Evaluation of an endo-β-mannanase produced by Streptomyces ipomoea CECT 3341 for the biobleaching of pine kraft pulps

An endo-beta-mannanase (EC 3.2.1.78) from Streptomyces ipomoea CECT 3341 was purified and applied to the biobleaching of pine kraft pulps. The maximum level of endo-beta-mannanase activity (0.6 units ml(-1)) was achieved after 4 days of growth in a medium containing locust bean gum and yeast extract. Zymograms revealed mannanase bands (Man) with high and low electrophoretic mobility on the second and seventh days of incubation (Man1, Man3) and three bands of high, medium and low mobility from the third to sixth days of growth (Man1, Man2, Man3). Although these exhibited different molecular masses, their amino-terminal sequences were identical. The action of proteases detected in the culture supernatant could be responsible for such events, suggesting that only one endo-beta-mannanase is produced by S. ipomoea. The purified Man3 exhibited a molecular mass of 40 kDa, an isoelectric point of 4.0 and an optimal temperature and pH reaction of 55 degrees C and 7.5, respectively. It was strongly inhibited by Ag+, Hg2+, Al3+ and Fe3+, and was strongly activated by Mn2+. The ability of the purified endo-beta-mannanase to improve the bleachability of pine kraft pulp, when applied with alkaline extraction, was demonstrated by an increase in the pulp brightness (1.7%, using the International Standards Organisation's test) and an absence of variations in the viscosity values. A relationship between the increase in pulp brightness and the presence of manganese in the pulps could be established.     

Serological identification and molecular characterization of B (A) 02 subtype in patients and blood donors from Eastern China

This study was designed to identify the rare?type?ABO?blood?groups, B(A) 02, from Eastern China. Three samples with discordant serological results during routine blood type identification and four samples from one sample’ family were selected. All of them were detected by serological method. The exon 6 and 7 of the ABO genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced. They were typed as AsubB by serology and as BO by genotype. In AsubB samples, nt 700C>G mutation was detected in B gene, which was previously defined as B(A)02 alleles. In these seven samples, six showed B(A)02/O01 and one showed B(A)02/O02.B(A)02 allele was found to be more common in this study than B(A)04 which is considered to be more frequent than B(A)02. The careful identification of rare blood types is important for the safety of clinical blood transfusion.     

Does landscape composition alter the spatiotemporal distribution of the pine processionary moth in a pine plantation forest?

Landscape composition and physiognomy affect community structure and species distribution across space and time. The pine processionary moth (PPM) (Thaumetopoea pityocampa Den. & Schiff., Lepidoptera, Notodontidae) is a common pine defoliator throughout southern Europe and Mediterranean countries. We surveyed the spatiotemporal distribution of the PPM in a pine plantation forest in southwestern France and used the density of the winter nests as a proxy for population density. The study spanned 4 years (2005–2008) and showed a high temporal variability in nest density. We found a strong edge effect with nest densities at stand edges more than twice as large as within-stand densities. At the landscape scale, the spatial distribution of the moth exhibited a significant spatial autocorrelation in 3 out of 4 years of our study. The spatial scales of the autocorrelation ranged from ca. 2 km to more than 22 km. We found a positive correlation between spatial distributions corresponding to certain sampling years, but the relationship was not systematic. Landscape configuration appeared to be an important driver of the PPM spatial pattern. Bivariate Moran’s I correlograms showed that patch richness density as well as the percentage of local landscape covered by various land uses were correlated with population density. The study showed that accounting for landscape characteristics may be important in order to understand forest insect pest distribution, even in cases where the host species is abundant and homogeneously distributed throughout the study area, e.g., pure plantation forests.     

