A study of direct combine harvesting of selected grass and legume seeds

The first and foremost incentive for this study lies in the value of the seed which is lost each year. The average yield of crimson clover is 110 pounds per acre, of a potential yield of 500 pounds per acre. This results in a loss of approximately three million dollars which might have been realized by Tennessee farmers with better harvesting practices. A major portion of the 1.5 million dollars of orchardgrass seed imported from Denmark in 1953 was planted in Tennessee. The entire Southeast produces over one-half of the United States’ supply of lespedeza, crimson clover, and tall fescue (15).¹ Increased local production of high quality seed can result in a substantial saving and also provide better locally adapted seed (6)

ExplorEnz: a MySQL database of the IUBMB enzyme nomenclature

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background We describe the database ExplorEnz, which is the primary repository for EC numbers and enzyme data that are being curated on behalf of the IUBMB. The enzyme nomenclature is incorporated into many other resources, including the ExPASy-ENZYME, BRENDA and KEGG bioinformatics databases. Description The data, which are stored in a MySQL database, preserve the formatting of chemical and enzyme names. A simple, easy to use, web-based query interface is provided, along with an advanced search engine for more complex queries. The database is publicly available at http://www.enzyme-database.org. The data are available for download as SQL and XML files via FTP. Conclusion ExplorEnz has powerful and flexible search capabilities and provides the scientific community with the most up-to-date version of the IUBMB Enzyme List.Published versio

Identification of novel immunogens in Pasteurella multocida

P. multocida is a Gram-negative pathogen responsible for causing diseases in animals of economic significance to livestock industries throughout the world. Current vaccines include bacterins, which provide only limited protection against homologous serotypes. Therefore there is a need for more effective vaccines to control diseases caused by P. multocida. As a step towards developing vaccines against fowl cholera, a genomics based approach was applied for the identification of novel immunogens. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis of the P. multocida genome predicted 129 proteins as secreted, located in the outer membrane, or lipoproteins. 105 of the genes encoding these proteins were cloned and recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli. Polyclonal serum from P. multocida-infected chickens reacted with a subset of these proteins. CONCLUSION: These data show the range of bacterial immunogens recognized by the chicken immune system, including 6 novel immunoreactive proteins

Characterization of the Performance of a Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressor by Component Loss Contributions

The performance of an automotive turbocharger centrifugal compressor has been studied by developing a comprehensive one-dimensional (1D) code as verified through experimental results and a three-dimensional (3D) model. For 1D analysis, the fluid stream in compressor is modeled using governing gas dynamics equations and the loss mechanisms have been investigated and added to the numerical model. The objective is to develop and offer a 1D model which considers all loss mechanisms, slip, blockage and also predicts the surge margin and choke conditions. The model captures all features from inlet duct through to volute discharge. Performance characteristics are obtained using preliminary geometry and the blade characteristics. A 3D numerical model was also created and a viscous solver used for investigating the compressor characteristics. The numerical model results show good agreement with experimental data through compressor pressure ratio and efficiency. The effect of the main compressor dimensions on compressor performance has been investigated for wide operating range and the portions of each loss mechanism in the impeller. Higher pressure ratio is achievable by increasing impeller blade height at outlet, impeller blade angle on inlet, diffuser outlet diameter and by decreasing impeller shroud diameter at inlet and blade angle at outlet. These changes may cause unfavorable consequences such as lower surge margin or shorter operating range which should be compromised with favorable changes. At lower rotational speeds, impeller skin friction mainly impacts the performance and at higher rotational speeds, impeller diffusion, blade loading and recirculation losses are more important. The results allow the share of each loss mechanism to be quantified for different mass flow rates and rotational speed, shedding new light on which losses are most important for which conditions. For a turbocharger, which must operate over a wide range of conditions, these results bring new insight to engineers seeking to optimize the compressor design as part of an internal combustion engine system

Asymmetric dearomatization/cyclization enables access to polycyclic chemotypes

Enantioenriched, polycyclic compounds were obtained from a simple acylphloroglucinol scaffold. Highly enantioselective dearomatization was accomplished using a Trost ligand-palladium(0) complex. A computational DFT model was developed to rationalize observed enantioselectivities and revealed a key reactant-ligand hydrogen bonding interaction. Dearomatized products were used in visible light-mediated photocycloadditions and oxidative free radical cyclizations to obtain novel polycyclic chemotypes including tricyclo[4.3.1.01,4]decan-10-ones, bicyclo[3.2.1]octan-8-ones and highly-substituted cycloheptanones.R24 GM111625 - NIGMS NIH HH

