Effects of conifer sawdust, hardwood sawdust, and peat on soil properties and a barefoot conifer seedling development

Organic amendments are commonly used to improve tree nursery soil conditions for increased seedling growth. However, few studies compare organic amendments effects on soil conditions, and fewer compare subsequent effects on seedling growth. The effects of three organic amendments on soil properties and seedling growth were investigated at the USDA Forest Service J.W. Toumey Nursery in Watersmeet, MI. Pine sawdust (red pine, Pinus resinosa), hardwood sawdust (maple, Acer spp. and aspen, Populus spp.), and peat were individually incorporated into a loamy sand nursery soil in August, 2006, and soil properties were sampled periodically for the next 14 months. Jack (Pinus banksiana), red, and white pine (Pinus strobus) were sown into test plots in June, 2007 and sampled for growth responses at the end of the growing season. It is hypothesized; pine sawdust and peat can be used as a satisfactory soil amendment to improve soil conditions and produce high quality seedlings, when compared to hardwood sawdust in bareroot nursery soils. This study has the potential to reduce nursery costs while broadening soil amendment options. The addition of peat and pine sawdust increased soil organic matter above control soil conditions after 14 months. However, hardwood sawdust-amended soils did not differ from control soils after same time period. High N concentrations in peat increased total soil N over the other treatments. Similarly, the addition of peat increased soil matric potential and available water over all other treatments. Seedlings grew tallest with the largest stem diameter, and had the largest biomass in both control soil and soil amended with peat, compared to either sawdust treatment. Seedlings grown in peat-amended soils had higher N concentrations than those grown in soils treated with pine sawdust, though neither was different from seedlings grown in control or hardwood sawdust-amended soils. Overall, peat is a well suited organic soil amendment for the enhancement of soil properties, but no amendments were able to increase one-year seedling growth over control soils

The requirement of matrix ATP for the import of precursor proteins into the mitochondrial matrix and intermembrane space

The role of ATP in the matrix for the import of precursor proteins into the various mitochondrial subcompartments was investigated by studying protein translocation at experimentally defined ATP levels. Proteins targeted to the matrix were neither imported or processed when matrix ATP was depleted. Import and processing of precytochrome b2, (pb2), a precursor carrying a bipartite presequence, into the intermembrane space was also strongly dependent on matrix ATP. Preproteins, consisting of 220 or more residues of pb2 fused to dihydrofolate reductase, showed the same requirement for matrix ATP, whereas the import of shorter fusion proteins (up to 167 residues of pb2) was largely independent of matrix ATP. For those intermembrane-space-targeted proteins that did need matrix ATP, the dependence could be relieved either by unfolding these proteins prior to import or by introducing a deletion into the mature portion of the protein thereby impairing the tight folding of the cytochrome b5 domain. These results suggest the following: (a) The import of matrix-targeted preproteins, in addition to a membrane potential ΔΨ, requires matrix ATP [most likely to facilitate reversible binding of mitochondrial heat-shock protein 70 (mt-Hsp70) to incoming precursors], for two steps, securing the presequence on the matrix side of the inner membrane and for the completion of translocation; (b) in the case of intermembrane-space-targeted precursors with bipartite signals, the function of ATP/mt-Hsp70 is not obligatory, as components of the intermembrane-space-sorting pathway may substitute for ATP/mt-Hsp70 function (however, if a tightly folded domain is present in the precursor, ATP/mt-Hsp70 is indispensable); (c) unfolding on the mitochondrial surface of tightly folded segments of preproteins is facilitated by matrix-ATP/mt-Hsp70

Dual character of the electronic structure in YBa2Cu4O8: conduction bands of CuO2 planes and CuO chains

We use microprobe Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (muARPES) to separately investigate the electronic properties of CuO2 planes and CuO chains in the high temperature superconductor, YBa2Cu4O8. In the CuO2 planes, a two dimensional (2D) electronic structure with nearly momentum independent bilayer splitting is observed. The splitting energy is 150 meV at (pi,0), almost 50% larger than in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+d) and the electron scattering at the Fermi level in the bonding band is about 1.5 times stronger than in the antibonding band. The CuO chains have a quasi one dimensional (1D) electronic structure. We observe two 1D bands separated by ~ 550meV: a conducting band and an insulating band with an energy gap of ~ 240meV. We find that the conduction electrons are well confined within the planes and chains with a non-trivial hybridization.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The ρ−ω\rho-\omega splitting in constituent quark models

In this letter we present a solution to describe simultaneously the light isoscalar and isovector vector mesons in constituent quark models. In Ref. [1] the $q\bar q$ spectrum was studied in a generalized constituent quark model constrained by the $NN$ phenomenology and the baryon spectrum. An overall good fit to the available experimental data was obtained. A major problem of this description was the relative position of the vector $\omega$ and $\rho$ mesons. The present results improve the description of the isoscalar meson spectroscopy. They should serve as a step forward in distinguishing conventional quark model mesons from exotic states.Comment: 8 pages, no figures. To be published in Phys. Lett.

Phase-locking of time-delayed attosecond XUV pulse pairs

We present a setup for the generation of phase-locked attosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulse pairs. The attosecond pulse pairs are generated by high harmonic generation (HHG) driven by two phase-locked near-infrared (NIR) pulses that are produced using an actively stabilized Mach-Zehnder interferometer compatible with near-single cycle pulses. The attosecond XUV pulses can be delayed over a range of 400 fs with a sub-10-as delay jitter. We validate the precision and the accuracy of the setup by XUV optical interferometry and by retrieving the energies of Rydberg states of helium in an XUV pump–NIR probe photoelectron spectroscopy experiment

Win-Win Strategies at Discount Stores

An important development that contributes to store brands’ growing success in the grocery market is the increasing number of discount stores that sell predominantly own, private-label, brands. To fight private labels, manufacturers of national brands feel increasingly compelled to develop better trade relations with discounters. Some discounters, from their part, are looking for opportunities to differentiate themselves, and to move beyond a pure price-based competition, by extending their assortment with attractive national brands. In this study, we determine what factors drive national-brand success at discount stores, and lead to positive outcomes for both the manufacturer and the discounter

Support of generalized parton distributions in Bethe-Salpeter models of hadrons

The proper support of generalized parton distributions from relativistic constituent quark models with pointlike constituents is studied. The correct support is guaranteed when the vertex function does not depend on the relative minus-momentum. We show that including quark interactions in models with pointlike constituent quarks might lead to a support problem. A computation of the magnitude of the support problem in the Bonn relativistic constituent quark model is presented.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. v2: specific calculation included, references and figure added. Submitted to Phys. Lett.