Chemical and Biological Defense Program Annual Report to Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

activities , which are closely guarded secrets. The prevalence of dual-use technologies and legitimate civilian applications means nuclear, chemical and...and non-state actors can conceal WMD programs and related activities , the United States, its allies and partners must expect further intelligence gaps... activities into three objective areas: Homeland Defense, War on Terror/Irregular (Asymmetric) Warfare, and Conventional Campaigns. In each area, it

Variation in Chemical Defense Among Natural Populations of Common Toad, Bufo bufo, Tadpoles: the Role of Environmental Factors.

PubMed

Bókony, Veronika; Móricz, Ágnes M; Tóth, Zsófia; Gál, Zoltán; Kurali, Anikó; Mikó, Zsanett; Pásztor, Katalin; Szederkényi, Márk; Tóth, Zoltán; Ujszegi, János; Üveges, Bálint; Krüzselyi, Dániel; Capon, Robert J; Hoi, Herbert; Hettyey, Attila

2016-04-01

Defensive toxins are widespread in nature, yet we know little about how various environmental factors shape the evolution of chemical defense, especially in vertebrates. In this study we investigated the natural variation in the amount and composition of bufadienolide toxins, and the relative importance of ecological factors in predicting that variation, in larvae of the common toad, Bufo bufo, an amphibian that produces toxins de novo. We found that tadpoles' toxin content varied markedly among populations, and the number of compounds per tadpole also differed between two geographical regions. The most consistent predictor of toxicity was the strength of competition, indicating that tadpoles produced more compounds and larger amounts of toxins when coexisting with more competitors. Additionally, tadpoles tended to contain larger concentrations of bufadienolides in ponds that were less prone to desiccation, suggesting that the costs of toxin production can only be afforded by tadpoles that do not need to drastically speed up their development. Interestingly, this trade-off was not alleviated by higher food abundance, as periphyton biomass had negligible effect on chemical defense. Even more surprisingly, we found no evidence that higher predation risk enhances chemical defenses, suggesting that low predictability of predation risk and high mortality cost of low toxicity might select for constitutive expression of chemical defense irrespective of the actual level of predation risk. Our findings highlight that the variation in chemical defense may be influenced by environmental heterogeneity in both the need for, and constraints on, toxicity as predicted by optimal defense theory.

Evolutionary potential of root chemical defense: genetic correlations with shoot chemistry and plant growth.

PubMed

Parker, J D; Salminen, J-P; Agrawal, Anurag A

2012-08-01

Root herbivores can affect plant fitness, and roots often contain the same secondary metabolites that act as defenses in shoots, but the ecology and evolution of root chemical defense have been little investigated. Here, we investigated genetic variance, heritability, and correlations among defensive phenolic compounds in shoot vs. root tissues of common evening primrose, Oenothera biennis. Across 20 genotypes, there were roughly similar concentrations of total phenolics in shoots vs. roots, but the allocation of particular phenolics to shoots vs. roots varied along a continuum of genotype growth rate. Slow-growing genotypes allocated 2-fold more of the potential pro-oxidant oenothein B to shoots than roots, whereas fast-growing genotypes had roughly equivalent above and belowground concentrations. Phenolic concentrations in both roots and shoots were strongly heritable, with mostly positive patterns of genetic covariation. Nonetheless, there was genotype-specific variation in the presence/absence of two major ellagitannins (oenothein A and its precursor oenothein B), indicating two different chemotypes based on alterations in this chemical pathway. Overall, the presence of strong genetic variation in root defenses suggests ample scope for the evolution of these compounds as defenses against root herbivores.

STICK INSECT CHEMICAL DEFENSES: POTENTIAL FOR USEFUL CHEMISTRY (ORDER PHASMATODEA)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insects make up the most numerous and diverse group of organisms on the planet, yet make up one of the least explored groups of organisms in natural products research (Dossey, A. T., Nat. Prod Rep. 2010, 27, 1737–1757). For about five years our stick insect chemical defense research has led to sever...

Chemical and biological warfare. Should defenses be researched and deployed?

PubMed

Orient, J M

1989-08-04

The threat of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction has intensified because of improved delivery systems and advances in chemistry, genetics, and other sciences. Possible US responses to this threat include deterrence, defenses, and/or disarmament, including a reaffirmation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention of 1972, which is now in jeopardy. This article discusses the history of chemical and biological warfare, existing and potential weapons, the proliferation of weapons and delivery systems, ways to prevent the use of these weapons, and ways to protect populations from their effects.

2011 Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense Advance Planning Briefing for Industry (APBI) Held in Baltimore, Maryland on September 7-9, 2011

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-09

Chemical and Biological Defense Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)/Joint Science & Technology Office (JSTO) Dr. Alan Rudolph , Director, Chemical...Mr. Douglas W. Bryce 9:05 am – 9:45 am Dr. Alan Rudolph Director, Chemical and Biological Technologies Directorate, Defense Threat Reduction...Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense Dr. Alan S. Rudolph Mr. David K. Grimm Acting Heidi Shyu Joint Combat

Heliotropium huascoense resin exudate: chemical constituents and defensive properties.

PubMed

Villarroel, L; Torres, R; Urzúa, A; Reina, M; Cabrera, R; González-Coloma, A

2001-09-01

From the resinous exudate of Heliotropium huascoense a new compound, rel-(8R,9R)-carrizaloic acid, (1) (3-[rel-(8R,9R-9-hydroxy-9,13,13-trimethyl-12-oxo-10-cyclohexenyl)methyl]-4-methoxybenzoic acid), and three known flavonoids, [3-methylgalangin, 3,7-dimethylgalangin, and (-)-alpinone] have been isolated. The structure of 1 was determined by spectral and chemical methods. Several plant defensive properties of 1 (insecticidal and antifungal) have been evaluated.

Elucidating the Chemical Complexity of Organic Aerosol Constituents Measured During the Southeastern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yee, L.; Isaacman, G. A.; Spielman, S. R.; Worton, D. R.; Zhang, H.; Kreisberg, N. M.; Wilson, K. R.; Hering, S. V.; Goldstein, A. H.

2013-12-01

Thousands of volatile organic compounds are uniquely created in the atmosphere, many of which undergo chemical transformations that result in more highly-oxidized and often lower vapor pressure species. These species can contribute to secondary organic aerosol, a complex mixture of organic compounds that is still not chemically well-resolved. Organic aerosol collected on filters taken during the Southeastern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) constitute hundreds of unique chemical compounds. Some of these include known anthropogenic and biogenic tracers characterized using standardized analytical techniques (e.g. GC-MS, UPLC, LC-MS), but the majority of the chemical diversity has yet to be explored. By employing analytical techniques involving sample derivatization and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) with high-resolution-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-ToF-MS), we elucidate the chemical complexity of the organic aerosol matrix along the volatility and polarity grids. Further, by utilizing both electron impact (EI) and novel soft vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ionization mass spectrometry, a greater fraction of the organic mass is fully speciated. The GC x GC-HR-ToF-MS with EI/VUV technique efficiently provides an unprecedented level of speciation for complex ambient samples. We present an extensive chemical characterization and quantification of organic species that goes beyond typical atmospheric tracers in the SOAS samples. We further demonstrate that complex organic mixtures can be chemically deconvoluted by elucidation of chemical formulae, volatility, functionality, and polarity. These parameters provide insight into the sources (anthropogenic vs. biogenic), chemical processes (oxidation pathways), and environmental factors (temperature, humidity), controlling organic aerosol growth in the Southeastern United States.

Leaf habit does not determine the investment in both physical and chemical defences and pair-wise correlations between these defensive traits.

PubMed

Moreira, X; Pearse, I S

2017-05-01

Plant life-history strategies associated with resource acquisition and economics (e.g. leaf habit) are thought to be fundamental determinants of the traits and mechanisms that drive herbivore pressure, resource allocation to plant defensive traits, and the simultaneous expression (positive correlations) or trade-offs (negative correlations) between these defensive traits. In particular, it is expected that evergreen species - which usually grow slower and support constant herbivore pressure in comparison with deciduous species - will exhibit higher levels of both physical and chemical defences and a higher predisposition to the simultaneous expression of physical and chemical defensive traits. Here, by using a dataset which included 56 oak species (Quercus genus), we investigated whether leaf habit of plant species governs the investment in both physical and chemical defences and pair-wise correlations between these defensive traits. Our results showed that leaf habit does not determine the production of most leaf physical and chemical defences. Although evergreen oak species had higher levels of leaf toughness and specific leaf mass (physical defences) than deciduous oak species, both traits are essentially prerequisites for evergreenness. Similarly, our results also showed that leaf habit does not determine pair-wise correlations between defensive traits because most physical and chemical defensive traits were simultaneously expressed in both evergreen and deciduous oak species. Our findings indicate that leaf habit does not substantially contribute to oak species differences in plant defence investment. © 2017 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Chemical and Biological Defense: Designated Entity Needed to Identify, Align, and Manage DOD’s Infrastructure

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

Designated Leader, GAO-10-645 (Washington, D.C.: June 30, 2010). 35See GAO, Biological Defense: DOD Has Strengthened Coordination on Medical... on track to be designated a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design facility. metabolic poisons, and pulmonary toxicants; nerve agent...CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE Designated Entity Needed to Identify, Align, and Manage DOD’s Infrastructure

Chemical Defense of the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens): Variation in Efficiency against Different Consumers and in Different Habitats

PubMed Central

Marion, Zachary H.; Hay, Mark E.

2011-01-01

Amphibian secondary metabolites are well known chemically, but their ecological functions are poorly understood—even for well-studied species. For example, the eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a well known secretor of tetrodotoxin (TTX), with this compound hypothesized to facilitate this salamander's coexistence with a variety of aquatic consumers across the eastern United States. However, this assumption of chemical defense is primarily based on observational data with low replication against only a few predator types. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that N. viridescens is chemically defended against co-occurring fishes, invertebrates, and amphibian generalist predators and that this defense confers high survivorship when newts are transplanted into both fish-containing and fishless habitats. We found that adult eastern newts were unpalatable to predatory fishes (Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus) and a crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), but were readily consumed by bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). The eggs and neonate larvae were also unpalatable to fish (L. macrochirus). Bioassay-guided fractionation confirmed that deterrence is chemical and that ecologically relevant concentrations of TTX would deter feeding. Despite predatory fishes rejecting eastern newts in laboratory assays, field experiments demonstrated that tethered newts suffered high rates of predation in fish-containing ponds. We suggest that this may be due to predation by amphibians (frogs) and reptiles (turtles) that co-occur with fishes rather than from fishes directly. Fishes suppress invertebrate consumers that prey on bullfrog larvae, leading to higher bullfrog densities in fish containing ponds and thus considerable consumption of newts due to bullfrog tolerance of newt chemical defenses. Amphibian chemical defenses, and consumer responses to them, may be more complex and indirect than previously appreciated. PMID:22164212

Proposal of a defense application for a chemical oxygen laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takehisa, K.

2015-05-01

Defense application for a chemical oxygen laser (COL) is explained. Although a COL has not yet been successful in lasing, the oscillator was estimated to produce a giant pulse with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ~0.05ms which makes the damage threshold for the mirrors several-order higher than that for a typical solid-state laser with a ~10ns pulse width. Therefore it has a potential to produce MJ class output considering the simple scalability of being a chemical laser. Since within 0.05ms a supersonic aircraft can move only a few centimeters which is roughly equal to the spot size of the focused beam at ~10km away using a large-diameter focusing mirror, a COL has a potential to make a damage to an enemy aircraft by a single shot without beam tracking. But since the extracted beam can propagate up to a few kilometers due to the absorption in the air, it may be suitable to use in space. While a chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) can give a pulsed output with a width of ~2 ms using a high-pressure singlet oxygen generator (SOG). Therefore a pulsed COIL may also not require beam tracking if a target aircraft is approaching. Another advantage for these pulsed high-energy lasers (HELs) is that, in case of propagating in cloud or fog, much less energy is required for a laser for aerosol vaporization (LAV) than that of a LAV for a CW HEL. Considerations to use a COL as a directed energy weapon (DEW) in a point defense system are shown.

Antipredator defenses predict diversification rates

PubMed Central

Arbuckle, Kevin; Speed, Michael P.

2015-01-01

The “escape-and-radiate” hypothesis predicts that antipredator defenses facilitate adaptive radiations by enabling escape from constraints of predation, diversified habitat use, and subsequently speciation. Animals have evolved diverse strategies to reduce the direct costs of predation, including cryptic coloration and behavior, chemical defenses, mimicry, and advertisement of unprofitability (conspicuous warning coloration). Whereas the survival consequences of these alternative defenses for individuals are well-studied, little attention has been given to the macroevolutionary consequences of alternative forms of defense. Here we show, using amphibians as the first, to our knowledge, large-scale empirical test in animals, that there are important macroevolutionary consequences of alternative defenses. However, the escape-and-radiate hypothesis does not adequately describe them, due to its exclusive focus on speciation. We examined how rates of speciation and extinction vary across defensive traits throughout amphibians. Lineages that use chemical defenses show higher rates of speciation as predicted by escape-and-radiate but also show higher rates of extinction compared with those without chemical defense. The effect of chemical defense is a net reduction in diversification compared with lineages without chemical defense. In contrast, acquisition of conspicuous coloration (often used as warning signals or in mimicry) is associated with heightened speciation rates but unchanged extinction rates. We conclude that predictions based on the escape-and-radiate hypothesis must incorporate the effect of traits on both speciation and extinction, which is rarely considered in such studies. Our results also suggest that knowledge of defensive traits could have a bearing on the predictability of extinction, perhaps especially important in globally threatened taxa such as amphibians. PMID:26483488

Metabolomics in chemical ecology.

PubMed

Kuhlisch, Constanze; Pohnert, Georg

2015-07-01

Chemical ecology elucidates the nature and role of natural products as mediators of organismal interactions. The emerging techniques that can be summarized under the concept of metabolomics provide new opportunities to study such environmentally relevant signaling molecules. Especially comparative tools in metabolomics enable the identification of compounds that are regulated during interaction situations and that might play a role as e.g. pheromones, allelochemicals or in induced and activated defenses. This approach helps overcoming limitations of traditional bioassay-guided structure elucidation approaches. But the power of metabolomics is not limited to the comparison of metabolic profiles of interacting partners. Especially the link to other -omics techniques helps to unravel not only the compounds in question but the entire biosynthetic and genetic re-wiring, required for an ecological response. This review comprehensively highlights successful applications of metabolomics in chemical ecology and discusses existing limitations of these novel techniques. It focuses on recent developments in comparative metabolomics and discusses the use of metabolomics in the systems biology of organismal interactions. It also outlines the potential of large metabolomics initiatives for model organisms in the field of chemical ecology.

DEFENSIVE SPIROKETALS FROM Asceles glaber (PHASMATODEA): ABSOLUTE CONFIGURATION AND EFFECTS ON ANTS AND MOSQUITOES

PubMed Central

DOSSEY, AARON T.; WHITAKER, JOHN M.; DANCEL, MARIA CRISTINA A.; VANDER MEER, ROBERT K.; BERNIER, ULRICH R.; GOTTARDO, MARCO; ROUSH, WILLIAM R.

2012-01-01

Insects are the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, with over 1,000,000 species identified to date. Stick insects (“walkingsticks” or “phasmids”, Order Phasmatodea) are well known for and name derived from their uncanny stereotypical use of camouflage as a primary line of defense from predation. However, many species also possess a potent chemical defense spray. Recently we discovered that the defensive spray of Asceles glaber contains spiroketals (confirmed major component: (2S,6R)-(−)(E)-2-methyl-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane and tentative minor component: 2-ethyl-1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane) and glucose. In this paper we 1) illustrate the identification of spiroketals and glucose in the defense spray of A. glaber using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), and comparison with a synthetic reference sample, 2) provide the elucidation of the absolute configuration of the major spiroketal in that defense spray and 3) demonstrate the effect of this compound and its enantiomer on both fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). PMID:22976590

A Specialist Herbivore Uses Chemical Camouflage to Overcome the Defenses of an Ant-Plant Mutualism

PubMed Central

Whitehead, Susan R.; Reid, Ellen; Sapp, Joseph; Poveda, Katja; Royer, Anne M.; Posto, Amanda L.; Kessler, André

2014-01-01

Many plants and ants engage in mutualisms where plants provide food and shelter to the ants in exchange for protection against herbivores and competitors. Although several species of herbivores thwart ant defenses and extract resources from the plants, the mechanisms that allow these herbivores to avoid attack are poorly understood. The specialist insect herbivore, Piezogaster reclusus (Hemiptera: Coreidae), feeds on Neotropical bull-horn acacias (Vachellia collinsii) despite the presence of Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants that nest in and aggressively defend the trees. We tested three hypotheses for how P. reclusus feeds on V. collinsii while avoiding ant attack: (1) chemical camouflage via cuticular surface compounds, (2) chemical deterrence via metathoracic defense glands, and (3) behavioral traits that reduce ant detection or attack. Our results showed that compounds from both P. reclusus cuticles and metathoracic glands reduce the number of ant attacks, but only cuticular compounds appear to be essential in allowing P. reclusus to feed on bull-horn acacia trees undisturbed. In addition, we found that ant attack rates to P. reclusus increased significantly when individuals were transferred between P. spinicola ant colonies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chemical mimicry of colony-specific ant or host plant odors plays a key role in allowing P. reclusus to circumvent ant defenses and gain access to important resources, including food and possibly enemy-free space. This interaction between ants, acacias, and their herbivores provides an excellent example of the ability of herbivores to adapt to ant defenses of plants and suggests that herbivores may play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms. PMID:25047551

A specialist herbivore uses chemical camouflage to overcome the defenses of an ant-plant mutualism.

PubMed

Whitehead, Susan R; Reid, Ellen; Sapp, Joseph; Poveda, Katja; Royer, Anne M; Posto, Amanda L; Kessler, André

2014-01-01

Many plants and ants engage in mutualisms where plants provide food and shelter to the ants in exchange for protection against herbivores and competitors. Although several species of herbivores thwart ant defenses and extract resources from the plants, the mechanisms that allow these herbivores to avoid attack are poorly understood. The specialist insect herbivore, Piezogaster reclusus (Hemiptera: Coreidae), feeds on Neotropical bull-horn acacias (Vachellia collinsii) despite the presence of Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants that nest in and aggressively defend the trees. We tested three hypotheses for how P. reclusus feeds on V. collinsii while avoiding ant attack: (1) chemical camouflage via cuticular surface compounds, (2) chemical deterrence via metathoracic defense glands, and (3) behavioral traits that reduce ant detection or attack. Our results showed that compounds from both P. reclusus cuticles and metathoracic glands reduce the number of ant attacks, but only cuticular compounds appear to be essential in allowing P. reclusus to feed on bull-horn acacia trees undisturbed. In addition, we found that ant attack rates to P. reclusus increased significantly when individuals were transferred between P. spinicola ant colonies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chemical mimicry of colony-specific ant or host plant odors plays a key role in allowing P. reclusus to circumvent ant defenses and gain access to important resources, including food and possibly enemy-free space. This interaction between ants, acacias, and their herbivores provides an excellent example of the ability of herbivores to adapt to ant defenses of plants and suggests that herbivores may play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms.

Dexterity testing of chemical-defense gloves. Technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinette, K.M.; Ervin; Zehner, G.F.

1986-05-01

Chemical-defense gloves (12.5-mil Epichlorohydron/Butyl, 14-mil Epichlorohydron/Butyl, and 7-mil Butyl with Nomex overgloves) were subjected to four dexterity tests (O'Connor Finger Dexterity Test, Pennsylvania Bi-Manual Worksample-Assembly, Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Turning, and the Crawford Small Test). Results indicated that subjects performances were most impaired by the 7-mil Butyl with Nomex overglove. Though differences between the other three gloved conditions were not always statistically significant, subjects performed silghtly better while wearing the Epichlorohydron/Butyl gloves, no matter which thickness, than they did while wearing the 15-mil butyl gloves. High negative correlation between anthropometry and gloved tests scores of subjects suggested that poor glovemore » fit may also have affected subjects performances.« less

Intermolecular and interfacial forces: Elucidating molecular mechanisms using chemical force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashby, Paul David

Investigation into the origin of forces dates to the early Greeks. Yet, only in recent decades have techniques for elucidating the molecular origin of forces been developed. Specifically, Chemical Force Microscopy uses the high precision and nanometer scale probe of Atomic Force Microscopy to measure molecular and interfacial interactions. This thesis presents the development of many novel Chemical Force Microscopy techniques for measuring equilibrium and time-dependant force profiles of molecular interactions, which led to a greater understanding of the origin of interfacial forces in solution. In chapter 2, Magnetic Feedback Chemical Force Microscopy stiffens the cantilever for measuring force profiles between self-assembled monolayer (SAM) surfaces. Hydroxyl and carboxyl terminated SAMs produce long-range interactions that extend one or three nanometers into the solvent, respectively. In chapter 3, an ultra low noise AFM is produced through multiple modifications to the optical deflection detection system and signal processing electronics. In chapter 4, Brownian Force Profile Reconstruction is developed for accurate measurement of steep attractive interactions. Molecular ordering is observed for OMCTS, 1-nonanol, and water near flat surfaces. The molecular ordering of the solvent produces structural or solvation forces, providing insight into the orientation and possible solidification of the confined solvent. Seven molecular layers of OMCTS are observed but the oil remains fluid to the last layer. 1-nonanol strongly orders near the surface and becomes quasi-crystalline with four layers. Water is oriented by the surface and symmetry requires two layers of water (3.7 A) to be removed simultaneously. In chapter 5, electronic control of the cantilever Q (Q-control) is used to obtain the highest imaging sensitivity. In chapter 6, Energy Dissipation Chemical Force Microscopy is developed to investigate the time dependence and dissipative characteristics of SAM

GENE ARRAYS FOR ELUCIDATING MECHANISTIC DATA FROM MODELS OF MALE INFERTILITY AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURE IN MICE, RATS AND HUMANS

EPA Science Inventory

Gene arrays for elucidating mechanistic data from models of male infertility and chemical exposure in mice, rats and humans
John C. Rockett and David J. Dix
Gamete and Early Embryo Biology Branch, Reproductive Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects ...

A RECENT HOST RANGE EXPANSION IN JUNONIA COENIA HÜBNER (NYMPHALIDAE): OVIPOSITION PREFERENCE, SURVIVAL, GROWTH, AND CHEMICAL DEFENSE.

PubMed

Camara, Mark D

1997-06-01

This paper reports on an investigation of two populations of Junonia coenia, the buckeye butterfly, one that feeds on the species' typical host plant (Plantago lanceolata) and one that utilizes a novel host plant (Kickxia elatine). I examined these populations for local adaptive responses in terms of oviposition behavior, growth, and chemical defense, on both P. lanceolata and K. elatine. In addition, I examined the genetic architecture underlying these traits using a full-sib quantitative genetic analysis. I found that a significant majority of females prefer the host plant species found at their collection sites in oviposition tests, but that there is no evidence that they are locally adapted in growth performance, as measured by fifth-instar and pupal weights and development times. Neither are there correlations between oviposition preferences of females and the growth performance or levels of chemical defense of their offspring. The two populations studied do, however, show specialization in terms of the levels of chemical defense they sequester from their host plants. I argue that these results indicate that natural enemies are the normal barriers to host range expansion in this oligophagous herbivore because a breakdown in those barriers results in genetic changes that enhance resistance to predation. This is despite the fact that adaptive responses in physiology are unlikely to be limited by a lack of genetic variability; the genetic architecture among traits would be conducive to specialization in growth performance; and there are costs to chemical defense in this species. All these conditions would tend to argue that J. coenia harbors considerable potential for coevolutionary interactions with its chemically defended hosts, but this potential is not realized, probably because natural selection on diet breadth by natural enemies is much stronger than selection from host plants in this system. © 1997 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Chemical Ecology of Cave-Dwelling Millipedes: Defensive Secretions of the Typhloiulini (Diplopoda, Julida, Julidae).

PubMed

Makarov, Slobodan E; Bodner, Michaela; Reineke, Doris; Vujisić, Ljubodrag V; Todosijević, Marina M; Antić, Dragan Ž; Vagalinski, Boyan; Lučić, Luka R; Mitić, Bojan M; Mitov, Plamen; Anđelković, Boban D; Lucić, Sofija Pavković; Vajs, Vlatka; Tomić, Vladimir T; Raspotnig, Günther

2017-04-01

Cave animals live under highly constant ecological conditions and in permanent darkness, and many evolutionary adaptations of cave-dwellers have been triggered by their specific environment. A similar "cave effect" leading to pronounced chemical interactions under such conditions may be assumed, but the chemoecology of troglobionts is mostly unknown. We investigated the defensive chemistry of a largely cave-dwelling julid group, the controversial tribe "Typhloiulini", and we included some cave-dwelling and some endogean representatives. While chemical defense in juliform diplopods is known to be highly uniform, and mainly based on methyl- and methoxy-substituted benzoquinones, the defensive secretions of typhloiulines contained ethyl-benzoquinones and related compounds. Interestingly, ethyl-benzoquinones were found in some, but not all cave-dwelling typhloiulines, and some non-cave dwellers also contained these compounds. On the other hand, ethyl-benzoquinones were not detected in troglobiont nor in endogean typhloiuline outgroups. In order to explain the taxonomic pattern of ethyl-benzoquinone occurrence, and to unravel whether a cave-effect triggered ethyl-benzoquinone evolution, we classed the "Typhloiulini" investigated here within a phylogenetic framework of julid taxa, and traced the evolutionary history of ethyl-benzoquinones in typhloiulines in relation to cave-dwelling. The results indicated a cave-independent evolution of ethyl-substituted benzoquinones, indicating the absence of a "cave effect" on the secretions of troglobiont Typhloiulini. Ethyl-benzoquinones probably evolved early in an epi- or endogean ancestor of a clade including several, but not all Typhloiulus (basically comprising a taxonomic entity known as "Typhloiulus sensu stricto") and Serboiulus. Ethyl-benzoquinones are proposed as novel and valuable chemical characters for julid systematics.

Psychological Effects of Chemical Defense Ensemble Imposed Heat Stress on Army Aviators

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-11-01

INTRODUCTION Army aviation is currently increasing its emphasis on Chemical Defense (CD) training . In fact, Interim Change 101 (23 Dec 1981) to the...Aircrew Training Manual (TC 1-135) makes ir-flight training in full Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) IV mandatory. Training in MOPP IV will...Wing Class and had similar training and flight histories. All were acclimaite1d to the 2ocal environment, in good physical condition, and between the

Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program. Annual Report to Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-01

defense system acquisition costs through collaboration in the areas of development, production , and support, and to enhance interoperability with...security area leverages S&T efforts of the other product areas. Where unmet requirements are identified and where S&T is required to meet cost ...Defense Program Inventory Requirements The industrial base, which has scaled down since the end of the Cold War, has stabilized. Ongoing military

Interspecific variation in persistence of buried weed seeds follows trade-offs among physiological, chemical, and physical seed defenses.

PubMed

Davis, Adam S; Fu, Xianhui; Schutte, Brian J; Berhow, Mark A; Dalling, James W

2016-10-01

Soil seedbanks drive infestations of annual weeds, yet weed management focuses largely on seedling mortality. As weed seedbanks increasingly become reservoirs of herbicide resistance, species-specific seedbank management approaches will be essential to weed control. However, the development of seedbank management strategies can only develop from an understanding of how seed traits affect persistence.We quantified interspecific trade-offs among physiological, chemical, and physical traits of weed seeds and their persistence in the soil seedbank in a common garden study. Seeds of 11 annual weed species were buried in Savoy, IL, from 2007 through 2012. Seedling recruitment was measured weekly and seed viability measured annually. Seed physiological (dormancy), chemical (phenolic compound diversity and concentration; invertebrate toxicity), and physical traits (seed coat mass, thickness, and rupture resistance) were measured.Seed half-life in the soil ( t 0.5 ) showed strong interspecific variation ( F 10,30  = 15, p  < .0001), ranging from 0.25 years ( Bassia scoparia ) to 2.22 years ( Abutilon theophrasti ). Modeling covariances among seed traits and seedbank persistence quantified support for two putative defense syndromes (physiological-chemical and physical-chemical) and highlighted the central role of seed dormancy in controlling seed persistence.A quantitative comparison between our results and other published work indicated that weed seed dormancy and seedbank persistence are linked across diverse environments and agroecosystems. Moreover, among seedbank-forming early successional plant species, relative investment in chemical and physical seed defense varies with seedbank persistence. Synthesis and applications . Strong covariance among weed seed traits and persistence in the soil seedbank indicates potential for seedbank management practices tailored to specific weed species. In particular, species with high t 0.5 values tend to invest less in chemical

Joint chemical defense for the rear battle: main operating bases in NATO's central region. Student report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salmi, M.D.

In 1984, the Chiefs of Staff of the US Army and the US Air Force signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining a concept for the joint air defense of overseas air bases. With little previous experience in joint rear-area operations, problems were bound to occur, especially in the area of chemical warfare defense (CWD). The Army bases its CWD doctrine on the concept of maneuver while the Air Force bases its doctrine on being tied to air bases with little or no capability to avoid chemical attacks. Each Service developed its doctrine to support its operational concept. This studymore » compared and contrasted the CWD doctrine of the Army and the Air Force. If found a great deal of commonality exists; however, there are also several problems which could lead to death, injury, and degradation of sortie generation capability.« less

Chromosome-level genome map provides insights into diverse defense mechanisms in the medicinal fungus Ganoderma sinense

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yingjie; Xu, Jiang; Sun, Chao; Zhou, Shiguo; Xu, Haibin; Nelson, David R.; Qian, Jun; Song, Jingyuan; Luo, Hongmei; Xiang, Li; Li, Ying; Xu, Zhichao; Ji, Aijia; Wang, Lizhi; Lu, Shanfa; Hayward, Alice; Sun, Wei; Li, Xiwen; Schwartz, David C.; Wang, Yitao; Chen, Shilin

2015-01-01

Fungi have evolved powerful genomic and chemical defense systems to protect themselves against genetic destabilization and other organisms. However, the precise molecular basis involved in fungal defense remain largely unknown in Basidiomycetes. Here the complete genome sequence, as well as DNA methylation patterns and small RNA transcriptomes, was analyzed to provide a holistic overview of secondary metabolism and defense processes in the model medicinal fungus, Ganoderma sinense. We reported the 48.96 Mb genome sequence of G. sinense, consisting of 12 chromosomes and encoding 15,688 genes. More than thirty gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, as well as a large array of genes responsible for their transport and regulation were highlighted. In addition, components of genome defense mechanisms, namely repeat-induced point mutation (RIP), DNA methylation and small RNA-mediated gene silencing, were revealed in G. sinense. Systematic bioinformatic investigation of the genome and methylome suggested that RIP and DNA methylation combinatorially maintain G. sinense genome stability by inactivating invasive genetic material and transposable elements. The elucidation of the G. sinense genome and epigenome provides an unparalleled opportunity to advance our understanding of secondary metabolism and fungal defense mechanisms. PMID:26046933

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter above- and below-ground chemical defense expression differentially among Asclepias species.

PubMed

Vannette, Rachel L; Hunter, Mark D; Rasmann, Sergio

2013-01-01

Below-ground (BG) symbionts of plants can have substantial influence on plant growth and nutrition. Recent work demonstrates that mycorrhizal fungi can affect plant resistance to herbivory and the performance of above- (AG) and BG herbivores. Although these examples emerge from diverse systems, it is unclear if plant species that express similar defensive traits respond similarly to fungal colonization, but comparative work may inform this question. To examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the expression of chemical resistance, we inoculated 8 species of Asclepias (milkweed)-which all produce toxic cardenolides-with a community of AMF. We quantified plant biomass, foliar and root cardenolide concentration and composition, and assessed evidence for a growth-defense tradeoff in the presence and absence of AMF. As expected, total foliar and root cardenolide concentration varied among milkweed species. Importantly, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on total foliar cardenolide concentration also varied among milkweed species, with foliar cardenolides increasing or decreasing, depending on the plant species. We detected a phylogenetic signal to this variation; AMF fungi reduced foliar cardenolide concentrations to a greater extent in the clade including A. curassavica than in the clade including A. syriaca. Moreover, AMF inoculation shifted the composition of cardenolides in AG and BG plant tissues in a species-specific fashion. Mycorrhizal inoculation changed the relative distribution of cardenolides between root and shoot tissue in a species-specific fashion, but did not affect cardenolide diversity or polarity. Finally, a tradeoff between plant growth and defense in non-mycorrhizal plants was mitigated completely by AMF inoculation. Overall, we conclude that the effects of AMF inoculation on the expression of chemical resistance can vary among congeneric plant species, and ameliorate tradeoffs between growth and defense.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter above- and below-ground chemical defense expression differentially among Asclepias species

PubMed Central

Vannette, Rachel L.; Hunter, Mark D.; Rasmann, Sergio

2013-01-01

Below-ground (BG) symbionts of plants can have substantial influence on plant growth and nutrition. Recent work demonstrates that mycorrhizal fungi can affect plant resistance to herbivory and the performance of above- (AG) and BG herbivores. Although these examples emerge from diverse systems, it is unclear if plant species that express similar defensive traits respond similarly to fungal colonization, but comparative work may inform this question. To examine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the expression of chemical resistance, we inoculated 8 species of Asclepias (milkweed)—which all produce toxic cardenolides—with a community of AMF. We quantified plant biomass, foliar and root cardenolide concentration and composition, and assessed evidence for a growth-defense tradeoff in the presence and absence of AMF. As expected, total foliar and root cardenolide concentration varied among milkweed species. Importantly, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on total foliar cardenolide concentration also varied among milkweed species, with foliar cardenolides increasing or decreasing, depending on the plant species. We detected a phylogenetic signal to this variation; AMF fungi reduced foliar cardenolide concentrations to a greater extent in the clade including A. curassavica than in the clade including A. syriaca. Moreover, AMF inoculation shifted the composition of cardenolides in AG and BG plant tissues in a species-specific fashion. Mycorrhizal inoculation changed the relative distribution of cardenolides between root and shoot tissue in a species-specific fashion, but did not affect cardenolide diversity or polarity. Finally, a tradeoff between plant growth and defense in non-mycorrhizal plants was mitigated completely by AMF inoculation. Overall, we conclude that the effects of AMF inoculation on the expression of chemical resistance can vary among congeneric plant species, and ameliorate tradeoffs between growth and defense. PMID:24065971

Caterpillar chemical defense and parasitoid success: Cotesia congregata parasitism of Ceratomia catalpae.

PubMed

Lampert, Evan C; Dyer, Lee A; Bowers, M Deane

2010-09-01

Sequestration of plant compounds by herbivorous insects as a defense against predators is well documented; however, few studies have examined the effectiveness of sequestration as a defense against parasitoids. One assumption of the "nasty host" hypothesis is that sequestration of plant defense compounds is deleterious to parasitoid development. We tested this hypothesis with larvae of the sequestering sphingid Ceratomia catalpae, which is heavily parasitized by the endoparasitoid Cotesia congregata, despite sequestering high concentrations of the iridoid glycoside catalpol from their catalpa host plants. We collected C. catalpae and catalpa leaves from six populations in the Eastern US, and allowed any C. congregata to emerge in the lab. Leaf iridoid glycosides and caterpillar iridoid glycosides were quantified, and we examined associations between sequestered caterpillar iridoid glycosides and C. congregata performance. Caterpillar iridoid glycosides were not associated with C. congregata field parasitism or number of offspring produced. Although wasp survival was over 90% in all populations, there was a slight negative relationship between caterpillar iridoid glycosides and wasp survival. Iridoid glycosides were present in caterpillars at levels that are deterrent to a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Thus, our results support the alternative hypothesis that unpalatable, chemically defended hosts are "safe havens" for endoparasitoids. Future trials examining the importance of catalpol sequestration to potential natural enemies of C. congregata and C. catalpae are necessary to strengthen this conclusion.

Structure Elucidation of a Natural Product.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letcher, Roy M.

1983-01-01

Describes an experiment simulating a real-life structure elucidation problem through isolation, characterization, and chemical transformation of an "unknown," naturally occurring monoterpene, with extensive use being made of spectroscopy and aided by biogenetic considerations. Information given to students, procedures, results, and discussion of…

Macroevolutionary patterns of glucosinolate defense and tests of defense-escalation and resource availability hypotheses.

PubMed

Cacho, N Ivalú; Kliebenstein, Daniel J; Strauss, Sharon Y

2015-11-01

We explored macroevolutionary patterns of plant chemical defense in Streptanthus (Brassicaceae), tested for evolutionary escalation of defense, as predicted by Ehrlich and Raven's plant-herbivore coevolutionary arms-race hypothesis, and tested whether species inhabiting low-resource or harsh environments invest more in defense, as predicted by the resource availability hypothesis (RAH). We conducted phylogenetically explicit analyses using glucosinolate profiles, soil nutrient analyses, and microhabitat bareness estimates across 30 species of Streptanthus inhabiting varied environments and soils. We found weak to moderate phylogenetic signal in glucosinolate classes and no signal in total glucosinolate production; a trend toward evolutionary de-escalation in the numbers and diversity of glucosinolates, accompanied by an evolutionary increase in the proportion of aliphatic glucosinolates; some support for the RAH relative to soil macronutrients, but not relative to serpentine soil use; and that the number of glucosinolates increases with microhabitat bareness, which is associated with increased herbivory and drought. Weak phylogenetic signal in chemical defense has been observed in other plant systems. A more holistic approach incorporating other forms of defense might be necessary to confidently reject escalation of defense. That defense increases with microhabitat bareness supports the hypothesis that habitat bareness is an underappreciated selective force on plants in harsh environments. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Case series on defense mechanisms in patients for reconstructive hand transplantation: consideration on transplant defense concept.

PubMed

Kumnig, Martin; Jowsey, Sheila G; Moreno, Elisa; Brandacher, Gerald; Azari, Kodi; Rumpold, Gerhard

2014-05-16

The technical demands of reconstructive hand transplantation (RHT) and need for complex multidisciplinary care have led to intense research efforts to improve patient care and outcomes. However, RHT is an extraordinary life event which carries the potential for long-term consequences including psychological distress, which invokes coping and defense mechanisms. Little is known about the relationship between psychological defense mechanisms and health outcomes in RHT patients. In an effort to elucidate this relationship, we studied seven RHT patients who underwent standardized psychological assessment either pre- or post transplantation. No single defense concept was identified as common to all patients, which we suspect was due in part to the varied mechanisms of hand loss. All seven patients demonstrated diverse psychological reactions to RHT. The self-reported defense styles were associated with psychological adjustment. The patients who reported defenses that distorted reality described less adaptive functioning and psychological well-being. These preliminary findings reveal the varied psychological mechanisms invoked in RHT patients. An assessment of defense mechanisms should be part of multicenter evaluation protocols that address unique psychosocial aspects of RHT in large samples, in order to better guide psychological management.

Acidity enhances the effectiveness of active chemical defensive secretions of sea hares, Aplysia californica, against spiny lobsters, Panulirus interruptus.

PubMed

Shabani, Shkelzen; Yaldiz, Seymanur; Vu, Luan; Derby, Charles D

2007-12-01

Sea hares such as Aplysia californica, gastropod molluscs lacking a protective shell, can release a purple cloud of chemicals when vigorously attacked by predators. This active chemical defense is composed of two glandular secretions, ink and opaline, both of which contain an array of compounds. This secretion defends sea hares against predators such as California spiny lobsters Panulirus interruptus via multiple mechanisms, one of which is phagomimicry, in which secretions containing feeding chemicals attract and distract predators toward the secretion and away from the sea hare. We show here that ink and opaline are highly acidic, both having a pH of approximately 5. We examined if the acidity of ink and opaline affects their phagomimetic properties. We tested behavioral and electrophysiological responses of chemoreceptor neurons in the olfactory and gustatory organs of P. interruptus, to ink and opaline of A. californica within their natural range of pH values, from approximately 5 to 8. Both behavioral and electrophysiological responses to ink and opaline were enhanced at low pH, and low pH alone accounted for most of this effect. Our data suggest that acidity enhances the phagomimetic chemical defense of sea hares.

Plant antiherbivore defenses in Fabaceae species of the Chaco.

PubMed

Lima, T E; Sartori, A L B; Rodrigues, M L M

2017-01-01

The establishment and maintenance of plant species in the Chaco, one of the widest continuous areas of forests in the South American with sharp climatic variations, are possibly related to biological features favoring plants with particular defenses. This study assesses the physical and chemical defenses mechanisms against herbivores of vegetative and reproductive organs. Its analyses of 12 species of Fabaceae (Leguminosae) collected in remnants of Brazilian Chaco shows that 75% present structural defense characters and 50% have chemical defense - defense proteins in their seeds, like protease inhibitors and lectins. Physical defenses occur mainly on branches (78% of the species), leaves (67%), and reproductive organs (56%). The most common physical characters are trichomes and thorns, whose color represents a cryptic character since it does not contrast with the other plant structures. Defense proteins occur in different concentrations and molecular weight classes in the seeds of most species. Protease inhibitors are reported for the first time in seeds of: Albizia niopoides, Anadenanthera colubrina, Mimosa glutinosa, Prosopis rubriflora, and Poincianella pluviosa. The occurrence of physical and chemical defenses in members of Fabaceae indicate no associations between defense characters in these plant species of the Chaco.

Inducible defenses against herbivory and fouling in seaweeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Renato Crespo; Costa, Erica da Silva; Sudatti, Daniela Bueno; da Gama, Bernardo Antonio Perez

2017-04-01

Secondary metabolites play an important ecological role as a defense mechanism in seaweeds. Chemical defenses are well known to change in response to herbivory, but other driving factors, either biotic or abiotic, are often neglected. Epibiosis may not only reduce seaweed fitness, but also increase attractiveness to consumers, and thus defense production should also be triggered by epibionts. In this study, three Southwestern Atlantic seaweeds, Gracilaria cearensis, Pterocladiella capillacea (Rhodophyceae) and Codium decorticatum (Chlorophyceae) were investigated in laboratory bioassays designed to test whether the action of herbivory or simulated epibiosis influences chemical defenses. Crossed induction experiments were also performed in order to assess whether herbivore induction influences antifouling chemical defense, as well as whether epibiont induction would affect defense against herbivores. The effect of laboratory conditions on seaweeds in the absence of field stimuli was also investigated by comparing consumption of artificial food with extracts from acclimatized and non-acclimatized seaweeds (i.e., natural defense levels). Only the green seaweed C. decorticatum exhibited inducible antifouling defenses triggered by simulated epibiosis, but not by herbivores. In the other seaweeds there was no induction either by herbivory or simulated epibiosis. Acclimatization did not affect C. decorticatum defenses. However, non-acclimatized G. cearensis artificial foods were preferred over acclimatized ones, while extracts from acclimatized P. capillacea increased herbivore consumption, highlighting the need to acclimatize seaweeds before the main induction experiments. This is the first report of inducible defenses due to simulated fouling in seaweeds.

Defensive chemicals of tawny crazy ants, Nylanderia fulva and their toxicity to red imported fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) has been reported as being able to displace Solenopsis invicta Buren, one of the most aggressive invasive ants in the world. Like S. invicta, N. fulva use chemical secretions in their defense/offense, which may contribute to their observed superior competition ability. In t...

Stress, chemical defense agents, and cholinergic receptors. Midterm report, 1 November 1987-31 July 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lane, J.D.

1989-11-30

This project is assessing the affects of exposure to a chemical defense agent on anxiety and stress, by using rat models of anxiety (conditioned emotional response (CER); conditioned suppression) and unconditioned non-specific stres (exposure to footshock). The specific experiments determined the plasticity of muscarinic cholinergic binding sites in the central nervous system. The neuroanatomical locus and neuropharmacological profile of changes in binding sites were assessed in brain areas enriched in cholinergic markers. Acetylcholine turnover was measured to determine if the receptor response is compensatory or independent. The effects of acute exposure to doses of a chemical defense agent (soman--XGD) onmore » lethality and behaviors were examined. The experiments involved training and conditioning adult rats to CER using standard operant/respondent techniques. The binding of radiolabelled ligand was studied in vitro using brain membranes and tissue sections (autoradiography). The major findings are that CER produces increases in acetylcholine turnover in brain areas involved in anxiety, and that primarily post-synaptic M1 receptors compensatorly decrease in response. These neurochemical phenomena are directly correlated with several behaviors, including onset and extinction of CER and non-specific stress. Followup experiments have been designed to test the interaction of CER, XGD and neurochemistry.« less

Localization of Defensive Chemicals in Two Congeneric Butterflies (Euphydryas, Nymphalidae).

PubMed

Mason, Peri A; Deane Bowers, M

2017-05-01

Many insect species sequester compounds acquired from their host plants for defense against natural enemies. The distribution of these compounds is likely to affect both their efficacy as defenses, and their costs. In this study we examined the distribution of sequestered iridoid glycosides (IGs) in two congeneric species of nymphalid butterfly, Euphydryas anicia and E. phaeton, and found that the pattern of localization of IGs differed between the two species. Although IG concentrations were quite high in the heads of both species, the relative concentrations in wings and abdomens differed substantially. Euphydryas anicia had relatively high IG concentrations in their abdomens and low IG concentrations in their wings, whereas the reverse was true in E. phaeton. We interpret these results in light of two current hypotheses regarding where sequestered chemicals should be localized: that they should be found in wings, which would allow non-lethal sampling by predators; and that their distribution is constrained by the distribution of tissue types to which sequestered compounds bind. We also offer the third hypothesis, that costs of storage may differ among body parts, and that the localization of compounds may reflect a cost-reduction strategy. Results from E. phaeton were consistent with all three of these non-mutually exclusive hypotheses, whereas results from E. anicia were only consistent with the notion that tissue bias among body parts plays a role in IG distribution. The finding that these two congeneric butterflies exhibit different patterns of IG localization suggests that they have been shaped by different selection regimes.

Variability in chemical defense across a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient in the Caribbean sponge Plakortis angulospiculatus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slattery, Marc; Gochfeld, Deborah J.; Diaz, M. Cristina; Thacker, Robert W.; Lesser, Michael P.

2016-03-01

The transition between shallow and mesophotic coral reef communities in the tropics is characterized by a significant gradient in abiotic and biotic conditions that could result in potential trade-offs in energy allocation. The mesophotic reefs in the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands have a rich sponge fauna with significantly greater percent cover of sponges than in their respective shallow reef communities, but relatively low numbers of spongivores. Plakortis angulospiculatus, a common sponge species that spans the depth gradient from shallow to mesophotic reefs in the Caribbean, regenerates faster following predation and invests more energy in protein synthesis at mesophotic depths compared to shallow reef conspecifics. However, since P. angulospiculatus from mesophotic reefs typically contain lower concentrations of chemical feeding deterrents, they are not able to defend new tissue from predation as efficiently as conspecifics from shallow reefs. Nonetheless, following exposure to predators on shallow reefs, transplanted P. angulospiculatus from mesophotic depths developed chemical deterrence to predatory fishes. A survey of bioactive extracts indicated that a specific defensive metabolite, plakortide F, varied in concentration with depth, producing altered deterrence between shallow and mesophotic reef P. angulospiculatus. Different selective pressures in shallow and mesophotic habitats have resulted in phenotypic plasticity within this sponge species that is manifested in variable chemical defense and tissue regeneration at wound sites.

Chemical Warfare: Many Unanswered Questions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-29

of Defense DSB Defense Science Board GAO U.S. General Accounting Office IDA Institute for Defense Analyses JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff SIPRI Stockholm...Defense Science Board in 1980, DOD specifically asked it to review intelligence data on chemical warfare, and DSB’s 1981 report accordingly presents its...Defense Science Board report suggests, however, that its com- - ments are based on a composite of intelligence information on Soviet chemical warfare

Assessing Homeland Chemical Hazards Outside the Military Gates: Industrial Hazard Threat Assessments for Department of Defense Installations

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

catastrophic health consequences , resulting from potential exposures to industrial chemicals (Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center, 1998). These...susceptible to damage from a toxic industrial material release. For this second component, the Consequence Assessment Tools Set (CATS) (Defense Threat...accidental toxic industrial material release, the severity of the release, and any associated consequences that might occur. These are based on estimated

Defense Waste Processing Facility Nitric- Glycolic Flowsheet Chemical Process Cell Chemistry: Part 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zamecnik, J.; Edwards, T.

The conversions of nitrite to nitrate, the destruction of glycolate, and the conversion of glycolate to formate and oxalate were modeled for the Nitric-Glycolic flowsheet using data from Chemical Process Cell (CPC) simulant runs conducted by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from 2011 to 2016. The goal of this work was to develop empirical correlation models to predict these values from measureable variables from the chemical process so that these quantities could be predicted a-priori from the sludge or simulant composition and measurable processing variables. The need for these predictions arises from the need to predict the REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) statemore » of the glass from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter. This report summarizes the work on these correlations based on the aforementioned data. Previous work on these correlations was documented in a technical report covering data from 2011-2015. This current report supersedes this previous report. Further refinement of the models as additional data are collected is recommended.« less

Feeding on Host Plants with Different Concentrations and Structures of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Impacts the Chemical-Defense Effectiveness of a Specialist Herbivore

PubMed Central

Cunha, Beatriz P.; Solferini, Vera N.

