Site-specific Production Research Articles

Mechanism of synergistic DNA damage induced by caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and Cu(II): Competitive binding between CAPE and DNA with Cu(II)/Cu(I)

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active polyphenol of propolis from honeybee hives, and exhibits antioxidant and interesting pharmacological activities. However, in this study, we found that in the presence of Cu(II), CAPE exhibited pro-oxidative rather than antioxidant effect: synergistic DNA damage was induced by the combination of CAPE and Cu(II) together as measured by strand breakage in plasmid DNA and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation, which is dependent on the molar ratio of CAPE:Cu(II). Production of Cu(I) and H2O2 from the redox reaction between CAPE and Cu(II), and subsequent OH formation was found to be responsible for the synergistic DNA damage. DNA sequencing investigations provided more direct evidence that CAPE/Cu(II) caused preferential cleavage at guanine, thymine and cytosine residues. Interestingly, we found there are competitive binding between CAPE and DNA with Cu(II)/Cu(I), which changed the redox activity of Cu(II)/Cu(I), via complementary applications of different analytical methods. The observed DNA damage was mainly attributed to the formation of DNA-Cu(II)/Cu(I) complexes, which is still redox active and initiated the redox reaction near the binding site between copper and DNA. Based on these data, we proposed that the synergistic DNA damage induced by CAPE/Cu(II) might be due to the competitive binding between CAPE and DNA with Cu, and site-specific production of OH near the binding site of copper with DNA. Our findings may have broad biological implications for future research on the pro-oxidative effects of phenolic compounds in the presence of transition metals.

Pulses Production in Pakistan: Status, Constraints and Opportunities

Pulses are smart crops both for humans and the cropping system as they provide protein, minerals, vitamins, and fiber for human diet and nitrogen to the soil and contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity. Pulses, also called grain legumes, contribute about 33% of the global dietary protein requirement of the human population. In Pakistan, the production of pulses is far less than the requirement and the balance is met through imports. The reasons for low production and yield of pulses, in Pakistan, include lack of innovative crop improvement programs and seed distribution system. Currently, about 80% of the pulses are cultivated from the farmers own saved seed. Other major factors responsible for low production and yield are abiotic (drought, heat, salinity) and biotic (weeds, diseases, and insect-pests) stresses, and factors related with soil (marginal lands, alkaline soils with low organic matter and erosion), climate change, lack of crop-specific farm machinery, post-harvest losses and marketing issues. This manuscript discusses the current status, constraints, and opportunities to improve the production of pulses to meet the national requirements. The major opportunities to improve the pulses production includes crop improvement (development of short duration, high yielding, disease resistant and climate resilient varieties), intercropping and growing of pulses as catch crop, adoption of conservation agriculture to conserve the resources, strengthening system of certified seed distribution, provision of crop-specific farm machinery, development and dissemination of site-specific production technologies and seed enhancements.

Theoretical Modeling of Algal Productivity and Carbon Capture Potential in Selected Places of Odisha, India

Microalgae hold a promising potential for generating third-generation biofuel as well as for biological carbon sequestration. However, translation of algal technology to field scale is often hindered by a lack of appropriate data and economic challenges. Pertaining to these issues, a pre-estimate of the site-specific productivity of microalgae at realistic scenario is necessary. Five potential sites (Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Gopalpur and Balasore) in the Odisha state of India were chosen for predicting the average biomass, lipid productivity and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture capacity of microalgae. Meteorological data averaged over 21 years (Jan’ 1985–Dec’ 2005) were fed into the biophysical empirical equations for estimating the biomass and lipid productivity of microalgae along with the CO2 sequestration capacity. Maximum average biomass and lipid productivity was projected for Sambalpur, corresponding to an aerial value of 63.03 g/m2/day and 21.89 ml/m2/day, respectively, in the month of April with CO2 sequestration potential of 17.87 g/m2/day. Such preliminary site-specific theoretical estimates would facilitate policy making for realizing the potential of large-scale algal cultivation.

