VLTI status update: a decade of operations and beyond

We present the latest update of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope interferometer (VLTI). The operations of VLTI have greatly improved in the past years: reduction of the execution time; better offering of telescopes configurations; improvements on AMBER limiting magnitudes; study of polarization effects and control for single mode fibres; fringe tracking real time data, etc. We present some of these improvements and also quantify the operational improvements using a performance metric. We take the opportunity of the first decade of operations to reflect on the VLTI community which is analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally, we present briefly the preparatory work for the arrival of the second generation instruments GRAVITY and MATISSE.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE, 9146-1

Proteomic and low-polar metabolite profiling reveal unique dynamics in fatty acid metabolism during flower and berry development of table grapes

Grapevine development and ripening are complex processes that involve several biochemical pathways, including fatty acid and lipid metabolism. Fatty acids are essential components of lipids, which play crucial roles in fruit maturation and flavor development. However, the dynamics of fatty acid metabolism in grape flowers and berries are poorly understood. In this study, we present those dynamics and investigate the mechanisms of fatty acid homeostasis on ‘Thompson Seedless’ berries using metabolomic and proteomic analyses. Low-polar metabolite profiling indicated a higher abundance of fatty acids at the pre-flowering and pre-veraison stages. Proteomic analyses revealed that grape flowers and berries display unique profiles of proteins involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, triacylglycerol assembly, fatty acid β-oxidation, and lipid signaling. These findings show, for the first time, that fatty acid metabolism also plays an important role in the development of non-oil-rich tissues, opening new perspectives about lipid function and its relation to berry quality

Evaluation of chloroform/methanol extraction to facilitate the study of membrane proteins of non-model plants

Membrane proteins are of great interest to plant physiologists because of their important function in many physiological processes. However, their study is hampered by their low abundance and poor solubility in aqueous buffers. Proteomics studies of non-model plants are generally restricted to gel-based methods. Unfortunately, all gel-based techniques for membrane proteomics lack resolving power. Therefore, a very stringent enrichment method is needed before protein separation. In this study, protein extraction in a mixture of chloroform and methanol in combination with gel electrophoresis is evaluated as a method to study membrane proteins in non-model plants. Benefits as well as disadvantages of the method are discussed. To demonstrate the pitfalls of working with non-model plants and to give a proof of principle, the method was first applied to whole leaves of the model plant Arabidopsis. Subsequently, a comparison with proteins extracted from leaves of the non-model plant, banana, was made. To estimate the tissue and organelle specificity of the method, it was also applied on banana meristems. Abundant membrane or lipid-associated proteins could be identified in both tissues, with the leaf extract yielding a higher number of membrane proteins

Practical guidelines for early screening and field evaluation of banana against Fusarium wilt, Pseudocercospora leaf spots and drought

Practical guidelines for the early screening and field evaluation of banana (Musa spp.) for resistance to three major traits: Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense), leaf spot diseases (Pseudocercospora spp.) and drought. The guidelines have been produced by experts from the Evaluation Thematic Group of MusaNet, the global network for Musa genetic resources (www.musanet.org) coordinated by the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT

Practical guidelines for early screening and field evaluation of banana against Fusarium wilt, Pseudocercospora leaf spots and drought

Practical guidelines for the early screening and field evaluation of banana (Musa spp.) for resistance to three major traits: Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense), leaf spot diseases (Pseudocercospora spp.) and drought. The guidelines have been produced by experts from the Evaluation Thematic Group of MusaNet, the global network for Musa genetic resources (www.musanet.org) coordinated by the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT

Yield stability of East African Highland cooking banana ‘Matooke’ hybrids

East African banana (Musa sp.) breeding efforts have focused mainly on enhancing ‘Matooke’ productivity through the development of high-yielding, pathogen-resistant cultivars with adequate stability to contribute to regional food security. Before a breeding program can recommend promising cultivars for release, they must pass the sensory screens; be evaluated in the target population environments; and the data analyzed for yield, adaptability, and stability. Twenty-four primary and secondary triploid hybrids [NARITA (N)] derived from ‘Matooke’ bananas, six triploid local ‘Matooke’ cultivars, and one exotic cultivar were evaluated for their yield, adaptability, and stability across the East African region at three highland sites in Uganda’s western and central regions, as well as at three sites in Tanzania’s northeastern and southern highlands regions, from 2016–19. A randomized complete block design with four replicates was used for multisite trials. The mixed-model restricted maximum likelihood/best linear unbiased prediction approach, along with additive main effect multiplicative interaction model biplots, were used to dissect and visualize genotype-by-environment patterns. Following the likelihood ratio test, both genotype and interaction effects were highly significant, confirming the influence of genotype and site heterogeneity for selecting specific and broadly adapted cultivars. N23 had the greatest yield across all sites associated with adaptability and stability, outperforming the overall mean yield of all genotypes by 34.2%. In Tanzania, N27 (second), N7 (third), N18 (fourth), N4 (fifth), N12 (sixth), and N13 (seventh); and in Uganda, N17 (second), N18 (third), N2 (fourth), N8 (fifth), N13 (sixth), N12 (seventh), N4 (eighth), and N24 (ninth) demonstrated good adaptability and stability, as well as high yield. Furthermore, the fungal pathogen Pseudocercospora fijiensis had no significant effect (P >0.05) on yield, stability, and adaptability of the hybrids. As a result, they can be introduced into areas where black leaf streak constrains banana production significantly and threatens farmers’ livelihoods. The average site yield potential ranged from 9.7 to 24.3 t ha–1 per year. The best discriminating sites for testing breeding clones were Lyamungo in Tanzania and Sendusu in Uganda. Hence, these testing sites are recommended as ideal examples of locations for selecting superior genotypes

Integrative multi‐omics analyses of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) roots and leaves reveal how the halophyte land plant copes with sea water

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is able to grow and complete its life cycle while being rooted in highly saline soils. Which of the many well-known salt-tolerance strategies are combined to fine-tune this remarkable resilience is unknown. The precise location, whether in the shoot or the root, where these strategies are employed remains uncertain, leaving us unaware of how the various known salt-tolerance mechanisms are integrated to fine-tune this remarkable resilience. To address this shortcoming, we exposed date palm to a salt stress dose equivalent to seawater for up to 4 weeks and applied integrative multi-omics analyses followed by targeted metabolomics, hormone, and ion analyses. Integration of proteomic into transcriptomic data allowed a view beyond simple correlation, revealing a remarkably high degree of convergence between gene expression and protein abundance. This sheds a clear light on the acclimatization mechanisms employed, which depend on reprogramming of protein biosynthesis. For growth in highly saline habitats, date palm effectively combines various salt-tolerance mechanisms found in both halophytes and glycophytes: “avoidance” by efficient sodium and chloride exclusion at the roots, and “acclimation” by osmotic adjustment, reactive oxygen species scavenging in leaves, and remodeling of the ribosome-associated proteome in salt-exposed root cells. Combined efficiently as in P. dactylifera L., these sets of mechanisms seem to explain the palm's excellent salt stress tolerance

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe