Role of soil organic matter in stabilization of water-stable aggregates in Soils under different types of land use

Three Andosols (used as grassland, upland field, and paddy field) and two Gray Lowland soils (used as upland field and paddy field) were examined to study the role of organic matter in the stabilization of soil aggregates. It was found that prolonged use of Andosols as grassland or as upland field enabled to maintain a higher level of soil organic carbon than use as paddy field. However, paddy soil exhibited a greater aggregate stability (determined by wet-sieving procedure) than soil under upland field or grassland management. Comparison between two Gray Lowland soils also showed that aggregates in the paddy soil were more stable than in the upland field soil. Among organic constituents examined (such as sodium pyrophosphate (SPP)-extractable organic matter and carbohydrates), only the contents of hot water (HW)-extractable carbohydrates of the soils were significantly correlated with aggregate stability. Paddy soils which showed a greater aggregate stability contained a larger amount of HW -extractable carbohydrates in the soils, and a larger amount of HW -extractable carbohydrates regardless of the size of their aggregates compared with other soils. These findings suggest that HW -extractable carbohydrates which represents easily decomposable organic materials may be of special importance for the stabilization of aggregates in the soils.     

Aluminum toxicity of the rice plant under water culture conditions

Aluminum has been reported as the active factor of acid soils which is deleterious to plant growth (3, 4, 6, 7). Aluminum in the soil becomes more soluble at low pH and a high concentration of aluminum in the soil solution may be toxic to plants.     

Visualizing gas molecules interacting with supported nanoparticulate catalysts at reaction conditions

Understanding how molecules can restructure the surfaces of heterogeneous catalysts under reaction conditions requires methods that can visualize atoms in real space and time. We applied a newly developed aberration-corrected environmental transmission electron microscopy to show that adsorbed carbon monoxide (CO) molecules caused the {100} facets of a gold nanoparticle to reconstruct during CO oxidation at room temperature. The CO molecules adsorbed at the on-top sites of gold atoms in the reconstructed surface, and the energetic favorability of this reconstructed structure was confirmed by ab initio calculations and image simulations. This atomic-scale visualizing method can be applied to help elucidate reaction mechanisms in heterogeneous catalysis.     

Spontaneous thymoma in a 10-week-old sprague-dawley rat

Spontaneous thymoma was found in the left lobe of the thymus of a male 10-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat. Microscopically, the thymic mass showed a sheet of dark area with multiple pale foci. The dark area mainly consisted of densely compacted small lymphoid cells with sporadic large epithelioid cells and mitotic figures. The epithelioid cells and mitotic figures were more frequent than those of the normal thymic cortex in this animal. The multiple pale foci were similar to the normal thymic medulla and occasionally had Hassall's corpuscles; thus, they were regarded as medullary differentiation areas. Furthermore, some perivascular spaces recognized as characteristics of thymoma were present in the center of the mass. Immunohistochemically, the epithelioid cells in the dark area were positive for cytokeratin. Ultrastructurally, desmosomes and tonofilaments were observed in the epithelioid cells. Thus, this tumor was diagnosed as a thymoma. This is a rare case of thymoma occurring spontaneously in young adult SD rat.     

Recovery of leptospires from miniature pigs experimentally infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Manilae strain UP-MMC under immunosuppressive conditions by dexamethasone

Leptospira interrogans serovar Manilae strain UP-MMC was inoculated into miniature pigs to assess its pathogenicity. Leptospires were recovered from the whole blood, kidneys, and livers in the acute phase without showing any clinical signs. Under immunosuppressive conditions by dexamethasone, leptospires were recovered from the kidneys and their genes were detected from the urine in the chronic phase. These results indicate that leptospires persisted in the kidneys until the chronic phase, and excretion of leptospires in the urine was enhanced under immunosuppressive conditions, resulting in horizontal transmission among pigs on farms.     

