GA is the predominate amino acid found in most tomatoes. Glutamine is also up there. The levels of glutamic acid can be increased simply by adding nitrogen to the soil. I can't find something stating specifics to GA but flavor traits are often controlled by many genes which makes breeding work difficult. Such study is probably confounded by environmental influences (such as nitrogen levels mentioned above). So little work I know of has looked specifically at increasing GA through breeding other than screening for different levels between varieties or wild species. In a study looking at flavor perceptions of processing tomatoes for juice, higher GA content was found to lower the "fruitiness" intensity which is considered a good overall characteristic of flavor. As marker assisted selection breeding for it could become possible. There is a patent out for extracting the GA from tomato serum as a product for flavor enhancement. Here is a link that might be useful: Clear tomato concentrate as a taste enhancer

Shaw frieze's can be of different fibers other than Nylon. If you purchase a Shaw Frieze..I would recommend either an Anso Nylon or HGTV Brand from Shaw. The dealer may not have HGTV as it is wildly selective to who they allow and invite to sell it. HGTV by Shaw has some beautiful friezes available and Anso also has some gorgeous frieze's. The warranty will be better with Shaw Anso or HGTv than the Smartstrand. You can place triple touch cushion under the Anso product or HGTV and that doubles the warranty to 40 years. To confuse you more, Tuftex of California which is made by Shaw has Anso Friezes that are the latest in style and fashion. Again Tuftex is a discriminating product and not available to all dealers...but very nice. I really like Anso, they are soft, wear extremely well and have the best manufacturer warranties that are offered. Smartstrand and Shaw are both green products. Both very earth friendly. Shaw has a recycling program in place..Mohawk does not. Smarstrand performs well though. Anso will give you more style choice in a frieze. Especially the HGTV and the Tuftex. Anso will have some lower price options for you with the same warranty..but you'll need to find a Shaw aligned dealer more than likely. All of this can be viewed and found at Shaws website. I will link you to it. Good Luck and if you have other questions, please post. Tuftex has its own site..but is a Shaw Product..It is Shaws designer collection (Higher End) Here is a link that might be useful: Shaw floors

Hi All, I haven been struggling with a concern and thought that Gardenweb members might be able to help guide me. I have been pursuing the chance to purchase a store that is an overall great fit for my interests and lifestyle. The only sticking point is that the store has pre-selected build-out materials for each location, and my husband and I tend to be chemically sensitive when it comes to flooring. I can adjust the paint in the store by going with a zero-VOC version, but the flooring seems to be non-negotiable. The options are a wood-style plank vinyl or a carpet. (I would get to choose the adhesive for both types of flooring.) The wood plank vinyl uses low-VOC glues, but it is not phthalate-free. I don't yet have the specs on the carpet, but I worry that any carpet in a high traffic area (with lots of foot traffic from outside) will absorb toxins and allergens that will be hard to remove...and that might bother me with time. The parent company for the store seems only minimally open to looking at a substitute plank flooring: look-alikes to the plank vinyl. Here is a link to how the pre-selected plank vinyl looks: http://www.karndean.com/en/commercial-flooring/products/wp311-grano?link=shf#next I am wondering if maybe a low-emissions laminate or a wood-style plank linoleum might work. Does anyone have experience with these sorts of product? Do you think a phthalate-free vinyl would be safer or is the jury out on that (kind of like BPA-free products?) Or can you think of ways to make a new, industrial carpet tolerable for someone who tends to react to allergens? I would love some input from others who understand chemical sensitivities. I really want this career opportunity to work out, so this has been a challenging time. I am pretty sure that the company just won't budge. Thanks so much in advance, Sara

Rebeccamom - My project is scheduled for just after Labor Day. I had to move it out because of work and a family vacation. The extra time has been really great for sourcing and research and I would strongly encourage a 4-6 month window if at all possible. It seems there are so many decisions to be made in a bathroom reno. As far as measurements, my bathroom is a bowling alley! 4.5 feet wide by 11 feet long, not including the shower which is 4 X 2.75 off the long wall. Just to clarify, the $10K estimate is for labor only. I'm trying not to add up the cost of materials as I acquire them. It's painful having expensive taste on a middle class budget!