The influence of living plants on mineralization and immobilization of nitrogen

Summary Changes in the pattern of distribution of the nitrogen of the soil and seedling grass plants have been investigated when the grass plants were grown in pots of sandy soil, from a pasture, at pH 5.7. Net mineralization of soil nitrogen was not observed during an experimental period of one month in the absence of added nitrogenous fertilizer (Table 2). Addition of labeled nitrogen (as ammonium sulphate) to the soil at the beginning of the experimental period resulted in a negative net mineralization during this period (Table 4b). When none of the fertilizer nitrogen remained in its original form in the soil it was found that approximately 12 per cent of the labeled nitrogen had been immobilized in soil organic compounds. Clipping of the grass at this date was followed by a decrease in the amount of labeled soil organic nitrogen, indicating that mineralization was not depressed by living plants. The application of unlabeled ammonium sulphate subsequent to the utilization of the labeled nitrogen did not decrease the amount of immobilized labeled nitrogen in the soil organic matter, as would be expected if the organic nitrogen compounds of the soil had been decomposed to ammonia. This was thought to be due to the fact that decomposition of organic nitrogen compounds in permanent grassland results in the production of peptides, amino acids etc. which are utilized by microorganisms without deamination taking place. In pots with ageing grass plants, labeled organic nitrogen compounds were found to be translocated from the grass shoots to the soil (Table 7). Net mineralization of soil organic nitrogen was positive in the contents of pots containing killed root systems (Table 3b). About 8 per cent of the labeled nitrogen added to the contents of such pots, in the form of ammonium sulphate, was found to be present in soil organic nitrogen compounds approximately 4 weeks after application, while a total of about twice this amount of soil organic nitrogen was mineralized during that period. From the results obtained in this investigation, it is concluded that the constant presence of living plants is responsible for the accumulation of nitrogen in organic compounds in permanent grassland. No evidence was obtained that the decomposition of such compounds in the soil is inhibited by living plants.     

The decomposition of organic compounds in soil

Summary The course of the CO₂ evolution rates of soil samples has been followed continuously in the absence and in the presence of various organic compounds. After an incubation period of 300 hours at 13 and 20°C the CO₂ evolution from pasture soil (containing 1.76% soil organic carbon) amounted to 0.13 and 0.44g CO₂–C.g soil^–1.h^–1, respectively. For arable soil (containing 1.20% soil organic carbon) the rates amounted to 0.04 and 0.09 g CO₂–C.g soil^–1.h^–1, respectively.At 20°C larger amounts of the organic substrates added to the soil supplied with 20 g NH₄NO₃–N.g soil^–1 were lost as CO₂ than at 13°C, indicating a higher efficiency of the growth of microorganisms at lower temperatures. In the absence of NH₄NO₃ the respiration rates were initially higher than in its presence, suggesting that a part of the soil microflora is inhibited by low concentrations of NH₄NO₃. The amounts of carbon lost were low for phenolcarboxylic acids with OH groups in the ortho position. The replacement of one of these groups by a methoxyl group resulted in a larger amount of the C lost as CO₂. The replacement of the COOH group by a C=C–COOH group had a decreasing effect on the decomposition of the phenolic acids tested. The decomposition of vanillic acid,p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and of the benzoic acids with OH groups in the meta position was as complete as that of glucose, amino acids or casein. The decomposition of bacterial cells to CO₂ was considerably less than that of glucose.No evidence could be obtained that the low percentage of substrate converted to CO₂ at the time of maximal respiration rate was due to the decreasing diffusion rate of substrate to the microbial colonies in the soil during the consumption of substrate.     

Repeatability of Foveal Measurements Using Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography Segmentation Software

Purpose

To investigate repeatability and reproducibility of thickness of eight individual retinal layers at axial and lateral foveal locations, as well as foveal width, measured from Spectralis spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans using newly available retinal layer segmentation software.

Methods

High-resolution SD-OCT scans were acquired for 40 eyes of 40 young healthy volunteers. Two scans were obtained in a single visit for each participant. Using new Spectralis segmentation software, two investigators independently obtained thickness of each of eight individual retinal layers at 0°, 2° and 5° eccentricities nasal and temporal to foveal centre, as well as foveal width measurements. Bland-Altman Coefficient of Repeatability (CoR) was calculated for inter-investigator and inter-scan agreement of all retinal measurements. Spearman''s ρ indicated correlation of manually located central retinal thickness (RT₀) with automated minimum foveal thickness (MFT) measurements. In addition, we investigated nasal-temporal symmetry of individual retinal layer thickness within the foveal pit.

Results

Inter-scan CoR values ranged from 3.1μm for axial retinal nerve fibre layer thickness to 15.0μm for the ganglion cell layer at 5° eccentricity. Mean foveal width was 2550μm ± 322μm with a CoR of 13μm for inter-investigator and 40μm for inter-scan agreement. Correlation of RT₀ and MFT was very good (ρ = 0.97, P < 0.0005). There were no significant differences in thickness of any individual retinal layers at 2° nasal compared to temporal to fovea (P > 0.05); however this symmetry could not be found at 5° eccentricity.

Conclusions

We demonstrate excellent repeatability and reproducibility of each of eight individual retinal layer thickness measurements within the fovea as well as foveal width using Spectralis SD-OCT segmentation software in a young, healthy cohort. Thickness of all individual retinal layers were symmetrical at 2°, but not at 5° eccentricity away from the fovea.     

