The optical resonances in carbon nanotubes arise from excitons

Optical transitions in carbon nanotubes are of central importance for nanotube characterization. They also provide insight into the nature of excited states in these one-dimensional systems. Recent work suggests that light absorption produces strongly correlated electron-hole states in the form of excitons. However, it has been difficult to rule out a simpler model in which resonances arise from the van Hove singularities associated with the one-dimensional band [corrected] structure of the nanotubes. Here, two-photon excitation spectroscopy bolsters the exciton picture. We found binding energies of approximately 400 millielectron volts for semiconducting single-walled nanotubes with 0.8-nanometer diameters. The results demonstrate the dominant role of many-body interactions in the excited-state properties of one-dimensional systems.     

Vicilin-like storage globulin from buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) seeds

An 8S storage globulin from buckwheat seed, which resembles the structure and features common to the vicilin-like family of seed storage proteins, was analyzed for this paper. It was found that expression of the 8S globulin gene precedes that of the 13S globulin (the main buckwheat storage protein) and starts from an early stage of buckwheat seed development (9-11 days after flowering), continuing to accumulate throughout seed development to contribute approximately 7% of total seed proteins. This protein fraction might be more interesting for biotechnological application than the 13S buckwheat legumin consisting of 23-25 kDa subunits reported to be the major buckwheat allergen. A partial cDNA was also isolated, showing high homology with cDNAs coding for vicilin-like storage proteins from various plant species, and its expression profile throughout seed development as well as in different buckwheat tissues was analyzed.     

Monitoring of Aerosol and Fallout Radioactivity in Belgrade After the Fukushima Reactors Accident

After the accident in Fukushima reactors, a daily monitoring programme was initiated in two laboratories in Belgrade, one at the Vin??? Institute for Nuclear Sciences and the other at Institute for Occupational Health Karajovic. Samples of aerosol and fallout, as well as the random samples of food and water, were collected and analysed, using gross alpha/beta and gamma spectrometry, in order to establish the presence of traces of isotopes indicating Fukushima fallout. Gamma spectrometry measurement of these samples showed clear evidence of fission products ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs wtihin 2?weeks after the accident. The activity diminished with time due to dispersion in air and, in case of ¹³¹I, short half-life.     

Involvement of kaempferol in the defence response of virus infected Arabidopsis thaliana

The roles of several phenolic compounds in plant defence response have been extensively studied, yet little is known about the role of flavonoids in plant-virus interaction. Quantitative and qualitative changes of selected phenolics in Arabidopsis thaliana induced by Cucumber mosaic virus containing satellite RNA (CMVsat) infection were analysed accompanied by plant hormone, chalcone synthase and pathogenesis-related gene expression analysis. Lower leaves of infected plants had a lower concentration of total phenolics compared to control plants. The concentration of kaempferol in upper leaves of all infected plants was significantly lower compared to control plants, while the expression of the chalcone synthase gene in those leaves was in most cases upregulated. All infected plants had a higher concentration of indole-3-acetic acid in lower leaves, which was accompanied with a lower concentration of kaempferol in upper leaves. Our research demonstrates a correlation between kaempferol and indole-3-acetic acid in response to CMVsat infection in Arabidopsis. We demonstrated two different metabolic patterns in infected plants suggesting the activation of two different defence responses. We also propose kaempferol to be an important part of the auxin-dependent defence response which limits systemic movement of CMVsat and that this defence response is activated prior to the well-known salicylic acid dependent defence response. Further research on kaempferol and its role in Arabidopsis-CMVsat interaction will improve our understanding on the role of flavonoids in plant defence.     

Antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of Teucrium montanum

The antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water extracts of Teucrium montanum were investigated. Ethyl acetate, chloroform and n-butanol extracts expressed a wide range of inhibiting activity against both Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria. n-Butanol extract possessed potent DPPH free radical scavenging activity.     

