Labelling the blueberry leaftier, Croesia curvalana with foliar sprays of rubidium chloride

The feasibility of labelling blueberry leaftier by rearing the larvae on blueberry plants treated with foliar sprays of rubidium chloride (RbCl) at concentrations of 1000, 5000, 10 000 and 20 000 ppm were assessed. RbCl sprays above 5000 ppm significantly reduced survivorship to adult stage. The adult longevity, fecundity and mating were not affected when the larvae were reared on foliage treated with 5000 ppm RbCl solution. Reciprocal matings of 5000 ppm treated moths with untreated moths revealed transfer of label above the 0.1 µg Rb/insect threshold level from treated males to untreated females (in 8 out of 13 pairs) and vice versa (in 1 out of 9 pairs). Considerable loss of Rb (56–64%) occurred from the leaves over a 15 day period. All of the moths and pupae collected from the RbCl treated plots in 1989 and 1990 respectively, had a Rb content higher than the threshold level. In a preliminary dispersal study, marked male and female moths were found in sweepnet samples collected 20 and 60 m from the centre of the treated field. Labelled male moths were also captured in pheromone traps arranged in a circle, 40 m from the treated plot.     

Structure and nonlinear optical properties of copper phthalocyanine thin films

This paper describes a joint study of the structure and nonlinear optical properties of vacuum evaporated thin films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc for brevity). Film thickness ranges from 50 to 500 nm. The anisotropic paramagnetic resonance of Cu⁺⁺ ions reveals that the Pc rings lie almost parallel to the substrate plane with however a large angular distribution (30° FWHM). Third harmonic optical generation measurements performed at 1.064 m and 1.907 m fundamental wavelengths give respectively an average value of the cubic susceptibility ⁽³⁾(-3,)=(4±0.4)·10^–12 e.s.u. and (2.1+-0.2) · 10^-12 These values, although significantly higher than for a common ionic crystal, are about one order of magnitude lower than in conjugated 1-D systems, which shows that the 2-D -electron delocalization is less profitable than the 1-D one. Besides third harmonic, we have also observed second harmonic generation. Its polarization dependence is characteristic of a quadratic susceptibility enhanced in one direction, almost perpendicular to the substrate, withd _eff comprised between 30 and 60 · 10^-9 e.s.u. The possible origins ofd _eff are discussed.     

Light-dependent quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in pea chloroplasts induced by adenosine 5′-triphosphate

Addition of ATP to chloroplasts causes a reversible 25–30% decrease in chlorophyll fluorescence. This quenching is light-dependent, uncoupler insensitive but inhibited by DCMU and electron acceptors and has a half-time of 3 minutes. Electron donors to Photosystem I can not overcome the inhibitory effect of DCMU, suggesting that light activation depends on the reduced state of plastoquinone. Fluorescence emission spectra recorded at ?196°C indicate that ATP treatment increases the amount of excitation energy transferred to Photosystem I. Examination of fluorescence induction curves indicate that ATP treatment decreases both the initial (F_o) and variable (F_v) fluorescence such that the ratio of F_v to the maximum (F_m) yield is unchanged. The initial sigmoidal phase of induction is slowed down by ATP treatment and is quenched 3-fold more than the exponential slow phase, the rate of which is unchanged. A plot of F_v against area above the induction curve was identical plus or minus ATP. Thus ATP treatment can alter quantal distribution between Photosystems II and I without altering Photosystem II-Photosystem II interaction. The effect of ATP strongly resembles in its properties the phosphorylation of the light-harvesting complex by a light activated, ATP-dependent protein kinase found in chloroplast membranes and could be the basis of physiological mechanisms which contribute to slow fluorescence quenching in vivo and regulate excitation energy distribution between Photosystem I and II. It is suggested that the sensor for this regulation is the redox state of plastoquinone.     

