For example plants produce a plethora of chemicals that taste bad or serve as a poison to herbivores.
These chemicals are effective in deterring the feeding of most general insect herbivores. A well-studied practice by some specialist insects is their predilection to consume these plant poisons sequester those poisons into parts of their body then exploit the poisons for their own protection.
and analysed the chemical states of their metallic elements. Zinc was shown to dissolve and accumulate throughout the plants
Even a simple chemical compound behaves differently as a nanoparticle mostly due to the increased specific surface area and reactivity.
Zno is used widely in sunscreen products as gas sensors antibacterial agents optical and electrical devices and as pigments.
Nanoceria is an excellent catalyst for internal combustion and oil cracking processes and is used also in gas sensors sunscreen products and cosmetic creams.
After the soya bean plants had been grown to maturity in greenhouses the distribution of zinc and cerium throughout the plants was studied.
The use of microscopic synchrotron X-ray beams at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and at the ESRF enabled scientists to determine the chemical form of these metals
and pods was in the same chemical state as in the nanoparticles. However part of the cerium had changed its oxidation state from Ce (IV) to Ce (III) which can alter the chemical reactivity of the nanoparticles.
Zinc was detected in nodules stems and pods in concentrations higher than in a control group of plants.
Cerium has no chemical partner in the plant tissue and is not biotransformed in the soya bean
The fact that these potentially dangerous particles are being taken up by such a common crop suggests a need to review what materials are used in agriculture around the world.
which may provide a route for these potentially dangerous particles to get into our bodies if the content of the water is not more tightly managed.
Particles emanating from this boundary produce a striking narrow ribbon which had yet to be explained despite more than a dozen possible theories.
In a new retention model researchers from the University of New hampshire and Southwest Research Institute suggest that charged particles trapped in this region create the ribbon as they escape as neutral atoms.
The Sun continually sends out a solar wind of charged particles or ions traveling in all directions at supersonic speeds.
IBEX cameras measure energetic neutral atoms (ENAS) that form when charged particles become neutralized. As solar wind ENAS leave the solar system the majority move out in various directions never to re-enter.
However some ENAS leave the solar system and impact other neutral atoms becoming charges particles again.
These newly formed pickup ions begin to gyrate around the local interstellar magnetic field just outside the solar system.
In the regions where the magnetic field is perpendicular to their initial motion they scatter rapidly
From those regions some of those particles return to the solar system as secondary ENAS--ENAS that leave the solar system
The paper Spatial Retention of Ions Producing the IBEX Ribbon by N. A. Schwadron and D. J. Mccomas was published Feb 4 in the Astrophysical Journal.
These substances tend to concentrate in body fat and they might be one of the reasons why obese people are more likely to develop diabetes since the more fat the higher the COP concentrations in the body.
According to the University of Granada and San Cecilio researcher Juan Pedro Arrebola human adipose tissue (commonly known as fat) acts as an energy reservoir and has an important metabolic function.
COPS are a group of chemicals with diverse characteristics which are present in pesticides industrial waste and building materials.
These compounds penetrate the body mainly through food but also through air or the skin. According to professor Arrebola the mechanism of action by which COPS increases the risk of diabetes is still unknown.
and chemicals produced by the insects themselves. The findings published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that grooming helps insects maintain acute olfactory senses that are responsible for a host of functions including finding food sensing danger and even
which chemicals travel to reach sensory receptors for olfaction. Cockroaches clean their antennae by using forelegs to place the antennae in their mouths;
and nonvolatile chemicals accumulated on the ungroomed antennae of cockroaches but most surprising was the accumulation of a great deal of cuticular hydrocarbons--fatty candlewax-like substances secreted by the roaches to protect them against water loss.
As a society Americans'consumption of fish especially fish that contributes to these omega-3 fats is quite low compared to other proteins Drouillard said.
Keeping the omega-3s from becoming saturated fats in cattle's digestive system is a challenge however.
Microorganisms in the rumen--the largest chamber in the cow's stomach--modify most of the ingested fats and turn them into saturated fats.
According to Drouillard substituting omega-3 fatty acids for saturated fats does not change the ground beef's flavor.
