How to tackle chemical communication? Relative proportions versus semiquantitative determination of compounds in lizard chemical secretions.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Roa, Roberto; Sáiz, Jorge; Gómara, Belén; López, Pilar; Martín, José

2018-02-01

Knowledge about chemical communication in some vertebrates is still relatively limited. Squamates are a glaring example of this, even when recent evidences indicate that scents are involved in social and sexual interactions. In lizards, where our understanding of chemical communication has considerably progressed in the last few years, many questions about chemical interactions remain unanswered. A potential reason for this is the inherent complexity and technical limitations that some methodologies embody when analyzing the compounds used to convey information. We provide here a straightforward procedure to analyze lizard chemical secretions based on gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry that uses an internal standard for the semiquantification of compounds. We compare the results of this method with those obtained by the traditional procedure of calculating relative proportions of compounds. For such purpose, we designed two experiments to investigate if these procedures allowed revealing changes in chemical secretions 1) when lizards received previously a vitamin dietary supplementation or 2) when the chemical secretions were exposed to high temperatures. Our results show that the procedure based on relative proportions is useful to describe the overall chemical profile, or changes in it, at population or species levels. On the other hand, the use of the procedure based on semiquantitative determination can be applied when the target of study is the variation in one or more particular compounds of the sample, as it has proved more accurate detecting quantitative variations in the secretions. This method would reveal new aspects produced by, for example, the effects of different physiological and climatic factors that the traditional method does not show.

Differential Sharing of Chemical Cues by Social Parasites Versus Social Mutualists in a Three-Species Symbiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, Virginia J; Tsutsui, Neil D

2016-04-01

Chemical recognition systems are crucial for maintaining the unity of social insect colonies. It has been proposed that colonies form a common chemical signature, called the gestalt odor, which is used to distinguish colony members and non-members. This chemical integration is achieved actively through social interactions such as trophallaxis and allogrooming, or passively such as through exposure to common nest material. When colonies are infiltrated by social parasites, the intruders often use some form of chemical mimicry. However, it is not always clear how this chemical mimicry is accomplished. Here, we used a three-species nesting symbiosis to test the differences in chemical integration of mutualistic (parabiotic) and parasitic ant species. We found that the parasite (Solenopsis picea) obtains chemical cues from both of the two parabiotic host ant species. However, the two parabiotic species (Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus) maintain species-specific cues, and do not acquire compounds from the other species. Our findings suggest that there is a fundamental difference in how social mutualists and social parasites use chemicals to integrate themselves into colonies.

Reproductive Impacts of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Wildlife Species: Implications for Conservation of Endangered Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Tubbs, Christopher W; McDonough, Caitlin E

2018-02-15

Wildlife have proven valuable to our understanding of the potential effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health by contributing considerably to our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of EDC exposure. But the threats EDCs present to populations of wildlife species themselves are significant, particularly for endangered species whose existence is vulnerable to any reproductive perturbation. However, few studies address the threats EDCs pose to endangered species owing to challenges associated with their study. Here, we highlight those barriers and review the available literature concerning EDC effects on endangered species. Drawing from other investigations into nonthreatened wildlife species, we highlight opportunities for new approaches to advance our understanding and potentially mitigate the effects of EDCs on endangered species to enhance their fertility.

Can species-specific prey responses to chemical cues explain prey susceptibility to predation?

Science.gov (United States)

Šmejkal, Marek; Ricard, Daniel; Sajdlová, Zuzana; Čech, Martin; Vejřík, Lukáš; Blabolil, Petr; Vejříková, Ivana; Prchalová, Marie; Vašek, Mojmír; Souza, Allan T; Brönmark, Christer; Peterka, Jiří

2018-05-01

The perception of danger represents an essential ability of prey for gaining an informational advantage over their natural enemies. Especially in complex environments or at night, animals strongly rely on chemoreception to avoid predators. The ability to recognize danger by chemical cues and subsequent adaptive responses to predation threats should generally increase prey survival. Recent findings suggest that European catfish ( Silurus glanis ) introduction induce changes in fish community and we tested whether the direction of change can be attributed to differences in chemical cue perception. We tested behavioral response to chemical cues using three species of freshwater fish common in European water: rudd ( Scardinius erythrophthalmus ), roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), and perch ( Perca fluviatilis ). Further, we conducted a prey selectivity experiment to evaluate the prey preferences of the European catfish. Roach exhibited the strongest reaction to chemical cues, rudd decreased use of refuge and perch did not alter any behavior in the experiment. These findings suggest that chemical cue perception might be behind community data change and we encourage collecting more community data of tested prey species before and after European catfish introduction to test the hypothesis. We conclude that used prey species can be used as a model species to verify whether chemical cue perception enhances prey survival.

Mobility and Attenuation Dynamics of Potentially Toxic Chemical Species at an Abandoned Copper Mine Tailings Dump

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson Mugera Gitari

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Large volumes of disposed mine tailings abound in several regions of South Africa, as a consequence of unregulated, unsustainable long years of mining activities. Tailings dumps occupy a large volume of valuable land, and present a potential risk for aquatic systems, through leaching of potentially toxic chemical species. This paper reports on the evaluation of the geochemical processes controlling the mobility of potentially toxic chemical species within the tailings profile, and their potential risk with regard to surface and groundwater systems. Combination of X-ray fluorescence (XRF, X-ray diffraction (XRD, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS techniques, show that the tailing profiles are uniform, weakly altered, and vary slightly with depth in both physical and geochemical properties, as well as mineralogical composition. Mineralogical analysis showed the following order of abundance: quartz > epidote > chlorite > muscovite > calcite > hematite within the tailings profiles. The neutralization of the dominant alumino-silicate minerals and the absence of sulfidic minerals, have produced medium alkaline pH conditions (7.97–8.37 at all depths and low concentrations of dissolved Cu (20.21–47.9 µg/L, Zn (0.88–1.80 µg/L, Pb (0.27–0.34 µg/L, and SO42− (15.71–55.94 mg/L in the tailings profile leachates. The relative percentage leach for the potentially toxic chemical species was low in the aqueous phase (Ni 0.081%, Cu 0.006%, and Zn 0.05%. This indicates that the transport load of potentially toxic chemical species from tailings to the aqueous phase is very low. The precipitation of secondary hematite has an important known ability to trap and attenuate the mobility of potentially toxic chemical species (Cu, Zn, and Pb by adsorption on the surface area. Geochemical modelling MINTEQA2 showed that the tailings leachates were below saturation regarding oxyhydroxide minerals, but oversaturated with Cu

Quantification of the removal of chemical species by snow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwikowski, M.; Baltensperger, U.; Bruetsch, S.; Keil, R.; Gaeggeler, H.W. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Poulida, O. [Frederick Research Center, Nicosia (Cyprus)

1997-09-01

In order to quantify the scavenging of chemical species in mixed phase clouds, in-cloud field experiments were conducted in October and November 1993 at the high-alpine research station Jungfraujoch. On the average, air to snow transfer fractions were rather low with the highest value of 0.5 for nitrate, thus, most of the air borne chemical mass remained in the air parcel after precipitation. (author) 1 fig., 4 refs.

The impact of nectar chemical features on phenotypic variation in two related nectar yeasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Pozo, María I; Herrera, Carlos M; Van den Ende, Wim; Verstrepen, Kevin; Lievens, Bart; Jacquemyn, Hans

2015-06-01

Floral nectars become easily colonized by microbes, most often species of the ascomycetous yeast genus Metschnikowia. Although it is known that nectar composition can vary tremendously among plant species, most probably corresponding to the nutritional requirements of their main pollinators, far less is known about how variation in nectar chemistry affects intraspecific variation in nectarivorous yeasts. Because variation in nectar traits probably affects growth and abundance of nectar yeasts, nectar yeasts can be expected to display large phenotypic variation in order to cope with varying nectar conditions. To test this hypothesis, we related variation in the phenotypic landscape of a vast collection of nectar-living yeast isolates from two Metschnikowia species (M. reukaufii and M. gruessii) to nectar chemical traits using non-linear redundancy analyses. Nectar yeasts were collected from 19 plant species from different plant families to include as much variation in nectar chemical traits as possible. As expected, nectar yeasts displayed large variation in phenotypic traits, particularly in traits related to growth performance in carbon sources and inhibitors, which was significantly related to the host plant from which they were isolated. Total sugar concentration and relative fructose content significantly explained the observed variation in the phenotypic profile of the investigated yeast species, indicating that sugar concentration and composition are the key traits that affect phenotypic variation in nectarivorous yeasts. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Chemical Characteristics of Six Woody Species for Alley Cropping

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Mosango, M.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Leaves of six woody species (Leguminosae for alley cropping have been chemically analysed in order to evaluate their potentiality in the restoration of soil fertility. These species are : Acacia mangium, Cajanus cajan, Flemingia grahamiana, F. macrophylla, Leucaena leucocephala and Sesbania sesban. Nitrogen, carbon, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, active fraction and ash contents were determined as well as C/N and L/N ratios. AH these species appear to be rich in N and C. Fiber contents (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are globally low but variable from one species to another. C/N and L/N ratios are globally low. Among these species, Leucaena leucocephala and Senna spectabilis show the lowest C/N and LIN ratios. Such low values of C/N and L/N are normally found in species with rapid decomposition of organic matter.

New applications in EPA’s ECOTOX Knowledge System: Assimilating relative potencies of metals across chemical and biological species from literature-based toxicity effects data.

Science.gov (United States)

Toxicity of metals in field settings can vary widely among ionic chemical species and across biological receptors. Thus, a challenge often found in developing TRVs for the risk assessment of metals is identifying the most appropriate metal and biological species combinations for...

Chemical composition, mineral content and amino acid and lipid profiles in bones from various fish species.

Science.gov (United States)

Toppe, Jogeir; Albrektsen, Sissel; Hope, Britt; Aksnes, Anders

2007-03-01

The chemical composition, content of minerals and the profiles of amino acids and fatty acids were analyzed in fish bones from eight different species of fish. Fish bones varied significantly in chemical composition. The main difference was lipid content ranging from 23 g/kg in cod (Gadus morhua) to 509 g/kg in mackerel (Scomber scombrus). In general fatty fish species showed higher lipid levels in the bones compared to lean fish species. Similarly, lower levels of protein and ash were observed in bones from fatty fish species. Protein levels differed from 363 g/kg lipid free dry matter (dm) to 568 g/kg lipid free dm with a concomitant inverse difference in ash content. Ash to protein ratio differed from 0.78 to 1.71 with the lowest level in fish that naturally have highest swimming and physical activity. Saithe (Pollachius virens) and salmon (Salmo salar) were found to be significantly different in the levels of lipid, protein and ash, and ash/protein ratio in the bones. Only small differences were observed in the level of amino acids although species specific differences were observed. The levels of Ca and P in lipid free fish bones were about the same in all species analyzed. Fatty acid profile differed in relation to total lipid levels in the fish bones, but some minor differences between fish species were observed.

Various chemical strategies to deceive ants in three Arhopala species (lepidoptera: Lycaenidae exploiting Macaranga myrmecophytes.

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Yoko Inui

Full Text Available Macaranga myrmecophytes (ant-plants are generally well protected from herbivore attacks by their symbiotic ants (plant-ants. However, larvae of Arhopala (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae species survive and develop on specific Macaranga ant-plant species without being attacked by the plant-ants of their host species. We hypothesized that Arhopala larvae chemically mimic or camouflage themselves with the ants on their host plant so that the larvae are accepted by the plant-ant species of their host. Chemical analyses of cuticular hydrocarbons showed that chemical congruency varied among Arhopala species; A. dajagaka matched well the host plant-ants, A. amphimuta did not match, and unexpectedly, A. zylda lacked hydrocarbons. Behaviorally, the larvae and dummies coated with cuticular chemicals of A. dajagaka were well attended by the plant-ants, especially by those of the host. A. amphimuta was often attacked by all plant-ants except for the host plant-ants toward the larvae, and those of A. zylda were ignored by all plant-ants. Our results suggested that conspicuous variations exist in the chemical strategies used by the myrmecophilous butterflies that allow them to avoid ant attack and be accepted by the plant-ant colonies.

Chemically engineering ligand selectivity at the free fatty acid receptor 2 based on pharmacological variation between species orthologs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hudson, Brian D; Christiansen, Elisabeth; Tikhonova, Irina G

2012-01-01

When it is difficult to develop selective ligands within a family of related G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), chemically engineered receptors activated solely by synthetic ligands (RASSLs) are useful alternatives for probing receptor function. In the present work, we explored whether a RASSL...... on this receptor and demonstrates that exploitation of pharmacological variation between species orthologs is a powerful method to generate novel chemically engineered GPCRs.-Hudson, B. D., Christiansen, E., Tikhonova, I. G., Grundmann, M., Kostenis, E., Adams, D. R., Ulven, T., Milligan, G. Chemically engineering...

Physico-chemical thresholds in the distribution of fish species among French lakes

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Roubeix Vincent

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The management of lakes requires the definition of physico-chemical thresholds to be used for ecosystem preservation or restoration. According to the European Water Framework Directive, the limits between physico-chemical quality classes must be set consistently with biological quality elements. One way to do this consists in analyzing the response of aquatic communities to environmental gradients across monitoring sites and in identifying ecological community thresholds, i.e. zones in the gradients where the species turnover is the highest. In this study, fish data from 196 lakes in France were considered to derive ecological thresholds using the multivariate method of gradient forest. The analysis was performed on 25 species and 36 environmental parameters. The results revealed the highest importance of maximal water temperature in the distribution of fish species. Other important parameters included geographical factors, dissolved organic carbon concentration and water transparency, while nutrients appeared to have low influence. In spite of the diversity of species responses to the gradients, community thresholds were detected in the gradients of the most important physico-chemical parameters and of total phosphorus and nitrate concentrations as well. The thresholds identified in such macroecological study may highlight new patterns of species natural distribution and improve niche characterization. Moreover, when factors that may be influenced by human activities are involved, the thresholds could be used to set environmental standards for lake preservation.

Novel view on predicting acute toxicity: Decomposing toxicity data in species vulnerability and chemical potency.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, D.T.; Posthuma, L.; Zwart, D.D.; van de Meent, D.

2007-01-01

Chemical risk assessment usually applies empirical methods to predict toxicant effects on different species. We propose a more mechanism-oriented approach, and introduce a method to decompose toxicity data in a contribution from the chemical (potency) and from the exposed species (vulnerability). We

Relation between chemical properties in molten acetamide and water at 98 deg. C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, Nicole

1972-01-01

An attempt was made to establish the relation between the chemical properties of various cations in water and in molten acetamide at 98 deg. C. A solvent always possesses properties which have some effect on the reactivity of the solute. Various types of interactions (polar, electrostatic, Van der Waals forces, and hydrogen bonds) bind the solvent molecules to the dissolved molecules and ions. Interactions between the solute species and the solvent species are designated: solvation phenomena. In addition to solvation phenomena, another but less direct type of interaction occurs: the solvated ions find themselves in a sensibly continuous medium having a dielectric constant ε which can vary considerably. As the value of the dielectric constant decreases, the electrostatic interactions between the ions increase. The variation is such that these ions can only be considered free for values of ε > 40. This is the case for acetamide and water at 98 deg. C. The solvation of a chemical species belonging to an oxido-reducing system can only be effected by comparing the behavior of such a system with a reference system relatively insensitive to changes in the solvent. The reference system used was a ferrocene-ion/ferricinium couple. The solvation of a chemical species is characterized by a variable designated: the solvation activity coefficient. The chemical and electrochemical properties of various elements (alkali elements, alkaline earths, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, U, Al, Ce, and Eu) in neutral or acid media in acetamide were studied using various electrochemical techniques (principally polarography). These studies led to the establishment of a table of oxido-reducing potentials for molten acetamide. Comparisons with water at 98 deg. C indicate that the metallic cations are more solvated in acetamide than in water. The evaluation of solvation activity coefficients from polarographic measurements (E 1/2 , D M ) led to an approximate estimation of the differences in behavior

The Use of Chemical-Chemical Interaction and Chemical Structure to Identify New Candidate Chemicals Related to Lung Cancer.

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Lei Chen

Full Text Available Lung cancer causes over one million deaths every year worldwide. However, prevention and treatment methods for this serious disease are limited. The identification of new chemicals related to lung cancer may aid in disease prevention and the design of more effective treatments. This study employed a weighted network, constructed using chemical-chemical interaction information, to identify new chemicals related to two types of lung cancer: non-small lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer. Then, a randomization test as well as chemical-chemical interaction and chemical structure information were utilized to make further selections. A final analysis of these new chemicals in the context of the current literature indicates that several chemicals are strongly linked to lung cancer.

Use of chemical elements of 1A family by tropical tree species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmo, Andrius M.J.; Paiva, Jose Daniel S. de; Magalhaes, Marcelo R.L. de; Franca, Elvis J. de; Hazin, Clovis A.; Bacchi, Marcio A.; Fernandes, Elisabete A.N.

2013-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the distribution of K, Rb and Cs in leaves of trees of the Atlantic Forest through studies of correlation between the chemical elements. For this, we used the Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis for the quantification of the chemical elements. The concentration ranges found were 6700-24000 mg / kg for K, 16 to 72mg / kg for Rb and 0.08 to 0,92mg / kg for Cs. As Rb has chemical similarity to K, is easily absorbed by plants, leading to a high value (0.9) of the Pearson correlation. For the correlation between K and Cs, no significant values were detected except for some species of the Myrtaceae family. However, average correlations (0.6 < r <0.8) between Rb-Cs were obtained for seven plant species of different families. The absence of a specific pattern using of K, Rb and Cs by plants showed great complexity in the distribution of chemical elements in the ecosystem

Plant Species Rather Than Climate Greatly Alters the Temporal Pattern of Litter Chemical Composition During Long-Term Decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yongfu; Chen, Na; Harmon, Mark E.; Li, Yuan; Cao, Xiaoyan; Chappell, Mark A.; Mao, Jingdong

2015-10-01

A feedback between decomposition and litter chemical composition occurs with decomposition altering composition that in turn influences the decomposition rate. Elucidating the temporal pattern of chemical composition is vital to understand this feedback, but the effects of plant species and climate on chemical changes remain poorly understood, especially over multiple years. In a 10-year decomposition experiment with litter of four species (Acer saccharum, Drypetes glauca, Pinus resinosa, and Thuja plicata) from four sites that range from the arctic to tropics, we determined the abundance of 11 litter chemical constituents that were grouped into waxes, carbohydrates, lignin/tannins, and proteins/peptides using advanced 13C solid-state NMR techniques. Decomposition generally led to an enrichment of waxes and a depletion of carbohydrates, whereas the changes of other chemical constituents were inconsistent. Inconsistent convergence in chemical compositions during decomposition was observed among different litter species across a range of site conditions, whereas one litter species converged under different climate conditions. Our data clearly demonstrate that plant species rather than climate greatly alters the temporal pattern of litter chemical composition, suggesting the decomposition-chemistry feedback varies among different plant species.

29Si NMR Chemical Shift Calculation for Silicate Species by Gaussian Software

Science.gov (United States)

Azizi, S. N.; Rostami, A. A.; Godarzian, A.

2005-05-01

Hartree-Fock self-consistent-field (HF-SCF) theory and the Gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) methods are used in the calculation of 29Si NMR chemical shifts for ABOUT 90 units of 19 compounds of various silicate species of precursors for zeolites. Calculations have been performed at geometries optimized at the AM1 semi-empirical method. The GIAO-HF-SCF calculations were carried out with using three different basis sets: 6-31G*, 6-31+G** and 6-311+G(2d,p). To demonstrate the quality of the calculations the calculated chemical shifts, δ, were compared with the corresponding experimental values for the compounds in study. The results, especially with 6-31+g** are in excellent agreement with experimental values. The calculated chemical shifts, in practical point of view, appear to be accurate enough to aid in experimental peak assignments. The difference between the experimental and calculated 29Si chemical shift values not only depends on the Qn units but also it seems that basis set effects and the level of theory is more important. For the series of molecules studied here, the standard deviations and mean absolute errors for 29Si chemical shifts relative to TMS determined using Hartree--Fock 6-31+G** basis is nearly in all cases smaller than the errors for shifts determined using HF/6-311+G(2d,p).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter above- and below-ground chemical defense expression differentially among Asclepias species

Science.gov (United States)

Vannette, Rachel L.; Hunter, Mark D.; Rasmann, Sergio

2013-01-01

Below-ground (BG) symbionts of plants can have substantial influence on plant growth and nutrition. Recent work demonstrates that mycorrhizal fungi can affect plant resistance to herbivory and the performance of above- (AG) and BG herbivores. Although these examples emerge from diverse systems, it is unclear if plant species that express similar defensive traits respond similarly to fungal colonization, but comparative work may inform this question. To examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the expression of chemical resistance, we inoculated 8 species of Asclepias (milkweed)—which all produce toxic cardenolides—with a community of AMF. We quantified plant biomass, foliar and root cardenolide concentration and composition, and assessed evidence for a growth-defense tradeoff in the presence and absence of AMF. As expected, total foliar and root cardenolide concentration varied among milkweed species. Importantly, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on total foliar cardenolide concentration also varied among milkweed species, with foliar cardenolides increasing or decreasing, depending on the plant species. We detected a phylogenetic signal to this variation; AMF fungi reduced foliar cardenolide concentrations to a greater extent in the clade including A. curassavica than in the clade including A. syriaca. Moreover, AMF inoculation shifted the composition of cardenolides in AG and BG plant tissues in a species-specific fashion. Mycorrhizal inoculation changed the relative distribution of cardenolides between root and shoot tissue in a species-specific fashion, but did not affect cardenolide diversity or polarity. Finally, a tradeoff between plant growth and defense in non-mycorrhizal plants was mitigated completely by AMF inoculation. Overall, we conclude that the effects of AMF inoculation on the expression of chemical resistance can vary among congeneric plant species, and ameliorate tradeoffs between growth and defense. PMID:24065971

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter above- and below-ground chemical defense expression differentially among Asclepias species.

Science.gov (United States)

Vannette, Rachel L; Hunter, Mark D; Rasmann, Sergio

2013-01-01

Below-ground (BG) symbionts of plants can have substantial influence on plant growth and nutrition. Recent work demonstrates that mycorrhizal fungi can affect plant resistance to herbivory and the performance of above- (AG) and BG herbivores. Although these examples emerge from diverse systems, it is unclear if plant species that express similar defensive traits respond similarly to fungal colonization, but comparative work may inform this question. To examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the expression of chemical resistance, we inoculated 8 species of Asclepias (milkweed)-which all produce toxic cardenolides-with a community of AMF. We quantified plant biomass, foliar and root cardenolide concentration and composition, and assessed evidence for a growth-defense tradeoff in the presence and absence of AMF. As expected, total foliar and root cardenolide concentration varied among milkweed species. Importantly, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on total foliar cardenolide concentration also varied among milkweed species, with foliar cardenolides increasing or decreasing, depending on the plant species. We detected a phylogenetic signal to this variation; AMF fungi reduced foliar cardenolide concentrations to a greater extent in the clade including A. curassavica than in the clade including A. syriaca. Moreover, AMF inoculation shifted the composition of cardenolides in AG and BG plant tissues in a species-specific fashion. Mycorrhizal inoculation changed the relative distribution of cardenolides between root and shoot tissue in a species-specific fashion, but did not affect cardenolide diversity or polarity. Finally, a tradeoff between plant growth and defense in non-mycorrhizal plants was mitigated completely by AMF inoculation. Overall, we conclude that the effects of AMF inoculation on the expression of chemical resistance can vary among congeneric plant species, and ameliorate tradeoffs between growth and defense.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter above- and below-ground chemical defense expression differentially among Asclepias species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L Vannette

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Belowground symbionts of plants can have substantial influence on plant growth and nutrition. Recent work demonstrates that mycorrhizal fungi can affect plant resistance to herbivory and the performance of above and belowground herbivores. Although these examples emerge from diverse systems, it is unclear if plant species that express similar defensive traits respond similarly to fungal colonization, but comparative work may inform this question. To examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF on the expression of chemical resistance, we inoculated 8 species of Asclepias (milkweed--which all produce toxic cardenolides--with a community of AMF. We quantified plant biomass, foliar and root cardenolide concentration and composition, and assessed evidence for a growth-defense tradeoff in the presence and absence of AMF. As expected, total foliar and root cardenolide concentration varied among milkweed species. Importantly, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on total foliar cardenolide concentration also varied among milkweed species, with foliar cardenolides increasing or decreasing, depending on the plant species. We detected a phylogenetic signal to this variation; AMF fungi reduced foliar cardenolide concentrations to a greater extent in the clade including A. curassavica than in the clade including A. syriaca. Moreover, AMF inoculation shifted the composition of cardenolides in above- and below-ground plant tissues in a species-specific fashion. Mycorrhizal inoculation changed the relative distribution of cardenolides between root and shoot tissue in a species-specific fashion, but did not affect cardenolide diversity or polarity. Finally, a tradeoff between plant growth and defense in non-mycorrhizal plants was mitigated completely by AMF inoculation. Overall, we conclude that the effects of AMF inoculation on the expression of chemical resistance can vary among congeneric plant species, and ameliorate tradeoffs between growth and

Computing multi-species chemical equilibrium with an algorithm based on the reaction extents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paz-Garcia, Juan Manuel; Johannesson, Björn; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2013-01-01

-negative constrains. The residual function, representing the distance to the equilibrium, is defined from the chemical potential (or Gibbs energy) of the chemical system. Local minimums are potentially avoided by the prioritization of the aqueous reactions with respect to the heterogeneous reactions. The formation......A mathematical model for the solution of a set of chemical equilibrium equations in a multi-species and multiphase chemical system is described. The computer-aid solution of model is achieved by means of a Newton-Raphson method enhanced with a line-search scheme, which deals with the non...... and release of gas bubbles is taken into account in the model, limiting the concentration of volatile aqueous species to a maximum value, given by the gas solubility constant.The reaction extents are used as state variables for the numerical method. As a result, the accepted solution satisfies the charge...

Chemical profiles of body surfaces and nests from six Bornean stingless bee species.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, Sara Diana; Blüthgen, Nico; Schmitt, Thomas

2011-01-01

Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are the most diverse group of Apid bees and represent common pollinators in tropical ecosystems. Like honeybees they live in large eusocial colonies and rely on complex chemical recognition and communication systems. In contrast to honeybees, their ecology and especially their chemical ecology have received only little attention, particularly in the Old World. We previously have analyzed the chemical profiles of six paleotropical stingless bee species from Borneo and revealed the presence of species-specific cuticular terpenes- an environmentally derived compound class so far unique among social insects. Here, we compared the bees' surface profiles to the chemistry of their nest material. Terpenes, alkanes, and alkenes were the dominant compound groups on both body surfaces and nest material. However, bee profiles and nests strongly differed in their chemical composition. Body surfaces thus did not merely mirror nests, rendering a passive compound transfer from nests to bees unlikely. The difference between nests and bees was particularly pronounced when all resin-derived compounds (terpenes) were excluded and only genetically determined compounds were considered. When terpenes were included, bee profiles and nest material still differed, because whole groups of terpenes (e.g., sesquiterpenes) were found in nest material of some species, but missing in their chemical profile, indicating that bees are able to influence the terpene composition both in their nests and on their surfaces.

Analysis of chemical constituents in Cistanche species.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yong; Tu, Peng-Fei

2009-03-13

Species of the genus of Cistanche (Rou Cong Rong in Chinese) are perennial parasite herbs, and are mainly distributed in arid lands and warm deserts. As a superior tonic for the treatment of kidney deficiency, impotence, female infertility, morbid leucorrhea, profuse metrorrhagia and senile constipation, Cistanche herbs earned the honor of "Ginseng of the desert". Recently, there has been increasing scientific attention on Herba Cistanche for its remarkable bioactivities including antioxidation, neuroprotection, and anti-aging. The chemical constituents of Cistanche plants mainly include volatile oils and non-volatile phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs), iridoids, lignans, alditols, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Pharmacological studies show that PhGs are the main active components for curing kidney deficiency, antioxidation and neuroprotection; galactitol and oligosaccharides are the representatives for the treatment of senile constipation, while polysaccharides are responsible for improving body immunity. In this paper, the advances on the chemical constituents of Cistanche plants and their corresponding analyses are reviewed.

Guidelines for terms related to chemical speciations and fractionation of elements : definitions, structural aspects, and methodological approaches (IUPAC Recommendations 2000)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Templeton, D.M.; Ariese, F.; Cornelis, R.; Danielsson, L.G.; Muntau, H.; Leeuwen, van H.P.; Lobínski, R.

2000-01-01

This paper presents definitions of concepts related to speciation of elements, more particularly speciation analysis and chemical species. Fractionation is distinguished from speciation analysis, and a general outline of fractionation procedures is given. We propose a categorization of species

Chemical, Bioactive, and Antioxidant Potential of Twenty Wild Culinary Mushroom Species

OpenAIRE

Sharma, S. K.; Gautam, N.

2015-01-01

The chemical, bioactive, and antioxidant potential of twenty wild culinary mushroom species being consumed by the people of northern Himalayan regions has been evaluated for the first time in the present study. Nutrients analyzed include protein, crude fat, fibres, carbohydrates, and monosaccharides. Besides, preliminary study on the detection of toxic compounds was done on these species. Bioactive compounds evaluated are fatty acids, amino acids, tocopherol content, carotenoids (β-carotene, ...

Determining High-Quality Critical Body Residues for Multiple Species and Chemicals by Applying Improved Experimental Design and Data Interpretation Concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Heijden, Stephan A.; Hermens, Joop L. M.; Sinnige, Theo L.

2015-01-01

Ecotoxicological effect data are generally expressed as effective concentrations in the external exposure medium and do thus not account for differences in chemical uptake, bioavailability, and metabolism, which can introduce substantial data variation. The Critical Body Residue (CBR) concept......, and by a factor of 2.6 between the three species but for individual chemicals. Accounting for the chemicals internal distribution to different partitioning domains and relating effects to estimated concentrations in the target compartment (i.e., membrane lipids) was expected to but did not decrease the overall...

Novel chemical species of Santilli’s magnegas in hadronic chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zodape, Sangesh P.

2015-01-01

In this paper we have reviewed the novel chemical species, the magnecules, synthesized by Santilli that comprises of individual atoms, radicals and ordinary molecules bonded through the magnetic attractive forces originating out of toroidal polarization of the orbitals of atomic electrons under strong magnetic fields. The main focus of this paper is to review the fabulous applications of Santill’s magnegas. The novel magnecular species of hydrogen and oxygen find their place in fuel industry especially in fuel cells with the increase in its power, efficiency and total output. In this account we have also considered the flame temperature report of the new magnecular species of gases. We emphasize the importance of this new field

Novel chemical species of Santilli’s magnegas in hadronic chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zodape, Sangesh P. [Department of Chemistry, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur – 440 010, India E-mail: sangesh02@gmail.com (India)

2015-03-10

In this paper we have reviewed the novel chemical species, the magnecules, synthesized by Santilli that comprises of individual atoms, radicals and ordinary molecules bonded through the magnetic attractive forces originating out of toroidal polarization of the orbitals of atomic electrons under strong magnetic fields. The main focus of this paper is to review the fabulous applications of Santill’s magnegas. The novel magnecular species of hydrogen and oxygen find their place in fuel industry especially in fuel cells with the increase in its power, efficiency and total output. In this account we have also considered the flame temperature report of the new magnecular species of gases. We emphasize the importance of this new field.

Comparison of the distribution of some thallium chemical species in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petitjean, Francoise.

Scintigraphic images obtained after injection of radioactive thallium show a strong uptake on the kidneys but also on the intestines, which means that quantitative interpretation of the kidney images is troubled by the superposition of these organs. This study is an attempt to find a chemical form of thallium tending less to fix on the intestinal mucous membrane but keeping its affinity for the medullary zone of the kidney. Various agents forming stable complexes with the metal were investigated. Radiothallium is generally used in the chemical form of monovalent thallium chloride. However the degree of oxidation I is unsuitable for stable complex formation and therefore trivalent thallium was also used. Separation of Tl(I) and Tl(III) with ion exchange resin showed the instability of trivalent chloride at low concentration and when the solution is more than 2 hours old the trivalent thallium solutions injected are 10 -5 M. Calculation of the complex formation constants revealed the absence or formation of monovalent thallium complexes. In all monovalent thallium solutions (with or without carrier, with EDTA or HEDTA) the predominant chemical species is Tl + . In the case of trivalent thallium three solutions with carrier were used; the predominant species is TlCl 6 3- when the solution contains Cl - and EDTA and TlEDTA when Cl - , NO 3 - and EDTA are present. These solutions were injected intraveinously into mice in order to study the radiothallium distribution in the kidney and intestine by comparison with that of TlCl while the chemical species varied from one preparation to another no great difference in the radiothallium distribution was observed [fr

Concentrations and chemical species of arsenic in human urine and hair

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamato, Naohisa (St. Marianna Univ. School of Medicine, Kawasaki (Japan))

1988-05-01

Because marine products are rich in arsenic, the concentration of arsenic in the human urine varies greatly with the state of ingestion of marine products. It has been revealed that inorganic arsenic is methylated in the human body to form MAA (methylarsonic acid) and DMAA (dimethylarsinic acid). It appears therefore that the arsenic present in the human urine is a mixture of the arsenic originating from marine products and the arsenic metabolized in vivo. Recent studies have shown that inorganic arsenic and methylarsenic compounds are quite different in toxicity and effect on the living body due to their difference in chemical species. Finding the chemical species of arsenic in the urine and hair of normal subjects will therefore provide valuable basal data for the biological monitoring of arsenic exposure and for toxicological studies of arsenic.

Some inconvenient truths about biosignatures involving two chemical species on Earth-like exoplanets.

Science.gov (United States)

Rein, Hanno; Fujii, Yuka; Spiegel, David S

2014-05-13

The detection of strong thermochemical disequilibrium in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet is thought to be a potential biosignature. In this article we present a previously unidentified kind of false positive that can mimic a disequilibrium or any other biosignature that involves two chemical species. We consider a scenario where the exoplanet hosts a moon that has its own atmosphere and neither of the atmospheres is in chemical disequilibrium. Our results show that the integrated spectrum of the planet and the moon closely resembles that of a single object in strong chemical disequilibrium. We derive a firm limit on the maximum spectral resolution that can be obtained for both directly imaged and transiting planets. The spectral resolution of even idealized space-based spectrographs that might be achievable in the next several decades is in general insufficient to break the degeneracy. Both chemical species can only be definitively confirmed in the same object if absorption features of both chemicals can be unambiguously identified and their combined depth exceeds 100%.

Kaempferitrin from Uncaria guianensis (Rubiaceae) and its potential as a chemical marker for the species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valente, Ligia M.M.; Liechocki, Sally; Barboza, Rodolfo S.; Paixao, Djavan da [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica], e-mail: valente@iq.ufrj.br; Bizarri, Carlos H.B.; Almeida, M. Beatriz S.; Benevides, Paulo J.C.; Siani, Antonio C. [Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Tecnologia em Farmacos; Magalhaes, Alvicler [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica

2009-07-01

Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC. and U. guianensis (Aubl.) Gmel., known as cat's claw, are large woody vines native to the Amazonian and Central American rain forests. The species contain, in different proportions, indole and oxindole alkaloids, triterpenoid glycosides, sterols and proanthocyanidins. U. tomentosa can be chemically identified by its oxindole alkaloid profile and content, whereas U. guianensis has no satisfactorily established chemical markers. This work describes, for the first time, the isolation of kaempferol-3,7-O-(a)-dirhamnoside (kaempferitrin) in Uncaria species. Screening for this compound in leaves, stems or bark of both species through TLC and HPLC-DAD-MS showed the presence of kaempferitrin only in the leaves and stems of U. guianensis, at a ratio almost thirty six times greater in the leaves than in the stems. These results reveal the selectivity of U. guianensis to produce this bioactive flavonoid glycoside, and suggest this compound as a potential chemical marker for the species.(author)

Kaempferitrin from Uncaria guianensis (Rubiaceae) and its potential as a chemical marker for the species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valente, Ligia M.M.; Liechocki, Sally; Barboza, Rodolfo S.; Paixao, Djavan da; Bizarri, Carlos H.B.; Almeida, M. Beatriz S.; Benevides, Paulo J.C.; Siani, Antonio C.; Magalhaes, Alvicler

2009-01-01

Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC. and U. guianensis (Aubl.) Gmel., known as cat's claw, are large woody vines native to the Amazonian and Central American rain forests. The species contain, in different proportions, indole and oxindole alkaloids, triterpenoid glycosides, sterols and proanthocyanidins. U. tomentosa can be chemically identified by its oxindole alkaloid profile and content, whereas U. guianensis has no satisfactorily established chemical markers. This work describes, for the first time, the isolation of kaempferol-3,7-O-(a)-dirhamnoside (kaempferitrin) in Uncaria species. Screening for this compound in leaves, stems or bark of both species through TLC and HPLC-DAD-MS showed the presence of kaempferitrin only in the leaves and stems of U. guianensis, at a ratio almost thirty six times greater in the leaves than in the stems. These results reveal the selectivity of U. guianensis to produce this bioactive flavonoid glycoside, and suggest this compound as a potential chemical marker for the species.(author)

Chemical, Bioactive, and Antioxidant Potential of Twenty Wild Culinary Mushroom Species

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, S. K.; Gautam, N.

2015-01-01

The chemical, bioactive, and antioxidant potential of twenty wild culinary mushroom species being consumed by the people of northern Himalayan regions has been evaluated for the first time in the present study. Nutrients analyzed include protein, crude fat, fibres, carbohydrates, and monosaccharides. Besides, preliminary study on the detection of toxic compounds was done on these species. Bioactive compounds evaluated are fatty acids, amino acids, tocopherol content, carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene), flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and anthocyanidins. Fruitbodies extract of all the species was tested for different types of antioxidant assays. Although differences were observed in the net values of individual species all the species were found to be rich in protein, and carbohydrates and low in fat. Glucose was found to be the major monosaccharide. Predominance of UFA (65–70%) over SFA (30–35%) was observed in all the species with considerable amounts of other bioactive compounds. All the species showed higher effectiveness for antioxidant capacities. PMID:26199938

Chemical, Bioactive, and Antioxidant Potential of Twenty Wild Culinary Mushroom Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. K. Sharma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The chemical, bioactive, and antioxidant potential of twenty wild culinary mushroom species being consumed by the people of northern Himalayan regions has been evaluated for the first time in the present study. Nutrients analyzed include protein, crude fat, fibres, carbohydrates, and monosaccharides. Besides, preliminary study on the detection of toxic compounds was done on these species. Bioactive compounds evaluated are fatty acids, amino acids, tocopherol content, carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and anthocyanidins. Fruitbodies extract of all the species was tested for different types of antioxidant assays. Although differences were observed in the net values of individual species all the species were found to be rich in protein, and carbohydrates and low in fat. Glucose was found to be the major monosaccharide. Predominance of UFA (65–70% over SFA (30–35% was observed in all the species with considerable amounts of other bioactive compounds. All the species showed higher effectiveness for antioxidant capacities.

Chemical, Bioactive, and Antioxidant Potential of Twenty Wild Culinary Mushroom Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, S K; Gautam, N

2015-01-01

The chemical, bioactive, and antioxidant potential of twenty wild culinary mushroom species being consumed by the people of northern Himalayan regions has been evaluated for the first time in the present study. Nutrients analyzed include protein, crude fat, fibres, carbohydrates, and monosaccharides. Besides, preliminary study on the detection of toxic compounds was done on these species. Bioactive compounds evaluated are fatty acids, amino acids, tocopherol content, carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene), flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and anthocyanidins. Fruitbodies extract of all the species was tested for different types of antioxidant assays. Although differences were observed in the net values of individual species all the species were found to be rich in protein, and carbohydrates and low in fat. Glucose was found to be the major monosaccharide. Predominance of UFA (65-70%) over SFA (30-35%) was observed in all the species with considerable amounts of other bioactive compounds. All the species showed higher effectiveness for antioxidant capacities.

Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Ayres

mites did not. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although some soil characteristics were unaffected by tree species identity, our results clearly demonstrate that these dominant tree species are associated with soils that differ in several physical, chemical, and biotic properties. Ongoing environmental changes in this region, e.g. changes in fire regime, frequency of insect outbreaks, changes in precipitation patterns and snowpack, and land-use change, may alter the relative abundance of these tree species over coming decades, which in turn will likely alter the soils.

Exudate Chemical Profiles Derived from Lespedeza and Other Tallgrass Prairie Plant Species

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

Chemical Profiles Derived from Lespedeza and Other Tall- grass Prairie Plant Species. ERDC TN-17-1. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Re- search and...200-1-52. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, Civil Works. https://www.wbdg.org/ffc/army-coe/public-works-technical-bulletins...ERDC TN-17-1 May 2017 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Exudate Chemical Profiles Derived from Lespedeza and Other

The influence of electrohydrodynamic flow on the distribution of chemical species in positive corona

Science.gov (United States)

Pontiga, Francisco; Yanallah, Khelifa; Bouazza, R.; Chen, Junhong

2015-09-01

A numerical simulation of positive corona discharge in air, including the effect of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) motion of the gas, has been carried out. Air flow is assumed to be confined between two parallel plates, and corona discharge is produced around a thin wire, midway between the plates. Therefore, fluid dynamics equations, including electrical forces, have been solved together with the continuity equation of each neutral species. The plasma chemical model included 24 chemical reactions and ten neutral species, in addition to electrons and positive ions. The results of the simulation have shown that the influence of EHD flow on the spatial distributions of the species is quite different depending on the species. Hence, reactive species like atomic oxygen and atomic nitrogen are confined to the vicinity of the wire, and they are weakly affected by the EHD gas motion. In contrast, nitrogen oxides and ozone are efficiently dragged outside the active region of the corona discharge by the EHD flow. This work was supported by the Spanish Government Agency ``Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación'' under Contract No. FIS2011-25161.

Separation of chemical species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rentzepis, P.M.

1977-01-01

Isotopic separation is accomplished by (1) a second photon irradiation step for selective ionization of a first isotopic species and (2) selective precipitation of a generally immiscible liquid from the saturating vapor phase on the ionized species. The first photon corresponds with a sharply defined spectral portion of the irradiation which exclusively excites the first species to a vibrational level. The second photon further excites this species to its ionization level. Selective precipitation is by coulombic attraction between the ionized species and the vapor. The procedure is applicable to any vapor phase ionizable material

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CAATINGA POTENTIAL FORAGES SPECIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dynara Layza de Souza da Silva

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Chemical composition of some potential forages species, natives from Caatinga region, were evaluated. Samples of Macroptilium heterophyllum, Stylosanthes humilis, Rhynchosia mínima, Desmodium tortuosum Sw. Dc, Merremia aegyptia, Mimosa tenuiflora Wild, Bauhinia cheilantha and as well Macroptilium lathyroides, Caesalpinia pyramidalis and Mimosa tenuiflora hays were collected in Rio Grande do Norte Stated, during 2011 rainy season. The analyses: dry matter (DM, crude protein (CP mineral matter (MM ether extract  (EE neutral detergent fiber (NDF, acid detergent fiber (ADF, lignin (LIG, insoluble neutral detergent nitrogen, (INDN insoluble acid detergent nitrogen, (ADIN, total phenol (TF and total tannin (TT were done at Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos in Ceará State. Plants analyzed, as expected, for tropical species, exhibited high level of cell wall constituents, high lignifications rate and revealed substantial presence of anti nutritional compounds. However, regardless of this data, the main problem, for grazing animals, is due to its xerophytes characteristics. Most of the shrubs and trees are deciduous, losing its leaves during the dry season. In addition, herbaceous presents a very rapid lifetime cycle, germinating and senescing during the brief wet season.

Photosynthetic capacity of tropical montane tree species in relation to leaf nutrients, successional strategy and growth temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Dusenge, Mirindi Eric; Wallin, Göran; Gårdesten, Johanna; Niyonzima, Felix; Adolfsson, Lisa; Nsabimana, Donat; Uddling, Johan

2015-04-01

Photosynthetic capacity of tree leaves is typically positively related to nutrient content and little affected by changes in growth temperature. These relationships are, however, often poorly supported for tropical trees, for which interspecific differences may be more strongly controlled by within-leaf nutrient allocation than by absolute leaf nutrient content, and little is known regarding photosynthetic acclimation to temperature. To explore the influence of leaf nutrient status, successional strategy and growth temperature on the photosynthetic capacity of tropical trees, we collected data on photosynthetic, chemical and morphological leaf traits of ten tree species in Rwanda. Seven species were studied in a forest plantation at mid-altitude (~1,700 m), whereas six species were studied in a cooler montane rainforest at higher altitude (~2,500 m). Three species were common to both sites, and, in the montane rainforest, three pioneer species and three climax species were investigated. Across species, interspecific variation in photosynthetic capacity was not related to leaf nutrient content. Instead, this variation was related to differences in within-leaf nitrogen allocation, with a tradeoff between investments into compounds related to photosynthetic capacity (higher in pioneer species) versus light-harvesting compounds (higher in climax species). Photosynthetic capacity was significantly lower at the warmer site at 1,700 m altitude. We conclude that (1) within-leaf nutrient allocation is more important than leaf nutrient content per se in controlling interspecific variation in photosynthetic capacity among tree species in tropical Rwanda, and that (2) tropical montane rainforest species exhibit decreased photosynthetic capacity when grown in a warmer environment.

Relation between physico-chemical limnology and crustacean community in Wular Lake of Kashmir Himalaya.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Javaid Ahmad; Pandit, Ashok K

2013-10-01

The present study scrutinizes the seasonal variation in the distribution of crustacean zooplankton in relation to physico-chemical liminology of Wular lake. Water samples were collected from five study sites during September 2010-August 2011. Remarkable spatial and temporal variations were observed among the different study sites. Among the parameters recorded water temperature showed positive correlation with pH (p<0.01) and orthophosphate (p<0.05).Transparency showed a significant negative correlation with total alkalinity (p<0.01), free carbon dioxide (p<0.01) and ammonical nitrogen (p<0.01). Crustacean zooplankton were collected by filtering 100 L lake water through a 30 microm nytal mesh and preserved in 4% formalin. A total of 42 taxa of crustacean were recorded, among them 23 species belonged to Cladocera, 16 to Copepoda and only 3 to Ostracoda. Species diversity and density depicted an abrupt up surge on the advent of warmer period (extending from March). Among the various sites a maximum of 40 species were recorded from a single biotope (site III) against the minimum of only 17 species being recorded from site I. Bray-Curtis cluster analysis showed close similarity (0.928-0.944%) between summer and autumn in terms of species diversity. Pearson correlation coefficient of the various physico-chemical parameters of water with crustacean zooplankton depicted that not only a single but multiple factors govern over the distribution and diversity of crustacean in the lake.

Chemical constituents and biological activities of species of Justicia: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geone M. Corrêa

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The Acanthaceae family is an important source of therapeutic drugs, and the ethnopharmacological knowledge of this family requires urgent documentation as several of its species are near extinction. Justicia is the largest genus of Acanthaceae, with approximately 600 species. The present work provides a review addressing the chemistry and pharmacology of the genus Justicia. In addition, the biological activities of compounds isolated from the genus are also covered. The chemical and pharmacological information in the present work may inspire new biomedical applications for the species of Justicia, considering atom economy, the synthesis of environmentally benign products without producing toxic by-products, the use of renewable sources of raw materials, and the search for processes with maximal efficiency of energy.

Chemical thermodynamics of iodine species in the HTGR fuel particle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindemer, T.B.

1982-09-01

The iodine-containing species in an intact fuel particle in the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) have been calculated. Assumptions include: (1) attainment of chemical thermodynamic equilibrium among all species in the open porosity of the particle, primarily in the buffer layer; and (2) fission-product concentrations in proportion to their yields. The primary gaseous species is calculated to be cesium iodide; in carbide-containing fuels, gaseous barium iodide may exhibit equivalent pressures. The condensed iodine-containing phase is usually cesium iodide, but in carbide-containing fuels, barium iodide may be stable instead. Absorption of elemental iodine on the carbon in the particle appears to be less than or equal to 10 -4 μg I/g C. The fission-product-spectra excess of cesium over iodine would generally be adsorbed on the carbon, but may form Cs 2 MoO 4 under some circumstances

USE OF AMAZONIAN SPECIES FOR AGING DISTILLED BEVERAGES: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL WOOD ANALYSIS

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Jonnys Paz Castro

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The process of storing liquor in wooden barrels is a practice that aims to improve the sensory characteristics, such as color, aroma and flavor, of the beverage. The quality of the liquor stored in these barrels depends on wood characteristics such as density, permeability, chemical composition, anatomy, besides the wood heat treatment used to fabricate the barrels. Brazil has a great diversity of forests, mainly in the north, in the Amazon. This region is home to thousands of tree species, but is limited to the use of only a few native species to store liquors. The objective of this study was to determine some of the physical and chemical characteristics for four Amazon wood species. The results obtained in this study will be compared with others from woods that are traditionally used for liquor storage. The species studied were angelim-pedra (Hymenolobium petraeum Ducke cumarurana (Dipteryx polyphylla (Huber Ducke, jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L. and louro-vermelho (Nectandra rubra (Mez CK Allen. The trees were collected from Precious Woods Amazon Company forest management area, in Silves, Amazonas. Analyzes such as: concentration of extractives, lignin amount, percentage of minerals (ash and tannin content, density, elemental analysis (CHNS-O and thermal analysis were done. It was observed that the chemical composition (lignin, holocellulose and elemental analysis (percentage of C, H, N and O of the woods have significant differences. The jatobá wood presented higher tannin content, and in the thermal analysis, was that which had the lowest mass loss.

Divergent chemical cues elicit seed collecting by ants in an obligate multi-species mutualism in lowland Amazonia.

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Elsa Youngsteadt

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In lowland Amazonian rainforests, specific ants collect seeds of several plant species and cultivate them in arboreal carton nests, forming species-specific symbioses called ant-gardens (AGs. In this obligate mutualism, ants depend on the plants for nest stability and the plants depend on ant nests for substrate and nutrients. AG ants and plants are abundant, dominant members of lowland Amazonian ecosystems, but the cues ants use to recognize the seeds are poorly understood. To address the chemical basis of the ant-seed interaction, we surveyed seed chemistry in nine AG species and eight non-AG congeners. We detected seven phenolic and terpenoid volatiles common to seeds of all or most of the AG species, but a blend of the shared compounds was not attractive to the AG ant Camponotus femoratus. We also analyzed seeds of three AG species (Anthurium gracile, Codonanthe uleana, and Peperomia macrostachya using behavior-guided fractionation. At least one chromatographic fraction of each seed extract elicited retrieval behavior in C. femoratus, but the active fractions of the three plant species differed in polarity and chemical composition, indicating that shared compounds alone did not explain seed-carrying behavior. We suggest that the various AG seed species must elicit seed-carrying with different chemical cues.

Light-Addressable Potentiometric Sensors for Quantitative Spatial Imaging of Chemical Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshinobu, Tatsuo; Miyamoto, Ko-Ichiro; Werner, Carl Frederik; Poghossian, Arshak; Wagner, Torsten; Schöning, Michael J

2017-06-12

A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor, in which a measurement site on the sensing surface is defined by illumination. This light addressability can be applied to visualize the spatial distribution of pH or the concentration of a specific chemical species, with potential applications in the fields of chemistry, materials science, biology, and medicine. In this review, the features of this chemical imaging sensor technology are compared with those of other technologies. Instrumentation, principles of operation, and various measurement modes of chemical imaging sensor systems are described. The review discusses and summarizes state-of-the-art technologies, especially with regard to the spatial resolution and measurement speed; for example, a high spatial resolution in a submicron range and a readout speed in the range of several tens of thousands of pixels per second have been achieved with the LAPS. The possibility of combining this technology with microfluidic devices and other potential future developments are discussed.

