Abstract: A method is provided for treating a tobacco material, comprising treating the tobacco material by steam hydrolysis. Also provided is a tobacco material which has been treated by such a method, or a derivative thereof, and a smoking article which comprises a tobacco material treated by such a method.

Abstract: A method is provided for treating a tobacco material, comprising treating the tobacco material with an ionic liquid. Also provided is a tobacco material which has been treated by such a method, or a derivative thereof, and a smoking article which comprises a tobacco material treated by such a method.

Abstract: A user interface device provides secure access to equipment. An audio reception device is adapted to receive an audio input comprising background noise and to receive an audio user code from a user. A user input device receives a manual input comprising a manual user code from the user. A control unit stores one or more target user codes and receives an audio input and determines a noise level of the background noise. An instruction message is generated to inform the user to enter the manual user code in response to the noise level of the background noise exceeding a predetermined threshold level. An output device provides the instruction message to the user. A control unit provides secure access to the equipment in response to at least one of the audio user code and the manual user code.

Abstract: The invention provides transgenic plants, specifically tobacco plants, which accumulate the amino acid threonine in their leaves. The biosynthetic pathway leading to production of threonine is tightly regulated, and previous attempts to achieve a transgenic plant which overproduces threonine has compromised the fitness of the plants. This invention has overcome these difficulties and found a method of increasing the level of threonine in plant leaves above the corresponding wild type level without compromising plant fitness, comprising altering plant metabolism to achieve increased production of threonine after the initiation of leaf senescence. This invention involves a genetic construct comprising a senescence specific promoter operably linked to a coding sequence encoding a polypeptide having threonine insensitive aspartate kinase activity.

Abstract: The invention provides transgenic plants, specifically tobacco plants, which accumulate the amino acid threonine in their leaves. The biosynthetic pathway leading to production of threonine is tightly regulated, and previous attempts to achieve a transgenic plant which overproduces threonine has compromised the fitness of the plants. This invention has overcome these difficulties and found a method of increasing the level of threonine in plant leaves above the corresponding wild type level without compromising plant fitness, comprising altering plant metabolism to achieve increased production of threonine after the initiation of leaf senescence. This invention involves a genetic construct comprising a senescence specific promoter operably linked to a coding sequence encoding a polypeptide having threonine insensitive aspartate kinase activity.

Abstract: A user interface device provides secure access to equipment. An audio reception device is adapted to receive an audio input comprising background noise and to receive an audio user code from a user. A user input device receives a manual input comprising a manual user code from the user. A control unit stores one or more target user codes and receives an audio input and determines a noise level of the background noise. An instruction message is generated to inform the user to enter the manual user code in response to the noise level of the background noise exceeding a predetermined threshold level. An output device provides the instruction message to the user. A control unit provides secure access to the equipment in response to at least one of the audio user code and the manual user code.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of activating hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific T cells, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. HCV-specific T cells are activated using fusion proteins comprising HCV NS3, NS4, NS5a, and NS5b polypeptides, polynucleotides encoding such fusion proteins, or polypeptide or polynucleotide compositions containing the individual components of these fusions. The method can be used in model systems to develop HCV-specific immunogenic compositions, as well as to immunize a mammal against HCV.