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Green algae of the genus Ulva have been identified as suitable organisms for biomass production and good candidates for the development of seaweed blue-biotech industries. The fluctuation of chemical composition during the growth of the algae, which depends largely on environmental factors, makes the development of rapid phenotyping protocols necessary. In this work the efficacy of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict dry matter, mineral fraction, nitrogen, and carbon contents directly from wet untreated samples and from dried samples was studied. Partial least square (PLS) models from spectra recorded on 80 samples were used to predict dry matter, and 44 samples to predict carbon, nitrogen and mineral fraction on a wet and dry weight basis. NIR models developed from spectra acquired on wet samples had good accuracy (R2>0.9) for the prediction of N (on a ww and dw basis) and C (on a ww basis). Models with lower R2 scores have been obtained for dry matter (R2=0.610) and MF (R2=0.506-0.693). The models developed to predict carbon and nitrogen directly on wet and untreated samples present NIRS as a valuable tool to determine these parameters in a rapid and low-cost way, allowing making decisions about the optimal harvesting time.

The purpose of this study was to describe the use of the VIPER software for patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) of single-isocenter multitarget (SIMT) stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) plans.Twenty clinical of intensity-modulated (IMRT) SIMT SRS plans were reviewed. A total of 88 brain metastases were included. Number of lesions per plan and their individual volumes ranged from 2 to 35 and from 0.03 to 32.8 cmThe averages (± 1 SD) of the 3D GPRs over the 20 SRS plans were: 99.9 ± 0.2%, 99.7 ± 0.3%, 99.6 ± 0.5%, 99.3 ± 0.9%,99.1 ± 1.6%, 99.0 ± 1.6%, and 98.5 ± 3.3%, for dose thresholds of 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 80% and 90% respectively.This work shows the feasibility of the VIPER software for PSQA of SIMT SRS plans, being a reliable alternative to commercially available 2D detector arrays.

The diversity preserved within the European long shelf life tomato landraces (LSL) is a unique source to design high quality tomato products better adapted to changing environmental conditions and, thereby, to reduce food losses. The adaptation of LSL to water deficit (WD) management practices and their postharvest keeping ability can be used as tools to concomitantly enhance fruit quality and sustainable production. In this study, we investigated the effect of WD conditions and the plant growing environment (open field vs. tunnel) on quality traits of two genotypes of the Penjar LSL variety (modern hybrid (MV) and landrace (LR)). Changes in ripening-related quality traits (fruit ethylene production, respiration rate, firmness, color, soluble solids content, titratable acidity and the content of antioxidants, as well as specific sugars and acids) in response to the different preharvest factors were evaluated at the time of harvest and after a short period of storage (30 days), following actual commercial practices. Significant differences among genotypes were encountered for most quality traits at the time of harvest and higher intra- and inter-environment heterogeneity was observed in the LR than in the MV genotype. In general, Penjar tomatoes exhibit a low physiological activity (ethylene production, 0.56–1.33 µL kg-1 h-1, respiration rate: 0.015–0.026 mg CO2 kg-1 h-1) at harvest. In both genotypes, WD increased to a different extent the fruit external color (redness, lightness) as well as the sensory (SSC) and nutritional (antioxidant capacity) fruit profiles. By contrast, the growing environment had little impact on most fruit quality traits. Postharvest storage only led to a slight reduction in the fruit respiration and ethylene production, lower sugars and acids content, enhanced color and no firmness changes. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that selecting the appropriate genotypes is the most important step towards the design of high-quality LSL tomatoes, while WD and short-term storage can be used by farmers as a strategy to differentiate the product quality in specific market niches. This research was funded by the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat de Catalunya (grant number 562102820162A) and by Federació Selmar and Cooperativa Conca de la Tordera who managed the experimental fields. The author Joan Casals is a Serra Hunter Fellow.

A comprehensive collection of 1,254 tomato accessions corresponding to European heirlooms and landraces, together with modern varieties, early domesticates and wild relatives, were analyzed by genotyping by sequencing. A continuous genetic gradient between the vintage and modern varieties was observed. European vintage tomatoes displayed very low genetic diversity, with only 298 loci out of 64,943 variants being polymorphic at the 95% threshold. European vintage tomatoes could be classified in several genetic groups. Two main clusters consisting of Spanish and Italian accessions showed a higher genetic diversity than the rest varieties, suggesting that these regions might be independent secondary centers of diversity and with a different history. Other varieties seem to be the result of a more recent complex pattern of migrations and hybridizations among the European regions. Several polymorphic loci were associated in a GWAS with fruit morphological traits in the European vintage collection, and the corresponding alleles were found to contribute to the distinctive phenotypic characteristic of the genetic varietal groups. The few highly polymorphic loci associated with morphological traits in an otherwise diversity-poor genome suggests a history of balancing selection, in which tomato farmers maintained the morphological variation by applying a high selective pressure within different varietal types.HighlightThe high phenotypic diversity observed among European vintage varieties was created by traditional farmers by combining very few polymorphic loci subjected to balancing selection.

Consumer dissatisfaction with the flavor quality of many modern fresh market tomato varieties has fostered breeders’ interest in sensory quality improvement, and the demand for traditional varieties, which are generally associated with better flavor. To achieve further knowledge on the factors influencing the sensory quality and consumers’ preferences and perception, European traditional and modern fresh market tomato varieties were grown and evaluated in France, Italy, and Spain. Different growing conditions were tested in France (soilless vs. soil) and in Spain (open field vs. greenhouse), while in Italy fruits were evaluated at two ripening stages. Fruit quality was assessed by integrating physicochemical analyses, sensory profiles, and consumer tests. In all three countries, overall modern varieties were perceived as having more intense “tomato flavor” and “overall flavor” than traditional ones. In France and Spain, consumers’ preferences were more oriented towards modern varieties than traditional ones. Significant growing condition effects were found on sensory and physicochemical traits, while the effect on consumers’ overall liking was not significant, largely depending on the genotype. A fair agreement between product configurations from descriptive analysis by trained assessors and Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questions by consumers was observed. Penalty-lift analysis based on CATA allowed identifying positive and negative drivers of liking., This research was supported by European Commission H2020 research and innovation program through TRADITOM grant agreement No. 634561.

The individual effects of biotic and abiotic factors on tomatoes have been widely reported. However, under commercial conditions, multiple interactions between factors occur, masking or even changing the direction of their effects in some cases. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of preharvest factors affecting yield, quality (soluble solids content, fruit color, and firmness), and shelf-life of long-shelf-life Mediterranean varieties of tomatoes. We studied five long-shelf-life genotypes under 16 growing environments, including tunnel and open-air systems and suboptimal to excessive fertigation (22–142% crop evapotranspiration). The results enabled us to classify traits into three groups according to the importance of the contributions of different types of factors: mainly genotype (ripening earliness and firmness), genotype plus environment (yield, fruit weight, water-use efficiency (WUE)), or genotype plus environment plus the interaction between genotype and environment (cracking, soluble solids content, and shelf-life). Under similar management practices, open-air conditions optimized yields, and high fertigation doses improved yield and marketability (firmness), but reduced quality (redness and soluble solids content). WUE was maximized under low-input cropping systems (comparable to traditional agrosystems), and the balance between WUE and yield was optimized when fertigation was adjusted to the requirements of the crop. Shelf-life was negatively correlated with high-yielding environments, and day–night amplitude in relative humidity was strongly correlated with the incidence of fruit cracking. The present study sheds light on the contributions of environment and management practices on tomato yield and quality, and provides a basis on which to select better management practices for the novel commercial group of European long-shelf-life tomato landraces.