Global metabolic analyses identify key differences in metabolite levels between polymyxin-susceptible and polymyxin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii presents a global medical crisis and polymyxins are used as the last-line therapy. This study aimed to identify metabolic differences between polymyxin-susceptible and polymyxin-resistant A. baumannii using untargeted metabolomics. The metabolome of each A. baumannii strain was measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multivariate and univariate statistics and pathway analyses were employed to elucidate metabolic differences between the polymyxin-susceptible and -resistant A. baumannii strains. Significant differences were identified between the metabolic profiles of the polymyxin-susceptible and -resistant A. baumannii strains. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) deficient, polymyxin-resistant 19606R showed perturbation in specific amino acid and carbohydrate metabolites, particularly pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates. Levels of nucleotides were lower in the LPS-deficient 19606R. Furthermore, 19606R exhibited a shift in its glycerophospholipid profile towards increased abundance of short-chain lipids compared to the parent polymyxin-susceptible ATCC 19606. In contrast, in a pair of clinical isolates 03–149.1 (polymyxin-susceptible) and 03–149.2 (polymyxin-resistant, due to modification of lipid A), minor metabolic differences were identified. Notably, peptidoglycan biosynthesis metabolites were significantly depleted in both of the aforementioned polymyxin-resistant strains. This is the first comparative untargeted metabolomics study to show substantial differences in the metabolic profiles of the polymyxin-susceptible and -resistant A. baumannii

Effects of magmatic volatile influx in mafic VMS hydrothermal systems: Evidence from the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus

The Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus is the principal on- land analogue for mafic-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. This study, for the first time, presents sulfur isotope (δ34S) data on a regional scale from VMS deposits and other mineralised zones across the Troodos ophiolite. In combination δ34S, Se/S ratios and trace element chemistry (e.g., Se, Cu and Au) of different hydrothermal sulfides are used to assess variations in magmatic volatile influx and the source of metals and sulfur in ancient hydrothermal systems. Sulfur isotope analyses (n = 180) across 19 mineral deposits indicate a variable source of sulfur in the Troodos VMS hydrothermal system, this in turn allows a variable source of metals to be inferred. Pyrite δ34S range from −5.5‰ to +13.2‰ with an average of +4.6‰ (n = 160) for all deposits investigated. These δ34S variations cannot only be explained by variable proportions of thermochemical seawater sulfate reduction (δ34S +18 to +19‰) and leaching of primary magmatic sulfur from igneous rocks (δ34S 0-1‰). Consequently, two processes are proposed, explaining the trace metal and δ34S variation across the Troodos ore-forming systems including, i) a variable source of metals in the sheeted dyke complex and ii) the addition of a magmatic volatile-rich phase to the VMS hydrothermal systems. Two distinct lava units exist in the Troodos stratigraphy, namely the upper and lower pillow lavas (UPL and LPL). The more primitive UPL are enriched in Au, Se and Cu relative to As, Sb and Zn that are concentrated in the LPL. Some VMS deposits pre-date the formation of the UPL (e.g., Agrokipia A) suggesting Se, Cu and Au depleted source rocks. Hence, the stratigraphic position of VMS deposits and the ratio of UPL:LPL affinity elements (e.g., As + Zn + Sb vs. Cu + Se + Au) imply a systematic relationship between trace element distribution and stratigraphic depth; this relates to the relative proportion of UPL and LPL affinity lavas within the metal source region. δ34S values <0‰ recorded in some VMS deposits that are less than the Troodos magmatic mean of 0- 1‰ may be related to anhydrite buffering during fluid ascent, microbial sulfate reduction or the direct contribution of magmatically derived sulfur, to the hydrothermal system from an underlying magma chamber via volatile exsolution. We propose that negative δ34S values combined with Se/S 106 ratios >500 in pyrite suggest the contribution of a magmatic volatile component (e.g., Apliki and Skouriotissa). We demonstrate that the source of metals and sulfur in the Troodos VMS hydrothermal system is affected by regional scale processes related to i) variable source lithologies and, ii) the contribution of a magmatic volatile phase to some Troodos VMS hydrothermal systems