2015-01-01

Sequestration of chemical defenses from host plants is a strategy widely used by herbivorous insects to avoid predation. Larvae of the arctiine moth Utetheisa ornatrix feeding on unripe seeds and leaves of many species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae) sequester N-oxides of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) from these host plants, and transfer them to adults through the pupal stage. PAs confer protection against predation on all life stages of U. ornatrix. As U. ornatrix also uses other Crotalaria species as host plants, we evaluated whether the PA chemical defense against predation is independent of host plant use. We fed larvae from hatching to pupation with either leaves or seeds of one of eight Crotalaria species (C. incana, C. juncea, C. micans, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. paulina, C. spectabilis, and C. vitellina), and tested if adults were preyed upon or released by the orb-weaving spider Nephila clavipes. We found that the protection against the spider was more effective in adults whose larvae fed on seeds, which had a higher PA concentration than leaves. The exceptions were adults from larvae fed on C. paulina, C. spectabilis and C. vitellina leaves, which showed high PA concentrations. With respect to the PA profile, we describe for the first time insect-PAs in U. ornatrix. These PAs, biosynthesized from the necine base retronecine of plant origin, or monocrotaline- and senecionine-type PAs sequestered from host plants, were equally active in moth chemical defense, in a dose-dependent manner. These results are also partially explained by host plant phylogeny, since PAs of the host plants do have a phylogenetic signal (clades with high and low PA concentrations in leaves) which is reflected in the adult defense. PMID:26517873

Feeding on Host Plants with Different Concentrations and Structures of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Impacts the Chemical-Defense Effectiveness of a Specialist Herbivore.

PubMed

Martins, Carlos H Z; Cunha, Beatriz P; Solferini, Vera N; Trigo, José R

2015-01-01

Sequestration of chemical defenses from host plants is a strategy widely used by herbivorous insects to avoid predation. Larvae of the arctiine moth Utetheisa ornatrix feeding on unripe seeds and leaves of many species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae) sequester N-oxides of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) from these host plants, and transfer them to adults through the pupal stage. PAs confer protection against predation on all life stages of U. ornatrix. As U. ornatrix also uses other Crotalaria species as host plants, we evaluated whether the PA chemical defense against predation is independent of host plant use. We fed larvae from hatching to pupation with either leaves or seeds of one of eight Crotalaria species (C. incana, C. juncea, C. micans, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. paulina, C. spectabilis, and C. vitellina), and tested if adults were preyed upon or released by the orb-weaving spider Nephila clavipes. We found that the protection against the spider was more effective in adults whose larvae fed on seeds, which had a higher PA concentration than leaves. The exceptions were adults from larvae fed on C. paulina, C. spectabilis and C. vitellina leaves, which showed high PA concentrations. With respect to the PA profile, we describe for the first time insect-PAs in U. ornatrix. These PAs, biosynthesized from the necine base retronecine of plant origin, or monocrotaline- and senecionine-type PAs sequestered from host plants, were equally active in moth chemical defense, in a dose-dependent manner. These results are also partially explained by host plant phylogeny, since PAs of the host plants do have a phylogenetic signal (clades with high and low PA concentrations in leaves) which is reflected in the adult defense.

Elucidating determinants of aerosol composition through particle-type-based receptor modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuire, M. L.; Jeong, C.-H.; Slowik, J. G.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Corbin, J. C.; Lu, G.; Mihele, C.; Rehbein, P. J. G.; Sills, D. M. L.; Abbatt, J. P. D.; Brook, J. R.; Evans, G. J.

2011-08-01

An aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) was deployed at a semi-rural site in southern Ontario to characterize the size and chemical composition of individual particles. Particle-type-based receptor modelling of these data was used to investigate the determinants of aerosol chemical composition in this region. Individual particles were classified into particle-types and positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to their temporal trends to separate and cross-apportion particle-types to factors. The extent of chemical processing for each factor was assessed by evaluating the internal and external mixing state of the characteristic particle-types. The nine factors identified helped to elucidate the coupled interactions of these determinants. Nitrate-laden dust was found to be the dominant type of locally emitted particles measured by ATOFMS. Several factors associated with aerosol transported to the site from intermediate local-to-regional distances were identified: the Organic factor was associated with a combustion source to the north-west; the ECOC Day factor was characterized by nearby local-to-regional carbonaceous emissions transported from the south-west during the daytime; and the Fireworks factor consisted of pyrotechnic particles from the Detroit region following holiday fireworks displays. Regional aerosol from farther emissions sources was reflected through three factors: two Biomass Burning factors and a highly chemically processed Long Range Transport factor. The Biomass Burning factors were separated by PMF due to differences in chemical processing which were in part elucidated by the passage of two thunderstorm gust fronts with different air mass histories. The remaining two factors, ECOC Night and Nitrate Background, represented the night-time partitioning of nitrate to pre-existing particles of different origins. The distinct meteorological conditions observed during this month-long study in the summer of 2007 provided a unique

Cranberry Resistance to Dodder Parasitism: Induced Chemical Defenses and Behavior of a Parasitic Plant.

PubMed

Tjiurutue, Muvari Connie; Sandler, Hilary A; Kersch-Becker, Monica F; Theis, Nina; Adler, Lynn A

2016-02-01

Parasitic plants are common in many ecosystems, where they can structure community interactions and cause major economic damage. For example, parasitic dodder (Cuscuta spp.) can cause up to 80-100 % yield loss in heavily infested cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) patches. Despite their ecological and economic importance, remarkably little is known about how parasitic plants affect, or are affected by, host chemistry. To examine chemically-mediated interactions between dodder and its cranberry host, we conducted a greenhouse experiment asking whether: (1) dodder performance varies with cranberry cultivar; (2) cultivars differ in levels of phytohormones, volatiles, or phenolics, and whether such variation correlates with dodder parasitism; (3) dodder parasitism induced changes in phytohormones, volatiles, or phenolics, and whether the level of inducible response varied among cultivars. We used five cranberry cultivars to assess host attractiveness to dodder and dodder performance. Dodder performance did not differ across cultivars, but there were marginally significant differences in host attractiveness to dodder, with fewer dodder attaching to Early Black than to any other cultivar. Dodder parasitism induced higher levels of salicylic acid (SA) across cultivars. Cultivars differed in overall levels of flavonols and volatile profiles, but not phenolic acids or proanthocyanidins, and dodder attachment induced changes in several flavonols and volatiles. While cultivars differed slightly in resistance to dodder attachment, we did not find evidence of chemical defenses that mediate these interactions. However, induction of several defenses indicates that parasitism alters traits that could influence subsequent interactions with other species, thus shaping community dynamics.

Infrared point sensors for homeland defense applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Ross C.; Carter, Michael T.; Homrighausen, Craig L.

2004-03-01

We report recent progress toward the development of infrared point sensors for the detection of chemical warfare agents and explosive related chemicals, which pose a significant threat to both health and environment. Technical objectives have focused on the development of polymer sorbents to enhance the infrared response of these hazardous organic compounds. For example, infrared point sensors which part-per-billion detection limits have been developed that rapidlypartition chemical warfare agents and explosive related chemicals into polymer thin films with desirable chemical and physical properties. These chemical sensors demonstrate novel routes to reversible sensing of hazardous organic compounds. The development of small, low-power, sensitive, and selective instruments employing these chemical sensors would enhance the capabilities of federal, state, and local emergency response to incidents involving chemical terrorism. Specific applications include chemical defense systems for military personnel and homeland defense, environmental monitors for remediation and demilitarization, and point source detectors for emergency and maintenance response teams.

Growth–Defense Tradeoffs in Plants: A Balancing Act to Optimize Fitness

PubMed Central

Huot, Bethany; Yao, Jian; Montgomery, Beronda L.; He, Sheng Yang

2014-01-01

Growth–defense tradeoffs are thought to occur in plants due to resource restrictions, which demand prioritization towards either growth or defense, depending on external and internal factors. These tradeoffs have profound implications in agriculture and natural ecosystems, as both processes are vital for plant survival, reproduction, and, ultimately, plant fitness. While many of the molecular mechanisms underlying growth and defense tradeoffs remain to be elucidated, hormone crosstalk has emerged as a major player in regulating tradeoffs needed to achieve a balance. In this review, we cover recent advances in understanding growth–defense tradeoffs in plants as well as what is known regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Specifically, we address evidence supporting the growth–defense tradeoff concept, as well as known interactions between defense signaling and growth signaling. Understanding the molecular basis of these tradeoffs in plants should provide a foundation for the development of breeding strategies that optimize the growth–defense balance to maximize crop yield to meet rising global food and biofuel demands. PMID:24777989

Army medical laboratory telemedicine: role of mass spectrometry in telediagnosis for chemical and biological defense.

PubMed

Smith, J R; Shih, M L; Price, E O; Platoff, G E; Schlager, J J

2001-12-01

An army medical field laboratory presently has the capability of performing standard protocols developed at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense for verification of nerve agent or sulfur mustard exposure. The protocols analyze hydrolysis products of chemical warfare agents using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Additionally, chemical warfare agents can produce alkylated or phosphorylated proteins following human exposure that have long biological half-lives and can be used as diagnostic biomarkers of chemical agent exposure. An analytical technique known as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) currently is being examined for its potential to analyze these biomarkers. The technique is capable of detecting large biomolecules and modifications made to them. Its fast analysis time makes MALDI-TOF/MS technology suitable for screening casualties from chemical or biological attacks. Basic operation requires minimal training and the instrument has the potential to become field-portable. The limitation of the technique is that the generated data may require considerable expertise from knowledgeable personnel for consultation to ensure correct interpretation. The interaction between research scientists and field personnel in the acquisition of data and its interpretation via advanced digital telecommunication technologies can enhance rapid diagnosis and subsequently improve patient care in remote areas. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemical warfare in termites.

PubMed

Sobotník, Jan; Jirosová, Anna; Hanus, Robert

2010-09-01

The rapid development of analytical methods in the last four decades has led to the discovery of a fascinating diversity of defensive chemicals used by termites. The last exhaustive review on termite defensive chemicals was published by G.D. Prestwich in 1984. In this text, we aim to fill the gap of the past 25 years and overview all of the relevant primary sources about the chemistry of termite defense (126 original papers, see Fig. 1 and online supplementary material) along with related biological aspects, such as the anatomy of defensive glands and their functional mechanisms, alarm communication, and the evolutionary significance of these defensive elements.

Conifer defenses and xylophagous insects

Treesearch

Alexandr S. Rozhkov; Galina I. Massel

1991-01-01

The resistance of woody plants to phytophage damage consists of a universal system of mechanisms: 1) repellent chemicals, 2) defensive reactions both mechanical and chemical, 3) retention of viability under disturbed metabolism and low biomass accumulation, and 4) recuperative capacity. Siberian coniferous tree species, with the exception of Larix...

Structure elucidation of a novel oligosaccharide (Medalose) from camel milk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangwar, Lata; Singh, Rinku; Deepak, Desh

2018-02-01

Free oligosaccharides are the third most abundant solid component in milk after lactose and lipids. The study of milk oligosaccharides indicate that nutrients are not only benefits the infant's gut but also perform a number of other functions which include stimulation of growth, receptor analogues to inhibit binding of pathogens and substances that promote postnatal brain development. Surveys reveal that camel milk oligosaccharides possess varied biological activities that help in the treatment of diabetes, asthma, anaemia, piles and also a food supplement to milking mothers. In this research, camel milk was selected for its oligosaccharide contents, which was then processed by Kobata and Ginsburg method followed by the HPLC and CC techniques. Structure elucidation of isolated compound was done by the chemical degradation, chemical transformation and comparison of chemical shift of NMR data of natural and acetylated oligosaccharide structure reporter group theory, the 1H, 13C NMR, 2D-NMR (COSY, TOCSY and HSQC) techniques, and mass spectrometry. The structure was elucidated as under: MEDALOSE

Chemical and Mechanical Defenses Vary among Maternal Lines and Leaf Ages in Verbascum thapsus L. (Scrophulariaceae) and Reduce Palatability to a Generalist Insect

PubMed Central

Alba, Christina; Bowers, M. Deane; Blumenthal, Dana; Hufbauer, Ruth A.

2014-01-01

Intra-specific variation in host-plant quality affects herbivore foraging decisions and, in turn, herbivore foraging decisions mediate plant fitness. In particular, variation in defenses against herbivores, both among and within plants, shapes herbivore behavior. If variation in defenses is genetically based, it can respond to natural selection by herbivores. We quantified intra-specific variation in iridoid glycosides, trichome length, and leaf strength in common mullein (Verbascum thapsus L, Scrophulariaceae) among maternal lines within a population and among leaves within plants, and related this variation to feeding preferences of a generalist herbivore, Trichopulsia ni Hübner. We found significant variation in all three defenses among maternal lines, with T. ni preferring plants with lower investment in chemical, but not mechanical, defense. Within plants, old leaves had lower levels of all defenses than young leaves, and were strongly preferred by T. ni. Caterpillars also preferred leaves with trichomes removed to leaves with trichomes intact. Differences among maternal lines indicate that phenotypic variation in defenses likely has a genetic basis. Furthermore, these results reveal that the feeding behaviors of T. ni map onto variation in plant defense in a predictable way. This work highlights the importance of variation in host-plant quality in driving interactions between plants and their herbivores. PMID:25127229

Climate Change, CO2, and Defense: The Metabolic, Redox, and Signaling Perspectives.

PubMed

Noctor, Graham; Mhamdi, Amna

2017-10-01

Ongoing human-induced changes in the composition of the atmosphere continue to stimulate interest in the effects of high CO 2 on plants, but its potential impact on inducible plant defense pathways remains poorly defined. Recently, several studies have reported that growth at elevated CO 2 is sufficient to induce defenses such as the salicylic acid pathway, thereby increasing plant resistance to pathogens. These reports contrast with evidence that defense pathways can be promoted by photorespiration, which is inhibited at high CO 2 . Here, we review signaling, metabolic, and redox processes modulated by CO 2 levels and discuss issues to be resolved in elucidating the relationships between primary metabolism, inducible defense, and biotic stress resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benzoylsalicylic acid derivatives as defense activators in tobacco and Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Kamatham, Samuel; Pallu, Reddanna; Pasupulati, Anil Kumar; Singh, Surya Satyanarayana; Gudipalli, Padmaja

2017-11-01

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a long lasting inducible whole plant immunity often induced by either pathogens or chemical elicitors. Salicylic acid (SA) is a known SAR signal against a broad spectrum of pathogens in plants. In a recent study, we have reported that benzoylsalicylic acid (BzSA) is a SAR inducer in tobacco and Arabidopsis plants. Here, we have synthesized BzSA derivatives using SA and benzoyl chlorides of various moieties as substrates. The chemical structures of BzSA derivatives were elucidated using Infrared spectroscopy (IR), Nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR) and High-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS) analysis. The bioefficacy of BzSA derivatives in inducing defense response against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was investigated in tobacco and SA abolished transgenic NahG Arabidopsis plants. Interestingly, pre-treatment of local leaves of tobacco with BzSA derivatives enhanced the expression of SAR genes such as NPR1 [Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes 1], PR and other defense marker genes (HSR203, SIPK, WIPK) in systemic leaves. Pre-treatment of BzSA derivatives reduced the spread of TMV infection to uninfected areas by restricting lesion number and diameter both in local and systemic leaves of tobacco in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, pre-treatment of BzSA derivatives in local leaves of SA deficient Arabidopsis NahG plants induced SAR through AtPR1 and AtPR5 gene expression and reduced leaf necrosis and curling symptoms in systemic leaves as compared to BzSA. These results suggest that BzSA derivatives are potent SAR inducers against TMV in tobacco and Arabidopsis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploiting the Complementarity between Dereplication and Computer-Assisted Structure Elucidation for the Chemical Profiling of Natural Cosmetic Ingredients: Tephrosia purpurea as a Case Study.

PubMed

Hubert, Jane; Chollet, Sébastien; Purson, Sylvain; Reynaud, Romain; Harakat, Dominique; Martinez, Agathe; Nuzillard, Jean-Marc; Renault, Jean-Hugues

2015-07-24

The aqueous-ethanolic extract of Tephrosia purpurea seeds is currently exploited in the cosmetic industry as a natural ingredient of skin lotions. The aim of this study was to chemically characterize this ingredient by combining centrifugal partition extraction (CPE) as a fractionation tool with two complementary identification approaches involving dereplication and computer-assisted structure elucidation. Following two rapid fractionations of the crude extract (2 g), seven major compounds namely, caffeic acid, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, ethyl galactoside, ciceritol, stachyose, saccharose, and citric acid, were unambiguously identified within the CPE-generated simplified mixtures by a recently developed (13)C NMR-based dereplication method. The structures of four additional compounds, patuletin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, guaiacylglycerol 8-vanillic acid ether, and 2-methyl-2-glucopyranosyloxypropanoic acid, were automatically elucidated by using the Logic for Structure Determination program based on the interpretation of 2D NMR (HSQC, HMBC, and COSY) connectivity data. As more than 80% of the crude extract mass was characterized without need for tedious and labor-intensive multistep purification procedures, the identification tools involved in this work constitute a promising strategy for an efficient and time-saving chemical profiling of natural extracts.

Interactions Among Plants, Insects, and Microbes: Elucidation of Inter-Organismal Chemical Communications in Agricultural Ecology.

PubMed

Beck, John J; Alborn, Hans; Block, Anna; Christensen, Shawn A; Hunter, Charles T; Rering, Caitlin C; Seidl-Adams, Irmgard; Stuhl, Charles; Torto, Baldwyn; Tumlinson, James H

2018-06-12

The last two decades have witnessed a sustained increase in the study of plant-emitted volatiles and their role in plant-insect, plant-microbe and plant-plant interactions. While each of these binary systems involves complex chemical and biochemical processes between two organisms, the progression of increasing complexity of a ternary system (i.e., plant-insect-microbe), and the study of a ternary system requires non-trivial planning. This planning can include: an experimental design that factors in potential overarching ecological interactions regarding the binary or ternary system; correctly identifying and understanding unexpected observations that may occur during the experiment; and, thorough interpretation of the resultant data. This challenge of planning, performing and interpreting a plant's defensive response to multiple biotic stressors will be even greater when abiotic stressors (i.e., temperature or water) are factored into the system. To fully understand the system, we need to not only continue to investigate and understand the volatile profiles, but also include and understand the biochemistry of the plant's response to these stressors. In this paper, we provide examples and discuss interaction considerations with respect to how readers and future authors of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry can contribute their expertise toward the extraction and interpretation of chemical information exchanged between agricultural commodities and their associated pests. This holistic, multidisciplinary and thoughtful approach to interactions of plants, insects, and microbes, and the resultant response of the plants, can lead to a better understanding of agricultural ecology, in turn leading to practical and viable solutions to agricultural problems.

Defense Science and Technology RELIANCE. Defense Technology Objectives Success Stories

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-03-01

27 MD.04 Medical Countermeasures for Botulinum Toxin ...flexibility of U.S. forces. Completed. 1998 SPONSORS DoD Chemical and Biological Defense Program MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES FOR BOTULINUM TOXIN (MD.04) 29...system operates satisfactorily against a high-level jamming environment in the target area. On four AGTFT free flights, the AGTFT flight test vehicles

Selective Chemical Inhibition of agr Quorum Sensing in Staphylococcus aureus Promotes Host Defense with Minimal Impact on Resistance

PubMed Central

Sully, Erin K.; Malachowa, Natalia; Elmore, Bradley O.; Alexander, Susan M.; Femling, Jon K.; Gray, Brian M.; DeLeo, Frank R.; Otto, Michael; Cheung, Ambrose L.; Edwards, Bruce S.; Sklar, Larry A.; Horswill, Alexander R.; Hall, Pamela R.; Gresham, Hattie D.

2014-01-01

Bacterial signaling systems are prime drug targets for combating the global health threat of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections including those caused by Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus is the primary cause of acute bacterial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and the quorum sensing operon agr is causally associated with these. Whether efficacious chemical inhibitors of agr signaling can be developed that promote host defense against SSTIs while sparing the normal microbiota of the skin is unknown. In a high throughput screen, we identified a small molecule inhibitor (SMI), savirin (S. aureus virulence inhibitor) that disrupted agr-mediated quorum sensing in this pathogen but not in the important skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis. Mechanistic studies employing electrophoretic mobility shift assays and a novel AgrA activation reporter strain revealed the transcriptional regulator AgrA as the target of inhibition within the pathogen, preventing virulence gene upregulation. Consistent with its minimal impact on exponential phase growth, including skin microbiota members, savirin did not provoke stress responses or membrane dysfunction induced by conventional antibiotics as determined by transcriptional profiling and membrane potential and integrity studies. Importantly, savirin was efficacious in two murine skin infection models, abating tissue injury and selectively promoting clearance of agr+ but not Δagr bacteria when administered at the time of infection or delayed until maximal abscess development. The mechanism of enhanced host defense involved in part enhanced intracellular killing of agr+ but not Δagr in macrophages and by low pH. Notably, resistance or tolerance to savirin inhibition of agr was not observed after multiple passages either in vivo or in vitro where under the same conditions resistance to growth inhibition was induced after passage with conventional antibiotics. Therefore, chemical inhibitors can selectively target AgrA in

Growth-defense tradeoffs in plants: a balancing act to optimize fitness.

PubMed

Huot, Bethany; Yao, Jian; Montgomery, Beronda L; He, Sheng Yang

2014-08-01

Growth-defense tradeoffs are thought to occur in plants due to resource restrictions, which demand prioritization towards either growth or defense, depending on external and internal factors. These tradeoffs have profound implications in agriculture and natural ecosystems, as both processes are vital for plant survival, reproduction, and, ultimately, plant fitness. While many of the molecular mechanisms underlying growth and defense tradeoffs remain to be elucidated, hormone crosstalk has emerged as a major player in regulating tradeoffs needed to achieve a balance. In this review, we cover recent advances in understanding growth-defense tradeoffs in plants as well as what is known regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Specifically, we address evidence supporting the growth-defense tradeoff concept, as well as known interactions between defense signaling and growth signaling. Understanding the molecular basis of these tradeoffs in plants should provide a foundation for the development of breeding strategies that optimize the growth-defense balance to maximize crop yield to meet rising global food and biofuel demands. © The Author 2014. Published by the Molecular Plant Shanghai Editorial Office in association with Oxford University Press on behalf of CSPB and IPPE, SIBS, CAS.

The biocontrol agent Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 primes Brassica napus defenses through distinct gene networks.

PubMed

Duke, Kelly A; Becker, Michael G; Girard, Ian J; Millar, Jenna L; Dilantha Fernando, W G; Belmonte, Mark F; de Kievit, Teresa R

2017-06-19

The biological control agent Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 is capable of protecting Brassica napus (canola) from the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum via direct antagonism. While we have elucidated bacterial genes and gene products responsible biocontrol, little is known about how the host plant responds to bacterial priming on the leaf surface, including global changes in gene activity in the presence and absence of S. sclerotiorum. Application of PA23 to the aerial surfaces of canola plants reduced the number of S. sclerotiorum lesion-forming petals by 91.1%. RNA sequencing of the host pathogen interface showed that pretreatment with PA23 reduced the number of genes upregulated in response to S. sclerotiorum by 16-fold. By itself, PA23 activated unique defense networks indicative of defense priming. Genes encoding MAMP-triggered immunity receptors detecting flagellin and peptidoglycan were downregulated in PA23 only-treated plants, consistent with post-stimulus desensitization. Downstream, we observed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production involving low levels of H 2 O 2 and overexpression of genes associated with glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P)-mediated systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Leaf chloroplasts exhibited increased thylakoid membrane structures and chlorophyll content, while lipid metabolic processes were upregulated. In addition to directly antagonizing S. sclerotiorum, PA23 primes the plant defense response through induction of unique local and systemic defense networks. This study provides novel insight into the effects of biocontrol agents applied to the plant phyllosphere. Understanding these interactions will aid in the development of biocontrol systems as an alternative to chemical pesticides for protection of important crop systems.

[Construction of automatic elucidation platform for mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Zhang, Bai-xia; Luo, Si-jun; Yan, Jing; Gu, Hao; Luo, Ji; Zhang, Yan-ling; Tao, Ou; Wang, Yun

2015-10-01

Aim at the two problems in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mechanism elucidation, one is the lack of detailed biological processes information, next is the low efficient in constructing network models, we constructed an auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism and realize the automatic establishment of biological network model. This study used the Entity Grammar Systems (EGS) as the theoretical framework, integrated the data of formulae, herbs, chemical components, targets of component, biological reactions, signaling pathways and disease related proteins, established the formal models, wrote the reasoning engine, constructed the auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism elucidation. The platform provides an automatic modeling method for biological network model of TCM mechanism. It would be benefit to perform the in-depth research on TCM theory of natures and combination and provides the scientific references for R&D of TCM.

Elucidation of defense-related signaling responses to spot blotch infection in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Sahu, Ranabir; Sharaff, Murali; Pradhan, Maitree; Sethi, Avinash; Bandyopadhyay, Tirthankar; Mishra, Vinod K; Chand, Ramesh; Chowdhury, Apurba K; Joshi, Arun K; Pandey, Shree P

2016-04-01

Spot blotch disease, caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, is an important threat to wheat, causing an annual loss of ~17%. Under epidemic conditions, these losses may be 100%, yet the molecular responses of wheat to spot blotch remain almost uncharacterized. Moreover, defense-related phytohormone signaling genes have been poorly characterized in wheat. Here, we have identified 18 central components of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET), and enhanced disease susceptibility 1 (EDS1) signaling pathways as well as the genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway in wheat. In time-course experiments, we characterized the reprogramming of expression of these pathways in two contrasting genotypes: Yangmai #6 (resistant to spot blotch) and Sonalika (susceptible to spot blotch). We further evaluated the performance of a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) by crossing Yangmai#6 and Sonalika (parents) and subsequent selfing to F10 under field conditions in trials at multiple locations. We characterized the reprogramming of defense-related signaling in these RILs as a consequence of spot blotch attack. During resistance to spot blotch attack, wheat strongly elicits SA signaling (SA biogenesis as well as the NPR1-dependent signaling pathway), along with WRKY33 transcription factor, followed by an enhanced expression of phenylpropanoid pathway genes. These may lead to accumulation of phenolics-based defense metabolites that may render resistance against spot blotch. JA signaling may synergistically contribute to the resistance. Failure to elicit SA (and possibly JA) signaling may lead to susceptibility against spot blotch infection in wheat. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Missile defense and strategic stability: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea

DOE PAGES

Sankaran, Jaganath; Fearey, Bryan L.

2017-02-06

South Korea is threatened by its troubled relationship with North Korea. North Korea possesses a large cache of missiles as well as chemical and biological weapons, and the future potential to mount nuclear weapons on its missiles. The United States is also challenged because of its defense commitments to Seoul. As a countermeasure, the United States and South Korea decided to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defenses in South Korea. However, China has objected. Chinese scholars believe the THAAD radar would be able to track Chinese inter-continental ballistic missiles, thereby weakening their deterrent. A technical analysis doesmore » not support this assertion. But, it is vital for South Korea, given its proximity and economic interdependence, to reassure China. The United States Forces Korea will deploy THAD and that is not a commitment by Seoul to become part of U.S.-led missile defenses in the Asia-Pacific.« less

Missile defense and strategic stability: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sankaran, Jaganath; Fearey, Bryan L.

South Korea is threatened by its troubled relationship with North Korea. North Korea possesses a large cache of missiles as well as chemical and biological weapons, and the future potential to mount nuclear weapons on its missiles. The United States is also challenged because of its defense commitments to Seoul. As a countermeasure, the United States and South Korea decided to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defenses in South Korea. However, China has objected. Chinese scholars believe the THAAD radar would be able to track Chinese inter-continental ballistic missiles, thereby weakening their deterrent. A technical analysis doesmore » not support this assertion. But, it is vital for South Korea, given its proximity and economic interdependence, to reassure China. The United States Forces Korea will deploy THAD and that is not a commitment by Seoul to become part of U.S.-led missile defenses in the Asia-Pacific.« less

ION COMPOSITION ELUCIDATION (ICE): AN INVESTIGATIVE ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ion Composition Elucidation (ICE) often leads to identification of compounds and provides high quality evidence for tracking compounds to their sources. Mass spectra for most organic compounds are not found in mass spectral libraries used to tentatively identify analytes. In addition, multiple matches are common. Ion Composition Elucidation provides the numbers of atoms of each element in the ions in the mass spectrum, greatly limiting the number of possible compounds that could produce the mass spectrum. Review of chemical and commercial literature then limits the number of possible compounds to one or a few that can be purchased to confirm tentative compound identifications by comparison of mass spectra and chromatographic retention times. Ion Composition Elucidation is conceptually simple relative to other analytical techniques and more easily explained to a judge or jury. It is based on sums of the exact masses of atoms and their isotopic abundances. Several applications of ICE are demonstrated for ultra-trace-level compounds in an extract of the effluent from a tertiary sewage treatment plant including: (i) measurement of five values to determine an ion's composition and to generate evidence for the compound's identity, (ii) rejection of incorrect library matches, (iii) rapid screening for a target compound in an extract, and (iv) a strategy for tracking unidentified compounds to their sources. The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and

Density-dependent adjustment of inducible defenses.

PubMed

Tollrian, Ralph; Duggen, Sonja; Weiss, Linda C; Laforsch, Christian; Kopp, Michael

2015-08-03

Predation is a major factor driving evolution, and organisms have evolved adaptations increasing their survival chances. However, most defenses incur trade-offs between benefits and costs. Many organisms save costs by employing inducible defenses as responses to fluctuating predation risk. The level of defense often increases with predator densities. However, individual predation risk should not only depend on predator density but also on the density of conspecifics. If the predator has a saturating functional response one would predict a negative correlation between prey density and individual predation risk and hence defense expression. Here, we tested this hypothesis using six model systems, covering a taxonomic range from protozoa to rotifers and crustaceans. In all six systems, we found that the level of defense expression increased with predator density but decreased with prey density. In one of our systems, i.e. in Daphnia, we further show that the response to prey density is triggered by a chemical cue released by conspecifics and congeners. Our results indicate that organisms adjust the degree of defense to the acute predation risk, rather than merely to predators' densities. Our study suggests that density-dependent defense expression reflects accurate predation-risk assessment and is a general principle in many inducible-defense systems.

Density-dependent adjustment of inducible defenses

PubMed Central

Tollrian, Ralph; Duggen, Sonja; Weiss, Linda C.; Laforsch, Christian; Kopp, Michael

2015-01-01

Predation is a major factor driving evolution, and organisms have evolved adaptations increasing their survival chances. However, most defenses incur trade-offs between benefits and costs. Many organisms save costs by employing inducible defenses as responses to fluctuating predation risk. The level of defense often increases with predator densities. However, individual predation risk should not only depend on predator density but also on the density of conspecifics. If the predator has a saturating functional response one would predict a negative correlation between prey density and individual predation risk and hence defense expression. Here, we tested this hypothesis using six model systems, covering a taxonomic range from protozoa to rotifers and crustaceans. In all six systems, we found that the level of defense expression increased with predator density but decreased with prey density. In one of our systems, i.e. in Daphnia, we further show that the response to prey density is triggered by a chemical cue released by conspecifics and congeners. Our results indicate that organisms adjust the degree of defense to the acute predation risk, rather than merely to predators’ densities. Our study suggests that density-dependent defense expression reflects accurate predation-risk assessment and is a general principle in many inducible-defense systems. PMID:26235428

Defense pattern of Chinese cork oak across latitudinal gradients: influences of ontogeny, herbivory, climate and soil nutrients

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiao-Fei; Liu, Jian-Feng; Gao, Wen-Qiang; Deng, Yun-Peng; Ni, Yan-Yan; Xiao, Yi-Hua; Kang, Feng-Feng; Wang, Qi; Lei, Jing-Pin; Jiang, Ze-Ping

2016-01-01

Knowledge of latitudinal patterns in plant defense and herbivory is crucial for understanding the mechanisms that govern ecosystem functioning and for predicting their responses to climate change. Using a widely distributed species in East Asia, Quercus variabilis, we aim to reveal defense patterns of trees with respect to ontogeny along latitudinal gradients. Six leaf chemical (total phenolics and total condensed tannin concentrations) and physical (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and dry mass concentration) defensive traits as well as leaf herbivory (% leaf area loss) were investigated in natural Chinese cork oak (Q. variabilis) forests across two ontogenetic stages (juvenile and mature trees) along a ~14°-latitudinal gradient. Our results showed that juveniles had higher herbivory values and a higher concentration of leaf chemical defense substances compared with mature trees across the latitudinal gradient. In addition, chemical defense and herbivory in both ontogenetic stages decreased with increasing latitude, which supports the latitudinal herbivory-defense hypothesis and optimal defense theory. The identified trade-offs between chemical and physical defense were primarily determined by environmental variation associated with the latitudinal gradient, with the climatic factors (annual precipitation, minimum temperature of the coldest month) largely contributing to the latitudinal defense pattern in both juvenile and mature oak trees. PMID:27252112

Defense pattern of Chinese cork oak across latitudinal gradients: influences of ontogeny, herbivory, climate and soil nutrients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-Fei; Liu, Jian-Feng; Gao, Wen-Qiang; Deng, Yun-Peng; Ni, Yan-Yan; Xiao, Yi-Hua; Kang, Feng-Feng; Wang, Qi; Lei, Jing-Pin; Jiang, Ze-Ping

2016-06-01

Knowledge of latitudinal patterns in plant defense and herbivory is crucial for understanding the mechanisms that govern ecosystem functioning and for predicting their responses to climate change. Using a widely distributed species in East Asia, Quercus variabilis, we aim to reveal defense patterns of trees with respect to ontogeny along latitudinal gradients. Six leaf chemical (total phenolics and total condensed tannin concentrations) and physical (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and dry mass concentration) defensive traits as well as leaf herbivory (% leaf area loss) were investigated in natural Chinese cork oak (Q. variabilis) forests across two ontogenetic stages (juvenile and mature trees) along a ~14°-latitudinal gradient. Our results showed that juveniles had higher herbivory values and a higher concentration of leaf chemical defense substances compared with mature trees across the latitudinal gradient. In addition, chemical defense and herbivory in both ontogenetic stages decreased with increasing latitude, which supports the latitudinal herbivory-defense hypothesis and optimal defense theory. The identified trade-offs between chemical and physical defense were primarily determined by environmental variation associated with the latitudinal gradient, with the climatic factors (annual precipitation, minimum temperature of the coldest month) largely contributing to the latitudinal defense pattern in both juvenile and mature oak trees.

Structure elucidation of organic compounds aided by the computer program system SCANNET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzowska-Swider, B.; Hippe, Z. S.

1992-12-01

Recognition of chemical structure is a very important problem currently solved by molecular spectroscopy, particularly IR, UV, NMR and Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Nowadays, solution of the problem is frequently aided by the computer. SCANNET is a computer program system for structure elucidation of organic compounds, developed by our group. The structure recognition of an unknown substance is made by comparing its spectrum with successive reference spectra of standard compounds, i.e. chemical compounds of known chemical structure, stored in a spectral database. The computer program system SCANNET consists of six different spectral databases for following the analytical methods: IR, UV, 13C-NMR, 1H-NMR and Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. A chemist, to elucidate a structure, can use one of these spectral methods or a combination of them and search the appropriate databases. As the result of searching each spectral database, the user obtains a list of chemical substances whose spectra are identical and/or similar to the spectrum input into the computer. The final information obtained from searching the spectral databases is in the form of a list of chemical substances having all the examined spectra, for each type of spectroscopy, identical or simlar to those of the unknown compound.

Chemical and Physical Defense Traits in Two Sexual Forms of Opuntia robusta in Central Eastern Mexico

PubMed Central

Janczur, Mariusz Krzysztof; León Solano, Héctor Javier; Solache Rámos, Lupita Tzenyatze; Mendoza Reyes, Citlalli Hypatia; Oro Cerro, María del Carmen; Mariezcurrena Berasain, María Dolores; Rivas Manzano, Irma Victoria; Manjarrez, Javier; Villareal Benitez, José Luis; Czarnoleski, Marcin

2014-01-01

Sexually dimorphic plants provide an excellent opportunity for examining the differences in the extent of their defense against herbivores because they exhibit sex-related differences in reproductive investment. Such differences enable comparison of the sex with high reproduction expenses with the sex that expends less. The more costly sex is usually also better defended against herbivores. Generally, females are considered more valuable than hermaphrodites in terms of fitness; however, hermaphrodites are more valuable if they can produce seed by autonomous selfing, provided that the inbreeding depression is low and pollen is limited. We studied a gynodioecious population of Opuntia robusta from Central-Eastern Mexico, which has been reported to be trioecious, dioecious, or hermaphrodite, and addressed the following questions: 1) Is the hermaphrodite's reproductive output higher than the female's, and are hermaphrodites thus better defended? 2) Are plant tissues differentially defended? 3) Do trade-offs exist among different physical defense traits? and 4) among physical and chemical defense traits? We found that 1) hermaphrodites had a higher seed output and more spines per areola than females and that their spines contained less moisture. Non-reproductive hermaphrodite cladodes contained more total phenolic compounds (TPCs) than female ones. In addition, 2) hermaphrodite reproductive cladodes bore more spines than female cladodes, and 3) and 4) we found a negative relationship between spine number per areola and areola number per cladode and a positive relationship between spine number per areola per plant and TPC concentration per plant. Non-reproductive hermaphrodite cladodes contained a higher concentration of TPCs than female cladodes, and parental cladodes contained fewer TPCs than both reproductive and empty cladodes. PMID:24599143

Light-dependent expression of flg22-induced defense genes in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Sano, Satoshi; Aoyama, Mayu; Nakai, Kana; Shimotani, Koji; Yamasaki, Kanako; Sato, Masa H; Tojo, Daisuke; Suwastika, I Nengah; Nomura, Hironari; Shiina, Takashi

2014-01-01

Chloroplasts have been reported to generate retrograde immune signals that activate defense gene expression in the nucleus. However, the roles of light and photosynthesis in plant immunity remain largely elusive. In this study, we evaluated the effects of light on the expression of defense genes induced by flg22, a peptide derived from bacterial flagellins which acts as a potent elicitor in plants. Whole-transcriptome analysis of flg22-treated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings under light and dark conditions for 30 min revealed that a number of (30%) genes strongly induced by flg22 (>4.0) require light for their rapid expression, whereas flg22-repressed genes include a significant number of genes that are down-regulated by light. Furthermore, light is responsible for the flg22-induced accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), indicating that light is indispensable for basal defense responses in plants. To elucidate the role of photosynthesis in defense, we further examined flg22-induced defense gene expression in the presence of specific inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transport: 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) and 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-benzoquinone (DBMIB). Light-dependent expression of defense genes was largely suppressed by DBMIB, but only partially suppressed by DCMU. These findings suggest that photosynthetic electron flow plays a role in controlling the light-dependent expression of flg22-inducible defense genes.

Integrated defense system overlaps as a disease model: with examples for multiple chemical sensitivity.

PubMed Central

Rowat, S C

1998-01-01

The central nervous, immune, and endocrine systems communicate through multiple common messengers. Over evolutionary time, what may be termed integrated defense system(s) (IDS) have developed to coordinate these communications for specific contexts; these include the stress response, acute-phase response, nonspecific immune response, immune response to antigen, kindling, tolerance, time-dependent sensitization, neurogenic switching, and traumatic dissociation (TD). These IDSs are described and their overlap is examined. Three models of disease production are generated: damage, in which IDSs function incorrectly; inadequate/inappropriate, in which IDS response is outstripped by a changing context; and evolving/learning, in which the IDS learned response to a context is deemed pathologic. Mechanisms of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are developed from several IDS disease models. Model 1A is pesticide damage to the central nervous system, overlapping with body chemical burdens, TD, and chronic zinc deficiency; model 1B is benzene disruption of interleukin-1, overlapping with childhood developmental windows and hapten-antigenic spreading; and model 1C is autoimmunity to immunoglobulin-G (IgG), overlapping with spreading to other IgG-inducers, sudden spreading of inciters, and food-contaminating chemicals. Model 2A is chemical and stress overload, including comparison with the susceptibility/sensitization/triggering/spreading model; model 2B is genetic mercury allergy, overlapping with: heavy metals/zinc displacement and childhood/gestational mercury exposures; and model 3 is MCS as evolution and learning. Remarks are offered on current MCS research. Problems with clinical measurement are suggested on the basis of IDS models. Large-sample patient self-report epidemiology is described as an alternative or addition to clinical biomarker and animal testing. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 PMID:9539008

Identification of the chemical constituents of Chinese medicine Yi-Xin-Shu capsule by molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation.

PubMed

Wang, Hong-ping; Chen, Chang; Liu, Yan; Yang, Hong-Jun; Wu, Hong-Wei; Xiao, Hong-Bin

2015-11-01

The incomplete identification of the chemical components of traditional Chinese medicinal formula has been one of the bottlenecks in the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Tandem mass spectrometry has been widely used for the identification of chemical substances. Current automatic tandem mass spectrometry acquisition, where precursor ions were selected according to their signal intensity, encounters a drawback in chemical substances identification when samples contain many overlapping signals. Compounds in minor or trace amounts could not be identified because most tandem mass spectrometry information was lost. Herein, a molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation method for complex Chinese medicine chemical constituent analysis was developed. The precursor ions were selected according to their two-dimensional characteristics of retention times and mass-to-charge ratio ranges from herbal compounds, so that all precursor ions from herbal compounds were included and more minor chemical constituents in Chinese medicine were identified. Compared to the conventional automatic tandem mass spectrometry setups, the approach is novel and can overcome the drawback for chemical substances identification. As an example, 276 compounds from the Chinese Medicine of Yi-Xin-Shu capsule were identified. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stress perceptions of soldiers participating in training at the Chemical Defense Training Facility: The mediating effects of motivation, experience, and confidence level. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fatkin, L.T.; Hudgens, G.A.

1994-01-01

An investigation was conducted by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and funded by the Physiological and Psychological Effects of the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Environment and Sustained Operations on Systems in Combat (P2NBC2) program to assess the psychological reactions of soldiers in mission-oriented protective posture (MOPP) IV participating in training in a simulated chemical agent environment and in a toxic agent environment. A total of 155 soldiers who participated in the basic course (junior enlisted) and the advanced courses (officer and noncommissioned officer NCO groups) as part of their military occupational specialty (MOS) training volunteered for the study.more » The junior enlisted group reported significant increases in anxiety during four sessions as they approached the toxic agent portion of the training. The more experienced groups showed a small, but significant increase in anxiety during sessions. Their level of hostility, a component of stress that usually relates to levels of personal frustration, decreased significantly from the time of their initial testing to just before the training began. Since the initial session occurred 1 to 2 weeks before the U.S. Army Chemical Defense Training Facility (CDTF) training, the elevated frustration level may be a reflection of their overall experiences within the intensive chemical defense training program. A significant drop in reported fatigue between the pre- and post-training sessions may indicate a certain level of vigilance gained by participating in the training.« less

Chemical alarm in the termite Termitogeton planus (Rhinotermitidae).

PubMed

Dolejšová, Klára; Krasulová, Jana; Kutalová, Kateřina; Hanus, Robert

2014-12-01

Effective defense is a common characteristic of insect societies. Indeed, the occurrence of specialized defenders, soldiers, has been the first step toward eusociality in several independent lineages, including termites. Among the multitude of defensive strategies used by termite soldiers, defense by chemicals plays a crucial role. It has evolved with complexity in advanced isopteran lineages, whose soldiers are equipped with a unique defensive organ, the frontal gland. Besides direct defense against predators, competitors, and pathogens, the chemicals emitted by soldiers from the frontal gland are used as signals of alarm. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of the defensive secretion produced by soldiers of the termite Termitogeton planus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), from West Papua, and the effects of this secretion on the behavior of termite groups. Detailed two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses of the soldier defensive secretion revealed the presence of four linear and nine monoterpene hydrocarbons. Soldier head extracts, as well as synthetic mixtures of the monoterpenes found in these extracts, elicited alarm behavior in both soldiers and pseudergates. Our results suggest that the alarm is not triggered by a single monoterpene from the defensive blend, but by a multi-component signal combining quantitatively major and minor compounds.

State Defense Force Monograph Series: Mission Growth of the SDF from the Cold War

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

stand for, is of no value. The health and well being of our citizens are in danger of biological , chemical and even “dirty” nuclear weapons as well...determine the strengths and weakness under each situation. ! Chemical Model – A model used to test the impact of a Chemical, Biological or... Bioethics , 7(9): 31-32. Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. “An achievable vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on

How to induce defense responses in wild plant populations? Using bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) as example.

PubMed

Seldal, Tarald; Hegland, Stein Joar; Rydgren, Knut; Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar; Töpper, Joachim Paul

2017-03-01

Inducible plant defense is a beneficial strategy for plants, which imply that plants should allocate resources from growth and reproduction to defense when herbivores attack. Plant ecologist has often studied defense responses in wild populations by biomass clipping experiments, whereas laboratory and greenhouse experiments in addition apply chemical elicitors to induce defense responses. To investigate whether field ecologists could benefit from methods used in laboratory and greenhouse studies, we established a randomized block-design in a pine-bilberry forest in Western Norway. We tested whether we could activate defense responses in bilberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) by nine different treatments using clipping (leaf tissue or branch removal) with or without chemical treatment by methyljasmonate (MeJA). We subsequently measured consequences of induced defenses through vegetative growth and insect herbivory during one growing season. Our results showed that only MeJA-treated plants showed consistent defense responses through suppressed vegetative growth and reduced herbivory by leaf-chewing insects, suggesting an allocation of resources from growth to defense. Leaf tissue removal reduced insect herbivory equal to the effect of the MeJa treatments, but had no negative impact on growth. Branch removal did not reduce insect herbivory or vegetative growth. MeJa treatment and clipping combined did not give an additional defense response. In this study, we investigated how to induce defense responses in wild plant populations under natural field conditions. Our results show that using the chemical elicitor MeJA, with or without biomass clipping, may be a better method to induce defense response in field experiments than clipping of leaves or branches that often has been used in ecological field studies.

G.A.M.E.: GPU-accelerated mixture elucidator.

PubMed

Schurz, Alioune; Su, Bo-Han; Tu, Yi-Shu; Lu, Tony Tsung-Yu; Lin, Olivia A; Tseng, Yufeng J

2017-09-15

GPU acceleration is useful in solving complex chemical information problems. Identifying unknown structures from the mass spectra of natural product mixtures has been a desirable yet unresolved issue in metabolomics. However, this elucidation process has been hampered by complex experimental data and the inability of instruments to completely separate different compounds. Fortunately, with current high-resolution mass spectrometry, one feasible strategy is to define this problem as extending a scaffold database with sidechains of different probabilities to match the high-resolution mass obtained from a high-resolution mass spectrum. By introducing a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm, it is possible to solve this NP-complete problem in pseudo-polynomial time. However, the running time of the DP algorithm grows by orders of magnitude as the number of mass decimal digits increases, thus limiting the boost in structural prediction capabilities. By harnessing the heavily parallel architecture of modern GPUs, we designed a "compute unified device architecture" (CUDA)-based GPU-accelerated mixture elucidator (G.A.M.E.) that considerably improves the performance of the DP, allowing up to five decimal digits for input mass data. As exemplified by four testing datasets with verified constitutions from natural products, G.A.M.E. allows for efficient and automatic structural elucidation of unknown mixtures for practical procedures. Graphical abstract .

Chemical profile and defensive function of the latex of Euphorbia peplus.

PubMed

Hua, Juan; Liu, Yan; Xiao, Chao-Jiang; Jing, Shu-Xi; Luo, Shi-Hong; Li, Sheng-Hong

2017-04-01

Plant latex is an endogenous fluid secreted from highly specialized laticifer cells and has been suggested to act as a plant defense system. The chemical profile of the latex of Euphorbia peplus was investigated. A total of 13 terpenoids including two previously unknown diterpenoids, (2S*,3S*,4R*,5R*,6R*,8R*,l1R*,13S*,14S*,15R*, 16R*)-5,8,15-triacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-11,16-dihydroxy-9-oxopepluane and (2R*,3R*, 4S*,5R*,7S*,8S*,9S*,l3S*,14S*,15R*)-2,5,8,9,14-pentaacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-15-hydroxy-7-isobutyroyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene), ten known diterpenoids, and a known acyclic triterpene alcohol peplusol, were identified, using HPLC and UPLC-MS/MS analyses and through comparison with the authentic compounds isolated from the whole plant. The diterpenoids exhibited significant antifeedant activity against a generalist plant-feeding insect, the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), with EC 50 values ranging from 0.36 to 4.60 μg/cm 2 . In particular, (2R*,3R*,4S*,5R*,7S*,8S*,9S*,l3S*,14S*,15R*)-2,5,9,14-tetraacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxy-7-isobutyroyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene and (2R*,3R*, 4S*,5R*,7S*,8S*,9S*,l3S*,14S*,15R*)-2,5,14-triacetoxy-3-benzoyloxy-8,15-dihydroxy-7-isobutyroyloxy-9-nicotinoyloxyjatropha-6(17),11E-diene had EC 50 values of 0.36 and 0.43 μg/cm 2 , respectively, which were approximately 7-fold more potent than commercial neem oil (EC 50  = 2.62 μg/cm 2 ). In addition, the major peplusol showed obvious antifungal activity against three strains of agricultural phytopathogenic fungi, Rhizoctonia solani, Colletotrichum litchi and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum. The results indicated that terpenoids in the latex of E. peplus are rich and highly diversified, and might function as constitutive defense metabolites against insect herbivores and pathogens for the plant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tutorial for the structure elucidation of small molecules by means of the LSD software.