53 pages, 10 figures, 20 tables, This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today’s problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country’s natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability, This research was funded by the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC). With the funding support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI)

Fast and massive characterization of quality attributes in tomatoes is a necessary step toward its improvement; for sensory attributes this process is time-consuming and very expensive, which causes its absence in routine phenotpying. We aimed to assess the feasibility of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a fast and economical tool to predict both the chemical and sensory properties of tomatoes. We built partial least squares models from spectra recorded from tomato puree and juice in 53 genetically diverse varieties grown in two environments. Samples were divided in calibration (210 samples for chemical traits, 45 samples for sensory traits) and validation sets (60 and 10, respectively) using the Kennard Stone algorithm. Models from puree spectra gave validation r2 values higher than 0.97 for fructose, glucose, soluble solids content, and dry matter (relative standard error of prediction, RSEP% ranged 3.5–5.8), while r2 values for sensory properties were lower (ranging 0.702–0.917 for taste-related traits (RSEP%: 9.1–20.0), and 0.009–0.849 for texture related traits (RSEP%: 3.6–72.1)). For sensory traits such as explosiveness, juiciness, sweetness, acidity, taste intensity, aroma intensity, and mealiness, NIR spectroscopy is potentially useful for scanning large collections of samples to identify likely candidates to select for tomato quality. This work was supported by the Departament d’Agricultura Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentacio de la Generalitat de Catalunya (grant number AAM/259/2013); and the Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad del Gobierno de Espa~na (grant number CTQ 2016-79696-P, AEI/FEDER, EU).

Tomato landrace producers are adopting grafting technology to overcome agronomic deficiencies and increase plant yields. Landraces are valued for their higher organoleptic quality, so it is important to assess the impact of grafting on their sensory profile. We studied the influence of ‘Beaufort’ rootstock on agronomic, morphologic, and sensory traits using two landraces (‘Mando’ and ‘Montgri’) and one commercial cultivar (‘Egara’) as scions in two extreme management systems for tomato cultivation: conventional/greenhouse and organic/open field. Panel sensory analysis found that grafting onto ‘Beaufort’ had a negative effect on sensory attributes, reducing sweetness, acidity, and intensity of flavor in the organic system and sweetness and intensity of flavor in the conventional system. In conventional management, grafting also modified some aspects of fruit appearance. In the conventional system, grafting significantly increased yield in all the genotypes (mean increase, 52%). By contrast, in the organic system, grafting increased yield only in the ‘Mando’ landrace (mean increase, 62.3%). As many genotype × grafting interactions affecting many important commercial traits occurred in both management systems, specific studies with different rootstock-scion combinations are highly recommended before adopting this technique for producing landraces with high sensory quality.

[EN] European horticulture, especially in the southern states, must exploit new qualities to increase the added value of its vegetables. This article aims to analyze the situation of the European geographical quality labels Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) to ascertain whether they are useful for this purpose. To this end, we studied the registers of the current horticultural products awarded PDO or PGI status, and we surveyed the authorities responsible for managing the labels for these products. We found that protected labels have grown steadily since their inception about thirty years ago, becoming a powerful mechanism for landrace conservation and a source of added benefits. The strongest points in the management of these labels include anchoring the products in the local history and culture roots and defining the prominent characteristics of their external appearance, and the weakest points are the lack of information about chemical traits and especially about sensory traits (texture, odor, taste). To strengthen PDO and PGI labels, we propose increasing the requirements for sensory descriptions, homogenizing protocols for analyzing sensory traits, incorporating methods combining trained sensory panels and instrumental methods such as spectroscopy, and involving public administrations in both obtaining and managing the labels. As an example of the potential impact of European geographical labels on territorial rebalancing and the organization of European horticulture, we propose a panoply of products in Spain that are good candidates for protected status., This work was supported by the ¿Departament d¿Agricultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya¿.

