determining cell wall chemistry to find plants with ideal genes. NREL's new High-Throughput Analytical Pyrolysis tool (HTAP) can thoroughly analyze hundreds of biomass samples a day
Tool Can Pinpoint Phenotypesto find out the chemical composition of the cell walls companies have to sample large quantities of biomass
Lignin is a big molecule. Heating it up in the absence of oxygen--pyrolysis--breaks it down into smaller fragments that can be read by a molecular beam mass spectrometer.
The ratios of lignin to carbohydrate components together with the intensity of the lignin peaks can tell a scientist how easily a plant will give up its sugars.
HTAP integrates a molecular beam mass spectrometer with the pyrolysis unit to quickly determine chemical signatures (phenotypes) on small amounts of biomass samples that can be used for among other things identifying the genes controlling the chemical makeup.
Samples drop into the oven where the pyrolysis creates a vapor that is read by the mass spectrometer--a chemical fingerprint.
Combining the HTAP chemical phenotypes with information such as genetic markers can signal there is a gene nearby that controls those chemical phenotypes--for better or worse.
and the associated cell-wall chemistry changes Davis said. They discerned dozens of changes in transgenic biomass samples each slight genetic tweak corresponding with a slight difference in the amount of lignin in the sample.
and greater chemical specificity and resolution than they had seen before. An Explosion In demand for Quick Samplingnrel had partnered previously with scientists from Oak ridge National Laboratory the University of Florida
and the University of California Davis to demonstrate that the HTAP method could combine with genetic information to identify genetic markers associated with cell wall chemistry traits.
NREL's pyrolysis combined with a mass spectrometer was a big improvement over the old method of using wet chemistry to analyze
Even with this approach the method that would soon evolve into HTAP identified numerous genetic markers associated with cell wall chemistry
and provided greater chemical specificity and resolution than had been available before. So NREL used money from its internal general purpose equipment account to buy an auto-sampler the final piece in the goal of combining automation pyrolysis spectrometry and speed.
NREL's partners in the project include Extrel CMS which worked with NREL to design
and fabricate the molecular beam mass spectrometer and Frontier Laboratories which provided the pyrolysis instrument. NREL scientists integrated the autosampler pyrolyzer
and molecular beam mass spectrometer to make HTAP. Other partners using NREL's rapid analytical tool for fuel research besides Arborgen are the University of Florida the University of Georgia Greenwood Resources the Bioenergy Science Center
and Oak ridge National Laboratory Spectrometer Reads the Chemical Fingerprints of the Samplesthe spectrometer's readings are translated into graphs that show single peaks that are easily identifiable phenotypes from
HTAP provides the information that combined with other genetic information tells us there's a gene controlling the plant's cell wall chemistry located somewhere on this chromosome--at the same location every time Davis said.
The data from the chemical makeup is averaged and generated in real time. If we know what each of these peaks are related to we can tell what has changed with each sample Davis said.
#New method for greenhouse gas predictionspulp and paper producers are among Canada's most important industries and also one of the largest producers of wastewater.
Estimating the greenhouse gas emissions in this wastewater has become a priority for the industry. Until now greenhouse gas emission estimates have been limited by the mathematical models used to predict them.
Researchers at Concordia University have developed recently a new dynamic method to better predict the emission content of these gases.
not only for the pulp and paper industry but also for any business wishing to reduce its carbon footprint.
but dynamic models can estimate the variation in greenhouse gas emissions in response to changes in the wastewater management system.
Knowledge can lead to improved emission controlthe study compared steady-state and dynamic mathematical modelling predictions with actual values of greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater systems.
Both models gave accurate results of overall gas emissions. However only the dynamic model was able to estimate changes in emissions in response to a changing environment.
With this knowledge we can then recommend a strategy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas
#Selfish gene may undermine genome policefor a bunch of inanimate chemical compounds the nucleic and amino acids caught up in the infamous selfish segregation distorter (SD) saga have put on quite a soap opera for biologists
and dispatching proteins into the nucleus and the cytoplasm. These police proteins are armed with police sketches of the parasites in the form of small RNA transcripts.
