Evaluating the Impact of Irrigation and Drainage Policies on Agricultural Sustainability

Farmers in the Broadview Water District in central Californiahave been improving irrigation practices in response to risingirrigation water prices and reductions in water supply since1989, when incentive policies were first implemented to reducethe volume of subsurface drain water generated in theDistrict. The average salinity of water deliveries hasincreased, over time, as the District has recycled largeamounts of drainage water to achieve regional restrictions ondrainage water discharge. We review irrigation and drainageactivities in Broadview since 1986 with an emphasis on thesustainability of crop production when drainage discharge islimited. Average cotton yields in Broadview have declined inrecent years, both nominally and in comparison with averageyields reported for the large county in which Broadview islocated. Average tomato yields in Broadview have increased inrecent years, but county-wide yields have exceeded Broadviewyields with greater frequency than in the late 1980s. Theseobservations suggest that average crop yields in Broadview maybe starting to reflect the increasing salinity of soil andwater resources, which may be due in part to persistentrestrictions on drainage water discharge.     

Metal contamination from open-cast copper and sulphur mining in southeast Ireland

The metal content was determined in soil and vegetation around the eastern zone of the disused sulphur and copper mines at Avoca (southeast Ireland). A 250 m × 250 m grid survey was conducted covering a total area of 4 km². The mining belt was in the centre of the investigated site and was sampled separately. Iron, Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations in soil and plant material were determined, in addition to soil organic matter content and soil pH. Soil samples taken from the spoil showed elevated Cu and Cd concentrations, and low soil pH and organic matter content. At least 50 per cent of the agricultural sites examined around the East Avoca Mine showed elevated soil Cu and Cd concentrations, whereas Zn and Fe soil concentrations were within the range for unpolluted soils. None of the vegetation analysed had elevated Zn, Cd, Fe or Cu concentrations. Overall there was no indication of serious metal contamination in either soils or vegetation surrounding the mine in spite of extensive dust deposition during open-pit mining activity 15–30 years ago. However, a plume of elevated Cu in the soil was identified, which originated from a large spoil heap and had been spread for some 2·0 km by the prevailing wind.     

植物角质蜡质代谢及抗病机制研究

角质蜡质是植物在长期的生态适应过程中进化形成的一类次生代谢产物,广泛参与了植物抗逆、抵御病虫害侵染等诸多抗性生理过程。角质蜡质在植物-病原互作中发挥了重要作用,是植物抗病机制的重要组成部分。随着分子生物学的发展,人们对植物角质蜡质代谢及其抗病机理的认知不断深入。本研究综述了植物角质蜡质生物合成与其抗病机理的最新研究进展并对未来研究提出展望。目前,植物角质蜡质的抗性机理研究主要集中于组成型抗性和诱导型抗性2类。角质蜡质作为角质层主要成分,一方面可作为组成型抗性成分发挥物理抗性(物理屏障)和化学抗性(抑菌)作用;另一方面,也可作为诱导型抗性成分发挥作用,诱导产生的角质蜡质单体除了作为角质层主要成分发挥物理抗性外,也可作为信号分子或者诱导子激活下游的抗性反应进而发挥其化学抗性功能。未来可侧重于对角质蜡质诱导抗性机理的深入阐释,进一步丰富植物化学生态学研究理论体系。此外,基于角质蜡质的诱导抗性作用,可开发角质蜡质类生物农药(植物免疫诱导剂),为植物病害防控提供新思路。图1参71     

Predicting the age of fish using general and generalized linear models of biometric data: A case study of two estuarine finfish from New South Wales, Australia

Direct ageing of fish can be a laborious and expensive task when age estimates from a large population are required, and often involves a degree of subjectivity. This study examined the application of general and generalized linear models that predict the age of fish from a range of efficiently and objectively measured covariates. The data sampled were from yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis (Sparidae) (Owen, 1853)) and sand whiting (Sillago ciliata (Sillaginidae) Cuvier, 1829) populations from New South Wales, Australia. The covariates evaluated in the models were fish length, otolith weight, sex and location (the estuary from which the fish were sampled). Akaike Information Criteria were used for model selection and residual plots of the final models revealed a satisfactory fit to the observations. The best fitting model for each species included all covariates. An additional investigation considered whether general and generalized linear models that predict age from two different categories of biometric information outperform age-length keys with respect to subsequent estimates of total mortality from catch-curve analysis. The two categories of biometric information differed in the ease and cost with which the information could be collected. The first category only included fish length and location as covariates, whilst the second category also included otolith weight and sex. It was found that traditional age-length keys outperformed the predictive models that estimated age from only fish length and location, because the results from the models were prone to significant bias. However, when otolith weight and sex were added as covariates to the predictive models, some of them, including a generalized linear model with a Poisson-distributed response variable, performed similarly to the age-length key. Given that otolith weight and the sex of fish are cheaper to quantify than age from a sectioned otolith in many situations, general or generalized linear models may represent a cheaper and faster method of estimating mortality compared to age-length keys. Such models can also easily incorporate the influence of spatial, temporal and demographic variation.     