Knowing that there are a lot of desirable flavor characteristics associated with the fat in beef we performed tons of sensory panel tests with Kansas State university's meat science faculty
and non-omega-3 beef even though the fats are quite different. The owners of NBO3 Technologies LLC have worked closely with Drouillard in developing the concept
whose protein is mutated but still partly functional--it is possible as Jackson postulated to increase meristem size
and have higher levels of fat and sugar. In this study 2. 5--3 servings of milk and yogurt intake per day were associated with better bone density.
More research is needed to examine the role of cheese intake (some of which can be high in fat
Choosing low-fat milk or yogurt over cream can increase intake of protein calcium and Vitamin d while limiting intake of saturated fats.
#Scientists use Amazon Cloud to view molecular machinery in remarkable detailin this week's Nature Methods Salk researchers share a how-to secret for biologists:
The method promises to speed research into the underlying causes of disease by making single-molecule microscopy of practical use for more laboratories.
The latest frontier in basic biomedical research is to better understand the molecular machines called proteins and enzymes.
In the case of human cells some of the parts of the assembly line can be as small as single molecules.
Unfortunately in the past conventional light microscopes could not clearly show objects as small as single molecules. The available alternatives such as electron microscopy could not be used effectively with living cells.
The challenge for biologists is that the molecules they want to see are often only a few tens of nanometers in size.
You have no idea how many single molecules are distributed within that blurry spot so essential features
which represent single molecules. The downside to these approaches is that it can take several hours to several days to crunch all the numbers required just to produce one usable image.
which are molecular machines that appear to encourage cancer cells to spread. In one instance they dropped the time needed to process an image from a whole day to 72 minutes.
They also imaged tubulin a protein essential for building various structures within cells. In that case they were able to drop the time from nine days to under three and a half hours.
and can also affect international travelers said Leonard Both M. Sc. a researcher involved in the work from the Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit at St george's University of London in the United kingdom. An untreated rabies infection is nearly 100 percent fatal
and characterized with regards to its protein and sugar composition. The antibody was shown also to be active in neutralizing a broad panel of rabies viruses
Science and policy in the Amazon have focused largely on forests and their associated biodiversity and carbon stocks.
but it will help locallyafforestation planting trees in an area where there have previously been no trees can reduce the effect of climate change by cooling temperate regions finds a study in Biomed Central's open access journal Carbon Balance and Management.
and cooler sequestering carbon protecting biodiversity and air quality and preventing soil erosion. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Biomed Central Limited.
#Ozone depletion trumps greenhouse gas increase in jet-stream shiftdepletion of Antarctic ozone is a more important factor than increasing greenhouse gases in shifting the Southern hemisphere jet stream in a southward direction according to researchers
The jet stream is expected to shift back toward the north as ozone is replenished yet the greenhouse-gas effect could negate this.
and greenhouse gases they focus on one wind pattern but my previous research suggests that by looking at several different
which ozone and greenhouse gases influence the jet stream. The researchers used an algorithm to examine the relationship between daily weather patterns and the four wind patterns.
They found that the first wind pattern--which corresponded to an equatorward shift of the midlatitude westerlies--was associated with greenhouse gases.
In addition to finding that ozone is more important than greenhouse gases in influencing the jet-stream shift the scientists also found evidence for a mechanism by
which greenhouse gases influence the jet-stream shift. They learned that greenhouse gases may not directly influence the jet-stream shift
but rather may indirectly influence the shift by changing tropical convection or the vertical transfer of heat in large-scale cloud systems which in turn influences the jet shift.
and other possible mechanisms for how greenhouse gases and ozone influence the jet stream as well as Antarctic sea ice.
Also our results are consistent with climate models so this paper provides support that climate models are performing well at simulating the atmospheric response to ozone and greenhouse gases.
The research combines sediment core studies of the waxy molecules from plant leaves with pollen analysis yielding data of unprecedented scope and detail on what types of vegetation dominated the landscape surrounding the African
It is the combination of evidence both molecular and pollen evidence that allows us to say just how long we've seen Serengeti-type open grasslands said Sarah J. Feakins assistant professor of Earth sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters Arts
if laboratories striving to grow graphene from carbon atoms kept winding up with big pesky diamonds.
