• Energy Research
• Restricted close
• Open Source close
• 2. Zero hunger close
• 15. Life on land close
• 12. Responsible consumption close
• US close
• CN close
• PK close

A better understanding of the genetics of seedling characteristics in rice could be helpful in improving rice varieties. Zhenshan 97 and Minghui 63, the parents of Shanyou 63, an elite hybrid developed during the last decade in China, vary greatly with respect to their physiological and morphological traits at the seedling growth stage. In this study, we used a population of 240 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between Zhenshan 97 and Minghui 63 to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seedling characteristics. All plant material was grown in hydroponic culture. Data for the following characters were collected at 30 days and 40 days post-sowing: plant height, shoot dry matter weight (SDW), maximum root length, root dry weight (RDW), total dry weight, and root-shoot ratio (the ratio of SDW to RDW). Analysis using composite interval mapping detected 16 QTL for the six traits in 30-day-old seedlings. Of these 16 QTL, Minghui 63 alleles increased trait values at only two of them. The QTL in the vicinity of R3166 on chromosome 5 simultaneously influenced PH, SDW, MRL, RDW, and TDW in the same direction. Twenty QTL were detected for the same traits in the 40-day-old seedlings. However, at this stage Minghui 63 alleles increased trait values at eight QTL. The QTL linked to R3166 also affected PH, SDW, MRL, RDW, and TDW. Only four QTL were common to the two stages. These results clearly indicate that different genes (QTL) control the same traits during different time intervals. Zhenshan 97 alleles had positive effects during the first 30 days of seedling growth, but thereafter the positive effects of Minghui 63 alleles on seedling growth gradually became more pronounced.

This paper addresses the current knowledge on climate change impacts on mass movement activity in mountain environments by illustrating characteristic cases of debris flows, rock slope failures and landslides from the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. It is expected that events are likely to occur less frequently during summer, whereas the anticipated increase of rainfall in spring and fall could likely alter debris-flow activity during the shoulder seasons (March, April, November, and December). The magnitude of debris flows could become larger due to larger amounts of sediment delivered to the channels and as a result of the predicted increase in heavy precipitation events. At the same time, however, debris-flow volumes in high-mountain areas will depend chiefly on the stability and/or movement rates of permafrost bodies, and destabilized rock glaciers could lead to debris flows without historic precedents in the future. The frequency of rock slope failures is likely to increase, as excessively warm air temperatures, glacier shrinkage, as well as permafrost warming and thawing will affect and reduce rock slope stability in the direction that adversely affects rock slope stability. Changes in landslide activity in the French and Western Italian Alps will likely depend on differences in elevation. Above 1500 m asl, the projected decrease in snow season duration in future winters and springs will likely affect the frequency, number and seasonality of landslide reactivations. In Piemonte, for instance, 21st century landslides have been demonstrated to occur more frequently in early spring and to be triggered by moderate rainfalls, but also to occur in smaller numbers. On the contrary, and in line with recent observations, events in autumn, characterized by a large spatial density of landslide occurrences might become more scarce in the Piemonte region.

Forest trees dominate many Alpine landscapes that are currently exposed to changing climate. Norway spruce is one of the most important conifer species of the Italian Alps, and natural populations are found across steep environmental gradients with large differences in temperature and moisture availability. This study seeks to determine and quantify patterns of genetic diversity in natural populations toward understanding adaptive responses to changing climate. Across the Italian species range, 24 natural stands were sampled with a major focus on the Eastern Italian Alps. Sampled trees were genotyped for 384 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 285 genes. A wide array of potential candidate genes was tested for correlation with climatic parameters. To minimize false-positive association between genotype and climate, population structure was investigated. Pairwise F ST estimates between sampled populations ranged between 0.000 and 0.075, with the highest values involving the two disjoint populations, Valdieri, on the western Italian Alps, and Campolino, the most southern population on the Apennines. Despite considerable genetic admixture among populations, both Bayesian and multivariate approach identified four genetic clusters. Selection scans revealed five F ST outliers, and the environmental association analysis detected ten SNPs associated to one or more climatic variables. Overall, 13 potentially adaptive loci were identified, three of which have been reported in a previous study on the same species conducted on a broader geographical scale. In our study, precipitation, more than temperature, was often associated with genotype; therefore, it appears as the most important environmental variable associated with the high sensitivity of Norway spruce to soil water supply. These findings provide relevant information for understanding and quantifying climate change effects on this species and its ability to genetically adapt.

The Alpine Forest Genomics Network was formed in 2011 and held its first annual meeting on June 24–26, 2012, in the Natural Park Adamello Brenta in Trentino Region, Italy. The meeting was attended by 30 researchers from the alpine region of Europe and had two primary goals: (1) for researchers to introduce each other to current and planned research activities in forest landscape genomics and (2) to develop a strategic vision for the network. A steering committee was elected and will develop a white paper over the next year. The next annual meeting will be held in Austria in June 2013.

