Substance flow analysis in Finland : Four case studies on N and P flows

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential elements for all living organisms. However, in excess, they contribute to several environmental problems such as aquatic and terrestrial eutrophication. Globally, human action has multiplied the volume of N and P cycling since the onset of industrialization. The multiplication is a result of intensified agriculture, increased energy consumption and population growth. Industrial ecology (IE) is a discipline, in which human interaction with the ecosystems is investigated using a systems analytical approach. The main idea behind IE is that industrial systems resemble ecosystems, and, like them, industrial systems can then be described using material, energy and information flows and stocks. Industrial systems are dependent on the resources provided by the biosphere, and these two cannot be separated from each other. When studying substance flows, the aims of the research from the viewpoint of IE can be, for instance, to elucidate the ways how the cycles of a certain substance could be more closed and how the flows of a certain substance could be decreased per unit of production (= dematerialization). In Finland, N and P are studied widely in different ecosystems and environmental emissions. A holistic picture comparing different societal systems is, however, lacking. In this thesis, flows of N and P were examined in Finland using substance flow analysis (SFA) in the following four subsystems: I) forest industry and use of wood fuels, II) food production and consumption, III) energy, and IV) municipal waste. A detailed analysis at the end of the 1990s was performed. Furthermore, historical development of the N and P flows was investigated in the energy system (III) and the municipal waste system (IV). The main research sources were official statistics, literature, monitoring data, and expert knowledge. The aim was to identify and quantify the main flows of N and P in Finland in the four subsystems studied. Furthermore, the aim was to elucidate whether the nutrient systems are cyclic or linear, and to identify how these systems could be more efficient in the use and cycling of N and P. A final aim was to discuss how this type of an analysis can be used to support decision-making on environmental problems and solutions. Of the four subsystems, the food production and consumption system and the energy system created the largest N flows in Finland. For the creation of P flows, the food production and consumption system (Paper II) was clearly the largest, followed by the forest industry and use of wood fuels and the energy system. The contribution of Finland to N and P flows on a global scale is low, but when compared on a per capita basis, we are one of the largest producers of these flows, with relatively high energy and meat consumption being the main reasons. Analysis revealed the openness of all four systems. The openness is due to the high degree of internationality of the Finnish markets, the large-scale use of synthetic fertilizers and energy resources and the low recycling rate of many waste fractions. Reduction in the use of fuels and synthetic fertilizers, reorganization of the structure of energy production, reduced human intake of nutrients and technological development are crucial in diminishing the N and P flows. To enhance nutrient recycling and replace inorganic fertilizers, recycling of such wastes as wood ash and sludge could be promoted. SFA is not usually sufficiently detailed to allow specific recommendations for decision-making to be made, but it does yield useful information about the relative magnitude of the flows and may reveal unexpected losses. Sustainable development is a widely accepted target for all human action. SFA is one method that can help to analyse how effective different efforts are in leading to a more sustainable society. SFA's strength is that it allows a holistic picture of different natural and societal systems to be drawn. Furthermore, when the environmental impact of a certain flow is known, the method can be used to prioritize environmental policy efforts.

Synthesis of leader RNA and editing of P mRNA during transcription by rinderpest virus

Purified rinderpest virus was earlier shown to transcribe in vitro, all virus-specific mRNAs with the promoter-proximal N mRNA being the most abundant. Presently, this transcription system has been shown to synthesize full length monocistronic mRNAs comparable to those made in infected cells. Small quantities of bi- and tricistronic mRNAs are also synthesized. Rinderpest virus synthesizes in vitro, a leader RNA of not, vert, similar 55 nucleotides in length. Purified rinderpest virus also exhibits RNA editing activity during the synthesis of P mRNA as shown by primer extension analysis of the mRNA products.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer visibility through selfies: Comparing platform mediators across Ruby Rose’s Instagram and Vine presence

