Effect of canopy gap size and ecological factors on species diversity and beech seedlings in managed beech stands in Hyrcanian forests

We studied the species diversity of the herb layer and ecological factors in harvest-created gaps in beech stands under a single-tree selection system in Northern Iran. To determine diversity, the number of beech seedlings, and other ecological factors, 16 gaps were selected and subplots of 5 m2 were positioned at the centre and at the cardinal points of each gap. Species richness and Simpson diversity index increased with increasing gap area as did numbers of seedlings. With increasing humus layer thickness, species richness declined but the Hill evenness index increased. Species richness increased with increasing light availability. There was no relationship between crown radii of beech trees and diversity indices. Correlations between environmental factors and numbers of individuals of some species in the herb layer were not significant except in a few cases. The results help explain the effects of man-made gaps on the dynamics of managed beech stands and this benefits evaluation of silvicultural operating plans.

Effect of canopy composition on soil CO_2 emission in a mixed sprucebeech forest at Solling,Central Germany

It was hypothesized that soil respiration can be affected by canopy composition. Hence, admixture of trees as a common forest management practice may cause significant change in the carbon cycling. This study was conducted in a mixed spruce-beech stand at Solling forest in central Germany to investigate the effect of canopy composition on soil respiration. The canopy cover was classified in four major canopy classes （pure beech, pure spruce, mixed and gap）, and the area under each canopy class was identified as a sub-plot. Soil respiration in each sub-plot （n=4） was measured monthly from Jun 2005 to July 2006. Results show significant difference in annual soil respiration between the beech （359g·m^-2·a^-1 C） and gap （211 g·m^-2·a^-1 C） sub-plots. The estimation of the total below-ground carbon allocation （TBCA） based on a model given by Raich and Nadelhoffer revealed considerably higher root CO2 production in the beech sub-plot （231 g·m^-2·a^-1 C） compare to the gap sub-plot （51 g·m^-2·a^-1 C ）. The contribution of the root respiration to the total soil respiration was higher in the soil under the beech canopy （59%） compared with the soil in the gap （29%）. The findings suggested that the condition under the beech canopy may cause more desirable micro-site for autotrophic respiration and consequently higher CO2 release into the atmosphere.

Effects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on seed germination of Tamarindus indica: a multi-purpose tree species in Bangladesh

We investigated the morphology and germination of Tamarindus indica seeds in order to discover the ef- fects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on germination. The experiment was carried out in the nursery of the Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh. Seeds were collected from different but healthy trees from various locations in Bangladesh and subjected to four pre-sowing treatments, i.e., control, immersion in cold water （4℃ for 24 h）, immersion in hot water （80℃ for 10 min） and scarification with sand paper. Seed germination was carried out in poly-bags with a mixture of topsoil and cow dung in the ratio of 3：1. The average length of the fresh seeds was 1.35 ＋ 0.26 cm, their width 1.07 ＋ 0.20 cm and thickness 0.69 ＋ 0.11 cm. The results revealed that pre-sowing treatments affected the germination process of seeds, which significantly increased the germination percentage with the cold water （81.67%） and scarification with sand paper （82.33%） treatments, compared with those in the control （58.33%） and hot water treatment （59.00%）. In all treatments germination started on average within 5 to 7 days after the start of the treatments and were completed from 13 to 19 days later. The greatest success in germination （82.33%） was found in scarification with sand paper, followed with 81.67% in the cold water treatment. The results of analyses of variance （ANOVA） showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05） in germination closing dates, seed germination periods and germination percentages among the treatments but no significant difference among seed sources. However, the effect of the interaction between seed source variation and pre-treatment differed significantly in seed germination closing dates and germination percentages. We recommend cold water treatment （submersion of seed at a temperature of 4℃ for a 24-h period） for seed germination of T. indica in rural Bangladesh.

