Optimizing Hill Seeding Density for High-Yielding Hybrid Rice in a Single Rice Cropping System in South China

Mechanical hill direct seeding of hybrid rice could be the way to solve the problems of high seeding rates and uneven plant establishment now faced in direct seeded rice; however, it is not clear what the optimum hill seeding density should be for high-yielding hybrid rice in the single-season rice production system. Experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to determine the effects of hill seeding density (25 cm 615 cm, 25 cm 617 cm, 25 cm 619 cm, 25 cm 621 cm, and 25 cm 623 cm; three to five seeds per hill) on plant growth and grain yield of a hybrid variety, Nei2you6, in two fields with different fertility (soil fertility 1 and 2). In addition, in 2012 and 2013, comparisons among mechanical hill seeding, broadcasting, and transplanting were conducted with three hybrid varieties to evaluate the optimum seeding density. With increases in seeding spacing from 25 cm615 cm to 25 cm623 cm, productive tillers per hill increased by 34.2% and 50.0% in soil fertility 1 and 2. Panicles per m2 declined with increases in seeding spacing in soil fertility 1. In soil fertility 2, no difference in panicles per m2 was found at spacing ranging from 25 cm617 cm to 25 cm623 cm, while decreases in the area of the top three leaves and aboveground dry weight per shoot at flowering were observed. Grain yield was the maximum at 25 cm 617 cm spacing in both soil fertility fields. Our results suggest that a seeding density of 25 cm617 cm was suitable for high-yielding hybrid rice. These results were verified through on-farm demonstration experiments, in which mechanical hill-seeded rice at this density had equal or higher grain yield than transplanted rice

A transcriptomic analysis of the kidney tissue of Tra catfish (pangasianodon hypophthalmus) reared in saline condition: De novo assembly, annotation, SNP discovery

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus is a commercially important freshwater fish used in inland aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The current study using Ion Torrent technology generated EST resources from the kidney for Tra catfish reared at a salinity level of 9 ppt. We obtained 2,623,929 reads after trimming and processing with an average length of 104 bp. De novo assemblies were generated using CLC Genomic Workbench, Trinity and Velvet/Oases with the best overall contig performance resulting from the CLC assembly. De novo assembly using CLC yielded 29,940 contigs, and allowing identification of 5,710 putative genes when comppared with NCBI non-redundant database. A large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also detected. The sequence collection generated in our study represents the most comprehensive transcriptomic resource for P. hypophthalmus available to date.

The long-run impact of Information and Communication Technology on economic output: The case of Australia

This paper investigates the cointegration and causal relationships between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and economic output in Australia using data for about five decades. The framework used in this paper is the single-sector aggregate production function, which is the first comprehensive approach of this kind to include ICT and non-ICT capital and other factors to examine long-run Granger causality. The empirical evidence points to a cointegration relationship between ICT capital and output, and implies that ICT capital Granger causes economic output and multifactor productivity, as does non-ICT capital.

Synthesis, characterization, thermal degradation, and comparative chain dynamics studies of weak-link polysulfide polymers

Synthesis, spectroscopic and thermal characterization of two new classes of polysulfide polymers: poly[1(phenoxymethyl) ethylene polysulfide] (PPMEP), and poly [1-(phenoxy) ethylene polysulfide] (PPEP) is presented. The direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry (DP-MS) technique, used to study the thermal degradation behavior of these polysulfide polymers, indicated that the polymers underwent degradation through the weak-links scission. The thermal stability of the polysulfide polymers decreased as the ``rank'' (number of sulfur atoms in the polysulfide linkage; n=1, 2, 4) increased. The main-chain flexibility of these polysulfide polymers in terms of their C-13 NMR spinlattice relaxation time (T-1) measurements on the backbone methine (-CH-) and methylene (-CH2-) carbons are reported here for the first time. A comparative study of the solution chain dynamics indicated that it increased as ``rank'' of the polysulfide linkages decreased as well as by introducing side chain spacers such as, ether (-O-) or methyleneoxy (-CH2O-) groups.

Prediction of protein-protein interactions between Helicobacter pylori and a human host

A lack of information on protein-protein interactions at the host-pathogen interface is impeding the understanding of the pathogenesis process. A recently developed, homology search-based method to predict protein-protein interactions is applied to the gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori to predict the interactions between proteins of H. pylori and human proteins in vitro. Many of the predicted interactions could potentially occur between the pathogen and its human host during pathogenesis as we focused mainly on the H. pylori proteins that have a transmembrane region or are encoded in the pathogenic island and those which are known to be secreted into the human host. By applying the homology search approach to protein-protein interaction databases DIP and iPfam, we could predict in vitro interactions for a total of 623 H. pylori proteins with 6559 human proteins. The predicted interactions include 549 hypothetical proteins of as yet unknown function encoded in the H. pylori genome and 13 experimentally verified secreted proteins. We have recognized 833 interactions involving the extracellular domains of transmembrane proteins of H. pylori. Structural analysis of some of the examples reveals that the interaction predicted by us is consistent with the structural compatibility of binding partners. Examples of interactions with discernible biological relevance are discussed.

