Deuterium effects on binding of reduced coenzyme alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme EE

Determination of dissociation constants by two different methods yield the following mean values in 20 millimolar phosphate, pH 7.0, 25 degrees C: 0.27 micromolar for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH); 0.29 micromolar for NADH with deuterium in the nicotinamide 4-B position (B-NADD); and 0.46 micromolar for NADH with deuterium in the nicotinamide 4-A position (A-NADD). These results indicate that dehydrogenases are capable of recognizing and distinguishing the appropriate hydrogen in the coenzyme already in the initial binding reaction.     

Using phenotypic variation to determine conservation value: application of a novel approach to Arctic charr

Abstract –  There is a very high degree of discrete variation in phenotype between populations of Arctic charr. This takes the form of variation not only in morphometric and meristic characters traditionally used to distinguish species, but also in characteristics of life-history, behaviour, coloration and ecology. This variability has a number of consequences, one of these is that there is a strong case for the conservation of populations with extreme phenotypes. However, if variation is discrete between populations but continuous across many populations, this poses difficulties in separating those populations of high conservation value from those of lower conservation value. In this paper we describe a statistical technique which enables populations on the extreme edges of the range of phenotypic variation to be identified and apply this to the morphometric characters of charr from 25 populations from across Scotland and Ireland. The technique enables the identification of any proportion of the most extreme phenotypes. When applied to our data, one population (Loch More) was in the top 2 percentile of the most extreme phenotypes from across the range of all populations included. Three populations were within the top 10% most extreme phenotypes (Lochs More, Uaine and Earn) and a further five within the top 20% (previously mentioned lochs plus Lochs Eck, Merkland, Uaine, Talla and Lough Nalughraman). This technique can potentially be used on any species and on any suite of characteristics as an objective measure of conservation value of a population within a continuous phenotypic range.     

Predicting the evolution of human influenza A

Eighteen codons in the HA1 domain of the hemagglutinin genes of human influenza A subtype H3 appear to be under positive selection to change the amino acid they encode. Retrospective tests show that viral lineages undergoing the greatest number of mutations in the positively selected codons were the progenitors of future H3 lineages in 9 of 11 recent influenza seasons. Codons under positive selection were associated with antibody combining site A or B or the sialic acid receptor binding site. However, not all codons in these sites had predictive value. Monitoring new H3 isolates for additional changes in positively selected codons might help identify the most fit extant viral strains that arise during antigenic drift.     

Synthesis of large arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes on glass

Free-standing aligned carbon nanotubes have previously been grown above 700 degreesC on mesoporous silica embedded with iron nanoparticles. Here, carbon nanotubes aligned over areas up to several square centimeters were grown on nickel-coated glass below 666 degreesC by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Acetylene gas was used as the carbon source and ammonia gas was used as a catalyst and dilution gas. Nanotubes with controllable diameters from 20 to 400 nanometers and lengths from 0. 1 to 50 micrometers were obtained. Using this method, large panels of aligned carbon nanotubes can be made under conditions that are suitable for device fabrication.     

影响烟草特有亚硝胺积累的因素

把Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｐｌｕｍｂａｇｉｎｉｆｏｌｉａ的基因突变种子和普通种子发芽后嫁接在Ｗｅｓｃｏｎｓｉｎ３８烟株上,与温室条件下正常盆栽生长的Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｐｌｕｍｂａｇｉｎｉｆｏｌｉａ和母体Ｗｅｓｃｏｎｓｉｎ３８分析比较,试验结果得出：Ｗｅｓｃｏｎｓｉｎ３８上嫁接Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｐｌｕｍｂａｇｉｎｉｆｏｌｉａ基因突变种子还原酶活性最高,晾制后烟叶中烟草特有的亚硝胺含量次之;温室盆栽的     

Local orbital forcing of antarctic climate change during the last interglacial

During the last interglacial, Antarctic climate changed before that of the Northern Hemisphere. Large local changes in precession forcing could have produced this pattern if there were a rectified response in sea ice cover. Results from a coupled sea ice-ocean general circulation model supported this hypothesis when it was tested for three intervals around the last interglacial. Such a mechanism may play an important role in contributing to phase offsets between Northern and Southern Hemisphere climate change for other time intervals.     