PubMed

Nuzillard, Jean-Marc; Plainchont, Bertrand

2018-06-01

Automatic structure elucidation of small molecules by means of the "logic for structure elucidation" (LSD) software is introduced in the context of the automatic exploitation of chemical shift correlation data and with minimal input from chemical shift values. The first step in solving a structural problem by means of LSD is the extraction of pertinent data from the 1D and 2D spectra. This operation requires the labeling of the resonances and of their correlations; its reliability highly depends on the quality of the spectra. The combination of COSY, HSQC, and HMBC spectra results in proximity relationships between nonhydrogen atoms that are associated in order to build the possible solutions of a problem. A simple molecule, camphor, serves as an example for the writing of an LSD input file and to show how solution structures are obtained. An input file for LSD must contain a nonambiguous description of each atom, or atom status, which includes the chemical element symbol, the hybridization state, the number of bound hydrogen atoms and the formal electric charge. In case of atom status ambiguity, the pyLSD program performs clarification by systematically generating the status of the atoms. PyLSD also proposes the use of the nmrshiftdb algorithm in order to rank the solutions of a problem according to the quality of the fit between the experimental carbon-13 chemical shifts, and the ones predicted from the proposed structures. To conclude, some hints toward future uses and developments of computer-assisted structure elucidation by LSD are proposed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Costs of jasmonic acid induced defense in aboveground and belowground parts of corn (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Feng, Yuanjiao; Wang, Jianwu; Luo, Shiming; Fan, Huizhi; Jin, Qiong

2012-08-01

Costs of jasmonic acid (JA) induced plant defense have gained increasing attention. In this study, JA was applied continuously to the aboveground (AG) or belowground (BG) parts, or AG plus BG parts of corn (Zea mays L.) to investigate whether JA exposure in one part of the plant would affect defense responses in another part, and whether or not JA induced defense would incur allocation costs. The results indicated that continuous JA application to AG parts systemically affected the quantities of defense chemicals in the roots, and vice versa. Quantities of DIMBOA and total amounts of phenolic compounds in leaves or roots generally increased 2 or 4 wk after the JA treatment to different plant parts. In the first 2 wk after application, the increase of defense chemicals in leaves and roots was accompanied by a significant decrease of root length, root surface area, and root biomass. Four weeks after the JA application, however, no such costs for the increase of defense chemicals in leaves and roots were detected. Instead, shoot biomass and root biomass increased. The results suggest that JA as a defense signal can be transferred from AG parts to BG parts of corn, and vice versa. Costs for induced defense elicited by continuous JA application were found in the early 2 wk, while distinct benefits were observed later, i.e., 4 wk after JA treatment.

Metabolomics to Decipher the Chemical Defense of Cereals against Fusarium graminearum and Deoxynivalenol Accumulation

PubMed Central

Gauthier, Léa; Atanasova-Penichon, Vessela; Chéreau, Sylvain; Richard-Forget, Florence

2015-01-01

Fusarium graminearum is the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Gibberella ear rot (GER), two devastating diseases of wheat, barley, and maize. Furthermore, F. graminearum species can produce type B trichothecene mycotoxins that accumulate in grains. Use of FHB and GER resistant cultivars is one of the most promising strategies to reduce damage induced by F. graminearum. Combined with genetic approaches, metabolomic ones can provide powerful opportunities for plant breeding through the identification of resistant biomarker metabolites which have the advantage of integrating the genetic background and the influence of the environment. In the past decade, several metabolomics attempts have been made to decipher the chemical defense that cereals employ to counteract F. graminearum. By covering the major classes of metabolites that have been highlighted and addressing their potential role, this review demonstrates the complex and integrated network of events that cereals can orchestrate to resist to F. graminearum. PMID:26492237

Assessing the Effects of Organizational Changes within the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the Nuclear Mission

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University Air Education and Training Command In Partial...chemical and biological defense programs for OSD and his/her official title was changed to Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical...weapons program was no longer the true 27 focus in this office. The current title of this office is Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear

Defense.gov Special Report: Defense Intelligence

Science.gov Websites

Department of Defense Submit Search Defense intelligence is critical to the Defense Department's role in and conduct successful military and security operations that protect America. Defense Intelligence News Story Intelligence Chief Describes 'Pervasive Uncertainty' of Worldwide Threats "

Elucidating Reaction Mechanisms on Quantum Computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiebe, Nathan; Reiher, Markus; Svore, Krysta; Wecker, Dave; Troyer, Matthias

We show how a quantum computer can be employed to elucidate reaction mechanisms in complex chemical systems, using the open problem of biological nitrogen fixation in nitrogenase as an example. We discuss how quantum computers can augment classical-computer simulations for such problems, to significantly increase their accuracy and enable hitherto intractable simulations. Detailed resource estimates show that, even when taking into account the substantial overhead of quantum error correction, and the need to compile into discrete gate sets, the necessary computations can be performed in reasonable time on small quantum computers. This demonstrates that quantum computers will realistically be able to tackle important problems in chemistry that are both scientifically and economically significant.

Sulforaphane Modifies Histone H3, Unpacks Chromatin, and Primes Defense[OPEN

PubMed Central

Jansen, Irina; Baum, Stephani; Beesley, Alexander; Bolm, Carsten

2018-01-01

Modern crop production calls for agrochemicals that prime plants for enhanced defense. Reliable test systems for spotting priming-inducing chemistry, however, are rare. We developed an assay for the high-throughput search for compounds that prime microbial pattern-induced secretion of antimicrobial furanocoumarins (phytoalexins) in cultured parsley cells. The screen produced 1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane (sulforaphane; SFN), a secondary metabolite in many crucifers, as a novel defense priming compound. While elucidating SFN’s mode of action in defense priming, we found that in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) the isothiocyanate provokes covalent modification (K4me3, K9ac) of histone H3 in the promoter and promoter-proximal region of defense genes WRKY6 and PDF1.2, but not PR1. SFN-triggered H3K4me3 and H3K9ac coincide with chromatin unpacking in the WRKY6 and PDF1.2 regulatory regions, primed WRKY6 expression, unprimed PDF1.2 activation, and reduced susceptibility to downy mildew disease (Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis). Because SFN also directly inhibits H. arabidopsidis and other plant pathogens, the isothiocyanate is promising for the development of a plant protectant with a dual mode of action. PMID:29288231

Synthetic plant defense elicitors

PubMed Central

Bektas, Yasemin; Eulgem, Thomas

2015-01-01

To defend themselves against invading pathogens plants utilize a complex regulatory network that coordinates extensive transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming. Although many of the key players of this immunity-associated network are known, the details of its topology and dynamics are still poorly understood. As an alternative to forward and reverse genetic studies, chemical genetics-related approaches based on bioactive small molecules have gained substantial popularity in the analysis of biological pathways and networks. Use of such molecular probes can allow researchers to access biological space that was previously inaccessible to genetic analyses due to gene redundancy or lethality of mutations. Synthetic elicitors are small drug-like molecules that induce plant defense responses, but are distinct from known natural elicitors of plant immunity. While the discovery of some synthetic elicitors had already been reported in the 1970s, recent breakthroughs in combinatorial chemical synthesis now allow for inexpensive high-throughput screens for bioactive plant defense-inducing compounds. Along with powerful reverse genetics tools and resources available for model plants and crop systems, comprehensive collections of new synthetic elicitors will likely allow plant scientists to study the intricacies of plant defense signaling pathways and networks in an unparalleled fashion. As synthetic elicitors can protect crops from diseases, without the need to be directly toxic for pathogenic organisms, they may also serve as promising alternatives to conventional biocidal pesticides, which often are harmful for the environment, farmers and consumers. Here we are discussing various types of synthetic elicitors that have been used for studies on the plant immune system, their modes-of-action as well as their application in crop protection. PMID:25674095

Considerations of a ship defense with a pulsed COIL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takehisa, K.

2015-10-01

Ship defense system with a pulsed COIL (Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser) has been considered. One of the greatest threats for battle ships and carriers in warfare are supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). A countermeasure is considered to be a supersonic RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) at first. A gun-type CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) should be used as the last line of defense. However since an ASCM can be detected at only 30-50km away due to radar horizon, a speed-of-light weapon is desirable as the first defense especially if the ASCM flies at >Mach 6. Our previous report explained several advantages of a giant pulse from a chemical oxygen laser (COL) to shoot down supersonic aircrafts. Since the first defense has the target distance of ~30km, the use of COIL is better considering its beam having high transmissivity in air. Therefore efficient operation of a giant-pulsed COIL has been investigated with rate-equation simulations. The simulation results indicate that efficient single-pass amplification can be expected. Also a design example of a giant-pulsed COIL MOPA (master oscillator and power amplifier) system has been shown, in which the output energy can be increased without limit.

Sulforaphane Modifies Histone H3, Unpacks Chromatin, and Primes Defense.

PubMed

Schillheim, Britta; Jansen, Irina; Baum, Stephani; Beesley, Alexander; Bolm, Carsten; Conrath, Uwe

2018-03-01

Modern crop production calls for agrochemicals that prime plants for enhanced defense. Reliable test systems for spotting priming-inducing chemistry, however, are rare. We developed an assay for the high-throughput search for compounds that prime microbial pattern-induced secretion of antimicrobial furanocoumarins (phytoalexins) in cultured parsley cells. The screen produced 1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane (sulforaphane; SFN), a secondary metabolite in many crucifers, as a novel defense priming compound. While elucidating SFN's mode of action in defense priming, we found that in Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) the isothiocyanate provokes covalent modification (K4me3, K9ac) of histone H3 in the promoter and promoter-proximal region of defense genes WRKY6 and PDF1 2 , but not PR1 SFN-triggered H3K4me3 and H3K9ac coincide with chromatin unpacking in the WRKY6 and PDF1 2 regulatory regions, primed WRKY6 expression, unprimed PDF1 2 activation, and reduced susceptibility to downy mildew disease ( Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis ). Because SFN also directly inhibits H arabidopsidis and other plant pathogens, the isothiocyanate is promising for the development of a plant protectant with a dual mode of action. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Anthropometric Cockpit Compatibility Assessment of US Army Aircraft for Large and Small Personnel Wearing A Cold Weather, Armored Vest, Chemical Defense Protective Clothing Configuration

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-01

12 5. Survival Vest-Armor Plate Insert Configurations Employed ...................... 14 6. Summary of Critical Anthropometric Measure- ments...to assure an adequate aviator-to-cockpit fit for personnel wearing cold weather, survival vest with armor plate , and chemical defense protective...trousers (NSN 8415-00-407-1060). Survival vest, armor plated (NSN 8470-00-935-3192) The armor- plated survival vest could have the armor inserted in

Mechanical defenses of plant extrafloral nectaries against herbivory

PubMed Central

Gish, Moshe; Mescher, Mark C.; De Moraes, Consuelo M.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Extrafloral nectaries play an important role in plant defense against herbivores by providing nectar rewards that attract ants and other carnivorous insects. However, extrafloral nectaries can themselves be targets of herbivory, in addition to being exploited by nectar-robbing insects that do not provide defensive services. We recently found that the extrafloral nectaries of Vicia faba plants, as well as immediately adjacent tissues, exhibit high concentrations of chemical toxins, apparently as a defense against herbivory. Here we report that the nectary tissues of this plant also exhibit high levels of structural stiffness compared to surrounding tissues, likely due to cell wall lignification and the concentration of calcium oxalate crystals in nectary tissues, which may provide an additional deterrent to herbivore feeding on nectary tissues. PMID:27489584

Nano/micromotors for security/defense applications. A review.

PubMed

Singh, Virendra V; Wang, Joseph

2015-12-14

The new capabilities of man-made micro/nanomotors open up considerable opportunities for diverse security and defense applications. This review highlights new micromotor-based strategies for enhanced security monitoring and detoxification of chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWA). The movement of receptor-functionalized nanomotors offers great potential for sensing and isolating target bio-threats from complex samples. New mobile reactive materials based on zeolite or activated carbon offer considerable promise for the accelerated removal of chemical warfare agents. A wide range of proof-of-concept motor-based approaches, including the detection and destruction of anthrax spores, 'on-off' nerve-agent detection or effective neutralization of chemical warfare agents have thus been demonstrated. The propulsion of micromotors and their corresponding bubble tails impart significant mixing that greatly accelerates such detoxification processes. These nanomotors will thus empower sensing and destruction where stirring large quantities of decontaminating reagents and controlled mechanical agitation are impossible or undesired. New technological breakthroughs and greater sophistication of micro/nanoscale machines will lead to rapid translation of the micromotor research activity into practical defense applications, addressing the escalating threat of CBWA.

Nano/micromotors for security/defense applications. A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Virendra V.; Wang, Joseph

2015-11-01

The new capabilities of man-made micro/nanomotors open up considerable opportunities for diverse security and defense applications. This review highlights new micromotor-based strategies for enhanced security monitoring and detoxification of chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWA). The movement of receptor-functionalized nanomotors offers great potential for sensing and isolating target bio-threats from complex samples. New mobile reactive materials based on zeolite or activated carbon offer considerable promise for the accelerated removal of chemical warfare agents. A wide range of proof-of-concept motor-based approaches, including the detection and destruction of anthrax spores, `on-off' nerve-agent detection or effective neutralization of chemical warfare agents have thus been demonstrated. The propulsion of micromotors and their corresponding bubble tails impart significant mixing that greatly accelerates such detoxification processes. These nanomotors will thus empower sensing and destruction where stirring large quantities of decontaminating reagents and controlled mechanical agitation are impossible or undesired. New technological breakthroughs and greater sophistication of micro/nanoscale machines will lead to rapid translation of the micromotor research activity into practical defense applications, addressing the escalating threat of CBWA.

Ferulic Acid Orchestrates Anti-Oxidative Properties of Danggui Buxue Tang, an Ancient Herbal Decoction: Elucidation by Chemical Knock-Out Approach.

PubMed

Gong, Amy G W; Huang, Vincent Y; Wang, Huai Y; Lin, Huang Q; Dong, Tina T X; Tsim, Karl W K

2016-01-01

Ferulic acid, a phenolic acid derived mainly from a Chinese herb Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR), was reported to reduce the formation of free radicals. Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a herbal decoction composing of Astragali Radix (AR) and ASR, has been utilized for more than 800 years in China having known anti-oxidative property. Ferulic acid is a major active ingredient in DBT; however, the role of ferulic acid within the herbal mixture has not been resolved. In order to elucidate the function of ferulic acid within this herbal decoction, a ferulic acid-depleted herbal decoction was created and named as DBTΔfa. The anti-oxidative properties of chemically modified DBT decoction were systemically compared in cultured H9C2 rat cardiomyoblast cell line. The application of DBT and DBTΔfa into the cultures showed functions in (i) decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, detected by laser confocal; (ii) increasing of the activation of Akt; (iii) increasing the transcriptional activity of anti-oxidant response element (ARE); and (iv) increasing the expressions of anti-oxidant enzymes, i.e. NQO1 and GCLM. In all scenario, the aforementioned anti-oxidative properties of DBTΔfa in H9C2 cells were significantly reduced, as compared to authentic DBT. Thus, ferulic acid could be an indispensable chemical in DBT to orchestrate multi-components of DBT as to achieve maximal anti-oxidative functions.

Elucidating determinants of aerosol composition through particle-type-based receptor modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuire, M. L.; Jeong, C.-H.; Slowik, J. G.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Corbin, J. C.; Lu, G.; Mihele, C.; Rehbein, P. J. G.; Sills, D. M. L.; Abbatt, J. P. D.; Brook, J. R.; Evans, G. J.

2011-03-01

An aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) was deployed at a semi-rural site in Southern Ontario to characterize the size and chemical composition of individual particles. Particle-type-based receptor modelling of these data was used to investigate the determinants of aerosol chemical composition in this region. Individual particles were classified into particle-types and positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to their temporal trends to separate and cross-apportion particle-types to factors. The extent of chemical processing for each factor was assessed by evaluating the internal and external mixing state of the characteristic particle-types. The nine factors identified helped to elucidate the coupled interactions of these determinants. Nitrate-laden dust was found to be the dominant type of locally emitted particles measured by ATOFMS. Several factors associated with aerosol transported to the site from intermediate local-to-regional distances were identified: the Organic factor was associated with a combustion source to the north-west; the ECOC Day factor was characterized by nearby local-to-regional carbonaceous emissions transported from the south-west during the daytime; and the Fireworks factor consisted of pyrotechnic particles from the Detroit region following holiday fireworks displays. Regional aerosol from farther emissions sources were reflected through three factors: two biomass burning factors and a highly chemically processed long range transport factor. The biomass burning factors were separated by PMF due to differences in chemical processing which were caused in part by the passage of two thunderstorm gust fronts with different air mass histories. The remaining two factors, ECOC Night and Nitrate Background, represented the night-time partitioning of nitrate to pre-existing particles of different origins. The distinct meteorological conditions observed during this month-long study in the summer of 2007 provided a unique range

Assessing homeland chemical hazards outside the military gates: industrial hazard threat assessments for department of defense installations.

PubMed

Kirkpatrick, Jeffrey S; Howard, Jacqueline M; Reed, David A

2002-04-08

As part of comprehensive joint medical surveillance measures outlined by the Department of Defense, the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) is beginning to assess environmental health threats to continental US military installations. A common theme in comprehensive joint medical surveillance, in support of Force Health Protection, is the identification and assessment of potential environmental health hazards, and the evaluation and documentation of actual exposures in both a continental US and outside a continental US setting. For the continental US assessments, the USACHPPM has utilized the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) database for risk management plans in accordance with Public Law 106-40, and the toxic release inventory database, in a state-of the art geographic information systems based program, termed the Consequence Assessment and Management Tool Set, or CATS, for assessing homeland industrial chemical hazards outside the military gates. As an example, the US EPA toxic release inventory and risk management plans databases are queried to determine the types and locations of industries surrounding a continental US military installation. Contaminants of concern are then ranked with respect to known toxicological and physical hazards, where they are then subject to applicable downwind hazard simulations using applicable meteorological and climatological data sets. The composite downwind hazard areas are mapped in relation to emergency response planning guidelines (ERPG), which were developed by the American Industrial Hygiene Association to assist emergency response personnel planning for catastrophic chemical releases. In addition, other geographic referenced data such as transportation routes, satellite imagery and population data are included in the operational, equipment, and morale risk assessment and management process. These techniques have been developed to assist military medical planners and operations

Department of Defense Joint Chemical and Biological Defense Program 2009 Annual Report to Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-27

completion at the ECBC on the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD. The SRF is a collaborative effort, funded by the DoD, DHS, and...Accelerated Manufacture of Pharmaceuticals APB Acquisition Program Baseline APG Aberdeen Proving Ground ARC Annual Report to Congress ASC Active...Critical Reagents Program CUGV Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Unmanned Ground Vehicle CW Chemical Weapons CWA Chemical Warfare Agent CWC

Natural history-driven, plant-mediated RNAi-based study reveals CYP6B46's role in a nicotine-mediated antipredator herbivore defense.

PubMed

Kumar, Pavan; Pandit, Sagar S; Steppuhn, Anke; Baldwin, Ian T

2014-01-28

Manduca sexta (Ms) larvae are known to efficiently excrete ingested nicotine when feeding on their nicotine-producing native hostplant, Nicotiana attenuata. Here we describe how ingested nicotine is co-opted for larval defense by a unique mechanism. Plant-mediated RNAi was used to silence a midgut-expressed, nicotine-induced cytochrome P450 6B46 (CYP6B46) in larvae consuming transgenic N. attenuata plants producing MsCYP6B46 dsRNA. These and transgenic nicotine-deficient plants were planted into native habitats to study the phenotypes of larvae feeding on these plants and the behavior of their predators. The attack-behavior of a native wolf spider (Camptocosa parallela), a major nocturnal predator, provided the key to understanding MsCYP6B46's function: spiders clearly preferred CYP6B46-silenced larvae, just as they had preferred larvae fed nicotine-deficient plants. MsCYP6B46 redirects a small amount (0.65%) of ingested nicotine from the midgut into hemolymph, from which nicotine is exhaled through the spiracles as an antispider signal. CYP6B46-silenced larvae were more susceptible to spider-attack because they exhaled less nicotine because of lower hemolymph nicotine concentrations. CYP6B46-silenced larvae were impaired in distributing ingested nicotine from midgut to hemolymph, but not in the clearing of hemolymph nicotine or in the exhalation of nicotine from hemolymph. MsCYP6B46 could be a component of a previously hypothesized pump that converts nicotine to a short-lived, transportable, metabolite. Other predators, big-eyed bugs, and antlion larvae were insensitive to this defense. Thus, chemical defenses, too toxic to sequester, can be repurposed for defensive functions through respiration as a form of defensive halitosis, and predators can assist the functional elucidation of herbivore genes.

22 CFR 130.4 - Defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Defense articles and defense services. 130.4 Section 130.4 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS, FEES AND COMMISSIONS § 130.4 Defense articles and defense services. Defense articles and defense...

22 CFR 130.4 - Defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Defense articles and defense services. 130.4 Section 130.4 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS, FEES AND COMMISSIONS § 130.4 Defense articles and defense services. Defense articles and defense...

22 CFR 130.4 - Defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Defense articles and defense services. 130.4 Section 130.4 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS, FEES AND COMMISSIONS § 130.4 Defense articles and defense services. Defense articles and defense...

22 CFR 130.4 - Defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Defense articles and defense services. 130.4 Section 130.4 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS, FEES AND COMMISSIONS § 130.4 Defense articles and defense services. Defense articles and defense...

Exploring plant defense theory in tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima.

PubMed

Heath, Jeremy J; Kessler, André; Woebbe, Eric; Cipollini, Don; Stireman, John O

2014-06-01

Understanding the evolutionary reasons for patterns of chemical defense in plants is an ongoing theoretical and empirical challenge. The goal is to develop a model that can reliably predict how defenses are distributed within the plant over space and time. This is difficult given that evolutionary, ecological, and physiological processes and tradeoffs can operate over different spatial and temporal scales. We evaluated the major predictions of two leading defense theories, the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) and optimal defense theory (ODT). To achieve this, enemies, fitness components, terpenoids, and protease inhibitors were measured in Solidago altissima and used to construct conventional univariate and structural equation models (SEMs). Leaf-tissue value indices extracted from an SEM revealed a strong correlation between tissue value and terpenoid defense that supports ODT. A tradeoff between serine protease inhibition and growth as well as an indirect tradeoff between growth and terpenoids manifested through galling insects supported the GDBH. Interestingly, there was a strong direct effect of terpenoids on rhizome mass, suggesting service to both storage and defense. The results support established theories but unknown genotypic traits explained much of the variation in defense, confirming the need to integrate emerging theories such as pollination constraints, defense syndromes, tolerance, mutualisms, and facilitation. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Interactions between chemical and non-chemical stressors and inherent characteristics to elucidate children’s mental health disparities

EPA Science Inventory

Children may be more vulnerable to the combined interactions of chemical and non-chemical stressors from their built, natural, and social environments when compared to adults. When children are exposed to cigarette smoke, bisphenol A (BPA), or organophosphate pesticides, they are...

Homarine as a feeding deterrent in common shallow-water antarctic lamellarian gastropodMarseniopsis mollis: A rare example of chemical defense in a marine prosobranch.

PubMed

McClintock, J B; Baker, B J; Hamann, M T; Yoshida, W; Slattery, M; Heine, J N; Bryan, P J; Jayatilake, G S; Moon, B H

1994-10-01

The common bright yellow antarctic lamellarian gastropodMarseniopsis mollis was examined for the presence of defensive chemistry. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy indicated that a major component of ethanolic extracts purified by reversed-phase column chromatography was homarine. Further high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the mantle, foot, and viscera verified the presence of homarine in all body tissues at concentrations ranging from 6 to 24 mg/g dry tissue. A conspicuous macroinvertebrate predator of the shallow antarctic benthos, the sea starOdontaster validus, always rejected live individuals ofM. mollis, while readily feeding on pieces of fish tail muscle. Filter paper disks treated with shrimp elicited a broad range of feeding behaviors in the sea starO. validus (movement of disc to mouth, extrusion of cardiac stomach, humped feeding posture). Shrimp disks treated with homarine (0.4 and 4 mg/disk) were rejected byO. validus significantly more frequently than control disks treated with solvent carrier and shrimp or shrimp alone. The highest concentration of homarine tested not only caused feeding deterrence, but in several sea stars a flight response was noted. Homarine was not detected in the tunic of the antarctic ascidianCnemidocarpa verrucosa, a presumed primary prey ofM. mollis. Nonetheless, crude extracts of the epizooites that foul the tunic (primarily the bryozoans and hydroids) contain homarine, suggestingM. mollis may ingest and derive its chemistry from these organisms. This appears to be only the third example of chemical defense in a member of the Order Mesogastropoda. As the vestigial internalized shell ofM. mollis is considered a primitive condition, the findings of this study lend support to the hypothesis that chemical defense evolved prior to shell loss in shell-less gastropods.

Elucidating the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction mechanism on platinum

DOE PAGES

Favaro, M.; Valero-Vidal, C.; Eichhorn, J.; ...

2017-03-07

Understanding the interplay between surface chemistry, electronic structure, and reaction mechanism of the catalyst at the electrified solid/liquid interface will enable the design of more efficient materials systems for sustainable energy production. The substantial progress in operando characterization, particularly using synchrotron based X-ray spectroscopies, provides the unprecedented opportunity to uncover surface chemical and structural transformations under various (electro)chemical reaction environments. In this work, we study a polycrystalline platinum surface under oxygen evolution conditions in an alkaline electrolyte by means of ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy performed at the electrified solid/liquid interface. We elucidate previously inaccessible aspects of the surface chemistrymore » and structure as a function of the applied potential, allowing us to propose a reaction mechanism for oxygen evolution on a platinum electrode in alkaline solutions.« less

Elucidating Adverse Nutritional Implications of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Mycotoxins through Stable Isotope Techniques.

PubMed

Owino, Victor O; Cornelius, Carolin; Loechl, Cornelia U

2018-03-23

Multiple drivers of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) include a rapid shift from predominantly plant-based diets to energy-dense foods based on meats, milk, animal fats and vegetable oils. The shift to overweight and obesity is driven by increased exposure to mass media, urbanization, technological advances in food processing, rising income and increased population density associated with increased access to cheap foods. At the same time, undernutrition persists mainly due to food insecurity and lack of access to safe water, sanitation and adequate health care. All known nutrition interventions result in only one third reduction in stunting. Little consideration has been given to hazardous exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and microbial toxins as major components of the malnutrition-causal framework. These hazards include microbial toxins, for example, mycotoxins, and environmental pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of which are known to disrupt the endocrine system. These hazards sit at the cross road of undernutrition and overweight and obesity since the exposure cuts across the critical window of opportunity (the first 1000 days). In this review, we update on the role of food and environmental contaminants, especially EDCs and aflatoxins, in child growth and on the implications for metabolic dysfunction and disease risk in later life, and discuss potential applications of nuclear and isotopic techniques to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms, outcome indicators, as well as occurrence levels.

Ferulic Acid Orchestrates Anti-Oxidative Properties of Danggui Buxue Tang, an Ancient Herbal Decoction: Elucidation by Chemical Knock-Out Approach

PubMed Central

Gong, Amy G. W.; Huang, Vincent Y.; Wang, Huai Y.; Lin, Huang Q.; Dong, Tina T. X.; Tsim, Karl W. K.

2016-01-01

Ferulic acid, a phenolic acid derived mainly from a Chinese herb Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR), was reported to reduce the formation of free radicals. Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a herbal decoction composing of Astragali Radix (AR) and ASR, has been utilized for more than 800 years in China having known anti-oxidative property. Ferulic acid is a major active ingredient in DBT; however, the role of ferulic acid within the herbal mixture has not been resolved. In order to elucidate the function of ferulic acid within this herbal decoction, a ferulic acid-depleted herbal decoction was created and named as DBTΔfa. The anti-oxidative properties of chemically modified DBT decoction were systemically compared in cultured H9C2 rat cardiomyoblast cell line. The application of DBT and DBTΔfa into the cultures showed functions in (i) decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, detected by laser confocal; (ii) increasing of the activation of Akt; (iii) increasing the transcriptional activity of anti-oxidant response element (ARE); and (iv) increasing the expressions of anti-oxidant enzymes, i.e. NQO1 and GCLM. In all scenario, the aforementioned anti-oxidative properties of DBTΔfa in H9C2 cells were significantly reduced, as compared to authentic DBT. Thus, ferulic acid could be an indispensable chemical in DBT to orchestrate multi-components of DBT as to achieve maximal anti-oxidative functions. PMID:27824860

Curdlan β-1,3-Glucooligosaccharides Induce the Defense Responses against Phytophthora infestans Infection of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. McCain G1) Leaf Cells

PubMed Central

Li, Jing; Zhu, Li; Lu, Guangxing; Zhan, Xiao-Bei; Lin, Chi-Chung; Zheng, Zhi-Yong

2014-01-01

Activation of the innate immune system before the invasion of pathogens is a promising way to improve the resistance of plant against infection while reducing the use of agricultural chemicals. Although several elicitors were used to induce the resistance of potato plant to microbial pathogen infection, the role of curdlan oligosaccharide (CurdO) has not been established. In the current study, the defense responses were investigated at biochemical and proteomic levels to elucidate the elicitation effect of CurdOs in foliar tissues of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. McCain G1). The results indicate that the CurdOs exhibit activation effect on the early- and late-defense responses in potato leaves. In addition, glucopentaose was proved to be the shortest active curdlan molecule based on the accumulation of H2O2 and salicylic acid and the activities of phenylalanine amino-lyase, β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase. The 2D-PAGE analysis reveals that CurdOs activate the integrated response reactions in potato cells, as a number of proteins with various functions are up-regulated including disease/defense, metabolism, transcription, and cell structure. The pathogenesis assay shows that the ratio of lesion area of potato leaf decreased from 15.82%±5.44% to 7.79%±3.03% when the plants were treated with CurdOs 1 day before the infection of Phytophthora infestans. Furthermore, the results on potato yield and induction reactions indicate that the defense responses induced by CurdOs lasted for short period of time but disappeared gradually. PMID:24816730

Curdlan β-1,3-glucooligosaccharides induce the defense responses against Phytophthora infestans infection of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. McCain G1) leaf cells.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Zhu, Li; Lu, Guangxing; Zhan, Xiao-Bei; Lin, Chi-Chung; Zheng, Zhi-Yong

2014-01-01

Activation of the innate immune system before the invasion of pathogens is a promising way to improve the resistance of plant against infection while reducing the use of agricultural chemicals. Although several elicitors were used to induce the resistance of potato plant to microbial pathogen infection, the role of curdlan oligosaccharide (CurdO) has not been established. In the current study, the defense responses were investigated at biochemical and proteomic levels to elucidate the elicitation effect of CurdOs in foliar tissues of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. McCain G1). The results indicate that the CurdOs exhibit activation effect on the early- and late-defense responses in potato leaves. In addition, glucopentaose was proved to be the shortest active curdlan molecule based on the accumulation of H₂O₂ and salicylic acid and the activities of phenylalanine amino-lyase, β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase. The 2D-PAGE analysis reveals that CurdOs activate the integrated response reactions in potato cells, as a number of proteins with various functions are up-regulated including disease/defense, metabolism, transcription, and cell structure. The pathogenesis assay shows that the ratio of lesion area of potato leaf decreased from 15.82%±5.44% to 7.79%±3.03% when the plants were treated with CurdOs 1 day before the infection of Phytophthora infestans. Furthermore, the results on potato yield and induction reactions indicate that the defense responses induced by CurdOs lasted for short period of time but disappeared gradually.

Adaptations of quaking aspen for defense against damage by herbivores and related environmental agents

Treesearch

Richard L. Lindroth

2001-01-01

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) employs two major systems of defense against damage by environmental agents: chemical defense and tolerance. Aspen accumulates appreciable quantities of phenolic glycosides (salicylates) and condensed tannins in most tissues and accumulates coniferyl benzoate in flower buds. Phenolic glycosides are toxic and/or deterrent to pathogens...

Invasive bark beetle-associated microbes degrade a host defensive monoterpene.

PubMed

Xu, Le-Tian; Lu, Min; Sun, Jiang-Hua

2016-04-01

Conifers respond to herbivore attack with defensive chemicals, which are toxic to both insects and their associated microorganisms. Microorganisms associated with insects have been widely reported to metabolize toxic chemicals, which may help both microorganisms and host insects overcome host conifer defense. Dendroctonus valens LeConte, an introduced exotic pest from North America to China, has killed millions of healthy pines. Alpha-pinene is the most abundant defensive monoterpene in Chinese Pinus tabuliformis. Although microorganisms associated with D. valens have already been investigated, little is known about their bioactivities when encountering host defensive monoterpenes. In this study, we evaluated the influences of different concentrations of α-pinene to D. valens and the three most frequently isolated yeasts and bacteria of D. valens, and further assayed microorganisms' capabilities to degrade α-pinene. Results showed that the gallery lengths and body weight changes of bark beetles were significantly affected by 6 mg/mL and 12 mg/mL of α-pinene applied in media compared to controls. The tolerance of experimental microorganisms to α-pinene varied depending on the microbial species. Two out of three yeast strains and all three bacterial strains degraded 20%-50% of α-pinene compared to controls in 24 h in vitro. The microorganisms capable of α-pinene degradation in vitro and their tolerance to high levels of α-pinene suggested that D. valens-associated microorganisms may help both microorganisms and the bark beetle overcome host α-pinene defense. © 2015 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Effects of Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02 on Joint Program Executive Office Chemical Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) Effectiveness

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

acquisition reforms. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5000.02, better buying power, initiative, reform 15. NUMBER...7 6. Better Buying Power 1.0 ................................................................8 7. Better Buying Power 2.0...8 8. Better Buying Power 3.0 ................................................................8 9. DOD

What happens in the pith stays in the pith: tissue-localized defense responses facilitate chemical niche differentiation between two spatially separated herbivores.

PubMed

Lee, Gisuk; Joo, Youngsung; Kim, Sang-Gyu; Baldwin, Ian T

2017-11-01

Herbivore attack is known to elicit systemic defense responses that spread throughout the host plant and influence the performance of other herbivores. While these plant-mediated indirect competitive interactions are well described, and the co-existence of herbivores from different feeding guilds is common, the mechanisms of co-existence are poorly understood. In both field and glasshouse experiments with a native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata, we found no evidence of negative interactions when plants were simultaneously attacked by two spatially separated herbivores: a leaf chewer Manduca sexta and a stem borer Trichobaris mucorea. T. mucorea attack elicited jasmonic acid (JA) and jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine bursts in the pith of attacked stems similar to those that occur in leaves when M. sexta attacks N. attenuata leaves. Pith chlorogenic acid (CGA) levels increased 1000-fold to levels 6-fold higher than leaf levels after T. mucorea attack; these increases in pith CGA levels, which did not occur in M. sexta-attacked leaves, required JA signaling. With plants silenced in CGA biosynthesis (irHQT plants), CGA, as well as other caffeic acid conjugates, was demonstrated in both glasshouse and field experiments to function as a direct defense protecting piths against T. mucorea attack, but not against leaf chewers or sucking insects. T. mucorea attack does not systemically activate JA signaling in leaves, while M. sexta leaf-attack transiently induces detectable but minor pith JA levels that are dwarfed by local responses. We conclude that tissue-localized defense responses allow tissue-specialized herbivores to share the same host and occupy different chemical defense niches in the same hostplant. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Elucidating reaction mechanisms on quantum computers.

PubMed

Reiher, Markus; Wiebe, Nathan; Svore, Krysta M; Wecker, Dave; Troyer, Matthias

2017-07-18

With rapid recent advances in quantum technology, we are close to the threshold of quantum devices whose computational powers can exceed those of classical supercomputers. Here, we show that a quantum computer can be used to elucidate reaction mechanisms in complex chemical systems, using the open problem of biological nitrogen fixation in nitrogenase as an example. We discuss how quantum computers can augment classical computer simulations used to probe these reaction mechanisms, to significantly increase their accuracy and enable hitherto intractable simulations. Our resource estimates show that, even when taking into account the substantial overhead of quantum error correction, and the need to compile into discrete gate sets, the necessary computations can be performed in reasonable time on small quantum computers. Our results demonstrate that quantum computers will be able to tackle important problems in chemistry without requiring exorbitant resources.

Elucidating reaction mechanisms on quantum computers

PubMed Central

Reiher, Markus; Wiebe, Nathan; Svore, Krysta M.; Wecker, Dave; Troyer, Matthias

2017-01-01

With rapid recent advances in quantum technology, we are close to the threshold of quantum devices whose computational powers can exceed those of classical supercomputers. Here, we show that a quantum computer can be used to elucidate reaction mechanisms in complex chemical systems, using the open problem of biological nitrogen fixation in nitrogenase as an example. We discuss how quantum computers can augment classical computer simulations used to probe these reaction mechanisms, to significantly increase their accuracy and enable hitherto intractable simulations. Our resource estimates show that, even when taking into account the substantial overhead of quantum error correction, and the need to compile into discrete gate sets, the necessary computations can be performed in reasonable time on small quantum computers. Our results demonstrate that quantum computers will be able to tackle important problems in chemistry without requiring exorbitant resources. PMID:28674011

Elucidating reaction mechanisms on quantum computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiher, Markus; Wiebe, Nathan; Svore, Krysta M.; Wecker, Dave; Troyer, Matthias

2017-07-01

With rapid recent advances in quantum technology, we are close to the threshold of quantum devices whose computational powers can exceed those of classical supercomputers. Here, we show that a quantum computer can be used to elucidate reaction mechanisms in complex chemical systems, using the open problem of biological nitrogen fixation in nitrogenase as an example. We discuss how quantum computers can augment classical computer simulations used to probe these reaction mechanisms, to significantly increase their accuracy and enable hitherto intractable simulations. Our resource estimates show that, even when taking into account the substantial overhead of quantum error correction, and the need to compile into discrete gate sets, the necessary computations can be performed in reasonable time on small quantum computers. Our results demonstrate that quantum computers will be able to tackle important problems in chemistry without requiring exorbitant resources.

Mechanisms of plant defense against insect herbivores

PubMed Central

War, Abdul Rashid; Paulraj, Michael Gabriel; Ahmad, Tariq; Buhroo, Abdul Ahad; Hussain, Barkat; Ignacimuthu, Savarimuthu; Sharma, Hari Chand

2012-01-01

Plants respond to herbivory through various morphological, biochemicals, and molecular mechanisms to counter/offset the effects of herbivore attack. The biochemical mechanisms of defense against the herbivores are wide-ranging, highly dynamic, and are mediated both by direct and indirect defenses. The defensive compounds are either produced constitutively or in response to plant damage, and affect feeding, growth, and survival of herbivores. In addition, plants also release volatile organic compounds that attract the natural enemies of the herbivores. These strategies either act independently or in conjunction with each other. However, our understanding of these defensive mechanisms is still limited. Induced resistance could be exploited as an important tool for the pest management to minimize the amounts of insecticides used for pest control. Host plant resistance to insects, particularly, induced resistance, can also be manipulated with the use of chemical elicitors of secondary metabolites, which confer resistance to insects. By understanding the mechanisms of induced resistance, we can predict the herbivores that are likely to be affected by induced responses. The elicitors of induced responses can be sprayed on crop plants to build up the natural defense system against damage caused by herbivores. The induced responses can also be engineered genetically, so that the defensive compounds are constitutively produced in plants against are challenged by the herbivory. Induced resistance can be exploited for developing crop cultivars, which readily produce the inducible response upon mild infestation, and can act as one of components of integrated pest management for sustainable crop production. PMID:22895106

Defense on the Move: Ant-Based Cyber Defense

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fink, Glenn A.; Haack, Jereme N.; McKinnon, Archibald D.

Many common cyber defenses (like firewalls and IDS) are as static as trench warfare allowing the attacker freedom to probe them at will. The concept of Moving Target Defense (MTD) adds dynamism to the defender side, but puts the systems to be defended themselves in motion, potentially at great cost to the defender. An alternative approach is a mobile resilient defense that removes attackers’ ability to rely on prior experience without requiring motion in the protected infrastructure itself. The defensive technology absorbs most of the cost of motion, is resilient to attack, and is unpredictable to attackers. The Ant-Based Cybermore » Defense (ABCD) is a mobile resilient defense providing a set of roaming, bio-inspired, digital-ant agents working with stationary agents in a hierarchy headed by a human supervisor. The ABCD approach provides a resilient, extensible, and flexible defense that can scale to large, multi-enterprise infrastructures like the smart electric grid.« less

Geographic variation in feeding preference of a generalist herbivore: the importance of seaweed chemical defenses.

PubMed

McCarty, Amanda T; Sotka, Erik E

2013-08-01

The ecological impacts of generalist herbivores depend on feeding preferences, which can vary across and within herbivore species. Among mesoherbivores, geographic variation in host use can occur because host plants have a more restricted geographic distribution than does the herbivore, or there is local evolution in host preference, or both. We tested the role of local evolution using the marine amphipod Ampithoe longimana by rearing multiple amphipod populations from three regions (subtropical Florida, warm-temperate North Carolina and cold-temperate New England) and assaying their feeding preferences toward ten seaweeds that occur in some but not all regions. Six of the ten seaweeds produce anti-herbivore secondary metabolites, and we detected geographic variation in feeding preference toward five (Dictyota menstrualis, Dictyota ciliolata, Fucus distichus, Chondrus crispus and Padina gymnospora, but not Caulerpa sertularioides). Amphipod populations that co-occur with a chemically-rich seaweed tended to have stronger feeding preferences for that seaweed, relative to populations that do not co-occur with the seaweed. A direct test indicated that geographic variation in feeding preference toward one seaweed (D. ciliolata) is mediated by feeding tolerance for lipophilic secondary metabolites. Among the four seaweeds that produce no known secondary metabolites (Acanthophora, Ectocarpus, Gracilaria and Hincksia/Feldmannia spp.), we detected no geographic variation in feeding preference. Thus, populations are more likely to evolve greater feeding preferences for local hosts when those hosts produce secondary metabolites. Microevolution of feeding behaviors of generalist marine consumers likely depends on the availability and identity of local hosts and the strength of their chemical defenses.

Environmental evaluation of alternatives for long-term management of Defense high-level radioactive wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1982-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering the selection of a strategy for the long-term management of the defense high-level wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). This report describes the environmental impacts of alternative strategies. These alternative strategies include leaving the calcine in its present form at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), or retrieving and modifying the calcine to a more durable waste form and disposing of it either at the INEL or in an offsite repository. This report addresses only the alternatives for a program to manage the high-level waste generated at the ICPP. 24more » figures, 60 tables.« less

32 CFR 634.35 - Chemical testing policies and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Chemical testing policies and procedures. 634.35... Chemical testing policies and procedures. (a) Validity of chemical testing. Results of chemical testing are... instruction manual. (iv) Perform preventive maintenance as required by the instruction manual. (c) Chemical...

32 CFR 634.35 - Chemical testing policies and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Chemical testing policies and procedures. 634.35... Chemical testing policies and procedures. (a) Validity of chemical testing. Results of chemical testing are... instruction manual. (iv) Perform preventive maintenance as required by the instruction manual. (c) Chemical...

32 CFR 634.35 - Chemical testing policies and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Chemical testing policies and procedures. 634.35... Chemical testing policies and procedures. (a) Validity of chemical testing. Results of chemical testing are... instruction manual. (iv) Perform preventive maintenance as required by the instruction manual. (c) Chemical...

32 CFR 634.35 - Chemical testing policies and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Chemical testing policies and procedures. 634.35... Chemical testing policies and procedures. (a) Validity of chemical testing. Results of chemical testing are... instruction manual. (iv) Perform preventive maintenance as required by the instruction manual. (c) Chemical...

32 CFR 634.35 - Chemical testing policies and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Chemical testing policies and procedures. 634.35... Chemical testing policies and procedures. (a) Validity of chemical testing. Results of chemical testing are... instruction manual. (iv) Perform preventive maintenance as required by the instruction manual. (c) Chemical...

[Studies on chemical constituents of Heterosmilax yunnanensis].

PubMed

Qin, Wen-jie; Wang, Gang-li; Lin, Rui-chao

2007-08-01

To study the chemical constituents of Heterosmilax yunianensis. The compounds were isolated and repeatedly purified with chromatograph and the structures were elucidated by physico-chemical properties and spectral analysis. Eight compounds were obtained and elucidated as beta-sitosterol (I), glycerol monopalmitate (II), daucosterol (IIl), hexacosanoic acid (IV), 5-hydroxymethyl furaldehyde (V), hergapen (VI), ursolic acid (VII), liquiritigenin (VIII). They have been isolated from this plant for the first time, and IV - VIII are obtained from the plants of Heterosmilax for the first time.

Hydrogen peroxide as a new defensive compound in "benzoyl cyanide" producing polydesmid millipedes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwahara, Yasumasa; Yamaguchi, Takuya; Ichiki, Yayoi; Tanabe, Tsutomu; Asano, Yasuhisa

2017-04-01

Hydrogen peroxide was newly and simultaneously demonstrated with well-known hydrogen cyanide as a component of defensive secretions of "benzoyl cyanide" producing polydesmid millipedes. Presence of hydrogen peroxide was successively evidenced by Trinder reagent's spray with colorless as well as oily smears of defensive secretions containing benzoyl cyanide and hydrogen cyanide by alkaline picrate paper treatment. Linear correlation was demonstrated between quantities of hydrogen peroxide and benzoyl cyanide. By qualitative assay, seven benzoyl cyanide containing polydesmidans (six species of adults and one species of a nymph at stadium I) tested positive to Trinder reagent, indicative of the presence of hydrogen peroxide (together with hydrogen cyanide), while two cyanogenic species without benzoyl cyanide exhibited negative responses to the reagent. Two types of millipedes were elucidated as species of cyanogenic Polydesmida.

Hydrogen peroxide as a new defensive compound in "benzoyl cyanide" producing polydesmid millipedes.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Yasumasa; Yamaguchi, Takuya; Ichiki, Yayoi; Tanabe, Tsutomu; Asano, Yasuhisa

2017-04-01

Hydrogen peroxide was newly and simultaneously demonstrated with well-known hydrogen cyanide as a component of defensive secretions of "benzoyl cyanide" producing polydesmid millipedes. Presence of hydrogen peroxide was successively evidenced by Trinder reagent's spray with colorless as well as oily smears of defensive secretions containing benzoyl cyanide and hydrogen cyanide by alkaline picrate paper treatment. Linear correlation was demonstrated between quantities of hydrogen peroxide and benzoyl cyanide. By qualitative assay, seven benzoyl cyanide containing polydesmidans (six species of adults and one species of a nymph at stadium I) tested positive to Trinder reagent, indicative of the presence of hydrogen peroxide (together with hydrogen cyanide), while two cyanogenic species without benzoyl cyanide exhibited negative responses to the reagent. Two types of millipedes were elucidated as species of cyanogenic Polydesmida.

The role of NDR1 in pathogen perception and plant defense signaling.

PubMed

Knepper, Caleb; Savory, Elizabeth A; Day, Brad

2011-08-01

The biochemical and cellular function of NDR1 in plant immunity and defense signaling has long remained elusive. Herein, we describe a novel role for NDR1 in both pathogen perception and plant defense signaling, elucidated by exploring a broader, physiological role for NDR1 in general stress responses and cell wall adhesion. Based on our predictive homology modeling, coupled with a structure-function approach, we found that NDR1 shares a striking similarity to mammalian integrins, well-characterized for their role in mediating the interaction between the extracellular matrix and stress signaling. ndr1-1 mutant plants exhibit higher electrolyte leakage following pathogen infection, compared to wild type Col-0. In addition, we observed an altered plasmolysis phenotype, supporting a role for NDR1 in maintaining cell wall-plasma membrane adhesions through mediating fluid loss under stress. 

3-Dimensional atomic scale structure of the ionic liquid-graphite interface elucidated by AM-AFM and quantum chemical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Page, Alister J.; Elbourne, Aaron; Stefanovic, Ryan; Addicoat, Matthew A.; Warr, Gregory G.; Voïtchovsky, Kislon; Atkin, Rob

2014-06-01

In situ amplitude modulated atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) and quantum chemical simulations are used to resolve the structure of the highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)-bulk propylammonium nitrate (PAN) interface with resolution comparable with that achieved for frozen ionic liquid (IL) monolayers using STM. This is the first time that (a) molecular resolution images of bulk IL-solid interfaces have been achieved, (b) the lateral structure of the IL graphite interface has been imaged for any IL, (c) AM-AFM has elucidated molecular level structure immersed in a viscous liquid and (d) it has been demonstrated that the IL structure at solid surfaces is a consequence of both thermodynamic and kinetic effects. The lateral structure of the PAN-graphite interface is highly ordered and consists of remarkably well-defined domains of a rhomboidal superstructure composed of propylammonium cations preferentially aligned along two of the three directions in the underlying graphite lattice. The nanostructure is primarily determined by the cation. Van der Waals interactions between the propylammonium chains and the surface mean that the cation is enriched in the surface layer, and is much less mobile than the anion. The presence of a heterogeneous lateral structure at an ionic liquid-solid interface has wide ranging ramifications for ionic liquid applications, including lubrication, capacitive charge storage and electrodeposition.In situ amplitude modulated atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) and quantum chemical simulations are used to resolve the structure of the highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)-bulk propylammonium nitrate (PAN) interface with resolution comparable with that achieved for frozen ionic liquid (IL) monolayers using STM. This is the first time that (a) molecular resolution images of bulk IL-solid interfaces have been achieved, (b) the lateral structure of the IL graphite interface has been imaged for any IL, (c) AM-AFM has elucidated molecular level

[Study on chemical constituents from Schisandra chinensis stem].

PubMed

Zheng, Li-shi; Du, Shu-shan; Cai, Qian

2014-10-01

To separate and identify the chemical constituents from the stem of Schisandra chinensis. Various chromatographic techniques were used to separate and purify the chemical constituents from 95% ethanol extraction of the stem of Schisandra chinensis. Their structures were elucidated based on the physico-chemical properties and spectral data. Ten compounds were obtained and elucidated as (+)-deoxyschizandrin (1), γ-schizandrin (2), wuweizisu C (3), gomisin N (4), schizandrin (5), anwuweizic acid (6), (-)-dihydroguaiaretic acid (7), tetradecanoic acid (8), β-sitosterol (9) and daucosterol (10). Compounds 6-8 are obtained from the stem of Schisandra chinensis for the first time.

