NITRATE UPTAKE IN MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON: (NITRATE,CHILORIDE)-ACTIVATED ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE FROM SKELETONEMA COSTATUM (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)1,2

A membrane-bound (nitrate, chloride)-activated AT Pase was found in the neritie diatom, Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The enzyme is suggested to translocate NO₃⁻ across the plasmalemma, against a concentration gradient. The K_m of the enzyme with respect to NO₃⁻ is ca. 0.9 × 10⁻⁶ M, and is in close agreement with the reported K₈ for NO₃⁻ uptake by the whole cell.     

Life cycle assessment of emerging technologies at the lab scale: The case of nanowire‐based solar cells

Nanomaterials are expected to play an important role in the development of sustainable products. The use of nanomaterials in solar cells has the potential to increase their conversion efficiency. In this study, we performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) for an emerging nanowire‐based solar technology. Two lab‐scale manufacturing routes for the production of nanowire‐based solar cells have been compared—the direct growth of GaInP nanowires on silicon substrate and the growth of InP nanowires on native substrate, peel off, and transfer to silicon substrate. The analysis revealed critical raw materials and processes of the current lab‐scale manufacturing routes such as the use of trifluoromethane (CHF₃), gold, and an InP wafer and a stamp, which are used and discarded. The environmental performance of the two production routes under different scenarios has been assessed. The scenarios include the use of an alternative process to reduce the gold requirements—electroplating instead of metallization, recovery of gold, and reuse of the InP wafer and the stamp. A number of suggestions, based on the LCA results—including minimization of the use of gold and further exploration for upscaling of the electroplating process, the increase in the lifetimes of the wafer and the stamp, and the use of fluorine‐free etching materials—have been communicated to the researchers in order to improve the environmental performance of the technology. Finally, the usefulness and limitations of lab‐scale LCA as a tool to guide the sustainable development of emerging technologies are discussed.     

Lifting the veil on the correction of double counting incidents in hybrid life cycle assessment

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmentally extended input–output analyses (EEIOA) are two techniques commonly used to assess environmental impacts of an activity/product. Their strengths and weaknesses are complementary, and they are thus regularly combined to obtain hybrid LCAs. A number of approaches in hybrid LCA exist, which leads to different results. One of the differences is the method used to ensure that mixed LCA and EEIOA data do not overlap, which is referred to as correction for double counting. This aspect of hybrid LCA is often ignored in reports of hybrid assessments and no comprehensive study has been carried out on it. This article strives to list, compare, and analyze the different existing methods for the correction of double counting. We first harmonize the definitions of the existing correction methods and express them in a common notation, before introducing a streamlined variant. We then compare their respective assumptions and limitations. We discuss the loss of specific information regarding the studied activity/product and the loss of coherent financial representation caused by some of the correction methods. This analysis clarifies which techniques are most applicable to different tasks, from hybridizing individual LCA processes to integrating complete databases. We finally conclude by giving recommendations for future hybrid analyses.     

外来入侵植物与人工林下层植被结构的关联性

为有效防控外来入侵植物,在广西陆川县人工林区进行植被嵌套样方调查,分析群落物种组成与植被结构和环境因子之间的相关性。Mantel检验表明样方物种组成与样方植被结构的相关性(r=0.208, P=0.002)高于其与环境因子相关性(r=0.084, P=0.051)。MRPP分析表明,有入侵植物阔叶丰花草(Spermacoce alata)、假臭草(Praxelis clematidea)和胜红蓟(Ageratum conyzoides)样方的植被结构与无这3种植物样方的有极显著不同(P 0.01),而有无薇甘菊(Mikainamicrantha)样方的植被结构相似。t检验表明林冠盖度(3.0 m)与这4种植物入侵均无显著相关性(P0.073)。通过增加垂直高度1.5 m以下的植被密度,可以减少阔叶丰花草、假臭草和胜红蓟的入侵,但对抑制薇甘菊入侵无效。因此,植被结构作为过滤器,可能主要作用于植物的种子产生时间、萌发周期和生长习性;以种子方式繁殖的入侵植物能否定植相对更依赖干扰、暴露的裸地;兼具无性和有性繁殖且能攀援和匍匐生长使得薇甘菊能够在不同植被结构的群落中相对随机地定植。     

Understanding the binding interaction between phenyl boronic acid P1 and sugars: determination of association and dissociation constants using S–V plots,steady‐state spectroscopic methods and molecular docking

Continuous monitoring of glucose and sugar sensing plays a vital role in diabetes control. The drawbacks of the present enzyme‐based sugar sensors have encouraged the investigation into alternate approaches to design new sensors. The popularity of fluorescence sensors is due to their ability to bind reversibly to compounds containing diol. In this study we investigated the binding ability of phenyl boronic acid P1 for monosaccharides and disaccharides (sugars) in aqueous medium at physiological pH 7.4 using steady‐state fluorescence and absorbance. P1 fluorescence was quenched due to formation of esters with sugars. Absorbance and fluorescence measurements led to results that indicated that the sugars studied could be ordered in terms of their affinity to P1, as stated: sucrose > lactose > galactose > xylose > ribose > arabinose. In each case, the slope of modified Stern–Volmer plots was nearly 1, indicating the presence of only a single binding site in boronic acids for sugars. Docking studies were carried out using Schrodinger Maestro v.11.2 software. The binding affinity of phenyl boronic acid P1 with periplasmic protein (PDB ID 2IPM and 2IPL) was estimated using GlideScore.     

Forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring as a framework for terrestrial natural renewable resource survey programmes

ABSTRACT

The established practice of forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring is recognised as a main support for terrestrial natural renewable resource survey programmes. Inventory and monitoring programmes focused on an overall assessment of ecosystem attributes evolving into global environmental survey programmes have been devised, but implementation is still quite contradictory. The state-of-the-art is discussed here, with special reference to the European Union and Italy. Topical issues are reviewed, with selective concern to: remote sensing capability, probability sampling, forest type (habitat) classification and landscape ecology, sustainable management indicators. Benefits brought by information technology are highlighted. Its development and the implementation of approaches based on a sound “per habitat” landscape ecological perspective will bring unique benefits, thus leading to an effective integration among sector surveys aimed at global environmental inventory/monitoring.     

Exploring structural features of EGFR–HER2 dual inhibitors as anti-cancer agents using G-QSAR approach

Abstract

Simultaneous inhibition of EGFR and HER2 by dual-targeting inhibitors is an established anti-cancer strategy. Therefore, a recent trend in drug discovery involves understanding the features of such dual inhibitors. In this study, three different G-QSAR models were developed corresponding to individual EGFR, HER2 and the dual-model for both receptors. The dual-model provided site-specific information wherein (i) increasing electronegative character and higher index of saturated carbon at R4 position; (ii) presence of chlorine atom at R2 position; (iii) decreasing alpha modified shape index at R1 and R3 positions; and (iv) less electronegativity at R2 position; were found important for enhancing the dual activity. Also, comparison of dual-model with the EGFR/HER2 individual models revealed that it incorporates the properties of both models and, thus, represents a combination of EGFR/HER2. Further, fragment analysis revealed that R2 and R4 are important for imparting high potency while specificity is decided by R1/R3 fragment. We also checked the predictive ability of the dual-model by determining applicability domain using William’s plot. Also, analysis of active molecules showed they show favorable substitutions that agree with the constructed dual-model. Thus, we have been successful in developing a single dual-response QSAR model to get an insight into various structural features influencing EGFR/HER2 activity.     

Quantifying variation in forest disturbance,and its effects on aboveground biomass dynamics,across the eastern United States

The role of tree mortality in the global carbon balance is complicated by strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity that arises from the stochastic nature of carbon loss through disturbance. Characterizing spatio‐temporal variation in mortality (including disturbance) and its effects on forest and carbon dynamics is thus essential to understanding the current global forest carbon sink, and to predicting how it will change in future. We analyzed forest inventory data from the eastern United States to estimate plot‐level variation in mortality (relative to a long‐term background rate for individual trees) for nine distinct forest regions. Disturbances that produced at least a fourfold increase in tree mortality over an approximately 5 year interval were observed in 1–5% of plots in each forest region. The frequency of disturbance was lowest in the northeast, and increased southwards along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as fire and hurricane disturbances became progressively more common. Across the central and northern parts of the region, natural disturbances appeared to reflect a diffuse combination of wind, insects, disease, and ice storms. By linking estimated covariation in tree growth and mortality over time with a data‐constrained forest dynamics model, we simulated the implications of stochastic variation in mortality for long‐term aboveground biomass changes across the eastern United States. A geographic gradient in disturbance frequency induced notable differences in biomass dynamics between the least‐ and most‐disturbed regions, with variation in mortality causing the latter to undergo considerably stronger fluctuations in aboveground stand biomass over time. Moreover, regional simulations showed that a given long‐term increase in mean mortality rates would support greater aboveground biomass when expressed through disturbance effects compared with background mortality, particularly for early‐successional species. The effects of increased tree mortality on carbon stocks and forest composition may thus depend partly on whether future mortality increases are chronic or episodic in nature.     

Evaluating atmospheric CO2 inversions at multiple scales over a highly inventoried agricultural landscape

An intensive regional research campaign was conducted by the North American Carbon Program (NACP) in 2007 to study the carbon cycle of the highly productive agricultural regions of the Midwestern United States. Forty‐five different associated projects were conducted across five US agencies over the course of nearly a decade involving hundreds of researchers. One of the primary objectives of the intensive campaign was to investigate the ability of atmospheric inversion techniques to use highly calibrated CO₂ mixing ratio data to estimate CO₂ flux over the major croplands of the United States by comparing the results to an inventory of CO₂ fluxes. Statistics from densely monitored crop production, consisting primarily of corn and soybeans, provided the backbone of a well studied bottom‐up inventory flux estimate that was used to evaluate the atmospheric inversion results. Estimates were compared to the inventory from three different inversion systems, representing spatial scales varying from high resolution mesoscale (PSU), to continental (CSU) and global (CarbonTracker), coupled to different transport models and optimization techniques. The inversion‐based mean CO₂‐C sink estimates were generally slightly larger, 8–20% for PSU, 10–20% for CSU, and 21% for CarbonTracker, but statistically indistinguishable, from the inventory estimate of 135 TgC. While the comparisons show that the MCI region‐wide C sink is robust across inversion system and spatial scale, only the continental and mesoscale inversions were able to reproduce the spatial patterns within the region. In general, the results demonstrate that inversions can recover CO₂ fluxes at sub‐regional scales with a relatively high density of CO₂ observations and adequate information on atmospheric transport in the region.