Impact of the antiproliferative agent ciclopirox olamine treatment on stem cells proteome

AIM:To investigate the proteome changes of stem cells due to ciclopirox olamine (CPX) treatment compared to control and retinoic acid treated cells. METHODS:Stem cells (SCs) are cells, which have the ability to continuously divide and differentiate into various other kinds of cells. Murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and multipotent adult germline stem cells (maG-SCs) were treated with CPX, which has been shown to have an antiproliferative effect on stem cells, and compared to stem cells treated with retinoic acid (RA),which is known to have a differentiating effect on stem cells. Classical proteomic techniques like 2-D gel electrophoresis and differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) were used to generate 2D protein maps from stem cells treated with RA or CPX as well as from non-treated stem cells. The resulting 2D gels were scanned and the digitalized images were collated with the help of Delta 2D software. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by a MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer, and the identified proteins were investigated and categorized using bioinformatics. RESULTS:Treatment of stem cells with CPX, a synthetic antifungal clinically used to treat superficial mycoses, resulted in an antiproliferative effect in vitro, without impairment of pluripotency. To understand the mechanisms induced by CPX treatments which results in arrest of cell cycle without any marked effect on pluripotency, a comparative proteomics study was conducted. The obtained data revealed that the CPX impact on cell proliferation was accompanied with a significant alteration in stem cell proteome. By peptide mass fingerprinting and tandem mass spectrometry combined with searches of protein sequence databases, a set of 316 proteins was identified, corresponding to a library of 125 non-redundant proteins. With proteomic analysis of ESCs and maGSCs treated with CPX and RA, we could identify more than 90 single proteins, which were differently expressed in both cell lines. We could highlight, that CPX treatment of stem cells, with subsequent proliferation inhibition, resulted in an alteration of the expression of 56 proteins compared to nontreated cells, and 54 proteins compared to RA treated cells. Bioinformatics analysis of the regulated proteins demonstrated their involvement in various biological processes. To our interest, a number of proteins have potential roles in the regulation of cell proliferation either directly or indirectly. Furthermore the classification of the altered polypeptides according to their main known/postulated functions revealed that the majority of these proteins are involved in molecular functions like nucleotide binding and metal ion binding, and biological processes like nucleotide biosynthetic processes, gene expression, embryonic development, regulation of transcription, cell cycle processes, RNA and mRNA processing. Proteins, which are involved in nucleotide biosynthetic process and proteolysis, were downregulated in CPX treated cells compared to control, as well as in RA treated cells, which may explain the cell cycle arrest. Moreover, proteins which were involved in cell death, positive regulation of biosynthetic process, response to organic substance, glycolysis, anti-apoptosis, and phosphorylation were downregulated in RA treated cells compared to control and CPX treated cells. CONCLUSION:The CPX treatment of SCs results in downregulation of nucleotide binding proteins and leads to cell cycle stop without impairment of pluripotency.

Diversity, abundance, and structure of tree communities in the Uluguru forests in the Morogoro region, Tanzania

Uluguru forests are globally recognized as important biodiversity hotspots, but anthropogenic pressure threatens their value. This study examined species diver- sity, abundance, and structure of trees in the Uluguru for- ests. All trees of diameter at breast height （DBH） 〉 10 cm were inventoried in seven forests ranging from 3 to 995 ha in area. A total of 900 stems, 101 species and 34 families were inventoried. Fabaceae was the most speciose family. Ehretia amoena Klotzsch was the most abundant species with relative abundance of 9.22 %. The forests differed significantly in species richness （26-93 species ha-l）, tree density （85-390 stems ha-l）, basal area （3-24 m2 ha-1） and Shannon-Wiener diversity （2.50--4.02）. Forest area was significantly and positively correlated with species richness （r = 0.92） and species diversity （r = 0.95）. Tree density showed significant positive correlation with speciesrichness （r = 0.80） and basal area （r = 0.85）. Milawilila and Nemele forests had highest floristic similarity （0.55） followed by Kimboza and Kilengwe （0.54） while the rest had similarity coefficients of less than 0.50. Despite leg- islative protection, many forests remain at risk and there- fore the possibility to conserve highly valuable tree species via enhanced protection or cultivation must be considered.

