Activation volume and activation energy of the protochlorophyllide phototransformation and the Shibata shift determined with high pressure fluorescence spectroscopy

The kinetics of protochlorophyllide phototransformation and of the subsequent blue shift were studied in homogenates prepared from etiolated wheat leaves using fluorescence spectroscopy at high pressures. The pressure dependence of the processes was studied between 0.1 and 400 MPa. The activation volumes were calculated from the pressure dependence of the kinetical curves of the processes and were compared at 20°C and at 40°C. The temperature dependence of the processes was analyzed at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) between 10°C and 40°C. Th eactivation energy of the processe sat atmospheric pressure was calculated using Arrhenius plot. The simultaneous variation/change of temperature and pressure provides information about the molecular events occuring during the activation of the processes

The effect of prolonged etiolation inside the cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. cv. capitata) head and the greening of the different leaf layers

The outer leaves of white cabbage act as optical filters and decrease the light intensity considerably inside the cabbage head. As a consequence, the inner leaf primordia develop under prolonged etiolation conditions. The detailed analysis of plastid ultrastructure and chlorophyll biosynthesis of the different leaf layers of cabbage head was done in Solymosi et al. (2004). The innermost leaves contained multifunctional proplastids with starch grains, phytoferritin and poorly developed, concentrically arranged perforated membranes. Rarely, also prolamellar body was observed in the leaves. Photoactive and non-photoactive protochlorophyllide forms were present in the innermost primordia, their fluorescence emission spectra were similar to those of very young leaves or to slowly greening, non-leaf organs. The leaves in the 4th leaf layer contained chloroplasts with poorly differentiated grana. Their spectra indicated the presence of chlorophyll-protein complexes of both PSI and PSII. In the leaves of the 10th leaf layer proplastids were present and the leaves contained chlorophyll and protochlorophyllide, too. These leaves were illuminated during their earlier developmental stage and became etiolated only later. The greening of these three different leaf layers was compared in order to study, how plastid differentiation occurs in the differently developed leaves. The greening process of young and old (three, four month old - stored) cabbage heads was analyzed

A Window on the Genetics of Human Speech: The FOXP2 Gene

The development of human speech seems to be a species-specific and genetically determined capacity and is considered an extremely important step in the rise of modern humans, human culture and civilisation. The multidisciplinary efforts of psychiatrists, linguists and human geneticists led to the identification of genetic elements in cohorts of patients, performing speech and language disorders. A form of special language impairment (SLI) has been identified in the KE family in Britain, as a dominant, autosomal trait, affecting the family members in three generations. Molecular genetic studies revealed a mutation in the FOXP2 gene as possible basis of SLI in these patients. The unique, human variant of FOXP2 is shared with Neandertals, indicating a common, ancestral population 3-400,000 years ago. Imprecise imitation of the tutor’s song occurs in young canaries with lowered FoxP2 expression

A geometria és a számelmélet kombinatorikus aspektusai = Combinatorial aspects of geometry and number theory

A kutatás időtartama alatt 55 dolgozatunk született, melyek terjedelemre nézve egyenletesen oszlanak meg a pályazat három résztvevője között. Szinte mindegyik munka igen nívós nemzetközi folyóiratban látott napvilágot, vagy van megjelenés alatt. Nemzetközi viszonylatban is igen jelentősek Gyarmati Katalin pszeudovéletlen sorozatokkal, illetve diofantikus problémákkal foglalkozó munkái, valamint Károlyi Gyula összeghalmazokra vonatkozó struktúratételei, elsősorban az Erdős-Heilbronn problémával kapcsolatban, melyekben a kombinatorikus nullhelytétel és a csoportbővítések elméletének segítségével ér el régóta várt eredményeket az additív kombinatorikában. Legkiemelkedőbbek azonban Solymosi Józsefnek igen eredeti geometriai, számelméleti és kombinatorikus gondolatokat ötvöző dolgozatai, melyekben nehéz Erdős problémákkal valamint Szemerédi tételéhez kapcsolódóan mutat fel olyan eredményeket, amelyekre már a Fields érmes Bourgain, Gowers és Tao is hivatkoznak. | In this project we have written 55 papers. The contribution of each of the three participants amounts to roughly 200 pages published mostly in international journals of high standard and reputation. Most significant are the papers of Katalin Gyarmati in which she studies diophantine problems and pseudorandom sequences, the work of Gyula Károlyi in additive combinatorics who with the help of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz and the theory of group extensions obtained long anticipated structural results in the theory of set addition, in particular in connection with the Erdős-Heilbronn problem, and the results of József Solymosi related to hard Erdős problems resp. Szemerédi's theorem, obtained by very surprising and original combination of combinatorial, geometric and number theoretical ideas, already used and cited by Fields laureates Bourgain, Gowers and Tao

Towards an Inclusive and Representative Academic Landscape

This article is a summary of a panel discussion entitled ‘Towards an inclusive and representative academic landscape’, held at the Building Bridges Meeting of Academia Europaea and the Young Academy of Europe on 26 October 2022. The panellists were Professor Yvonne Galligan, director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Comparative Politics at the Technological University Dublin, Dr Katalin Solymosi, plant biologist, assistant professor at Eötvös Loránd University and vice-chair of the Young Academy of Europe, and Professor Stephen Curry, Assistant Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Structural Biology at Imperial College London. Dr Linn Leppert, Associate Professor of Computational Chemical Physics and board member of the Young Academy of Europe chaired the discussion

Special features of the greening of Ginkgo biloba L.

