Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-beam Interactions With Materials and Atoms, May 1, 2008
... each, with 3–6 mL of suprapure H 2 O 2 (30%) and 200 μL Antifoam A-5758 [Sigma, San Luis, MO]... more ... each, with 3–6 mL of suprapure H 2 O 2 (30%) and 200 μL Antifoam A-5758 [Sigma, San Luis, MO] in 10 mL quartz tubes (1 cm OD), were digested simultaneously using a 12-sample rotating (adjustable) holder and exposed to ... [4] RG Flocchini, M. Lagunas-Solar and BP Perley. ...
The main goal of this study was to determine the genetic diversity among 36 grape cultivars grown... more The main goal of this study was to determine the genetic diversity among 36 grape cultivars grown in Palestine by using ISSR-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprints. Among the tested primers, 17 produced reasonable amplification products with high intensity and pattern stability. A total of 57 DNA fragments (loci) separated by electrophoresis on agarose gels were detected and they ranged in size, from 150 to 900 bp. Out of these fragments, 55 (88%) were polymorphic and 2 (3.5%) monomorphic. Our results also revealed an average of 3.1 loci per primer. A minimum of 1 and maximum of 10 DNA fragments were obtained (S-17, #820 and #841) and (S-31) primers, respectively. Therefore, the later primer (S-31) is considered to be the most powerful primer among the tested ones. The genetic distance matrix showed an average distance range of between 0.05 and 0.76. The maximum genetic distance value of 0.76 (24% similarity) was exhibited between the (Shami and Marawi.Hamadani.Adi) as well as (Bairuti and Marawi.Hamadani.Adi) genotypes. On the other hand, the lowest genetic distance of 0.05 (95% similarity) was exhibited between (Jandali.Tawel.Mofarad and Jandali. Kurawi.Mlzlz) along with (Shami.Aswad and Shami.mtartash. mlwn) genotypes. Furthermore, the UPGMA dendrogram generally clusters the grape cultivars into eight major clusters in addition to an isolated genotype. Based on these figures, the cultivars tested in this study could be characterized by large divergence at the DNA level. This is taking the assumption that our region has a very rich and varied clonal grape genetic structure.
Radiofrequency (RF) power was investigated as a new, physical (nonchemical), thermal process to d... more Radiofrequency (RF) power was investigated as a new, physical (nonchemical), thermal process to disinfect wastewater from dairy and animal facilities. Samples (n = 38) from 8 dairy, 2 calf, and 3 swine facilities in California were collected over a 3-yr period and characterized for their dielectric properties, chemical composition, and suitability for thermal processing using RF power. To establish efficacy for disinfection, selected samples were inoculated with high levels (10 6 to 10 9 cfu/mL) of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis and processed with an RF prototype system. The capabilities of RF power as a method for thermal disinfection of wastewater were demonstrated when bacteria pathogens were completely and rapidly (<1 min) inactivated when temperatures of 60 to 65°C were achieved. Furthermore, RF technology can be used for large-scale, batch or continuous and portable applications, allowing significant improvements in energy-use efficiencies compared with conventional thermal (surface heating) technologies. Therefore, RF power has potential as an alternative to disinfect dairy/animal farm wastewater before recycling.
Salt stress is a complex physiological trait affecting plants by limiting growth and productivity... more Salt stress is a complex physiological trait affecting plants by limiting growth and productivity. Rice, one of the most important food crops, is rated as salt-sensitive. High-throughput screening methods are required to exploit novel sources of genetic variation in rice and further improve salinity tolerance in breeding programmes. To search for genotypic differences related to salt stress, we genotyped 392 rice accessions by EcoTILLING. We targeted five key salt-related genes involved in mechanisms such as Na(+) /K(+) ratio equilibrium, signalling cascade and stress protection, and we found 40 new allelic variants in coding sequences. By performing association analyses using both general and mixed linear models, we identified 11 significant SNPs related to salinity. We further evaluated the putative consequences of these SNPs at the protein level using bioinformatic tools. Amongst the five nonsynonymous SNPs significantly associated with salt-stress traits, we found a T67K mutatio...
