The anatomy of the fruit in relation to the propensity of citrus species to split

The anatomy of the fruit has been compared in three prone-to-split mandarin hybrids (Nova, Ellendale and Murcott), several cultivars of clementine mandarin (Fino, Clementina de Nules and Orogrande), and in Owari satsuma mandarin. The fruit of the hybrids is oblate to subglobose and usually presents an open stylar end disrupted by a navel formed by the floral meristem, which is conserved near the apex of the fruit. In the non-prone-to-split clementines as well as in Owari satsuma, the floral axis protrudes inside the style, and the flower meristem is lost through abscission shortly after petal fall. The abaxial side of the carpels fuses with the flower axis forming at the stylar end of the fruit a solid tissue which externally has a small scar at the place of style abscission. Most of the fruits in these cultivars have no navel. In addition, the fruit of clementine is slightly oblate or globose. The relevance of these anatomical characteristics as regards to splitting is supported by the differences between the split and non-split fruits in Nova, the split fruit being more oblate in shape and having a bigger navel than non-split fruit. However, the effect of applied growth regulators on fruit splitting could not be correlated with their effect on the anatomy of the fruit. Additional factors not contemplated in the study also influence fruit splitting

Creating datasets for data analysis through a cloud microservice-based architecture

Data analysis is a trending technique due to the tendency of analyzing patterns or generating knowledge in different domains. However, it is difficult to know at design time what raw data should be collected, how it is going to be analyzed or which analysis techniques will be applied to data. Service-oriented architectures can be applied to solve these problems by providing flexible and reliable architectures. In this paper, we present a microservice-based software architecture in the cloud with the aim of generating datasets to carry out data analysis. This architecture facilitates acquiring data, which may be located in a data center, distributed, or even on different devices (ubiquitous computing) due to the rise of the IoT. It provides an infrastructure over which multiple developer’ groups can work in parallel on the microservices. These microservices also provide a reliable and affordable adaptability to the lack of specific requirements in some functionalities and the fast evolution and variability of them, due to the fast changing of client needs

Evolving Mashup Interfaces using a Distributed Machine Learning and Model Transformation Methodology

Nowadays users access information services at any time and in any place. Providing an intelligent user interface which adapts dynamically to the users’ requirements is essential in information systems. Conventionally, systems are constructed at the design time according to an initial structure and requirements. The effect of the passage of time and changes in users, applications and environment is that the systems cannot always satisfy the user’s requirements. In this paper a methodology is proposed to allow mashup user interfaces to be intelligent and evolve over time by using computational techniques like machine learning over huge amounts of heterogeneous data, known as big data, and model-driven engineering techniques as model transformations. The aim is to generate new ways of adapting the interface to the user’s needs, using information about user’s interaction and the environment

Effects of aluminum and zinc on the oxidative stress caused by 6-hydroxydopamine autoxidation: relevance for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease

AbstractAluminum and zinc have been related to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the former for its neurotoxicity and the latter for its apparent antioxidant properties. 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is an important neurotoxin putatively involved in the pathogenesis of PD, its neurotoxicity often being related to oxidative stress. The potential effect of these metals on the oxidative stress induced by 6-OHDA autoxidation and the potential of ascorbic acid (AA), cysteine, and glutathione to modify this effect were investigated. Both metals, particularly Al3+, induced a significant reduction in ⋅OH production by 6-OHDA autoxidation. The combined action of AA and a metal caused a significant and sustained increase in ⋅OH generation, particularly with Al3+, while the effect of sulfhydryl reductants was limited to only the first few minutes of the reaction. However, both Al3+ and Zn2+ provoked a decrease in the lipid peroxidation induced by 6-OHDA autoxidation using mitochondrial preparations from rat brain, assessed by TBARS formation. In the presence of AA, only Al3+ induced a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation. After intrastriatal injections of 6-OHDA in rats, tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry revealed that Al3+ reduces 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic lesion in the striatum, which corroborates the involvement of lipid peroxidation in 6-OHDA neurotoxicity and appears to discard the participation of this mechanism on PD by Al3+ accumulation. The previously reported antioxidant properties of Zn2+ appear to be related to the induction of Zn2+-containing proteins and not to the metal per se

Optimally Storing the User Interaction in Mashup Interfaces within a Relational Database

