The unusual nature of recent snowpack declines in the North American cordillera

In western North America, snowpack has declined in recent decades, and further losses are projected through the 21st century. Here, we evaluate the uniqueness of recent declines using snowpack reconstructions from 66 tree-ring chronologies in key runoff-generating areas of the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri River drainages. Over the past millennium, late 20th century snowpack reductions are almost unprecedented in magnitude across the northern Rocky Mountains and in their north-south synchrony across the cordillera. Both the snowpack declines and their synchrony result from unparalleled springtime warming that is due to positive reinforcement of the anthropogenic warming by decadal variability. The increasing role of warming on large-scale snowpack variability and trends foreshadows fundamental impacts on streamflow and water supplies across the western United States.     

Discovery of a viral NLR homolog that inhibits the inflammasome

The NLR (nucleotide binding and oligomerization, leucine-rich repeat) family of proteins senses microbial infections and activates the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that promotes microbial clearance. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is linked to several human malignancies. We found that KSHV Orf63 is a viral homolog of human NLRP1. Orf63 blocked NLRP1-dependent innate immune responses, including caspase-1 activation and processing of interleukins IL-1β and IL-18. KSHV Orf63 interacted with NLRP1, NLRP3, and NOD2. Inhibition of Orf63 expression resulted in increased expression of IL-1β during the KSHV life cycle. Furthermore, inhibition of NLRP1 was necessary for efficient reactivation and generation of progeny virus. The viral homolog subverts the function of cellular NLRs, which suggests that modulation of NLR-mediated innate immunity is important for the lifelong persistence of herpesviruses.     

Access to stem cells and data: persons, property rights, and scientific progress

Many fields have struggled to develop strategies, policies, or structures to optimally manage data, materials, and intellectual property rights (IPRs). There is growing recognition that the field of stem cell science, in part because of its complex IPRs landscape and the importance of cell line collections, may require collective action to facilitate basic and translational research. Access to pluripotent stem cell lines and the information associated with them is critical to the progress of stem cell science, but simple notions of access are substantially complicated by shifting boundaries between what is considered information versus material, person versus artifact, and private property versus the public domain.     

The genome of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana: ecology, evolution, and metabolism

Diatoms are unicellular algae with plastids acquired by secondary endosymbiosis. They are responsible for approximately 20% of global carbon fixation. We report the 34 million-base pair draft nuclear genome of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana and its 129 thousand-base pair plastid and 44 thousand-base pair mitochondrial genomes. Sequence and optical restriction mapping revealed 24 diploid nuclear chromosomes. We identified novel genes for silicic acid transport and formation of silica-based cell walls, high-affinity iron uptake, biosynthetic enzymes for several types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, use of a range of nitrogenous compounds, and a complete urea cycle, all attributes that allow diatoms to prosper in aquatic environments.     

Synthesis of new compounds related to the commercial fungicide tricyclazole

BACKGROUND: Tricyclazole is a commercial fungicide used to control rice blast. As part of re‐registration activities, samples of metabolites and process impurities are required. In addition, isotopically labeled tricyclazole samples are also required. RESULTS: Four new compounds related to tricyclazole are reported. An isotopically labeled sample of tricyclazole was prepared that contained two ¹⁵N atoms and one ¹³C atom. Radiolabeled tricyclazole with ¹⁴C at the triazole C3 position was also synthesized. A new process impurity in technical tricyclazole was identified and synthesized. A new metabolite of tricyclazole was identified, independently synthesized and characterized by X‐ray crystallography. CONCLUSION: A previously unreported metabolite of tricyclazole has been identified and structurally characterized. In addition, a new process impurity has been identified by independent synthesis. Identification of these new compounds has facilitated the continued registration of this important fungicide. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Aminopyralid soil residues affect rotational vegetable crops in Florida

BACKGROUND: Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé) is a poor host of several soilborne pests of vegetable crops; therefore vegetable crops are commonly grown in a rotation with bahiagrass pastures in Florida. The herbicide aminopyralid provides foliar and soil residual weed control and increases forage production in bahiagrass pastures; however, the soil residual activity of aminopyralid makes carryover injury likely in subsequent sensitive vegetable crops. Field research was conducted to determine the sensitivity of five vegetable crops to soil residues of aminopyralid. RESULTS: At an aminopyralid soil concentration of 0.2 µg kg^?1 (the limit of quantitation for aminopyralid in this research), crop injury ratings were 48% (bell pepper), 67% (eggplant), 71% (tomato), 3% (muskmelon) and 3% (watermelon), and fruit yield losses (relative to the untreated control) at that concentration were 61, 64, 95, 8 and 14% in those respective crops. CONCLUSIONS: The crops included in this research were negatively affected by aminopyralid at soil concentrations less than the limit of quantitation (0.2 µg kg^?1). Therefore, it was concluded that a field bioassay must be used to determine whether carryover injury will occur when these crops are planted on a site where aminopyralid has been previously applied. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Genetic diversity within a range of cultivars and landraces of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) as revealed by RAPDs

