New early Triassic Lingulidae (Brachiopoda) genera and species from South China

Two new genera, Sinolingularia gen. nov. and Sinoglottidia gen. nov., together with three new species, Sinolingularia huananensis gen. et sp. nov., Sinolingularia yini gen. et sp. nov. and Sinoglottidia archboldi gen. et sp. nov., are described on the basis of a large collection of well-preserved specimens from several sections straddling the Permian - Triassic boundary in South China. <br /

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Removal of recovery boiler fireside deposits by thermal shedding

Copyright Pulp & Paper Canada. Reprinted with permission from Annex Business Media.Recovery boiler fireside deposits are occassionaly removed by thermal shedding, which rapidly cools the boiler to cause deposits to contract, crack, and be readily blown off by sootblowers. A laboratory study on deposit thermal expansion and two field studies on the effectiveness of thermal shedding have led to development of a new shedding procedure, which requires less boiler downtime. but still achieves the same deposit removal efficiency with minimal damage to boiler tubes.This work is part of the research on plugging and unplugging recovery ery boilers, jointly supported by Babcock & Wilcox Company, Champion International Corporation, Irving Pulp and Paper Limited, James River Corporation, Skeena Cellulose, Westvaco Corporation, Weyerhaeuser Company, and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities through its URIF program

Identifying abnormalities in symbiotic development between Trifolium spp. and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii leading to sub-optimal and ineffective nodule phenotypes

Background and Aims: Legumes overcome nitrogen limitations by entering into a mutualistic symbiosis with N 2-fixing bacteria (rhizobia). Fully compatible associations (effective) between Trifolium spp. and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii result from successful recognition of symbiotic partners in the rhizosphere, root hair infection and the formation of nodules where N 2-fixing bacteroids reside. Poorly compatible associations can result in root nodule formation with minimal (sub-optimal) or no (ineffective) N 2-fixation. Despite the abundance and persistence of strains in agricultural soils which are poorly compatible with the commercially grown clover species, little is known of how and why they fail symbiotically. The aims of this research were to determine the morphological aberrations occurring in sub-optimal and ineffective clover nodules and to determine whether reduced bacteroid numbers or reduced N 2-fixing activity is the main cause for the Sub-optimal phenotype. Methods:Symbiotic effectiveness of four Trifolium hosts with each of four R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii strains was assessed by analysis of plant yields and nitrogen content; nodule yields, abundance, morphology and internal structure; and bacteroid cytology, quantity and activity.Key ResultsEffective nodules (Nodule Function 83-100 ) contained four developmental zones and N 2-fixing bacteroids. In contrast, Sub-optimal nodules of the same age (Nodule Function 24-57 ) carried prematurely senescing bacteroids and a small bacteroid pool resulting in reduced shoot N. Ineffective-differentiated nodules carried bacteroids aborted at stage 2 or 3 in differentiation. In contrast, bacteroids were not observed in Ineffective-vegetative nodules despite the presence of bacteria within infection threads.ConclusionsThree major responses to N 2-fixation incompatibility between Trifolium spp. and R. l. trifolii strains were found: failed bacterial endocytosis from infection threads into plant cortical cells, bacteroid differentiation aborted prematurely, and a reduced pool of functional bacteroids which underwent premature senescence. We discuss possible underlying genetic causes of these developmental abnormalities and consider impacts on N 2-fixation of clovers