Nuestra profesión sostiene un acuerdo con la ley de la gravedad, que ni los posibles desafíos estructurales que permiten hoy los avances de la ingeniería, consiguen salvar la dependencia del proyecto respecto del suelo [1]. Cabe asumir esta condición de la arquitectura, y cuando esto ocurre, tanto empieza un ejercicio proyectual, en el que por un lado, es posible observar multitud de variables que emanan de los abundantes aspectos socio-físicos que definen cada lugar concreto y de cómo éstos son interpretados por la experiencia vivida por cada arquitecto [2]. Como, por otro lado, también es posible detectar ciertas constantes, que a menudo se repiten, como son las que permiten hablar de cómo algunos mecanismos proyectuales se dirigen a fundar la cota cero de la arquitectura tomando más o menos distancia respecto de una línea de horizonte que al observarla emana realmente complejidad. Sverre Fehn, a propósito de estas cuestiones, tomó por ejemplo consciencia de su grueso, de sus capas y de la relación que existe entre sus extremos, y de hecho, en su famoso dibujo del pez y el pájaro, definió este horizonte como un estado límite [3]. Steven Holl, años más tarde, explicaría además qué posibles relaciones posicionales podía tomar la arquitectura cuando dialoga con este soporte limítrofe [4]. Aceptando ahora este posible diálogo alrededor de las fronteras de nuestros ineludibles cimientos, este artículo, propone tomar aquí algunos ejemplos, para demostrar además, cómo algunas de estas estrategias contempladas por Holl bajo la idea de Fehn, pueden además esconder un interés por construir el paisaje [5]. Algo que fácilmente puede percatarse en la Casa Ugalde y La Ricarda por un lado, y el Parc Cementiri de Igualada y el Parc de Pedra Tosca por otro lado. Proyectos que alrededor de la cota cero nos proponen aprovechar estratos existentes, construir podios elevados o incluso generar nuevas topografías elevadas a través de excepcionales grados de ficción [6], que definen el carácter individual de cada intervención, en su interés por construir el paisaje; en su interés por relacionar la arquitectura con el paisaje y el paisaje con la arquitectura. Our profession maintains an agreement with the law of gravity, which, even the possible structural challenges that engineering advances allow today, cannot save the dependence of the project on the ground. This condition of architecture can be assumed, and when this occurs, a projective exercise begins, in which, on the one hand, it is possible to observe a multitude of variables that emanate from the abundant socio-physical aspects that define each specific place and how these they are interpreted by the experience lived by each architect. As, on the other hand, it is also possible to detect certain constants, which are often repeated, such as those that allow us to talk about how some projective mechanisms are aimed at founding the ground level of architecture by taking more or less distance from a line of horizon that when observed really emanates complexity. Sverre Fehn, on the subject of these questions, became aware, for example, of its thickness, of its layers and of the relationship that exists between its ends, and in fact, in its famous drawing of the fish and the bird, defined this horizon as a state limit. Years later, Steven Holl would further explain what possible positional relationships architecture could take when dialoguing with this border support. Now accepting this possible dialogue around the borders of our inescapable foundations, this article proposes to take some examples here, to further demonstrate how some of these strategies contemplated by Holl under the idea of Fehn, may also hide an interest in building the landscape. Something that can easily be noticed in the Casa Ugalde and La Ricarda on the one hand, and the Parc Cementiri de Igualada and the Parc de Pedra Tosca on the other hand. Projects that around the zero level propose us to take advantage of existing strata, build elevated podiums or even generate new elevated topographies through exceptional degrees of fiction [6], which define the individual character of each intervention, in its interest in constructing the landscape; in his interest in relating architecture to landscape and landscape to architecture.

[EN] The dramatic reduction in the diversity of crops in the last century is often attributed to the consolidation of scientific breeding, probably because the two processes have occurred at the same time. We carried out a breeding program to enhance the Castellfollit del Boix landrace of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in a low-input environment to determine the effects of breeding on a landrace at risk of disappearing. The program increased the number of accessions conserved ex situ and obtained more efficient genotypes that are less likely to be abandoned by farmer without altering the characteristics that consumers appreciate most. As a result, the availability of the product, its promotion, and its use have increased. We propose a Conservation Potential Index to measure the impact of changes in the crop¿s epiphenotype, and also apply it to a set of landraces from several crops. We argue that scientific breeding and information gathered in the context of genetic improvement programs can help to conserve biodiversity when they aim to adapt materials to different local environments, rather than having a negative impact on the biodiversity of crops. This approach contrasts with the genetic erosion that results from efforts to homogenize environments by increasing inputs, so that a few improved varieties adapted to these environments can be grown., This research was funded by Ajuntament de Castellfollit del Boix, Consell Comarcal del Bages and Diputacio de Barcelona.

