Microbial starch-binding domains are superior to granule-bound starch synthase I for anchoring luciferase to potato starch granules

Microbial starch-binding domains (SBD) and granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) are proteins which are accumulated in potato starch granules. The efficiency of SBD and GBSSI for targeting active luciferase reporter proteins to granules during starch biosynthesis was compared. GBSSI or SBD sequences were fused to the N- or C-terminus of the luciferase (LUC) gene, via an artificial Pro-Thr encoding linker sequence. The genes were introduced into an amylose-free (amf) potato mutant. It appeared that SBD was superior to GBSSI as a targeting sequence, mainly because the luciferase retained higher activity in the SBD-containing fusion proteins than in the GBSSI-containing ones.     

Accelerated carbonation and leaching behavior of the slag from iron and steel making industry

Ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBFS)and steelmaking slag have been used as a raw material for cement production or as an aggregate to make concrete,which contribute aluminum,calcium,iron,and silicon oxides.The suitability of the slag for a particular application depends on its reactivity,cost,availability,and its influence on the properties of the resulting concrete.For the interest of durability studying of concrete in the presence of slag,the accelerated carbonation products and leaching behavior of the slag and Portland cement(PC)were studied.The experimental results confirmed that the slag was more resistant to carbonation compared to PC.The carbonation degree of GGBFS reduced by 17.74%;and the carbonation degrees of steelmaking slags reduced by 9.51%-11.94%.Carbonation neutralized the alkaline nature of the hydrated pastes and gave rise to the redox potential of the leachate slightly(30-77 mV).The carbonation also increased the release of most of the elements presented,except for calcium,to the aqueous environment.It is concluded that blend cements(PC plus slag)have economical advantages and better durability compared to PC.     

Further support for a Cretaceous age for the feathered-dinosaur beds of Liaoning,China:New 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Yixian and Tuchengzi Formations

We report new 40Ar/39Ar dating results obtained from total fusion and incremental-heating analyses of sanidine and biotite from three tuffs found interbedded within the fossil-bearing deposits of Liaoning, northeast China. The first is a new sample of the Bed 6 Sihetun tuff from the Yixian Formation, previously dated by our team as middle Early Cretaceous, and recently considered by Lo et al., partially reset due to metamorphism from a nearby basaltic sill. The second is the Yixian Bed 9 tuff from Hengdaozi considered by Lo et al. to be unaffected by metamorphism and whose age, based on total fusion 40Ar/39Ar dating of biotite, argues for a Jurassic age for the Yixian Formation.The third tuff is a previously undated tuff from the upper part of the underlying Tuchengzi Formation. Single crystal total fusion 40Ar/39Ar analyses of the Sihetun sanidine showed homogeneous radiogenic Ar, Ca/K ratios, excellent reproducibility and gave a mean age of 125.0 ± 0.18 (1SD) ±0.04 (SE) Ma. Single sanidine crystal total fusion 40Ar/39Aranalyses of the Hengdaozi tuff gave a mean age of 125.0 +0.19 (1SD) ± 0.04 (SE) Ma, which is indistinguishable from the Sihetun tuff. The Tuchengzi Formation tuff gave a mean age of 139.4 ± 0.19 (1SD) ± 0.05 (SE) Ma. Detailed laser incremental-heating analyses of biotite from Sihetun, Hengdaozi, and Tuchengzi tuffs show disturbed Ar release patterns and evidence of trapped argon components. We conclude from these analyses that the total fusion dates on biotite by Lo et al. are erroneously old and isotopic dating of both biotite and sanidine from tuffs of the Yixian Formation point to a middle Early Cretaceous age. The upper part of the Tuchengzi Formation can be referred to the Early Cretaceous.``     

杂多酸荷移跃迁盐系列研究（Ⅰ）—Keggin结构杂多酸的荷移跃迁盐的合成和表征

利用电解结晶法合成了Ｋｅｇｇｉｎ结构杂多酸荷移跃迁盐（ＢＥＤＴ－ＴＴＦ）８［ＰＭｏ３ＮｂＷ８Ｏ４０］．Ｘ－射线衍射测定为单斜晶系．晶胞参数ａ＝１４．２０（０）×１０（－８）ｃｍ；ｂ＝４３．３９（０）×１０（－８）ｃｍ；ｃ＝１３．５５（６）×１０（－８）ｃｍ；β＝９１°；Ｖ＝８．３５３×１０（－２１）ｃｍ３．该化合物具半导体性质。σｒ．ｔ＝３．７×１０（－２）Ｓｃｍ（－１）．ＥＡ＝１６０ｍｅＶ．变温磁化率测定表明其为Ｓｐｉｎ－Ｐｅｉｅｒｌｓ体系．     

Oldest playable musical instruments found at Jiahu early Neolithic site in China

Excavations at the early Neolithic site of Jiahu in Henan Province, China have produced what may be the earliest complete, playable, tightly-dated multinote musical instruments. Jiahu was occupied from 7000 BC to 5700 BC, considerably antedating the well known Peiligang culture. Here we describe six exquisitely made complete flutes which were found in radiocarbon-dated excavation layers, along with fragments of perhaps 30 more. The flutes are made from the ulnae of the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis Millen) and have 5, 6, 7 and 8 holes. The best preserved flute has been played and tonally analysed. In addition to early musical artefacts, the archaeological record at Jiahu contains important information on the very foundations of Chinese society. We describe the archaeological characteristics of the Jiahu site, details concerning its dating, its place in the prehistory of the Chinese Neolithic, the ethnicity of its population and the results of a tonal analysis of a nearly 9,000-year-old musical instrument found there.     

MAP kinases in plant signal transduction

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are modules involved in the transduction of extracellular signals to intracellular targets in all eukaryotes. Distinct MAPK pathways are regulated by different extracellular stimuli and are implicated in a wide variety of biological processes. In plants there is evidence for MAPKs playing a role in the signaling of abiotic stresses, pathogens and plant hormones. The large number and divergence of plant MAPKs indicates that this ancient mechanism of bioinformatics is extensively used in plants and may provide a new molecular handle on old questions.     

Proteasomes in apoptosis: villains or guardians?

The proteasome (multicatalytic proteinase complex, prosome) is a major cytoplasmic proteolytic enzyme, responsible for degradation of the vast majority of intracellular proteins. Proteins degraded by the proteasome are usually tagged with multiple ubiquitin moieties, conjugated to the substrates by a complicated cascade of enzymes. Over the last years, evidence has accumulated that changes in the expression and activity of the different components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system occur during apoptosis. Proteasome inhibitors have been used to induce apoptosis in various cell types, whereas in others, these compounds were able to prevent apoptosis induced by different stimuli. The proteasome mediated step(s) in apoptosis is located upstream of mitochondrial changes and caspase activation, and can involve in different systems Bcl-2, Jun N-terminal kinase, heat shock proteins, Myc, p53, polyamines and other factors.