Boron atoms have a strong preference to clump into three-dimensional shapes rather than assemble into pristine single-atom sheets like carbon does
Through first-principle calculations of the interaction of boron atoms with various substrates the team came up with several possible paths experimentalists may take toward 2-D boron.
But boron could have vacancies--missing atoms--without affecting its properties. That's the theory.
or gold substrates in a process called chemical vapor deposition commonly used to make graphene.
because the atoms have to spill onto the surface and stick but not too strongly.
Then like graphene these atom-thick boron sheets could be applied to other surfaces for testing and ultimately for use in applications.
The study also calculated methods for creating sheets via saturation of boron atoms on the surface of boride substrates and the evaporation of metal atoms from metal borides that leaves just the target atoms in a sheet.
Boron is carbon's neighbor on the periodic table with one less electron which might bring in lots of new physics and chemistry especially on the nanoscale.
For example 2-D boron is more conductive than graphene because of its unique electronic structure and atomic arrangement.
It forms at the global minimum (energy) for carbon atoms--they go there willingly. But boron is a different story.
Yakobson is Rice's Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Mechanical engineering and Materials Science and professor of chemistry.
and methane throughout their lives but a new study pinpoints the cow-calf stage as a major contributor of greenhouse gases during beef production.
In a new paper for the Journal of Animal Science scientists estimate greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle during different stages of life.
which production system farmers used beef production has a carbon footprint ranging from 10.7 to 22.6 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kg of hot carcass weight.
According to study co-author Frank Mitloehner an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis one source of greenhouse gases was surprising
If you look at everything that contributes to greenhouse gases through the beef supply chain then it is the cow-calf that produces the greatest greenhouse gases Mitloehner said.
Methane is one of the most important greenhouse gases. Methane has a greater capacity to trap heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
The beef industry has been paying close attention to greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. We are doing a lot to measure
The industry has reduced also its carbon footprint by 16.3 percent per billion kilograms of beef produced.
According to Mitloehner beef producers can further reduce their carbon impact by using new technologies like growth promotants.
and can generate high yields of fermentable sugars regardless of upstream processing says Blake Simmons a chemical engineer who heads JBEI's Deconstruction Division.
and that the burning of fossil fuels is releasing an additional 9 billion metric tons of excess atmosphere-warming carbon each year both the planet and the American economy stand to benefit from a large-scale domestic advanced
and elsewhere have been studying biomass pretreatments with ionic liquids--environmentally benign organic salts often used as green chemistry substitutes for volatile organic solvents.
#New research shows complexity of global warmingglobal warming from greenhouse gases affects rainfall patterns in the world differently than that from solar heating according to a study by an international team of scientists in the January 31 issue of Nature.
and future projection to the end of 21st century comparing natural changes from solar heating and volcanism with changes from human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
and from greenhouse gases have such different effects on global precipitation? Our climate model simulations show that this difference results from different sea surface temperature patterns.
When warming is increased due to greenhouse gases the gradient of sea surface temperature (SST) across the tropical Pacific weakens
But why does warming from greenhouse gases and from solar heating affect the tropical Pacific SST gradient differently?
Adding long-wave absorbers that is heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere decreases the usual temperature difference between the surface
While during past global warming from solar heating the steeper tropical east-west SST pattern has won out we suggest that with future warming from greenhouse gases the weaker gradient
and several of his undergraduate research assistants compared the protein quality of red oak and sugar maple leaves from trees on the Diag.
which states that protein quality in leaves differs significantly from species to species . Instead Barbehenn and his students found that the amino acid composition of the proteins in red oak
and sugar maple leaves is strikingly similar--so similar in fact that they could not be distinguished during the spring
However the researchers found that protein is more abundant in oak leaves than in maple leaves.
Instead of differences in protein quality we showed that maple trees have lower quantities of protein than oak partly explaining why they are less nutritious than oak leaves said Barbehenn an associate research scientist in the Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental
She said her work studying protein metabolism in gypsy moth caterpillars shaped her decision to pursue a doctorate in nutrition.
In the nearby Natural sciences Building the research team used high-performance liquid chromatography to separate and quantify the amino acids that make up proteins.
The whole-body essential amino acid composition of gypsy moth caterpillars was measured to estimate their optimum dietary protein composition which was compared with the EAA compositions of oak and maple leaves.
The ability to literally walk out the door to work on tree defenses against pests like the gypsy moth coupled with an abundance of undergraduate talent makes the U-M campus an ideal location for studies in insect chemical ecology Barbehenn said.
The protein study showed that gypsy moths would have to devour more maple leaves than oak leaves to achieve the same amount of nourishment.
#Emission trading schemes limit green consumerismschemes that aim to regulate greenhouse gas emissions can limit consumers'attempts to reduce their carbon footprints according to an economist at the University of East Anglia (UEA.
but it does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions said Dr Perino an environmental economist in the School of economics and member of the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) at UEA.
He argues that understanding what polices such as the EU ETS cover is crucial for individuals wanting to contribute to reducing their carbon footprint
and improving the insulation of your home substantially reduces your carbon footprint. These unregulated sectors make up more than half of GHG emissions in participating countries
while this scheme reduces greenhouse gas emissions it only does so because the cap is lower than the amount regulated sectors would emit in its absence adding:
The two regional cap and trade schemes in North america the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Western Climate Initiative follow the same basic design
He suggests that carbon footprint labels measuring the life-cycle emissions of a product do not give consumers helpful guidance on how to reduce actual emissions
and those that are notmy analysis shows that basing decisions to reduce carbon footprints on both regulated and unregulated emissions as recommended by government agencies NGOS
and established carbon footprint labels can increase total emissions said Dr Perino whose findings are based on a mathematical model of consumption choices.
Prof Corinne Le Qu r director of UEA's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research which works to develop sustainable responses to climate change urged consumers to continue their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
It is critical that we significantly reduce our carbon emissions to tackle climate change she said.
and easiest way to reduce our own carbon emissions. This discussion paper takes a viewpoint at the level of individuals on the consequences of the European Emissions Trading scheme
I strongly urge people to pursue their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint whether they live within Europe or within any other industrialised economy.
increasing uptake of carbon dioxidetrees in the con ti nen tal U s. could send out new spring leaves up to 17 days ear lier in the com ing cen
##Zoomable map of poplar proteins offers new view of bioenergy cropresearchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map
of poplar tree proteins published by a team from the Department of energy's Oak ridge National Laboratory. Populus a fast-growing perennial tree holds potential as a bioenergy crop due to its ability to produce large amounts of biomass on nonagricultural land.
Now a study by ORNL scientists with the Department of energy's Bioenergy Science Center has provided the most comprehensive look to date at poplar's proteome the suite of proteins produced by a plant's cells.
The study is featured on the cover of January's Molecular and Cellular Proteomics. The ability to comprehensively measure genes and proteins helps us understand the range of molecular machinery that a plant uses to do its life functions said ORNL's Robert Hettich.
This can provide the information necessary to modify a metabolic process to do something specific such as altering the lignin content of a tree to make it better suited for biofuel production.
The ORNL research team measured more than 11000 proteins in different parts of poplar including mature leaves young leaves roots and stems.
which maps out the proteins present in the various tissue types at a given point in time.
and also the ability to zoom in on specific biological features such as pathways and individual proteins.
considering a plant such as poplar can potentially manufacture more than 40000 different proteins. Unlike an organism's genome which is the same for every cell
The analytical techniques we've demonstrated allow us to measure the range of proteins very deeply
and specifically so we can start to figure out for instance how the protein machinery in a leaf differs from the ones in the trunk Hettich said.
versus one that's very old thus enabling us to understand how all these proteins are changing as a function of the tree growing older.
and adapt to environmental surroundings by altering their proteins could help bioenergy researchers develop poplar trees better suited to biofuel production.
It's the proteins that directly alter the morphology anatomy and function of a plant cell Abraham said.
If we can identify the proteins that create a favorable trait such as fast growth then we can incorporate that protein
and Vitamin c did not reduce ALS risk. Carotenoids give fruits and vegetables their bright orange red or yellow colors and are a source of dietary Vitamin a.
Prior studies report that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of ALS. Further studies have shown that individuals with high intake of antioxidants such as Vitamin e have reduced a ALS risk.
Because Vitamin c or carotenoids are also antioxidants researchers examined their relation to ALS risk. According to the National Institutes of Neurological disorders and Stroke (NINDS) roughly 20000 to 30000 Americans have known ALS#lso as Lou gehrig s disease#nd another 5000 patients are diagnosed annually with the disease.
ALS is a progressive neurological disease that attacks nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord which control voluntary muscles.
Individuals who consumed more carotenoids in their diets were more likely to exercise have advanced an degree have higher Vitamin c consumption
and take Vitamin c and E supplements. Furthermore subjects with diets high in beta-carotene and lutein#ound in dark green vegetables#ad a lower risk ALS risk.
and Vitamin c reduced the risk of ALS. Long-term Vitamin c supplement intake was associated also not with lower ALS risk.
Dr. Ascherio concludes#oeour findings suggest that consuming carotenoid-rich foods may help prevent or delay the onset of ALS.
#Shedding light on role of Amazon forests in global carbon cycleearth's forests perform a well-known service to the planet absorbing a great deal of the carbon dioxide pollution emitted into the atmosphere from human activities.
or wind their decay also releases carbon back into the atmosphere making it critical to quantify tree mortality
This new tool will enhance understanding of the role of forests in carbon sequestration and the impact of climate change on such disturbances.
which need to be included in forest carbon budgets Their findings were published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
which carbon is exchanged among the atmosphere the ocean the biosphere and Earth's crust. Fewer trees mean not only a weakening of the forest's ability to absorb carbon
but the decay of dead trees will also release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Large-scale tree mortality in tropical ecosystems could
The researchers estimated that hundreds of millions of trees were destroyed potentially equivalent to a significant fraction of the estimated mean annual carbon accumulation for the Amazon forest.
The carbonin those trees which would eventually be released into the atmosphere as CO2 as the trees decompose was about equal to the net amount of carbon absorbed by all U s. forests in a year.
Besides understanding how forests affect carbon cycling the new technique could also play a vital role in understanding how climate change will affect forests.
and the effect appears to be slightly stronger with regard to more aggressive forms of the disease according to a study by investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center.
Corresponding author Janet L. Stanford Ph d. and colleagues Marni Stott-Miller Ph d. a postdoctoral research fellow and Marian Neuhouser Ph d. all of the Hutchinson Center
Eating more than once a week may raise risk Specifically Stanford co-director of the Hutchinson Center's Program in Prostate Cancer Research
when oil is heated to temperatures suitable for deep frying potentially carcinogenic compounds can form in the fried food.
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (chemicals formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures) aldehyde (an organic compound found in perfume)
and acrolein (a chemical found in herbicides). These toxic compounds are increased with reuse of oil and increased length of frying time.
Foods cooked with high heat also contain high levels of advanced glycation endproducts or AGES
which have been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Deep-fried foods are among the highest in AGE content.
The project was supported by the National Cancer Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
but some health benefits of berries may not make it past your mouthresearch has suggested that compounds that give colorful fruits their rich hues especially berries promote health
The Ohio State university study also showed that bacteria living in the mouth are responsible for most of the breakdown of these compounds that occurs in saliva.
because their chemical composition or fingerprint varies said Mark Failla professor of human nutrition at Ohio State and interim chair of the Department of Human sciences.
An understanding of the metabolism of these compounds and the relative activities of the compounds in the consumed fruit and their metabolic products is needed to make scientifically sound dietary recommendations
The research is published in a recent issue of the journal Food Chemistry. Failla and colleagues asked 14 healthy individuals between the ages of 21 and 55 years to collect saliva in the morning before they had eaten breakfast
The extent of the pigment degradation in saliva was primarily a function of the chemical structure of a given anthocyanin said Failla also an investigator in Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and Food Innovation Center.
The bacteria are converting compounds that are present in the foods into metabolites Failla said.
If on the other hand the metabolites produced by the metabolism of anthocyanins are the actual health-promoting compounds there will be greater interest in fruits that contain anthocyanins that are less stable in the oral cavity Failla said.
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