This article investigates the relationship between social media platforms and the production and dissemination of selfies in light of its implications for the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Applying an Actor Network Theory lens, two popular visual media apps, Instagram and Vine, are examined through a comparative walkthrough method. This reveals platform elements, or mediators, that can influence the conversational capacity of selfies in terms of the following: range, the variety of discourses addressed within a selfie; reach, circulation within and across publics; and salience, the strength and clarity of discourses communicated through a selfie. These mediators are illustrated through LGBTQ celebrity Ruby Rose’s Instagram selfies and Vine videos. Instagram’s use expectations encourage selfies focused on mainstream discourses of normative beauty and conspicuous consumption with an emphasis on appearance, extending through features constraining selfies’ reach and salience. In contrast, Vine’s broader use expectations enable a variety of discourses to be communicated across publics with an emphasis on creative, first-person sharing. These findings are reflected in Rose’s Instagram selfies, which mute alternative discourses of gender and sexuality through desexualized and aesthetically appealing self-representations, while Vines display her personal side, enabling both LGBTQ and heterosexual, cisgender people to identify with her without minimizing non-normative aspects of her gender and sexuality. These findings demonstrate the relevance of platforms in shaping selfies’ conversational capacity, as mediators can influence whether selfies feature in conversations reinforcing dominant discourses or in counterpublic conversations, contributing to everyday activism that challenges normative gender and sexual discourses.

1,1 `-(p-Phenylenedimethylene)dipiperidin-4-one

In the molecule of the title compound, C18H24N2O2, the piperidine rings are in chair conformations. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonding. There are neither C-H center dot center dot center dot pi nor pi-pi interactions in the structure.

Rotational isomerism about the Ca-CO bond in proline derivatives. 1H and 13C NMR studies of benzyloxycarbonyl-Pro-N-methylamide and pivaloyl-Pro-N-methylamide

The 270 MHz 1H n.m.r. spectrum of benzyloxycarbonyl-Pro-N-methylamide in CDCl3 is exchange broadened at 293° K. Spectral lines due to two species are frozen out at 253° K and a dynamically averaged spectrum is obtained at 323° K. A selective broadening of the Cβ and Cγ resonances in the 13C n.m.r. spectrum is observed at 253° K, with a splitting of the Cβ and Cγ resonances into a pair of lines of unequal intensity. A similar broadening of Cβ and Cγ peaks is also detected in pivaloyl-Pro-N-methylamide where cis-trans interconversion about the imide bond is precluded by the bulky t-butyl group. The rate process is thus attributed to rotation about the Cα-CO bond (ψ) and a barrier (ΔG#) of 14kcal mol-1 is estimated. 13C n.m.r. data for pivaloyl-Pro-N-methylamide in a number of solvents is presented and the differences in the Cβ and Cγ chemical shifts are interpreted in terms of rotational isomerism about the Cα-CO bond.

X-Pro peptides: Synthesis and solution conformation of benzyloxycarbonyl-(Aib-Pro)4methyl ester. Evidence for a novel helical structure

The synthesis of the octapeptide, benzyloxycarbonyl-(-aminoisobutyryl-L-prolyl)4-methyl ester [Z-(Aib-Pro)4-OMe] and an analysis of its solution conformation is reported. The octapeptide is shown to possess three strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the basis of studies of the solvent and temperature dependence of NH chemical shifts and rates of hydrogen-deuterium exchange. 13C studies are consistent with a structure involving only trans Aib-Pro bonds, while ir experiments support a hydrogen-bonded conformation. The Aib 3, 5, and 7 NH groups are shown to participate in hydrogen bonding. A 310 helical conformation compatible with the spectroscopic data is suggested. The proposed conformation consists of three type III -turns with Aib and Pro at the corners and stabilized by 4 1 intramolecular hydrogen bonds.

