The Effect of Crop Rotation on Soil Nematode Community Composition in a Greenhouse

[Objective] The aim was to identify changes in a nematode community in response to crop rotation and to determine the appropriate catch crop for a greenhouse. [Method] The experiment was carried out in a typical 6-year-old greenhouse,in which cucumber crops were cultivated twice each year(in spring and autumn),and catch crops were planted in summer. The total number of nematodes was counted and nematode community indices were calculated after collecting soil samples in different stages. [Result] Total nematode abundance was decreased in the soils of catch crop in contrast with former crops(cucumber crops). The abundance of the nematode community was reduced in the treatment of crop rotation compared to the soils of catch crop. In addition, the number of nematode taxa was significantly reduced by the treatment of crown daisy compared to the treatments of following crops. Crop rotation regulated the functional composition of the nematode community by increasing the omnivores-predators functional group and decreasing the relative abundance of root herbivores. [Conclusion] These results indicate that crop rotation affects the nematode community in abundance, diversity and functional composition of the nematode community and crown daisy can be served as the most appropriate catch crop in the greenhouse.

Impact of 1.5°C and 2.0°C global warming on aircraft takeoff performance in China

Associated with global warming, climate extremes such as extreme temperature will significantly increase. Understanding how climate change will impact the airflights is important to the planning of future flight operations. In this study, the impacts of 1.5 and 2 degree's global warming on the aircraft takeoff performance in China are investigated using a unique climate projection data from an international collaboration project named HAPPI. It is found that the mean summer daily maximum temperature, which is a major factor that affects the flight through changing the aircraft's takeoff weight, will increase significantly with magnitude less than 1.5℃ over most parts of China except for the Tibetan Plateau. The half a degree additional global warming will lead to higher extreme temperature in the arid and semi-arid western China, the Tibetan Plateau and the northeastern China, while the change in eastern China is weak. Five airports including Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Lasa and Urumqi will see ～1.0°-2.0℃(1.4°-3.0℃) higher daily maximum temperature under 1.5℃(2.0℃) scenario. The half-degree additional warming will lead to a shift toward higher extreme temperature in these five sites. For both1.5° and 2.0℃ scenarios, the number of weight-restriction days will increase significantly at 3 airports including Beijing, Shanghai, and Lasa. Urumqi will witness an increase of weight-restriction days only in 2.0℃ future.

Correlat ion of thiamine metabolite levels with cognitive function in the non-demented elderly

Thiamine metabolism is critical for glucose metabolism and also vital for brain function, which is susceptible to decline in the elderly. This study aimed to investigate whether thiamine metabolites correlate with cognitive function in the non-demented elderly and their impact factors. Volunteers 〉60 years old were recruited and their blood thiamine metabolites and Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE） scores were measured. The apolipoprotein E （APOE） genotype, routine blood parameters, liver and kidney function, and levels of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides were also measured. The results showed that the thiamine diphosphate （TDP） level weakly correlated with MMSE score in the non-demented elderly. Participants with high TDP levels performed better in Recall and Attention and Calculation than those with low TDP. TDP levels were associated with the APOE E2 allele, body mass index, hemoglobin level, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides. Our results suggest that TDP, which is easily affected by many factors, impacts cognitive function in the elderly.