In vitro activity of natural and chemical products on sporulation of Eimeria species oocysts of chickens.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadelhaq, Sahar M; Arafa, Waleed M; Abolhadid, Shawky M

2018-02-15

This study was designed to investigate the ability of two herbal extracts and different chemical substances to inhibit or disrupt sporulation of Eimeria species oocysts of the chickens. The two herbal extracts were Allium sativum (garlic) and Moringa olifiera while the chemical substances included commercial disinfectants and diclazuril. Field isolates of Eimeria oocysts were propagated in chickens to obtain a continuous source of oocysts. The collected unsporulated oocysts (10 5 oocysts/5 ml) were dispensed into 5 cm Petri dish. Three replicates were used for each treatment. The treated oocysts were incubated for 48 h at 25-29 °C and 80% relative humidity. The results showed that herbal extracts, the commercial recommended dose of Dettol, TH4, Phenol, Virkon ® S, and Diclazuril 20% have no effect on the sporulation. While Sodium hypochlorite showed a significant degree of sporulation inhibition reached to 49.67%. Moreover, 70% ethanol, and 10% formalin showed 100% sporulation inhibition. It was concluded that 70% ethanol and 10% formalin are the most effective methods to inhibit Eimeria species sporulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Penicillium arizonense, a new, genome sequenced fungal species, reveals a high chemical diversity in secreted metabolites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grijseels, Sietske; Nielsen, Jens Christian; Randelovic, Milica

2016-01-01

A new soil-borne species belonging to the Penicillium section Canescentia is described, Penicillium arizonense sp. nov. (type strain CBS 141311T = IBT 12289T). The genome was sequenced and assembled into 33.7 Mb containing 12,502 predicted genes. A phylogenetic assessment based on marker genes...... confirmed the grouping of P. arizonense within section Canescentia. Compared to related species, P. arizonense proved to encode a high number of proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, in particular hemicellulases. Mining the genome for genes involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis resulted...... of biosynthetic gene clusters in P. arizonense responsible for the synthesis of all detected compounds except curvulinic acid. The capacity to produce biomass degrading enzymes and the identification of a high chemical diversity in secreted bioactive secondary metabolites, offers a broad range of potential...

Floral nectary, nectar production dynamics and chemical composition in five nocturnal Oenothera species (Onagraceae) in relation to floral visitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Antoń, Sebastian; Komoń-Janczara, Elwira; Denisow, Bożena

2017-12-01

Main conclusion The floral nectars were sucrose-dominant; however, nectar protein and amino acid contents differed, indicating that composition of nitrogenous compounds may vary considerably even between closely related plant species, irrespectively of nectary structure. Numerous zoophilous plants attract their pollinators by offering floral nectar; an aqueous solution produced by specialized secretory tissues, known as floral nectaries. Although many papers on nectaries and nectar already exist, there has been a little research into the structure of nectaries and/or nectar production and composition in species belonging to the same genus. To redress this imbalance, we sought, in the present paper, to describe the floral nectary, nectar production, and nectar composition in five nocturnal Oenothera species with respect to their floral visitors. The structure of nectaries was similar for all the species investigated, and comprised the epidermis (with nectarostomata), numerous layers of nectary parenchyma, and subsecretory parenchyma. Anthesis for a single flower was short (ca. 10-12 h), and flowers lasted only one night. The release of floral nectar commenced at the bud stage (approx. 4 h before anthesis) and nectar was available to pollinators until petal closure. Nectar concentration was relatively low (ca. 27%) and the nectar was sucrose-dominant, and composed mainly of sucrose, glucose and fructose. The protein content of the nectar was also relatively low (on average, 0.31 µg ml -1 ). Nevertheless, a great variety of amino acids, including both protein and non-protein types, was detected in the nectar profile of the investigated taxa. We noted both diurnal and nocturnal generalist, opportunistic floral insect visitors.

Modeling non-isothermal multiphase multi-species reactive chemical transport in geologic media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tianfu Xu; Gerard, F.; Pruess, K.; Brimhall, G.

1997-07-01

The assessment of mineral deposits, the analysis of hydrothermal convection systems, the performance of radioactive, urban and industrial waste disposal, the study of groundwater pollution, and the understanding of natural groundwater quality patterns all require modeling tools that can consider both the transport of dissolved species as well as their interactions with solid (or other) phases in geologic media and engineered barriers. Here, a general multi-species reactive transport formulation has been developed, which is applicable to homogeneous and/or heterogeneous reactions that can proceed either subject to local equilibrium conditions or kinetic rates under non-isothermal multiphase flow conditions. Two numerical solution methods, the direct substitution approach (DSA) and sequential iteration approach (SIA) for solving the coupled complex subsurface thermo-physical-chemical processes, are described. An efficient sequential iteration approach, which solves transport of solutes and chemical reactions sequentially and iteratively, is proposed for the current reactive chemical transport computer code development. The coupled flow (water, vapor, air and heat) and solute transport equations are also solved sequentially. The existing multiphase flow code TOUGH2 and geochemical code EQ3/6 are used to implement this SIA. The flow chart of the coupled code TOUGH2-EQ3/6, required modifications of the existing codes and additional subroutines needed are presented.

Phytotoxic Activity and Chemical Composition of Aqueous Volatile Fractions from Eucalyptus Species

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinbiao; An, Min; Wu, Hanwen; Liu, De Li; Stanton, Rex

2014-01-01

The essential oils from four Eucalyptus species (E. spathulata, E. salubris, E. brockwayii and E. dundasii) have been previously confirmed to have stronger inhibitory effects on germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). The aqueous volatile fractions (AVFs) were the water soluble volatile fractions produced together with the essential oils (water insoluble fractions) during the steam distillation process. The aim of this study was to further assess the phytotoxicity of AVFs from the four Eucalyptus species and their chemical composition. The fresh leaves of the four Eucalyptus species were used for the extraction of AVFs. The AVFs were tested for their phytotoxic effects on the perennial weed, silverleaf nightshade under laboratory conditions. The chemical compositions of the AVFs were determined by gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results showed that the AVFs had strong inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade. The inhibition index increased with the increasing concentrations of AVFs. The inhibitory effects of the AVFs varied between different Eucalyptus species. The AVF from E. salubris demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity on the weed tested, with complete inhibition on germination and seedling growth at a concentration of 75%. The GC-MS analysis revealed that 1,8-cineole, isopentyl isovalerate, isomenthol, pinocarvone, trans-pinocarveol, alpha-terpineol and globulol were the main compounds in the AVFs. These results indicated that all AVFs tested had differential inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade, which could be due to the joint effects of compounds present in the AVFs as these compounds were present in different quantities and ratio between Eucalyptus species. PMID:24681490

Phytotoxic activity and chemical composition of aqueous volatile fractions from Eucalyptus species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinbiao Zhang

Full Text Available The essential oils from four Eucalyptus species (E. spathulata, E. salubris, E. brockwayii and E. dundasii have been previously confirmed to have stronger inhibitory effects on germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.. The aqueous volatile fractions (AVFs were the water soluble volatile fractions produced together with the essential oils (water insoluble fractions during the steam distillation process. The aim of this study was to further assess the phytotoxicity of AVFs from the four Eucalyptus species and their chemical composition. The fresh leaves of the four Eucalyptus species were used for the extraction of AVFs. The AVFs were tested for their phytotoxic effects on the perennial weed, silverleaf nightshade under laboratory conditions. The chemical compositions of the AVFs were determined by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS. Our results showed that the AVFs had strong inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade. The inhibition index increased with the increasing concentrations of AVFs. The inhibitory effects of the AVFs varied between different Eucalyptus species. The AVF from E. salubris demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity on the weed tested, with complete inhibition on germination and seedling growth at a concentration of 75%. The GC-MS analysis revealed that 1,8-cineole, isopentyl isovalerate, isomenthol, pinocarvone, trans-pinocarveol, alpha-terpineol and globulol were the main compounds in the AVFs. These results indicated that all AVFs tested had differential inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade, which could be due to the joint effects of compounds present in the AVFs as these compounds were present in different quantities and ratio between Eucalyptus species.

Optical properties of the urban aerosol and their relation to chemical composition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leaderer, B.P.; Stolwijk, J.A.J.

1980-01-01

Light extinction and resulting visibility degradation in an unsaturated precipitation-free atmosphere are determined by light absorption and scattering and are caused by a complex mix of natural components and anthropogenic pollutants. The paper reviews correlation studies relating light scattering and light extinction (visibility) to concentrations of sulfate mass, nitrate mass, the remainder of the mass, and in some cases organic aerosol mass, while accounting for variations in relative humidity. It is found that sulfate aerosol mass is the dominant chemical aerosol species affecting light scattering and extinction. The dominant effect of sulfate mass on light scattering and extinction, even when sulfates account for a relatively small fraction of the total mass, results from the fact that sulfates are secondary aerosols and are mostly found in the 0.1-1.0 micron size range

In silico site-directed mutagenesis informs species-specific predictions of chemical susceptibility derived from the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) tool

Science.gov (United States)

The Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) tool was developed to address needs for rapid, cost effective methods of species extrapolation of chemical susceptibility. Specifically, the SeqAPASS tool compares the primary sequence (Level 1), functiona...

Assessment of local wood species used for the manufacture of cookware and the perception of chemical benefits and chemical hazards associated with their use in Kumasi, Ghana

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Mensah John Kenneth

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Historical proven wood species have no reported adverse health effect associated with its past use. Different historical proven species have traditionally been used to manufacture different wooden food contact items. This study uses survey questionnaires to assess suppliers’, manufacturers’, retailers’ and consumers’ (end-users’ preferences for specific wood species, to examine the considerations that inform these preferences and to investigate the extent of awareness of the chemical benefits and chemical hazards associated with wooden food contact material use. Methods Through the combined use of a cross sectional approach and a case study design, 25 suppliers, 25 manufacturers, 25 retailers and 125 consumers (end-users of wooden food contact materials in four suburbs in Kumasi Metropolitan Area (Anloga junction, Ahinsan Bus Stop, Ahwia-Pankrono and Race Course and Ashanti Akyim Agogo in the Ashanti Akyim North District of the Ashanti Region were administered with closed ended questionnaires. The questionnaires were prepared in English, but local language, Twi, was used to translate and communicate the content of the questionnaire where necessary. Results Suppliers’, manufacturers’ and retailers’ preferences for specific wood species for most wooden cookware differed from that of consumers (end-users. But all respondent groups failed to indicate any awareness of chemical benefits or chemical hazards associated with either the choice of specific wood species for specific wooden cookware or with the general use of wooden food contact materials. The lack of appreciation of chemical benefits or hazards associated with active principles of wooden cookware led to heavy reliance of consumers (end-users on the wood density, price, attractive grain pattern and colour or on the judgement of retailers in their choice of specific species for a wooden cookware. Conclusion This study contributes some practical suggestions

Taxonomy of Penicillium citrinum and related species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Houbraken, J.A.M.P.; Frisvad, Jens Christian; Samson, A.F.

2010-01-01

are related to P. citrinum, P. gorlenkoanum is revived, Penicillium hetheringtonii sp. nov. and Penicillium tropicoides sp. nov. are described here as new species, and the combination Penicillium tropicum is proposed. Penicillium hetheringtonii is closely related to P. citrinum and differs in having slightly......Penicillium citrinum and related species have been examined using a combination of partial beta-tubulin, calmodulin and ITS sequence data, extrolite patterns and phenotypic characters. It is concluded that seven species belong to the series Citrina. Penicillium sizovae and Penicillium steckii...... broader stipes, metulae in verticils of four or more and the production of an uncharacterized metabolite, tentatively named PR1-x. Penicillium tropicoides resembles P. tropicum, but differs in the slow maturation of the cleistothecia, slower growth at 30A degrees C and the production of isochromantoxins...

On the stabilizing role of species diffusion in chemical enhanced oil recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Daripa, Prabir; Gin, Craig

2015-11-01

In this talk, the speaker will discuss a problem on the stability analysis related to the effect of species diffusion on stabilization of fingering in a Hele-Shaw model of chemical enhanced oil recovery. The formulation of the problem is motivated by a specific design principle of the immiscible interfaces in the hope that this will lead to significant stabilization of interfacial instabilities, there by improving oil recovery in the context of porous media flow. Testing the merits of this hypothesis poses some challenges which will be discussed along with some numerical results based on current formulation of this problem. Several open problems in this context will be discussed. This work is currently under progress. Supported by the grant NPRP 08-777-1-141 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation).

Reactive oxygen species-related activities of nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Haohao; Yin, Jun-Jie; Wamer, Wayne G; Zeng, Mingyong; Lo, Y Martin

2014-03-01

Nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides are among the most widely used engineered and naturally occurring nanostructures, and the increasing incidence of biological exposure to these nanostructures has raised concerns about their biotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress is one of the most accepted toxic mechanisms and, in the past decades, considerable efforts have been made to investigate the ROS-related activities of iron nanostructures. In this review, we summarize activities of nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides in ROS-related redox processes, addressing in detail the known homogeneous and heterogeneous redox mechanisms involved in these processes, intrinsic ROS-related properties of iron nanostructures (chemical composition, particle size, and crystalline phase), and ROS-related bio-microenvironmental factors, including physiological pH and buffers, biogenic reducing agents, and other organic substances. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Wood anatomical and chemical properties related to the pulpability ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eucalyptus globulus is one of the most important hardwood species used by the pulp and paper industry due to its high pulp yield, high wood density, excellent fibre quality and good handsheet properties. However, the wood is a highly variable and complex material that has different chemical, physical and anatomical ...

Taxonomy of Penicillium citrinum and related species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houbraken, J.; Frisvad, J.C.; Samson, R.A.

2010-01-01

Penicillium citrinum and related species have been examined using a combination of partial beta-tubulin, calmodulin and ITS sequence data, extrolite patterns and phenotypic characters. It is concluded that seven species belong to the series Citrina. Penicillium sizovae and Penicillium steckii are

Relation Between Sustainability‑Related Communication and Competitiveness in the Chemical Industry

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Jaroslava Hyršlová

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Interests of companies in the sustainability‑related communication have risen considerably in recent years. This paper focuses on the current state of sustainability‑related reporting in chemical industry companies registered in the Association of Chemical Industry in the Czech Republic. It deals with the form and the content of reporting, the importance of different stakeholders in this process as well as benefits of the sustainability‑related communication and its impacts on competitiveness of the company. This paper summarizes the results of a research executed in the year 2014. The results of the research showed that chemical industry companies were aware of the significance of sustainability‑related communication and they utilized various types of sustainability‑related reports for this communication. Companies prefer to report on the environmental and social aspects of their activities primarily in their annual reports, or they issue separate environmental reports. The research verified the relationship between the sustainability‑related communication and competitiveness. A suitable established high quality system of communication that provides sufficient information and meets the information requirements of the key stakeholders may significantly contribute to reputation improvement, to increased attractiveness of the company as an employer and thereby to maintain, to improve respectively, the level of a company’s competitiveness.

Identification of chemicals related to the chemical weapons convention during an interlaboratory proficiency test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooijschuur, E.W.J.; Hulst, A.G.; Jong, A.L. de; Reuver, L.P. de; Krimpen, S.H. van; Baar, B.L.M. van; Wils, E.R.J.; Kientz, C.E.; Brinkman, U.A.Th

2002-01-01

In order to test the ability of laboratories to detect and identify chemicals related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, and to designate laboratories for this task, the Technical Secretariat of the

The Role of Diet in Shaping the Chemical Signal Design of Lacertid Lizards.

Science.gov (United States)

Baeckens, Simon; García-Roa, Roberto; Martín, José; Van Damme, Raoul

2017-09-01

Lizards communicate with others via chemical signals, the composition of which may vary among species. Although the selective pressures and constraints affecting chemical signal diversity at the species level remain poorly understood, the possible role of diet has been largely neglected. The chemical signals of many lizards originate from the femoral glands that exude a mixture of semiochemicals, and may be used in a variety of contexts. We analyzed the lipophilic fraction of the glandular secretions of 45 species of lacertid lizard species by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The proportions of nine major chemical classes (alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids, furanones, ketones, steroids, terpenoids, tocopherols and waxy esters), the relative contributions of these different classes ('chemical diversity'), and the total number of different lipophilic compounds ('chemical richness') varied greatly among species. We examined whether interspecific differences in these chemical variables could be coupled to interspecific variation in diet using data from the literature. In addition, we compared chemical signal composition among species that almost never, occasionally, or often eat plant material. We found little support for the hypothesis that the chemical profile of a given species' secretion depends on the type of food consumed. Diet breadth did not correlate with chemical diversity or richness. The amount of plants or ants consumed did not affect the relative contribution of any of the nine major chemical classes to the secretion. Chemical diversity did not differ among lizards with different levels of plant consumption; however, chemical richness was low in species with an exclusive arthropod diet, suggesting that incorporating plants in the diet enables lizards to increase the number of compounds allocated to secretions, likely because a (partly) herbivorous diet allows them to include compounds of plant origin that are unavailable in animal prey. Still, overall

The physico-chemical radioiodine species in the exhaust air of a pressurized water reactor (PWR2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deuber, H.

1981-12-01

In a German pressurized water reactor, the physico-chemical 131 I species were determined in the plant exhaust and in the individual exhausts during 6 months. These measurements aimed in particular at determining the percentage and the source of the radiologically decisive elemental 131 I released to the environment. The retention of the 131 I species by iodine filters was also investigated. 20 to 30% of the 131 I discharged with the plant exhaust consisted of elemental iodine. This was largely released with the unfiltered exhaust from the chemical laboratory hoods and from the annular compartment. (orig.) [de

Chemical composition and digestibility of some browse plant species collected from Algerian arid rangelands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boufennara, S.; Lopez, S.; Boussebouna, H.; Bodas, R.; Bouazza, L.

2012-11-01

Many wild browse and bush species are undervalued mainly because of insufficient knowledge about their potential feeding value. The objective was to evaluate some nutritional attributes of various Algerian browse and shub species (Atriplex halimus, Artemisia campestris, Artemisia herba-alba, Astragalus gombiformis, Calobota saharae, Retama raetam, Stipagrostis pungens, Lygeum spartum and Stipa tenacissima). Chemical composition, phenols and tannins concentration, in vitro digestibility, in vitro gas production kinetics and in vitro bio-assay for assessment of tannins using buffered rumen fluid, and in situ disappearence of the edible parts of the plants (leaves, thin twigs and flowers) were determined. In general, protein content in dicotyledon species was always greater than in monocotyledon grasses, these showing higher neutral and acid detergent fibre and lower lignin contents than dicots. The tannin concentrations varied considerably between species, but in general the plants investigated in this study had low tannin contents (except for Artemisia spp. and S. tenacissima). Monocots showed lower in vitro and in situ digestibilities, fermentation rate, cumulative gas production and extent of degradation than dicot species. The plants were clustered by principal components analysis in two groups: poor-quality grasses and the most digestible dicot species. Chemical composition (neutral detergent fibre and protein) and digestibility were the main influential variables determining the ranking. In conclusion, A. halimus, A. campestris, A. herba-alba and A. gombiformis can be considered of greater nutritional value than the highly fibrous and low digestible grasses (S. pungens, L. spartum and S. tenacissima) that should be considered emergency roughages. (Author) 46 refs.

Thermodynamic properties of chemical species of waste radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, R.J.; Nitsche, H.

1984-01-01

The object of the experimental program at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is to identify gaps or conflicts in thermodynamic data on the solubilities of compounds and on the formation of solution complexes of waste radionuclides needed for the reliable prediction of solution concentrations. It involves laboratory measurements necessary to (1) generate specific new data, where none exists, in order to demonstrate the importance of a particular solution species, compound or solution parameter (e.g., temperature, Eh) and to (2) resolve conflicts in existing thermodynamic data on important species or compounds. The measurement of the solubility of AmOHCO 3 in 0.1 M NaClO 4 at 25 0 C and 1 atmosphere pressure has been completed. From the experimental data, an average solubility product quotient, Qsp, was evaluated for the reaction, AmOHCO 3 (S) + 2H + = Am 3+ + HCO 3 - + H 2 O. The logarithm of Qsp was calculated to be 2.74 +/- .17. Speciation calculations, using this new data plus reported data on the solubility of Am(OH) 3 and the hydrolysis and carbonate complexation of Am 3+ , indicate that the presence of carbonate can have a substantial effect on the nature of compounds and solution species formed by americium in ground waters. Since actinides in a given oxidation state tend to exhibit similar chemical properties, this result should apply to other actinides in the trivalent state. Thus, the effect of carbonate on the solubilities and complexation of trivalent actinides should be included in any predictive modelling studies required for licensing. 27 references, 4 figures, 5 tables

Vibrational Spectroscopy of Chemical Species in Silicon and Silicon-Rich Nitride Thin Films

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Kirill O. Bugaev

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Vibrational properties of hydrogenated silicon-rich nitride (SiN:H of various stoichiometry (0.6≤≤1.3 and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H films were studied using Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furnace annealing during 5 hours in Ar ambient at 1130∘C and pulse laser annealing were applied to modify the structure of films. Surprisingly, after annealing with such high-thermal budget, according to the FTIR data, the nearly stoichiometric silicon nitride film contains hydrogen in the form of Si–H bonds. From analysis of the FTIR data of the Si–N bond vibrations, one can conclude that silicon nitride is partly crystallized. According to the Raman data a-Si:H films with hydrogen concentration 15% and lower contain mainly Si–H chemical species, and films with hydrogen concentration 30–35% contain mainly Si–H2 chemical species. Nanosecond pulse laser treatments lead to crystallization of the films and its dehydrogenization.

Penicillium arizonense, a new, genome sequenced fungal species, reveals a high chemical diversity in secreted metabolites

Science.gov (United States)

Grijseels, Sietske; Nielsen, Jens Christian; Randelovic, Milica; Nielsen, Jens; Nielsen, Kristian Fog; Workman, Mhairi; Frisvad, Jens Christian

2016-01-01

A new soil-borne species belonging to the Penicillium section Canescentia is described, Penicillium arizonense sp. nov. (type strain CBS 141311T = IBT 12289T). The genome was sequenced and assembled into 33.7 Mb containing 12,502 predicted genes. A phylogenetic assessment based on marker genes confirmed the grouping of P. arizonense within section Canescentia. Compared to related species, P. arizonense proved to encode a high number of proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, in particular hemicellulases. Mining the genome for genes involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis resulted in the identification of 62 putative biosynthetic gene clusters. Extracts of P. arizonense were analysed for secondary metabolites and austalides, pyripyropenes, tryptoquivalines, fumagillin, pseurotin A, curvulinic acid and xanthoepocin were detected. A comparative analysis against known pathways enabled the proposal of biosynthetic gene clusters in P. arizonense responsible for the synthesis of all detected compounds except curvulinic acid. The capacity to produce biomass degrading enzymes and the identification of a high chemical diversity in secreted bioactive secondary metabolites, offers a broad range of potential industrial applications for the new species P. arizonense. The description and availability of the genome sequence of P. arizonense, further provides the basis for biotechnological exploitation of this species. PMID:27739446

MICROMORPHOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF SOME LICHENIZED FUNGI SPECIES

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PÎNDARU DIANA-MIHAELA

2012-12-01

Full Text Available At present, lichenized fungi are used in biomonitoring studies of air quality, being good receptors in the climate change. This paper aims to investigate surface micromorphology of Xanthoria parietina and Phaeophyscia orbicularis species (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota. The study also includes the investigation of selected chemical parameters as pH and conductivity of the lichenized fungi samples collected from various locations in the Iaşi County (Romania. Measurements of the pH provide information on the degree of pollution in the location of interest. Bark trees pH was also investigated in order to see if our matrix substrate influences the pH of the interest lichenized fungi samples.

Device for collecting chemical compounds and related methods

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Jill R.; Groenewold, Gary S.; Rae, Catherine

2013-01-01

A device for sampling chemical compounds from fixed surfaces and related methods are disclosed. The device may include a vacuum source, a chamber and a sorbent material. The device may utilize vacuum extraction to volatilize the chemical compounds from the fixed surfaces so that they may be sorbed by the sorbent material. The sorbent material may then be analyzed using conventional thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD/GC/MS) instrumentation to determine presence of the chemical compounds. The methods may include detecting release and presence of one or more chemical compounds and determining the efficacy of decontamination. The device may be useful in collection and analysis of a variety of chemical compounds, such as residual chemical warfare agents, chemical attribution signatures and toxic industrial chemicals.

Evolution of {sup 222} Rn and chemical species related with eruptive processes of the Popocatepetl volcano; Evolucion de {sup 222} Rn y especies quimicas relacionadas con procesos eruptivos del volcan Popocatepetl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aranda Z, P

1998-10-01

The study of the water quality for human consumption has always been great importance, considering the factors that can affect water quality as aquifers recharge and underground permeability. In this work, the behavior of three water springs related with the Popocatepetl volcano were studied within April 1997 and March 1998. The spring in Paso de Cortes in the municipality of Amecameca, State of Mexico, and the springs of Atlimeyaya and Axocopan in Atlixco, State of Puebla; the water of these last two springs is used for human consumption. The content of radon in water was determined by means of liquid scintillation, and a concentration of 1.22 Bq/l was found in the spring of Atlimeyaya, which represents 2 % of the maximum permissible level established by ICRP. A significant increase was observed in the Paso de Cortes spring in the month of July 1997. The content of radium, was determined by means of gamma spectrophotometry and small quantities of this element (<0.11 Bq/l) were found. Water chemical analysis also included usual physical-chemical parameters determination by means of conventional methods. The spring of Axocopan, was found to have the major level of minerals, followed by Atlimeyaya and finally the Paso de Cortes spring, which is supplied by recent infiltrated water. Fluoride level showed a peak high level in concentration during the months of October and November, time in which infiltration due to rain is low; concentration level found was above the maximum permissible level established by Mexican authorities for this compound. The other chemical species determined were: Ca{sup 2+} , Mg{sup 2+} , K{sup +}, Na{sup +}, H C O{sub 3} {sup -} , Cl{sup -} , S O{sub 4} {sup -} {sup 2} , Li, B, Sc, Ti, V, Rb, Sr and Ba, primarily, which did not show any significant variation with the change of seasons. No important variations in the concentration of radon, radium or for other volcanic activity related species were found in the entire study. (Author)

Chemical and physical structures of proteinoids and related polyamino acids

Science.gov (United States)

Mita, Hajime; Kuwahara, Yusuke; Nomoto, Shinya

Studies of polyamino acid formation pathways in the prebiotic condition are important for the study of the origins of life. Several pathways of prebiotic polyamino acid formation have been reported. Heating of monoammonium malate [1] and heating of amino acids in molten urea [2] are important pathways of the prebiotic peptide formation. The former case, globular structure called proteinoid microsphere is formed in aqueous conditions. The later case, polyamino acids are formed from unrestricted amino acid species. Heating of aqueous aspargine is also interesting pathway for the prebiotic polyamino acid formation, because polyamino acid formation proceeds in aqueous condition [3]. In this study, we analyzed the chemical structure of the proteinoids and related polyamino acids formed in the above three pathways using with mass spectrometer. In addition, their physical structures are analyzed by the electron and optical microscopes, in order to determine the self-organization abilities. We discuss the relation between the chemical and the physical structures for the origins of life. References [1] Harada, K., J. Org. Chem., 24, 1662 (1959), Fox, S. W., Harada, K., and Kendrick, J., Science, 129, 1221 (1959). [2] Terasaki, M., Nomoto, S., Mita, H., and Shimoyama, A., Chem. Lett., 480 (2002), Mita, H., Nomoto, S., Terasaki, M., Shimoyama, A., and Yamamoto, Y., Int. J. Astrobiol., 4, 145 (2005). [3] Kovacs, K and Nagy, H., Nature, 190, 531 (1961), Munegumi, T., Tanikawa, N., Mita, H. and Harada, K., Viva Origino, 22, 109 (1994).

Systematic Approach to Calculate the Concentration of Chemical Species in Multi-Equilibrium Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Baeza-Baeza, Juan Jose; Garcia-Alvarez-Coque, Maria Celia

2011-01-01

A general systematic approach is proposed for the numerical calculation of multi-equilibrium problems. The approach involves several steps: (i) the establishment of balances involving the chemical species in solution (e.g., mass balances, charge balance, and stoichiometric balance for the reaction products), (ii) the selection of the unknowns (the…

Discrimination and chemical phylogenetic study of seven species of Dendrobium using infrared spectroscopy combined with cluster analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Congpei; He, Tao; Chun, Ze

2013-04-01

Dendrobium is a commonly used and precious herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The high biodiversity of Dendrobium and the therapeutic needs require tools for the correct and fast discrimination of different Dendrobium species. This study investigates Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy followed by cluster analysis for discrimination and chemical phylogenetic study of seven Dendrobium species. Despite the general pattern of the IR spectra, different intensities, shapes, peak positions were found in the IR spectra of these samples, especially in the range of 1800-800 cm-1. The second derivative transformation and alcoholic extracting procedure obviously enlarged the tiny spectral differences among these samples. The results indicated each Dendrobium species had a characteristic IR spectra profile, which could be used to discriminate them. The similarity coefficients among the samples were analyzed based on their second derivative IR spectra, which ranged from 0.7632 to 0.9700, among the seven Dendrobium species, and from 0.5163 to 0.9615, among the ethanol extracts. A dendrogram was constructed based on cluster analysis the IR spectra for studying the chemical phylogenetic relationships among the samples. The results indicated that D. denneanum and D. crepidatum could be the alternative resources to substitute D. chrysotoxum, D. officinale and D. nobile which were officially recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In conclusion, with the advantages of high resolution, speediness and convenience, the experimental approach can successfully discriminate and construct the chemical phylogenetic relationships of the seven Dendrobium species.

Nucleosome-coupled expression differences in closely-related species

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Gebbia Marinella

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genome-wide nucleosome occupancy is negatively related to the average level of transcription factor motif binding based on studies in yeast and several other model organisms. The degree to which nucleosome-motif interactions relate to phenotypic changes across species is, however, unknown. Results We address this challenge by generating nucleosome positioning and cell cycle expression data for Saccharomyces bayanus and show that differences in nucleosome occupancy reflect cell cycle expression divergence between two yeast species, S. bayanus and S. cerevisiae. Specifically, genes with nucleosome-depleted MBP1 motifs upstream of their coding sequence show periodic expression during the cell cycle, whereas genes with nucleosome-shielded motifs do not. In addition, conserved cell cycle regulatory motifs across these two species are more nucleosome-depleted compared to those that are not conserved, suggesting that the degree of conservation of regulatory sites varies, and is reflected by nucleosome occupancy patterns. Finally, many changes in cell cycle gene expression patterns across species can be correlated to changes in nucleosome occupancy on motifs (rather than to the presence or absence of motifs. Conclusions Our observations suggest that alteration of nucleosome occupancy is a previously uncharacterized feature related to the divergence of cell cycle expression between species.

Relation of chironomids with Aeromonas species

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Sivan eLaviad

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae, also known as non-biting midges, are one of the most abundant groups of insects in aquatic habitats. They undergo a complete metamorphosis of four life stages of which three are aquatic (egg, larva, pupa, and the adult emerges into the air. Chironomids serve as a natural reservoir of Aeromonas and Vibrio cholerae species. Here we review existing knowledge about the mutual relations between Aeromonas species and chironomids. Using 454-pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we found that the prevalence of Aeromonas species in the insects’ egg masses and larvae was 1.6% and 3.3% of the insects’ endogenous microbiota, respectively. Aeromonas abundance per egg mass remained stable during a six-month period of bacterial monitoring. Different Aeromonas species were isolated and some demonstrated the ability to degrade the insect’s egg masses and to prevent eggs hatching. Chitinase was identified as the enzyme responsible for the egg mass degradation. Different Aeromonas species isolated from chironomids demonstrated the potential to protect their host from toxic metals. Aeromonas is a causative agent of fish infections. Fish are frequently recorded as feeding on chironomids. Thus, fish might be infected with Aeromonas species via chironomid consumption. Aeromonas strains are also responsible for causing gastroenteritis and wound infections in humans. Different virulence genes were identified in Aeromonas species isolated from chironomids. Chironomids may infest drinking water reservoirs, hence be the source of pathogenic Aeromonas strains in drinking water. Chironomids and Aeromonas species have a complicated mutual relationship.

Toward systems metabolic engineering of Aspergillus and Pichia species for the production of chemicals and biofuels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caspeta, Luis; Nielsen, Jens

2013-01-01

trends in systems biology of Aspergillus and Pichia species, highlighting the relevance of these developments for systems metabolic engineering of these organisms for the production of hydrolytic enzymes, biofuels and chemicals from biomass. Metabolic engineering is moving from traditional methods...... for the production of hydrolytic enzymes, biofuels and chemicals from biomass. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim....

21 CFR 1300.02 - Definitions relating to listed chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Definitions relating to listed chemicals. 1300.02 Section 1300.02 Food and Drugs DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DEFINITIONS § 1300.02 Definitions relating to listed chemicals. (a) Any term not defined in this part shall have the...

Plasma-activation of tap water using DBD for agronomy applications: Identification and quantification of long lifetime chemical species and production/consumption mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Judée, F; Simon, S; Bailly, C; Dufour, T

2018-04-15

Cold atmospheric plasmas are weakly ionized gases that can be generated in ambient air. They produce energetic species (e.g. electrons, metastables) as well as reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, UV radiations and local electric field. Their interaction with a liquid such as tap water can hence change its chemical composition. The resulting "plasma-activated liquid" can meet many applications, including medicine and agriculture. Consequently, a complete experimental set of analytical techniques dedicated to the characterization of long lifetime chemical species has been implemented to characterize tap water treated using cold atmospheric plasma process and intended to agronomy applications. For that purpose, colorimetry and acid titrations are performed, considering acid-base equilibria, pH and temperature variations induced during plasma activation. 16 species are quantified and monitored: hydroxide and hydronium ions, ammonia and ammonium ions, orthophosphates, carbonate ions, nitrite and nitrate ions and hydrogen peroxide. The related consumption/production mechanisms are discussed. In parallel, a chemical model of electrical conductivity based on Kohlrausch's law has been developed to simulate the electrical conductivity of the plasma-activated tap water (PATW). Comparing its predictions with experimental measurements leads to a narrow fitting, hence supporting the self-sufficiency of the experimental set, I.e. the fact that all long lifetime radicals of interest present in PATW are characterized. Finally, to evaluate the potential of cold atmospheric plasmas for agriculture applications, tap water has been daily plasma-treated to irrigate lentils seeds. Then, seedlings lengths have been measured and compared with untreated tap water, showing an increase as high as 34.0% and 128.4% after 3 days and 6 days of activation respectively. The interaction mechanisms between plasma and tap water are discussed as well as their positive synergy on

Species delimitation and evolution in morphologically and chemically diverse communities of the lichen-forming genus Xanthoparmelia (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in western North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Leavitt, Steven D; Johnson, Leigh; St Clair, Larry L

2011-02-01

Accurate species delimitation is important for understanding the diversification of biota and has critical implications for ecological and conservation studies. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that morphology-based species circumspection in lichenized fungi misrepresents fungal diversity. The foliose lichen genus Xanthoparmelia includes over 800 species displaying a complex array of morphological and secondary metabolite diversity. We used a multifaceted approach, applying phylogenetic, population genetic, and genealogical analyses to delimit species in a single well-supported monophyletic clade containing 10 morphologically and chemically diverse Xanthoparmelia species in western North America. Sequence data from four ribosomal and two low-copy, protein-coding markers, along with chemical and morphological data were used to assess species diversity. We found that traditionally circumscribed species are not supported by molecular data. Rather, all sampled taxa were better represented by three polymorphic population clusters. Our results suggest that secondary metabolite variation may have limited utility in diagnosing lineages within this group, while identified populations clusters did not reflect major phylogeographic or ecological patterns. In contrast to studies revealing previously undiscovered fungal lineages masked within lichen species circumscribed by traditional morphological and chemical concepts, the present study suggests that species diversity has been overestimated in the species-rich genus Xanthoparmelia.

The Rules of Aggression: How Genetic, Chemical and Spatial Factors Affect Intercolony Fights in a Dominant Species, the Mediterranean Acrobat Ant Crematogaster scutellaris.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filippo Frizzi

Full Text Available Nest-mate recognition plays a key role in the biology of ants. Although individuals coming from a foreign nest are, in most cases, promptly rejected, the degree of aggressiveness towards non nest-mates may be highly variable among species and relies on genetic, chemical and environmental factors. We analyzed intraspecific relationships among neighboring colonies of the dominant Mediterranean acrobat ant Crematogaster scutellaris integrating genetic, chemical and behavioral analyses. Colony structure, parental relationships between nests, cuticular hydrocarbons profiles (CHCs and aggressive behavior against non nest-mates were studied in 34 nests located in olive tree trunks. Bayesian clustering analysis of allelic variation at nine species-specific microsatellite DNA markers pooled nests into 14 distinct clusters, each representing a single colony, confirming a polydomous arrangement of nests in this species. A marked genetic separation among colonies was also detected, probably due to long distance dispersion of queens and males during nuptial flights. CHCs profiles varied significantly among colonies and between nests of the same colony. No relationship between CHCs profiles and genetic distances was detected. The level of aggressiveness between colonies was inversely related to chemical and spatial distance, suggesting a 'nasty neighbor' effect. Our findings also suggest that CHCs profiles in C. scutellaris may be linked to external environmental factors rather than genetic relationships.

Chemical speciation of heavy metals in sandy soils in relation to availability and mobility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Temminghoff, E.J.M.

1998-01-01

Chemical and mechanical changes during leaf expansion of four woody species of dry Restinga woodland.

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Schlindwein, C C D; Fett-Neto, A G; Dillenburg, L R

2006-07-01

Young leaves are preferential targets for herbivores, and plants have developed different strategies to protect them. This study aimed to evaluate different leaf attributes of presumed relevance in protection against herbivory in four woody species (Erythroxylum argentinum, Lithrea brasiliensis, Myrciaria cuspidata, and Myrsine umbellata), growing in a dry restinga woodland in southern Brazil. Evaluation of leaf parameters was made through single-point sampling of leaves (leaf mass per area and leaf contents of nitrogen, carbon, and pigments) at three developmental stages and through time-course sampling of expanding leaves (area and strength). Leaves of M. umbellata showed the highest leaf mass per area (LMA), the largest area, and the longest expansion period. On the other extreme, Myrc. cuspidata had the smallest LMA and leaf size, and the shortest expansion period. Similarly to L. brasiliensis, it displayed red young leaves. None of the species showed delayed-greening, which might be related to the high-irradiance growth conditions. Nitrogen contents reduced with leaf maturity and reached the highest values in the young leaves of E. argentinum and Myrc. cuspidata and the lowest in M. umbellata. Each species seems to present a different set of protective attributes during leaf expansion. Myrciaria cuspidata appears to rely mostly on chemical defences to protect its soft leaves, and anthocyanins might play this role at leaf youth, while M. umbellata seems to invest more on mechanical defences, even at early stages of leaf growth, as well as on a low allocation of nitrogen to the leaves. The other species display intermediate characteristics.

Chemical-induced disease relation extraction with various linguistic features.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Jinghang; Qian, Longhua; Zhou, Guodong

2016-01-01

Understanding the relations between chemicals and diseases is crucial in various biomedical tasks such as new drug discoveries and new therapy developments. While manually mining these relations from the biomedical literature is costly and time-consuming, such a procedure is often difficult to keep up-to-date. To address these issues, the BioCreative-V community proposed a challenging task of automatic extraction of chemical-induced disease (CID) relations in order to benefit biocuration. This article describes our work on the CID relation extraction task on the BioCreative-V tasks. We built a machine learning based system that utilized simple yet effective linguistic features to extract relations with maximum entropy models. In addition to leveraging various features, the hypernym relations between entity concepts derived from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)-controlled vocabulary were also employed during both training and testing stages to obtain more accurate classification models and better extraction performance, respectively. We demoted relation extraction between entities in documents to relation extraction between entity mentions. In our system, pairs of chemical and disease mentions at both intra- and inter-sentence levels were first constructed as relation instances for training and testing, then two classification models at both levels were trained from the training examples and applied to the testing examples. Finally, we merged the classification results from mention level to document level to acquire final relations between chemicals and diseases. Our system achieved promisingF-scores of 60.4% on the development dataset and 58.3% on the test dataset using gold-standard entity annotations, respectively. Database URL:https://github.com/JHnlp/BC5CIDTask. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

The action of chemical and mechanical stresses on single and dual species biofilm removal of drinking water bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, I B; Lemos, M; Mathieu, L; Simões, M; Simões, L C

2018-08-01

The presence of biofilms in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) is a global public health concern as they can harbor pathogenic microorganisms. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is the most commonly used disinfectant for microbial growth control in DWDS. However, its effect on biofilm removal is still unclear. This work aims to evaluate the effects of the combination of chemical (NaOCl) and mechanical stresses on the removal of single and dual species biofilms of two bacteria isolated from DWDS and considered opportunistic, Acinectobacter calcoaceticus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. A rotating cylinder reactor was successfully used for the first time in drinking water biofilm studies with polyvinyl chloride as substratum. The single and dual species biofilms presented different characteristics in terms of metabolic activity, mass, density, thickness and content of proteins and polysaccharides. Their complete removal was not achieved even when a high NaOCl concentrations and an increasing series of shear stresses (from 2 to 23Pa) were applied. In general, NaOCl pre-treatment did not improve the impact of mechanical stress on biofilm removal. Dual species biofilms were colonized mostly by S. maltophilia and were more susceptible to chemical and mechanical stresses than these single species. The most efficient treatment (93% biofilm removal) was the combination of NaOCl at 175mg·l -1 with mechanical stress against dual species biofilms. Of concern was the high tolerance of S. maltophilia to chemical and mechanical stresses in both single and dual species biofilms. The overall results demonstrate the inefficacy of NaOCl on biofilm removal even when combined with high shear stresses. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical composition and fuel wood characteristics of fast growing tree species in India

Science.gov (United States)

Chauhan, S. K.; Soni, R.

2012-04-01

India is one of the growing economy in the world and energy is a critical input to sustain the growth of development. Country aims at security and efficiency of energy. Though fossil fuel will continue to play a dominant role in energy scenario but country is committed to global environmental well being thus stressing on environment friendly technologies. Concerns of energy security in this changing climatic situation have led to increasing support for the development of new renewable source of energy. Government though is determined to facilitate bio-energy and many projects have been established but initial after-affects more specifically on the domestic fuelwood are evident. Even the biomass power generating units are facing biomass crisis and accordingly the prices are going up. The CDM projects are supporting the viability of these units resultantly the Indian basket has a large number of biomass projects (144 out of total 506 with 28 per cent CERs). The use for fuelwood as a primary source of energy for domestic purpose by the poor people (approx. 80 per cent) and establishment of bio-energy plants may lead to deforestation to a great extent and only solution to this dilemma is to shift the wood harvest from the natural forests to energy plantations. However, there is conspicuous lack of knowledge with regards to the fuelwood characteristics of fast growing tree species for their selection for energy plantations. The calorific value of the species is important criteria for selection for fuel but it is affected by the proportions of biochemical constituents present in them. The aim of the present work was to study the biomass production, calorific value and chemical composition of different short rotation tree species. The study was done from the perspective of using the fast growing tree species for energy production at short rotation and the study concluded that short rotation tree species like Gmelina arborea, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Pongamia pinnata

Closing in on chemical bonds by opening up relativity theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitney, Cynthia K

2008-03-01

This paper develops a connection between the phenomenology of chemical bonding and the theory of relativity. Empirical correlations between electron numbers in atoms and chemical bond stabilities in molecules are first reviewed and extended. Quantitative chemical bond strengths are then related to ionization potentials in elements. Striking patterns in ionization potentials are revealed when the data are viewed in an element-independent way, where element-specific details are removed via an appropriate scaling law. The scale factor involved is not explained by quantum mechanics; it is revealed only when one goes back further, to the development of Einstein's special relativity theory.

Evolution of 222 Rn and chemical species related with eruptive processes of the Popocatepetl volcano

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aranda Z, P.

1998-01-01

The study of the water quality for human consumption has always been great importance, considering the factors that can affect water quality as aquifers recharge and underground permeability. In this work, the behavior of three water springs related with the Popocatepetl volcano were studied within April 1997 and March 1998. The spring in Paso de Cortes in the municipality of Amecameca, State of Mexico, and the springs of Atlimeyaya and Axocopan in Atlixco, State of Puebla; the water of these last two springs is used for human consumption. The content of radon in water was determined by means of liquid scintillation, and a concentration of 1.22 Bq/l was found in the spring of Atlimeyaya, which represents 2 % of the maximum permissible level established by ICRP. A significant increase was observed in the Paso de Cortes spring in the month of July 1997. The content of radium, was determined by means of gamma spectrophotometry and small quantities of this element ( 2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , Na + , H C O 3 - , Cl - , S O 4 - 2 , Li, B, Sc, Ti, V, Rb, Sr and Ba, primarily, which did not show any significant variation with the change of seasons. No important variations in the concentration of radon, radium or for other volcanic activity related species were found in the entire study. (Author)

Interspecific and Intersexual Differences in the Chemical Composition of Floral Scent in Glochidion Species (Phyllanthaceae in South China

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Daihong Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Plants of the Glochidion (Phyllanthaceae genus are pollinated exclusively by host-specific Epicephala (Gracillariidae moths. Floral scent has been thought to play key role in the obligate pollination mutualism between Glochidion plants and Epicephala moths, but few studies have been reported about chemical variation in floral volatiles of Glochidion species in China. Floral volatiles of male and female flowers of five Glochidion species in south China were collected by dynamic headspace absorption technique and then were chemically analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 69 compounds were identified from floral scents of five investigated species. Glochidion hirsutum and G. zeylanicum showed no qualitative differences in floral scent, whereas there were clear variations of floral scent among other species (G. eriocarpum, G. daltonii, and G. sphaerogynum and also they distinctly differed from these two species. Male flowers emitted significantly more scent than female flowers. Glochidion plants exhibited qualitative and quantitative differences in floral scent between two sexes of flowers. The findings suggest that the volatile variation of floral scent among Glochidion species reflects adaptations to specific pollinators. Sexual dimorphism in floral scent has evolved to signal alternative rewards provided by each sex to Epicephala moths.

Sea Cucumber Glycosides: Chemical Structures, Producing Species and Important Biological Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondol, Muhammad Abdul Mojid; Shin, Hee Jae; Rahman, M Aminur; Islam, Mohamad Tofazzal

2017-10-17

Sea cucumbers belonging to echinoderm are traditionally used as tonic food in China and other Asian countries. They produce abundant biologically active triterpene glycosides. More than 300 triterpene glycosides have been isolated and characterized from various species of sea cucumbers, which are classified as holostane and nonholostane depending on the presence or absence of a specific structural unit γ(18,20)-lactone in the aglycone. Triterpene glycosides contain a carbohydrate chain up to six monosaccharide units mainly consisting of d-xylose, 3-O-methy-d-xylose, d-glucose, 3-O-methyl-d-glucose, and d-quinovose. Cytotoxicity is the common biological property of triterpene glycosides isolated from sea cucumbers. Besides cytotoxicity, triterpene glycosides also exhibit antifungal, antiviral and hemolytic activities. This review updates and summarizes our understanding on diverse chemical structures of triterpene glycosides from various species of sea cucumbers and their important biological activities. Mechanisms of action and structural-activity relationships (SARs) of sea cucumber glycosides are also discussed briefly.

[Relation between species distribution of plant community and soil factors under grazing in alpine meadow].

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Yu Jie; Yang, Si Wei; Wang, Gui Zhen; Liu, Li; Du, Guo Zhen; Hua, Li Min

2017-12-01

The research selected the alpine meadow located in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to study the changes of vegetation community and soil properties under different grazing intensities, as well as the quantitative relation between the distribution patterns of plant species and the physical and chemical properties of soil. The results showed that the grazing caused the differentiation of the initial vegetation community with the dominant plants, Elymus nutans and Stipa grandis. In the plots with high and low grazing intensities, the dominant plants had changed to Kobresia humilis and Melissitus ruthenica, and E. nutans and Poa crymophila, respectively. With the increase of grazing intensity, the plant richness, importance value and biomass were significantly decreased. The sequence of plant species importance value in each plot against grazing intensity could be fitted by a logarithmic model. The number of required plant species was reduced while the importance value of the remaining plant species accounted for 50% of the importance value in the whole vegetation community. The available P, available K, soil compaction, soil water content, stable infiltration rate and large aggregate index were significantly changed with grazing intensity, however, the changes were different. The CCA ordination showed that the soil compaction was the key factor affecting the distribution pattern of the plant species under grazing. The variance decomposition indicated that the soil factors together explained 30.5% of the distribution of the plant species, in particular the soil physical properties alone explained 22.8% of the distribution of the plant species, which had the highest rate of contribution to the plant species distribution. The soil physical properties affected the distribution pattern of plant species on grazed alpine meadow.

Efficient distinction of invasive aquatic plant species from non-invasive related species using DNA barcoding.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghahramanzadeh, R; Esselink, G; Kodde, L P; Duistermaat, H; van Valkenburg, J L C H; Marashi, S H; Smulders, M J M; van de Wiel, C C M

2013-01-01

Biological invasions are regarded as threats to global biodiversity. Among invasive aliens, a number of plant species belonging to the genera Myriophyllum, Ludwigia and Cabomba, and to the Hydrocharitaceae family pose a particular ecological threat to water bodies. Therefore, one would try to prevent them from entering a country. However, many related species are commercially traded, and distinguishing invasive from non-invasive species based on morphology alone is often difficult for plants in a vegetative stage. In this regard, DNA barcoding could become a good alternative. In this study, 242 samples belonging to 26 species from 10 genera of aquatic plants were assessed using the chloroplast loci trnH-psbA, matK and rbcL. Despite testing a large number of primer sets and several PCR protocols, the matK locus could not be amplified or sequenced reliably and therefore was left out of the analysis. Using the other two loci, eight invasive species could be distinguished from their respective related species, a ninth one failed to produce sequences of sufficient quality. Based on the criteria of universal application, high sequence divergence and level of species discrimination, the trnH-psbA noncoding spacer was the best performing barcode in the aquatic plant species studied. Thus, DNA barcoding may be helpful with enforcing a ban on trade of such invasive species, such as is already in place in the Netherlands. This will become even more so once DNA barcoding would be turned into machinery routinely operable by a nonspecialist in botany and molecular genetics. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Improving chemical species tomography of turbulent flows using covariance estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Grauer, Samuel J; Hadwin, Paul J; Daun, Kyle J

2017-05-01

Chemical species tomography (CST) experiments can be divided into limited-data and full-rank cases. Both require solving ill-posed inverse problems, and thus the measurement data must be supplemented with prior information to carry out reconstructions. The Bayesian framework formalizes the role of additive information, expressed as the mean and covariance of a joint-normal prior probability density function. We present techniques for estimating the spatial covariance of a flow under limited-data and full-rank conditions. Our results show that incorporating a covariance estimate into CST reconstruction via a Bayesian prior increases the accuracy of instantaneous estimates. Improvements are especially dramatic in real-time limited-data CST, which is directly applicable to many industrially relevant experiments.

Organic Redox Species in Aqueous Flow Batteries: Redox Potentials, Chemical Stability and Solubility

Science.gov (United States)

Wedege, Kristina; Dražević, Emil; Konya, Denes; Bentien, Anders

2016-01-01

Organic molecules are currently investigated as redox species for aqueous low-cost redox flow batteries (RFBs). The envisioned features of using organic redox species are low cost and increased flexibility with respect to tailoring redox potential and solubility from molecular engineering of side groups on the organic redox-active species. In this paper 33, mainly quinone-based, compounds are studied experimentially in terms of pH dependent redox potential, solubility and stability, combined with single cell battery RFB tests on selected redox pairs. Data shows that both the solubility and redox potential are determined by the position of the side groups and only to a small extent by the number of side groups. Additionally, the chemical stability and possible degradation mechanisms leading to capacity loss over time are discussed. The main challenge for the development of all-organic RFBs is to identify a redox pair for the positive side with sufficiently high stability and redox potential that enables battery cell potentials above 1 V. PMID:27966605

Organic Redox Species in Aqueous Flow Batteries: Redox Potentials, Chemical Stability and Solubility

Science.gov (United States)

Wedege, Kristina; Dražević, Emil; Konya, Denes; Bentien, Anders

2016-12-01

Organic molecules are currently investigated as redox species for aqueous low-cost redox flow batteries (RFBs). The envisioned features of using organic redox species are low cost and increased flexibility with respect to tailoring redox potential and solubility from molecular engineering of side groups on the organic redox-active species. In this paper 33, mainly quinone-based, compounds are studied experimentially in terms of pH dependent redox potential, solubility and stability, combined with single cell battery RFB tests on selected redox pairs. Data shows that both the solubility and redox potential are determined by the position of the side groups and only to a small extent by the number of side groups. Additionally, the chemical stability and possible degradation mechanisms leading to capacity loss over time are discussed. The main challenge for the development of all-organic RFBs is to identify a redox pair for the positive side with sufficiently high stability and redox potential that enables battery cell potentials above 1 V.

Soil-leaf transfer of chemical elements for the Atlantic Forest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joacir De Franca, E.; De Nadai Fernandes, E.A.; Bacchi, M.A.; Tagliaferro, F.S.

2007-01-01

Soil analysis could improve environmental studies since soil is the main source of chemical elements for plants. In this study, soil samples collected at 0-10 cm depth under tree crown projection were analyzed by INAA. Using the chemical composition of the leaf previously determined, the leaf-soil transfer factors of chemical elements could be estimated for the Atlantic Forest. Despite the variability of the intra-species, the transfer factors were specific for some plant species due to their element accumulation in the leaves. Similar Br-Zn combined transfer factors were obtained for the species grouped according to habitats in relation to their position (understory or dominant species) in the forest canopy. (author)

ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE BRANCH-WOOD OF Schizolobium amazonicum DUCKE SPECIES AND ITS POTENTIAL USES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusup Amin

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The scale of forest degradation and deforestation in Indonesia has inspired the use of lesser-known wood species, which are potentially abundant and so far has not much been utilized. Utilization of these woods should be imposed not only of the stem wood but also of the branch-wood portions. Schizolobiumamazonicum Ducke treeis one of those lesser-known species, and growing fast with an MAIof3.68 cm/year.In Indonesia this species is only found in the Purwodadi Botanical Garden. A research was conducted to study the basic characteristics (anatomical aspects and chemical properties of the branch-wood portion of this species. The branch-wood materials were obtained from the Purwodadi Botanical Garden situated in Pasuruan (East Java. The specimens used were the first branch of the trunk (stem of nine-year old S. amazonicum tree (= 29.46 cm. The branch-wood samples were then examined for the anatomical aspects (macroscopic and microscopic characteristics and chemical properties (chemical composition. Results revealed that the anatomical properties of S.amazonicum branch-wood exhibited close similarities to those of sengon wood; it was light in appearance and white in color. Its fiber averaged about 1500 μm, and based on the fiber dimension's derived values the branch- wood fiber of this species was categorized into first-class quality for pulp and paper manufacture. Further, the chemical composition of this branch-wood compared favorably with that of sengon and mangium wood. The composition of extractive content thatsoluble in alcohol-benzene; lignin; holocellulose; and α-cellulose of this branch-wood were 2.46; 28.71; 80.64; and 50.47%, respectively. The overall assessment implied that the branch-wood portion of S.amazonicum tree affords favorable potential to be developed as raw material for pulp and paper manufacture. Also, considering that both sengon and mangium woods were already used in the pulp and paper industries as well as the trees are

Effects of Pig Slurry Application and Crops on Phosphorus Content in Soil and the Chemical Species in Solution

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Lessandro De Conti

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The application of pig slurry rates and plant cultivation can modify the soil phosphorus (P content and distribution of chemical species in solution. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the total P, available P and P in solution, and the distribution of chemical P species in solution, in a soil under longstanding pig slurry applications and crop cultivation. The study was carried out in soil columns with undisturbed structure, collected in an experiment conducted for eight years in the experimental unit of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM, Santa Maria (RS. The soil was an Argissolo Vermelho distrófico arênico (Typic Hapludalf, subjected to applications of 0, 20, 40, and 80 m3 ha-1 pig slurry. Soil samples were collected from the layers 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, and 40-60 cm, before and after black oat and maize grown in a greenhouse, for the determination of available P, total P and P in the soil solution. In the solution, the concentration of the major cations, anions, dissolved organic carbon (DOC, and pH were determined. The distribution of chemical P species was determined by software Visual Minteq. The 21 pig slurry applications increased the total P content in the soil to a depth of 40 cm, and the P extracted by Mehlich-1 and from the solution to a depth of 30 cm. Successive applications of pig slurry changed the balance between the solid and liquid phases in the surface soil layers, increasing the proportion of the total amount of P present in the soil solution, aside from changing the chemical species in the solution, reducing the percentage complexed with Al and increasing the one complexed with Ca and Mg in the layers 0-5 and 5-10 cm. Black oat and maize cultivation increased pH in the solution, thereby increasing the proportion of HPO42- and reducing H2PO4- species.

Use of Measured Species Class Concentrations with Chemical Kinetic Modeling for the Prediction of Autoxidation and Deposition of Jet Fuels (Postprint)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kuprowicz, Nicholas J; Zabarnick, Steven; West, Zachary J; Ervin, Jamie S

2007-01-01

.... In the present work, a chemical kinetic mechanism developed previously is refined to include the roles of key fuel species classes, such as phenols, reactive sulfur species, dissolved metals, and hydroperoxides...

Relative Configuration of Natural Products Using NMR Chemical Shifts

Science.gov (United States)

By comparing calculated with experimental NMR chemical shifts, we were able to determine the relative configurations of three monoterpene diastereomers produced by the walkingstick Anisomorpha buprestoides. The combined RMSDs of both 1H and 13C quantum chemically calculated shifts were able to predi...

Chemical Ecology of Stingless Bees.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, Sara Diana

2017-04-01

Stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae: Meliponini) represent a highly diverse group of social bees confined to the world's tropics and subtropics. They show a striking diversity of structural and behavioral adaptations and are important pollinators of tropical plants. Despite their diversity and functional importance, their ecology, and especially chemical ecology, has received relatively little attention, particularly compared to their relative the honeybee, Apis mellifera. Here, I review various aspects of the chemical ecology of stingless bees, from communication over resource allocation to defense. I list examples in which functions of specific compounds (or compound groups) have been demonstrated by behavioral experiments, and show that many aspects (e.g., queen-worker interactions, host-parasite interactions, neuronal processing etc.) remain little studied. This review further reveals that the vast majority of studies on the chemical ecology of stingless bees have been conducted in the New World, whereas studies on Old World stingless bees are still comparatively rare. Given the diversity of species, behaviors and, apparently, chemical compounds used, I suggest that stingless bees provide an ideal subject for studying how functional context and the need for species specificity may interact to shape pheromone diversification in social insects.

Chemical analogy in the case of hydrolysis species of F-elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirotake Moriyama; Hajimu Yamana; Kenso Fujiwara

2001-01-01

In spite of much importance, some of the thermodynamic data of actinide elements are still lacking, and the chemical behaviour of these elements is often predicted by considering chemical analogy, that is by taking the known data of the same and similar group elements. It is thus quite important to establish the basis and conditions for applying the chemical analogy. In the present study, some topics are discussed which are related with the chemical analogy for the hydrolysis behaviour of actinide ions. Systematic trends of the thermodynamic data of actinide ions, namely the solubility products and hydrolysis constants, are discussed by considering the results of recent measurements and by considering possible contributions of non-electrostatic interactions of actinide ions in addition to those of ordinary electrostatic ones. (authors)

Identification of a new Irgarol-1051 related s-triazine species in coastal waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, K.-H.; Cai Zongwei; Wai, H.-Y.; Tsang, Vic W.-H.; Lam, Michael H.-W.; Cheung, Richard Y.-H.; Yu Hongxia; Lam, Paul K.-S.

2005-01-01

A previously unknown s-triazine species present in commercially available Irgarol-1051, a booster biocide additive in copper-based antifouling paints for the replacement of organotin-based antifoulants, has been identified in the coastal aquatic environment. After careful isolation, purification and characterization by high resolution MS-MS and 1 H NMR, the molecular structure of that unknown species is found to be N,N'-di-tert-butyl-6-methylthiol-s-triazine-2,4-diamine (designated as M3). Levels of Irgarol-1051, its major degradation product (M1) and the newly identified M3 in the coastal waters of Hong Kong, one of the world's busiest ports located in the southern coast of China, were monitored by SPME-GC-MS and SPME-GC-FID. Water samples from five locations within Hong Kong waters were analysed and the levels of Irgarol-1051, M1 and M3 were found to be 0.1-1.6 μg l -1 , 36.8-259.0 μg l -1 and 0.03-0.39 μg l -1 , respectively. Our results indicate that M3 is relatively stable against photo-and bio-degradation and may pose considerable risk to primary producer communities in the coastal marine environment. - An s-triazine species resists degradation and may be a chemical risk for marine coastal communities

Climate-Related Local Extinctions Are Already Widespread among Plant and Animal Species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John J Wiens

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Current climate change may be a major threat to global biodiversity, but the extent of species loss will depend on the details of how species respond to changing climates. For example, if most species can undergo rapid change in their climatic niches, then extinctions may be limited. Numerous studies have now documented shifts in the geographic ranges of species that were inferred to be related to climate change, especially shifts towards higher mean elevations and latitudes. Many of these studies contain valuable data on extinctions of local populations that have not yet been thoroughly explored. Specifically, overall range shifts can include range contractions at the "warm edges" of species' ranges (i.e., lower latitudes and elevations, contractions which occur through local extinctions. Here, data on climate-related range shifts were used to test the frequency of local extinctions related to recent climate change. The results show that climate-related local extinctions have already occurred in hundreds of species, including 47% of the 976 species surveyed. This frequency of local extinctions was broadly similar across climatic zones, clades, and habitats but was significantly higher in tropical species than in temperate species (55% versus 39%, in animals than in plants (50% versus 39%, and in freshwater habitats relative to terrestrial and marine habitats (74% versus 46% versus 51%. Overall, these results suggest that local extinctions related to climate change are already widespread, even though levels of climate change so far are modest relative to those predicted in the next 100 years. These extinctions will presumably become much more prevalent as global warming increases further by roughly 2-fold to 5-fold over the coming decades.

CE of phytosiderophores and related metal species in plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Xuan, Yue; Scheuermann, Enrico B; Meda, Anderson R; Jacob, Peter; von Wirén, Nicolaus; Weber, Günther

2007-10-01

Phytosiderophores (PS) and the closely related substance nicotianamine (NA) are key substances in metal uptake into graminaceous plants. Here, the CE separation of these substances and related metal species is demonstrated. In particular, the three PS 2'-deoxymugineic acid (DMA), mugineic acid (MA), and 3-epi-hydroxymugineic acid (epi-HMA), and NA, are separated using MES/Tris buffer at pH 7.3. Moreover, three Fe(III) species of the different PS are separated without any stability problems, which are often present in chromatographic analyses. Also divalent metal species of Cu, Ni, and Zn with the ligands DMA and NA are separated with the same method. By using a special, zwitterionic CE capillary, even the separation of two isomeric Fe(III) chelates with the ligand ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA) is possible (i.e., meso-Fe(III)-EDDHA and rac-Fe(III)-EDDHA), and for fast separations of NA and respective divalent and trivalent metal species, a polymer CE microchip with suppressed EOF is described. The proposed CE method is applicable to real plant samples, and enables to detect changes of metal species (Cu-DMA, Ni-NA), which are directly correlated to biological processes.

The effect of elevated CO2 on the chemical composition and construction costs of leaves of 27 C3 species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poorter, H.; Berkel, Y. van; Baxter, B.; Hertog, J. den; Dijkstra, P.; Gifford, R.M.; Griffin, K.L.; Roumet, C.; Roy, J.; Wong, S.C.

1997-01-01

We determined the proximate chemical composition as well as the construction costs of leaves of 27 species, grown at ambient and at a twice-ambient partial pressure of atmospheric CO₂. These species comprised wild and agricultural herbaceous plants as well as tree seedlings. Both average

Human Metabolism and Interactions of Deployment-Related Chemicals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hodgson, Ernest; Brimfield, Alan A; Goldstein, Joyce E; Rose, Randy L; Wallace, Andrew D

2008-01-01

.... The metabolism of chlorpyrifos, DEET, permethrin, pyridostigmine bromide, sulfur mustard, naphthalene and nonane as well as a number of their metabolites and related chemicals was investigated...

Human Metabolism and Interactions of Deployment-Related Chemicals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hodgson, Ernest

2003-01-01

This study examines the human-metabolism and metabolic interactions of a subset of deployment-related chemicals, including chlorpyrifos, DEET, permethrin, pyridostigmine bromide, and sulfur mustard metabolites...

The spatial and temporal distribution of chemical species in Padaviya Reservoir, Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Koliyabandara, S. M. P. A.; Siriwardhana, C.; Cooray, P. L. A. T.; Liyanage, S. S.

2017-12-01

Water is one of the most important assets for human life. Eutrophication and pollution are some of the major threats to many freshwater bodies. There are thousands of reservoirs exist in Sri Lanka; however, only a handful of them has been thoroughly monitored and studied. The main objective of this study is to investigate the temporal and spatial distribution of chemical species in Padaviya reservoir which is shallow man-made irrigation reservoir (8°49'30.6" N and 80°46'2.05"E) located in Sri Lanka constructed around 300 BC. The average depth is 8 m and 4 m in wet and dry seasons respectively. It has a catchment area of 270 km2. Water sampling was done at bi-monthly intervals for a period of one year staring from January 2016. Chemical analyses were conducted according to standard protocols. The maximum temperature difference between the surface and bottom waters of the reservoir was 2 °C throughout the year. The surface and bottom water conductivity varied between 175 ± 2.3 to 250 ± 3.0 μS cm-1 and 475 ± 3.7 to 600 ± 4.5 μScm-1 respectively. The average pH of surface and bottom waters varied between 8.5 ± 0.1 to 7.8 ± 0.2 and 7.2 ± 0.02 to 6.8 ± 0.2 respectively. The dissolved oxygen concentration showed a clinograde type distribution throughout the year where the surface waters were well oxygenated (DO ≈ 7.5 ppm) and the bottom waters were anoxic (DO ≈ 0.15 ppm). Ammonia concentration increased with the depth from surface concentration of 150 ± 50 to 300 ± 25 ppb at the bottom. Nitrite distribution was similar to ammonia and the surface concentration was 100 ± 25ppb throughtout the year and at the bottom it varied between 300 ± 30 to 4500 ± 30 ppb. Water soluble phosphate distribution was also similar to ammonia. The surface concentration was 200 ± 20 ppb throughtout the year and varied from 100 ± 20 to 2000 ±20 ppb at the bottom. Nitrate distribution was inverse of the ammonia. The surface concentration was 500 ± 30 to 900 ± 30 ppb

Steam Gasification of Sawdust Biochar Influenced by Chemical Speciation of Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metallic Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongdong Feng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of chemical speciation (H2O/NH4Ac/HCl-soluble and insoluble of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species on the steam gasification of sawdust biochar was investigated in a lab-scale, fixed-bed reactor, with the method of chemical fractionation analysis. The changes in biochar structures and the evolution of biochar reactivity are discussed, with a focus on the contributions of the chemical speciation of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species (AAEMs on the steam gasification of biochar. The results indicate that H2O/NH4Ac/HCl-soluble AAEMs have a significant effect on biochar gasification rates. The release of K occurs mainly in the form of inorganic salts and hydrated ions, while that of Ca occurs mainly as organic ones. The sp3-rich or sp2-sp3 structures and different chemical-speciation AAEMs function together as the preferred active sites during steam gasification. H2O/HCl-soluble AAEMs could promote the transformation of biochar surface functional groups, from ether/alkene C-O-C to carboxylate COO− in biochar, while they may both be improved by NH4Ac-soluble AAEMs. H2O-soluble AAEMs play a crucial catalytic role in biochar reactivity. The effect of NH4Ac-soluble AAEMs is mainly concentrated in the high-conversion stage (biochar conversion >30%, while that of HCl-soluble AAEMs is reflected in the whole activity-testing stage.

The effect of elevated CO2 on the chemical composition and construction costs of leaves of 27 C-3 species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poorter, H; VanBerkel, Y; Baxter, R; DenHertog, J; Dijkstra, P; Gifford, RM; Griffin, KL; Roumet, C; Roy, J

We determined the proximate chemical composition as well as the construction costs of leaves of 27 species, grown at ambient and at a twice-ambient partial pressure of atmospheric CO2, These species comprised wild and agricultural herbaceous plants as well as tree seedlings, Both average responses

Alkaloid concentration of the invasive plant species Ulex europaeus in relation to geographic origin and herbivory

Science.gov (United States)

Hornoy, Benjamin; Atlan, Anne; Tarayre, Michèle; Dugravot, Sébastien; Wink, Michael

2012-11-01

In the study of plant defense evolution, invasive plant species can be very insightful because they are often introduced without their enemies, and traits linked to defense can be released from selective pressures and evolve. Further, studying plant defense evolution in invasive species is important for biological control and use of these species. In this study, we investigated the evolution of the defensive chemicals quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) in the invasive species gorse, Ulex europaeus. Using a common garden experiment, our goals were to characterize the role of QAs relative to specialist enemies of gorse and to investigate if QA concentration evolved in invaded regions, where gorse was introduced without these enemies. Our results showed that pod infestation rate by the seed predator Exapion ulicis and infestation by the rust pathogen Uromyces genistae-tinctoriae were negatively correlated to concentration of the QA lupanine. Quinolizidine alkaloid concentration was very variable between individuals, both within and among populations, but it was not different between native and invaded regions, suggesting that no evolution of decreased resistance occurred after gorse lost its enemies. Our study also suggests that QA concentrations are traits integrated into seed predation avoidance strategies of gorse, with plants that mass-fruit in spring but do not escape pod infestation in time being richer in QAs.

Molecular relationships between closely related strains and species of nematodes

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, M. H.; Wall, S. M.; Luehrsen, K. R.; Fox, G. E.; Hecht, R. M.

1981-01-01

Electrophoretic comparisons have been made for 24 enzymes in the Bergerac and Bristol strains of Caenorhabditis elegans and the related species, Caenorhabditis briggsae. No variation was detected between the two strains of C. elegans. In contrast, the two species, C. elegans and C. briggsae exhibited electrophoretic differences in 22 of 24 enzymes. A consensus 5S rRNA sequence was determined for C. elegans and found to be identical to that from C. briggsae. By analogy with other species with relatively well established fossil records it can be inferred that the time of divergence between the two nematode species is probably in the tens of millions of years. The limited anatomical evolution during a time period in which proteins undergo extensive changes supports the hypothesis that anatomical evolution is not dependent on overall protein changes.

Symmetry Relations in Chemical Kinetics Arising from Microscopic Reversibility

Science.gov (United States)

Adib, Artur B.

2006-01-01

It is shown that the kinetics of time-reversible chemical reactions having the same equilibrium constant but different initial conditions are closely related to one another by a directly measurable symmetry relation analogous to chemical detailed balance. In contrast to detailed balance, however, this relation does not require knowledge of the elementary steps that underlie the reaction, and remains valid in regimes where the concept of rate constants is ill defined, such as at very short times and in the presence of low activation barriers. Numerical simulations of a model of isomerization in solution are provided to illustrate the symmetry under such conditions, and potential applications in protein folding or unfolding are pointed out.

The influence of stream bed geomorphology on chemical species within the hyporheic zone over time and space

Science.gov (United States)

Quick, A. M.; Reeder, W. J.; Farrell, T. B.; Benner, S. G.; Tonina, D.; Feris, K. P.

2017-12-01

The hyporheic zone is well established as an important zone of biogeochemical activity in streams and rivers. Multiple large scale flume experiments were carried out to mimic bedform-controlled hyporheic zones in small streams. The laboratory setting allowed for geochemical measurement resolution and replicates that would not be possible in a natural setting. Two flume experiments that consisted of three small streams with variable sizes of bedform dunes were carried out in which chemical species were measured in the surface water and along hyporheic flow lines in the subsurface. The species measured included dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, major cations (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Si4+, Al3+), anions (NO3-, NO2-, SO42-, PO43-, Cl-), and many trace elements (As, Sr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, U, V). Observed spatial and temporal trends reflect microbiological processes, changing redox conditions, and chemical weathering. In general, microbial respiration causes DO to decrease with residence time, leading to aerobic and anaerobic zones that influence redox-sensitive species and pH gradients that influence mineral solubility. Most other species concentrations, including those of major cations and trace elements, increase with residence time and generally decrease over time elapsed during the experiment. The different dune morphologies dictate flow velocities in the hyporheic zone; for most species, steeper dunes with higher velocities had lower concentrations at the end of the experiment, indicating the role of dune shape in the weathering rates of minerals in hyporheic sediment and the concentrations of dissolved species entering the surface water over time. Many of the observed trends can be applied, at least qualitatively, to understanding how these species will behave in natural settings. This insight will contribute to the understanding of many of the applications of the hyporheic zone (e.g. bioremediation, habitat, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.).

Comparison of two freshwater turtle species as monitors of radionuclide and chemical contamination: DNA damage and residue analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers-Schoene, L.; Shugart, L.R.; Beauchamp, J.J.; Walton, B.T.

1993-01-01

Two species of turtles that occupy different ecological niches were compared for their usefulness as monitors of freshwater ecosystems where both low-level radioactive and nonradioactive contaminants are present. The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) and common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) were analyzed for the presence of 90 Sr, 137 Cs, 60 Co, and Hg, radionuclides and chemicals known to be present at the contaminated site, and single-strand breaks in liver DNA. The integrity of the DNA was examined by the alkaline unwinding assay, a technique that detects strand breaks as a biological marker of possible exposure to genotoxic agents. This measure of DNA damage was significantly increased in both species of turtles at the contaminated site compared with turtles of the same species at a reference site, and shows that contaminant-exposed populations were under more severe genotoxic stress than those at the reference site. The level of strand breaks observed at the contaminated site was high and in the range reported for other aquatic species exposed to deleterious concentrations of genotoxic agents such as chemicals and ionizing radiation. Statistically significantly higher concentrations of radionuclides and Hg were detected in the turtles from the contaminated area. Mercury concentrations were significantly higher in the more carnivorous snapping turtle compared with the slider; however, both species were effective monitors of the contaminants

Radiological and related Chemical Health Impact Assessments of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ogunjo Samuel

concentrations obtained and the relation from United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the chemical ... radioactive elements uranium-238 and thorium-232 decay .... Using Equation 2, the elemental concentrations in pipe.

Meta-analysis of the relative sensitivity of semi-natural vegetation species to ozone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayes, F.; Jones, M.L.M.; Mills, G.; Ashmore, M.

2007-01-01

This study identified 83 species from existing publications suitable for inclusion in a database of sensitivity of species to ozone (OZOVEG database). An index, the relative sensitivity to ozone, was calculated for each species based on changes in biomass in order to test for species traits associated with ozone sensitivity. Meta-analysis of the ozone sensitivity data showed a wide inter-specific range in response to ozone. Some relationships in comparison to plant physiological and ecological characteristics were identified. Plants of the therophyte lifeform were particularly sensitive to ozone. Species with higher mature leaf N concentration were more sensitive to ozone than those with lower leaf N concentration. Some relationships between relative sensitivity to ozone and Ellenberg habitat requirements were also identified. In contrast, no relationships between relative sensitivity to ozone and mature leaf P concentration, Grime's CSR strategy, leaf longevity, flowering season, stomatal density and maximum altitude were found. The relative sensitivity of species and relationships with plant characteristics identified in this study could be used to predict sensitivity to ozone of untested species and communities. - Meta-analysis of the relative sensitivity of semi-natural vegetation species to ozone showed some relationships with physiological and ecological characteristics

A novel approach: chemical relational databases, and the role of the ISSCAN database on assessing chemical carcinogenicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Benigni, Romualdo; Bossa, Cecilia; Richard, Ann M; Yang, Chihae

2008-01-01

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity databases are crucial resources for toxicologists and regulators involved in chemicals risk assessment. Until recently, existing public toxicity databases have been constructed primarily as "look-up-tables" of existing data, and most often did not contain chemical structures. Concepts and technologies originated from the structure-activity relationships science have provided powerful tools to create new types of databases, where the effective linkage of chemical toxicity with chemical structure can facilitate and greatly enhance data gathering and hypothesis generation, by permitting: a) exploration across both chemical and biological domains; and b) structure-searchability through the data. This paper reviews the main public databases, together with the progress in the field of chemical relational databases, and presents the ISSCAN database on experimental chemical carcinogens.

Salivary Chemical Factors in Relation with Oral Cancer in Smokers and Non-Smokers: a Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Nosratzehi, Tahereh

2017-12-01

Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity is of malignant tumors, which causes cancerous complications. DNA damage, mainly because of products of oxidative stress like reactive oxygen species, is a frequent mutagenic that triggers carcinoma. Smoking increases the probability of cancer incidence. Saliva is the first biological medium to interact with external compounds, especially smoking substances. The present study overviews the salivary level of some remarkable compounds in relation with smoking and squamous cell carcinoma. To collect data, English literature was searched in databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. The keywords used for search were as follows: 'Carcinoma, Squamous Cell', 'Smoking', 'Saliva', and 'Biomarkers'. The inclusion criteria were the presence of salivary chemical factors in relation with oral cancer and influence by smoking. Out of 239 found articles, only 56 were selected. Our results demonstrated the potential role of salivary biochemistry to predict and/or treat complications with cancer in both smoker and non-smoker individuals. Changes in concentrations of salivary chemicals including antioxidants, total antioxidant, glutathione and uric acid, epithelial growth factor, cytokine biomarkers, superoxide dismutase activity, and transcriptome were related to squamous cell carcinoma and could be used as potential biomarkers for cancer prognosis; moreover, enhancement of antioxidant level might be a potential treatment.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, IN VITRO RUMEN FERMENTATION, AND DIGESTIBILITY OF SELECTED BROWSE SPECIES BY BUFFALOES (Bubalus bubalis L. AT A SEMI-DECIDUOUS FOREST IN VENEZUELA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro José Ojeda

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To determine the chemical composition and nutritive value of selected browse species by buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis L. in a silvopastoral system at a semi-deciduous tropical forest (SDTF, epidermal fragments in fecal samples from 14 males of Murrah breed were evaluated. The animals grazed for 91 days in 85 ha located in Portuguesa State, Venezuela, of which 35 ha corresponded to natural grass pastures (969.3 ± 28.6 kg DM ha-1, and the rest to SDTF with 463 plant ha-1. Eleven botanical families and 22 species were identified, 40.9% belonged to the Fabaceae family. The specie Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaceae had the highest relative dominancy (60.4% and an Importance Value Index of 162.6. 60.4% of epidermal fragments corresponded to herbaceous Poaceae, and the rest was distributed among five different species, with the highest occurrence (94.6% for Samanea saman and Sida acuta. There were differences (P

Meaningful traits for grouping plant species across arid ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bär Lamas, Marlene Ivonne; Carrera, A L; Bertiller, M B

2016-05-01

Grouping species may provide some degree of simplification to understand the ecological function of plants on key ecosystem processes. We asked whether groups of plant species based on morpho-chemical traits associated with plant persistence and stress/disturbance resistance reflect dominant plant growth forms in arid ecosystems. We selected twelve sites across an aridity gradient in northern Patagonia. At each site, we identified modal size plants of each dominant species and assessed specific leaf area (SLA), plant height, seed mass, N and soluble phenol concentration in green and senesced leaves at each plant. Plant species were grouped according with plant growth forms (perennial grasses, evergreen shrubs and deciduous shrubs) and plant morphological and/or chemical traits using cluster analysis. We calculated mean values of each plant trait for each species group and plant growth form. Plant growth forms significantly differed among them in most of the morpho-chemical traits. Evergreen shrubs were tall plants with the highest seed mass and soluble phenols in leaves, deciduous shrubs were also tall plants with high SLA and the highest N in leaves, and perennial grasses were short plants with high SLA and low concentration of N and soluble phenols in leaves. Grouping species by the combination of morpho-chemical traits yielded 4 groups in which species from one growth form prevailed. These species groups differed in soluble phenol concentration in senesced leaves and plant height. These traits were highly correlated. We concluded that (1) plant height is a relevant synthetic variable, (2) growth forms adequately summarize ecological strategies of species in arid ecosystems, and (3) the inclusion of plant morphological and chemical traits related to defenses against environmental stresses and herbivory enhanced the potential of species grouping, particularly within shrubby growth forms.

TSCA Chemical Data Reporting Fact Sheet: Reporting Manufactured Chemical Substances from Metal Mining and Related Activities

Science.gov (United States)

This fact sheet provides guidance on the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule requirements related to the reporting of mined metals, intermediates, and byproducts manufactured during metal mining and related activities.

Contribution to chemical-mineralogical study of carbonatites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, M.Q. da; Lima, W.N. de; Correa, S.L.A.

1982-01-01

A preliminary chemical-mineralogical study of carbonatites from Jacupiranga (SP,Brazil) and Alto Pinheiros (SC,Brazil) enabled not only to ratify hypotheses previously described by Brazilian researchers but also made clear certain aspects related to the geochemistry of carbonatites concerning their occurrence, the probable genesis of these species and their chemical and mineralogical characteristics.(Author) [pt

Fate and effects of anthropogenic chemicals in mangrove ecosystems: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Michael, E-mail: lewis.michael@epa.gov [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561 (United States); Pryor, Rachel; Wilking, Lynn [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561 (United States)

2011-10-15

The scientific literature for fate and effects of non-nutrient contaminant concentrations is skewed for reports describing sediment contamination and bioaccumulation for trace metals. Concentrations for at least 22 trace metals have been reported in mangrove sediments. Some concentrations exceed sediment quality guidelines suggesting adverse effects. Bioaccumulation results are available for at least 11 trace metals, 12 mangrove tissues, 33 mangrove species and 53 species of mangrove-habitat biota. Results are specific to species, tissues, life stage, and season and accumulated concentrations and bioconcentration factors are usually low. Toxicity tests have been conducted with 12 mangrove species and 8 species of mangrove-related fauna. As many as 39 effect parameters, most sublethal, have been monitored during the usual 3 to 6 month test durations. Generalizations and extrapolations for toxicity between species and chemicals are restricted by data scarcity and lack of experimental consistency. This hinders chemical risk assessments and validation of effects-based criteria. - Chemical risk assessments and resource management are restricted by the limited chemical fate and effects database for mangroves.

Book of abstracts Chemical Engineering: IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists. Chemical engineering of nanomaterials. Energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes and problems of their intensification. Processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics. Ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakhodyaeva, Yu.A.; Belova, V.V.

2012-01-01

In the given volume of abstracts of the IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists (Moscow, March 18-23, 2012) there are the abstracts of the reports concerning chemical engineering of nanomaterials, energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes, processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics, ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields. The abstracts deal with state-of-the-art and future development of theoretical and experimental investigations as well as with experience in practical realization of development works in the field of chemical engineering and relative areas [ru

Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Verbenaceae Species Growing in South America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina M. Pérez Zamora

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The Verbenaceae family includes 2600 species grouped into 100 genera with a pantropical distribution. Many of them are important elements of the floras of warm-temperature and tropical regions of America. This family is known in folk medicine, and its species are used as digestive, carminative, antipyretic, antitussive, antiseptic, and healing agents. This review aims to collect information about the essential oils from the most reported species of the Verbenaceae family growing in South America, focusing on their chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and synergism with commercial antimicrobials. The information gathered comprises the last twenty years of research within the South American region and is summarized taking into consideration the most representative species in terms of their essential oils. These species belong to Aloysia, Lantana, Lippia, Phyla, and Stachytarpheta genera, and the main essential oils they contain are monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, such as β-caryophyllene, thymol, citral, 1,8-cineole, carvone, and limonene. These compounds have been found to possess antimicrobial activities. The synergism of these essential oils with antibiotics is being studied by several research groups. It constitutes a resource of interest for the potential use of combinations of essential oils and antibiotics in infection treatments.

Metabolism of agrochemicals and related environmental chemicals based on cytochrome P450s in mammals and plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohkawa, Hideo; Inui, Hideyuki

2015-06-01

A yeast gene expression system originally established for mammalian cytochrome P450 monooxygenase cDNAs was applied to functional analysis of a number of mammalian and plant P450 species, including 11 human P450 species (CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C18, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4). The human P450 species CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C18 and CYP2C19 were identified as P450 species metabolising various agrochemicals and environmental chemicals. CYP2C9 and CYP2E1 specifically metabolised sulfonylurea herbicides and halogenated hydrocarbons respectively. Plant P450 species metabolising phenylurea and sulfonylurea herbicides were also identified mainly as the CYP71 family, although CYP76B1, CYP81B1 and CYP81B2 metabolised phenylurea herbicides. The transgenic plants expressing these mammalian and plant P450 species were applied to herbicide tolerance as well as phytoremediation of agrochemical and environmental chemical residues. The combined use of CYP1A1, CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 belonging to two families and three subfamilies covered a wide variety of herbicide tolerance and phytoremediation of these residues. The use of 2,4-D-and bromoxynil-induced CYP71AH11 in tobacco seemed to enhance herbicide tolerance and selectivity. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genetically modified yeast of the species Issatchenkia orientalis and closely relates species, and fermentation processes using same

Science.gov (United States)

Suominen, Pirkko [Maple Grove, MN; Aristidou, Aristos [Highland Ranch, CO; Pentilla, Merja [Helsinki, FI; Ilmen, Marja [Helsinki, FI; Ruohonen, Laura [Helsinki, FI; Koivuranta, Kari [Vantaa, FI; Roberg-Perez, Kevin [Minneapolis, MN

2012-01-17

Cells of the species Issatchenkia orientalis and closely related yeast species are transformed with a vector to introduce an exogenous lactate dehydrogenase gene. The cells produce lactic acid efficiently and are resistant at low pH, high lactate titer conditions.

A novel technology for neutralizing acidity and attenuating toxic chemical species from acid mine drainage using cryptocrystalline magnesite tailings

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Masindi, Vhahangwele

2016-04-01

Full Text Available neutralize and attenuate elevated concentrations of chemical species in AMD to within prescribed legal frameworks for water use in agricultural and industrial sectors in South Africa....

Iridoids from Scutellaria goulimyi Rech. f., Lamiaceae. Morphological and chemical relations with Scutellaria albida L. ssp albida

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gousiadou, Chrysoula; Gotfredsen, Charlotte Held; Jensen, Søren Rosendal

2012-01-01

the close relationship between the two species (Bothmer, 1991), we undertook to investigate chemical similarities between S. goulimyi and S. albida L. ssp albida (Gousiadou et al., 2007; 2012) for taxonomic purposes. To our knowledge, this is the first report concerning the chemical fingerprint of S...

Sequential chemical treatment of radium species in TENORM waste sludge produced from oil and natural gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Afifi, E.M.; Awwad, N.S.; Hilal, M.A.

2009-01-01

This paper is dedicated to the treatment of sludge occurring in frame of the Egyptian produced from oil and gas production. The activity levels of three radium isotopes: Ra-226 (of U-series), Ra-228 and Ra-224 (of Th-series) in the solid TENORM waste (sludge) were first evaluated and followed by a sequential treatment for all radium species (fractions) presented in TENORM. The sequential treatment was carried out based on two approaches 'A' and 'B' using different chemical solutions. The results obtained indicate that the activity levels of all radium isotopes (Ra-226, Ra-228 and Ra-224) of the environmental interest in the TENORM waste sludge were elevated with regard to exemption levels established by IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International basic safety standards for the protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. GOV/2715/Vienna, 1994]. Each approach of the sequential treatment was performed through four steps using different chemical solutions to reduce the activity concentration of radium in a large extent. Most of the leached radium was found as an oxidizable Ra species. The actual removal % leached using approach B was relatively efficient compared to A. It is observed that the actual removal percentages (%) of Ra-226, Ra-228 and Ra-224 using approach A are 78 ± 2.8, 64.8 ± 4.1 and 76.4 ± 5.2%, respectively. Whereas in approach A, the overall removal % of Ra-226, Ra-228 and Ra-228 was increased to ∼91 ± 3.5, 87 ± 4.1 and 90 ± 6.2%, respectively

Aqueous chemistry of chlorine: chemistry, analysis, and environmental fate of reactive oxidant species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jolley, R.L.; Carpenter, J.H.

1982-01-01

This report reviews (1) the chemistry of chlorine relative to its reactions in fresh, estuarine, and marine waters and the formation of reactive oxidant species; (2) the current status of chemical analysis of reactive chlorine species and chlorine-produced oxidant species relative to analysis of low concentrations (microgram-per-liter range) and determination of accuracy and precision of methods; and (3) the environmental fate of chlorine and chlorine-produced oxidant species.

Comparison of the chemical compositions and nutritive values of various pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae) species and parts

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mi Young; Kim, Eun Jin; Kim, Young-Nam; Choi, Changsun

2012-01-01

Pumpkins have considerable variation in nutrient contents depending on the cultivation environment, species, or part. In this study, the general chemical compositions and some bioactive components, such as tocopherols, carotenoids, and β-sitosterol, were analyzed in three major species of pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae pepo, C. moschata, and C. maxima) grown in Korea and also in three parts (peel, flesh, and seed) of each pumpkin species. C. maxima had significantly more carbohydrate, protein, fat, and fiber than C. pepo or C. moschata (P pumpkin was highest in C. pepo. The major fatty acids in the seeds were palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids. C. pepo and C. moschata seeds had significantly more γ-tocopherol than C. maxima, whose seeds had the highest β-carotene content. C. pepo seeds had significantly more β-sitosterol than the others. Nutrient compositions differed considerably among the pumpkin species and parts. These results will be useful in updating the nutrient compositions of pumpkin in the Korean food composition database. Additional analyses of various pumpkins grown in different years and in different areas of Korea are needed. PMID:22413037

Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of seven Eucalyptus species essential oils leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Sebei, Khaled; Sakouhi, Fawzi; Herchi, Wahid; Khouja, Mohamed Larbi; Boukhchina, Sadok

2015-01-19

In this paper, we have studied the essential oils chemical composition of the leaves of seven Eucalyptus species developed in Tunisia. Eucalyptus leaves were picked from trees growing in different arboretums in Tunisia. Choucha and Mrifeg arboretums located in Sedjnene, region of Bizerte (Choucha: E. maideni, E. astrengens et E. cinerea; Mrifeg : E. leucoxylon), Korbous arboretums located in the region of Nabeul, North East Tunisia with sub-humid bioclimate, (E. lehmani), Souiniet-Ain Drahem arboretum located in region of Jendouba (E. sideroxylon, E. bicostata). Essential oils were individually tested against a large panel of microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6539), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC29212), Listeria ivanovii (RBL 30), Bacillus cereus (ATCC11778). The yield of essential oils ranged from 1.2% to 3% (w/w) for the different Eucalyptus species. All essential oils contain α-pinene, 1,8-cineol and pinocarveol-trans for all Eucalyptus species studied. The 1,8-cineol was the major compound in all species (49.07 to 83.59%). Diameter of inhibition zone of essential oils of Eucalyptus species varied from 10 to 29 mm. The largest zone of inhibition was obtained for Bacillus cereus (E. astrengens) and the lowest for Staphylococcus aureus (E. cinerea). The essential oils from E. maideni, E. astrengens, E. cinerea (arboretum of Bizerte), E. bicostata (arboretum of Aindraham) showed the highest antibacterial activity against Listeria ivanovii and Bacillus cereus. The major constituents of Eucalyptus leaves essential oils are 1,8-cineol (49.07 to 83.59%) and α-pinene (1.27 to 26.35%). The essential oils from E. maideni, E. astrengens, E. cinerea, E. bicostata showed the highest antibacterial activity against Listeria ivanovii and Bacillus cereus, they may have potential applications in food and pharmaceutical products.

Chemical composition of some wild peanut species (Arachis L.) seeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosso, N R; Nepote, V; Guzmán, C A

2000-03-01

Oil, protein, ash, and carbohydrate contents, iodine value, and fatty acid and sterol compositions were studied in seeds of Arachis trinitensis, A. chiquitana, A. kempff-mercadoi, A. diogoi, A. benensis, A. appressipila, A. valida, A. kretschmeri, A. helodes, A. kuhlmannii, A. williamsii, A. sylvestris, A. matiensis, A. pintoi, A. hoehnei, A. villosa, and A. stenosperma. Oil content was greatest in A.stenosperma (mean value = 51.8%). The protein level was higher in A. sylvestris (30.1%) and A. villosa (29.5%). Mean value of oleic acid varied between 30.6% (A. matiensis) and 46.8% (Arachis villosa), and linoleic acid oscillated between 34.1% (A. villosa) and 47.4% (A. appressipila). The better oleic-to-linoleic (O/L) ratio was exhibited by A. villosa (1.38). Some species showed higher concentration of behenic acid. The greatest level of this fatty acid was found in A. matiensis (6.2%). Iodine value was lower in A. valida (99.2). The sterol composition in the different peanut species showed higher concentration of beta-sitosterol (mean values oscillated between 55.7 and 60.2%) followed by campesterol (12.4-16. 5%), stigmasterol (9.7-13.3%), and Delta(5)-avenasterol (9.7-13.4%). The chemical quality and stability of oils (iodine value and O/L ratio) from wild peanut studied in this work are not better than those of cultivated peanut.

Aspergillus fumigatus-Related Species in Clinical Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamoth, Frédéric

2016-01-01

Aspergillus fumigatus is the main etiologic agent of invasive aspergillosis (IA). Other Aspergillus species belonging to the section Fumigati (A. fumigatus complex) may occasionally be the cause of IA. These strains are often misidentified, as they cannot be distinguished from A. fumigatus by conventional morphological analysis and sequencing methods. This lack of recognition may have important consequences as these A. fumigatus-related species often display some level of intrinsic resistance to azoles and other antifungal drugs. A. lentulus, A. udagawae, A. viridinutans, and A. thermomutatus (Neosartorya pseudofischeri) have been associated with refractory cases of IA. Microbiologists should be able to suspect the presence of these cryptic species behind a putative A. fumigatus isolate on the basis of some simple characteristics, such as defect in sporulation and/or unusual antifungal susceptibility profile. However, definitive species identification requires specific sequencing analyses of the beta-tubulin or calmodulin genes, which are not available in most laboratories. Multiplex PCR assays or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization - time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) gave promising results for rapid and accurate distinction between A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus spp. of the section Fumigati in clinical practice. Improved diagnostic procedures and antifungal susceptibility testing may be helpful for the early detection and management of these particular IA cases.

A Review of Botany and Pharmacological Effect and Chemical Composition of Echinophora Species Growing in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, Zohreh; Lorigooini, Zahra; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud; Shirmardi, Hamzeh Ali; Solati, Kamal

2017-01-01

This review was conducted to investigate the botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Echinophora species. The information of this review was obtained by searching for keywords Apiaceae , Echinophora , pharmacological effects, and traditional and modern medicine in scientific articles and books published in search engines Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Web of Science. The traditional uses of Echinophora and the existence of valuable phytochemicals in the plant have led to isolation and drug discovery of natural medicines such as antibiotic, analgesics, and anticancer drugs, and the beneficial effects of these plants can widely be used in healthcare. Echinophora species are medicinal and aromatic plants that are belong to Apiaceae family. This genus have four species in Iran. The botany, geographical distribution, traditional and pharmacological effects of Echinophora genus were described. Also, the major chemical constituents of the essential oil and extract of different species of Echinophora that have been reported. Overall, the existence of valuable phytochemicals purpose Echinophora species as novel candidate to isolation and drug discovery of natural medicines such as antibiotic, analgesics, and anticancer drugs.

Molecular activation analysis for chemical speciation studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chai-Chifang

1998-01-01

The term of Molecular Activation Analysis (MAA) refers to an activation analysis method that is able to provide information about the chemical species of elements in system of interests, though its definition has remained to be assigned. Its development is strongly stimulated by the urgent need to know the chemical species of elements, because the total concentrations are often without any meaning when assessing health or environmental risks of trace elements.In practice, the MAA is a combination of conventional instrumental or radiochemical activation analysis and physical, chemical or biochemical separation techniques. The MAA is able to play a particular role in speciation studies. However, the critical point in the MAA is that it is not permitted to change the primitive chemical species of elements in systems, or the change has to be under control; in the meantime it is not allowed to form the 'new artifact' originally not present in systems. Some practical examples of MAA for chemical species research performed recently in our laboratory will be presented as follows: Chemical species of platinum group elements in sediment; Chemical species of iodine in marine algae; Chemical species of mercury in human tissues; Chemical species of selenium in corn; Chemical species of rare earth elements in natural plant, etc. The merits and limitations of MAA will be described as well. (author)

Status of chemical elements in Atlantic Forest tree species near an industrial complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, A.L.L.; Fernandes, E.A.N.; Franca, E.J.; Bacchi, M.A.

2008-01-01

Environmental quality assessment studies have been conducted with tree species largely distributed in the Atlantic Forest. Leaf and soil samples were collected in the conservation unit Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar (PESM) nearby the industrial complex of Cubatao, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and analyzed for chemical elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Results were compared to background values obtained in the Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (PECB). The higher As, Fe, Hg and Zn mass fractions in the tree leaves of PESM indicated anthropogenic influence on this conservation unit. (author)

The biological activities and chemical composition of Pereskia species (Cactaceae)--a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Nícolas de Castro Campos; Scio, Elita

2014-09-01

The exploration of nature as a source of sustainable, novel bioactive substances continues to grow as natural products play a significant role in the search for new therapeutic and agricultural agents. In this context, plants of the genus Pereskia (Cactaceae) have been studied for their biological activities, and are evolving as an interesting subject in the search for new, bioactive compounds. These species are commonly used as human foodstuffs and in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases. This review focuses on the bioactivity and chemical composition of the genus Pereskia, and aims to stimulate further studies on the chemistry and biological potential of the genus.

Air corona discharge chemical kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kline, L.E.; Kanter, I.E.

1984-01-01

We have theoretically studied the initial chemical processing steps which occur in pulseless, negative, dc corona discharges in flowing air. A rate equation model is used because these discharges consist of a very small ionization zone near the pin with most of the pin-plane gap filled by a drift zone where both the electric field and the electron density are relatively uniform. The primary activated species are N 2 (A),O and O 2 (a 1 Δ). The predicted activated species density due to one discharge is 100 ppm per ms . mA cm 2 assuming E/n=60 Td. In pure, dry air the final product due to these activated species is primarily O 3 . The NO /sub x/ production is about 0.5 ppm per mA. In moist air there is an additional production of about 1.5 ppm per mA of HO /sub x/ species. The predicted ozone formation reactions will be ''intercepted'' when impurities are present in the air. Impurities present at densities below about 0.1% will react primarily with the activated species rather than with electrons. Hence the predicted activated species density provides an estimate of the potential chemical processing performance of the discharge

Aquatic plants: Test species sensitivity and minimum data requirement evaluations for chemical risk assessments and aquatic life criteria development for the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Phytotoxicity results from the publicly-available ECOTOX database were summarized for 20 chemicals and 188 aquatic plants to determine species sensitivities and the ability of a species-limited toxicity data set to serve as a surrogate for a larger data set. The lowest effect con...

Aspergillus fumigatus-Related Species in Clinical Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederic eLamoth

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Aspergillus fumigatus is the main etiologic agent of invasive aspergillosis (IA. Other Aspergillus species belonging to the section Fumigati (A. fumigatus complex may occasionally be the cause of IA. These strains are often misidentified, as they cannot be distinguished from A. fumigatus by conventional morphological analysis and sequencing methods. This lack of recognition may have important consequences as these A. fumigatus-related species often display some level of intrinsic resistance to azoles and other antifungal drugs. A. lentulus, A. udagawae, A. viridinutans and A. thermomutatus (Neosartorya pseudofischeri have been associated with refractory cases of IA. Microbiologists should be able to suspect the presence of these cryptic species behind a putative A. fumigatus isolate on the basis of some simple characteristics, such as defect in sporulation and/or unusual antifungal susceptibility profile. However, definitive species identification requires specific sequencing analyses of the beta-tubulin or calmodulin genes, which are not available in most laboratories. Multiplex PCR assays or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization – time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS gave promising results for rapid and accurate distinction between A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus spp. of the section Fumigati in clinical practice. Improved diagnostic procedures and antifungal susceptibility testing may be helpful for the early detection and management of these particular IA cases.

Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential by Examination of the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Their Essential Oils.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoury, Madona; Stien, Didier; Eparvier, Véronique; Ouaini, Naïm; El Beyrouthy, Marc

2016-01-01

Many Lamiaceae species are consumed in the Lebanese cuisine as food or condiment and are largely used in the traditional medicine of Lebanon to treat various diseases, including microbial infections. In this article we report the traditional medicinal uses of eleven Lamiaceae species: Coridothymus capitatus L., Lavandula stoechas L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata , Origanum syriacum L., Rosmarinus officinalis , Salvia fruticosa Miller., Satureja cuneifolia Ten., Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L., and Vitex agnus-castus L. and study the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of their essential oils (EOs). Our survey showed that Lamiaceae species are mainly used against gastrointestinal disorders and microbial infections. Chemical analysis of the EOs obtained from these plants allowed us to identify seventy-five compounds describing more than 90% of the relative composition of each EO. Essential oils with high amounts of thymol and carvacrol possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity. As expected, these two compounds demonstrated an interesting antifungal efficacy against the filamentous fungus T. rubrum . Our results confirmed that some of the Lamiaceae species used in Lebanon ethnopharmacological practices as antimicrobial agents do possess antibacterial and antifungal potential consistent with their use in alternative or complementary medicine.

Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential by Examination of the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Their Essential Oils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madona Khoury

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Many Lamiaceae species are consumed in the Lebanese cuisine as food or condiment and are largely used in the traditional medicine of Lebanon to treat various diseases, including microbial infections. In this article we report the traditional medicinal uses of eleven Lamiaceae species: Coridothymus capitatus L., Lavandula stoechas L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata, Origanum syriacum L., Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia fruticosa Miller., Satureja cuneifolia Ten., Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L., and Vitex agnus-castus L. and study the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of their essential oils (EOs. Our survey showed that Lamiaceae species are mainly used against gastrointestinal disorders and microbial infections. Chemical analysis of the EOs obtained from these plants allowed us to identify seventy-five compounds describing more than 90% of the relative composition of each EO. Essential oils with high amounts of thymol and carvacrol possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity. As expected, these two compounds demonstrated an interesting antifungal efficacy against the filamentous fungus T. rubrum. Our results confirmed that some of the Lamiaceae species used in Lebanon ethnopharmacological practices as antimicrobial agents do possess antibacterial and antifungal potential consistent with their use in alternative or complementary medicine.

Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential by Examination of the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Their Essential Oils

Science.gov (United States)

Khoury, Madona; Eparvier, Véronique; Ouaini, Naïm

2016-01-01

Many Lamiaceae species are consumed in the Lebanese cuisine as food or condiment and are largely used in the traditional medicine of Lebanon to treat various diseases, including microbial infections. In this article we report the traditional medicinal uses of eleven Lamiaceae species: Coridothymus capitatus L., Lavandula stoechas L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata, Origanum syriacum L., Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia fruticosa Miller., Satureja cuneifolia Ten., Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L., and Vitex agnus-castus L. and study the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of their essential oils (EOs). Our survey showed that Lamiaceae species are mainly used against gastrointestinal disorders and microbial infections. Chemical analysis of the EOs obtained from these plants allowed us to identify seventy-five compounds describing more than 90% of the relative composition of each EO. Essential oils with high amounts of thymol and carvacrol possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity. As expected, these two compounds demonstrated an interesting antifungal efficacy against the filamentous fungus T. rubrum. Our results confirmed that some of the Lamiaceae species used in Lebanon ethnopharmacological practices as antimicrobial agents do possess antibacterial and antifungal potential consistent with their use in alternative or complementary medicine. PMID:28053641

Species Composition, Relative Abundance and Distribution of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Species Composition, Relative Abundance and Distribution of the Avian Fauna of Entoto Natural Park and Escarpment, Addis Ababa. ... Eucalyptus plantation, soil erosion, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, settlement and land degradation were the main threats for the distribution of birds in the present study area.

Microspectroscopic imaging of solution plasma: How do its physical properties and chemical species evolve in atmospheric-pressure water vapor bubbles?

Science.gov (United States)

Yui, Hiroharu; Banno, Motohiro

2018-01-01

In this article, we review the development of scientific instruments for obtaining information on the evolution of physical properties and chemical species of solution plasma (SP). When a pulsed high voltage is applied between electrodes immersed in an aqueous solution, SP is formed in water vapor bubbles transiently generated in the solution under atmospheric pressure. To clarify how SP emerges in water vapor bubbles and is sustained in solutions, an instrument with micrometer spatial resolution and nanosecond temporal resolution is required. To meet these requirements, a microscopic system with a custom-made optical discharge cell was newly developed, where the working distance between the SP and the microscopic objective lens was minimized. A hollow electrode equipped in the discharge cell also enabled us to control the chemical composition in water vapor bubbles. To study the spatial and temporal evolutions of chemical species in micrometer and nano- to microsecond regions, a streak camera with a spectrometer and a CCD detector with a time-gated electronic device were combined with the microscope system. The developed instrument is expected to contribute to providing a new means of developing new schemes for chemical reactions and material syntheses.

Plant antiherbivore defenses in Fabaceae species of the Chaco.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, T E; Sartori, A L B; Rodrigues, M L M

2017-01-01

The establishment and maintenance of plant species in the Chaco, one of the widest continuous areas of forests in the South American with sharp climatic variations, are possibly related to biological features favoring plants with particular defenses. This study assesses the physical and chemical defenses mechanisms against herbivores of vegetative and reproductive organs. Its analyses of 12 species of Fabaceae (Leguminosae) collected in remnants of Brazilian Chaco shows that 75% present structural defense characters and 50% have chemical defense - defense proteins in their seeds, like protease inhibitors and lectins. Physical defenses occur mainly on branches (78% of the species), leaves (67%), and reproductive organs (56%). The most common physical characters are trichomes and thorns, whose color represents a cryptic character since it does not contrast with the other plant structures. Defense proteins occur in different concentrations and molecular weight classes in the seeds of most species. Protease inhibitors are reported for the first time in seeds of: Albizia niopoides, Anadenanthera colubrina, Mimosa glutinosa, Prosopis rubriflora, and Poincianella pluviosa. The occurrence of physical and chemical defenses in members of Fabaceae indicate no associations between defense characters in these plant species of the Chaco.

Species- and age-related variation in metal exposure and accumulation of two passerine bird species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berglund, A.M.M., E-mail: asa.berglund@emg.umu.se [Section of Ecology, 20014 University of Turku (Finland); Koivula, M.J.; Eeva, T. [Section of Ecology, 20014 University of Turku (Finland)

2011-10-15

We measured the concentration of several elements (arsenic [As], calcium [Ca], cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], selenium [Se] and zinc [Zn]) in adult and nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and great tits (Parus major) at different distances to a Cu-Ni smelter in 2009. Feces of nestlings generally failed to correspond with internal element concentrations but reflected the pollution exposure, indicating an increased stress by removal of excess metals. The uptake of Cu and Ni were regulated, but As, Cd, Pb and Se accumulated in liver tissue. Pied flycatchers had generally higher element concentrations than great tits. The higher accumulation of As and Pb in pied flycatcher livers was explained by a more efficient absorption, whereas the higher Cd concentration was primarily due to different intake of food items. Age-related differences occurred between the two species, though both Cd and Se accumulated with age. - Highlights: > We measured metal concentrations in feces and livers of two passerine species. > We examined species- and age-related differences in polluted environments. > Feces was evaluated as a useful non-destructive measure of increased stress. > Generally pied flycatchers accumulated higher concentrations than great tits. > Cadmium and selenium accumulated with age in both species. - Accumulation of metals in liver of two insectivorous passerines reflects inter-specific differences in diet, absorption rate and physiological requirements.

Species- and age-related variation in metal exposure and accumulation of two passerine bird species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berglund, A.M.M.; Koivula, M.J.; Eeva, T.

2011-01-01

We measured the concentration of several elements (arsenic [As], calcium [Ca], cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], selenium [Se] and zinc [Zn]) in adult and nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and great tits (Parus major) at different distances to a Cu-Ni smelter in 2009. Feces of nestlings generally failed to correspond with internal element concentrations but reflected the pollution exposure, indicating an increased stress by removal of excess metals. The uptake of Cu and Ni were regulated, but As, Cd, Pb and Se accumulated in liver tissue. Pied flycatchers had generally higher element concentrations than great tits. The higher accumulation of As and Pb in pied flycatcher livers was explained by a more efficient absorption, whereas the higher Cd concentration was primarily due to different intake of food items. Age-related differences occurred between the two species, though both Cd and Se accumulated with age. - Highlights: → We measured metal concentrations in feces and livers of two passerine species. → We examined species- and age-related differences in polluted environments. → Feces was evaluated as a useful non-destructive measure of increased stress. → Generally pied flycatchers accumulated higher concentrations than great tits. → Cadmium and selenium accumulated with age in both species. - Accumulation of metals in liver of two insectivorous passerines reflects inter-specific differences in diet, absorption rate and physiological requirements.

Protectiveness of Species Sensitivity Distribution Hazard Concentrations for Acute Toxicity Used in Endangered Species Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

A primary objective of threatened and endangered species conservation is to ensure that chemical contaminants and other stressors do not adversely affect listed species. Assessments of the ecological risks of chemical exposures to listed species often rely on the use of surrogate...

The direct measurement of the heteronuclear chemical shifts relative to tetramethylsilane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, A.G.

1988-12-01

The measurement of heteronuclear chemical shifts using absolute frequencies of the heteronucleus and the 1 H resonance of tetramethylsilane has been examined. This method avoids the problems associated with external standards and gives results which can be obtained quickly and with high precision. The method has a number of advantages in the accurate measurement of chemical shifts, as for example 31 P in chemical warfare agents and related chemicals and allows multinuclear data to be obtained without dynamic range or potential interference problems. 15 refs., 4 tabs

Shifts in relative stocking of common tree species in Kentucky from 1975 to 2004

Science.gov (United States)

Christopher M. Oswalt; Jeffrey A. Stringer; Jeffery A. Turner

2008-01-01

Changes in species-specific relative stocking indicate the extent to which a species is either increasing or decreasing in a particular system. Changes in relative stocking values of common tree species in Kentucky from 1988 to 2004 were compared to values calculated for 1975 to 1988. Mean annual increase in relative stocking between 1988 and 2004 was greatest for...

Different Ultimate Factors Define Timing of Breeding in Two Related Species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veli-Matti Pakanen

Full Text Available Correct reproductive timing is crucial for fitness. Breeding phenology even in similar species can differ due to different selective pressures on the timing of reproduction. These selection pressures define species' responses to warming springs. The temporal match-mismatch hypothesis suggests that timing of breeding in animals is selected to match with food availability (synchrony. Alternatively, time-dependent breeding success (the date hypothesis can result from other seasonally deteriorating ecological conditions such as intra- or interspecific competition or predation. We studied the effects of two ultimate factors on the timing of breeding, synchrony and other time-dependent factors (time-dependence, in sympatric populations of two related forest-dwelling passerine species, the great tit (Parus major and the willow tit (Poecile montanus by modelling recruitment with long-term capture-recapture data. We hypothesized that these two factors have different relevance for fitness in these species. We found that local recruitment in both species showed quadratic relationships with both time-dependence and synchrony. However, the importance of these factors was markedly different between the studied species. Caterpillar food played a predominant role in predicting the timing of breeding of the great tit. In contrast, for the willow tit time-dependence modelled as timing in relation to conspecifics was more important for local recruitment than synchrony. High caterpillar biomass experienced during the pre- and post-fledging periods increased local recruitment of both species. These contrasting results confirm that these species experience different selective pressures upon the timing of breeding, and hence responses to climate change may differ. Detailed information about life-history strategies is required to understand the effects of climate change, even in closely related taxa. The temporal match-mismatch hypothesis should be extended to consider

Chemical equilibrium relations used in the fireball model of relativistic heavy ion reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, S.D.

1978-01-01

The fireball model of relativistic heavy-ion collision uses chemical equilibrium relations to predict cross sections for particle and composite productions. These relations are examined in a canonical ensemble model where chemical equilibrium is not explicitly invoked

Specificity in chemical profiles of workers, brood and mutualistic fungi in Atta, Acromyrmex, and Sericomyrmex fungus-growing ants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richard, Freddie-Jeanne; Poulsen, Michael; Drijfhout, Falko

2007-01-01

, acids, and esters. The chemical profiles in all three species are likely to be sufficiently different to allow discrimination at the species and colony level and sufficiently similar within colonies to generate a relatively constant colony-specific chemical gestalt. The relative likelihood of individual...

Chemically reactive species in liquids generated by atmospheric-pressure plasmas and their roles in plasma medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamaguchi, Satoshi

2013-01-01

Plasmas whose gas temperatures are close to room temperature may be generated in ambient air or a gas at atmospheric pressure with the use of low-frequency high voltage or low-power radio-frequency (RF) or microwave power applied to electrodes. Such plasmas can serve as a powerful source of free radicals and/or chemically reactive species that arise from atoms and molecules of the ambient gas. Recently use of such plasmas for medical purposes has attracted much attention as they can be implemented in possible medical devices that can cause blood coagulation, heal wounds, facilitate angiogenesis, sterilize surgical devices as well as living tissues without harming healthy cells, and selectively inactivate cancer cells. Especially of interest among reactive species generated by atmospheric-pressure plasmas (APP) are reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that are generated in liquid phase. Since most living tissues and cells are immersed in liquids (such as blood or culture media), reactive species generated by APPs in the gas phase are transported to the liquid phase and possibly converted to different types of reactive species therein before causing some influence on the tissues or cells. In this study, the rate equations are solved to evaluate concentrations of various reactive species in pure water that are originated by plasma reactions in atmosphere and possible effects of such species (including ROS/RNS) on living tissues and cells are discussed

Chemically reactive species in liquids generated by atmospheric-pressure plasmas and their roles in plasma medicine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamaguchi, Satoshi [Center for Atomic and Molecular Technologies, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2013-07-11

Plasmas whose gas temperatures are close to room temperature may be generated in ambient air or a gas at atmospheric pressure with the use of low-frequency high voltage or low-power radio-frequency (RF) or microwave power applied to electrodes. Such plasmas can serve as a powerful source of free radicals and/or chemically reactive species that arise from atoms and molecules of the ambient gas. Recently use of such plasmas for medical purposes has attracted much attention as they can be implemented in possible medical devices that can cause blood coagulation, heal wounds, facilitate angiogenesis, sterilize surgical devices as well as living tissues without harming healthy cells, and selectively inactivate cancer cells. Especially of interest among reactive species generated by atmospheric-pressure plasmas (APP) are reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that are generated in liquid phase. Since most living tissues and cells are immersed in liquids (such as blood or culture media), reactive species generated by APPs in the gas phase are transported to the liquid phase and possibly converted to different types of reactive species therein before causing some influence on the tissues or cells. In this study, the rate equations are solved to evaluate concentrations of various reactive species in pure water that are originated by plasma reactions in atmosphere and possible effects of such species (including ROS/RNS) on living tissues and cells are discussed.

Influence of reactions heats on variation of radius, temperature, pressure and chemical species amounts within a single acoustic cavitation bubble.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerboua, Kaouther; Hamdaoui, Oualid

2018-03-01

The scientific interest toward the study of acoustic bubble is mainly explained by its practical benefit in providing a reactional media favorable to the rapid evolution of chemical mechanism. The evolution of this mechanism is related to the simultaneous and dependent variation of the volume, temperature and pressure within the bubble, retrieved by the resolution of a differential equations system, including among others the thermal balance. This last one is subject to different assumptions, some authors deem simply that the temperature varies adiabatically during the collapsing phase, without considering the reactions heat of the studied mechanism. This paper aims to evaluate the pertinence of neglecting reactions heats in the thermal balance, by analyzing their effect on the variation of radius, temperature, pressure and chemical species amounts. The results show that the introduction of reactions heats conducts to a decrease of the temperature, an increase of the pressure and a reduction of the bubble volume. As a consequence, this leads to a drop of the quantities of free radicals produced by the chemical mechanism evolving within the bubble. This paper also proved that the impact of the consideration of reactions heats is dependent of the frequency and the acoustic amplitude of the ultrasonic wave. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bufadienolides of Kalanchoe species: an overview of chemical structure, biological activity and prospects for pharmacological use.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, Joanna; Stochmal, Anna

2017-01-01

Toad venom is regarded as the main source of bufadienolides; however, synthesis of these substances takes also place in a variety of other animal and plant organisms, including ethnomedicinal plants of the Kalanchoe genus. Chemically, bufadienolides are a group of polyhydroxy C-24 steroids and their glycosides, containing a six-membered lactone (α-pyrone) ring at the C-17β position. From the pharmacological point of view, bufadienolides might be a promising group of steroid hormones with cardioactive properties and anticancer activity. Most of the literature concerns bufadienolides of animal origin; however, the medicinal use of these compounds remains limited by their narrow therapeutic index and the risk of development of cardiotoxic effects. On the other hand, plants such as Kalanchoe are also a source of bufadienolides. Kalanchoe pinnata (life plant, air plant, cathedral bells), Kalanchoe daigremontiana (mother of thousands) and other Kalanchoe species are valuable herbs in traditional medicine of Asia and Africa. The present review focuses on the available data on chemical structures of 31 compounds, biological properties and prospects for therapeutic use of bufadienolides from Kalanchoe species. Furthermore, it presents some new investigational trends in research on curative uses of these substances.

Native species that can replace exotic species in landscaping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth Regina Tempel Stumpf

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Beyond aesthetics, the contemporary landscaping intends to provide other benefits for humans and environment, especially related to the environmental quality of urban spaces and conservation of the species. A trend in this direction is the reduction in the use of exotic plants in their designs, since, over time, they can become agents of replacement of native flora, as it has occurred in Rio Grande do Sul with many species introduced by settlers. However, the use of exotic species is unjustifiable, because the flora diversity of the Bioma Pampa offers many native species with appropriate features to the ornamental use. The commercial cultivation and the implantation of native species in landscaped areas constitute innovations for plant nurseries and landscapers and can provide a positive reduction in extractivism, contributing to dissemination, exploitation and preservation of native flora, and also decrease the impact of chemical products on environment. So, this work intends to identify native species of Bioma Pampa with features and uses similar to the most used exotic species at Brazilian landscaping. The species were selected from consulting books about native plants of Bioma Pampa and plants used at Brazilian landscaping, considering the similarity on habit and architecture, as well as characteristics of leafs, flowers and/or fruits and environmental conditions of occurrence and cultivation. There were identified 34 native species able to properly replace exotic species commonly used. The results show that many native species of Bioma Pampa have interesting ornamental features to landscape gardening, allowing them to replace exotic species that are traditionally cultivated.

A data-mining framework for exploring the multi-relation between fish species and water quality through self-organizing map.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Wen-Ping; Huang, Shih-Pin; Cheng, Su-Ting; Shao, Kwang-Tsao; Chang, Fi-John

2017-02-01

The steep slopes of rivers can easily lead to large variations in river water quality during typhoon seasons in Taiwan, which may poses significant impacts on riverine eco-hydrological environments. This study aims to investigate the relationship between fish communities and water quality by using artificial neural networks (ANNs) for comprehending the upstream eco-hydrological system in northern Taiwan. We collected a total of 276 heterogeneous datasets with 8 water quality parameters and 25 fish species from 10 sampling sites. The self-organizing feature map (SOM) was used to cluster, analyze and visualize the heterogeneous datasets. Furthermore, the structuring index (SI) was adopted to determine the relative importance of each input variable of the SOM and identify the indicator factors. The clustering results showed that the SOM could suitably reflect the spatial characteristics of fishery sampling sites. Besides, the patterns of water quality parameters and fish species could be distinguishably (visually) classified into three eco-water quality groups: 1) typical upstream freshwater fishes that depended the most on dissolved oxygen (DO); 2) typical middle-lower reach riverine freshwater fishes that depended the most on total phosphorus (TP) and ammonia nitrogen; and 3) low lands or pond (reservoirs) freshwater fishes that depended the most on water temperature, suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand. According to the results of the SI, the representative indicators of water quality parameters and fish species consisted of DO, TP and Onychostoma barbatulum. This grouping result suggested that the methodology can be used as a guiding reference to comprehensively relate ecology to water quality. Our methods offer a cost-effective alternative to more traditional methods for identifying key water quality factors relating to fish species. In addition, visualizing the constructed topological maps of the SOM could produce detailed inter-relation between water

Comparative toxicity of chemicals to earthworms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Callahan, C.A.; Shirazi, M.A. (Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR (United States)); Neuhauser, E.F. (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., Syracuse, NY (United States))

1994-02-01

The concentration-response (mortality) relationships of four species of earthworms, Eisenia fetida (Savigny), Allolobophora tuberculata (Eisen), Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg), and Perionyx excavatus (Perrier) are summarized for 62 chemicals and two test protocols. A Weibull function is used to summarize these data for each chemical in terms of sensitivity and toxicity, in addition to the LC50. The estimation of the Weibull parameters a and k summarize the entire concentration-response relationship. This technique should be applicable to a variety of testing protocols with different species whenever the goal is summarizing the shape of the concentration-response curves to fully evaluate chemical impact on organisms. In some cases for these data four orders of magnitude separate LC50s of the soil test and the contact test for the same chemical and species. All four species appear to be similar in range of toxicity and tolerance to these chemicals, suggesting that Eisenia fetida and may be representative of these four species and these chemicals.

Relative abundance of mosquito species in Katsina Metropolis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study was conducted on the relative abundance of mosquito species, around selected areas of Katsina metropolis, Katsina State, Nigeria during the months of January, February, April and June 2010. Mosquitoes were collected from five sampling sites: Kofar Durbi, Kofar Kaura, Kofar Marusa, GRA and Layout. These were ...

The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects database (CAFE), a tool that supports assessments of chemical spills in aquatic environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bejarano, Adriana C; Farr, James K; Jenne, Polly; Chu, Valerie; Hielscher, Al

2016-06-01

The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE) database is a centralized repository that allows for rapid and unrestricted access to data. Information in CAFE is integrated into a user-friendly tool with modules containing fate and effects data for 32 377 and 4498 chemicals, respectively. Toxicity data are summarized in the form of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) with associated 1st and 5th percentile hazard concentrations (HCs). An assessment of data availability relative to reported chemical incidents showed that CAFE had fate and toxicity data for 32 and 20 chemicals, respectively, of 55 chemicals reported in the US National Response Center database (2000-2014), and fate and toxicity data for 86 and 103, respectively, of 205 chemicals reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2003-2014). Modeled environmental concentrations of 2 hypothetical spills (acrylonitrile, 625 barrels; and denatured ethanol, 857 barrels) were used to demonstrate CAFE's practical application. Most species in the 24-h SSD could be potentially impacted by acrylonitrile and denatured ethanol during the first 35 min and 15 h post spill, respectively, with concentrations falling below their HC5s (17 mg/L and 2676 mg/L) at 45 min and 60 h post spill, respectively. Comparisons of CAFE-based versus published HC5 values for 100 chemicals showed that nearly half of values were within a 2-fold difference, with a relatively small number of comparisons exceeding a 10-fold difference. The development of CAFE facilitates access to relevant environmental information, with potential uses likely expanding beyond those related to assessment of spills in aquatic environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1576-1586. © 2015 SETAC. © 2015 SETAC.

A crowdsourcing workflow for extracting chemical-induced disease relations from free text.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tong Shu; Bravo, Àlex; Furlong, Laura I; Good, Benjamin M; Su, Andrew I

2016-01-01

Relations between chemicals and diseases are one of the most queried biomedical interactions. Although expert manual curation is the standard method for extracting these relations from the literature, it is expensive and impractical to apply to large numbers of documents, and therefore alternative methods are required. We describe here a crowdsourcing workflow for extracting chemical-induced disease relations from free text as part of the BioCreative V Chemical Disease Relation challenge. Five non-expert workers on the CrowdFlower platform were shown each potential chemical-induced disease relation highlighted in the original source text and asked to make binary judgments about whether the text supported the relation. Worker responses were aggregated through voting, and relations receiving four or more votes were predicted as true. On the official evaluation dataset of 500 PubMed abstracts, the crowd attained a 0.505F-score (0.475 precision, 0.540 recall), with a maximum theoretical recall of 0.751 due to errors with named entity recognition. The total crowdsourcing cost was $1290.67 ($2.58 per abstract) and took a total of 7 h. A qualitative error analysis revealed that 46.66% of sampled errors were due to task limitations and gold standard errors, indicating that performance can still be improved. All code and results are publicly available athttps://github.com/SuLab/crowd_cid_relexDatabase URL:https://github.com/SuLab/crowd_cid_relex. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

A crowdsourcing workflow for extracting chemical-induced disease relations from free text

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tong Shu; Bravo, Àlex; Furlong, Laura I.; Good, Benjamin M.; Su, Andrew I.

2016-01-01

Relations between chemicals and diseases are one of the most queried biomedical interactions. Although expert manual curation is the standard method for extracting these relations from the literature, it is expensive and impractical to apply to large numbers of documents, and therefore alternative methods are required. We describe here a crowdsourcing workflow for extracting chemical-induced disease relations from free text as part of the BioCreative V Chemical Disease Relation challenge. Five non-expert workers on the CrowdFlower platform were shown each potential chemical-induced disease relation highlighted in the original source text and asked to make binary judgments about whether the text supported the relation. Worker responses were aggregated through voting, and relations receiving four or more votes were predicted as true. On the official evaluation dataset of 500 PubMed abstracts, the crowd attained a 0.505 F-score (0.475 precision, 0.540 recall), with a maximum theoretical recall of 0.751 due to errors with named entity recognition. The total crowdsourcing cost was $1290.67 ($2.58 per abstract) and took a total of 7 h. A qualitative error analysis revealed that 46.66% of sampled errors were due to task limitations and gold standard errors, indicating that performance can still be improved. All code and results are publicly available at https://github.com/SuLab/crowd_cid_relex Database URL: https://github.com/SuLab/crowd_cid_relex PMID:27087308

Chemical evolutionary games.

Science.gov (United States)

Aristotelous, Andreas C; Durrett, Richard

2014-05-01

Inspired by the use of hybrid cellular automata in modeling cancer, we introduce a generalization of evolutionary games in which cells produce and absorb chemicals, and the chemical concentrations dictate the death rates of cells and their fitnesses. Our long term aim is to understand how the details of the interactions in a system with n species and m chemicals translate into the qualitative behavior of the system. Here, we study two simple 2×2 games with two chemicals and revisit the two and three species versions of the one chemical colicin system studied earlier by Durrett and Levin (1997). We find that in the 2×2 examples, the behavior of our new spatial model can be predicted from that of the mean field differential equation using ideas of Durrett and Levin (1994). However, in the three species colicin model, the system with diffusion does not have the coexistence which occurs in the lattices model in which sites interact with only their nearest neighbors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bioremediation performance as related to chemical availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loehr, R.; Olivera, F.; Webster, M.

1995-01-01

Two side-by-side field prepared bed land treatment units (PBLTU) were evaluated. One PBLTU (H unit) treated soils containing chemicals from a diesel spill that had occurred about 12 months earlier. The other PBLTU (G unit) treated soils containing crude oil that had been in the soil for many decades. Laboratory slurry treatability studies and indicated that the hydrocarbons in both soils could be bioremediated if adequate nutrients were provided. The PBLTU had nutrients applied periodically, and were operated in a manner consistent with good operational guidelines. PBLTU performance was based on reductions in mobility, toxicity, and chemical concentration. Spatially random soil samples were taken from the two field PBLTU monthly and analyzed for the above parameters as well as nutrients and pH. Periodically, microbial numbers and type in the soil samples also were evaluated. Performance was monitored over an 18 month period. In the H unit, no detectable TPH reductions occurred although petroleum hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms existed in the soil and other conditions were appropriate for bioremediation. GC/MS analyses indicated reduction in some specific hydrocarbons. The H unit soils had low chemical mobility as determined by leachability tests (TCLP, SPLP) and had low relative toxicity as determined by Microtox trademark

Malaria in Africa: vector species' niche models and relative risk maps.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Moffett

2007-09-01

Full Text Available A central theoretical goal of epidemiology is the construction of spatial models of disease prevalence and risk, including maps for the potential spread of infectious disease. We provide three continent-wide maps representing the relative risk of malaria in Africa based on ecological niche models of vector species and risk analysis at a spatial resolution of 1 arc-minute (9 185 275 cells of approximately 4 sq km. Using a maximum entropy method we construct niche models for 10 malaria vector species based on species occurrence records since 1980, 19 climatic variables, altitude, and land cover data (in 14 classes. For seven vectors (Anopheles coustani, A. funestus, A. melas, A. merus, A. moucheti, A. nili, and A. paludis these are the first published niche models. We predict that Central Africa has poor habitat for both A. arabiensis and A. gambiae, and that A. quadriannulatus and A. arabiensis have restricted habitats in Southern Africa as claimed by field experts in criticism of previous models. The results of the niche models are incorporated into three relative risk models which assume different ecological interactions between vector species. The "additive" model assumes no interaction; the "minimax" model assumes maximum relative risk due to any vector in a cell; and the "competitive exclusion" model assumes the relative risk that arises from the most suitable vector for a cell. All models include variable anthrophilicity of vectors and spatial variation in human population density. Relative risk maps are produced from these models. All models predict that human population density is the critical factor determining malaria risk. Our method of constructing relative risk maps is equally general. We discuss the limits of the relative risk maps reported here, and the additional data that are required for their improvement. The protocol developed here can be used for any other vector-borne disease.

PCR amplification of repetitive sequences as a possible approach in relative species quantification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ballin, Nicolai Zederkopff; Vogensen, Finn Kvist; Karlsson, Anders H

2012-01-01

Abstract Both relative and absolute quantifications are possible in species quantification when single copy genomic DNA is used. However, amplification of single copy genomic DNA does not allow a limit of detection as low as one obtained from amplification of repetitive sequences. Amplification...... of repetitive sequences is therefore frequently used in absolute quantification but problems occur in relative quantification as the number of repetitive sequences is unknown. A promising approach was developed where data from amplification of repetitive sequences were used in relative quantification of species...... to relatively quantify the amount of chicken DNA in a binary mixture of chicken DNA and pig DNA. However, the designed PCR primers lack the specificity required for regulatory species control....

Assessment of pollution along the Northern Iberian shelf by the combined use of chemical and biochemical markers in two representative fish species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, Denise; Andreu-Sanchez, Oscar; Bebianno, Maria Joao; Porte, Cinta

2008-01-01

Muscle concentrations of organochlorinated compounds as well as biliary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylphenols (APEs) were determined in two different fish species, the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) and the pouting (Trisopterus luscus) collected along the Northern Iberian coast. Additionally, a set of biochemical markers namely, 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and catalase (CAT) were measured in liver subcellular fractions. Chemical analysis indicated geographical differences in pollutant loads that were further reinforced by biomarker responses. Thus, EROD activity showed a good correlation with the amount of PCBs bioaccumulated in muscle tissue of both fish species. Elevated UGT activity was observed in those individuals highly exposed to APEs and 1-naphthol. The study reinforces the need to select representative sentinel species from different habitats for biomonitoring purposes and provides further support for the use of biomarkers in assessing the health of coastal areas. - Pollution biomonitoring along the Northern Iberian Shelf by the combined use of chemical and biochemical tools in two representative fish species

Assessment of pollution along the Northern Iberian shelf by the combined use of chemical and biochemical markers in two representative fish species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, Denise [CIMA, University of Algarve, FCMA, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal); Department of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona (Spain); Andreu-Sanchez, Oscar [Polytechnic University Valencia, E.T.S.I. Agronomy, Biotechnology Department, 46022, Valencia (Spain); Bebianno, Maria Joao [CIMA, University of Algarve, FCMA, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal); Porte, Cinta [Department of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona (Spain)], E-mail: cpvqam@cid.csic.es

2008-09-15

Muscle concentrations of organochlorinated compounds as well as biliary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylphenols (APEs) were determined in two different fish species, the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) and the pouting (Trisopterus luscus) collected along the Northern Iberian coast. Additionally, a set of biochemical markers namely, 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and catalase (CAT) were measured in liver subcellular fractions. Chemical analysis indicated geographical differences in pollutant loads that were further reinforced by biomarker responses. Thus, EROD activity showed a good correlation with the amount of PCBs bioaccumulated in muscle tissue of both fish species. Elevated UGT activity was observed in those individuals highly exposed to APEs and 1-naphthol. The study reinforces the need to select representative sentinel species from different habitats for biomonitoring purposes and provides further support for the use of biomarkers in assessing the health of coastal areas. - Pollution biomonitoring along the Northern Iberian Shelf by the combined use of chemical and biochemical tools in two representative fish species.

The physico-chemical 131I species in the exhaust air of a boiling water reactor (BWR 4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deuber, H.

1982-12-01

In a German boiling water reactor, the physico-chemical 131 I species were determined in the plant exhaust and in the individual exhausts during 12 months. These measurements aimed in particular at determining the percentage and the source of the radiologically decisive elemental 131 I released to the environment. The retention of the 131 I species by iodine filters was also investigated. On an average, 45% of the 131 I discharged with the plant exhaust consisted of elemental iodine. This was largely released with the exhaust from the reactor building and from the turbine building. The other 55% consisted almost entirely of organic I. (orig./HP) [de

Ward identities and consistency relations for the large scale structure with multiple species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peloso, Marco; Pietroni, Massimo

2014-01-01

We present fully nonlinear consistency relations for the squeezed bispectrum of Large Scale Structure. These relations hold when the matter component of the Universe is composed of one or more species, and generalize those obtained in [1,2] in the single species case. The multi-species relations apply to the standard dark matter + baryons scenario, as well as to the case in which some of the fields are auxiliary quantities describing a particular population, such as dark matter halos or a specific galaxy class. If a large scale velocity bias exists between the different populations new terms appear in the consistency relations with respect to the single species case. As an illustration, we discuss two physical cases in which such a velocity bias can exist: (1) a new long range scalar force in the dark matter sector (resulting in a violation of the equivalence principle in the dark matter-baryon system), and (2) the distribution of dark matter halos relative to that of the underlying dark matter field

Federal agencies active in chemical industry-related research and development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-09-29

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 calls for a program to further the commercialization of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies for the industrial sector.. The primary objective of the Office of Industrial Technologies Chemical Industry Team is to work in partnership with the US chemical industry to maximize economic, energy, and environmental benefits through research and development of innovative technologies. This document was developed to inventory organizations within the federal government on current chemical industry-related research and development. While an amount of funding or number of projects specifically relating to chemical industry research and development was not defined in all organizations, identified were about 60 distinct organizations representing 7 cabinet-level departments and 4 independent agencies, with research efforts exceeding $3.5 billion in fiscal year 1995. Effort were found to range from less than $500 thousand per year at the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to over $100 million per year at the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, and Health and Human Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The total number of projects in these programs exceeded 10,000. This document is complete to the extent that agencies volunteered information. Additions, corrections, and changes are encouraged and will be incorporated in future revisions.

Species-specific accumulation of dioxin related compounds in cetaceans collected from Japanese coastal waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajiwara, N.; Watanabe, M.; Tanabe, S. [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime Univ. (Japan); Amano, M. [Ocean Research Inst., Univ. of Tokyo, Iwate (Japan); Yamada, T. [National Science Museum, Tokyo (Japan)

2004-09-15

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are extremely hazardous and persistent chemicals identified as contaminants in chlorophenols, herbicides, fly ash and other incineration products. Dioxin-like PCBs including non- and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs are referred to as dioxin related compounds and are evaluated on par with PCDD/Fs in environmental risks since they have a high toxicity, similar to that of PCDD/Fs. These congeners have a range of physicochemical characteristics, which profoundly affect their persistence, environmental distribution, and bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. Fish-eating wildlife such as marine mammals are particularly vulnerable to such contamination given their long lives, high trophic level, relative inability to metabolize many persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and the biomagnification of these contaminants in aquatic food chains. However, most studies dealing with PCDDs and PCDFs in marine mammals have been carried out on pinnipeds, and data on PCDD/Fs levels in cetaceans are scarce. The present study is aimed at understanding the recent pattern of contamination by dioxin related compounds including non- and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs and PCDD/Fs in three cetacean species collected from Japanese coastal waters during 1998-2001, and also to discuss the factors determining the accumulation.

A thermodynamic framework for thermo-chemo-elastic interactions in chemically active materials

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, XiaoLong; Zhong, Zheng

2017-08-01

In this paper, a general thermodynamic framework is developed to describe the thermo-chemo-mechanical interactions in elastic solids undergoing mechanical deformation, imbibition of diffusive chemical species, chemical reactions and heat exchanges. Fully coupled constitutive relations and evolving laws for irreversible fluxes are provided based on entropy imbalance and stoichiometry that governs reactions. The framework manifests itself with a special feature that the change of Helmholtz free energy is attributed to separate contributions of the diffusion-swelling process and chemical reaction-dilation process. Both the extent of reaction and the concentrations of diffusive species are taken as independent state variables, which describe the reaction-activated responses with underlying variation of microstructures and properties of a material in an explicit way. A specialized isothermal formulation for isotropic materials is proposed that can properly account for volumetric constraints from material incompressibility under chemo-mechanical loadings, in which inhomogeneous deformation is associated with reaction and diffusion under various kinetic time scales. This framework can be easily applied to model the transient volumetric swelling of a solid caused by imbibition of external chemical species and simultaneous chemical dilation arising from reactions between the diffusing species and the solid.

Novel intron markers to study the phylogeny of closely related mammalian species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castresana Jose

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Multilocus phylogenies can be used to infer the species tree of a group of closely related species. In species trees, the nodes represent the actual separation between species, thus providing essential information about their evolutionary history. In addition, multilocus phylogenies can help in analyses of species delimitation, gene flow and genetic differentiation within species. However, few adequate markers are available for such studies. Results In order to develop nuclear markers that can be useful in multilocus studies of mammals, we analyzed the mammalian genomes of human, chimpanzee, macaque, dog and cow. Rodents were excluded due to their unusual genomic features. Introns were extracted from the mammalian genomes because of their greater genetic variability and ease of amplification from the flanking exons. To an initial set of more than 10,000 one-to-one orthologous introns we applied several filters to select introns that belong to single-copy genes, show neutral evolutionary rates and have an adequate length for their amplification. This analysis led to a final list of 224 intron markers randomly distributed along the genome. To experimentally test their validity, we amplified twelve of these introns in a panel of six mammalian species. The result was that seven of these introns gave rise to a PCR band of the expected size in all species. In addition, we sequenced these bands and analyzed the accumulation of substitutions in these introns in five pairs of closely related species. The results showed that the estimated genetic distances in the five species pairs was quite variable among introns and that this divergence cannot be directly predicted from the overall intron divergence in mammals. Conclusions We have designed a new set of 224 nuclear introns with optimal features for the phylogeny of closely related mammalian species. A large proportion of the introns tested experimentally showed a perfect amplification

Volatile constituents from Baccharis spp. L. (Asteraceae): Chemical support for the conservation of threatened species in Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

Minteguiaga, Manuel; Andrés González, H; Cassel, Eduardo; Umpierrez, Noelia; Fariña, Laura; Dellacassa, Eduardo

2018-03-14

Chemical bioprospecting is an important tool for generating knowledge regarding local human-threatened floras and for conservation management. For Baccharis L. (Asteraceae), several volatile components have been reported for Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile as a result of bioprospection, but not for Uruguayan flora, which is composed of more than 50 native species. In this work, through collection of aerial parts of different species and volatile simultaneous-distillation extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, 12 native species of Baccharis were studied (B. articulata, B. cultrata, B. genistifolia, B. gibertii, B. gnaphalioides, B. ochracea, B. phyteumoides, B. punctulata, B. crispa, B. dracunculifolia, B. linearifolia subsp. linearifolia, and B. spicata). A detailed analysis of the male and female volatile composition was conducted for the last four species. The profiles of B. cultrata, B. genistifolia, B. gibertii, and B. gnaphalioides are reported for the first time. Because half of the species analysed in this work are in Uruguay and are threatened or potentially threatened by human economic activities, the importance of their conservation as natural, sustainable resources is highlighted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Chemical composition of essential oils from four Vietnamese species of piper (piperaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Hieu, Le D; Thang, Tran D; Hoi, Tran M; Ogunwande, Isiaka A

2014-01-01

The chemical composition of essential oils from four Piper species, Piper retrofractum Vahl., P. boehmeriaefolium (Miq.) C. DC., P. sarmentosum Roxb., and P. maclurei Merr., were analysed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nineteen to sixty-four compounds representing 92.0%-98.4% of the total contents were identified in the oil samples. The major constituents identified in P. retrofractum leaf oil were benzyl benzoate (14.4%), myrcene (14.4%), bicycloelemene (9.9%), bicyclogermacrene (7.0%) and β-caryophyllene (5.3%). On the other hand, the main constituents of P. boehmeriaefolium were α-copaene (28.3%), α-pinene (7.4%) and 1, 8-cineole (5.7%). P. sarmentosum showed a very different chemical profile characterized mainly by aromatic compounds and devoid of monoterpene hydrocarbons. The major constituents were benzyl benzoate (49.1%), benzyl alcohol (17.9%), 2-hydroxy-benzoic acid phenylmethyl ester (10.0%) and 2-butenyl-benzene (7.9%). The leaf of P. maclurei was characterized by higher amount of (E)-cinnamic acid (37.4%) and (E)-nerolidol (19.4%). Moreover, (Z)-9-octadecanoic acid methyl ester (28.0%), (E)-cinnamyl acetate (17.2%), phytol (12.2%) and (E)-cinnamaldehyde (8.8%) were the major compounds identified in the stem oil.

Relation between tritium concentration and chemical composition in rain at Fukuoka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Y.; Momoshima, N.; Maeda, Y.; Kakiuchi, H.

1999-01-01

Tritium concentrations in rain collected at Fukuoka, Japan from 1982 have been measured. From May 1996 tritium concentrations and chemical species have been analyzed for each rain to examine their relationship. Recent rain was concluded not to be affected by tritium from atmospheric nuclear tests. Tritium concentrations showed a seasonal pattern, high during winter and spring and low during summer and fall and had positive correlations with non-sea-salt SO 4 2- , indicating a long distance of acidic materials as well as tritium from continental China. (author)

Chemical sensor with oscillating cantilevered probe

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Jesse D

2013-02-05

The invention provides a method of detecting a chemical species with an oscillating cantilevered probe. A cantilevered beam is driven into oscillation with a drive mechanism coupled to the cantilevered beam. A free end of the oscillating cantilevered beam is tapped against a mechanical stop coupled to a base end of the cantilevered beam. An amplitude of the oscillating cantilevered beam is measured with a sense mechanism coupled to the cantilevered beam. A treated portion of the cantilevered beam is exposed to the chemical species, wherein the cantilevered beam bends when exposed to the chemical species. A second amplitude of the oscillating cantilevered beam is measured, and the chemical species is determined based on the measured amplitudes.

Role of graphene on the surface chemical reactions of BiPO4-rGO with low OH-related defects.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Erping; Wang, Wenzhong

2013-11-21

Graphene has been widely introduced into photocatalysis to enhance photocatalytic performance due to its unique physical and chemical properties. However, the effect of graphene on the surface chemical reactions of photocatalysis has not been clearly researched, which is important for photocatalysis because photocatalytic reactions ultimately occur on the catalyst surface. Herein, a two-step solution-phase reaction has been designed to synthesize quasi-core-shell structured BiPO4-rGO cuboids and the role of graphene on the surface chemical reactions was investigated in detail. It was found that the introduced graphene modified the process and the mechanism of the surface chemical reactions. The change mainly originates from the interaction between graphene and the adsorbed O2 molecule. Due to the electron transfer from graphene to adsorbed O2, graphene could tune the interfacial charge transport and efficiently activate molecular oxygen to form O2˙(-) anions as the major oxidation species instead of ˙OH. In addition, the two-step synthesis approach could efficiently suppress the formation of OH-related defects in the lattice. As a result, the BiPO4-rGO composite exhibited superior photocatalytic activity to BiPO4 and P25, about 4.3 times that of BiPO4 and 6.9 times that of P25.

Spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at the Okinawa archipelago, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Handa, D.; Somada, Y.; Ijyu, M.; Azechi, S.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

2009-12-01

The economic development and population growth in recent Asia have been increasing air pollution. A computer simulation study showed that air pollutants emitted from Asian continent could spread quickly within northern hemisphere. We initiated a study to elucidate the special distribution and chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols around Okinawa archipelago, Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same types of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa Island), Kume Island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS) and Minami-daitou Island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We report and discuss spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species concentrations in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected during July, 2008 to July, 2009. We determine “background” concentration of chemical components in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume Island and Minami-daito Island to elucidate the influence of the long-range transport of chemical species from Asian continent.

Relating biomarkers to whole-organism effects using species sensitivity distributions : A pilot study for marine species exposed to oil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, M.G.D.; Bechmann, R.K.; Hendriks, A.J.; Skadsheim, A.; Larsen, B.K.; Baussant, T.; Bamber, S.; Sannei, S.

2009-01-01

Biomarkers are widely used to measure environmental impacts on marine species. For many biomarkers, it is not clear how the signal levels relate to effects on the whole organism. This paper shows how species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) can be applied to evaluate multiple biomarker responses in

Future Needs and Recommendations in the Development of Species Sensitivity Distributions: Estimating Toxicity Thresholds for Aquatic Ecological Communities and Assessing Impacts of Chemical Exposures

Science.gov (United States)

A species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is a probability model of the variation of species sensitivities to a stressor, in particular chemical exposure. The SSD approach has been used as a decision support tool in environmental protection and management since the 1980s, and the ...

Comparing bee species responses to chemical mixtures: Common response patterns?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Robinson

Full Text Available Pollinators in agricultural landscapes can be exposed to mixtures of pesticides and environmental pollutants. Existing mixture toxicity modelling approaches, such as the models of concentration addition and independent action and the mechanistic DEBtox framework have been previously shown as valuable tools for understanding and ultimately predicting joint toxicity. Here we apply these mixture models to investigate the potential to interpret the effects of semi-chronic binary mixture exposure for three bee species: Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris and Osmia bicornis within potentiation and mixture toxicity experiments. In the potentiation studies, the effect of the insecticide dimethoate with added propiconazole fungicide and neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin with added tau-fluvalinate pyrethroid acaricide showed no difference in toxicity compared to the single chemical alone. Clothianidin toxicity showed a small scale, but temporally conserved increase in exposure conducted in the presence of propiconazole, particularly for B. terrestris and O. bicornis, the latter showing a near three-fold increase in clothianidin toxicity in the presence of propiconazole. In the mixture toxicity studies, the dominant response patterns were of additivity, however, binary mixtures of clothianidin and dimethoate in A. mellifera, B. terrestris and male O. bicornis there was evidence of a predominant antagonistic interaction. Given the ubiquitous nature of exposures to multiple chemicals, there is an urgent need to consider mixture effects in pollinator risk assessments. Our analyses suggest that current models, particularly those that utilise time-series data, such as DEBtox, can be used to identify additivity as the dominant response pattern and also those examples of interactions, even when small-scale, that may need to be taken into account during risk assessment.

Chemical characterization of 21 species of marine macroalgae common in Norwegian waters: benefits of and limitations to their potential use in food and feed.

Science.gov (United States)

Biancarosa, Irene; Belghit, Ikram; Bruckner, Christian G; Liland, Nina S; Waagbø, Rune; Amlund, Heidi; Heesch, Svenja; Lock, Erik-Jan

2018-03-01

In the past few years, much effort has been invested into developing a new blue economy based on harvesting, cultivating and processing marine macroalgae in Norway. Macroalgae have high potential for a wide range of applications, e.g. as source of pharmaceuticals, production of biofuels or as food and feed. However, data on the chemical composition of macroalgae from Norwegian waters are scant. This study was designed to characterize the chemical composition of 21 algal species. Both macro- and micronutrients were analysed. Concentrations of heavy metals and the metalloid arsenic in the algae were also quantified. The results confirm that marine macroalgae contain nutrients which are relevant for both human and animal nutrition, the concentrations whereof are highly dependent on species. Although heavy metals and arsenic were detected in the algae studied, concentrations were mostly below maximum allowed levels set by food and feed legislation in the EU. This study provides chemical data on a wide range of algal species covering the three taxonomic groups (brown, red and green algae) and discusses both benefits of and potential limitations to their use for food and feed purposes. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Differentiation of water-related traits in terrestrial and epiphytic Cymbidium species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shi-Bao eZhang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Epiphytes that grow in the canopies of tropical and subtropical forests experience different water regimes when compared with terrestrial plants. However, the differences in adaptive strategies between epiphytic and terrestrial plants with respect to plant water relations remain poorly understood. To understand how water-related traits contrast between epiphytic and terrestrial growth forms within the Cymbidium (Orchidaceae, we assessed leaf anatomy, hydraulics, and physiology of seven terrestrial and 13 epiphytic species using a common garden experiment. Compared with terrestrial species, epiphytic species had higher values for leaf mass per unit area (LMA, leaf thickness (LT, epidermal thickness, saturated water content (SWC and the time required to dry saturated leaves to 70% relative water content (T70. However, vein density (Dvein, stomatal density (SD, and photosynthetic capacity (Amax did not differ significantly between the two forms. T70 was positively correlated with LT, LMA, and SWC, and negatively correlated with stomatal index (SI. Amax showed positive correlations with SD and SI, but not with Dvein. Vein density was marginally correlated with SD, and significantly correlated with SI. Overall, epiphytic orchids exhibited substantial ecophysiological differentiations from terrestrial species, with the former type showing trait values indicative of greater drought tolerance and increased water storage capacity. The ability to retain water in the leaves plays a key role in maintaining a water balance in those epiphytes. Therefore, the process of transpiration depends less upon the current substrate water supply and enables epiphytic Cymbidium species to adapt more easily to canopy habitats.

Consideration on thermodynamic data for predicting solubility and chemical species of elements in groundwater. Part 2: Np, Pu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Tetsuji

2000-11-01

The solubility determines the release of a radionuclide from waste form and is used as a source term in radionuclide migration analysis in performance assessment of radioactive waste repository. Complexations of the radionuclide by ligands in groundwater affect the interaction between radionuclides and geologic media, thus affect their migration behavior. It is essential to estimate the solubility and to predict the chemical species for the radionuclide based on thermodynamic data. The thermodynamic data of aqueous species and compounds were reviewed and compiled for Np and Pu. Thermodynamic data were reviewed with emphasis on the hydrolysis and carbonate complexation that can dominate the speciation in groundwater. Thermodynamic data for other species were selected based on existing databases. Thermodynamic data for other important elements are under investigation, thus shown in an appendix for temporary use. (author)

Use of chemical elements of 1A family by tropical tree species; Uso de elementos quimicos da familia 1A por especies arboreas tropicais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carmo, Andrius M.J.; Paiva, Jose Daniel S. de; Magalhaes, Marcelo R.L. de; Franca, Elvis J. de; Hazin, Clovis A., E-mail: ejfranca@cnen.gov.br [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Nordeste (CRCN-NE/CNEN-PE), Recife, PE (Brazil); Bacchi, Marcio A.; Fernandes, Elisabete A.N., E-mail: mabacchi@cena.usp.br [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/USP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil).

2013-07-01

This study aims to evaluate the distribution of K, Rb and Cs in leaves of trees of the Atlantic Forest through studies of correlation between the chemical elements. For this, we used the Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis for the quantification of the chemical elements. The concentration ranges found were 6700-24000 mg / kg for K, 16 to 72mg / kg for Rb and 0.08 to 0,92mg / kg for Cs. As Rb has chemical similarity to K, is easily absorbed by plants, leading to a high value (0.9) of the Pearson correlation. For the correlation between K and Cs, no significant values were detected except for some species of the Myrtaceae family. However, average correlations (0.6 species of different families. The absence of a specific pattern using of K, Rb and Cs by plants showed great complexity in the distribution of chemical elements in the ecosystem.

Toxicity of proton-metal mixtures in the field: Linking stream macroinvertebrate species diversity to chemical speciation and bioavailability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stockdale, Anthony [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Tipping, Edward, E-mail: et@ceh.ac.uk [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Lofts, Stephen [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Ormerod, Stephen J. [Catchment Research Group, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3US (United Kingdom); Clements, William H. [Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 (United States); Blust, Ronny [Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium)

2010-10-01

Understanding metal and proton toxicity under field conditions requires consideration of the complex nature of chemicals in mixtures. Here, we demonstrate a novel method that relates streamwater concentrations of cationic metallic species and protons to a field ecological index of biodiversity. The model WHAM-F{sub TOX} postulates that cation binding sites of aquatic macroinvertebrates can be represented by the functional groups of natural organic matter (humic acid), as described by the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM6), and supporting field evidence is presented. We define a toxicity function (F{sub TOX}) by summing the products: (amount of invertebrate-bound cation) x (cation-specific toxicity coefficient, {alpha}{sub i}). Species richness data for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT), are then described with a lower threshold of F{sub TOX}, below which all organisms are present and toxic effects are absent, and an upper threshold above which organisms are absent. Between the thresholds the number of species declines linearly with F{sub TOX}. We parameterised the model with chemistry and EPT data for low-order streamwaters affected by acid deposition and/or abandoned mines, representing a total of 412 sites across three continents. The fitting made use of quantile regression, to take into account reduced species richness caused by (unknown) factors other than cation toxicity. Parameters were derived for the four most common or abundant cations, with values of {alpha}{sub i} following the sequence (increasing toxicity) H{sup +} < Al < Zn < Cu. For waters affected mainly by H{sup +} and Al, F{sub TOX} shows a steady decline with increasing pH, crossing the lower threshold near to pH 7. Competition effects among cations mean that toxicity due to Cu and Zn is rare at lower pH values, and occurs mostly between pH 6 and 8.

Trophic gradients of two minnow species with similar eco-type and their relations to water chemistry and multimetric biological integrity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seoyun Choi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study were to determine tolerance ranges and trophic gradients of two fish populations of Zacco koreanus (Zk and Zacco platypus (Zp in relation to chemical water quality and ecological stream health, based on the biological integrity metric (BIM model. Seventy-six streams and rivers were sampled for the analysis. The population of Zk had a narrow chemical tolerance with a low phosphorus limit (< 300 μg/L as total phosphorus, whereas the Zp population occurred within a high limit (up to 1,100 μg/L. Similar patterns in the two populations were shown in nitrogen, biological oxygen demand, suspended solids, and other parameters. The population of Zp had significantly (t=5.25, p<0.001 greater chemical tolerance than the population of Zk. The population of Zk had a positive functional relation (R2=0.43, p<0.001 with insectivore species, but the Zp population had negative linear function (R2=0.50, p<0.001, indicating a trophic difference in the food chain of two populations. Application of the biological integrity model indicated that the values of BIM, as an index of ecological health, were significantly greater (t=13.67, p<0.001 in the population of Zk than the population of Zp.

Extension of a hybrid particle-continuum method for a mixture of chemical species

Science.gov (United States)

Verhoff, Ashley M.; Boyd, Iain D.

2012-11-01

Due to the physical accuracy and numerical efficiency achieved by analyzing transitional, hypersonic flow fields with hybrid particle-continuum methods, this paper describes a Modular Particle-Continuum (MPC) method and its extension to include multiple chemical species. Considerations that are specific to a hybrid approach for simulating gas mixtures are addressed, including a discussion of the Chapman-Enskog velocity distribution function (VDF) for near-equilibrium flows, and consistent viscosity models for the individual CFD and DSMC modules of the MPC method. Representative results for a hypersonic blunt-body flow are then presented, where the flow field properties, surface properties, and computational performance are compared for simulations employing full CFD, full DSMC, and the MPC method.

Unravelling chemical priming machinery in plants: the role of reactive oxygen-nitrogen-sulfur species in abiotic stress tolerance enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Antoniou, Chrystalla; Savvides, Andreas; Christou, Anastasis; Fotopoulos, Vasileios

2016-10-01

Abiotic stresses severely limit crop yield and their detrimental effects are aggravated by climate change. Chemical priming is an emerging field in crop stress management. The exogenous application of specific chemical agents before stress events results in tolerance enhancement and reduction of stress impacts on plant physiology and growth. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable effects of chemical priming on plant physiology remain to be elucidated. Reactive oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur species (RONSS) are molecules playing a vital role in the stress acclimation of plants. When applied as priming agents, RONSS improve stress tolerance. This review summarizes the recent knowledge on the role of RONSS in cell signalling and gene regulation contributing to abiotic stress tolerance enhancement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vaporization of chemical species and the production of aerosols during a core debris/concrete interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butland, A.T.D.; Mignanelli, M.A.; Potter, P.E.; Smith, P.N.

