Enhanced shelf-life of the formulated biocontrol agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CPA-8 combining diverse packaging strategies and storage conditions

Two effective biocontrol products (named as BA3 and BA4) based on Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CPA-8 have been reported as a potential alternative to chemical applications against brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. on stone fruit. To have practical use, this study aimed to describe the best packaging strategies (bags or flasks, atmosphere, and temperature of storage) to not only guarantee efficacy but also stability and ease of application of the products to be handled through the normal channels of distribution and storage. In terms of the viability neither the BA3 nor the BA4 product has been compromised after twelve months of storage. However, storage at 4 °C affected the stability and visual aspect of both CPA-8 formulations, mainly associated not only to the increase of RH but also aw. Moreover, it should be pointed out that flasks did not conserve refrigerated BA3 samples in a suitable way, since RH and aw increased noticeably making their visual properties unsightly after 10 months of cold storage. At that time, the BA4 products were better preserved at 4 °C when packaged in flasks. Finally, this study also demonstrated that the most suitable packaging conditions for long-term storability (stored at 22 °C) did not show any negative effect in the biocontrol efficacy of CPA-8 in nectarines artificially infected with M. fructicola and provide suitable product delivery and field application. In conclusion, these results contribute to the final stage of development of these two CPA-8 products, practically ready for registration, thus contributing to the environmental-friendly management of postharvest diseases in stone fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Transient Transcriptional Regulation of the CYS-C1 Gene and Cyanide Accumulation upon Pathogen Infection in the Plant Immune Response

Cyanide is produced concomitantly with ethylene biosynthesis. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) detoxifies cyanide primarily through the enzyme b-cyanoalanine synthase, mainly by the mitochondrial CYS-C1. CYS-C1 loss of function is not toxic for the plant and leads to an increased level of cyanide in cys-c1 mutants as well as a root hairless phenotype. The classification of genes differentially expressed in cys-c1 and wild-type plants reveals that the high endogenous cyanide content of the cys-c1 mutant is correlated with the biotic stress response. Cyanide accumulation and CYS-C1 gene expression are negatively correlated during compatible and incompatible plant-bacteria interactions. In addition, cys-c1 plants present an increased susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea and an increased tolerance to the biotrophic Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 bacterium and Beet curly top virus. The cys-c1 mutation produces a reduction in respiration rate in leaves, an accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and an induction of the alternative oxidase AOX1a and pathogenesis-related PR1 expression.We hypothesize that cyanide, which is transiently accumulated during avirulent bacterial infection and constitutively accumulated in the cys-c1 mutant, uncouples the respiratory electron chain dependent on the cytochrome c oxidase, and this uncoupling induces the alternative oxidase activity and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which act by stimulating the salicylic aciddependent signaling pathway of the plant immune systemEspaña MINECO BIO2010-15201Junta de Andalucía grant no. CVI-719

Hallmarks of mechanochemistry: From nanoparticles to technology

The aim of this review article on recent developments of mechanochemistry (nowadays established as a part of chemistry) is to provide a comprehensive overview of advances achieved in the field of atomistic processes, phase transformations, simple and multicomponent nanosystems and peculiarities of mechanochemical reactions. Industrial aspects with successful penetration into fields like materials engineering, heterogeneous catalysis and extractive metallurgy are also reviewed. The hallmarks of mechanochemistry include influencing reactivity of solids by the presence of solid-state defects, interphases and relaxation phenomena, enabling processes to take place under non-equilibrium conditions, creating a well-crystallized core of nanoparticles with disordered near-surface shell regions and performing simple dry time-convenient one-step syntheses. Underlying these hallmarks are technological consequences like preparing new nanomaterials with the desired properties or producing these materials in a reproducible way with high yield and under simple and easy operating conditions. The last but not least hallmark is enabling work under environmentally friendly and essentially waste-free conditions (822 references).Slovak Grant Agency VEGA 2/0009/11, 2/0043/11Slovak Agency for Science and Development APVV VV-0189-10, VV-0528-11Russian Foundation for Basic Research 10-03-00942a, 12-03-00651aMinistry of Science and Higher education in Poland CUT/c-1/DS/KWC/2008-2012, PB1T09B02330, NN209145136, NN20914893

