Influence of salicylic acid on phytochelatin synthesis in Zea mays during Cd stress

Abstract: Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize leaves. Although presoaking seeds in SA solution before exposure to Cd may reduce the level of heavy metal injury and has an effect on the composition of individual PCs, this protection is not directly connected with the altered regulation of PCs

A STUDY OF LYSOZYME (MURAMIDASE) ACTIVITY IN THE SERUM AND URINE OF PATIENTS WITH BLOOD DISEASES

No abstrac

STUDY ON THE SERUM LEVELS OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS lgG, igM, IgA IN MALIGNANT HEMOPATHIES

No abstrac

Deciphering solar turbulence from sunspots records

It is generally believed that sunspots are the emergent part of magnetic flux tubes in the solar interior. These tubes are created at the base of the convection zone and rise to the surface due to their magnetic buoyancy. The motion of plasma in the convection zone being highly turbulent, the surface manifestation of sunspots may retain the signature of this turbulence, including its intermittency. From direct observations of sunspots, and indirect observations of the concentration of cosmogenic isotopes $^{14}$C in tree rings or $^{10}$Be in polar ice, power spectral densities in frequency are plotted. Two different frequency scalings emerge, depending on whether the Sun is quiescent or active. %magnetic activity is maximum or minimum. From direct observations we can also calculate scaling exponents. These testify to a strong intermittency, comparable with that observed in the solar wind.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Salicylic acid and photosynthesis : signalling and effects

Salicylic acid (SA) is a well-known signalling molecule playing a role in local and systemic acquired resistance against pathogens as well as in acclimation to certain abiotic stressors. As a stress-related signalling compound, it may directly or indirectly affect various physiological processes, including photosynthesis. The effects of exogenously applied SA on plant physiological processes under optimal environmental conditions are controversial. Several studies suggest that SA may have a positive effect on germination or plant growth in various plant species. However, SA may also act as a stress factor, having a negative influence on various physiological processes. Its mode of action depends greatly on several factors, such as the plant species, the environmental conditions (light, temperature, etc.) and the concentration. Exogenous SA may also alleviate the damaging effects of various stress factors, and this protection may also be manifested as higher photosynthetic capacity. Unfavourable environmental conditions have also been shown to increase the endogenous SA level in plants. Recent results strongly suggest that controlled SA levels are important in plants for optimal photosynthetic performance and for acclimation to changing environmental stimuli. The present review discusses the effects of exogenous and endogenous SA on the photosynthetic processes under optimal and stress conditions

Optical measurements of electrophoretic suspension kinetics

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was originally used for formation of coatings, e. g. in the automotive industry. Recently EPD is successfully utili zed for thin film preparation with an app lication in the optics and electronics. This paper investigates the process of the suspension formation and aggregation by ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV- VIS) spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) methods. The suspensions were formed by a precipitation of solution of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3 ′ ,7 ′ -dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] in toluene using acetonitrile as a precipitator. It could be concluded that the progressive suspension particle growth observed by DLS affects regularly the first derivative of the UV-VIS spectra. By a comparison of the results obtained by both methods it could be seen that UV-VIS spectroscopy combined with the spline method could be successfully used for an estimation of electrophoretic suspensions

Analysis of fatigue behaviour of stainless steels under hydrogen influence

Three stainless steels – ASTM 304, 316 and 316L - used in hydrogen utilization equipment are under investigation at conditions of tension-compression, rotating-bending and fretting fatigue. Fatigue tests are carried out with hydrogen charged and uncharged specimens. Hydrogen charging includes cathodic type of charging and exposure to high pressure hydrogen gas. The experiments under rotating bending and tensioncompression fatigue are conducted under different frequencies in three different laboratories: at The University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria; at Sandia National Laboratory, California and The University of Tufts, Medford, Massachusetts, USA; The HYDROGENIUS Institute at Kyushu University, Japan. The fretting fatigue tests are presented by The HYDROGENIUS Institute at Kyushu University, Japan. The obtained results are presented in Wöhler curves complemented by plots "Short fatigue crack length– Number of cycles" and “Tangential force coefficient–Stress amplitude”. The found fatigue characteristics are analyzed and compared at different loading conditions, showing the best performance of Steel 316L

On monitoring of mechanical characteristics of hot rolled S355J2 steel

Hot rolling normalization technology for producing sheets from a low-carbon steel, Steel S355J2, used in the Bulgarian Metallurgical Plant “STOMANA Industry SA” is under investigation. A newly introduced automatic application optimization procedure in this technology is an important step that leads to avoiding of traditional heat treatment, improving of steel mechanical characteristics, increasing of production efficiency, all resulting in high quality final products. On the basis of the final mechanical rolled-sheet characteristics - yield strengths, Re, ultimate tensile strengths, Rm, absorbed energies in impact tests, K, and elongations after fracture - some energy-stress and energy-stress-elongation constructions-spaces have been plotted. These spaces can be used for general evaluation of the applied rolling technology and for prediction of steel-sheet mechanical behaviour