Most studies on chlorophyll biosynthesis and greening are carried out on angiosperm leaves. Unlike angiosperms, most gymnosperms can synthesize chlorophyll in the dark and cannot be etiolated. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) is an exception. In this work, the greening of the stems and the leaves of ginkgo were analyzed. Pigment content changes, changes in the 77 K fluorescence emission spectra and plastid ultrastructure were studied and compared at different temperatures

Carbon Intensification and Poverty Reduction in Kenya: Lessons from the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project

The Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, implemented by the NGO Vi Agroforestry, is breaking new ground in designing and implementing climate finance projects in the agricultural sector. For the first time, while increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing resilience to climate change, smallholder farmers in Africa will receive benefits for greenhouse gas mitigation based on sustainable agricultural land management. The project has developed an activity monitoring system for sustainable agricultural land management (SALM) practices that enables smallholder famers and extension service provider to track and improve farm production. Based on the development of a carbon accounting methodology this system, in combination with a carbon model, is monitoring soil and biomass carbon sequestration consistent with the Verified Carbon Standard. As a result farmers in Africa for the first time can benefit from international voluntary carbon markets. The paper describes the Vi Agroforestry extension approach, outlines the project objectives and activities, and explains the carbon accounting methodology. Project achievements and lessons learned, but also the challenges that still lie ahead are presented. The authors conclude that the project model has great potential for scaling up and provide a potential blueprint for widespread adoption and effective monitoring of sustainable agricultural management in smallholder conditions.Le projet « Kenya Agricultural Carbon », lancé par l'ONG Vi Agroforestry, est un projet pionnier dans la conception et la mise en œuvre de projets de financement de la lutte contre le changement climatique dans le secteur agricole. Pour la première fois, les petits exploitants agricoles d'Afrique tirent profit de l'atténuation des gaz à effet de serre fondée sur une gestion durable des terres agricoles, tout en augmentant la productivité agricole et en renforçant la résilience au changement climatique. Dans le cadre du projet, un système de contrôle de l'activité encourageant les pratiques de gestion durable des terres agricoles a été développé, qui permet aux petits exploitants et au prestataire de services de vulgarisation agricole d'extension de suivre et d'améliorer la production agricole. Fondé sur l'élaboration d'une méthodologie de comptabilité carbone, ce système, associé à un modèle de carbone, permet de contrôler le niveau de séquestration du carbone dans les sols et la biomasse par rapport au « Verified Carbon Standard ». Grâce à lui, les agriculteurs africains peuvent pour la première fois profiter des marchés mondiaux volontaires du carbone. Ce document décrit la démarche de vulgarisation agricole de l'ONG Vi Agroforestry, les objectifs du projet et les activités associées. Il explique la méthodologie de comptabilité carbone. Il présente également les réalisations et les enseignements tirés de ce projet, ainsi que les défis qui restent à relever. Les auteurs concluent que ce modèle offre des perspectives de développement intéressantes et proposent un projet potentiel qui favoriserait une adoption généralisée et un suivi efficace des pratiques de gestion durable de l'agriculture dans le cadre des petites exploitations agricoles.El proyecto “Kenya Agricultural Carbon” sobre el carbono en la agricultura de Kenia, implementado por la ONG Vi Agroforestry, está abriendo nuevas vías en el diseño y la implementación de proyectos de financiación de la lucha contra el cambio climático para el sector agrícola. Por vez primera, las pequeñas explotaciones agrícolas de África, al tiempo que aumentan la productividad agrícola y mejoran su adaptación al cambio climático, recibirán beneficios por reducir los gases invernadero gracias a una gestión sostenible de los terrenos agrícolas. El proyecto ha desarrollado un sistema de control de actividades para llevar a cabo unas prácticas de gestión sostenible de terrenos agrícolas (GSTA) que permitan a las pequeñas explotaciones agrícolas y a los proveedores de servicios de extensión realizar un seguimiento y mejorar la producción agrícola. A partir del desarrollo de una metodología de contabilidad del carbono, este sistema, en combinación con un modelo de carbono, controla la retención del carbono del suelo y de la biomasa, conforme a la Norma Verificada del Carbono. En consecuencia, los explotadores agrícolas en África podrán beneficiarse por primera vez de los mercados internacionales voluntarios de carbono. El artículo describe el trabajo de vulgarización de Vi Agroforestry, destaca los objetivos y las actividades del proyecto. Explica la metodología de contabilidad del carbono. Se presentan los logros conseguidos y las lecciones aprendidas del proyecto, así como los retos aún por superar. Los autores concluyen que el modelo de proyecto presenta un gran potencial para ser aplicado a gran escala y ofrece una posible metodología para la adopción general y el control eficaz de la gestión sostenible agrícola en pequeñas explotaciones agrícolas