Cultivation-Based and Molecular Assessment of Bacterial Diversity in the Rhizosheath of Wheat under Different Crop Rotations

A field study was conducted to compare the formationand bacterial communities of rhizosheaths of wheat grown under wheat-cotton and wheat-rice rotation and to study the effects of bacterial inoculation on plant growth. Inoculation of Azospirillum sp. WS-1 and Bacillus sp. T-34 to wheat plants increased root length, root and shoot dry weight and dry weight of rhizosheathsoil when compared to non-inoculated control plants, and under both crop rotations. Comparing both crop rotations, root length, root and shoot dry weight and dry weight of soil attached with roots were higher under wheat-cotton rotation. Organic acids (citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid) were detected in rhizosheaths from both rotations, with malic acid being most abundant with 24.8±2 and 21.3±1.5 μg g^-1 dry soil in wheat-cotton and wheat-rice rotation, respectively. Two sugars (sucrose, glucose) were detected in wheat rhizosheath under both rotations, with highest concentrations of sucrose (4.08±0.5 μg g^-1and 7.36±1.0 μg g^-1) and glucose (3.12±0.5 μg g^-1 and 3.01± μg g^-1) being detected in rhizosheaths of non-inoculated control plants under both rotations. Diversity of rhizosheath-associated bacteria was evaluated by cultivation, as well as by 454-pyrosequencing of PCR-tagged 16S rRNA gene amplicons. A total of 14 and 12 bacterial isolates predominantly belonging to the genera Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Enterobacter and Pseudomonaswere obtained from the rhizosheath of wheat grown under wheat-cotton and wheat-rice rotation, respectively. Analysis of pyrosequencing data revealed Proteobacteria, Bacteriodetes and Verrucomicrobia as the most abundant phyla in wheat-rice rotation, whereas Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes and Cyanobacteria were predominant in wheat-cotton rotation. From a total of 46,971 sequences, 10.9% showed ≥97% similarity with 16S rRNA genes of 32 genera previously shown to include isolates with plant growth promoting activity (nitrogen fixation, phosphate-solubilization, IAA production). Among these, the most predominant genera were Arthrobacter, Azoarcus, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Cyanobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas and Rhizobium.     

An industrial scale process for the enzymatic removal of steryl glucosides from biodiesel

Background

Biodiesels produced from transesterification of vegetable oils have a major quality problem due to the presence of precipitates, which need to be removed to avoid clogging of filters and engine failures. These precipitates have been reported to be mostly composed of steryl glucosides (SGs), but so far industrial cost-effective methods to remove these compounds are not available. Here we describe a novel method for the efficient removal of SGs from biodiesel, based on the hydrolytic activity of a thermostable β-glycosidase obtained from Thermococcus litoralis.

Results

A steryl glucosidase (SGase) enzyme from T. litoralis was produced and purified from Escherichia coli cultures expressing a synthetic gene, and used to treat soybean-derived biodiesel. Several optimization steps allowed for the selection of optimal reaction conditions to finally provide a simple and efficient process for the removal of SGs from crude biodiesel. The resulting biodiesel displayed filterability properties similar to distilled biodiesel according to the total contamination (TC), the cold soak filtration test (CSFT), filter blocking tendency (FBT), and cold soak filter blocking tendency (CSFBT) tests. The process was successfully scaled up to a 20 ton reactor, confirming its adaptability to industrial settings.

Conclusions

The results presented in this work provide a novel path for the removal of steryl glucosides from biodiesel using a cost-effective, environmentally friendly and scalable enzymatic process, contributing to the adoption of this renewable fuel.

     

Body Composition QTLs Identified in Intercross Populations Are Reproducible in Consomic Mouse Strains

Genetic variation contributes to individual differences in obesity, but defining the exact relationships between naturally occurring genotypes and their effects on fatness remains elusive. As a step toward positional cloning of previously identified body composition quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from F₂ crosses of mice from the C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J inbred strains, we sought to recapture them on a homogenous genetic background of consomic (chromosome substitution) strains. Male and female mice from reciprocal consomic strains originating from the C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J strains were bred and measured for body weight, length, and adiposity. Chromosomes 2, 7, and 9 were selected for substitution because previous F₂ intercross studies revealed body composition QTLs on these chromosomes. We considered a QTL confirmed if one or both sexes of one or both reciprocal consomic strains differed significantly from the host strain in the expected direction after correction for multiple testing. Using these criteria, we confirmed two of two QTLs for body weight (Bwq5-6), three of three QTLs for body length (Bdln3-5), and three of three QTLs for adiposity (Adip20, Adip26 and Adip27). Overall, this study shows that despite the biological complexity of body size and composition, most QTLs for these traits are preserved when transferred to consomic strains; in addition, studying reciprocal consomic strains of both sexes is useful in assessing the robustness of a particular QTL.     

Genomic Ancestry,Self-Rated Health and Its Association with Mortality in an Admixed Population: 10 Year Follow-Up of the Bambui-Epigen (Brazil) Cohort Study of Ageing

Background

Self-rated health (SRH) has strong predictive value for mortality in different contexts and cultures, but there is inconsistent evidence on ethnoracial disparities in SRH in Latin America, possibly due to the complexity surrounding ethnoracial self-classification.

Materials/Methods

We used 370,539 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) to examine the association between individual genomic proportions of African, European and Native American ancestry, and ethnoracial self-classification, with baseline and 10-year SRH trajectories in 1,311 community dwelling older Brazilians. We also examined whether genomic ancestry and ethnoracial self-classification affect the predictive value of SRH for subsequent mortality.