‘Calçot’ is the Catalan name for the immature floral stems of second‐year onion resprouts of the Blanca Tardana de Lleida (BTL) landrace. Highly appreciated for their sensory attributes, these resprouts are typically consumed after roasting on an open fire. Now new preparations are appearing, helping to expand the market for ‘calçots’. This study aimed (i) to compare the nutritional and sensory characteristics of BTL ‘calçots’ versus other onion varieties; (ii) to analyze the effects of cooking and / or in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the nutritional properties of ‘calçots’; and (iii) to determine the influence of the environment on the antioxidant properties of ‘calçots’. RESULTS The nutritional and sensory characteristics of both raw and cooked ‘calçots’ differed between varieties, with the exception of some minerals. Flavonoid content decreased by 85% during cooking, and total phenolic content decreased by 30%. By contrast, antioxidant activity increased after cooking. Most traits had a nonlinear response to heating, and differences between varieties generally decreased after cooking. Location also had a strong effect on antioxidant activity. In vitro digestion of cooked ‘calçots’ sharply decreased antioxidant activity after the intestinal phase. The only significant genotypic correlation between sensory and nutritional quality was the correlation between sweetness and ash content (R = −0.97). CONCLUSION Cooked BTL ‘calçots’ are within the limits of the onion domain for nutritional properties, and the variability reported for onion bulbs is also present in resprouts. The effects of the environment, cooking, and in vitro digestion clearly overlap the genetic effects. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

‘Calçots’, the immature floral stems of second-year onion resprouts, are an economically important traditional crop in Catalonia (Spain). Classical approaches to evaluating the chemical properties of ‘calçots’ are time consuming and expensive; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) may be faster and cheaper. We used NIRS to develop partial least square (PLS) models to predict dry matter, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, and ash content in cooked ‘calçots’. To guarantee the robustness of the models, calibration samples were grown and analyzed in a first season (2014–15) and validation samples in a second season (2015–16). NIRS on puree spectra estimated dry matter and soluble solid content with excellent accuracy (R2pred¿=¿0.953, 0.985 and RPD¿=¿4.571, 8.068, respectively). However, good estimation of titratable acidity and ash content required using ground dried puree spectra (R2pred¿=¿0.852, 0.820 and RPD¿=¿2.590, 1.987, respectively). NIRS can be a helpful tool for ‘calçots’ breeding and quality control.

[EN] The term "landrace" has generally been defined as a cultivated, genetically heterogeneous variety that has evolved in a certain ecogeographical area and is therefore adapted to the edaphic and climatic conditions and to its traditional management and uses. Despite being considered by many to be inalterable, landraces have been and are in a constant state of evolution as a result of natural and artificial selection. Many landraces have disappeared from cultivation but are preserved in gene banks. Using modern selection and breeding technology tools to shape these preserved landraces together with the ones that are still cultivated is a further step in their evolution in order to preserve their agricultural significance. Adapting historical landraces to present agricultural conditions using cutting-edge breeding technology represents a challenging opportunity to use them in a modern sustainable agriculture, as an immediate return on the investment is highly unlikely. Consequently, we propose a more inclusive definition of landraces, namely that they consist of cultivated varieties that have evolved and may continue evolving, using conventional or modern breeding techniques, in traditional or new agricultural environments within a defined ecogeographical area and under the influence of the local human culture. This includes adaptation of landraces to new management systems and the unconscious or conscious selection made by farmers or breeders using available technology. In this respect, a mixed selection system might be established in which farmers and other social agents develop evolved landraces from the variability generated by public entities., This work has been partially funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreements no. 634651 (TRADITOM) and no. 677379 (G2PSOL).