Donor defects after lymph vessel transplantation and free vascularized lymph node transfer:A comparison and evaluation of complications

BACKGROUND Secondary lymphedema after surgical interventions is a progressive,chronic disease that is still not completely curable.Over the past years,a multitude of surgical therapy options have been described.AIM To summarize the single-center complications in lymph vessel(LVTx)and free vascularized lymph node transfer(VLNT).METHODS In total,the patient collective consisted of 87 patients who were undergoing treatment for secondary leg lymphedema during the study period from March 2010 to April 2020.The data collection was performed preoperatively during consultations,as well as three weeks,six months and twelve months after surgical treatment.In the event of complications,more detailed follow-up checks were carried out.In total n=18 robot-assisted omental lymph node transplantations,n=33 supraclavicular lymph node transplantations and n=36 Lymph vessel transplantations were analyzed.An exemplary drawing is shown in Figure 1.A graphical representation of patient selection is shown in Figure 2.Robotic harvest was performed with the Da Vinci Xi Robot Systems(Intuitive Surgical,CA,United States).RESULTS In total,11 male and 76 female patients were operated on.The mean age of the patients at study entry was:omental VLNT:57.45±8.02 years;supraclavicular VLNT:49.76±4.16 years and LVTx:49.75±4.95 years.The average observation time postoperative was:omental VLNT:18±3.48 mo;supraclavicular VLNT:14.15±4.9 and LVTx:14.84±4.46 mo.In our omental VLNT,three patients showed a slight abdominal sensation of tension within the first 12 postoperative days.No other donor side morbidities occurred.No intraoperative conversion to open technique was needed.Our supraclavicular VLNT collective showed 10 lift defect morbidities with one necessary surgical intervention.In our LVTx collective,12 cases of donor side morbidity were registered.In one case,surgical intervention was necessary.CONCLUSION Concerning donor side morbidity,robot-assisted omental VLNT is clearly superior to supraclavicular lymph node transplantation and LVTx.

The fate of ^(15)N-labeled nitrogen inputs to pot cultured beech seedlings

The partitioning of nitrogen deposition among forest soil （including forest floor）, leachate and above- and belowground biomass of pot cultured beech seedlings in comparison to non-cultured treatments were investigated by adding 1.92 g.m^-2 ^15N tracer in throughfall for two successive growing seasons at a greenhouse experiment. Ammonium and nitrate depositions were simulated on four treatments （cultured and non-cultured） and each treatment was labeled with either ^15N-NH4^＋ or ^15N-NO3^-. Total recovery rates of the applied ^15N in the whole system accounted for 74.9% to 67.3% after ^15N-NH4^＋ and 85.3% to 88.1% after ^15N-NO3^-in cultured and non-cultured treatments, respectively. The main sink for both ^15N tracers was the forest soil （including forest floor）, where 34.6% to 33.7% of ^15N-NH4^＋ and 13.1% to 9.0% of ^15N-NO3^-were found in cultured and non-cultured treatments, respectively, suggesting strong immobilization of both N forms by hetero- trophic microorganisms. Nitrogen immobilization by microorganisms in the forest soil （including forest floor） was three times higher when ^15N-NH4^＋ was applied compared to ^15N-NO3^-. The preferential heterotrophic use of ammonium resulted in a two times higher retention of deposited ^15N-NH4^＋ in the forest soil as compared to plants. In contrast, nitrate immobilization in the forest soil was lower compared to plants, although statistically it was not significantly different. In total the immobilization of ammonium in the plant-soil system was about 60% higher than nitrate, indicating the importance of the N-forms deposition for retention in forest ecosystems.

Species Composition and Stand Structure of Primary and Secondary Moist Evergreen Forests in the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve (TNR) Buffer Zone, Myanmar

The habitat structure and floristic composition examined for this study are of great importance, providing a scientific baseline of information for developing a biodiversity database and in supporting crucial information for the management decision-making process of the buffer zones. The primary objective of this study was to examine the current status of species composition and stand structure of moist evergreen forests distributed in the TNR buffer zone. Forest inventory was conducted in the primary moist evergreen forest (~1 ha) and secondary moist evergreen forest (~1 ha). In the TNR buffer zone, 83 species belonging to 31 families in the primary moist evergreen forest and 86 species belonging to 32 families in the secondary moist evergreen forest were found. The most dominant families in the primary moist evergreen forest were Dipterocarpaceae, Sapindaceae, Meliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Myristicaceae;at species level;this forest was composed of Nephelium lappaceum, Myristica malabarica, Nephelium laurium, Aglaia andamanica, and Diospyros peregrine. The most dominant families in the secondary moist evergreen forest were Myrtaceae, Sapindaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myristicaceae, and Lauraceae, while Nephelium lappaceum, Syzygium claviflorum, Syzygium sp-1, Eugenia oblate, and Myristica angustifolia were the most dominant at the species level. The results of S?rensen’s similarity index based on common species (Ks) and the similarity index based on species dominance (Kd) were observed at about 55% and 75% between the primary and secondary moist evergreen forests. The basal area (51.39 m2.ha-1) of the primary moist evergreen forest was higher than that (44.50 m2.ha-1) of the secondary moist evergreen forest. Between these two forest types, the Shannon-Wiener, the Simpson and the Evenness indices were not significantly different at (p < 0.05). The total number of trees per hectare (n/ha) of the primary and secondary moist evergreen forests were 910 (±184) and 991 (±183). ?