AbstractThe synthesis and determination of the structure of a Förster resonance energy transfer probe intended for the detection of specific nucleic acid sequences are described here. The probe is based on the hybridization of oligonucleotide modified quantum dots with a fluorescently labeled nucleic acid sample resulting in changes of the fluorescence emission due to the energy transfer effect. The stoichiometry distribution of oligonucleotides conjugated to quantum dots was determined by capillary electrophoresis separation. The results indicate that one to four molecules of oligonucleotide are conjugated to the surface of a single nanoparticle. This conclusion is confirmed by the course of the dependence of Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency on the concentration of fluorescently labeled complementary single‐stranded nucleic acid, showing saturation. While the energy transfer efficiency of the probe hybridized with complementary nucleic acid strands was 30%, negligible efficiency was observed with a noncomplementary strand.

Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts release enzymes that are able to transform neutral compounds of grape berries into active aromatic compounds, a process that enhances the sensory attributes of wines. So far, there exists only little information about enzymatic activity in mixed cultures of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces during grape must fermentations. The aim of the present work was to determine the ability of yeasts to produce extracellular enzymes of enological relevance (β-glucosidases, pectinases, proteases, amylases or xylanases) in pure and mixed Saccharomyces/non-Saccharomyces cultures during fermentation. Pure and mixed cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BSc562, Hanseniaspora vinae BHv438 and Torulaspora delbrueckii BTd259 were assayed: 1% S. cerevisiae/99% H. vinae, 10% S. cerevisiae/90% H. vinae, 1% S. cerevisiae/99% T. delbrueckii and 10% S. cerevisiae/90% T. delbrueckii. Microvinifications were carried out with fresh must without pressing from Vitis vinifera L. c.v. Pedro Jiménez, an autochthonous variety from Argentina. Non-Saccharomyces species survived during 15-18days (BTd259) or until the end of the fermentation (BHv438) and influenced enzymatic profiles of mixed cultures. The results suggest that high concentrations of sugars did not affect enzymatic activity. β-Glucosidase and pectinase activities seemed to be adversely affected by an increase in ethanol: activity diminished with increasing fermentation time. Throughout the fermentation, Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces isolates assayed produced a broad range of enzymes of enological interest that catalyze hydrolysis of polymers present in grape juice. Vinifications carried out by a pure or mixed culture of BTd259 (99% of T. delbrueckii) showed the highest production of all enzymes assayed except for β-glucosidase. In mixed cultures, S. cerevisiae outgrew H. vinae, and T. delbrueckii was only detected until halfway the fermentation process. Nevertheless, their secreted enzymes could be detected throughout the fermentation process. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the microbial interactions and the influence of some enzymes on vinification environments.

This paper investigates the energy system of the Basilicata region (southern Italy) to highlight, through a scenario analysis, its possible future development in compliance with the European Commission's long-term vision. The IEA-ETSAP methodology was utilized to model and analyse the Basilicata energy system in a business-as-usual scenario, based on the assumptions of the 2010 Regional Energy and Environmental Policy Plan, and in two low-carbon scenarios, decarbonisation and high energy efficiency, which, in line with the long-term European strategy, foresee an 85% carbon dioxide emission reduction and a 20% energy efficiency increase in 2050. The results highlight that electricity production from renewable energy sources (in particular wind energy), strongly supported by the regional policy, goes beyond the Basilicata Regional Energy-Environmental Plan forecast, with a further increase in the decarbonisation scenarios. In addition, solar thermal and highly efficient technologies are adopted in commercial and residential end-use sectors. An additional 9% reduction in energy consumption is achieved in the high energy efficiency scenario by passive houses. The proposed approach shows the usefulness of a modelling framework typically used for national and supranational analyses to support regional authorities in their decision-making process to obtain results in line with the European and national strategies. Application to the Basilicata region shows the usefulness of a consolidated framework for policy assessment at a local scale to assess regional contribution to the achievement of national climate mitigation targets that tend towards climate neutrality.

Revealing the trends and main drivers of rural energy transition has important implications for building up a clean, efficient and sustainable energy system. Based on physical energy consumption, we measure the effective energy consumption and constructed a provincial panel dataset of rural China from 1990 to 2017. The results show that the energy transition is not only reflected in the growth of fuel consumption and the change of fuel structure, especially the growth of high-quality energy, the diversification of service functions and the convenience of use. The term of effective energy can more accurately measure the level of energy consumption per capita than physical energy. The income per capita, urbanization level and annual average temperature are three main factors impacting energy consumption. Every 1,000 yuan growth in per capita income can increase the consumption of 6 kgce physical energy and 4 kgce effective energy, respectively. Every 1% rise in the urbanization rate of the population can bring a growth of 4.86 kgce physical energy and 1.83 kgce effective energy. 1℃ of rise in average temperature may decrease by 22.3 kgce physical energy and 2.8 kgce effective energy. There are roughly-three levels of transition, the slow transition in the northeast, the forefront transition in the eastern coastal areas and the intermediate level transition in vast central and western regions. According to regional differences, focus should be on increasing the share of renewable energy, improving energy infrastructure and energy efficiency in the future.