Unprecedented strong intrinsic chemiluminescence generation from degradation of halogenated hydroxy-quinoid pollutants by Co(II)-mediated advanced oxidation processes: The critical role of site-specific production of hydroxyl radicals

We found previously that an unusual two-step hydroxyl radical (OH)–dependent chemiluminescence (CL) can be produced by the carcinogenic tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCBQ, also known as p-chloranil) and H2O2. However, neither OH generation nor CL emission could be observed between H2O2 and chloranilic acid (CA), the dihydroxylation product of TCBQ. Here we found, unexpectedly, that distinct CL could be produced from CA/H2O2 in the presence of a variety of transition metal ions, among them Co(II) was found to be the most effective. Interestingly, the kinetic profiles of CL production, CA degradation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were found to be markedly changed with the molar ratios of Co(II):CA. When compared with the classic Fe(II)-mediated Fenton system, we found that the much stronger CL emission and more effective degradation of CA induced by Co(II)-mediated Fenton-like system is mainly due to the highly reactive OH generated site-specifically by Co(II)/H2O2, although other ROS such as O2− and 1O2 were also detected. More interestingly, not only CA, other halogenated anilic acids and catechols could also produce significant CL by Co(II)-mediated Fenton-like system. This is the first report on the distinct CL emission from degradation of halogenated hydroxyl-quinones by Co(II)-mediated Fenton-like advanced oxidation process, which is dependent on the site-specifically produced OH. These findings may have potential applications in measuring halogenated hydroxyl-quinones, and developing more effective techniques to degrade these types of important environmental pollutants.

Analysis of Wheat Yield Gap and Variability in Ethiopia

Wheat is among important cereal crops to ensuring food and nutrition security in developing countries like Ethiopia. The demand for wheat is projected as significantly increases mainly due to a rapidly population growth in the countries. Globally, wheat yield must grow at least by 1.6%. Whereas, in Ethiopia, the yield must grow from the current level 4.6 million tons to 10 million tons. This paper hence, presents the analysis of wheat yield and the underlying causes of its variability among farmers across major wheat growing areas of the country. Data was used from the farm-household survey conducted in 2014/15 by EIAR in collaboration with CIMMYT. Supplementary secondary data on wheat area, production and consumption, and available wheat varieties were used from CSA and MoARD. Data were analyzed using various techniques (including descriptive, inferential statistics and regression analysis). One way ANOVA was used to analyze the yield variability; whereas Weighted Least Square method was applied to identify the underlying causes for the variability of wheat yield among farmers. The result indicates that the average wheat production level per hectare (2.7 tons/ha) has been on the increase with inter annual variability, but the yield level is very low as compared to that of the research station (6-7 tons/ha) and the estimated average potential (5 tons/ha) in highland areas of the country. The yield gap analysis shows that 61%, 55% and 46% of wheat yield gap existed when the national average yield was compared with that of the actual yield at research station, farmers’ plot and potential yield at highland part of the country, respectively. The empirical analysis found there is statistically significant level of yield variability among wheat growers. The findings of the study revealed that use of improved technologies and production inputs, household assets, support services, and agro-ecologies were the primary factors that cause wheat yield variation in Ethiopia. It is recommended that site-specific wheat production management, technology requirement map, proper institutional support services and sustainable natural resource management following inter and intra-farm/plot variability.

Banana research and development in India-challenges and opportunities

Banana is one of the major fruit crops being grown in India and is a mainstay for small and marginal farmers. Concerted efforts of scientists to identify newer technologies, involvement of state agencies and adoption of innovation by the farmers coupled with favourable policy environment made sea change in banana production and productivity. ICAr- NrCB has released new varieties like Udayam, Kaveri Saba, Kaveri Kalki, Kaveri Sugantham, Kaveri Haritha and Kaveri Kanya to meet out various stressors. Bio-controls for pest and disease management, dipstick method to identify the viruses and Banana Sakthi, Micronutrient spray to boost the banana yield and quality are the notable achievements of the institute. With a vast collection of germplasm, bio-fortified bananas through transgenic approach were developed. Shipping protocol for Nendran bananas and Grand Naine for the Middle East and Europe markets is highly appreciated. However, banana farming world over is under threat with the dreadful diseases like TR4, new insect pests like banana skipper butterfly, scarring beetle, semi loopers. Site specific production technologies coupled with better protection and handling protocols are required to avoid the doldrums in the banana industry which is otherwise shaky in many parts of the world. New varieties, genetic engineering and Bioformulations are required to boost the morale of banana farmers and other associated stakeholders.

