The breakup of a meteorite parent body and the delivery of meteorites to Earth

Whether many of the 10,000 meteorites collected in the Antarctic are unlike those failing elsewhere is contentious. The Antarctic H chondrites, one of the major classes of stony meteorites, include a number of individuals with higher induced thermoluminescence peak temperatures than observed among non-Antarctic H chondrites. The proportion of such individuals decreases with the mean terrestrial age of the meteorites at the various ice fields. These H chondrites have cosmic-ray exposure ages of about 8 million years, experienced little cosmic-ray shielding, and suffered rapid postmetamorphic cooling. Breakup of the H chondrite parent body, 8 million years ago, may have produced two types of material with different size distributions and thermal histories. The smaller objects reached Earth more rapidly through more rapid orbital evolution.     

Thermally Switchable Periodicities and Diffraction from Mesoscopically Ordered Materials

Two switchable, mesoscopically periodic materials were created by combining crystalline colloidal array (CCA) self-assembly with the temperature-induced volume phase transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). Body-centered-cubic CCAs of hydrated, swollen PNIPAM particles Bragg-diffract infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light weakly, whereas arrays of compact shrunken particles diffract efficiently. A tunable diffracting array was also created by embedding a CCA of polystyrene spheres within a PNIPAM hydrogel that swells and contracts with temperature; thus the array lattice constant varies with temperature, and the diffracted wavelength was thermally tunable across the entire visible spectrum. These materials may find applications in many areas of optics and materials science.     

Excess and deficient water stress effects on 30 years of Aroostook County potato yields

Potato production can be adversely affected by both deficient and excess water. A plant water excess (PWE) index is defined as the difference between actual evapotranspiration (AET), which is equal to the difference between rainfall and runoff, and potential evapotranspiration (PET), as computed by the Thornthwaite method, for those 5-day periods when AET exceeds PET. A growing season PWE index was equal to the accumulation of 5-day average PWE values and was calculated for each of 30 years of data. Similarly a plant water deficit (PWD) index was defined as the PET-AET for those 5-day periods when PET exceeds AET. Potato yields during the 30-year period were related to the combined effect of yearly water excess (PWE) and deficit (PWD) and can be described by the multiple regression relationship of Y = 43.558-0.74527 (PWD + PWE)+ 0.031883 (PWD × PWE). This model has a multiple r² value that indicates 46% of the yield variation can be accounted for by the combined yearly influence of deficient and excess water. The results suggest that maximizing potato production in the humid Northeast requires a water management system that includes both supplemental irrigation and drainage.     

Antiproliferative activity of violaxanthin isolated from bioguided fractionation of Dunaliella tertiolecta extracts

Dunaliella tertiolecta (DT) was chemically investigated to isolate molecules inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in vitro. The potency to inhibit cell growth was used for the bio-guided fractionation and isolation of active compounds using chromatographic techniques. The DT dichloromethane extract exhibited a strong anti-proliferative activity on MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, and was further fractionated and sub-fractionated by RP-HPLC. High resolution mass spectrometry and spectrophotometric analysis unequivocally identified violaxanthin as the most antiproliferative molecule present in DT DCM extract. Violaxanthin purified from DT induced MCF-7 dose-dependent growth inhibition in continuous and discontinuous treatments, at concentrations as low as 0.1 μg·mL⁻¹ (0.17 μM). Phosphatidylserine exposure, typical of early apoptosis, was observed after 48 h treatment at 8 μg·mL⁻¹ (13.3 μM) but no DNA fragmentation, characteristic of late apoptosis steps, could be detected even after 72 h treatment at 40 μg·mL⁻¹ (66.7 μM). Taken together, our results demonstrate the strong antiproliferative activity of violaxanthin on one human mammary cancer cell line, and suggest that studying the pharmacology of violaxanthin and pharmacomodulated derivatives on cancer cells may allow potent antiproliferative drugs to be obtained.     

Thiophanate-methyl and carbendazim resistance in Fusicoccum amygdali,the causal agent of constriction canker of peach and almond

In light of growing environmental concerns, surveys of fungicide resistance are needed to ensure efficient control of fungi and avoid unnecessary treatments. Investigations of fungicide resistance in Fusicoccum amygdali are scarce despite the economic impacts of this pathogen in peach and almond orchards. Thiophanate-methyl has been registered for more than 20 years to control F. amygdali but no resistance has been reported to date. This propesticide is metabolized by fungi into carbendazim, a β-tubulin inhibitor. Sensitivity to carbendazim of nine populations of F. amygdali from French orchards was assessed using germination bioassays. Also, resistance levels of 63 strains isolated from four populations were evaluated using mycelial growth assays. The underlying mechanism of resistance was investigated by sequencing the β-tubulin gene, the molecular target of thiophanate-methyl, in a set of isolates with different levels of sensitivity to carbendazim. Cross-resistance to thiophanate-methyl and to another β-tubulin inhibitor, diethofencarb, was also assessed in carbendazim-sensitive and -resistant strains. Isolates highly resistant to carbendazim were found in one of the nine orchards studied. Sequencing showed that resistant phenotypes carry a mutation in the β-tubulin gene leading to E198K substitution. Positive cross-resistance to thiophanate-methyl was confirmed and no negative cross-resistance to diethofencarb was identified in the phenotyped isolates, which were all resistant to this active substance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of resistance to thiophanate-methyl in F. amygdali. The high level of resistance of isolates sampled in one population is of concern, although the limited geographical scope of resistance suggests its recent emergence.     

