Calidad de fruto y aceite de olivos maduros en condiciones de cultivo de secado parcial de la zona radical

This study was conducted to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative effects of partial rootzone drying (PRD) irrigation on olive trees and their fruit and oil quality. Olive trees of the Moroccan Picholine variety were grown under arid conditions in Marrakech, and exposed to four irrigation treatments: Control (irrigated with 100 % of the crop evapotranspiration, on the two sides of the root system), PRD1 (irrigated with 50 % of the control, on one side of the root system, switching every two weeks), PRD2 (irrigated with 50 % of the control, on one side of the root system, switching every four weeks) and PRD3 (irrigated with the same amount of water as the control applied on one side of the root system, switching every two weeks). The individual fruit weight, dimensions and oil contents were generally greater under PRD than the control. Whereas, the fruit water content was lower under PRD1 and PRD2 than the control and PRD3. Oil acidity was not affected by irrigation, while the total polyphenol content, which affects the oxidative stability and sensory characteristics of the oil, increased in response to the PRD irrigation, especially under PRD1 (246.0 ppm) and PRD2 (278.5 ppm) treatments, against 148.4 ppm and 101.8 ppm for PRD3 and the control respectively. This increase could explain the oil bitterness observed under PRD1 and PRD2. The fatty acid composition was not affected by PRD1 and PRD2. The oil quality based on UV absorption coefficients (K232 and K270) decreased significantly under PRD2. Chlorophyll content and maturity index were antagonistic, and olive ripeness was found to be precocious under PRD irrigation treatments compared to the control.Este estudio fue realizado para evaluar los efectos cuantitativos y cualitativos de la irrigación de olivos por secado parcial de la zona radical (PRD) sobre la calidad de su fruto y de su aceite. Los olivos de la variedad marroquí Picholine fueron cultivados en condiciones áridas en Marrakech, y expuestos a cuatro tratamientos de irrigación: Control (irrigado con el 100 % de la evapotranspiración de la cosecha, en los dos lados del sistema radical), PRD1 (irrigado con el 50 % del control, en sólo un lado del sistema radical, cambiando cada dos semanas), PRD2 (irrigado con el 50 % del control, en un lado del sistema radical, cambiando cada cuatro semanas) y PRD3 (irrigado con la misma cantidad del agua que el control aplicado en un lado del sistema radical, cambiando cada dos semanas). El peso individual del fruto, sus dimensiones y el contenido en aceite fueron generalmente mayores bajo PRD que en el control. Mientras que, el contenido de agua de la aceituna fue inferior en PRD1 y PRD2 que en el control y en PRD3. La acidez del aceite no se afectó por el régimen de irrigación, mientras que el contenido total de polifenoles, que afecta a la estabilidad oxidativa y a las características sensoriales del aceite, aumentó en respuesta a la irrigación mediante PRD, sobre todo con los tratamientos PRD1 (246.0 ppm) y PRD2 (278.5 ppm), frente a los 148.4 ppm y 101.8 ppm de PRD3 y el control, respectivamente. Este aumento podría explicar el amargor del aceite obtenida con PRD1 y PRD2. La composición de ácidos grasos no fue afectada por PRD1 Y PRD2. La calidad del aceite basada en los coeficientes de absorción UV (K232 y K270) disminuyó considerablemente con PRD2. El contenido de clorofila resultó antagonista del índice de madurez, y éste último se desarrolló más precozmente en los tratamientos de irrigación PRD que en el control

Predicting RNA secondary structure by the comparative approach: how to select the homologous sequences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The secondary structure of an RNA must be known before the relationship between its structure and function can be determined. One way to predict the secondary structure of an RNA is to identify covarying residues that maintain the pairings (Watson-Crick, Wobble and non-canonical pairings). This "comparative approach" consists of identifying mutations from homologous sequence alignments. The sequences must covary enough for compensatory mutations to be revealed, but comparison is difficult if they are too different. Thus the choice of homologous sequences is critical. While many possible combinations of homologous sequences may be used for prediction, only a few will give good structure predictions. This can be due to poor quality alignment in stems or to the variability of certain sequences. This problem of sequence selection is currently unsolved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This paper describes an algorithm, <it>SSCA</it>, which measures the suitability of sequences for the comparative approach. It is based on evolutionary models with structure constraints, particularly those on sequence variations and stem alignment. We propose three models, based on different constraints on sequence alignments. We show the results of the <it>SSCA </it>algorithm for predicting the secondary structure of several RNAs. <it>SSCA </it>enabled us to choose sets of homologous sequences that gave better predictions than arbitrarily chosen sets of homologous sequences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>SSCA </it>is an algorithm for selecting combinations of RNA homologous sequences suitable for secondary structure predictions with the comparative approach.</p

SAPHIR - a multi-scale, multi-resolution modeling environment targeting blood pressure regulation and fluid homeostasis.

International audienceWe present progress on a comprehensive, modular, interactive modeling environment centered on overall regulation of blood pressure and body fluid homeostasis. We call the project SAPHIR, for "a Systems Approach for PHysiological Integration of Renal, cardiac, and respiratory functions". The project uses state-of-the-art multi-scale simulation methods. The basic core model will give succinct input-output (reduced-dimension) descriptions of all relevant organ systems and regulatory processes, and it will be modular, multi-resolution, and extensible, in the sense that detailed submodules of any process(es) can be "plugged-in" to the basic model in order to explore, eg. system-level implications of local perturbations. The goal is to keep the basic core model compact enough to insure fast execution time (in view of eventual use in the clinic) and yet to allow elaborate detailed modules of target tissues or organs in order to focus on the problem area while maintaining the system-level regulatory compensations

Deciphering the genome structure and paleohistory of _Theobroma cacao_

We sequenced and assembled the genome of _Theobroma cacao_, an economically important tropical fruit tree crop that is the source of chocolate. The assembly corresponds to 76% of the estimated genome size and contains almost all previously described genes, with 82% of them anchored on the 10 _T. cacao_ chromosomes. Analysis of this sequence information highlighted specific expansion of some gene families during evolution, for example flavonoid-related genes. It also provides a major source of candidate genes for _T. cacao_ disease resistance and quality improvement. Based on the inferred paleohistory of the T. cacao genome, we propose an evolutionary scenario whereby the ten _T. cacao_ chromosomes were shaped from an ancestor through eleven chromosome fusions. The _T. cacao_ genome can be considered as a simple living relic of higher plant evolution

Cosmic ray oriented performance studies for the JEM-EUSO first level trigger

JEM-EUSO is a space mission designed to investigate Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and Neutrinos (E > 5 ⋅ 1019 eV) from the International Space Station (ISS). Looking down from above its wide angle telescope is able to observe their air showers and collect such data from a very wide area. Highly specific trigger algorithms are needed to drastically reduce the data load in the presence of both atmospheric and human activity related background light, yet retain the rare cosmic ray events recorded in the telescope. We report the performance in offline testing of the first level trigger algorithm on data from JEM-EUSO prototypes and laboratory measurements observing different light sources: data taken during a high altitude balloon flight over Canada, laser pulses observed from the ground traversing the real atmosphere, and model landscapes reproducing realistic aspect ratios and light conditions as would be seen from the ISS itself. The first level trigger logic successfully kept the trigger rate within the permissible bounds when challenged with artificially produced as well as naturally encountered night sky background fluctuations and while retaining events with general air-shower characteristics