Effect of some organic acids on leaf phosphatase from French beans

1. The common organic acids inhibited leaf phosphatase activity, This effect is mostly due to the hydroxyl groups in them. 2. The less common organic acids, which have only carboxyl groups, did not show any marked inhibitory action on phosphatase activity. 3. The less common organic acids eluted the leaf phosphatase after adsorption on aluminacγ gel to a greater extent than the more common organic acids. 4. The second elution of the purified enzyme from the aluminacγ gel was not possible with the organic acids as it was adsorbed on the gel.

Finnish-French Fundamental Cultural Antagonisms in Organising

Seeking to challenge the belief that within-West cultural differences should be seen as insignificant in organisations, this paper seeks to demonstrate how two given Western European ‘organising cultures’ (i.e. Finnish culture and French culture, as they are expressed in the process of organising) can contrast, if not conflict, with each other. Further, it aims to help the reader realise what kinds of fundamental ‘cultural antagonisms’ these contrasting organising behaviours may come from, to help her/him understand ‘the other culture’ better, and thus allow for a first step towards an improvement of Finnish-French intercultural interactions in organisational contexts. After shortly introducing what should be understood here as ‘cultural antagonisms’, the paper addresses four fundamental Finnish-French antagonisms, regarding the vision of the organisation (‘functionalist vs. personalist’), the relative importance of ‘consensus vs. dissensus’, the typical trade-off between reliability and flexibility, and the striking differences in communication, respectively. These four fundamental antagonisms are found to be closely interrelated and integrated, serving as explanation, justification and legitimisation for each other. That does not mean, however, that differences, however striking they may be, should merely be a threat to co-operation: some implications introduced at the end of the paper suggest that, provided people are aware of them, cultural antagonisms can also be seen as opportunities for a more fruitful work interaction.

Sensemaking in the Third Space - Essays on French-Finnish Bicultural Experiences in Organizations and Their Narratives (summary section only)

Research on cross-cultural and intercultural aspects in organizations has been traditionally conducted from an objectivist, functionalist perspective, with culture treated as an independent variable, and often the key explanatory factor. In order to do justice to the ontological relativity of the phenomena studied, more subjectivist research on intercultural interactions, and especially on their relationships with the dynamics of cultural identity construction, is needed. The present research seeks to address this gap by focusing on bicultural interactions in organizations, as they are experienced by the involved individuals. It is argued that such bicultural situations see the emergence of a space of hybridity, which is here called a ‘third space’, and which can be understood as providing ‘occasions for sensemaking’: it is this individual sensemaking that is of particular interest in the empirical narrative study. A first overall aim of the study is to reach an understanding of the dynamics of bicultural interactions in organizations; an understanding not only of the potential for learning and emancipatory sensemaking, but also of the possibility of conflict and alienatory ordering (this is mainly addressed in the theoretical essays 1 and 2). Further, a second overall aim of the study is to analyze the reflexive identity construction of four young French expatriates involved in such bicultural interactions in organizations in Finland, in order to examine the extent to which their expatriation experiences have allowed for an emancipatory opportunity in their cases (in essays 3 and 4). The primary theoretical contribution in this study lies in its new articulation of the dynamics of bicultural interactions in organizations. The ways in which the empirical material is analyzed bring about methodological contributions: since the expatriates’ accounts are bound to be some kind of construction, the analysis is made from angles that point to how the self-narratives construct reality. There are two such angles here: a ‘performative’ one and a ‘spatial’ one. The most important empirical contributions lie in the analysis of, on the one hand, the alternative uses that the young expatriates made of the notion of ‘national culture’ in their self-narratives, and, on the other hand, their ‘narrative practices of the third space’: their politics of escape or stabilization, their exploration of space or search for place, their emancipation from their origin or return to home as only horizon.

The Narrative Turn in the French Novel of the 1970s

The most important French literary movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the nouveau roman, radically questioned the idea of the novel as storytelling, claiming that narratives create a false illusion of the world’s intelligibility. However, in the 1970s storytelling finds its way back into the French novel – a shift that has been characterized as the “return of the narrative”. In my article, I argue that the “narrative turn” in the French novel of the 1970s can be seen as a turn towards a fundamentally hermeneutic view of the narrative mediatedness of our relation to the world. From a hermeneutic perspective, the nouveaux romanciers – insofar as they reject the narrative in order to disclose the discontinuous, fragmentary and chaotic nature of reality – hang onto the positivistic idea that “real” is only that which is independent of human meaning-giving processes. By contrast, the hermeneutists, such as Paul Ricoeur, consider also the human experience of the world to be real, and largely narrative in form. This view is shared by the principal novelists associated with the narrative turn, such as Michel Tournier to whom man is a “mythological animal”. However, after the nouveau roman , narratives have lost their innocence: they no longer appear as “natural” but are conscious of their own narrativity, historicity, and the way they represent only one possible – inevitably ethically and politically charged – perspective into reality. By making storytelling thematic and by telling “counter-stories” that question prevailing models of sense-making, Tournier and other “new storytellers” strive to promote critical reflection on the stories on the basis of which we orient to the world and narrate our lives – both as individuals and as communities.

Estimation of cutting volume with three inventory methods for harvest planning in Canadian boreal forests.

Two methods of pre-harvest inventory were designed and tested on three cutting sites containing a total of 197 500 m3 of wood. These sites were located on flat-ground boreal forests located in northwestern Quebec. Both methods studied involved scaling of trees harvested to clear the road path one year (or more) prior to harvest of adjacent cut-blocks. The first method (ROAD) considers the total road right-of-way volume divided by the total road area cleared. The resulting volume per hectare is then multiplied by the total cut-block area scheduled for harvest during the following year to obtain the total estimated cutting volume. The second method (STRATIFIED) also involves scaling of trees cleared from the road. However, in STRATIFIED, log scaling data are stratified by forest stand location. A volume per hectare is calculated for each stretch of road that crosses a single forest stand. This volume per hectare is then multiplied by the remaining area of the same forest stand scheduled for harvest one year later. The sum of all resulting estimated volumes per stand gives the total estimated cutting-volume for all cut-blocks adjacent to the studied road. A third method (MNR) was also used to estimate cut-volumes of the sites studied. This method represents the actual existing technique for estimating cutting volume in the province of Quebec. It involves summing the cut volume for all forest stands. The cut volume is estimated by multiplying the area of each stand by its estimated volume per hectare obtained from standard stock tables provided by the governement. The resulting total estimated volume per cut-block for all three methods was then compared with the actual measured cut-block volume (MEASURED). This analysis revealed a significant difference between MEASURED and MNR methods with the MNR volume estimate being 30 % higher than MEASURED. However, no significant difference from MEASURED was observed for volume estimates for the ROAD and STRATIFIED methods which respectively had estimated cutting volumes 19 % and 5 % lower than MEASURED. Thus the ROAD and STRATIFIED methods are good ways to estimate cut-block volumes after road right-of-way harvest for conditions similar to those examined in this study.

Identification of miRNAs from French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) under low nitrate stress

Objective: In this study, we report the role of miRNAs involved under nitrogen starvation from widely grown vegetable crop, French bean. In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to the elucidation of miRNAs involved in low nitrate stress. Methods: To identify miRNAs expressed under stress, cDNA libraries were analyzed. Results: We reported the nine potential miRNAs with 67 targets involved in nutrient transporters and other stress specific genes. Among the miRNA sequences obtained 6 sequences belong to miR172 family, one with miR169. RT-PCR analysis of expression of miR172 family was induced upon low nitrate stress while miR169 family was repressed. In addition, Pvu-SN7b and Pvu-miR16 may be new members of miRNA172 and miR169 families, respectively. Conclusion: The targets of Pvu-SN7b were major protein kinases, one among which is the Protein Kinase CK2. CK2 Kinase is found to involve in transcription-directed signaling, gene control and cell-cycle regulation. Other targets of Pvu-SN7b were involved in DNA-dependent transcription regulation, photo-periodism, calcium-mediated signaling. Pvu-miR16 targets Thymidine kinase, the key enzyme of deoxy-nucleotide synthesis. The cleavage of these targets affects cell proliferation there by affecting nodule formation. Pvu-miR8 inhibits translation of its target protein Pre-protein translocase, a membrane-bound protein transporter involved in trans-membrane protein transportation. Together these results denote the response and role of miRNAs to nitrate-limiting conditions in French bean.