Turning a burden into an opportunity: Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) a new oilseed crop for biofuel production

Recently, an “old weed”, pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) has become an attractive non-food oilseed crop for Europe and the USA. Pennycress can be produced with existing farm equipment and infrastructure while being grown in the off-season between conventional commodity crops. The adaptation to marginal lands and the satisfactory seed yields make pennycress a viable alternative feedstock for biofuels. In the last decade, pennycress has been extensively studied as a potential oilseed crop in the USA, while receiving far less attention in Europe. Differences in climate and agricultural management between USA and Europe may not permit direct translation of pennycress agronomic knowledge across diverse environments. In the present study, sowing date and seeding rate of pennycress were evaluated in different European (Italy and Greece) and US (Minnesota and Illinois) locations to optimize site-specific production, and determine environmental influence on pennycress-derived biofuel. Pennycress productivity increased with seeding rate up to 1500 m−2 in Europe, but only to 672 m−2 in USA, while sowing in early autumn always improved yields. Seed yield of about 1 Mg ha-1 was achieved only in Greece, where adequate precipitation during the growing season was available. Seed yields were 250% and 140% higher in Greece and Italy, respectively, than Minnesota. Pennycress oil was suitable to convert into biofuel and its composition was influenced by growing environment. In Greece, polyunsaturated fatty acid content was 6% compared to Italy and Illinois. However, the oxidative stability of pennycress oil needs improvement to meet EU and US standards for biodiesel.

Restoration of common loons following the North Cape Oil Spill, Rhode Island, USA

Oil spills are a widespread problem in the marine environment and can have extensive acute and chronic adverse impacts to resident and migratory biota. On 19 January 1996, the North Cape oil tanker caught fire and grounded on the coast of Rhode Island resulting in the spill of 828,000 gal (3134 metric tonnes) of home heating oil. It resulted in the estimated death of nearly 2300 birds, including a projected 402 common loons (Gavia immer) and 12 red-throated loons (Gavia stellata). Based on existing demographic data, a resource equivalency analysis (REA) calculated that the total loss, as measured through dead adults and their foregone young over their expected lifetimes, was 2920 discounted loon-years. To generate compensatory loon years, it was initially estimated that 25 common loon nests would need protection from development for 100 years. Following a $3 million settlement with the parties responsible for the spill, we conducted surveys to identify the highest quality breeding loon habitat for protection. Monitoring efforts included 184 loon territories from 2000 to 2009, representing 866 loon territory-years on 70 lakes in four regions of Maine. To evaluate restoration effectiveness, an updated REA was conducted using productivity data collected from these surveys. Results from the updated REA indicated that were these site-specific data available when the REA was originally generated, 70 nests would have been required to offset the lost loon-years – this project permitted the protection of 119 nests. Future REAs should incorporate site specific productivity data whenever possible to most accurately scale restoration to injury. Ranking lake habitat quality further optimizes restoration effectiveness. Our results indicate breeding success was highest on 24–81 ha lakes and that emphasizing protection of lakes with loon territories in this size class is optimal. Our results demonstrate a need for site-specific restoration plans to achieve the greatest restoration benefits.

Magnetic Targeting, Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Intelligent Nanocatalysts for Enhanced Tumor Ablation.

Therapeutic nanosystems which can be triggered by the distinctive tumor microenvironment possess great selectivity and safety to treat cancers via in situ transformation of nontoxic prodrugs into toxic therapeutic agents. Here, we constructed intelligent, magnetic targeting, and tumor microenvironment-responsive nanocatalysts that can acquire oxidation therapy of cancer via specific reaction at tumor site. The magnetic nanoparticle core of iron carbide-glucose oxidase (Fe5C2-GOD) achieved by physical absorption has a high enzyme payload, and the manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoshell as an intelligent "gatekeeper" shields GOD from premature leaking until reaching tumor tissue. Fe5C2-GOD@MnO2 nanocatalysts maintained inactive in normal cells upon systemic administration. On the contrary, after endocytosis by tumor cells, tumor acidic microenvironment induced decomposition of MnO2 nanoshell into Mn2+ and O2, meanwhile releasing GOD. Mn2+ could serve as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for real-time monitoring treatment process. Then the generated O2 and released GOD in nanocatalysts could effectively exhaust glucose in tumor cells, simultaneously generating plenty of H2O2 which may accelerate the subsequent Fenton reaction catalyzed by the Fe5C2 magnetic core in mildly acidic tumor microenvironments. Finally, we demonstrated the tumor site-specific production of highly toxic hydroxyl radicals for enhanced anticancer therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity in mice.

Yield pattern of eucalypt clones across tropical Brazil: An approach to clonal grouping

The research objective of this paper was to group eleven widely planted eucalypt clones based on their volume yield pattern by assessing how climatic variation impacts their productivity in tropical Brazil. A total of 187 plots evenly distributed across eleven clones and 17 sites (from Paraná to Pará State) were used. Plot measurements were carried out every six months (from 2013 to 2017) to evaluate eucalyptus growth. Since the year of plot establishment differs across the sites, volumes of all the plots and sites were standardized at a common age of 5 years. Clonal grouping analysis was performed based on the common age for volume yields using a new approach, which consisted of three steps: (1) create general groups based on testing of the slope coefficient, which was applied to every clonal-specific regression with volume yield as a function of annual water deficit index (WDI); (2) split each general group using volume yield deviation computations into subgroups of high and low productivity; (3) apply linear mixed effects models for every subgroup in order to confirm the non-existence of statistical difference among the volume yield of the clones. Statistical tests showed satisfactory yield estimates at the common age of 5 years. Clonal grouping revealed the identification of four groups (A: high productivity and non-sensitive to climate variation, B: high productivity and sensitive to climate variation, C: low productivity and sensitive to climate variation, D: low productivity and non-sensitive to climate variation). The volume yield of the Clonal group B was detected to be the most impacted by annual water deficit index variation, followed by clonal groups C, A and D. The findings of the study highlighted the utility of the proposed approach for grouping clones. Group identification and detection of the climatic impact on yield patterns was evaluated as a measure to increase site-specific productivity.

New challenges in soil management

Soil management represents two important tasks that are harmonization of the soil protection with demands of the crop to be grown on the given land under prevailing farming condition. Further goals are to preserve and/or develop the soil physical, biological and chemical condition and to avoid the unfavourable changes of the soil biological activity and the soil structure. Classical authors emphasised the importance of creating proper seedbed for plants. In the physical approach, tillage was believed to play an important role in controlling soil processes. Consequently, the period of several centuries dominated by this approach is referred to as the era of crop-oriented tillage (Birkás et al., 2017). The overestimation of the importance of crop requirements resulted in damaging the soils, which inevitably led to turn to the soil-focused tillage. Since the first years of climate change, as the new trends have raised concern, tillage must be turned into a climate-focused effort with the aim of reducing climate-induced stresses through improving soil quality.
 The development of soil management has always been determined by the economical background. At the same time, deteriorating site conditions have contributed to the conception of new tillage trends by forcing producers to find new solutions (e.g. dry farming theory in the past or adaptable tillage theory nowadays). Győrffy (2009) recited the most important keywords were listed in 2001 and that seemed to be important in the future of crop production. These keywords (endeavours) were as follows:
 − Biofarming, organic farming, alternative farming, biodynamic farming, low input sustainable agriculture;
 − Mid-tech farming, sustainable agriculture, soil conservation farming, no till farming, environmentally sound, environmentally friendly, diversity farming;
 − Crop production system, integrated pest management, integrated farming, high-tech farming;
 − Site specific production, site-specific technology, spatial variable technology, satellite farming;
 − Precision farming.
 Győrffy’s prognosis proved to be realistic and the efforts mentioned above have mostly been implemented. New challenges have also appeared in soil management in relation to the last decades. The most important endeavours for the future are:
 1) Preserving climate-induced stresses endangering soils.
 2) Turn to use climate mitigation soil tillage and crop production systems.
 3) Applying soil management methods are adaptable to the different soil moisture content (over dried or wet may be quite common).
 4) Use effectual water conservation tillage.
 5) Use soil condition specific tillage depth and method.
 6) Adapting the water and soil conservation methods in irrigation.
 7) Preserving and improving soil organic matter content by tillage and crop production systems.
 8) Considering that stubble residues are matter for soil protection, humus source and earthworm’ feed.
 9) Site-specific adoption of green manure and cover crops.
 10) Applying site-adopted (precision) fertilization and crop protection. Considering the development in agriculture, new endeavours will occur before long.

