Intra-cultivar variability of three major olive cultivars grown in different areas of central-southern Italy and studied using microsatellite markers

A collection of 70 olive samples, originating from diverse areas in central-southern Italy (Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria, and Umbria) and corresponding to 3 major cultivars denominations (‘Carolea’, ‘Coratina’ and ‘Frantoio’), was genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. In total, 44 alleles with a mean number of 4.4 alleles per locus were detected. The molecular analysis, allowed the study to show a clear genetic diversity between the three cultivars ‘Carolea’, ‘Coratina’ and ‘Frantoio’ and to state that ‘Carolea’ is a polyclonal cultivar, while ‘Coratina’ and ‘Frantoio’, are probably monoclonal ones. The analysis of intra-varietal polymorphism, through the SSR analysis, proved to be very useful both for varietal identification and for intra-varietal ones. Our work shows that the current designations of olive cultivars fall short of describing the genetic variability among economically important plant material. A thorough investigation of the existing variability will prove of major importance for both management and economic production of olive trees.     

Identification of the artifact contribution to two urban Technosols by coupling a sorting test,chemical analyses,and a least absolute residual procedure

Journal of Soils and Sediments - In the context of urban extension, the depletion of natural resources for construction constitutes a crucial issue. Specifically, in the field of earthworks, the...     

Study on the impact of wastewater irrigation on the quality of oils obtained from olives harvested by hand and from the ground and extracted at different times after the harvesting

Nowadays, lots of efforts are made in Tunisia for the exploitation of wastewater in agriculture in order to face a very elevated mobilization of resources in water (90%). At Sfax, a Governorate placed in the South of Tunisia, the annual rainfall rarely exceeds 200 mm, so the climate is fairly arid. The significant water deficit can be reduced with the reuse of treated wastewater (TWW). The Sfax wastewater originated from the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) localized at 5 km in the south of Sfax, Tunisia. This WWTP is an aerated lagoon process receiving industrial wastewaters. Its treatment capacity is 24,000 m³/day. Part of TWW is sent to the olive crops of El Hajeb, as part of a proposed wastewater use in agriculture. Already the wastewater is used to irrigate olive trees and intercrops such as cotton, oats and sorghum silage (Charfi et al., 1999). The aim of the present work was to determine the impact of the irrigation utilizing wastewater on the quality of the oil. The oils analysed were extracted from olives hand-picked directly from the tree and from olives that have fallen under the trees. Moreover, a study on the olive storage has been made in order to evaluate in which way the collection of the fruit could influence the quality of the oil.     

Study of Calcium Ion Diffusion in Components of Maize Kernels During Traditional Nixtamalization Process

Our report shows the calcium ion diffusion process through the different parts of maize kernels (pericarp, endosperm, and germ) during the traditional nixtamalization process as a function of steeping time (t) 0–24 hr. The cooking step of the nixtamalization process used 3 kg of maize kernels in 6L of water and 2% calcium hydroxide (w/w). The cooking temperature was 92°C for 40 min. The calcium content of the samples was measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy. We found that the whole instant corn flour, pericarp, endosperm, and germ, had a nonlinear relationship to steeping time, showing a local maximum at 9 hr. Analysis of the different parts of the nixtamalized kernels showed that in short steeping times (0–5 hr) calcium diffusion took place mainly in the pericarp. Calcium diffusion in the endosperm and germ occurred gradually over longer steeping times. However, the physical state of the kernels (broken kernels) accelerated the diffusion process. Calcium diffusion occurred first in the pericarp, followed by the endosperm and germ. Immediately after cooking (t = 0 hr), we found a 1.148% calcium content in the pericarp, 0.007% in the germ, and 0.028% in the endosperm. After 24 hr of steeping, the calcium contents were 2.714% in the pericarp, 0.776% in the germ, and 0.181% in the endosperm. In another study, the calcium content in the endosperm was measured by first separating the 10% from the outermost, followed by another 10% from the next endosperm tissue, and concluding with the remaining 80%. Calcium ions were present mainly in the outermost layers of the endosperm. The damaged kernels steeped for more than 5 hr showed greater calcium concentrations than the undamaged counterparts.     

Renal perfusion parameters measured by contrast‐enhanced ultrasound in healthy dogs demonstrate a wide range of variability in the long‐term

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound may be helpful for detecting early renal microvascular damage and dysfunction in dogs. However, before this noninvasive imaging method can be tested as an early‐stage screening tool in clinical patients, an improved understanding of long‐term variation in healthy animals is needed. In this prospective, secondary, longitudinal, serial measurements study, variability of contrast‐enhanced ultrasound renal perfusion parameters was described for eight healthy dogs, using seven time points and a period of 83 weeks. Dogs were sedated with butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg), and contrast‐enhanced ultrasound of each kidney was performed after an intravenous bolus injection of a microbubble contrast agent (0.04 mL/kg). Time‐intensity curves were created from regions‐of‐interest drawn in the renal cortex and medulla. Intensity‐related parameters representing blood volume and time‐related parameters representing blood velocity were determined. A random‐effects model using restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate variance components. Within‐dog coefficient of variation was defined as the ratio of the standard deviation over the mean. Time‐related parameters such as time‐to‐peak, rise and fall time had lowest within‐dog variability. Intensity‐related parameters such as peak enhancement, wash‐in and wash‐out area under the curve, total area under the curve, and wash‐in and washout rates had high within‐dog variability (coefficient of variation > 45%). Authors therefore recommend the use of time‐related parameters for future studies of renal perfusion. Within‐dog variability for bilateral kidney measurements was extremely low, therefore contrast‐enhanced ultrasound may be particularly useful for detecting unilateral changes in renal perfusion. Future studies are needed to compare contrast‐enhanced ultrasound findings in healthy dogs versus dogs with renal disease.     

Olfactory perception of cysteine-S-conjugates from fruits and vegetables

Volatile sulfur compounds have a low odor threshold, and their presence at microgram per kilogram levels in fruits and vegetables influences odor quality. Sensory analysis demonstrates that naturally occurring, odorless cysteine- S-conjugates such as S-( R/ S)-3-(1-hexanol)- l-cysteine in wine, S-(1-propyl)- l-cysteine in onion, and S-(( R/ S)-2-heptyl)- l-cysteine in bell pepper are transformed into volatile thiols in the mouth by microflora. The time delay in smelling these volatile thiols was 20-30 s, and persistent perception of their odor occurred for 3 min. The cysteine- S-conjugates are transformed in free thiol by anaerobes. The mouth acts as a reactor, adding another dimension to odor perception, and saliva modulates flavors by trapping free thiols.     

Dorsal and ventral stimuli in cell-material interactions: effect on cell morphology

Cells behave differently between bidimensional (2D) and tridimensional (3D) environments. While most of the in vitro cultures are 2D, most of the in vivo extracellular matrices are 3D, which encourages the development of more relevant culture conditions, seeking to provide more physiological models for biomedicine (e.g., cancer, drug discovery and tissue engineering) and further insights into any dimension-dependent biological mechanism. In this study, cells were cultured between two protein coated surfaces (sandwich-like culture). Cells used both dorsal and ventral receptors to adhere and spread, undergoing morphological changes with respect to the 2D control. Combinations of fibronectin and bovine serum albumin on the dorsal and ventral sides led to different cell morphologies, which were quantified from bright field images by calculating the spreading area and circularity. Although the mechanism underlying these differences remains to be clarified, excitation of dorsal receptors by anchorage to extracellular proteins plays a key role on cell behavior. This approach--sandwich-like culture--becomes therefore a versatile method to study cell adhesion in well-defined conditions in a quasi 3D environment.