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Orchids are highly dependent on symbiotic microorganisms during their entire life cycle. Whereas an important role in orchid seed germination and early plant development is well established for mycorrhizal fungi, the influence of endophytic bacteria on orchid growth has been less investigated. Here, we report the isolation of endophytic bacteria from different organs of three terrestrial Mediterranean orchid species (Spiranthes spiralis, Serapias vomeracea and Neottia ovata), the investigation of their potential Plant Growth-Promoting (PGP) traits and their interaction with the orchid mycorrhizal (OM) fungus Tulasnella calospora in vitro. Little overlap was found among endophytic bacteria isolated from the different organs of the three orchid species. Taxonomic identification, based on the 16S rRNA gene, of fifty dereplicated bacterial isolates revealed that they belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Rahnella, Staphylococcus, Sphingomonas, Microbacterium, Streptomyces, Fictibacillus and Bacillus. Most bacterial isolates exhibited some potential PGP traits, such as nutrient solubilization, ACC deaminase activities and/or IAA biosynthesis. Although some Pseudomonas reduced growth of the OM fungus Tulasnella calospora, most isolates did not affect fungal growth. These results increase our understanding of the diversity and potential PGP functions of bacterial endophytes in terrestrial orchids, and suggest a role as beneficial partners in the orchid microbiota.

Traditional civil aircraft manufacturing enterprises are experiencing transformation from providing products to providing the civil aircraft services based on the entire life cycle. In the process ...

Two fibre Bragg grating sensors FBG1 and FBG2 are, respectively, embedded in the carbon fibre-reinforced plastics laminate with the ply schedule of [0/90/452/02/−452]s. The two fibre Bragg gratings are used continuously to monitor the internal temperature and strain of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics laminate in its entire life cycle. During the curing process, the internal temperature and strain of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics laminate are recorded, and the absolute internal thermal strains through temperature compensation are obtained. After complete cooling, the residual strains in different layers are also obtained; they are 88 and −7 μe with FBG1 and FBG2, respectively. In order to investigate the internal strain during mechanism loading, a tensile test and three-points bending test are conducted. Coefficients between wavelength shift and tensile force are 0·165 and 0·172 pm N−1 with FBG1 and FBG2, respectively. The coefficient between wavelength shift and bending force is −1·403 pm N−1 ...

Buildings contribute almost half of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Energy and water consumption are some of the largest and fastest growing pressures on the global environment. The use of energy is mainly attributed to the heating and cooling of buildings. The type of materials used in the construction of buildings plays a significant role in the life-cycle emissions of each dwelling. Changing the material use in the construction of an existing building and adding insulation could have a major impact on energy use and the environment of the building in its entire life cycle. This paper investigates the amount of exergy savings and the decrease in CO2 emissions resulting from the refurbishing of an existing building in Ljubljana. This study results from the growing awareness that in the choice of building materials, the designer must consider not only the requirements of the owner and occupier of the building, but also the resulting energy savings, the resource base and the effects of the manu...

Sustainable architecture aims to reduce the environmental impact of a building over its entire life cycle while optimising its economic viability and the comfort and safety of its occupants. In this sense, IT convergence is now being recognised as the core of construction IT, which facilitates sustainable architecture by visualising, simulating, and optimising designs and construction projects in a computing environment for achieving better performance, lower costs, and shorter lead times. Therefore, IT convergence should also facilitate sustainable growth for sustainable architecture. In this context, the aim of this research is to investigate the current status and trends in the Korean construction IT convergence, using case studies, and to propose requirements for the sustainable growth of construction IT convergence for sustainable architecture.

Development of sustainable building · urban and settlement of policy emerge as important issues for low carbon green growth in environmental industry recently and therefore this study proposed various technical development and policy for realization of sustainable building and urban environment industry by analyzing green industry system and policy of Korean government in the new era of green growth industry. As a result, the study arranged existing concept and direction of building technology in technical aspect and green growth aspect, and proposed specific building and urban related government systems and policies, i.e., CO2 and carbon emission quota etc. at local level for green growth in policy aspect through evaluation of building and urban environment for the entire life cycle. In addition, this study also proposed model of test bed and stronghold urban development while deducing new sustainable building industry model in industrial aspect. In educational aspect, this study proposed the need for th...

In recent years, concern has grown over good practices in the procurement process in public–private partnerships (PPPs). The consensus view is that PPPs are prone to higher transaction costs than traditional public provision. In this paper, we contrast the hypothesis that transaction costs in transport PPPs depend, to a large extent, on the procurement mechanism used in each case, comparing the Negotiated and the Open procedures. Given that PPPs may offer considerable benefits and significant savings over the entire life cycle of the project, it is essential for PPPs to minimize those costs that undermine efficiency gains and that deter private involvement. The quantitative analysis undertaken in this paper highlights that there is room for important savings in the tendering of PPP transport infrastructure projects, using an Open procedure.

Filopodia are key structures within many cells that serve as sensors constantly probing the local environment. Although filopodia are involved in a number of different cellular processes, their function in migration is often analyzed with special focus on early processes of filopodia formation and the elucidation of filopodia molecular architecture. An increasing number of publications now describe the entire life cycle of filopodia, with analyses from the initial establishment of stable filopodium-substrate adhesion to their final integration into the approaching lamellipodium. We and others can now show the structural and functional dependence of lamellipodial focal adhesions as well as of force generation and transmission on filopodial focal complexes and filopodial actin bundles. These results were made possible by new high resolution imaging techniques as well as by recently developed elastomeric substrates and theoretical models. The data additionally provide strong evidence that formation of new filopodia depends on previously existing filopodia through a repetitive filopodial elongation of the stably adhered filopodial tips. In this commentary we therefore hypothesize a highly coordinated mechanism that regulates filopodia formation, adhesion, protein composition and force generation in a filopodia dependent step by step process.