Results

European ancestry predominated among participants, followed by African and Native American (median = 84.0%, 9.6% and 5.3%, respectively); the prevalence of Non-White (Mixed and Black) was 39.8%. Persons at higher levels of African and Native American genomic ancestry, and those self-identified as Non-White, were more likely to report poor health than other groups, even after controlling for socioeconomic conditions and an array of self-reported and objective physical health measures. Increased risks for mortality associated with worse SRH trajectories were strong and remarkably similar (hazard ratio ~3) across all genomic ancestry and ethno-racial groups.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated for the first time that higher levels of African and Native American genomic ancestry—and the inverse for European ancestry—were strongly correlated with worse SRH in a Latin American admixed population. Both genomic ancestry and ethnoracial self-classification did not modify the strong association between baseline SRH or SRH trajectory, and subsequent mortality.     

Effortless Attention as a Biomarker for Experienced Mindfulness Practitioners

Objective

The present study aimed at comparing frontal beta power between long-term (LTM) and first-time meditators (FTM), before, during and after a meditation session. We hypothesized that LTM would present lower beta power than FTM due to lower effort of attention and awareness.

Methods

Twenty one participants were recruited, eleven of whom were long-term meditators. The subjects were asked to rest for 4 minutes before and after open monitoring (OM) meditation (40 minutes).

Results

The two-way ANOVA revealed an interaction between the group and moment factors for the Fp1 (p<0.01), F7 (p = 0.01), F3 (p<0.01), Fz (p<0.01), F4 (p<0.01), F8 (p<0.01) electrodes.

Conclusion

We found low power frontal beta activity for LTM during the task and this may be associated with the fact that OM is related to bottom-up pathways that are not present in FTM.

Significance

We hypothesized that the frontal beta power pattern may be a biomarker for LTM. It may also be related to improving an attentive state and to the efficiency of cognitive functions, as well as to the long-term experience with meditation (i.e., life-time experience and frequency of practice).     

How does a hopping kangaroo breathe?

We developed a model to demonstrate how a hopping kangaroo breathes. Interestingly, a kangaroo uses less energy to breathe while hopping than while standing still. This occurs, in part, because rather than using muscle power to move air into and out of the lungs, air is pulled into (inspiration) and pushed out of (expiration) the lungs as the abdominal organs "flop" within the kangaroo's body. Specifically, as the kangaroo hops upward, the abdominal organs lag behind, and the insertion of the diaphragm is pulled toward its origin, flattening the dome and increasing the vertical dimension of the thoracic cavity (the thoracic cavity and lungs enlarge). Increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity reduces alveolar pressure below atmospheric pressure (barometric pressure), and air moves into the alveoli by bulk flow. In contrast, the impact of the organs against the diaphragm at each landing causes expiration. Specifically, upon landing, the abdominal organs flop into the diaphragm, causing it to return to its dome shape and decreasing the vertical dimension of the thoracic cavity. This compresses the alveolar gas volume and elevates alveolar pressure above barometric pressure, so air is expelled. To demonstrate this phenomenon, the plunger of a syringe model of the respiratory system was inserted through a compression spring. Holding the syringe and pressing the plunger firmly against a hard surface expels air from the lungs (the balloon within the syringe deflates) and compresses the spring. This models the kangaroo landing after a hop forward. Subsequently, the compression spring provides the energy for the "kangaroo" to "hop" forward upon the release of the syringe, and air enters the lungs (the balloon within the syringe inflates). The model accurately reflects how a hopping kangaroo breathes. A model was chosen to demonstrate this phenomenon because models engage and inspire students as well as significantly enhance student understanding.     

A new soft-tissue simulation strategy for cranio-maxillofacial surgery using facial muscle template model

We propose a computationally efficient, bio-mechanically relevant soft-tissue simulation method for cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) surgery. Special emphasis is given to comply with the current clinical workflow. A template-based facial muscle prediction was introduced to avoid laborious segmentation from medical images. In addition, transversely isotropic mass-tensor model (MTM) was applied to realize the directional behavior of facial muscles in short computation time. Finally, sliding contact was incorporated to mimic realistic boundary condition in error-sensitive regions. Mechanical simulation result was compared with commercial finite element software. And retrospective validation study with post-operative scan of four CMF cases was performed.     

Effects of NaCl on surface properties,chlorophyll fluorescence and light remission,and cellular compounds of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grewia tenax</Emphasis> (Forssk.) Fiori and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tamarindus indica</Emphasis> L. leaves

Seedlings of the salt-tolerant plant grewia [Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori] and the moderately salt-tolerant tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) were grown under controlled conditions and treated daily with NaCl solutions to investigate mechanisms of tolerance to salinity. Leaf micromorphology, cuticular wax load, chlorophyll fluorescence and light remission, as well as antioxidative potential were evaluated. As confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis in both species, absorption of sodium and chlorine increased with rising NaCl concentration in the treatment solution. In parallel, accumulation of calcium in grewia leaves was strongly reduced, leading to less crystals of calcium oxalate in leaf tissue. In grewia the cuticular wax load, chlorophyll content, and electron transport rate (ETR) were significantly reduced by comparatively low NaCl concentrations. In tamarind, in contrast, wax load and ETR were not significantly affected, while the decrease of chlorophyll content was less pronounced. Measurements of the antioxidative capacity and the imbalance between values of lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts at different NaCl concentrations confirmed that grewia is more salt tolerant than tamarind. This higher tolerance degree seemed to be associated with grewias’ more efficient scavenging of free radicals and the regulation of the antioxidative potential in lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In planta</Emphasis> gene expression analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas oryzae</Emphasis> pathovar <Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis>, African strain MAI1

Background  

Bacterial leaf blight causes significant yield losses in rice crops throughout Asia and Africa. Although both the Asian and African strains of the pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), induce similar symptoms, they are nevertheless genetically different, with the African strains being more closely related to the Asian X. oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc).