170,068 research outputs found
Facing big data variety in a model driven approach
No full textDespite the benefits of investing in Big Data systems are largely recognised, their adoption have been slower than expected. Actually, organisations and companies cannot migrate their systems to new a technological infrastructure without a safe integration to their legacy systems and data. For these reasons, it is required to evolve Big Data technologies with mature functions for supporting portability, interoperability and reusability. This paper illustrates a practical use case exploiting the Model-driven capabilities of the TOREADOR platform as a way to fast track the uptake of business-driven Big Data models
Modeling semantics of business rules
No full textOrganizations are showing growing interest in paradigms where business models and services compatibility is adaptively tested, e.g. by applying automatic systems to check business rules consistency. In this paper, we build on the original proposal by OMG of using first-order logics for representing business vocabularies and propose an approach based on description logics (DL) as formal logic support for business rules. By translating SBVR business vocabularies and rules into OWL DL ontologies, standard inference procedures of DL can be applied to check the business model consistency in the open-world, which is the default interpretation of SBVR models. Moreover, SBVR facts that cannot be expressed with OWL DL are translated into SWRL rules so that they can then be integrated with the starting ontology and evaluated, albeit within the boundaries of the closed-world made of known facts. We exemplify this process by translating a fragment of the EU-Rent example, drawn from the SBVR specification, into a OWL+SWRL knowledge base
Physiological characterization of drought stress response and expression of two transcription factors and two LEA genes in three Prunus genotypes
No full textGlobal warming has led to a progressive decrease in rainfall, which is reflected by a reduction of water resources in the soil and a negative effect on crop production in Mediterranean areas. Under drought stress, many plants react by inducing a different series of responses at both physiological and molecular levels, allowing them to survive for a variable period of time. Therefore, in order to understand the response of roots to drought conditions, the genotypes peach × almond ‘Garnem’ [P. amygdalus Batsch × P. persica (L.) Batsch] and their progeny, the hybrid ‘P.2175’ × ‘Garnem’-3 and OP-‘P.2175’ (P. cerasifera Ehrh.) were subjected to a period of water deficit. Drought conditions with a subsequent re-watering period were tested for potted plants for one month. Stomatal conductance and leaf water potential were measured to monitor the plant physiological responses. Significant differences among the drought stress and drought stress recovery treatments and among the genotypes were observed. In addition, four genes related to the ABA biosynthesis pathway were studied for their expression by RT-qPCR: an AN20/AN1 zinc finger protein (ppa012373m); a bZIP transcription factor (ppa013046m); a dehydrin (ppa005514m) and a LEA protein (ppa008651m). Their expression profiles correlated with our physiological results of drought response, being higher in roots than in phloem tissue. In general, the expression of the four studied genes was higher after 15 days under drought conditions. Under drought and recovery conditions, the zinc finger and bZIP transcription factors showed significant differences in their relative expression levels from LEA and dehydrin. These results suggest the role of LEA and dehydrin in the regulatory response to drought stress in Prunus genotypes. Therefore, the dehydrin and the protein LEA might be potential biomarkers to select rootstocks for tolerance to drought conditions
Chilling and GA3 effects on growth and development of 'Nemaguard' and 'GF 305' peaches
No full textThe effect of different chilling and gibberellin treatments on growth and development of the peach rootstocks 'Nemaguard' and 'GF305' was studied. A factorial experiment was designed combining cold treatments (0, 5, 15 and 30 days at 4°C temperature) and GA3 concentrations (0, 100 and 200 mg/L). The variables considered were: percentage of germination, number of internodes, plant height and the ratio plant height/number of internodes. Results showed an overall growth increase as a consequence of chilling and gibberellin addition; however the behaviour of the two assayed rootstocks was slightly different. In general terms, 'Nemaguard' responded well to 5 days cold and chilling treatments did not improve growth in a relevant way, whereas 'GF305' showed a more gradual effect of the chilling and gibberellin treatments on the studied parameters. © ISHS 2012
Prediction of components of the sporopollenin synthesis pathway in peach by genomic and expression analyses
No full textAbstract Background The outer cell wall of the pollen grain (exine) is an extremely resistant structure containing sporopollenin, a mixed polymer made up of fatty acids and phenolic compounds. The synthesis of sporopollenin in the tapetal cells and its proper deposition on the pollen surface are essential for the development of viable pollen. The beginning of microsporogenesis and pollen maturation in perennial plants from temperate climates, such as peach, is conditioned by the duration of flower bud dormancy. In order to identify putative genes involved in these processes, we analyzed the results of previous genomic experiments studying the dormancy-dependent gene expression in different peach cultivars. Results The expression of 50 genes induced in flower buds after the endodormancy period (flower-bud late genes) was compared in ten cultivars of peach with different dormancy behaviour. We found two co-expression clusters enriched in putative orthologs of sporopollenin synthesis and deposition factors in Arabidopsis. Flower-bud late genes were transiently expressed in anthers coincidently with microsporogenesis and pollen maturation processes. We postulated the participation of some flower-bud late genes in the sporopollenin synthesis pathway and the transcriptional regulation of late anther development in peach. Conclusions Peach and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana show multiple elements in common within the essential sporopollenin synthesis pathway and gene expression regulatory mechanisms affecting anther development. The transcriptomic analysis of dormancy-released flower buds proved to be an efficient procedure for the identification of anther and pollen development genes in perennial plants showing seasonal dormancy.</p
Melon: a good model for climateric non-climateric behavior: the variation of this trait in a germplasm collection
