Toward bioeconomy of a multipurpose cereal: Cell wall chemistry of Sorghum is largely buffered against stem sugar content

Background and Objectives Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a multipurpose crop with high potential for the bioeconomy. Ten sweet, grain and dual-purpose sorghum genotypes were compared with respect to sugar-related traits and cell wall composition. Findings The dual-purpose hybrids Ganymed, Zerberus, and Tarzan performed better with respect to plant height, cane weight, and juice volume, but the sweet genotype KIT1 produced the highest sugar concentration (°Brix) in the stem. Analytical sugar data demonstrate genotypic differences in terms of sugar composition and concentrations, with sucrose being dominant. The monosaccharide composition of the stem cell wall polysaccharides showed surprisingly little genotypic variability. Variations in contents of lignin and cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamate monomers were moderate. Conclusions Sweet, grain and dual-purpose sorghum genotypes differ widely in terms of sugar-related morphological parameters but are comparable with respect to their cell wall chemistry. Significance and Novelty The use of sorghum as a bioeconomy crop has mainly focused on the extraction of sugar for bioethanol production. However, besides cell wall polymers, the potential usage of hydroxycinnamates as platform molecules for the chemical industry may improve the valorization of the residues after sugar extraction. This application appears to be fairly independent of genotype, further increasing the potential of sorghum for the bioeconomy

Starve to Sustain - An Ancient Syrian Landrace of Sorghum as Tool for Phosphorous Bio-Economy?

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient, playing a role in developmental and metabolic processes in plants. To understand the local and systemic responses of sorghum to inorganic phosphorus (Pi) starvation and the potential of straw and ash for reutilisation in agriculture, we compared two grain (Razinieh) and sweet (Della) sorghum varieties with respect to their morpho-physiological and molecular responses. We found that Pi starvation increased the elongation of primary roots, the formation of lateral roots, and the accumulation of anthocyanin. In Razinieh, lateral roots were promoted to a higher extent, correlated with a higher expression of SbPht1 phosphate transporters. Infrared spectra of straw from mature plants raised to maturity showed two prominent bands at 1371 and 2337 cm−1, which could be assigned to P-H(H2) stretching vibration in phosphine acid and phosphinothious acid, and their derivates, whose abundance correlated with phosphate uptake of the source plant and genotype (with a higher intensity in Razinieh). The ash generated from these straws stimulated the shoot elongation and root development of the rice seedlings, especially for the material derived from Razinieh raised under Pi starvation. In conclusion, sorghum growing on marginal lands has potential as a bio-economy alternative for mineral phosphorus recycling

Accessory and cavitated uterine masses: a case series and review of the literature

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to report nine patients of young women who underwent a surgical treatment of an accessory and cavitated uterine mass (ACUM) in our hospital between 2014 and 2022 and review all cases described in the literature.Material and methodsThe principal outcomes measured are the imaging techniques used to determine the diagnosis, the type of surgery used and the post-operative evolution of symptoms. We also report and analyse the 79 patients found in the literature since 1996 in addition to our 9 patients.ResultsSurgical excision is the only long-lasting treatment. Small invasive surgery with laparoscopic access is the gold standard and most widely used (83.0%). Some new therapeutic procedures have been recently described of which ethanol sclerotherapy seems very promising. Post-operatively, 54.5% of patients have a complete relief of symptoms. MRI is the best imaging technique to identify ACUM. Finally, we refine the description of this pathology and give a more precise definition of it.ConclusionThrough our literature review and the analysis of our cases, we want to underline an important diagnostic criterion of this pathology: the fallopian tube on the homolateral side of the ACUM never communicates with the latter. It is a capital element for differential diagnosis

A Communal Catalogue Reveals Earth\u27s Multiscale Microbial Diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world\u27s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth\u27s microbial diversity

Validazione di Piani di Disaster Recovery mediante Simulatore

Contribution published online at: http://www.mimos.it/nuovo/contenuto_view.asp?check=10