ALBERT

Notes: The effect of five herbicide safeners on preventing maize (Zea mays L.) injury by acetochlor [N-(2-ethyl-6-methyl-phenyl)-N-(ethoxymethyl)-chloroacetamide], their influence on herbicide uptake and metabolism to a glutathione (GSH) conjugate as well as on GSH content and glutathione S-transferase activity (GST) in untreated and herbicide with/without safener-pre-treated 4-day-old seedlings were determined. The safeners studied were: AD-67 (N-di-chloroacetyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro-4-5-decane), BAS-145138 [1-dichloroacetyl-hexahydro-3,3,8a-trimethyl-pyrrolo(l,2-a)pyrimidin-6(2H)-one], dichlormid (N, A,-diallyl-2,2-dichlo-roacetamide), DKA-24 (N, N2-diallyl-N2dichloroacetylglycineamide) and MG-191 (2-dichloromethyl-2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane). All safeners significantly increased [14C]acetochlor uptake and metabolism rate, maize GSH content and GST activity. Seedlings receiving BAS-145138 pre-treatment metabolized almost 70% of the absorbed [14C]acetochlor within 10 min.Safener-enhanced GST activity was always found to be higher when [14C]acetochlor was used as the substrate compared with CDNB (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene). Although DKA-24 had a significantly lower influence on both herbicide metabolism and GST activity, it was nearly as effective a safener as BAS-145138, while the others provided no or poor protection to maize from acetochlor injury when they were not incorporated in the soil. Effets d'antidotes sur la toxicité, la pénétration et le métabolisme de I'acétochlore chez le mats etsur l'activité glutathion S-transférase Cinq antidotes d'herbicides diminuaient la toxicité de 1'acétochlore [N-(2-éthyl-6-méthyl-phényl)-N-(éthoxyméthyl)-chloroacétamide] à I'égard du maïs (Zea mays L.). Lew effet sur l'absorption de l'herbicide et sur son métabolisme en un conjugué avec le glutathion (GSH), de même que leur effet sur la teneur en GSH et 1'activité glutathion 5-transférase (GST) ont étéétudiés sur des maïs âgés de 4 jours. Les antidotes étaient: l'AD-67 (N-dichloroacétyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro-4,5-décane), le BAS-145138 [1 -dichloroacétyl-hexahydro-3,3,8a-triméthyl-pyrrolo(l,2-a) pyrimidine-6(2H)-one], le di-chlormide (N, N-diallyl-2,2-dichloracétamide), le DKA-24 (N, N2-diallyl-N2-dichloracétylgly-cineamide] et le MG-191 (2-dichlorométhyl-2-méthyl-l,3-dioxolane). Tous les antidotes augmentaient de manière significative 1'absorption et le métabolisme de I'acétochlore 14C, ainsi que la teneur du maïs en GSH et son activité GST. Les jeunes plantes prétraitées avec le BAS-145138 métabolisaient en 10 min près de 70% de I'acétochlore 14C absorbé. L'activité GST stimulée par 1'antidote était toujours plus élevée avec I'acétochlore 14C comme substrat qu'avec le CDNB (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzène).Le DKA-24 avait un effet significativement plus faible que le BAS-145138 sur le métabolisme de l'herbicide et sur l'activité GSH, mais son action antidote était presque aussi importante. Les autres produits n'apportaient au maïs qu'une protection faible ou nulle contre l'acétochlore quand ils n'étaient pas incorporés au sol. Wirkung von Safenern auf die Phytotoxizität, Aufnahme und Metabolismus von Acetochlor und die Glutathion-S-Transferase-Aktivität in Mais Die Wirkung von 5 Safenern (AD-67, BAS-145138, Dichlormid, DKA-24 und MG-191; chemische Bezeichnungen s.o.) auf die Phytotoxizität von Acetochlor für Mais (Zea mays L.) und ihr Einfluß auf die Aufnahme des Herbizids und Metabolismus zu einem Glutathion-(GSH-) Konjugat und auf die Glutathion-S-Transferase-(GST-)Aktivität wurde an 4 Tage alten Keimpflanzen untersucht. Durch die Vorbehandlung mit den Safenern wurden die [14C]-Acetochlor-Aufnahme- und -Metabolierungsrate, der GSH-Gehalt und die GST-Ak-tivität signifikant erhöht. Mit BAS-145138 vorbehandelte Keimpflanzen metabolisierten fast 70% des absorbierten [14C]-Acetochlor innerhalb von 10 min. Die durch die Safener erhöhte GST-Aktivität bei [14C]-Acetochlor als Substrat war im Vergleich zu Chlordinitroben-zen immer höher. Obwohl DKA-24 einen signifikant geringeren Einfluß sowohl auf den Herbizidmetabolismus als auch auf die GST-Aktivität hatte, war es fast so wirkungsvoll wie BAS-145138, während die anderen ohne Einarbeitung in den Boden für den Mais keinen oder geringen Schutz gegen Schäden durch Acetochlor boten.

