Physiological comparison of root trainer and polybag plants of Hevea brasiliensis

The physiology of   root trainer plants in comparison to polybag plants of two popular Hevea clones,   RRII 105 and RRII 430 was studied. Dry matter partitioning and physiological   parameters like leaf water potential, relative water content, chlorophyll   content, PS II activity and photosynthetic efficiency were studied in root   trainer and polybag plants and compared. Root trainer plants had only 55 per   cent less biomass than polybag plants at two whorled stage. No variation was   noticed in water relations among the poly bag and root trainer plants. Total   chlorophyll content and chlorophyll a/b ratio were higher in polybag   plants than root trainer plants of both clones. Polybag plants showed higher   light saturation point when gas exchange was measured at different   photosynthetic photon flux densities. Though there was no variation in   effective quantum yield (Φ PSII), the root trainer plants of RRII 105 showed   more excess electrons (J*) at higher light intensities. Photosystem II   activity and photosynthetic carbon assimilation rates were less in root   trainer plants under open and shaded conditions. The results indicated that   the root confinement in root trainer plants has significant effect on the   physiology of plants. The reduction in plant biomass and other physiological   traits in root trainer plants can be attributed to the limited space in the   container, limiting further root growth, which otherwise is beneficial for   giving a priming effect as long as the plant remains in the container.   Further studies are needed to quantify this ‘stress factor’ in root trainer   plants and its implications in growth and establishment of plants in the   field

Technological Frames and End-User Computing

Research Paper Series (National University of Singapore. Faculty of Business Administration); 1996-0041-2

Short-term mental distress in research participants after receiving cardiovascular risk information.

Background Understanding of how cardiovascular risk information influence individuals is critical for the practice of risk assessment and the management of patients with cardiovascular disease. Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate change in mental distress among research participants after undergoing a cardiovascular risk assessment and receiving individual test results. Methods In 2017, a question

Mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of manganese sulphide inclusions

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Mechanical characterisation of the protective Al2O3 scale in Cr2AlC MAX phases

MAX phases have great potential under demands of both high-temperature and high-stress performance, with their mixed atomic bonding producing the temperature and oxidation resistance of ceramics with the mechanical resilience of metals. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Novel Methods for Determining Effective Interactions for the Nuclear Shell Model

The Contractor Renormalization (CORE) method is applied in combination with modern effective-theory techniques to the nuclear many-body problem. A one-dimensional--yet ``realistic''--nucleon-nucleon potential is introduced to test these novel ideas. It is found that the magnitude of ``model-space'' (CORE) corrections diminishes considerably when an effective potential that eliminates the hard-momentum components of the potential is first introduced. As a result, accurate predictions for the ground-state energy of the there-body system are made with relatively little computational effort when both techniques are used in a complementary fashion.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures and 2 tabl

Ferrets exclusively synthesize Neu5Ac and express naturally humanized influenza A virus receptors

Mammals express the sialic acids ​N-acetylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Ac) and ​N-glycolylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Gc) on cell surfaces, where they act as receptors for pathogens, including influenza A virus (IAV). ​Neu5Gc is synthesized from ​Neu5Ac by the enzyme cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH). In humans, this enzyme is inactive and only ​Neu5Ac is produced. Ferrets are susceptible to human-adapted IAV strains and have been the dominant animal model for IAV studies. Here we show that ferrets, like humans, do not synthesize ​Neu5Gc. Genomic analysis reveals an ancient, nine-exon deletion in the ferret CMAH gene that is shared by the Pinnipedia and Musteloidia members of the Carnivora. Interactions between two human strains of IAV with the sialyllactose receptor (sialic acid—α2,6Gal) confirm that the type of terminal sialic acid contributes significantly to IAV receptor specificity. Our results indicate that exclusive expression of ​Neu5Ac contributes to the susceptibility of ferrets to human-adapted IAV strains

Closed genome and comparative phylogenetic analysis of the clinical multidrug resistant Shigella sonnei strain 866

Shigella sonneiis responsible for the majority of shigellosis infections in the US with over 500,000 cases reported annually. Here, wepresent the complete genome of the clinical multidrug resistant (MDR) strain 866, which is highly susceptible to bacteriophageinfections. The strain has a circular chromosome of 4.85 Mb and carries a 113 kb MDR plasmid. This IncB/O/K/Z-type plasmid, termedp866, confers resistance to five different classes of antibiotics including ß-lactamase, sulfonamide, tetracycline, aminoglycoside, andtrimethoprim. Comparative analysis of the plasmid architecture and gene inventory revealed that p866 shares its plasmid backbonewith previously described IncB/O/K/Z-typeShigellaspp. andEscherichiacoliplasmids, but is differentiated by the insertion of antibioticresistance cassettes, which we found associated with mobile genetic elements such as Tn3, Tn7, and Tn10. A whole genome-derivedphylogenetic reconstruction showed the evolutionary relationships ofS. sonneistrain 866 and the four establishedShigellaspecies,highlighting the clonal nature ofS. sonnei