Alterations in serotonin receptor-induced contractility of bovine lateral saphenous vein in cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue

As part of a 2-yr study documenting the physiologic impact of grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue on growing cattle, 2 experiments were conducted to characterize and evaluate effects of grazing 2 levels of toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures on vascular contractility and serotonin receptors. Experiment 1 examined vasoconstrictive activities of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), α-methylserotonin (ME5HT; a 5HT(2) receptor agonist), d-lysergic acid (LSA), and ergovaline (ERV) on lateral saphenous veins collected from steers immediately removed from a high-endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture (HE) or a low-endophyte-infected mixed-grass (LE) pasture. Using the same pastures, Exp. 2 evaluated effects of grazing 2 levels of toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue on vasoconstrictive activities of (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride (DOI), BW 723C86 (BW7), CGS-12066A (CGS), and 5-carboxamidotryptamine hemiethanolate maleate (5CT), agonists for 5HT(2A),( 2B), 5HT(1B), and 5HT(7) receptors, respectively. One-half of the steers in Exp. 2 were slaughtered immediately after removal from pasture, and the other one-half were fed finishing diets for >91 d before slaughter. For Exp. 1, maximal contractile intensities were greater (P < 0.05) for steers grazing LE pastures than HE pastures for 5HT (73.3 vs. 48.9 ± 2.1%), ME5HT (52.7 vs. 24.9 ± 1.5%), and ERV (65.7 vs. 49.1 ± 2.6%). Onset of contractile response did not differ for 5HT (P = 0.26) and ERV (P = 0.93), but onset of ME5HT contraction was not initiated (P < 0.05) in HE steers until 10(-4) compared with 10(-5) M in LE-grazing steers. For Exp. 2, maximal contractile intensities achieved with DOI were 35% less (P < 0.05), whereas those achieved with 5CT were 37% greater (P < 0.05), in steers grazing HE pastures. Contractile response to CGS did not differ between pasture groups, and there was an absence of contractile response to BW7 in both groups. There were no differences between endophyte content in contractile responses after animals were finished for >91 d. Experiment 1 demonstrated that grazing of HE pastures for 89 to 105 d induces functional alterations in blood vessels, as evidenced by reduced contractile capacity and altered serotonergic receptor activity. Experiment 2 demonstrated that grazing HE pastures alters vascular responses, which may be mediated through altered serotonin receptor activities, and these alterations may be ameliorated by the removal of ergot alkaloid exposure as demonstrated by the absence of differences in finished steers.     

Losses of adult sheep due to ovine Johne's disease in 12 infected flocks over a 3-year period

OBJECTIVE: To measure the biological and financial impact of ovine Johne's disease (OJD) mortalities on 12 infected flocks within the endemic area of southern New South Wales over a 3-year period. DESIGN AND POPULATION: An observational study was conducted over a 3-year period from 2002 to 2004 on sheep from 12 OJD-infected flocks from southern NSW. Flocks ranged from between 3,500 and 20,000 sheep. At the start of the study owner estimates of OJD mortality were 5% or greater. METHOD: Annual mortality rates were estimated from farm records provided by owners. The proportion of OJD mortalities was assessed after histological examination of tissues collected from dead and moribund sheep during 5-day necropsy inspections conducted in autumn, winter, spring and summer in 2002. The financial impact was estimated using a gross margin analysis for each of the three study years and by placing a financial value on the necropsied sheep. RESULTS: On the 12 farms, the average OJD mortality rate was 6.2% (range 2.1% to 17.5%) in 2002, 7.8% (range 1.8% to 14.6%) in 2003 and 6.4% (range 2% to 11.9%) in 2004. The average decrease in gross margin due to OJD infection on a farm in 2002 was 6.4% (range 2.2% to 15.4%), 8.5% (range 3.1% to 15.8%) in 2003 and 7.4% (range 1.5% to 15.4%) in 2004. This equates to an average reduction in annual income of $13,715 per farm per year. OJD losses accounted on average for two thirds of the total estimated financial loss associated with sheep deaths. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the significant biological and financial impact of OJD on sheep flocks. These findings are of relevance to all Australian sheep flocks infected or at risk of OJD infection.