Inducible defense against pathogens and parasites: optimal choice among multiple options.

PubMed

Shudo, E; Iwasa, Y

2001-03-21

Defense against pathogen, parasites and herbivores is often enhanced after their invasion into the host's body. Sometimes different options are adopted depending on the identity and the quantity of the pathogen, exemplified by the switch between Th1 and Th2 systems in mammalian immunity. In this paper, we study the optimal defense of the host when two alternative responses are available, which differ in the effectiveness of suppressing the growth of pathogen (parasite, or herbivore), the damage to the host caused by the defense response, and the magnitude of time delay before the defense response becomes fully effective. The optimal defense is the one that minimizes the sum of the damages caused by the pathogen and the cost due to defense activities. The damage by pathogens increases in proportion to the time integral of the pathogen abundance, and the cost is proportional to the defense activity. We can prove that a single globally optimal combination of defense options always exists and there is no other local optimum. Depending on the parameters, the optimal is to adopt only the early response, only the late response, or both responses. The defense response with a shorter time delay is more heavily used when the pathogen grows fast, the initial pathogen abundance is large, and the difference in time delay is long. We also study the host's optimal choice between constitutive and inducible defenses. In the constitutive defense, the response to pathogen attack works without delay, but it causes the cost even when the pathogen attack does not occur. We discuss mammalian immunity and the plant chemical defense from the model's viewpoint. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Cotton Defense Induction Patterns Under Spatially, Temporally and Quantitatively Varying Herbivory Levels.

PubMed

Eisenring, Michael; Meissle, Michael; Hagenbucher, Steffen; Naranjo, Steven E; Wettstein, Felix; Romeis, Jörg

2017-01-01

In its defense against herbivores, cotton ( Gossypium sp.) relies in part on the production of a set of inducible, non-volatile terpenoids. Under uniform damage levels, in planta allocation of induced cotton terpenoids has been found to be highest in youngest leaves, supporting assumptions of the optimal defense theory (ODT) which predicts that plants allocate defense compounds to tissues depending on their value and the likelihood of herbivore attack. However, our knowledge is limited on how varying, and thus more realistic, damage levels might affect cotton defense organization. We hypothesized that the allocation of terpenoids and densities of terpenoid-storing glands in leaves aligns with assumptions of the ODT, even when plants are subjected to temporally, spatially and quantitatively varying caterpillar ( Heliothis virescens ) damage. As expected, cotton plants allocated most of their defenses to their youngest leaves regardless of damage location. However, defense induction in older leaves varied with damage location. For at least 14 days after damage treatments ended, plants reallocated defense resources from previously young leaves to newly developed leaves. Furthermore, we observed a positive hyperbolic relationship between leaf damage area and both terpenoid concentrations and gland densities, indicating that cotton plants can fine-tune defense allocation. Although it appears that factors like vascular constraints and chemical properties of individual defense compounds can affect defense levels, our results overall demonstrate that induced defense organization of cotton subjected to varying damage treatments is in alignment with key assumptions of the ODT.

Cotton Defense Induction Patterns Under Spatially, Temporally and Quantitatively Varying Herbivory Levels

PubMed Central

Eisenring, Michael; Meissle, Michael; Hagenbucher, Steffen; Naranjo, Steven E.; Wettstein, Felix; Romeis, Jörg

2017-01-01

In its defense against herbivores, cotton (Gossypium sp.) relies in part on the production of a set of inducible, non-volatile terpenoids. Under uniform damage levels, in planta allocation of induced cotton terpenoids has been found to be highest in youngest leaves, supporting assumptions of the optimal defense theory (ODT) which predicts that plants allocate defense compounds to tissues depending on their value and the likelihood of herbivore attack. However, our knowledge is limited on how varying, and thus more realistic, damage levels might affect cotton defense organization. We hypothesized that the allocation of terpenoids and densities of terpenoid-storing glands in leaves aligns with assumptions of the ODT, even when plants are subjected to temporally, spatially and quantitatively varying caterpillar (Heliothis virescens) damage. As expected, cotton plants allocated most of their defenses to their youngest leaves regardless of damage location. However, defense induction in older leaves varied with damage location. For at least 14 days after damage treatments ended, plants reallocated defense resources from previously young leaves to newly developed leaves. Furthermore, we observed a positive hyperbolic relationship between leaf damage area and both terpenoid concentrations and gland densities, indicating that cotton plants can fine-tune defense allocation. Although it appears that factors like vascular constraints and chemical properties of individual defense compounds can affect defense levels, our results overall demonstrate that induced defense organization of cotton subjected to varying damage treatments is in alignment with key assumptions of the ODT. PMID:28270830

Use of experimental airborne infections for monitoring altered host defenses.

PubMed Central

Gardner, D E

1982-01-01

The success or failure of the respiratory system to defend itself against airborne infectious agents largely depends upon the efficiency of the pulmonary defenses to maintain sterility and to dispose of unwanted substances. Both specific and nonspecific host defenses cooperate in the removal and inactivation of such agents. Several studies have shown that these defenses are vulnerable to a wide range of environmental agents and that there is a good relationship between exposure to pollutant and the impaired resistance to pulmonary disease. There are numerous immunological, biochemical and physiological techniques that are routinely used to identify and to characterize individual impairments of these defenses. Based on these effects, various hypotheses are proposed as to what health consequences could be expected from these effects. The ultimate test is whether the host, with its compromised defense mechanisms, is still capable of sustaining the total injury and continuing to defend itself against opportunistic pathogens. This paper describes the use of an experimental airborne infectious disease model capable of predicting subtle changes in host defenses at concentrations below which there are any other overt toxicological effects. Such sensitivity is possible because the model measure not just a single "health" parameter, but instead is capable of reflecting the total responses caused by the test chemical. Images FIGURE 3. PMID:7060549

Defense Primer: The National Defense Budget Function (050)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-17

in parenthesis). This defense primer addresses the National Defense Budget (050), which is frequently used to explain trends in military spending...but which also includes some activities not conducted by the Department of Defense. What Is the Purpose of the Budget Function System? The budget

[Strategies of elucidation of biosynthetic pathways of natural products].

PubMed

Zou, Li-Qiu; Kuang, Xue-Jun; Sun, Chao; Chen, Shi-Lin

2016-11-01

Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of natural products is not only the major goal of herb genomics, but also the solid foundation of synthetic biology of natural products. Here, this paper reviewed recent advance in this field and put forward strategies to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of natural products. Firstly, a proposed biosynthetic pathway should be set up based on well-known knowledge about chemical reactions and information on the identified compounds, as well as studies with isotope tracer. Secondly, candidate genes possibly involved in the biosynthetic pathway were screened out by co-expression analysis and/or gene cluster mining. Lastly, all the candidate genes were heterologously expressed in the host and then the enzyme involved in the biosynthetic pathway was characterized by activity assay. Sometimes, the function of the enzyme in the original plant could be further studied by RNAi or VIGS technology. Understanding the biosynthetic pathways of natural products will contribute to supply of new leading compounds by synthetic biology and provide "functional marker" for herbal molecular breeding, thus but boosting the development of traditional Chinese medicine agriculture. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Plant hormone jasmonate prioritizes defense over growth by interfering with gibberellin signaling cascade.

PubMed

Yang, Dong-Lei; Yao, Jian; Mei, Chuan-Sheng; Tong, Xiao-Hong; Zeng, Long-Jun; Li, Qun; Xiao, Lang-Tao; Sun, Tai-ping; Li, Jigang; Deng, Xing-Wang; Lee, Chin Mei; Thomashow, Michael F; Yang, Yinong; He, Zuhua; He, Sheng Yang

2012-05-08

Plants must effectively defend against biotic and abiotic stresses to survive in nature. However, this defense is costly and is often accompanied by significant growth inhibition. How plants coordinate the fluctuating growth-defense dynamics is not well understood and remains a fundamental question. Jasmonate (JA) and gibberellic acid (GA) are important plant hormones that mediate defense and growth, respectively. Binding of bioactive JA or GA ligands to cognate receptors leads to proteasome-dependent degradation of specific transcriptional repressors (the JAZ or DELLA family of proteins), which, at the resting state, represses cognate transcription factors involved in defense (e.g., MYCs) or growth [e.g. phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs)]. In this study, we found that the coi1 JA receptor mutants of rice (a domesticated monocot crop) and Arabidopsis (a model dicot plant) both exhibit hallmark phenotypes of GA-hypersensitive mutants. JA delays GA-mediated DELLA protein degradation, and the della mutant is less sensitive to JA for growth inhibition. Overexpression of a selected group of JAZ repressors in Arabidopsis plants partially phenocopies GA-associated phenotypes of the coi1 mutant, and JAZ9 inhibits RGA (a DELLA protein) interaction with transcription factor PIF3. Importantly, the pif quadruple (pifq) mutant no longer responds to JA-induced growth inhibition, and overexpression of PIF3 could partially overcome JA-induced growth inhibition. Thus, a molecular cascade involving the COI1-JAZ-DELLA-PIF signaling module, by which angiosperm plants prioritize JA-mediated defense over growth, has been elucidated.

Host plant species determines symbiotic bacterial community mediating suppression of plant defenses.

PubMed

Chung, Seung Ho; Scully, Erin D; Peiffer, Michelle; Geib, Scott M; Rosa, Cristina; Hoover, Kelli; Felton, Gary W

2017-01-03

Herbivore associated bacteria are vital mediators of plant and insect interactions. Host plants play an important role in shaping the gut bacterial community of insects. Colorado potato beetles (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) use several Solanum plants as hosts in their natural environment. We previously showed that symbiotic gut bacteria from CPB larvae suppressed jasmonate (JA)-induced defenses in tomato. However, little is known about how changes in the bacterial community may be involved in the manipulation of induced defenses in wild and cultivated Solanum plants of CPB. Here, we examined suppression of JA-mediated defense in wild and cultivated hosts of CPB by chemical elicitors and their symbiotic bacteria. Furthermore, we investigated associations between the gut bacterial community and suppression of plant defenses using 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symbiotic bacteria decreased plant defenses in all Solanum hosts and there were different gut bacterial communities in CPB fed on different host plants. When larvae were reared on different hosts, defense suppression differed among host plants. These results demonstrate that host plants influence herbivore gut bacterial communities and consequently affect the herbivore's ability to manipulate JA-mediated plant defenses. Thus, the presence of symbiotic bacteria that suppress plant defenses might help CPB adapt to host plants.

Host plant species determines symbiotic bacterial community mediating suppression of plant defenses

PubMed Central

Chung, Seung Ho; Scully, Erin D.; Peiffer, Michelle; Geib, Scott M.; Rosa, Cristina; Hoover, Kelli; Felton, Gary W.

2017-01-01

Herbivore associated bacteria are vital mediators of plant and insect interactions. Host plants play an important role in shaping the gut bacterial community of insects. Colorado potato beetles (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) use several Solanum plants as hosts in their natural environment. We previously showed that symbiotic gut bacteria from CPB larvae suppressed jasmonate (JA)-induced defenses in tomato. However, little is known about how changes in the bacterial community may be involved in the manipulation of induced defenses in wild and cultivated Solanum plants of CPB. Here, we examined suppression of JA-mediated defense in wild and cultivated hosts of CPB by chemical elicitors and their symbiotic bacteria. Furthermore, we investigated associations between the gut bacterial community and suppression of plant defenses using 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symbiotic bacteria decreased plant defenses in all Solanum hosts and there were different gut bacterial communities in CPB fed on different host plants. When larvae were reared on different hosts, defense suppression differed among host plants. These results demonstrate that host plants influence herbivore gut bacterial communities and consequently affect the herbivore’s ability to manipulate JA-mediated plant defenses. Thus, the presence of symbiotic bacteria that suppress plant defenses might help CPB adapt to host plants. PMID:28045052

Different rates of defense evolution and niche preferences in clonal and nonclonal milkweeds (Asclepias spp.).

PubMed

Pellissier, Loïc; Litsios, Glenn; Fishbein, Mark; Salamin, Nicolas; Agrawal, Anurag A; Rasmann, Sergio

2016-02-01

Given the dual role of many plant traits to tolerate both herbivore attack and abiotic stress, the climatic niche of a species should be integrated into the study of plant defense strategies. Here we investigate the impact of plant reproductive strategy and components of species' climatic niche on the rate of chemical defense evolution in the milkweeds using a common garden experiment of 49 species. We found that across Asclepias species, clonal reproduction repeatedly evolved in lower temperature conditions, in species generally producing low concentrations of a toxic defense (cardenolides). Additionally, we found that rates of cardenolide evolution were lower for clonal than for nonclonal species. We thus conclude that because the clonal strategy is based on survival, long generation times, and is associated with tolerance of herbivory, it may be an alternative to toxicity in colder ecosystems. Taken together, these results indicate that the rate of chemical defense evolution is influenced by the intersection of life-history strategy and climatic niches into which plants radiate. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Physical characteristics of calcium oxalate crystals as determinants in structural defense against chewing insects in Medicago truncatula

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In addition to the numerous chemical defenses that plants employ to fend off insect herbivores, simple structural components can also play important roles in effective protection. Our investigations have shown that plant crystals of calcium oxalate can function in insect defense. The isolation of ca...

Defense Science Board Task Force Report on Cyber Defense Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

manage cyber security is often a verymanual and labor intensive process. When a crisis hits, DoD responses range from highly automatedand instrumented...DSB Task Force Report on Cyber Defense Management September 2016 (U) This page intentionally blank REPORT OF THE DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD STUDY ON Cyber ...DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY & LOGISTICS SUBJECT: Final Report of the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Cyber Defense Management I am

Changes in cytokinins are sufficient to alter developmental patterns of defense metabolites in Nicotiana attenuata

PubMed Central

Brütting, Christoph; Schäfer, Martin; Vanková, Radomira; Gase, Klaus; Baldwin, Ian T.; Meldau, Stefan

2016-01-01

Plant defense metabolites are well-known to be regulated developmentally. The OD theory posits that a tissue’s fitness values and probability of attack should determine defense metabolite allocations. Young leaves are expected to provide a larger fitness-value to the plant and therefore their defense allocations should be higher when compared to older leaves. The mechanisms which coordinate development with defense remain unknown and frequently confound tests of the OD theory predictions. Here we demonstrate that cytokinins modulate ontogeny-dependent defenses in Nicotiana attenuata. We found that leaf cytokinin levels highly correlate with inducible defense expressions with high levels in young and low levels in older leaves. We genetically manipulated the developmental patterns of two different cytokinin classes by using senescence- and chemically-inducible expression of cytokinin biosynthesis genes. Genetically modifying the levels of different cytokinins in leaves was sufficient to alter ontogenic patterns of defense metabolites. We conclude that the developmental regulation of growth hormones that include cytokinins plays central roles in connecting development with defense and therefore in establishing optimal patterns of defense allocation in plants. PMID:27557345

How phloem-feeding insects face the challenge of phloem-located defenses

PubMed Central

Will, Torsten; Furch, Alexandra C. U.; Zimmermann, Matthias R.

2013-01-01

Due to the high content of nutrient, sieve tubes are a primary target for pests, e.g., most phytophagous hemipteran. To protect the integrity of the sieve tubes as well as their content, plants possess diverse chemical and physical defense mechanisms. The latter mechanisms are important because they can potentially interfere with the food source accession of phloem-feeding insects. Physical defense mechanisms are based on callose as well as on proteins and often plug the sieve tube. Insects that feed from sieve tubes are potentially able to overwhelm these defense mechanisms using their saliva. Gel saliva forms a sheath in the apoplast around the stylet and is suggested to seal the stylet penetration site in the cell plasma membrane. In addition, watery saliva is secreted into penetrated cells including sieve elements; the presence of specific enzymes/effectors in this saliva is thought to interfere with plant defense responses. Here we detail several aspects of plant defense and discuss the interaction of plants and phloem-feeding insects. Recent agro-biotechnological phloem-located aphid control strategies are presented. PMID:24009620

Ground-Based Missile Defense (National Missile Defense): Is It Feasible?

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-19

Westview Press), 191. 47 Ibid. 192. 48 Dr. Nicholas Berry, National Missile Defense: What Does It All Mean ? National Missile Defense: Views from Asia...153. 18 19 BIBLIOGRAPHY Berry, Nicholas. National Missile Defense: What Does It All Mean ? National Missile Defense: Views from Asia, Center for

Nanomaterials for Defense Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turaga, Uday; Singh, Vinitkumar; Lalagiri, Muralidhar; Kiekens, Paul; Ramkumar, Seshadri S.

Nanotechnology has found a number of applications in electronics and healthcare. Within the textile field, applications of nanotechnology have been limited to filters, protective liners for chemical and biological clothing and nanocoatings. This chapter presents an overview of the applications of nanomaterials such as nanofibers and nanoparticles that are of use to military and industrial sectors. An effort has been made to categorize nanofibers based on the method of production. This chapter particularly focuses on a few latest developments that have taken place with regard to the application of nanomaterials such as metal oxides in the defense arena.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security

Science.gov Websites

Defense for Policy ASD for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs ASD for Homeland Defense Global Security Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Counternarcotics and Global Threats Stability and Humanitarian HomeOUSDP OfficesASD for Homeland Defense Global Security Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland

Changes in cytokinins are sufficient to alter developmental patterns of defense metabolites in Nicotiana attenuata.

PubMed

Brütting, Christoph; Schäfer, Martin; Vanková, Radomíra; Gase, Klaus; Baldwin, Ian T; Meldau, Stefan

2017-01-01

Plant defense metabolites are well known to be regulated developmentally. The optimal defense (OD) theory posits that a tssue's fitness values and probability of attack should determine defense metabolite allocations. Young leaves are expected to provide a larger fitness value to the plant, and therefore their defense allocations should be higher when compared with older leaves. The mechanisms that coordinate development with defense remain unknown and frequently confound tests of the OD theory predictions. Here we demonstrate that cytokinins (CKs) modulate ontogeny-dependent defenses in Nicotiana attenuata. We found that leaf CK levels highly correlate with inducible defense expressions with high levels in young and low levels in older leaves. We genetically manipulated the developmental patterns of two different CK classes by using senescence- and chemically inducible expression of CK biosynthesis genes. Genetically modifying the levels of different CKs in leaves was sufficient to alter ontogenic patterns of defense metabolites. We conclude that the developmental regulation of growth hormones that include CKs plays central roles in connecting development with defense and therefore in establishing optimal patterns of defense allocation in plants. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plant neighbor identity influences plant biochemistry and physiology related to defense.

PubMed

Broz, Amanda K; Broeckling, Corey D; De-la-Peña, Clelia; Lewis, Matthew R; Greene, Erick; Callaway, Ragan M; Sumner, Lloyd W; Vivanco, Jorge M

2010-06-17

Chemical and biological processes dictate an individual organism's ability to recognize and respond to other organisms. A small but growing body of evidence suggests that plants may be capable of recognizing and responding to neighboring plants in a species specific fashion. Here we tested whether or not individuals of the invasive exotic weed, Centaurea maculosa, would modulate their defensive strategy in response to different plant neighbors. In the greenhouse, C. maculosa individuals were paired with either conspecific (C. maculosa) or heterospecific (Festuca idahoensis) plant neighbors and elicited with the plant defense signaling molecule methyl jasmonate to mimic insect herbivory. We found that elicited C. maculosa plants grown with conspecific neighbors exhibited increased levels of total phenolics, whereas those grown with heterospecific neighbors allocated more resources towards growth. To further investigate these results in the field, we conducted a metabolomics analysis to explore chemical differences between individuals of C. maculosa growing in naturally occurring conspecific and heterospecific field stands. Similar to the greenhouse results, C. maculosa individuals accumulated higher levels of defense-related secondary metabolites and lower levels of primary metabolites when growing in conspecific versus heterospecific field stands. Leaf herbivory was similar in both stand types; however, a separate field study positively correlated specialist herbivore load with higher densities of C. maculosa conspecifics. Our results suggest that an individual C. maculosa plant can change its defensive strategy based on the identity of its plant neighbors. This is likely to have important consequences for individual and community success.

Defensive effects of extrafloral nectaries in quaking aspen differ with scale.

PubMed

Mortensen, Brent; Wagner, Diane; Doak, Patricia

2011-04-01

The effects of plant defenses on herbivory can differ among spatial scales. This may be particularly common with indirect defenses, such as extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), that attract predatory arthropods and are dependent on predator distribution, abundance, and behavior. We tested the defensive effects of EFNs in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) against damage by a specialist herbivore, the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella Cham.), at the scale of individual leaves and entire ramets (i.e., stems). Experiments excluding crawling arthropods revealed that the effects of aspen EFNs differed at the leaf and ramet scales. Crawling predators caused similar reductions in the percent leaf area mined on individual leaves with and without EFNs. However, the extent to which crawling predators increased leaf miner mortality and, consequently, reduced mining damage increased with EFN expression at the ramet scale. Thus, aspen EFNs provided a diffuse defense, reducing damage to leaves across a ramet regardless of leaf-scale EFN expression. We detected lower leaf miner damage and survival unassociated with crawling predators on EFN-bearing leaves, suggesting that direct defenses (e.g., chemical defenses) were stronger on leaves with than without EFNs. Greater direct defenses on EFN-bearing leaves may reduce the probability of losing these leaves and thus weakening ramet-scale EFN defense. Aspen growth was not related to EFN expression or the presence of crawling predators over the course of a single season. Different effects of aspen EFNs at the leaf and ramet scales suggest that future studies may benefit from examining indirect defenses simultaneously at multiple scales.

Interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and host defenses in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Marshall, B C; Carroll, K C

1991-03-01

The major causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis are chronic pulmonary obstruction and infection. Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the primary pathogen in up to 90% of these patients. Once Pseudomonas organisms colonize the airways, they are virtually never eradicated. No defect in systemic host defense has been elucidated, however, several mechanisms contribute to the breakdown in host defenses that allow persistence of this organism in the endobronchial space. These mechanisms involve both bacterial adaptation to an unfavorable host environment and impaired host response. P aeruginosa adapts to the host by expressing excessive mucoid exopolysaccharide and a less virulent form of lipopolysaccharide. These features make it less likely to cause systemic infection, yet still enable it to resist local host defenses. Mucociliary clearance becomes impaired due to abnormal viscoelastic properties of sputum, squamous metaplasia of the respiratory epithelium, and bronchiectasis. Despite a brisk antibody response to a variety of Pseudomonas antigens, several defects in antibody-mediated opsonophagocytosis have been identified. These include (1) development of antibody isotypes that are suboptimal at promoting phagocytosis, (2) formation of immune complexes that inhibit phagocytosis, and (3) proteolytic fragmentation of immunoglobulins in the endobronchial space. Complement-mediated opsonophagocytosis is also compromised by proteolytic cleavage of complement receptors from the cell surface of neutrophils and complement opsonins from the surface of Pseudomonas. The resultant chronic inflammation and infection lead to eventual obliteration of the airways.

Study of the measurement of defense style using Bond's Defense Style Questionnaire.

PubMed

Nishimura, R

1998-08-01

Two hundred and seventy healthy university students were surveyed in December 1995 using Bond's Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) to measure the subjects' defense mechanisms. At the same time, a survey using Byrne's R-S Scale (Repression-Sensitization Scale) of the MMPI (Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory) and five psychiatric symptom indexes (anxiety, sense of inadequacy, sensitivity, depression and impulsive anger) selected from the CMI (Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire) was conducted. Three factors were extracted from the DSQ through factor analysis: immature defenses, neurotic defenses, and mature defenses. The results of analysis of variance revealed the following: (i) for anxiety and anxiety related symptoms, both immature defenses and neurotic defenses indicated principal effect; (ii) for impulsive anger and depression, immature defenses presented principal effect; and (iii) for sensitivity and impulsive anger, interaction between a mature defense style and neurotic defense style was noted. The relationship between defense styles and psychiatric symptoms in healthy people is studied in this paper.

Cyber Defense Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

manage cyber security is often a verymanual and labor intensive process. When a crisis hits, DoD responses range from highly automatedand instrumented...DSB Task Force Report on Cyber Defense Management September 2016 (U) This page intentionally blank REPORT OF THE DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD STUDY ON Cyber ...DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY & LOGISTICS SUBJECT: Final Report of the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Cyber Defense Management I am

Isolation, structure elucidation and DFT study on two novel oligosaccharides from yak milk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Meenakshi; Kumar, Alok; Srivastava, Gaurav; Deepak, Desh; Singh, M. P. V. V.

2016-08-01

Two novel oligosaccharides were isolated from yak milk. The milk was processed by the method of Kobata and Ginsberg involving deproteination, centrifugation and lyophilization followed by gel filtrate chromatography acetylation and silica gel column chromatography of derivatized oligosaccharides while their homogeneity was confirmed by HPLC. The structures of these isolated oligosaccharides were elucidated by chemical transformation, chemical degradation, 1H, 13C NMR, 2D NMR (COSY, TOCSY and HSQC) and mass spectrometry. The geometry of compound A (Bosiose) and B (Bovisose) have been optimized at B3LYP method and 6-311 + G(d,p) basis set. The difference between the energies of A and B is 1.269 a.u. or 796.309 kcal/mol.

Defense AT&L Magazine: A Publication of the Defense Acquisition University. Volume 33, Number 4, DAU 180

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

aircraft in flight and so saving money and time. Defense AT&L: July-August 2004 46 Haraburda is the deputy site project manager for operations at the...Certification for Government Oversight of Manufacturing Scott S. Haraburda and Jim Gary The Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program (CSDP)is a U.S. Army...The authors welcome comments and questions. Haraburda can be reached at scott.haraburda @us.army.mil and Gary at james.gary@necdf.necd. army.mil. final

Natural Products from Antarctic Colonial Ascidians of the Genera Aplidium and Synoicum: Variability and Defensive Role

PubMed Central

Núñez-Pons, Laura; Carbone, Marianna; Vázquez, Jennifer; Rodríguez, Jaime; Nieto, Rosa María; Varela, María Mercedes; Gavagnin, Margherita; Avila, Conxita

2012-01-01

Ascidians have developed multiple defensive strategies mostly related to physical, nutritional or chemical properties of the tunic. One of such is chemical defense based on secondary metabolites. We analyzed a series of colonial Antarctic ascidians from deep-water collections belonging to the genera Aplidium and Synoicum to evaluate the incidence of organic deterrents and their variability. The ether fractions from 15 samples including specimens of the species A. falklandicum, A. fuegiense, A. meridianum, A. millari and S. adareanum were subjected to feeding assays towards two relevant sympatric predators: the starfish Odontaster validus, and the amphipod Cheirimedon femoratus. All samples revealed repellency. Nonetheless, some colonies concentrated defensive chemicals in internal body-regions rather than in the tunic. Four ascidian-derived meroterpenoids, rossinones B and the three derivatives 2,3-epoxy-rossinone B, 3-epi-rossinone B, 5,6-epoxy-rossinone B, and the indole alkaloids meridianins A–G, along with other minoritary meridianin compounds were isolated from several samples. Some purified metabolites were tested in feeding assays exhibiting potent unpalatabilities, thus revealing their role in predation avoidance. Ascidian extracts and purified compound-fractions were further assessed in antibacterial tests against a marine Antarctic bacterium. Only the meridianins showed inhibition activity, demonstrating a multifunctional defensive role. According to their occurrence in nature and within our colonial specimens, the possible origin of both types of metabolites is discussed. PMID:23015772

Large Scale Patterns of Antimicrofouling Defenses in the Hard Coral Pocillopora verrucosa in an Environmental Gradient along the Saudi Arabian Coast of the Red Sea

PubMed Central

Wahl, Martin; Al Sofyani, Abdulmohsin; Saha, Mahasweta; Kruse, Inken; Lenz, Mark; Sawall, Yvonne

2014-01-01

Large scale patterns of ecologically relevant traits may help identify drivers of their variability and conditions beneficial or adverse to the expression of these traits. Antimicrofouling defenses in scleractinian corals regulate the establishment of the associated biofilm as well as the risks of infection. The Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast features a pronounced thermal and nutritional gradient including regions and seasons with potentially stressful conditions to corals. Assessing the patterns of antimicrofouling defenses across the Red Sea may hint at the susceptibility of corals to global change. We investigated microfouling pressure as well as the relative strength of 2 alternative antimicrofouling defenses (chemical antisettlement activity, mucus release) along the pronounced environmental gradient along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast in 2 successive years. Microfouling pressure was exceptionally low along most of the coast but sharply increased at the southernmost sites. Mucus release correlated with temperature. Chemical defense tended to anti-correlate with mucus release. As a result, the combined action of mucus release and chemical antimicrofouling defense seemed to warrant sufficient defense against microbes along the entire coast. In the future, however, we expect enhanced energetic strain on corals when warming and/or eutrophication lead to higher bacterial fouling pressure and a shift towards putatively more costly defense by mucus release. PMID:25485603

Dynamic defense workshop :

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crosby, Sean Michael; Doak, Justin E.; Haas, Jason Juedes.

2013-02-01

On September 5th and 6th, 2012, the Dynamic Defense Workshop: From Research to Practice brought together researchers from academia, industry, and Sandia with the goals of increasing collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories and external organizations, de ning and un- derstanding dynamic, or moving target, defense concepts and directions, and gaining a greater understanding of the state of the art for dynamic defense. Through the workshop, we broadened and re ned our de nition and understanding, identi ed new approaches to inherent challenges, and de ned principles of dynamic defense. Half of the workshop was devoted to presentations of current state-of-the-artmore » work. Presentation topics included areas such as the failure of current defenses, threats, techniques, goals of dynamic defense, theory, foundations of dynamic defense, future directions and open research questions related to dynamic defense. The remainder of the workshop was discussion, which was broken down into sessions on de ning challenges, applications to host or mobile environments, applications to enterprise network environments, exploring research and operational taxonomies, and determining how to apply scienti c rigor to and investigating the eld of dynamic defense.« less

22 CFR 120.2 - Designation of defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Designation of defense articles and defense services. 120.2 Section 120.2 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.2 Designation of defense articles and defense services. The Arms...

22 CFR 120.2 - Designation of defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Designation of defense articles and defense services. 120.2 Section 120.2 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.2 Designation of defense articles and defense services. The Arms...

22 CFR 120.2 - Designation of defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Designation of defense articles and defense services. 120.2 Section 120.2 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.2 Designation of defense articles and defense services. The Arms...

22 CFR 120.2 - Designation of defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Designation of defense articles and defense services. 120.2 Section 120.2 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.2 Designation of defense articles and defense services. The Arms...

Mixtures in the real world: The importance of plant self-defense toxicants, mycotoxins, and the human diet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mattsson, Joel L., E-mail: jmattsson@indy.rr.com

2007-09-01

A perusal of research presented at the Annual Society of Toxicology Meetings, or in nearly any toxicology journal, will show that the overwhelming emphasis of toxicology research is on synthetic chemistries. Because of substantial potency and exposure to natural chemicals, the overwhelming focus on synthetic chemistries cannot lead to a realistic understanding of chemical risk to the general population. Natural chemicals, simply because of their abundance and potency, may be as likely to be a public health concern and to be involved in chemical interactions (natural:natural, natural:pharmaceutical; or natural:synthetic) as are environmental levels of synthetic chemicals. All plants have amore » mix of natural self-defense chemistries and mycotoxins that, when tested in a manner comparable to synthetic pesticides, cause the entire spectrum of toxic effects. As a further complication, plants also escalate much of their self-defense chemistry when attacked by insects and fungi, and damaged crops often have higher mycotoxins levels. Effective crop protection will typically reduce the plant's levels of self-defense toxicants and mycotoxins, but may add residues of synthetic pesticides or add some other risk variable. In addition, cooking may also alter the food chemistry (e.g., acrylamide). The mixtures toxicologist needs to address the real world mixture of natural and synthetic chemicals. Public policy on crop-food safety cannot be sensibly guided without these data and large voids in our understanding of risks from real-world mixtures cannot be in the public interest.« less

Mixtures in the real world: the importance of plant self-defense toxicants, mycotoxins, and the human diet.

PubMed

Mattsson, Joel L

2007-09-01

A perusal of research presented at the Annual Society of Toxicology Meetings, or in nearly any toxicology journal, will show that the overwhelming emphasis of toxicology research is on synthetic chemistries. Because of substantial potency and exposure to natural chemicals, the overwhelming focus on synthetic chemistries cannot lead to a realistic understanding of chemical risk to the general population. Natural chemicals, simply because of their abundance and potency, may be as likely to be a public health concern and to be involved in chemical interactions (natural:natural, natural:pharmaceutical; or natural:synthetic) as are environmental levels of synthetic chemicals. All plants have a mix of natural self-defense chemistries and mycotoxins that, when tested in a manner comparable to synthetic pesticides, cause the entire spectrum of toxic effects. As a further complication, plants also escalate much of their self-defense chemistry when attacked by insects and fungi, and damaged crops often have higher mycotoxins levels. Effective crop protection will typically reduce the plant's levels of self-defense toxicants and mycotoxins, but may add residues of synthetic pesticides or add some other risk variable. In addition, cooking may also alter the food chemistry (e.g., acrylamide). The mixtures toxicologist needs to address the real world mixture of natural and synthetic chemicals. Public policy on crop-food safety cannot be sensibly guided without these data and large voids in our understanding of risks from real-world mixtures cannot be in the public interest.

22 CFR 120.44 - Foreign defense article or defense service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... defense service means any article or service described on the U.S. Munitions List of non-U.S. origin... U.S. and foreign origin defense articles and defense services described on the U.S. Munitions List...

Unveiling chemical defense in the rice stalk stink bug against the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae.

PubMed

da Silva, Rodrigo Alves; Quintela, Eliane Dias; Mascarin, Gabriel Moura; Pedrini, Nicolás; Lião, Luciano Moraes; Ferri, Pedro Henrique

2015-05-01

Eggs, nymphs (1st-5th instar) and adults of Tibraca limbativentris were challenged by conidial suspensions of its major fungal pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae in order to assess their susceptibility. The role of chemical defensive compounds from exocrine secretions produced by both nymphs and adults were examined for their participation on M. anisopliae infection. Although insect susceptibility to M. anisopliae followed a dose-dependent manner, adults followed by older nymphs displayed the highest resistance. Eggs were highly susceptible showing >96% fungal infection. Crude extracts isolated from metathoracic scent gland and dorsal abdominal glands of adults and nymphs, respectively, showed fungistatic effects by impairing spore germination, vegetative growth and sporulation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of these extracts revealed that the major components were short-chain hydrocarbons (C10-13) and unsaturated aldehydes. In vitro tests with the corresponding synthetic standards indicated compounds with greater antifungal activity including (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and (E)-2-decenal, with the latter being the most deleterious to fungal fitness. We demonstrated that differential susceptibility of the rice stalk stink bug to M. anisopliae infection is age-specific and partly mediated by fungistatic properties of aldehydes, which are produced by scent glands of both nymphs and adults. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Defensive weapons and defense signals in plants: some metabolites serve both roles.

PubMed

Maag, Daniel; Erb, Matthias; Köllner, Tobias G; Gershenzon, Jonathan

2015-02-01

The defense of plants against herbivores and pathogens involves the participation of an enormous range of different metabolites, some of which act directly as defensive weapons against enemies (toxins or deterrents) and some of which act as components of the complex internal signaling network that insures that defense is timed to enemy attack. Recent work reveals a surprising trend: The same compounds may act as both weapons and signals of defense. For example, two groups of well-studied defensive weapons, glucosinolates and benzoxazinoids, trigger the accumulation of the protective polysaccharide callose as a barrier against aphids and pathogens. In the other direction, several hormones acting in defense signaling (and their precursors and products) exhibit activity as weapons against pathogens. Knowing which compounds are defensive weapons, which are defensive signals and which are both is vital for understanding the functioning of plant defense systems. © 2015 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Structural and chemical insect defenses in calcium oxalate defective mutants of Medicago truncatula

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant structures can act as defense against herbivorous insects, causing them to avoid feeding on a given plant or tissue. Mineral crystals of calcium oxalate in leaves of Medicago truncatula Gaertn. are effective deterrents of lepidopteran feeding, and they inhibit conversion of leaves into insect ...

The defensive secretion of Carabus lefebvrei Dejean 1826 pupa (Coleoptera, Carabidae): gland ultrastructure and chemical identification.

PubMed

Giglio, Anita; Brandmayr, Pietro; Dalpozzo, Renato; Sindona, Giovanni; Tagarelli, Antonio; Talarico, Federica; Brandmayr, Tullia Zetto; Ferrero, Enrico A

2009-05-01

This study documents the defensive function of flavored humor secreted by the abdominal glands of Carabus lefebvrei pupae. The morphology and the ultrastructure of these glands were described and the volatile compounds of glands secretion were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The ultrastructure analysis shows an acinose complex formed by about 50 clusters. Each cluster has 20 glandular units and the unit-composed of one secretory and one canal cell lying along a duct-belongs to the class 3 cell type of Quennedey (1998). In the cytoplasm, the secretory cell contains abundant rough endoplasmatic reticula, glycogen granules, numerous mitochondria, and many well-developed Golgi complexes producing electron-dense secretory granules. Mitochondria are large, elongated, and often adjoining electronlucent vesicles. The kind and the origin of secretory granules varying in size and density were discussed. The chemical analysis of the gland secretion revealed the presence of a mixture of low molecular weight terpenes, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, and carboxylic acids. Monoterpenes, especially linalool, were the major products. We supposed that ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, and carboxylic acids have a deterrent function against the predators and monoterpenes provide a prophylaxis function against pathogens. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prophage-mediated defense against viral attack and viral counter-defense

PubMed Central

Dedrick, Rebekah M.; Jacobs-Sera, Deborah; Guerrero Bustamante, Carlos A.; Garlena, Rebecca A.; Mavrich, Travis N.; Pope, Welkin H.; Reyes, Juan C Cervantes; Russell, Daniel A.; Adair, Tamarah; Alvey, Richard; Bonilla, J. Alfred; Bricker, Jerald S.; Brown, Bryony R.; Byrnes, Deanna; Cresawn, Steven G.; Davis, William B.; Dickson, Leon A.; Edgington, Nicholas P.; Findley, Ann M.; Golebiewska, Urszula; Grose, Julianne H.; Hayes, Cory F.; Hughes, Lee E.; Hutchison, Keith W.; Isern, Sharon; Johnson, Allison A.; Kenna, Margaret A.; Klyczek, Karen K.; Mageeney, Catherine M.; Michael, Scott F.; Molloy, Sally D.; Montgomery, Matthew T.; Neitzel, James; Page, Shallee T.; Pizzorno, Marie C.; Poxleitner, Marianne K.; Rinehart, Claire A.; Robinson, Courtney J.; Rubin, Michael R.; Teyim, Joseph N.; Vazquez, Edwin; Ware, Vassie C.; Washington, Jacqueline; Hatfull, Graham F.

2017-01-01

Temperate phages are common and prophages are abundant residents of sequenced bacterial genomes. Mycobacteriophages are viruses infecting mycobacterial hosts including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis, encompass substantial genetic diversity, and are commonly temperate. Characterization of ten Cluster N temperate mycobacteriophages reveals at least five distinct prophage-expressed viral defense systems that interfere with infection of lytic and temperate phages that are either closely-related (homotypic defense) or unrelated (heterotypic defense). Target specificity is unpredictable, ranging from a single target phage to one-third of those tested. The defense systems include a single-subunit restriction system, a heterotypic exclusion system, and a predicted (p)ppGpp synthetase, which blocks lytic phage growth, promotes bacterial survival, and enables efficient lysogeny. The predicted (p)ppGpp synthetase coded by the Phrann prophage defends against phage Tweety infection, but Tweety codes for a tetrapeptide repeat protein, gp54, that acts as a highly effective counter-defense system. Prophage-mediated viral defense offers an efficient mechanism for bacterial success in host-virus dynamics, and counter-defense promotes phage co-evolution. PMID:28067906

Intra-plant variation in cyanogenesis and the continuum of foliar plant defense traits in the rainforest tree Ryparosa kurrangii (Achariaceae).

PubMed

Webber, Bruce L; Woodrow, Ian E

2008-06-01

At the intra-plant level, temporal and spatial variations in plant defense traits can be influenced by resource requirements, defensive priorities and storage opportunities. Across a leaf age gradient, cyanogenic glycoside concentrations in the rainforest understory tree Ryparosa kurrangii B.L. Webber were higher in young expanding leaves than in mature leaves (2.58 and 1.38 mg g(-1), respectively). Moreover, cyanogens, as an effective chemical defense against generalist herbivores, contributed to a defense continuum protecting foliar tissue during leaf development. Chemical (cyanogens and phenolic compounds) and phenological (delayed greening) defense traits protected young leaves, whereas mature leaves were largely protected by physical defense mechanisms (lamina toughness; explained primarily by leaf mass per area). Cyanogen concentration was considerably higher in floral tissue than in foliar tissue and decreased in floral tissue during development. Across contrasting tropical seasons, foliar cyanogenic concentration varied significantly, being highest in the late wet season and lowest during the pre-wet season, the latter coinciding with fruiting and leaf flushing. Cyanogens in R. kurrangii appear to be differentially allocated in a way that maximizes plant fitness but may also act as a store of reduced nitrogen that is remobilized during flowering and leaf flushing.

[Study of defense styles, defenses and coping strategies in alcohol-dependent population].

PubMed

Ribadier, A; Varescon, I

2017-05-01

Defense mechanisms have been seen to greatly change over time and across different definitions made by different theoretical currents. Recently with the definition provided by the DSM IV, defense mechanisms have integrated the concept of coping as a defensive factor. These mechanisms are no longer considered just through a psychodynamic approach but also through a cognitive and behavioral one. In recent years, new theories have therefore integrated these two components of the defensive operation. According to Chabrol and Callahan (2013), defense mechanisms precede coping strategies. In individuals with psychopathological disorders, these authors indicate a relative stability of these mechanisms. Also, we asked about the presence of unique characteristics among people with alcohol dependence. Indeed, studies conducted with people with alcohol dependence highlight the presence of a neurotic defense style and some highly immature defenses (projection, acting out, splitting and somatization). In terms of coping strategies, persons with alcohol dependence preferentially use avoidant strategies and strategies focused on emotion. However, although several studies have been conducted to assess coping strategies and defense styles within a population of individuals with an alcohol problem, at the present time none of them has taken into account all these aspects of defense mechanisms. The aim of this study is therefore to study the defenses and defense styles and coping strategies in an alcohol-dependent population. This multicenter study (3 CHU, 1 center of supportive care and prevention in addiction and 1 clinic) received a favorable opinion of an Institutional Review Board (IRB Registration #: 00001072). Eighty alcohol-dependent individuals responded to a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics and elements related to the course of consumption. Coping strategies were assessed by means of a questionnaire validated in French: the Brief Cope. The Defense

Plant neighbor identity influences plant biochemistry and physiology related to defense

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Chemical and biological processes dictate an individual organism's ability to recognize and respond to other organisms. A small but growing body of evidence suggests that plants may be capable of recognizing and responding to neighboring plants in a species specific fashion. Here we tested whether or not individuals of the invasive exotic weed, Centaurea maculosa, would modulate their defensive strategy in response to different plant neighbors. Results In the greenhouse, C. maculosa individuals were paired with either conspecific (C. maculosa) or heterospecific (Festuca idahoensis) plant neighbors and elicited with the plant defense signaling molecule methyl jasmonate to mimic insect herbivory. We found that elicited C. maculosa plants grown with conspecific neighbors exhibited increased levels of total phenolics, whereas those grown with heterospecific neighbors allocated more resources towards growth. To further investigate these results in the field, we conducted a metabolomics analysis to explore chemical differences between individuals of C. maculosa growing in naturally occurring conspecific and heterospecific field stands. Similar to the greenhouse results, C. maculosa individuals accumulated higher levels of defense-related secondary metabolites and lower levels of primary metabolites when growing in conspecific versus heterospecific field stands. Leaf herbivory was similar in both stand types; however, a separate field study positively correlated specialist herbivore load with higher densities of C. maculosa conspecifics. Conclusions Our results suggest that an individual C. maculosa plant can change its defensive strategy based on the identity of its plant neighbors. This is likely to have important consequences for individual and community success. PMID:20565801

[Chemical constituents of Changium smyrnioides].

PubMed

Ren, Dong-chun; Qian, Shi-hui; Yang, Nian-yun; Xie, Ning; Duan, Jin-ao

2008-01-01

To study chemical constituents of Changium smyrnioides Wolff. The chemical components were isolated and purified by silica gel column and recrystallization. The chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physico-chemical properties and spectral data. Ten compounds were isolated and identified as lignoceric acid (1), beta-sitosterol (2), stigmasterol (3), 5-hydroxy-8-methoxypsoralen (4), glycerylmonopalmitate (5), L-pyroglutamic acid (6), succinic acid (7), vanillic acid-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8 ), vanillic acid (9), daucosterol (10). Compounds 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are obtained from the plant for the first time.

Optimal defense theory explains deviations from latitudinal herbivory defense hypothesis.

PubMed

Kooyers, Nicholas J; Blackman, Benjamin K; Holeski, Liza M

2017-04-01

The latitudinal herbivory defense hypothesis (LHDH) postulates that the prevalence of species interactions, including herbivory, is greater at lower latitudes, leading to selection for increased levels of plant defense. While latitudinal defense clines may be caused by spatial variation in herbivore pressure, optimal defense theory predicts that clines could also be caused by ecogeographic variation in the cost of defense. For instance, allocation of resources to defense may not increase plant fitness when growing seasons are short and plants must reproduce quickly. Here we use a common garden experiment to survey genetic variation for constitutive and induced phenylpropanoid glycoside (PPG) concentrations across 35 Mimulus guttatus populations over a ~13° latitudinal transect. Our sampling regime is unique among studies of the LHDH in that it allows us to disentangle the effects of growing season length from those of latitude, temperature, and elevation. For five of the seven PPGs surveyed, we find associations between latitude and plant defense that are robust to population structure. However, contrary to the LHDH, only two PPGs were found at higher levels in low latitude populations, and total PPG concentrations were higher at higher latitudes. PPG levels are strongly correlated with growing season length, with higher levels of PPGs in plants from areas with longer growing seasons. Further, flowering time is positively correlated with the concentration of nearly all PPGs, suggesting that there may be a strong trade-off between development time and defense production. Our results reveal that ecogeographic patterns in plant defense may reflect variation in the cost of producing defense compounds in addition to variation in herbivore pressure. Thus, the biogeographic pattern predicted by the LHDH may not be accurate because the underlying factors driving variation in defense, in this case, growing season length, are not always associated with latitude in the same

Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs.

PubMed

Loh, Tse-Lynn; Pawlik, Joseph R

2014-03-18

Ecological studies have rarely been performed at the community level across a large biogeographic region. Sponges are now the primary habitat-forming organisms on Caribbean coral reefs. Recent species-level investigations have demonstrated that predatory fishes (angelfishes and some parrotfishes) differentially graze sponges that lack chemical defenses, while co-occurring, palatable species heal, grow, reproduce, or recruit at faster rates than defended species. Our prediction, based on resource allocation theory, was that predator removal would result in a greater proportion of palatable species in the sponge community on overfished reefs. We tested this prediction by performing surveys of sponge and fish community composition on reefs having different levels of fishing intensity across the Caribbean. A total of 109 sponge species was recorded from 69 sites, with the 10 most common species comprising 51.0% of sponge cover (3.6-7.7% per species). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling indicated that the species composition of sponge communities depended more on the abundance of sponge-eating fishes than geographic location. Across all sites, multiple-regression analyses revealed that spongivore abundance explained 32.8% of the variation in the proportion of palatable sponges, but when data were limited to geographically adjacent locations with strongly contrasting levels of fishing pressure (Cayman Islands and Jamaica; Curaçao, Bonaire, and Martinique), the adjusted R(2) values were much higher (76.5% and 94.6%, respectively). Overfishing of Caribbean coral reefs, particularly by fish trapping, removes sponge predators and is likely to result in greater competition for space between faster-growing palatable sponges and endangered reef-building corals.

Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs

PubMed Central

Loh, Tse-Lynn; Pawlik, Joseph R.

2014-01-01

Ecological studies have rarely been performed at the community level across a large biogeographic region. Sponges are now the primary habitat-forming organisms on Caribbean coral reefs. Recent species-level investigations have demonstrated that predatory fishes (angelfishes and some parrotfishes) differentially graze sponges that lack chemical defenses, while co-occurring, palatable species heal, grow, reproduce, or recruit at faster rates than defended species. Our prediction, based on resource allocation theory, was that predator removal would result in a greater proportion of palatable species in the sponge community on overfished reefs. We tested this prediction by performing surveys of sponge and fish community composition on reefs having different levels of fishing intensity across the Caribbean. A total of 109 sponge species was recorded from 69 sites, with the 10 most common species comprising 51.0% of sponge cover (3.6–7.7% per species). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling indicated that the species composition of sponge communities depended more on the abundance of sponge-eating fishes than geographic location. Across all sites, multiple-regression analyses revealed that spongivore abundance explained 32.8% of the variation in the proportion of palatable sponges, but when data were limited to geographically adjacent locations with strongly contrasting levels of fishing pressure (Cayman Islands and Jamaica; Curaçao, Bonaire, and Martinique), the adjusted R2 values were much higher (76.5% and 94.6%, respectively). Overfishing of Caribbean coral reefs, particularly by fish trapping, removes sponge predators and is likely to result in greater competition for space between faster-growing palatable sponges and endangered reef-building corals. PMID:24567392

Defense Waste Processing Facility Simulant Chemical Processing Cell Studies for Sludge Batch 9

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Tara E.; Newell, J. David; Woodham, Wesley H.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) received a technical task request from Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) and Saltstone Engineering to perform simulant tests to support the qualification of Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) and to develop the flowsheet for SB9 in the DWPF. These efforts pertained to the DWPF Chemical Process Cell (CPC). CPC experiments were performed using SB9 simulant (SB9A) to qualify SB9 for sludge-only and coupled processing using the nitric-formic flowsheet in the DWPF. Two simulant batches were prepared, one representing SB8 Tank 40H and another representing SB9 Tank 51H. The simulant used for SB9 qualification testing wasmore » prepared by blending the SB8 Tank 40H and SB9 Tank 51H simulants. The blended simulant is referred to as SB9A. Eleven CPC experiments were run with an acid stoichiometry ranging between 105% and 145% of the Koopman minimum acid equation (KMA), which is equivalent to 109.7% and 151.5% of the Hsu minimum acid factor. Three runs were performed in the 1L laboratory scale setup, whereas the remainder were in the 4L laboratory scale setup. Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles were performed on nine of the eleven. The other two were SRAT cycles only. One coupled flowsheet and one extended run were performed for SRAT and SME processing. Samples of the condensate, sludge, and off-gas were taken to monitor the chemistry of the CPC experiments.« less

Ballistic missile defense effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, George N.