The new plot twistit struck Reenan and lead author Selena Gell that this policing system
Silica forms minute particles inside many plants called phytoliths that among other things help some plants stand upright
and is considered by many to be a separate species. They play a vital role in maintaining the biodiversity of one of Earth's critical carbon sequestering tropical forests.
because it is lower in fat and cholesterol and perceived to be lower in additives.
Rats were fed a high-fat diet that induced a low-grade reno-lipotoxicity that is kidney damage associated with lipids.
This was characterized by elevations in plasma urea and protein in the urine. The researchers found increased deposits of triglycerides (TG)( especially saturated fatty acids) increased signs of oxidative stress and depleted copper levels in the kidneys.
#Improving climate protection in the agricultural sectoragriculture is responsible for around ten to twelve percent of all greenhouse gases attributable to human activities.
A recent study has investigated--for the first time--the full range of factors that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions namely soil
The scientists recorded all relevant climate gas streams during the entire production process including methane nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.
In the case of dairy farms they also factored in the purchase of soybean meal from South america and all related greenhouse gas emissions.
However greenhouse gases are emitted also during the manufacture of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides agricultural machines and equipment.
In contrast the greenhouse gas CO2 can be stored long term as humus in the soil and thus eliminated from the climate balance.
This demonstrates that the individual know-how of farm managers plays an important role in the greenhouse gas balance
and high greenhouse gas emissions adds HÃ lsbergen. We are now optimizing this model so that it can be used directly by climate change advisors in the agricultural sector.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and exposed to high heat until the powder particles are bound together into a solid but slightly porous material.
When this field is applied it creates subtle changes in the material's grain boundaries--where atoms from different crystals meet in the material.
These defects consist of vacancies (missing atoms) which can carry charges. The defects are negatively charged and draw current from the electric field to the area
and in coprolites from ancient sites and dated with over 200 Carbon-14 dates. After years of study Haas and his colleagues have concluded that during the Late Archaic maize (Zea mays
A total of 212 radiocarbon dates were obtained in the course of all the excavations. Macroscopic remains of maize (kernels leaves stalks and cobs) were rare.
Coprolites also showed that fish mostly anchovies did provide the primary protein in the diet but not the calories.
and yellow orange or purple color with a pleasant-tasting slightly acidic aromatic pulp rich in vitamins and minerals.
#Organic tomatoes accumulate more Vitamin c, sugars than conventionally grown fruittomatoes grown on organic farms accumulate higher concentrations of sugars Vitamin c
and compounds associated with oxidative stress compared to those grown on conventional farms according to research published February 20 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Maria Raquel Alcantara Miranda and colleagues from the Federal University
of Ceara Brazil. In their study the researchers compared the weights and biochemical properties of tomatoes from organic and conventional farms.
and they also accumulated more compounds linked to stress resistance. According to the authors organic farming exposes plants to greater stress than conventional farming.
They suggest that this increased stress may be the reason organic tomatoes had higher levels sugars Vitamin c and pigment molecules like lycopene an antioxidant compound--all of
what are termed commonly plastics through polymerization. With petroleum derivatives scientists have invested more than a hundred years of research into refining the polymer chemistry involved
and their success in that endeavor is evident in the range of plastics now part of common parlance such as Plexiglas polycarbonate and PVC.
Tang just received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to further develop the polymer chemistry he has been refining
since he arrived as a chemistry professor in USC's College of Arts and Sciences in 2009.
According to Tang molecules derived from wood products are particularly worthwhile targets. They're a rich source of the cycloaliphatic
and aromatic structures that make good materials after polymerization he said. They have the rigid molecular structures
and hydrophobicity that materials scientists know work well. They also have an advantage at the end of their life cycle.
Post said that the next step in his research will be to study the contribution of plant diversity to long-term stability of carbon dynamics in the atmosphere and in the soil.
and sizes of lesions due to colorectal cancer and an increased number of cells that express the protein IL-10 which acts to regulate the body's inflammatory response Resistant starch may also have implications for the prevention
Advantages of using plants to produce therapeutic proteins include the ability to produce large quantities quickly and cheaply the absence of human pathogens the stability of the proteins and the ease with
The technology is also known as plant molecular farming. Just one farm growing 16000 acres of safflower could meet the world's total demand for insulin.
