with prominent food thinkers and fast-food queuers alike; and 10,000+ kilometers walked, driven and flown to food talks and conferences across Boston, Cambridge, New York and San Francisco. This report explores the root causes behind the problematic symptoms of our broken food system, and the current and prospective pathways to spur innovation-driven systemic and behavioral change, in a collective effort to build a more sustainable food system.by Marie Chkaiban.S.M. in Management Studie

An Application Architecture for Supporting Interactive Bilateral Electronic Negotiations

Abstract. We develop an application architecture for interactive, bilateral, semi-structured, multi-attribute electronic negotiations in business-to-business environments. We analyze the information and the process flow for this type of negotiations. We introduce the 'Negotiation Engine ' as the core component of the application and discuss its functionality. We analyze relevant application scenarios and use a reference example from the oil industry to demonstrate the practical benefit of the application.

On new PageRank computation methods using quantum computing

International audienceIn this paper we propose several new quantum computation algorithms as an original contribution to the domain of PageRank algorithm theory, Spectral Graph Theory and Quantum Signal Processing. We first propose an application to PageRank of the HHL quantum algorithm for linear equation systems. We then introduce one of the first Quantum-Based Algorithms to perform a directed Graph Fourier Transform with a low gate complexity. After proposing a generalized PageRank formulation, based on ideas stemming from Spectral Graph Theory, we show how our quantum directed graph Fourier Transform can be applied to compute our generalized version of the PageRank