Quantifying the benefits of spatial fisheries management – An ecological-economic optimization approach

Improving fisheries management is a key challenge in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and support Goals 1 (No Poverty) and 14 (Life Below Water). However, sustaining the ocean’s living resources has important dimensions beyond food security, such as cultural values, which might be of equal importance in some settings. Fisheries management faces special challenges when there is a mismatch between biological units and management units, e.g., when ecological spatial structures are not reflected in how catch limits are set. This might result in overexploitation and even the loss of sub-stocks. We use a spatially structured ecological-economic model parameterized for a pelagic schooling fish to examine how the benefits of implementing spatially differentiated fisheries management depend on biological parameters. We focus on a subset of socio-ecological variables, i.e., fisheries yield, present value of economic surplus, and loss of spawning sites (which might be linked to loss of cultural values) to demonstrate that, in theory, ideally differentiated spatial management can be implemented without exact information about recruitment behavior. For imperfectly differentiated spatial management, however, knowledge about recruitment behavior becomes key to avoiding economic losses and to sustaining stock structure, especially when there is large spatial heterogeneity in biological parameters. Knowledge about variability in site-specific productivity determines the expectation of achievable sustainable harvest levels. Further research on such ecological issues is therefore warranted, both for ecological as well as economic reasons.

85 - Site-specific Production of Hydroxyl Radicals and Synergistic DNA Damage Induced by the Non-enzymatic Activation of the Anti-tuberculosis Drug Isoniazid by Cu(II)

Isoniazid (INH) has been recognized as a frontline anti-tuberculosis drug against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is readily activated by Mtb catalase peroxidase enzyme to produce the reactive isonicotinic acyl radical intermediate responsible for its anti-tuberculosis activity. However, it is not clear whether INH can be activated non-enzymatically by Cu(II). Here we found that INH and Cu(II) together could induce synergistic DNA damage, including DNA strand breakage and 8-oxodG formation, while neither of them alone has any effect. DNA damage induced by INH/Cu(II) could be inhibited by Cu(I)-specific chelator and catalase, but not by SOD and the typical •OH radical scavengers. Interestingly, •OH, •H, C- and N-centered radicals were found to be produced during Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of INH by ESR spin-trapping method. The C-centered radical was further unequivocally identified by ESR and ESI-Q-TOF-MS as isonicotinic acyl radical, which can react with nicotinamide coenzyme NADH to form the critical isonicotinic acyl-NAD adducts. Low temperature ESR studies showed that Cu(II) was reduced to Cu(I) by INH. We proposed that the synergistic DNA damage induced by INH/Cu(II) might be due to the synergistic and site-specific production of •OH near the binding site of copper and DNA. This study provided a new insight on non-enzymatic activation of INH by Cu(II), which may have important biological implications for future research on INH.

Evaluating MODIS snow products for modelling snowmelt runoff: Case study of the Rio Grande headwaters

Snow-covered area (SCA) is a key variable in the Snowmelt-Runoff Model (SRM) and in other models for simulating discharge from snowmelt. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) or Operational Land Imager (OLI) provide remotely sensed data at an appropriate spatial resolution for mapping SCA in small headwater basins, but the temporal resolution of the data is low and may not always provide sufficient cloud-free dates. The coarser spatial resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) offers better temporal resolution and in cloudy years, MODIS data offer the best alternative for mapping snow cover when finer spatial resolution data are unavailable. However, MODIS’ coarse spatial resolution (500m) can obscure fine spatial patterning in snow cover and some MODIS products are not sensitive to end-of-season snow cover. In this study, we aimed to test MODIS snow products for use in simulating snowmelt runoff from smaller headwater basins by a) comparing maps of TM and MODIS-based SCA and b) determining how SRM streamflow simulations are changed by the different estimates of seasonal snow depletion. We compared gridded MODIS snow products (Collection 5 MOD10A1 fractional and binary SCA; SCA derived from Collection 6 MOD10A1 Normalised Difference Snow Index (NDSI) Snow Cover), and the MODIS Snow Covered-Area and Grain size retrieval (MODSCAG) canopy-corrected fractional SCA (SCAMG), with reference SCA maps (SCAREF) generated from binary classification of TM imagery. SCAMG showed strong agreement with SCAREF; excluding true negatives (where both methods agreed no snow was present) the median percent difference between SCAREF and SCAMG ranged between −2.4% and 4.7%. We simulated runoff for each of the four study years using SRM populated with and calibrated for snow depletion curves derived from SCAREF. We then substituted in each of the MODIS-derived depletion curves. With efficiency coefficients ranging between 0.73 and 0.93, SRM simulation results from the SCAMG runs yielded the best results of all the MODIS products and only slightly underestimated discharge volume (between 7 and 11% of measured annual discharge). SRM simulations that used SCA derived from Collection 6 NDSI Snow Cover also yielded promising results, with efficiency coefficients ranging between 0.73 and 0.91.In conclusion, we recommend that when simulating snowmelt runoff from small basins (<4000km2) with SRM, we recommend that users select either canopy-corrected MODSCAG or create their own site-specific products from the Collection 6 MOD10A1 NDSI.

