Transcriptional regulatory networks controlling woolliness in peach in response to preharvest gibberellin application and cold storage

BACKGROUND: Postharvest fruit conservation relies on low temperatures and manipulations of hormone metabolism to maintain sensory properties. Peaches are susceptible to chilling injuries, such as ‘woolliness’ that is caused by juice loss leading to a ‘wooly’ fruit texture. Application of gibberellic acid at the initial stages of pit hardening impairs woolliness incidence, however the mechanisms controlling the response remain unknown. We have employed genome wide transcriptional profiling to investigate the effects of gibberellic acid application and cold storage on harvested peaches. RESULTS: Approximately half of the investigated genes exhibited significant differential expression in response to the treatments. Cellular and developmental process gene ontologies were overrepresented among the differentially regulated genes, whereas sequences in cell death and immune response categories were underrepresented. Gene set enrichment demonstrated a predominant role of cold storage in repressing the transcription of genes associated to cell wall metabolism. In contrast, genes involved in hormone responses exhibited a more complex transcriptional response, indicating an extensive network of crosstalk between hormone signaling and low temperatures. Time course transcriptional analyses demonstrate the large contribution of gene expression regulation on the biochemical changes leading to woolliness in peach. CONCLUSION: Overall, our results provide insights on the mechanisms controlling the complex phenotypes associated to postharvest textural changes in peach and suggest that hormone mediated reprogramming previous to pit hardening affects the onset of chilling injuries. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-015-0659-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Automatic alignment of piping system components and generation of CAD models of industrial site plants

The ability to (semi-)automatically obtain CAD models from physical installations has two important benefits: (i) it can be used to identify, as soon as possible during a con struction process, any deviations from the original designs; and (ii) it can be used to document complex installations for which CAD representations are outdated or inexis tent. Both scenarios have important practical and economic value. An ongoing project in our research group aims to reconstruct CAD representations from point clouds of in dustrial sites. However, pose estimation of pipes and piping system components is not perfect, resulting in misalignments in the reconstructed scene, which is unacceptable for a CAD model. For this undergraduate thesis, I propose to use optimization techniques to fix these misalignments. I also propose to convert the detected pipes and piping system components into actual CAD model representations for a popular commercial CAD soft ware, namely AutoCAD Plant 3D

Development of low-field flow 31P NMR spectroscopy for reaction monitoring in organometallic chemistry

Benchtop low-field (LF) NMR spectroscopy is a valuable tool for reaction monitoring and its application in catalysis. It is particularly attractive thanks to its low-cost and portability (i.e., the instrument can be installed right next to the fume hood). However, crucial quantitative results, e.g., kinetic profiles, cannot be correctly determined the moment degradation of an air- and moisture-sensitive catalyst occurs. Therefore, inertness of the entire setup must be guaranteed. In the first part of this thesis, it is demonstrated that this challenge could be overcome to meet the experimental requirements of highly oxygen-sensitive rhodium diphosphine complexes, relevant for homogeneous catalysis. Indeed, a commercially available benchtop LF NMR spectrometer has been evolved into an inert customized flow setup. Catalytic hydrogenation monitoring via LF 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy proved to be suitable with this flow setup despite the relatively low concentration of the investigated species (ca. 10 mM). In the second part of the thesis, limitations due to the low magnetic field of the benchtop spectrometer (1.9 T) and the relative insensitivity of 31P compared to 1H nucleus have been faced. 31P NMR signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) have been improved using advanced pulse sequences. Sensitive Homogeneous And Resolved PEaks in Real time (SHARPER) enhances 31P NMR signals by collapsing the target resonance into an extremely narrow singlet and eliminating the effects of field inhomogeneity. After demonstrating the advantage of this tool in static conditions (up to 10-fold enhancement factor on SNR), the customized on-line setup has been used to monitor a faster reaction (in the order of minutes), that could not be followed with traditional 31P NMR sequences

Apontamentos para uma composição em dança através do viés do 'teste'