Another was establishing good manufacturing practices for biologically active proteins expressed in transgenic plants. Story Source:
A new study'Small RNA profiling reveals phosphorus deficiency as a contributing factor in symptom expression for citrus Huanglongbing disease'published online February 19 in the journal Molecular Plant profiled small
and found that some of these tiny molecules could potentially be developed into early diagnosis markers for HLB.
#Thigh fat may be to blame for older adults who slow downa new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical center shows that an increase in fat throughout the thigh is predictive of mobility loss in otherwise healthy
As people age they are more likely to gain fat in and around their muscles and we speculated that gaining fat in the leg muscle itself would be slowed related to walking speed.
The researchers used data from the National Institute on Aging's Health Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study a prospective cohort of several thousand initially well-functioning white and black adults aged 70-79.
whether changes in thigh intermuscular fat or thigh muscle area were more predictive of slowed walking speed.
& astrophysics at the University of Chicago who used a new method called multi-object spectroscopy to analyze the planet s atmosphere from large ground-based telescopes.
Bean will use a technique called transmission spectroscopy to measure the chemical composition of the planet s atmosphere with unprecedented precision.
The atmospheric signature of life on an exoplanet presumably would contain some mixture of oxygen and various other gases.
#Reduced sea ice disturbs balance of greenhouse gasesthe widespread reduction in Arctic sea ice is causing significant changes to the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
According to the study the melting of sea ice in the Arctic has a tangible impact on the balance of greenhouse gases in this region both in terms of uptake and release.
The researchers have studied the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane both in the tundra and in the Arctic ocean.
Changes in the balance of greenhouse gases can have major consequences because globally plants and the oceans absorb around half of the carbon dioxide that humans release into the air through the use of fossil fuels.
so will the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere says Dr Frans-Jan Parmentier a researcher at Lund University Sweden.
In addition to the changes on land the present study shows that there are a number of uncertainties surrounding the effects of the melting ice on the amount of greenhouse gases exchanged by the ocean through natural processes.
We know very little about how the shrinking sea ice cover disturbs the balance of greenhouse gases in the sea in the long term says Dr Parmentier.
While researchers do not entirely understand the role of viruses in helping plants withstand extreme conditions Roossinck said that future research may help the agricultural industry naturally develop hardier plants rather than rely on chemical solutions that threaten the environment.
They found a positive correlation between OHCAS and exposure to both fine particulate matter (airborne particles smaller than 2. 5 micrograms) and ozone.
Their findings suggest that IKBKE is a key molecule related to tobacco-induced lung cancer. Since IKBKE kinase is induced by tobacco small molecular inhibitors of IKBKE could have a therapeutic drug potential for lung cancer explained lead author Jin Q. Cheng Ph d. M d. senior member
of the Molecular Oncology Department at Moffitt. Current treatments for non-small cell lung cancer include surgery radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
However patients eventually develop resistance to treatment. There is a great need to better understand the molecular mechanism of resistance
and develop new gene-targeted therapies that can circumvent resistance said the authors. In this study the researchers also reported for the first time that IKBKE is a target of STAT3 a transcription factor that plays a key role in many cellular processes such as cell growth
According to the researchers STAT3 is activated frequently in various types of human cancers and when activated STAT3 increases IKBKE overexpression and protein levels.
#Scientists explore new technologies that remove atmospheric carbon dioxidein his Feb 12 State of the Union address President Obama singled out climate change as a top priority for his second administration.
The administration has taken a number of steps to meet those goals such as investing billions of dollars in wind solar and other carbon-neutral energy technologies.
The solution they say could also require developing carbon-negative technologies that remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere.
In the GCEP report Field and lead author Jennifer Milne describe a suite of emerging carbon-negative solutions to global warming--from bioenergy technologies to ocean sequestration.
Many of the examples cited were presented initially at a negative carbon emissions workshop hosted by GCEP in 2012.
when more greenhouse gases are sequestered than are released into the atmosphere explained Milne an energy assessment analyst at GCEP.
