The global reach of the 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami

Numerical model simulations, combined with tide-gauge and satellite altimetry data, reveal that wave amplitudes, directionality, and global propagation patterns of the 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami were primarily determined by the orientation and intensity of the offshore seismic line source and subsequently by the trapping effect of mid-ocean ridge topographic waveguides.     

Structural basis for tail-anchored membrane protein biogenesis by the Get3-receptor complex

Tail-anchored (TA) proteins are involved in cellular processes including trafficking, degradation, and apoptosis. They contain a C-terminal membrane anchor and are posttranslationally delivered to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by the Get3 adenosine triphosphatase interacting with the hetero-oligomeric Get1/2 receptor. We have determined crystal structures of Get3 in complex with the cytosolic domains of Get1 and Get2 in different functional states at 3.0, 3.2, and 4.6 angstrom resolution. The structural data, together with biochemical experiments, show that Get1 and Get2 use adjacent, partially overlapping binding sites and that both can bind simultaneously to Get3. Docking to the Get1/2 complex allows for conformational changes in Get3 that are required for TA protein insertion. These data suggest a molecular mechanism for nucleotide-regulated delivery of TA proteins.     

Steroid hormone concentration profiles in healthy intact and neutered dogs before and after cosyntropin administration

The purpose of this study was to determine steroid hormone concentration profiles in healthy intact and neutered male and female dogs. Seventeen intact female dogs, 20 intact male dogs, 30 spayed female dogs, and 30 castrated male dogs were used in this study. Serum samples were collected before and 1h after cosyntropin administration, and serum concentrations were determined for cortisol, progesterone, 17-OH progesterone (17-OHP), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, testosterone, and estradiol. Intact male dogs had greater concentrations of DHEAS, androstenedione, and testosterone. Intact female dogs had greater concentrations of progesterone. There was no significant difference in estradiol concentration among the four groups. Intact male dogs had lower concentrations of cortisol post-stimulation. DHEAS and testosterone did not increase in response to ACTH in intact males, and estradiol concentrations did not increase in response to ACTH in any group. Results from this study will enhance interpretation of suspected adrenal and/or gonadal disorders of dogs. Because estradiol concentrations were similar in all groups of dogs, measuring estradiol may not be a useful diagnostic test. Cortisol concentrations for intact male dogs with hyperadrenocorticism may be lower than those of female or neutered dogs.     

Subsurface earthworm casts can be important soil microsites specifically influencing the growth of grassland plants

Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) deposit several tons per hectare of casts enriched in nutrients and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and create a spatial and temporal soil heterogeneity that can play a role in structuring plant communities. However, while we begin to understand the role of surface casts, it is still unclear to what extent plants utilize subsurface casts. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using large mesocosms (volume 45 l) to test whether (1) soil microsites consisting of earthworm casts with or without AMF (four Glomus taxa) affect the biomass production of 11 grassland plant species comprising the three functional groups grasses, forbs, and legumes, (2) different ecological groups of earthworms (soil dwellers—Aporrectodea caliginosa vs. vertical burrowers—Lumbricus terrestris) alter potential influences of soil microsites (i.e., four earthworms × two subsurface microsites × two AMF treatments). Soil microsites were artificially inserted in a 25-cm depth, and afterwards, plant species were sown in a regular pattern; the experiment ran for 6 months. Our results show that minute amounts of subsurface casts (0.89 g kg^?1 soil) decreased the shoot and root production of forbs and legumes, but not that of grasses. The presence of earthworms reduced root biomass of grasses only. Our data also suggest that subsurface casts provide microsites from which root AMF colonization can start. Ecological groups of earthworms did not differ in their effects on plant production or AMF distribution. Taken together, these findings suggest that subsurface earthworm casts might play a role in structuring plant communities by specifically affecting the growth of certain functional groups of plants.     