Microfibril angle and density of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) trees in 15 half-sib families in a progeny test stand in Kyushu, Japan

It was previously believed in Japan that the wood qualities of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) were superior to sugi (Cryptomeria japonica). However, few studies of wood properties such as MFA (microfibril angle of S₂ layer in secondary wall of tracheid) have been completed for hinoki. Some reports have found that hinoki plus tree families have similar mechanical properties to sugi. Here we report the characteristics of MFA and density of hinoki half-sib families in a progeny test stand. There were significant differences in MFA and density between families. The wood properties of two families, Nakatsu 3 and Kanzaki 5, are stable in radial pattern and suitable for structural use. Early selection of hinoki families by MFA and density may be difficult. Effects of MFA and density on E _d (dynamic modulus of elasticity) of logs differed between families. The effects of growth rate on MFA and density differed between families and also between juvenile and mature wood. The faster growth rate in Nakatsu 3 appeared to improve wood properties and increase E _d of logs, although in many other families, faster growth rate had negative effects on desirable wood properties for structural use.     

Expression and functional characterization of boophilin, a thrombin inhibitor from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus midgut

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is an ectoparasite responsible for an important decrease in meat, milk and leather production, caused both by cattle blood loss and by the transmission of anaplasmosis and babesiosis. R. microplus is a rich source of serine protease inhibitors, including the trypsin inhibitors BmTI-A and BmTI-6, the subtilisin inhibitor BmSI, and the recently described thrombin inhibitor, boophilin. Boophilin is a double Kunitz-type thrombin inhibitor, with the unusual ability to form a ternary complex with a second (non-thrombin) serine proteinase molecule. The large-scale expression and purification of boophilin and of its isolated N-terminal (D1) domain in Pichia pastoris, its expression profile, and the effect of RNAi-mediated gene silencing in tick egg production are reported. Full-length boophilin and D1 were expressed at 21 and 37.5mg/L of culture, respectively. Purified boophilin inhibited trypsin (K(i) 0.65 nM), neutrophil elastase (K(i) 21 nM) and bovine thrombin (K(i) 57 pM), while D1 inhibited trypsin and neutrophil elastase (K(i) of 2.0 and 129 nM, respectively), but not thrombin. Boophilin gene silencing using RNAi resulted in 20% reduction in egg weight production, suggesting that the expression of boophilin in this life stage would be important but not vital, probably due to functional overlap with other serine proteinase inhibitors in the midgut of R. microplus. Considering our data, Boophilin could be combining with other antigen in a vaccine production for tick control.     

Expressed sequence tags from organ-specific cDNA libraries of tea (Camellia sinensis) and polymorphisms and transferability of EST-SSRs across Camellia species

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world and the tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze, is an important crop in many countries. To increase the amount of genomic information available for C. sinensis, we constructed seven cDNA libraries from various organs and used these to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs). A total of 17,458 ESTs were generated and assembled into 5,262 unigenes. About 50% of the unigenes were assigned annotations by Gene Ontology. Some were homologous to genes involved in important biological processes, such as nitrogen assimilation, aluminum response, and biosynthesis of caffeine and catechins. Digital northern analysis showed that 67 unigenes were expressed differentially among the seven organs. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) motif searches among the unigenes identified 1,835 unigenes (34.9%) harboring SSR motifs of more than six repeat units. A subset of 100 EST-SSR primer sets was tested for amplification and polymorphism in 16 tea accessions. Seventy-one primer sets successfully amplified EST-SSRs and 70 EST-SSR loci were polymorphic. Furthermore, these 70 EST-SSR markers were transferable to 14 other Camellia species. The ESTs and EST-SSR markers will enhance the study of important traits and the molecular genetics of tea plants and other Camellia species.     

Arsenic and Heavy Metal Concentrations in Agricultural Soils Around Tin and Tungsten Mines in the Dai Tu district, N. Vietnam

This study assessed the arsenic and heavy metal contaminations of agricultural soils around the tin and tungsten mining areas in Dai Tu district in northern Vietnam. Among the examined elements, high total contents of As and Cu were found in the agricultural fields at both tin and tungsten mining sites. Although the major part of the accumulated As and Cu were bound by various soil constituents such as Fe and Mn oxides, organic matter, and clay minerals, increases in water soluble As and Cu were observed, especially for the paddy fields. The results suggest that, in the studied area, As and Cu dispersion from their pollution sources into farmlands is mainly via fluvial transportation of mine waste through streams that cross the paddy fields around the tin mining area, and soil erosion at the tea fields located at lower positions of the slope in the tungsten mining area.