A typical BECCS system converts woody biomass grass and other vegetation into electricity chemical products or fuels such as ethanol.
As a carbon-negative technology BECCS takes advantage of the innate ability of trees grasses
and other industries fueled by coal natural gas and oil. Capturing and sequestering those emissions could play a significant role in curbing global warming.
To make the process carbon negative researchers have proposed a BECCS co-fired power plant that runs on a mixture of fossil fuel (such as coal) and vegetation (wood grass or straw for example.
To meet ambitious climate targets a cost-effective policy would be to implement a carbon tax
A carbon tax would put a price on CO2 emissions and increase the competitiveness of CCS while an emission subsidy would encourage BECCS deployment she added.
Biocharfield and Milne also assessed the pros and cons of biochar--a carbon-negative technology based on the same principal as BECCS.
Heating vegetation slowly without oxygen--a process called pyrolysis--produces carbon-rich chunks of biochar that can be placed in the soil as fertilizer.
Like BECCS the goal is to permanently lock carbon underground instead of letting CO2 re-enter the atmosphere as the plant decomposes.
Implementing biochar technology on a global scale could result in the sequestration of billions of metric tons of carbon a year they added.
On the other hand biochar production that relies on forest ecosystems may result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions they cautioned.
In this model the system took 18 years to recoup carbon emissions with most reductions coming from soil replenishment from root growth
The report also explored the possibility of sequestering carbon in the ocean with a particular focus on the problem of ocean acidification
Keith has launched also a startup company called Carbon Engineering that's developing industrial-scale machines--artificial trees--that are designed to capture CO2 directly from the air.
and in fact require natural gas to operate. Following the 2012 negative-emissions workshop GCEP issued an international request for proposals to develop net-negative carbon emissions technologies.
The awardees will be announced later this year. Up to to $6 million could be awarded. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Stanford university.
and can travel large distances destroying infrastructure wreaking havoc on ecosystems releasing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and costing billions of dollars in damage.
It appears in ACS'journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. Chiara Dall'Asta and colleagues explain that molds growing naturally on wheat corn
The above story is provided based on materials by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Methane emissions normally are measured by putting sealed chambers on the ground to capture gas seeping
Pangala and colleagues have shown that these common adaptations in wetland trees are two-way conduits that also allow soil gas to escape to the atmosphere.
and zinc#published in Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imagingmillions of people worldwide are exposed regularly to arsenic through drinking water
The discovery is reported in Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging. Rice is the staple food of over three billion people.
In this latest work published in Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging the De Montfort University team#along with Dr Michael Watts from The british Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham UK#has identified varieties that are low in arsenic but high in essential trace elements such as
The team analyzed 98 rice samples using a technique called Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine total arsenic and also arsenic species in a selected group of samples.
Although the yield of aromatic rice is lower the farmers will not need to spend much money on applying chemicals that could pollute the environment and harm their own health.#
The researchers'results reported this month in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental science and Technology are the latest in a long effort to understand the environmental aspects of antibiotic resistance which threatens decades of progress in fighting disease.
The team looked at the dynamics of water availability to the trees by examining the ratio of oxygen isotopes in the sap contained in the tree veins that transport water.
Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons and their ratios are signatures of where
Mother nature provides us with natural fingerprints in the ratio of oxygen isotopes explained Leander.
The scientists examined the isotopes in the aspen sap during natural and experimental drought in an area in Colorado that had heavy tree casualties.
Forests store about 45 percent of the carbon found on land remarked William. Widespread tree death can radically transform ecosystems affecting biodiversity posing fire risks
They looked at both carbon starvation and water-transportation stress and found no evidence of significantly decreased carbon reserves.
They did find a notable depressed function in the trees'water-transport systems especially in the roots--some 70 percent loss of water conductivity.
or desserts oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber niacin folate and potassium. Black or kidney beans--Good source of niacin folate magnesium omega-3 fatty acids calcium soluble fiber.
Walnuts and almonds--Both walnuts and almonds contain omega-3 fatty acids Vitamin e magnesium fiber and heart-favorable mono-and polyunsaturated fats.
Blueberries/cranberries/raspberries/strawberries--Berries are a good source of beta carotene and lutein anthocyanin ellagic acid a polyphenol) Vitamin c folate potassium and fiber.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Loyola University Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
and carbon mineralization--to see what information these inexpensive tests might give them. Their results suggest that simple measures of labile organic matter can reflect long-term management
After collecting soil from the different fields the scientists then measured carbon and nitrogen mineralization.
What's nice about carbon and nitrogen mineralization is they're based on actual biological activity says Culman.
A long-term cropping system trial provided the perfect opportunity to test the extent to which carbon
The researchers also found that carbon mineralization was a better predictor of corn agronomic performance than other measures that are used currently (pre-sidress nitrate test and leaf chlorophyll.
or an oral alkaline medication for one year. The treatments were dosed to decrease dietary acid by half.
and animal studies that a protein lures zinc into key cells that are first-responders against infection.
because it stops the action of a protein ultimately preventing excess inflammation. While this study and previous work linking zinc deficiency to inflammation might suggest that supplementation could help very sick ICU patients it's still too early to make that leap.
Until now the beneficial effects of zinc in combating infection have not been understood fully at the molecular level.
and interacts with thousands of proteins to sustain human life. Of all the zinc contained in our bodies only about 10 percent of it is readily accessible to help fight off an infection said Knoell also an investigator in Ohio State's Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute.
When a pathogen is recognized a series of molecules wake up from dormancy to create a process that activates the innate immune response.
A major part of this process involves the NF-Î B pathway named for a highly active protein that is known to play an important role in the immune response to infection.
After cell entry zinc is directed then to and binds to a different protein in the NF-Î B pathway.
In the current study collaborators who specialize in computational modeling of protein interactions helped identify the likely target of zinc once it enters the cell:
specific binding sites on a protein called IKKB. When researchers allowed this protein to function unchecked in mice with zinc deficiency the animals developed excessive inflammation in response to sepsis--confirmation that IKKB was zinc's target to turn off the inflammatory pathway.
There are certainly other zinc targets in the cell but we found evidence that zinc is brought in by ZIP8 to turn the pathway off by interacting with this protein at a specific region Knoell said.
The recommended daily allowance for zinc ranges from 8 to 11 milligrams for most adults.
Under most circumstances that carbon stays locked inside Earth's rigid continental crust. One process that can release carbon dioxide from these carbonates is interaction with magma he said.
and microbiology focused their attention on a class of essential virulence proteins produced by a broad range of pathogens including Phytophthora called effectors.
Its effectors are the first example of proteins produced by eukaryotic pathogens--nucleated single -or multicellular organisms--that promote infection by suppressing the host RNA silencing process.
Many RNAS are used to make proteins. However these RNAS can be regulated by small RNA (snippets of RNA) that bind to them.
or signature--a specific protein code--that allows the proteins to be delivered into host cells Ma said.
That's the conclusion of an article in the ACS'Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
when gluten a protein in wheat barley and rye damages the lining of the small intestine causing a variety of symptoms.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
But if this effect declines or climate warming occurs due to something other than a carbon dioxide increase we expect to see a significant release of carbon from tropical ecosystems.
whether tropical forests are absorbing carbon dioxide or releasing it--and this in turn depends on whether the tropical climate was warmer and dryer than usual or wetter and cooler.
The team studied how these year-to-year variations in carbon dioxide concentration relate to long-term changes in the amount of carbon stored in tropical rainforests.
By combining this relationship with the year-to-year variation in carbon dioxide as seen in the real world the team were able to determine that about 50 billion tonnes of carbon would be released for each Degree celsius of warming in the tropics.
Fortunately this carbon release is counteracted by the positive effects of carbon dioxide fertilisation on plant growth under most scenarios of the 21st century
so that overall forests are expected to continue to accumulate carbon. The researchers are however certain that tropical forests will suffer under climate change
The species also assist the release of essential minerals in some chemical fertilizers though not in pesticides
The worms will survive in areas using chemical fertilizers but not those using chemical pesticides.
However the worms did well in areas of organic farming and so are likely to be sensitive to modern agrochemical contamination of the environment.
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