Benthic foraminiferal turnover across the Dan-C2 event in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean (ODP Site 1262)

G.J.A.R. and L.A. acknowledge funding from projects CGL2017-84693-R and PID2019-105537RB-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds), and from Consolidated Group E05 (Government of Aragon/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). E.T. recognises partial funding by NSF_OCE 1536611. G.J.A.R thanks the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt, México) for her predoctoral fellowship. J.S.K.B. and K.L. acknowledge funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Isotope Geosciences Facility at the British Geological Survey (IP-1581–1115) and D.N.S. support from the Royal Society via Wolfson Merit award. This research used samples provided by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and participating countries under management of Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), Inc.The Paleogene was punctuated by perturbations of the global carbon cycle, many associated with transient global warming events (hyperthermals). The Dan-C2 event (~160 kyr after Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary; K/Pg) was the oldest of these eccentricity-linked carbon cycle disturbances (ELCD). In contrast to other hyperthermals, the Dan-C2 event was not characterised by bottom water warming, and surface water warming probably was not global. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages across Dan-C2 at SE Atlantic Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1262 are diverse and strongly dominated by calcareous species. Epifaunal and infaunal morphogroups are equally abundant, suggesting meso-oligotrophic seafloor conditions. Assemblages decreased in diversity gradually before Dan-C2, and Nuttallides truempyi decreased in relative abundance while Stensioeina beccariiformis and the agglutinant Spiroplectammina spectabilis increased, suggesting enhanced food supply to the seafloor. Benthic foraminifera were not highly affected by the Dan-C2 event. An increase in relative abundance of the opportunistic species Bulimina kugleri and Seabrookia cretacea after Dan-C2 points to a change in the type of organic matter arriving at the seafloor. These changes may have been caused by ongoing environmental and/or evolutionary instability following K/Pg mass extinction of oceanic plankton. Variability in composition of pelagic ecosystems, thus the type and/or amount of food arriving at the seafloor, may have been caused by the gradual recovery of pelagic ecosystems after that extinction, possibly affected by warming and pH changes due to Deccan volcanism.PostprintPeer reviewe

Benthic foraminiferal turnover across the Dan-C2 event in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean (ODP Site 1262)

G.J.A.R. and L.A. acknowledge funding from projects CGL2017-84693-R and PID2019-105537RB-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds), and from Consolidated Group E05 (Government of Aragon/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). E.T. recognises partial funding by NSF_OCE 1536611. G.J.A.R thanks the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt, México) for her predoctoral fellowship. J.S.K.B. and K.L. acknowledge funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Isotope Geosciences Facility at the British Geological Survey (IP-1581–1115) and D.N.S. support from the Royal Society via Wolfson Merit award. This research used samples provided by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and participating countries under management of Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), Inc.The Paleogene was punctuated by perturbations of the global carbon cycle, many associated with transient global warming events (hyperthermals). The Dan-C2 event (~160 kyr after Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary; K/Pg) was the oldest of these eccentricity-linked carbon cycle disturbances (ELCD). In contrast to other hyperthermals, the Dan-C2 event was not characterised by bottom water warming, and surface water warming probably was not global. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages across Dan-C2 at SE Atlantic Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1262 are diverse and strongly dominated by calcareous species. Epifaunal and infaunal morphogroups are equally abundant, suggesting meso-oligotrophic seafloor conditions. Assemblages decreased in diversity gradually before Dan-C2, and Nuttallides truempyi decreased in relative abundance while Stensioeina beccariiformis and the agglutinant Spiroplectammina spectabilis increased, suggesting enhanced food supply to the seafloor. Benthic foraminifera were not highly affected by the Dan-C2 event. An increase in relative abundance of the opportunistic species Bulimina kugleri and Seabrookia cretacea after Dan-C2 points to a change in the type of organic matter arriving at the seafloor. These changes may have been caused by ongoing environmental and/or evolutionary instability following K/Pg mass extinction of oceanic plankton. Variability in composition of pelagic ecosystems, thus the type and/or amount of food arriving at the seafloor, may have been caused by the gradual recovery of pelagic ecosystems after that extinction, possibly affected by warming and pH changes due to Deccan volcanism.PostprintPeer reviewe