Although consumers appreciate the genetic diversity among tomato landraces, traditional varieties have been displaced from commercial agriculture. Their cultivation through organic farming in natural parks can contribute to their resurgence. With this aim, we developed a participatory plant breeding (PPB) program in Collserola Natural Park (Barcelona, Spain) to promote the conservation of the Mando landrace and to obtain new varieties adapted to local organic farms. Taking advantage of the natural genetic variation from the variety&rsquo, s high cross-pollination rate, farmers developed five experimental inbreeds that were tested in a multi-locality trial in 2018. As a result of the PPB program, cultivation of the original landrace increased from 80 plants in 2011 to more than 2000 plants in 2018, which protected the variety from genetic erosion. Locality was the factor that contributed mostly to agronomic traits (e.g., yield (66% of the phenotypic variance)), while the genotype contributed more to the quality traits (except for soluble solids (37%) and dry matter (38%)). Farmer evaluations were highly correlated with the phenotypic traits recorded by researchers (Pearson coefficient ranging from 0.63&ndash, 0.83), and led to the same final varietal selection. The superior inbred selected (3.9) is now being cultivated in the area of study. This paper discusses the efficiency of PPB in guiding the evolution of landraces.

[EN] Penjar tomato is a varietal type cultivated in northeast Spain that characteristically has a long shelf life, small fruit, and wide morphological variability among cultivars. To determine the genetic basis for the long shelf life in the Penjar varietal type and to describe the genetic background and agromorphologic characteristics of the group, we studied 27 Penjar accessions representative of the entire range of variation in traits related to agronomic behavior, fruit morphology, and sensory quality. We found that the long shelf life of Penjar (mean: 126.8 days) is due to the ripening mutant alcoba double dagger a (alc), and the molecular basis of this mutation is the replacement of thymine by adenine in position 317 of the coding sequence of the NAC.NOR gene; thus, alcoba double dagger a (alc) is an allele of non-ripening (nor). The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) study found 18.07% polymorphic loci within the Penjar varietal type, which is higher than usual in landraces. The variation in agronomic and morphologic traits between accessions was also very high; thus, the heterogeneity of the Penjar group probably results from the introduction of the allele alc in distinct landraces. Our results also show that in germplasm containing the alc mutation shelf life is negatively correlated with fruit size (weight, width, length, and number of locules); thus, the predominance of small fruit within the varietal type is probably the result of this trait being dragged along in the selection for long shelf life., This work was supported by grants from the Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacio de la Comunidad Valenciana, the Fundacion de la Comunidad Valenciana para la Investigacion Agroalimentaria (AGROALIMED) and from the Departament d'Agricultura, Alimentacio i Accio Rural (DAR) de la Generalitat de Catalunya. We thank Dr. Ll. Bosch for his collaboration in this study.

The information age has deeply affected the way organizations are managing to cope with the abundance of information and their needs to connect and influence the networks of interests they have around them. This new scenario has questioned the traditional strategic planning methods and process-related information management, which have to be replaced by a more agile, flexible and participative ones. Search conference Momentum comes from the fusion of organizational planning and community action methodologies developed in Australia, creativity techniques from quality management, and innovation as well as interactional animation techniques in a group originated for R&D departments of German companies. This paper presents the main characteristics and success factors in its implementation.

Conjugates containing quadruplex-stabilizing acridines linked to oligonucleotides that are complementary to the G-rich human telomere sequence were synthesized. Acylation of 3,6-diaminoacridine followed by two Michael reactions provided derivatives suitable for conjugation, which were coupled to resin-linked amine-modified oligonucleotides by activating the carboxyl group with pentafluorophenyl 4-nitrobenzenesulfonate. After deprotection with aqueous ammonia at room temperature, conjugates incorporating different acridines, linkers, and oligonucleotide sequences were obtained. These were tested for their ability to stabilize intramolecular DNA quadruplexes that are based on the human telomeric repeat sequence (GGGTTA)(n).