Analysis of the extent and distribution of genetic diversity incrop plants is essential for optimizing sampling and breedingstrategies. We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)markers to assess genetic diversity and relationships in 22 Canadiancultivars, 29 selected world cultivars and 10 landraces of flax(Linum usitatissimum L.). RAPDvariation was generally low and more variation was detected among,than within, the investigated flax accessions. Based on 53 variableRAPD loci observed for the 61 accessions, the landraces had a lowerproportion of fixed recessive RAPD loci (0.427) (i.e.,more genetic variation) than all of the flax cultivars examined(0.492). The linseed cultivars had a lower proportion ofrecessive loci (0.469) than the fiber flax cultivars(0.529). Canadian linseed cultivars had a lower proportionof recessive loci (0.465) than the selected world flaxcultivars (0.512). A trend was also observed that the rateof loss in genetic variation in Canadian flax breeding programs overthe last fifty years was approximately two variable loci per 100 lociper 10 years. Clustering analyses based on similarity estimatesshowed that the fiber cultivars were more related (or similar toeach other) and were classified as a homogeneous group. All ofthe linseed cultivars were clustered in diverse groups with the ninelandrace accessions. Implications of these findings for flax breedingand germplasm management are discussed.     

Analysis of ethyl carbamate in wines using solid-phase extraction and multidimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The method describes a rapid and accurate procedure for the analysis of ethyl carbamate in wines. The separation of the ethyl carbamate (EC), the target analyte, from alcohol and the sample matrix is a challenge to many analytical chemists. After alcohol removal from the sample, EC was extracted and concentrated by solid-phase extraction. For analysis of EC, large-volume injection on a programmable temperature vaporization (PTV) inlet was used followed by multidimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (MDGC/MS) using electron-impact ionization (EI). For quantitation, the ratio of ions produced during EI at m/z 62 (EC) and 64 (isotopically labeled EC) was monitored. The use of solid-phase extraction and MDGC/MS removes the majority of the matrix interference encountered in other methods. A linear dynamic range was established from 0.387 to 1160 ng/mL, with a limit of detection at 0.1 ng/mL and limit of quantitation at 1 ng/mL.     

Impacts of chronic marine oil pollution and the murre hunt in Newfoundland on thick-billed murre Uria lomvia populations in the eastern Canadian Arctic

We developed a deterministic and stochastic age-based matrix projection population model to assess and quantify the impact of mortality caused by chronic oil pollution and legal hunting on thick-billed murre Uria lomvia populations breeding and wintering in eastern Canada. We calculate the potential population growth rate in the absence of anthropogenic mortality sources using a modeling technique that translates absolute number of birds killed from anthropogenic mortality to potential survival rates in the absence of these anthropogenic impacts. The intrinsic growth rate of the deterministic matrix based on vital rates from Coats Island (λ_d=1.0102), as well as the stochastic growth rate (λ_s=1.0098, 95% C.I. 0.9969-1.0226), matched observed population trends. Hunting mortality reduced population growth rate by 0.020 (0.012-0.039), oiling mortality reduced population growth rate by 0.025 (0.012-0.039). Combined these sources reduced the population growth rate by 0.047 (0.033-0.610). Although thick-billed murre populations are stable or slowly growing in eastern Canada, anthropogenic sources of mortality are reducing the ability of the population to grow, and increase vulnerability in these populations to changes in their environment and other pulse perturbations. Our modeling technique could be used to assess specific anthropogenic impacts on populations where a vital rates and numbers killed are known, but no long-term trend information is available.     

Enzymatic grafting of peptides from casein hydrolysate to chitosan. Potential for value-added byproducts from food-processing wastes

Tyrosinase was used to initiate the grafting of peptides onto the amine-containing polysaccharide chitosan. Chemical evidence for covalent grafting was obtained from electrospray mass spectrometry for products formed from reactions with glucosamine (the monomeric unit of chitosan) and the model dipeptide Tyr-Ala. When this model dipeptide was incubated with tyrosinase and chitosan, there was a marked increase in the viscosity of the solution. This viscosity increase provides physical evidence that tyrosinase can initiate peptide grafting onto the chitosan backbone. A peptide-modified chitosan derivative was generated by reacting chitosan (0.32 w/v%) with acid-hydrolyzed casein (0.5 w/v %) using tyrosinase. After reaction, the peptide-modified chitosan was partially purified and dissolved in an aqueous acetic acid solution. Low concentrations of this peptide-modified chitosan were observed to confer viscoelastic properties to the solutions. Specifically they conferred high viscosities and shear thinning properties to the solutions, and solutions containing only 1 w/w % of the peptide-modified chitosan behaved as weak gels. Thus, tyrosinase provides a simple and safe way to convert food-processing byproducts into environmentally friendly products that offer useful functional properties. The selectivity of tyrosinase and the relatively high reactivity of chitosan's amines allow grafting to be performed with uncharacterized peptide mixtures present in crude hydrolysates.