Iowa State University

About: Iowa State University is a education organization based out in Ames, Iowa, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 50151 authors who have published 107716 publications receiving 3355909 citations. The organization is also known as: Iowa State University of Science and Technology & Iowa State College.

Understanding the fast pyrolysis of lignin.

Abstract: In the present study, pyrolysis of corn stover lignin was investigated by using a micro-pyrolyzer coupled with a GC-MS/FID (FID=flame ionization detector). The system has pyrolysis-vapor residence times of 15-20 ms, thus providing a regime of minimal secondary reactions. The primary pyrolysis product distribution obtained from lignin is reported. Over 84 % mass balance and almost complete closure on carbon balance is achieved. In another set of experiments, the pyrolysis vapors emerging from the micro-pyrolyzer are condensed to obtain lignin-derived bio-oil. The chemical composition of the bio-oil is analyzed by using GC-MS and gel permeation chromatography techniques. The comparison between results of two sets of experiments indicates that monomeric compounds are the primary pyrolysis products of lignin, which recombine after primary pyrolysis to produce oligomeric compounds. Further, the effect of minerals (NaCl, KCl, MgCl(2), and CaCl(2)) and temperature on the primary pyrolysis product distribution is investigated. The study provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms of lignin pyrolysis and a basis for developing more descriptive models of biomass pyrolysis.

Haddad, Lawrence, John Hoddinott, and Harold Alderman, eds. Intrahousehold Resource Allocation in Developing Countries: Models, Methods, and Policy. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997, 384 pp., $55.00

Abstract: In this volume economists, demographers, sociologists and anthropologists collaborate in the study of how resources are allocated within households in developing countries and why it matters from a policy perspective. Surveying a broad range of theory and evidence, the contributors examine the many social and cultural factors that influence decisions about the family and household level about the allocation of time, income, assets and other resources. Ths contributors show that a more complete understanding of intrahousehold behaviour can increase the likelihood that policies will reach the people they are intended to affect.

Unified theory of effects of vortex pinning and flux creep upon the rf surface impedance of type-II superconductors.

Abstract: We present a new theoretical approach that permits the rf surface impedance ${\mathit{Z}}_{\mathit{s}}$ of type-II superconductors to be calculated over a wide range of angular frequencies \ensuremath{\omega}, magnetic inductions B, and temperatures T. Our approach, based on a self-consistent treatment of vortex dynamics, includes the influence of both vortex pinning and flux creep upon ${\mathit{Z}}_{\mathit{s}}$ in a unified manner, by making use of continued-fraction-expansion results for the dynamic mobility of a particle undergoing Brownian motion in a periodic potential.

Calcium Elevation in Astrocytes Causes an NMDA Receptor-Dependent Increase in the Frequency of Miniature Synaptic Currents in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Abstract: Astrocytes exhibit a form of excitability and communication on the basis of intracellular Ca2+ variations (Cornell-Bell et al., 1990; Charles et al., 1991) that can be initiated by neuronal activity (Dani et al., 1992; Porter and McCarthy, 1996). A Ca2+ elevation in astrocytes induces the release of glutamate (Parpura et al., 1994; Pasti et al., 1997; Araque et al., 1998;Bezzi et al., 1998), which evokes a slow inward current in neurons and modulates action potential-evoked synaptic transmission between cultured hippocampal cells (Araque et al., 1998), suggesting that astrocytes and neurons may function as a network with bidirectional communication. Here we show that a Ca2+ elevation in astrocytes increases the frequency of excitatory as well as inhibitory miniature postsynaptic currents (mPSCs), without modifying their amplitudes. Thapsigargin incubation, microinjection of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA, and photolysis of the Ca2+ cage NP-EGTA demonstrate that a Ca2+ elevation in astrocytes is both necessary and sufficient to modulate spontaneous transmitter release. This Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate from astrocytes enhances mPSC frequency by acting on NMDA glutamate receptors, because it is antagonized by D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5) or extracellular Mg2+. These NMDA receptors are located extrasynaptically, because blockage specifically of synaptic NMDA receptors by synaptic activation in the presence of the open channel blocker MK-801 did not impair the AP5-sensitive astrocyte-induced increase of mPSC frequency. Therefore, astrocytes modulate spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission by increasing the probability of transmitter release via the activation of NMDA receptors.

Protein Oxidation: Basic Principles and Implications for Meat Quality

Abstract: The involvement of oxidized proteins to the development of biological diseases has been studied for a few decades, but the effects and the mechanisms of protein oxidation in food systems are largely unknown. Protein oxidation is defined as the covalent modification of a protein induced either by the direct reactions with reactive oxygen species (ROS) or indirect reactions with secondary by-products of oxidative stress. ROS can cause oxidation in both amino acid side chains and protein backbones, resulting in protein fragmentation or protein-protein cross-linkages. Although all amino acids can be modified by ROS, cysteine, and methionine that are the most susceptible to oxidative changes due to high reaction susceptibility of the sulfur group in those amino acids. Oxidative modifications of proteins can change their physical and chemical properties, including conformation, structure, solubility, susceptibility to proteolysis, and enzyme activities. These modifications can be involved in the regulation of fresh meat quality and influence the processing properties of meat products. Oxidative stress occurs when the formation of oxidants exceeds the ability of antioxidant systems to remove the ROS in organisms. Increased levels of protein oxidation have been associated with various biological consequences, including diseases and aging, in humans and other animal species. The basic principles and products of protein oxidation and the implications of protein oxidation in food systems, especially in meat, are discussed in this review.