A Country-Specific Water Consumption Inventory Considering International Trade in Asian Countries Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Table

Interest in the impacts of water use in the life cycle of products and services are increasing among various stakeholders. The water footprint is a tool to identify critical and effective points for reducing the impact of water use through the entire life cycle of products, services, and organizations. The purpose of this study was to develop a water consumption inventory database that focused on identifying of Asian water consumption using an input-output (IO) framework. An Asia International Input-Output table (AIIO) was applied in this study. The amount of water consumption required for agricultural products was estimated by modeling; for other sectors it was estimated from statistical reports. The intensities of direct water consumption in each sector were calculated by dividing the amount of water consumption by the domestic production. Based on the IO analysis using Leontief’s inverse matrix, the intensities of water consumption from cradle to gate were estimated for all goods and services. There was high intensity of water consumption in the primary industry sectors, together with a high dependency on rainwater as an input water source. The water consumption intensities generally showed a larger reduction in secondary sectors, in comparison with the tertiary sectors, due to the use of recycled water. There were differences between this study and previous studies due to the use of site-specific production data and the temporal resolution of crop production. By considering site-specific conditions, it is expected that the dataset developed here can be used for estimating the water footprint of products, services, and organizations in nine countries (Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and USA).

A Protocol to Map Vine Size in Commercial Single High-Wire Trellis Vineyards Using “Off-the-Shelf” Proximal Canopy-Sensing Systems

Summary Goals: This report aims to present a clear protocol for (a) deploying proximal canopy sensors into single high-wire trellis Concord ( Vitis labruscana cv. Bailey) vineyards and (b) converting the canopy sensor response into an indication of vine size (pruning weight). The protocol is designed to be robust and practical for easy adoption in commercial systems. Evidence will be presented of the efficacy of vine size prediction using the protocol in multiple research and commercial vineyards. Key Findings: Using different vineyards and pruning crews, the protocol performed well in >80% of vineyards and permitted growers to generate maps of actual vine size within vineyards. These maps provide a valuable indication of current site-specific production potential and a baseline to assess changes in vine size over time. In a few vineyards, the proposed simplified calibration process did not generate a clear relationship between canopy response and vine size, which may be due to changes in vine shape in highly mechanized systems. Impact and Significance: Managing vine size is critical to the long-term sustainability of cool climate viticulture and to managing quality in all viticulture systems. However, convincing growers to routinely measure vine size for more effective management has been difficult historically because of the time involved and the difficulty of translating the data into a decision process. The proposed protocol uses technology and targeted sampling to minimize the effort required, and presents more coherent information that allows fast grower responses. Grower adoption of this protocol should promote continual vine size measurement, with the goal of decreasing vine size variation within vineyards.

Comparative life cycle assessment study on environmental impact of oil production from micro-algae and terrestrial oilseed crops

In this study the LCA methodology is applied in order to satisfy two goals: i) to evaluate the hot spots in site-specific production chain of biodiesel from terrestrial and micro-algae feedstock; ii) to compare quantitatively, utilizing primary data, the impacts of the first generation in respect to the third generation bio-fuels. Results show that micro-algae are neither competitive yet with traditional oil crops nor with fossil fuel. The use of renewable technologies as photovoltaics and biogas self production might increase the competitiveness of micro-algae oil. Further investigations are however necessary to optimize their production chain and to increase the added value of co-products.

