Oregon State University

About: Oregon State University is a education organization based out in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Climate change. The organization has 28192 authors who have published 64044 publications receiving 2634108 citations. The organization is also known as: Oregon Agricultural College & OSU.

DICER-LIKE 4 functions in trans-acting small interfering RNA biogenesis and vegetative phase change in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract: Arabidopsis thaliana contains four DICER-LIKE (DCL) genes with specialized functions in small RNA biogenesis for RNA interference-related processes. A mutant with defects in DCL4 was identified and analyzed for microRNA- and endogenous, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-related functions. The dcl4-2 mutant contained normal or near-normal levels of microRNAs (21 nt) and heterochromatin-associated siRNAs (24 nt). In contrast, this mutant lacked each of three families of 21-nt trans-acting siRNAs (ta-siRNAs) and possessed elevated levels of ta-siRNA target transcripts. The dcl4-2 mutant resembled an rna-dependent RNA polymerase 6 mutant in that both mutants lacked ta-siRNAs and displayed heterochronic defects in which vegetative phase change was accelerated. Double mutant analyses with dcl2-1, dcl3-1, and dcl4-2 alleles revealed hierarchical redundancy among DCL activities, leading to alternative processing of ta-siRNA precursors in the absence of DCL4. These data support the concept that plants have specialized and compartmentalized DCL functions for biogenesis of distinct small RNA classes.

Harvesting Energy from the Marine Sediment−Water Interface

Abstract: Pairs of platinum mesh or graphite fiber-based electrodes, one embedded in marine sediment (anode), the other in proximal seawater (cathode), have been used to harvest low-level power from natural, microbe established, voltage gradients at marine sediment−seawater interfaces in laboratory aquaria. The sustained power harvested thus far has been on the order of 0.01 W/m2 of electrode geometric area but is dependent on electrode design, sediment composition, and temperature. It is proposed that the sediment/anode−seawater/cathode configuration constitutes a microbial fuel cell in which power results from the net oxidation of sediment organic matter by dissolved seawater oxygen. Considering typical sediment organic carbon contents, typical fluxes of additional reduced carbon by sedimentation to sea floors < 1000 m deep, and the proven viability of dissolved seawater oxygen as an oxidant for power generation by seawater batteries, it is calculated that optimized power supplies based on the phenomenon demonstr...