Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of SlNRAMP Genes in Tomato under Nutrient Deficiency and Cadmium Stress during Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are well known for enhancing phosphorus uptake in plants; however, their regulating roles in cation transporting gene family, such as natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP), are still limited. Here, we performed bioinformatics analysis and quantitative expression assays of tomato SlNRAMP 1 to 5 genes under nutrient deficiency and cadmium (Cd) stress in response to AM symbiosis. These five SlNRAMP members are mainly located in the plasma or vacuolar membrane and can be divided into two subfamilies. Cis-element analysis revealed several motifs involved in phytohormonal and abiotic regulation in their promoters. SlNRAMP2 was downregulated by iron deficiency, while SlNRAMP1, SlNRAMP3, SlNRAMP4, and SlNRAMP5 responded positively to copper-, zinc-, and manganese-deficient conditions. AM colonization reduced Cd accumulation and expression of SlNRAMP3 but enhanced SlNRAMP1, SlNRAMP2, and SlNRMAP4 in plants under Cd stress. These findings provide valuable genetic information for improving tomato resilience to nutrient deficiency and heavy metal stress by developing AM symbiosis.

An Evaluation of Projection Methods for Detailed Small Area Projections: An Application and Validation to King County, Washington.

Population projections are used by a number of local agencies to better prepare for the future resource needs of counties, ensuring that educational, health, housing, and economic demands of individuals are met. Meeting the specific needs of a county's population, such as what resources to provide, where to target resources, and ensure an equitable distribution of those resources, requires population projections which are both demographically detailed, such as by age, race, and ethnicity, and geographically precise, such as at the census tract level. Despite this need, an evaluation of which methods are best suited to produce population projections at this level are lacking. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy of several cohort-based methods for small area population projections by race and ethnicity. We apply these methods to population projections of King County, Washington and assess the validity of projections using past population estimates. We find a clear pattern that demonstrates while simplified methods perform well in near term forecasts, methods which employ smoothing strategies perform better in long-term forecasting scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrate that model's incorporating multiple stages of smoothing can provide detailed insights into the projected population size of King county and the places and groups which will most contribute to this growth. Detailed projections, such as those provided by multi-stage smoothing methods, enable city planners and policy makers a detailed view of the future structure of their county's population and provide for them a resource to better meet the needs of future populations.

The distribution and human health risk assessment of eight neonicotinoid residues in agricultural soils from four provinces, south China.

The widespread use of neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides in China's agricultural sector has led to high residual concentrations in the agroecosystem. Since soil is the primary source of direct pesticide exposure, soil contamination is a significant concern, particularly in regions with extensive agricultural production. This study aims to determine the spatial distribution of neonics in farmlands from four southern provinces that are home to China's crucial commercial grain bases. By combining eight neonics into imidacloprid-equivalent total neonics (IMIRPF) using the relative potency factor method, the ecological risks to humans were also assessed. The results showed that imidacloprid had the highest detection rate (96%-100%), followed by thiamethoxam and clothianidin, which ranged from 44% to 64%. Maximum and average IMIRPF values in soil samples from Zhejiang Province were 277.02 and 46.05 µg kg-1 (dry weight), respectively. Guangdong (maximum = 191.62 µg kg-1, mean = 39.70 µg kg-1) and Jiangxi (maximum = 199.13 µg kg-1, mean = 28.95 µg kg-1) had comparable IMIRPF while Jiangsu had the lowest level of total neonics, with a maximum of 86.07 µg kg-1 and a mean of 19.49 µg kg-1. A significant positive correlation between IMIRPF and total organic carbon in soils was also found. The average daily doses of neonics from soil-borne exposure through food intake, soil ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact calculated for adults and children in each province were all lower than the reference dose (RfD, 57 µg kg-1 d-1) of imidacloprid. However, the potential health risk to human health cannot be disregarded, given their increasing use and pervasiveness in the environment. Our results help to raise concerns about the safety of the agroecological environment under neonic exposure in the major agricultural provinces of southern China.