How Spines Cross-Talk： Compartmental Model of Heterosynaptic Plasticity

This study addresses the fundamental principle of inter-synaptic interactions in synaptic cross-talk through homosynaptic and heterosynaptic plasticity by studying the intrinsic calcium signaling dynamics in spines. Beyond the calcium influx into synapse through voltage gated calcium channels （VGCCs） and N-methyl-D-aspartate （NNMDA） receptors, the function of calcium released from internal store in mediating inter-synaptic cross-talk has barely been modeled. This work investigates how different sources of calcium contribute to inter-synaptic cross-talk and synaptic clustering. Based on experimental observations, we developed a mathematical model in one dimensional system with uniform distribution of spines with the connected dendrite. We modeled the biophysical process of calcium induced calcium release （CICR） in the dendritic smooth endoplasmic reticulum （SER）. Our model compared distinct roles of calcium diffusion, back propagated action potentials （bAPs） and CICR played in synaptic clustering and inter-synaptic cross-talk. The simulation result demonstrated that calcium signal extruded from spine into dendrite requires amplification by CICR before invading neighboring spines to induce plasticity. Our model predicted that initial calcium concentration in SER may discriminate between different types of neuronal activity and induce completely different synaptic potentiation and depression.

The effect of single-tree selction system on soil properties in an oriental beech stand of Hyrcanian forest, north of Iran

A case study was conducted in beech forests of northern Iran to determine the effect of the created gaps on some soil properties in beech stand. Changes of soil properties in small （60-150 mE）, medium （151-241 mE）, large （242-332 m^2） and very large （333-550 m^2） gaps, as well as under closed stands were studied eight years after-the gap creation. Soil samples were taken from three depths, 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm. The gaps were different from their around undisturbed stands in terms of the following soil parameters： Mg^＋2 concentration of 0-10 cm at medium gap size, bulk density of 10-20 cm at very large gap size as well as K^＋ and Ca^＋2 concentrations at 20-30 cm at small and large gap sizes, respectively. Furthermore, the size of the gaps had no effect on soil characteristics through the whole profile. Water saturation percent （Sp %） at 0-10cm as well as P and Mg^＋2 at 20--30 cm was different amongst undisturbed stands around different gap sizes. The center and the edges of the gap were different only in terms of organic carbon at the depth of 10-20 cm. Significant differences were observed between gaps and closed canopy regarding P and Ca^＋2 at depth 0--10 cm and 10-20 cm, respectively. It can be concluded that applied silvicultural system for harvesting trees which created these gaps might be suitable for conservation and forest management in the region.

Transferability and application of microsatellites(SSRs)from Juniperus communis L.to Juniperus procera Hochst.Ex endl.

Transferability of five nuclear microsatellite markers (Jc-16, Jc-31, Jc-32, Jc-35 and Jc-37) that were originally developed for J. communis was tested to J. procera. Jc-31 & Jc-37 showed successful amplifications and polymorphism in J. procera. Jc-35 which had been reported as polymorphic in J. communis was monomorphic in J. procera while the primer pair for Jc-32 failed to record any amplification. The remaining one primer pair (Jc-16) showed double loci ampli-fication in both J. procera and the control J. communis suggesting further examination of the primer pair and its binding sites. Genetic variation of six Ethiopian J. procera populations: Chilimo, Goba, Menagesha-Suba, Wef-Washa, Yabelo and Ziquala was assessed based on the two polymorphic loci (Jc-31 & Jc-37) in 20 - 24 individuals of each population. From these two loci, a total of 41 alleles could be retrieved. Two populations that are located south east of the Great Rift Valley together harboured 75% of private alleles signifying their deviant geo-ecological zones and suggesting special consideration for conservation. Chilimo, which is at the western margin of Juniper habitat in Ethiopian central highlands scored the highest fixation (FIS = 0.584) entailing lower immigrant genes and hence higher inbreeding. The AMOVA revealed that 97% of the variation resided within the?population while still among population variation was significant

