University of Minnesota

About: University of Minnesota is a education organization based out in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 117432 authors who have published 257986 publications receiving 11944239 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities & University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

A novel iron-regulated metal transporter from plants identified by functional expression in yeast

Abstract: Iron is an essential nutrient for virtually all organisms. The IRT1 (iron-regulated transporter) gene of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, encoding a probable Fe(II) transporter, was cloned by functional expression in a yeast strain defective for iron uptake. Yeast expressing IRT1 possess a novel Fe(II) uptake activity that is strongly inhibited by Cd. IRT1 is predicted to be an integral membrane protein with a metal-binding domain. Data base comparisons and Southern blot analysis indicated that IRT1 is a member of a gene family in Arabidopsis. Related sequences were also found in the genomes of rice, yeast, nematodes, and humans. In Arabidopsis, IRT1 is expressed in roots, is induced by iron deficiency, and has altered regulation in plant lines bearing mutations that affect the iron uptake system. These results provide the first molecular insight into iron transport by plants.

Global environmental impacts of agricultural expansion: The need for sustainable and efficient practices

Abstract: The recent intensification of agriculture, and the prospects of future intensification, will have major detrimental impacts on the nonagricultural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the world. The doubling of agricultural food production during the past 35 years was associated with a 6.87-fold increase in nitrogen fertilization, a 3.48-fold increase in phosphorus fertilization, a 1.68-fold increase in the amount of irrigated cropland, and a 1.1-fold increase in land in cultivation. Based on a simple linear extension of past trends, the anticipated next doubling of global food production would be associated with approximately 3-fold increases in nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization rates, a doubling of the irrigated land area, and an 18% increase in cropland. These projected changes would have dramatic impacts on the diversity, composition, and functioning of the remaining natural ecosystems of the world, and on their ability to provide society with a variety of essential ecosystem services. The largest impacts would be on freshwater and marine ecosystems, which would be greatly eutrophied by high rates of nitrogen and phosphorus release from agricultural fields. Aquatic nutrient eutrophication can lead to loss of biodiversity, outbreaks of nuisance species, shifts in the structure of food chains, and impairment of fisheries. Because of aerial redistribution of various forms of nitrogen, agricultural intensification also would eutrophy many natural terrestrial ecosystems and contribute to atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases. These detrimental environmental impacts of agriculture can be minimized only if there is much more efficient use and recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus in agroecosystems.

Catalysis Research of Relevance to Carbon Management: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract: There is increased recognition by the world’s scientific, industrial, and political communities that the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere, particularly CO_2, are increasing. For example, recent studies of Antarctic ice cores to depths of over 3600 m, spanning over 420 000 years, indicate an 80 ppm increase in atmospheric CO_2 in the past 200 years (with most of this increase occurring in the past 50 years) compared to the previous 80 ppm increase that required 10 000 years.2 The 160 nation Framework Convention for Climate Change (FCCC) in Kyoto focused world attention on possible links between CO2 and future climate change and active discussion of these issues continues.3 In the United States, the PCAST report4 “Federal Energy Research and Development for the Challenges of the Twenty First Century” focused attention on the growing worldwide demand for energy and the need to move away from current fossil fuel utilization. According to the U.S. DOE Energy Information Administration,5 carbon emission from the transportation (air, ground, sea), industrial (heavy manufacturing, agriculture, construction, mining, chemicals, petroleum), buildings (internal heating, cooling, lighting), and electrical (power generation) sectors of the World economy amounted to ca. 1823 million metric tons (MMT) in 1990, with an estimated increase to 2466 MMT in 2008-2012 (Table 1).

Sources of human psychological differences: the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.

Abstract: Since 1979, a continuing study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, separated in infancy and reared apart, has subjected more than 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets to a week of intensive psychological and physiological assessment. Like the prior, smaller studies of monozygotic twins reared apart, about 70% of the variance in IQ was found to be associated with genetic variation. On multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests, and social attitudes, monozygotic twins reared apart are about as similar as are monozygotic twins reared together. These findings extend and support those from numerous other twin, family, and adoption studies. It is a plausible hypothesis that genetic differences affect psychological differences largely indirectly, by influencing the effective environment of the developing child. This evidence for the strong heritability of most psychological traits, sensibly construed, does not detract from the value or importance of parenting, education, and other propaedeutic interventions.