Search results for "plants"
showing 10 items of 1914 documents
Overexpression of a cell wall enzyme reduces xyloglucan depolymerization and softening of transgenic tomato fruits.
2010
Xyloglucan xyloglucosyltransferase/endohydrolase (XTHs: EC 2.4.1.207 and/or EC 3.2.1.151) has been proposed to have a dual role integrating newly secreted xyloglucan chains into an existing wall-bound xyloglucan and restructuring existing cell wall material by catalyzing transglucosylation between previously wall bound xyloglucan molecules. In this work we generated transgenic tomatoes with altered levels of an XTH gene. These transgenic fruits showed significant overexpression of the XTH proteins in comparison with the wild type. Specific XET activity was approximately 4.33 fold higher in the transgenic fruits compared with the wild type fruits, although in both cases the activity decrease…
Power Grid Integration and Use-Case Study of Acid-Base Flow Battery Technology
2021
There are many different types of energy storage systems (ESS) available and the functionality that they can provide is extensive. However, each of these solutions come with their own set of drawbacks. The acid-base flow battery (ABFB) technology aims to provide a route to a cheap, clean and safe ESS by means of providing a new kind of energy storage technology based on reversible dissociation of water via bipolar electrodialysis. First, the main characteristics of the ABFB technology are described briefly to highlight its main advantages and drawbacks and define the most-competitive use-case scenarios in which the technology could be applied, as well as analyze the particular characteristi…
Different scenarios of electric mobility: Current situation and possible future developments of fuel cell vehicles in Italy
2020
The diffusion of electric vehicles in Italy has started but some complications weight its spread. At present, hybrid technology is the most followed by users, due particularly to socioeconomic factors such as cost of investment and range anxiety. After a deep discussion of the Italian scenario, the aim of the paper is to recognize whether fuel cell technology may be an enabling solution to overcome pollution problems and respect for the environment. The opportunity to use fuel cells to store electric energy is quite fascinating&mdash
Enhanced Electrochemical Properties of Na0.67MnO2 Cathode for Na-Ion Batteries Prepared with Novel Tetrabutylammonium Alginate Binder
2022
This research was funded by the State Education Development Agency, the Republic of Latvia, grant number 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/166, "Advanced Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries". Institute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.
La valorizzazione della flora spontanea attraverso lo studio di nuovi biopesticidi: Artemisia arborescens L.
2013
A seguito del loro processo evolutivo, numerose specie vegetali hanno orientato il loro metabolismo secondario verso la produzione di molecole complesse, dotate in molti casi di un’evidente funzione protettiva nei confronti delle avversità (insetti, funghi, virus, ma anche altre piante in competizione). Lo studio e la valorizzazione di queste molecole, da utilizzare nell’ambito delle tecniche di difesa sostenibile ed integrata con l’obiettivo di ottenere una riduzione dell’impiego di prodotti sintetici ad elevato impatto ambientale, costituiscono oggi una tematica di ricerca di grande interesse. All’interno della flora spontanea mediterranea, molto rappresentata è Artemisia arborescens L., …
Biocompatibility of alginates for grafting: impact of alginate molecular weight.
2003
Optimising microencapsulation technology towards the effective clinical transplantation has created the need for highly biocompatible alginates. Therefore, in this study the biocompatibility of different beads prepared from alginates with varying average molecular weight was examined. In some experiments the beads were covered with a multilayer membrane surrounded by an alginate layer. First of all, we found that beads made of a lower weight average alginate elicted a much stronger fibrotic response compared to beads made of a higher weight average alginate (LV-alginate > MV-alginate). The results were confirmed by the observation that the extent of tissue fibrosis was significantly increas…
Hot spots, indicator taxa, complementarity and optimal networks of taiga
2000
If hot spots for different taxa coincide, priority-setting surveys in a region could be carried out more cheaply by focusing on indicator taxa. Several previous studies show that hot spots of different taxa rarely coincide. However, in tropical areas indicator taxa may be used in selecting complementary networks to represent biodiversity as a whole. We studied beetles (Coleoptera), Heteroptera, polypores or bracket fungi (Polyporaceae) and vascular plants of old growth boreal taiga forests. Optimal networks for Heteroptera maximized the high overall species richness of beetles and vascular plants, but these networks were least favourable options for polypores. Polypores are an important gro…
Vascular flora evolution in the Soqotra Archipelago (Indian Ocean)
2012
The main floristic and vegetational features of the Soqotra Archipelago are outlined. The theories of vicariance and dispersal are commented with the support of examples suggesting the idea that both are complementary in the establishment and evolution of the flora of Soqotra. Finally the relation of alien vs natural elements of the flora is analyzed.
Placing metal micronutrients in context: transport and distribution in plants
2008
Plants have developed finely tuned mechanisms to efficiently acquire and balance the concentrations of essential metal micronutrients including iron, zinc, copper, and manganese, both at the cellular and systemic levels. The application of new emerging technologies to the study of Arabidopsis thaliana is providing a novel spatiotemporal view of plant metal homeostasis. These advances are uncovering unexpected links of metal homeostasis to central cellular processes, such as compartmentalization, daily redox oscillations, or transcriptional regulation. The intracellular compartmentalization of metals seems essential for optimizing the use of micronutrients during development and in response …
A new method for morphometric analysis of opal phytoliths from plants.
2014
Micro-morphometry has substantially gained ground in the field of phytolith analysis, but the comparability of results is limited due to the use of different methods. This paper presents a new, user-friendly method based on open-source software (FIJI) that is proposed as a step towards the introduction of a standard method. After obtaining a mask of a phytolith by making a digital drawing, 27 commonly used variables of size and shape are measured automatically. This method is not only useful for phytolith analysis, but may also be used for other fields of morphometric research. Users can furthermore customize the software tool when additional variables are required.