Physiological and Molecular Features of the Pathosystem Arabidopsis thaliana L.-Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Libert

The fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Libert causes rot diseases on many crops worldwide and large economic losses occur frequently because of a lack of resistant varieties. The pathogenesis of S. sclerotiorum and the molecular basis of plant responses to the pathogen are poorly understood. In the present investigation, the process of S. sclerotiorum infection in Arabidopsis thaliana L., a plant that is highly susceptible to this fungus, was analysed. In addition, the defense activation in the host was investigated. A convenient inoculation method using millet grain was developed for S. sclerotiorum in Arabidopsis. The fungus rapidly infected the plants, probably through ball- or cushion-like infection structures. Visible symptoms developed within 24 h and plants were killed 72 h after inoculation. Cellulase, the main enzyme that caused host tissues to rot, was secreted by S. sclerotiorum in a pH-dependent manner. Oxalic acid, another pathogenic factor secreted by the fungus, induced necrotic lesions on the leaves, infection with S. sclerotiorum strongly induced the production of the pathogenesis-related （PR） proteins β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the PR gene PDF. 1 was induced, but not PR1, indicating that the pathogen activated basal defense of jasmonic acid/ethylene dependence, which is consistent with its necrotrophic characteristics. This pathosystem for Arabidopsis-S. sclerotiorum could provide an approach for the analysis of the interactions between S. sclerotiorum and other crops, thereby facilitating genetic manipulation techniques for controlling this pathogen.

An integrated methodology for soil moisture analysis using multispectral data in Mongolia

Soil moisture(SM)content is one of the most important environmental variables in relation to land surface climatology,hydrology,and ecology.Long-term SM data-sets on a regional scale provide reasonable information about climate change and global warming specific regions.The aim of this research work is to develop an integrated methodology for SM of kastanozems soils using multispectral satellite data.The study area is Tuv(48°40′30″N and 106°15′55″E)province in the forest steppe zones in Mongolia.In addition to this,land surface temperature(LST)and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)from Landsat satellite images were integrated for the assessment.Furthermore,we used a digital elevation model(DEM)from ASTER satellite image with 30-m resolution.Aspect and slope maps were derived from this DEM.The soil moisture index(SMI)was obtained using spectral information from Landsat satellite data.We used regression analysis to develop the model.The model shows how SMI from satellite depends on LST,NDVI,DEM,Slope,and Aspect in the agricultural area.The results of the model were correlated with the ground SM data in Tuv province.The results indicate that there is a good agreement between output SM and SM of ground truth for agricultural area.Further research is focused on moisture mapping for different natural zones in Mongolia.The innovative part of this research is to estimate SM using drivers which are vegetation,land surface temperature,elevation,aspect,and slope in the forested steppe area.This integrative methodology can be applied for different regions with forest and desert steppe zones.

SLM2 Is A Novel Cardiac Splicing Factor Involved in Heart Failure due to Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Alternative mRNA splicing is a fundamental process to increase the versatility of the genome.In humans,cardiac mRNA splicing is involved in the pathophysiology of heart failure.Mutations in the splicing factor RNA binding motif protein 20(RBM20) cause severe forms of cardiomyopathy.To identify novel cardiomyopathy-associated splicing factors,RNA-seq and tissue-enrichment analyses were performed,which identified up-regulated expression of Sam68-Like mammalian protein 2(SLM2) in the left ventricle of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) patients.In the human heart,SLM2 binds to important transcripts of sarcomere constituents,such as those encoding myosin light chain2(MYL2),troponin 13(TNNI3),troponin T2(TNNT2),tropomyosin 1/2(TPM1/2),and titin(TTN).Mechanistically,SLM2 mediates intron retention,prevents exon exclusion,and thereby mediates alternative splicing of the mRNA regions encoding the variable proline-,glutamate-,valine-,and lysine-rich(PEVK) domain and another part of the I-band region of titin.In summary,SLM2 is a novel cardiac splicing regulator with essential functions for maintaining cardiomyocyte integrity by binding to and processing the mRNAs of essential cardiac constituents such as titin.