Ablation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax protects mice from glucocorticoid-induced bone growth impairment

Dexamethasone (Dexa) is a widely used glucocorticoid to treat inflammatory diseases; however, a multitude of undesired effects have been reported to arise from this treatment including osteoporosis, obesity, and in children decreased longitudinal bone growth. We and others have previously shown that glucocorticoids induce apoptosis in growth plate chondrocytes. Here, we hypothesized that Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, plays a key role in Dexa-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and bone growth impairment. Indeed, experiments in the human HCS-2/8 chondrocytic cell line demonstrated that silencing of Bax expression using small-interfering (si) RNA efficiently blocked Dexa-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, ablation of Bax in female mice protected against Dexa-induced bone growth impairment. Finally, Bax activation by Dexa was confirmed in human growth plate cartilage specimens cultured ex vivo. Our findings could therefore open the door for new therapeutic approaches to prevent glucocorticoid-induced bone growth impairment through specific targeting of Bax.     

Short-Term Stability in Refractive Status Despite Large Fluctuations in Glucose Levels in Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and 2

Purpose

This work investigates how short-term changes in blood glucose concentration affect the refractive components of the diabetic eye in patients with long-term Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Blood glucose concentration, refractive error components (mean spherical equivalent MSE, J0, J45), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), crystalline lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL) and ocular aberrations were monitored at two-hourly intervals over a 12-hour period in: 20 T1DM patients (mean age ± SD) 38±14 years, baseline HbA1c 8.6±1.9%; 21 T2DM patients (mean age ± SD) 56±11 years, HbA1c 7.5±1.8%; and in 20 control subjects (mean age ± SD) 49±23 years, HbA1c 5.5±0.5%. The refractive and biometric results were compared with the corresponding changes in blood glucose concentration.

Results

Blood glucose concentration at different times was found to vary significantly within (p<0.0005) and between groups (p<0.0005). However, the refractive error components and ocular aberrations were not found to alter significantly over the day in either the diabetic patients or the control subjects (p>0.05). Minor changes of marginal statistical or optical significance were observed in some biometric parameters. Similarly there were some marginally significant differences between the baseline biometric parameters of well-controlled and poorly-controlled diabetic subjects.

Conclusion

This work suggests that normal, short-term fluctuations (of up to about 6 mM/l on a timescale of a few hours) in the blood glucose levels of diabetics are not usually associated with acute changes in refractive error or ocular wavefront aberrations. It is therefore possible that factors other than refractive error fluctuations are sometimes responsible for the transient visual problems often reported by diabetic patients.     

A sensitive method for continuous measurement of the carbon dioxide evolution rate of soil samples

Summary A differential infrared CO₂ analyser combined with a 12 channel gas handling system have been used for the measurement of CO₂ evolution rates of soil samples. A constant flow of air over the soil was maintained during the incubation period. Automatic sequential measurement and recording of the increase of the CO₂ content of the flushed air of the 12 channels lasted 24 min with a dwell time of 2 min per channel. This technique has proven to be very useful for accurate and rapid measurement of the biological activities in untreated and treated soil.     

A model experiment to study the influence of living plants on the accumulation of soil organic matter in pastures

Summary An attempt has been made to imitate the grassland system by a perfusion apparatus containing a soil-column to which labeled glucose is continuously supplied. Experiments have also been performed with substrate supplied at the start of the experiment to imitate processes occurring in arable land. Deficiency of available nitrogen caused that more of the glucose carbon added to the soil was incorporated into soil organic matter than in the presence of a supplied nitrogen source. Even more glucose carbon was incorporated into soil organic matter when nitrogen deficiency was accompanied by a continous addition of the glucose. The results obtained indicate that the continuous addition of substrate together with nitrogen deficiency as it occurs in permanent pastures are responsible for the accumulation of soil organic matter in these soils.     

Inter-identity autobiographical amnesia in patients with dissociative identity disorder

Background

A major symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID; formerly Multiple Personality Disorder) is dissociative amnesia, the inability to recall important personal information. Only two case studies have directly addressed autobiographical memory in DID. Both provided evidence suggestive of dissociative amnesia. The aim of the current study was to objectively assess transfer of autobiographical information between identities in a larger sample of DID patients.

Methods

Using a concealed information task, we assessed recognition of autobiographical details in an amnesic identity. Eleven DID patients, 27 normal controls, and 23 controls simulating DID participated. Controls and simulators were matched to patients on age, education level, and type of autobiographical memory tested.

Findings

Although patients subjectively reported amnesia for the autobiographical details included in the task, the results indicated transfer of information between identities.

Conclusion

The results call for a revision of the DID definition. The amnesia criterion should be modified to emphasize its subjective nature.     

Biodegradation of alpha- and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane in a soil slurry under different redox conditions.

Aerobic conditions proved to be best for the microbiol conversion of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) in a soil slurry. The dry soil contained 400 mg of alpha-HCH per kg. This xenobiotic compound was mineralized within about 18 days at an initial rate of 23 mg/kg of soil per day by the mixed native microbial population of the soil. The only intermediate that was detected during breakdown was pentachlorocyclohexene, which was detected at very small concentrations. Alpha-HCH was also bioconverted under methanogenic conditions. However, a rather long acclimation period (about 30 days) was necessary before degradation started, at a rate of 13 mg/kg of soil per day. Mass balance calculations showed that about 85% of the initial alpha-HCH that was present was converted to monochlorobenzene, 3,5-dichlorophenol, and a trichlorophenol isomer, possibly 2,4,5-trichlorophenol. Under both denitrifying and sulfate-reducing conditions, no significant bioconversion of alpha-HCH was observed. The beta isomer of HCH was recalcitrant at all of the four redox conditions studied. We propose that the specific spatial chloride arrangement of the beta isomer is responsible for its stability. The results reported here with complex soil slurry systems showed that alpha-HCH is, in contrast to the existing data in the literature, best degraded biologically in the presence of oxygen.