Differential expression of molecular rust resistance components have distinctive profiles in Coffea arabica - Hemileia vastatrix interactions.

Countering the economic hurdle caused by coffee leaf rust disease is most appealing at this time as it has posed a major threat to coffee production around the world. Establishing differential expression profiles at different times following pathogen invasion in both innate and acquired immunities unlocks the molecular components of resistance and susceptibility. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify genes differentially over-expressed and repressed during incompatible and compatible interactions between Coffea arabica and Hemileia vastatrix. From 433 clones of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) sequenced, 352 were annotated and categorized of which the proportion of genes expressed during compatible interaction were relatively smaller. The result showed upregulation and downregulation of various genes at 12 and 24 h after pathogen inoculation in both interactions. The use of four different databases in searching for gene homology resulted in different number of similar sequences. BLASTx against EMBL-EBI (European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute) database being with the maximum (100%) hits for all the annotated sequences. RT-qPCR analysis of seven resistance-signaling genes showed similar expression patterns for most of the genes in both interactions, indicating these genes are involved in basal (nonspecific) defense during which immune reactions are similar. Using SSH, we identified different types of resistance related genes that could be used for further studies towards resistant cultivar development. The potential role of some of the resistance related proteins found were also discussed

Paleoseismic Evidence of Characteristic Slip on the Western Segment of the North Anatolian Fault, Turkey

We have conducted a paleoseismic investigation of serial fault rupture at one site along the 110-km rupture of the North Anatolian fault that produced the Mw 7.4 earthquake of 17 August 1999. The benefit of using a recent rupture to compare serial ruptures lies in the fact that the location, magnitude, and slip vector of the most recent event are all very well documented. We wished to determine whether or not the previous few ruptures of the fault were similar to the recent one. We chose a site at a step-over between two major strike-slip traces, where the principal fault is a normal fault. Our two excavations across the 1999 rupture reveal fluvial sands and gravels with two colluvial wedges related to previous earthquakes. Each wedge is about 0.8 m thick. Considering the processes of collapse and subsequent diffusion that are responsible for the formation of a colluvial wedge, we suggest that the two paleoscarps were similar in height to the 1999 scarp. This similarity supports the concept of characteristic slip, at least for this location along the fault. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates of 16 charcoal samples are consistent with the interpretation that these two paleoscarps formed during large historical events in 1509 and 1719. If this is correct, the most recent three ruptures at the site have occurred at 210- and 280-year intervals

3-D sediment-basement tomography of the Northern Marmara trough by a dense OBS network at the nodes of a grid of controlled source profiles along the North Anatolian fault

A 3-D tomographic inversion of first arrival times of shot profiles recorded by a dense 2-D OBS network provides an unprecedented constraint on the P-wave velocities heterogeneity of the upper-crustal part of the North Marmara Trough (NMT), over a region of 180 km long by 50 km wide. One of the specific aims of this controlled source tomography is to provide a 3-D initial model for the local earthquake tomography (LET). Hence, in an original way, the controlled source inversion has been performed by using a code dedicated to LET. After several tests to check the results trade-off with the inversion parameters, we build up a 3-D a priori velocity model, in which the sea-bottom topography, the acoustic and the crystalline basements and the Moho interfaces have been considered. The reliability of the obtained features has been checked by checkerboard tests and also by their comparison with the deep-penetration multichannel seismic profiles, and with the wide-angle reflection and refraction modelled profiles. This study provides the first 3-D view of the basement topography along the active North Anatolian fault beneath the Marmara Sea, even beneath the deepest part of three sedimentary basins of NMT. Clear basement depressions reaching down 6 km depth below the sea level (bsl) have been found beneath these basins. The North Imralı Basin located on the southern continental shelf is observed with a similar sedimentary thickness as its northern neighbours. Between Central and Çınarcık basins, the Central High rises up to 3 km depth below (bsl). Its crest position is offset by 10 km northwestward relatively to the bathymetric crest. On the contrary, Tekirdağ and Central basins appear linked, forming a 60-km-long basement depression. Beneath the bathymetric relief of Western High low velocities are observed down to 6 km depth (bsl) and no basement high have been found. The obtained 3-D Vp heterogeneity model allows the consideration of the 3-D supracrustal heterogeneity into the future earthquake relocations in this region. The topographic map of the pre-kinematic basement offers the possibility to take into account the locking depth variations in future geohazard estimations by geomechanical modelling in this region

Chromium(III) biosorption onto spent grains residual from brewing industry : equilibrium, kinetics and column studies

