Alfalfa yield response to inoculation with recombinant strains of Rhizobium meliloti with an extra copy of dctABD and/or modified nifA expression

The construction of rhizobial strains which increase plant biomass under controlled conditions has been previously reported. However, there is no evidence that these newly constructed strains increase legume yield under agricultural conditions. This work tested the hypothesis that carefully manipulating expression of additional copies of nifA and dctABD in strains of Rhizobium meliloti would increase alfalfa yield in the field. The rationale for this hypothesis is based on the positive regulatory role that nifA plays in the expression of the nif regulon and the fact that a supply of dicarboxylic acids from the plant is required as a carbon and energy source for nitrogen fixation by the Rhizobium bacteroids in the nodule. These recombinant strains, as well as the wild-type strains from which they were derived, are ideal tools to examine the effects of modifying or increasing the expression of these genes on alfalfa biomass. The experimental design comprised seven recombinant strains, two wild-type strains, and an uninoculated control. Each treatment was replicated eight times and was conducted at four field sites in Wisconsin. Recombinant strain RMBPC-2, which has an additional copy of both nifA and dctABD, increased alfalfa biomass by 12.9% compared with the yield with the wild-type strain RMBPC and 17.9% over that in the uninoculated control plot at the site where soil nitrogen and organic matter content was lowest. These increases were statistically significant at the 5% confidence interval for each of the three harvests made during the growing season. Strain RMBPC-2 did increase alfalfa biomass at the Hancock site; however, no other significant increases or decreases in alfalfa biomass were observed with the seven other recombinant strains at that site. At three sites where this experiment was conducted, either native rhizobial populations or soil nitrogen concentrations were high. At these sites, none of the recombinant strains affected yield. We conclude that RMBPC -2 can increase alfalfa yields under field conditions of nitrogen limitation, low endogenous rhizobial competitors, and sufficient moisture.     

Photonic Demodulator With Sensitivity Control

A current assisted photonic demodulator for use as a pixel in a 3-D time-of-flight imager shows nearly 100% static demodulator contrast and is operable beyond 30 MHz. An integrated tunable sensitivity control is also presented for increasing the distance measurement range and avoiding unwanted saturation during integration periods. This is achieved by application of a voltage on a dedicated drain tap showing a quenching of sensor sensitivity to below 1%     

Tunable TE/TM-mode converter on (001)-InP-substrate

The use of a two-dimensional finite difference simulation technique to determine optimal design parameters for the fabrication of TE/TM-mode converters on (001) InP substrate is discussed. Based on design rules extracted from the calculations, a tunable device for an operating wavelength of 1.56 μm has been fabricated and polarization conversion of 45°, suitable for operation in a polarization diversity network has been achieved at an effective voltage of 32 V     

WCDMA的分层式体系结构

分层式体系结构简介 WCDMA的分层式体系结构主要负责媒体网关(MGW)的分配和移动交换中心(MSC)服务器的集中管理.它具有分布式交换功能,并集中进行运营维护和呼叫控制,可大大降低运营开销.     

The effect of different protein diets on longevity and various biochemical parameters of aged rats]

In this work 23 month old rats were fed for 200 days with different protein diets (NT-diet: 19% protein, 72% of animal origin and LP-diet: 8.8% protein exclusively of vegetable origin). Some metabolic parameters and lifespan (on the base of a 50% death-rate) were determined. The relations of the liver free amino acids glycine + alanine and tyrosine + phenylalanine + branched chain amino acids and the ratio of phenylalanine/tyrosine were determined to be higher in the LP-group. Phenylalanine in liver and urea concentrations in liver and serum were lower in the LP-group. Furthermore the dopamine or serotonin levels were significantly lower in lateral and medial or lateral regions of the hypothalamus respectively in LP-diet fed rats. The norepinephrine content was not modified by the diets. The median lifespan of 23 month old rats was higher by 24% following LP-treatment. These results suggest that the protein component (amino acids) of different diets may modify metabolic parameters and lifespan of animals by mechanisms in which the central regulation may be involved.     

An efficient return algorithm for non-associated plasticity with linear yield criteria in principal stress space

An efficient return algorithm for stress update in numerical plasticity computations is presented. The yield criterion must be linear in principal stress space and can be composed of any number of yield planes. Each of these yield planes may have an associated or non-associated flow rule. The stress return and the formation of the constitutive matrix is carried out in principal stress space. Here the manipulations simplify and rely on geometrical arguments. The singularities arising at the intersection of yield planes are dealt with in a straightforward way also based on geometrical considerations. The method is exemplified on non-associated Mohr–Coulomb plasticity throughout the paper.