43 research outputs found

    A History of Mapleton, Utah to 1945

    Get PDF
    Mapleton, a small rural Utah community located on the benchlands between Hobble Creek Canyon and Spanish Fork Canyon fifty miles south of Salt Lake City, was settled in the late 1860s and early 1870s by Springvllle and Spanish Fork families who built their homes on their individual farms. These families did not follow traditional Mormon settlement patterns with a City of Zion plat as their guide; their community grew along quite different lines. Its inhabitants never heard a call nor did they have their land alloted to them by their church. The Latter-day Saint Ward, established on the bench In 1888, became the nucleus for both civic and spiritual growth. Its leaders were central figures In the events leading to the political separation of Mapleton from its parent community of Springville in 1901. Two factors contributed to this political separation: a feeling by Maplefon residents that the Springville City Councll was not looking after their interests, and a serious irrigation controversy. After the establishment of town government in 1901 Mapleton grew and developed in ways similar to much larger cities. It developed the same type of civic pride and worked to improve its educational, civic, and cultural programs. However, despite the many improvements in roads, and the amount of available irrigation water, by 1945 Mapleton was not a community of full time farmers. It was, and had been since its beginnings , a community of part-time farmers who worked at second jobs to help pay for farms and maintain a moderate standard of living. The community has been affected by many outside events, but it developed in a manner similar to many other Mormon communities. Its residents enjoyed the inventions of a modern society. They were apprehensive and concerned about world wars and depressions that affected their lives. Still, the three most important influences on Mapleton people were the family, the church, and the job

    Responding to ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) in the UK: woodland composition and replacement tree species

    Get PDF
    Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is an important timber species that is widespread in broadleaved woodlands across Europe, where it is currently declining due to the fungal pathogen (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (T. Kowal) Baral et al., 2014) causing ash dieback. Using the UK as our case study, we assess: (1) likely woodland composition following ash dieback and (2) choice of replacement species for production planting. The greatest impacts on woodland composition will occur where ash forms a larger proportion of the canopy. In such woodlands, larger gaps formed from the loss of ash, are likely to be filled by sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) under current climatic conditions and where there is little management intervention. Native woodland policy regarding sycamore and beech may need to be reviewed in UK-designated woodlands where these species are considered non-native. For actively managed production woodlands, 27 replacement tree species for ash are considered, some of these are non-native and present options for continuing production forestry objectives on former ash sites. An assessment of replacement species shows there is no single species that can substitute for the wide range of site conditions associated with the good growth of ash. In deciding to replace ash with another tree species, the decision on selection should be made based on particular site conditions and woodland objectives

    Brownian motors: noisy transport far from equilibrium

    Full text link
    Transport phenomena in spatially periodic systems far from thermal equilibrium are considered. The main emphasize is put on directed transport in so-called Brownian motors (ratchets), i.e. a dissipative dynamics in the presence of thermal noise and some prototypical perturbation that drives the system out of equilibrium without introducing a priori an obvious bias into one or the other direction of motion. Symmetry conditions for the appearance (or not) of directed current, its inversion upon variation of certain parameters, and quantitative theoretical predictions for specific models are reviewed as well as a wide variety of experimental realizations and biological applications, especially the modeling of molecular motors. Extensions include quantum mechanical and collective effects, Hamiltonian ratchets, the influence of spatial disorder, and diffusive transport.Comment: Revised version (Aug. 2001), accepted for publication in Physics Report

    Structural and functional insights into asymmetric enzymatic dehydration of alkenols

    Get PDF
    The asymmetric dehydration of alcohols is an important process for the direct synthesis of alkenes. We report the structure and substrate specificity of the bifunctional linalool dehydratase isomerase (LinD) from the bacterium Castellaniella defragrans that catalyzes in nature the hydration of ÎČ-myrcene to linalool and the subsequent isomerization to geraniol. Enzymatic kinetic resolutions of truncated and elongated aromatic and aliphatic tertiary alcohols (C5-C15) that contain a specific signature motif demonstrate the broad substrate specificity of LinD. The three-dimensional structure of LinD from Castellaniella defragrans revealed a pentamer with active sites at the protomer interfaces. Furthermore, the structure of LinD in complex with the product geraniol provides initial mechanistic insights into this bifunctional enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed active site amino acid residues essential for its dehydration and isomerization activity. These structural and mechanistic insights facilitate the development of hydrating catalysts, enriching the toolbox for novel bond-forming biocatalysis

    Functional analysis of Casein Kinase 1 in a minimal circadian system

    Get PDF
    The Earth's rotation has driven the evolution of cellular circadian clocks to facilitate anticipation of the solar cycle. Some evidence for timekeeping mechanism conserved from early unicellular life through to modern organisms was recently identified, but the components of this oscillator are currently unknown. Although very few clock components appear to be shared across higher species, Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) is known to affect timekeeping across metazoans and fungi, but has not previously been implicated in the circadian clock in the plant kingdom. We now show that modulation of CK1 function lengthens circadian rhythms in Ostreococcustauri, a unicellular marine algal species at the base of the green lineage, separated from humans by ~1.5 billion years of evolution. CK1 contributes to timekeeping in a phase-dependent manner, indicating clock-mediated gating of CK1 activity. Label-free proteomic analyses upon overexpression as well as inhibition revealed CK1-responsive phosphorylation events on a set of target proteins, including highly conserved potentially clock-relevant cellular regulator proteins. These results have major implications for our understanding of cellular timekeeping and can inform future studies in any circadian organism

    Circadian oscillator proteins across the kingdoms of life : Structural aspects 06 Biological Sciences 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology

    Get PDF
    Circadian oscillators are networks of biochemical feedback loops that generate 24-hour rhythms and control numerous biological processes in a range of organisms. These periodic rhythms are the result of a complex interplay of interactions among clock components. These components are specific to the organism but share molecular mechanisms that are similar across kingdoms. The elucidation of clock mechanisms in different kingdoms has recently started to attain the level of structural interpretation. A full understanding of these molecular processes requires detailed knowledge, not only of the biochemical and biophysical properties of clock proteins and their interactions, but also the three-dimensional structure of clockwork components. Posttranslational modifications (such as phosphorylation) and protein-protein interactions, have become a central focus of recent research, in particular the complex interactions mediated by the phosphorylation of clock proteins and the formation of multimeric protein complexes that regulate clock genes at transcriptional and translational levels. The three-dimensional structures for the cyanobacterial clock components are well understood, and progress is underway to comprehend the mechanistic details. However, structural recognition of the eukaryotic clock has just begun. This review serves as a primer as the clock communities move towards the exciting realm of structural biology

    Seedling root growth of six broadleaved tree species grown in competition with grass under irrigated nursery conditions

    No full text
    - Pre-treated seeds of ash, silver birch, field maple, hawthorn, rowan and sycamore were sown into open nursery beds half of which were then over-sown with grass seed. After germination most species were harvested at approximately weekly intervals. Height, dry weights, lengths of roots, and numbers of lateral roots and root tips of tree seedlings were assessed. Overall, competition with grass had little effect on seedling size but appeared to reduce development of the lateral root system. However, results were very variable both within and between species, and differences observed were often only indicative and not statistically significant. Competition tended to increase allocation of biomass to roots and the length of the tap-root, but reduced total length of the root system. In general, on a length basis, competition with grass had no effect on the number of 1st order laterals on the tap-root, but the total number of root tips on the root system declined. The response to competition varied with species but differences could not be related simply to competitive ability. The small effects of grass competition may be related to the short duration of the experiment and the irrigation regime used.- Croissance racinaire de semis de six essences feuillues se dĂ©veloppant en concurrence avec des graminĂ©es en pĂ©piniĂšre irriguĂ©e. Des graines prĂ©traitĂ©es de frĂȘne, bouleau verruqueux, Ă©rable champĂȘtre, aubĂ©pine monogyne, sorbier des oiseleurs et d’érable sycomore ont Ă©tĂ© semĂ©es sur des planches de pĂ©piniĂšres, Ă  ciel ouvert, puis sur la moitiĂ© d’entre elles on a effectuĂ© un semis supplĂ©mentaire de graines de graminĂ©es. AprĂšs germination, sur la plupart des espĂšces, on a procĂ©dĂ© Ă  des prĂ©lĂšvements hebdomadaires. Les variables objets de mesures et observations sur les semis Ă©taient : la hauteur, les poids secs, les longueurs de racines, le nombre de racines latĂ©rales et des apex racinaires. D’une maniĂšre gĂ©nĂ©rale, la concurrence des graminĂ©es a peu d’effet sur la taille des semis mais semble rĂ©duire le dĂ©veloppement du systĂšme racinaire latĂ©ral. Cependant, les rĂ©sultats varient Ă©normĂ©ment aux niveaux intra et interspĂ©cifiques. Les diffĂ©rences observĂ©es indiquent souvent et seulement des tendances sans ĂȘtre statistiquement significatives. La concurrence tend Ă  accroĂźtre la proportion de biomasse affectĂ©e aux racines ainsi que la longueur du pivot. Mais elle rĂ©duit la longueur totale du systĂšme racinaire. En gĂ©nĂ©ral, la concurrence des graminĂ©es n’affecte pas le nombre de racines latĂ©rales du premier ordre, mais rĂ©duit le nombre total d’apex du systĂšme racinaire. Les effets de la concurrence varient selon les espĂšces sans qu’il soit possible de les relier de maniĂšre simple Ă  une aptitude Ă  la compĂ©tition. La faible importance de l’action de la concurrence est peut-ĂȘtre due Ă  la courte durĂ©e de l’expĂ©rimentation et au rĂ©gime d’irrigation mis en Ɠuvre
    corecore