A microfluidic sub-critical water extraction instrument.

This article discusses a microfluidic subcritical water extraction (SCWE) chip for autonomous extraction of amino acids from astrobiologically interesting samples. The microfluidic instrument is composed of three major components. These include a mixing chamber where the soil sample is mixed and agitated with the solvent (water), a subcritical water extraction chamber where the sample is sealed with a freeze valve at the chip inlet after a vapor bubble is injected into the inlet channels to ensure the pressure in the chip is in equilibrium with the vapor pressure and the slurry is then heated to ≤200 °C in the SCWE chamber, and a filter or settling chamber where the slurry is pumped to after extraction. The extraction yield of the microfluidic SCWE chip process ranged from 50% compared to acid hydrolysis and 80%-100% compared to a benchtop microwave SCWE for low biomass samples.

Modeling and computer simulation of ultrasonic/sonic driller/corer (USDC).

Simulation and analytical models for the ultrasonic/sonic drill/corer (USDC) are described in this paper. The USDC was developed as a tool for in-situ rock sampling and analysis in support of the NASA planetary exploration program. The USDC uses a novel drive mechanism, which transfers ultrasonic vibrations of a piezoelectric actuator into larger oscillations of a free-flying mass (free-mass). The free-mass impact on the drill bit creates a stress pulse at the drill tip/rock interface causing fracture in the rock. The main parts of the device (transducer, free-mass, bit, and rock) and the interactions between them were analyzed and numerically modeled to explore the drive mechanism. Each of these interactions is normally described by a time-dependent 2- or 3-D model involving slowly converging solutions, which makes the conventional approach unsuitable for USDC optimization studies. A simplified integrated model using tabulated data was developed to simulate the operation of the USDC on desktop PC and successfully predicted the characteristics of the device under a variety of conditions. The simulated results of the model and the experimental data used to verify the model are presented.

Piezoelectric multilayer actuator life test.

Potential NASA optical missions such as the Space Interferometer Mission require actuators for precision positioning to accuracies of the order of nanometers. Commercially available multilayer piezoelectric stack actuators are being considered for driving these precision mirror positioning mechanisms. These mechanisms have potential mission operational requirements that exceed 5 years for one mission life. To test the feasibility of using these commercial actuators for these applications and to determine their reliability and the redundancy requirements, a life test study was undertaken. The nominal actuator requirements for the most critical actuators on the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) in terms of number of cycles was estimated from the Modulation Optics Mechanism (MOM) and Pathlength control Optics Mechanism (POM) and these requirements were used to define the study. At a nominal drive frequency of 250 Hz, one mission life is calculated to be 40 billion cycles. In this study, a set of commercial PZT stacks configured in a potential flight actuator configuration (pre-stressed to 18 MPa and bonded in flexures) were tested for up to 100 billion cycles. Each test flexure allowed for two sets of primary and redundant stacks to be mechanically connected in series. The tests were controlled using an automated software control and data acquisition system that set up the test parameters and monitored the waveform of the stack electrical current and voltage. The samples were driven between 0 and 20 V at 2000 Hz to accelerate the life test and mimic the voltage amplitude that is expected to be applied to the stacks during operation. During the life test, 10 primary stacks were driven and 10 redundant stacks, mechanically in series with the driven stacks, were open-circuited. The stroke determined from a strain gauge, the temperature and humidity in the chamber, and the temperature of each individual stack were recorded. Other properties of the stacks, including the displacement from a capacitance gap sensor and impedance spectra were measured at specific intervals. The average degradation in the stroke over the life test was found to be small (<3%) for the primary stacks and <4% for the redundant stacks. It was noted that about half of the stroke reduction occurred within the first 10 billion cycles. At the end of the life test, it was found that the actuator could recover about half of the lost stroke by applying a dc voltage of 100 V at room temperature. The data up to 100 billion cycles for these tests and the analysis of the experimental results are presented in this paper.