Rice is a salt-sensitive species with enormous genetic variation for salt tolerance hidden in its... more Rice is a salt-sensitive species with enormous genetic variation for salt tolerance hidden in its germplasm pool. The EcoTILLING technique allows us to assign haplotypes, thus reducing the number of accessions to be sequenced, becoming a cost-effective, time-saving and high-throughput method, ideal to be used in laboratories with limited financial resources. Aiming to find alleles associated with salinity tolerance, we are currently using the EcoTILLING technique to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small indels across 375 germplasm accessions representing the diversity available in domesticated rice. We are targeting several genes known to be involved in salt stress signal transduction (OsCPK17) or tolerance mechanisms (SalT). So far, we found a total of 15 and 23 representative SNPs or indels in OsCPK17 and SalT, respectively. These natural allelic variants are mostly located in 3′-untranslated region, thus opening a new path for studying their potential contributi...
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2006
Physical manipulations generating cycles of expansion and compression forces were combined with l... more Physical manipulations generating cycles of expansion and compression forces were combined with low vapor concentrations of natural disinfecting chemicals to disinfect and disinfest simultaneously and rapidly fresh agricultural products. Lethality in various fungi, plant and human pathogens and in all biological stages of selected arthropods was demonstrated with fresh fruits and vegetables. The combined process modifies the respiratory metabolism, affects biological structures, causes displacement of the O 2 /CO 2 gaseous equilibrium and induces chemical toxicity at the cellular level. In aerobic microbes, oxygen metabolism is rapidly disrupted, causing biocidal effects. In larval, pupal and adult insect stages, irreversible structural damage of the tracheal system prevents the formation and causes the elimination of air reserves. In arthropod eggs, damage in essential structural features and dehydration of the chorion affect their ability to diffuse and use oxygen. The MSDD process is rapid (<4 h), effective (100% insect controls, >5 log 10 microbial reduction), reproducible, practical, economically competitive and applicable to large volumes of commodities. It causes minimal or no sensory/functional effects in host commodities. If developed commercially, it can be a single alternative to a broad spectrum of postharvest pesticides for disinfection and a likely alternative to methyl bromide fumigation or to irradiation for the post-harvest control of arthropods.
To assess the genetic diversity of the most important olive cultivars used in Portugal, a base co... more To assess the genetic diversity of the most important olive cultivars used in Portugal, a base collection was established with two hundred and one accessions of eleven cultivars from the different agro-ecological-regions (AER) of olive oil production. Inter-cultivar diversity was evaluated using seven RAPD primers producing fifty-nine polymorphic markers that enable cultivar distinction. Discriminant analysis according to fruit use and AER revealed a genetic structure associated with local selection both for fruit exploitation and agro-ecological adaptation. Intra-cultivar diversity of the ancient cultivar 'Galega' was also investigated. Three RAPD and five ISSR primers produced ninety-three polymorphic markers upon seventy-seven accessions from five AERs. Total accession discrimination was achieved. UPGMA clustering and discriminant analysis revealed that the genetic diversity was predominantly structured according to accessions origin. The within and among AER variation revealed by AMOVA supported this genetic structure and showed a high proportion of intra-AER variability. These evidences suggest that 'Galega' is composed by a mixture of different genotypes adapted to local conditions, indicating that this cultivar is in an early stage of domestication and should be treated as a landrace instead of a uniform cultivar. The assessment of 'Galega' genetic diversity within each of the five AERs indicated the highest significant level (H 5 6.23 at p, 0.001) in ''Ribatejo-Santarem''. This finding associated with the g distinctiveness of 'Galega' in relation to other Portuguese cultivars and with the recent insights of olive treé domestication allowed us to hypothesize that 'Ribatejo-Santarem' was the ecological region of origin and dispersion of this ancient cultivar.