High P-T granulite relicts from the Imjingang belt, South Korea:Tectonic significance

This study presents a detailed description on crustal metamorphic signatures of garnet-clinopyroxene-quartz-rutile-bearing high P-T granulites, Samgot unit, Imajingang belt, northwestern Korean Peninsula that formed during Permo-Triassic regional metamorphism related to the amalgamation of East Asian continental fragments. Lenses and blocks of high P-T granulites and garnet-bearing leucosomes occur within mafic metamorphic rocks (mainly amphibolites). The mafic blocks comprise relicts of granoblastic garnet and clinopyroxene with medium-grained quartz and rutile. These relict mineral assemblages are confined to local micro-domains and constitute remnants of peak metamorphism. Plagioclase and amphibole form only as retrograde phases in medium ton coarse-grained moats that rim grain boundaries between relict peak mineral assemblages. This microstructure represents the reaction between garnet, clinopyroxene, quartz and rutile in the presence of melt to form amphibole, plagioclase and titanite with minor biotite. The leucosome domains consist of euhedral garnets within the quartz-K feldspar-plagioclase (granitic) matrix, probably representing peritectic garnet growth along with melting. The rare earth element (REE) composition of minerals also support the peritectic garnet growth with a positive Eu/Eu* (positive Eu anomaly), while the relict garnet shows a slight negative anomaly typical for high-grade granulites. The peak-metamorphic conditions calculated from thermodynamic modeling and compositional isopleths indicate a temperature around c. 900 degrees C at a pressure around c. 20 kbar. The present P-T path indicates a clear multi-stage decompression history with initial decompression and cooling followed by a stage of decompression during hydration possibly during Late Triassic exhumation. The results from this study together with the presence of eclogites from the Hongsung area suggest that the Imjingang area and the western Gyeonggi massif likely resided at crustal levels deeper than those of the eastern and southern part of the Gyeonggi massif. (C) 2009 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-lying states of transverse substituted trans-polyacetylene and trans-polyacetylene: A comparative DMRG study

The density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method is used for a comparative study of low-lying excitations in trans-polyacetylene (t-PA) and transversely substituted t-PA (TS-t-PA). We have employed the Pariser-Parr-Pople model Hamiltonian which incorporates long-range electronic correlations to model these systems. We find some fundamental differences in the excited states of the t-PA and TS-t-PA. We find that the lowest two-photon allowed excited state in TS-t-PA is not made up of two triplet excitons and the gap to this state is nonzero even for undimerized chains in the thermodynamic limit. Contrary to earlier results for the Hubbard model, we find that the lowest two-photon state is always below the first optically allowed state in all the systems studied here making TS-t-PA systems only weakly fluorescent materials. Nonresonant tumbling averaged linear and third harmonic generation optic coefficients of TS-t-PA systems are also much smaller than that of t-PA.

Inter-helical Interactions in Membrane Proteins: Analysis Based on the Local Backbone Geometry and the Side Chain Interactions

The availability of a significant number of the Structures of helical membrane proteins has prompted us to investigate the mode of helix-helix packing. In the present study, we have considered a dataset of alpha-helical membrane proteins representing Structures solved from all the known superfamilies. We have described the geometry of all the helical residues in terms of local coordinate axis at the backbone level. Significant inter-helical interactions have been considered as contacts by weighing the number of atom-atom contacts, including all the side-chain atoms. Such a definition of local axis and the contact criterion has allowed us to investigate the inter-helical interaction in a systematic and quantitative manner. We show that a single parameter (designated as alpha), which is derived from the parameters representing the Mutual orientation of local axes, is able to accurately Capture the details of helix-helix interaction. The analysis has been carried Out by dividing the dataset into parallel, anti-parallel, and perpendicular orientation of helices. The study indicates that a specific range of alpha value is preferred for interactions among the anti-parallel helices. Such a preference is also seen among interacting residues of parallel helices, however to a lesser extent. No such preference is seen in the case of perpendicular helices, the contacts that arise mainly due to the interaction Of Surface helices with the end of the trans-membrane helices. The Study Supports the prevailing view that the anti-parallel helices are well packed. However, the interactions between helices of parallel orientation are non-trivial. The packing in alpha-helical membrane proteins, which is systematically and rigorously investigated in this study, may prove to be useful in modeling of helical membrane proteins.

P-T evolution of Glenelg eclogites, NW Scotland: Did they experience ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism?