Synthesis of carbohydrate-derived (Z)-vinyl halides and silanes: Samarium-promoted stereoselective 1,2-elimination on sugar-derived a-halomethylcarbinol acetates

Thanks are due to the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CTQ2010-14959, CTQ2014-55015-P), for financial support. University of Aveiro and FCT/MEC for the financial support of the QOPNA research unit (FCTUID/QUI/00062/2013) through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER,within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and to the Portuguese NMR Network

RNA-binding and prion domains: the Yin and Yang of phase separation

Proteins and RNAs assemble in membrane-less organelles that organize intracellular spaces and regulate biochemical reactions. The ability of proteins and RNAs to form condensates is encoded in their sequences, yet it is unknown which domains drive the phase separation (PS) process and what are their specific roles. Here, we systematically investigated the human and yeast proteomes to find regions promoting condensation. Using advanced computational methods to predict the PS propensity of proteins, we designed a set of experiments to investigate the contributions of Prion-Like Domains (PrLDs) and RNA-binding domains (RBDs). We found that one PrLD is sufficient to drive PS, whereas multiple RBDs are needed to modulate the dynamics of the assemblies. In the case of stress granule protein Pub1 we show that the PrLD promotes sequestration of protein partners and the RBD confers liquid-like behaviour to the condensate. Our work sheds light on the fine interplay between RBDs and PrLD to regulate formation of membrane-less organelles, opening up the avenue for their manipulation

Livelihood implications of in situ-on farm conservation strategies of fruit species in Uzbekistan

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of a set of interventions related to on-farm/in situ conservation and use of fruit species (cultivated and wild) on farmers’ livelihoods and species diversity in Central Asia. Specifically, a difference-in-differences propensity score matching is used to evaluate the outcome of a development research program in Uzbekistan between 2005 and 2010. Species crop diversity maintained by farmers before and after the project increased as a result of the interventions, showing the efficacy of the interventions promoted by the projects in terms of conservation. Furthermore, innovations provided by the program increased both household propensity of marketing and self-consumption of target fruit. However, the program’s interventions did not seem to impact significantly any of the indicators related to household livelihoods. The short time elapsed between the end of the project and the impact assessment may be too brief to capture any observable impact on livelihoods

Sintering by SPS of ultrafine TiCx N1-x powders obtained using mechanically induced self sustaining reaction

[EN] In this work high purity and nanometer character titanium carbonitride TiCx N1-x powders were obtained by mechanically induced self sustaining reaction (MSR) in a high-energy planetary ball mill, from a mixture of titanium with graphite or carbon nanofiber (CNFs) in a nitrogen atmosphere. A promising method for developing these materials is the coupling of the MSR with SPS sintering technique. The product is sintered at 1400 ºC and 1700 ºC, obtaining a completely dense monolithic ceramic (>99% t.d). In this work, the influence of SPS treatment and carbon precursor on material microstructures was studied and the main mechanical properties of the end material were evaluated[ES] En el presente trabajo se han obtenido carbonitruros de titanio TiCx N1-x de alta pureza y con carácter nanométrico, por molienda reactiva (MSR) de alta energía en un molino planetario, a partir de la mezcla de titanio con grafito o nanofibras de carbono (CNFs) en una atmósfera de nitrógeno. Una metodología prometedora para el desarrollo de estos materiales consiste en el acoplamiento de la técnica MSR con el sinterizado por SPS. El producto obtenido se ha sinterizado a 1400 ºC y 1700 ºC, obteniéndose una cerámica monolítica totalmente densa (>99% d.t). En este trabajo se analizan las distintas microestructuras obtenidas en función del precursor de carbono y el tratamiento de SPS, evaluando las principales propiedades mecánicas de los materiales resultantes.Este trabajo ha sido llevado acabo con financiación procedente de los proyectos del plan nacional MAT2006-01783 y MAT2006-04911.Borrell Tomás, MA.; Fernández, A.; Torrecillas, R.; Córdoba, J.; Avilés, M.; Gotor, F. (2010). Sinterización por SPS de polvos ultrafinos de TiCxN1-x obtenidos mediante reacciones de autopropagación inducidas mecánicamente. Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio. 49(5):357-360. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/64404S35736049