2017-11-01

The potential effectiveness of ballistic missile defenses today remains a subject of debate. After a brief discussion of terminal and boost phase defenses, this chapter will focus on long-range midcourse defenses. The problems posed by potential countermeasures to such midcourse defenses are discussed as are the sensor capabilities a defense might have available to attempt to discriminate the actual missile warhead in a countermeasures environment. The role of flight testing in assessing ballistic missile defense effectiveness is discussed. Arguments made about effectiveness by missile defense supporters and critics are summarized.

Copper Contamination Impairs Herbivore Initiation of Seaweed Inducible Defenses and Decreases Their Effectiveness

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Seaweed-herbivore interactions are often mediated by environmental conditions, yet the roles of emerging anthropogenic stressors on these interactions are poorly understood. For example, chemical contaminants have unknown consequences on seaweed inducible resistance and herbivore response to these defenses despite known deleterious effects of contaminants on animal inducible defenses. Here, we investigated the effect of copper contamination on the interactions between a snail herbivore and a brown seaweed that displays inducible resistance to grazing. We examined seaweed inducible resistance and its effectiveness for organisms exposed to copper at two time points, either during induction or after herbivores had already induced seaweed defenses. Under ambient conditions, non-grazed tissues were more palatable than grazed tissues. However, copper additions negated the preference for non-grazed tissues regardless of the timing of copper exposure, suggesting that copper decreased both how herbivores initiated these inducible defenses and their subsequent effectiveness. Copper decreased stimulation of defenses, at least in part, by suppressing snail grazing pressure—the cue that turns inducible defenses on. Copper decreased effectiveness of defenses by preventing snails from preferentially consuming non-grazed seaweed. Thus, contaminants can potentially stress communities by changing seaweed-herbivore interactions mediated via inducible defenses. Given the ubiquity of seaweed inducible resistance and their potential influence on herbivores, we hypothesize that copper contamination may change the impact of these resistant traits on herbivores. PMID:26274491

76 FR 72391 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-23

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [Docket ID DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Revised Defense Logistics Agency...

48 CFR 225.7005 - Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote. 225.7005 Section 225.7005 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE... on certain chemical weapons antidote. ...

48 CFR 225.7005 - Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote. 225.7005 Section 225.7005 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE... on certain chemical weapons antidote. ...

48 CFR 225.7005 - Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote. 225.7005 Section 225.7005 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE... on certain chemical weapons antidote. ...

48 CFR 225.7005 - Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote. 225.7005 Section 225.7005 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE... on certain chemical weapons antidote. ...

48 CFR 225.7005 - Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Restriction on certain chemical weapons antidote. 225.7005 Section 225.7005 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE... on certain chemical weapons antidote. ...

Costs of defense and a test of the carbon-nutrient balance and growth-differentiation balance hypotheses for two co-occurring classes of plant defense.

PubMed

Massad, Tara Joy; Dyer, Lee A; Vega C, Gerardo

2012-01-01

One of the goals of chemical ecology is to assess costs of plant defenses. Intraspecific trade-offs between growth and defense are traditionally viewed in the context of the carbon-nutrient balance hypothesis (CNBH) and the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH). Broadly, these hypotheses suggest that growth is limited by deficiencies in carbon or nitrogen while rates of photosynthesis remain unchanged, and the subsequent reduced growth results in the more abundant resource being invested in increased defense (mass-balance based allocation). The GDBH further predicts trade-offs in growth and defense should only be observed when resources are abundant. Most support for these hypotheses comes from work with phenolics. We examined trade-offs related to production of two classes of defenses, saponins (triterpenoids) and flavans (phenolics), in Pentaclethra macroloba (Fabaceae), an abundant tree in Costa Rican wet forests. We quantified physiological costs of plant defenses by measuring photosynthetic parameters (which are often assumed to be stable) in addition to biomass. Pentaclethra macroloba were grown in full sunlight or shade under three levels of nitrogen alone or with conspecific neighbors that could potentially alter nutrient availability via competition or facilitation. Biomass and photosynthesis were not affected by nitrogen or competition for seedlings in full sunlight, but they responded positively to nitrogen in shade-grown plants. The trade-off predicted by the GDBH between growth and metabolite production was only present between flavans and biomass in sun-grown plants (abundant resource conditions). Support was also only partial for the CNBH as flavans declined with nitrogen but saponins increased. This suggests saponin production should be considered in terms of detailed biosynthetic pathway models while phenolic production fits mass-balance based allocation models (such as the CNBH). Contrary to expectations based on the two defense

Silverleaf whitefly induces salicylic acid defenses and suppresses effectual jasmonic acid defenses.

PubMed

Zarate, Sonia I; Kempema, Louisa A; Walling, Linda L

2007-02-01

The basal defenses important in curtailing the development of the phloem-feeding silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci type B; SLWF) on Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) were investigated. Sentinel defense gene RNAs were monitored in SLWF-infested and control plants. Salicylic acid (SA)-responsive gene transcripts accumulated locally (PR1, BGL2, PR5, SID2, EDS5, PAD4) and systemically (PR1, BGL2, PR5) during SLWF nymph feeding. In contrast, jasmonic acid (JA)- and ethylene-dependent RNAs (PDF1.2, VSP1, HEL, THI2.1, FAD3, ERS1, ERF1) were repressed or not modulated in SLWF-infested leaves. To test for a role of SA and JA pathways in basal defense, SLWF development on mutant and transgenic lines that constitutively activate or impair defense pathways was determined. By monitoring the percentage of SLWF nymphs in each instar, we show that mutants that activate SA defenses (cim10) or impair JA defenses (coi1) accelerated SLWF nymphal development. Reciprocally, mutants that activate JA defenses (cev1) or impair SA defenses (npr1, NahG) slowed SLWF nymphal development. Furthermore, when npr1 plants, which do not activate downstream SA defenses, were treated with methyl jasmonate, a dramatic delay in nymph development was observed. Collectively, these results showed that SLWF-repressed, JA-regulated defenses were associated with basal defense to the SLWF.

Defense without aggression

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harvey, H.

1988-09-01

In introducing this group of articles on nonoffensive defense the author notes that the prospect of nuclear disarmament in Europe is boosting ideas, which have been around for a decade, from theory to politics. This special section of articles looks at an emerging theory that may reduce reliance on nuclear weapons by bringing stability to the conventional standoff in central Europe. The idea is to rearrange conventional forces so that they can defend but not attack. Under such monikers as nonoffensive defense (the main term used in these articles), nonprovocative defense, defensive defense, reasonable sufficiency, and mutual defensive superiority, thesemore » proposals suggest that nations can restructure weapons, personnel, and strategy to assure their own military security without posing a threat to other nations. 5 refs.« less

Missile Defense: Ballistic Missile Defense System Testing Delays Affect Delivery of Capabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-28

Page 1 GAO- 16 -339R Ballistic Missile Defense 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 April 28, 2016 Congressional Committees Missile Defense...Ballistic Missile Defense System Testing Delays Affect Delivery of Capabilities For over half a century , the Department of Defense (DOD) has been...81, § 232 (a) (2011). 2 GAO- 16 -339R Ballistic Missile Defense baselines, we analyzed the testing goals for selected elements, which are

Heteropteran chemical repellents identified in the citrus odor of a seabird (crested auklet: Aethia cristatella): evolutionary convergence in chemical ecology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, H. D.; Co, J. E.; Jones, T. H.; Conner, W. E.

2001-08-01

The exogenous application of chemical repellents is widespread in birds, but endogenous production is exceedingly rare. We herein report a new class of avian defensive compounds isolated from the feathers and volatile odor of the crested auklet ( Aethia cristatella). Mass spectra indicate that n-hexanal, n-octanal, n-decanal, Z-4-decenal and a 12-carbon unsaturated aldehyde comprise the auklet odorant. Octanal and hexanal are also secreted in the repugnant metasternal gland emissions of heteropteran insects and are known to be potent invertebrate repellents. We suggest that the auklet odorant functions as an ectoparasite repellent and a signal of mate quality. This would represent a rare and direct link between vigor, quality and parasite resistance, one of several putative bases for mate selection. This is the first report of defensive compounds produced by a seabird or colonial bird and one of the few examples of chemical defense in a polar or subpolar marine vertebrate.

Chemical ecology of marine angiosperms: opportunities at the interface of marine and terrestrial systems.

PubMed

Sieg, R Drew; Kubanek, Julia

2013-06-01

This review examines the state of the field for chemically mediated interactions involving marine angiosperms (seagrasses, mangroves, and salt marsh angiosperms). Small-scale interactions among these plants and their herbivores, pathogens, fouling organisms, and competitors are explored, as are community-level effects of plant secondary metabolites. At larger spatial scales, secondary metabolites from marine angiosperms function as reliable cues for larval settlement, molting, or habitat selection by fish and invertebrates, and can influence community structure and ecosystem function. Several recent studies illustrate the importance of chemical defenses from these plants that deter feeding by herbivores and infection by pathogens, but the extent to which allelopathic compounds kill or inhibit the growth of competitors is less clear. While some phenolic compounds such as ferulic acid and caffeic acid act as critical defenses against herbivores and pathogens, we find that a high total concentration of phenolic compounds within bulk plant tissues is not a strong predictor of defense. Residual chemical defenses prevent shredding or degradation of plant detritus by detritivores and microbes, delaying the time before plant matter can enter the microbial loop. Mangroves, marsh plants, and seagrasses remain plentiful sources of new natural products, but ecological functions are known for only a small proportion of these compounds. As new analytical techniques are incorporated into ecological studies, opportunities are emerging for chemical ecologists to test how subtle environmental cues affect the production and release of marine angiosperm chemical defenses or signaling molecules. Throughout this review, we point to areas for future study, highlighting opportunities for new directions in chemical ecology that will advance our understanding of ecological interactions in these valuable ecosystems.

Structure elucidation of two triterpenoid saponins from rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel.

PubMed

Lu, Jincai; Xu, Beibei; Gao, Song; Fan, Li; Zhang, Hongfen; Liu, Runxiang; Kodama, Hiroyuki

2009-09-01

Two new 27-hydroxy-oleanolic acid type triterpenoid saponins, raddeanoside 20 (1) and raddeanoside 21(2) were isolated from the rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel. The structures of the two compounds were elucidated as 27-hydroxy-oleanolic acid 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2) [beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->4)]-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (1) and 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-27-hydroxy-oleanolic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence.

A two-dimensional neuropsychology of defense: fear/anxiety and defensive distance.

PubMed

McNaughton, Neil; Corr, Philip J

2004-05-01

We present in this paper a picture of the neural systems controlling defense that updates and simplifies Gray's "Neuropsychology of Anxiety". It is based on two behavioural dimensions: 'defensive distance' as defined by the Blanchards and 'defensive direction'. Defensive direction is a categorical dimension with avoidance of threat corresponding to fear and approach to threat corresponding to anxiety. These two psychological dimensions are mapped to underlying neural dimensions. Defensive distance is mapped to neural level, with the shortest defensive distances involving the lowest neural level (periaqueductal grey) and the largest defensive distances the highest neural level (prefrontal cortex). Defensive direction is mapped to separate parallel streams that run across these levels. A significant departure from prior models is the proposal that both fear and anxiety are represented at all levels. The theory is presented in a simplified form that does not incorporate the interactions that must occur between non-adjacent levels of the system. It also requires expansion to include the dimension of escapability of threat. Our current development and these proposed future extensions do not change the core concepts originally proposed by Gray and, we argue, demonstrate their enduring value.

Section 847 Requirements for Senior Defense Officials Seeking Employment with Defense Contractors

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-31

847 Requirements for Senior Defense Officials Seeking Employment with Defense Contractors M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 Report No. DODIG-2016-070...Senior Defense Officials Seeking Employment with Defense Contractors Visit us at www.dodig.mil March 31, 2016 Objectives The objectives of our project...description of future duties from a Defense contractor . • Some ethics officials issued nonspecific post-Government employment guidance as a Section 847

Leveraging International Cooperation Acquisition Opportunities for the Department of Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

International Involvement as it relates to Defense Acquisition can be conducted through three types of programs; international armaments cooperation...render them more effective coalition partners and assist with establishing stronger international relations . 58 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT...illicit manufacture and trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic drugs , money laundering, and precursor chemical diversion and the progressive

Molecular cloning of a defense-response-related cytochrome P450 gene from tobacco.

PubMed

Takemoto, D; Hayashi, M; Doke, N; Nishimura, M; Kawakita, K

1999-12-01

Plant defenses against pathogen attack involve a series of inducible responses that contribute to resistance. Tobacco leaves injected with HWC (hyphal wall components prepared from Phytophthora infestans) elicitor showed typical defense responses, including the induction of localized necrosis and the accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which plant defense systems are activated, we screened tobacco plants for genes differentially expressed in response to HWC. We performed differential screening by RT-PCR with random primers and obtained PCR products specific to HWC-treated leaf RNA. Northern hybridization using the PCR products as probes confirmed that one transcript was actually induced by HWC treatment. As the deduced amino acid sequence of this clone showed the highest degree of similarity to elicitor-induced soybean cytochrome P450 CYP82A4, it was designated CYP82E1. The expression of CYP82E1 was strongly induced in tobacco by the soybean pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea (nonpathogenic on tobacco), but it was activated only slightly and in a delayed fashion by the tobacco pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci (pathogenic on tobacco), implying that the product of CYP82E1 may be involved in disease resistance in tobacco.

32 CFR 174.16 - Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... chemical agent hazards from past DoD military munitions-related or chemical warfare-related activities... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Real property containing explosive or chemical... REALIGNMENT Environmental Matters § 174.16 Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards. The...

32 CFR 174.16 - Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... chemical agent hazards from past DoD military munitions-related or chemical warfare-related activities... 32 National Defense 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Real property containing explosive or chemical... REALIGNMENT Environmental Matters § 174.16 Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards. The...

32 CFR 174.16 - Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... chemical agent hazards from past DoD military munitions-related or chemical warfare-related activities... 32 National Defense 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Real property containing explosive or chemical... REALIGNMENT Environmental Matters § 174.16 Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards. The...

32 CFR 174.16 - Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... chemical agent hazards from past DoD military munitions-related or chemical warfare-related activities... 32 National Defense 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Real property containing explosive or chemical... REALIGNMENT Environmental Matters § 174.16 Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards. The...

32 CFR 174.16 - Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... chemical agent hazards from past DoD military munitions-related or chemical warfare-related activities... 32 National Defense 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Real property containing explosive or chemical... REALIGNMENT Environmental Matters § 174.16 Real property containing explosive or chemical agent hazards. The...

Teaching Psychological Defense Mechanisms: "The Defense Mechanisms Game."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waugh, Charles G.

1980-01-01

Presents the rules for an educational game in which students reinforce psychology lecture material by creating and dramatizing defense mechanisms such as reaction formation, displacement, and fantasy. Provides definitions and examples of the various defense mechanisms that can be portrayed. (JP)

Defense islands in bacterial and archaeal genomes and prediction of novel defense systems.

PubMed

Makarova, Kira S; Wolf, Yuri I; Snir, Sagi; Koonin, Eugene V

2011-11-01

The arms race between cellular life forms and viruses is a major driving force of evolution. A substantial fraction of bacterial and archaeal genomes is dedicated to antivirus defense. We analyzed the distribution of defense genes and typical mobilome components (such as viral and transposon genes) in bacterial and archaeal genomes and demonstrated statistically significant clustering of antivirus defense systems and mobile genes and elements in genomic islands. The defense islands are enriched in putative operons and contain numerous overrepresented gene families. A detailed sequence analysis of the proteins encoded by genes in these families shows that many of them are diverged variants of known defense system components, whereas others show features, such as characteristic operonic organization, that are suggestive of novel defense systems. Thus, genomic islands provide abundant material for the experimental study of bacterial and archaeal antivirus defense. Except for the CRISPR-Cas systems, different classes of defense systems, in particular toxin-antitoxin and restriction-modification systems, show nonrandom clustering in defense islands. It remains unclear to what extent these associations reflect functional cooperation between different defense systems and to what extent the islands are genomic "sinks" that accumulate diverse nonessential genes, particularly those acquired via horizontal gene transfer. The characteristics of defense islands resemble those of mobilome islands. Defense and mobilome genes are nonrandomly associated in islands, suggesting nonadaptive evolution of the islands via a preferential attachment-like mechanism underpinned by the addictive properties of defense systems such as toxins-antitoxins and an important role of horizontal mobility in the evolution of these islands.

Defense in the aeolidoidean genus Phyllodesmium (Gastropoda).

PubMed

Bogdanov, Alexander; Kehraus, Stefan; Bleidissel, Sabrina; Preisfeld, Gela; Schillo, Dorothee; Piel, Jörn; Brachmann, Alexander O; Wägele, Heike; König, Gabriele M

2014-09-01

The genus Phyllodesmium (Aeolidoidea, Gastropoda) comprises shell-less marine snails, whose defense strategies are not well investigated yet. Here we report results of the first chemical investigation of P. briareum, as well as a re-investigation of P. longicirrum and P. magnum. Briarane diterpenes were isolated from P. briareum, and their origin could be traced to its prey organism Briareum sp. (Octocorallia). Considerable enrichment of the soft coral secondary metabolites in the slug was shown. Re-investigation of P. magnum led to isolation of cembrane diterpenes, 2-phenylethylamide, and furano sesquiterpenes. Sequestration of chemicals seems to have influenced speciation and evolution of Phyllodesmium species. Structural similarity or dissimilarity of particular slug metabolites suggests a closer, or more distant relationship of the respective Phyllodesmium taxa.

Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program. FY2004-2006 Performance Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

Agents (NTAs) Compare the direct effects of PAF on smooth muscle, hematic constituents, and lung to determine role in toxicity. Continue to identify...Range Biometric Target ID System Explore technologies for a long range biometric target identification system. Air Containment Monitoring System...Continue development of systems for contained air monitoring for chemical agents.Long Range Biometric Air Containment Monitoring System Continued

76 FR 53119 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [Docket ID: DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Comment Addressed on Notice of...

76 FR 28757 - Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [DOCKET ID DOD-2011-OS-0055] Defense Logistics Agency Revised Regulation 1000.22, Environmental Considerations in Defense Logistics Agency Actions AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of Revised...

[Systematically induced effects of Tetranychus cinnabarinus infestation on chemical defense in Zea mays inbred lines].

PubMed

Zhu, Yu-xi; Yang, Qun-fang; Huang, Yu-bi; Li, Qing

2015-09-01

In the present study, we investigated the systematically induced production of defense-related compounds, including DIMBOA, total phenol, trypsin inhibitors (TI) and chymotrypsin inhibitor (CI), by Tetranychus cinnabarinus infestation in Zea mays. The first leaves of two corn in-bred line seedlings, the mite-tolerant line ' H1014168' and the mite-sensitive line 'H1014591', were sucked by T. cinnabarinus adult female for seven days, and then the contents of DIMBOA, total phenol, TI and CI were measured in the second leaf and in the roots, respectively. Results showed that as compared to the unsucked control, all contents of DIMBOA, total phenol, TI and CI induced by T. cinnabarinus sucking were significantly higher in the second leaf of both inbred lines as well as in the roots of the mite-tolerant 'H1014168'. However, in the roots of 'H1014591', these defense compounds had different trends, where there was a higher induction of TI and a lower level of total phenol than that of the healthy control, while had almost no difference in DIMBOA and CI. These findings suggested that the infestation of T. cinnabarinus could systematically induce accumulation of defense-related compounds, and this effect was stronger in the mite-tolerant inbred line than in the mite-sensitive inbred line.

75 FR 76423 - Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting AGENCY: National Defense Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Closed Meeting. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the...

76 FR 28960 - Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-19

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Intelligence Agency National Defense Intelligence College Board of Visitors Closed Meeting AGENCY: National Defense Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of Closed Meeting. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the...

Flavan-3-ols Are an Effective Chemical Defense against Rust Infection.

PubMed

Ullah, Chhana; Unsicker, Sybille B; Fellenberg, Christin; Constabel, C Peter; Schmidt, Axel; Gershenzon, Jonathan; Hammerbacher, Almuth

2017-12-01

Phenolic secondary metabolites are often thought to protect plants against attack by microbes, but their role in defense against pathogen infection in woody plants has not been investigated comprehensively. We studied the biosynthesis, occurrence, and antifungal activity of flavan-3-ols in black poplar ( Populus nigra ), which include both monomers, such as catechin, and oligomers, known as proanthocyanidins (PAs). We identified and biochemically characterized three leucoanthocyanidin reductases and two anthocyanidin reductases from P. nigra involved in catalyzing the last steps of flavan-3-ol biosynthesis, leading to the formation of catechin [2,3-trans-(+)-flavan-3-ol] and epicatechin [2,3-cis-(-)-flavan-3-ol], respectively. Poplar trees that were inoculated with the biotrophic rust fungus ( Melampsora larici-populina ) accumulated higher amounts of catechin and PAs than uninfected trees. The de novo-synthesized catechin and PAs in the rust-infected poplar leaves accumulated significantly at the site of fungal infection in the lower epidermis. In planta concentrations of these compounds strongly inhibited rust spore germination and reduced hyphal growth. Poplar genotypes with constitutively higher levels of catechin and PAs as well as hybrid aspen ( Populus tremula × Populus alba ) overexpressing the MYB134 transcription factor were more resistant to rust infection. Silencing PnMYB134 , on the other hand, decreased flavan-3-ol biosynthesis and increased susceptibility to rust infection. Taken together, our data indicate that catechin and PAs are effective antifungal defenses in poplar against foliar rust infection. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Chemical genomics in plant biology.

PubMed

Sadhukhan, Ayan; Sahoo, Lingaraj; Panda, Sanjib Kumar

2012-06-01

Chemical genomics is a newly emerged and rapidly progressing field in biology, where small chemical molecules bind specifically and reversibly to protein(s) to modulate their function(s), leading to the delineation and subsequent unravelling of biological processes. This approach overcomes problems like lethality and redundancy of classical genetics. Armed with the powerful techniques of combinatorial synthesis, high-throughput screening and target discovery chemical genomics expands its scope to diverse areas in biology. The well-established genetic system of Arabidopsis model allows chemical genomics to enter into the realm of plant biology exploring signaling pathways of growth regulators, endomembrane signaling cascades, plant defense mechanisms and many more events.

Defense Human Resources Activity > PERSEREC

Science.gov Websites

Skip to main content (Press Enter). Toggle navigation Defense Human Resources Activity Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Defense Human Resources Activity U.S. Department of Defense Defense Human Resources Activity Overview

Ink from longfin inshore squid, Doryteuthis pealeii, as a chemical and visual defense against two predatory fishes, summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, and sea catfish, Ariopsis felis.

PubMed

Derby, Charles D; Tottempudi, Mihika; Love-Chezem, Tiffany; Wolfe, Lanna S

2013-12-01

Chemical and visual defenses are used by many organisms to avoid being approached or eaten by predators. An example is inking molluscs-including gastropods such as sea hares and cephalopods such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopus-which release a colored ink upon approach or attack. Previous work showed that ink can protect molluscs through a combination of chemical, visual, and other effects. In this study, we examined the effects of ink from longfin inshore squid, Doryteuthis pealeii, on the behavior of two species of predatory fishes, summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, and sea catfish, Ariopsis felis. Using a cloud assay, we found that ink from longfin inshore squid affected the approach phase of predation by summer flounder, primarily through its visual effects. Using a food assay, we found that the ink affected the consummatory and ingestive phase of predation of both sea catfish and summer flounder, through the ink's chemical properties. Fractionation of ink showed that most of its deterrent chemical activity is associated with melanin granules, suggesting that either compounds adhering to these granules or melanin itself are the most biologically active. This work provides the basis for a comparative approach to identify deterrent molecules from inking cephalopods and to examine neural mechanisms whereby these chemicals affect behavior of fish, using the sea catfish as a chemosensory model.

Civil Defense, U. S. A.: A Programmed Orientation to Civil Defense. Unit 5. Governmental Responsibilities for Civil Defense.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DOD), Battle Creek, MI.

A description of the laws and orders that provide necessary legal authorization for civil defense activities is provided. In addition, an outline of the responsibilities of all governments and the role of the private sector in civil defense is presented. Topics discussed include: (1) Legal authority for civil defense, (2) Civil defense…

Spatial and phylogenetic variation in plant defense in a tropical moist forest canopy community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McManus, K. M.; Asner, G. P.; Martin, R.

2013-12-01

Plants employ physical and chemical defenses to mitigate damage caused by herbivory. Spatial patterns of plant defense may provide insight into the role of plant-herbivore interactions in the assembly of plant communities. Within plant communities, the spatial overdispersion of anti-herbivore defenses by individuals may reflect a strategy to avoid host shifts from herbivore assemblages of neighboring plants. However, variation in plant defense may also result from trade-offs between foliar investment into defense and growth, mediated by variations in abiotic nutrient availability, or constrained by phylogeny. We measured four defensive traits (leaf toughness, total phenols, condensed tannins, and hydrolysable tannins) and three growth traits (LMA, C:N, total protein) of outer canopy foliage for 345 canopy trees representing 78 species, 65 genera, and 34 families in a moist tropical rainforest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The outer canopy provides an important, but rarely evaluated, cross-sectional image of the tropical forest ecosystem, and observations at this scale may provide an important link between field and remote sensing based studies. We used existing data on edaphic and geological properties to investigate the relationships of abiotic nutrient variation on variation in defense. Using regression and nested random-effects variance modeling, we found strong phylogenetic association with defensive traits at the family and species level, and little evidence for a trade-off between defensive traits. Greater understanding of phylogenetic structure in trait variation may yield improved characterizations of tropical biodiversity, from functional traits to risk assessments.

Is protection against florivory consistent with the optimal defense hypothesis?

PubMed

Godschalx, Adrienne L; Stady, Lauren; Watzig, Benjamin; Ballhorn, Daniel J

2016-01-28

Plant defense traits require resources and energy that plants may otherwise use for growth and reproduction. In order to most efficiently protect plant tissues from herbivory, one widely accepted assumption of the optimal defense hypothesis states that plants protect tissues most relevant to fitness. Reproductive organs directly determining plant fitness, including flowers and immature fruit, as well as young, productive leaf tissue thus should be particularly well-defended. To test this hypothesis, we quantified the cyanogenic potential (HCNp)-a direct, chemical defense-systemically expressed in vegetative and reproductive organs in lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), and we tested susceptibility of these organs in bioassays with a generalist insect herbivore, the Large Yellow Underwing (Noctuidae: Noctua pronuba). To determine the actual impact of either florivory (herbivory on flowers) or folivory on seed production as a measure of maternal fitness, we removed varying percentages of total flowers or young leaf tissue and quantified developing fruit, seeds, and seed viability. We found extremely low HCNp in flowers (8.66 ± 2.19 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in young, white flowers, 6.23 ± 1.25 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in mature, yellow flowers) and in pods (ranging from 32.05 ± 7.08 to 0.09 ± 0.08 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW in young to mature pods, respectively) whereas young leaves showed high levels of defense (67.35 ± 3.15 μmol CN(-) g(-1) FW). Correspondingly, herbivores consumed more flowers than any other tissue, which, when taken alone, appears to contradict the optimal defense hypothesis. However, experimentally removing flowers did not significantly impact fitness, while leaf tissue removal significantly reduced production of viable seeds. Even though flowers were the least defended and most consumed, our results support the optimal defense hypothesis due to i) the lack of flower removal effects on fitness and ii) the high defense investment in

Diet quality can play a critical role in defense efficacy against parasitoids and pathogens in the Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia).

PubMed

Laurentz, Minna; Reudler, Joanneke H; Mappes, Johanna; Friman, Ville; Ikonen, Suvi; Lindstedt, Carita

2012-01-01

Numerous herbivorous insect species sequester noxious chemicals from host plants that effectively defend against predators, and against parasitoids and pathogens. Sequestration of these chemicals may be expensive and involve a trade off with other fitness traits. Here, we tested this hypothesis. We reared Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia L.) larvae on plant diets containing low- and high-levels of iridoid glycosides (IGs) (mainly aucubin and catalpol) and tested: 1) whether IGs affect the herbivore's defense against parasitoids (measured as encapsulation rate) and bacterial pathogens (measured as herbivore survival); 2) whether parasitoid and bacterial defenses interact; and 3) whether sequestration of the plant's defense chemicals incurs any life history costs. Encapsulation rates were stronger when there were higher percentages of catalpol in the diet. Implanted individuals had greater amounts of IGs in their bodies as adults. This suggests that parasitized individuals may sequester more IGs, increase their feeding rate after parasitism, or that there is a trade off between detoxification efficiency and encapsulation rate. Larval survival after bacterial infection was influenced by diet, but probably not by diet IG content, as changes in survival did not correlate linearly with the levels of IGs in the diet. However, M. cinxia larvae with good encapsulation abilities were better defended against bacteria. We did not find any life history costs of diet IG concentration for larvae. These results suggest that the sequestering of plant defense chemicals can help herbivorous insects to defend against parasitoids.

75 FR 52732 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Missile Defense Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-27

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Missile Defense Advisory Committee AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Renewal of..., the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Missile Defense...

Marker-based quantitative genetics in the wild?: the heritability and genetic correlation of chemical defenses in eucalyptus.

PubMed

Andrew, R L; Peakall, R; Wallis, I R; Wood, J T; Knight, E J; Foley, W J

2005-12-01

Marker-based methods for estimating heritability and genetic correlation in the wild have attracted interest because traditional methods may be impractical or introduce bias via G x E effects, mating system variation, and sampling effects. However, they have not been widely used, especially in plants. A regression-based approach, which uses a continuous measure of genetic relatedness, promises to be particularly appropriate for use in plants with mixed-mating systems and overlapping generations. Using this method, we found significant narrow-sense heritability of foliar defense chemicals in a natural population of Eucalyptus melliodora. We also demonstrated a genetic basis for the phenotypic correlation underlying an ecological example of conditioned flavor aversion involving different biosynthetic pathways. Our results revealed that heritability estimates depend on the spatial scale of the analysis in a way that offers insight into the distribution of genetic and environmental variance. This study is the first to successfully use a marker-based method to measure quantitative genetic parameters in a tree. We suggest that this method will prove to be a useful tool in other studies and offer some recommendations for future applications of the method.

Building blocks for automated elucidation of metabolites: natural product-likeness for candidate ranking.

PubMed

Jayaseelan, Kalai Vanii; Steinbeck, Christoph

2014-07-05

In metabolomics experiments, spectral fingerprints of metabolites with no known structural identity are detected routinely. Computer-assisted structure elucidation (CASE) has been used to determine the structural identities of unknown compounds. It is generally accepted that a single 1D NMR spectrum or mass spectrum is usually not sufficient to establish the identity of a hitherto unknown compound. When a suite of spectra from 1D and 2D NMR experiments supplemented with a molecular formula are available, the successful elucidation of the chemical structure for candidates with up to 30 heavy atoms has been reported previously by one of the authors. In high-throughput metabolomics, usually 1D NMR or mass spectrometry experiments alone are conducted for rapid analysis of samples. This method subsequently requires that the spectral patterns are analyzed automatically to quickly identify known and unknown structures. In this study, we investigated whether additional existing knowledge, such as the fact that the unknown compound is a natural product, can be used to improve the ranking of the correct structure in the result list after the structure elucidation process. To identify unknowns using as little spectroscopic information as possible, we implemented an evolutionary algorithm-based CASE mechanism to elucidate candidates in a fully automated fashion, with input of the molecular formula and 13C NMR spectrum of the isolated compound. We also tested how filters like natural product-likeness, a measure that calculates the similarity of the compounds to known natural product space, might enhance the performance and quality of the structure elucidation. The evolutionary algorithm is implemented within the SENECA package for CASE reported previously, and is available for free download under artistic license at http://sourceforge.net/projects/seneca/. The natural product-likeness calculator is incorporated as a plugin within SENECA and is available as a GUI client and

Radiological Defense. Textbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DOD), Washington, DC.

This textbook has been prepared under the direction of the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DCPA) Staff College for use as a student reference manual in radiological defense (RADEF) courses. It provides much of the basic technical information necessary for a proper understanding of radiological defense and summarizes RADEF planning and expected…

Civil Defense, U. S. A.: A Programmed Orientation to Civil Defense. Unit 1. Civil Defense - Protection Against What?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DOD), Battle Creek, MI.

An explanation of the need for civil defense in nuclear and natural disasters is presented. A brief historical background of civil defense is given. Major topics include: (1) Types of disasters, (2) Probable objectives of a nuclear attack on the United States, (3) The major defensive measures against a nuclear attack, (4) Some reasons for low…

Elucidating the role of surface chemistry on cationic phosphorus dendrimer-siRNA complexation.

PubMed

Deriu, Marco A; Tsapis, Nicolas; Noiray, Magali; Grasso, Gianvito; El Brahmi, Nabil; Mignani, Serge; Majoral, Jean-Pierre; Fattal, Elias; Danani, Andrea

2018-06-14

In the field of dendrimers targeting small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery, dendrimer structural properties, such as the flexibility/rigidity ratio, play a crucial role in the efficiency of complexation. However, advances in organic chemistry have enabled the development of dendrimers that differ only by a single atom on their surface terminals. This is the case for cationic phosphorus dendrimers functionalized with either pyrrolidinium (DP) or morpholinium (DM) terminal groups. This small change was shown to strongly affect the dendrimer-siRNA complexation, leading to more efficient anti-inflammatory effects in the case of DP. Reasons for this different behavior can hardly be inferred only by biological in vitro and in vivo experiments due to the high number of variables and complexity of the investigated biological system. However, an understanding of how small chemical surface changes may completely modify the overall dendrimer-siRNA complexation is a significant breakthrough towards the design of efficient dendrimers for nucleic acid delivery. Herein, we present experimental and computational approaches based on isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the molecular reasons behind different efficiencies and activities of DP and DM. Results of the present research highlight how chemical surface modifications may drive the overall dendrimer-siRNA affinity by influencing enthalpic and entropic contributions of binding free energy. Moreover, this study elucidates molecular reasons related to complexation stoichiometry that may be crucial in determining the dendrimer complexation efficiency.

Defense.gov - Special Report

Science.gov Websites

FORUM - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates addresses the audience as Canadian Minister of National issues that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay discussed during a bilateral meeting here today. Story | Transcript U.S., Canadian Defense Chiefs Answer Afghanistan

PAMP-induced defense responses in potato require both salicylic acid and jasmonic acid.

PubMed

Halim, Vincentius A; Altmann, Simone; Ellinger, Dorothea; Eschen-Lippold, Lennart; Miersch, Otto; Scheel, Dierk; Rosahl, Sabine

2009-01-01

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-induced defense responses in potato (Solanum tuberosum), the role of the signaling compounds salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) was analyzed. Pep-13, a PAMP from Phytophthora, induces the accumulation of SA, JA and hydrogen peroxide, as well as the activation of defense genes and hypersensitive-like cell death. We have previously shown that SA is required for Pep-13-induced defense responses. To assess the importance of JA, RNA interference constructs targeted at the JA biosynthetic genes, allene oxide cyclase and 12-oxophytodienoic acid reductase, were expressed in transgenic potato plants. In addition, expression of the F-box protein COI1 was reduced by RNA interference. Plants expressing the RNA interference constructs failed to accumulate the respective transcripts in response to wounding or Pep-13 treatment, neither did they contain significant amounts of JA after elicitation. In response to infiltration of Pep-13, the transgenic plants exhibited a highly reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species as well as reduced hypersensitive cell death. The ability of the JA-deficient plants to accumulate SA suggests that SA accumulation is independent or upstream of JA accumulation. These data show that PAMP responses in potato require both SA and JA and that, in contrast to Arabidopsis, these compounds act in the same signal transduction pathway. Despite their inability to fully respond to PAMP treatment, the transgenic RNA interference plants are not altered in their basal defense against Phytophthora infestans.

pH-Controlled Oxidation of an Aromatic Ketone: Structural Elucidation of the Products of Two Green Chemical Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballard, C. Eric

2010-01-01

A laboratory experiment emphasizing the structural elucidation of organic compounds has been developed as a discovery exercise. The "unknown" compounds are the products of the pH-controlled oxidation of 4'-methoxyacetophenone with bleach. The chemoselectivity of this reaction is highly dependent on the pH of the reaction media: under basic…

Soybean seed coat chitinase as a defense protein against the stored product pest Callosobruchus maculatus.

PubMed

Silva, Nadia Cm; Conceição, Jamile G; Ventury, Kayan Eudorico; De Sá, Leonardo Fr; Oliveira, Eduardo Ag; Santos, Izabela S; Gomes, Valdirene M; Costa, Monique N; Ferreira, Andre Ts; Perales, Jonas; Xavier-Filho, Jose; Fernandes, Kátia Vs; Oliveira, Antonia Ea

2018-06-01

Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) are enzymes involved in the breaking of the β-1,4-glycosidic linkages of chitin. In insects, chitin is present mainly in the cuticle and in peritrophic membranes and peritrophic gel. Enzymes with the potential to damage peritrophic membranes and gel, such as chitinase, have been associated with plant defense systems. Identification and characterization of seed coat chitinase as a plant defense molecule may indicate a more effective target for manipulation strategies, which may lead to the prevention of consumption of embryonic tissues by larvae and consequently minimization of seed damage. We studied the efficiency of soybean seed coat chitinase as a defense molecule against the insect Callosobruchus maculatus. The seed coat chitinase was isolated and identified by mass spectrometry, immunoreacted with an anti-chitinase antibody and shown to have activity against chitin azure and 4-methylumbelliferyl β-D-N,N',N''-triacetylchitotrioside. A chitinase fraction incorporated in artificial cotyledons at 0.1% reduced larval survival by approximately 77%, and at 0.5%, the reduction in larval mass was 60%. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled chitinase was detected in the guts and feces of larvae. At 25% in thick artificial seed coats, chitinase showed a high toxicity to larvae, with mortality of 90% and a reduction of larval mass of 87%. Seed coat chitinase is an important seed defense molecule not only in the cotyledons but also in seed coats, acting as part of the array of defense mechanisms against Callosobruchus maculatus. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

CHEMICAL PROCESSES AND MODELING IN ECOSYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Trends in regulatory strategies require EPA to understand better chemical behavior in natural and impacted ecosystems and in biological systems to carry out the increasingly complex array of exposure and risk assessments needed to develop scientifically defensible regulations (GP...

Effects of elicitors of host plant defenses on pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola: Psyllidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Foerster) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is a key pest of cultivated pear (Pyrus communis L.) in North America and Europe. We examined the effects of foliar applications of three commercially available chemical elicitors of host-plant defenses, Actigard, Employ, and ODC, ...

ION COMPOSITION ELUCIDATION (ICE)

EPA Science Inventory

Ion Composition Elucidation (ICE) utilizes selected ion recording with a double focusing mass spectrometer to simultaneously determine exact masses and relative isotopic abundances from mass peak profiles. These can be determined more accurately and at higher sensitivity ...

Changes in plant defense chemistry (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) revealed through high-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, Sabrina; Macel, Mirka; Schlerf, Martin; Moghaddam, Fatemeh Eghbali; Mulder, Patrick P. J.; Skidmore, Andrew K.; van der Putten, Wim H.

2013-06-01

Plant toxic biochemicals play an important role in defense against natural enemies and often are toxic to humans and livestock. Hyperspectral reflectance is an established method for primary chemical detection and could be further used to determine plant toxicity in the field. In order to make a first step for pyrrolizidine alkaloids detection (toxic defense compound against mammals and many insects) we studied how such spectral data can estimate plant defense chemistry under controlled conditions. In a greenhouse, we grew three related plant species that defend against generalist herbivores through pyrrolizidine alkaloids: Jacobaea vulgaris, Jacobaea erucifolia and Senecio inaequidens, and analyzed the relation between spectral measurements and chemical concentrations using multivariate statistics. Nutrient addition enhanced tertiary-amine pyrrolizidine alkaloids contents of J. vulgaris and J. erucifolia and decreased N-oxide contents in S. inaequidens and J. vulgaris. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids could be predicted with a moderate accuracy. Pyrrolizidine alkaloid forms tertiary-amines and epoxides were predicted with 63% and 56% of the variation explained, respectively. The most relevant spectral regions selected for prediction were associated with electron transitions and Csbnd H, Osbnd H, and Nsbnd H bonds in the 1530 and 2100 nm regions. Given the relatively low concentration in pyrrolizidine alkaloids concentration (in the order of mg g-1) and resultant predictions, it is promising that pyrrolizidine alkaloids interact with incident light. Further studies should be considered to determine if such a non-destructive method may predict changes in PA concentration in relation to plant natural enemies. Spectroscopy may be used to study plant defenses in intact plant tissues, and may provide managers of toxic plants, food industry and multitrophic-interaction researchers with faster and larger monitoring possibilities.

Does chemical aposematic (warning) signaling occur between host plants and their potential parasitic plants?

PubMed

Lev-Yadun, Simcha

2013-07-01

Aposematism (warning) signaling is a common defensive mechanism toward predatory or herbivorous animals, i.e., interactions between different trophic levels. I propose that it should be considered at least as a working hypothesis that chemical aposematism operates between certain host plants and their plant predators, parasitic plants, and that although they are also plants, they belong to a higher trophic level. Specific host plant genotypes emit known repelling chemical signals toward parasitic plants, which reduce the level of, slow the directional parasite growth (attack) toward the signaling hosts, or even cause parasitic plants to grow away from them in response to these chemicals. Chemical host aposematism toward parasitic plants may be a common but overlooked defense from parasitic plants.

Elucidation of chemical reactions by two-dimensional resonance Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molesky, Brian Paul

It has been shown for many systems, including photosynthetic complexes, molecule-semiconductor interfaces, and bulk heterojunctions, that interaction between electronic and nuclear dynamics may heavily influence chemical mechanisms. Four-wave-mixing spectroscopies (i.e. transient absorption, two-dimensional spectroscopy) provide some insight into such non-equilibrium processes but are limited by the single "population time" available in these types of experiments. In this dissertation, two-dimensional resonance Raman spectroscopy (2DRR) is developed to obtain new information regarding chemical reactions that possess time coincident electronic and nuclear evolution. These new insights can only be acquired through higher-order techniques possessing two "population times". Specifically, the coherent reaction mechanism in triiodide photodissociation and structural heterogeneity in myoglobin are investigated. All multidimensional spectroscopies have roots in the off-resonant multidimensional Raman techniques developed from the late 1980's to the early 2000's. Throughout their development these experiments were plagued with technical challenges that eventually halted further use. In this dissertation it is shown through rigorous experimental tests that the technical challenges of the past are obviated for 2DRR, which is done under electronically resonant conditions. The key is that under electronic resonance the harmonic character of vibrational modes contributes to the signal. Under off-resonant conditions signal generation depends on much weaker effects. Upon absorption of light ranging from 250 to 500 nm triiodide photodissociates into diiodide and radical iodine on the same time scale as the period of triiodide's symmetric stretch, impulsively initiating coherence in the stretching coordinate of diiodide. In this dissertation, the sensitivity of 2DRR to coherent reaction mechanisms is shown by directly measuring, for the first time, how the nonequilibrium geometry of

75 FR 32639 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Limitations on Procurements With Non-Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-08

... elements of the Department of Homeland Security concerned with the analysis of intelligence information... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Defense Acquisition Regulations System 48 CFR Part 217 RIN 0750-AG67 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Limitations on Procurements With Non-Defense Agencies (DFARS...

Chemical-Sensing Cables Detect Potential Threats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Intelligent Optical Systems Inc. (IOS) completed Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with NASA's Langley Research Center to develop moisture- and pH-sensitive sensors to detect corrosion or pre-corrosive conditions, warning of potentially dangerous conditions before significant structural damage occurs. This new type of sensor uses a specially manufactured optical fiber whose entire length is chemically sensitive, changing color in response to contact with its target, and demonstrated to detect potentially corrosive moisture incursions to within 2 cm. After completing the work with NASA, the company received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Phase III SBIR to develop the sensors further for detecting chemical warfare agents, for which they proved just as successful. The company then worked with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to fine tune the sensors for detecting potential threats, such as toxic industrial compounds and nerve agents. In addition to the work with government agencies, Intelligent Optical Systems has sold the chemically sensitive fiber optic cables to major automotive and aerospace companies, who are finding a variety of uses for the devices. Marketed under the brand name Distributed Intrinsic Chemical Agent Sensing and Transmission (DICAST), these unique continuous-cable fiber optic chemical sensors can serve in a variety of applications: Corrosive-condition monitoring, aiding experimentation with nontraditional power sources, as an economical means of detecting chemical release in large facilities, as an inexpensive "alarm" systems to alert the user to a change in the chemical environment anywhere along the cable, or in distance-resolved optical time domain reflectometry systems to provide detailed profiles of chemical concentration versus length.

[n-Butyl Alcohol-soluble Chemical Constituents of Psidium guajava Leaves].

PubMed

Chen, Gang; Wan, Kai-hua; Fu, Hui-zheng; Yan, Qing-wei

2015-03-01

To study the chemical constituents of the leaves of Psidium guajava. The chemical constituents were isolated by column chromatography on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and MPLC. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of special analysis. Seven compounds were isolated from n-butyl alcohol fraction, whose structures were elucidated as morin-3-O-α-L-arabopyranoside (1), morin-3-O-α-L-iyxopyranoside (2), 2,6-dihydroxy-4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-benzophenone (3), casuarictin (4),2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-4-O-(6"-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-benzophenone(5), globulusin A(6), and kaempferol-3-O-β-D-(6"-galloyl) galactopyranoside (7). Compounds 3 and 5 ~ 7 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Structure elucidation of the new citharoxazole from the Mediterranean deep-sea sponge Latrunculia (Biannulata) citharistae.

PubMed

Genta-Jouve, Grégory; Francezon, Nellie; Puissant, Alexandre; Auberger, Patrick; Vacelet, Jean; Pérez, Thierry; Fontana, Angelo; Mourabit, Ali Al; Thomas, Olivier P

2011-08-01

Citharoxazole (1), a new batzelline derivative featuring a benzoxazole moiety, was isolated from the Mediterranean deep-sea sponge Latrunculia (Biannulata) citharistae Vacelet, 1969, together with the known batzelline C (2). This is the first chemical study of a Mediterranean Latrunculia species and the benzoxazole moiety is unprecedented for this family of marine natural products. The structure was mainly elucidated by the interpretation of NMR spectra and especially HMBC correlations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemical Terrorism: US Policies to Reduce the Chemical Terror Threat

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

In- stitute 1992-present CARLA HILLS US Trade Representative 1989-93 RICHARD HOLBROOKE Ambassador to UN, 1999-2001 THOMAS KEAN Governor New...Jersey 1982- 1990 ANTHONY LAKE National Security Advisor 1993-97 JOHN LEHMAN Secretary of the Navy 1981-87 RICHARD C. LEONE President, The...chemical, or biologi- cal, or nuclear weapons.” President George W. Bush, Remarks at the National Defense University, February 11, 2004. 3 “We must be

Cue reliability, risk sensitivity and inducible morphological defense in a marine snail.

PubMed

Bourdeau, Paul E

2010-04-01

Reliable cues that communicate current or future environmental conditions are a requirement for the evolution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity, yet we often do not know which cues are responsible for the induction of particular plastic phenotypes. I examined the single and combined effects of cues from damaged prey and predator cues on the induction of plastic shell defenses and somatic growth in the marine snail Nucella lamellosa. Snails were exposed to chemical risk cues from a factorial combination of damaged prey presented in isolation or consumed by predatory crabs (Cancer productus). Water-borne cues from damaged conspecific and heterospecific snails did not affect plastic shell defenses (shell mass, shell thickness and apertural teeth) or somatic growth in N. lamellosa. Cues released by feeding crabs, independent of prey cue, had significant effects on shell mass and somatic growth, but only crabs consuming conspecific snails induced the full suite of plastic shell defenses in N. lamellosa and induced the greatest response in all shell traits and somatic growth. Thus the relationship between risk cue and inducible morphological defense is dependent on which cues and which morphological traits are examined. Results indicate that cues from damaged conspecifics alone do not trigger a response, but, in combination with predator cues, act to signal predation risk and trigger inducible defenses in this species. This ability to "label" predators as dangerous may decrease predator avoidance costs and highlights the importance of the feeding habits of predators on the expression of inducible defenses.

75 FR 13093 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Acquisition University Board...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-18

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Acquisition University Board of Visitors AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION... (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(c), the Department of Defense gives notice that it...

STIMULATION OF DEFENSE FACTORS FOR OYSTERS DEPLOYED TO CONTAMINATED SITES IN PENSACOLA BAY, FLORIDA

EPA Science Inventory

A positive association between chemical contaminants and defense factors has been established for eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from Florida, but it is unknown whether such factors can be stimulated through short-term exposure to contaminants in the field. Hatchery oyst...

Using Knowledge of Chemical and Structural Defenses of Seaweeds to Develop a Standardized Measure of Herbivory in Tropical and Subtropical Habitats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, V. J.

2016-02-01

Herbivory is an important process determining the structure and function of marine ecosystems, and this is especially true on coral reefs and in associated tropical and subtropical habitats where grazing by fishes can be intense. As reef degradation is occurring on a global scale, and overfishing can contribute to this problem, rates of herbivory can be an important indicator of reef function and resilience. Our goal was to develop a standardized herbivory assay that can be deployed globally to measure the impact of herbivorous fishes across multiple habitat types. Many tropical and subtropical seaweeds contain chemical and structural defenses that can protect them from herbivores, and this information was key to selecting a range of marine plants that are differentially palatable to herbivorous fishes for these assays. We present method development and experimental results from extensive deployment of these herbivory assays at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize.

75 FR 65462 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Military...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD... Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b), and 41 CFR 102- 3.65, the Department of Defense announces that it is...

77 FR 30361 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty With the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-22

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Defense Acquisitions Regulations System 48 CFR Parts 225 and 252 RIN 0750... United Kingdom (DFARS 2012-D034) AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System; Department of Defense... Acquisition Regulations System, Attn: (Insert case manager's name), OUSD (AT&L) DPAP/DARS, Room 3B855, 3060...

[Chemical constituents from Ajuga nipponensis].

PubMed

He, Gui-xia; Liang, Xiao-lan; Ouyang, Wen; Yi, Gang-qiang; Li, Yun-yao; Zhao, Jian-ping; Ikhlas, Khan

2013-12-01

To study the chemical constituents of Ajuga nipponensis. The chemical constituents were isolated by repeated silica gel column chromatography and their structures were elucidated by phyisochemical properties and spectral analysis. Ten compounds were isolated and identified as:hexadecanoic acid(1), ajuforrestin A(2), beta-sitosterol(3), acacetin(4), apigenin(5), ajugamacrin B(6), ursolic acid(7), beta-ecdysone(8), 8-acetylharpagide(9) and daucosterol(10). Compounds 1-7 and 10 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Strategic Defense Initiative: Splendid Defense or Pipe Dream? Headline Series No. 275.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Scott; Grier, Peter

This pamphlet presents a discussion of the various components of President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) including the problem of pulling together various new technologies into an effective defensive system and the politics of the so-called "star wars" system. An important part of the defense initiative is the…

Emerging roles in plant defense for cis-jasmone-induced cytochrome P450 CYP81D11.

PubMed

Matthes, Michaela; Bruce, Toby; Chamberlain, Keith; Pickett, John; Napier, Johnathan

2011-04-01

cis-Jasmone is a volatile organic compound emitted constitutively by flowers or leaves of several plant species where it acts as an attractant for pollinators and as a chemical cue for host localisation (or avoidance) for insects. ( 1-3) It is also released by some plant species after feeding damage inflicted by herbivorous insects and in this case might serve as a chemical cue for parasitoids to guide them to their prey (so called "indirect defense"). ( 4,5) Moreover, we have recently shown that plants can perceive cis-jasmone and that it acts as a signaling molecule in A. thaliana, inducing a discrete and distinctive suite of genes, of which a large subset is putatively involved in metabolism and defense responses. ( 6) Cytochrome P450s feature prominently in these functional subsets and of these the highest fold change upon cis-jasmone treatment occurred with the cytochrome CYP81D11 (At3g28740). ( 6) Hence this gene was chosen for a more thorough analysis of the potential biological relevance of the cis-jasmone induced defense response. Although the precise function of CYP81D11 remains to be determined, we could previously demonstrate its involvement in the indirect defense response in Arabidopsis, as plants exposed to cis-jasmone ceased to be attractive to the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi when this P450 was inactivated by T-DNA insertion mutagenesis. ( 6) Here we report additional experiments which give further support to a role of CYP81D11 in the direct or indirect defense response of A. thaliana.

[Studies on chemical constituents from Elaeocarpus sylvestris].

PubMed

Zhang, Hong-Chao; Shi, Hai-Ming

2008-10-01

To study the chemical constituents of Elaeocarpus sylvestris. The compounds were isolated by chromatographic methods and their structures were elucidated by physico-chemical properties and spectral analysis. Six compounds were isolated and identified as: 2-hydroxy-benzaldehyde (1), coniferyl alcohol (2), umbelliferone (3), scopoletin (4), beta-sitosterol (5), daucosterol (6). All above compounds are isolated from Elaeocarpus Genus for the first time.

Chemical ecology of the Thysanoptera

Treesearch

Murray S. Blum

1991-01-01

The chemical ecology of the Thysanoptera is identified with a variety of natural products discharged in anal droplets during confrontations with adversaries. These exudates are fortified with defensive allomones that may function as repellents, contact irritants, or in some cases, fumigants. Thrips synthesize a large diversity of allomonal products that include...

Testing of the Defense Waste Processing Facility Cold Chemical Dissolution Method in Sludge Batch 9 Qualification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, T.; Pareizs, J.; Coleman, C.

For each sludge batch that is processed in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) tests the applicability of the digestion methods used by the DWPF Laboratory for elemental analysis of Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) Receipt samples and SRAT Product process control samples. DWPF SRAT samples are typically dissolved using a method referred to as the DWPF Cold Chemical or Cold Chem Method (CC), (see DWPF Procedure SW4- 15.201). Testing indicates that the CC method produced mixed results. The CC method did not result in complete dissolution of either the SRAT Receipt ormore » SRAT Product with some fine, dark solids remaining. However, elemental analyses did not reveal extreme biases for the major elements in the sludge when compared with analyses obtained following dissolution by hot aqua regia (AR) or sodium peroxide fusion (PF) methods. The CC elemental analyses agreed with the AR and PF methods well enough that it should be adequate for routine process control analyses in the DWPF after much more extensive side-by-side tests of the CC method and the PF method are performed on the first 10 SRAT cycles of the Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) campaign. The DWPF Laboratory should continue with their plans for further tests of the CC method during these 10 SRAT cycles.« less

Interacting signal pathways control defense gene expression in Arabidopsis in response to cell wall-degrading enzymes from Erwinia carotovora.

PubMed

Norman-Setterblad, C; Vidal, S; Palva, E T

2000-04-01

We have characterized the role of salicylic acid (SA)-independent defense signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to the plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora. Use of pathway-specific target genes as well as signal mutants allowed us to elucidate the role and interactions of ethylene, jasmonic acid (JA), and SA signal pathways in this response. Gene expression studies suggest a central role for both ethylene and JA pathways in the regulation of defense gene expression triggered by the pathogen or by plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (CF) secreted by the pathogen. Our results suggest that ethylene and JA act in concert in this regulation. In addition, CF triggers another, strictly JA-mediated response inhibited by ethylene and SA. SA does not appear to have a major role in activating defense gene expression in response to CF. However, SA may have a dual role in controlling CF-induced gene expression, by enhancing the expression of genes synergistically induced by ethylene and JA and repressing genes induced by JA alone.

Defense styles of pedophilic offenders.

PubMed

Drapeau, Martin; Beretta, Véronique; de Roten, Yves; Koerner, Annett; Despland, Jean-Nicolas

2008-04-01

This pilot study investigated the defense styles of pedophile sexual offenders. Interviews with 20 pedophiles and 20 controls were scored using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales. Results showed that pedophiles had a significantly lower overall defensive functioning score than the controls. Pedophiles used significantly fewer obsessional-level defenses but more major image-distorting and action-level defenses. Results also suggested differences in the prevalence of individual defenses where pedophiles used more dissociation, displacement, denial, autistic fantasy, splitting of object, projective identification, acting out, and passive aggressive behavior but less intellectualization and rationalization.

Method for the elucidation of the elemental composition of low molecular mass chemicals using exact masses of product ions and neutral losses: application to environmental chemicals measured by liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Suzuki, Shigeru; Ishii, Tetsuko; Yasuhara, Akio; Sakai, Shinichi

2005-01-01

A method for elucidating the elemental compositions of low molecular weight chemicals, based primarily on mass measurements made using liquid chromatography (LC) with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOFMS), was developed and tested for 113 chemicals of environmental interest with molecular masses up to approximately 400 Da. As the algorithm incorporating the method is not affected by differences in the instrument used, or by the ionization method and other ionization conditions, the method is useful not only for LC/TOFMS, but also for all kinds of mass spectra measured with higher accuracy and precision (uncertainties of a few mDa) employing all ionization methods and on-line separation techniques. The method involves calculating candidate compositions for intact ionized molecules (ionized forms of the sample molecule that have lost or gained no more than a proton, i.e., [M+H](+) or [M-H](-)) as well as for fragment ions and corresponding neutral losses, and eliminating those atomic compositions for the molecules that are inconsistent with the corresponding candidate compositions of fragment ions and neutral losses. Candidate compositions were calculated for the measured masses of the intact ionized molecules and of the fragment ions and corresponding neutral losses, using mass uncertainties of 2 and 5 mDa, respectively. Compositions proposed for the ionized molecule that did not correspond to the sum of the compositions of a candidate fragment ion and its corresponding neutral loss were discarded. One, 2-5, 6-10, 11-20, and >20 candidate compositions were found for 65%, 39%, 1%, 1%, and 0%, respectively, for the 124 ionized molecules formed from the 113 chemicals tested (both positive and negative ions were obtained from 11 of the chemicals). However, no candidate composition was found for 2% of the test cases (i.e., 3 chemicals), for each of which the measured mass of one of the product ions was in

Elucidation of salt stress defense and tolerance mechanisms of crop plants using proteomics--current achievements and perspectives.

PubMed

Barkla, Bronwyn J; Castellanos-Cervantes, Thelma; de León, José L Diaz; Matros, Andrea; Mock, Hans-Peter; Perez-Alfocea, Francisco; Salekdeh, Ghasem H; Witzel, Katja; Zörb, Christian

2013-06-01

Salinity is a major threat limiting the productivity of crop plants. A clear demand for improving the salinity tolerance of the major crop plants is imposed by the rapidly growing world population. This review summarizes the achievements of proteomic studies to elucidate the response mechanisms of selected model and crop plants to cope with salinity stress. We also aim at identifying research areas, which deserve increased attention in future proteome studies, as a prerequisite to identify novel targets for breeding strategies. Such areas include the impact of plant-microbial communities on the salinity tolerance of crops under field conditions, the importance of hormone signaling in abiotic stress tolerance, and the significance of control mechanisms underlying the observed changes in the proteome patterns. We briefly highlight the impact of novel tools for future proteome studies and argue for the use of integrated approaches. The evaluation of genetic resources by means of novel automated phenotyping facilities will have a large impact on the application of proteomics especially in combination with metabolomics or transcriptomics. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Plant Defense against Insect Herbivores

PubMed Central

Fürstenberg-Hägg, Joel; Zagrobelny, Mika; Bak, Søren

2013-01-01

Plants have been interacting with insects for several hundred million years, leading to complex defense approaches against various insect feeding strategies. Some defenses are constitutive while others are induced, although the insecticidal defense compound or protein classes are often similar. Insect herbivory induce several internal signals from the wounded tissues, including calcium ion fluxes, phosphorylation cascades and systemic- and jasmonate signaling. These are perceived in undamaged tissues, which thereafter reinforce their defense by producing different, mostly low molecular weight, defense compounds. These bioactive specialized plant defense compounds may repel or intoxicate insects, while defense proteins often interfere with their digestion. Volatiles are released upon herbivory to repel herbivores, attract predators or for communication between leaves or plants, and to induce defense responses. Plants also apply morphological features like waxes, trichomes and latices to make the feeding more difficult for the insects. Extrafloral nectar, food bodies and nesting or refuge sites are produced to accommodate and feed the predators of the herbivores. Meanwhile, herbivorous insects have adapted to resist plant defenses, and in some cases even sequester the compounds and reuse them in their own defense. Both plant defense and insect adaptation involve metabolic costs, so most plant-insect interactions reach a stand-off, where both host and herbivore survive although their development is suboptimal. PMID:23681010

Metabolomic analysis of primary metabolites in citrus leaf during defense responses.

PubMed

Asai, Tomonori; Matsukawa, Tetsuya; Kajiyama, Shin'ichiro

2017-03-01

Mechanical damage is one of the unavoidable environmental stresses to plant growth and development. Plants induce a variety of reactions which defend against natural enemies and/or heal the wounded sites. Jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), defense-related plant hormones, are well known to be involved in induction of defense reactions and play important roles as signal molecules. However, defense related metabolites are so numerous and diverse that roles of individual compounds are still to be elucidated. In this report, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of metabolic changes during wound response in citrus plants which are one of the most commercially important fruit tree families. Changes in amino acid, sugar, and organic acid profiles in leaves were surveyed after wounding, JA and SA treatments using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in seven citrus species, Citrus sinensis, Citrus limon, Citrus paradisi, Citrus unshiu, Citrus kinokuni, Citrus grandis, and Citrus hassaku. GC/MS data were applied to multivariate analyses including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), primary component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to extract stress-related compounds. HCA showed the amino acid cluster including phenylalanine and tryptophan, suggesting that amino acids in this cluster are concertedly regulated during responses against treatments. OPLS-DA exhibited that tryptophan was accumulated after wounding and JA treatments in all species tested, while serine was down regulated. Our results suggest that tryptophan and serine are common biomarker candidates in citrus plants for wound stress. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biological and chemical terrorism scenarios and implications for detection systems needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Susanna P.; Chumfong, Isabelle; Edwards, Donna M.; Gleason, Nathaniel J.; West, Todd; Yang, Lynn

2007-04-01

Terrorists intent on causing many deaths and severe disruption to our society could, in theory, cause hundreds to tens of thousands of deaths and significant contamination of key urban facilities by using chemical or biological (CB) agents. The attacks that have occurred to date, such as the 1995 Aum Shinrikyo CB attacks and the 2001 anthrax letters, have been very small on the scale of what is possible. In order to defend against and mitigate the impacts of large-scale terrorist attacks, defensive systems for protection of urban areas and high-value facilities from biological and chemical threats have been deployed. This paper reviews analyses of such scenarios and of the efficacy of potential response options, discusses defensive systems that have been deployed and detectors that are being developed, and finally outlines the detection systems that will be needed for improved CB defense in the future. Sandia's collaboration with San Francisco International Airport on CB defense will also be briefly reviewed, including an overview of airport facility defense guidelines produced in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The analyses that will be discussed were conducted by Sandia National Laboratories' Systems Studies Department in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, and include quantitative analyses utilizing simulation models developed through close collaboration with subject matter experts, such as public health officials in urban areas and biological defense experts.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals a Preformed Defense System in Apple Root of a Resistant Genotype of G.935 in the Absence of Pathogen

PubMed Central

Shao, Jonathan; Zhou, Zhe; Davis, Robert E.

2017-01-01

Two apple rootstock genotypes G.935 and B.9 were recently demonstrated to exhibit distinct resistance responses following infection by Pythium ultimum. As part of an effort to elucidate the genetic regulation of apple root resistance to soilborne pathogens, preinoculation transcriptome variations in roots of these two apple rootstock genotypes are hypothesized to contribute to the observed disease resistance phenotypes. Results from current comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated elevated transcript abundance for many genes which function in a system-wide defense response in the root tissue of the resistant genotype of G.935 in comparison with susceptible B.9. Based on the functional annotation, these differentially expressed genes encode proteins that function in several tiers of defense responses, such as pattern recognition receptors for pathogen detection and subsequent signal transduction, defense hormone biosynthesis and signaling, transcription factors with known roles in defense activation, enzymes of secondary metabolism, and various classes of resistance proteins. The data set suggested a more poised status, which is ready to defend pathogen infection, in the root tissues of resistant genotype of G.935, compared to the susceptible B.9. The significance of preformed defense in the absence of a pathogen toward overall resistance phenotypes in apple root and the potential fitness cost due to the overactivated defense system were discussed. PMID:28465679

Isolation and structure elucidation of the nucleoside antibiotic strepturidin from Streptomyces albus DSM 40763.

PubMed

Pesic, Alexander; Steinhaus, Britta; Kemper, Sebastian; Nachtigall, Jonny; Kutzner, Hans Jürgen; Höfle, Gerhard; Süssmuth, Roderich D

2014-06-01

The antibiotic strepturidin (1) was isolated from the microorganism Streptomyces albus DSM 40763, and its structure elucidated by spectroscopic methods and chemical degradation studies. The determination of the relative and absolute stereocenters was partially achieved using chiral GC/EI-MS analysis and microderivatization by acetal ring formation and subsequent 2D-NMR analysis of key (1)H,(1)H-NOESY NMR correlations and extraction of (1)H,(13)C coupling constants from (1)H,(13)C-HMBC NMR spectra. Based on these results, a biosynthesis model was proposed.

Silverleaf Whitefly Induces Salicylic Acid Defenses and Suppresses Effectual Jasmonic Acid Defenses1[W][OA

PubMed Central

Zarate, Sonia I.; Kempema, Louisa A.; Walling, Linda L.

2007-01-01

The basal defenses important in curtailing the development of the phloem-feeding silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci type B; SLWF) on Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) were investigated. Sentinel defense gene RNAs were monitored in SLWF-infested and control plants. Salicylic acid (SA)-responsive gene transcripts accumulated locally (PR1, BGL2, PR5, SID2, EDS5, PAD4) and systemically (PR1, BGL2, PR5) during SLWF nymph feeding. In contrast, jasmonic acid (JA)- and ethylene-dependent RNAs (PDF1.2, VSP1, HEL, THI2.1, FAD3, ERS1, ERF1) were repressed or not modulated in SLWF-infested leaves. To test for a role of SA and JA pathways in basal defense, SLWF development on mutant and transgenic lines that constitutively activate or impair defense pathways was determined. By monitoring the percentage of SLWF nymphs in each instar, we show that mutants that activate SA defenses (cim10) or impair JA defenses (coi1) accelerated SLWF nymphal development. Reciprocally, mutants that activate JA defenses (cev1) or impair SA defenses (npr1, NahG) slowed SLWF nymphal development. Furthermore, when npr1 plants, which do not activate downstream SA defenses, were treated with methyl jasmonate, a dramatic delay in nymph development was observed. Collectively, these results showed that SLWF-repressed, JA-regulated defenses were associated with basal defense to the SLWF. PMID:17189328

Ancient Anxiety Pathways Influence Drosophila Defense Behaviors.

PubMed

Mohammad, Farhan; Aryal, Sameer; Ho, Joses; Stewart, James Charles; Norman, Nurul Ayuni; Tan, Teng Li; Eisaka, Agnese; Claridge-Chang, Adam

2016-04-04

Anxiety helps us anticipate and assess potential danger in ambiguous situations [1-3]; however, the anxiety disorders are the most prevalent class of psychiatric illness [4-6]. Emotional states are shared between humans and other animals [7], as observed by behavioral manifestations [8], physiological responses [9], and gene conservation [10]. Anxiety research makes wide use of three rodent behavioral assays-elevated plus maze, open field, and light/dark box-that present a choice between sheltered and exposed regions [11]. Exposure avoidance in anxiety-related defense behaviors was confirmed to be a correlate of rodent anxiety by treatment with known anxiety-altering agents [12-14] and is now used to characterize anxiety systems. Modeling anxiety with a small neurogenetic animal would further aid the elucidation of its neuronal and molecular bases. Drosophila neurogenetics research has elucidated the mechanisms of fundamental behaviors and implicated genes that are often orthologous across species. In an enclosed arena, flies stay close to the walls during spontaneous locomotion [15, 16], a behavior proposed to be related to anxiety [17]. We tested this hypothesis with manipulations of the GABA receptor, serotonin signaling, and stress. The effects of these interventions were strikingly concordant with rodent anxiety, verifying that these behaviors report on an anxiety-like state. Application of this method was able to identify several new fly anxiety genes. The presence of conserved neurogenetic pathways in the insect brain identifies Drosophila as an attractive genetic model for the study of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, complementing existing rodent systems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Tetrazine ligation for chemical proteomics.

PubMed

Kang, Kyungtae; Park, Jongmin; Kim, Eunha

2016-01-01

Determining small molecule-target protein interaction is essential for the chemical proteomics. One of the most important keys to explore biological system in chemical proteomics field is finding first-class molecular tools. Chemical probes can provide great spatiotemporal control to elucidate biological functions of proteins as well as for interrogating biological pathways. The invention of bioorthogonal chemistry has revolutionized the field of chemical biology by providing superior chemical tools and has been widely used for investigating the dynamics and function of biomolecules in live condition. Among 20 different bioorthogonal reactions, tetrazine ligation has been spotlighted as the most advanced bioorthogonal chemistry because of their extremely faster kinetics and higher specificity than others. Therefore, tetrazine ligation has a tremendous potential to enhance the proteomic research. This review highlights the current status of tetrazine ligation reaction as a molecular tool for the chemical proteomics.

Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense Strategic Plan FY13-18

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

strategy calls for a global Biosurveillance network for timely disease surveillance of biological pathogens whether intentionally made or naturally... Biosurveillance . The President and Secretary of Defense provided renewed emphasis on rapidly and efficiently developing and manufacturing effective medical...and Force Protection Solutions to the Whole of Government and the Nation  Provide MCM for pre- and post- radiation exposure application , including

[Studies on chemical constituents from roots of Craibiodendron henryi].

PubMed

Huang, Xiang-Zhong; Liu, Yue; Yu, Shi-Shan; Hu, You-Cai; Qu, Jing

2007-04-01

To study the chemical constituents from the roots of Craibiodendron henryi. Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the constituents. The structures were elucidated by chemical evidence and spectral methods. Twelve compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the 95% ethanolic extract and their struc- tures were elucidated as quercetin (1), quercetin-3-O-rhamnicoside (2), quercetin-3-O-arabinofuranoside (3), (-)-epicatechin (4), proanthocyanidin A-2 (5), procyanidin B-2 (6), (-)-isolariciresinol-2a-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside (7), lyoniside (8), sitoster-yl-3beta-glucoside-6'-O-palmitate (9), beta-sitosterol (10), daucosterol (11) and octacosanoic acid (12). Compounds 1-12 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

A Benzothiadiazole Primes Parsley Cells for Augmented Elicitation of Defense Responses

PubMed Central

Katz, Vera A.; Thulke, Oliver U.; Conrath, Uwe

1998-01-01

Systemic acquired resistance is an important component of the disease-resistance arsenal of plants, and is associated with an enhanced potency for activating local defense responses upon pathogen attack. Here we demonstrate that pretreatment with benzothiadiazole (BTH), a synthetic activator of acquired resistance in plants, augmented the sensitivity for low-dose elicitation of coumarin phytoalexin secretion by cultured parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) cells. Enhanced coumarin secretion was associated with potentiated activation of genes encoding Phe ammonia-lyase (PAL). The augmentation of PAL gene induction was proportional to the length of pretreatment with BTH, indicating time-dependent priming of the cells. In contrast to the PAL genes, those for anionic peroxidase were directly induced by BTH in the absence of elicitor, thus confirming a dual role for BTH in the activation of plant defenses. Strikingly, the ability of various chemicals to enhance plant disease resistance correlated with their capability to potentiate parsley PAL gene elicitation, emphasizing an important role for defense response potentiation in acquired plant disease resistance. PMID:9701589

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2012-02-24

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Recognizing Plant Defense Priming.

PubMed

Martinez-Medina, Ainhoa; Flors, Victor; Heil, Martin; Mauch-Mani, Brigitte; Pieterse, Corné M J; Pozo, Maria J; Ton, Jurriaan; van Dam, Nicole M; Conrath, Uwe

2016-10-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

3 CFR - Eligibility of the Gulf Cooperation Council To Receive Defense Articles and Defense Services...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Receive Defense Articles and Defense Services Under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export... Services Under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act Memorandum for the...) of the Arms Export Control Act, I hereby find that the furnishing of defense articles and defense...

Defense Islands in Bacterial and Archaeal Genomes and Prediction of Novel Defense Systems ▿†‡

PubMed Central

Makarova, Kira S.; Wolf, Yuri I.; Snir, Sagi; Koonin, Eugene V.

2011-01-01

The arms race between cellular life forms and viruses is a major driving force of evolution. A substantial fraction of bacterial and archaeal genomes is dedicated to antivirus defense. We analyzed the distribution of defense genes and typical mobilome components (such as viral and transposon genes) in bacterial and archaeal genomes and demonstrated statistically significant clustering of antivirus defense systems and mobile genes and elements in genomic islands. The defense islands are enriched in putative operons and contain numerous overrepresented gene families. A detailed sequence analysis of the proteins encoded by genes in these families shows that many of them are diverged variants of known defense system components, whereas others show features, such as characteristic operonic organization, that are suggestive of novel defense systems. Thus, genomic islands provide abundant material for the experimental study of bacterial and archaeal antivirus defense. Except for the CRISPR-Cas systems, different classes of defense systems, in particular toxin-antitoxin and restriction-modification systems, show nonrandom clustering in defense islands. It remains unclear to what extent these associations reflect functional cooperation between different defense systems and to what extent the islands are genomic “sinks” that accumulate diverse nonessential genes, particularly those acquired via horizontal gene transfer. The characteristics of defense islands resemble those of mobilome islands. Defense and mobilome genes are nonrandomly associated in islands, suggesting nonadaptive evolution of the islands via a preferential attachment-like mechanism underpinned by the addictive properties of defense systems such as toxins-antitoxins and an important role of horizontal mobility in the evolution of these islands. PMID:21908672

Carbon limitation reveals allocation priority to defense compounds in peppermint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forkelova, Lenka; Unsicker, Sybille; Forkel, Matthias; Huang, Jianbei; Trumbore, Susan; Hartmann, Henrik

2016-04-01

Studies of carbon partitioning during insect or pathogen infestation reveal high carbon investment into induced chemical defenses to deter the biotic agent (Baldwin, 1998). However, little is known how carbon investment into chemical defenses changes under abiotic stress such as drought. Drought forces plants to close their stomata to prevent water loss through transpiration while decreasing the amount of assimilated carbon. Furthermore drought hampers carbohydrates translocation due to declining plant hydration and reduced phloem functioning (McDowell, 2011; Hartmann et al., 2013; Sevanto, 2014). Hence long lasting drought can force plants into carbon starvation. The aim of our study was to disentangle carbon allocation priorities between growth, maintenance metabolism, storage and production of defense compounds under carbon limiting conditions using peppermint as our model plant. Drought is not the only method how to manipulate plant carbon metabolism and photosynthetic yield. Exposing plants to reduced [CO2] air is a promising tool simulating drought induced carbon limitation without affecting phloem functioning and so carbohydrate translocation (Hartmann et al., 2015). We exposed peppermint plants to drought (50% of the control irrigation) and to low [CO2] (progressive decrease from 350 ppm to 20 ppm) to disentangle hydraulic failure from carbon starvation effects on carbon allocation. Drought was applied as a cross-treatment yielding four treatments: watered and high [CO2] (W+CO2), drought and high [CO2] (D+CO2), water and low [CO2] (W-CO2), drought and low [CO2] (D-CO2). We analyzed the most abundant terpenoid defense compounds (α-Pinene, sabinene, myrcene, limonene, menthone, menthol and pulegone) and used continuous 13CO2 labelling to trace allocation pattern of new and old assimilated carbon in the four carbon sinks (structural biomass, water soluble sugars, starch and terpenoid defense compounds) in young expanding leaf tissue. This leaf tissue grew

A sacrificial millipede altruistically protects its swarm using a drone blood enzyme, mandelonitrile oxidase

PubMed Central

Ishida, Yuko; Kuwahara, Yasumasa; Dadashipour, Mohammad; Ina, Atsutoshi; Yamaguchi, Takuya; Morita, Masashi; Ichiki, Yayoi; Asano, Yasuhisa

2016-01-01

Soldiers of some eusocial insects exhibit an altruistic self-destructive defense behavior in emergency situations when attacked by large enemies. The swarm-forming invasive millipede, Chamberlinius hualienensis, which is not classified as eusocial animal, exudes irritant chemicals such as benzoyl cyanide as a defensive secretion. Although it has been thought that this defensive chemical was converted from mandelonitrile, identification of the biocatalyst has remained unidentified for 40 years. Here, we identify the novel blood enzyme, mandelonitrile oxidase (ChuaMOX), which stoichiometrically catalyzes oxygen consumption and synthesis of benzoyl cyanide and hydrogen peroxide from mandelonitrile. Interestingly the enzymatic activity is suppressed at a blood pH of 7, and the enzyme is segregated by membranes of defensive sacs from mandelonitrile which has a pH of 4.6, the optimum pH for ChuaMOX activity. In addition, strong body muscle contractions are necessary for de novo synthesis of benzoyl cyanide. We propose that, to protect its swarm, the sacrificial millipede also applies a self-destructive defense strategy—the endogenous rupturing of the defensive sacs to mix ChuaMOX and mandelonitrile at an optimum pH. Further study of defensive systems in primitive arthropods will pave the way to elucidate the evolution of altruistic defenses in the animal kingdom. PMID:27265180

A sacrificial millipede altruistically protects its swarm using a drone blood enzyme, mandelonitrile oxidase.

PubMed

Ishida, Yuko; Kuwahara, Yasumasa; Dadashipour, Mohammad; Ina, Atsutoshi; Yamaguchi, Takuya; Morita, Masashi; Ichiki, Yayoi; Asano, Yasuhisa

2016-06-06

Soldiers of some eusocial insects exhibit an altruistic self-destructive defense behavior in emergency situations when attacked by large enemies. The swarm-forming invasive millipede, Chamberlinius hualienensis, which is not classified as eusocial animal, exudes irritant chemicals such as benzoyl cyanide as a defensive secretion. Although it has been thought that this defensive chemical was converted from mandelonitrile, identification of the biocatalyst has remained unidentified for 40 years. Here, we identify the novel blood enzyme, mandelonitrile oxidase (ChuaMOX), which stoichiometrically catalyzes oxygen consumption and synthesis of benzoyl cyanide and hydrogen peroxide from mandelonitrile. Interestingly the enzymatic activity is suppressed at a blood pH of 7, and the enzyme is segregated by membranes of defensive sacs from mandelonitrile which has a pH of 4.6, the optimum pH for ChuaMOX activity. In addition, strong body muscle contractions are necessary for de novo synthesis of benzoyl cyanide. We propose that, to protect its swarm, the sacrificial millipede also applies a self-destructive defense strategy-the endogenous rupturing of the defensive sacs to mix ChuaMOX and mandelonitrile at an optimum pH. Further study of defensive systems in primitive arthropods will pave the way to elucidate the evolution of altruistic defenses in the animal kingdom.

Dilemmas of Japanese Defense.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiyoshi, Nasu

1978-01-01

Traces Japan's attitude toward and preparation for national defense from the 1930s to 1978. Topics discussed include Japan's indifference to defense since World War II, America's responsibility to defend Japan in case of military attack, the possibility of a Soviet attack on Japan, and public opinion about defense in Japan. Journal availability:…

Remote sensing of future competitors: Impacts on plant defenses

PubMed Central

Izaguirre, Miriam M.; Mazza, Carlos A.; Biondini, Mariela; Baldwin, Ian T.; Ballaré, Carlos L.

2006-01-01

Far-red radiation (FR) reflected by green tissues is a key signal that plants use to detect the proximity of future competitors. Perception of increased levels of FR elicits a suite of responses collectively known as the shade-avoidance syndrome, which includes increased stem elongation, production of erect leaves, and reduced lateral branching. These responses improve the access to light for plants that occur in crowded populations. Responses to the proximity of competitors are known to affect the susceptibility to disease and predation in several organisms, including social animals. However, the impacts of warning signals of competition on the expression of defenses have not been explicitly investigated in plants. In the experiments reported here, we show that reflected FR induced a dramatic down-regulation of chemical defenses in wild tobacco (Nicotiana longiflora). FR altered the expression of several defense-related genes, inhibited the accumulation of herbivore-induced phenolic compounds, and augmented the performance of the specialist herbivore Manduca sexta. Complementary studies with tomato suggested that the effects of FR on defenses are mediated by the photoreceptor phytochrome B. The central implication of these results is that shade-intolerant species such as wild tobacco and tomato activate functional changes that affect their ability to cope with herbivore attack in response to phytochrome signals of future competition, even in the absence of real competition for resources. These findings suggest that competition overshadowed herbivory during the evolution of this group of species and add a new axis to the definition of the shade-avoidance syndrome. PMID:16632610

Plant allocation of carbon to defense as a function of herbivory, light and nutrient availability

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeAngelis, Donald L.; Ju, Shu; Liu, Rongsong; Bryant, John P.; Gourley, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

We use modeling to determine the optimal relative plant carbon allocations between foliage, fine roots, anti-herbivore defense, and reproduction to maximize reproductive output. The model treats these plant components and the herbivore compartment as variables. Herbivory is assumed to be purely folivory. Key external factors include nutrient availability, degree of shading, and intensity of herbivory. Three alternative functional responses are used for herbivory, two of which are variations on donor-dependent herbivore (models 1a and 1b) and one of which is a Lotka–Volterra type of interaction (model 2). All three were modified to include the negative effect of chemical defenses on the herbivore. Analysis showed that, for all three models, two stable equilibria could occur, which differs from most common functional responses when no plant defense component is included. Optimal strategies of carbon allocation were defined as the maximum biomass of reproductive propagules produced per unit time, and found to vary with changes in external factors. Increased intensity of herbivory always led to an increase in the fractional allocation of carbon to defense. Decreases in available limiting nutrient generally led to increasing importance of defense. Decreases in available light had little effect on defense but led to increased allocation to foliage. Decreases in limiting nutrient and available light led to decreases in allocation to reproduction in models 1a and 1b but not model 2. Increases in allocation to plant defense were usually accompanied by shifts in carbon allocation away from fine roots, possibly because higher plant defense reduced the loss of nutrients to herbivory.

Technologies for distributed defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seiders, Barbara; Rybka, Anthony

2002-07-01

For Americans, the nature of warfare changed on September 11, 2001. Our national security henceforth will require distributed defense. One extreme of distributed defense is represented by fully deployed military troops responding to a threat from a hostile nation state. At the other extreme is a country of 'citizen soldiers', with families and communities securing their common defense through heightened awareness, engagement as good neighbors, and local support of and cooperation with local law enforcement, emergency and health care providers. Technologies - for information exploitation, biological agent detection, health care surveillance, and security - will be critical to ensuring success in distributed defense.

76 FR 9680 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Limitations on Procurements With Non-Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-22

... Subjects in 48 CFR Part 217 Government procurement. Mary Overstreet, Editor, Defense Acquisition... Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Limitations on Procurements With Non-Defense Agencies (DFARS...: Final rule. SUMMARY: DoD is adopting without change an interim rule amending the Defense Federal...

Structure elucidation of two novel yak milk oligosaccharides and their DFT studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ashish Kumar; Ranjan, Ashok Kr.; Srivastava, Gaurav; Deepak, Desh

2016-03-01

Milk is a primary dynamic biological fluid responsible for development of neonates. Besides the other regular constituents it have oligosaccharides in it which are responsible for antitumor, anticancer, antigenic and immunostimulant activities. In our endeavor to find biologically active novel oligosaccharides, yak milk was taken, which is a rich source of oligosaccharide and its milk is used as antihypertensive, antioxidative and heart strengthening agent in folk medicine. For this purpose yak milk was processed by method of Kobata and Ginsburg followed by gel filtration HPLC and CC which resulted in the isolation of two novel milk oligosaccharides namely (I) Grunniose and (II) Vakose. The structure of purified milk oligosaccharides were elucidated with the help of chemical degradation, chemical transformation, spectroscopic techniques like NMR (1H, 13C and 2D-NMR), structure reporter group theory and mass spectrometry. The optimized geometry of compound Grunniose and Vakose, at B3LYP method and 6-311 + G basis set on Gaussian 09 program, show that the compound Grunniose is lower in energy as compared to compound Vakose.

Does investment in leaf defenses drive changes in leaf economic strategy? A focus on whole-plant ontogeny.

PubMed

Mason, Chase M; Donovan, Lisa A

2015-04-01

Leaf defenses have long been studied in the context of plant growth rate, resource availability, and optimal investment theory. Likewise, one of the central modern paradigms of plant ecophysiology, the leaf economics spectrum (LES), has been extensively studied in the context of these factors across ecological scales ranging from global species data sets to temporal shifts within individuals. Despite strong physiological links between LES strategy and leaf defenses in structure, function, and resource investment, the relationship between these trait classes has not been well explored. This study investigates the relationship between leaf defenses and LES strategy across whole-plant ontogeny in three diverse Helianthus species known to exhibit dramatic ontogenetic shifts in LES strategy, focusing primarily on physical and quantitative chemical defenses. Plants were grown under controlled environmental conditions and sampled for LES and defense traits at four ontogenetic stages. Defenses were found to shift strongly with ontogeny, and to correlate strongly with LES strategy. More advanced ontogenetic stages with more conservative LES strategy leaves had higher tannin activity and toughness in all species, and higher leaf dry matter content in two of three species. Modeling results in two species support the conclusion that changes in defenses drive changes in LES strategy through ontogeny, and in one species that changes in defenses and LES strategy are likely independently driven by ontogeny. Results of this study support the hypothesis that leaf-level allocation to defenses might be an important determinant of leaf economic traits, where high investment in defenses drives a conservative LES strategy.

78 FR 77108 - Surplus Property Notice at a Military Installation Designated for Disposal: Pueblo Chemical Depot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-20

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Surplus Property Notice at a Military Installation Designated for Disposal: Pueblo Chemical Depot, Colorado AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice..., as approved, and following screening with Federal agencies and Department of Defense components...

Target of rapamycin signaling orchestrates growth-defense trade-offs in plants.

PubMed

De Vleesschauwer, David; Filipe, Osvaldo; Hoffman, Gena; Seifi, Hamed Soren; Haeck, Ashley; Canlas, Patrick; Van Bockhaven, Jonas; De Waele, Evelien; Demeestere, Kristof; Ronald, Pamela; Hofte, Monica

2018-01-01

Plant defense to microbial pathogens is often accompanied by significant growth inhibition. How plants merge immune system function with normal growth and development is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of target of rapamycin (TOR), an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine kinase, in the plant defense response. We used rice as a model system and applied a combination of chemical, genetic, genomic and cell-based analyses. We demonstrate that ectopic expression of TOR and Raptor (regulatory-associated protein of mTOR), a protein previously demonstrated to interact with TOR in Arabidopsis, positively regulates growth and development in rice. Transcriptome analysis of rice cells treated with the TOR-specific inhibitor rapamycin revealed that TOR not only dictates transcriptional reprogramming of extensive gene sets involved in central and secondary metabolism, cell cycle and transcription, but also suppresses many defense-related genes. TOR overexpression lines displayed increased susceptibility to both bacterial and fungal pathogens, whereas plants with reduced TOR signaling displayed enhanced resistance. Finally, we found that TOR antagonizes the action of the classic defense hormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Together, these results indicate that TOR acts as a molecular switch for the activation of cell proliferation and plant growth at the expense of cellular immunity. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Unexpected role of the IMD pathway in Drosophila gut defense against Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Hori, Aki; Kurata, Shoichiro; Kuraishi, Takayuki

2018-01-01

In this study, fruit fly of the genus Drosophila is utilized as a suitable model animal to investigate the molecular mechanisms of innate immunity. To combat orally transmitted pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, the Drosophila gut is armed with the peritrophic matrix, which is a physical barrier composed of chitin and glycoproteins: the Duox system that produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn sterilize infected microbes, and the IMD pathway that regulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which in turn control ROS-resistant pathogens. However, little is known about the defense mechanisms against Gram-positive bacteria in the fly gut. Here, we show that the peritrophic matrix protects Drosophila against Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus. We also define the few roles of ROS in response to the infection and show that the IMD pathway is required for the clearance of ingested microbes, possibly independently from AMP expression. These findings provide a new aspect of the gut defense system of Drosophila, and helps to elucidate the processes of gut-microbe symbiosis and pathogenesis. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Studies on chemical constituents from herbs of Botrychium lanuginosum].

PubMed

Wang, Dong; Liu, Xiao-qiu; Yao, Chun-suo; Fang, Wei-shuo

2008-11-01

To study the chemical constituents of Botrychium lanuginosum. Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the constituents. The structures were elucidated by chemical evidence and spectroscopic methods. Ten compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the herb of B. lanuginosum and their structures were elucidated as 30-nor-21beta-hopan-22-one (1), beta-sitosterol (2), luteolin (3), thunberginol A (4), apigenin (5), (6'-O-palmitoyl)-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside (6), daucosterol (7), 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8Z)-2-[(2R-hydroxy hexadecanoyl) amino]-4, 8-octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (8), luteolin-7-O-glucoside (9), sucrose (10). Compounds 1-10 were isolated from this genus for the first time.

Flavan-3-ols Are an Effective Chemical Defense against Rust Infection1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Unsicker, Sybille B.; Fellenberg, Christin; Schmidt, Axel

2017-01-01

Phenolic secondary metabolites are often thought to protect plants against attack by microbes, but their role in defense against pathogen infection in woody plants has not been investigated comprehensively. We studied the biosynthesis, occurrence, and antifungal activity of flavan-3-ols in black poplar (Populus nigra), which include both monomers, such as catechin, and oligomers, known as proanthocyanidins (PAs). We identified and biochemically characterized three leucoanthocyanidin reductases and two anthocyanidin reductases from P. nigra involved in catalyzing the last steps of flavan-3-ol biosynthesis, leading to the formation of catechin [2,3-trans-(+)-flavan-3-ol] and epicatechin [2,3-cis-(−)-flavan-3-ol], respectively. Poplar trees that were inoculated with the biotrophic rust fungus (Melampsora larici-populina) accumulated higher amounts of catechin and PAs than uninfected trees. The de novo-synthesized catechin and PAs in the rust-infected poplar leaves accumulated significantly at the site of fungal infection in the lower epidermis. In planta concentrations of these compounds strongly inhibited rust spore germination and reduced hyphal growth. Poplar genotypes with constitutively higher levels of catechin and PAs as well as hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × Populus alba) overexpressing the MYB134 transcription factor were more resistant to rust infection. Silencing PnMYB134, on the other hand, decreased flavan-3-ol biosynthesis and increased susceptibility to rust infection. Taken together, our data indicate that catechin and PAs are effective antifungal defenses in poplar against foliar rust infection. PMID:29070515

Empowering self-defense training.

PubMed

Thompson, Martha E

2014-03-01

The purpose of self-defense training is to expand people's options, yet it is often framed as a solely physical, and limiting, response to violence. I draw on my own experience as a self-defense instructor and that of others in the self-defense movement to argue that an empowerment approach to self-defense training contributes to the anti-violence movement in multiple ways: providing a pathway to increase women's and girls' safety and their potential for becoming powerful and effective social change agents right now, providing an informed and embodied understanding of violence, and offering comprehensive options to recognize, prevent, and interrupt violence.

75 FR 15695 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Board of Visitors National Defense...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory... 102-3.50(d), the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Board of...: Jim Freeman, Deputy Committee Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703-601-6128...

In Defense of Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-03

national elections. The party majority gives Abe the potential to formally amend Article 9 of the Japanese constitution to authorize the Japanese Self ...Pacific. Japanese Constitution; Article 9; The United States and Japan Bi-lateral defense treaty; Collective Self Defense; Pacifism; Japanese Self ...involvement in collective self -defense (CSD). Factors leading up to this decision are a rapidly evolving strategic and political environment in

Chemical defense: Bestowal of a nuptial alkaloidal garment by a male moth on its mate

PubMed Central

Conner, William E.; Boada, Ruth; Schroeder, Frank C.; González, Andrés; Meinwald, Jerrold; Eisner, Thomas

2000-01-01

Males of the moth Cosmosoma myrodora (Arctiidae) acquire pyrrolizidine alkaloid by feeding on the excrescent fluids of certain plants (for instance, Eupatorium capillifolium). They incorporate the alkaloid systemically and as a result are protected against spiders. The males have a pair of abdominal pouches, densely packed with fine cuticular filaments, which in alkaloid-fed males are alkaloid laden. The males discharge the filaments on the female in bursts during courtship, embellishing her with alkaloid as a result. The topical investiture protects the female against spiders. Alkaloid-free filaments, from alkaloid-deprived males, convey no such protection. The males also transmit alkaloid to the female by seminal infusion. The systemic alkaloid thus received, which itself may contribute to the female's defense against spiders, is bestowed in part by the female on the eggs. Although paternal contribution to egg defense had previously been demonstrated for several arctiid moths, protective nuptial festooning of a female by its mate, such as is practiced by C. myrodora, appears to be without parallel among insects. PMID:11114202

Chemical burns as assault injuries in Jamaica.

PubMed

Branday, J; Arscott, G D; Smoot, E C; Williams, G D; Fletcher, P R

1996-03-01

A three-fold greater incidence of chemical burn injuries in Jamaican hospitals, compared to burn centres in other industrial countries, underscores the problem of the use of common chemicals for assault weapons in this country. With the increased availability of guns for personal use, many Jamaicans learned the value of carrying household chemicals such as sulphuric acid from batteries or sodium hydroxide obtained from cleaning supplies. Chemicals carried in a container, such as one might carry mace, afforded a means of defence among the lower socioeconomic groups who could not afford handguns. This use of dangerous chemicals for defensive weapons has extended to the use of chemicals for assault. The pattern of chemical injury differs significantly from most reports in the literature in both prevalence and aetiology. This review was prepared to examine these injuries with a view to planning strategies for prevention.

Unmanned and Unattended Response Capability for Homeland Defense

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BENNETT, PHIL C.

2002-11-01

An analysis was conducted of the potential for unmanned and unattended robotic technologies for forward-based, immediate response capabilities that enables access and controlled task performance. The authors analyze high-impact response scenarios in conjunction with homeland security organizations, such as the NNSA Office of Emergency Response, the FBI, the National Guard, and the Army Technical Escort Unit, to cover a range of radiological, chemical and biological threats. They conducted an analysis of the potential of forward-based, unmanned and unattended robotic technologies to accelerate and enhance emergency and crisis response by Homeland Defense organizations. Response systems concepts were developed utilizing new technologiesmore » supported by existing emerging threats base technologies to meet the defined response scenarios. These systems will pre-position robotic and remote sensing capabilities stationed close to multiple sites for immediate action. Analysis of assembled systems included experimental activities to determine potential efficacy in the response scenarios, and iteration on systems concepts and remote sensing and robotic technologies, creating new immediate response capabilities for Homeland Defense.« less

32 CFR 28.500 - Secretary of Defense.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Secretary of Defense. 28.500 Section 28.500 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS NEW RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING Exemptions § 28.500 Secretary of Defense. (a) Exemption authority...

Report on Defense Business Operations to the Congressional Defense Committees

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-15

7 . PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Department of Defense,Business Information Agency,Washington,DC 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...Defense Business Transformation 7 Table 2-2: System Modernizations and Initiatives by Business Enterprise Priority* Personnel Visibility...and people to ensure reliable and accurate delivery of acceptable goods and services. The procurement functional area establishes requirements for

Synergistic effects of plant defense elicitors and Trichoderma harzianum on enhanced induction of antioxidant defense system in tomato against Fusarium wilt disease.

PubMed

Zehra, Andleeb; Meena, Mukesh; Dubey, Manish Kumar; Aamir, Mohd; Upadhyay, R S

2017-11-02

Plant defense against their pathogens can be induced by a complex network of different inducers. The present study investigates the synergistic effect of Trichoderma harzianum, exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) over the response and regulation of the antioxidant defense mechanisms and lipid peroxidation in tomato plants against Fusarium wilt disease. In the present work, tomato plants were infected by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 3 days after inoculated with T. harzianum and/or sprayed daily for 3 days with chemical inducers (SA and MeJA). Plants were analysed at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Infection of tomato plants by pathogen led to strong reduction in the dry weight of roots and shoots with the enhanced concentration of H 2 O 2 and varying degree of lipid peroxidation. Concurrently, exogenous SA, when applied with pathogen greatly enhanced H 2 O 2 content as well as activities of antioxidant enzymes except catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APx). The pathogen challenged plants pretreated with T. harzianum and MeJA together exhibited less lipid peroxidation and as well as the elevated level of ascorbic acid and enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes. All applied treatments protected tomato seedlings against Fusarium wilt disease but the percentage of protection was found higher in plants pretreated with the combination of T. harzianum and chemical inducers.

Are single odorous components of a predator sufficient to elicit defensive behaviors in prey species?

PubMed Central

Apfelbach, Raimund; Parsons, Michael H.; Soini, Helena A.; Novotny, Milos V.

2015-01-01

When exposed to the odor of a sympatric predator, prey animals typically display escape or defensive responses. These phenomena have been well-documented, especially in rodents, when exposed to the odor of a cat, ferret, or fox. As a result of these experiments new discussions center on the following questions: (1) is a single volatile compound such as a major or a minor mixture constituent in urine or feces, emitted by the predator sufficient to cause defensive reactions in a potential prey species or (2) is a whole array of odors required to elicit a response and (3) will the relative size or escapability of the prey as compared to the predator influence responsiveness. Most predator-prey studies on this topic have been performed in the laboratory or under semi-natural conditions. Field studies could help to find answers to these questions. Australian mammals are completely naïve toward the introduced placental carnivores. That offers ideal opportunities to analyze in the field the responses of potential prey species to unknown predator odors. During the last decades researchers have accumulated an enormous amount of data exploring the effects of eutherian predator odors on native marsupial mammals. In this review, we will give a survey about the development of olfactory research, chemical signals and their influence on the behavior and—in some cases—physiology of prey species. In addition, we report on the effects of predator odor experiments performed under natural conditions in Australia. When studying all these literature we learned that data gained under controlled laboratory conditions elucidate the role of individual odors on brain structures and ultimately on a comparatively narrow range behaviors. In contrast to single odors odor arrays mimic much more the situation prey animals are confronted to in nature. Therefore, a broad range of methodology—from chemistry to ecology including anatomy, physiology, and behavior—is needed to understand all

Are single odorous components of a predator sufficient to elicit defensive behaviors in prey species?

PubMed

Apfelbach, Raimund; Parsons, Michael H; Soini, Helena A; Novotny, Milos V

2015-01-01

When exposed to the odor of a sympatric predator, prey animals typically display escape or defensive responses. These phenomena have been well-documented, especially in rodents, when exposed to the odor of a cat, ferret, or fox. As a result of these experiments new discussions center on the following questions: (1) is a single volatile compound such as a major or a minor mixture constituent in urine or feces, emitted by the predator sufficient to cause defensive reactions in a potential prey species or (2) is a whole array of odors required to elicit a response and (3) will the relative size or escapability of the prey as compared to the predator influence responsiveness. Most predator-prey studies on this topic have been performed in the laboratory or under semi-natural conditions. Field studies could help to find answers to these questions. Australian mammals are completely naïve toward the introduced placental carnivores. That offers ideal opportunities to analyze in the field the responses of potential prey species to unknown predator odors. During the last decades researchers have accumulated an enormous amount of data exploring the effects of eutherian predator odors on native marsupial mammals. In this review, we will give a survey about the development of olfactory research, chemical signals and their influence on the behavior and-in some cases-physiology of prey species. In addition, we report on the effects of predator odor experiments performed under natural conditions in Australia. When studying all these literature we learned that data gained under controlled laboratory conditions elucidate the role of individual odors on brain structures and ultimately on a comparatively narrow range behaviors. In contrast to single odors odor arrays mimic much more the situation prey animals are confronted to in nature. Therefore, a broad range of methodology-from chemistry to ecology including anatomy, physiology, and behavior-is needed to understand all the

A Future North American Defense Arrangement: Applying a Canadian Defense Policy Process Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

American defense policy outlined by Hays, Vallance and Van Tassel in their comprehensive text entitled American Defense Policy. What is Canadian...outputs, lenses and feedback within an international and domestic environment. Adapted From Hays, Vallance , Van Tassel American Defence Policy, 1997...10th ed. (Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc), 901. 2 Peter L Hays, B.J. Vallance , A.R. Van Tassel, eds., American Defense Policy, 7th

Defense styles in Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

PubMed

Puhalla, Alexander A; McCloskey, Michael S; Brickman, Lauren J; Fauber, Robert; Coccaro, Emil F

2016-04-30

The overreliance on immature and/or neurotic defense mechanisms, as opposed to more mature defensive functioning has been linked to several psychiatric disorders. However, to date, the role of defense styles among individuals with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) has not been examined. Given that individuals with IED display difficulties controlling their anger and aggression, one might expect these individuals to exhibit more immature and less mature defense styles. The current study compared participants with IED to a personality disorder (PD) comparison group, as well as to healthy volunteers (HV) on the Defense Style Questionnaire, a self-report measure that assesses the extent to which individuals endorse using mature, immature, and neurotic defense styles. Subjects with IED had significantly higher scores than both comparison groups on immature defense styles and exhibited lower scores on mature defense mechanisms. Hierarchical regression of significant defense style subscales showed that higher levels of acting out and lower levels of sublimation uniquely discriminated participants with IED from the PD and HV comparison groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots.

PubMed

Gómez-Lama Cabanás, Carmen; Schilirò, Elisabetta; Valverde-Corredor, Antonio; Mercado-Blanco, Jesús

2014-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA) against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets), many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments aiming to: (1) validate the induction of these genes, and (2) shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days). Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lipoxygenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e., JERF, bHLH, WRKY), as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mounts a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves). This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the "non-hostile" colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots

PubMed Central

Gómez-Lama Cabanás, Carmen; Schilirò, Elisabetta; Valverde-Corredor, Antonio; Mercado-Blanco, Jesús

2014-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA) against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets), many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments aiming to: (1) validate the induction of these genes, and (2) shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days). Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lipoxygenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e., JERF, bHLH, WRKY), as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mounts a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves). This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the “non-hostile” colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7. PMID:25250017

Defense enzyme responses in dormant wild oat and wheat caryopses challenged with a seed decay pathogen

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Seed dormancy and resistance to seed decay organisms are fundamental ecological strategies for weed seed persistence in the weed seed-bank. Seeds have well-established physical, chemical, and biological defense mechanisms that protect their food reserves from decay-inducing organisms and herbivores....

Structure elucidation of metabolite x17299 by interpretation of mass spectrometric data.

PubMed

Zhang, Qibo; Ford, Lisa A; Evans, Anne M; Toal, Douglas R

2017-01-01

A major bottleneck in metabolomic studies is metabolite identification from accurate mass spectrometric data. Metabolite x17299 was identified in plasma as an unknown in a metabolomic study using a compound-centric approach where the associated ion features of the compound were used to determine the true molecular mass. The aim of this work is to elucidate the chemical structure of x17299, a new compound by de novo interpretation of mass spectrometric data. An Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer was used for acquisition of mass spectra up to MS 4 at high resolution. Synthetic standards of N,N,N -trimethyl-l-alanyl-l-proline betaine (l,l-TMAP), a diastereomer, and an enantiomer were chemically prepared. The planar structure of x17299 was successfully proposed by de novo mechanistic interpretation of mass spectrometric data without any laborious purification and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis. The proposed structure was verified by deuterium exchanged mass spectrometric analysis and confirmed by comparison to a synthetic standard. Relative configuration of x17299 was determined by direct chromatographic comparison to a pair of synthetic diastereomers. Absolute configuration was assigned after derivatization of x17299 with a chiral auxiliary group followed by its chromatographic comparison to a pair of synthetic standards. The chemical structure of metabolite x17299 was determined to be l,l-TMAP.

Optimal defense strategies in an idealized microbial food web under trade-off between competition and defense.

PubMed

Våge, Selina; Storesund, Julia E; Giske, Jarl; Thingstad, T Frede

2014-01-01

Trophic mechanisms that can generate biodiversity in food webs include bottom-up (growth rate regulating) and top-down (biomass regulating) factors. The top-down control has traditionally been analyzed using the concepts of "Keystone Predation" (KP) and "Killing-the-Winner" (KtW), predominately occuring in discussions of macro- and micro-biological ecology, respectively. Here we combine the classical diamond-shaped food web structure frequently discussed in KP analyses and the KtW concept by introducing a defense strategist capable of partial defense. A formalized description of a trade-off between the defense-strategist's competitive and defensive ability is included. The analysis reveals a complex topology of the steady state solution with strong relationships between food web structure and the combination of trade-off, defense strategy and the system's nutrient content. Among the results is a difference in defense strategies corresponding to maximum biomass, production, or net growth rate of invading individuals. The analysis thus summons awareness that biomass or production, parameters typically measured in field studies to infer success of particular biota, are not directly acted upon by natural selection. Under coexistence with a competition specialist, a balance of competitive and defensive ability of the defense strategist was found to be evolutionarily stable, whereas stronger defense was optimal under increased nutrient levels in the absence of the pure competition specialist. The findings of success of different defense strategies are discussed with respect to SAR11, a highly successful bacterial clade in the pelagic ocean.

75 FR 32416 - Defense Science Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-08

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Notice of advisory committee meeting. SUMMARY: The Defense Science Board Task Force on the Survivability of DoD Systems and Assets to Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and other Nuclear Weapons...

Defense Business Transformation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Defense Business Transformation by Jacques S. Gansler and William Lucyshyn The Center for Technology and National...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2009 to 00-00-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Defense Business Transformation 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...vii Part One: DoD Business Transformation

Isolation, identification, and quantification of potential defensive compounds in the viceroy butterfly and its larval host-plant, Carolina willow.

PubMed

Prudic, Kathleen L; Khera, Smriti; Sólyom, Anikó; Timmermann, Barbara N

2007-06-01

The viceroy-monarch and viceroy-queen butterfly associations are classic examples of mimicry. These relationships were originally classified as Batesian, or parasitic, but were later reclassified as Müllerian, or mutalistic, based on predator bioassays. The Müllerian reclassification implies that viceroy is unpalatable because it too is chemically defended like the queen and the monarch. However, unlike the queen and the monarch, the viceroy defensive chemistry has remained uncharacterized. We demonstrate that the viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus, Nymphalidae) not only sequesters nonvolatile defensive compounds from its larval host-plant, the Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana, Salicaceae), but also secretes volatile defensive compounds when disturbed. We developed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry methods to identify a set of phenolic glycosides shared between the adult viceroy butterfly and the Carolina willow, and solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods to identify volatile phenolic compounds released from stressed viceroy butterflies. In both approaches, all structures were characterized based on their mass spectral fragmentation patterns and confirmed with authentic standards. The phenolics we found are known to deter predator attack in other prey systems, including other willow-feeding insect species. Because these compounds have a generalized defensive function at the concentrations we described, our results are consistent with the Müllerian reclassification put forth by other researchers based on bioassay results. It seems that the viceroy butterfly possesses chemical defenses different from its monarch and queen butterfly counterparts (phenolic glycosides vs. cardiac glycosides, respectively), an unusual phenomenon in mimicry warranting future study.

An indoor chemical cocktail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gligorovski, Sasho; Abbatt, Jonathan P. D.

2018-02-01

In the past 50 years, many of the contaminants and chemical transformations that occur in outdoor waters, soils, and air have been elucidated. However, the chemistry of the indoor environment in which we live most of the time—up to 90% in some societies—is not nearly as well studied. Recent work has highlighted the wealth of chemical transformations that occur indoors. This chemistry is associated with 3 of the top 10 risk factors for negative health outcomes globally: household air pollution from solid fuels, tobacco smoking, and ambient particulate matter pollution (1). Assessments of human exposure to indoor pollutants must take these reactive processes into consideration.

22 CFR 120.2 - Designation of defense articles and defense services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... services. 120.2 Section 120.2 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.2 Designation of defense articles and defense services. The Arms... changed only by amendments made pursuant to section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778...

Induced defense mechanisms in an aquatic angiosperm to insect herbivory.

PubMed

Fornoff, Felix; Gross, Elisabeth M

2014-05-01

In terrestrial angiosperms, defense and resistance mechanisms against herbivores have been studied extensively; yet this topic is poorly understood in aquatic angiosperms. We investigated induced response mechanisms in Myriophyllum spicatum to the generalist insect herbivore Acentria ephemerella in three independent experiments. Various morphological and chemical response variables were examined in grazed apical shoots and compared to undamaged controls. We further estimated plant palatability of induced and non-induced apices in choice assays, and assessed the growth response of Acentria larvae in no-choice feeding assays. Leaves of induced apices were splayed out horizontally and changed in color from green to red. The dry matter content and thus plant toughness increased by up to 19%, but silica levels stayed constant. Induced apices exhibited a decline in chlorophyll content of up to 34%, reflected also by a 10% decrease in nitrogen levels, while nitrogen increased by 14% in lower parts of grazed shoots. Also, herbivore-deterring total phenolic compounds increased by up to 20% in apices. In choice trials, Acentria larvae strongly avoided grazed tips, and growth was reduced by 25% on induced apices. In total, we observed five different induced resistance and defensive traits in grazed apices: changes in appearance, increased plant toughness, delocalization of N-containing metabolites, increased polyphenols, and reduced nutritional value. The observed changes prevent herbivore damage and loss of apical tissue, which are most valuable for plant fitness. Our study presents the first evidence of multiple, parallel defense strategies including constitutive and induced defense mechanisms in a freshwater angiosperm.

Optimal Defense Strategies in an Idealized Microbial Food Web under Trade-Off between Competition and Defense

PubMed Central

Våge, Selina; Storesund, Julia E.; Giske, Jarl; Thingstad, T. Frede

2014-01-01

Trophic mechanisms that can generate biodiversity in food webs include bottom-up (growth rate regulating) and top-down (biomass regulating) factors. The top-down control has traditionally been analyzed using the concepts of “Keystone Predation” (KP) and “Killing-the-Winner” (KtW), predominately occuring in discussions of macro- and micro-biological ecology, respectively. Here we combine the classical diamond-shaped food web structure frequently discussed in KP analyses and the KtW concept by introducing a defense strategist capable of partial defense. A formalized description of a trade-off between the defense-strategist's competitive and defensive ability is included. The analysis reveals a complex topology of the steady state solution with strong relationships between food web structure and the combination of trade-off, defense strategy and the system's nutrient content. Among the results is a difference in defense strategies corresponding to maximum biomass, production, or net growth rate of invading individuals. The analysis thus summons awareness that biomass or production, parameters typically measured in field studies to infer success of particular biota, are not directly acted upon by natural selection. Under coexistence with a competition specialist, a balance of competitive and defensive ability of the defense strategist was found to be evolutionarily stable, whereas stronger defense was optimal under increased nutrient levels in the absence of the pure competition specialist. The findings of success of different defense strategies are discussed with respect to SAR11, a highly successful bacterial clade in the pelagic ocean. PMID:24999739

Chemical ecology of Halyomorpha halys: Discoveries and applications

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There have been notable and significant advances in elucidating the chemical ecology of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), brown marmorated stink bug. This highly destructive and polyphagous pest is originally from Korea, China, and Japan, but was accidentally introduced into ...

Report of the oversight assessment of the operational readiness review of the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility Cold Chemical Runs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, B.

1993-03-01

This report presents the results of an oversight assessment (OA) conducted by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) of the operational readiness review (ORR) activities for the Cold Chemical Runs (CCRs) at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) located at Savannah River Site (SRS). The EH OA of this facility took place concurrently with an ORR performed by the DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM). The EM ORR was conducted from September 28, 1992, through October 9, 1992, although portions of the EM ORR were extended beyond this period. Themore » EH OA evaluated the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EM ORR. The EH OA was designed to ascertain whether the EM ORR was thorough and demonstrated sufficient inquisitiveness to verify that the implementation of programs and procedures is adequate to assure the protection of worker safety and health. The EH OA was carried out in accordance with the protocol and procedures of the EH Program for Oversight Assessment of Operational Readiness Evaluations for Startups and Restarts,'' dated September 15, 1992. Based on its OA and verification of the resolution of EH OA findings, the EH OA Team believes that the startup of the CCRs may be safely begun, pending satisfactory completion and verification of the prestart findings identified by the EM ORR. The EH OA was based primarily on an evaluation of the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EM ORR and addressed the following areas: industrial safety, industrial hygiene, and respiratory protection; fire protection; and chemical safety. The EH OA conducted independent vertical-slice'' reviews to confirm EM ORR results in the areas of confined-space entry, respiratory protection, fire protection, and chemical safety.« less

Report of the oversight assessment of the operational readiness review of the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility Cold Chemical Runs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, B.

1993-03-01

This report presents the results of an oversight assessment (OA) conducted by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) of the operational readiness review (ORR) activities for the Cold Chemical Runs (CCRs) at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) located at Savannah River Site (SRS). The EH OA of this facility took place concurrently with an ORR performed by the DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM). The EM ORR was conducted from September 28, 1992, through October 9, 1992, although portions of the EM ORR were extended beyond this period. Themore » EH OA evaluated the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EM ORR. The EH OA was designed to ascertain whether the EM ORR was thorough and demonstrated sufficient inquisitiveness to verify that the implementation of programs and procedures is adequate to assure the protection of worker safety and health. The EH OA was carried out in accordance with the protocol and procedures of the ``EH Program for Oversight Assessment of Operational Readiness Evaluations for Startups and Restarts,`` dated September 15, 1992. Based on its OA and verification of the resolution of EH OA findings, the EH OA Team believes that the startup of the CCRs may be safely begun, pending satisfactory completion and verification of the prestart findings identified by the EM ORR. The EH OA was based primarily on an evaluation of the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EM ORR and addressed the following areas: industrial safety, industrial hygiene, and respiratory protection; fire protection; and chemical safety. The EH OA conducted independent ``vertical-slice`` reviews to confirm EM ORR results in the areas of confined-space entry, respiratory protection, fire protection, and chemical safety.« less

Elucidating mechanisms of toxic action of dissolved organic chemicals in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW).

PubMed

Morandi, Garrett D; Wiseman, Steve B; Guan, Miao; Zhang, Xiaowei W; Martin, Jonathan W; Giesy, John P

2017-11-01

Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is generated during extraction of bitumen in the surface-mining oil sands industry in Alberta, Canada, and is acutely and chronically toxic to aquatic organisms. It is known that dissolved organic compounds in OSPW are responsible for most toxic effects, but knowledge of the specific mechanism(s) of toxicity, is limited. Using bioassay-based effects-directed analysis, the dissolved organic fraction of OSPW has previously been fractionated, ultimately producing refined samples of dissolved organic chemicals in OSPW, each with distinct chemical profiles. Using the Escherichia coli K-12 strain MG1655 gene reporter live cell array, the present study investigated relationships between toxic potencies of each fraction, expression of genes and characterization of chemicals in each of five acutely toxic and one non-toxic extract of OSPW derived by use of effects-directed analysis. Effects on expressions of genes related to response to oxidative stress, protein stress and DNA damage were indicative of exposure to acutely toxic extracts of OSPW. Additionally, six genes were uniquely responsive to acutely toxic extracts of OSPW. Evidence presented supports a role for sulphur- and nitrogen-containing chemical classes in the toxicity of extracts of OSPW. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical recognition of kingsnakes by crotalines: effects of size on the ophiophage defensive response.

PubMed

Gutzke, W H; Tucker, C; Mason, R T

1993-01-01

When confronted by an ophiophagous (snake-eating) kingsnake, venomous snakes of the subfamily Crotalinae exhibit a suite of defensive responses including head hiding, thrashing, and an unusual response termed 'body bridging'. Other responses observed, such as biting and 'freezing', are more general in nature and can occur in a variety of contexts. Various crotalines of differing sizes were tested for their responses to kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getulus). Responses of individuals were recorded for up to 18 months. The results indicate that, if habituation can be overcome by periodically allowing a kingsnake to confront but not harm the crotaline, the response is dependent on the size of the crotaline, in that smaller specimens (< 0.9 m) respond readily, while larger snakes (> 1.0 m) tend not to respond. The size of the kingsnake apparently does not have an effect on the crotaline response. These data appear to resolve apparent conflicts in the literature regarding whether certain species respond to ophidian ophiophages. In addition, hexane extracts of kingsnake skin were fractionated using an alumina column. The various fractions obtained were tested to determine which elicited the defensive response. Activity was found only in the most non-polar fraction. Preliminary analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry indicated that this fraction contained straight and branched, saturated and polyunsaturated long-chain hydrocarbons.

Defense Business Board

Science.gov Websites

Assessment on the Creation of an Under Secretary of Defense for Business Management & Information OUR Defense team for 2017. View Study Best Practices for Real Property Management Best Practices for Real Property Management There is now an opportunity to modernize the management of the Department's real

Silicon: Potential to Promote Direct and Indirect Effects on Plant Defense Against Arthropod Pests in Agriculture.

PubMed

Reynolds, Olivia L; Padula, Matthew P; Zeng, Rensen; Gurr, Geoff M

2016-01-01

Silicon has generally not been considered essential for plant growth, although it is well recognized that many plants, particularly Poaceae, have substantial plant tissue concentrations of this element. Recently, however, the International Plant Nutrition Institute [IPNI] (2015), Georgia, USA has listed it as a "beneficial substance". This reflects that numerous studies have now established that silicon may alleviate both biotic and abiotic stress. This paper explores the existing knowledge and recent advances in elucidating the role of silicon in plant defense against biotic stress, particularly against arthropod pests in agriculture and attraction of beneficial insects. Silicon confers resistance to herbivores via two described mechanisms: physical and biochemical/molecular. Until recently, studies have mainly centered on two trophic levels; the herbivore and plant. However, several studies now describe tri-trophic effects involving silicon that operate by attracting predators or parasitoids to plants under herbivore attack. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that silicon-treated, arthropod-attacked plants display increased attractiveness to natural enemies, an effect that was reflected in elevated biological control in the field. The reported relationships between soluble silicon and the jasmonic acid (JA) defense pathway, and JA and herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) suggest that soluble silicon may enhance the production of HIPVs. Further, it is feasible that silicon uptake may affect protein expression (or modify proteins structurally) so that they can produce additional, or modify, the HIPV profile of plants. Ultimately, understanding silicon under plant ecological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular contexts will assist in fully elucidating the mechanisms behind silicon and plant response to biotic stress at both the bi- and tri-trophic levels.

Silicon: Potential to Promote Direct and Indirect Effects on Plant Defense Against Arthropod Pests in Agriculture

PubMed Central

Reynolds, Olivia L.; Padula, Matthew P.; Zeng, Rensen; Gurr, Geoff M.

2016-01-01

Silicon has generally not been considered essential for plant growth, although it is well recognized that many plants, particularly Poaceae, have substantial plant tissue concentrations of this element. Recently, however, the International Plant Nutrition Institute [IPNI] (2015), Georgia, USA has listed it as a “beneficial substance”. This reflects that numerous studies have now established that silicon may alleviate both biotic and abiotic stress. This paper explores the existing knowledge and recent advances in elucidating the role of silicon in plant defense against biotic stress, particularly against arthropod pests in agriculture and attraction of beneficial insects. Silicon confers resistance to herbivores via two described mechanisms: physical and biochemical/molecular. Until recently, studies have mainly centered on two trophic levels; the herbivore and plant. However, several studies now describe tri-trophic effects involving silicon that operate by attracting predators or parasitoids to plants under herbivore attack. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that silicon-treated, arthropod-attacked plants display increased attractiveness to natural enemies, an effect that was reflected in elevated biological control in the field. The reported relationships between soluble silicon and the jasmonic acid (JA) defense pathway, and JA and herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) suggest that soluble silicon may enhance the production of HIPVs. Further, it is feasible that silicon uptake may affect protein expression (or modify proteins structurally) so that they can produce additional, or modify, the HIPV profile of plants. Ultimately, understanding silicon under plant ecological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular contexts will assist in fully elucidating the mechanisms behind silicon and plant response to biotic stress at both the bi- and tri-trophic levels. PMID:27379104

The Anatomy of Self-Defense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks Stein, Pamela; Richardson, April D.; Challman, Sandra D.

2008-01-01

The following study describes a creative application of anatomical principles in the instruction of self-defense. Undergraduates at the University of Kentucky were invited to a special lecture that featured a series of self-defense moves introduced by a local police officer. Following a demonstration of each self-defense tactic, the students were…

Identifying psychotic defenses in a clinical interview.

PubMed

Berney, Sylvie; de Roten, Yves; Beretta, Véronique; Kramer, Ueli; Despland, Jean-Nicolas

2014-05-01

The Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales (DMRS), one of the most widely used and validated instruments in the study of defense mechanisms, does not include psychotic defenses. The Psychotic-DMRS (P-DMRS) has been developed to include 6 psychotic defense mechanisms: psychotic denial, autistic withdrawal, distortion, delusional projection, fragmentation, and concretization. We discuss psychotic defenses, including the difference between psychotic defenses and psychotic symptoms. Six clinical illustrations demonstrate how the 6 P-DMRS defenses can be identified in patients' narratives selected from the transcripts of dynamic interviews. Implications with respect to patient evaluation and treatment are discussed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Good neighbors make good defenses: associational refuges reduce defense investment in African savanna plants.

PubMed

Coverdale, Tyler C; Goheen, Jacob R; Palmer, Todd M; Pringle, Robert M

2018-06-25

Intraspecific variation in plant defense phenotype is common and has wide-ranging ecological consequences. Yet prevailing theories of plant defense allocation, which primarily account for interspecific differences in defense phenotype, often fail to predict intraspecific patterns. Furthermore, although individual variation in defense phenotype is often attributed to ecological interactions, few general mechanisms have been proposed to explain the ubiquity of variable defense phenotype within species. Here, we show experimentally that associational refuges and induced resistance interact to create predictable intraspecific variation in defense phenotype in African savanna plants. Physically defended species from four families (Acanthaceae, Asparagaceae, Cactaceae, and Solanaceae) growing in close association with spinescent Acacia trees had 39-78% fewer spines and thorns than did isolated conspecifics. For a subset of these species, we used a series of manipulative experiments to show that this variability is maintained primarily by a reduction in induced responses among individuals that seldom experience mammalian herbivory, whether due to association with Acacia trees or to experimental herbivore exclusion. Unassociated plants incurred 4- to 16-fold more browsing damage than did associated individuals and increased spine density by 16-38% within one month following simulated browsing. In contrast, experimental clipping induced no net change in spine density among plants growing beneath Acacia canopies or inside long-term herbivore exclosures. Associated and unassociated individuals produced similar numbers of flowers and seeds, but seedling recruitment and survival were vastly greater in refuge habitats, suggesting a net fitness benefit of association. We conclude that plant-plant associations consistently decrease defense investment in this system by reducing both the frequency of herbivory and the intensity of induced responses, and that inducible responses

Elucidating the reaction pathways in the synthesis of organolead trihalide perovskite for high-performance solar cells.

PubMed

Wang, Baohua; Young Wong, King; Xiao, Xudong; Chen, Tao

2015-05-28

The past two years have witnessed unprecedentedly rapid development of organic-inorganic halide perovskite-based solar cells. The solution-processability and high efficiency make this technology extraordinarily attractive. The intensive investigations have accumulated rich experiences in the perovskite fabrication; while the mechanism of the chemical synthesis still remains unresolved. Here, we set up the chemical equation of the synthesis and elucidate the reactions from both thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives. Our study shows that gaseous products thermodynamically favour the reaction, while the activation energy and "collision" probability synergistically determine the reaction rate. These understandings enable us to finely tune the crystal size for high-quality perovskite film, leading to a record fill factor among similar device structures in the literature. This investigation provides a general strategy to explore the mechanism of perovskite synthesis and benefits the fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite photoactive layer.

Report on DoD Civilians Employed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Defense Agencies

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-03

Employed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Defense Agencies References: (a) DoD Instruction 7730.29, subject as above, June 25...b). B. APPLICABILITY This Instruction applies to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (IG...direct hire civilians employed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other Defense organizations for submission to the Department of Labor. 2

Conceptual design of a space-based O2 laser for defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takehisa, K.

2016-10-01

A new concept of a space-based-laser (SBL) defense system is proposed. It is based on a chemical oxygen laser (COL) which has been investigated to achieve its oscillation 1-3). A COL is suitable as a high energy laser (HEL) directed energy weapon (DEW) 4) because it could produce a giant pulse of 0.1 ms which can damage a target by a single shot without producing plasma during the propagation. However since the beam cannot propagate for a long distance due to the absorption in air, it should be used in space considering the capability of operation without electric power supply. Therefore a new SBL defense system using a COL is proposed in order to destroy a ballistic missile in its boost phase. It is based on an SBL at geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) with the altitude of 36,000 km. Since the beam needs to propagate for a long distance, the focused beam diameter is 8 m even if the initial beam diameter is 8 m. Therefore an 8 m-diameter focusing mirror, carried by a high altitude airship (HAA) flying at the altitude of more than 20 km, could be used to focus the beam at the target. Although such a large focusing mirror is necessary, the focused spot size can be <1 cm at 30 km away. Thus, much less than 100 kJ pulse can cause a fatal damage. Unlike a conventional SBL defense system based on SBLs and/or relay-mirror satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), the new defense system needs only a single SBL and a single relay mirror HAA (RM HAA) to intercept a ballistic missile if the enemy is a small country since the HAA can always stay close to the enemy's missile site. Another concept of the defense system is also proposed, which is based on a COL equipped with anther HAA because a COL can be lightweight. These geostationary defense systems can also intercept a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) if the submarine's location is monitored.

Management of chemical warfare injuries (on CD-ROM). Data file

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-08-01

The threat of use of chemical warfare agents (agents of `mass destruction`) is no longer confined to the battlefield. Agent releases by terrorists in Japan in 1995 served to awaken the world to the dangers faced by civilian communities far removed from centers of armed conflict. The ability to save lives in the event of a chemical agent release turns on provision of immediate and correct medical care in the field and hospital. Being able to ensure availability of life-saving care depends on reaching both military and civilian medical personnel with information on chemical warfare agents and on keeping theirmore » skills and knowledge current. While this is of critical importance both to the Department of Defense and to civilian agencies charged with protecting the public, it also is a daunting and potentially expensive task in view of the numbers and geographic dispersion of persons to be trained. The Department of Defense has addressed and overcome these challenges, to the benefit of the military and civilians, by using computer technology as the vehicle by which cost-effective chemical warfare agent training may be conveniently delivered to all who require it. The multi-media instructional program, Management of Chemical Warfare Injuries, was developed for military use by the Naval Health Sciences Education and Training Command, with the technical assistance of the U.S. Army Medical Command. It was originally designed for delivery via video disc, a format used extensively within the Navy. However, in response to a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense agreed to repackage the materials for delivery on CD-ROM in order to make them accessible to a larger audience. In addition, the Navy agreed to include on the two CD-ROMs which contain the program a ready reference not found on the video disc: the Army`s `Medical Management of Chemical Casualties` handbooks for field and medical personnel.« less

Summary Report on the Audit of Defense Logistics Agency 1995 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Data Collection Process.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-19

VXW-ÄVAVKVX’AWXW/XVXV:*: OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SUMMARY REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY 1995 DEFENSE BASE REALIGNMENT...FOR DIRECTOR, DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY SUBJECT: Summary Report on the Audit of Defense Logistics Agency 1995 Defense Base Realignment and Closure...the data that DLA provides to support recommendations for the 1995 Commission. The specific objective for the audits was to determine whether the

78 FR 23675 - Importation of Defense Articles and Defense Services-U.S. Munitions Import List (2011R-20P)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-22

... No. ATF-50F; AG Order No. 3383-2013] RIN 1140-AA46 Importation of Defense Articles and Defense... pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and Executive Order 13637 to designate defense articles and... whether the Secretary of State controls such defense articles or defense services for purposes of export...

Defense Planning in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: Decade of Attempts and Mistakes

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

Defense. (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles , 1967). 22 but due to the Soviet Union basis system, it is not as efficient in...Making for Defense. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles , 1967. Hitch, Charles Johnston and Roland N. McKean. The Economics of...loss of defense is not an instantaneous phenomenon. This phenomenon has led to human disorder, blind and continuous personnel downsizing, reform of the

The Evolution of the Contract Type Used in Defense Acquisition with a Focus on Major Defense Weapon Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

III. THE DEFENSE MARKETPLACE A. DEFENSE INDUSTRY OVERVIEW The market of the defense industry in the United States is different than the commercial...marketplace in a number of respects. Lorell, Lowell, Kennedy, and Levaux (2000) defined the uniqueness of the U.S. defense market in two ways. First...the U.S. defense market for weapon systems is characterized by a single buyer (Lorell et al., 2000, p. 13). “The second distinguishing feature of

Thermal stress imposed by prototype bilayer and current ground crew chemical defense ensembles: a limited laboratory comparison. Final report, 30 June 1986-1 January 1987

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krock, L.P.; Navalta, R.; Myhre, L.G.

An open bilayer ground-crew chemical defense ensemble (CDE) was proposed to reduce the thermal burden during vapor-only exposure periods. This study compared the thermal-stress profile of the proposed ensemble to that produced by the currently employed closed CDE. Four subjects, alternating ensembles on separate days, walked on a treadmill in an environmental chamber at 5.3 km/h (3.3 mph) and 2% grade (an energy expenditure of 350 kcal/h) for alternating work/rest to achieve significant recovery. Mean total sweat production was lower (1.38 vs. 2.50 liters) and percent sweat evaporation greater (65.7% vs. 30.0%) in the prototype ensemble than in the CDE.more » The prototype ensemble provided greater heat dissipation and allowed more-efficient sweat evaporation which had the double benefit of reducing heat storage and limiting dehydration.« less

Glutathione Is a Key Player in Metal-Induced Oxidative Stress Defenses

PubMed Central

Jozefczak, Marijke; Remans, Tony; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Cuypers, Ann

2012-01-01

Since the industrial revolution, the production, and consequently the emission of metals, has increased exponentially, overwhelming the natural cycles of metals in many ecosystems. Metals display a diverse array of physico-chemical properties such as essential versus non-essential and redox-active versus non-redox-active. In general, all metals can lead to toxicity and oxidative stress when taken up in excessive amounts, imposing a serious threat to the environment and human health. In order to cope with different kinds of metals, plants possess defense strategies in which glutathione (GSH; γ-glu-cys-gly) plays a central role as chelating agent, antioxidant and signaling component. Therefore, this review highlights the role of GSH in: (1) metal homeostasis; (2) antioxidative defense; and (3) signal transduction under metal stress. The diverse functions of GSH originate from the sulfhydryl group in cysteine, enabling GSH to chelate metals and participate in redox cycling. PMID:22489146

Distinguishing defensive characteristics in the phloem of ash species resistant and susceptible to emerald ash borer.

PubMed

Cipollini, Don; Wang, Qin; Whitehill, Justin G A; Powell, Jeff R; Bonello, Pierluigi; Herms, Daniel A

2011-05-01

We examined the extent to which three Fraxinus cultivars and a wild population that vary in their resistance to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) could be differentiated on the basis of a suite of constitutive chemical defense traits in phloem extracts. The EAB-resistant Manchurian ash (F. mandshurica, cv. Mancana) was characterized by having a rapid rate of wound browning, a high soluble protein concentration, low trypsin inhibitor activities, and intermediate levels of peroxidase activity and total soluble phenolic concentration. The EAB-susceptible white ash (F. americana, cv. Autumn Purple) was characterized by a slow wound browning rate and low levels of peroxidase activity and total soluble phenolic concentrations. An EAB-susceptible green ash cultivar (F. pennsylvanica, cv. Patmore) and a wild accession were similar to each other on the basis of several chemical defense traits, and were characterized by high activities of peroxidase and trypsin inhibitor, a high total soluble phenolic concentration, and an intermediate rate of wound browning. Lignin concentration and polyphenol oxidase activities did not differentiate resistant and susceptible species. Of 33 phenolic compounds separated by HPLC and meeting a minimum criterion for analysis, nine were unique to Manchurian ash, five were shared among all species, and four were found in North American ashes and not in the Manchurian ash. Principal components analysis revealed clear separations between Manchurian, white, and green ashes on the basis of all phenolics, as well as clear separations on the basis of quantities of phenolics that all species shared. Variation in some of these constitutive chemical defense traits may contribute to variation in resistance to EAB in these species.

Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry method based two-step precursor ion scanning for the structural elucidation of flavonoids.

PubMed

Li, Yong; Pang, Tao; Shi, Junli; Lu, Xiuping; Deng, Jianhua; Lin, Qian

2014-11-01

Plant flavonoids are very important secondary metabolites for insect and virus control of their host plant and are potent nutrients for humans. To be able to understand the bioavailability and functions of plant flavonoids, it is necessary to reveal their exact chemical structures. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry is a powerful approach for structural elucidation of metabolites. In this report, a two-step precursor ion scanning based liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the structural elucidation of plant flavonoids. The established method consists of the two-step precursor ions scanning for possible flavonoids extraction, MS(2) fragment spectra acquisition and comparison with an online database, liquid chromatography retention rules correction, and commercial standards verification. The developed method was used for the structure elucidation of flavonoids in flowers and leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and 17 flavonoids were identified in the tobacco variety Yunyan 97. Nine of the 17 identified flavonoids were considered to be found in tobacco flowers or/and leaves for the first time based on the available references. This method was proved to be very effective and can be used for the identification of flavonoids in other plants. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Defense Institution Building: An Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

collectively responsible for national-level defense oversight, governance, and management. Study Objectives and Research Questions The objectives of...Defense Studies , in this case) posts a per- manent representative with the command to help recruit for resident courses, suggest courses to be...foreign military officers to conduct study and research on security-related topics Program 2 Defense institutions/ education and training

A mass weighted chemical elastic network model elucidates closed form domain motions in proteins

PubMed Central

Kim, Min Hyeok; Seo, Sangjae; Jeong, Jay Il; Kim, Bum Joon; Liu, Wing Kam; Lim, Byeong Soo; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Moon Ki

2013-01-01

An elastic network model (ENM), usually Cα coarse-grained one, has been widely used to study protein dynamics as an alternative to classical molecular dynamics simulation. This simple approach dramatically saves the computational cost, but sometimes fails to describe a feasible conformational change due to unrealistically excessive spring connections. To overcome this limitation, we propose a mass-weighted chemical elastic network model (MWCENM) in which the total mass of each residue is assumed to be concentrated on the representative alpha carbon atom and various stiffness values are precisely assigned according to the types of chemical interactions. We test MWCENM on several well-known proteins of which both closed and open conformations are available as well as three α-helix rich proteins. Their normal mode analysis reveals that MWCENM not only generates more plausible conformational changes, especially for closed forms of proteins, but also preserves protein secondary structures thus distinguishing MWCENM from traditional ENMs. In addition, MWCENM also reduces computational burden by using a more sparse stiffness matrix. PMID:23456820

An Aerospace and Defense Industry Market Index for 1950-2012 and the Connection With Defense Spending

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-30

select few financial measures, and by their infrequent production, have limited value in supporting the Defense Department’s knowledge refresh on the...their bread and butter business of defense production. The stable relationship that existed prior to the 1990s between defense production and

Social interactions promote adaptive resource defense in ants

PubMed Central

Heeb, Eva Linda; Neupert, Stefanie

2017-01-01

Social insects vigorously defend their nests against con- and heterospecific competitors. Collective defense is also seen at highly profitable food sources. Aggressive responses are elicited or promoted by several means of communication, e.g. alarm pheromones and other chemical markings. In this study, we demonstrate that the social environment and interactions among colony members (nestmates) modulates the propensity to engage in aggressive behavior and therefore plays an important role in allocating workers to a defense task. We kept Formica rufa workers in groups or isolated for different time spans and then tested their aggressiveness in one-on-one encounters with other ants. In groups of more than 20 workers that are freely interacting, individuals are aggressive in one-on-one encounters with non-nestmates, whereas aggressiveness of isolated workers decreases with increasing isolation time. We conclude that ants foraging collectively and interacting frequently, e.g. along foraging trails and at profitable food sources, remain in a social context and thereby maintain high aggressiveness against potential competitors. Our results suggest that the nestmate recognition system can be utilized at remote sites for an adaptive and flexible tuning of the response against competitors. PMID:28910322

Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-03

1 President’s Constitutional Authority with Regard to the Armed Forces ................................... 1 The Department of Defense ...primers to give Members of Congress an overview of key aspects of the Department of Defense and how Congress exercises authority over it. A consolidated...for New Members Congressional Research Service 2 The Department of Defense CRS In Focus IF10543, Defense Primer: The Department of Defense , by

Acquisition Planning at the Defense Communications Agency.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

guidelines for interaction are developed under the leadership of DCA agencywide integrators with the participation of personnel from DCA, the Services...Communications System DCSO - Defense Communications System Organizatin . DDN - Defense Data Network DEC - Decision Making DG - Defense Guidance DIA - Defense

Defense Primer: DOD Contractors

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-10

contractors . A defense contractor , as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations, is “any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, association...158.3, “Definitions”). Within the defense policy community, the term contractor is commonly used in two different contexts. The word can describe

Chemical Computer Man: Chemical Agent Response Simulation (CARS). Technical report, January 1983-September 1985

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, E.G.; Mioduszewski, R.J.

The Chemical Computer Man: Chemical Agent Response Simulation (CARS) is a computer model and simulation program for estimating the dynamic changes in human physiological dysfunction resulting from exposures to chemical-threat nerve agents. The newly developed CARS methodology simulates agent exposure effects on the following five indices of human physiological function: mental, vision, cardio-respiratory, visceral, and limbs. Mathematical models and the application of basic pharmacokinetic principles were incorporated into the simulation so that for each chemical exposure, the relationship between exposure dosage, absorbed dosage (agent blood plasma concentration), and level of physiological response are computed as a function of time. CARS,more » as a simulation tool, is designed for the users with little or no computer-related experience. The model combines maximum flexibility with a comprehensive user-friendly interactive menu-driven system. Users define an exposure problem and obtain immediate results displayed in tabular, graphical, and image formats. CARS has broad scientific and engineering applications, not only in technology for the soldier in the area of Chemical Defense, but also in minimizing animal testing in biomedical and toxicological research and the development of a modeling system for human exposure to hazardous-waste chemicals.« less

Nonoffensive defense is overrated

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flanagan, S.J.

1988-09-01

Some Western analysts argue that European security would stabilize if nations shifted to forces and doctrines that left them structurally incapable of conducting offensive military actions. Some, including American scholar Gene Sharp, have even called for replacing traditional military forces with plans for civilian-based resistance. Purely defensive postures would be reassuring to neighboring states, all of these theorists say, but such defenses would still be strong enough to defeat an attack if deterrence failed. This defensive-only stance, according to its advocates, is a purer form of deterrence by denial than now exists, since it removes even the possibility of inflictingmore » punishment in retaliation for an attack: it deters only be denying victory. But Mr. Flanagan questions whether such defense actually would serve as a credible deterrent. In addition, the various proposed schemes share some serious weaknesses, which he proceeds to discuss. 5 refs.« less

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Herbivory-Induced Plant Chitinases Excreted in Fall Armyworm Frass Suppress Herbivore Defenses in Maize1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Alves, Patrick C.M.S.; Gaffoor, Iffa; Acevedo, Flor E.; Peiffer, Michelle; Jin, Shan; Han, Yang; Shakeel, Samina; Felton, Gary W.

2016-01-01

The perception of herbivory by plants is known to be triggered by the deposition of insect-derived factors such as saliva and oral secretions, oviposition materials, and even feces. Such insect-derived materials harbor chemical cues that may elicit herbivore and/or pathogen-induced defenses in plants. Several insect-derived molecules that trigger herbivore-induced defenses in plants are known; however, insect-derived molecules suppressing them are largely unknown. In this study, we identified two plant chitinases from fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) larval frass that suppress herbivore defenses while simultaneously inducing pathogen defenses in maize (Zea mays). Fall armyworm larvae feed in enclosed whorls of maize plants, where frass accumulates over extended periods of time in close proximity to damaged leaf tissue. Our study shows that maize chitinases, Pr4 and Endochitinase A, are induced during herbivory and subsequently deposited on the host with the feces. These plant chitinases mediate the suppression of herbivore-induced defenses, thereby increasing the performance of the insect on the host. Pr4 and Endochitinase A also trigger the antagonistic pathogen defense pathway in maize and suppress fungal pathogen growth on maize leaves. Frass-induced suppression of herbivore defenses by deposition of the plant-derived chitinases Pr4 and Endochitinase A is a unique way an insect can co-opt the plant’s defense proteins for its own benefit. It is also a phenomenon unlike the induction of herbivore defenses by insect oral secretions in most host-herbivore systems. PMID:26979328

Annular resonators for high-power chemical lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, Richard C.

1993-08-01

Resonators capable of extracting highly coherent energy from DF and HF chemical laser annular gain media have been under investigation for weapon application since 1974. This survey article traces the background of interest in these devices, describes the various concepts that have been experimentally and analytically investigated, and discusses the issues associated with their operation. From the discussion of issues, preferred concepts are selected. Applicability of these concepts to high-power operation is addressed through discussions of past and ongoing high-power demonstration programs and the issues facing their application to weapon sized devices capable of strategic and tactical missions such as ballistic missile defense (BMD), theater missile defense (TMD), and anti satellite (ASAT).

[Studies on the chemical constituents of Gueldenstaedtia stenophylla].

PubMed

Wei, You-xia; Chen, Li; Wang, Jun-xian

2007-08-01

To study the chemical constituents of Gueldenstaeditia stenophylla. The constituents were isolated by alcohol extraction, column chromatography on silica gel. Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Six compounds were obtained, and five of them were identified as n-hexadecanioc acid (I), beta-sitosterol (II), daucosterol (III), apigenin (IV), D-fructose (VI). Compound V was being determined. Five compounds are isolated from Gueldenstaedtia stenophylla and compounds I, III are extracted from Gueldenstaedtia Fisch for the first time.

[Studies on chemical constituents of Taxillus sutchuenenisis].

PubMed

Chen, Jiang-tao; Feng, Feng

2007-11-01

To study the chemical constituents of Taxillus sutchuenenisis (Lecomte) Danser. Chromatography and spectrum analysis were employed to isolated and elucidate the chemical constituents in the plant. 9 compounds were isolated and identified as quercetin (I), quervetin 3-O-beta-D-galactoside (II), isoquercitrin (III), quercitrin (IV), rutin (V), gallic acid (VI), ferulic acid (VII), beta-sitosterol (VIII), daucosterol (IX), respectively. Compounds III-IX are isolated from this plant for the first time. The work provide evidence for the exploitation and utilization of this plant resouce.

Enemy release and plant invasion: patterns of defensive traits and leaf damage in Hawaii.

PubMed

Funk, Jennifer L; Throop, Heather L

2010-04-01

Invasive species may be released from consumption by their native herbivores in novel habitats and thereby experience higher fitness relative to native species. However, few studies have examined release from herbivory as a mechanism of invasion in oceanic island systems, which have experienced particularly high loss of native species due to the invasion of non-native animal and plant species. We surveyed putative defensive traits and leaf damage rates in 19 pairs of taxonomically related invasive and native species in Hawaii, representing a broad taxonomic diversity. Leaf damage by insects and pathogens was monitored in both wet and dry seasons. We found that native species had higher leaf damage rates than invasive species, but only during the dry season. However, damage rates across native and invasive species averaged only 2% of leaf area. Native species generally displayed high levels of structural defense (leaf toughness and leaf thickness, but not leaf trichome density) while native and invasive species displayed similar levels of chemical defenses (total phenolics). A defense index, which integrated all putative defense traits, was significantly higher for native species, suggesting that native species may allocate fewer resources to growth and reproduction than do invasive species. Thus, our data support the idea that invasive species allocate fewer resources to defense traits, allowing them to outperform native species through increased growth and reproduction. While strong impacts of herbivores on invasion are not supported by the low damage rates we observed on mature plants, population-level studies that monitor how herbivores influence recruitment, mortality, and competitive outcomes are needed to accurately address how herbivores influence invasion in Hawaii.

The First Line of Defense: Higher Education in Wartime and the Development of National Defense Education, 1939-1959

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponte, Dana Adrienne

2016-01-01

This study posits that the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (NDEA) represented the culmination of nearly a century-long process through which education was linked to national defense in periods of wartime, and later retained a strategic utility for defense purposes in times of peace. That a defense rationale for federal support of public…

[Studies on chemical constituents from seeds of Euryale ferox].

PubMed

Sun, Hai-lin; Zhang, Ya-qiong; Xie, Xiao-yan; Che, Yan-yun

2014-11-01

To study the chemical constituents from the seeds of Euryale ferox. The chemical constituents were isolated by silica gel column, Sephadex LH-20 and their structures were identified by physico-chemical and spectral analysis. Seven compounds were purified from the 95% ethanol extract. These constituents were elucidated as protocatechuic acid (1), gallic acid (2), gallic acid ethyl ester(3),5 ,7-dihydroxychromone(4), β-sitosterol(5), daucosterol(6), and 5,7-dihydroxy-6,4'-dimethoxyflavone(7), respectively. All compounds are isolated from this plant for the first time.

2007 Joint Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Conference and Exhibition - Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-27

Selected CB Defense Systems SHAPESENSE Joint Warning and Reporting Network JSLIST CB Protected Shelter Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program Joint Effects...military can operate in any environment, unconstrained by chemical or biological weapons. 21 SHIELD SUSTAIN Selected CB Defense Systems SHAPESENSE Joint...28070625_JCBRN_Conference_Reeves UNCLASSIFIED Decontamination Vision Strippable Barriers Self-Decontaminating Fabrics/Coatings Reduce Logistics Burden

An elm EST database for identifying leaf beetle egg-induced defense genes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

primary metabolism. Conclusion Here we present a dataset for a large-scale study of the mechanisms of plant defense against insect eggs in a co-evolved, natural ecological plant–insect system. The EST database analysis provided here is a first step in elucidating the transcriptional responses of elm to elm leaf beetle infestation, and adds further to our knowledge on insect egg-induced transcriptomic changes in plants. The sequences identified in our comparative analysis give many hints about novel defense mechanisms directed towards eggs. PMID:22702658

An elm EST database for identifying leaf beetle egg-induced defense genes.

PubMed

Büchel, Kerstin; McDowell, Eric; Nelson, Will; Descour, Anne; Gershenzon, Jonathan; Hilker, Monika; Soderlund, Carol; Gang, David R; Fenning, Trevor; Meiners, Torsten

2012-06-15

. Here we present a dataset for a large-scale study of the mechanisms of plant defense against insect eggs in a co-evolved, natural ecological plant-insect system. The EST database analysis provided here is a first step in elucidating the transcriptional responses of elm to elm leaf beetle infestation, and adds further to our knowledge on insect egg-induced transcriptomic changes in plants. The sequences identified in our comparative analysis give many hints about novel defense mechanisms directed towards eggs.

47 CFR 90.411 - Civil defense communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Civil defense communications. 90.411 Section 90... PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Operating Requirements § 90.411 Civil defense communications. The... necessary for the implementation of civil defense activities assigned such station by local civil defense...

47 CFR 90.411 - Civil defense communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Civil defense communications. 90.411 Section 90... PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Operating Requirements § 90.411 Civil defense communications. The... necessary for the implementation of civil defense activities assigned such station by local civil defense...

