The effect of sample preparation on uranium hydriding

AbstractThe influence of sample cleaning preparation on the early stages of uranium hydriding has been examined, by using four identical samples but concurrently prepared using four different methods. The samples were reacted together in the same corrosion cell to ensure identical exposure conditions. From the analysis, it was found that the hydride nucleation rate was proportional to the level of strain exhibiting higher number density for the more strained surfaces. Additionally, microstructure of the metal plays a secondary role regarding initial hydrogen attack on the highly strained surfaces yet starts to dominate the system while moving to more pristine samples

Application of ERTS-1 data to the protection and management of New Jersey's coastal environment

The author has identified the following significant results. Rapid access to ERTS data was provided by NASA GSFC for the February 26, 1974 overpass of the New Jersey test site. Forty-seven hours following the overpass computer-compatible tapes were ready for processing at EarthSat. The finished product was ready just 60 hours following the overpass and delivered to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This operational demonstration has been successful in convincing NJDEP as to the worth of ERTS as an operational monitoring and enforcement tool of significant value to the State. An erosion/ accretion severity index has been developed for the New Jersey shore case study area. Computerized analysis techniques have been used for monitoring offshore waste disposal dumping locations, drift vectors, and dispersion rates in the New York Bight area. A computer shade print of the area was used to identify intensity levels of acid waste. A Litton intensity slice print was made to provide graphic presentation of dispersion characteristics and the dump extent. Continued monitoring will lead to the recommendation and justification of permanent dumping sites which pose no threat to water quality in nearshore environments

Metabolic profiles of six African cultivars of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) highlight bottlenecks of root yield

Open Access Article; Published online: 17 Jan 2020Cassava is an important staple crop in sub‐Saharan Africa, due to its high productivity even on nutrient poor soils. The metabolic characteristics underlying this high productivity are poorly understood including the mode of photosynthesis, reasons for the high rate of photosynthesis, the extent of source/sink limitation, the impact of environment, and the extent of variation between cultivars. Six commercial African cassava cultivars were grown in a greenhouse in Erlangen, Germany, and in the field in Ibadan, Nigeria. Source leaves, sink leaves, stems and storage roots were harvested during storage root bulking and analyzed for sugars, organic acids, amino acids, phosphorylated intermediates, minerals, starch, protein, activities of enzymes in central metabolism and yield traits. High ratios of RuBisCO:phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity support a C3 mode of photosynthesis. The high rate of photosynthesis is likely to be attributed to high activities of enzymes in the Calvin–Benson cycle and pathways for sucrose and starch synthesis. Nevertheless, source limitation is indicated because root yield traits correlated with metabolic traits in leaves rather than in the stem or storage roots. This situation was especially so in greenhouse‐grown plants, where irradiance will have been low. In the field, plants produced more storage roots. This was associated with higher AGPase activity and lower sucrose in the roots, indicating that feedforward loops enhanced sink capacity in the high light and low nitrogen environment in the field. Overall, these results indicated that carbon assimilation rate, the K battery, root starch synthesis, trehalose, and chlorogenic acid accumulation are potential target traits for genetic improvement

Overexpression of Plastid Transketolase in Tobacco Results in a Thiamine Auxotrophic Phenotype

To investigate the effect of increased plastid transketolase on photosynthetic capacity and growth, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with increased levels of transketolase protein were produced. This was achieved using a cassette composed of a full-length Arabidopsis thaliana transketolase cDNA under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The results revealed a major and unexpected effect of plastid transketolase overexpression as the transgenic tobacco plants exhibited a slow-growth phenotype and chlorotic phenotype. These phenotypes were complemented by germinating the seeds of transketolase-overexpressing lines in media containing either thiamine pyrophosphate or thiamine. Thiamine levels in the seeds and cotyledons were lower in transketolase-overexpressing lines than in wild-type plants. When transketolase-overexpressing plants were supplemented with thiamine or thiamine pyrophosphate throughout the life cycle, they grew normally and the seed produced from these plants generated plants that did not have a growth or chlorotic phenotype. Our results reveal the crucial importance of the level of transketolase activity to provide the precursor for synthesis of intermediates and to enable plants to produce thiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate for growth and development. The mechanism determining transketolase protein levels remains to be elucidated, but the data presented provide evidence that this may contribute to the complex regulatory mechanisms maintaining thiamine homeostasis in plants