Antigenic diversity of Theileria major piroplasm surface protein gene in Jeju black cattle

Piroplasms are tick-transmitted, intracellular, hemoprotozoan parasites that cause anorexia, fever, anemia, and icterus. Theileriosis is caused by Theileria sergenti and causes major economic losses in grazing cattle in Japan and Korea. In May 2003, we examined the antigenic diversity of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene in 35 healthy Jeju black cattle that were born and raised at the National Institute of Subtropical Agriculture. On microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears, 9 of 35 cattle had intra-erythrocytic piroplasms. Hematological data were within normal range for all 35 cattle. Amplification of DNA from all blood samples using universal MPSP gene primers showed mixed infections with C, I, and B type Theileria spp. Type C was identified in 20 of 35 blood samples, and type B was identified in 17 samples. Allelic variation was seen in type B

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 composites through potential barrier scattering at heterogeneous interfaces

The inclusion of secondary phase in a matrix has been proven effective in diverse regimes of thermoelectric (TE) material research intended to attain high thermoelectric performance. Herein, we show that the introduction of semiconducting Zn4Sb3 alloys into a Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 matrix to form ZnTe nanophase in situ causes enhanced electrical conductivity and reduced thermal conductivity. This is due to increase in the carrier concentration and intensified phonon scattering at interface potentials. These simultaneously increased the power factor by 17 % and achieved a remarkable reduction (25 %) of lattice thermal conductivity at 350 K for BST/2 wt% Zn(4)Sb(3 )composites. As a result, the largest value of ZT (1.35) was obtained at 350 K, which is 26 % higher than that of the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 matrix at the same temperature. Moreover, the maximum conversion efficiency was about 8.74 % at Delta T = 200 K for BST/2 wt% Zn4Sb3 composites, which is 25 % higher than that of a bare BST sample.11Nsciescopu

Evaluating controllability of pharmaceuticals and metabolites in biologically engineered processes, using corresponding octanol-water distribution coefficient

The efficiency of removing 9 different pharmaceuticals, 5 carbamazepine metabolites, and 1 personal care product through wastewater treatment plants and constructed wetlands was investigated. The compound concentrations were measured using solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. For extraction confirmation and better accuracy, isotopic dilution and standards addition methods were employed. The reporting limits for the investigated compounds were less than 10 ng/L except TCEP (24 ng/L). The removal efficiencies were found to be inversely proportional to the octanol-water partition coefficients (log K(ow)) after modification with ionizable functional groups (log D(ow)); compounds with a higher hydrophilicity were more efficiently removed in the engineered processes through biological treatment mechanisms. Carbamazepine metabolites that were formed in the early stages of certain metabolic reactions exhibited enhanced removal efficiencies due to a decreased log D(ow) values. However, the removal efficiency of those formed in later stages did not increase, but rather fluctuated with large standard deviations. The removal behaviors of metabolites in biologically operating engineered systems need to be more extensively examined. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reservedclose121

Genome-scale screening and molecular characterization of membrane-bound transcription factors in Arabidopsis and rice

Controlled proteolytic activation of membrane-bound transcription factors (MTFs) is recently emerging as a versatile way of rapid transcriptional responses to environmental changes in plants. Here, we report genome-scale identification of putative MTFs in the Arabidopsis and rice genomes. The Arabidopsis and rice genomes have at least 85 and 45 MTFs, respectively, in virtually all major transcription factor families. Of particular interest is the NAC MTFs (designated NTLs): there are at least 18 NTLs in Arabidopsis and 5 NTL members (OsNTLs) in rice. While the full-size OsNTL forms are associated with the membranes, truncated forms lacking the transmembrane domains are detected exclusively in the nucleus. Furthermore, transcript levels of the OsNTL genes were elevated after treatments with abiotic stresses, supporting their roles in plant stress responses. We propose that membrane-mediated transcriptional control is a critical component of gene regulatory network that serves as an adaptive strategy under unfavorable growth conditions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved