Molecular docking modelling was performed as previously described (Torrent et al., 2011). Briefl y, the docking simulations were performed using Autodock 4.2 (The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA). The protein coordinates of the eight human RNases were taken from X-ray crystallography or NMR data. When no three-dimensional structure was available, the protein structures were predic...

The aim of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could be associated with back fat thickness (BFT) in pigs. To achieve this goal, we evaluated the potential and limits of an experimental design that combined several methodologies. DNA samples from two groups of Italian Large White pigs with divergent estimating breeding value (EBV) for BFT were separately pooled...

Groundwater elevation, soil moisture, and precipitation were monitored to evaluate the components of water loss from two greasewood-cheatgrass (Sarcobatus vermiculatusBromus tectorum) communities in south central Washington. Annual evapotranspiration was 21-25 cm, 18-31% of which was the transpiration of groundwater. The greatest loss from the system was the evapotranspiration of stored soil mo...

The components of the surface energy balance were measured for 3 years over a broadleaved deciduous forest using the eddy covariance technique. Within years, the magnitude and distribution of fluxes was controlled by seasonal changes in solar radiation, drought, as well as leaf emergence and senescence. Evapotranspiration increased by a factor greater than five (from about 0.5 to 3 mm day−1) af...