The objective of life cycle management of radioactive materials packaging is to ensure the safety functions (i.e. containment of radioactivity, protection against radiation, and criticality safety for fissile contents) during the entire life cycle of the packaging in storage, transportation and disposal. A framework has been developed for life cycle management regarding type B radioactive and fissile materials packaging, drawing upon current US Department of Energy (DOE) storage standards and examples from interim storage of Pu bearing materials in model 9975 transportation packagings. Key issues highlighted during long term storage of Pu bearing materials included gas generation and stability of PuO2+x; other operation safety issues highlighted for interim storage of model 9975 transportation packagings included the need to consider a facility design basis fire event and the long term behaviour of packaging components such as Celotex and elastomeric O-ring seals. The principles of aging manageme...

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for evaluating various health and environmental impacts throughout a product's life. When used as a screening tool, LCA can potentially identify the processes and materials most likely to pose a threat to human health and the environment, and to determine where a risk assessment is warranted. The European Union has issued a ban on lead-based solder from use in electronic equipment beginning in July 2006. In response, the Lead-Free Solder Partnership, involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, several electronics manufacturers, and the University of Tennessee afforded a vehicle for conducting a thorough LCA of leaded and lead-free solders used in the electronics industry. Sixteen impact categories were evaluated in the LCA, including human toxicity. A primary conclusion of the assessment for human and aquatic toxicity, across the entire life cycle of tin-lead solder, was the potential for impacts derived from the landfilling of lead. These results, ba...

Pines are known to produce one seed crop each year and mature about 20 months after pollination. The entire life cycle may take two to three years. Recent observations, however, show that a greater number of crops may develop annually and that cone development may be faster. In Pinellas County, Florida, Pinus clausa and P. elliottii now have three seed crops annually, and consequently, more seeds during the year. Also, there is no dormant phase from pollination time to seed maturity in the primary (most abundant) crop of these species. The reason for this change in reproductive strategy is thought to be as a response to climatic changes, in particular, CO2 levels. Pines seem to be reacting to increases of available atmospheric CO2 that fluctuate seasonally. The gas may act as a biochemical switch for developmental stages and be a mechanism for controlling cone growth. Furthermore, there are definite phenological shifts forward in the primary seed crops of P. clausa (about 105 days) and P. elliottii (about...

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a simple total quality management tool used to disseminate the customer's view of quality from early phases of the design cycle and throughout the product's entire life cycle. This article uses sensitivity analysis t..

A yellow colour form of Aphis schneideri (Born.) was found in Pilaitė (the surroundings of Vilnius, Lithuania) in 1994. Colour differences between yellow and green aphids of A. schneideri seem to have a genetic background. The yellow aphids were smaller, and the yellow clones did not finish their entire life cycle, thus supporting the idea of the reduced fitness of yellow mutants. There also exists the possibility of the hybridogenic origin of yellow colour forms in currant inhabiting species of the genus Aphis L.

The current planning processes that have confined a developer to an approved plan for the entire life cycle of a project are presently being questioned. Rapid sociodemographic and economic changes in Canada have created a need for planning strategies that allow for a greater degree of flexibility. Adaptability to changing market trends has now become extremely important to planners and developers of large subdivisions. The demands to permit quicker planning and approval processes are the motivating force behind this paper. The proposal simplifies the development and approval process by introducing a piecemeal approach to design and building—one that can easily be modified in accordance with market changes. Fundamental to the proposed concept is the argument that one cannot forecast market trends in the course of developing large communities. Rather than design subdivisions today and subject their developers to lengthy and costly change processes later, one can propose an approach that will allow ...

Quality function deployment (QFD) helps to introduce the idea of quality in early phases of the design cycle and to reevaluate quality considerations throughout the system's entire life cycle. This article presents a tutorial example of using QFD to design a product. It shows which quality controls in the manufacturing process are most important to ensure customer satisfaction.

The life history of Crouania pleonospora Taylor in unialgal culture exhibits the ‘Polysiphonia type’ of life cycle with the procarp consisting of a three to four celled carpogonial branch arising from a large supporting cell. Unfertilized procarps occasionally give rise to short, branched vegetative systems. Growth of the sporelings from carpospores and tetrapores is identical, while the entire life cycle in culture takes approximately sixty-three days.

Most custody decisions are made in courts hewing to the concept “the best interests of the child. “Most professionals agree that children suffer from a fractured family situation; they disagree on the degree to which children suffer at various stages of growth and development. There is a lack of agreement as to what constitutes a child's best interests. Recent research suggests that grandparents may play a very significant role in the entire life cycle of children. The legal position of grandparents in custodial matters remains somewhat ambiguous. Recently legislation has granted grandparents the right to seek visitation. This represents an awareness on the part of the court that grandparents and grandparenting may be a significant factor in actualizing the best interests of the child.

CEPA, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, is a law of the Parliament of Canada that provides a framework for protecting Canadians from all forms of pollution caused by toxic substances. CEPA improves the federal government’s ability to manage chemical substances. The approach is comprehensive. It encompasses the entire life cycle of toxic substances— from their development and manufacture, through the stages of transport, distribution, use, and storage, to their ultimate disposal. CEPA not only guarantees a safer environment for all Canadians, it also provides for better enforcement and tougher punishment of polluters than ever before.

The transcription patterns of three v-Ha-ras-related cellular oncogenes in Drosophila melanogaster were studied. Each gene coded for at least two distinct transcripts. The larger transcript of each gene was expressed at a similar abundance during the entire life cycle of fruit flies, whereas the shorter transcripts were much more abundant in embryonic stages than at later stages.