Few studies of patients with esophageal small cell carcinoma (SCC) have been conducted. Choice of treatment remains controversial.The authors analyzed data on 199 evaluable esophageal SCC patients, selected from among 230 patients found in the literature, and a data extraction form that recorded 11 features was completed. To allow for the evaluation of prognostic factors that influenced survival, the patients were grouped according to limited stage (LS), which was defined as disease confined to the esophagus, or extensive stage (ES), which was defined as disease that had spread beyond locoregional boundaries. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Treatment was categorized as either local or local with systemic; for the ES cases, the categories were defined as treatment versus no treatment.The tumor site was described in 178 cases (89%). Mean tumor size was 6.1. Pure SCC was found in 137 cases (68.8%), whereas 62 cases (31.2%) showed mixed SCC; 93 (46.7%) were LS, whereas 95 (47.7%) were ES. In 11 cases (5.5%), the stage was not determined. There was a significant difference in survival between patients with LS and those with ES (P0.0001). The median survival was 8 months for patients with LS and 3 months for those with ES. Univariate analysis of LS showed 3 significant prognostic factors: age (for patients ageor =60 years, the median survival was 11 months, whereas for those age60 years, the median survival was 6 months), tumor size (for those with tumorsor =5 cm, the median survival was 12 months, whereas for those with tumors5 cm, the median survival was 4 months), and type of treatment (with local plus systemic treatment, the median survival was 20 months, whereas with local it was 5 months). In multivariate analysis, tumor size (P = 0.007) and type of treatment (P0.001) were shown to be independent predictive variables.Esophageal SCC is an aggressive type of tumor. This study shows that there are significant differences between LS and ES and that in LS, both tumor size and type of treatment are possible prognostic factors.

[EN] Following consumer complaints about the quality of modern varieties of tomato, landraces have strengthened their quality markets. In Spain, two tomato landraces, 'Montserrat' and 'Pera Girona', are grown in contiguous areas and have different market niches. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to characterize 13 accessions of Montserrat, 14 accessions of Pera Girona, and 4 control varieties. We found a narrow genetic base for 'Montserrat' and 'Pera Girona' (8.5% of polymorphic loci) and no differences between the landraces. We studied agronomical and sensory traits to determine why the two landraces continue to have separate market niches. We found high variability among accessions within each landrace and overlapping among accessions of both landraces for all traits except fruit morphology. Consumers probably came to associate the organoleptic quality of these landraces with their external traits, but due to spontaneous crossings and introgressions these relations have been lost. Selection within landraces will be necessary to reestablish the link between morphology and sensory value and to consolidate these quality markets. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., This work was granted by the Departament d'Agricultura, Alimentacio i Accio Rural (DAR) de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

The postharvest evolution of Penjar tomatoes has been studied in four accessions representative of the variability of the varietal type. The long-term shelf life of these materials, which carry the alc allele, was confirmed with 31.2-59.1% of commercial fruits after 6 months of effective conservation at room temperature and a limited loss of weight (21.1-27.9%). Aroma in Penjar tomatoes is differentiated from other tomato varieties by a characteristic 'sharp-floral' aroma descriptor. The evolution of the 'sharp-floral' aroma during postharvest showed a peak of intensity at 2 months of postharvest, though in one accession a delay of 2 months in this response was detected. Out of 25 volatiles analysed, including main and background notes, a reverse iPLS variable selection revealed that the main candidates behind this aromatic behaviour are ¿-terpineol, trans-2-hexenal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, trans-2-octenal, ¿-pinene, ß-ionone, 2 + 3-methylbutanol and phenylacetaldehyde. Between harvest and 2 months postharvest, most compounds reduced considerably their concentration, while the intensity of the 'sharp-floral' descriptor increased, which means that probably there is a rearrangement of the relative concentrations among volatiles that may lead to masking/unmasking processes. © 2011 Springer-Verlag., This work was supported by grants from the Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacio de la Comunidad Valenciana, the Fundacion de la Comunidad Valenciana para la Investigacion Agroalimentaria (AGROALIMED) and from the Departament d'Agricultura, Alimentacio i Accio Rural (DAR) de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

7 pags, 5 figs, We have studied the structure and stability of the cyclic dodecamer d, containing two copies of the human telomeric repeat. In the presence of sodium, NMR data are consistent with a dimeric structure of the molecule in which two cycles self-associate forming a quadruplex with three guanine tetrads connected by edgewise loops. The two macrocycles are arranged in a parallel way, and the dimeric structure exhibits a high melting temperature. These results indicate that cyclization of the phosphodiester chain does not prevent quadruplex formation, although it affects the global topology of the quadruplex., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation Grant CTQ2007-68014-C02-01/02, COST project (G4-net, MP0802) and Generalitat de Catalunya grants 2009 SGR 208 and XRB.