Early season nitrogen accumulation in winter wheat

Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) is widely used as a winter cover crop to conserve soil residual nitrogen (N) in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. Cereal rye, however, has agronomic drawbacks that may make other winter small grain crops more desirable alternatives. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a small grain that could substitute for cereal rye as a cover crop because it would give growers the flexibility of using it as a cover crop or growing it to maturity. There is currently little information on early season N accumulation of winter wheat cultivars, which is critical for the success of a small grain cover crop. To determine the degree of variation in early season N accumulation and early season biomass yield in soft red winter wheat in the mid‐Atlantic region, twenty‐five commercially available cultivars were evaluated at Beltsville, MD in the 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 growing seasons. Acereal rye cultivar ("Wheeler") was included as a cover crop control. Samples of plant tissue were taken at Feekes growth stage 5 and at physiological maturity each year. There were significant differences among cultivars for early season N accumulation and biomass yield. A large group of wheat cultivars had similar early season N accumulation and biomass yield as the cereal rye cover crop control. This suggests that some cultivars of winter wheat may be as effective as cereal rye as a winter cover crop. Early season N accumulation was highly correlated (r=0.90***) with early season biomass yield rather than with plant N content. These results indicate that soft red winter wheat has potential as a dual grain and cover crop and could be considered an alternative to cereal rye as a winter cover crop for conserving residual soil nitrogen in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States.     

Stoffkonzentrationen in bodenlösungen bei verschiedenen fruchtfolgen auf einem sandigen standort 2. mitteilung: Nitratverlagerung

In einem komplexen Feldversuch auf einem sandigen Standort wurde über einen Zeitraum von 5 Jahren in verschiedenen Fruchtfolgen die Wirkung unterschiedlicher Bodenbearbeitung und Mineral‐N‐Düngung auf die Nitratkonzentration in Bodenlösungen mit Hilfe einer Saugkerzenanlage untersucht. Die Nitratkonzentrationen in Bodenlösungen (60 cm Tiefe) wurden untersucht und die potentielle N‐Fracht auf der Grundlage der Nitratkonzentration im Bodenwasser und der klimatischen Wasserbilanz kalkuliert.

Die Nitratkonzentrationen in Bodenlösungen folgten einer ausgeprägten jahreszeitlichen Dynamik, mit Maxima in der Hauptsickerperiode und Minima in der Vegetationszeit, wobei die Wirkung der Prüffaktoren in folgender Reihenfolge abnahm: Mineral‐N‐Düngung > Fruchtfolge > Bodenbearbeitung.

In der Hauptsickerperiode wurde > 50% der jährlichen Sickerwassermenge und 36 . . . 94% der N‐Fracht ermittelt. Auf dem Untersuchungsstandort betrugen die maximalen N‐Frachten ca. 100 kg ha^?1a^?1.

Die N‐Frachten wurden durch die N‐Entzüge der verschiedenen Fruchtarten beeinflusst. Durch mineralische N‐Düngung stiegen die N‐Entzüge von Wintergetreide um 42 . . . 85% und von Silomais um 32 . . . 53%.     

Long-term Development of Organic Matter of Sandy Soils Under Influence of Fertilization and Climate

The Static Nutient Deficiency Experiment at the location of Thyrow/Germany exists since 1937 and remained unchanged in its management during the whole period of experimentation. From the beginning of the 60th soil samples were collected every year in the autumn and the organic carbon content was determined constantly using the same method. For the period 1965-2000 a decrease of carbon content could be found in an order of 15% (average of all variants in the experiment). The air and soil temperatures showed rising tendencies. Since 1965 the average air temperature annually increased by 0.03°C and the soil temperature in the depth 0.1-0.2m by 0.02°C, respectively. According to the rising temperatures in this period the number of days with a soil temperature higher than 6°C increased by 3.8 days per decade of years. The evaluation of data by regression analysis revealed that in average the organic carbon content is reduced by 1.5mg per 100g soil each day which shows a higher soil temperature than 6°C.