Municipal wastewater sludge as a sustainable bioresource in the United States

Within the United States and Puerto Rico, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) process 130.5 Gl/d (34.5 Bgal/d) of wastewater, producing sludge as a waste product. Emerging technologies offer novel waste-to-energy pathways through whole sludge conversion into biofuels. Assessing the feasibility, scalability and tradeoffs of various energy conversion pathways is difficult in the absence of highly spatially resolved estimates of sludge production. In this study, average wastewater solids concentrations and removal rates, and site specific daily average influent flow are used to estimate site specific annual sludge production on a dry weight basis for >15,000 POTWs. Current beneficial uses, regional production hotspots and feedstock aggregation potential are also assessed. Analyses indicate 1) POTWs capture 12.56 Tg/y (13.84 MT/y) of dry solids; 2) 50% are not beneficially utilized, and 3) POTWs can support seven regions that aggregate >910 Mg/d (1000 T/d) of sludge within a travel distance of 100 km.

Aminyl Radical Generation via Tandem Norrish Type I Photocleavage, β-Fragmentation: Independent Generation and Reactivity of the 2'-Deoxyadenosin- N6-yl Radical.

Formal hydrogen atom abstraction from the nitrogen-hydrogen bonds in purine nucleosides produces reactive intermediates that are important in nucleic acid oxidation. Herein we describe an approach for the independent generation of the purine radical resulting from hydrogen atom abstraction from the N6-amine of 2'-deoxyadenosine (dA•). The method involves sequential Norrish Type I photocleavage of a ketone (7b) and β-fragmentation of the initially formed alkyl radical (8b) to form dA• and acetone. The formation of dA• was followed by laser flash photolysis, which yields a transient with λmax ≈ 340 nm and a broader weaker absorption centered at ∼560 nm. This transient grows in at ≥2 × 105 s-1; however, computations and reactivity data suggest that β-fragmentation occurs much faster, implying the consumption of dA• as it is formed. Continuous photolysis of 7b in the presence of ferrous ion or thiophenol produces good yields of dA, whereas less reactive thiols afford lower yields presumably due to a polarity mismatch. This tandem photochemical, β-fragmentation method promises to be useful for site-specific production of dA• in nucleic acid oligomers and/or polymers and also for the production of aminyl radicals, in general.

Mechanism of synergistic DNA damage induced by the hydroquinone metabolite of brominated phenolic environmental pollutants and Cu(II): Formation of DNA-Cu complex and site-specific production of hydroxyl radicals

2,6-Dibromohydroquinone (2,6-DBrHQ) has been identified as an reactive metabolite of many brominated phenolic environmental pollutants such as tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), bromoxynil and 2,4,6-tribromophenol, and was also found as one of disinfection byproducts in drinking water. In this study, we found that the combination of 2,6-DBrHQ and Cu(II) together could induce synergistic DNA damage as measured by double strand breakage in plasmid DNA and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation, while either of them alone has no effect. 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II)-induced DNA damage could be inhibited by the Cu(I)-specific chelating agent bathocuproine disulfonate and catalase, but not by superoxide dismutase, nor by the typical hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavengers such as DMSO and mannitol. Interestingly, we found that Cu(II)/Cu(I) could be combined with DNA to form DNA-Cu(II)/Cu(I) complex by complementary application of low temperature direct ESR, circular dichroism, cyclic voltammetry and oxygen consumption methods; and the highly reactive •OH were produced synergistically by DNA-bound-Cu(I) with H2O2 produced by the redox reactions between 2,6-DBrHQ and Cu(II), which then immediately attack DNA in a site-specific manner as demonstrated by both fluorescent method and by ESR spin-trapping studies. Further DNA sequencing investigations provided more direct evidence that 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II) caused preferential cleavage at guanine, thymine and cytosine residues. Based on these data, we proposed that the synergistic DNA damage induced by 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II) might be due to the synergistic and site-specific production of •OH near the binding site of copper and DNA. Our findings may have broad biological and environmental implications for future research on the carcinogenic polyhalogenated phenolic compounds.