Bacteria have developed an exclusive signal transduction system involving multiple diguanylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase domain-containing proteins (GGDEF and EAL/HD-GYP, respectively) that modulate the levels of the same diffusible molecule, 3 -5 -cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP), to transmit signals and obtain specific cellular responses. Current knowledge about c-di- GMP signaling has been inferred mainly from the analysis of recombinant bacteria that either lack or overproduce individual members of the pathway, without addressing potential compensatory effects or interferences between them. Here, we dissected c-di-GMP signaling by constructing a Salmonella strain lacking all GGDEF-domain proteins and then producing derivatives, each restoring 1 protein. Our analysis showed that most GGDEF proteins are constitutively expressed and that their expression levels are not interdependent. Complete deletion of genes encoding GGDEFdomain proteins abrogated virulence, motility, long-term survival, and cellulose and fimbriae synthesis. Separate restoration revealed that 4 proteins from Salmonella and 1 from Yersinia pestis exclusively restored cellulose synthesis in a c-di-GMP–dependent manner, indicating that c-di-GMP produced by different GGDEF proteins can activate the same target. However, the restored strain containing the STM4551-encoding gene recovered all other phenotypes by means of gene expression modulation independently of c-di-GMP. Specifically, fimbriae synthesis and virulence were recovered through regulation of csgD and the plasmid-encoded spvAB mRNA levels, respectively. This study provides evidence that the regulation of the GGDEF-domain proteins network occurs at 2 levels: a level that strictly requires c-di-GMP to control enzymatic activities directly, restricted to cellulose synthesis in our experimental conditions, and another that involves gene regulation for which c-di-GMP synthesis can be dispensable. This research was supported by Grants GEN2003–20234-C06–05 from Acción Estategica de Genómica y Proteómica, CTQ2007-68014-C02-01 from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain), and 2005SGR-693 from Generalitat de Catalunya. B.G. is the recipient of a postdoctoral contract under Grant GEN2003-20234.

One of the tasks towards the definition of a model for a home care system, is the definition of the different roles of the users. The roles indicate which actions and services perform each type of actor. In this paper we present an ontology for representing the nuclear home care actors and their associated information. To make it scalable and incremental, the ontology is prepared for including the knowledge of additional care units. To work with this model a tool called ISA has been developed. ISA allows the medical users to define new care units without the necessity of knowing the ontology structure.

Aquest article ens parla de la figura de l'assessor de Plàstica. Molts docents es troben encara limitats per l’escassa formació inicial que els va proporcionar el seu pas pels estudis de mestre i per aquest motiu, l’opció triada per algunes escoles ha estat dotar-se d’un assessor extern que orienti les programacions d’aquesta àrea, treballant en coordinació amb el professorat d’Educació Infantil i Primària.Els autors van endegar, ara fa uns 17 anys, el col·lectiu “Plàstica a l’escola”, on intenten transferir els continguts al mestre, que s’encarrega de dur-los a la pràctica, supervisant el procés i després valorant els treballs, els avanços i les dificultats.

The tomato commercial groups cherry and fresh market, mainly classified by fruit size, have clearly segregated markets. We aimed to estimate the variation within and between these groups and to analyze factors that impact consumer acceptance. To this end, we studied the chemical profile (dry matter, sugars, acids) and fruit morphology (Tomato Analyzer) of 63 accessions grown in 2 environments (open air/soil culture, greenhouse/soilless culture). To identify traits underlying consumer preferences, we used a trained panel for quantitative descriptive sensory analyses and consumer surveys on a subset of genotypes. Our results confirm the higher content of reducing sugars (fructose, glucose), soluble solids, dry matter, and glutamic acid in the cherry group and the important effects of environment and genotype-by-environment interactions on fruit quality traits. The diversity within cherry for chemical composition is 1.4-fold to 2.1-fold that of fresh market. Differences in fruit morphological traits (weight, shoulder height, height/width relation) were highly related to fruit size, but no differences between groups were found for the internal structure of the fruit (locular relative content). Consumers value sweetness, glutamic acid, titratable acidity, and juiciness in cherry, and sweetness and taste intensity in the fresh market group. The implications for plant breeding are discussed.