Mapping quantitative trait loci controlling early growth in a (longleaf pine × slash pine) × slash pine BC<Subscript>1</Subscript> family

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were employed to map the genome and quantitative trait loci controlling the early growth of a pine hybrid F₁ tree (Pinus palustris Mill. 2 P. elliottii Engl.) and a recurrent slash pine tree (P. elliottii Engl.) in a (longleaf pine 2 slash pine) 2 slash pine BC₁ family consisting of 258 progeny. Of the 150 hybrid F₁ parent-specific RAPD markers, 133 were mapped into 17 linkage groups covering a genetic distance of 1,338.2 cM. Of the 116 slash pine parent-specific RAPD markers, 83 were mapped into 19 linkage groups covering a genetic distance of 994.6 cM. A total of 11 different marker intervals were found to be significantly associated with 13 of the 20 traits on height and diameter growth using MAPMAKER/QTL. Nine of the eleven marker intervals were unique to the hybrid parent 488 genome, and two were unique to the recurrent parent 18-27 genome. The amount of phenotypic variance explained by the putative QTLs ranged from 3.6% to 11.0%. Different QTLs were detected at different ages. Two marker intervals from the hybrid parent 488 were found to have QTL by environment interactions.     

Storminess as an explanation for the decline of pine woodland ca. 7,400 years ago at Loch Tulla,western Scotland

Pinus wood remains some 7,400 years old are abundantly preserved near the base of eroding peat at Clashgour, west of Loch Tulla on Rannoch Moor in western Scotland. Measurements are presented of the orientations of root systems in 42 in situ stumps, the direction of fall in 27 fallen trunks and the orientation (where direction of fall cannot be defined) in 40 fallen trunks. There are statistically significant orientations in the root systems, which suggests that the root structure of the trees had responded to stress from westerly winds. However, despite this the orientations and directions of fall in tree trunks, also statistically significant, show that many trees were probably blown over by strong westerly winds. The data suggest that increased precipitation and accelerated paludification are less likely explanations for tree loss at this site than a sudden demise through wind-throw.     

Can exotic pine trees assist in restoration?

Invasive exotic woody species, including conifers escaped from plantations, are usually regarded as serious threats to native biodiversity. Becerra & Montenegro (Applied Vegetation Science, 16, 2013, 2) present an interesting example of invasive Pinus radiata facilitating native woody regeneration in semi‐arid central Chile. However, the positive value of invasive conifers for restoration and conservation will not necessarily apply in all situations.     

Gigantonoclea guizhouensis Gu et Zhi 的叶部解剖研究

一、材料来源和研究方法解剖研究所用的D-1标本是笔者于1984年5月在贵州水城大河边煤矿二采区新开辟的运输巷侧壁砂岩中采到的,其层位经对比与田宝霖和张连武(1980)描述的水城汪家寨矿区综合地层柱中龙潭组下部第8分层的中部砂岩相当。该叶片沉积时受水流冲击,以中脉为对称轴向远轴侧对折成约20°角状(图版Ⅰ,图2)。     

Soil carbon storage and nitrogen and phosphorous availability in loblolly pine plantations over 4 to16 years of herbicide and fertilizer treatments

The impact of extended herbicide (H) and annual fertilizer (F) treatments on the mineral soil carbon (C) pool and nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) availability were analyzed in managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the Piedmont of Georgia in stands ranging from 4 to 16 years old. Mineral soil C, N, P, and extractable P were measured in 66 plots in three locations comparing H, F, and their combination HF to the Control plots. Soils were sampled in January 2000 near Eatonton (n = 40), in August 2001 near Athens (n = 12), and in March 2003 near Dawsonville (n = 14). In addition, twelve plots (two H and two HF at each location) were measured on 17 dates using a mixed bead resin core technique to estimate mineral soil N availability. At all three study locations the H treatment tended to deplete the mineral soil C pool while, overall, the F treatments did not determine any significant mineral soil C increase. The soil C pool (0- to 50-cm depth) was depleted by about 5 Mg C ha⁻¹ under the H-treated plots near Eatonton. The HF plots had much higher resin-extractable N than the corresponding H plots in all months of the year. At a plot level, HF values ranged from about 9 to 3,195 μg N g⁻¹ resin while H values ranged from about 4 to 858 μg N g⁻¹ resin. The corresponding annual cumulative resin-extractable N ranged from about 13 kg N ha⁻¹ in the H to about 372 kg N ha⁻¹ in the HF. Extractable P values were also elevated in all F-treated plots. Fertilization and herbicide treatments favored C sequestration only in the aboveground biomass. No significant change was observed in the mineral soil C pool, despite the generally observed increases in soil available N and P.     

Annual precipitation in Liancheng, China, since 1777 AD derived from tree rings of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.)

Precipitation from the previous August to the current June over the last 232 years in Liancheng, China, was reconstructed by a transfer function based on the correlation between tree-ring widths and local meteorological data. The explained variance was 45.3 %, and fluctuations on both annual and decadal scales were captured. Wet periods with precipitation above the 232-year mean occurred from 1777 to 1785, 1802 to 1818, 1844 to 1861, 1889 to 1922 and 1939 to 1960. Dry periods (precipitation below the mean) occurred from 1786 to 1801, 1819 to 1843, 1862 to 1888 and 1923 to 1938. The reconstruction compares well with a tree-ring-based precipitation reconstruction at Mt. Xinglong; both of them showed the well-known severe drought in the late 1920s. The rainfall series also shows highly synchronous decreasing trends since the 1940s, suggesting that precipitation related to the East Asian summer monsoon at these two sites has decreased by large spatial and temporal (decadal) scales. Power spectrum analysis of the reconstruction showed remarkable 21.82-, 3.48-, 3.12-, 3.08- and 2.31-year cycles for the past 232 years; the 22-year cycle corresponds to the solar cycle and is expressed widely in tree ring/precipitation reconstructions on the China Loess Plateau. This may suggest a solar influence on the precipitation variations on the Loess Plateau, although the mechanisms are not well understood.     

Modeling Proximal Tubule Cell Homeostasis: Tracking Changes in Luminal Flow

During normal kidney function, there are routinely wide swings in proximal tubule fluid flow and proportional changes in Na⁺ reabsorption across tubule epithelial cells. This “glomerulotubular balance” occurs in the absence of any substantial change in cell volume, and is thus a challenge to coordinate luminal membrane solute entry with peritubular membrane solute exit. In this work, linear optimal control theory is applied to generate a configuration of regulated transporters that could achieve this result. A previously developed model of rat proximal tubule epithelium is linearized about a physiologic reference condition; the approximate linear system is recast as a dynamical system; and a Riccati equation is solved to yield the optimal linear feedback that stabilizes Na⁺ flux, cell volume, and cell pH. The first observation is that optimal feedback control is largely consigned to three physiologic variables, cell volume, cell electrical potential, and lateral intercellular hydrostatic pressure. Parameter modulation by cell volume stabilizes cell volume; parameter modulation by electrical potential or interspace pressure act to stabilize Na⁺ flux and cell pH. This feedback control is utilized in a tracking problem, in which reabsorptive Na⁺ flux varies over a factor of two, in order to represent a substantial excursion of glomerulotubular balance. The resulting control parameters consist of two terms, an autonomous term and a feedback term, and both terms include transporters on both luminal and peritubular cell membranes. Overall, the increase in Na⁺ flux is achieved with upregulation of luminal Na⁺/H⁺ exchange and Na⁺–glucose cotransport, with increased peritubular Na⁺–3HCO₃⁻ and K⁺–Cl⁻ cotransport, and with increased Na⁺, K⁺–ATPase activity. The configuration of activated transporters emerges as a testable hypothesis of the molecular basis for glomerulotubular balance. It is suggested that the autonomous control component at each cell membrane could represent the cytoskeletal effects of luminal flow.     

Effect of pine foliage damage on the incidence of larval diapause in the pine caterpillar Dendrolimus punctatus （Lepidoptera： Lasiocampidae）

The pine caterpillar Dendrolimus punctatus （Walker） with a larval facultative diapause is one of the most destructive insect pests of the pine tree Pinus massoniana in China. The larvae feeding on pine trees with different damage levels were studied to determine the induction of diapause under both laboratory and field conditions. Developmental duration of larvae before the third instar was the longest when fed with 75%-90% damaged needles, followed by 25%-40% damaged needles and intact pine needles, whereas mortalities did not differ among different treatments under the conditions of 25℃ and critical photoperiod 13.5：10.5 L：D. At 25 ℃, no diapause was induced under 15：9 L：D, whereas 100% diapause occurred under 12：12 L：D regardless of the levels of needle damage. Incidences of larvae entering diapause when they were fed with intact, 25%-40% and 75%- 90% damaged pine needles were 51.7%, 70.8% and 81% under 13.5：10.5 L：D, respectively. Similar results were obtained in the field experiment. Incidence of diapause was significantly different among the pine needle damage levels of pine trees when the photoperiod was close to the critical day length, indicating that the effect of host plants on diapause induction was dependent on the range of photoperiod. The content of amino acid and sugar decreased and tannin increased in pine needles after feeding by the pine caterpillars, suggesting that changed levels of nutrients in damaged needles or a particular substance emitted by damaged pine trees was perhaps involved in the diapause induction of the pine caterpillar.     