1987-01-01

The equilibrium chemical composition within gas bubbles sparging through isothermal molten corium-concrete mixtures has been evaluated theoretically. A series of sensitivity calculations gives some insight into a number of factors which are of importance in determining the radionuclide and non-radioactive releases during core-concrete interaction. The degree of mixing or layering of the pool has turned out to be of paramount importance in determining the magnitudes of the releases. The presence of unoxidized zirconium in the melt tends to enhance the release of a number of species and the type of concrete used for the base mat can have a significant effect. The predictions can be sensitive to the thermodynamic data used in the calculations. The vaporization of various species into the gas bubbles can require large amounts of heat; the loss of this heat from the melt can have an effect on the extent of the vaporization

Komponen Kimia Minyak Atsiridaun Tiga Jenis Piperaceae*[chemical Compounds of Essential Oil on Three Piperaceae Species

OpenAIRE

Jamal, Yuliasri

2002-01-01

Chemical analysis of leaves essential oil on three Piper species, P. malamiri, P. baccatum and P. majusculum was conducted using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS) method.Chromatogram result showed 52, 56 and 47 peaks on leaves essential oil of P.malamiri, P.baccatum and P.majusculum respectively. Based on the peaks,it is known that isocaryofilene is the major, common and as the highest component found in the three essential oils, beside several other major components.

Influence of soil physical and chemical variables on species composition and richness of plants in the arid region of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Mutairi Khalid Awadh

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present study aims to investigate the effect of soil physical and chemical variables on the species richness and the floristic composition in four sites (Alwaz, Alqan, Sharma and Zetah of Tabuk region in the Northwestern part of Arabian Peninsula. Only organic matter (OM, pH and calcium (Ca showed significant differences (P < 0.05 amongst the four studied sites. Only magnesium and sodium were selected in the forward regression model and showed to be strong drivers of species richness of plants in Tabuk region (Adj-R2 = 0.438, F2,13 = 6.85, P = 0.009. The multivariate analysis of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA was applied to reveal the effect of the physical and chemical variables on the species composition of the plants. The CCA classifies the plant species into three groups based on their preference to the environmental variables. The first group of plant species (Group 1 is characterised by positive preference to the chloride (Cl and negative relationship with OM and pH. The second group (Group 2 is positively correlated with most of the soil variables such as OM, calcium (Ca, potassium (K, bicarbonate (HCO3, electrical conductivity (EC, sulphate (SO4 and sodium (Na. The third group (Group 3 has positive relationship with carbonate (CO3 and negative relationship with EC and magnesium (Mg. The chloride, sodium, sulphate, EC and carbonate are the main environmental factors influencing the plant species composition in Tabuk region. The cluster analysis based on the Euclidian measure shows that Alqan and Zetah have closer species composition compared to Sharma.

Chemical characterization of 21 species of marine macroalgae common in Norwegian waters: benefits of and limitations to their potential use in food and feed

Science.gov (United States)

Biancarosa, Irene; Belghit, Ikram; Bruckner, Christian G; Liland, Nina S; Waagbø, Rune; Amlund, Heidi; Heesch, Svenja

2018-01-01

Abstract BACKGROUND In the past few years, much effort has been invested into developing a new blue economy based on harvesting, cultivating and processing marine macroalgae in Norway. Macroalgae have high potential for a wide range of applications, e.g. as source of pharmaceuticals, production of biofuels or as food and feed. However, data on the chemical composition of macroalgae from Norwegian waters are scant. This study was designed to characterize the chemical composition of 21 algal species. Both macro‐ and micronutrients were analysed. Concentrations of heavy metals and the metalloid arsenic in the algae were also quantified. RESULTS The results confirm that marine macroalgae contain nutrients which are relevant for both human and animal nutrition, the concentrations whereof are highly dependent on species. Although heavy metals and arsenic were detected in the algae studied, concentrations were mostly below maximum allowed levels set by food and feed legislation in the EU. CONCLUSION This study provides chemical data on a wide range of algal species covering the three taxonomic groups (brown, red and green algae) and discusses both benefits of and potential limitations to their use for food and feed purposes. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. PMID:29193189

Analysis of Environmental Physical-Chemical Factors and Macroalga Species In The Coastal Water of Nusalaut, Central Maluku - Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karel Melsasail

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The physical-chemical factors of environment are very influential on the presence and the growth of macrolaga in waters. Well-maintained water habitat is a good environment for the growth of macroalgae. A research has been conducted on the physicochemical environmental factors and the macroalgae species in the coastal waters of Nusalaut Island using transect method, and it was a survey research on four different observation stations. The results of the research showed that station I (Amet Village has the best physicochemical factors for the presence and the growth of macroalgae, compared to station II (Nalahia Village, station III (Sila Village and station IV (Leinitu Village. The most widely found macro algae are from the Rhodophyta class, with a total of 17 species of macroalgae, of which 15 species are found in station I.

The definition of species richness used by species sensitivity distributions approximates observed effects of salinity on stream macroinvertebrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kefford, Ben J., E-mail: ben.kefford@uts.edu.a [School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Victoria (Australia); Centre for Environmental Sustainability, Department of Environmental Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Marchant, Richard [Department of Entomology, Museum of Victoria, Victoria (Australia); Schaefer, Ralf B. [School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Victoria (Australia); Metzeling, Leon [EPA Victoria, Macleod, Victoria (Australia); Dunlop, Jason E. [Department of Environment and Resource Management, Indooroopilly, Queensland (Australia); National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Queensland (Australia); Choy, Satish C. [Department of Environment and Resource Management, Indooroopilly, Queensland (Australia); Goonan, Peter [South Australia Environment Protection Authority, Adelaide, South Australia (Australia)

2011-01-15

The risk of chemicals for ecological communities is often forecast with species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) which are used to predict the concentration which will protect p% of species (PC{sub p} value). However, at the PC{sub p} value, species richness in nature would not necessary be p% less than at uncontaminated sites. The definition of species richness inherent to SSDs (contaminant category richness) contrasts with species richness typically measured in most field studies (point richness). We determine, for salinity in eastern Australia, whether these definitions of stream macroinvertebrate species richness are commensurable. There were strong relationships (r{sup 2} {>=} 0.87) between mean point species, family and Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera species richness and their respective contamination category richness. Despite differences in the definition of richness used by SSDs and field biomonitoring, their results in terms of relative species loss from salinity in south-east Australia are similar. We conclude that in our system both definitions are commensurable. - Definitions of species richness inherit in SSDs and biomonitoring are for salinity in south-east Australia commensurable.

The definition of species richness used by species sensitivity distributions approximates observed effects of salinity on stream macroinvertebrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kefford, Ben J.; Marchant, Richard; Schaefer, Ralf B.; Metzeling, Leon; Dunlop, Jason E.; Choy, Satish C.; Goonan, Peter

2011-01-01

The risk of chemicals for ecological communities is often forecast with species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) which are used to predict the concentration which will protect p% of species (PC p value). However, at the PC p value, species richness in nature would not necessary be p% less than at uncontaminated sites. The definition of species richness inherent to SSDs (contaminant category richness) contrasts with species richness typically measured in most field studies (point richness). We determine, for salinity in eastern Australia, whether these definitions of stream macroinvertebrate species richness are commensurable. There were strong relationships (r 2 ≥ 0.87) between mean point species, family and Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera species richness and their respective contamination category richness. Despite differences in the definition of richness used by SSDs and field biomonitoring, their results in terms of relative species loss from salinity in south-east Australia are similar. We conclude that in our system both definitions are commensurable. - Definitions of species richness inherit in SSDs and biomonitoring are for salinity in south-east Australia commensurable.

Including chemical-related impact categories in LCA on printed matter does it matter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Henrik Fred; Hansen, Morten Søes; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

2004-01-01

global warming, acidification and nutrification. The studies focus on energy consumption including the emissions and impact categories related to energy. The chemical-related impact categories comprising ecotoxicity and human toxicity are not included at all or only to a limited degree. In this paper we...... include these chemical-related impact categories by making use of some of the newest knowledge about emissions from the production at the printing industry combined with knowledge about the composition of the printing materials used during the production of offset printed matter. This paper is based...... printed matter produced on a fictitious sheet feed offset printing industry in Europe has been identified and shown in Figure 1 (light bars). „Ï The effect of including the chemical related impact categories is substantial as shown in Figure 1, e.g. the importance of paper is reduced from 67% to 31...

Genetic basis of hybrid male sterility among three closely related species of Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Paras Kumar; Singh, B N

2005-05-01

The genetic basis of hybrid male sterility among three closely related species, Drosophila bipectinata, D. parabipectinata and D. malerkotliana has been investigated by using backcross analysis methods. The role of Y chromosome, major hybrid sterility (MHS) genes (genetic factors) and cytoplasm (non-genetic factor) have been studied in the hybrids of these three species. In the species pair, bipectinata--parabipectinata, Y chromosome introgression of parabipectinata in the genomic background of bipectinata and the reciprocal Y chromosome introgression were unsuccessful as all males in second backcross generation were sterile. Neither MHS genes nor cytoplasm was found important for sterility. This suggests the involvement of X-Y, X-autosomes or polygenic interactions in hybrid male sterility. In bipectinata--malerkotliana and parabipectinata--malerkotliana species pairs, Y chromosome substitution in reciprocal crosses did not affect male fertility. Backcross analyses also show no involvement of MHS genes or cytoplasm in hybrid male sterility in these two species pairs. Therefore, X- autosome interaction or polygenic interaction is supposed to be involved in hybrid male sterility in these two species pairs. These findings also provide evidence that even in closely related species, genetic interactions underlying hybrid male sterility may vary.

Yellow phosphorus process to convert toxic chemicals to non-toxic products

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, S.G.

1994-07-26

The present invention relates to a process for generating reactive species for destroying toxic chemicals. This process first contacts air or oxygen with aqueous emulsions of molten yellow phosphorus. This contact results in rapid production of abundant reactive species such as O, O[sub 3], PO, PO[sub 2], etc. A gaseous or liquid aqueous solution organic or inorganic chemicals is next contacted by these reactive species to reduce the concentration of toxic chemical and result in a non-toxic product. The final oxidation product of yellow phosphorus is phosphoric acid of a quality which can be recovered for commercial use. A process is developed such that the byproduct, phosphoric acid, is obtained without contamination of toxic species in liquids treated. A gas stream containing ozone without contamination of phosphorus containing species is also obtained in a simple and cost-effective manner. This process is demonstrated to be effective for destroying many types of toxic organic, or inorganic, compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), aromatic chlorides, amines, alcohols, acids, nitro aromatics, aliphatic chlorides, polynuclear aromatic compounds (PAH), dyes, pesticides, sulfides, hydroxyamines, ureas, dithionates and the like. 20 figs.

Use of Wild Relatives and Closely Related Species to Adapt Common Bean to Climate Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James D. Kelly

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. is an important legume crop worldwide. However, abiotic and biotic stress limits bean yields to <600 kg ha−1 in low-income countries. Current low yields result in food insecurity, while demands for increased yields to match the rate of population growth combined with the threat of climate change are significant. Novel and significant advances in genetic improvement using untapped genetic diversity available in crop wild relatives and closely related species must be further explored. A meeting was organized by the Global Crop Diversity Trust to consider strategies for common bean improvement. This review resulted from that meeting and considers our current understanding of the genetic resources available for common bean improvement and the progress that has been achieved thus far through introgression of genetic diversity from wild relatives of common bean, and from closely related species, including: P. acutifolius, P. coccineus, P. costaricensis and P. dumosus. Newly developed genomic tools and their potential applications are presented. A broad outline of research for use of these genetic resources for common bean improvement in a ten-year multi-disciplinary effort is presented.

Enhanced degradation of haloacid by heterologous expression in related Burkholderia species.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xianbin; Deng, Liyu; Kong, Ka Fai; Tsang, Jimmy S H

2013-10-01

Haloacids are environmental pollutant and can be transformed to non-toxic alkanoic acids by microbial dehalogenase. Bacterium Burkholderia species MBA4 was enriched from soil for its ability to bioremediate haloacids such as mono-chloroacetate (MCA), mono-bromoacetate (MBA), 2-mono-chloropropionate, and 2-mono-bromopropionate. MBA4 produces an inducible dehalogenase Deh4a that catalyzes the dehalogenation process. The growth of MBA4 on haloacid also relies on the presence of a haloacid-uptake system. Similar dehalogenase genes can be found in the genome of many related species. However, wildtype Burkholderia caribensis MWAP64, Burkholderia phymatum STM815, and Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 were not able to grow on MCA. When a plasmid containing the regulatory and structural gene of Deh4a was transformed to these species, they were able to grow on haloacid. The specific enzyme activities in these recombinants ranges from 2- to 30-fold that of MBA4 in similar condition. Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR showed that the relative transcript levels in these recombinant strains ranges from 9 to over 1,600 times that of MBA4 in similar condition. A recombinant has produced nearly five times of dehalogenase that MBA4 could ever achieve. While the expressions of Deh4a were more relaxed in these phylogenetically related species, an MCA-uptake activity was found to be inducible. These metabolically engineered strains are better degraders than the haloacid-enriched MBA4. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of flow injection mass spectrometric fingerprinting and chemometrics for differentiation of three black cohosh species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Huilian; Sun, Jianghao; McCoy, Joe-Ann; Zhong, Haiyan; Fletcher, Edward J.; Harnly, James; Chen, Pei

2015-01-01

Flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS) was used to provide chemical fingerprints of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) in a manner of minutes by omitting the separation step. This method has proven to be a powerful tool for botanical authentication and in this study it was used to distinguish between three Actaea species prior to a more detailed chemical analysis using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS). Black cohosh has become increasingly popular as a dietary supplement in the United States for the treatment of symptoms related to menopause. However, it has been known to be adulterated with the Asian Actaea dahurica (Turcz. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Franch. species (syn. Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim). Existing methods for identification of black cohosh and differentiation of Actaea species are usually lengthy, laborious, and lack robustness, often based on the comparison of a few pre-selected components. Chemical fingerprints were obtained for 77 black cohosh samples and their related species using FIMS in the negative ion mode. The analysis time for each sample was less than 2 min. All data were processed using principal component analysis (PCA). FIMS fingerprints could readily differentiate all three species. Representative samples from each of the three species were further examined using UHPLC–MS to provide detailed profiles of the chemical differences between the three species and were compared to the PCA loadings. This study demonstrates a simple, fast, and easy analytical method that can be used to differentiate A. racemosa, Actaea podocarpa, and A. dahurica. - Highlights: • Flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS) was used to provide chemical fingerprints of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) in a manner of minutes by omitting the separation step. • FIMS can discriminate between A. dahurica, A. podocarpa, and A. racemosa. • FIMS is a valuable screening tool for authentication of botanicals

Use of flow injection mass spectrometric fingerprinting and chemometrics for differentiation of three black cohosh species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Huilian [Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States); Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Education, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province (China); Sun, Jianghao [Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States); McCoy, Joe-Ann [The North Carolina Arboretum Germplasm Repository, UNC Affiliate Campus, Asheville, NC (United States); Zhong, Haiyan [College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province (China); Fletcher, Edward J. [Strategic Sourcing, Inc., Banner Elk, NC 28604 (United States); Harnly, James, E-mail: harnly.james@ars.usda.gov [Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States); Chen, Pei, E-mail: pei.chen@ars.usda.gov [Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States)

2015-03-01

Flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS) was used to provide chemical fingerprints of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) in a manner of minutes by omitting the separation step. This method has proven to be a powerful tool for botanical authentication and in this study it was used to distinguish between three Actaea species prior to a more detailed chemical analysis using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS). Black cohosh has become increasingly popular as a dietary supplement in the United States for the treatment of symptoms related to menopause. However, it has been known to be adulterated with the Asian Actaea dahurica (Turcz. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Franch. species (syn. Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim). Existing methods for identification of black cohosh and differentiation of Actaea species are usually lengthy, laborious, and lack robustness, often based on the comparison of a few pre-selected components. Chemical fingerprints were obtained for 77 black cohosh samples and their related species using FIMS in the negative ion mode. The analysis time for each sample was less than 2 min. All data were processed using principal component analysis (PCA). FIMS fingerprints could readily differentiate all three species. Representative samples from each of the three species were further examined using UHPLC–MS to provide detailed profiles of the chemical differences between the three species and were compared to the PCA loadings. This study demonstrates a simple, fast, and easy analytical method that can be used to differentiate A. racemosa, Actaea podocarpa, and A. dahurica. - Highlights: • Flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS) was used to provide chemical fingerprints of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) in a manner of minutes by omitting the separation step. • FIMS can discriminate between A. dahurica, A. podocarpa, and A. racemosa. • FIMS is a valuable screening tool for authentication of botanicals.

Characterization of the parameters at the origin of the chemical species hideout process at the fuel rod surface in boiling conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peybernes, J.; March, P.

1999-01-01

Current trends in nuclear power generation (and particularly in pressurized water reactors) are toward plant life extension and extended fuel burnup. A higher heat generation rate can induce local boiling regimes at the fuel rod surface in the hottest channels of the core, which can strongly modify the chemical environment of the cladding and influence the oxidation rate of zirconium alloys. Tests performed in out-of-pile loops under severe chemical and thermal-hydraulic conditions (nucleate boiling, higher lithium contents compared to PWRs) reveal two important phenomena: an increase of the oxidation rate of Zircaloy-4 cladding materials in 'high' lithiated environments; an enrichment of the chemical additives in the primary water (boron, lithium) at the surface of the cladding under nucleate boiling conditions. The latter phenomenon, also called 'hideout effect', is mainly controlled by some thermal hydraulic parameters such as bubble diameters and nucleation site density. These parameters strongly depend on the oxide morphology (roughness, porosity). The lack of reliable data in high temperature water environments has led to the development of a specific instrumentation based on visualization. The fitting of windows on the REGGAE out-of-pile loop provides an optical access to the two-phase flow regime under PWR operating conditions, allowing for the characterization of the parameters at the origin of the chemical species hideout process. These direct observations of the cladding surfaces subjected to nucleate boiling conditions provide information about the development of the boiling mechanisms in relation to the morphology of the oxide layers (porosity, thickness, roughness). (author)

Studies on the origin and transformation of selenium and its chemical species along the process of petroleum refining

Science.gov (United States)

Stivanin de Almeida, Cibele M.; Ribeiro, Anderson S.; Saint'Pierre, Tatiana D.; Miekeley, Norbert

2009-06-01

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and mass spectrometry (ICPMS), the latter hyphenated to flow injection hydride generation, electrothermal vaporization or ion chromatography, have been applied to the chemical characterization of crude oil, aqueous process stream samples and wastewaters from a petroleum refinery, in order to get information on the behavior of selenium and its chemical species along effluent generation and treatment. Multielemental characterization of these effluents by ICPMS revealed a complex composition of most of them, with high salinity and potential spectral and non-spectral interferents present. For this reason, a critical re-assessment of the analytical techniques for the determination of total selenium and its species was performed. Methane was employed as gas in dynamic reaction cell ICPMS and cell parameters were optimized for a simulated brine matrix and for diluted aqueous solutions to match the expected process and treated wastewaters samples. The signal-to-background ratios for 78Se and 80Se were used as criteria in optimization, the first isotope resulting in better detection limits for the simulated brine matrix ( 78Se: 0.07 μg L - 1 , 80Se: 0.31 μg L - 1 ). A large variability in the concentration of selenium (from crude oil samples in the refinery here investigated, which may explain the pronounced concentrations changes of this element measured in aqueous process stream and wastewater samples. Highest concentrations of total selenium were analyzed in samples from the hydrotreater (up to about 1800 μg L - 1 ). The predominance of selenocyanate (SeCN -) was observed in most of the wastewaters so far investigated, but also other species were detected with retention times different from Se(IV), Se(VI) and SeCN -. Colloidal selenium (Se 0) was the only Se-species observed in samples from the atmospheric distillation unit, but was also identified in other samples, most probably formed by the decomposition of

Chemical and morphological characteristics of key tree species of the Carpathian Mountains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mankovska, Blanka; Godzik, Barbara; Badea, Ovidiu; Shparyk, Yuri; Moravcik, Pavel

2004-01-01

Concentrations of Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, N, Na, P, S and Zn in the foliage of white fir (Abies alba), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and common beech (Fagus sylvatica) from 25 sites of the Carpathian Mts. forests (Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine) are discussed in a context of their limit values. S/N ratio was different from optimum in 90% of localities when compared with the European limit values. Likewise we found increase of Fe and Cu concentrations compared with their background levels in 100% of locations. Mn concentrations were increased in 76% of localities. Mn mobilization values indicate the disturbance of physiological balance leading to the change of the ratio with Fe. SEM-investigation of foliage waxes from 25 sites in the Carpathian Mts. showed, that there is a statistically significant difference in mean wax quality. Epistomatal waxes were damaged as indicated by increased development of net and amorphous waxes. The most damaged stomata in spruce needles were from Yablunitsa, Synevir and Brenna; in fir needles from Stoliky, and in beech leaves from Mala Fatra, Morske Oko and Beregomet. Spruce needles in the Carpathian Mts. had more damaged stomata than fir needles and beech leaves. Spruce seems to be the most sensitive tree species to environmental stresses including air pollution in forests of the Carpathian Mountains. Foliage surfaces of three forest tree species contained Al, Si, Ca, Fe, Mg, K, Cl, Mn, Na, Ni and Ti in all studied localities. Presence of nutrition elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, K and Mn) on foliage surface hinders opening and closing stomata and it is not physiologically usable for tree species. - Chemical composition of foliage and structure of epicuticular waxes indicated phytotoxic effects of air pollution in many forest sites of the Carpathian Mountains

Aspergillus fumigatus and Related Species

Science.gov (United States)

Sugui, Janyce A.; Kwon-Chung, Kyung J.; Juvvadi, Praveen R.; Latgé, Jean-Paul; Steinbach, William J.

2015-01-01

The genus Aspergillus contains etiologic agents of aspergillosis. The clinical manifestations of the disease range from allergic reaction to invasive pulmonary infection. Among the pathogenic aspergilli, Aspergillus fumigatus is most ubiquitous in the environment and is the major cause of the disease, followed by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus nidulans, and several species in the section Fumigati that morphologically resemble A. fumigatus. Patients that are at risk for acquiring aspergillosis are those with an altered immune system. Early diagnosis, species identification, and adequate antifungal therapy are key elements for treatment of the disease, especially in cases of pulmonary invasive aspergillosis that often advance very rapidly. Incorporating knowledge of the basic biology of Aspergillus species to that of the diseases that they cause is fundamental for further progress in the field. PMID:25377144

Consequences of plant-chemical diversity for domestic goat food preference in Mediterranean forests

Science.gov (United States)

Baraza, Elena; Hódar, José A.; Zamora, Regino

2009-01-01

The domestic goat, a major herbivore in the Mediterranean basin, has demonstrated a strong ability to adapt its feeding behaviour to the chemical characteristics of food, selecting plants according to their nutritive quality. In this study, we determine some chemical characteristics related to plant nutritional quality and its variability among and within five tree species, these being the main components of the mountain forests of SE Spain, with the aim of determining their influence on food selection by this generalist herbivore. We analyse nitrogen, total phenols, condensed tannins and fibre concentration as an indicator of the nutritive value of the different trees. To determine the preference by the domestic goat, we performed two types of feeding-choice assays, where goats had to select between different species or between branches of the same species but from trees of different nutritional quality. The analysis of the plant nutritional quality showed significant differences in the chemical characteristics between species, and a high variability within species. However, when faced with different tree species, the domestic goat selected some of them but showed striking individual differences between goats. When selecting between trees of the same species, the goats showed no differential selection. This limited effect of chemical plant characteristics, together with the variability in foraging behaviour, resulted in a widespread consumption of diverse plant species, which can potentially modulate the effect of the goat on vegetation composition, and open the way for the conservation of traditional livestock grazing on natural protected areas.

Bacteroides species produce Vibrio harveyi autoinducer 2-related molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes, Luis Caetano Martha; Ferreira, Lívia Queiroz; Ferreira, Eliane Oliveira; Miranda, Karla Rodrigues; Avelar, Kátia Eliane Santos; Domingues, Regina Maria Cavalcanti Pilotto; Ferreira, Maria Candida de Souza

2005-10-01

Quorum sensing is a density-dependent gene regulation mechanism that has been described in many bacterial species in the last decades. Bacteria that use quorum sensing as part of their gene regulation circuits produce molecules called autoinducers that accumulate in the environment and activate target genes in a quorum-dependent way. Some specific clues led us to hypothesize that Bacteroides species can produce autoinducers and possess a quorum sensing system. First, Bacteroides are anaerobic bacteria that are frequently involved in polymicrobial infections. These infections often involve Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two of the best understood examples of bacteria that employ quorum sensing systems as part of their pathogenesis. Also, studies have detected the presence of a quorum sensing gene involved in the production of autoinducers in Porphyromonas gingivalis, a species closely related to the Bacteroides genus. These and other evidences prompted us to investigate if Bacteroides strains could produce autoinducer molecules that could be detected by a Vibrio harveyi reporter system. In this paper, we show that supernatants of B. fragilis, B. vulgatus and B. distasonis strains are able to stimulate the V. harveyi quorum sensing system 2. Also, we were able to demonstrate that the stimulation detected is due to the production of autoinducer molecules and not the growth of reporter strains after addition of supernatant. Moreover, the phenomenon observed does not seem to represent the degradation of repressors possibly present in the culture medium used. We could also amplify bands from some of the strains tested using primers designed to the luxS gene of Escherichia coli. Altogether, our results show that B. fragilis, B. vulgatus and B. distasonis (but possibly some other species) can produce V. harveyi autoinducer 2-related molecules. However, the role of such molecules in the biology of these organisms remains unknown.

On the relation between chemical composition and optical properties of detonation nanodiamonds

KAUST Repository

Kirmani, Ahmad R.

2015-06-23

The morphology and presence of impurities strongly influence mechanical, optical, electrical, and thermal properties of detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs). Here we report insights on the chemical composition and its effect on the optical properties of the DNDs obtained by rate-zonal density gradient ultracentrifugation. Herein, for the first time, a detailed valence band structure of as-prepared and oxidized DNDs is reported. Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) measurements demonstrate that the defects, originating from fullerene-like C bonding in the sp2 shells of the DNDs, are governing the literature-reported loss of the emission spectral features arising from the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center excitations. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements reveal that nitrogen is present in the DNDs in the form of N–O bonded species located at the surface region/sp2 shells, while in core of the DND it is in the form of N–C/N=C species.

Enolonium Species-Umpoled Enolates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arava, Shlomy; Kumar, Jayprakash N.; Maksymenko, Shimon

2017-01-01

Enolonium species/iodo(III) enolates of carbonyl compounds have been suggested to be intermediates in a wide variety of hypervalent iodine induced chemical transformations of ketones, including α-C-O, α-C-N, α-C-C, and alpha-carbon- halide bond formation, but they have never been characterized. We...... report that these elusive umpoled enolates may be made as discrete species that are stable for several minutes at-78 degrees C, and report the first spectroscopic identification of such species. It is shown that enolonium species are direct intermediates in C-O, C-N, C-Cl, and C-C bond forming reactions....... Our results open up chemical space for designing a variety of new transformations. We showcase the ability of enolonium species to react with prenyl, crotyl, cinnamyl, and allyl silanes with absolute regioselectivity in up to 92% yield....

Relating species abundance distributions to species-area curves in two Mediterranean-type shrublands

Science.gov (United States)

Keeley, Jon E.

2003-01-01

Based on both theoretical and empirical studies there is evidence that different species abundance distributions underlie different species-area relationships. Here I show that Australian and Californian shrubland communities (at the scale from 1 to 1000 m2) exhibit different species-area relationships and different species abundance patterns. The species-area relationship in Australian heathlands best fits an exponential model and species abundance (based on both density and cover) follows a narrow log normal distribution. In contrast, the species-area relationship in Californian shrublands is best fit with the power model and, although species abundance appears to fit a log normal distribution, the distribution is much broader than in Australian heathlands. I hypothesize that the primary driver of these differences is the abundance of small-stature annual species in California and the lack of annuals in Australian heathlands. Species-area is best fit by an exponential model in Australian heathlands because the bulk of the species are common and thus the species-area curves initially rise rapidly between 1 and 100 m2. Annuals in Californian shrublands generate very broad species abundance distributions with many uncommon or rare species. The power function is a better model in these communities because richness increases slowly from 1 to 100 m2 but more rapidly between 100 and 1000 m2due to the abundance of rare or uncommon species that are more likely to be encountered at coarser spatial scales. The implications of this study are that both the exponential and power function models are legitimate representations of species-area relationships in different plant communities. Also, structural differences in community organization, arising from different species abundance distributions, may lead to different species-area curves, and this may be tied to patterns of life form distribution.

Accumulation of radium in relation to some chemical analogues in Dicranopteris linearis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, J.H.; Chuang, C.Y.

2011-01-01

This study elucidates the uptake and accumulation of radium in the field-growing fern Dicranopteris linearis by relating the radium concentration to some potential chemical analogues, including alkaline earth metals, rare earth elements, and some important heavy metals. Time-dependent accumulation of radium and these chemical analogues for D. linearis were described by the 228 Th/ 228 Ra activity ratio, an index for inferring plant age. The correlation between radium and these elements was assessed by statistical analysis and used as a reference to elucidate the uptake and accumulation of radium in relation to the chemical analogues. Analytical and statistical results showed that the concentrations of alkaline earth metals (except for Mg) rare earth elements and some heavy metals in D. linearis increased linearly with plant age. These elements, exhibiting a similar accumulation pattern to radium and significant correlation coefficients with radium, were considered as the chemical analogues to radium. Additionally, the plant/soil concentration ratios (CRs) for radium and most of these analogues in D. linearis exceeded 1, consistent with the definition of hyper-accumulator plants.

Evaluating broad scale patterns among related species using resource experiments in tropical hummingbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Ben G; Graham, Catherine H

2016-08-01

A challenge in community ecology is connecting biogeographic patterns with local scale observations. In Neotropical hummingbirds, closely related species often co-occur less frequently than expected (overdispersion) when compared to a regional species pool. While this pattern has been attributed to interspecific competition, it is important to connect these findings with local scale mechanisms of coexistence. We measured the importance of the presence of competitors and the availability of resources on selectivity at experimental feeders for Andean hummingbirds along a wide elevation gradient. Selectivity was measured as the time a bird fed at a feeder with a high sucrose concentration when presented with feeders of both low and high sucrose concentrations. Resource selection was measured using time-lapse cameras to identity which floral resources were used by each hummingbird species. We found that the increased abundance of preferred resources surrounding the feeder best explained increased species selectivity, and that related hummingbirds with similar morphology chose similar floral resources. We did not find strong support for direct agonism based on differences in body size or phylogenetic relatedness in predicting selectivity. These results suggest closely related hummingbird species have overlapping resource niches, and that the intensity of interspecific competition is related to the abundance of those preferred resources. If these competitive interactions have negative demographic effects, our results could help explain the pattern of phylogenetic overdispersion observed at regional scales. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Wide prevalence of hybridization in two sympatric grasshopper species may be shaped by their relative abundances.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohde, Katja; Hau, Yvonne; Weyer, Jessica; Hochkirch, Axel

2015-09-16

Hybridization between species is of conservation concern as it might threaten the genetic integrity of species. Anthropogenic factors can alter hybridization dynamics by introducing new potentially hybridizing species or by diminishing barriers to hybridization. This may even affect sympatric species pairs through environmental change, which so far has received little attention. We studied hybridization prevalence and the underlying behavioral mechanisms in two sympatric grasshopper species, a rare specialist (Chorthippus montanus) and a common generalist (Chorthippus parallelus). We conducted a mate choice experiment with constant intraspecific density and varying heterospecific density, i.e. varying relative frequency of both species. Mate choice was frequency-dependent in both species with a higher risk of cross-mating with increasing heterospecific frequency, while conspecific mating increased linearly with increasing conspecific density. This illustrates that reproductive barriers could be altered by environmental change, if the relative frequency of species pairs is affected. Moreover, we performed a microsatellite analysis to detect hybridization in twelve syntopic populations (and four allotopic populations). Hybrids were detected in nearly all syntopic populations with hybridization rates reaching up to 8.9 %. Genetic diversity increased for both species when hybrids were included in the data set, but only in the common species a positive correlation between hybridization rate and genetic diversity was detected. Our study illustrates that the relative frequency of the two species strongly determines the effectiveness of reproductive barriers and that even the more choosy species (Ch. montanus) may face a higher risk of hybridization if population size decreases and its relative frequency becomes low compared to its sister species. The asymmetric mate preferences of both species may lead to quasi-unidirectional gene flow caused by unidirectional

Species tree estimation for the late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, and close relatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Blair, Jaime E; Coffey, Michael D; Martin, Frank N

2012-01-01

To better understand the evolutionary history of a group of organisms, an accurate estimate of the species phylogeny must be known. Traditionally, gene trees have served as a proxy for the species tree, although it was acknowledged early on that these trees represented different evolutionary processes. Discordances among gene trees and between the gene trees and the species tree are also expected in closely related species that have rapidly diverged, due to processes such as the incomplete sorting of ancestral polymorphisms. Recently, methods have been developed for the explicit estimation of species trees, using information from multilocus gene trees while accommodating heterogeneity among them. Here we have used three distinct approaches to estimate the species tree for five Phytophthora pathogens, including P. infestans, the causal agent of late blight disease in potato and tomato. Our concatenation-based "supergene" approach was unable to resolve relationships even with data from both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and from multiple isolates per species. Our multispecies coalescent approach using both Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods was able to estimate a moderately supported species tree showing a close relationship among P. infestans, P. andina, and P. ipomoeae. The topology of the species tree was also identical to the dominant phylogenetic history estimated in our third approach, Bayesian concordance analysis. Our results support previous suggestions that P. andina is a hybrid species, with P. infestans representing one parental lineage. The other parental lineage is not known, but represents an independent evolutionary lineage more closely related to P. ipomoeae. While all five species likely originated in the New World, further study is needed to determine when and under what conditions this hybridization event may have occurred.

Host plant use among closely related Anaea butterfly species (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Charaxinae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

QUEIROZ J. M.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available There is a great number of Charaxinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae species in the tropics whose larvae feed on several plant families. However the genus Anaea is almost always associated with Croton species (Euphorbiaceae. This work describes patterns of host plant use by immature and adult abundance on different vertical strata of sympatric Anaea species in a forest of Southeastern Brazil. Quantitative samples of leaves were taken in April/1999 and May/2000 to collect eggs and larvae of four Anaea species on C.alchorneicarpus, C. floribundus and C. salutaris in a semideciduous forest. Sampled leaves were divided into three classes of plant phenological stage: saplings, shrubs and trees. The results showed that the butterfly species are segregating in host plant use on two scales: host plant species and plant phenological stages. C. alchorneicarpus was used by only one Anaea species, whereas C. floribundus was used by three species and C. salutaris by four Anaea species. There was one Anaea species concentrated on sapling, another on sapling/shrub and two others on shrub/tree leaves. Adults of Anaea were more frequent at canopy traps but there were no differences among species caught in traps at different vertical positions. This work supplements early studies on host plant use among Charaxinae species and it describes how a guild of closely related butterfly species may be organized in a complex tropical habitat.

CHEMICAL RISKS TO THREATENED AND ENDANGERED FISH SPECIES AT CONCENTRATIONS BELOW WATER QUALITY CRITERIA: IS IT FEASIBLE TO ENSURE PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUALS

Science.gov (United States)

The USGS Laboratory in Columbia, Missouri has evaluated the acute sensitivities of 17 threatened and endangered fish species (including three salmonids), to five different chemicals (carbaryl, copper, 4-nonylphenol, pentachlorophenol, and permethrin). The results of these studie...

Lactobacillus herbarum sp. nov., a species related to Lactobacillus plantarum.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yuejian; Chen, Meng; Horvath, Philippe

2015-12-01

Strain TCF032-E4 was isolated from a traditional Chinese fermented radish. It shares >99% 16S rRNA sequence identity with L. plantarum, L. pentosus and L. paraplantarum. This strain can ferment ribose, galactose, glucose, fructose, mannose, mannitol, N-acetylglucosamine, amygdalin, arbutin, salicin, cellobiose, maltose, lactose, melibiose, trehalose and gentiobiose. It cannot ferment sucrose, which can be used by L. pentosus, L. paraplantarum, L. fabifermentans, L. xiangfangensis and L. mudanjiangensis, as well as most of the L. plantarum strains (88.7%). TCF032-E4 cannot grow at temperature above 32 °C. This strain shares 78.2-83.6% pheS (phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase alpha subunit) and 89.5-94.9% rpoA (RNA polymerase alpha subunit) sequence identity with L. plantarum, L. pentosus, L. paraplantarum, L. fabifermentans, L. xiangfangensis and L. mudanjiangensis. These results indicate that TCF032-E4 represents a distinct species. This hypothesis was further confirmed by whole-genome sequencing and comparison with available genomes of related species. The draft genome size of TCF032-E4 is approximately 2.9 Mb, with a DNA G+C content of 43.5 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) between TCF032-E4 and related species ranges from 79.0 to 81.1%, the highest ANI value being observed with L. plantarum subsp. plantarum ATCC 14917T. A novel species, Lactobacillus herbarum sp. nov., is proposed with TCF032-E4T ( = CCTCC AB2015090T = DSM 100358T) as the type strain.

Physico-chemical behavior of radionuclides in seawater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Yuichiro; Ogawa, Yoshihiro; Honda, Yoshihide; Katsurayama, Kosuke.

1980-01-01

To elucidate the physico-chemical states of radionuclides in seawater in relation to uptake by the marine biosphere, the physicochemical behavior of radiocobalt, radioruthenium and radiocerium in seawater was investigated by electrodialysis, high-voltage paper electrophoresis, and also by paper chromatography for nitrosylruthenium complexes. Most of the radiocobalt in seawater behaved as dialytic cations. However, these cationic species were not necessarily simple divalent, because their electrophoretic bands were rather diffuse and showed two peaks temporarily. The electroneutral form also increased with aging in seawater. The radioruthenium in seawater showed relatively a number of well-defined species which could be readily classified into anionic, cationic, electroneutral, colloidal or particulate, non-dialytic and more or less adsorbable species. The radioruthenium in the chloro and nitratonitrosylruthenium complexes occurred mainly electroneutral and anionic species, while nitro and binuclear oxygen-bridged nitratonitrosylruthenium complexes showed dominant anionic species. The hydrolysis of higher nitro and nitratonitrosylruthenium complexes to lower ones was demonstrated with aging in seawater by paper chromatography. The radiocerium in seawater showed initially cationic species. However, the electroneutral and anionic species were revealed with aging by electrodialysis. The radiocerium were strongly adsorbed on filter paper at the starting band in paper electrophoresis, presumably because of the formation of strongly adsorbable or insoluble hydrolytic species or particle formation. (author)

Chemical variation in a dominant tree species: population divergence, selection and genetic stability across environments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julianne M O'Reilly-Wapstra

Full Text Available Understanding among and within population genetic variation of ecologically important plant traits provides insight into the potential evolutionary processes affecting those traits. The strength and consistency of selection driving variability in traits would be affected by plasticity in differences among genotypes across environments (G×E. We investigated population divergence, selection and environmental plasticity of foliar plant secondary metabolites (PSMs in a dominant tree species, Eucalyptus globulus. Using two common garden trials we examined variation in PSMs at multiple genetic scales; among 12 populations covering the full geographic range of the species and among up to 60 families within populations. Significant genetic variation in the expression of many PSMs resides both among and within populations of E. globulus with moderate (e.g., sideroxylonal A h(2op = 0.24 to high (e.g., macrocarpal G h(2op = 0.48 narrow sense heritabilities and high coefficients of additive genetic variation estimated for some compounds. A comparison of Qst and Fst estimates suggest that variability in some of these traits may be due to selection. Importantly, there was no genetic by environment interaction in the expression of any of the quantitative chemical traits despite often significant site effects. These results provide evidence that natural selection has contributed to population divergence in PSMs in E. globulus, and identifies the formylated phloroglucinol compounds (particularly sideroxylonal and a dominant oil, 1,8-cineole, as candidates for traits whose genetic architecture has been shaped by divergent selection. Additionally, as the genetic differences in these PSMs that influence community phenotypes is stable across environments, the role of plant genotype in structuring communities is strengthened and these genotypic differences may be relatively stable under global environmental changes.

Long-term changes in species composition and relative abundances of sharks at a provisioning site.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juerg M Brunnschweiler

Full Text Available Diving with sharks, often in combination with food baiting/provisioning, has become an important product of today's recreational dive industry. Whereas the effects baiting/provisioning has on the behaviour and abundance of individual shark species are starting to become known, there is an almost complete lack of equivalent data from multi-species shark diving sites. In this study, changes in species composition and relative abundances were determined at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, a multi-species shark feeding site in Fiji. Using direct observation sampling methods, eight species of sharks (bull shark Carcharhinus leucas, grey reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, whitetip reef shark Triaenodon obesus, blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus, tawny nurse shark Nebrius ferrugineus, silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus, sicklefin lemon shark Negaprion acutidens, and tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier displayed inter-annual site fidelity between 2003 and 2012. Encounter rates and/or relative abundances of some species changed over time, overall resulting in more individuals (mostly C. leucas of fewer species being encountered on average on shark feeding dives at the end of the study period. Differences in shark community composition between the years 2004-2006 and 2007-2012 were evident, mostly because N. ferrugineus, C. albimarginatus and N. acutidens were much more abundant in 2004-2006 and very rare in the period of 2007-2012. Two explanations are offered for the observed changes in relative abundances over time, namely inter-specific interactions and operator-specific feeding protocols. Both, possibly in combination, are suggested to be important determinants of species composition and encounter rates, and relative abundances at this shark provisioning site in Fiji. This study, which includes the most species from a spatially confined shark provisioning site to date, suggests that long-term provisioning may result in competitive

Long-term changes in species composition and relative abundances of sharks at a provisioning site.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunnschweiler, Juerg M; Abrantes, Kátya G; Barnett, Adam

2014-01-01

Diving with sharks, often in combination with food baiting/provisioning, has become an important product of today's recreational dive industry. Whereas the effects baiting/provisioning has on the behaviour and abundance of individual shark species are starting to become known, there is an almost complete lack of equivalent data from multi-species shark diving sites. In this study, changes in species composition and relative abundances were determined at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, a multi-species shark feeding site in Fiji. Using direct observation sampling methods, eight species of sharks (bull shark Carcharhinus leucas, grey reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, whitetip reef shark Triaenodon obesus, blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus, tawny nurse shark Nebrius ferrugineus, silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus, sicklefin lemon shark Negaprion acutidens, and tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier) displayed inter-annual site fidelity between 2003 and 2012. Encounter rates and/or relative abundances of some species changed over time, overall resulting in more individuals (mostly C. leucas) of fewer species being encountered on average on shark feeding dives at the end of the study period. Differences in shark community composition between the years 2004-2006 and 2007-2012 were evident, mostly because N. ferrugineus, C. albimarginatus and N. acutidens were much more abundant in 2004-2006 and very rare in the period of 2007-2012. Two explanations are offered for the observed changes in relative abundances over time, namely inter-specific interactions and operator-specific feeding protocols. Both, possibly in combination, are suggested to be important determinants of species composition and encounter rates, and relative abundances at this shark provisioning site in Fiji. This study, which includes the most species from a spatially confined shark provisioning site to date, suggests that long-term provisioning may result in competitive exclusion among shark

Traits related to species persistence and dispersal explain changes in plant communities subjected to habitat loss

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marini, Lorenzo; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Heikkinen, Risto

2012-01-01

Aim Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss but it is insufficiently known how much its effects vary among species with different life-history traits; especially in plant communities, the understanding of the role of traits related to species persistence and dispersal in dete...... rural landscapes in NW Europe, mitigating the spatial isolation of remaining grasslands should be accompanied by restoration measures aimed at improving habitat quality for low competitors, abiotically dispersed and perennial, clonal species.......Aim Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss but it is insufficiently known how much its effects vary among species with different life-history traits; especially in plant communities, the understanding of the role of traits related to species persistence and dispersal...... in determining dynamics of species communities in fragmented landscapes is still limited. The primary aim of this study was to test how plant traits related to persistence and dispersal and their interactions modify plant species vulnerability to decreasing habitat area and increasing isolation. Location Five...

Polymorphic microsatellite markers for the endangered fish, the slender shiner Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa and cross-species amplification across five related species.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, K S; Moon, S J; Han, S H; Kim, K Y; Bang, I C

2016-09-02

The slender shiner Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa (Cypriniformes; Cyprinidae; Gobioninae) is an endangered freshwater fish species endemic to Korea. The current strategies for its conservation involve the study of population genetic characters and identification of management units. These strategies require suitable molecular markers to study genetic diversity and genetic structure. Here, we developed nine polymorphic microsatellite markers for P. tenuicorpa for the first time by applying an enrichment method from a size-selected genomic library. The developed microsatellite markers produced a total of 101 alleles (average 11.2). The observed and expected heterozygosities averaged 0.805 and 0.835, respectively. Among the nine identified markers, five markers showed successful amplification across five related Korean Gobioninae species. Thus, the microsatellite markers developed in this study will be useful to establish conservation strategies for both P. tenuicorpa and other related species.

Catheter-related bacteraemia and infective endocarditis caused by Kocuria species.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, C C; Wang, J Y; Lin, S H; Tan, C K; Wang, C Y; Liao, C H; Chou, C H; Huang, Y T; Lin, H I; Hsueh, P R

2011-02-01

We describe five patients with positive blood culture for Kocuria species. Three patients had catheter-related bacteraemia and one had infective endocarditis caused by Kocuria kristinae, and one had a K. marina isolate, which was considered to be a contaminant. Identification of the isolates was further confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In conclusion, Kocuria species are an unusual cause of infection in immunocompromised patients. Accurate identification with molecular methods is imperative for the diagnosis of these unusual pathogens. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Model analysis of the chemical conversion of exhaust species in the expanding plumes of subsonic aircraft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moellhoff, M.; Hendricks, J.; Lippert, E.; Petry, H. [Koeln Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Geophysik und Meteorologie; Sausen, R. [Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik der Atmosphaere

1997-12-31

A box model and two different one-dimensional models are used to investigate the chemical conversion of exhaust species in the dispersing plume of a subsonic aircraft flying at cruise altitude. The effect of varying daytime of release as well as the impact of changing dispersion time is studied with special respect to the aircraft induced O{sub 3} production. Effective emission amounts for consideration in mesoscale and global models are calculated. Simulations with modified photolysis rates are performed to show the sensitivity of the photochemistry to the occurrence of cirrus clouds. (author) 8 refs.

Model analysis of the chemical conversion of exhaust species in the expanding plumes of subsonic aircraft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moellhoff, M; Hendricks, J; Lippert, E; Petry, H [Koeln Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Geophysik und Meteorologie; Sausen, R [Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik der Atmosphaere

1998-12-31

A box model and two different one-dimensional models are used to investigate the chemical conversion of exhaust species in the dispersing plume of a subsonic aircraft flying at cruise altitude. The effect of varying daytime of release as well as the impact of changing dispersion time is studied with special respect to the aircraft induced O{sub 3} production. Effective emission amounts for consideration in mesoscale and global models are calculated. Simulations with modified photolysis rates are performed to show the sensitivity of the photochemistry to the occurrence of cirrus clouds. (author) 8 refs.

Expanding the species and chemical diversity of Penicillium section Cinnamopurpurea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peterson, Stephen W.; Jurjević, Željko; Frisvad, Jens Christian

2015-01-01

isolates and sequenced. Two species in section Cinnamopurpurea are self-compatible sexual species, but the asexual species had polymorphic loci suggestive of sexual reproduction and variation in conidium size suggestive of ploidy level differences typical of heterothallism. Accordingly we use genealogical...... concordance analysis, a technique valid only in heterothallic organisms, for putatively asexual species. Seven new species were revealed in the analysis and are described here. Extrolite analysis showed that two of the new species, P. colei and P. monsserratidens produce the mycotoxin citreoviridin that has...

Species tree estimation for the late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, and close relatives.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime E Blair

Full Text Available To better understand the evolutionary history of a group of organisms, an accurate estimate of the species phylogeny must be known. Traditionally, gene trees have served as a proxy for the species tree, although it was acknowledged early on that these trees represented different evolutionary processes. Discordances among gene trees and between the gene trees and the species tree are also expected in closely related species that have rapidly diverged, due to processes such as the incomplete sorting of ancestral polymorphisms. Recently, methods have been developed for the explicit estimation of species trees, using information from multilocus gene trees while accommodating heterogeneity among them. Here we have used three distinct approaches to estimate the species tree for five Phytophthora pathogens, including P. infestans, the causal agent of late blight disease in potato and tomato. Our concatenation-based "supergene" approach was unable to resolve relationships even with data from both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and from multiple isolates per species. Our multispecies coalescent approach using both Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods was able to estimate a moderately supported species tree showing a close relationship among P. infestans, P. andina, and P. ipomoeae. The topology of the species tree was also identical to the dominant phylogenetic history estimated in our third approach, Bayesian concordance analysis. Our results support previous suggestions that P. andina is a hybrid species, with P. infestans representing one parental lineage. The other parental lineage is not known, but represents an independent evolutionary lineage more closely related to P. ipomoeae. While all five species likely originated in the New World, further study is needed to determine when and under what conditions this hybridization event may have occurred.

Chemical defense of early life stages of benthic marine invertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindquist, Niels

2002-10-01

Accurate knowledge of factors affecting the survival of early life stages of marine invertebrates is critically important for understanding their population dynamics and the evolution of their diverse reproductive and life-history characteristics. Chemical defense is an important determinant of survival for adult stages of many sessile benthic invertebrates, yet relatively little consideration has been given to chemical defenses at the early life stages. This review examines the taxonomic breadth of early life-stage chemical defense in relation to various life-history and reproductive characteristics, as well as possible constraints on the expression of chemical defense at certain life stages. Data on the localization of defensive secondary metabolites in larvae and the fitness-related consequences of consuming even a small amount of toxic secondary metabolites underpin proposals regarding the potential for Müllerian and Batesian mimicry to occur among marine larvae. The involvement of microbial symbionts in the chemical defense of early life stages illustrates its complexity for some species. As our knowledge of chemical defenses in early life stages grows, we will be able to more rigorously examine connections among phylogeny, chemical defenses, and the evolution of reproductive and life-history characteristics among marine invertebrates.

Effect of widespread agricultural chemical use on butterfly diversity across Turkish provinces.

Science.gov (United States)

Pekin, Burak K

2013-12-01

Although agricultural intensification is thought to pose a significant threat to species, little is known about its role in driving biodiversity loss at regional scales. I assessed the effects of a major component of agricultural intensification, agricultural chemical use, and land-cover and climatic variables on butterfly diversity across 81 provinces in Turkey, where agriculture is practiced extensively but with varying degrees of intensity. I determined butterfly species presence in each province from data on known butterfly distributions and calculated agricultural chemical use as the proportion of agricultural households that use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I used constrained correspondence analyses and regression-based multimodel inference to determine the effect of environmental variables on species composition and richness, respectively. The variation in butterfly species composition across the provinces was largely explained (78%) by the combination of agricultural chemical use, particularly pesticides, and climatic and land-cover variables. Although overall butterfly richness was primarily explained by climatic and land-cover variables, such as the area of natural vegetation cover, threatened butterfly richness and the relative number of threatened butterfly species decreased substantially as the proportion of agricultural households using pesticides increased. These findings suggest that widespread use of agricultural chemicals, or other components of agricultural intensification that may be collinear with pesticide use, pose an imminent threat to the biodiversity of Turkey. Accordingly, policies that mitigate agricultural intensification and promote low-input farming practices are crucial for protecting threatened species from extinction in rapidly industrializing nations such as Turkey. Efectos del Uso Extensivo de Agroquímicos sobre la Diversidad de Mariposas en Provincias Turcas. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Commelina Species Control with Desiccants Alone and in Mixtures

OpenAIRE

FERREIRA, S.D.; SALVALAGGIO, A.C.; MORATELLI, G.; VASCONCELOS, E.D.; COSTA, N.V.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical control of the species C. benghalensis and C. erecta with desiccants alone and mixtures, as well as the spreading of spray droplets on the leaf surfaces. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 x 16 factorial arrangement with four replications, totaling 32 treatments and 128 plots. The first factor is related to the species C. benghalensis and C. erecta and the second factor corresponds to the treatments carfe...

