Olive Varieties under UV-B Stress Show Distinct Responses in Terms of Antioxidant Machinery and Isoform/Activity of RubisCO

In recent decades, atmospheric pollution led to a progressive reduction of the ozone layer with a consequent increase in UV-B radiation. Despite the high adaptation of olive trees to the Mediterranean environment, the progressive increase of UV-B radiation is a risk factor for olive tree cultivation. It is therefore necessary to understand how high levels of UV-B radiation affect olive plants and to identify olive varieties which are better adapted. In this study we analyzed two Italian olive varieties subjected to chronic UV-B stress. We focused on the effects of UV-B radiation on RubisCO, in terms of quantity, enzymatic activity and isoform composition. In addition, we also analyzed changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPox) to get a comprehensive picture of the antioxidant system. We also evaluated the effects of UV-B on the enzyme sucrose synthase. The overall damage at biochemical level was also assessed by analyzing changes in Hsp70, a protein triggered under stress conditions. The results of this work indicate that the varieties (Giarraffa and Olivastra Seggianese) differ significantly in the use of specific antioxidant defense systems, as well as in the activity and isoform composition of RubisCO. Combined with a different use of sucrose synthase, the overall picture shows that Giarraffa optimized the use of GPox and opted for a targeted choice of RubisCO isoforms, in addition to managing the content of sucrose synthase, thereby saving energy during critical stress points.     

News or social media? Socio-economic divide of mobile service consumption

Reliable and timely information on socio-economic status and divides is critical to social and economic research and policing. Novel data sources from mobile communication platforms have enabled new cost-effective approaches and models to investigate social disparity, but their lack of interpretability, accuracy or scale has limited their relevance to date. We investigate the divide in digital mobile service usage with a large dataset of 3.7 billion time-stamped and geo-referenced mobile traffic records in a major European country, and find profound geographical unevenness in mobile service usage—especially on news, e-mail, social media consumption and audio/video streaming. We relate such diversity with income, educational attainment and inequality, and reveal how low-income or low-education areas are more likely to engage in video streaming or social media and less in news consumption, information searching, e-mail or audio streaming. The digital usage gap is so large that we can accurately infer the socio-economic status of a small area or even its Gini coefficient only from aggregated data traffic. Our results make the case for an inexpensive, privacy-preserving, real-time and scalable way to understand the digital usage divide and, in turn, poverty, unemployment or economic growth in our societies through mobile phone data.     

Water effect on the morphology of EVOH copolymers

The effect of water on the morphology of four ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH) with different ethylene contents was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). EVOH film samples equilibrated in controlled atmospheres at different relative humidities (RH) and 23°C were analyzed. Under dry conditions, the glass transition temperature (T_g) was unaffected by copolymer ethylene content. As RH increases, T_g decreases. It seems that the presence of water within the polymer matrix results in plasticization of the polymer. T_g varies from around 50°C (dry) to below room temperature. EVOH copolymers are glassy polymers when dry and rubbery polymers at high RHs. Fox and Gordon–Taylor's equations well describe T_g depletion at low water uptake, although severe water gain results in a considerable T_g decrease, which is not predicted by these theories. Melting temperature, T_m, and enthalpy, ΔH_m, were also analyzed. When dry, T_m decreases as ethylene content increases. No significant water effect was found on either T_m or ΔH_m. Hence, crystallinity seems to be unaffected by water presence. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1201–1206, 1999     

Influence of N-oxyls on the free radical autopolymerization of styrene

Through comparative studies on the controlled thermally initiated radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of N-oxyls, the effect of the type of the N-oxyls (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO), 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (OH-TEMPO), 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (oxo-TEMPO) and 4-acetamido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (acetamido-TEMPO)), as well as the concentration of the N-oxyls (3–20 mmol L^–1) are discussed. The radical formation proceeds exclusively through the thermal initiation of styrene, i.e. without using any initiator. It is observed, that the thermal self-initiation of styrene increases the radical yield remarkably with the N-oxyls concentration, independent of the type of the N-oxyl. The concentration-dependent side reactions of substituted N-oxyls are remarkably more pronounced than those of unsubstituted N-oxyl. This leads to the reduction of the overall rate of polymerization (v_br) as compared to TEMPO (v_br = v_br (thermal polymerization)) with respect to the concentration, but independent of the type of substituents.     

