Net changes of soil C stocks in two grassland soils 26 months after simulated pasture renovation including biochar addition

The use of deep‐rooting pasture species as a management practice can increase the allocation of plant carbon (C) below ground and enhance C storage. A 2‐year lysimeter trial was set up to compare changes in C stocks of soils under either deep‐ or shallow‐rooting pastures and investigate whether biochar addition below the top 10 cm could promote root growth at depth. For this i) soil ploughing at cultivation was simulated in a silt loam soil and in a sandy soil by inverting the 0 to 10 and 10‐ to 20‐cm‐depth soil layers, and a distinctive biochar (selected for each soil to overcome soil‐specific plant growth limitations) was mixed at 10 Mg ha^?1 in the buried layer, where appropriate and ii) three pasture types with contrasting root systems were grown. In the silt loam, soil inversion resulted in a general loss of C (2.0–8.1 Mg ha^?1), particularly in the buried horizon, under shallow‐rooting pastures only. The addition of a C‐rich biochar (equivalent to 7.6 Mg C ha^?1) to this soil resulted in a net C gain (21–40% over the non‐biochar treatment, P < 0.10) in the buried layer under all pastures; this overcame the loss of C in this horizon under shallow‐rooting pastures. In the sandy soil, all pastures were able to maintain soil C stocks at 10–20 cm depth over time, with minor gains of C (1.6–5.1 Mg ha^?1) for the profile. In this soil, the exposure of a skeletal‐ and nutrient‐depleted soil layer at the surface may have fostered root growth at depth. The addition of a nutrient‐rich biochar (equivalent to 3.6 Mg C ha^?1) to this soil had no apparent effect on C stocks. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which soil C stocks at depth are preserved.     

Identification and characterization of a gene encoding drought-inducible protein localizing in the bundle sheath cell of sugarcane

We have identified a drought-inducible gene, designated as SoDip22, in sugarcane leaves. The cDNA encoded a hydrophilic protein with a calculated molecular mass of 15.9 kDa and the amino acid sequence was similar to that of ABA, stress and ripening-inducible protein from various plant species. ABA or mannitol-treatment of the detached leaves also induced SoDip22 expression. Stepwise homogenization of the stressed leaves showed that SoDip22 is localized in bundle sheath cells. These results suggest that SoDip22 functions to adapt to drought stress in the bundle sheath cell, and that the signaling pathway for the induction is, at least in a part, mediated by ABA.     

Exploring community assembly among Javanese and Balinese freshwater shrimps (Atyidae,Palaemonidae) through DNA barcodes

Hydrobiologia - Species proliferate through evolutionary mechanisms but coexist through ecological dynamics. As such, it might be expected that mechanisms of speciation and species maintenance...     

A viral dynamic model for treatment regimens with direct-acting antivirals for chronic hepatitis C infection

We propose an integrative, mechanistic model that integrates in vitro virology data, pharmacokinetics, and viral response to a combination regimen of a direct-acting antiviral (telaprevir, an HCV NS3-4A protease inhibitor) and peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin (PR) in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This model, which was parameterized with on-treatment data from early phase clinical studies in treatment-naïve patients, prospectively predicted sustained virologic response (SVR) rates that were comparable to observed rates in subsequent clinical trials of regimens with different treatment durations in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced populations. The model explains the clinically-observed responses, taking into account the IC50, fitness, and prevalence prior to treatment of viral resistant variants and patient diversity in treatment responses, which result in different eradication times of each variant. The proposed model provides a framework to optimize treatment strategies and to integrate multifaceted mechanistic information and give insight into novel CHC treatments that include direct-acting antiviral agents.     

Shaping the social and welfare security in Indonesia through implementing macro-ergonomics

Ergonomics as a scientific method was familiar in industrial regimes. Its trajectories have rapidly grown up to multiple dimensions in which the socio-technical aspects are inherent. Since ergonomics has promoted a new perspective in view of the relationships among the man-machine-systems, it has brought the remarkable progress compared with mono-spectrum in a mechanistic perspective. In the case of Indonesia, the functioning of ergonomics is urgent as the national productivity level is still less optimal. Since Indonesia has no established policies in societal life quality empowerment, it is important to overcome the insecurity on social welfare for securing sustainability. Since the ergonomics philosophy has promoted a humanity perspective in the country, it is necessary to use it as a means of enhancing productivity in order to achieve societal prosperity. Nevertheless, shaping the social prosperity by counting on ergonomics is insufficient, the development of policies and strategic plans should be addressed by identifying existing mapping of the roles of stakeholders in multiple perspectives. This paper is focused on describing ergonomics-based foresight and its prospectus for shaping the social and welfare security in Indonesia by analyzing its roles in social development.     

Morphological studies on the Sulawesi macaques I: Phyletic analysis of body color

The body color of Sulawesi macaques was measured quantitatively and compared among the different monkeys. As a result, divergence models for extant Sulawesi macaques, withtonkeana as the starting point and fading as the sole direction of color change, were inferred as follows: (1) fading slightly on the upper half of the body—nigra, fading more on the proximal part of the body—nigrescens; (2) fading over the whole body—maura; (3) fading greatly on the legs—hecki; and (4) fading on the distal part of the body—ochreata, fading more over the whole body, including the proximal part of the body—brunnescens. The color changed progressively in the order of (1) through (4). The divergence model, excluding the position ofhecki (3), supports the speciation model ofFooden (1969). If the proto-Sulawesi macaques had a body color pattern similar to the livingnemestrina, darkening would have been necessary for the evolution of the Sulawesi macaques after their immigration, and it may have been acquired as an adaptation to the ground (forest floor) living nature of the Sulawesi macaques, together with influences deriving from the insularity and/or from the absence of predators.