3-Methyleneoxindole and Plant Growth Regulation

The campound 3-methyleneoxindole was synthesized and tested in three “biological systems for auxin activity: Root initarion in pea stem currings, extension growth of etiolated pea stem segments and Avena first internodes. In none of the systems was found any effect — positive or negative of methyleneoxindole. It thus seems improbable that the compound participates in the growth regulation of these plants.     

Climate change predicted to cause severe increase of organic carbon in lakes

Riverine transport of organic carbon (OC) to the ocean is a significant component in the global carbon (C) cycle and the concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) in rivers and lakes is vital for ecosystem properties and water quality for human use. By use of a large dataset comprising chemical variables and detailed catchment information in ～1000 Norwegian pristine lakes covering a wide climatic range, we were able to predict TOC concentrations with high accuracy. We further predict, using a ‘space‐for‐time’ approach and a downscaled, moderate, climate change scenario, that northern, boreal regions likely will experience strong increases in OC export from catchments to surface waters. Median concentrations of OC in these lakes will increase by 65%, from the current median of 2.0–3.3 mg C L^?1. This is a long‐term effect, primarily mediated by increased terrestrial vegetation cover in response to climate change. This increase OC will have severe impacts on food‐webs, productivity and human use. Given the robustness of the estimates and the general applicability of the parameters, we suggest that these findings would be relevant to boreal areas in general.     

IVF for premature ovarian failure: first reported births using oocytes donated from a twin sister

Background  

Premature ovarian failure (POF) remains a clinically challenging entity because in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with donor oocytes is currently the only treatment known to be effective.