Some effects of boron to the growth and chemical composition of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia scop.) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirmeents for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Plant Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Some effects of boron on the growth and chemical composition of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.) plants cv Fakir were evaluated in a glasshouse. The growth and development of sainfoin plants was not affected by the different levels of boron applied but was affected by nitrogen application and inoculation due to the nodulation failure of the latter. Generally, the root showed the highest dry matter yield and the fastest relative growth rate. Similarly, the total nonstructural carbohydrates of the sainfoin plants were not affected by the different levels of boron. Nitrogen application reduced the total nonstructural carbohydrates of the whole plant. Moreover, when 1 ppm boron was applied, both the shoot and the root yielded the highest total nonstructural carbohydrates. Likewise, root and shoot total nonstructural carbohydrates were reduced by the application of nitrogen. Roots gave a higher total nonstructural carbohydrate yield than the shoot. Boron content of the whole sainfoin plant, the shoot and the root ranging from 0-55 µg/g increased in proportion with the increment of boron applied. Similar results were obtained from boron uptake of the whole plant, the shoot and the root. There was a depression of boron concentrations and boron uptake of the whole plant, the shoot and the root, when nitrogen was applied, implying a deficiency situation. Although nonsignificant effects of boron levels were obtained from nitrogen and phosphorus concentration and uptake, respectively, of both shoot and root, application of 2 ppm boron reduced the concentration of nitrogen but not nitrogen uptake, and reduced phosphorus concentration and phosphorus uptake. Application of nitrogen increased shoot and root nitrogen contents and nitrogen uptake but decreased root and shoot phosphorus concentrations and phosphorus uptake. It was concluded that levels of 2 ppm boron concentration were not adequate to support satisfactory growth when plants were supplied with sufficient levels of other nutrients. Keywords: Boron, nitrogen, Rhizobium, total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC

Spectrum-to-spectrum methods for the generation of elastic floor acceleration spectra

In seismic codes, the acceleration demand of nonstructural components is commonly expressed in terms of floor response spectra and estimated by means of simple predictive equations. By using the latter, response-history analysis of the structure is not required, being floor spectra calculated directly from the peak ground acceleration expected at the site. The price for this simplicity in the method used for the estimation of floor spectra is the generally poor approximation of the obtained predictions. Codes’ equations, in fact, do not explicitly account for important factors influencing floor spectra, such as the contribution of the higher modes of vibration of the structure and the actual value of the nonstructural components’ damping ratio. Alternative spectrum-to-spectrum methods for direct generation of floor spectra have been proposed, which include these factors and improve the accuracy of the predictions. Different approaches have been used and several methods developed. Despite large research effort, however, a comparative evaluation of the currently available proposals is still lacking. The objective of this paper is to fill this gap, by reviewing selected proposals representative of practice-oriented spectrum-to-spectrum methods. A case study consisting in a six-story frame is analyzed and predictions obtained with the investigated methods are compared with exact floor spectra derived from time-history analyses of the structure, as well as spectra calculated using the Eurocode 8 equation

A comprehensive functional map of the hepatitis C virus genome provides a resource for probing viral proteins.

UnlabelledPairing high-throughput sequencing technologies with high-throughput mutagenesis enables genome-wide investigations of pathogenic organisms. Knowledge of the specific functions of protein domains encoded by the genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major human pathogen that contributes to liver disease worldwide, remains limited to insight from small-scale studies. To enhance the capabilities of HCV researchers, we have obtained a high-resolution functional map of the entire viral genome by combining transposon-based insertional mutagenesis with next-generation sequencing. We generated a library of 8,398 mutagenized HCV clones, each containing one 15-nucleotide sequence inserted at a unique genomic position. We passaged this library in hepatic cells, recovered virus pools, and simultaneously assayed the abundance of mutant viruses in each pool by next-generation sequencing. To illustrate the validity of the functional profile, we compared the genetic footprints of viral proteins with previously solved protein structures. Moreover, we show the utility of these genetic footprints in the identification of candidate regions for epitope tag insertion. In a second application, we screened the genetic footprints for phenotypes that reflected defects in later steps of the viral life cycle. We confirmed that viruses with insertions in a region of the nonstructural protein NS4B had a defect in infectivity while maintaining genome replication. Overall, our genome-wide HCV mutant library and the genetic footprints obtained by high-resolution profiling represent valuable new resources for the research community that can direct the attention of investigators toward unidentified roles of individual protein domains.ImportanceOur insertional mutagenesis library provides a resource that illustrates the effects of relatively small insertions on local protein structure and HCV viability. We have also generated complementary resources, including a website (http://hangfei.bol.ucla.edu) and a panel of epitope-tagged mutant viruses that should enhance the research capabilities of investigators studying HCV. Researchers can now detect epitope-tagged viral proteins by established antibodies, which will allow biochemical studies of HCV proteins for which antibodies are not readily available. Furthermore, researchers can now quickly look up genotype-phenotype relationships and base further mechanistic studies on the residue-by-residue information from the functional profile. More broadly, this approach offers a general strategy for the systematic functional characterization of viruses on the genome scale

Modulation of Host Immunity by Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Virulence Factors: A Synergic Inhibition of Both Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.The Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) and high rates of hospitalizations in children and in the elderly worldwide. Symptoms of hRSV infection include bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The lung pathology observed during hRSV infection is due in part to an exacerbated host immune response, characterized by immune cell infiltration to the lungs. HRSV is an enveloped virus, a member of the Pneumoviridae family, with a non-segmented genome and negative polarity-single RNA that contains 10 genes encoding for 11 proteins. These include the Fusion protein (F), the Glycoprotein (G), and the Small Hydrophobic (SH) protein, which are located on the virus surface. In addition, the Nucleoprotein (N), Phosphoprotein (P) large polymerase protein (L) part of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex, the M2-1 protein as a transcription elongation factor, the M2-2 protein as a regulator of viral transcription and (M) protein all of which locate inside the virion. Apart from the structural proteins, the hRSV genome encodes for the non-structural 1 and 2 proteins (NS1 and NS2). HRSV has developed different strategies to evade the host immunity by means of the function of some of these proteins that work as virulence factors to improve the infection in the lung tissue. Also, hRSV NS-1 and NS-2 proteins have been shown to inhibit the activation of the type I interferon response. Furthermore, the hRSV nucleoprotein has been shown to inhibit the immunological synapsis between the dendritic cells and T cells during infection, resulting in an inefficient T cell activation. Here, we discuss the hRSV virulence factors and the host immunological features raised during infection with this virus.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00367/ful

Inhibition of cellular protein secretion by norwalk virus nonstructural protein p22 requires a mimic of an endoplasmic reticulum export signal.

Protein trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus is central to cellular homeostasis. ER export signals are utilized by a subset of proteins to rapidly exit the ER by direct uptake into COPII vesicles for transport to the Golgi. Norwalk virus nonstructural protein p22 contains a YXΦESDG motif that mimics a di-acidic ER export signal in both sequence and function. However, unlike normal ER export signals, the ER export signal mimic of p22 is necessary for apparent inhibition of normal COPII vesicle trafficking, which leads to Golgi disassembly and antagonism of Golgi-dependent cellular protein secretion. This is the first reported function for p22. Disassembly of the Golgi apparatus was also observed in cells replicating Norwalk virus, which may contribute to pathogenesis by interfering with cellular processes that are dependent on an intact secretory pathway. These results indicate that the ER export signal mimic is critical to the antagonistic function of p22, shown herein to be a novel antagonist of ER/Golgi trafficking. This unique and well-conserved human norovirus motif is therefore an appealing target for antiviral drug development

Mutation of CD2AP and SH3KBP1 binding motif in alphavirus nsP3 hypervariable domain results in attenuated virus

