Alternatives

About: Alternatives is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Layer (electronics) & Substrate (printing). The organization has 4620 authors who have published 3394 publications receiving 36218 citations.

Environmental Genome Shotgun Sequencing of the Sargasso Sea

Abstract: We have applied “whole-genome shotgun sequencing” to microbial populations collected en masse on tangential flow and impact filters from seawater samples collected from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. A total of 1.045 billion base pairs of nonredundant sequence was generated, annotated, and analyzed to elucidate the gene content, diversity, and relative abundance of the organisms within these environmental samples. These data are estimated to derive from at least 1800 genomic species based on sequence relatedness, including 148 previously unknown bacterial phylotypes. We have identified over 1.2 million previously unknown genes represented in these samples, including more than 782 new rhodopsin-like photoreceptors. Variation in species present and stoichiometry suggests substantial oceanic microbial diversity. Microorganisms are responsible for most of the biogeochemical cycles that shape the environment of Earth and its oceans. Yet, these organisms are the least well understood on Earth, as the ability to study and understand the metabolic potential of microorganisms has been hampered by the inability to generate pure cultures. Recent studies have begun to explore environ

Genome sequence of the Brown Norway rat yields insights into mammalian evolution

Abstract: The laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) is an indispensable tool in experimental medicine and drug development, having made inestimable contributions to human health. We report here the genome sequence of the Brown Norway (BN) rat strain. The sequence represents a high-quality 'draft' covering over 90% of the genome. The BN rat sequence is the third complete mammalian genome to be deciphered, and three-way comparisons with the human and mouse genomes resolve details of mammalian evolution. This first comprehensive analysis includes genes and proteins and their relation to human disease, repeated sequences, comparative genome-wide studies of mammalian orthologous chromosomal regions and rearrangement breakpoints, reconstruction of ancestral karyotypes and the events leading to existing species, rates of variation, and lineage-specific and lineage-independent evolutionary events such as expansion of gene families, orthology relations and protein evolution.

Measuring Social Capital in Five Communities

Abstract: This article develops an empirically grounded definition of social capital. Drawing on the work of Coleman and Putnam and others, the article discusses social capital in terms of participation in networks, reciprocity, trust, social norms, the commons, and social agency. Potential items to measure these elements were developed in an empirical study. A questionnaire containing 68 potential items was administered to approximately 1,200 adults in five Australian communities: two rural communities, two outer metropolitan areas, and one inner-city area of Sydney. The responses were subjected to extensive statistical analysis involving a hierarchical factor analysis, which identified a single general underlying factor and eight orthogonal specific factors, accounting for 49% of the variance. Three of the specific factors identified were community participation, agency, and trust. The five communities differed significantly in terms of the general and specific factors.

Low-pressure hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propylene glycol

Abstract: Hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propylene glycol was performed using nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, and copper-chromite catalysts. The effects of temperature, hydrogen pressure, initial water content, choice of catalyst, catalyst reduction temperature, and the amount of catalyst were evaluated. At temperatures above 200 °C and hydrogen pressure of 200 psi, the selectivity to propylene glycol decreased due to excessive hydrogenolysis of the propylene glycol. At 200 psi and 200 °C the pressures and temperaures were significantly lower than those reported in the literature while maintaining high selectivities and good conversions. The yield of propylene glycol increased with decreasing water content. A new reaction pathway for converting glycerol to propylene glycol via an intermediate was validated by isolating the acetol intermediate.