Origins of Sediment-Associated Contaminants to the Marais Vernier, the Seine Estuary, France

The Marais Vernier is the largest freshwater wetland in the Seine Estuary in northern France. It is in a heavily urbanized and industrialized region and could be affected by atmospheric deposition and by fluvial input of contaminants in water diverted from the Seine River. To evaluate contaminant histories in the wetland and the region, sediment cores were collected from two open-water ponds in the Marais Vernier: the Grand-Mare, which was connected to the Seine by a canal from 1950 to 1996, and the Petite Mare, which has a small rural watershed. Diversions from the Seine to the Grand-Mare increased sedimentation rates but mostly resulted in low contaminant concentrations and loading rates, indicating that the sediment from the Seine was predominantly brought upstream by tidal currents from the estuary and was not from the watershed. Atmospheric sources of metals dominate inputs to the Petite Mare; however, runoff of metals from vehicle-related sources in the watershed might contribute to the upward trends in concentrations of Cr, Cu, and Zn. Estimates of atmospheric deposition using the Petite Mare core are consistent with measured deposition in the region and are mixed (similar for Hg and Pb; larger for Cd, Cu, and Zn) compared with deposition estimated from sediment cores in the northeastern United States. A local source of PAHs in the watershed of the Petite Mare is indicated by higher concentrations, higher accumulation rates, and a different, more petrogenic, PAH assemblage than in the Grand-Mare. The study illustrates how diverse sources and transport pathways can affect wetlands in industrial regions and can be evaluated using sediment cores from the wetland ponds.     

Rapid Screening of Potato Cultivars Tolerant to Nitrogen Deficiency Using a Hydroponic System

Increased cultivar tolerance to nitrogen (N) deficiency may increase productivity and reduce environmental impact of potato crops. In this study we screened 20 cultivars for the tolerance to N-deficient (0.05 mM nitrate) in comparison with N-abundant (7.5 mM nitrate) nitrate supply using plantlets grown for 15 days in a recirculating hydroponic system. Nitrogen deficiency increased the root-to-shoot ratio in 18 cultivars. Plant total dry weight (TDW) was reduced by an average of 61% under N-deficient nitrate supply. Tolerance to N deficiency was assessed as the TDW ratio (TDWR), calculated as the ratio of TDW under N-deficient to N-abundant nitrate supply. The cultivars Norland, Raritan, Nipigon and Langlade were significantly more tolerant to nitrogen deficiency (greater TDWR) than Eramosa, Carleton, and Epicure. The results indicate that the hydroponic system has capacity to rapidly screen a large number of cultivars for tolerance to N deficiency.     

Clinical outcome,PDGFRβ and KIT expression in feline histiocytic disorders: a multicentre study

Information about histiocytic disease in cats is limited. The aim of this study was to document clinical findings and outcome in feline histiocytic disorders, and characterize the expression of PDGFRβ and KIT in order to identify potential treatment targets. Morphologically diagnosed feline histiocytic tumours were reviewed and characterized by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Five cases of feline progressive histiocytosis (FPH), eight histiocytic sarcomas (HS) and two haemophagocytic histiocytic sarcomas (HaeHS) were confirmed. PDGFRβ was variably positive in most histiocytic cases, while KIT was negative in all. Clinical presentation, treatment and outcome were also evaluated. Partial responses were recorded in measurable disease with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and lomustine, and radiotherapy achieved long‐term control in some cases. Survival times were shortest in HaeHS and disseminated disease. PDGFRβ, but not KIT, may represent a therapeutic target in feline histiocytic disorders but more studies are needed to investigate other potential treatment targets.     

Single layer centrifugation of fresh dromedary camel semen improves sperm quality and in vitro fertilization capacity compared with simple sperm washing

Single layer centrifugation (SLC) through a colloid is a tool for selecting viable mammalian spermatozoa but has not been used previously for fresh dromedary camel sperm. Semen from six camels (2 ejaculates/male) was diluted 1:5 (v:v) or 1:10 (v:v) in a Tris–citrate–fructose buffer for mechanical liquefaction by gentle pipetting. Following liquefaction, semen was processed either by SLC or by centrifugation without a colloid (control). Total and progressive motilities, CASA kinematics, vitality and acrosome integrity (eosin–nigrosin) and plasma membrane integrity (Hypo‐osmotic swelling test; HOST), and fertilizing ability in a heterologous assay (zona‐free goat oocytes) were evaluated. Both total (p = .003) and progressive motilities (p = .003) were higher in SLC‐processed than in control semen samples, irrespective of dilution. Positive HOST values increased when using colloid in 1:5 (p = .001) and 1:10 dilution (p = .010). Colloid‐selected sperm had higher penetration rates than controls (p < .001 and p = .02 for 1:5 and 1:10 dilutions, respectively). However, only the SLC sperm at 1:5 dilution showed higher percentages of pronuclear formation (p = .02) than controls. Dilution effect was only significant for total motility before in vitro fertilization, with higher values for the 1:5 dilution (p = .033). The recovery rates of motile sperm between dilutions were similar (26.1% vs 35.4%; p = .226). In conclusion, SLC is a promising tool for selecting functional dromedary camel sperm and warrants more research.