This article discusses how the so-called 'test bias' presents a compositional and investigative way of relating to the elaboration of movement in dance. To do this, some situations linked to the creation of the solo-study entitled Estudos sobre mover will be analyzed. From these, we dimension the production of movement in dance as a form of reasoning, delineating it as a logical proposition. Next, we discuss the investigative relationship that is proposed in the composition of movements, in which gestural possibilities are tested, qualifying a logical and characteristic way of composing dances. On this path, we are discussing more emphatically with C. S. Peirce’s Semiotic Logic.Este artículo analiza cómo el ‘sesgo de investigación’ propone una forma compositiva e investigativa de relacionarse con la elaboración del movimiento en la danza. Para esto, se analizan algunas situaciones vinculadas a la creación del solo-estudio Estudos sobre mover. A partir de ellas, se dimensiona la producción de movimiento como una forma de razonamiento, delineándola como una proposición lógica. Enseguida, discutimos la relación investigativa que se propone en la composición de movimientos, en la que se prueban las posibilidades gestuales, calificando una forma lógica y característica de composición. En este camino, dialogamos más enfáticamente con la Lógica Semiótica de C. S. Peirce.Este artigo discute como o chamado ‘viés do teste’ apresenta um modo compositivo e investigativo de se relacionar com a elaboração do movimento em dança. Para isso, analisa-se algumas situações atreladas à criação do solo-estudo intitulado Estudos sobre mover. A partir delas, dimensiona-se a produção do mover em dança como uma forma de raciocínio, delineando-a enquanto uma proposição lógica. Em seguida, discorre-se sobre a relação investigativa diante da composição de movimentações, em que possibilidades gestuais são testadas qualificando um modo lógico e característico de compor danças. Neste percurso, dialoga-se mais enfaticamente com a Lógica Semiótica de C. S. Peirce.

MONDI GIOVANILI E "TRASMISSIONE GENERAZIONALE DEI VALORI" A CUBA

Il vivere l\u2019esperienza etnografica di \u201cimpregnazione\u201d di un\u2019altra cultura cambia lo sguardo sul mondo dell\u2019educazione e della formazione non solo del Paese ospitante ma anche in quello d\u2019appartenenza. L\u2019approccio della pedagogia critica e dell\u2019etnografia riflessiva permette di \u201cdare voce\u201d ai giovani aprendo nuovi spazi ("spazio terzo") di incontro e di dialogo tra Paesi e tra generazioni.Living the totally involved ethnographic experience of an other culture changes the general perception of education and formation, not only of the host country but even in the provenance one. Critical pedagogy and reflective etngoraphy approach allows to give voice to yong people, creating new opportunities for countries and generation to meet and talk

Reducing topdressing N fertilization with variable rates does not reduce maize yield

Proximal sensing represents a growing avenue for precision fertilization and crop growth monitoring. In the last decade, precision agriculture technology has become affordable in many countries; Global Positioning Systems for automatic guidance instruments and proximal sensors can be used to guide the distribution of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) fertilization using real-time applications. A two-year field experiment (2017–2018) was carried out to quantify maize yield in response to variable rate (VR) N distribution, which was determined with a proximal vigour sensor, as an alternative to a fixed rate (FR) in a cereal-livestock farm located in the Po valley (northern Italy). The amount of N distributed for the FR (140 kg N ha−1) was calculated according to the crop requirement and the regional regulation: ±30% of the FR rate was applied in the VR treatment according to the Vigour S-index calculated on-the-go from the CropSpec sensor. The two treatments of N fertilization did not result in a significant difference in yield in both years. The findings suggest that the application of VR is more economically profitable than the FR application rate, especially under the hypothesis of VR application at a farm scale. The outcome of the experiment suggests that VR is a viable and profitable technique that can be easily applied at the farm level by adopting proximal sensors to detect the actual crop N requirement prior to stem elongation. Besides the economic benefits, the VR approach can be regarded as a sustainable practice that meets the current European Common Agricultural Policy

Voucher educacional: estudo de viabilidade e impactos socioeconômicos nas escolas de ensino fundamental de Caxias do Sul

O presente trabalho consiste no resultado de um estudo de viabilidade e impactos socioeconômicos da implementação do sistema de voucher educacional nas escolas de ensino fundamental localizadas no município de Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O conceito de voucher educacional foi introduzido pela primeira vez pelo economista e ganhador do Prêmio Nobel em Economia Milton Friedman e consiste no subsídio governamental a educação através de "vales" com determinado valor dado aos pais dos alunos para que optem pela escola particular a que destinarão os seus filhos. Para provar a viabilidade desse modelo de financiamento, é feita uma pesquisa teórica, para conhecer a relação Estado x educação no país, e quantitativa, para levantamento de dados a respeito do dispêndio municipal com o setor. Com isso, chega-se à conclusão de que o voucher é uma alternativa viável ao atual modelo de financiamento educacional e são apresentados os resultados positivos para a região. [resumo fornecido pelo autor