Fruit maturity and antioxidant activity affecting superficial scald development in ‘Abate Fétel’ pears

Superficial scald (SS) is one of the main physiological disorders affecting postharvest of pears. Its onset is linked to oxidative processes. Antioxidant compounds such as ascorbic acid and phenolics could play a key role in preventing SS. Growing environment and fruit quality also have an influence on SS symptoms occurrence. The aim of this project is to understand the relationship between antioxidant activity, phenolic content, and development of SS in ‘Abate Fétel’ pear. Moreover, the effect on SS of fruit maturity at harvest was assessed using multivariate statistical approach. Data were collected in thirty orchards in the EmiliaRomagna region (Italy) in three seasons (2018, 2019 and 2020), and the fruit were stored in a regular atmosphere for 120 days. Antioxidant capacity was determined by 2,2diphenyl1picrylhydrazy (DPPH) method and total phenol content by FolinCiocalteau colorimetric protocol. The results showed that 340 mg of ascorbate/100 g of FW and 300 mg of gallic ac./100 g of FW at least provide good protection against SS. Multivariate analysis indicated that pulp firmness and index of absorbance difference (IAD) seem to keep low the SS occurrence, when at harvest are higher than 6.3 kg and 1.9, respectively. In conclusion, it would be possible to build a forecasting model to control SS that considers preharvest data and content of antioxidants in different orchards, to improve the postharvest management of ‘Abate Fétel’

Flexible Lipid Bilayers in Implicit Solvent

A minimalist simulation model for lipid bilayers is presented. Each lipid is represented by a flexible chain of beads in implicit solvent. The hydrophobic effect is mimicked through an intermolecular pair potential localized at the ``water''/hydrocarbon tail interface. This potential guarantees realistic interfacial tensions for lipids in a bilayer geometry. Lipids self assemble into bilayer structures that display fluidity and elastic properties consistent with experimental model membrane systems. Varying molecular flexibility allows for tuning of elastic moduli and area/molecule over a range of values seen in experimental systems.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Co-localization of two different viral genomes in the same sample by double-chemiluminescence in situ hybridization

A double-chemiluminescence in situ hybridization has been developed that combines the advantages of chemiluminescence with the detection of two different viral DNAs, i.e., herpes simplex virus (HSV..

Therapeutic androgen receptor ligands

In the past several years, the concept of tissue-selective nuclear receptor ligands has emerged. This concept has come to fruition with estrogens, with the successful marketing of drugs such as raloxifene. The discovery of raloxifene and other selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) has raised the possibility of generating selective compounds for other pathways, including androgens (that is, selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs)

ESPACIOS, TRADICIONES Y CAMBIOS EN CONCHUCOS. Ecos desde la Escuela de etnografía del Proyecto “Antonio Raimondi”, Ancash Perú

Este volumen nace con dos finalidades precisas. La primera, dar a conocer los trabajos de investigación etnográfica que un grupo de nueve estudiantes de la Universidad de Bologna (Italia) y otro de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú han desarrollado en la provincia de Huari, Ancash, Perú, durante seis años, entre 2003 y 2008 en el marco del Proyecto Arqueológico y Antropológico “Antonio Raimondi”. La segunda finalidad es realizar la difusión de las únicas miradas etnográficas que hasta hoy se han producido sobre la región Conchucos. Otro objetivo, más teórico y más implícito, es desplegar a lo largo del camino de la lectura de los casos etnográficos, una visión processual y dinamista de la escritura etnográfica y de la especulación antropológica, procedente de una manera precisa de hacer trabajo de campo. Los artículos aquí propuestos presentan, mediante varios estilos y diferentes acercamientos, una realidad sociocultural en movimiento, en constante cambio. Construyendo cuadros de varios aspectos sociales, políticos y culturales de la provincia de Huari, los autores delinean un escenario en proceso en el cual diferentes actores, ámbitos y dinámicas socioculturales se interrelacionan, participando de maneras diferents en la transformación

Fauna de Lepidoptera associada a plantas lactíferas do cerrado

Nine lactiferous plants of five families were examined for caterpillars in a 4 ha cerrado sensu stricto (savanna-like vegetation) area of the University of Brasília Experimental Farm (DF, Brazil), from August 1995 to May 1997. In 5,540 censuses, less than 5% of the plants hosted caterpillars. All the caterpillars found, a total of 55 species in 15 families were reared under laboratory conditions. Pyralidae, Geometridae, Elachistidae, Megalopygidae, and Limacodidae were the richest caterpillar families recorded. Of the 55 species, more than 40% were polyphagous, feeding on different host plant families, while 21 were considered rare species with less than four records during the study period. The species' rareness did not permit any analysis of diet breadth. The presence of latex in the host plants seems to affect both the proportion of host plants with caterpillars (abundance) and the caterpillar species richness. The habit of eating plants that characteristically produce latex occurs in several distantly-related lepidopteran families. The results support the argument that specific behaviors to circumvent plant latex defense may have arisen independently many times in the Lepidoptera.Nove espécies de cinco famílias de plantas hospedeiras lactíferas foram examinadas, a procura de lagartas, em uma área de cerca de 4 ha de cerrado sensu stricto na Fazenda Água Limpa da Universidade de Brasília, DF, Brasil, de agosto de 1995 a maio de 1997. Foram realizados 5.540 censos e em menos de 5% das plantas hospedeiras foram encontradas lagartas. Todas as lagartas encontradas foram criadas em condições de laboratório. No laboratório emergiram 55 espécies de 15 famílias de Lepidoptera. As famílias mais comuns foram Pyralidae, Geometridae, Elachistidae, Megalopygidae e Limacodidae. Do total de 55 espécies mais de 40% são certamente polífagas. Entretanto, 21 espécies podem ser consideradas raras com menos de quatro ocorrências, o que impede uma análise de dieta. De um modo geral a presença de látex nas plantas hospedeiras parece afetar a abundância e a riqueza de espécies de Lepidoptera. Espécies de Lepidoptera de famílias distantes filogeneticamente foram encontradas alimentando-se dessas plantas lactíferas, o que corrobora a sugestão de que comportamentos específicos desenvolvidos para alimentar-se de plantas com látex tenham evoluido várias vezes entre os lepidópteros

Multi-Particle Collision Dynamics -- a Particle-Based Mesoscale Simulation Approach to the Hydrodynamics of Complex Fluids

In this review, we describe and analyze a mesoscale simulation method for fluid flow, which was introduced by Malevanets and Kapral in 1999, and is now called multi-particle collision dynamics (MPC) or stochastic rotation dynamics (SRD). The method consists of alternating streaming and collision steps in an ensemble of point particles. The multi-particle collisions are performed by grouping particles in collision cells, and mass, momentum, and energy are locally conserved. This simulation technique captures both full hydrodynamic interactions and thermal fluctuations. The first part of the review begins with a description of several widely used MPC algorithms and then discusses important features of the original SRD algorithm and frequently used variations. Two complementary approaches for deriving the hydrodynamic equations and evaluating the transport coefficients are reviewed. It is then shown how MPC algorithms can be generalized to model non-ideal fluids, and binary mixtures with a consolute point. The importance of angular-momentum conservation for systems like phase-separated liquids with different viscosities is discussed. The second part of the review describes a number of recent applications of MPC algorithms to study colloid and polymer dynamics, the behavior of vesicles and cells in hydrodynamic flows, and the dynamics of viscoelastic fluids

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine