Pegmatites of the Anderson Ridge quadrangle, Fremont County, Wyoming

“The oldest rocks in the area consist mainly of para- schists of low to medium rank and restricted higher rank sillimanite schist. The entire series has been at least double folded. The most apparent are tight north to north- east trending folds. These have been intruded in the northern part of the area by a batholithic body of granitic composition, a granitic stock, a pegmatitic granite, a granitic sill-like body and different types of pegmatite dikes and sills. The youngest intrusions are a series of northeast trending basic dikes and sills. A major easterly trending transverse fault and a series of smaller faults of almost east-west trend are the main fault trends in the area. They are younger than all bodies above. Pegmatites are very abundant and vary in size, shape, texture, and mineralogy. They are more numerous in the north than the south and invade all rock types except the younger basic intrusions. A new classification of the size, shape, and texture of pegmatites is proposed. The size and shape of any individual pegmatite body is identified by two values, namely, the length X width (LXW) value and the length/width (L/W) ratio. Because of the extreme variation in texture of the pegmatite bodies a classification based on a geometric scale is proposed. Both mega- and microscopic sizes applicable to field and laboratory studies are included. Five different mineralogioal types of pegmatites are recognized: magnetite granite, graphic granite, tourmaline granite, garnet granite, and biotite granite. Both concordant and discordant types of pegmatites are present. A few of the concordant varieties show a rough zoned character, but layering is characteristic of the discordant and many of the concordant varieties. The layering may result from textural and/or compositional variations. Coarse and very coarse bands alternate with fine and very fine ones. Also distinct mineralogic variations are common in these different bands. Fine-grained red garnet-rich bands characterize a good percentage of the pegmatites in the area. These colored bands are of great help in determining the internal structure of such bodies. The pegmatites are believed to be of magmatic origin. The temperature of the magmatic fluids, the content of volatiles, and the confining pressure as well as the chemical composition are thought to have varied greatly for the different pegmatite types of the area. Beryl is the most important economic mineral known to date. The very coarse tourmaline granite pegmatites are the most important host for beryl. Coarse perthitic bands and massive quartz bands in the tourmaline garnet granite pegmatites and the garnet granite pegmatites offer some promise as hosts for beryllium minerals. The district is now under active exploration”—Abstract, pages iii-iv

PLANT GROWTH AND NUTRIENTS UPTAKE AS INFLU-ENCED BY APPLICATION OF FARMYARD MANURE AND SOME NATURAL MINERALS TO SANDY SOILS

A field experiment was carried out for two seasons 2001 and 2002 at Ismailia Agric. Res. Station to study the comparative effect of farmyard manure (FYM) application, individually or in combination with natural minerals, as sources of micronutrients. Such effect was studied during successive growth stages of wheat (vegetative stage, flowering stage and harvest stage), as well as after maize harvesting, on plant growth, nutrients uptake and wheat - maize productivity. The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Two levels of FYM (2 % and 3 %) and three natural minerals, i.e., magnetite (iron oxide, Mag.), basic slag (Bas.) and manganese dust (Md.) at three rates 0.02 %, 0.05 % and 0.07%, respectively. Obtained results revealed that, at vegetative stage, mineral fertilizers (MF) treatment positively affected the dry matter of both shoots and roots of wheat plants along with contents of nitrogen and potassium in both shoots and roots as well as shoot/root ratios. At flowering stage, obtained data showed that applied farmyard manure at the rate of 3 % (F2) significantly affected the dry matter of both shoots and roots as well as their contents of N, P and K. A similar trend was obtained for micronutrients uptake at the two indicated growth stages of wheat, which recorded high values when FYM, at a rate of 3 % (F2), was applied. On the other hand, obtained results indicated that applied FYM at the rate of 2 % (F1) with high rate (0.07 %) of each of the used natural minerals and FYM at the rate of 3 % (F2) in combination with the moderate rate (0.05 %) of such minerals recorded high values of all tested parameters. In addition, Basic slag (Bas.), generally, gave the highest values, over control, of dry matter content and macronutrients uptake during the studied two growth stages of wheat, (vegetative and flowering stages). The agronomic yield components of wheat (straw, grains and weight of 1000 grains) were increased when MF was applied; such significant increases were obtained in maize yield (residual effect) as a result of applied FYM individually or combined with natural minerals

SILICON BEHAVIOR IN SOILS CONTAINED DIFFERENT SILICON AND PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATIONS USING ADSORPTION MODELS [