Exploring the Serbian GenBank barley (Hordeum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare) collection for powdery mildew resistance

Unlocking resistance genes in genbank collections are of prime importance for securing sustainable crop production. In this regard, the Serbian GenBank barley collection, comprising 93 local landraces and 36 commercial cultivars and elite barley breeding lines, was screened for novel resistances to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei) using a set of 28 isolates with a wide spectrum of virulences/avirulences. No line was resistant to all the isolates, but one and three accessions showed resistance to 27 and 26 isolates, respectively. Twenty landraces (21.51 %) and ten cultivars (27.78 %) exhibited resistance to 50 % of the isolates. Infection type 2 was most frequent among resistant accessions. Nine B. graminis isolates were sufficient for gene postulation in 73 barley lines. In total, thirty-five different resistance spectra were recorded and the following known resistance genes were postulated namely, Mlra,Mlh,Mla12, Mla7(Mlu), Mlg, MlLa, Mla6, Mla7, Mlt, Mla22, Mlat, Mla1, Mlk. The majority of resistance profiles was constituted by only one line. Unidentified genes alone or in combination were proposed for twenty landraces and six cultivars. This report demonstrated that the barley collection held at the Serbian GenBank could be exploited as a new source for powdery mildew resistance.     

Characterization of the organic matter in sediments of the Great War Island (Belgrade,Serbia)

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The Great War Island (GWI) is a landform of exceptional features and a protected area located in the center of Belgrade at the Sava and Danube River’s...     

Single and simultaneous exposure of acetylcholinesterase to diazinon, chlorpyrifos and their photodegradation products

In vitro inhibition of electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by single and simultaneous exposure to organophosphorus insecticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos, and their transformation products, formed due to photoinduced degradation, was investigated. Increasing concentrations of diazinon, chlorpyrifos and their oxidation products, diazoxon and chlorpyrifos-oxon, inhibited AChE in a concentration-dependent manner. IC₅₀ (20 min) values, obtained from the inhibition curves, were (in mol/l): (5.1 ± 0.3) × 10⁻⁸, (4.3 ± 0.2) × 10⁻⁶ and (3.0 ± 0.1) × 10⁻⁸ for diazoxon, chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively, while maximal diazinon concentration was lower than its IC₅₀ (20 min). Calculated K_I values, in mol/l, of 7.9 × 10⁻⁷, 9.6 × 10⁻⁶ and 4.3 × 10⁻⁷ were obtained for diazoxon, chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively. However, 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-pyrimidinol (IMP) and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, diazinon and chlorpyrifos hydrolysis products, did not noticeably affect the enzyme activity at all investigated concentrations. Additive inhibition effect was achieved for lower concentrations of the inhibitors (diazinon/diazoxon ?1 × 10⁻⁴/1 × 10⁻⁸ mol/l i.e., chlorpyrifos/chlorpyrifos-oxon ?2 × 10⁻⁶/3 × 10⁻⁸ mol/l), while an antagonistic effect was obtained for all higher concentrations of the organophosphates. Inhibitory power of 1 × 10⁻⁴ mol/l diazinon irradiated samples can be attributed mostly to the formation of diazoxon, while the presence of non-inhibiting photodegradation product IMP did not affect diazinon and diazoxon inhibitory efficiencies.     

Drought tolerance in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) as assessed by two contrasting phenotyping systems

The objectives of this research were to establish a practicable phenotyping platform for assessing the drought stress response of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.; Lp), and to use this platform for evaluating the variation for drought tolerance among a panel of 39 diverse Lp populations. A moderate‐to‐strong correlation was assessed between the performance of plants grown in a hydroponics system, where the stress was generated by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG), and those grown in the field in a rainout shelter. Following the application of drought stress, tetraploid Lp populations, along with a small number of reference Festulolium and Festuca sp. accessions, were able to develop more shoot and root dry matter than diploid Lp populations. The onset of drought symptoms was also delayed within these accessions and the plants recovered better once drought had been relieved. Although most of the diploid Lp populations were drought susceptible, there was a considerable accession‐to‐accession variation for performance under drought stress conditions. Measuring biomass production and post‐drought recovery in rainout shelter experiments in combination with the assessment of root biomass accumulation in PEG‐supplemented hydroponics represented a viable means of screening Lp germplasm for drought tolerance.