Infection by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) of the Old World alphaviruses (family Togaviridae) in humans can cause arthritis and arthralgia. The virus encodes four non-structural proteins (nsP) (nsP1, nsp2, nsP3 and nsP4) that act as subunits of the virus replicase. These proteins also interact with numerous host proteins and some crucial interactions are mediated by the unstructured C-terminal hypervariable domain (HVD) of nsP3. In this study, a human cell line expressing EGFP tagged with CHIKV nsP3 HVD was established. Using quantitative proteomics, it was found that CHIKV nsP3 HVD can bind cytoskeletal proteins, including CD2AP, SH3KBP1, CAPZA1, CAPZA2 and CAPZB. The interaction with CD2AP was found to be most evident; its binding site was mapped to the second SH3 ligand-like element in nsP3 HVD. Further assessment indicated that CD2AP can bind to nsP3 HVDs of many different New and Old World alphaviruses. Mutation of the short binding element hampered the ability of the virus to establish infection. The mutation also abolished ability of CD2AP to co-localise with nsP3 and replication complexes of CHIKV; the same was observed for Semliki Forest virus (SFV) harbouring a similar mutation. Similar to CD2AP, its homolog SH3KBP1 also bound the identified motif in CHIKV and SFV nsP3

Efficiency in banking: theory, practice, and evidence

Great strides have been made in the theory of bank technology in terms of explaining banks’ comparative advantage in producing informationally intensive assets and financial services and in diversifying or offsetting a variety of risks. Great strides have also been made in explaining sub-par managerial performance in terms of agency theory and in applying these theories to analyze the particular environment of banking. In recent years, the empirical modeling of bank technology and the measurement of bank performance have begun to incorporate these theoretical developments and yield interesting insights that reflect the unique nature and role of banking in modern economies. This paper gives an overview of two general empirical approaches to measuring bank performance and discusses some of the applications of these approaches found in the literature.Banks and banking - Research

Composite materials for rail transit systems

The potential is explored for using composite materials in urban mass transit systems. The emphasis was to identify specific advantages of composite materials in order to determine their actual and potential usage for carbody and guideway structure applications. The literature was reviewed, contacts were made with major domestic system operators, designers, and builders, and an analysis was made of potential composite application to railcar construction. Composites were found to be in use throughout the transit industry, usually in secondary or auxiliary applications such as car interior and nonstructural exterior panels. More recently, considerable activity has been initiated in the area of using composites in the load bearing elements of civil engineering structures such as highway bridges. It is believed that new and improved manufacturing refinements in pultrusion and filament winding will permit the production of beam sections which can be used in guideway structures. The inherent corrosion resistance and low maintenance characteristics of composites should result in lowered maintenance costs over a prolonged life of the structure

Simplified Estimation of Economic Seismic Risk for Buildings

A seismic risk assessment is often performed on behalf of a buyer of commercial buildings in seismically active regions. One outcome of the assessment is that a probable maximum loss (PML) is computed. PML is of limited use to real-estate investors as it has no place in a standard financial analysis and reflects too long a planning period. We introduce an alternative to PML called probable frequent loss (PFL), defined as the mean loss resulting from shaking with 10% exceedance probability in 5 years. PFL is approximately related to expected annualized loss (EAL) through a site economic hazard coefficient (H) introduced here. PFL and EAL offer three advantages over PML: (1) meaningful planning period; (2) applicability in financial analysis (making seismic risk a potential market force); and (3) can be estimated using a single linear structural analysis, via a simplified method called linear assembly-based vulnerability (LABV) that is presented in this work. We also present a simple decision-analysis framework for real-estate investments in seismic regions, accounting for risk aversion. We show that market risk overwhelms uncertainty in seismic risk, allowing one to consider only expected consequences in seismic risk. We illustrate using 15 buildings, including a 7-story nonductile reinforced-concrete moment-frame building in Van Nuys, California, and 14 buildings from the CUREE-Caltech Woodframe Project