Tree resin composition, collection behavior and selective filters shape chemical profiles of tropical bees (Apidae: Meliponini.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara D Leonhardt

Full Text Available The diversity of species is striking, but can be far exceeded by the chemical diversity of compounds collected, produced or used by them. Here, we relate the specificity of plant-consumer interactions to chemical diversity applying a comparative network analysis to both levels. Chemical diversity was explored for interactions between tropical stingless bees and plant resins, which bees collect for nest construction and to deter predators and microbes. Resins also function as an environmental source for terpenes that serve as appeasement allomones and protection against predators when accumulated on the bees' body surfaces. To unravel the origin of the bees' complex chemical profiles, we investigated resin collection and the processing of resin-derived terpenes. We therefore analyzed chemical networks of tree resins, foraging networks of resin collecting bees, and their acquired chemical networks. We revealed that 113 terpenes in nests of six bee species and 83 on their body surfaces comprised a subset of the 1,117 compounds found in resins from seven tree species. Sesquiterpenes were the most variable class of terpenes. Albeit widely present in tree resins, they were only found on the body surface of some species, but entirely lacking in others. Moreover, whereas the nest profile of Tetragonula melanocephala contained sesquiterpenes, its surface profile did not. Stingless bees showed a generalized collecting behavior among resin sources, and only a hitherto undescribed species-specific "filtering" of resin-derived terpenes can explain the variation in chemical profiles of nests and body surfaces from different species. The tight relationship between bees and tree resins of a large variety of species elucidates why the bees' surfaces contain a much higher chemodiversity than other hymenopterans.

Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Schelfhout

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Earthworms are key organisms in forest ecosystems because they incorporate organic material into the soil and affect the activity of other soil organisms. Here, we investigated how tree species affect earthworm communities via litter and soil characteristics. In a 36-year old common garden experiment, replicated six times over Denmark, six tree species were planted in blocks: sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus, beech (Fagus sylvatica, ash (Fraxinus excelsior, Norway spruce (Picea abies, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur and lime (Tilia cordata. We studied the chemical characteristics of soil and foliar litter, and determined the forest floor turnover rate and the density and biomass of the earthworm species occurring in the stands. Tree species significantly affected earthworm communities via leaf litter and/or soil characteristics. Anecic earthworms were abundant under Fraxinus, Acer and Tilia, which is related to calcium-rich litter and low soil acidification. Epigeic earthworms were indifferent to calcium content in leaf litter and were shown to be mainly related to soil moisture content and litter C:P ratios. Almost no earthworms were found in Picea stands, likely because of the combined effects of recalcitrant litter, low pH and low soil moisture content.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND in vitro GAS PRODUCTION OF SOME LEGUME BROWSE SPECIES IN SUBTROPICAL AREAS OF MEXICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos A Garcia Montes de Oca

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to determine the chemical composition and in vitro gas production of different legume and wild arboreal pods. Seven seeds of legume browse species, Mexican calabash (Crescentia alata, esculent leadtree (Leucaena esculenta, guamuchil (Phitecellobium dulce, bastard cedar (Guazuma ulmifolia, needle bush (Acacia farnesiana, mimosa (Mimosa sp. and elephant ear tree (Enterolobium cyclocarpum. Were evaluated for their chemical composition (g/kg DM and in vitro gas production pattern. Crude Protein was higher for L. esculenta (220 and lower for G. ulmifolia (70. Neutral and acid detergent fiber were higher for G. ulmifolia (687 and 554 and lower for A. farnesiana (267 and 176. Lignin was higher for Mimosa sp. (219 and lower for P. dulce (81. Total gas production (ml gas/g DM of P. dulce (187 and E. cyclocarpum (164 were higher (P

A new numerical model of the middle atmosphere. 2: Ozone and related species

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Rolando R.; Solomon, Susan

1994-01-01

A new two-dimensional model with detailed photochemistry is presented. The model includes descriptions of planetary wave and gravity wave propagation and dissipation to characterize the wave forcing and associated mixing in the stratosphere and mesosphere. Such a representation allows for explicit calculation of the regions of strong mixing in the middle atmosphere required for accurate simulation of trace gas transport. The new model also includes a detailed description of photochemical processes in the stratosphere and mesosphere. The downward transport of H2, H2O, and NO(y) from the mesosphere to the stratosphere is examined, and it is shown that mesospheric processes can influence the distributions of these chemical species in polar regions. For HNO3 we also find that small concentrations of liquid aerosols above 30 km could play a major role in determining the abundance in polar winter at high latitudes. The model is also used to examine the chemical budget of ozone in the midlatitude stratosphere and to set constraints on the effectiveness of bromine relative to chlorine for ozone loss and the role of the HO2 + BrO reaction. Recent laboratory data used in this modeling study suggest that this process greatly enhances the effectiveness of bromine for ozone destruction, making bromine-catalyzed chemistry second only to HO(x)-catalyzed ozone destruction in the contemporary stratosphere at midlatitudes below about 18 km. The calculated vertical distribution of ozone in the lower stratosphere agrees well with observations, as does the total column ozone during most seasons and latitudes, with the important exception of southern hemisphere winter and spring.

Artificial light at night affects sleep behaviour differently in two closely related songbird species.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jiachen; Raap, Thomas; Pinxten, Rianne; Eens, Marcel

2017-12-01

Artificial light at night (ALAN) or light pollution is an increasing and worldwide problem. There is growing concern that because of the disruption of natural light cycles, ALAN may pose serious risks for wildlife. While ALAN has been shown to affect many aspects of animal behaviour and physiology, few studies have experimentally studied whether individuals of different species in the wild respond differently to ALAN. Here, we investigated the effect of ALAN on sleep behaviour in two closely related songbird species inhabiting the same study area and roosting/breeding in similar nest boxes. We experimentally exposed free-living great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to artificial light inside their nest boxes and observed changes in their sleep behaviour compared to the previous night when the nest boxes were dark. In line with previous studies, sleep behaviour of both species did not differ under dark conditions. ALAN disrupted sleep in both great and blue tits. However, compared to blue tits, great tits showed more pronounced effects and more aspects of sleep were affected. Light exposed great tits entered the nest boxes and fell asleep later, woke up and exited the nest boxes earlier, and the total sleep amount and sleep percentage were reduced. By contrast, these changes in sleep behaviour were not found in light exposed blue tits. Our field experiment, using exactly the same light manipulation in both species, provides direct evidence that two closely related species respond differently to ALAN, while their sleep behaviour under dark conditions was similar. Our research suggests that findings for one species cannot necessarily be generalised to other species, even closely-related species. Furthermore, species-specific effects could have implications for community dynamics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natural background levels and threshold values of chemical species in three large-scale groundwater bodies in Northern Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molinari, Antonio; Guadagnini, Laura; Marcaccio, Marco; Guadagnini, Alberto

2012-01-01

We analyze natural background levels (NBLs) and threshold values (TVs) of spatially distributed chemical species (NH 4 , B and As) which may be a potential pressure and concern in three large scale alluvial and fluvio-deltaic aquifers at different depths of the Apennines and Po river plains in Emilia–Romagna, Northern Italy. Our results are based on statistical methodologies designed to separate the natural and anthropogenic contributions in monitored concentrations by modeling the empirical distribution of the detected concentration with a mixture of probability density functions. Available chemical observations are taken over a 20 years period and are associated with different depths and cover planar investigation scales of the order of hundreds of kilometers. High concentration values detected for NH 4 and B appear to be related to high natural background levels. Due to interaction with the host rock in different geochemical environments we observed that concentration vary in time and space (including in depth) consistently with the hydrogeochemical features and the occurrence of natural attenuation mechanisms in the analyzed reservoirs. Conversely, estimated As NBLs are not consistent with the conceptual model of the hydrogeochemical behavior of the systems analyzed and experimental evidences of As content in aquifer cores. This is due to the inability of these techniques to incorporate the complex dynamics of the processes associated with the specific hydrogeochemical setting. Statistical analyses performed upon aggregating the concentration data according to different time observation windows allow identifying temporal dynamics of NBLs and TVs of target compounds within the observation time frame. Our results highlight the benefit of a dynamic monitoring process and analysis of well demarcated groundwater bodies to update the associated NBLs as a function of the temporal dependence of natural processes occurring in the subsurface. Monitoring protocols could

Preparation of Ti species coating hydrotalcite by chemical vapor deposition for photodegradation of azo dye.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Gaofei; Zeng, HongYan; Xu, Sheng; Chen, ChaoRong; Zhao, Quan; Liu, XiaoJun

2017-10-01

TiO 2 in anatase crystal phase is a very effective catalyst in the photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds in water. To improve its photocatalytic activity, the Ti-coating MgAl hydrotalcite (Ti-MgAl-LDH) was prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Response surface method (RSM) was employed to evaluate the effect of Ti species coating parameters on the photocatalytic activity, which was found to be affected by the furnace temperature, N 2 flow rate and influx time of precursor gas. Application of RSM successfully increased the photocatalytic efficiency of the Ti-MgAl-LDH in methylene blue photodegradation under UV irradiation, leading to improved economy of the process. According to the results from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunner-Emmet-Teller and Barrett-Joyner-Hallender, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra analyses, the Ti species (TiO 2 or/and Ti 4+ ) were successfully coated on the MgAl-LDH matrix. The Ti species on the surface of the Ti-MgAl-LDH lead to a higher photocatalytic performance than commercial TiO 2 -P25. The results suggested that CVD method provided a new approach for the industrial preparation of Ti-coating MgAl-LDH material with good photocatalytic performances. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Chemically-functionalized microcantilevers for detection of chemical, biological and explosive material

Science.gov (United States)

Pinnaduwage, Lal A [Knoxville, TN; Thundat, Thomas G [Knoxville, TN; Brown, Gilbert M [Knoxville, TN; Hawk, John Eric [Olive Branch, MS; Boiadjiev, Vassil I [Knoxville, TN

2007-04-24

A chemically functionalized cantilever system has a cantilever coated on one side thereof with a reagent or biological species which binds to an analyte. The system is of particular value when the analyte is a toxic chemical biological warfare agent or an explosive.

Chloroplast genome resources and molecular markers differentiate rubber dandelion species from weedy relatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yingxiao; Iaffaldano, Brian J; Zhuang, Xiaofeng; Cardina, John; Cornish, Katrina

2017-02-02

Rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz, TK) is being developed as a domestic source of natural rubber to meet increasing global demand. However, the domestication of TK is complicated by its colocation with two weedy dandelion species, Taraxacum brevicorniculatum (TB) and the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, TO). TB is often present as a seed contaminant within TK accessions, while TO is a pandemic weed, which may have the potential to hybridize with TK. To discriminate these species at the molecular level, and facilitate gene flow studies between the potential rubber crop, TK, and its weedy relatives, we generated genomic and marker resources for these three dandelion species. Complete chloroplast genome sequences of TK (151,338 bp), TO (151,299 bp), and TB (151,282 bp) were obtained using the Illumina GAII and MiSeq platforms. Chloroplast sequences were analyzed and annotated for all the three species. Phylogenetic analysis within Asteraceae showed that TK has a closer genetic distance to TB than to TO and Taraxacum species were most closely related to lettuce (Lactuca sativa). By sequencing multiple genotypes for each species and testing variants using gel-based methods, four chloroplast Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) variants were found to be fixed between TK and TO in large populations, and between TB and TO. Additionally, Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) resources developed for TO and TK permitted the identification of five nuclear species-specific SNP markers. The availability of chloroplast genomes of these three dandelion species, as well as chloroplast and nuclear molecular markers, will provide a powerful genetic resource for germplasm differentiation and purification, and the study of potential gene flow among Taraxacum species.

Unimodal models to relate species to environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braak, ter C.J.F.

1987-01-01

To assess the impact of environmental change on biological communities knowledge about species-environment relationships is indispensable. Ecologists attempt to uncover the relationships between species and environment from data obtained from field surveys. In the survey, species are scored on their

The characterisation of vapour-phase alkali metal-tellurium-oxygen species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomme, R.A.; Ogden, J.S.; Bowsher, B.R.

1986-10-01

Detailed assessments of hypothetical severe accidents in light water reactors require the identification of the chemical forms of the radionuclides in order to determine their transport characteristics. Caesium and tellurium are important volatile fission products in accident scenarios. This report describes detailed studies to characterise the chemical species that vaporise from heated mixtures of various alkali metal-tellurium-oxygen systems. The molecular species were characterised by a combination of quadrupole mass spectrometry and matrix isolation-infrared spectroscopy undertaken in conjunction with experiments involving oxygen-18 substitution. The resulting spectra were interpreted in terms of a vapour-phase molecule with the stoichiometry M 2 TeO 3 (M = K,Rb,Cs) for M/Te molecular ratios of ∼ 2, and polymeric species for ratios < 2. This work has demonstrated the stability of caesium tellurite. The formation of this relatively low-volatility, water-soluble species could significantly modify the transport and release of caesium and tellurium. The data presented in this report should allow more comprehensive thermodynamic calculations to be undertaken that assist in the quantification of fission product behaviour during severe reactor accidents. (author)

Rotational spectra of rare isotopic species of fluoroiodomethane: determination of the equilibrium structure from rotational spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Puzzarini, Cristina; Cazzoli, Gabriele; López, Juan Carlos; Alonso, José Luis; Baldacci, Agostino; Baldan, Alessandro; Stopkowicz, Stella; Cheng, Lan; Gauss, Jürgen

2012-07-14

Supported by accurate quantum-chemical calculations, the rotational spectra of the mono- and bi-deuterated species of fluoroiodomethane, CHDFI and CD(2)FI, as well as of the (13)C-containing species, (13)CH(2)FI, were recorded for the first time. Three different spectrometers were employed, a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer, a millimeter/submillimter-wave spectrometer, and a THz spectrometer, thus allowing to record a huge portion of the rotational spectrum, from 5 GHz up to 1.05 THz, and to accurately determine the ground-state rotational and centrifugal-distortion constants. Sub-Doppler measurements allowed to resolve the hyperfine structure of the rotational spectrum and to determine the complete iodine quadrupole-coupling tensor as well as the diagonal elements of the iodine spin-rotation tensor. The present investigation of rare isotopic species of CH(2)FI together with the results previously obtained for the main isotopologue [C. Puzzarini, G. Cazzoli, J. C. López, J. L. Alonso, A. Baldacci, A. Baldan, S. Stopkowicz, L. Cheng, and J. Gauss, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 174312 (2011); G. Cazzoli, A. Baldacci, A. Baldan, and C. Puzzarini, Mol. Phys. 109, 2245 (2011)] enabled us to derive a semi-experimental equilibrium structure for fluoroiodomethane by means of a least-squares fit procedure using the available experimental ground-state rotational constants together with computed vibrational corrections. Problems related to the missing isotopic substitution of fluorine and iodine were overcome thanks to the availability of an accurate theoretical equilibrium geometry (computed at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles level augmented by a perturbative treatment of triple excitations).

Physico-chemical findings related to the resilience of different soils ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

As part of an interdisciplinary study on Sustainable Agriculture in semiarid Areas (SASA) in south-central Tanzania, soils from five different locations were investigated for their mineralogical composition and physico-chemical characteristics in order to determine their resilience in relation to land use. The results of the ...

Nitrogen critical loads using biodiversity-related critical limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posch, Maximilian; Aherne, Julian; Hettelingh, Jean-Paul

2011-01-01

Critical loads are widely used in the effects-based assessment of emission reduction policies. While the impacts of acidification have diminished, there is increasing concern regarding the effects of nitrogen deposition on terrestrial ecosystems. In this context much attention has been focussed on empirical critical loads as well as simulations with linked geochemistry-vegetation models. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to adapt the widely used simple mass balance approach. This approach has the well-established benefit of easy regional applicability, while incorporating specified critical chemical criteria to protect specified receptors. As plant occurrence/biodiversity is related to both the nutrient and acidity status of an ecosystem, a single abiotic factor (chemical criterion) is not sufficient. Rather than an upper limit for deposition (i.e., critical load), linked nutrient nitrogen and acidity chemical criteria for plant occurrence result in an 'optimal' nitrogen and sulphur deposition envelope. - Highlights: → Mass balance critical load approaches for nutrient nitrogen remain useful. → Biodiversity-related limits are related to nutrient and acidity status. → Nutrient and acidity chemical criteria lead to optimal deposition envelopes. → Optimal loads support effects-based emission reduction policies. - Biodiversity-related critical limits lead to optimal nitrogen and sulphur deposition envelopes for plant species or species compositions.

Chemical constituents of Sweetpotato genotypes in relation to textural characteristics of processed French fries

Science.gov (United States)

Sweetpotato French fries (SPFF) are growing in popularity but limited information is available on SPFF textural properties in relation to chemical composition. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between chemical components of different sweetpotato varieties and textural characteristics...

Male mate recognition via cuticular hydrocarbons facilitates sexual isolation between sympatric leaf beetle sister species.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bin; Xue, Huai-Jun; Song, Ke-Qing; Liu, Jie; Li, Wen-Zhu; Nie, Rui-E; Yang, Xing-Ke

2014-11-01

Chemical signals in insects have been documented to play an important role in mate recognition, and divergence in chemical signals can often cause sexual isolation between closely related species or populations within species. We investigated the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), short distance chemical signals, in male mate recognition between the two sympatric elm leaf beetles, Pyrrhalta maculicollis and Pyrrhaltaaenescens. Mating experiments demonstrated that strong sexual isolation between the two species was driven by CHCs divergence. Males preferred to mate with conspecific females with intact conspecific CHCs or conspecific CHCs reapplied after removal. Males also preferred heterospecific females that were treated with conspecific CHCs. Chemical analysis showed that the CHC profiles differ significantly between species. In P. maculicollis dimethyl-branched alkanes between C29 and C35 account for the majority of the saturated alkanes while the CHC profile of P. aenescens mostly consisted of monomethyl-branched alkanes between C22 and C29. Additionally, some compounds, such as 12,18-diMeC32, 12,18-diMeC34, are unique to P. maculicollis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alpha proteobacteria of genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae): Epidemiology and characteristics of Anaplasma species related to veterinary and public health importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Atif, Farhan Ahmad

2016-05-01

The Anaplasma species are important globally distributed tick-transmitted bacteria of veterinary and public health importance. These pathogens, cause anaplasmosis in domestic and wild animal species including humans. Rhipicephalus, Ixodes, Dermacentor and Amblyomma genera of ticks are the important vectors of Anaplasma. Acute anaplasmosis is usually diagnosed upon blood smear examination followed by antibodies and nucleic acid detection. All age groups are susceptible but prevalence increases with age. Serological cross-reactivity is one of the important issues among Anaplasma species. They co-exist and concurrent infections occur in animals and ticks in same geographic area. These are closely related bacteria and share various common attributes which should be considered while developing vaccines and diagnostic assays. Movement of susceptible animals from non-endemic to endemic regions is the major risk factor of bovine/ovine anaplasmosis and tick-borne fever. Tetracyclines are currently available drugs for clearance of infection and treatment in humans and animals. Worldwide vaccine is not yet available. Identification, elimination of reservoirs, vector control (chemical and biological), endemic stability, habitat modification, rearing of tick resistant breeds, chemotherapy and tick vaccination are major control measures of animal anaplasmosis. Identification of reservoirs and minimizing the high-risk tick exposure activities are important control strategies for human granulocytic anaplasmosis.

Genetic and chemical diversity of high mucilaginous plants of Sida complex by ISSR markers and chemical fingerprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Thul, Sanjog T; Srivastava, Ankit K; Singh, Subhash C; Shanker, Karuna

2011-09-01

A method was developed based on multiple approaches wherein DNA and chemical analysis was carried out toward differentiation of important species of Sida complex that is being used for commercial preparation. Isolated DNA samples were successfully performed through PCR amplification using ISSR markers and degree of genetic diversity among the different species of Sida is compared with that of chemical diversity. For genetic fingerprint investigation, selected 10 ISSR primers generating reproducible banding patterns were used. Among the total of 63 amplicons, 62 were recorded as polymorphic, genetic similarity index deduced from ISSR profiles ranged from 12 to 51%. Based on similarity index, S. acuta and S. rhombifolia found to be most similar (51%). High number of species-specific bands played pivotal role to delineate species at genetic level. Investigation based on HPTLC fingerprints analysis revealed 23 bands representing to characteristic chemicals and similarity index ranged from 73 to 91%. Prominent distinguishable bands were observed only in S. acuta, while S. cordifolia and S. rhombifolia shared most bands making them difficult to identify on chemical fingerprint basis. This report summarizes the genotypic and chemotypic diversity and the use of profiles for authentication of species of Sida complex.

Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation and speciation in three closely related Populus (Salicaceae) species.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Shuhui; Wang, Zhaoshan; Ingvarsson, Pär K; Wang, Dongsheng; Wang, Junhui; Wu, Zhiqiang; Tembrock, Luke R; Zhang, Jianguo

2015-10-01

Historical tectonism and climate oscillations can isolate and contract the geographical distributions of many plant species, and they are even known to trigger species divergence and ultimately speciation. Here, we estimated the nucleotide variation and speciation in three closely related Populus species, Populus tremuloides, P. tremula and P. davidiana, distributed in North America and Eurasia. We analysed the sequence variation in six single-copy nuclear loci and three chloroplast (cpDNA) fragments in 497 individuals sampled from 33 populations of these three species across their geographic distributions. These three Populus species harboured relatively high levels of nucleotide diversity and showed high levels of nucleotide differentiation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. tremuloides diverged earlier than the other two species. The cpDNA haplotype network result clearly illustrated the dispersal route from North America to eastern Asia and then into Europe. Molecular dating results confirmed that the divergence of these three species coincided with the sundering of the Bering land bridge in the late Miocene and a rapid uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau around the Miocene/Pliocene boundary. Vicariance-driven successful allopatric speciation resulting from historical tectonism and climate oscillations most likely played roles in the formation of the disjunct distributions and divergence of these three Populus species. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom): Comparing the Chemical Climatology of Reactive Species and Air Parcels from Measurements and Global Models

Science.gov (United States)

Prather, M. J.; Flynn, C.; Wennberg, P. O.; Kim, M. J.; Ryerson, T. B.; Hanisco, T. F.; Diskin, G. S.; Daube, B. C.; Commane, R.; McKain, K.; Apel, E. C.; Blake, N. J.; Blake, D. R.; Elkins, J. W.; Hall, S.; Steenrod, S.; Strahan, S. E.; Lamarque, J. F.; Fiore, A. M.; Horowitz, L. W.; Murray, L. T.; Mao, J.; Shindell, D. T.; Wofsy, S. C.

2017-12-01

The NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) is building a photochemical climatology of the remote troposphere based on objective sampling and profiling transects over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. These statistics provide direct tests of chemistry-climate models. The choice of species focuses on those controlling primary reactivity (a.k.a. oxidative state) of the troposphere, specifically chemical tendencies of O3 and CH4. These key species include, inter alia, O3, CH4, CO, C2H6, other alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, NOx, HNO3, HO2NO2, PAN, other organic nitrates, H2O, HCHO, H2O2, CH3OOH. Three of the four ATom deployments are now complete, and data from the first two (ATom-1 & -2) have been released as of this talk (see espoarchive.nasa.gov/archive/browse/atom). The statistical distributions of key species are presented as 1D and 2D probability densities (PDs) and we focus here on the tropical and mid-latitude regions of the Pacific during ATom-1 (Aug) and -2 (Feb). PDs are computed from ATom observations and 6 global chemistry models over the tropospheric depth (0-12 km) and longitudinal extent of the observations. All data are weighted to achieve equal mass-weighting by latitude regimes to account for spatial sampling biases. The models are used to calculate the reactivity in each ATom air parcel. Reweighting parcels with loss of CH4 or production of O3, for example, allows us to identify which air parcels are most influential, including assessment of the importance of fine pollution layers in the most remote troposphere. Another photochemical climatology developed from ATom, and used to test models, includes the effect of clouds on photolysis rates. The PDs and reactivity-weighted PDs reveal important seasonal differences and similarities between the two campaigns and also show which species may be most important in controlling reactivities. They clearly identify some very specific failings in the modeled climatologies and help us evaluate the chemical

Relative lack of regeneration of shade-intolerant canopy species in some South African forests

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Midgley, JJ

1995-01-01

Full Text Available Some species such as Celtis Africana, are experiencing relative recruitment bottlenecks, because there are usually fewer recruits [i.e. individuals <20 cm diameter at breast height, (dbh)] than canopy individuals. The species with low recruitment...

Contrasting extremes in water-related stresses determine species survival

Science.gov (United States)

Bartholomeus, R. P.; Witte, J. P. M.; van Bodegom, P. M.; van Dam, J. C.; Aerts, R.

2012-04-01

In temperate climates, soil moisture, in concert with nutrient availability and soil acidity, is the most important environmental filter in determining local plant species composition, as it determines the availability of both oxygen and water to plant roots. These resources are indispensable for meeting the physiological demands of plants. Especially the occurrence of both excessive dry and wet moisture conditions at a particular site has strong implications for the survival of species, because plants need traits that allow them to respond to such counteracting conditions. However, adapting to one stress may go at the cost of the other, i.e. there exists a trade-off in the tolerance for wet conditions and the tolerance for dry conditions. Until now, both large-scale (global) and plot-scale effects of soil moisture conditions on plant species composition have mostly been investigated through indirect environmental measures, which do not include the key soil physical and plant physiological processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Moreover, researchers only determined effects of one of the water-related stresses, i.e. either oxygen or drought stress. In order to quantify both oxygen and drought stress with causal measures, we focused on interacting meteorological, soil physical, microbial, and plant physiological processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. We simulated these plant stresses with a novel, process-based approach, incorporating in detail the interacting processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere interface. High variability and extremes in resource availability can be highly detrimental to plant species ('you can only die once'). We show that co-occurrence of oxygen and drought stress reduces the percentage of specialists within a vegetation plot. The percentage of non-specialists within a vegetation plot, however, decreases significantly with increasing stress as long as only one of the stresses prevails, but increases significantly with an

Increased genetic divergence between two closely related fir species in areas of range overlap

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Abbott, Richard J; Ingvarsson, Pär K; Liu, Jianquan

2014-01-01

Because of introgressive hybridization, closely related species can be more similar to each other in areas of range overlap (parapatry or sympatry) than in areas where they are geographically isolated from each other (allopatry). Here, we report the reverse situation based on nuclear genetic divergence between two fir species, Abies chensiensis and Abies fargesii, in China, at sites where they are parapatric relative to where they are allopatric. We examined genetic divergence across 126 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers in a set of 172 individuals sampled from both allopatric and parapatric populations of the two species. Our analyses demonstrated that AFLP divergence was much greater between the species when comparisons were made between parapatric populations than between allopatric populations. We suggest that selection in parapatry may have largely contributed to this increased divergence. PMID:24772279

Population dynamics of earthworms in relation to soil physico-chemical parameters in agroforestry systems of Mizoram, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalthanzara, H; Ramanujam, S N; Jha, L K

2011-09-01

Earthworm population dynamics was studied in two agroforestry systems in the tropical hilly terrain of Mizoram, north-east India, over a period of 24 months, from July 2002 to June 2004. Two sites of agroforestry situated at Sakawrtuichhun (SKT) and Pachhunga University College (PUC) campus, Aizawl, having pineapple as the main crop, were selected for detail studies on population dynamics. Five of the total twelve species of earthworm reported from the state were recorded in the study sites. The density of earthworm ranged from 6 to 243 ind.m(-2) and biomass from 3.2 - 677.64 g.m(-2) in SKT. Comparatively the density and biomass in PUC, which is at relatively higher altitude were lowerwith a range of 0 to 176 ind.m(-2) and biomass from 0 - 391.36 g.m(-2) respectively. Population dynamics of earthworm was significantly correlated with rainfall and physical characters of the soil. Earthworm biomass was significantly affected by rainfall and moisture content of the soil. The influence of chemical factors was relatively less.

[Resources of Lycium species and related research progress].

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Jing-Zhou; Yang, Jun-Jun; Wang, Ying

2008-09-01

Solanaceae Lycium speices are deciduous shrubs. In ancient Chinese medicine works, Lycium plants are described to work well in nourshing liver and kidney, enhancing eyesight, enriching blood, invigorating sex, reducing rheumatism and so on. More of their functions such as immunity improvement, anti-oxydation, anti-aging, anti-cancer, growth stumulation, hemopoiesis enhancing, incretion regulating, blood sugar reducing, bearing improvement and many other new functions are conformed in modern clinic researches. Lycium is also widely used in brewing, beverage and many other products. The world Lycium-related researches are mostly on Lycium species genesis and evolution, sexual evolution, active ingredient separation and pharmacological effects. The future research direction is indicated in this article, molecular evolution and systematics rather than traditional taxonomy will do better in explanation of present global distribution of Lycium species; comparative genomics research on Lycium will be a whole new way to deep gene resources exploration; relationship of genetic diversity and active ingredient variation on L. barbarum and L. chinense will lay theory basis for new germplasm development, breeding, cultivation and production regionalization.

Establishment and intra-/inter-laboratory validation of a standard protocol of reactive oxygen species assay for chemical photosafety evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Onoue, Satomi; Hosoi, Kazuhiro; Wakuri, Shinobu; Iwase, Yumiko; Yamamoto, Toshinobu; Matsuoka, Naoko; Nakamura, Kazuichi; Toda, Tsuguto; Takagi, Hironori; Osaki, Naoto; Matsumoto, Yasuhiro; Kawakami, Satoru; Seto, Yoshiki; Kato, Masashi; Yamada, Shizuo; Ohno, Yasuo; Kojima, Hajime

2013-11-01

A reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay was previously developed for photosafety evaluation of pharmaceuticals, and the present multi-center study aimed to establish and validate a standard protocol for ROS assay. In three participating laboratories, two standards and 42 coded chemicals, including 23 phototoxins and 19 nonphototoxic drugs/chemicals, were assessed by the ROS assay according to the standardized protocol. Most phototoxins tended to generate singlet oxygen and/or superoxide under UV-vis exposure, but nonphototoxic chemicals were less photoreactive. In the ROS assay on quinine (200 µm), a typical phototoxic drug, the intra- and inter-day precisions (coefficient of variation; CV) were found to be 1.5-7.4% and 1.7-9.3%, respectively. The inter-laboratory CV for quinine averaged 15.4% for singlet oxygen and 17.0% for superoxide. The ROS assay on 42 coded chemicals (200 µm) provided no false negative predictions upon previously defined criteria as compared with the in vitro/in vivo phototoxicity, although several false positives appeared. Outcomes from the validation study were indicative of satisfactory transferability, intra- and inter-laboratory variability, and predictive capacity of the ROS assay. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chloroplast and mitochondrial microsatellites for Millettia pinnata (Fabaceae) and cross-amplification in related species.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanling; Xie, Hongxian; Yang, Yi; Huang, Yelin; Wang, Jianwu; Tan, Fengxiao

2017-05-01

Chloroplast and mitochondrial microsatellites were identified to study the population genetics of Millettia pinnata (Fabaceae). Based on publicly available plastid genome sequence data of M. pinnata , 42 primer pairs were developed, of which 17 displayed polymorphisms across 89 individuals from four populations. For chloroplast loci, two to six alleles were recovered and the unbiased haploid diversity per locus ranged from 0.391 to 0.857. For mitochondrial loci, two to four alleles were recovered and the unbiased haploid diversity ranged from 0.264 to 0.740. Sixteen of the 17 screened markers could be successfully amplified in the related species M. pulchra . The 17 microsatellite markers developed here exhibited variation in M. pinnata and 16 presented transferability in the related species M. pulchra , suggesting that these markers will be valuable for genetic studies across M. pinnata and its related species.

Metabolite production by species of Stemphylium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Kresten Jon Kromphardt; Rossman, Amy; Andersen, Birgitte

2018-01-01

metabolites were found to be important for distinguishing species, while some unknown metabolites were also found to have important roles in distinguishing species of Stemphylium. This study is the first of its kind to investigate the chemical potential of Stemphylium across the whole genus.......Morphology and phylogeny has been used to distinguish members of the plant pathogenic fungal genus Stemphylium. A third method for distinguishing species is by chemotaxonomy. The main goal of the present study was to investigate the chemical potential of Stemphylium via HPLC-UV-MS analysis, while...

Links between plant litter chemistry, species diversity, and below-ground ecosystem function.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Courtney L; Bowman, William D

2008-12-16

Decomposition is a critical source of plant nutrients, and drives the largest flux of terrestrial C to the atmosphere. Decomposing soil organic matter typically contains litter from multiple plant species, yet we lack a mechanistic understanding of how species diversity influences decomposition processes. Here, we show that soil C and N cycling during decomposition are controlled by the composition and diversity of chemical compounds within plant litter mixtures, rather than by simple metrics of plant species diversity. We amended native soils with litter mixtures containing up to 4 alpine plant species, and we used 9 litter chemical traits to evaluate the chemical composition (i.e., the identity and quantity of compounds) and chemical diversity of the litter mixtures. The chemical composition of the litter mixtures was the strongest predictor of soil respiration, net N mineralization, and microbial biomass N. Soil respiration and net N mineralization rates were also significantly correlated with the chemical diversity of the litter mixtures. In contrast, soil C and N cycling rates were poorly correlated with plant species richness, and there was no relationship between species richness and the chemical diversity of the litter mixtures. These results indicate that the composition and diversity of chemical compounds in litter are potentially important functional traits affecting decomposition, and simple metrics like plant species richness may fail to capture variation in these traits. Litter chemical traits therefore provide a mechanistic link between organisms, species diversity, and key components of below-ground ecosystem function.

Chemical Composition and in-Vitro Evaluation of the Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils Extracted from Seven Eucalyptus Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaffar, Abdul; Yameen, Muhammad; Kiran, Shumaila; Kamal, Shagufta; Jalal, Fatima; Munir, Bushra; Saleem, Sadaf; Rafiq, Naila; Ahmad, Aftab; Saba, Iram; Jabbar, Abdul

2015-11-18

Eucalyptus is well reputed for its use as medicinal plant around the globe. The present study was planned to evaluate chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the essential oils (EOs) extracted from seven Eucalyptus species frequently found in South East Asia (Pakistan). EOs from Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus melanophloia, Eucalyptus crebra, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus microtheca were extracted from leaves through hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the EOs was determined through GC-MS-FID analysis. The study revealed presence of 31 compounds in E. citriodora and E. melanophloia, 27 compounds in E. crebra, 24 compounds in E. tereticornis, 10 compounds in E. globulus, 13 compounds in E. camaldulensis and 12 compounds in E. microtheca. 1,8-Cineole (56.5%), α-pinene (31.4%), citrinyl acetate (13.3%), eugenol (11.8%) and terpenene-4-ol (10.2%) were the highest principal components in these EOs. E. citriodora exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against the five microbial species tested (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus solani). Gram positive bacteria were found more sensitive than Gram negative bacteria to all EOs. The diphenyl-1-picrylhydazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and percentage inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation were highest in E. citriodora (82.1% and 83.8%, respectively) followed by E. camaldulensis (81.9% and 83.3%, respectively). The great variation in chemical composition of EOs from Eucalyptus, highlight its potential for medicinal and nutraceutical applications.

Chemical Composition and in-Vitro Evaluation of the Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils Extracted from Seven Eucalyptus Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Ghaffar

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Eucalyptus is well reputed for its use as medicinal plant around the globe. The present study was planned to evaluate chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the essential oils (EOs extracted from seven Eucalyptus species frequently found in South East Asia (Pakistan. EOs from Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus melanophloia, Eucalyptus crebra, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus microtheca were extracted from leaves through hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the EOs was determined through GC-MS-FID analysis. The study revealed presence of 31 compounds in E. citriodora and E. melanophloia, 27 compounds in E. crebra, 24 compounds in E. tereticornis, 10 compounds in E. globulus, 13 compounds in E. camaldulensis and 12 compounds in E. microtheca. 1,8-Cineole (56.5%, α-pinene (31.4%, citrinyl acetate (13.3%, eugenol (11.8% and terpenene-4-ol (10.2% were the highest principal components in these EOs. E. citriodora exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against the five microbial species tested (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus solani. Gram positive bacteria were found more sensitive than Gram negative bacteria to all EOs. The diphenyl-1-picrylhydazyl (DPPH radical scavenging activity and percentage inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation were highest in E. citriodora (82.1% and 83.8%, respectively followed by E. camaldulensis (81.9% and 83.3%, respectively. The great variation in chemical composition of EOs from Eucalyptus, highlight its potential for medicinal and nutraceutical applications.

DNA barcoding of recently diverged species: relative performance of matching methods.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin van Velzen

Full Text Available Recently diverged species are challenging for identification, yet they are frequently of special interest scientifically as well as from a regulatory perspective. DNA barcoding has proven instrumental in species identification, especially in insects and vertebrates, but for the identification of recently diverged species it has been reported to be problematic in some cases. Problems are mostly due to incomplete lineage sorting or simply lack of a 'barcode gap' and probably related to large effective population size and/or low mutation rate. Our objective was to compare six methods in their ability to correctly identify recently diverged species with DNA barcodes: neighbor joining and parsimony (both tree-based, nearest neighbor and BLAST (similarity-based, and the diagnostic methods DNA-BAR, and BLOG. We analyzed simulated data assuming three different effective population sizes as well as three selected empirical data sets from published studies. Results show, as expected, that success rates are significantly lower for recently diverged species (∼75% than for older species (∼97% (P<0.00001. Similarity-based and diagnostic methods significantly outperform tree-based methods, when applied to simulated DNA barcode data (P<0.00001. The diagnostic method BLOG had highest correct query identification rate based on simulated (86.2% as well as empirical data (93.1%, indicating that it is a consistently better method overall. Another advantage of BLOG is that it offers species-level information that can be used outside the realm of DNA barcoding, for instance in species description or molecular detection assays. Even though we can confirm that identification success based on DNA barcoding is generally high in our data, recently diverged species remain difficult to identify. Nevertheless, our results contribute to improved solutions for their accurate identification.

Differential water mite parasitism, phenoloxidase activity, and resistance to mites are unrelated across pairs of related damselfly species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia J Mlynarek

Full Text Available Related host species often demonstrate differences in prevalence and/or intensity of infection by particular parasite species, as well as different levels of resistance to those parasites. The mechanisms underlying this interspecific variation in parasitism and resistance expression are not well understood. Surprisingly, few researchers have assessed relations between actual levels of parasitism and resistance to parasites seen in nature across multiple host species. The main goal of this study was to determine whether interspecific variation in resistance against ectoparasitic larval water mites either was predictive of interspecific variation in parasitism for ten closely related species of damselflies (grouped into five "species pairs", or was predicted by interspecific variation in a commonly used measure of innate immunity (total Phenoloxidase or potential PO activity. Two of five species pairs had interspecific differences in proportions of individuals resisting larval Arrenurus water mites, only one of five species pairs had species differences in prevalence of larval Arrenurus water mites, and another two of five species pairs showed species differences in mean PO activity. Within the two species pairs where species differed in proportion of individuals resisting mites the species with the higher proportion did not have correspondingly higher PO activity levels. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals resisting mites mirrored prevalence of parasitism in only one species pair. There was no interspecific variation in median intensity of mite infestation within any species pair. We conclude that a species' relative ability to resist particular parasites does not explain interspecific variation in parasitism within species pairs and that neither resistance nor parasitism is reflected by interspecific variation in total PO or potential PO activity.

Temporal-spatial dynamics in orthoptera in relation to nutrient availability and plant species richness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rob J J Hendriks

Full Text Available Nutrient availability in ecosystems has increased dramatically over the last century. Excess reactive nitrogen deposition is known to negatively impact plant communities, e.g. by changing species composition, biomass and vegetation structure. In contrast, little is known on how such impacts propagate to higher trophic levels. To evaluate how nitrogen deposition affects plants and herbivore communities through time, we used extensive databases of spatially explicit historical records of Dutch plant species and Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets, a group of animals that are particularly susceptible to changes in the C:N ratio of their resources. We use robust methods that deal with the unstandardized nature of historical databases to test whether nitrogen deposition levels and plant richness changes influence the patterns of richness change of Orthoptera, taking into account Orthoptera species functional traits. Our findings show that effects indeed also propagate to higher trophic levels. Differences in functional traits affected the temporal-spatial dynamics of assemblages of Orthoptera. While nitrogen deposition affected plant diversity, contrary to our expectations, we could not find a strong significant effect of food related traits. However we found that species with low habitat specificity, limited dispersal capacity and egg deposition in the soil were more negativly affected by nitrogen deposition levels. Despite the lack of significant effect of plant richness or food related traits on Orthoptera, the negative effects of nitrogen detected within certain trait groups (e.g. groups with limited disperse ability could be related to subtle changes in plant abundance and plant quality. Our results, however, suggest that the changes in soil conditions (where many Orthoptera species lay their eggs or other habitat changes driven by nitrogen have a stronger influence than food related traits. To fully evaluate the negative effects of nitrogen

The physico-chemical I-131 species in the exhaust air of a boiling water reactor (BWR 5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deuber, H.

1984-02-01

In a German boiling water reactor, the pysico-chemical I-131 species were determined in the plant exhaust and in the individual exhausts during four months. These measurements aimed in particular at determining the percentage and the source of the radiologically decisive elemental I-131 released to the environment. On an average 13% of the I-131 discharged with the plant exhaust consisted of elemental iodine. This was largely released with the exhausts from the reactor building and from the turbine building. The main component was organic-bound I. (orig./HP) [de

Phylogeography and systematics of zebra mussels and related species.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelembiuk, Gregory W; May, Gemma E; Lee, Carol Eunmi

2006-04-01

The genus Dreissena includes two widespread and aggressive aquatic invaders, the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and the quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis. This genus evolved in the Ponto-Caspian Sea basin, characterized by dynamic instability over multiple timescales and a unique evolutionary environment that may predispose to invasiveness. The objectives of this study were to gain insights into the demographic history of Dreissena species in their endemic range, to reconstruct intraspecific phylogeographic relationships among populations, and to clarify systematics of the genus, using DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. We found four deeply diverged clades within this genus, with a basal split that approximately coincided with the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Divergence events within the four base clades were much more recent, corresponding to geographically disjunct sets of populations, which might represent species complexes. Across all taxa, populations of Dreissena shared a common pattern of genetic signatures indicating historical population bottlenecks and expansions. Haplotype diversity was relatively low in Ponto-Caspian drainages relative to more stable tectonic lakes in Greece, Macedonia, and Turkey. The phylogeographic and demographic patterns in the endemic range of Dreissena might have resulted from vicariance events, habitat instability, and the high fecundity and passive dispersal of these organisms.

Chemical cues from females trigger male courtship behaviour in grasshoppers.

Science.gov (United States)

Finck, Jonas; Kuntze, Janine; Ronacher, Bernhard

2016-05-01

Gomphocerine grasshoppers use species-specific calling songs for sex recognition and mate attraction. In two closely related species, Chorthippus biguttulus and C. mollis, acoustic communication is the only experimentally characterized communication channel that elicits male courtship behaviour. However, courtship in these species involves extensive close-range interactions that are likely to be mediated by other signalling modalities, in particular chemical cues. We developed a bioassay to determine if female cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) act as chemical cues that induce courtship behaviour, and if males assess variation in CHCs to determine whether or not to court a female. The results of this approach provide evidence that grasshopper males use species- and sex-specific information from CHC signals and respond with a courtship song to the CHC profile of conspecific females but not to the CHC profile of heterospecific females and conspecific males. We conclude that males of C. biguttulus and C. mollis use multimodal channels for mating decisions, based on both acoustic and olfactory cues. We discuss various factors that might favour the evolution of male choosiness in grasshoppers.

Expanding the species and chemical diversity of Penicillium section Cinnamopurpurea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen W Peterson

Full Text Available A set of isolates very similar to or potentially conspecific with an unidentified Penicillium isolate NRRL 735, was assembled using a BLAST search of ITS similarity among described (GenBank and undescribed Penicillium isolates in our laboratories. DNA was amplified from six loci of the assembled isolates and sequenced. Two species in section Cinnamopurpurea are self-compatible sexual species, but the asexual species had polymorphic loci suggestive of sexual reproduction and variation in conidium size suggestive of ploidy level differences typical of heterothallism. Accordingly we use genealogical concordance analysis, a technique valid only in heterothallic organisms, for putatively asexual species. Seven new species were revealed in the analysis and are described here. Extrolite analysis showed that two of the new species, P. colei and P. monsserratidens produce the mycotoxin citreoviridin that has demonstrated pharmacological activity against human lung tumors. These isolates could provide leads in pharmaceutical research.

Comparison of chemical profiles between the root and aerial parts from three Bupleurum species based on a UHPLC-QTOF-MS metabolomics approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lin; Liang, Zhi-Tao; Yi, Tao; Ma, Yue; Zhao, Zhong-Zhen; Guo, Bao-Lin; Zhang, Jian-Ye; Chen, Hu-Biao

2017-06-12

Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu) represents one of the most successful and widely used herbal medicines in Asia for the treatment of many diseases such as inflammatory disorders and infectious diseases over the past 2000 years. In the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Chaihu is recorded as the dried roots of Bupleurum chinense DC. and B. scorzonerifolium Willd. (Umbelliferae). However, the widespread demand for the herb has tended to far outstrip the supply. Whether the aerial parts, which account for 70 ~ 85% of the dry weights of Bupleurum species, could be used as an alternative for the root has become an important scientific issue for the sustainable utilization of Bupleurum species. On the other hand, in some areas including the southeast of China as well as in Spain, the aerial parts of Bupleurum species have already been used in the folk medications. Therefore, to clarify whether the root and aerial parts of Bupleurum species are "equivalent" in the types and quantities of chemical constituents which subsequently influence their biological activities and therapeutic effects is of great importance for both the rational and sustainable use of this herb. In the present study, the chemical profiles between the root and aerial parts of Bupleurum species from different species and collected from various locations were analyzed and compared by the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole/time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). A total of 56 peaks were identified in the root and/or aerial parts from different batches of Bupleurum species, by comparison of references standards or with those reported in the literature. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted for displaying the differentiating clustering between these two parts. The results disclosed the distinct variations between them, which indicated that the aerial parts could not be used as an alternative of root from a chemodiversity perspective. The differentiating markers resulted from the PCA

Consideration on thermodynamic data for predicting solubility and chemical species of elements in groundwater. Part 1: Tc, U, Am

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Takeda, Seiji [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1999-01-01

The solubility determines the release of radionuclides from waste form and is used as a source term in radionuclide migration analysis in performance assessment of radioactive waste repository. Complexations of radionuclides by ligands in groundwater affect the interaction between radionuclides and geologic media, thus affect their migration behavior. Thermodynamic data for Tc, Am and U were reviewed and compiled to be used for predicting the solubility and chemical species in groundwater. Thermodynamic data were reviewed with emphasis on the hydrolysis and carbonate complexation that can dominate the speciation in typical groundwater. Thermodynamic data for other species were selected based on existing database. Thermodynamic data for other important elements are under investigation, thus shown in an appendix for temporary use. (author)

75 FR 8053 - A Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-23

... EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket without change and to make the... Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change AGENCY... Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change...

MORPHO-CHEMICAL DESCRIPTION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT OCIMUM SPECIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KAKARAPARTHI PANDU SASTRY

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Basil is a popular medicinal and culinary herb, and its essential oils have been used extensively for many years in food products, perfumery, dental and oral products. Basil essential oils and their principal constituents were found to exhibit antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, yeast, and mould. The essential oils obtained from aerial parts of three different species of Ocimum comprising twenty one germplasm lines were investigated for their essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity during 2010. Essential oils from seventeen germplasm lines in Ocimum basilicum and two each in Ocimum tenuiflorum and Ocimum gratissimum were investigated for anti-microbial activity against four bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus sps., Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The morpho-chemotypes exhibited wide variability for morphological and chemical traits. Anti-bacterial activity was found to be high for Staphylococcus aureus, moderate for Escherichia coli, low for Bacillus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was highly resistant. The essential oils of Pale Green-Broad Leaves (O. basilicum and CIM Ayu (O. gratissimum exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli signifying them promising for anti-bacterial activity. No relationship was observed between chemotype specificity and anti-bacterial activity, indicating that apart from major components of essential oil, minor components and other factors may be responsible for anti-microbial activities.

Revisiting the definition of the electronic chemical potential, chemical hardness, and softness at finite temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco-Pérez, Marco; Gázquez, José L.; Ayers, Paul W.; Vela, Alberto

2015-01-01

We extend the definition of the electronic chemical potential (μ e ) and chemical hardness (η e ) to finite temperatures by considering a reactive chemical species as a true open system to the exchange of electrons, working exclusively within the framework of the grand canonical ensemble. As in the zero temperature derivation of these descriptors, the response of a chemical reagent to electron-transfer is determined by the response of the (average) electronic energy of the system, and not by intrinsic thermodynamic properties like the chemical potential of the electron-reservoir which is, in general, different from the electronic chemical potential, μ e . Although the dependence of the electronic energy on electron number qualitatively resembles the piecewise-continuous straight-line profile for low electronic temperatures (up to ca. 5000 K), the introduction of the temperature as a free variable smoothens this profile, so that derivatives (of all orders) of the average electronic energy with respect to the average electron number exist and can be evaluated analytically. Assuming a three-state ensemble, well-known results for the electronic chemical potential at negative (−I), positive (−A), and zero values of the fractional charge (−(I + A)/2) are recovered. Similarly, in the zero temperature limit, the chemical hardness is formally expressed as a Dirac delta function in the particle number and satisfies the well-known reciprocity relation with the global softness

Scaling local species-habitat relations to the larger landscape with a hierarchical spatial count model

Science.gov (United States)

Thogmartin, W.E.; Knutson, M.G.

2007-01-01

Much of what is known about avian species-habitat relations has been derived from studies of birds at local scales. It is entirely unclear whether the relations observed at these scales translate to the larger landscape in a predictable linear fashion. We derived habitat models and mapped predicted abundances for three forest bird species of eastern North America using bird counts, environmental variables, and hierarchical models applied at three spatial scales. Our purpose was to understand habitat associations at multiple spatial scales and create predictive abundance maps for purposes of conservation planning at a landscape scale given the constraint that the variables used in this exercise were derived from local-level studies. Our models indicated a substantial influence of landscape context for all species, many of which were counter to reported associations at finer spatial extents. We found land cover composition provided the greatest contribution to the relative explained variance in counts for all three species; spatial structure was second in importance. No single spatial scale dominated any model, indicating that these species are responding to factors at multiple spatial scales. For purposes of conservation planning, areas of predicted high abundance should be investigated to evaluate the conservation potential of the landscape in their general vicinity. In addition, the models and spatial patterns of abundance among species suggest locations where conservation actions may benefit more than one species. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

PumpKin: A tool to find principal pathways in plasma chemical models

Science.gov (United States)

Markosyan, A. H.; Luque, A.; Gordillo-Vázquez, F. J.; Ebert, U.

2014-10-01

PumpKin is a software package to find all principal pathways, i.e. the dominant reaction sequences, in chemical reaction systems. Although many tools are available to integrate numerically arbitrarily complex chemical reaction systems, few tools exist in order to analyze the results and interpret them in relatively simple terms. In particular, due to the large disparity in the lifetimes of the interacting components, it is often useful to group reactions into pathways that recycle the fastest species. This allows a researcher to focus on the slow chemical dynamics, eliminating the shortest timescales. Based on the algorithm described by Lehmann (2004), PumpKin automates the process of finding such pathways, allowing the user to analyze complex kinetics and to understand the consumption and production of a certain species of interest. We designed PumpKin with an emphasis on plasma chemical systems but it can also be applied to atmospheric modeling and to industrial applications such as plasma medicine and plasma-assisted combustion.