Sequential resonance assignments as a basis for determination of spatial protein structures by high resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance

A general scheme is proposed for the determination of spatial protein structures by proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The scheme relies on experimental observation by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques of complete throughbond and through-space proton-proton connectivity maps. These are used to obtain sequential resonance assignments for the individual residues in the amino acid sequence and to characterize the spatial polypeptide structure by a tight network of semi-quantitative, intramolecular distance constraints.     

Detection by electron spin resonance of an exchange-coupled Cob(II)alamin...free radical pair species generated by anaerobic photolysis of polycrystalline adenosylcobalamin

Exposure to nitrous oxide (N₂O) $\text{in vivo}$ is accompanied by oxidation of cob[I]alamin to the inactive cob[III]alamin [1] and to loss of methionine synthetase activity [2]. There is a steady increase in thymidylate synthetase activity in marrow collected from rats exposed to N₂O and this returns to normal on restoring the animals to an air environment.     

Metal coordination core of bleomycin : comparison of metal complexes between bleomycin and its biosynthetic intermediate.

On the basis of electron spin resonance results, the 1:1 Cu(II), Co(II), Co(II)-O₂, and Ni(III) complexes of bleomycin(BLM) have been compared with the corresponding metal complexes of its biosynthetic intermediate(P-3A). The present study suggests that (1) P-3A is an useful ligand for the clarification of metal-binding sites of BLM; (2) the secondary amine, pyrimidine ring nitrogen, deprotonated peptide nitrogen of histidine residue, and histidine imidazole groups as planar ligand donors, and the α-amino group as axial donor, are substantially important for metal-coordination of BLM; and (3) the sugar and bithiazole portions of BLM probably contribute to stabilization of Co(II)-O₂ adduct complex and axial sixth coordination of Cu(II) and Ni(III) complexes.     

Primary photochemical processes in isolated reaction centers of Rhodopseudomonas viridis

Picosecond and nanosecond spectroscopic techniques have been used to study the primary electron transfer processes in reaction centers isolated from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis. Following flash excitation, the first excited singlet state (P1) of the bacteriochlorophyll complex (P) transfers an electron to an intermediate acceptor (I) in less than 20 ps. The radical pair state (P⁺I^?) subsequently transfers an electron to another acceptor (X) in about 230 ps. There is an additional step of unknown significance exhibiting 35 ps kinetics. P⁺ subsequently extracts an electron from a cytochrome, with a time constant of about 270 ns. At low redox potential (X reduced before the flash), the state P⁺I^? (or P^F) lives approx. 15 ns. It decays, in part, into a longer lived state (P^R), which appears to be a triplet state. State P^R decays with an exponential time of approx. 55 μs. After continuous illumination at low redox potential (I and X both reduced), excitation with an 8-ps flash produces absorption changes reflecting the formation of the first excited singlet state, P1. Most of P1 then decays with a time constant of 20 ps. The spectra of the absorbance changes associated with the conversion of P to P1 or P⁺ support the view that P involves two or more interacting bacteriochlorophylls. The absorbance changes associated with the reduction of I to I^? suggest that I is a bacteriopheophytin interacting strongly with one or more bacteriochlorophylls in the reaction center.     

Ecological studies of spores of aquatic hyphomycetes in the cringle brook,lincs

The aquatic Hyphomycete spora of the Cringle Brook, Lincs, was examined by foam sampling and by the use of cellophane impaction traps between August, 1968 and January, 1970.The species most frequently found (Tetracladium marchalianum, Alatospora acuminata and Flagellospora curvula) were generally in agreement with those found by other workers in temperate areas. Impaction trap samples generally contained fewer species than foam samples but filiform spore types such as Flagellospora were more frequently found on traps than in foam suggesting that impaction is more selective towards the filiform spore type than is foam. Many species increased in frequency in autumn accompanying and following leaf fall, and the winter spora was dominated by Alatospora acuminata, Clavariopsis aquatica, Clavatospora stellata, Flagellospora curvula and Lemonniera aquatica. During the summer the spora was dominated by Tetracladium marchalianum.The role of foam and impaction in the balance of aquatic spore populations is discussed in relation to techniques available for their study.