80 C 146 U.S. Aeroplane carrier "Saratoga" and French cruiser "Joan D'Arc" in Pedro Miguel Lock - Panama Canal - 2/7/28

Leonard Carpenter Panama Canal Collection. Photographs: Views of Panama and the Canal. [Box 1] from the Special Collections & Area Studies Department, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

Subcutaneous fat composition of youthful and mature Canadian beef: emphasis on individual conjugated linoleic acid and trans-18:1 isomers

[EN]A comprehensive evaluation of the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue from beef cattle produced in western Canada was undertaken to determine if the current Canadian grading system is able to distinguish classes of animals with value added potential due to their fatty acid composition. Grades included youthful Canadian Yield Grade 1 A/AA beef, under (YUTM) and over (YOTM) 30 mo of age and the four mature grades (D1, D2, D2 and D4). Subcutaneous fat between the 12th and 13th ribs over the longissimus muscle was obtained from 18_21 animals per grade. Fatty acids were analyzed using a combination of silver-ion HPLC and GC with a highly polar 100 m column. There were no differences in total trans-18:1 content amongst grades, but adipose tissue from grade D1, D2 and D4 had more 11t-18:1 than YUTM (PB0.05), whereas adipose tissue from YUTM carcasses had more 10t-18:1 than all other grades (PB0.05). Adipose tissue from YUTM carcasses also had less total CLA (PB0.05) than the D grades, mainly due to a lower level of 9c,11t-CLA, but they had slightly more 7t,9c-CLA and 10t,12c-CLA (PB0.05). Adipose tissue from YOTM and D grades contained more n-3 fatty acids relative to YUTM (0.56% vs. 0.29%; PB0.05) and lower n-6:n-3 ratios (PB0.05). Overall, older animals (YOTM and D grades) had adipose tissue compositions with higher levels of fatty acids with reported health benefits. Taken together, these higher levels may provide opportunities for value added marketing if regulatory authorities allow claims for their enrichment based on demonstrated health benefits. Higher concentrations of beneficial fatty acids, however, need to be considered within the context of the complete fatty acid profile and it would be important to demonstrate their advantages in the presence of relatively high levels of saturated fatty acids.

Survey of the fatty acid composition of Canadian beef: Backfat and longissimus lumborum muscle

[EN]A survey of Canadian retail beef was undertaken with emphasis on the trans fatty acid (TFA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, and compared with current health recommendations. Thirty striploin steaks were collected in the winter and summer from major grocery stores in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Steak fatty acid compositions (backfat and longissimus lumborum muscle analysed separately) showed minor seasonal differences with lower total saturates (PB0.05) and higher total monounsaturates (PB 0.01) in winter, but no differences in total polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ratio of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in longissimus lumborum averaged 5.8. The average TFA content in longissimus lumborum was 0.128 g 100 g_1 serving size, and 10t-18:1 was found to be the predominant isomer (32% of total trans), while vaccenic acid was second most abundant (15% of total trans). The CLA content in longissimus lumborum was similar to that of backfat, ranging from 0.43 to 0.60% of total fatty acids and rumenic acid represented 60% of total isomers. Overall, there is still room for improvement in the saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of Canadian beef to meet general dietary guidelines for human consumption and additional targets should include reducing 10t-18:1 while increasing both rumenic and vaccenic acids.

Association analyses of DNA polymorphisms in bovine SREBP-1, LXRα,FADS1 genes with fatty acid composition in Canadian commercial crossbred beef steers

Two previously reported DNA polymorphisms of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (SREBP1) and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) and two DNA polymorphisms of fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) were evaluated for associations with fatty acids in brisket adipose tissue of Canadian cross-bred beef steers. The polymorphism of 84 bp insert/deletion in intron 5 of SREBP1 was significantly associated with the concentration of 9c C17:1 (P=0.013). The G>A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the exon 4 of LXRα gene was associated with the concentration of 9c, 11t C18:2 (P=0.04), sum of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) (P=0.025) and 11c C20:1(P=0.042). Two DNA polymorphisms in the promoter region of FADS1, deletion/insertion of ->GTG in rs133053720 and SNP A>G in rs42187276, were significantly associated with concentrations of C17:0 iso, C17:0 ai, total branched chain fatty acids (BFA), 12t C18:1, 13t/14t C18:1, 15t C18:1, and 13c C18:1 (P<0.05). Further studies are needed to validate the associations and to delineate the roles of the gene polymorphisms in determining the fatty acid composition in beef tissues.

Analysis of volatility transmissions in integrated and interconnected markets: The case of the Iberian and French markets

This paper models the mean and volatility spillovers of prices within the integrated Iberian and the interconnected Spanish and French electricity markets. Using the constant (CCC) and dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) bivariate models with three different specifications of the univariate variance processes, we study the extent to which increasing interconnection and harmonization in regulation have favoured price convergence. The data consist of daily prices calculated as the arithmetic mean of the hourly prices over a span from July 1st 2007 until February 29th 2012. The DCC model in which the variances of the univariate processes are specified with a VARMA(1,1) fits the data best for the integrated MIBEL whereas a CCC model with a GARCH(1,1) specification for the univariate variance processes is selected to model the price series in Spain and France. Results show that there are significant mean and volatility spillovers in the MIBEL, indicating strong interdependence between the two markets, while there is a weaker evidence of integration between the Spanish and French markets. We provide new evidence that the EU target of achieving a single electricity market largely depends on increasing trade between countries and homogeneous rules of market functioning.