Eclogites and their retrogressed equivalents from the eastern unit of the Glenelg-Attadale Inlier in NW Scotland preserve much microstructural evidence that indicates that very high-pressure/temperature eclogite facies conditions were reached, and followed by decompression and hydration during exhumation. Rutile exsolution in garnet and quartz exsolution in omphacite and titanite formed through mineral reactions during high P-T peak metamorphism. Isochemical phase diagrams modeled for samples from three different locations indicate that the outer part of the eastern unit preserves a peak metamorphic condition of c. 850-1000 degrees C at 18-25 kbar, whereas the central part has a similar pressure (c. 23 kbar), but a lower temperature (c. 670 degrees C). Due to the limitations in the phase diagram calculations the estimated P-T conditions represent the minimum conditions attained by the peak metamorphic assemblage, and the pre-exsoived peak assemblage probably stabilized at a higher pressure. This observation is strongly supported by the presence of exsolution microstructures. The present results demonstrate that the eastern unit experienced very high P-T conditions during peak metamorphism and a tight clockwise P-T trajectory and provide the first indication of possible ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the Glenelg eclogites. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ru(II)-CO complexes of thioarylazoimidazoles: Syntheses, structures, spectroscopy and DFT calculation

The complexes, cis-(CO)-trans-(Cl)-[Ru(SRaaiNR)(CO)(2)Cl-2] (2) and trans-(Cl)-[Ru(SRaaiNR)(CO)Cl-2] (3) (SRaaiNR = 1-alkyl-2-{(o-thioalkyl)phenylazo}imidazoles; R = Me (1a) and Et (1b)) have been synthesized and characterized. The structural confirmation is achieved by single crystal X-ray structure determinations. The complexes show Ru(III)/Ru(II) couple and ligand reductions. Electronic structure and spectral properties of the complexes have been explained with the DFT and TDDFT calculation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and structural characterization of a new ruthenium hydride ethylene complex

A ruthenium(II) ethylene complex, trans-[Ru(H)(C2H4)- (dppm)(2)][BF4], hearing two 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino) methane (dppm) ligands has been synthesized and structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography. In the molecular structure, the Ru-II center shows a distorted octahedral coordination geometry formed by four P atoms of the two chelating dppm ligands, a hydride, and an ethylene ligands. The four dppm P atoms are almost co-planar with the hydride and the ethylene ligands perpendicular to this plane. The C-C bond distance of the bound ethylene is 1.375(6) angstrom, which is elongated by 0.042 angstrom as compared to free ethylene (1.333(2) angstrom). The packing diagram of the complex shows two voids or channels, which are occupied by BF4- counterion and water molecules.

Laser damage studies in nonlinear optical crystal sodium p-nitrophenolate dihydrate

We report the surface laser damage threshold in sodium p-nitrophenolate dihydrate, a nonlinear optical crystal. The experiment is performed with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser in TEM00 mode. The single shot damage thresholds are 11.16 +/- 0.28GWcm(-2) and 1.25 +/- 0.02GWcm(-2) for 1064 nm and 532 nm laser wavelengths respectively. A close correlation between the laser damage threshold and mechanical hardness is observed. A possible mechanism of laser damage is discussed.

Phosphorylation status of the phosphoprotein P of rinderpest virus modulates transcription and replication of the genome

The phosphoprotein P of paramyxoviruses is known to play more than one role in genome transcription and replication. Phosphorylation of P at the NH2 terminus by cellular casein kinase II has been shown to be necessary for transcription of the genome in some of the viruses, while it is dispensable for replication. The phosphorylation null mutant of rinderpest virus P protein, in which three serine residues have been mutated, has been shown earlier to be non-functional in an in vivo minigenome replication/transcription system. In this work, we have shown that the phosphorylation of P protein is essential for transcription, whereas the null mutant is active in replication of the genome in vivo. The null mutant P acts as a transdominant repressor of transcriptional activity of wild-type P and as an activator of replication carried out by wild-type P protein. These results suggest the phosphorylation status of P may act as a replication switch during virus replication. We also show that the phosphorylation null mutant P is capable of interacting with L and N proteins and is able to form a tripartite complex of L-(N-P) when expressed in insect cells, similar to wild-type P protein.