Cross-device applications that have user interfaces managed in multiple forms of interaction are prevalent. In particular, component-based (or mashup) applications are growing in popularity due to their easiness to build customized user interfaces with pieces of information from different sources. Since the user interaction on mashup interfaces can generate a large quantity of data, which can be useful to improving the interaction and usefulness of the application, it may involve the creation of cloud infrastructures to manage the dynamic distributed user interfaces within this context. Storing the generated data from the interaction performed over the user interface can be challenging. To achieve these goals, in this paper, a relational database for storing this interaction information generated on distributed user interfaces is proposed. Thus, user interaction over heterogeneous interfaces and devices described in detail, will be easily accessible for further analysis using machine learning and data mining techniques to offer a better user experience

Dual theories for mixed symmetry fields. Spin-two case: (1,1) versus (2,1) Young symmetry type fields

We show that the parent Lagrangian method gives a natural generalization of the dual theories concept for non p-form fields. Using this generalization we construct here a three-parameter family of Lagrangians that are dual to the Fierz-Pauli description of a free massive spin-two system. The dual field is a three-index tensor T, which dinamically belongs to the (2,1) representation of the Lorentz group. As expected, the massless limit of our Lagrangian, which is parameter independent, has two propagating degrees of freedom per space point.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Recovery Protocols for Replicated Databases--A Survey

The main goal of replication is to increase dependabil-ity. Recovery protocols are a critical building block for re-alizing this goal. In this survey, we present an analysis of recovery protocols proposed in recent years. In particu-lar, we relate these protocols to the replication protocols that use them, and discuss their main advantages and dis-advantages. We classify replication and recovery protocols by several characteristics and point out interrelationships between them

DNA polymerase lambda (Pol λ), a novel eukaryotic DNA polymerase with a potential role in meiosis

A new gene (POLL) encoding a novel DNA polymerase (Pol λ) has been identified at mouse chromosome 19. Murine Pol λ, consisting of 573 amino acid residues, has a 32 % identity to Pol β, involved in nuclear DNA repair in eukaryotic cells. It is interesting that Pol λ contains all the critical residues involved in DNA binding, nucleotide binding and selection, and catalysis of DNA polymerization, that are conserved in Pol β and other DNA polymerases belonging to family X. Murine Pol λ, overproduced in Escherichia coli, displayed intrinsic DNA polymerase activity when assessed by in situ gel analysis. Pol λ also conserves the critical residues of Pol β required for its intrinsic deoxyribose phosphate lyase (dRPase) activity. The first 230 amino acid residues of Pol λ, that have no counterpart in Pol β, contain a BRCT domain, present in a variety of cell-cycle check-point control proteins responsive to DNA damage and proteins involved in DNA repair. Northern blotting, in situ hybridization analysis and immunostaining showed high levels of Pol λ specifically expressed in testis, being developmentally regulated and mainly associated to pachytene spermatocytes. These first evidences, although indirect, suggest a potential role of Pol λ in DNA repair synthesis associated with meiosis.This work has been granted by DGES (PB97-1192) and CAM (08.1/0044/98) to LB; CAM(08.1/0044.2/98) to AB; DGICYT (PB 95-0119), EC PL96-0183 and CAM (07/0022) to JM, and by an institutional grant from Fundación Ramón Areces

DNA polymerase λ, a novel DNA repair enzyme in human cells

DNA polymerase lambda (pol λ) is a novel family X DNA polymerase that has been suggested to play a role in meiotic recombination and DNA repair. The recent demonstration of an intrinsic 5′-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase activity in pol λ supports a function of this enzyme in base excision repair. However, the biochemical properties of the polymerization activity of this enzyme are still largely unknown. We have cloned and purified human pol λ to homogeneity in a soluble and active form, and we present here a biochemical description of its polymerization features. In support of a role in DNA repair, pol λ inserts nucleotides in a DNA template-dependent manner and is processive in small gaps containing a 5′-phosphate group. These properties, together with its nucleotide insertion fidelity parameters and lack of proofreading activity, indicate that pol λ is a novel β-like DNA polymerase. However, the high affinity of pol λ for dNTPs (37-fold over pol β) is consistent with its possible involvement in DNA transactions occurring under low cellular levels of dNTPs. This suggests that, despite their similarities, pol β and pol λ have nonredundant in vivo functions.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologı´a Grant BMC2000-1138, Comunidad Auto´noma de Madrid Grant 08.5/0063/2000 (to L. B.) and by an institutional grant from Fundacio´n Ramo´n Areces