No full textMelon (Cucumis melo L. Cucurbitaceae) represents one of the most variable species within the genus Cucumis as well as among the other cultivated plants. Moreover it is a key species in order to study ethylene involvement in ripening because several climacteric and non climacteric accessions are available. A core collection of 176 melon accessions including wild relatives, feral types, landraces, breeding lines and commercial cultivars from 54 countries was used for this study. This collection was selfed, genotyped with AFLP and SNP markers and extensively phenotyped for plant and fruit traits at COMAV. The abscission layer formation has been used as a practical method for phenotyping this trait in the collection. The PCA approach based on SNP markers confirmed the presence of two clear subspecies; melo and agrestis. Among agrestis, African wild types, can be easily distinguished from far eastern conomon along PC1, while PC2 separated Indian momordica from the rest. Melo subspecies comprises five groups distributed along PC1 and PC2. A high degree of variability for abscission layer formation has been observed among the groups indicating it is a good mean for the genetic study of climacteric and non-climateric ripening
Identification of genes associated with bud dormancy release in Prunus persica by suppression subtractive hybridization
No full textTo better understand the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying maintenance and release of seasonal bud dormancy in perennial trees, we identified differentially expressed genes during dormancy progression in reproductive buds from peach (Prunus persica [L.] Batsch) by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and microarray hybridization. Four SSH libraries were constructed, which were respectively enriched in cDNA highly expressed in dormant buds (named DR), in dormancy-released buds (RD) and in the cultivars with different chilling requirement, 'Zincal 5' (ZS) and 'Springlady' (SZ), sampled after dormancy release. About 2500 clones picked from the four libraries were loaded on a glass microarray. Hybridization of microarrays with the final products of SSH procedure was performed in order to validate the selected clones that were effectively enriched in their respective sample. Nearly 400 positive clones were sequenced, which corresponded to 101 different unigenes with diverse functional annotation. We obtained DAM4, 5 and 6 genes coding for MADS-box transcription factors previously related to growth cessation and terminal bud formation in the evergrowing mutant of peach. Several other cDNAs are similar to dormancy factors described in other species, and others have been related to bud dormancy for the first time in this study. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed differential expression of cDNAs coding for a Zn-finger transcription factor, a GRAS-like regulator, a DNA-binding protein and proteins similar to forisome subunits involved in the reversible occlusion of sieve elements in Fabaceae, among others. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
Plagas, enfermedades y saberes agrícolas en el Caribe, un estudio de caso
No full textFrom the new approaches in social studies of science and technology concerned with the analysis of sites where science is developed and how it circulates, I am interested to observe the Caribbean as an island-center in the tropical agronomic knowledge development. For this, I study how the scientific steps were formulated to eradicate the plagues that currently affect more intensely coconut plantations in the Caribbean and Latin America, called Lethal Yellowing Disease of Coconut, which has destroyed the industry crops in many areas. The epidemic first appeared in the nineteenth century in the Caribbean Antilles, which forced local scientists to develop a database of global knowledge. In particular, I observe the process in Cuba from scientific discussions generated at the Royal Academy of Medical Sciences, Physical and Natural Sciences of Havana, as well as the entry of U.S. scientists in the new imperial context of early twentieth century, who expanded their field of study throughout the English and Spanish Caribbean through the exchange of ideas and experiences.A partir de los nuevos enfoques en los estudios sociales de la ciencia y la tecnología interesados en el análisis de los sitios donde se produce la ciencia y cómo circula, me interesa observar el Caribe como isla-centro en la construcción del saber agronómico tropical. Para ello estudio cómo se fueron formulando científicamente los pasos a seguir para erradicar una de las plagas que actualmente afectan con más intensidad las plantaciones de cocos del Caribe y América Latina, llamada Amarillamiento Letal del Cocotero (ALC), la cual ha destruido la industria de la copra en muchas zonas productoras. La epidemia apareció por vez primera en el siglo XIX en el Caribe antillano, donde obligó a los científicos locales a elaborar un sistema de conocimiento global. En particular, observo ese proceso en Cuba a partir de los debates científicos generados en la Real Academia de Ciencias Médicas, Físicas y Naturales de La Habana, así como con la entrada de científicos norteamericanos en el nuevo contexto imperial de inicios del siglo XX, quienes ampliaron su campo de estudio a todo el Caribe inglés e hispano a través del intercambio de ideas y experiencias
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Climacteric and non-climacteric behavior in melon germplasm, a model to study fruit ripening
No full textMelon (Cucumis melo L. Cucurbitaceae) represents one of the most variable species within the genus Cucumis as well as among the other cultivated plants. Moreover it is a key species in order to study ethylene involvement in ripening because several climacteric and non-climacteric accessions are available. A core collection of 176 melon accessions including wild relatives, feral types, landraces, breeding lines and commercial cultivars from 54 countries was seleced for this study. This collection was genotyped with AFLP and SNP markers and extensively phenotyped for plant and fruit traits at COMAV, including the abscission layer formation as indicator of climacteric/non climacteric ripening. PCA based on SNP markers confirmed the division of this species in clear subspecies; melo and agrestis. Among ssp agrestis genotypes, African wild types were easily distinguished from far eastern conomon along PC1, while PC2 separated Indian momordica from the rest. Melo subspecies comprises five groups distributed along PC1 and PC2. A high degree of variability for abscission layer formation (from full-slip to abscense) was s been observed among and within groups indicating that the genetic variability present in this species is appropriated to study climacteric and non-climacteric ripening.
Acknowledgement: C.L. is recipient of a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (CIG) and her visit to IBMCP-COMAV (Valencia) is supported by a Cost Action FA1106 Quality Fruit - Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM
- …
