Experiments on hydraulic jumps in turbidity currents near a canyon-fan transition

The point at which a submarine canyon debouches on its associated abyssal fan is generally characterized by a drop in channel slope. Turbidity currents of the kind responsible for the genesis of the canyon and fan should display an internal hydraulic jump near the slope transition. No direct field observations of any such jump appear, however, to have been made. Experiments on the nature of the jump and the resulting sedimentary deposits indicate that the thickness of the deposits just downstream of the jump tends to increase as the ratio of bed shear velocity immediately behind the jump to particle fall velocity decreases.     

Kepler detected gravity-mode period spacings in a red giant star

Stellar interiors are inaccessible through direct observations. For this reason, helioseismologists made use of the Sun's acoustic oscillation modes to tune models of its structure. The quest to detect modes that probe the solar core has been ongoing for decades. We report the detection of mixed modes penetrating all the way to the core of an evolved star from 320 days of observations with the Kepler satellite. The period spacings of these mixed modes are directly dependent on the density gradient between the core region and the convective envelope.     

Characterization of the bound volatile extract from baby kiwi (Actinidia arguta)

The glycosidically bound volatile fraction of baby kiwi ( Actinidia arguta ) was studied. Glycosidic precursors were isolated from juice by adsorption onto an Amberlite XAD-2 column. After enzymatic hydrolysis with Rapidase AR2000, the released aglycones were analyzed by GC-MS. Alcohols, terpenoids, and benzenoids were the most abundant compound classes. Aromatic compounds and norisoprenoids showed the highest concentrations. Major compounds were 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (Furaneol), benzyl alcohol, 3-hydroxy-β-damascone, hexanal, and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol. Precursors of aroma compounds including benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, and coniferyl alcohol were also found. Eugenol, raspberry ketone, and 4-vinylguaiacol were identified for the first time in the fruit of an Actinidia species. The high concentration of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone in bound form (95.36 μg/kg) is particularly interesting and justifies further investigation.     

Podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin in Juniperus bermudiana and 12 other Juniperus species: optimization of extraction, method validation, and quantification

The lignans podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin are secondary metabolites with potent pharmaceutical applications in cancer therapy. However, the supply of podophyllotoxin from its current natural source, Podophyllum hexandrum, is becoming increasingly problematic, and alternative sources are therefore urgently needed. So far, podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin have been found in some Juniperus species, although at low levels in most cases. Moreover, extraction protocols deserve optimization. This study aimed at developing and validating an efficient extraction protocol of podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin from Juniperus species and applying it to 13 Juniperus species, among which some had never been previously analyzed. Juniperus bermudiana was used for the development and validation of an extraction protocol for podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin allowing extraction yields of up to 22.6 mg/g DW of podophyllotoxin and 4.4 mg/g DW deoxypodophyllotoxin, the highest values found in leaf extract of Juniperus. The optimized extraction protocol and HPLC separation from DAD or MS detections were established and validated to investigate podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin contents in aerial parts of 12 other Juniperus species. This allowed either higher yields to be obtained in some species reported to contain these two compounds or the occurrence of these compounds in some other species to be reported for the first time. This efficient protocol allows effective extraction of podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin from aerial parts of Juniperus species, which could therefore constitute interesting alternative sources of these valuable metabolites.     

The 10 Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points

We identify the 10 major terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Australia most vulnerable to tipping points, in which modest environmental changes can cause disproportionately large changes in ecosystem properties. To accomplish this we independently surveyed the coauthors of this paper to produce a list of candidate ecosystems, and then refined this list during a 2-day workshop. The list includes (1) elevationally restricted mountain ecosystems, (2) tropical savannas, (3) coastal floodplains and wetlands, (4) coral reefs, (5) drier rainforests, (6) wetlands and floodplains in the Murray-Darling Basin, (7) the Mediterranean ecosystems of southwestern Australia, (8) offshore islands, (9) temperate eucalypt forests, and (10) salt marshes and mangroves. Some of these ecosystems are vulnerable to widespread phase-changes that could fundamentally alter ecosystem properties such as habitat structure, species composition, fire regimes, or carbon storage. Others appear susceptible to major changes across only part of their geographic range, whereas yet others are susceptible to a large-scale decline of key biotic components, such as small mammals or stream-dwelling amphibians. For each ecosystem we consider the intrinsic features and external drivers that render it susceptible to tipping points, and identify subtypes of the ecosystem that we deem to be especially vulnerable.     

Crotalaria medicaginea associated with horse deaths in northern Australia: new pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Crotalaria medicaginea has been implicated in horse poisoning in grazing regions of central-west Queensland, which resulted in the deaths of more than 35 horses from hepatotoxicosis in 2010. Liver pathology was suggestive of pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis, and we report here the isolation of two previously uncharacterized pyrrolizidine alkaloids from C. medicaginea plant specimens collected from pastures where the horses died. The first alkaloid was shown by mass spectometric and NMR analyses to be 1β,2β-epoxy-7β-hydroxy-1α-methoxymethyl-8α-pyrrolizidine, which, like other alkaloids previously isolated from C. medicaginea, lacks the requisite functionality for hepatotoxcity. The second alkaloid isolated in this investigation was a new macrocyclic diester of otonecine, which we have named cromedine. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of cromedine were fully assigned by 2D NMR techniques and allowed the constitution of the macrocyclic diester to be assigned unambiguously. C. medicaginea specimens implicated in this investigation do not belong to any of the three recognized Australian varieties (C. medicaginea var. neglecta, C. medicaginea var. medicaginea, and C. medicaginea var. linearis) and appear to be a local variant or form, referred to here as C. medicaginea (chemotype cromedine).     