The use of industrial wastes for wastewater treatment as a strategy to their re-use and valorisation may provide important advances toward sustainability. The present work gives new insights into heavy metal biosorption onto low-cost biosorbents, studying chromium(III) biosorption onto spent grains residual from a Portuguese brewing industry both in batch and expanded bed column systems. Experimental studies involved unmodified spent grains and spent grains treated with NaOH. Metal uptake followed a rapid initial step, well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model up to 27 h, indicating chemisorption to be the rate-limiting step. Beyond this period intraparticle diffusion assumed an important role in the uptake global kinetics. The best fit for equilibrium data was obtained using the Langmuir model, with unmodified spent grains having the higher maximum uptake capacity (q max = 16.7 mg g1). In open system studies, using expanded bed columns, the best performance was also achieved with unmodified spent grains: Breakthrough time (C/C i = 0.25) and total saturation time (C/C i = 0.99) occurred after 58 and 199 h of operation, corresponding to the accumulation of 390 mg of chromium(III), 43.3 % of the total amount entering the column. These results suggest that alkali treatment does not improve spent grains uptake performance. Changes in biomass composition determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested hydroxyl groups and proteins to have an important role in chromium(III) biosorption. This study points out that unmodified spent grains can be successfully used as low-cost biosorbent for trivalent chromium.The authors would like to thank the Portuguese brewing industry UNICER for all the support and FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) financial support through the Grant PRAXIS XXI/BD/15945/98

Marker-assisted recurrent selection for pyramiding leaf rust and coffee berry disease resistance alleles in Coffea Arabica L.

Abstract: In this study, marker-assisted recurrent selection was evaluated for pyramiding resistance gene alleles against coffee leaf rust (CLR) and coffee berry diseases (CBD) in Coffea arabica. A total of 144 genotypes corresponding to 12 hybrid populations from crosses between eight parent plants with desired morphological and agronomic traits were evaluated. Molecular data were used for cross-certification, diversity study and resistance allele marker-assisted selection (MAS) against the causal agent of coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) and coffee berry disease (Colletotrichum kahawae). In addition, nine morphological and agronomic traits were evaluated to determine the components of variance, select superior hybrids, and estimate genetic gain. From the genotypes evaluated, 134 were confirmed as hybrids. The genetic diversity between and within populations was 75.5% and 24.5%, respectively, and the cluster analysis revealed three primary groups. Pyramiding of CLR and CBD resistance genes was conducted in 11 genotypes using MAS. A selection intensity of 30% resulted in a gain of over 50% compared to the original population. Selected hybrids with increased gain also showed greater genetic divergence in addition to the pyramided resistance alleles. The strategies used were, therefore, efficient to select superior coffee hybrids for recurrent selection programs and could be used as a source of resistance in various crosses

Is Mercury Orange a selective stain for thiols?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42852/1/10735_2005_Article_BF01005240.pd

Evaluation of alternative preservation treatments (water heat treatment, ultrasounds, thermosonication and UV-C radiation) to improve safety and quality of whole tomato

Previously optimised postharvest treatments were compared to conventional chlorinated water treatment in terms of their effects on the overall quality of tomato (‘Zinac’) during storage at 10 °C. The treatments in question were water heat treatment (WHT = 40 °C, 30 min), ultrasounds (US = 45 kHz, 80 %, 30 min), thermosonication (TS =40 °C, 30 min, 45 kHz, 80 %) and ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C: 0.97 kJ m−2). The quality factors evaluated were colour, texture, sensorial analysis, mass loss, antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, peroxidase and pectin methylesterase enzymatic activities, and microbial load reduction. The results demonstrate that all treatments tested preserve tomato quality to some extent during storage at 10 °C. WHT, TS and UV-C proved to be more efficient on minimising colour and texture changes with the additional advantage of microbial load reduction, leading to a shelf life extension when compared to control trials. However, at the end of storage, with exception of WHT samples, the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of treated samples was lower than for control samples. Moreover, sensorial results were well correlated with instrumental colour experimental data. This study presents alternative postharvest technologies that improve tomato (Zinac) quality during shelf life period and minimise the negative impact of conventional chlorinated water on human safety, health and environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Global Fireball Observatory

The world's meteorite collections contain a very rich picture of what the early Solar System would have been made of, however the lack of spatial context with respect to their parent population for these samples is an issue. The asteroid population is equally as rich in surface mineralogies, and mapping these two populations (meteorites and asteroids) together is a major challenge for planetary science. Directly probing asteroids achieves this at a high cost. Observing meteorite falls and calculating their pre-atmospheric orbit on the other hand, is a cheaper way to approach the problem. The Global Fireball Observatory (GFO) collaboration was established in 2017 and brings together multiple institutions (from Australia, USA, Canada, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Argentina) to maximise the area for fireball observation time and therefore meteorite recoveries. The members have a choice to operate independently, but they can also choose to work in a fully collaborative manner with other GFO partners. This efficient approach leverages the experience gained from the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) pathfinder project in Australia. The state-of-the art technology (DFN camera systems and data reduction) and experience of the support teams is shared between all partners, freeing up time for science investigations and meteorite searching. With all networks combined together, the GFO collaboration already covers 0.6% of the Earth's surface for meteorite recovery as of mid-2019, and aims to reach 2% in the early 2020s. We estimate that after 5 years of operation, the GFO will have observed a fireball from virtually every meteorite type. This combined effort will bring new, fresh, extra-terrestrial material to the labs, yielding new insights about the formation of the Solar System.Comment: Accepted in PSS. 19 pages, 9 figure