Notes: BOOK REVIEWS

Notes: REVIEWS

Notes: Experimental differentiation between pure C=N double bond rotation and nitrogen inversion in N1-arylimines is possible with a single compound (13b) under the proviso of slow rotation about the N-aryl single bond. Labelling by 1H and 13C nuclei at the diastereotopic faces of the C=N moiety as well as of the N-aryl group is the clue to a successful stereodynamic analysis, as performed by variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy of 13b, a sterically congested and chiral model compound. Interpretation of similar measurements on a second model (13d) is less straightforward. The experimental observation of time-averaged Cs symmetry by NMR coalescences is only compatible with a mechanism of (E/Z) stereomutation either by pure inversion at sp2 nitrogen or by a contribution from C=N rotation together with a synchronized (geared) controtation about the N-aryl single bond. However, the latter combination is concluded to be predominantly inversion-like by comparisons with related imines.

Notes: Although widely used in experimental and industrial situations, genetically engineered plasmids containing the lac promoter from Escherichia coli are subject to catabolite repression when grown in glucose-containing media. Several methods of overcoming this problem have been investigated by studying the expression of the protein A gene from Staphylococcus aureus under the control of the Escherichia coli lac promoter. When glycerol is used as a sole carbon source, the plasmid is unstable and is rapidly lost from the culture. When the bacteria are grown in chemostats under glucose limitation, the plasmid is maintained, even at high dilution rates, and the expression of protein A is similar to that observed when glycerol was used. The balance between metabolic load and protein A expression seems to be maintained by reducing the gene dose to a tolerable level. Depending on the metabolic conditions prevailing in the culture, this is achieved, either by reducing the copy number of the plasmid or in extreme cases by removing the plasmid altogether.

Notes: This paper presents a new mesh generation technique, paving, which meshes arbitrary 2-D geometries with an all-quadrilateral mesh. Paving allows varying element size distributions on the boundary as well as the interior of a region. The generated mesh is well formed (i.e. nearly square elements, elements perpendicular to boundaries, etc.) and geometrically pleasing (i.e. mesh contours tend to follow geometric contours of the boundary). In this paper we describe the theory behind this algorithmic/heuristic technique, evaluate the performance of the approach and present examples of automatically generated meshes.

Notes: Electron impact mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of a series of flavonoid aglycones and chalcones are reported. The spectra show prominent ions arising from fragmentation of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups. Inter-actions between adjacent TMS groups, and between TMS groups in the 3- or 5-position (6′-position for the chalcones) and the C-ring carbonyl, yield structurally significant ions. Few fragments associated with the retro-Diels-Alder cleavage of the C-ring characteristic of the underivatized compounds, are observed. The TMS derivatives thus provide complementary information for the identification of flavonoid aglycones and chalcones in biological systems.

Notes: An unusually fast x-ray detector and pulse processing counting system has been devised and tested. The overall dead time of the system was determined experimentally to be 42 ns.