Investigations into a putative role for the novel BRASSIKIN pseudokinases in compatible pollen-stigma interactions in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BACKGROUND: In the Brassicaceae, the early stages of compatible pollen-stigma interactions are tightly controlled with early checkpoints regulating pollen adhesion, hydration and germination, and pollen tube entry into the stigmatic surface. However, the early signalling events in the stigma which trigger these compatible interactions remain unknown. RESULTS: A set of stigma-expressed pseudokinase genes, termed BRASSIKINs (BKNs), were identified and found to be present in only core Brassicaceae genomes. In Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0, BKN1 displayed stigma-specific expression while the BKN2 gene was expressed in other tissues as well. CRISPR deletion mutations were generated for the two tandemly linked BKNs, and very mild hydration defects were observed for wild-type Col-0 pollen when placed on the bkn1/2 mutant stigmas. In further analyses, the predominant transcript for the stigma-specific BKN1 was found to have a premature stop codon in the Col-0 ecotype, but a survey of the 1001 Arabidopsis genomes uncovered three ecotypes that encoded a full-length BKN1 protein. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses identified intact BKN1 orthologues in the closely related outcrossing Arabidopsis species, A. lyrata and A. halleri. Finally, the BKN pseudokinases were found to be plasma-membrane localized through the dual lipid modification of myristoylation and palmitoylation, and this localization would be consistent with a role in signaling complexes. CONCLUSION: In this study, we have characterized the novel Brassicaceae-specific family of BKN pseudokinase genes, and examined the function of BKN1 and BKN2 in the context of pollen-stigma interactions in A. thaliana Col-0. Additionally, premature stop codons were identified in the predicted stigma specific BKN1 gene in a number of the 1001 A. thaliana ecotype genomes, and this was in contrast to the out-crossing Arabidopsis species which carried intact copies of BKN1. Thus, understanding the function of BKN1 in other Brassicaceae species will be a key direction for future studies

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Controlled, Small-Scale Motions in a Turbulent Shear Layer

Abstract The effects of high-frequency fluidic actuation on the evolution of small-and large-scale motions in a turbulent shear layer downstream of a backward-facing step are investigated experimentally and numerically. The flow behind the step is characterized in the spatial and spectral domain by high-resolution diagnostic tools. Model stability problems with increasing complexity mimic the experimental setup and actuations and describe local and global flow behaviour. It is demonstrated that dissipative, high-frequency actuation effects the shear layer evolution through three domains: I -a localized dissipative, small scales domain having enhanced turbulent kinetic energy production and dissipation rate, II -a stabilized domain marked by concomitant suppression of turbulent kinetic energy production and dissipation rate, and III -a domain of re-emerging inviscid instability at lower natural frequencies and larger scales

PIECEWISE TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LED CORN BULBS FOR STREET LIGHTING

LED Corn bulbs are a simple solution to increase the energy efficiency of existing street lighting because their installation does not require the replacement of existing lamps. The paper analyses the techno-economic characteristics of LED Corn bulbs that can be used as a replacement for existing inefficient bulbs. Based on the collected data of more than 80 models of LED Corn bulbs, which are available on the European market, the functional dependences of power = f (luminous flux) and price = f (power) of these bulbs were determined using piecewise regression. Besides, based on the obtained functional dependencies, the effects of improving the energy efficiency of street lighting by replacing the existing High Pressure Sodium and High Pressure Mercury light bulbs with LED Corn bulbs in one city in Serbia were analysed

Assessing the techno-economic effects of replacing energy-inefficient street lighting with LED corn bulbs

The costs related to the operation of street lighting can be significant expenses for munic-ipalities; therefore, it is very important to take advantage of opportunities for improving energy efficiency. In this paper, the authors studied the effects of the implementation of energy efficiency measures in a street lighting system. Different scenarios, including replacing luminaires, replacing inefficient lamps, and installing a dimming control system, are analysed. The model includes a detailed analysis of the techno-economic characteristics of both LED street luminaires and LED corn bulbs available on the market. The results show that the replacement of low-power, high-intensity discharge lamps with LED corn bulbs is an economically favourable solution that provides desirable economic project parameters with relatively low investments. Moreover, in the case of a relatively low price of electricity for street lighting, it is the preferable solution in most scenarios

Enhanced Arsenic Removal from Water by Activated Red Mud Based on Hydrated Iron(III) and Titan(IV) Oxides

In this study, acid heat-activated neutralized red mud (AB) was promoted as an efficient sorbent for the removal of inorganic arsenic from water. Three sorbents: neutralized red mud (Bauxsol), acid-treated Bauxsol (aBauxsol), and AB were investigated for arsenic removal. The sorption of arsenic on these adsorbents was studied as a function of contact time, initial arsenic concentration, and adsorbent dosage. The Langmuir isotherm was the best-fit adsorption isotherm model for the experimental data. The adsorption capacity of the activated red mud for As(V) was found to be 1.49 mg g(-1) at a pH of water of 7.0. It was observed that AB at a dose of 6.0 gL(-1) could effectively remove As(III) and As(V) from water. Anion interference on a molar basis was found to follow the order: phosphate interference was higher than sulfate interference, which was higher than bicarbonate interference