Effect of preharvest UV-C treatment of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicon Mill.) on ripening and pathogen resistance

Treatment with UV-C of tomato fruit on the vine was conducted using a mobile unit that was designed to be conveyed between the rows of tomato plants in a commercial glasshouse. Trusses of fruit both at the ripe and mature green phase were treated with UV-C doses of 3 and 8 kJ/m2. Ripe fruit were picked 8 h after treatment and kept at room temperature for up to 16 d during which colour development and texture were monitored and compared to untreated controls. Mature green fruit treated on the vine with UV-C doses of 3 or 8 kJ/m2 showed only a slight loss in green pigmentation in contrast to the tomato colour index (TCI) of control fruit which increased sharply 5 d after treatment. The TCI of ripe fruit treated with UV-C at a dose of 8 kJ/m2 showed a lag of 10 d before increasing to a final value comparable to that of untreated fruit. Fruit treated with a dose of 3 kJ/m2 did not display a lag but the increase in TCI occurred at a lower rate than for the controls. Firmness remained higher in fruit treated with the highest UV-C dose compared to fruit treated with the lower UV-C dose and controls. Fruit covered with UV impermeable film on the same plants as those that had received a UV-C dose of 3 kJ/m2 had become ripe by day 6 in a manner similar to that of the controls. By contrast, fruit from trusses adjacent to those that had been treated with a UV-C dose of 8 kJ/m2 remained green over the same period of time. Ripe fruit treated as described above were inoculated with spores of Penicillium digitatum after UV-C treatment and their firmness monitored over 12 d. A dose response effect was found with fruit treated at the highest dose remaining firmer than those treated at the lower dose and the controls

Concertacion y seguridad social : de la legitimidad social a la legitimidad tecnocrática

El estudio aborda la concertación, un análisis de las políticas de seguridad social constatando su evolución desde una legitimidad social a una legitimidad tecnocrática en la crisis del welfare state y en la crisis económica con particular referencia al sistema español. Desde la normalización de la acción política de los sindicatos y agentes sociales en sus diversas manifestaciones, como la participación institucional y la "legislación negociada" en la búsqueda del consenso y el negociado de intercambios en el marco político frente a la imposición unilateral. La frustración de la concertación social se produce cuando el gobierno interpreta la democracia como algo puramente aritmético de mayorías que ejercen sin más el poder, en épocas de debilidad sindical, de debilidad del estado nación, de dificultades para las políticas redistributivas, de reforzamiento de los planteamientos neoliberales. La búsqueda de legitimidad en el pacto social no se ve en estas ocasiones como necesaria sino que la legitimidad se traslada al discurso economicista y tecnocrático, no político. Se vuelve a la búsqueda de una legitimidad a través del mercado y del intercambio entre particulares.L'estudi aborda la concertació, una anàlisi de les polítiques de seguretat social constatant la seva evolució des d'una legitimitat social a una legitimitat tecnocràtica en la crisi del welfare state i en la crisi econòmica amb particular referència al sistema espanyol. Des de la normalització de l'acció política dels sindicats i agents socials en les seves diverses manifestacions, com la participació institucional i la "legislació negociada" en la cerca del consens i el negociat d'intercanvis en el marc polític enfront de la imposició unilateral. La frustració de la concertació social es produeix quan el govern interpreta la democràcia com alguna cosa purament aritmètic de majories que exerceixen sense més el poder, en èpoques de feblesa sindical, de feblesa de l'estat nació, de dificultats per a les polítiques redistributives, de reforçament dels plantejaments neoliberals. La cerca de legitimitat en el pacte social no es veu en aquestes ocasions com a necessària sinó que la legitimitat es trasllada al discurs economicista i tecnocràtic, no polític. Es torna a la cerca d'una legitimitat a través del mercat i de l'intercanvi entre particulars.The study addresses the conclusion an analysis of policies of social security noting exposing its evolution from a social legitimacy to a technocratic legitimacy in the crisis of the welfare state and the economic crisis with particular reference to the Spanish system. Since the normalization of the political action of the trade unions and social partners in its various manifestations, such as institutional participation and negotiated "legislation" in the search for consensus and the Bureau of exchanges in the political framework against the unilateral imposition. The frustration of the social agreement occurs when the Government interprets the democracy as something purely arithmetic of majorities that exercise without more power, in times of Union weakness, weakness of the State nation, of difficulties for redistributive policies, strengthening of neoliberal approaches. The search for legitimacy in the social pact is not on these occasions as necessary but that legitimacy is moved to the economistic and technocratic, non-political speech. Turns to the search for legitimacy through the market and the exchange between individuals

Sugar composition of the “hemicellulose rich” and “cellulose rich” fractions expressed as mg/g AIS.