47 CFR 90.411 - Civil defense communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Civil defense communications. 90.411 Section 90... PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Operating Requirements § 90.411 Civil defense communications. The... necessary for the implementation of civil defense activities assigned such station by local civil defense...

47 CFR 90.411 - Civil defense communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Civil defense communications. 90.411 Section 90... PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Operating Requirements § 90.411 Civil defense communications. The... necessary for the implementation of civil defense activities assigned such station by local civil defense...

DCT-based cyber defense techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amsalem, Yaron; Puzanov, Anton; Bedinerman, Anton; Kutcher, Maxim; Hadar, Ofer

2015-09-01

With the increasing popularity of video streaming services and multimedia sharing via social networks, there is a need to protect the multimedia from malicious use. An attacker may use steganography and watermarking techniques to embed malicious content, in order to attack the end user. Most of the attack algorithms are robust to basic image processing techniques such as filtering, compression, noise addition, etc. Hence, in this article two novel, real-time, defense techniques are proposed: Smart threshold and anomaly correction. Both techniques operate at the DCT domain, and are applicable for JPEG images and H.264 I-Frames. The defense performance was evaluated against a highly robust attack, and the perceptual quality degradation was measured by the well-known PSNR and SSIM quality assessment metrics. A set of defense techniques is suggested for improving the defense efficiency. For the most aggressive attack configuration, the combination of all the defense techniques results in 80% protection against cyber-attacks with PSNR of 25.74 db.

Changes in Oxidant Defense, Apoptosis, and Cognitive Abilities During Treatment for Childhood Leukemia.

PubMed

Moore, Ida M Ki; Koerner, Kari M; Gundy, Patricia M; Montgomery, David W; Insel, Kathleen C; Harris, Lynnette L; Taylor, Olga A; Hockenberry, Marilyn J

2018-07-01

Aggressive central nervous system (CNS)-directed treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most prevalent cancer among children and adolescents, prevents metastasis of leukemia cells into the brain. Up to 60% of survivors experience cognitive problems, but knowledge about risk factors for and mechanisms of neurologic injury is lacking. Objectives of the present study were to (1) quantify changes in oxidant defense and apoptosis over the course of ALL therapy and (2) elucidate risk factors for long-term cognitive problems. The sample included 71 children with ALL. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected at diagnosis and during intrathecal chemotherapy administration. Oxidant defense was measured by reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and the ratio of GSH:GSSG. Apoptosis was measured by activity of several cysteine-dependent aspartate-specific protease (abbreviated as caspase) enzymes that initiate (caspases 8 and 9) or execute (caspases 3/7) apoptosis. Cognitive abilities were assessed by standardized measures of short-term memory, visual-motor integration, and attention 3 years after ALL diagnosis. GSH and GSSG concentration increased significantly during ALL therapy, and a low GSH:GSSG ratio was indicative of an oxidized extracellular environment. Caspase enzyme activity increased significantly, and caspases 3/7 activity was significantly and negatively associated with performance on measures of cognitive abilities. Younger age at time of ALL diagnosis was associated with some measures of attention. Efflux of glutathione into CSF maintains oxidant defense by scavenging free radicals and other reactive oxygen species and is an early event in apoptosis. These mechanisms may be involved in neurologic injury associated with CNS-directed treatment and subsequent cognitive problems.

Strategic Missile Defense & Nuclear Deterrence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grego, Laura

The United States has pursued defenses against nuclear-armed long-range ballistic missiles since at least the 1950s. At the same time, concerns that missile defenses could undermine nuclear deterrence and potentially spark an arms race led the United States and Soviet Union to negotiate limits on these systems. The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty constrained strategic missile defenses for thirty years. After abandoning the treaty in 2002, President George W. Bush began fielding the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) homeland missile defense system on an extremely aggressive schedule, nominally to respond to threats from North Korea and Iran. Today, nearly fifteen years after its initial deployment, the potential and the limits of this homeland missile defense are apparent. Its test record is poor and it has no demonstrated ability to stop an incoming missile under real-world conditions. No credible strategy is in place to solve the issue of discriminating countermeasures. Insufficient oversight has not only exacerbated the GMD system's problems, but has obscured their full extent, which could encourage politicians and military leaders to make decisions that actually increase the risk of a missile attack against the United States. These are not the only costs. Both Russia and China have repeatedly expressed concerns that U.S. missile defenses adversely affect their own strategic capabilities and interests, particularly taken in light of the substantial US nuclear forces. This in turn affects these countries' nuclear modernization priorities. This talk will provide a technical overview of the US strategic missile defense system, and how it relates to deterrence against non-peer adversaries as well as how it affects deterrence with Russia and China and the long-term prospects for nuclear reductions

Secured network sensor-based defense system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Sixiao; Shen, Dan; Ge, Linqiang; Yu, Wei; Blasch, Erik P.; Pham, Khanh D.; Chen, Genshe

2015-05-01

Network sensor-based defense (NSD) systems have been widely used to defend against cyber threats. Nonetheless, if the adversary finds ways to identify the location of monitor sensors, the effectiveness of NSD systems can be reduced. In this paper, we propose both temporal and spatial perturbation based defense mechanisms to secure NSD systems and make the monitor sensor invisible to the adversary. The temporal-perturbation based defense manipulates the timing information of published data so that the probability of successfully recognizing monitor sensors can be reduced. The spatial-perturbation based defense dynamically redeploys monitor sensors in the network so that the adversary cannot obtain the complete information to recognize all of the monitor sensors. We carried out experiments using real-world traffic traces to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed defense mechanisms. Our data shows that our proposed defense mechanisms can reduce the attack accuracy of recognizing detection sensors.

Defense Mechanisms: A Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrini, D. T.; Pedrini, Bonnie C.

This bibliography includes studies of defense mechanisms, in general, and studies of multiple mechanisms. Defense mechanisms, briefly and simply defined, are the unconscious ego defendants against unpleasure, threat, or anxiety. Sigmund Freud deserves the clinical credit for studying many mechanisms and introducing them in professional literature.…

Defense through sensory inactivation: sea hare ink reduces sensory and motor responses of spiny lobsters to food odors.

PubMed

Love-Chezem, Tiffany; Aggio, Juan F; Derby, Charles D

2013-04-15

Antipredator defenses are ubiquitous and diverse. Ink secretion of sea hares (Aplysia) is an antipredator defense acting through the chemical senses of predators by different mechanisms. The most common mechanism is ink acting as an unpalatable repellent. Less common is ink secretion acting as a decoy (phagomimic) that misdirects predators' attacks. In this study, we tested another possible mechanism--sensory inactivation--in which ink inactivates the predator's reception of food odors associated with would-be prey. We tested this hypothesis using spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus, as model predators. Ink secretion is composed of two glandular products, one being opaline, a viscous substance containing concentrations of hundreds of millimolar of total free amino acids. Opaline sticks to antennules, mouthparts and other chemosensory appendages of lobsters, physically blocking access of food odors to the predator's chemosensors, or over-stimulating (short term) and adapting (long term) the chemosensors. We tested the sensory inactivation hypotheses by treating the antennules with opaline and mimics of its physical and/or chemical properties. We compared the effects of these treatments on responses to a food odor for chemoreceptor neurons in isolated antennules, as a measure of effect on chemosensory input, and for antennular motor responses of intact lobsters, as a measure of effect on chemically driven motor behavior. Our results indicate that opaline reduces the output of chemosensors by physically blocking reception of and response to food odors, and this has an impact on motor responses of lobsters. This is the first experimental demonstration of inactivation of peripheral sensors as an antipredatory defense.

Modality matters for the expression of inducible defenses: introducing a concept of predator modality.

PubMed

Herzog, Quirin; Laforsch, Christian

2013-11-18

Inducible defenses are a common and widespread form of phenotypic plasticity. A fundamental factor driving their evolution is an unpredictable and heterogeneous predation pressure. This heterogeneity is often used synonymously to quantitative changes in predation risk, depending on the abundance and impact of predators. However, differences in 'modality', that is, the qualitative aspect of natural selection caused by predators, can also cause heterogeneity. For instance, predators of the small planktonic crustacean Daphnia have been divided into two functional groups of predators: vertebrates and invertebrates. Predators of both groups are known to cause different defenses, yet predators of the same group are considered to cause similar responses. In our study we question that thought and address the issue of how multiple predators affect the expression and evolution of inducible defenses. We exposed D. barbata to chemical cues released by Triops cancriformis and Notonecta glauca, respectively. We found for the first time that two invertebrate predators induce different shapes of the same morphological defensive traits in Daphnia, rather than showing gradual or opposing reaction norms. Additionally, we investigated the adaptive value of those defenses in direct predation trials, pairing each morphotype (non-induced, Triops-induced, Notonecta-induced) against the other two and exposed them to one of the two predators. Interestingly, against Triops, both induced morphotypes offered equal protection. To explain this paradox we introduce a 'concept of modality' in multipredator regimes. Our concept categorizes two-predator-prey systems into three major groups (functionally equivalent, functionally inverse and functionally diverse). Furthermore, the concept includes optimal responses and costs of maladaptions of prey phenotypes in environments where both predators co-occur or where they alternate. With D. barbata, we introduce a new multipredator-prey system with a wide

The anatomy of self-defense.

PubMed

Stein, Pamela Sparks; Richardson, April D; Challman, Sandra D

2008-01-01

The following study describes a creative application of anatomical principles in the instruction of self-defense. Undergraduates at the University of Kentucky were invited to a special lecture that featured a series of self-defense moves introduced by a local police officer. Following a demonstration of each self-defense tactic, the students were briefed on the anatomy of both the victim and the assailant that contributed to the overall effectiveness of each move. This approach was unique in that students learned critical knowledge of self-defense while reinforcing anatomical principles previously introduced in class. Moreover, this integration of topics prompted students to think about their response to potentially dangerous situations on campus. (c) 2008 American Association of Anatomists.

22 CFR 120.9 - Defense service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Defense service. (a) Defense service means: (1) The furnishing of assistance (including training) to..., destruction, processing or use of defense articles; (2) The furnishing to foreign persons of any technical...) Military training of foreign units and forces, regular and irregular, including formal or informal...

Variation in plant defense suppresses herbivore performance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearse, Ian; Paul, Ryan; Ode, Paul J.

2018-01-01

Defensive variability of crops and natural systems can alter herbivore communities and reduce herbivory. However, it is still unknown how defense variability translates into herbivore suppression. Nonlinear averaging and constraints in physiological tracking (also more generally called time-dependent effects) are the two mechanisms by which defense variability might impact herbivores. We conducted a set of experiments manipulating the mean and variability of a plant defense, showing that defense variability does suppress herbivore performance and that it does so through physiological tracking effects that cannot be explained by nonlinear averaging. While nonlinear averaging predicted higher or the same herbivore performance on a variable defense than on an invariable defense, we show that variability actually decreased herbivore performance and population growth rate. Defense variability reduces herbivore performance in a way that is more than the average of its parts. This is consistent with constraints in physiological matching of detoxification systems for herbivores experiencing variable toxin levels in their diet and represents a more generalizable way of understanding the impacts of variability on herbivory. Increasing defense variability in croplands at a scale encountered by individual herbivores can suppress herbivory, even if that is not anticipated by nonlinear averaging.

75 FR 33587 - Defense Science Board; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-14

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board; Correction AGENCY: Department..., DoD published a notice (75 FR 32416) announcing a meeting of the Defense Science Board Task Force. In... published a notice announcing a meeting of the Defense Science Board Task Force on the Survivability of DoD...

Defense Financial and Investment Review. Appendix 3. Financial Community Perceptions of the Defense Industry: 1985,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

customer. The interviewed executives believe these considerations are a major cause for the rather low esteem in which the investing public holds defense...RD-RI58 246 DEFENSE FINANCIAL AND INVESTMENT REVIEN APPENDIX 3 FINRNCIAL COMMUNITY PE.. (U) LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT INST BETHESDA MD P J DAVEY ET RL... INVESTMENT REVIEW, APPENDIX 3; Financial Community Perceptions Of The Defense Industry: 1985 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 7. AUTHOR(e) 8. CONTRACT

[Chemical constituents from Neo-Taraxacum siphonathum].

PubMed

Shi, Shuyun; Zhou, Honghao; Zhang, Yuping; Huang, Kelong; Liu, Suqin

2009-04-01

To study the chemical constituents from the antioxidant fraction of Neo-Taraxacum siphonathum. Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the constituents. The structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical evidence and spectral analysis. Ten compounds were isolated and identified from Neo-T. siphonathum, caffeic acid (1), chlorogenic acid (2), quercetin (3), luteolin (4), quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), quercetin-3-O-alpha-D-arabinofuranoside (6), quercetin-3-O-alpha-D-arabinopyranoside (7), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), beta-sitosterol (9) and daucosterol (10). Compounds 1-10 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Mood States Associated with Induced Defensiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaderlund, Natasha Slesnick; Waldron, Holly Barrett

1994-01-01

Compared effects of neutral and defensive mood induction in 70 students reporting conflicted versus nonconflicted families for presence of hostility, aggression, fear, anxiety, and sadness. Found that defensive students from high-conflict families reported stronger negative emotions than did neutral high-conflict and defensive low-conflict…

Defense Enzyme Responses in Dormant Wild Oat and Wheat Caryopses Challenged with a Seed Decay Pathogen.

PubMed

Fuerst, E Patrick; James, Matthew S; Pollard, Anne T; Okubara, Patricia A

2017-01-01

Seeds have well-established passive physical and chemical defense mechanisms that protect their food reserves from decay-inducing organisms and herbivores. However, there are few studies evaluating potential biochemical defenses of dormant seeds against pathogens. Caryopsis decay by the pathogenic Fusarium avenaceum strain F.a .1 was relatively rapid in wild oat ( Avena fatua L.) isoline "M73," with >50% decay after 8 days with almost no decay in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) var. RL4137. Thus, this fungal strain has potential for selective decay of wild oat relative to wheat. To study defense enzyme activities, wild oat and wheat caryopses were incubated with F.a .1 for 2-3 days. Whole caryopses were incubated in assay reagents to measure extrinsic defense enzyme activities. Polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase were induced in whole caryopses, but oxalate oxidase was reduced, in response to F.a .1 in both species. To evaluate whether defense enzyme activities were released from the caryopsis surface, caryopses were washed with buffer and enzyme activity was measured in the leachate. Significant activities of polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase, but not oxalate oxidase, were leached from caryopses. Defense enzyme responses were qualitatively similar in the wild oat and wheat genotypes evaluated. Although the absolute enzyme activities were generally greater in whole caryopses than in leachates, the relative degree of induction of polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase by F.a .1 was greater in caryopsis leachates, indicating that a disproportionate quantity of the induced activity was released into the environment from the caryopsis surface, consistent with their assumed role in defense. It is unlikely that the specific defense enzymes studied here play a key role in the differential susceptibility to decay by F.a .1 in these two genotypes since defense enzyme activities were greater in the more susceptible wild oat, compared to

Self-Defense Distributed Engagement Coordinator

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

its countermeasures. Whether a missile is defeated with an interceptor, undermined by a signal jammer, or diverted by a decoy, there is Self - Defense ...anti-ship threats and recommends actions to the personnel coordinating ship self - defense . This tool was recognized with a 2015 R&D 100 Award. a cost...reloading process, and may not be possible at all. The Self - Defense Distributed Engagement Coordinator (SDDEC) is designed to provide automated battle

The methodological defense of realism scrutinized.

PubMed

Wray, K Brad

2015-12-01

I revisit an older defense of scientific realism, the methodological defense, a defense developed by both Popper and Feyerabend. The methodological defense of realism concerns the attitude of scientists, not philosophers of science. The methodological defense is as follows: a commitment to realism leads scientists to pursue the truth, which in turn is apt to put them in a better position to get at the truth. In contrast, anti-realists lack the tenacity required to develop a theory to its fullest. As a consequence, they are less likely to get at the truth. My aim is to show that the methodological defense is flawed. I argue that a commitment to realism does not always benefit science, and that there is reason to believe that a research community with both realists and anti-realists in it may be better suited to advancing science. A case study of the Copernican Revolution in astronomy supports this claim. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synergy Versus Potency in the Defensive Secretions from Nymphs of two Pentatomomorphan Families (Hemiptera: Coreidae and Pentatomidae)

PubMed Central

Ceballos, Roxanne A.; Saeidi, Vahid; Becerra, Judith X.

2013-01-01

One characteristic of true bugs (Heteroptera) is the presence of dorsal abdominal glands in the immature nymphal stages. These glands usually produce defensive chemicals (allomones) that vary among taxa but are still similar in closely related groups. Knowledge of the chemistry and prevalence of allomones in different taxa may clarify the evolution of these chemical defensive strategies. Within the infraorder Pentatomomorpha, the known secretions of nymphs of Pentatomidae tend to contain the hydrocarbon, n-tridecane, a keto-aldehyde, and an (E)-2-alkenal as the most abundant components. In the Coreidae, the dorsal abdominal gland secretions of nymphs often contain little or no hydrocarbon, and the most abundant keto-aldehyde and (E)-2-alkenal are often of shorter chain-length than those of pentatomids. We hypothesized that the long chain compounds would be less potent than their shorter homologs, and that bugs that carry the former would benefit from a synergistic effect of n-tridecane. To test this hypothesis we used three different behavioral assays with ants. A predator–prey assay tested the deterrence of allomones toward predators; a vapor experiment tested the effectiveness of allomones in the gaseous phase toward predators; and application of allomones onto predators tested the effect of direct contact. The results substantiate the hypothesis of a synergistic effect between n-tridecane and longer chain keto-aldehyde and (E)-2-alkenal in deterring predators. The short chain keto-aldehyde 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal was highly effective on its own. Thus, it seems that different groups of the infraorder diverged in their strategies involving defensive chemicals. Implications of this divergence are discussed. PMID:23080436

Gastrointestinal defense mechanisms.

PubMed

Said, Hyder; Kaunitz, Jonathan D

2016-11-01

To summarize and illuminate the recent findings regarding gastroduodenal mucosal defense mechanisms and the specific biomolecules involved in regulating this process, such as glucagon-like peptides (GLPs). There has been a growing interest in luminal nutrient chemosensing and its physiological effects throughout the digestive system. From the ingestion of food in the oral cavity to the processing and absorption of nutrients in the intestines, nutrient chemosensing receptors signal the production and release of numerous bioactive peptides from enteroendocrine cells, such as the proglucagon-derived peptides. There has been a major emphasis on two proglucagon-derived peptides, namely GLP-1 and GLP-2, due to their apparent beneficial effect on gut structure, function, and on metabolic processes. As an incretin, GLP-1 not only enhances the effect and release of insulin on pancreatic βcells but also has been implicated in having trophic effects on the intestinal epithelium. In addition, GLP-2, the other major proglucagon-derived peptide, has potent intestinotrophic effects, such as increasing the rate of mucosal stem cell proliferation, mucosal blood flow, and fluid absorption, as well as augmenting the rate of duodenal bicarbonate secretion to improve gastric mucosal health and longevity. Understanding the mechanisms underlying nutrient chemosensing and how it relates to GLP release can further elucidate how the gut functions in response to cellular changes and disturbances. Furthermore, a more in-depth comprehension of GLP release and its tissue-specific effects will help improve the utility of GLP-1 and GLP-2 receptor agonists in clinical settings. This, in turn, should help patients suffering from intestinal failure, malabsorption, and mucosal injury.

ELUCID. V. Lighting Dark Matter Halos with Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaohu; Zhang, Youcai; Wang, Huiyuan; Liu, Chengze; Lu, Tianhuan; Li, Shijie; Shi, Feng; Jing, Y. P.; Mo, H. J.; van den Bosch, Frank C.; Kang, Xi; Cui, Weiguang; Guo, Hong; Li, Guoliang; Lim, S. H.; Lu, Yi; Luo, Wentao; Wei, Chengliang; Yang, Lei

2018-06-01

In a recent study, using the distribution of galaxies in the north galactic pole of the SDSS DR7 region enclosed in a 500 {h}-1 {Mpc} box, we carried out our ELUCID simulation (ELUCID III). Here, we light the dark matter halos and subhalos in the reconstructed region in the simulation with galaxies in the SDSS observations using a novel neighborhood abundance matching method. Before we make use of the galaxy–subhalo connections established in the ELUCID simulation to evaluate galaxy formation models, we set out to explore the reliability of such a link. For this purpose, we focus on the following few aspects of galaxies: (1) the central–subhalo luminosity and mass relations, (2) the satellite fraction of galaxies, (3) the conditional luminosity function (CLF) and conditional stellar mass function (CSMF) of galaxies, and (4) the cross-correlation functions between galaxies and dark matter particles, most of which are measured separately for all, red, and blue galaxy populations. We find that our neighborhood abundance matching method accurately reproduces the central–subhalo relations, satellite fraction, and the CLFs, CSMFs, and biases of galaxies. These features ensure that galaxy–subhalo connections thus established will be very useful in constraining galaxy formation processes. We provide some suggestions for the three levels of using the galaxy–subhalo pairs for galaxy formation constraints. The galaxy–subhalo links and the subhalo merger trees in the SDSS DR7 region extracted from our ELUCID simulation are available upon request.

DNA Sequencing Technologies within the Chemical and Biological Defense Enterprise: How to Position the Department of Defense to Maximize the Use of These Emerging Technologies - JUPITR

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

sharing, the Pathosphere.org open-system architecture is now deployed and available on the Amazon cloud . The site has over 100 users from...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT: To generate accurate and actionable disease data that can be integrated into the broader Department of Defense...PREFACE The work described in this report was authorized under the Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition

Essential elucidation for preparation of supported nickel phosphide upon nickel phosphate precursor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Xuguang, E-mail: liuxuguang@qust.edu.cn; Xu, Lei; Zhang, Baoquan

2014-04-01

Preparation of supported nickel phosphide (Ni{sub 2}P) depends on nickel phosphate precursor, generally related to its chemical composition and supports. Study of this dependence is essential and meaningful for the preparation of supported Ni{sub 2}P with excellent catalytic activity. The chemical nature of nickel phosphate precursor is revealed by Raman and UV–vis spectra. It is found that initial P/Ni mole ratio ≥0.8 prohibits the Ni-O-Ni bridge bonding (i.e., nickel oxide). This chemical bonding will not result in Ni{sub 2}P structure, verified by XRD characterization results. The alumina (namely, γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, θ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, or α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) with distinctmore » physiochemical properties also results in diverse chemical nature of nickel phosphate, and then different nickel phosphides. The influence of alumina support on producing Ni{sub 2}P was explained by the theory of surface energy heterogeneity, calculated by the NLDFT method based on N{sub 2}-sorption isotherm. The uniform surface energy of α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} results only in the nickel phosphosate precursor and thus the Ni{sub 2}P phase. - Graphical abstract: Surface energy heterogeneity in alumina (namely α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, θ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) supported multi-oxidic precursors with different reducibilities and thus diverse nickel phosphides (i.e., Ni{sub 3}P, Ni{sub 12}P{sub 5}, Ni{sub 2}P). - Highlights: • Preparing pure Ni{sub 2}P. • Elucidating nickel phosphate precursor. • Associating with surface energy.« less

A conserved mitochondrial surveillance pathway is required for defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PubMed

Tjahjono, Elissa; Kirienko, Natalia V

2017-06-01

All living organisms exist in a precarious state of homeostasis that requires constant maintenance. A wide variety of stresses, including hypoxia, heat, and infection by pathogens perpetually threaten to imbalance this state. Organisms use a battery of defenses to mitigate damage and restore normal function. Previously, we described a Caenorhabditis elegans-Pseudomonas aeruginosa assay (Liquid Killing) in which toxicity to the host is dependent upon the secreted bacterial siderophore pyoverdine. Although pyoverdine is also indispensable for virulence in mammals, its cytological effects are unclear. We used genetics, transcriptomics, and a variety of pathogen and chemical exposure assays to study the interactions between P. aeruginosa and C. elegans. Although P. aeruginosa can kill C. elegans through at least 5 different mechanisms, the defense responses activated by Liquid Killing are specific and selective and have little in common with innate defense mechanisms against intestinal colonization. Intriguingly, the defense response utilizes the phylogenetically-conserved ESRE (Ethanol and Stress Response Element) network, which we and others have previously shown to mitigate damage from a variety of abiotic stresses. This is the first report of this networks involvement in innate immunity, and indicates that host innate immune responses overlap with responses to abiotic stresses. The upregulation of the ESRE network in C. elegans is mediated in part by a family of bZIP proteins (including ZIP-2, ZIP-4, CEBP-1, and CEBP-2) that have overlapping and unique functions. Our data convincingly show that, following exposure to P. aeruginosa, the ESRE defense network is activated by mitochondrial damage, and that mitochondrial damage also leads to ESRE activation in mammals. This establishes a role for ESRE in a phylogenetically-conserved mitochondrial surveillance system important for stress response and innate immunity.

Variation in Plant Defense Suppresses Herbivore Performance.

PubMed

Pearse, Ian S; Paul, Ryan; Ode, Paul J

2018-06-18

Defensive variability of crops and natural systems can alter herbivore communities and reduce herbivory [1, 2]. However, it is still unknown how defense variability translates into herbivore suppression. Nonlinear averaging and constraints in physiological tracking (also more generally called time-dependent effects) are the two mechanisms by which defense variability might impact herbivores [3, 4]. We conducted a set of experiments manipulating the mean and variability of a plant defense, showing that defense variability does suppress herbivore performance and that it does so through physiological tracking effects that cannot be explained by nonlinear averaging. While nonlinear averaging predicted higher or the same herbivore performance on a variable defense than on an invariable defense, we show that variability actually decreased herbivore performance and population growth rate. Defense variability reduces herbivore performance in a way that is more than the average of its parts. This is consistent with constraints in physiological matching of detoxification systems for herbivores experiencing variable toxin levels in their diet and represents a more generalizable way of understanding the impacts of variability on herbivory [5]. Increasing defense variability in croplands at a scale encountered by individual herbivores can suppress herbivory, even if that is not anticipated by nonlinear averaging. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Schools and Civil Defense.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Civil Defense (DOD), Washington, DC.

Civil defense is a planned, coordinated action to protect the population during any emergency whether arising from thermonuclear attack or natural disaster. The Federal Government has assumed four responsibilities--(1) to keep track of the nature of the threat which the civil defense program must meet, (2) to prepare and disseminate information…

Defense Workforce Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, J. D.; And Others

This report discusses the amount and kinds of Department of Defense (DoD) interactive courseware (ICW) programs that are candidates for transfer to the private sector. Candidates for transfer were identified through an analysis of the Defense Instructional Technology Information System (DITIS). Out of 4,644 ICW programs that have been reported to…

22 CFR 120.6 - Defense article.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Defense article. 120.6 Section 120.6 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.6 Defense article. Defense article means any item or technical data designated in § 121.1 of this subchapter...

22 CFR 120.6 - Defense article.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Defense article. 120.6 Section 120.6 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.6 Defense article. Defense article means any item or technical data designated in § 121.1 of this subchapter...

22 CFR 120.6 - Defense article.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Defense article. 120.6 Section 120.6 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.6 Defense article. Defense article means any item or technical data designated in § 121.1 of this subchapter...

22 CFR 120.6 - Defense article.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Defense article. 120.6 Section 120.6 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.6 Defense article. Defense article means any item or technical data designated in § 121.1 of this subchapter...

22 CFR 120.6 - Defense article.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Defense article. 120.6 Section 120.6 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS § 120.6 Defense article. Defense article means any item or technical data designated in § 121.1 of this subchapter...

Defense.gov Special Report: Travels with Carter

Science.gov Websites

Department of Defense Submit Search Travels With Carter Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter July 2012 After a 10-day Asia trip, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said he had succeeded in informing , U.S. Troops at End of Asia-Pacific Tour U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter got a close

Using the Defensive Style Questionnaire to evaluate the impact of sex reassignment surgery on defensive mechanisms in transsexual patients.

PubMed

Lobato, Maria Inês; Koff, Walter José; Crestana, Tiago; Chaves, Camila; Salvador, Jaqueline; Petry, Analídia Rodolpho; Silveira, Esalba; Henriques, Alexandre Annes; Cervo, Fábio; Böhme, Eduardo Siam; Massuda, Raffael

2009-12-01

To evaluate the impact of sex reassignment surgery on the defense mechanisms of 32 transsexual patients at two different points in time using the Defensive Style Questionnaire. The Defensive Style Questionnaire was applied to 32 patients upon their admission to the Gender Identity Disorder Program, and 12 months after they had undergone sex reassignment surgery. There were changes in two defense mechanisms: anticipation and idealization. However, no significant differences were observed in terms of the mature, neurotic and immature categories. One possible explanation for this result is the fact that the procedure does not resolve gender dysphoria, which is a core symptom in such patients. Another aspect is related to the early onset of the gender identity disorder, which determines a more regressive defensive structure in these patients. Sex reassignment surgery did not improve the defensive profile as measured by the Defensive Style Questionnaire.

Defense Dollars and Sense: A Common Cause Guide to the Defense Budget Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rovner, Mark

Designed to increase public awareness of military spending, this 5-part guide examines the process and problems of preparing the national defense budget. The publication begins with a brief overview of the 1984 defense budget. Major military programs, trends in budgeting, and key concerns in budget formulation are explored. Graphs and charts…

Tokyo terror and chemical arms control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keeny, S.M. Jr.

The nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway underscores the extreme vulnerability of urban society to terrorist attacks. The best defense is improved intelligence of potential terrorists and domestic laws permitting pre-emptive action when there is probable cause. If the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) were in force, all 159 signatories would be required to have such laws. The author examies the threat and provides some political insights.

[Studies on chemical constituents of cultivated Cistanche salsa].

PubMed

Yang, Jian-Hu; Hu, Jun-Ping; Rena, Kasimu; Du, Nian-Sheng

2008-11-01

To study the chemical constituents of cultivated Cistanche salsa. Compounds were isolated and purified on several chromatography, and then were identified by physico-chemical properties and structurally elucidated by spectral analysis. Seven compounds were isolated and identified as beta-sitosterol (I), daucosterol (II), beta-sitosteryl glucoside 3'-O-heptadecoicate (III), 8-hydroxygeraniol 1-beta-D-glucopyranoside (IV), 2-methanol-5-hydroxy-pyridine (V), betaine (VI), galactitol (VII). The chemical constituents of artificial cultivated Cistanche salsa are studied for the first time. Among them, compound III and IV are isolated from the plant for the first time, compound V is isolated from this genus for the first time.

Self-Defense for Teens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Givler, Jill I.

2005-01-01

Resources for self-defense training programs have become more popular and available over the last few years. Introducing a self-defense unit as part of a school physical education program is a wonderful way to address a number of psychosocial issues that prevail among teenagers today. The physical skills learned in this type of program allow…

Whither Ballistic Missile Defense?

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-30

Conference on Technical Marketing 2000: Opportunities and Strategies for a Changing World) I intend to discuss the prospects for SDI in a changing...Technical Marketing 2000: Opportunities and Strategies for a Changing World) Descriptors, Keywords: Cooper Speech Ballistic Missile Defense...WHITHER BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE? BY AMBASSADOR HENRY F. COOPER NOVEMBER 30,1992 TECHNICAL MARKETING SOCIETY OF AMERICA WASHINGTON, DC

ACHP | Defense Department Compliance with NHPA

Science.gov Websites

NHPA: Section 202(a)(6) Evaluation Report Defense Department Compliance with the National Historic )(6) Evaluation Report is a preliminary step in helping the Department of Defense marshall its Search skip specific nav links Home arrow Publications arrow Intro: Defense Department Compliance with

The Defense Systems Acquisition and Review Council

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-15

THE DEFENSE SYSTEMS ACQUISITION AND REVIEW COUNCIL.. A Study of Areas of Consideration Affecting the Functions and Process of Defense Major...COUNfIL: 4 Study of Areas of Considerationi Affecting/he Functions and Process of Defense _- 1 Major Systems Acquisition. , ; O,. v AUTHOR(e) I. C...Studies DSARC -- Functions and Process OSDCAIG *, Army Systems . A - =A -- he Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council (DSARC) was created to assume

Defense.gov Special Report: Travels With Work

Science.gov Websites

Department of Defense Submit Search Travels With Work Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work April 2015 Flag of Germany Germany Flag of U.S.A. USA Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work is on a five-day trip isn't a piece of equipment - it's the men and women who serve, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said

The Art and Science of Defense Logistics

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-04-01

The Art And Science Of Defense Logistics CSC 1995 SUBJECT AREA - Logistics THE ART AND SCIENCE OF DEFENSE LOGISTICS...Government EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: The Art and Science of Defense Logistics Author: Major S. I. Schuler, USMC Research Questions: 1...00-1995 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Art And Science Of Defense Logistics 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

Mayolenes: Labile defensive lipids from the glandular hairs of a caterpillar (Pieris rapae)

PubMed Central

Smedley, Scott R.; Schroeder, Frank C.; Weibel, Douglas B.; Meinwald, Jerrold; Lafleur, Katie A.; Renwick, J. Alan; Rutowski, Ronald; Eisner, Thomas

2002-01-01

Larvae of the European cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae (Pieridae), are beset with glandular hairs, bearing droplets of a clear oily secretion at their tip. The fluid consists primarily of a series of chemically labile, unsaturated lipids, the mayolenes, which are derived from 11-hydroxylinolenic acid. In bioassays with the ant Crematogaster lineolata, the secretion was shown to be potently deterrent, indicating that the fluid plays a defensive role in nature. PMID:11997469

Mobilization and Defense Management Technical Reports Series. A Framework for Increasing Defense Production by Reducing Perceived Opportunity Costs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-01

advertising. Traditionally defense marketing and advertising focused on decision makers within the defense conuunity and Congress. While it appears that...focus may be- starting to change, marketing and advertising remain highly directed and concentrated in defense oriented media. marketing was oriented to

75 FR 20578 - Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Health Board (DHB); Department of Defense Task Force on the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-20

... (DHB); Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces... announces a meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the... Secretary, Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces, One...

Biotechnological production of inducible defense-related proteins in edible radish (raphanus sativus) found in Nepal.

PubMed

Khanal, Praval; Karmacharya, Anil; Sharma, Shishir; Nepal, Ashwini K; Shrestha, Kanti

2014-01-01

Fungal infection in plant leads to use of many hazardous antifungal chemicals. Alternative to these chemicals, defense related antifungal proteins can be used in case of fungal diseases. An experiment was done in two varieties of edible radish (Raphanus sativus var. Pyuthane Raato and Raphanus sativus var. all season) with aims to produce defense protein within the plant, to identify and perform molecular characterization of those antifungal proteins. The next aim was to compare the antifungal property of those proteins with commercially available synthetic pesticides. Both varieties of radish were infected with fungi (Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum). Protein samples were isolated from leaves following the standard protocol as described for β-glucuronidase (GUS) assay and were run along with the standard protein marker of 10-250kDa in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to identify and molecularly characterize them. An additional band in the range of 37-50kDa was observed in the fungal infected samples, which was not seen on uninfected samples. The antifungal assay was carried out for every sample in 96 wells microtitre plate. The extracted protein samples from fungal inoculated plants showed the significant inhibition of fungal growth compared to other samples. On the basis of molecular weight and their antifungal properties, the protein samples from the fungal infected plant were found to be PR2 (Glucanase) and PR3 (Chitinase). Defense related proteins were successfully produced in two varieties of radish found in Nepal. The use of such biologically produced proteins may reduce the use of biologically harmful synthetic pesticides.

Petunia hybrida PDR2 is involved in herbivore defense by controlling steroidal contents in trichomes.

PubMed

Sasse, Joëlle; Schlegel, Markus; Borghi, Lorenzo; Ullrich, Friederike; Lee, Miyoung; Liu, Guo-Wei; Giner, José-Luis; Kayser, Oliver; Bigler, Laurent; Martinoia, Enrico; Kretzschmar, Tobias

2016-12-01

As a first line of defense against insect herbivores many plants store high concentrations of toxic and deterrent secondary metabolites in glandular trichomes. Plant Pleiotropic Drug Resistance (PDR)-type ABC transporters are known secondary metabolite transporters, and several have been implicated in pathogen or herbivore defense. Here, we report on Petunia hybrida PhPDR2 as a major contributor to trichome-related chemical defense. PhPDR2 was found to localize to the plasma membrane and be predominantly expressed in multicellular glandular trichomes of leaves and stems. Down-regulation of PhPDR2 via RNA interference (pdr2) resulted in a markedly higher susceptibility of the transgenic plants to the generalist foliage feeder Spodoptera littoralis. Untargeted screening of pdr2 trichome metabolite contents showed a significant decrease in petuniasterone and petuniolide content, compounds, which had previously been shown to act as potent toxins against various insects. Our findings suggest that PhPDR2 plays a leading role in controlling petuniasterone levels in leaves and trichomes of petunia, thus contributing to herbivory resistance. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs

Science.gov Websites

Links Mission Congressional Links Secretary of Defense James Mattis
Defense James Mattis" title=" Secretary of Defense James Mattis" /> The

LWIR hyperspectral imaging application and detection of chemical precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavoie, Hugo; Thériault, Jean-Marc; Bouffard, François; Puckrin, Eldon; Dubé, Denis

2012-10-01

Detection and identification of Toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) represent a major challenge to protect and sustain first responder and public security. In this context, passive Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) is a promising technology for the standoff detection and identification of chemical vapors emanating from a distant location. To investigate this method, the Department of National Defense and Public Safety Canada have mandated Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) - Valcartier to develop and test Very Long Wave Infrared (VLWIR) HSI sensors for standoff detection. The initial effort was focused to address the standoff detection and identification of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), surrogates and precursors. Sensors such as the Improved Compact ATmospheric Sounding Interferometer (iCATSI) and the Multi-option Differential Detection and Imaging Fourier Spectrometer (MoDDIFS) were developed for this application. This paper presents the sensor developments and preliminary results of standoff detection and identification of TICs and precursors. The iCATSI and MoDDIFS sensors are based on the optical differential Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) radiometric technology and are able to detect, spectrally resolve and identify small leak at ranges in excess of 1 km. Results from a series of trials in asymmetric threat type scenarios are reported. These results serve to establish the potential of passive standoff HSI detection of TICs, precursors and surrogates.

Detection of chemical pollutants by passive LWIR hyperspectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavoie, Hugo; Thériault, Jean-Marc; Bouffard, François; Puckrin, Eldon; Dubé, Denis

2012-09-01

Toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) represent a major threat to public health and security. Their detection constitutes a real challenge to security and first responder's communities. One promising detection method is based on the passive standoff identification of chemical vapors emanating from the laboratory under surveillance. To investigate this method, the Department of National Defense and Public Safety Canada have mandated Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) - Valcartier to develop and test passive Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) sensors for standoff detection. The initial effort was focused to address the standoff detection and identification of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and precursors. Sensors such as the Multi-option Differential Detection and Imaging Fourier Spectrometer (MoDDIFS) and the Improved Compact ATmospheric Sounding Interferometer (iCATSI) were developed for this application. This paper describes the sensor developments and presents initial results of standoff detection and identification of TICs and precursors. The standoff sensors are based on the differential Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) radiometric technology and are able to detect, spectrally resolve and identify small leak plumes at ranges in excess of 1 km. Results from a series of trials in asymmetric threat type scenarios will be presented. These results will serve to establish the potential of the method for standoff detection of TICs precursors and surrogates.

Defense Enzyme Responses in Dormant Wild Oat and Wheat Caryopses Challenged with a Seed Decay Pathogen

PubMed Central

Fuerst, E. Patrick; James, Matthew S.; Pollard, Anne T.; Okubara, Patricia A.

2018-01-01

Seeds have well-established passive physical and chemical defense mechanisms that protect their food reserves from decay-inducing organisms and herbivores. However, there are few studies evaluating potential biochemical defenses of dormant seeds against pathogens. Caryopsis decay by the pathogenic Fusarium avenaceum strain F.a.1 was relatively rapid in wild oat (Avena fatua L.) isoline “M73,” with >50% decay after 8 days with almost no decay in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) var. RL4137. Thus, this fungal strain has potential for selective decay of wild oat relative to wheat. To study defense enzyme activities, wild oat and wheat caryopses were incubated with F.a.1 for 2–3 days. Whole caryopses were incubated in assay reagents to measure extrinsic defense enzyme activities. Polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase were induced in whole caryopses, but oxalate oxidase was reduced, in response to F.a.1 in both species. To evaluate whether defense enzyme activities were released from the caryopsis surface, caryopses were washed with buffer and enzyme activity was measured in the leachate. Significant activities of polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase, but not oxalate oxidase, were leached from caryopses. Defense enzyme responses were qualitatively similar in the wild oat and wheat genotypes evaluated. Although the absolute enzyme activities were generally greater in whole caryopses than in leachates, the relative degree of induction of polyphenol oxidase, exochitinase, and peroxidase by F.a.1 was greater in caryopsis leachates, indicating that a disproportionate quantity of the induced activity was released into the environment from the caryopsis surface, consistent with their assumed role in defense. It is unlikely that the specific defense enzymes studied here play a key role in the differential susceptibility to decay by F.a.1 in these two genotypes since defense enzyme activities were greater in the more susceptible wild oat, compared to

75 FR 11868 - Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-12

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting AGENCY... Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces, a subcommittee of the Defense Health Board (DHB), will.... Additional information, agenda updates, and meeting registration are available online at the Defense Health...

Indirect Plant Defense against Insect Herbivores: A Review

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plants respond to herbivore attack by launching two types of defenses: direct defense and indirect defense. Direct defense includes all plant traits that increase the resistance of host plants to attacking insect herbivores by affecting the physiology and/or behavior of the attackers. Indirect defe...

Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Basaltic Formation Fluids on a Ridge Flank: Using Drilling Perturbations to Elucidate Water-Rock-Microbial Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannasch, H. W.; Wheat, G. C.; Hulme, S.; Becker, K.; Fisher, A. T.; Davis, E. E.

2008-12-01

Holes 1301A and 1301B were drilled, cased, and instrumented with long-term, subseafloor observatories (CORKs) on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in Summer 2004. These holes penetrate 265 m of sediment and the uppermost 108 to 318 m of 3.5 Ma basaltic basement, in an area of vigorous, warm (64C) hydrothermal circulation. The new boreholes were located 1 km south and 2.4 km southwest of instrumented Holes 1026B and 1027C, respectively, that were emplaced eight years earlier. This network of four instrumented boreholes was established as part of a long-term, cross-hole experiment that will elucidate hydrologic properties and the nature and dynamics of microbial ecosystems within the upper oceanic crust, in a well defined geochemical and physical context. Downhole instrumented OsmoSampler packages in Holes 1301A and 1026B were replaced by submersible in summer 2008, as part of a program of observatory servicing in preparation for the next drilling expedition and the initiation of cross-hole experiments in this area. The borehole instrument package from Hole 1301A sampled borehole fluids within the upper 107.5 m of basaltic crust during a four-year period of drilling disturbance, self-sustaining flow of cold bottom water into basement, and subsequent recovery to near-predrilling chemical and thermal conditions. Because the borehole was incompletely sealed at the time of initial installation, bottom seawater flowed down into the borehole during the first three years following emplacement, driven by the higher density of cold bottom water relative to warm formation fluid. Borehole thermal records during the first 1.5 years show that temperatures in basement were below 10 C, and fluid samples from the borehole have a chemical composition similar to bottom seawater. Temperatures fluctuated for the next 1.5 years between 10 and 30 C, and the fluid composition began to shift towards that seen in regional basement fluids sampled at nearby Baby Bare outcrop and from

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM TO ENHANCE AND ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

There is an opportunity to minimize the potential environmental impacts (PEIs) of industrial chemical processes by providing process designers with timely data nad models elucidating environmentally favorable design options. The second generation of the Waste Reduction (WAR) algo...

75 FR 5289 - Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-02

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting AGENCY... announces that the Defense Health Board (DHB or Board) will meet on March 1-2, 2010, to address and.... Feeks, Executive Secretary, Defense Health Board, Five Skyline Place, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 810...

48 CFR 225.7902 - Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties. 225.7902 Section 225.7902 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS FOREIGN ACQUISITION EXPORT CONTROL 225.7902 Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties. This...

48 CFR 225.7902 - Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties. 225.7902 Section 225.7902 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS FOREIGN ACQUISITION EXPORT CONTROL 225.7902 Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties. This...

Active Computer Network Defense: An Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-01

sufficient base of knowledge in information technology can be assumed to be working on some form of computer network warfare, even if only defensive in...the Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) to attack. Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networks are inherently resistant to...aims to create this part of information superiority, and computer network defense is one of its fundamental components. Most of these efforts center

TOXICOGENOMIC STUDY OF TRIAZOLE FUNGICIDES AND PERFLUOROALKYL ACIDS IN RAT LIVERS ACCURATELY CATEGORIZES CHEMICALS AND IDENTIFIES MECHANISMS OF TOXICITY

EPA Science Inventory

Toxicogenomic analysis of five environmental chemicals was performed to investigate the ability of genomics to predict toxicity, categorize chemicals, and elucidate mechanisms of toxicity. Three triazole antifungals (myclobutanil, propiconazole, and triadimefon) and two perfluori...

Defense Manpower Policy: Presentations from the 1976 Rand Conference on Defense Manpower

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

organizations working on defense manpower issues and problems, This book contains selected presentations from ti -a Rand Confer- ence on Defense Manpower...the complete Conference agenda.) Nevertheless, the papers included here provide a reasonably good sampling of the topics and issues addressed at the...one of the key concerns in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. Accordingly, the purpose of this book is to shed some light on some of the major issues

Comparative genomics of defense systems in archaea and bacteria

PubMed Central

Makarova, Kira S.; Wolf, Yuri I.; Koonin, Eugene V.

2013-01-01

Our knowledge of prokaryotic defense systems has vastly expanded as the result of comparative genomic analysis, followed by experimental validation. This expansion is both quantitative, including the discovery of diverse new examples of known types of defense systems, such as restriction-modification or toxin-antitoxin systems, and qualitative, including the discovery of fundamentally new defense mechanisms, such as the CRISPR-Cas immunity system. Large-scale statistical analysis reveals that the distribution of different defense systems in bacterial and archaeal taxa is non-uniform, with four groups of organisms distinguishable with respect to the overall abundance and the balance between specific types of defense systems. The genes encoding defense system components in bacterial and archaea typically cluster in defense islands. In addition to genes encoding known defense systems, these islands contain numerous uncharacterized genes, which are candidates for new types of defense systems. The tight association of the genes encoding immunity systems and dormancy- or cell death-inducing defense systems in prokaryotic genomes suggests that these two major types of defense are functionally coupled, providing for effective protection at the population level. PMID:23470997

32 CFR 13.3 - Office of the Chief Defense Counsel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Section 13.3 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MILITARY... States armed force and shall be designated by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. (2) The...) of the Department of Defense. (3) The Chief Defense Counsel shall supervise all defense activities...

32 CFR 13.3 - Office of the Chief Defense Counsel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Section 13.3 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MILITARY... States armed force and shall be designated by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. (2) The...) of the Department of Defense. (3) The Chief Defense Counsel shall supervise all defense activities...

32 CFR 13.3 - Office of the Chief Defense Counsel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Section 13.3 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MILITARY... States armed force and shall be designated by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. (2) The...) of the Department of Defense. (3) The Chief Defense Counsel shall supervise all defense activities...

32 CFR 13.3 - Office of the Chief Defense Counsel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Section 13.3 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MILITARY... States armed force and shall be designated by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. (2) The...) of the Department of Defense. (3) The Chief Defense Counsel shall supervise all defense activities...

32 CFR 13.3 - Office of the Chief Defense Counsel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Section 13.3 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MILITARY... States armed force and shall be designated by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. (2) The...) of the Department of Defense. (3) The Chief Defense Counsel shall supervise all defense activities...

75 FR 9399 - Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-02

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Health Board (DHB) Meeting AGENCY... of the Defense Health Board (DHB), will meet on March 11, 2010. Subject to the availability of space... INFORMATION: Due to internal DoD difficulties, beyond the control of the Defense Health Board or its...

Hepatocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and host defense mechanisms in the alcohol-injured liver.

PubMed

McVicker, Benita L; Thiele, Geoffrey M; Tuma, Dean J; Casey, Carol A

2014-09-01

The consumption of alcohol is associated with many health issues including alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The natural history of ALD involves the development of steatosis, inflammation (steatohepatitis), fibrosis and cirrhosis. During the stage of steatohepatitis, the combination of inflammation and cellular damage can progress to a severe condition termed alcoholic hepatitis (AH). Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of AH remains uncharacterized. Some modulations have been identified in host defense and liver immunity mechanisms during AH that highlight the role of intrahepatic lymphocyte accumulation and associated inflammatory cytokine responses. Also, it is hypothesized that alcohol-induced injury to liver cells may significantly contribute to the aberrant lymphocytic distribution that is seen in AH. In particular, the regulation of lymphocytes by hepatocytes may be disrupted in the alcoholic liver resulting in altered immunologic homeostasis and perpetuation of disease. In recent studies, it was demonstrated that the direct killing of activated T lymphocytes by hepatocytes is facilitated by the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR). The ASGPR is a well-characterized glycoprotein receptor that is exclusively expressed by hepatocytes. This hepatic receptor is known for its role in the clearance of desialylated glycoproteins or cells, yet neither its physiological function nor its role in disease states has been determined. Interestingly, alcohol markedly impairs ASGPR function; however, the effect alcohol has on ASGPR-mediated cytotoxicity of lymphocytes remains to be elucidated. This review discusses the contribution of hepatocytes in immunological regulation and, importantly, how pathological effects of ethanol disrupt hepatocellular-mediated defense mechanisms.