Alterations in the energy budget of Arctic benthic species exposed to oil-related compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olsen, Gro Harlaug [Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Center, N-9296 Tromso (Norway) and Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromso, N-9037 Tromso (Norway)]. E-mail: gho@akvaplan.niva.noph; Sva, Eirin [Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Center, N-9296 Tromso (Norway); Carroll, JoLynn [Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Center, N-9296 Tromso (Norway); Camus, Lionel [Akvaplan-niva, Polar Environmental Center, N-9296 Tromso (Norway); De Coen, Wim [Laboratory for Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, University of Antwerp (UA), Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Smolders, Roel [Laboratory for Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, University of Antwerp (UA), Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Environmental Toxicology, VITO, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Overaas, Helene [Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), CIENS, Gaustadalleen, N-0316 Oslo (Norway); Multiconsult AS, Hoffsveien 1, N-0275 Oslo (Norway); Hylland, Ketil [Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), CIENS, Gaustadalleen, N-0316 Oslo (Norway); Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo (Norway)

2007-06-15

We studied cellular energy allocation (CEA) in three Arctic benthic species (Gammarus setosus (Amphipoda), Onisimus litoralis (Amphipoda), and Liocyma fluctuosa (Bivalvia)) exposed to oil-related compounds. The CEA biomarker measures the energy budget of organisms by biochemically assessing changes in energy available (carbohydrates, protein and lipid content) and the integrated energy consumption (electron transport system activity (ETS) as the cellular aspect of respiration). Energy budget was measured in organisms subjected to water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of crude oil and drill cuttings (DC) to evaluate whether these compounds affect the energy metabolism of the test species. We observed significantly lower CEA values and higher ETS activity in G. setosus subjected to WAF treatment compared to controls (p {<=} 0.03). Higher CEA value and lower cellular respiration were observed in O. litoralis exposed to DC compared to controls (p = 0.02). No difference in the energy budget of L. fluctuosa was observed between the treatments (p {>=} 0.19). Different responses to oil-related compounds between the three test species are likely the result of differences in feeding and burrowing behavior and species-specific sensitivity to petroleum-related compounds.

Assessing ecorelevance of emerging chemicals in sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forbes, Valery E.; Selck, Henriette; Salvito, D.

2007-01-01

Environmental monitoring of the Great Lakes and elsewhere has detected the presence of a wide variety of chemicals which has raised concern that these chemicals pose risks to resident species. Sediments are of particular interest due to their tendency to accumulate hydrophobic and persistent...... chemicals and because less is known about toxic effects of chemicals to sediment-feeding organisms than to pelagic species. Data collected on the polycyclic musks provides available evidence relevant to assessing exposure and effects in Great Lakes' sediments. Studies at Roskilde University demonstrate how...

Wing pattern morphology of three closely related Melitaea (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae species reveals highly inaccurate external morphology-based species identification

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Jure Jugovic

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Wing morphology of the three closely related species of Melitaea – M. athalia (Rottemburg, 1775, M. aurelia (Nickerl, 1850 and M. britomartis Assmann, 1847 – co-occurring in the Balkans (SE Europe was investigated in detail through visual inspection, morphometric analysis and multivariate statistical analysis. Results are compared to recent phylogenetic studies, searching for concordant patterns and discrepancies between the two approaches. The morphology of the genitalic structures is also compared with the results of the other two approaches. The main conclusions are as follows: (1 small albeit significant differences in wing morphology exist among the three species and (2 while the structure of male genitalia and phylogenetic position of the three species are concordant, they are (3 in discordance with the wing morphology. The present study represents another example where identification based on external morphology would lead to highly unreliable determinations, hence identification based on phylogenetic studies and/or genitalia is strongly recommended not only for the three studied species but also more broadly within the genus. Furthermore, we show that some of the characters generally used in the identification of these three Melitaea species should be avoided in future.

The polymorphic weddellite crystals in three species of Cephalocereus (Cactaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Bárcenas-Argüello, María-Luisa; Gutiérrez-Castorena, Ma C-del-Carmen; Terrazas, Teresa

2015-10-01

Mineral inclusions in plant cells are genetically regulated, have an ecological function and are used as taxonomic characters. In Cactaceae, crystals in epidermal and cortical tissues have been reported; however, few studies have conducted chemical and morphological analyses on these crystals, and even fewer have reported non-mineral calcium to determine its systematic value. Cephalocereus apicicephalium, C. totolapensis and C. nizandensis are Cactaceae species endemic to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico with abundant epidermal prismatic crystals. In the present study, we characterize the mineral cell inclusions, including their chemical composition and their morphology, for three species of Cephalocereus. Crystals of healthy branches of the three species were isolated and studied. The crystals were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), their morphology was described using a petrographic and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their elemental composition was measured with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDXAR). The three species synthesized weddellite with different degrees of hydration depending on the species. The optical properties of calcium oxalate crystals were different from the core, which was calcium carbonate. We observed a large diversity of predominantly spherical forms with SEM. EDXAR analysis detected different concentrations of Ca and significant amounts of elements, such as Si, Mg, Na, K, Cl, and Fe, which may be related to the edaphic environment of these cacti. The occurrence of weddellite is novel for the genus according to previous reports. The morphological diversity of the crystals may be related to their elemental composition and may be a source of phylogenetic characters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrial Genome Analysis of Wild Rice (Oryza minuta) and Its Comparison with Other Related Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Asaf, Sajjad; Khan, Abdul Latif; Khan, Abdur Rahim; Waqas, Muhammad; Kang, Sang-Mo; Khan, Muhammad Aaqil; Shahzad, Raheem; Seo, Chang-Woo; Shin, Jae-Ho; Lee, In-Jung

2016-01-01

Oryza minuta (Poaceae family) is a tetraploid wild relative of cultivated rice with a BBCC genome. O. minuta has the potential to resist against various pathogenic diseases such as bacterial blight (BB), white backed planthopper (WBPH) and brown plant hopper (BPH). Here, we sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genome of O. minuta. The mtDNA genome is 515,022 bp, containing 60 protein coding genes, 31 tRNA genes and two rRNA genes. The mitochondrial genome organization and the gene content at the nucleotide level are highly similar (89%) to that of O. rufipogon. Comparison with other related species revealed that most of the genes with known function are conserved among the Poaceae members. Similarly, O. minuta mt genome shared 24 protein-coding genes, 15 tRNA genes and 1 ribosomal RNA gene with other rice species (indica and japonica). The evolutionary relationship and phylogenetic analysis revealed that O. minuta is more closely related to O. rufipogon than to any other related species. Such studies are essential to understand the evolutionary divergence among species and analyze common gene pools to combat risks in the current scenario of a changing environment.

ESC resistance of commercial grade polycarbonates during exposure to butter and related chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjellander, Carina Koch; Nielsen, Tenna B; Ghanbari-Siahkali, Afshin

2008-01-01

differences in ESC resistance could be related to their structural or chemical properties. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed that Makrolon Rx:1805 contains a low molar mass material characterised as poly(propylene glycol)p, which was confirmed by ATR-FTIR and H-1 NMR. Some "non-absorbing" chemicals......, such as butter, cause the PCs to be less resistant to ESC under stress. The reason for this is that these chemicals and the PCs have sufficiently similar Hansen solubility parameters to allow surface conformational changes even though absorption is non-existent or extremely small. ATR-FTIR was used to detect...

High diversity in neuropeptide immunoreactivity patterns among three closely related species of Dinophilidae (Annelida)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kerbl, Alexandra; Conzelmann, Markus; Jékely, Gáspár

2017-01-01

Neuropeptides are conserved metazoan signaling molecules, and represent useful markers for comparative investigations on the morphology and function of the nervous system. However, little is known about the variation of neuropeptide expression patterns across closely related species in invertebrate...... groups other than insects. In this study, we compare the immunoreactivity patterns of 14 neuropeptides in three closely related microscopic dinophilid annelids (Dinophilus gyrociliatus, D. taeniatus and Trilobodrilus axi). The brains of all three species were found to consist of around 700 somata...... species. FMRFamide, MLD/pedal peptide, allatotropin, RNamide, excitatory peptide, and FVRIamide showed a broad localization within the brain, while calcitonin, SIFamide, vasotocin, RGWamide, DLamide, FLamide, FVamide, MIP, and serotonin were present in fewer cells in demarcated regions. The different...

Relative resistance or susceptibility of maple (Acer) species, hybrids and cultivars to six arthropod pests of production nurseries.

Science.gov (United States)

Seagraves, Bonny L; Redmond, Carl T; Potter, Daniel A

2013-01-01

Maples (Acer spp.) in production nurseries are vulnerable to numerous arthropod pests that can stunt or even kill the young trees. Seventeen cultivars representing various Acer species and hybrids were evaluated for extent of infestation or injury by shoot and trunk borers (Proteoteras aesculana, Chrysobothris femorata), potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), maple spider mite (Oligonychus aceris) and calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum). Evaluations were done in replicated field plots in central and western Kentucky. All of the maples were susceptible, to varying degrees, to one or more key pest(s). Red maples (A. rubrum) were relatively vulnerable to potato leafhopper injury and borers but nearly free of Japanese beetle feeding and spider mites. Sugar maples sustained conspicuous Japanese beetle damage but had very low mite populations, whereas the opposite was true for Freeman maples (A. × freemanii). A. campestre was heavily infested by calico scale. Within each species or hybrid there were cultivar differences in degree of infestation or damage by particular pests. The results should help growers to focus pest management efforts on those plantings at greatest risk from particular pests, and to choose cultivars requiring fewer insecticide inputs to produce a quality tree. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Reaction of mutualistic and granivorous ants to ulex elaiosome chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gammans, Nicola; Bullock, James M; Gibbons, Hannah; Schönrogge, Karsten

2006-09-01

It has been proposed that chemicals on plant elaiosomes aid seed detection by seed-dispersing ants. We hypothesized that the chemical interaction between ants and elaiosomes is more intimate than a generic attraction, and that elaiosome chemicals will attract mutualistic but not granivorous ant species. We investigated this by using two gorse species, Ulex minor and U. europaeus, and two associated ant species from European heathlands, the mutualist Myrmica ruginodis and the granivore Tetramorium caespitum. Behavioral studies were conducted with laboratory nests and foraging arenas. Both ants will take Ulex seeds, but while M. ruginodis showed increased antennation toward ether extracts of elaiosome surface chemicals compared with controls, T. caespitum showed no response. Elaiosome extracts were separated into seven lipid fractions. M. ruginodis showed increased antennation only toward the diglyceride fractions of both Ulex species, whereas T. caespitum showed no consistent reaction. This indicates that M. ruginodis can detect the elaiosome by responding to its surface chemicals, but T. caespitum is unresponsive to these chemicals. Responses to surface chemicals could increase the rate of seed detection in the field, and so these results suggest that Ulex elaiosomes produce chemicals that facilitate attraction of mutualistic rather than granivorous ant species. This could reduce seed predation and increase Ulex fitness.

Differences in mating strategies in two closely related small ermine moth species (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, A.C.; van Ginkel, W.E.; Roessingh, P.; Menken, S.B.J.

2008-01-01

The degree of polyandry in a species is linked to other life history traits such as egg maturation, life span, and male ejaculate size and quality. The study of differences in mating strategies between closely related species can provide a better understanding of the evolution of these strategies

Relative Prevalence of Grapevine Leafroll-Associated Virus Species in Wine Grape-Growing Regions of California.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhineet M Sharma

Full Text Available Some diseases manifest as one characteristic set of symptoms to the host, but can be caused by multiple pathogens. Control treatments based on plant symptoms can make it difficult to effectively manage such diseases, as the biology of the underlying pathogens can vary. Grapevine leafroll disease affects grapes worldwide, and is associated with several viral species in the family Closteroviridae. Whereas some of the viruses associated with this disease are transmitted by insect vectors, others are only graft-transmissible. In three regions of California, we surveyed vineyards containing diseased vines and screened symptomatic plants for all known viral species associated with grapevine leafroll disease. Relative incidence of each virus species differed among the three regions regions, particularly in relation to species with known vectors compared with those only known to be graft-transmitted. In one region, the pathogen population was dominated by species not known to have an insect vector. In contrast, populations in the other surveyed regions were dominated by virus species that are vector-transmissible. Our survey did not detect viruses associated with grapevine leafroll disease at some sites with characteristic disease symptoms. This could be explained either by undescribed genetic diversity among these viruses that prevented detection with available molecular tools at the time the survey was performed, or a misidentification of visual symptoms that may have had other underlying causes. Based on the differences in relative prevalence of each virus species among regions and among vineyards within regions, we expect that region and site-specific management strategies are needed for effective disease control.

Natural background levels and threshold values of chemical species in three large-scale groundwater bodies in Northern Italy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molinari, Antonio, E-mail: ant.molinari2002@libero.it [Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Idraulica, Ambientale, Infrastrutture Viarie e Rilevamento, Piazza L. Da Vinci, 32-20133 Milano (Italy); Guadagnini, Laura [Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Idraulica, Ambientale, Infrastrutture Viarie e Rilevamento, Piazza L. Da Vinci, 32-20133 Milano (Italy); Marcaccio, Marco [ARPA Emilia-Romagna, Direzione Tecnica, Largo Caduti del Lavoro, 6-40122 Bologna (Italy); Guadagnini, Alberto [Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Idraulica, Ambientale, Infrastrutture Viarie e Rilevamento, Piazza L. Da Vinci, 32-20133 Milano (Italy)

2012-05-15

We analyze natural background levels (NBLs) and threshold values (TVs) of spatially distributed chemical species (NH{sub 4}, B and As) which may be a potential pressure and concern in three large scale alluvial and fluvio-deltaic aquifers at different depths of the Apennines and Po river plains in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy. Our results are based on statistical methodologies designed to separate the natural and anthropogenic contributions in monitored concentrations by modeling the empirical distribution of the detected concentration with a mixture of probability density functions. Available chemical observations are taken over a 20 years period and are associated with different depths and cover planar investigation scales of the order of hundreds of kilometers. High concentration values detected for NH{sub 4} and B appear to be related to high natural background levels. Due to interaction with the host rock in different geochemical environments we observed that concentration vary in time and space (including in depth) consistently with the hydrogeochemical features and the occurrence of natural attenuation mechanisms in the analyzed reservoirs. Conversely, estimated As NBLs are not consistent with the conceptual model of the hydrogeochemical behavior of the systems analyzed and experimental evidences of As content in aquifer cores. This is due to the inability of these techniques to incorporate the complex dynamics of the processes associated with the specific hydrogeochemical setting. Statistical analyses performed upon aggregating the concentration data according to different time observation windows allow identifying temporal dynamics of NBLs and TVs of target compounds within the observation time frame. Our results highlight the benefit of a dynamic monitoring process and analysis of well demarcated groundwater bodies to update the associated NBLs as a function of the temporal dependence of natural processes occurring in the subsurface. Monitoring

Secondary metabolites characteristic of Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium steckii and related species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmstrom, J.; Christophersen, C.; Frisvad, Jens Christian

2000-01-01

an unidentified tunicate. The carboxylic acids and the benzopyran were identified on the basis of mass spectrometry, and one and two dimensional NMR spectroscopic techniques. The structures 1 and 2 resemble tanzawaic acid A-D, previously isolated from Penicillium citrinum. Screening of isolates of species related...

The Relations Among Threatened Species, Their Protection, and Taboos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Colding

1997-06-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the role of taboos for the protection of species listed as "threatened" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN, and also for species known to be endemic and keystone. The study was limited to taboos that totally avoid or prohibit any use of particular species and their populations. We call them specific-species taboos . Through a literature review, 70 currently existing examples of specific-species taboos were identified and analyzed. The species avoided were grouped into biological classes. Threat categories were determined for each species, based on the IUCN Red Data Book. We found that ~ 30% of the identified taboos prohibit any use of species listed as threatened by IUCN. Of the specific-species taboos, 60% are set on reptiles and mammals. In these two classes, ~ 50% of the species are threatened, representing all of the threatened species in our analysis, with the exception of one bird species. Both endemic and keystone species that are important for ecosystem functions are avoided by specific-species taboos. Specific-species taboos have important ecological ramifications for the protection of threatened and ecologically important populations of species. We do not suggest that specific-species taboos are placed on species because they are, or have been, endangered; instead, we emphasize that species are avoided for a variety of other reasons. It is urgent to identify and analyze resource practices and social mechanisms of traditional societies, such as taboos, and to investigate their possible ecological significance. Although it may provide insights of value for conservation, not only of species, but also of ecosystem processes and functions, such information is being lost rapidly.

Essential Oils of Myrtaceae Species Growing Wild in Tunisia: Chemical Variability and Antifungal Activity Against Biscogniauxia mediterranea, the Causative Agent of Charcoal Canker.

Science.gov (United States)

Yangui, Islem; Zouaoui Boutiti, Meriem; Boussaid, Mohamed; Messaoud, Chokri

2017-07-01

The chemical composition of five Eucalyptus species and five Myrtus communis L. populations was investigated using GC/MS and GC-FID. For Eucalyptus essential oils, 32 compounds, representing 88.56 - 96.83% of the total oil according to species, were identified. The main compounds were 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-gurjunene, α-aromadendrene, and β-phellandrene. For Myrtle essential oils, 26 compounds, representing 93.13 - 98.91% of the total oil were identified. α-Pinene, 1,8-cineole, linalool, and myrtenyl acetate were found to be the major compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed chemical differentiation between Eucalyptus species and between Myrtle populations. Biscogniauxia mediterranea, the causative agent of charcoal canker, was identified according to its morphological and molecular characteristics. Essential oils of the investigated Eucalyptus species and Myrtle populations were tested for their antifungal capacity against this fungus. The antifungal activity varied according to the essential oil composition. Biscogniauxia mediterranea exhibited powerful resistance to some essential oils including them of Eucalyptus lehmannii and Eucalyptus sideroxylon but it was very sensitive to Eucalyptus camaldulensis oil (IC 50  = 3.83 mg/ml) and M. communis oil from Zaghouan (IC 50  = 1 mg/ml). This sensitivity was found to be correlated to some essential oil compounds such as p-cymene, carvacrol, cuminaldehyde, and linalool. © 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Mesoscale distribution of dominant diatom species relative to the hydrographical field along the Antarctic Polar Front

Science.gov (United States)

Smetacek, Victor; Klaas, Christine; Menden-Deuer, Susanne; Rynearson, Tatiana A.

The quantitative distribution of dominant phytoplankton species was mapped at high spatial resolution (15 km spacing) during a quasi-synoptic, mesoscale survey of hydrographical, chemical, pigment, and zooplankton fields carried out along the Antarctic Polar Front within a grid 140×130 km 2 during austral summer. A rapid assessment method for quantifying phytoplankton species by microscopy in concentrated samples on board enabled estimation of total biomass and that of dominant species at hourly sampling intervals. The biomass distribution pattern derived from this method was remarkably coherent and correlated very well with chlorophyll concentrations and the location of different water masses covered by the grid. A "background" chlorophyll concentration of 0.5 mg m -3 in the grid could be assigned to the uniformly distributed pico- and nanophytoplankton; all higher values (up to 2.0 mg m -3) were contributed by large diatoms. Three species complexes ( Chaetoceros atlanticus/dichaeta, Pseudo-nitzschia cf. Lineola, and Thalassiothrix antarctica) contributed about one-third each to the biomass. Although all species were found throughout the study area, distinct patterns in abundance emerged: The Thalassiothrix maximum was located north of the frontal jet, Chaetoceros biomass was highest along the jet, and Pseudo-nitzschia was the most uniformly distributed of the three taxa. Since the meridional pattern of biomass and species composition persisted for about 5 weeks, despite heavy grazing pressure of small copepods, we hypothesize that the dominant species reflect the highest degree of grazer protection in the assemblage. This is accomplished by large size, needle-shaped cells, and long spines armed with barbs. We suggest that these persistent species sequester the limiting nutrient—iron—from the assemblage of smaller, less-defended species that must hence have higher turn-over rates.

Influence of tree species on the herbaceous understory and soil chemical characteristics in a silvopastoral system in semi-arid northeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. S. C. Menezes

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Studies from some semi-arid regions of the world have shown the beneficial effect of trees in silvopastoral systems, by promoting the formation of resource islands and increasing the sustainability of the system. No data are available in this respect for tree species of common occurrence in semi-arid Northeastern Brazil. In the present study, conducted in the summer of 1996, three tree species (Zyziphus joazeiro, Spondias tuberosa and Prosopis juliflora: found within Cenchrus ciliaris pastures were selected to evaluate differences on herbaceous understory and soil chemical characteristics between samples taken under the tree canopy and in open grass areas. Transects extending from the tree trunk to open grass areas were established, and soil (0-15 cm and herbaceous understory (standing live biomass in 1 m² plots samples were taken at 0, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200% of the average canopy radius (average radius was 6.6 ± 0.5, 4.5 ± 0.5, and 5.3 ± 0.8 m for Z. joazeiro, P. juliflora, and S. tuberosa , respectively. Higher levels of soil C, N, P, Ca, Mg, K, and Na were found under the canopies of Z. joazeiro and P. juliflora: trees, as compared to open grass areas. Only soil Mg organic P were higher under the canopies of S. tuberosa trees, as compared to open grass areas. Herbaceous understory biomass was significantly lower under the canopy of S. tuberosa and P. juliflora trees (107 and 96 g m-2, respectively relatively to open grass areas (145 and 194 g m-2. No herbaceous biomass differences were found between Z. joazeiro canopies and open grass areas (107 and 87 g m-2, respectively. Among the three tree species studied, Z. joazeiro was the one that presented the greatest potential for use in a silvopastoral system at the study site, since it had a larger nutrient stock in the soil without negatively affecting herbaceous understory biomass, relatively to open grass areas.

Steam sauna and mother roasting in Lao PDR: practices and chemical constituents of essential oils of plant species used in postpartum recovery

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Fundamental in traditional postpartum recovery in Lao PDR is the use of hotbeds, mother roasting, steam sauna and steam baths. During these treatments medicinal plants play a crucial role, but little has been published about how the treatments are carried out precisely, which species are used, the medicinal properties of these species, and the medicinal efficacy of their chemical constituents. Methods Sixty-five interviews, in 15 rural villages, with women of 4 different ethnic groups were conducted to survey confinement rituals, and postpartum plant use and salience. Essential oils from the main species used were extracted using steam distillation and the main chemical constituents characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results A total of 10 different species were used by three or more of the ethnic groups included in this study. All species were used in steam sauna and bath, but only 3 species were used in hotbed and mother roasting. Essential oils of Amomum villosum, Amomum microcarpum and Blumea balsamifera were found to contain significant amounts of the following terpenes: β-pinene, camphor, bornyl acetate, borneol, linalool, D-limonene, fenchone, terpinen-4-ol and α-terpinene. Conclusions Many of these terpenes have documented antimicrobial and analgesic properties, and some have also synergistic interactions with other terpenes. The mode of application in hotbed and mother roasting differs from the documented mechanisms of action of these terpenes. Plants in these two practices are likely to serve mainly hygienic purposes, by segregating the mother from infection sources such as beds, mats, stools, cloth and towels. Steam sauna medicinal plant use through inhalation of essential oils vapors can possibly have medicinal efficacy, but is unlikely to alleviate the ailments commonly encountered during postpartum convalescence. Steam sauna medicinal plant use through dermal condensation of essential oils, and steam bath

Impact of oil and related chemicals on the marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This review updates a previous review entitled ''Impact of Oil on the Marine Environment''. It covers oil and individual hydrocarbons, used lubricating oils, chemical control agents for oil spills, and wastes from offshore petroleum operations. It considers all major knowledge generated since the mid-1970s. The review covers its topics comprehensively, from a consideration of the composition, sources and inputs of oil to its ecological and human health effects and its effects on man's use of the sea. The review addresses several key questions on the present levels of contamination, the impact of hydrocarbons and related chemicals on marine biota, the recovery potential of marine ecosystems exposed to these contaminants, the degree of protection required for marine ecosystems known to be vulnerable and sensitive, and recommended research and other actions to fill gaps in knowledge. The review describes the hazards of marine oil pollution and associated chemicals and wastes as they are understood currently, and clarifies the importance of reducing oil inputs in coastal and offshore waters. It assists in considering fundamental questions, asked by the public and decision-makers alike, such as: how much oil is entering our oceans, and how much harm is it doing? (author)

Bacillus subtilis Protects Public Goods by Extending Kin Discrimination to Closely Related Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Nicholas A; Kolter, Roberto

2017-07-05

Kin discrimination systems are found in numerous communal contexts like multicellularity and are theorized to prevent exploitation of cooperative behaviors. The kin discrimination system in Bacillus subtilis differs from most other such systems because it excludes nonkin cells rather than including kin cells. Because nonkin are the target of the system, B. subtilis can potentially distinguish degrees of nonkin relatedness, not just kin versus nonkin. We examined this by testing a large strain collection of diverse Bacillus species against B. subtilis in different multicellular contexts. The effects of kin discrimination extend to nearby species, as the other subtilis clade species were treated with the same antagonism as nonkin. Species in the less-related pumilus clade started to display varied phenotypes but were mostly still discriminated against, while cereus clade members and beyond were no longer subject to kin discrimination. Seeking a reason why other species are perceived as antagonistic nonkin, we tested the ability of B. subtilis to steal communally produced surfactant from these species. We found that the species treated as nonkin were the only ones that made a surfactant that B. subtilis could utilize and that nonkin antagonism prevented such stealing when the two strains were mixed. The nonkin exclusion kin discrimination method thus allows effective protection of the cooperative behaviors prevalent in multicellularity while still permitting interactions with more distant species that are not a threat. IMPORTANCE Multicellular systems like bacterial biofilms and swarms rely on cooperative behaviors that could be undermined by exploitative invaders. Discriminating kin from nonkin is one way to help guard against such exploitation but has thus far been examined only intraspecifically, so the phylogenetic range of this important trait is unknown. We tested whether Bacillus subtilis treats other species as nonkin by testing a single strain against a

Chemical constituents of Asparagus

Science.gov (United States)

Negi, J. S.; Singh, P.; Joshi, G. P.; Rawat, M. S.; Bisht, V. K.

2010-01-01

Asparagus species (family Liliaceae) are medicinal plants of temperate Himalayas. They possess a variety of biological properties, such as being antioxidants, immunostimulants, anti-inflammatory, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, antioxytocic, and reproductive agents. The article briefly reviews the isolated chemical constituents and the biological activities of the plant species. The structural formula of isolated compounds and their distribution in the species studied are also given. PMID:22228964

Relationships between respiration, chemical and microbial properties of afforested mine soils with different soil texture and tree species: Does the time of incubation matter

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Józefowska, A.; Pietrzykowski, M.; Woś, B.; Cajthaml, T.; Frouz, Jan

2017-01-01

Roč. 80, May (2017), s. 102-109 ISSN 1164-5563 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : afforested mine soils * soil texture * tree species * chemical properties * microbial properties Subject RIV: DF - Soil Science OBOR OECD: Soil science Impact factor: 2.445, year: 2016

Revisiting the definition of the electronic chemical potential, chemical hardness, and softness at finite temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franco-Pérez, Marco, E-mail: qimfranco@hotmail.com, E-mail: jlgm@xanum.uam.mx [Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, México D. F. 09340 (Mexico); Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada); Gázquez, José L., E-mail: qimfranco@hotmail.com, E-mail: jlgm@xanum.uam.mx [Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, México D. F. 09340 (Mexico); Ayers, Paul W. [Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada); Vela, Alberto [Departamento de Química, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, México D. F. 07360 (Mexico)

2015-10-21

We extend the definition of the electronic chemical potential (μ{sub e}) and chemical hardness (η{sub e}) to finite temperatures by considering a reactive chemical species as a true open system to the exchange of electrons, working exclusively within the framework of the grand canonical ensemble. As in the zero temperature derivation of these descriptors, the response of a chemical reagent to electron-transfer is determined by the response of the (average) electronic energy of the system, and not by intrinsic thermodynamic properties like the chemical potential of the electron-reservoir which is, in general, different from the electronic chemical potential, μ{sub e}. Although the dependence of the electronic energy on electron number qualitatively resembles the piecewise-continuous straight-line profile for low electronic temperatures (up to ca. 5000 K), the introduction of the temperature as a free variable smoothens this profile, so that derivatives (of all orders) of the average electronic energy with respect to the average electron number exist and can be evaluated analytically. Assuming a three-state ensemble, well-known results for the electronic chemical potential at negative (−I), positive (−A), and zero values of the fractional charge (−(I + A)/2) are recovered. Similarly, in the zero temperature limit, the chemical hardness is formally expressed as a Dirac delta function in the particle number and satisfies the well-known reciprocity relation with the global softness.

Bioorthogonal Chemical Imaging for Biomedicine

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Wei

2017-06-01

Innovations in light microscopy have tremendously revolutionized the way researchers study biological systems with subcellular resolution. Although fluorescence microscopy is currently the method of choice for cellular imaging, it faces fundamental limitations for studying the vast number of small biomolecules. This is because relatively bulky fluorescent labels could introduce considerable perturbation to or even completely alter the native functions of vital small biomolecules. Hence, despite their immense functional importance, these small biomolecules remain largely undetectable by fluorescence microscopy. To address this challenge, we have developed a bioorthogonal chemical imaging platform. By coupling stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, an emerging nonlinear Raman microscopy technique, with tiny and Raman-active vibrational probes (e.g., alkynes, nitriles and stable isotopes including 2H and 13C), bioorthogonal chemical imaging exhibits superb sensitivity, specificity, multiplicity and biocompatibility for imaging small biomolecules in live systems including tissues and organisms. Exciting biomedical applications such as imaging fatty acid metabolism related to lipotoxicity, glucose uptake and metabolism, drug trafficking, protein synthesis, DNA replication, protein degradation, RNA synthesis and tumor metabolism will be presented. This bioorthogonal chemical imaging platform is compatible with live-cell biology, thus allowing real-time imaging of small-molecule dynamics. Moreover, further chemical and spectroscopic strategies allow for multicolor bioorthogonal chemical imaging, a valuable technique in the era of "omics". We envision that the coupling of SRS microscopy with vibrational probes would do for small biomolecules what fluorescence microscopy of fluorophores has done for larger molecular species, bringing small molecules under the illumination of modern light microscopy.

prevalence of biting and non-biting flies in relation to species

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

support high abundance of biting flies due to the favourable conditions within the forest for breeding, refuge and easy migration of adult females to animal cages to seek for blood meal. Table 1: Abundance of Biting Flies in Relation to Species in the Jos Museum. Zoological Garden. Site. Stomoxys calcitrans. Haematopota.

Relation between chemical shift artifact and infiltration on MR imaging of renal cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshigoe, Fukuo; Makino, Hideki; Yanada, Syuichi; Ohishi, Yukihiko; Mashima, Yasuoki; Yamada, Hideo.

1994-01-01

Retrospective study on the relation between existence of the interruption and disturbance of chemical shift artifact and tumor infiltration at the periphery of the kidney on MR imaging was evaluated in 28 cases with renal cell carcinoma. Judgement was possible in 9 out of the 11 cases with pathological stage below pT2 and 14 cases out of 17 pT3 cases. Judgement was impracticable in 5 cases because the peripheral fat tissue of the kidney was too less to observe chemical shift artifact and the tumor was spreading at the side opposite to the chemical shift artifact. Chemical shift artifact on MRI in this study correlated well with renal tumor infiltration. (author)

[Relativity of commercial specification of Menthae Herba based on chemical analysis].

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Dan; Zhao, Ming; Shao, Yang; Ouyang, Zhen; Peng, Hua-sheng; Han Bang-xing; Zhang, Wei-wan-qi; Gu, Xue-mei

2015-01-01

In order to compare the differences of 35 Menthae Herba samples collected on the market and at producing areas, the contents of six total terpenoids, the essential oil and chromatographic fingerprints were analyzed, which provided evidences for drawing up the commodity specifications and grading criteria of Menthae Herba. GC-MS method was used to analyze the chemical constituents of 35 different samples. The chromatographic fingerprints obtained by using GC were then evaluated by similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis. The relativity between the content of six terpenoids and the essential oil were studied. In this study, the chemical profiles of 35 samples from different producing areas had significant disparity. All samples collected in the report could be categorized into four chemical types, L-menthol, pulegone, carvone and L-menthone, but the chemical profiles had no relationship with the areas. The chromatographic fingerprints of the samples from different types were dissimilar, while the different producing areas were difficult to be separated. It was indicated that the content of volatile oil was positively correlated with the content of L-menthol and the sum of six total terpenoids. The content of the essential oil, L-menthol and the sum of six total terpenoids of Menthae Herba were considered as one of the commercial specifications and grading criteria. These results in the research could be helpful to draw up the commercial specification and grading criteria of Menthae Herba from a view of chemical information.

CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION FROM A RADIATION-SENSITIVE PRECURSOR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2017-01-01

The present invention relates in one aspect to a method of depositing a thin film on a substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) from a radiation-sensitive precursor substance. The method comprises the steps of: (i) placing the substrate in a reaction chamber of a CVD system; (ii) heating...... heating pulse followed by an idle period; (iii) during at least one of the idle periods, providing a pressure pulse of precursor substance inside the reaction chamber by feeding at least one precursor substance to the reaction chamber so as to establish a reaction partial pressure for thin film deposition...... is formed. According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) system for depositing a thin film onto a substrate using precursor substances containing at least one radiation sensitive species....

Relationship between ecomorphology and trophic segregation in four closely related sympatric fish species (Teleostei, Sciaenidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Blasina, Gabriela; Molina, Juan; Lopez Cazorla, Andrea; Díaz de Astarloa, Juan

This study explores the relationship between ecomorphology and trophic segregation in four closely related sympatric fish species (Teleostei, Sciaenidae) that are known to differ in their trophic habits. Only adult specimens were analyzed: 103 Cynoscion guatucupa, 77 Pogonias cromis, 61 Micropogonias furnieri, and 48 Menticirrhus americanus. The four species presented divergent ecomorphological traits related to swimming agility, prey spotting and capture, and the potential size of prey they were able to swallow. Results suggest that these sciaenid species can partition the food resources, even though they completely overlap in space. Differences in their ecomorphological traits appear to correlate closely with the diet and consequently could explain the trophic differentiation observed. Arguably, these ecomorphological differences play a significant role in the coexistence of the adults of these sympatric fish species. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Chemistry and bioactivities of essential oils of some Ocimum species: an overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhay Kumar Pandey

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Essential oils of different species of the genus Ocimum are natural flavouring materials of commercial importance. The data given in current literature are pertaining to the chemical composition of essential oils of different Ocimum species viz., Ocimum basilicum Linn. (alt. Ocimum basilicum var. minimum, Ocimum basilicum var. purpurience, Ocimum campechianum Mill., Ocimum canum Sims. (Ocimum americanum, Ocimum citriodorum, Ocimum gratissimum Linn., Ocimum kilimandscharicum Linn., Ocimum micranthum Willd., Ocimum sanctum Linn., (alt. Ocimum tenuiflorum Linn., Ocimum selloi Benth., Ocimum trichodon, Ocimum utricifolium from different geographical regions. A considerable difference in chemical composition of a particular species is found, which may be due to their occurrence in different eco-climatic zones and changes in edaphic factors. Attention is also focused on the biological properties of Ocimum oils which are related to their various interesting applications as antimicrobial, antioxidant, repellent, insecticidal, larvicidal, nematicidal and therapeutic (anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antipyretic, antiulcer, analgesic, anthelmintic, anticarcinogenic, skin permeation enhancer, immunomodulatory, cardio-protective, antilipidemic agents.

Species from within the Phytophthora cryptogea complex and related species, P. erythroseptica and P. sansomeana, readily hybridize.

Science.gov (United States)

Safaiefarahani, Banafsheh; Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa, Reza; Hardy, Giles E St J; Burgess, Treena I

2016-08-01

During a study on the phylogenetic relationships between species in the Phytophthora cryptogea complex and related species, Phytophthora erythroseptica and Phytophthora sansomeana, 19 hybrid isolates with multiple polymorphisms in the nuclear sequences were observed. Molecular characterization of hybrids was achieved by sequencing three nuclear (internal transcribed spacers, β-tubulin (TUB), heat shock protein 90) and two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (coxI), NADH dehydrogenase subunit I (NADH)) gene regions and cloning of the single-copy nuclear gene, TUB. Based on the molecular studies the hybrid isolates belonged to six distinct groups between P. cryptogea, P. erythroseptica, Phytophthora pseudocryptogea, P. sansomeana, and Phytophthora sp. kelmania. In all cases, only a single coxI and NADH allele was detected and nuclear genes were biparentally inherited, suggesting that the hybrids arose from sexual recombination events. Colony morphology, growth rate, cardinal temperatures, breeding system, and morphology of sporangia, oogonia, oospores, and antheridia were also determined. Some morphological differences between the hybrids and the parental species were noted; however, they were not sufficient to reliably distinguish the taxa and DNA markers from nuclear and mitochondrial genes will to be necessary for their identification. The parental species are all important pathogens of agricultural fields that have been transported globally. With the apparent ease of hybridization within this group there is ample opportunity for virulent hybrids to form, perhaps with extended host ranges. Copyright © 2016 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting relative species composition within mixed conifer forest pixels using zero‐inflated models and Landsat imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon L. Savage; Rick L. Lawrence; John R. Squires

2015-01-01

Ecological and land management applications would often benefit from maps of relative canopy cover of each species present within a pixel, instead of traditional remote-sensing based maps of either dominant species or percent canopy cover without regard to species composition. Widely used statistical models for remote sensing, such as randomForest (RF),...

[Phylogenetic analysis of closely related Leuconostoc citreum species based on partial housekeeping genes].

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Qiang; Chen, Ming; Xu, Haiyan; Song, Yuqin; Sun, Zhihong; Dan, Tong; Sun, Tiansong

2013-07-04

Using the 16S rRNA, dnaA, murC and pyrG gene sequences, we identified the phylogenetic relationship among closely related Leuconostoc citreum species. Seven Leu. citreum strains originally isolated from sourdough were characterized by PCR methods to amplify the dnaA, murC and pyrG gene sequences, which were determined to assess the suitability as phylogenetic markers. Then, we estimated the genetic distance and constructed the phylogenetic trees including 16S rRNA and above mentioned three housekeeping genes combining with published corresponding sequences. By comparing the phylogenetic trees, the topology of three housekeeping genes trees were consistent with that of 16S rRNA gene. The homology of closely related Leu. citreum species among dnaA, murC, pyrG and 16S rRNA gene sequences were different, ranged from75.5% to 97.2%, 50.2% to 99.7%, 65.0% to 99.8% and 98.5% 100%, respectively. The phylogenetic relationship of three housekeeping genes sequences were highly consistent with the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence, while the genetic distance of these housekeeping genes were extremely high than 16S rRNA gene. Consequently, the dnaA, murC and pyrG gene are suitable for classification and identification closely related Leu. citreum species.

Chloroplast and mitochondrial microsatellites for Millettia pinnata (Fabaceae) and cross-amplification in related species1

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanling; Xie, Hongxian; Yang, Yi; Huang, Yelin; Wang, Jianwu; Tan, Fengxiao

2017-01-01

Premise of the study: Chloroplast and mitochondrial microsatellites were identified to study the population genetics of Millettia pinnata (Fabaceae). Methods and Results: Based on publicly available plastid genome sequence data of M. pinnata, 42 primer pairs were developed, of which 17 displayed polymorphisms across 89 individuals from four populations. For chloroplast loci, two to six alleles were recovered and the unbiased haploid diversity per locus ranged from 0.391 to 0.857. For mitochondrial loci, two to four alleles were recovered and the unbiased haploid diversity ranged from 0.264 to 0.740. Sixteen of the 17 screened markers could be successfully amplified in the related species M. pulchra. Conclusions: The 17 microsatellite markers developed here exhibited variation in M. pinnata and 16 presented transferability in the related species M. pulchra, suggesting that these markers will be valuable for genetic studies across M. pinnata and its related species. PMID:28529836

M-GCAT: interactively and efficiently constructing large-scale multiple genome comparison frameworks in closely related species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Messeguer Xavier

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Due to recent advances in whole genome shotgun sequencing and assembly technologies, the financial cost of decoding an organism's DNA has been drastically reduced, resulting in a recent explosion of genomic sequencing projects. This increase in related genomic data will allow for in depth studies of evolution in closely related species through multiple whole genome comparisons. Results To facilitate such comparisons, we present an interactive multiple genome comparison and alignment tool, M-GCAT, that can efficiently construct multiple genome comparison frameworks in closely related species. M-GCAT is able to compare and identify highly conserved regions in up to 20 closely related bacterial species in minutes on a standard computer, and as many as 90 (containing 75 cloned genomes from a set of 15 published enterobacterial genomes in an hour. M-GCAT also incorporates a novel comparative genomics data visualization interface allowing the user to globally and locally examine and inspect the conserved regions and gene annotations. Conclusion M-GCAT is an interactive comparative genomics tool well suited for quickly generating multiple genome comparisons frameworks and alignments among closely related species. M-GCAT is freely available for download for academic and non-commercial use at: http://alggen.lsi.upc.es/recerca/align/mgcat/intro-mgcat.html.

Rapid identification of the Asian gypsy moth and its related species based on mitochondrial DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ying; Du, Qiuyang; Qin, Haiwen; Shi, Juan; Wu, Zhiyi; Shao, Weidong

2018-02-01

The gypsy moth- Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus)-is a worldwide forest defoliator and is of two types: the European gypsy moth and the Asian gypsy moth. Because of multiple invasions of the Asian gypsy moth, the North American Plant Protection Organization officially approved Regional Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 33. Accordingly, special quarantine measures have been implemented for 30 special focused ports in the epidemic areas of the Asian gypsy moth, including China, which has imposed great inconvenience on export trade. The Asian gypsy moth and its related species (i.e., Lymantria monocha and Lymantria xylina ) intercepted at ports are usually at different life stages, making their identification difficult. Furthermore, Port quarantine requires speedy clearance. As such, it is difficult to identify the Asian gypsy moth and its related species only by their morphological characteristics in a speedy measure. Therefore, this study aimed to use molecular biology technology to rapidly identify the Asian gypsy moth and its related species based on the consistency of mitochondrial DNA in different life stages. We designed 10 pairs of specific primers from different fragments of the Asian gypsy moth and its related species, and their detection sensitivity met the need for rapid identification. In addition, we determined the optimal polymerase chain reaction amplification temperature of the 10 pairs of specific primers, including three pairs of specific primers for the Asian gypsy moth ( L. dispar asiatic ), four pairs of specific primers for the nun moth ( L. monocha ), and three pairs of specific primers for the casuarina moth ( L. xylina ). In conclusion, using our designed primers, direct rapid identification of the Asian gypsy moth and its related species is possible, and this advancement can help improve export trade in China.

Evolutionary Interactions Between Visual and Chemical Signals: Chemosignals Compensate for the Loss of a Visual Signal in Male Sceloporus Lizards.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruett, Jake A; Zúñiga-Vega, J Jaime; Campos, Stephanie M; Soini, Helena A; Novotny, Milos V; Vital-García, Cuauhcihuatl; Martins, Emília P; Hews, Diana K

2016-11-01

Animals rely on multimodal signals to obtain information from conspecifics through alternative sensory systems, and the evolutionary loss of a signal in one modality may lead to compensation through increased use of signals in an alternative modality. We investigated associations between chemical signaling and evolutionary loss of abdominal color patches in males of four species (two plain-bellied and two colorful-bellied) of Sceloporus lizards. We conducted field trials to compare behavioral responses of male lizards to swabs with femoral gland (FG) secretions from conspecific males and control swabs (clean paper). We also analyzed the volatile organic compound (VOC) composition of male FG secretions by stir bar extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to test the hypothesis that loss of the visual signal is associated with elaboration of the chemical signal. Males of plain-bellied, but not colorful-bellied species exhibited different rates of visual displays when exposed to swabs of conspecific FG secretions relative to control swabs. The VOC composition of male Sceloporus FG secretions was similar across all four species, and no clear association between relative abundances of VOCs and evolutionary loss of abdominal color patches was observed. The emerging pattern is that behavioral responses to conspecific chemical signals are species- and context-specific in male Sceloporus, and compensatory changes in receivers, but not signalers may be involved in mediating increased responsiveness to chemical signals in males of plain-bellied species.

Number of endemic and native plant species in the Galapagos Archipelago in relation to geographical parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Willerslev, Eske; Hansen, Anders J.; Nielsen, Kirstine Klitgaard

2002-01-01

By simple and multiple regression analyses we investigate updated species numbers of endemic and native vascular plants and seed plants in the Galapagos Archipelago in relation to geographical parameters. We find that the best models to describe species numbers are regression models with log......-transformed species numbers as dependent and log-transformed modified area (i.e. area not covered with barren lava) as an independent variable. This holds both for total species number, for native species number, for endemic species number and for total number of seed plants as well as number of endemic seed plants...

Cross-fostering reveals seasonal changes in the relative fitness of two competing species of flycatchers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Qvarnstrom, A; Svedin, N; Wiley, C; Veen, T; Gustafsson, L

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in relative fitness of competing species is a key factor affecting the structure of communities. However, it is not intuitive whys species that are ecologically similar should differ in their response to environmental changes. Here we show that two sympatric

Phylogenetic reconstruction and DNA barcoding for closely related pine moth species (Dendrolimus) in China with multiple gene markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Qing-Yan; Gao, Qiang; Wu, Chun-Sheng; Chesters, Douglas; Zhu, Chao-Dong; Zhang, Ai-Bing

2012-01-01

Unlike distinct species, closely related species offer a great challenge for phylogeny reconstruction and species identification with DNA barcoding due to their often overlapping genetic variation. We tested a sibling species group of pine moth pests in China with a standard cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and two alternative internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes (ITS1 and ITS2). Five different phylogenetic/DNA barcoding analysis methods (Maximum likelihood (ML)/Neighbor-joining (NJ), "best close match" (BCM), Minimum distance (MD), and BP-based method (BP)), representing commonly used methodology (tree-based and non-tree based) in the field, were applied to both single-gene and multiple-gene analyses. Our results demonstrated clear reciprocal species monophyly for three relatively distant related species, Dendrolimus superans, D. houi, D. kikuchii, as recovered by both single and multiple genes while the phylogenetic relationship of three closely related species, D. punctatus, D. tabulaeformis, D. spectabilis, could not be resolved with the traditional tree-building methods. Additionally, we find the standard COI barcode outperforms two nuclear ITS genes, whatever the methods used. On average, the COI barcode achieved a success rate of 94.10-97.40%, while ITS1 and ITS2 obtained a success rate of 64.70-81.60%, indicating ITS genes are less suitable for species identification in this case. We propose the use of an overall success rate of species identification that takes both sequencing success and assignation success into account, since species identification success rates with multiple-gene barcoding system were generally overestimated, especially by tree-based methods, where only successfully sequenced DNA sequences were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Non-tree based methods, such as MD, BCM, and BP approaches, presented advantages over tree-based methods by reporting the overall success rates with statistical significance. In addition, our

Phylogenetic reconstruction and DNA barcoding for closely related pine moth species (Dendrolimus in China with multiple gene markers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing-Yan Dai

Full Text Available Unlike distinct species, closely related species offer a great challenge for phylogeny reconstruction and species identification with DNA barcoding due to their often overlapping genetic variation. We tested a sibling species group of pine moth pests in China with a standard cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI gene and two alternative internal transcribed spacer (ITS genes (ITS1 and ITS2. Five different phylogenetic/DNA barcoding analysis methods (Maximum likelihood (ML/Neighbor-joining (NJ, "best close match" (BCM, Minimum distance (MD, and BP-based method (BP, representing commonly used methodology (tree-based and non-tree based in the field, were applied to both single-gene and multiple-gene analyses. Our results demonstrated clear reciprocal species monophyly for three relatively distant related species, Dendrolimus superans, D. houi, D. kikuchii, as recovered by both single and multiple genes while the phylogenetic relationship of three closely related species, D. punctatus, D. tabulaeformis, D. spectabilis, could not be resolved with the traditional tree-building methods. Additionally, we find the standard COI barcode outperforms two nuclear ITS genes, whatever the methods used. On average, the COI barcode achieved a success rate of 94.10-97.40%, while ITS1 and ITS2 obtained a success rate of 64.70-81.60%, indicating ITS genes are less suitable for species identification in this case. We propose the use of an overall success rate of species identification that takes both sequencing success and assignation success into account, since species identification success rates with multiple-gene barcoding system were generally overestimated, especially by tree-based methods, where only successfully sequenced DNA sequences were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Non-tree based methods, such as MD, BCM, and BP approaches, presented advantages over tree-based methods by reporting the overall success rates with statistical significance. In

Kinetic studies of elementary chemical reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durant, J.L. Jr. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (United States)

1993-12-01

This program concerning kinetic studies of elementary chemical reactions is presently focussed on understanding reactions of NH{sub x} species. To reach this goal, the author is pursuing experimental studies of reaction rate coefficients and product branching fractions as well as using electronic structure calculations to calculate transition state properties and reaction rate calculations to relate these properties to predicted kinetic behavior. The synergy existing between the experimental and theoretical studies allow one to gain a deeper insight into more complex elementary reactions.

DFT/GIAO calculations of the relative contributions of hyperconjugation to the chemical shifts of ethanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carneiro, J. Walkimar de M.; Dias, Jacques F.; Seidl, Peter R.; Tostes, J. Glauco R.

2002-01-01

Our previous DFT/GIAO calculations on different types of alcohols reveal that the rotation of the hydroxyl group can affect the chemical shift of carbons and hydrogens close to the substituent in different ways. Besides the steric and electrostatic effects that have been widely studied, hyperconjugation with the lone pairs on oxygen of the hydroxyl group leads to changes in bond lengths and angles as well as to different charge distributions. As all three of these factors also affect chemical shifts, we undertook a systematic investigation of their relative contributions to the chemical shifts of ethanol, a molecule in which there is minimum interference among these factors. Calculations by the B3LYP method at the 6-31G(d) level for ethanol conformers corresponding to a rotation around the carbon-oxygen bond at 30 dec increments are used to show how relative contributions vary with the dihedral angle formed between the carbon-carbon and oxygen-hydrogen bonds (C-C-O-H). Largest contributions to carbon chemical shifts can be attributed to changes in bond lengths while for hydrogen chemical shifts also contribute significantly differences in charge distribution. (author)

Chemical dissolution of spent fuel and cladding using complexed fluoride species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rance, P.J.W.; Freeman, G.A.; Mishin, V.; Issoupov, V.

2001-01-01

The dissolution of LWR fuel cladding using two fluoride ion donors, HBF 4 and K 2 ZrF 6 , in combination with nitric acid has been investigated as a potential reprocessing head-end process suitable for chemical decladding and fuel dissolution in a single process step. Maximum zirconium concentrations in the order of 0,75 to 1 molar have been achieved and dissolution found to continue to low F:Zr ratios albeit at ever decreasing rates. Dissolution rates of un-oxidised zirconium based fuel claddings are fast, whereas oxidised materials exhibit an induction period prior to dissolution. Data is presented relating to the rates of dissolution of cladding and UO 2 fuels under various conditions. (author)

1 Species Diversity and Relative Abundance.cdr

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

from beach seine landings along the central coast during the study period. Landing sites were Winneba, Saltpond and Cape Coast. (Fig. 1). Fish identification was done in the laboratory using manuals (Schneider, 1990;. Kwei & Ofori-Adu, 2005). The identifications were to the family and species levels. Various fish species ...

