Transcriptome Analysis of the Vernalization Response in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Seedlings

Temperate cereals, such as wheat (Triticum spp.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), respond to prolonged cold by becoming more tolerant of freezing (cold acclimation) and by becoming competent to flower (vernalization). These responses occur concomitantly during winter, but vernalization continues to influence development during spring. Previous studies identified VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) as a master regulator of the vernalization response in cereals. The extent to which other genes contribute to this process is unclear. In this study the Barley1 Affymetrix chip was used to assay gene expression in barley seedlings during short or prolonged cold treatment. Gene expression was also assayed in the leaves of plants after prolonged cold treatment, in order to identify genes that show lasting responses to prolonged cold, which might contribute to vernalization-induced flowering. Many genes showed altered expression in response to short or prolonged cold treatment, but these responses differed markedly. A limited number of genes showed lasting responses to prolonged cold treatment. These include genes known to be regulated by vernalization, such as VRN1 and ODDSOC2, and also contigs encoding a calcium binding protein, 23-KD jasmonate induced proteins, an RNase S-like protein, a PR17d secretory protein and a serine acetyltransferase. Some contigs that were up-regulated by short term cold also showed lasting changes in expression after prolonged cold treatment. These include COLD REGULATED 14B (COR14B) and the barley homologue of WHEAT COLD SPECIFIC 19 (WSC19), which were expressed at elevated levels after prolonged cold. Conversely, two C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) genes showed reduced expression after prolonged cold. Overall, these data show that a limited number of barley genes exhibit lasting changes in expression after prolonged cold treatment, highlighting the central role of VRN1 in the vernalization response in cereals

Isotopic techniques to measure N2O, N2 and their sources

GHG emissions are usually the result of several simultaneous processes. Furthermore, some gases such as N2 are very difficult to quantify and require special techniques. Therefore, in this chapter, the focus is on stable isotope methods. Both natural abundance techniques and enrichment techniques are used. Especially in the last decade, a number of methodological advances have been made. Thus, this chapter provides an overview and description of a number of current state-of-theart techniques, especially techniques using the stable isotope 15N. Basic principles and recent advances of the 15N gas flux method are presented to quantify N2 fluxes, but also the latest isotopologue and isotopomer methods to identify pathways for N2O production. The second part of the chapter is devoted to 15N tracing techniques, the theoretical background and recent methodological advances. A range of different methods is presented from analytical to numerical tools to identify and quantify pathway-specific N2O emissions. While this chapter is chiefly concerned with gaseous N emissions, a lot of the techniques can also be applied to other gases such as methane (CH4), as outlined in Sect. 5.3

Runa dla kompozytów z elektroprzędzonych nanowłókien z PVA i celulozy

A study of the manufacturing and characterisation of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibre mats reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is presented. Results obtained from Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of the products are discussed and interpreted. PVA nano-fibre mats reinforced with MCC nano-whiskers (CNWs) were prepared from aqueous PVA solutions by NanospiderTM high-voltage electro-spinning on NS Lab 200 (Elmarco) equipment with a circular cylinder as the emitting electrode. PVA/CNWs mats of a modal nano-fibre diameter of 300 nm and average diameter within the range from 350 to 294 nm were obtained by the electro-spinning technique. Solution parameters, such as the content of CNWs in the solution and PVA concentration and viscosity were varied in an attempt to produce possibly finer cellulose nano-fibres.Przedstawiono badania dotyczące wytwarzania i charakterystyki nanowłókien z PVA wzmocnionych mikrokrystaliczną celulozą. Włókna otrzymywano za pomocą elektroprzędzenia przy zastosowaniu urządzenia Nanospider i formowania runa. Włókna badano za pomocą spektroskopii ATR-FTIR i elektromikroskopii skaningowej SEM. Uzyskano włókna o modalnej średnicy 300 nm i średniej w zakresie 294-350 nm. W celu uzyskania możliwie najcieńszych włókien stosowano rożne warunki przędzenia i stężenia roztworu przędzalniczego

Stronger Reductive Environment in Solvothermal Synthesis Leads to Improved Ga Doping Efficiency in ZnO Nanocrystals and Enhanced Plasmonic Absorption

The key parameter for degenerated semiconductor oxide plasmonic nanocrystals is the doping level. Hydrothermal and solvothermal approaches are considered to be less effective toward achieving high concentration of aliovalent donor dopants in a host oxide when compared to other synthesis methods that use long chain hydrocarbon solvents, fatty acids, and fatty amines as precursors. Because of this, although they have several advantages such as sustainability, ease of use, relatively inexpensive reagents and apparatus, and reduced environmental impact, they are excluded from the list of potential synthesis methods. Herein, an effective Zn2+ substitution with aliovalent Ga3+ in the ZnO host lattice is demonstrated, and it is achieved by increasing the reductive power of the solvothermal synthesis conditions by either solvent substitution or the addition of reducing agents. This increase results in an increased oxidation affinity of the medium. This in turn promotes Ga3+ incorporation into the ZnO lattice, by skewing the reaction equilibrium toward oxygen evolution

Distinguishing Nitrous Oxide Production from Nitrification and Denitrification on the Basis of Isotopomer Abundances

The intramolecular distribution of nitrogen isotopes in N(2)O is an emerging tool for defining the relative importance of microbial sources of this greenhouse gas. The application of intramolecular isotopic distributions to evaluate the origins of N(2)O, however, requires a foundation in laboratory experiments in which individual production pathways can be isolated. Here we evaluate the site preferences of N(2)O produced during hydroxylamine oxidation by ammonia oxidizers and by a methanotroph, ammonia oxidation by a nitrifier, nitrite reduction during nitrifier denitrification, and nitrate and nitrite reduction by denitrifiers. The site preferences produced during hydroxylamine oxidation were 33.5 ± 1.2‰, 32.5 ± 0.6‰, and 35.6 ± 1.4‰ for Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrosospira multiformis, and Methylosinus trichosporium, respectively, indicating similar site preferences for methane and ammonia oxidizers. The site preference of N(2)O from ammonia oxidation by N. europaea (31.4 ± 4.2‰) was similar to that produced during hydroxylamine oxidation (33.5 ± 1.2‰) and distinct from that produced during nitrifier denitrification by N. multiformis (0.1 ± 1.7‰), indicating that isotopomers differentiate between nitrification and nitrifier denitrification. The site preferences of N(2)O produced during nitrite reduction by the denitrifiers Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Pseudomonas aureofaciens (−0.6 ± 1.9‰ and −0.5 ± 1.9‰, respectively) were similar to those during nitrate reduction (−0.5 ± 1.9‰ and −0.5 ± 0.6‰, respectively), indicating no influence of either substrate on site preference. Site preferences of ∼33‰ and ∼0‰ are characteristic of nitrification and denitrification, respectively, and provide a basis to quantitatively apportion N(2)O