Genetic,quantitative and microscopic evidence for fusion of haploid nuclei and growth of somatic calli in cultured <Emphasis Type="Italic">ms10</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">35</Emphasis></Superscript> tomato anthers

In plant breeding, androgenic doubled haploids represent powerful tools to save time and resources for pure line generation. While in many species efficient protocols are known, in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the knowledge on the induction of androgenesis is still very scarce, and little is known about the particularities of this highly recalcitrant species. The only known method capable of yielding haploid/doubled haploid tomato plants is anther culture. However, this method has important limitations, including low efficiency of haploid induction and a low proportion of spontaneously doubled haploids. To understand these limitations better, we have analyzed the process of callus formation in anthers of tomato lines carrying the ms10 ³⁵ gene for male-sterility, using light and electron microscopy, flow cytometry and genetic analysis with morphological and molecular markers. Our results demonstrate that haploid, doubled haploid and diploid calli occur in tomato anthers, although at different frequencies. Diploid calli derived either from somatic cells or from the fusion of two genetically different haploid nuclei account for more than 90% of the total of calli produced. Somatic calli are derived from the stubs of connective tissue present in the interlocular septa of anthers. This growth is markedly increased in the ms10 ³⁵ mutants, which explains their higher callogenic rates than standard tomato lines. Together, our results reveal serious drawbacks that explain the low efficiency of anther-derived, doubled haploid production in tomato, and stress the need for alternatives towards doubled haploidy.     

Population biology of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Dougl.) with reference to historical disturbances in the Lake Tahoe Basin: Implications for restoration

Historical logging, fire suppression, and an invasive pathogen, Cronartium ribicola, the cause of white pine blister rust (WPBR), are assumed to have dramatically affected sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) populations in the Lake Tahoe Basin. We examined population- and genetic-level consequences of these disturbances within 10 sugar pine populations by assessing current population structure and trends for 1129 individuals, genetic diversity for 250 individuals, and frequency of WPBR-resistance for 102 families. Logging had occurred in 9 of 10 sites and fire suppression was evident in all stands. High density of white fir (Abies concolor) is often an indicator of fire suppression and we found a negative relationship between sugar pine survivorship and white fir basal area (r² = 0.31). C. ribicola was present in 90% of stands (incidence range: 0-48%) and we found a significant relationship between mean host survivorship and disease incidence (r² = 0.46). We estimated population growth rates (λ) from size-based transition matrices. For six of 10 sugar pine populations λ was ?1.0, indicating that these populations appear to be stable; for four populations, λ was <1.0, indicating populations that may be in decline. A population specific drift parameter, c_i, which is a measure of genetic differentiation in allele frequencies relative to an ancestral population, ranged from 0.009 to 0.048. Higher values of c_i indicate greater genetic drift, possibly due to a bottleneck caused by historical logging, other agents of mortality or much older events affecting population sizes. Effects of drift are known to be greater in small populations and we found a negative relationship between sugar pine density and c_i (r² = 0.36). Allele frequency of the Cr1 gene, responsible for WPBR-resistance in sugar pine, averaged 0.068 for all populations sampled; no WPBR infection was found in one population in which the Cr1 frequency was 0.112. Historical disturbances and their interactions have likely influenced the population biology of sugar pine in the Tahoe Basin; for some populations this has meant reduced population size, higher genetic drift, and poor survival of small- and intermediate-sized individuals. Possible management strategies include restoring population numbers, deploying WPBR-resistance, treating stands to promote natural sugar pine regeneration, and enhancing genetic diversity.     

Smooth Brome (Bromus inermis Leyss) and Soil Chemical Response to Concrete Grinding Residue Application

Concrete grinding residue (CGR) is a by-product created by concrete pavement maintenance operations. The application of CGR to roadside soils is not consistently regulated by state agencies across the USA, which is partially due to the lack of science-based information on its impacts to soils and plants. The objectives of this research were to determine the impact of CGR additions to soil on both smooth brome (Bromus inermis L.) biomass and plant and soil chemical parameters. In a greenhouse study, two soils were treated with two CGR by-products at 8% and 25% by weight. Shoot biomass was significantly influenced by the main effects (Soil, CGR, and Rate) and by all two-way interactions, but not consistently positively or negatively correlated. Trace metal concentrations in the shoot biomass were variable, but 68% of these metals had the same concentration or lower in the 25% CGR treatments compared with the controls. Soil pH and electrical conductivity were significantly influenced by the main effects and two-way interactions of Soil × Rate and CGR × Rate, and soil pH was significantly greater in the CGR-treated soils. Calcium, Na, Mg, Al, and S concentrations in soils were all influenced by additions of CGR, but trace metal levels in the treatments were all within the range for uncontaminated soils. Ecosystem impact of applying CGR will be dependent upon the quality of CGR and soil characteristics. Controlling the liming potential of CGR should be considered a best management practice.