Template‐Assisted Electroforming of Fully Semi‐Hard‐Magnetic Helical Microactuators

The authors report on the fabrication of semi‐hard‐magnetic microhelices using template‐assisted electroforming. The method consists of electrodepositing a material on a sacrificial mandrel on which a pattern has been previously written. To electroform the helical microswimmers, a helical template on a polymer‐coated metallic mandrel is created using a laser, which precisely ablates the polymer coating and exposes the mandrel surface. Subsequently, the semi‐hard‐magnetic material is electrodeposited in the trenches produced by the laser. In this investigation, the helical structures are obtained from an electrolyte, which enables the production of hard‐magnetic CoPt alloys. The authors also show that electroformed semi‐hard‐magnetic helical microswimmers can propel in viscous environments such as silicon oil in three dimensions and against gravity. Their manufacturing approach can be used for the fabrication of more complex architectures for a wide range of applications and can be potentially extended to any electroplatable material.

     

Risk assessment of war wrecks – a comprehensive approach investigating four wrecks containing munitions in the German Bight/North Sea

Shipwrecks and dumped munition continue to be a major hazard, both in the North Sea but also on a global scale. Research within the EU Interreg project North Sea Wrecks (NSW), in cooperation with the German Aerospace Centre, Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures (DLR), is generating new insights into the status of wrecks, the potential leakage of pollutants from remaining munitions loads and the effects of contamination on exposed marine organisms in the North Sea environment. Further, historical documents are generated from archives to describe ship's history and sinking scenario. These historical findings were compared to models and images of the visual inspections of the wrecks. Further, samples of water, sediment and organisms are being analysed for traces of explosives. Combining the results of these different fields of research allows for a better understanding of the environmental risks deriving from these wrecks. This process is shown below by focusing on the wreck of the German light cruiser SMS MAINZ, which sank in 1914. Data were compared to three additional wrecks situated also within the southern German Bight. Available data about the wrecks were preliminary assessed using a wreck risk model. Finally, wrecks were ranked according to their potential environmental risk.     

Multimode equivalent network representation for junctions between coaxial and circular waveguides

In this article we present two contributions to the study of coaxial waveguide structures. First, we present an efficient and accurate technique to evaluate the modes in the coaxial waveguides; second, we analyze junctions involving coaxial and circular waveguides using the multimode equivalent network representation. Numerical and experimental results are presented, showing good agreement. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Microwave Millimeter-Wave CAE 7: 180–194, 1997.     

Current Scenario of Adsorbent Materials Used in Ethylene Scavenging Systems to Extend Fruit and Vegetable Postharvest Life

Fruit and vegetables are much appreciated by consumers due to their nutritional values and health-promoting compounds. However, different factors affect the postharvest life of such products, in where ethylene is a major one, even at low concentrations, besides temperature and relative humidity. Therefore, high attention has been focused on the development of effective tools to remove ethylene from the atmosphere surrounding these products during storage or in transit. Potassium permanganate scrubbers are one of the most used technologies to remove ethylene from horticultural products. To facilitate and improve the oxidation process, potassium permanganate has been supported onto inert solid materials of a small particle size. In this review, we aim to provide an outline of the most common materials used as potassium permanganate supports on postharvest treatment and their respective effects on quality aspects of various fresh produce during postharvest life. Vermiculite, activated alumina, zeolite, silica gel, activated carbon and clays are the most popular materials that have been used as a support of potassium permanganate-based ethylene scrubbers. The literature suggests that potassium permanganate supported onto silica gel or zeolite seems to be a promising tool to maintain fruit and vegetables quality attributes for long-term storage. Although vermiculite and activated alumina are the most commonly used materials to reach this goal, not promising results have been reported.