This work aims to investigate the contribution of a selected non-Saccharomyces yeast species, Han... more This work aims to investigate the contribution of a selected non-Saccharomyces yeast species, Hanseniaspora guilliermondii, to higher alcohols, esters, fatty acids and heavy sulphur compounds composition of red wine. Red grape must vinifications of 100 l were performed and an inoculated fermentation with H. guilliermondii was compared to a spontaneous fermentation. The presence of apiculate yeasts was observed in both fermentations; however, Hanseniaspora uvarum was the only apiculate yeast isolated from the spontaneous fermentation. Apiculate yeasts dominated the fermentation until an ethanol concentration of 6% (v/v) was attained and remained in considerable high levels for an ethanol concentration of 12.5% (v/v). The grape must inoculated with H. guilliermondii led to the production of wine with higher concentrations of 1-propanol, 2-phenylethyl acetate and 3-(methylthio)propionic acid, and lower amounts of ethyl hexanoate, pentanoic acid, free fatty acids, 2-methyltetrahydrothiophen-3one and acetic acid-3-(methylthio)propyl ester, than wine resulting from the spontaneous fermentation. The present study shows that the use of specific apiculate yeasts in grape must fermentations may lead to the production of wines with different chemical profiles, emphasising the importance of Hanseniaspora yeasts as mixed starter cultures with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in winemaking.
Plant and Animal Genome XX Conference (January …, 2012
... Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Glenn Gregorio , International Rice Research Institute. Kenneth ... more ... Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Glenn Gregorio , International Rice Research Institute. Kenneth L. McNally , Int'l Rice Research Institute, Metro Manila, Philippines. M. Margarida Oliveira , ITQB-UNL, Oeiras, Portugal. Salinity is considered ...
Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts occurred with exposure to pulsed and continuous UV radi... more Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts occurred with exposure to pulsed and continuous UV radiation, as evidenced by mouse bioassay. Even at doses of ≥500 mJ/cm 2 , some oocysts retained their viability.
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-beam Interactions With Materials and Atoms, May 1, 2008
... each, with 3–6 mL of suprapure H 2 O 2 (30%) and 200 μL Antifoam A-5758 [Sigma, San Luis, MO]... more ... each, with 3–6 mL of suprapure H 2 O 2 (30%) and 200 μL Antifoam A-5758 [Sigma, San Luis, MO] in 10 mL quartz tubes (1 cm OD), were digested simultaneously using a 12-sample rotating (adjustable) holder and exposed to ... [4] RG Flocchini, M. Lagunas-Solar and BP Perley. ...
The main goal of this study was to determine the genetic diversity among 36 grape cultivars grown... more The main goal of this study was to determine the genetic diversity among 36 grape cultivars grown in Palestine by using ISSR-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprints. Among the tested primers, 17 produced reasonable amplification products with high intensity and pattern stability. A total of 57 DNA fragments (loci) separated by electrophoresis on agarose gels were detected and they ranged in size, from 150 to 900 bp. Out of these fragments, 55 (88%) were polymorphic and 2 (3.5%) monomorphic. Our results also revealed an average of 3.1 loci per primer. A minimum of 1 and maximum of 10 DNA fragments were obtained (S-17, #820 and #841) and (S-31) primers, respectively. Therefore, the later primer (S-31) is considered to be the most powerful primer among the tested ones. The genetic distance matrix showed an average distance range of between 0.05 and 0.76. The maximum genetic distance value of 0.76 (24% similarity) was exhibited between the (Shami and Marawi.Hamadani.Adi) as well as (Bairuti and Marawi.Hamadani.Adi) genotypes. On the other hand, the lowest genetic distance of 0.05 (95% similarity) was exhibited between (Jandali.Tawel.Mofarad and Jandali. Kurawi.Mlzlz) along with (Shami.Aswad and Shami.mtartash. mlwn) genotypes. Furthermore, the UPGMA dendrogram generally clusters the grape cultivars into eight major clusters in addition to an isolated genotype. Based on these figures, the cultivars tested in this study could be characterized by large divergence at the DNA level. This is taking the assumption that our region has a very rich and varied clonal grape genetic structure.