How does tolerance affect urban innovative capacities in China?

This study investigated how urban cultural and economic tolerance affects urban innovative capacities based on China's prefecture‐level cities. Several tolerance indices, including ratios of migrants, rental housing, gay people, and private economies were introduced and the cities’ tolerance scores were measured using factor analysis. The results show that cities with higher cultural and economical tolerant scores were agglomerated in three metropolitan areas in China's southeastern coastal region. The spatial regression model demonstrates that urban cultural and economic tolerance increases urban innovation output and promotes innovation capacities. We also introduced the crime rate as an instrumental variable and found that the effect of tolerance on innovation remains robust. Our study suggests it is important for the Chinese government to establish an open and tolerant environment to attract migrants, creative artists, and entrepreneurs to foster urban vitality and improve urban innovative capacities.     

Association mapping reveals loci associated with multiple traits that affect grain yield and adaptation in soft winter wheat

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are useful to facilitate crop improvement via enhanced knowledge of marker-trait associations (MTA). A GWAS for grain yield (GY), yield components, and agronomic traits was conducted using a diverse panel of 239 soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes evaluated across two growing seasons and eight site-years. Analysis of variance showed significant environment, genotype, and genotype-by-environment effects for GY and yield components. Narrow sense heritability of GY (h ²  = 0.48) was moderate compared to other traits including plant height (h ²  = 0.81) and kernel weight (h ²  = 0.77). There were 112 significant MTA (p < 0.0005) detected for eight measured traits using compressed mixed linear models and 5715 single nucleotide polymorphism markers. MTA for GY and agronomic traits coincided with previously reported QTL for winter and spring wheat. Highly significant MTA for GY showed an overall negative allelic effect for the minor allele, indicating selection against these alleles by breeders. Markers associated with multiple traits observed on chromosomes 1A, 2D, 3B, and 4B with positive minor effects serve as potential targets for marker assisted breeding to select for improvement of GY and related traits. Following marker validation, these multi-trait loci have the potential to be utilized for MAS to improve GY and adaptation of soft red winter wheat.     

The mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome reveals a mechanism of mTORC1-mediated inhibition of growth factor signaling

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein kinase is a master growth promoter that nucleates two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Despite the diverse processes controlled by mTOR, few substrates are known. We defined the mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome by quantitative mass spectrometry and characterized the primary sequence motif specificity of mTOR using positional scanning peptide libraries. We found that the phosphorylation response to insulin is largely mTOR dependent and that mTOR exhibits a unique preference for proline, hydrophobic, and aromatic residues at the +1 position. The adaptor protein Grb10 was identified as an mTORC1 substrate that mediates the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase typical of cells lacking tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), a tumor suppressor and negative regulator of mTORC1. Our work clarifies how mTORC1 inhibits growth factor signaling and opens new areas of investigation in mTOR biology.     

The Innovativeness and Heterogeneity of Foreign‐Invested High‐Tech Companies in Shanghai

China has taken a foreign direct investment‐based approach toward increasing its capital and knowledge base, and developing into an innovative economy. However, little quantitative evidence exists about the factors that drive innovations of foreign‐invested enterprises (FIEs) there. This paper uses survey data from high‐technology firms in Shanghai to discuss factors affecting their innovativeness. It takes the concepts of absorptive capacity, export orientation, and innovation‐related cooperation as a starting point. It highlights how the interplay of strategies and resources affects innovativeness and heterogeneity of FIEs. The most innovative FIEs are endowed with a strong human capital base and R&D activities, which at the same time target export markets and whose cooperative partners involve firms other than their parent company. The results underline the necessity to differentiate between the different types of FIEs when examining their innovativeness.     

Biochemical markers of bone metabolism in growing thoroughbreds: a longitudinal study

This study describes longitudinal changes in serum levels of biochemical markers of bone cell activity in a group of 24 thoroughbred foals from birth to 18 months of age. The markers of bone formation included the type I collagen carboxy-terminal propeptide (PICP), the bone-specific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and osteocalcin (OC). Levels of the cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), a marker of bone resorption, and the N-terminal propeptide of type III collagen (PNIIIP), a marker of soft tissue turnover, were also measured. Levels of all markers fell significantly between birth and 18 months of age (70-80 per cent); this decrease being most marked between 0 and 6 months. However, a transient increase in levels of the markers then occurred between 6 and 14 months of age. The timing of this increase was specific for each parameter. ICTP and OC concentrations increased between October and December. PICP concentrations increased between December and April whereas the increase in PIIINP was coincident with the peak in weight gain between April and June. Changes in BAP concentration were less distinct at this time. Season was shown to have significant effects on the biochemical markers independent from the effect of age. Concentrations of all markers decreased with increasing body weight and at any given age heavier horses had lower marker levels. These results show that biochemical markers of bone cell activity and soft tissue turnover follow characteristic patterns of change in growing thoroughbreds influenced by age, season and bodyweight. The demonstration that the reference ranges for the biochemical markers change from month to month means that single samples from individuals are of little value for monitoring bone cell activity in growing thoroughbreds.