I. A seismotectonic study of the Middle America Subduction Zone. II. Lithosphere and upper mantle structure of the Canadian Shield and Eastern North America

This thesis consists of two separate parts. Part I (Chapter 1) is concerned with seismotectonics of the Middle America subduction zone. In this chapter, stress distribution and Benioff zone geometry are investigated along almost 2000 km of this subduction zone, from the Rivera Fracture Zone in the north to Guatemala in the south. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects on stress distribution of two aseismic ridges, the Tehuantepec Ridge and the Orozco Fracture Zone, which subduct at seismic gaps. Stress distribution is determined by studying seismicity distribution, and by analysis of 190 focal mechanisms, both new and previously published, which are collected here. In addition, two recent large earthquakes that have occurred near the Tehuantepec Ridge and the Orozco Fracture Zone are discussed in more detail. A consistent stress release pattern is found along most of the Middle America subduction zone: thrust events at shallow depths, followed down-dip by an area of low seismic activity, followed by a zone of normal events at over 175 km from the trench and 60 km depth. The zone of low activity is interpreted as showing decoupling of the plates, and the zone of normal activity as showing the breakup of the descending plate. The portion of subducted lithosphere containing the Orozco Fracture Zone does not differ significantly, in Benioff zone geometry or in stress distribution, from adjoining segments. The Playa Azul earthquake of October 25, 1981, M_s=7.3, occurred in this area. Body and surface wave analysis of this event shows a simple source with a shallow thrust mechanism and gives M_o=1.3x10²⁷ dyne-cm. A stress drop of about 45 bars is calculated; this is slightly higher than that of other thrust events in this subduction zone. In the Tehuantepec Ridge area, only minor differences in stress distribution are seen relative to adjoining segments. For both ridges, the only major difference from adjoining areas is the infrequency or lack of occurrence of large interplate thrust events.

Part II involves upper mantle P wave structure studies, for the Canadian shield and eastern North America. In Chapter 2, the P wave structure of the Canadian shield is determined through forward waveform modeling of the phases P_nl, P, and PP. Effects of lateral heterogeneity are kept to a minimum by using earthquakes just outside the shield as sources, with propagation paths largely within the shield. Previous mantle structure studies have used recordings of P waves in the upper mantle triplication range of 15-30°; however, the lack of large earthquakes in the shield region makes compilation of a complete P wave dataset difficult. By using the phase PP, which undergoes triplications at 30-60°, much more information becomes available. The WKBJ technique is used to calculate synthetic seismograms for PP, and these records are modeled almost as well as the P. A new velocity model, designated S25, is proposed for the Canadian shield. This model contains a thick, high-Q, high-velocity lid to 165 km and a deep low-velocity zone. These features combine to produce seismograms that are markedly different from those generated by other shield structure models. The upper mantle discontinuities in S25 are placed at 405 and 660 km, with a simple linear gradient in velocity between them. Details of the shape of the discontinuities are not well constrained. Below 405 km, this model is not very different from many proposed P wave models for both shield and tectonic regions.

Chapter 3 looks in more detail at recordings of P_nl in eastern North America. First, seismograms from four eastern North American earthquakes are analyzed, and seismic moments for the events are calculated. These earthquakes are important in that they are among the largest to have occurred in eastern North America in the last thirty years, yet in some cases were not large enough to produce many good long-period teleseismic records. A simple layer-over-a-halfspace model is used for the initial modeling, and is found to provide an excellent fit for many features of the observed waveforms. The effects on P_nl of varying lid structure are then investigated. A thick lid with a positive gradient in velocity, such as that proposed for the Canadian shield in Chapter 2, will have a pronounced effect on the waveforms, beginning at distances of 800 or 900 km. P_nl records from the same eastern North American events are recalculated for several lid structure models, to survey what kinds of variations might be seen. For several records it is possible to see likely effects of lid structure in the data. However, the dataset is too sparse to make any general observations about variations in lid structure. This type of modeling is expected to be important in the future, as the analysis is extended to more recent eastern North American events, and as broadband instruments make more high-quality regional recordings available.