NASA tungsten reactor radiation chemistry studies Final report

Cadmium sulfate poison control solutions for tungsten water moderated reacto

Fission product behavior in the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

Essentially all the fission product data for numerous and varied samples taken during operation of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment or as part of the examination of specimens removed after particular phases of operation are reported, together with the appropriate inventory or other basis of comparison, and relevant reactor parameters and conditions. Fission product behavior fell into distinct chemical groups. Evidence for fission product behavior during operation over a period of 26 months with $sup 235$U fuel (more than 9000 effective full-power hours) was consistent with behavior during operation using $sup 233$U fuel over a period of about 15 months (more than 5100 effective full- power hours). (auth

Increased glutamine in leaves of poplar transgenic with pine GS1a caused greater anthranilate synthetase α-subunit (ASA1) transcript and protein abundances: an auxin-related mechanism for enhanced growth in GS transgenics?

The initial reaction in the pathway leading to the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in plants is the reaction between chorismate and glutamine to produce anthranilate, catalysed by the enzyme anthranilate synthase (ASA; EC 4.1.3.27). Compared with non-transgenic controls, leaves of transgenic poplar with ectopic expression of the pine cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GS1a; EC 6.3.1.2) produced significantly greater glutamine and significantly enhanced ASA α-subunit (ASA1) transcript and protein (approximately 130% and 120% higher than in the untransformed controls, respectively). Similarly, tobacco leaves fed with 30 mM glutamine and 2 mM chorismate showed enhanced ASA1 transcript and protein (175% and 90% higher than controls, respectively). Furthermore, free IAA was significantly elevated both in leaves of GS1a transgenic poplar and in tobacco leaves fed with 30 mM glutamine and 2 mM chorismate. These results indicated that enhanced cellular glutamine may account for the enhanced growth in GS transgenic poplars through the regulation of auxin biosynthesis

Fragile entanglement statistics

If X and Y are independent, Y and Z are independent, and so are X and Z, one might be tempted to conclude that X, Y, and Z are independent. But it has long been known in classical probability theory that, intuitive as it may seem, this is not true in general. In quantum mechanics one can ask whether analogous statistics can emerge for configurations of particles in certain types of entan- gled states. The explicit construction of such states, along with the specifi- cation of suitable sets of observables that have the purported statistical properties, is not entirely straightforward. We show that an example of such a configuration arises in the case of an N-particle GHZ state, and we are able to identify a family of observables with the property that the associated mea- surement outcomes are independent for any choice of 2, 3, 1⁄4, N - 1 of the particles, even though the measurement outcomes for all N particles are not independent. Although such states are highly entangled, the entanglement turns out to be ‘fragile’, i.e. the associated density matrix has the property that if one traces out the freedom associated with even a single particle, the resulting reduced density matrix is separable

Thiarubrine A, a bioactive constituent of Aspilia (Asteraceae) consumed by wild chimpanzees

Two African species of Aspilia (Asteraceae), which are used medicinally by man and which are eaten by wild chimpanzees in an unusual manner, were found to contain the potent antibiotic thiarubrine A as a major leaf phytochemical. Its presence in leaf material strengthens the view that the feeding behavior of wild chimpanzees is related to special physiological or pharmacological effects on the animals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42789/1/18_2005_Article_BF02004537.pd

An overview of the first decade of PollyNET : an emerging network of automated Raman-polarization lidars for continuous aerosol profiling

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicenseA global vertically resolved aerosol data set covering more than 10 years of observations at more than 20 measurement sites distributed from 63° N to 52° S and 72° W to 124° E has been achieved within the Raman and polarization lidar network PollyNET. This network consists of portable, remote-controlled multiwavelength-polarization-Raman lidars (Polly) for automated and continuous 24/7 observations of clouds and aerosols. PollyNET is an independent, voluntary, and scientific network. All Polly lidars feature a standardized instrument design with different capabilities ranging from single wavelength to multiwavelength systems, and now apply unified calibration, quality control, and data analysis. The observations are processed in near-real time without manual intervention, and are presented online at http://polly.tropos.de/. The paper gives an overview of the observations on four continents and two research vessels obtained with eight Polly systems. The specific aerosol types at these locations (mineral dust, smoke, dust-smoke and other dusty mixtures, urban haze, and volcanic ash) are identified by their Ångström exponent, lidar ratio, and depolarization ratio. The vertical aerosol distribution at the PollyNET locations is discussed on the basis of more than 55 000 automatically retrieved 30 min particle backscatter coefficient profiles at 532 nm as this operating wavelength is available for all Polly lidar systems. A seasonal analysis of measurements at selected sites revealed typical and extraordinary aerosol conditions as well as seasonal differences. These studies show the potential of PollyNET to support the establishment of a global aerosol climatology that covers the entire troposphere.Peer reviewe

Does egg deposition by herbivorous pine sawflies affect transcription of sesquiterpene synthases in pine?

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris; Pinaceae, Pinales) is known to defend against egg deposition by herbivorous sawflies by changing its terpenoid volatile blend. The oviposition-induced pine odor attracts egg parasitoids that kill the sawfly eggs. Here, we investigated whether sawfly egg deposition activates genes encoding pine terpene synthases by extracting mRNA from oviposition-induced P. sylvestris. Three new sesquiterpene synthases, PsTPS 1, PsTPS 2, and PsTPS 3, were isolated that were shown on heterologous expression in Escherichia coli to produce (E)-β-caryophyllene and α-humulene (PsTPS 1), 1(10),5-germacradiene-4-ol (PsTPS 2), and longifolene and α-longipinene (PsTPS 3) as their principal products. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that transcript levels of PsTPS 1 and PsTPS 2 were significantly higher in oviposition-induced twigs that were attractive to the parasitoids than in non-attractive, artificially damaged twigs. Thus, our results demonstrate a specific transcription response to egg deposition, distinct from that caused by artificial wounding. Transcripts of PsTPS 3 did not change in response to egg deposition. The transcript levels of PsTPS 1, PsTPS 2, and PsTPS 3 were also determined in relation to time after egg deposition, since pine odor is attractive to the parasitoid only 72 h after egg deposition. Transcription rates of PsTPS 1 and PsTPS 2 were significantly enhanced only 72 h after egg deposition, thus matching the timing of odor attractiveness, while for PsTPS 3, enhanced transcription was not detected at any time period studied after egg deposition. The ecological significance of the oviposition-induced increase of sesquiterpene synthase transcripts is discussed

Performance and long-term stability of the barley hordothionin gene in multiple transgenic apple lines

Introduction of sustainable scab resistance in elite apple cultivars is of high importance for apple cultivation when aiming at reducing the use of chemical crop protectants. Genetic modification (GM) allows the rapid introduction of resistance genes directly into high quality apple cultivars. Resistance genes can be derived from apple itself but genetic modification also opens up the possibility to use other, non-host resistance genes. A prerequisite for application is the long-term performance and stability of the gene annex trait in the field. For this study, we produced and selected a series of transgenic apple lines of two cultivars, i.e. ‘Elstar’ and ‘Gala’ in which the barley hordothionin gene (hth) was introduced. After multiplication, the GM hth-lines, non-GM susceptible and resistant controls and GM non-hth controls were planted in a random block design in a field trial in 40 replicates. Scab resistance was monitored after artificial inoculation (first year) and after natural infection (subsequent years). After the trial period, the level of expression of the hth gene was checked by quantitative RT-PCR. Four of the six GM hth apple lines proved to be significantly less susceptible to apple scab and this trait was found to be stable for the entire 4-year period. Hth expression at the mRNA level was also stable