Estimating water use of a black locust plantation by the thermal dissipation probe method in the semiarid region of Loess Plateau, China

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a major reforestation species in the semiarid region in the Loess Plateau of China. There has been increasing concern about the sustainability of the plantations because of their possible high water-use. This study was, accordingly, undertaken to quantify the stand-scale water use of a middle-aged black locust plantation in the region. The thermal dissipation probe method was applied to 27 trees to measure sap flux densities in an experimental plot during the growing season of 2008. The monoculture stand has a basal area of 23.3 m² ha^?1 and a maximum plant area index (PAI) of 2.89. Sapwood areas were estimated by use of a regressive relationship with the diameter at breast height (DBH) for scaling up of stand transpiration. The results showed that DBH could be a good predictor of sapwood area of individual trees. The diurnal cycles of average sap flux densities differed among DBH classes. Daily transpiration can be predicted from mean daily daytime vapor pressure deficit (VPD_m) using a fitted exponential saturation model. Model variables were different among seasons, probably owing to different soil water conditions and leaf phenology. By using the derived model for each month, stand canopy transpiration over the growing season was estimated to be 73.8 mm, with an average daily value of 0.41 mm day^?1 and a maximum of 0.89 mm day^?1. The relatively small estimates of stand transpiration might be attributed to low PAI and sap wood area of the middle-aged stand.     

Formation of callose from sucrose in cotton fiber microsomal membranes

Callose is formed from exogenous sucrose by cotton fiber microsomal membranes that contain both sucrose synthase and callose synthase activity. Although the coupled reaction between sucrose and callose synthases occurs predominantly to channel glucose from sucrosederived uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose into callose in the membranes, there is no difference in the UDP-glucose-forming/sucrose-forming activity ratios between the soluble and membrane-bound forms of sucrose synthase. The consumption of UDP-glucose from sucrose into callose probably leads to UDP-glucose formation rather than sucrose formation despite the lower affinity of sucrose synthase for sucrose than for UDP-glucose. Callose formation is markedly stimulated by the addition of either recombinant Glu¹¹ (S11E) or in vitro phosphorylated Ser¹¹ mung bean sucrose synthase but not by the wild-type nonphosphorylated Ser¹¹ enzyme. We propose that a negative charge (by phosphorylation or mutagenesis) at Ser¹¹ in sucrose synthase causes the enzyme to promote a coupled callose-forming reaction.Part of this paper was presented at the 8th International Cell Wall Meeting, Norwich, UK, September 1998     

Effect of oral administration of L-pipecolic acid on food intake in chicks and mice

It has been demonstrated that L-pipecolic acid (L-PA), a major metabolic intermediate of L-lysine (L-Lys) in the brain, is involved in the functioning of the γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic system. Previous study has shown that intracerebroventricular injection of L-PA suppressed feeding and induced sleep-like behavior in neonatal chicks. The present study examines whether the action of L-PA was induced by gavage in both chicks and mice. Oral administration of L-PA significantly inhibited food intake at 2 h after treatment in neonatal chicks, although no significant effect of L-Lys was detected. In mice, oral L-PA suppressed food intake compared to the control after 2 h of treatment. It was concluded that L-PA was effective for suppression of food intake after oral administration in both avian and mammalian species.     

Effect of forest structure on the spatial variation in soil respiration in a Bornean tropical rainforest

This study was undertaken to identify critical and practical factors explaining spatial variations in soil respiration and to estimate stand-scale soil respiration in an aseasonal tropical rainforest on Borneo Island. To this aim, we conducted soil respiration measurements at 25 points in a 40 m × 40 m subplot of a 4 ha study plot between 2002 and 2006, and examined the spatial variation in soil respiration averaged over the 4 years in relation to soil, root, and forest structural factors. In addition, we examined the spatial representativeness of soil respiration measured in the subplot using a specific scaling procedure. Consequently, we found significant positive correlation between the soil respiration and forest structural parameters such as the mean diameter at breast height (DBH), total basal area, and maximum DBH within 6 m of the measurement points. The most important factor was the mean DBH within 6 m of the measurement points, which had a significant linear relationship with soil respiration. Using the derived linear regression and an inventory dataset, we estimated the 4 ha plot-scale soil respiration. The 4 ha plot-scale estimation (6.0 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) was nearly identical to the subplot-scale measurements (5.7 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹), which were roughly comparable to the nocturnal CO₂ fluxes calculated using the eddy covariance technique. In addition, we discuss characteristics of the stand-scale soil respiration at this site by comparing with those of other forests reported in previous literature in terms of the soil C balance. Soil respiration at our site was noticeably greater, relative to the incident litterfall amount, than soil respiration in other tropical and temperate forests probably owing to the larger total belowground C allocation by emergent trees. Overall, this study suggests the arrangement of emergent trees with larger DBH and their belowground C allocation could be primary factors controlling spatial variations in soil respiration in the tropical rainforest.     

Neuronal activation modulates enhancer activity of genes for excitatory synaptogenesis through de novo DNA methylation

Post-mitotic neurons do exhibit DNA methylation changes, contrary to the longstanding belief that the epigenetic pattern in terminally differentiated cells is essentially unchanged. While the mechanism and physiological significance of DNA demethylation in neurons have been extensively elucidated, the occurrence of de novo DNA methylation and its impacts have been much less investigated. In the present study, we showed that neuronal activation induces de novo DNA methylation at enhancer regions, which can repress target genes in primary cultured hippocampal neurons. The functional significance of this de novo DNA methylation was underpinned by the demonstration that inhibition of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity decreased neuronal activity-induced excitatory synaptogenesis. Overexpression of WW and C2 domain-containing 1 (Wwc1), a representative target gene of de novo DNA methylation, could phenocopy this DNMT inhibition-induced decrease in synaptogenesis. We found that both DNMT1 and DNMT3a were required for neuronal activity-induced de novo DNA methylation of the Wwc1 enhancer. Taken together, we concluded that neuronal activity-induced de novo DNA methylation that affects gene expression has an impact on neuronal physiology that is comparable to that of DNA demethylation. Since the different requirements of DNMTs for germ cell and embryonic development are known, our findings also have considerable implications for future studies on epigenomics in the field of reproductive biology.     

Direct evidence of nitric oxide production induced by lactoferrin and its enhancement by magnesium ions in cultured endothelial cells

Bovine lactoferrin (BLF) reportedly lowers blood pressure and induces vasorelaxation, but its effect on nitric oxide (NO) production has not been established. Accordingly, we aimed to determine whether BLF induces NO production in bovine aortic endothelial cells, and the effects of extracellular free magnesium (Mg) ion concentrations on this NO production. BLF induced NO production time-dependently. NO production was markedly inhibited by the NO synthase inhibitor, N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, in an effect abolished by L-arginine, but not D-arginine. NO production was suppressed at low concentrations, and enhanced at high concentrations, of Mg ions in culture medium. These results suggest that BLF has an important role in hypotensive effects. Mg ions may affect BLF-induced NO production.     

The Cassiopeia A supernova was of type IIb

Cassiopeia A is the youngest supernova remnant known in the Milky Way and a unique laboratory for supernova physics. We present an optical spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova near maximum brightness, obtained from observations of a scattered light echo more than three centuries after the direct light of the explosion swept past Earth. The spectrum shows that Cassiopeia A was a type IIb supernova and originated from the collapse of the helium core of a red supergiant that had lost most of its hydrogen envelope before exploding. Our finding concludes a long-standing debate on the Cassiopeia A progenitor and provides new insight into supernova physics by linking the properties of the explosion to the wealth of knowledge about its remnant.     

Nitro-PAHs and PAHs in Atmospheric Particulate Matters and Sea Sediments in Hiroshima Bay Area, Japan

Atmospheric and sea sediment concentrations were measured for eight nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) and three unsubstituted PAHs in a suburban area and sea sediments in the Hiroshima Bay watershed area, Japan, from July to December, 2006 (atmospheric particulate matter) and in September and November, 2004 (sea sediments). Atmospheric concentration was higher in winter than summer for both nitro-PAHs and PAHs. Concentrations in sea sediments were less than 10%, and pattern was similar to those of atmospheric particles. Several combustion emission sources were also measured, and the 1-NP/Pyr ratio was compared to environmental values. The ratio of atmospheric and sea sediments were significantly lower than diesel particulate matters. Further, the vehicle emission loading and sea sedimentation loading was evaluated in this watershed area, and from the comparison, the existence of other important sources PAHs were suggested.     

Fate of pesticides during beer brewing

The fates of more than 300 pesticide residues were investigated in the course of beer brewing. Ground malt artificially contaminated with pesticides was brewed via steps such as mashing, boiling, and fermentation. Analytical samples were taken from wort, spent grain, and beer produced at certain key points in the brewing process. The samples were extracted and purified with the QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe) method and were then analyzed by LC-MS/MS using a multiresidue method. In the results, a majority of pesticides showed a reduction in the unhopped wort and were adsorbed onto the spent grain after mashing. In addition, some pesticides diminished during the boiling and fermentation. This suggests that the reduction was caused mainly by adsorption, pyrolysis, and hydrolysis. After the entire process of brewing, the risks of contaminating beer with pesticides were reduced remarkably, and only a few pesticides remained without being removed or resolved.