论四射珊瑚的内生长线——以新疆早二叠世 Kepingophyllum aksuense Wu et Zhou 为例

新疆早二叠世 Kepingophyllum aksuense Wu et Zhou的内生长线发育良好,它们是由年季节温度的变化而形成的.据内生长线,可推算出k. aksuense Wu et Zhou的平均生长率为5mm/年.运用珊瑚的生长率及年龄可计算出沉积事件发生的频率.     

In Crystallo Selection to Establish New RNA Crystal Contacts

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Effects of fertilization and herbicides on growth of young loblolly pine and infestations of Nantucket pine tip moth（Lepidoptera： Tortricidae）

A 2-year-old pine plantation was selected to receive treatments of fertilizers and herbicides to evaluate effects on Nantucket pine tip moth infestations and the tree growth parameters of height, diameter and volume increment. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and hexazinone and sulfometuron methyl herbicides were used in creating six treatments： （i） control; （ii） phosphorus; （iii） nitrogen and phosphorus; （iv） phosphorus and herbicide; （v） nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicide; and （vi） herbicide. Treatments were applied in 1987 and 1988. In 1987, trees treated with nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicide had significantly greater height, diameter and volume growth than trees not receiving fertilizer treatments, but did not have significantly higher tip moth infestations than control trees. Treatments receiving phosphorus only had much lower tip moth infestation rates than other treatments except nitrogen and phosphorus. In 1988, tip moth infestations were uniformly low, with no differences in treatment effects observed.     

Emplectopteridium alatum Kawasaki 的脉序*

Emplectopteridium alatum Kaw. 的脉序历来被描述为叶脉结网并具邻脉,主要基于具有邻脉这一特征,该种被归于美羊齿类.经笔者研究,这种植物没有邻脉而具伴网眼.这样,不但 E. alatum Kaw. 的分类位置需重新考虑,而且所谓 Emplectopteridium 演化系的基础也就完全瓦解.     

Brachyspira asperella Yu et Zhang的个体发育

对Brachyspira asperella Yu et Zhang的40个个体的测量统计表明,此种在生长发育过程中可以区分出3个生长阶段:幼年期壳体生长速度缓慢,壳形卵圆形,胎壳乳突状,壳口圆形;成年期生长迅速,壳高显著大于壳宽的增长率,壳形卵圆形-长卵圆形,壳口卵圆形;老年期生长速度缓慢,壳形长卵圆形,壳饰强烈。这3个生长期代表了此种的个体发育过程。研究化石腹足类种的个体发育过程不仅能了解这一类群的系统发生史、生物演化过程及生物间的亲缘关系,而且能提高物种研究程度,避免分类上的错误。     

论双壳类的 Pteroperna 及其模式种 Pteroperna costatula (Deslongchamps)

翼股蛤(Pteroperna)是 J.Morris 和 J.Lycett 于1853年建立,但该属的分类位置当时并不明确,仅仅在讨论中提到可能为 Pterinea的亚属。Cox(1940)讨论 Pteroperna 时则将其作为翼蛤科(Pteriidae)的属而沿用至今。笔者于1984年在唐古拉山雁石坪地区测制侏罗纪地层剖面时,在同一层位中采集到许多隶属于 Pteroperna costatula 的标本,它们的壳饰特征、壳体形状和英国侏罗纪大鲕状灰岩(Great O(?)lite)中产出的同种标本几无差异。标本大多保存良好,特别是它们的壳层和其围岩在弱酸中可产生差异溶蚀,利用酸蚀法可得到许多暴露出铰系构造和软体印痕的标本,其中有一些反映出个体发育各个阶段的生长特