Radiofrequency (RF) power was investigated as a new, physical (nonchemical), thermal process to d... more Radiofrequency (RF) power was investigated as a new, physical (nonchemical), thermal process to disinfect wastewater from dairy and animal facilities. Samples (n = 38) from 8 dairy, 2 calf, and 3 swine facilities in California were collected over a 3-yr period and characterized for their dielectric properties, chemical composition, and suitability for thermal processing using RF power. To establish efficacy for disinfection, selected samples were inoculated with high levels (10 6 to 10 9 cfu/mL) of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis and processed with an RF prototype system. The capabilities of RF power as a method for thermal disinfection of wastewater were demonstrated when bacteria pathogens were completely and rapidly (<1 min) inactivated when temperatures of 60 to 65°C were achieved. Furthermore, RF technology can be used for large-scale, batch or continuous and portable applications, allowing significant improvements in energy-use efficiencies compared with conventional thermal (surface heating) technologies. Therefore, RF power has potential as an alternative to disinfect dairy/animal farm wastewater before recycling.
Salt stress is a complex physiological trait affecting plants by limiting growth and productivity... more Salt stress is a complex physiological trait affecting plants by limiting growth and productivity. Rice, one of the most important food crops, is rated as salt-sensitive. High-throughput screening methods are required to exploit novel sources of genetic variation in rice and further improve salinity tolerance in breeding programmes. To search for genotypic differences related to salt stress, we genotyped 392 rice accessions by EcoTILLING. We targeted five key salt-related genes involved in mechanisms such as Na(+) /K(+) ratio equilibrium, signalling cascade and stress protection, and we found 40 new allelic variants in coding sequences. By performing association analyses using both general and mixed linear models, we identified 11 significant SNPs related to salinity. We further evaluated the putative consequences of these SNPs at the protein level using bioinformatic tools. Amongst the five nonsynonymous SNPs significantly associated with salt-stress traits, we found a T67K mutatio...
Rice is a salt-sensitive species with enormous genetic variation for salt tolerance hidden in its... more Rice is a salt-sensitive species with enormous genetic variation for salt tolerance hidden in its germplasm pool. The EcoTILLING technique allows us to assign haplotypes, thus reducing the number of accessions to be sequenced, becoming a cost-effective, time-saving and high-throughput method, ideal to be used in laboratories with limited financial resources. Aiming to find alleles associated with salinity tolerance, we are currently using the EcoTILLING technique to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small indels across 375 germplasm accessions representing the diversity available in domesticated rice. We are targeting several genes known to be involved in salt stress signal transduction (OsCPK17) or tolerance mechanisms (SalT). So far, we found a total of 15 and 23 representative SNPs or indels in OsCPK17 and SalT, respectively. These natural allelic variants are mostly located in 3′-untranslated region, thus opening a new path for studying their potential contributi...
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2006
Physical manipulations generating cycles of expansion and compression forces were combined with l... more Physical manipulations generating cycles of expansion and compression forces were combined with low vapor concentrations of natural disinfecting chemicals to disinfect and disinfest simultaneously and rapidly fresh agricultural products. Lethality in various fungi, plant and human pathogens and in all biological stages of selected arthropods was demonstrated with fresh fruits and vegetables. The combined process modifies the respiratory metabolism, affects biological structures, causes displacement of the O 2 /CO 2 gaseous equilibrium and induces chemical toxicity at the cellular level. In aerobic microbes, oxygen metabolism is rapidly disrupted, causing biocidal effects. In larval, pupal and adult insect stages, irreversible structural damage of the tracheal system prevents the formation and causes the elimination of air reserves. In arthropod eggs, damage in essential structural features and dehydration of the chorion affect their ability to diffuse and use oxygen. The MSDD process is rapid (<4 h), effective (100% insect controls, >5 log 10 microbial reduction), reproducible, practical, economically competitive and applicable to large volumes of commodities. It causes minimal or no sensory/functional effects in host commodities. If developed commercially, it can be a single alternative to a broad spectrum of postharvest pesticides for disinfection and a likely alternative to methyl bromide fumigation or to irradiation for the post-harvest control of arthropods.
To assess the genetic diversity of the most important olive cultivars used in Portugal, a base co... more To assess the genetic diversity of the most important olive cultivars used in Portugal, a base collection was established with two hundred and one accessions of eleven cultivars from the different agro-ecological-regions (AER) of olive oil production. Inter-cultivar diversity was evaluated using seven RAPD primers producing fifty-nine polymorphic markers that enable cultivar distinction. Discriminant analysis according to fruit use and AER revealed a genetic structure associated with local selection both for fruit exploitation and agro-ecological adaptation. Intra-cultivar diversity of the ancient cultivar 'Galega' was also investigated. Three RAPD and five ISSR primers produced ninety-three polymorphic markers upon seventy-seven accessions from five AERs. Total accession discrimination was achieved. UPGMA clustering and discriminant analysis revealed that the genetic diversity was predominantly structured according to accessions origin. The within and among AER variation revealed by AMOVA supported this genetic structure and showed a high proportion of intra-AER variability. These evidences suggest that 'Galega' is composed by a mixture of different genotypes adapted to local conditions, indicating that this cultivar is in an early stage of domestication and should be treated as a landrace instead of a uniform cultivar. The assessment of 'Galega' genetic diversity within each of the five AERs indicated the highest significant level (H 5 6.23 at p, 0.001) in ''Ribatejo-Santarem''. This finding associated with the g distinctiveness of 'Galega' in relation to other Portuguese cultivars and with the recent insights of olive treé domestication allowed us to hypothesize that 'Ribatejo-Santarem' was the ecological region of origin and dispersion of this ancient cultivar.
This work aims to investigate the contribution of a selected non-Saccharomyces yeast species, Han... more This work aims to investigate the contribution of a selected non-Saccharomyces yeast species, Hanseniaspora guilliermondii, to higher alcohols, esters, fatty acids and heavy sulphur compounds composition of red wine. Red grape must vinifications of 100 l were performed and an inoculated fermentation with H. guilliermondii was compared to a spontaneous fermentation. The presence of apiculate yeasts was observed in both fermentations; however, Hanseniaspora uvarum was the only apiculate yeast isolated from the spontaneous fermentation. Apiculate yeasts dominated the fermentation until an ethanol concentration of 6% (v/v) was attained and remained in considerable high levels for an ethanol concentration of 12.5% (v/v). The grape must inoculated with H. guilliermondii led to the production of wine with higher concentrations of 1-propanol, 2-phenylethyl acetate and 3-(methylthio)propionic acid, and lower amounts of ethyl hexanoate, pentanoic acid, free fatty acids, 2-methyltetrahydrothiophen-3one and acetic acid-3-(methylthio)propyl ester, than wine resulting from the spontaneous fermentation. The present study shows that the use of specific apiculate yeasts in grape must fermentations may lead to the production of wines with different chemical profiles, emphasising the importance of Hanseniaspora yeasts as mixed starter cultures with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in winemaking.
Plant and Animal Genome XX Conference (January …, 2012
... Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Glenn Gregorio , International Rice Research Institute. Kenneth ... more ... Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Glenn Gregorio , International Rice Research Institute. Kenneth L. McNally , Int'l Rice Research Institute, Metro Manila, Philippines. M. Margarida Oliveira , ITQB-UNL, Oeiras, Portugal. Salinity is considered ...
Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts occurred with exposure to pulsed and continuous UV radi... more Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts occurred with exposure to pulsed and continuous UV radiation, as evidenced by mouse bioassay. Even at doses of ≥500 mJ/cm 2 , some oocysts retained their viability.
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Papers by Cecilia Pina