<p>Sugar composition of the “hemicellulose rich” and “cellulose rich” fractions expressed as mg/g AIS.</p

Principal component analysis (PCA) of FT-IR spectra of <i>Arabidopsis</i> stem material.

<p>Powdered stem tissue from wild type and <i>rabA</i> sub clade mutant lines of <i>Arabidopsis</i> were subjected to analysis using FT-IR. The spectral data in the region of1200 nm–800 nm was used to generate the PCA. The total number of principle components identified was 5, PC1 = 0.59 PC2 = 0.39, with the remaining components each totalling less than 0.1 of the variation.</p

Null Mutants of Individual <i>RABA</i> Genes Impact the Proportion of Different Cell Wall Components in Stem Tissue of <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>

<div><p>In <i>Arabidopsis,</i> and other plants, the RABA GTPases (orthologous to the Rab11a of mammals) have expanded in number and diversity and have been shown to belong to eight sub clades, some of which have been implicated in controlling vesicles that traffic cell wall polymers and enzymes that synthesise or modify them to the cell wall. In order to investigate this, we have investigated whether T-DNA insertion knockouts of individual <i>RABA</i> genes belonging to different sub clades, impact on the composition of the plant cell wall. Single gene knockouts of the <i>RABA1</i>, <i>RABA2</i> and <i>RABA4</i> sub clades primarily affected the percentage composition of pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose within the cell wall, respectively, despite having no obvious phenotype in the whole plant. We hypothesise that vesicles carrying specific types of cargoes from the Golgi to the cell surface may be regulated by particular sub types of RABA proteins, a finding that could have wider implications for how trafficking systems work and could be a useful tool in cell wall research and other fields of plant biology.</p></div

Pectin levels (as estimated by uronic acid content) in stem tissue from wild type and <i>rabA</i> knockout lines.

<p>Acetone insoluble solids were sequentially extracted with CDTA and Na₂CO₃ to generate ionically (clear) and covalently (grey) bound pectin, respectively represented to show individual levels and additive total pectin. Significance values are as follows; (p<0.001 (d.f,32 v.r,39.13) with letters annotating significant difference between means.</p

Levels of Cellulose rich and hemicellulose rich fractions in stem tissue of wild type and <i>rab</i>A knockout lines.

<p>The residue from the pectin extraction was fractionated using KOH into (A) The cellulose rich fraction and (B) The hemicellulose rich fraction. Each fraction was dried and weighed. The statistical values are as follows; “cellulose rich” fraction p<0.001 (d.f,32 v.r,6.8); “hemicellulose rich” fraction p<0.001 (d.f,32 v.r,15.04) with letters annotating significant difference between means.</p

Quantitative Bioluminometric Method for DNA-Based Species/Varietal Identification in Food Authenticity Assessment

A method is reported for species quantification by exploiting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These single-base changes in DNA are particularly useful because they enable discrimination of closely related species and/or varieties. As a model, quantitative authentication studies were performed on coffee. These involved the determination of the percentage of Arabica and Robusta species based on a SNP in the chloroplastic trnL­(UAA)-trnF­(GAA) intraspacer region. Following polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the Robusta-specific and Arabica-specific fragments were subjected to 15 min extension reactions by DNA polymerase using species-specific primers carrying oligo­(dA) tags. Biotin was incorporated into the extended strands. The products were captured in streptavidin-coated microtiter wells and quantified by using oligo­(dT)-conjugated photoprotein aequorin. Aequorin was measured within 3 s via its characteristic flash-type bioluminescent reaction that was triggered by the addition of Ca²⁺. Because of the close resemblance between the two DNA fragments, during PCR one species serves as an internal standard for the other. The percentage of the total luminescence signal obtained from a certain species was linearly related to the percent content of the sample with respect to this species. The method is accurate and reproducible. The microtiter well-based assay configuration allows high sample throughput and facilitates greatly the automation

(A) Metabolic activity (redox signal intensity) of Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173 or Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173(<i>COX20</i>) in the presence of 1 mM hydrogen peroxide (B) Growth rates (OD600) for Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173 or Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173(<i>COX20</i>) in the presence of 1 mM hydrogen peroxide (C) Viability of Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173 or Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173(<i>COX20</i>) in the presence of 1 mM hydrogen peroxide measured over 120 mins.

<p>Results presented are a representative of triplicate values (Mean <i>+</i>/- SD n = 3).</p

Metabolic activity (redox signal intensity) of WT, Δ<i>cox20</i>, Δ<i>cox20</i> pCM173, and pCM173(<i>COX20</i>) on hydrolysates derived from an acid pre-treatment of wheat.

<p>Results presented are a representative of triplicate values (Mean <i>+</i>/- SD n = 3).</p