Search results for "RATIO"
showing 10 items of 33258 documents
Potential of science to address the hunger issue: Ecology, biotechnology, cattle breeding and the large pantry of the sea
2018
The knowledge about the real possibilities that current science gives us is basic to support everything that is not negative either for men or for our environment. In this way, it is an advantage to win this battle against hunger with rational use of science advantages. In this paper, we start from the basis that the solution to the problems of hunger requires the multidisciplinary action of sciences and knowledge. We provide a reflection on the possibilities to be considered from disciplines such as ecology, biotechnology, veterinary and aquaculture. The need for ecological studies where the role of human beings as part of ecosystems is considered. In addition, advances in molecular biolog…
Not all sex ratios are equal : the Fisher condition, parental care and sexual selection
2017
The term ‘sex roles’ encapsulates male–female differences in mate searching, competitive traits that increase mating/fertilization opportunities, choosiness about mates and parental care. Theoretical models suggest that biased sex ratios drive the evolution of sex roles. To model sex role evolution, it is essential to note that in most sexually reproducing species (haplodiploid insects are an exception), each offspring has one father and one mother. Consequently, the total number of offspring produced by each sex is identical, so the mean number of offspring produced by individuals of each sex depends on the sex ratio (Fisher condition). Similarly, the total number of heterosexual matings …
Transient Transformation of A. thaliana Seedlings by Vacuum Infiltration
2020
Transient expression in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings allows fast expression of fluorescent markers for different subcellular compartments. This protocol describes a transient transformation assay with five-day-old seedlings using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated vacuum infiltration. Three days after infiltration of the Agrobacterium containing an expression vector for a fluorescent marker of interest, cotyledon cells expressing the fluorescent protein can be imaged in a confocal microscope. This assay allows high-throughput screening of new constructs and the study of the localization of a large number of subcellular markers in Arabidopsis seedlings including wild-type, stable over-expr…
Metabolic profiling and post-harvest behavior of “dottato” fig (Ficus carica L.) fruit covered with an edible coating from O. ficus-indica
2018
Fig fruits are usually highly sensitive to some physiopathological disorders during post-harvest life, such as softening and skin cracking. Indeed, the use of edible coating (EC) has been evaluated in several fruit crops to reduce fruit post-harvest transpiration and to maintain fruit visual quality. The aim of this study was to determine the post-harvest metabolic response of breba figs treated with mucilage extract from O. ficus-indica cladodes, using an untargeted metabolomic approach. Coated and non coated (control) fruit were sealed in plastic bags, and stored at 4 °C for 7 days. The effect of the edible coatings on their quality fruit during cold storage and qualitative attributes wer…
Lipid Nanoparticles as Potential Gene Therapeutic Delivery Systems for Oral Administration.
2017
Background Gene therapy has experimented an increasing attention in the last decades, due to its enormous potential applications in the medical field. It can be defined as the use of genes or genetic material (DNA, RNA, oligonucleotides) to treat or prevent a disease state, generally a geneticbased one. Application Other applications, like treating viral, bacterial or parasite infections or development of vaccines are gaining also interest. Efficient gene therapy is mainly dependent on the ability of the highly labile genetic material to reach the therapeutic target. For this purpose, different delivery systems have been designed and extensively investigated. Nanoparticles offer a broad ran…
Phenotypic traits of berries and seeds of Sicilian grape cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.)
2020
Abstract Grapevine is characterized by high variability in seed and berry morphology and their phenotypic traits are usually used to describe V. vinifera varieties. The goal of this study was to investigate the phenotypic diversity of berry and seed traits and the relationships between berry and seed morphological characteristics of autochthonous accessions of Sicilian germplasm. In two seasons, twenty bunches per cultivar were harvested at technological maturity. Berry weight; berry longitudinal and transversal diameters; seed number/weight per berry; and seed length, thickness, width and beak length were determined, after which the diameter ratio was calculated. Black and white cultivars …
Factors affecting somatic embryogenesis in eight Italian grapevine cultivars and the genetic stability of embryo-derived regenerants as assessed by m…
2016
Abstract Embryogenic cultures have been used in cryopreservation, genetic transformation, propagation, virus elimination, induced mutagenesis and in many other biotechnological applications, providing excellent opportunities for biotechnology advances in grapevine. Unfortunately the efficiency of somatic embryogenesis (SE) is genotype-dependent in addition to showing interaction with explant type used and the plant growth regulator (PGR) composition. In order to identify the interaction of these parameters in SE, we tested eight wine grapevine cultivars, three explant types (ovary, anther/filament and stigma/style) and four PGR combinations in a statistically designed experiment. The genoty…
Howl variation across Himalayan, North African, Indian, and Holarctic wolf clades: tracing divergence in the world’s oldest wolf lineages using acous…
2017
Abstract Vocal divergence within species often corresponds to morphological, environmental, and genetic differences between populations. Wolf howls are long-range signals that encode individual, group, and subspecies differences, yet the factors that may drive this variation are poorly understood. Furthermore, the taxonomic division within the Canis genus remains contended and additional data are required to clarify the position of the Himalayan, North African, and Indian wolves within Canis lupus. We recorded 451 howls from the 3 most basal wolf lineages—Himalayan C. lupus chanco—Himalayan haplotype, North African C. lupus lupaster, and Indian C. lupus pallipes wolves—and present a howl ac…
Secondary metabolites and eco-friendly techniques for agricultural weed/pest management
2021
In agro-ecosystems, pests (insects, weeds, and other plant’s parasites) compete with crops for edaphic resources, negatively affecting quality and crop yields [1]. Nowadays, synthetic pesticides, easy to apply and accessible to farmers, are the most common and effective methods for pest management [2]. Nevertheless, the negative impact of these chemicals on the environment, human health, and the development of herbicides/pesticides-resistance are shifting the attention to alternative pest control technologies based on natural compounds [3–6]. Therefore, new eco-friendly agronomic techniques and the use of natural or natural-like molecules might represent a valid alternative strategy for pes…
Water Deficit Affects the Growth and Leaf Metabolite Composition of Young Loquat Plants
2020
Water scarcity in the Mediterranean area is very common and understanding responses to drought is important for loquat management and production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of drought on the growth and metabolism of loquat. Ninety two-year-old plants of &lsquo