Crystallite size effects in stacking faulted nickel hydroxide and its electrochemical behaviour

P-Nickel hydroxide comprises a long range periodic arrangement of atoms with a stacking sequence of AC AC AC-having an ideal composition Ni(OH)(2). Variation in the preparative conditions can lead to the changes in the stacking sequence (AC AC BA CB AC AC or AC AC AB AC AC) This type of variation in stacking sequence can result in the formation of stacking fault in nickel hydroxide. The stability of the stacking fault depends on the free energy content of the sample. Stacking faults in nickel hydroxide is essential for better electrochemical activity. Also there are reports correlating particle size to the better electrochemical activity. Here we present the effect of crystallite size on the stacking faulted nickel hydroxide samples. The electrochemical performance of stacking faulted nickel hydroxide with small crystallite size exchanges 0.8e/Ni, while the samples with larger crystallite size exchange 0.4e/Ni. Hence a right combination of crystallite size and stacking fault content has to be controlled for good electrochemical activity of nickel hydroxide. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language and the circuits of power in a merging multinational corporation

We argue in this paper that corporate language policies have significant power implications that are easily overlooked. By drawing on previous work on power in organizations (Clegg, 1989), we examine the complex power implications of language policy decisions by looking at three levels of analysis: episodic social interaction, identity/subjectivity construction, and reconstruction of structures of domination. In our empirical analysis, we focus on the power implications of the choice of Swedish as the corporate language in the case of the recent banking sector merger between the Finnish Merita and the Swedish Nordbanken. Our findings show how language skills become empowering or disempowering resources in organizational communication, how these skills are associated with professional competence, and how this leads to the creation of new social networks. The case also illustrates how language skills are an essential element in the construction of international confrontation, lead to a construction of superiority and inferiority, and also reproduce post-colonial identities in the merging bank. Finally, we also point out how such policies ultimately lead to the reification of post-colonial and neo-colonial structures of domination in multinational corporations.

An EXAFS study of the Mo/TiO2 hydrodesulphurization catalysis

In-situ EXAFS studies of sulphided Mo/TiO2 catalysts have shown that at low Mo loadings (2–4 wt%), an active species with a short Mo-S distance of 2.25 Å is formed, while on Mo/TiO2 with high Mo loadings as well as on Mo/gamma-Al2O3, bulk MoS2 (Mo-S, 2.42 Å) is formed. The species with the short Mo-S distance has Mo in an oxidation state close to 6 + and is likely to result from the sulphidation of the tetrahedral molybdate species present in the oxidic precursor at low Mo loadings. The calcination temperature of the oxidic precursor appears crucial, a high calcination temperature of 973 K favouring the formation of MoS3 on sulphidation, and a low calcination temperature of 623 K favouring MoS2.

Transferability of Multipole Charge Density Parameters for Supramolecular Synthons: A New Tool for Quantitative Crystal Engineering

The modularity of the supramolecular synthon is used to obtain transferability of charge density derived multipolar parameters for structural fragments, thus creating an opportunity to derive charge density maps for new compounds. On the basis of high resolution X-ray diffraction data obtained at 100 K for three compounds methoxybenzoic acid, acetanilide, and 4-methyl-benzoic acid, multipole parameters for O-H center dot center dot center dot O carboxylic acid dimer and N-H center dot center dot center dot O amide infinite chain synthon fragments have been derived. The robustness associated with these supramolecular synthons has been used to model charge density derived multipolar parameters for 4-(acetylamino)benzoic acid and 4-methylacetanilide. The study provides pointers to the design and fabrication of a synthon library of high resolution X-ray diffraction data sets. It has been demonstrated that the derived charge density features can be exploited in both intra- and intermolecular space for any organic compound based on transferability of multipole parameters. The supramolecular synthon based fragments approach (SBFA) has been compared with experimental charge density data to check the reliability of use of this methodology for transferring charge density derived multipole parameters.

A simplified kinetic model for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene over Pd-NaBr/Al2O3 catalyst

The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene is gaining considerable importance in recent years as a promising alternative for styrene production. This vapour phase reaction has been studied over Pd-NaBr/Al2O3 catalyst in the temperature range 623-793 K in a fixed bed reactor. Kinetic analysis of this reaction has been done using a recursion procedure developed in this work from first principles. The advantage of this method is the absence of any restriction on the conversion level as it uses an integrated rate equation. The rate of styrene formation was found to follow a linear relationship with concentration of ethylbenzene and shows a Langmuir type dependence on the concentration of oxygen.

Diffusion Parameters and Growth Mechanism of Phases in the Cu-Sn System

The tracer diffusion coefficients of the elements as well as the integrated interdiffusion coefficients are determined for the Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compounds using incremental diffusion couples and Kirkendall marker shift measurements. The activation energies are determined for the former between 498 K and 623 K (225 A degrees C and 350 A degrees C) and for the latter between 423 K and 473 K (150 A degrees C and 200 A degrees C). Sn is found to be a slightly faster diffuser in Cu6Sn5, and Cu is found to be the faster diffuser in Cu3Sn. The results from the incremental couples are used to predict the behavior of a Cu/Sn couple where simultaneous growth of both intermetallics occurs. The waviness at the Cu3Sn/Cu6Sn5 interface and possible reasons for not finding Kirkendall markers in both intermetallics in the Cu/Sn couple are discussed.

Interaction of EcoP1 modification methylase with S-adenosyl-L-methionine: a UV-crosslinking study

EcoP1 modification methylase was radioactively labeled when incubated with S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-3H]methionine in the presence of ultraviolet light. Crosslinking of the enzyme as detected by electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel followed by fluorography and autoradiography, was shown to be specific by a number of criteria. More importantly, EcoP1 modification methylase was also radioactively labeled with S-adenosyl-L-[carboxyl-14C]methionine demonstrating that labeling involved binding of the entire AdoMet molecule rather than methylation of the protein. Further, c2 EcoP1 mutant DNA modification methylases which show negligible or very little methylation activity, correspondingly formed a weak or no adduct upon crosslinking. These results suggest that photolabeling of EcoP1 DNA modification methylase occurs at the AdoMet binding site.