Chromatographic speciation of Cr(III)-species, inter-species equilibrium isotope fractionation and improved chemical purification strategies for high-precision isotope analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, K K; Wielandt, D; Schiller, M; Bizzarro, M

2016-04-22

Chromatographic purification of chromium (Cr), which is required for high-precision isotope analysis, is complicated by the presence of multiple Cr-species with different effective charges in the acid digested sample aliquots. The differing ion exchange selectivity and sluggish reaction rates of these species can result in incomplete Cr recovery during chromatographic purification. Because of large mass-dependent inter-species isotope fractionation, incomplete recovery can affect the accuracy of high-precision Cr isotope analysis. Here, we demonstrate widely differing cation distribution coefficients of Cr(III)-species (Cr(3+), CrCl(2+) and CrCl2(+)) with equilibrium mass-dependent isotope fractionation spanning a range of ∼1‰/amu and consistent with theory. The heaviest isotopes partition into Cr(3+), intermediates in CrCl(2+) and the lightest in CrCl2(+)/CrCl3°. Thus, for a typical reported loss of ∼25% Cr (in the form of Cr(3+)) through chromatographic purification, this translates into 185 ppm/amu offset in the stable Cr isotope ratio of the residual sample. Depending on the validity of the mass-bias correction during isotope analysis, this further results in artificial mass-independent effects in the mass-bias corrected (53)Cr/(52)Cr (μ(53)Cr* of 5.2 ppm) and (54)Cr/(52)Cr (μ(54)Cr* of 13.5 ppm) components used to infer chronometric and nucleosynthetic information in meteorites. To mitigate these fractionation effects, we developed strategic chemical sample pre-treatment procedures that ensure high and reproducible Cr recovery. This is achieved either through 1) effective promotion of Cr(3+) by >5 days exposure to HNO3H2O2 solutions at room temperature, resulting in >∼98% Cr recovery for most types of sample matrices tested using a cationic chromatographic retention strategy, or 2) formation of Cr(III)-Cl complexes through exposure to concentrated HCl at high temperature (>120 °C) for several hours, resulting in >97.5% Cr recovery using a

Non-coding changes cause sex-specific wing size differences between closely related species of Nasonia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loehlin, David W.; Oliveira, Deodoro C. S. G.; Edwards, Rachel; Giebel, Jonathan D.; Clark, Michael E.; Cattani, M. Victoria; van de Zande, Louis; Verhulst, Eveline C.; Beukeboom, Leo W.; Munoz-Torres, Monica; Werren, John H.

The genetic basis of morphological differences among species is still poorly understood. We investigated the genetic basis of sex-specific differences in wing size between two closely related species of Nasonia by positional cloning a major male-specific locus, wing-size1 (ws1). Male wing size

Long-Term Changes in Species Composition and Relative Abundances of Sharks at a Provisioning Site

OpenAIRE

Brunnschweiler, Juerg M.; Abrantes, Kátya G.; Barnett, Adam

2014-01-01

Diving with sharks, often in combination with food baiting/provisioning, has become an important product of today's recreational dive industry. Whereas the effects baiting/provisioning has on the behaviour and abundance of individual shark species are starting to become known, there is an almost complete lack of equivalent data from multi-species shark diving sites. In this study, changes in species composition and relative abundances were determined at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, a multi-...

Chemical equilibrium of ablation materials including condensed species

Science.gov (United States)

Stroud, C. W.; Brinkley, K. L.

1975-01-01

Equilibrium is determined by finding chemical composition with minimum free energy. Method of steepest descent is applied to quadratic representation of free-energy surface. Solution is initiated by selecting arbitrary set of mole fractions, from which point on free-energy surface is computed.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties and Chemical Characterization of the Essential Oils of Four Citrus Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Amorim, Jorge Luis; Simas, Daniel Luiz Reis; Pinheiro, Mariana Martins Gomes; Moreno, Daniela Sales Alviano; Alviano, Celuta Sales; da Silva, Antonio Jorge Ribeiro; Fernandes, Patricia Dias

2016-01-01

Citrus fruits have potential health-promoting properties and their essential oils have long been used in several applications. Due to biological effects described to some citrus species in this study our objectives were to analyze and compare the phytochemical composition and evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of essential oils (EO) obtained from four different Citrus species. Mice were treated with EO obtained from C. limon, C. latifolia, C. aurantifolia or C. limonia (10 to 100 mg/kg, p.o.) and their anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in chemical induced inflammation (formalin-induced licking response) and carrageenan-induced inflammation in the subcutaneous air pouch model. A possible antinociceptive effect was evaluated in the hot plate model. Phytochemical analyses indicated the presence of geranial, limonene, γ-terpinene and others. EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia exhibited anti-inflammatory effects by reducing cell migration, cytokine production and protein extravasation induced by carrageenan. These effects were also obtained with similar amounts of pure limonene. It was also observed that C. aurantifolia induced myelotoxicity in mice. Anti-inflammatory effect of C. limon and C. limonia is probably due to their large quantities of limonene, while the myelotoxicity observed with C. aurantifolia is most likely due to the high concentration of citral. Our results indicate that these EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia have a significant anti-inflammatory effect; however, care should be taken with C. aurantifolia.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties and Chemical Characterization of the Essential Oils of Four Citrus Species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Luis Amorim

Full Text Available Citrus fruits have potential health-promoting properties and their essential oils have long been used in several applications. Due to biological effects described to some citrus species in this study our objectives were to analyze and compare the phytochemical composition and evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of essential oils (EO obtained from four different Citrus species. Mice were treated with EO obtained from C. limon, C. latifolia, C. aurantifolia or C. limonia (10 to 100 mg/kg, p.o. and their anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in chemical induced inflammation (formalin-induced licking response and carrageenan-induced inflammation in the subcutaneous air pouch model. A possible antinociceptive effect was evaluated in the hot plate model. Phytochemical analyses indicated the presence of geranial, limonene, γ-terpinene and others. EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia exhibited anti-inflammatory effects by reducing cell migration, cytokine production and protein extravasation induced by carrageenan. These effects were also obtained with similar amounts of pure limonene. It was also observed that C. aurantifolia induced myelotoxicity in mice. Anti-inflammatory effect of C. limon and C. limonia is probably due to their large quantities of limonene, while the myelotoxicity observed with C. aurantifolia is most likely due to the high concentration of citral. Our results indicate that these EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia have a significant anti-inflammatory effect; however, care should be taken with C. aurantifolia.

Predicting work-related flow in the chemical industry / Erika Maree

OpenAIRE

Maree, Erika

2008-01-01

In a new world of work characterised by competitiveness, benchmarking, technological innovation and efficiency, the South African chemical industry needs to function at an optimal level to meet the demands of its stakeholders and employees. The industry needs leadership of the highest standard and an efficient, productive workforce. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between leader empowering behaviour, self-efficacy, job resources and work-related flow for empl...

Decomposition and nutrient release in leaves of Atlantic Rainforest tree species used in agroforestry systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duarte, E.M.G.; Cardoso, I.M.; Stijnen, T.; Mendonça, M.A.F.C.; Coelho, M.S.; Cantarutti, R.B.; Kuyper, T.W.; Villani, E.M.A.; Mendonça, E.S.

2013-01-01

Aiming to support the use of native species from the Atlantic Rainforest in local agroforestry systems, we analysed chemical and biochemical components related to leaf decomposition of Inga subnuda, Senna macranthera, Erythrina verna, Luehea grandiflora, Zeyheria tuberculosa, Aegiphila sellowiana,

Synthesis of Formamide and Related Organic Species in the Interstellar Medium via Chemical Dynamics Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Spezia, Riccardo; Jeanvoine, Yannick; Hase, William L.; Song, Kihyung; Largo, Antonio

2016-08-01

We show, by means of direct dynamics simulations, how it is possible to define possible reactants and mechanisms leading to the formation of formamide in the interstellar medium. In particular, different ion-molecule reactions in the gas phase were considered: NH3OH+, NH2OH{}2+, H2COH+, and NH4 + for the ions and NH2OH, H2CO, and NH3 for the partner neutrals. These calculations were combined with high level ab initio calculations to investigate possible further evolution of the products observed. In particular, for formamide, we propose that the NH2OH{}2+ + H2CO reaction can produce an isomer, NH2OCH{}2+, that, after dissociative recombination, can produce neutral formamide, which was observed in space. The direct dynamics do not pre-impose any reaction pathways and in other reactions, we did not observe the formation of formamide or any possible precursor. On the other hand, we obtained other interesting reactions, like the formation of NH2CH{}2+. Finally, some radiative association processes are proposed. All of the results obtained are discussed in light of the species observed in radioastronomy.

Chemical Characterization and Antioxidant Potential of Wild Ganoderma Species from Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Obodai, Mary; Mensah, Deborah L Narh; Fernandes, Ângela; Kortei, Nii Korley; Dzomeku, Matilda; Teegarden, Matthew; Schwartz, Steven J; Barros, Lillian; Prempeh, Juanita; Takli, Richard K; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

2017-01-25

The chemical characterization and antioxidant potential of twelve wild strains of Ganoderma sp. from Ghana, nine (LS1-LS9) of which were found growing wild simultaneously on the same dying Delonix regia tree, were evaluated. Parameters evaluated included the nutritional value, composition in sugars, fatty acids, phenolic and other organic compounds and some vitamins and vitamin precursors. Antioxidant potential was evaluated by investigating reducing power, radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibition using five in vitro assays. Protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash and energy contents ranged between 15.7-24.5 g/100 g·dw, 73.31-81.90 g/100 g, 0.48-1.40 g/100 g, 0.68-2.12 g/100 g ash and 396.1-402.02 kcal/100 g, respectively. Fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were relatively abundant. Free sugars included rhamnose, fructose, mannitol, sucrose and trehalose. Total tocopherols, organic acids and phenolic compounds' content ranged between 741-3191 µg/100 g, 77-1003 mg/100 g and 7.6-489 µg/100 g, respectively. There were variations in the β-glucans, ergosterol and vitamin D₂ contents. The three major minerals in decreasing order were K > P > S. Ganoderma sp. strain AM1 showed the highest antioxidant activity. This study reveals, for the first time, chemical characteristics of Ganoderma spp. which grew simultaneously on the same tree.

Development of genome- and transcriptome-derived microsatellites in related species of snapping shrimps with highly duplicated genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaynor, Kaitlyn M; Solomon, Joseph W; Siller, Stefanie; Jessell, Linnet; Duffy, J Emmett; Rubenstein, Dustin R

2017-11-01

Molecular markers are powerful tools for studying patterns of relatedness and parentage within populations and for making inferences about social evolution. However, the development of molecular markers for simultaneous study of multiple species presents challenges, particularly when species exhibit genome duplication or polyploidy. We developed microsatellite markers for Synalpheus shrimp, a genus in which species exhibit not only great variation in social organization, but also interspecific variation in genome size and partial genome duplication. From the four primary clades within Synalpheus, we identified microsatellites in the genomes of four species and in the consensus transcriptome of two species. Ultimately, we designed and tested primers for 143 microsatellite markers across 25 species. Although the majority of markers were disomic, many markers were polysomic for certain species. Surprisingly, we found no relationship between genome size and the number of polysomic markers. As expected, markers developed for a given species amplified better for closely related species than for more distant relatives. Finally, the markers developed from the transcriptome were more likely to work successfully and to be disomic than those developed from the genome, suggesting that consensus transcriptomes are likely to be conserved across species. Our findings suggest that the transcriptome, particularly consensus sequences from multiple species, can be a valuable source of molecular markers for taxa with complex, duplicated genomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bacillus subtilis Protects Public Goods by Extending Kin Discrimination to Closely Related Species

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Nicholas A. Lyons

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Kin discrimination systems are found in numerous communal contexts like multicellularity and are theorized to prevent exploitation of cooperative behaviors. The kin discrimination system in Bacillus subtilis differs from most other such systems because it excludes nonkin cells rather than including kin cells. Because nonkin are the target of the system, B. subtilis can potentially distinguish degrees of nonkin relatedness, not just kin versus nonkin. We examined this by testing a large strain collection of diverse Bacillus species against B. subtilis in different multicellular contexts. The effects of kin discrimination extend to nearby species, as the other subtilis clade species were treated with the same antagonism as nonkin. Species in the less-related pumilus clade started to display varied phenotypes but were mostly still discriminated against, while cereus clade members and beyond were no longer subject to kin discrimination. Seeking a reason why other species are perceived as antagonistic nonkin, we tested the ability of B. subtilis to steal communally produced surfactant from these species. We found that the species treated as nonkin were the only ones that made a surfactant that B. subtilis could utilize and that nonkin antagonism prevented such stealing when the two strains were mixed. The nonkin exclusion kin discrimination method thus allows effective protection of the cooperative behaviors prevalent in multicellularity while still permitting interactions with more distant species that are not a threat.

Latin American protected areas: Protected from chemical pollution?

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Jorquera, Ignacio A; Siroski, Pablo; Espejo, Winfred; Nimptsch, Jorge; Choueri, Paloma Gusso; Choueri, Rodrigo Brasil; Moraga, Claudio A; Mora, Miguel; Toor, Gurpal S

2017-03-01

Protected areas (PAs) are critically important means to preserve species and maintain natural ecosystems. However, the potential impacts of chemical pollution on PAs are seldom mentioned in the scientific literature. Research on the extent of the occurrence of chemical pollution inside PAs and in-depth assessments of how chemical contaminants may adversely affect the maintenance of species abundance, species survival, and ecosystem functions are scarce to nonexistent. We investigated 1) the occurrence of chemical contaminants inside 119 PAs in Latin America from publically available databases, and 2) reviewed case studies of chemical contaminants and pollution in 4 Latin American PAs. Cases of chemical pollution and contamination inside Latin American PAs mostly originated from sources such as mining, oil, and gas extraction. To date, the focus of the research on chemical pollution research inside Latin American PAs has been primarily on the detection of contamination, typically limited to trace metals. Where management actions have occurred, they have been reactive rather than proactive. Protected areas established in wetlands are the most affected by chemical pollution. Based on the information from the pollution and/or contamination occurrence and the case studies analyzed, Latin American PAs are not well safeguarded from chemical pollution, resulting in both challenges and opportunities to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:360-370. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Seabird eggs as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cifuentes, Jacqueline Munoz; Becker, Peter H.; Sommer, Ute; Pacheco, Patricia; Schlatter, Roberto

2003-11-01

Seabird eggs are proposed as biomonitors of chemical contamination in Chile. - Seabird eggs were used as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile. Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Trudeau's Tern (Sterna trudeaui), Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), and Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) eggs were sampled at different breeding sites during the 1990s. Mercury and organochlorines (PCBs, DDT, HCB, HCH, and PCP) were quantified to reveal the interspecific differences, spatial and temporal trends in contamination levels. Trudeau's Tern displayed the highest levels of mercury (486 ng g{sup -1} wet weight). The highest {sigma}DDT concentrations were measured in Brown-hooded Gulls (726 ng g{sup -1}). PCB levels were similar among the species (102-236 ng g{sup -1}), but the composition of the PCB mixture was different in Pink-footed Shearwaters. With the exception of the Brown-hooded Gull, all species studied presented similar and low levels of organochlorines ({sigma}OHa). Residues of PCB and related compounds were not detected in any of the seabird eggs analyzed in Chile. Geographical variation was low, although levels of industrial chemicals were slightly higher in eggs from Concepcion Bay, and agricultural chemicals in eggs from Valdivia. Also interannual variation was low, but some evidence was found of decreasing levels in gull eggs throughout the time of the study. The causes of the low levels and small variability in space and time of environmental chemicals in Chilean seabirds are discussed. We propose the use of seabirds in future monitoring of the development of chemical contamination in Chile.

Seabird eggs as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cifuentes, Jacqueline Munoz; Becker, Peter H.; Sommer, Ute; Pacheco, Patricia; Schlatter, Roberto

2003-01-01

Seabird eggs are proposed as biomonitors of chemical contamination in Chile. - Seabird eggs were used as bioindicators of chemical contamination in Chile. Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Trudeau's Tern (Sterna trudeaui), Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), and Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) eggs were sampled at different breeding sites during the 1990s. Mercury and organochlorines (PCBs, DDT, HCB, HCH, and PCP) were quantified to reveal the interspecific differences, spatial and temporal trends in contamination levels. Trudeau's Tern displayed the highest levels of mercury (486 ng g -1 wet weight). The highest ΣDDT concentrations were measured in Brown-hooded Gulls (726 ng g -1 ). PCB levels were similar among the species (102-236 ng g -1 ), but the composition of the PCB mixture was different in Pink-footed Shearwaters. With the exception of the Brown-hooded Gull, all species studied presented similar and low levels of organochlorines (ΣOHa). Residues of PCB and related compounds were not detected in any of the seabird eggs analyzed in Chile. Geographical variation was low, although levels of industrial chemicals were slightly higher in eggs from Concepcion Bay, and agricultural chemicals in eggs from Valdivia. Also interannual variation was low, but some evidence was found of decreasing levels in gull eggs throughout the time of the study. The causes of the low levels and small variability in space and time of environmental chemicals in Chilean seabirds are discussed. We propose the use of seabirds in future monitoring of the development of chemical contamination in Chile

A review of reaction rates and thermodynamic and transport properties for an 11-species air model for chemical and thermal nonequilibrium calculations to 30000 K

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Roop N.; Yos, Jerrold M.; Thompson, Richard A.; Lee, Kam-Pui

1990-01-01

Reaction rate coefficients and thermodynamic and transport properties are reviewed and supplemented for the 11-species air model which can be used for analyzing flows in chemical and thermal nonequilibrium up to temperatures of 3000 K. Such flows will likely occur around currently planned and future hypersonic vehicles. Guidelines for determining the state of the surrounding environment are provided. Curve fits are given for the various species properties for their efficient computation in flowfield codes. Approximate and more exact formulas are provided for computing the properties of partially ionized air mixtures in a high energy environment. Limitations of the approximate mixing laws are discussed for a mixture of ionized species. An electron number-density correction for the transport properties of the charged species is obtained. This correction has been generally ignored in the literature.

Chemical compositions of essential oils from two Artemisia species used in Mongolian traditional medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javzmaa N

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Essential oils of aromatic and medicinal plants generally have a diverse range of activities because they possess many active constituents that work through a several modes of action. Artemisia, the largest genus of the family Asteraceae, has a number of effects against human and plant diseases. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate chemical compositions of essential oils of two Artemisia species, Artemisia palustris L and Artemisia sericea Weber ex Stechm from the Mongolian steppe zone using gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The essential oil of A.palustris was characterized by the presence of monoterpene hydrocarbons such as  trans-β-ocimene (59.1%, cis-β-ocimene (11.6% and myrcene (7.1%, while the oil of A.sericea was dominated by the presence of three oxygenated monoterpenoids as 1,8-cineole (25.8%, borneol (22.5% and camphor (18.8% which are used for preparation of a fragrance and medicinal products.

Chemical sanitizers to control biofilms formed by two Pseudomonas species on stainless steel surface

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Danila Soares Caixeta

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens on AISI 304 stainless steel in the presence of reconstituted skim milk under different temperatures was conducted, and the potential of three chemical sanitizers in removing the mono-species biofilms formed was compared. Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultivated in skim milk at 28 °C presented better growth rate (10.4 log CFU.mL-1 when compared with 3.7 and 4.2 log CFU.mL-1 for P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens cultivated at 7 °C, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa formed biofilm when cultivated at 28 °C. However, only the adhesion of P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens was observed when incubated at 7 °C. The sodium dichloroisocyanurate was the most efficient sanitizer in the reduction of the adhered P. aeruginosa cells at 7 and 28 °C and those on the biofilm, respectively. The hydrogen peroxide was more effective in the reduction of adhered cells of P. fluorescens at 7 °C.

Chemical scissors cut phosphorene nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Xihong; Wei, Qun

2014-01-01

Phosphorene, a recently fabricated two-dimensional puckered honeycomb structure of phosphorus, showed promising properties for applications in nano-electronics. In this work, we report a chemical scissors effect on phosphorene, using first-principles method. It was found that chemical species, such as H, OH, F, and Cl, can act as scissors to cut phosphorene. Phosphorus nanochains and nanoribbons can be obtained. The scissors effect results from the strong bonding between the chemical species and phosphorus atoms. Other species such as O, S and Se fail to cut phosphorene nanostructures due to their weak bonding with phosphorus. The electronic structures of the produced P-chains reveal that the hydrogenated chain is an insulator while the pristine chain is a one-dimensional Dirac material, in which the charge carriers are massless fermions travelling at an effective speed of light ∼8 × 10 5 m s −1 . The obtained zigzag phosphorene nanoribbons show either metallic or semiconducting behaviors, depending on the treatment of the edge phosphorus atoms. (paper)

Synthetic Hexaploids Derived from Wild Species Related to Sweet Potato

OpenAIRE

SHIOTANI, Itaru; KAWASE, Tsuneo; 塩谷, 格; 川瀬, 恒男

1987-01-01

The utilization of germplasm of the wild species in sweet-potato breeding has been conducted for the last three decades. Such attempts brought some remarkable achievments in improving root yield, starch content and resistance to the nematodes of sweet potato. Some wild plants in polyploid series may have many genes potentially important for further improvement of the agronomic traits. However, the genomic relationship between the wild relatives and hexaploid sweet potato (2n=6x=90) has been u...

Evaluation of Chemical Composition and Antileishmanial and Antituberculosis Activities of Essential Oils of Piper Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Zanoli Bernuci

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Essential oils from fresh Piperaceae leaves were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS, and a total of 68 components were identified. Principal components analysis results showed a chemical variability between species, with sesquiterpene compounds predominating in the majority of species analyzed. The composition of the essential oil of Piper mosenii was described for the first time. The cytotoxicity of the essential oils was evaluated in peritoneal macrophages and the oils of P. rivinoides, P. arboretum, and P. aduncum exhibited the highest values, with cytotoxic concentration at 50% (CC50 > 200 µg/mL. Both P. diospyrifolium and P. aduncum displayed activity against Leishmania amazonensis, and were more selective for the parasite than for the macrophages, with a selectivity index (SI of 2.35 and >5.52, respectively. These SI values were greater than the 1 for the standard drug pentamidine. The antileishmanial activity of the essential oils of P. diospyrifolium and P. aduncum was described for the first time. P. rivinoides, P. cernuum, and P. diospyrifolium displayed moderate activity against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv bacillus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of 125 µg/mL. These results are relevant and suggests their potential for therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, further studies are required to explain the exact mechanism of action of these essential oils.

Evaluation of Chemical Composition and Antileishmanial and Antituberculosis Activities of Essential Oils of Piper Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernuci, Karine Zanoli; Iwanaga, Camila Cristina; Fernandez-Andrade, Carla Maria Mariano; Lorenzetti, Fabiana Brusco; Torres-Santos, Eduardo Caio; Faiões, Viviane Dos Santos; Gonçalves, José Eduardo; do Amaral, Wanderlei; Deschamps, Cícero; Scodro, Regiane Bertin de Lima; Cardoso, Rosilene Fressatti; Baldin, Vanessa Pietrowski; Cortez, Diógenes Aparício Garcia

2016-12-12

Essential oils from fresh Piperaceae leaves were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and a total of 68 components were identified. Principal components analysis results showed a chemical variability between species, with sesquiterpene compounds predominating in the majority of species analyzed. The composition of the essential oil of Piper mosenii was described for the first time. The cytotoxicity of the essential oils was evaluated in peritoneal macrophages and the oils of P. rivinoides , P. arboretum , and P. aduncum exhibited the highest values, with cytotoxic concentration at 50% (CC 50 ) > 200 µg/mL. Both P. diospyrifolium and P. aduncum displayed activity against Leishmania amazonensis , and were more selective for the parasite than for the macrophages, with a selectivity index (SI) of 2.35 and >5.52, respectively. These SI values were greater than the 1 for the standard drug pentamidine. The antileishmanial activity of the essential oils of P. diospyrifolium and P. aduncum was described for the first time. P. rivinoides, P. cernuum , and P. diospyrifolium displayed moderate activity against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H 37 Rv bacillus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 125 µg/mL. These results are relevant and suggests their potential for therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, further studies are required to explain the exact mechanism of action of these essential oils.

Ethnopharmacological and Chemical Characterization of Salvia Species Used in Valencian Traditional Herbal Preparations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa Martínez-Francés

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In Valencia Region (Spain, some wild and cultivated sages are used for medicinal purposes. Among them, Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia (SL is widely employed and known for production of Spanish sage oil and herbal products. Nevertheless, it shares the market with S. blancoana subsp. mariolensis (SB and, to a lesser extent, with their hybrid S. x hegelmaieri (SH. The knowledge on these two species is far low and confusion between them is possible. The aim of the present paper is to improve the ethnopharmacological, morphological and chemical knowledge of these sages, and to contribute to setting up quality specifications for improving identification and distinction from other Salvia species, such as, S. officinalis subsp. officinalis, S. x auriculata and S. microphylla var. microphylla. Samples were collected in Valencia Region and surrounding mountain areas during the ethnopharmacological field work. Twenty-nine medicinal uses were reported for SL, 13 of them being also recorded for SB. Of particular interest is a homemade liquor, used as digestive and known as “salvieta,” which is mainly prepared with SB. The macro- and microscopic characters are insufficient for identification of cut, crushed or powdered material. The study of the essential oil and a HPTLC (High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography fingerprint of their extracts could help to distinguish SB from the other sages. The essential oil from dried aerial parts of SB (content: 1.8–4.5% was characterized by GC-FID (Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry showing a composition close to that currently accepted for Spanish sage essential oil in the European Pharmacopoeia, ISO (International Standard Organization and UNE (Una Norma Española standards, with 1,8-cineole (13.7–45.7% and camphor (12.1–28.6% as major constituents. HPTLC methods, based on the analysis of hydroalcoholic and dichloromethane

Chemical diversity and antiviral potential in the pantropical Diospyros genus.

Science.gov (United States)

Peyrat, Laure-Anne; Eparvier, Véronique; Eydoux, Cécilia; Guillemot, Jean-Claude; Stien, Didier; Litaudon, Marc

2016-07-01

A screening using a dengue replicon virus-cell-based assay was performed on 3563 ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts from different parts of 1500 plants. The screening led to the selection of species from the genus Diospyros (Ebenaceae), among which 25 species distributed in tropical areas showed significant inhibitory activity on dengue virus replication. A metabolic analysis was conducted from the UPLC-HRMS profiles of 33 biologically active and inactive plant extracts, and their metabolic proximity is presented in the form of a dendrogram. The results of the study showed that chemical similarity is not related to plant species or organ. Overall, metabolomic profiling allowed us to define large groups of extracts, comprising both active and inactive ones. Closely related profiles from active extracts might indicate that the common major components of these extracts were responsible for the antiviral activity, while the comparison of chemically similar active and inactive extracts, will permit to find compounds of interest. Eventually, the phytochemical investigation of Diospyros glans bark EtOAc extract afforded usnic acid and 7 known ursane- and lupane-type triterpenoids, among which 5 were found significantly active against dengue virus replication. The inhibitory potency of these compounds was also evaluated on a DENV-NS5 RNA-dependant RNA polymerase assay. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative analysis of diosgenin in Dioscorea species and related medicinal plants by UPLC-DAD-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Tao; Fan, Lan-Lan; Chen, Hong-Li; Zhu, Guo-Yuan; Suen, Hau-Man; Tang, Yi-Na; Zhu, Lin; Chu, Chu; Zhao, Zhong-Zhen; Chen, Hu-Biao

2014-08-09

Dioscorea is a genus of flowering plants, and some Dioscorea species are known and used as a source for the steroidal sapogenin diosgenin. To screen potential resource from Dioscorea species and related medicinal plants for diosgenin extraction, a rapid method to compare the contents of diosgenin in various plants is crucial. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with diode array detection (DAD) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) method was developed for identification and determination of diosgenin in various plants. A comprehensive validation of the developed method was conducted. Twenty-four batches of plant samples from four Dioscorea species, one Smilax species and two Heterosmilax species were analyzed by using the developed method.The present method presented good sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Diosgenin was found in three Dioscorea species and one Heterosmilax species, namely D. zingiberensis, D. septemloba, D. collettii and H. yunnanensis. The method is suitable for the screening of diosgenin resources from plants. D. zingiberensis is an important resource for diosgenin harvesting.

Sapromyza lopesi sp. n. from Brazil: a species related to S. duodecimvittata (Frey, 1919 (Diptera: Lauxaniidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. E. Shewell

1989-01-01

Full Text Available A new species, Sapromyza lopesi, is described from Brazil, and compared with its closest relative, S. duodecimvittata (Frey. Some remarks are made on the generic classification of South American Lauxaniidae as it affects these and other species.

High-performance metabolic profiling of plasma from seven mammalian species for simultaneous environmental chemical surveillance and bioeffect monitoring

OpenAIRE

Park, Youngja H.; Lee, Kichun; Soltow, Quinlyn A.; Strobel, Frederick H.; Brigham, Kenneth L.; Parker, Richard E.; Wilson, Mark E.; Sutliff, Roy L.; Mansfield, Keith G.; Wachtman, Lynn M.; Ziegler, Thomas R.; Jones, Dean P.

2012-01-01

High-performance metabolic profiling (HPMP) by Fourier-transform mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography gives relative quantification of thousands of chemicals in biologic samples but has had little development for use in toxicology research. In principle, the approach could be useful to detect complex metabolic response patterns to toxicologic exposures and to detect unusual abundances or patterns of potentially toxic chemicals. As an initial study to develop these possible uses,...

Manipulations of the reproductive system of fishes by means of exogenous chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, R.

1997-01-01

Environmental control of reproductive activity of captive fish is feasible (or potentially feasible) but, with few exceptions, is currently impractical for most species. Therefore, chemical methods of manipulating reproductive activity continue to be widely used in fish production operations worldwide. However, the control of fish reproduction in captivity cannot be exercised without regard to adequate environmental conditions, which can differ markedly for different species. This review provides a synopsis of relevant aspects of fish reproductive physiology and addresses current and promising future chemical methods of sex control, gonadal recrudescence, and spawning. Most research on the control of reproduction in fishes has focused on female physiology because ovarian development and maturation are easily disturbed by environmental stressors. Control of sex ratios by steroid treatment has become a well-established technique for several fish species, but the technique continues to be problematic in some cases. Final gonadal growth and spawning usually can be achieved by implant treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa), which in some species have to be applied in combination with dopamine antagonists to enhance responsiveness to GnRHa. However, efforts to accelerate gonadal recrudescence and maturational competence by chemical means have yielded mixed results, reflecting a relative lack of understanding of the basic physiological and biochemic mechanisms controlling these processes. The potential benefits of using reproductive pheromone, to manipulate gonadal development and spawning has been demonstrated in a few species, but further research is needed to determine whether this technique is applicable to fish culture. Because a reliable supply of young fish is critical for the expansion and diversification of fish culture operations, the use of chemicals in combination with adequate environmental conditions to contain gametogenesis and

Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Animal Husbandry: Chemical Compositions, Separation of Sources and Animal Types

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, B.; Coggon, M.; Koss, A.; Warneke, C.; Eilerman, S. J.; Neuman, J. A.; Peischl, J.; Aikin, K. C.; Ryerson, T. B.; De Gouw, J. A.

2016-12-01

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are important sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. We used a hydronium ion time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (H3O+ ToF-CIMS) to measure VOC emissions from CAFOs in the Northern Front Range of Colorado during an aircraft campaign (SONGNEX) for regional contributions and from a mobile laboratory sampling for chemical characterizations of individual animal feedlots. The main VOCs emitted from CAFOs include carboxylic acids, alcohols, carbonyls, phenolic species, sulfur- and nitrogen-containing species. Alcohols and carboxylic acids dominate VOC concentrations. Sulfur-containing and phenolic species become more important in terms of odor activity values and NO3 reactivity, respectively. The high time-resolution mobile measurements allow the separation of the sources of VOCs from different parts of the operations occurring within the facilities. We show that the increase of ethanol concentrations were primarily associated with feed storage and handling. We apply a multivariate regression analysis using NH3 and ethanol as tracers to attribute the relative importance of animal-related emissions (animal exhalation and waste) and feed-related emissions (feed storage and handling) for different VOC species. Feed storage and handling contribute significantly to emissions of alcohols, carbonyls and carboxylic acids. Phenolic species and nitrogen-containing species are predominantly associated with animals and their waste. VOC ratios can be potentially used as indicators for the separation of emissions from dairy and beef cattle from the regional aircraft measurements.

Student Misconceptions in Chemical Equilibrium as Related to Cognitive Level and Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Alan E.; Kass, Heidi

Reported is an investigation to determine the nature and extent of student misconceptions in chemical equilibrium and to ascertain the degree to which certain misconceptions are related to chemistry achievement and to performance on specific tasks involving cognitive transformations characteristic of the concrete and formal operational stages of…

Characterization of the chemical composition of Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze and Adenostemma platyphyllum Cass

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzan, A.; Praseptiangga, D.; Hartanto, R.; Pujiasmanto, B.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to characterize the chemical compounds of Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze (Al) and Adenostemma platyphyllum Cass (Ap) using Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS) and proximate analysis. Two species of Adenostemma samples (roots, stem and leaves) about 1 mg was pyrolyzed directly at the optimum temperature of 600°C. Py-GCMS was relatively fast, easy to use and without samples preparation and identification of the chemical compounds was carried out by comparison of the mass spectra obtained with those stored in Wiley 7th libraries. The data of proximate analysis were statistically analysed using Friedman test followed and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for data of Py-GCMS. The result of proximate analysis showed that A. lavenia (L.) Kuntze (Al) and A. platyphyllum Cass (Ap) contained 8.27% (Al) and 9.18% (Ap) of water, 11.52% (Al) and 17.84% (Ap) of protein, 5.67% (Al) and 6.33% (Ap) of fat, and 17.32% (Al) and 19.94 (Ap) of ash. Amines, aldehydes, fatty acids, terpenoids-steroids, alkaloids, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, phenolic, and oligopeptides as part of 125 chemical compounds of each species are identified by Py-GCMS analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis of pyrolysis products indicate not similitary of major chemical compounds of two Adenostemma species.

Ecological Recovery Potential of Freshwater Organisms: Consequences for Environmental Risk Asseswsment of Chemicals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gergs, A.; Classen, S.; Strauss, T.; Ottermans, R.; Brock, T.C.M.; Ratte, H.T.; Hommen, U.; Preuss, T.G.

2016-01-01

Chemical contaminants released into the in the environment may have adverse effects on (non-target) species, populations and communities. The return of a stressed system to its pre-disturbance or other reference state, i.e. the ecological recovery, may depend on various factors related to the

Chemical analysis of bioactive substances in seven siberian Saussurea species

Science.gov (United States)

Avdeeva, Elena; Reshetov, Yaroslav; Shurupova, Margarita; Zibareva, Larisa; Borisova, Evgeniia; Belousov, Mikhail

2017-11-01

Main groups of biologically active substances of seven siberian Saussurea species (S. controversa DC., S. latifolia Ledeb., S. parviflora (Poir.) DC., S. frolowii Ledeb, S. amara (L.) DC., S. salicifolia (L.) DC. and S. daurica Adams) have been studied using paper, thin-layer, performance liquid chromatography, IR spectroscopy, spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. Siberian Saussurea species have a rich elemental composition and contain a variety of phenolic compounds, amino acids, polysaccharides. The majority of polysaccharides are accumulated by S. controversa, S. salicifolia and S. frolowii. These plants contain a significant amount of calcium that may be a species characteristic. All plants contain quercetin and its glycosides, in some species luteolin, kaempferol, glycosides of apigenin and myricetin were revealed. Phenolic acids with predominant content of caffeic, chlorogenic and cinnamic acids were found in all the species. The maximum amount of phenolic acids and flavonoids was determined in the grass of S. latifolia, S. controversa and S. daurica. Characteristic absorption bands of lactone carbonyl of sesquiterpenoids in IR spectrum found in S. latifolia, S. controversa, S. daurica, S. amara and S. salicifolia. HPLC / UV analysis showed that peaks with absorption maxima of 242-246 nm due to the presence of α,β-unsaturated ketone group in the structure of ecdysteroids were found in S. salicifolia, S. controversa, S. daurica and S. latifolia.

Genomic relations among 31 species of Mammillaria haworth (Cactaceae) using random amplified polymorphic DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattagajasingh, Ilwola; Mukherjee, Arup Kumar; Das, Premananda

2006-01-01

Thirty-one species of Mammillaria were selected to study the molecular phylogeny using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. High amount of mucilage (gelling polysaccharides) present in Mammillaria was a major obstacle in isolating good quality genomic DNA. The CTAB (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide) method was modified to obtain good quality genomic DNA. Twenty-two random decamer primers resulted in 621 bands, all of which were polymorphic. The similarity matrix value varied from 0.109 to 0.622 indicating wide variability among the studied species. The dendrogram obtained from the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) analysis revealed that some of the species did not follow the conventional classification. The present work shows the usefulness of RAPD markers for genetic characterization to establish phylogenetic relations among Mammillaria species.

Approximate method for stochastic chemical kinetics with two-time scales by chemical Langevin equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Fuke; Tian, Tianhai; Rawlings, James B.; Yin, George

2016-01-01

The frequently used reduction technique is based on the chemical master equation for stochastic chemical kinetics with two-time scales, which yields the modified stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA). For the chemical reaction processes involving a large number of molecular species and reactions, the collection of slow reactions may still include a large number of molecular species and reactions. Consequently, the SSA is still computationally expensive. Because the chemical Langevin equations (CLEs) can effectively work for a large number of molecular species and reactions, this paper develops a reduction method based on the CLE by the stochastic averaging principle developed in the work of Khasminskii and Yin [SIAM J. Appl. Math. 56, 1766–1793 (1996); ibid. 56, 1794–1819 (1996)] to average out the fast-reacting variables. This reduction method leads to a limit averaging system, which is an approximation of the slow reactions. Because in the stochastic chemical kinetics, the CLE is seen as the approximation of the SSA, the limit averaging system can be treated as the approximation of the slow reactions. As an application, we examine the reduction of computation complexity for the gene regulatory networks with two-time scales driven by intrinsic noise. For linear and nonlinear protein production functions, the simulations show that the sample average (expectation) of the limit averaging system is close to that of the slow-reaction process based on the SSA. It demonstrates that the limit averaging system is an efficient approximation of the slow-reaction process in the sense of the weak convergence.

IMPACT OF WOODY PLANTS SPECIES ON SOIL PHYSIO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES ALONG GRAZING GRADIENTS IN RANGELANDS OF EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Mussa Abdulahi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the lowlands of arid and semiarid rangelands woody plants plays an important role in soil fertility maintenance, providing food, medicine, cosmetics, fodder, fuel wood and pesticides. A better understanding of the interaction of woody plants on their immediate environment is needed to guide optimum management of native vegetation in the production landscapes. However, the impact of woody plant species on soil properties remains poorly understood. This study evaluates the impact of two dominant woody plant species (A. senegal and B. aegyptica on soil physico-chemical properties along grazing gradients in rangelands of eastern Ethiopia. Six trees of each species were selected from light, moderate and heavy grazing sites.  Soil sample data at two depths (0-15 and 16-30 cm were collected from under and open areas of A. senegal and B. aegyptica from each grazing sites, and analysed for nutrient contents. The nutrient status of soil under both woody species was significantly higher especially with regard to soil organic matter (4.37%, total nitrogen (0.313%, and available phosphorus (11.62 than the open grassland with soil organic matter (3.82%, total nitrogen (0.246%, and available phosphorus (10.94 mg/Kg soil for A. Senegal. The soil organic matter (3.93%, total nitrogen (0.285%, available phosphorus (11.66 mg/Kg soil were significantly higher than open grassland with soil organic matter (3.52%, total nitrogen (0.218%, available phosphorus (10.73 mg/Kg soil for B. aegyptica. This was more pronounced in the top 15 cm of soil under A. senegal woody plant species and on the light and moderate grazing site. Therefore, this tree has a significant effect on soil fertility improvement in resource poor rangelands and as a result, it is important to retain scattered A. senegal and B. aegyptica plants in the lowlands of eastern Ethiopia.

Fuelwood quality of promising tree species for alkaline soil sites in relation to tree age

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goel, V.L.; Behl, H.M. [National Botanical Research Inst., Lucknow (India). Biomass Research Center

1996-06-01

The fuelwood quality of five tree species suitable for afforestation of alkaline soil sites was investigated in relation to tree age for establishing harvest rotation cycles. Prosopis juliflora and Acacia nilotica were found to be the most suitable species for short rotation fuel wood forestry programmes because of their high wood density, biomass yield, low ash and moisture content, and good heat of combustion at the juvenile stage. The performance of other species like Acacia auriculiformis, Terminalia arjuna and Sesbania formosa is discussed. (author)

Electrochemical corrosion studies on a selected carbon steel for application in nuclear waste disposal containers: Influence of chemical species in brines on corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farvaque-Bera, A.M.; Smailos, E.

1994-04-01

In previous corrosion studies, carbon steels were identified as promising materials for the manufacture of long-lived high-level waste containers that could act as an engineered barrier in a rock-salt repository. In this paper, the influence of chemical species, potentially present in salt brines, on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of the preselected fine-grained steel TStE 355 was studied. The steel was examined at 90 C in a disposal relevant NaCl-rich brine containing various species (Br - , I - , Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ , S 2- , B(OH )4 - and Fe 3+ ) at concentrations between 10 -5 M/I and 10 -1 M/I. (orig.) [de

Chemical communication in tilapia: a comparison of Oreochromis mossambicus with O. niloticus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Peter C; Mota, Vasco C; Keller-Costa, Tina; da Silva, José Paulo; Canário, Adelino V M

2014-10-01

In allopatric speciation species differentiation generally results from different selective pressures in different environments, and identifying the traits responsible helps to understand the isolation mechanism(s) involved. Male Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) use urine to signal dominance; furthermore, 5β-pregnane-3α,17,20β-triol-3α-glucuronide (and its α-epimer, 5β-pregnane-3α,17,20α-triol-3α-glucuronide), in their urine is a potent pheromone, the concentration of which is correlated with social status. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) is a close relative; species divergence probably resulted from geographical separation around 6 million years ago. This raises the question of whether the two species use similar urinary chemical cues during reproduction. The olfactory potency of urine, and crude extracts, from either species was assessed by the electro-olfactogram and the presence of the steroid glucuronides in urine from the Nile tilapia by liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. Both species showed similar olfactory sensitivity to urine and respective extracts from either species, and similar sensitivity to the steroid glucuronides. 5β-Pregnan-3α,17α,20β-triol-3α-glucuronide was present at high concentrations (approaching 0.5mM) in urine from Nile tilapia, with 5β-pregnan-3α,17α,20α-triol-3α-glucuronide present at lower concentrations, similar to the Mozambique tilapia. Both species also had similar olfactory sensitivity to estradiol-3-glucuronide, a putative urinary cue from females. Together, these results support the idea that reproductive chemical cues have not been subjected to differing selective pressure. Whether these chemical cues have the same physiological and behavioural roles in O. niloticus as O. mossambicus remains to be investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systematic reduction of complex tropospheric chemical mechanisms, Part II: Lumping using a time-scale based approach

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L. E. Whitehouse

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a formal method of species lumping that can be applied automatically to intermediate compounds within detailed and complex tropospheric chemical reaction schemes. The method is based on grouping species with reference to their chemical lifetimes and reactivity structures. A method for determining the forward and reverse transformations between individual and lumped compounds is developed. Preliminary application to the Leeds Master Chemical Mechanism (MCMv2.0 has led to the removal of 734 species and 1777 reactions from the scheme, with minimal degradation of accuracy across a wide range of test trajectories relevant to polluted tropospheric conditions. The lumped groups are seen to relate to groups of peroxy acyl nitrates, nitrates, carbonates, oxepins, substituted phenols, oxeacids and peracids with similar lifetimes and reaction rates with OH. In combination with other reduction techniques, such as sensitivity analysis and the application of the quasi-steady state approximation (QSSA, a reduced mechanism has been developed that contains 35% of the number of species and 40% of the number of reactions compared to the full mechanism. This has led to a speed up of a factor of 8 in terms of computer calculation time within box model simulations.

PACSY, a relational database management system for protein structure and chemical shift analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Woonghee; Yu, Wookyung; Kim, Suhkmann; Chang, Iksoo; Lee, Weontae; Markley, John L

2012-10-01

PACSY (Protein structure And Chemical Shift NMR spectroscopY) is a relational database management system that integrates information from the Protein Data Bank, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank, and the Structural Classification of Proteins database. PACSY provides three-dimensional coordinates and chemical shifts of atoms along with derived information such as torsion angles, solvent accessible surface areas, and hydrophobicity scales. PACSY consists of six relational table types linked to one another for coherence by key identification numbers. Database queries are enabled by advanced search functions supported by an RDBMS server such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. PACSY enables users to search for combinations of information from different database sources in support of their research. Two software packages, PACSY Maker for database creation and PACSY Analyzer for database analysis, are available from http://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.edu.

PACSY, a relational database management system for protein structure and chemical shift analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Woonghee, E-mail: whlee@nmrfam.wisc.edu [University of Wisconsin-Madison, National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison, and Biochemistry Department (United States); Yu, Wookyung [Center for Proteome Biophysics, Pusan National University, Department of Physics (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Suhkmann [Pusan National University, Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Iksoo [Center for Proteome Biophysics, Pusan National University, Department of Physics (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Weontae, E-mail: wlee@spin.yonsei.ac.kr [Yonsei University, Structural Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry (Korea, Republic of); Markley, John L., E-mail: markley@nmrfam.wisc.edu [University of Wisconsin-Madison, National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison, and Biochemistry Department (United States)

2012-10-15

PACSY (Protein structure And Chemical Shift NMR spectroscopY) is a relational database management system that integrates information from the Protein Data Bank, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank, and the Structural Classification of Proteins database. PACSY provides three-dimensional coordinates and chemical shifts of atoms along with derived information such as torsion angles, solvent accessible surface areas, and hydrophobicity scales. PACSY consists of six relational table types linked to one another for coherence by key identification numbers. Database queries are enabled by advanced search functions supported by an RDBMS server such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. PACSY enables users to search for combinations of information from different database sources in support of their research. Two software packages, PACSY Maker for database creation and PACSY Analyzer for database analysis, are available from http://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.eduhttp://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.edu.

PACSY, a relational database management system for protein structure and chemical shift analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Woonghee; Yu, Wookyung; Kim, Suhkmann; Chang, Iksoo

2012-01-01

PACSY (Protein structure And Chemical Shift NMR spectroscopY) is a relational database management system that integrates information from the Protein Data Bank, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank, and the Structural Classification of Proteins database. PACSY provides three-dimensional coordinates and chemical shifts of atoms along with derived information such as torsion angles, solvent accessible surface areas, and hydrophobicity scales. PACSY consists of six relational table types linked to one another for coherence by key identification numbers. Database queries are enabled by advanced search functions supported by an RDBMS server such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. PACSY enables users to search for combinations of information from different database sources in support of their research. Two software packages, PACSY Maker for database creation and PACSY Analyzer for database analysis, are available from http://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.edu. PMID:22903636

PACSY, a relational database management system for protein structure and chemical shift analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Woonghee; Yu, Wookyung; Kim, Suhkmann; Chang, Iksoo; Lee, Weontae; Markley, John L.

2012-01-01

PACSY (Protein structure And Chemical Shift NMR spectroscopY) is a relational database management system that integrates information from the Protein Data Bank, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank, and the Structural Classification of Proteins database. PACSY provides three-dimensional coordinates and chemical shifts of atoms along with derived information such as torsion angles, solvent accessible surface areas, and hydrophobicity scales. PACSY consists of six relational table types linked to one another for coherence by key identification numbers. Database queries are enabled by advanced search functions supported by an RDBMS server such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. PACSY enables users to search for combinations of information from different database sources in support of their research. Two software packages, PACSY Maker for database creation and PACSY Analyzer for database analysis, are available from http://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.eduhttp://pacsy.nmrfam.wisc.edu.

Chemical thermodynamics of iron - Part 1 - Chemical thermodynamics volume 13a

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemire, Robert J.; Berner, Urs; Musikas, Claude; Palmer, Donald A.; Taylor, Peter; Tochiyama, Osamu; Perrone, Jane

2013-01-01

Volume 13a of the 'Chemical Thermodynamics' (TDB) series, is the first of two volumes describing the selection of chemical thermodynamic data for species of iron. Because of the voluminous information in the literature, it has been more efficient to prepare the review in two (unequal) parts. This larger first part contains assessments of data for the metal, simple ions, aqueous hydroxido, chlorido, sulfido, sulfato and carbonato complexes, and for solid oxides and hydroxides, halides, sulfates, carbonates and simple silicates. The second part will provide assessments of data for other aqueous halido species, sulfide solids, and solid and solution species with nitrate, phosphate and arsenate, as well as some aspects of solid solutions in iron-oxide and iron-sulfide systems. The database system developed at the OECD/NEA Data Bank ensures consistency not only within the recommended data sets of iron, but also among all the data sets published in the series. This volume will be of particular interest to scientists carrying out performance assessments of deep geological disposal sites for radioactive waste

ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION SPIKING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS RELATED TO CHEMICAL WEAPON CONVENTION IN UNKNOWN WATER SAMPLES USING GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY ELECTRON IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harry Budiman

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The identification and analysis of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products is one of important component for the implementation of the convention. Nowadays, the analytical method for determination chemical warfare agent and their degradation products has been developing and improving. In order to get the sufficient analytical data as recommended by OPCW especially in Proficiency Testing, the spiking chemical compounds related to Chemical Weapon Convention in unknown water sample were determined using two different techniques such as gas chromatography and gas chromatography electron-impact ionization mass spectrometry. Neutral organic extraction, pH 11 organic extraction, cation exchanged-methylation, triethylamine/methanol-silylation were performed to extract the chemical warfare agents from the sample, before analyzing with gas chromatography. The identification of chemical warfare agents was carried out by comparing the mass spectrum of chemicals with mass spectrum reference from the OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD library while the retention indices calculation obtained from gas chromatography analysis was used to get the confirmation and supported data of  the chemical warfare agents. Diisopropyl methylphosphonate, 2,2-diphenyl-2-hydroacetic acid and 3-quinuclidinol were found in unknown water sample. Those chemicals were classified in schedule 2 as precursor or reactant of chemical weapons compound in schedule list of Chemical Weapon Convention.   Keywords: gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, retention indices, OCAD library, chemical warfare agents

Relating metal bioavailability to risk assessment for aquatic species: Daliao River watershed, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Shuping; Zhang, Ying; Masunaga, Shigeki; Zhou, Siyun; Naito, Wataru

2014-01-01

The spatial distribution of metal bioavailability (Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) was first evaluated within the waters of Daliao River watershed, using the diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and chemical equilibrium models. To assess potential risks associated with metal bioavailability, site-specific 95% protection levels (HC5), risk characterizations ratios (RCR) and ratios of DGT-labile/HC5 were derived, using species sensitivity distribution (SSD). The highest bioavailability values for metals were recorded in the main channel of the Daliao River, followed by the Taizi River. Dynamic concentrations predicted by WHAM 7.0 and NICA-Donnan for Cu and Zn agreed well with DGT results. The estuary of the Daliao River was found to have the highest risks related to Ni, Cu, and Zn. The number of sites at risk increased when considering the total toxicity of Ni, Cu, and Zn. - Highlights: • Spatial variation in metal bioavailability within Daliao River watershed was studied. • WHAM 7.0 and NICA-Donnan examined the differences in predicting metal speciation. • Bioavailability values of metals were highest in main channel of the Daliao River. • Site-specific 95% protection levels (HC5)/risk variations were assessed using SSD. • Maximum risks from Ni, Cu, and Zn occurred in the estuary of the Daliao River. - The highest bioavailability values and the highest risks of metals were found in the estuary of the Daliao River

The Complete Chloroplast Genome of Wild Rice (Oryza minuta) and Its Comparison to Related Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Asaf, Sajjad; Waqas, Muhammad; Khan, Abdul L; Khan, Muhammad A; Kang, Sang-Mo; Imran, Qari M; Shahzad, Raheem; Bilal, Saqib; Yun, Byung-Wook; Lee, In-Jung

2017-01-01

Oryza minuta , a tetraploid wild relative of cultivated rice (family Poaceae), possesses a BBCC genome and contains genes that confer resistance to bacterial blight (BB) and white-backed (WBPH) and brown (BPH) plant hoppers. Based on the importance of this wild species, this study aimed to understand the phylogenetic relationships of O. minuta with other Oryza species through an in-depth analysis of the composition and diversity of the chloroplast (cp) genome. The analysis revealed a cp genome size of 135,094 bp with a typical quadripartite structure and consisting of a pair of inverted repeats separated by small and large single copies, 139 representative genes, and 419 randomly distributed microsatellites. The genomic organization, gene order, GC content and codon usage are similar to those of typical angiosperm cp genomes. Approximately 30 forward, 28 tandem and 20 palindromic repeats were detected in the O . minuta cp genome. Comparison of the complete O. minuta cp genome with another eleven Oryza species showed a high degree of sequence similarity and relatively high divergence of intergenic spacers. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on the complete genome sequence, 65 shared genes and matK gene showed same topologies and O. minuta forms a single clade with parental O. punctata . Thus, the complete O . minuta cp genome provides interesting insights and valuable information that can be used to identify related species and reconstruct its phylogeny.