Silicon (Si) is an element, not essential, but is beneficial for some plants. The Freundlich model was used to describe Si adsorption on soil samples incubated with different Si and phosphorus (P) concentrations. Soil incubated samples were: T1 soil had no Si or P (control); T2, T3 and T4 soils contained 50, 100, and 200 mg Si L-1, respectively. T5 and T6  soils contained 50 mg Si L-1 in combined with either 7 or 10 mg P L-1 along with T7 and T8 soil  contained 100 mg Si L-1 in combined with either  7  or 10 mg P L-1. In final, T9 and T10 soil contained 200 mg Si L-1 in combined with either 7 or 10 mg P L-1. A series of adsorption experiments were performed using sodium metasilicate pentahydrate (Na2O3Si.5H2O) solution prepared to have concentrations representing 0, 14, 28, 42 and 56 mg Si L-1. The supernatant of Si concentration was determined. The amount of element adsorbed was calculated as the difference between applied element concentrations and that remaining in solution after equilibration. Adsorption isotherms were determined at room temperature (25 oC±1).   Results revealed that a positive trend was generally found; increases in amount of adsorption onto soil with increasing Si concentration and equilibrium concentration in concerned solution either applied separately or applied + initial available Si concentration in soil. The Freundlich equation provides a good fit to the sorption data for all incubated soil samples and R2 values were ranged from  0.82 to 0.97. Present study indicated that adsorption capacity value (Kf) decreased from T1 to T3 soil samples then increased at T4 sample, and intensity adsorption values (1/n) gave almost an opposite trend to that of capacity adsorption (Kf) values.   Moreover, adsorption of Si onto soil incubated with different Si concentrations in combined with P2 decreased as compared to P1. Opposite trend was obtained with equilibrium Si concentration in concerned solution. Also, present study showed that the higher values of Kf obtained in P1 soils (T5, T7 and T9), compared to Kf values of P2 soils (T6, T8 and T10), and intensity adsorption values (1/n) gave almost an opposite trend to that of capacity adsorption (Kf) in both P1 and P2 soils. Finally, large Si sorption capacity and low Si affinity for the surface sites were observed in soil incubated with high Si concentration compared to soil incubated with low ones

Abolishing the Audit Commission:framing, discourse coalitions and administrative reform

The abolition of the Audit Commission in England raises questions about how a major reform was achieved with so little controversy, why the agency lacked the institutional stickiness commonly described in the literature on organisational reform and why it did not strategise to survive. In this paper, we apply argumentative discourse analysis to rich empirical data to reveal the pattern and evolution of storylines and discourse coalitions, and the ways in which these interact with and affect the practices of Parliament, the media and the Audit Commission itself. Our analysis shows that the politics of administrative reform are as much about discursive framing and the ability of pro-reformers to gain discursive structuration and institutionalisation as they are about the material resources available to a newly elected government and its ministers. Questions of technical feasibility are unlikely to derail a reform initiative once its promoters gain discursive ascendency

Integrative taxonomy of root aphid parasitoids from the genus Paralipsis (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) with description of new species

Species from the genus Paralipsis are obligatory endoparasitoids of root aphids in the Palaearctic. It is known that these species are broadly distributed, parasitizing various aphid hosts and showing great biological and ecological diversity. On the other hand, this group of endoparasitoids is understudied and was thought to be represented by a single species in Europe, viz., Paralipsis enervis (Nees). However, recent description of two new species indicated the possibility of cryptic speciation and recognition of additional Paralipsis species in Europe. In this research, Paralipsis specimens collected during the last 60 years from eight European countries, as well as one sample from Morocco, were subjected to molecular and morphological characterization. Newly designed genus-specific degenerative primers successfully targeted short overlapping fragments of COI of the mitochondrial DNA. Molecular analyses showed clear separation of four independent lineages, two of which are the known species P. enervis and P. tibiator, while two new species are described here, viz., P. brachycaudi Tomanovic & Stary, sp. n. and P. rugosa Tomanovic & Stary, sp. n. No clear specialization of the taxa to a strict root aphid host has been determined. The recognized mitochondrial lineages were distinct one from another, but with a substantial within-lineage divergence rate, clearly indicating the complexity of this group of parasitoids, on which further research is required in order to clarify the factors triggering their genetic differentiation. We reviewed literature data and new records of Paralipsis enervis aphid host associations and distributions. A key for the identification of all known Paralipsis species is provided and illustrated

Nestorone® as a Novel Progestin for Nonoral Contraception:Structure-Activity Relationships and Brain Metabolism Studies

Nestorone® (NES) is a highly potent non-androgenic progestin being developed for contraception. NES is a synthetic progestin that may possess neuroprotective and myelin regenerative potential as an added health benefits. In receptor transactivation experiments, NES displayed greater potency than progesterone to transactivate the human progesterone receptor (hPR). This was confirmed by docking experiments which revealed that NES adopts the same docking position within the PR ligand-binding domain (LBD) as progesterone and forms additional stabilizing contacts between 17α-acetoxy and 16-methylene groups and PR LBD supporting its higher potency than progesterone. The analogue 13-ethyl NES also establishes similar contacts as NES with Met909, leading to comparable potency as NES. In contrast, NES is not stabilized within the human androgen receptor (hAR)-LBD leading to negligible AR transactivation. Since progesterone acts in the brain by both PR-binding and indirectly via the metabolite allopregnanolone binding to GABA_A receptor (GABA_A_R), we investigated if NES is metabolized to 3α, 5α-tetrahydronestorone (3α, 5α-THNES) in the brain and if this metabolite could interact with GABA_A_R. In female mice, low concentrations of reduced NES metabolites were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in both plasma and brain. However, electrophysiological studies showed that 3α, 5α-THNES exhibited only limited activity to enhance GABAAR-evoked responses with WSS-1 cells and did not modulate synaptic GABA_A_Rs of mouse cortical neurons. Thus the inability of reduced metabolite of NES (3α, 5α-THNES) to activate GABA_A_R suggests that the neuroprotective and myelin regenerative effects of NES are mediated via PR binding and not via its interaction with the GABA_A_R

Proteomic Profiling of Burkholderia thailandensis During Host Infection Using Bio-Orthogonal Noncanonical Amino Acid Tagging (BONCAT)

Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei are the causative agents of melioidosis and glanders, respectively, and are often fatal to humans and animals. Owing to the high fatality rate, potential for spread by aerosolization, and the lack of efficacious therapeutics, B. pseudomallei and B. mallei are considered biothreat agents of concern. In this study, we investigate the proteome of Burkholderia thailandensis, a closely related surrogate for the two more virulent Burkholderia species, during infection of host cells, and compare to that of B. thailandensis in culture. Studying the proteome of Burkholderia spp. during infection is expected to reveal molecular mechanisms of intracellular survival and host immune evasion; but proteomic profiling of Burkholderia during host infection is challenging. Proteomic analyses of host-associated bacteria are typically hindered by the overwhelming host protein content recovered from infected cultures. To address this problem, we have applied bio-orthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) to B. thailandensis, enabling the enrichment of newly expressed bacterial proteins from virtually any growth condition, including host cell infection. In this study, we show that B. thailandensis proteins were selectively labeled and efficiently enriched from infected host cells using BONCAT. We also demonstrate that this method can be used to label bacteria in situ by fluorescent tagging. Finally, we present a global proteomic profile of B. thailandensis as it infects host cells and a list of proteins that are differentially regulated in infection conditions as compared to bacterial monoculture. Among the identified proteins are quorum sensing regulated genes as well as homologs to previously identified virulence factors. This method provides a powerful tool to study the molecular processes during Burkholderia infection, a much-needed addition to the Burkholderia molecular toolbox

Genotype Dependent Somatic Embryogenesis from Egyptian Rice Mature Zygotic Embryos

Abs tract: Seven agronomically and genetically different rice (Oryza sativa L.) c u lt iv a rs were compared for their capacity for callus induction and plant regene ra t io n from mature zygotic embryos . W hite embryonic calli were formed within three weeks in the pres ence of 3 mgl 2,4,D . T h e s o matic Giza 178 s howed high regeneration fre q u e ncy (39%) followed by Giza 175 (38%) where the cultivar H1 s howed the lowes t record (24%). The data obtained fro m t h e random amplified polymorphic DNA analys is s howed that a total of 45 DNA markers were detected among the s e v e n ric e cultivars of wh ich, 29 bands were polymorphic (64.4%) and can be cons idered as us eful RA PD markers for th e rice cultivars us ed. Based on the data obtained by RA PD analys is , it was pos s ible to dis c riminate between the different genotyp e s u s e d . Sixteen out of the twenty nine polymorphic RAPD markers generated were found to be genotype-specific. Thes e markers can be verified as being RAPD markers ass ociated with the rege n e ra t io n c a pacity in the s even rice genotypes. Genetic s tability in tis s uecultured rice plants was examined by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RA PD) an a ly s is . T he genetic s imilarity between the mother and the regenerated plants was hig h fo r Giza 178 (91%) and it w a s 87.5 and 82 for Giza 175 and Sakha 102 respectively. The cultivar Giza 178 proved t o b e a us eful genetic res ource with unique regeneration ability and can be us ed for efficient generation of trans genic rice plants