Recurrence Relations for Strongly q-Log-Convex Polynomials

We consider a class of strongly q-log-convex polynomials based on a triangular recurrence relation with linear coefficients, and we show that the Bell polynomials, the Bessel polynomials, the Ramanujan polynomials and the Dowling polynomials are strongly q-log-convex. We also prove that the Bessel transformation preserves log-convexity.Comment: 15 page

Autotrophic growth of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers in freshwater sediment microcosms incubated at different temperatures

Both bacteria and archaea potentially contribute to ammonia oxidation, but their roles in freshwater sediments are still poorly understood. Seasonal differences in the relative activities of these groups might exist, since cultivated archaeal ammonia oxidizers have higher temperature optima than their bacterial counterparts. In this study, sediment collected from eutrophic freshwater Lake Taihu (China) was incubated at different temperatures (4°C, 15°C, 25°C, and 37°C) for up to 8 weeks. We examined the active bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers in these sediment microcosms by using combined stable isotope probing (SIP) and molecular community analysis. The results showed that accumulation of nitrate in microcosms correlated negatively with temperature, although ammonium depletion was the same, which might have been related to enhanced activity of other nitrogen transformation processes. Incubation at different temperatures significantly changed the microbial community composition, as revealed by 454 pyrosequencing targeting bacterial 16S rRNA genes. After 8 weeks of incubation, [(13)C]bicarbonate labeling of bacterial amoA genes, which encode the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A, and an observed increase in copy numbers indicated the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in all microcosms. Nitrosomonas sp. strain Is79A3 and Nitrosomonas communis lineages dominated the heavy fraction of CsCl gradients at low and high temperatures, respectively, indicating a niche differentiation of active bacterial ammonia oxidizers along the temperature gradient. The (13)C labeling of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in microcosms incubated at 4 to 25°C was minor. In contrast, significant (13)C labeling of Nitrososphaera-like archaea and changes in the abundance and composition of archaeal amoA genes were observed at 37°C, implicating autotrophic growth of ammonia-oxidizing archaea under warmer condition

Precipitate stability and recrystallisation in the weld nuggets of friction stir welded Al-Mg-Si and Al-Mg-Sc alloys

Two different precipitate hardening aluminium alloys processed by friction stir welding were investigated. The microstructure and the hardness of the as delivered materials were compared to that of the weld nugget. Transmission electron microscopy observations combined with three-dimensional atom probe analyses clearly show that \beta;" precipitates dissolved in the nugget of the Al-Mg-Si giving rise to some supersaturated solid solution. It is shown that the dramatic softening of the weld could be partly recovered by post-welding ageing treatments. In the Al-Mg-Sc alloy, Al3Sc precipitate size and density are unchanged in the nugget comparing to the base metal. These precipitates strongly reduce the boundary mobility of recrystallised grains, leading to a grain size in the nugget much smaller than in the Al-Mg-Si alloy. Both coherent and incoherent precipitates were detected. This feature may indicate that a combination of continuous and discontinuous recrystallisation occurred in the weld nugget

Kidney injury molecule-1 is an early biomarker of cadmium nephrotoxicity

Cadmium (Cd) exposure results in injury to the proximal tubule characterized by polyuria and proteinuria. Kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein not normally detected in the mature kidney, but is upregulated and shed into the urine following nephrotoxic injury. In this study, we determine if Kim-1 might be a useful early biomarker of Cd nephrotoxicity. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were given daily injections of Cd for up to 12 weeks. Weekly urine samples were analyzed for Kim-1, protein, creatinine, metallothionein, and Clara cell protein CC-16. Significant levels of Kim-1 were detected in the urine by 6 weeks and continued to increase throughout the treatment period. This appearance of Kim-1 occurred 4–5 weeks before the onset of proteinuria, and 1–3 weeks before the appearance of metallothionein and CC-16. Higher doses of Cd gave rise to higher Kim-1 excretion. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) expression analysis showed that Kim-1 transcript levels were increased after 6 weeks at the low dose of Cd. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that Kim-1 was present in proximal tubule cells of the Cd-treated rats. Our results suggest that Kim-1 may be a useful biomarker of early stages of Cd-induced proximal tubule injury

Role of Grasslands and Grassland Management for Biogeochemical Cycles and Biodiversity. Setting up Long-Term Manipulation Experiments in France

Land use for grassland is recognised to have some beneficial effects for biodiversity and the environment: (i) regulation of the water cycle and protection of soils against erosion, (ii) accumulation of organic matter in soil and sequestration of atmospheric C, (iii) regulation of the N cycle and attenuation of the risk for N leaching, (iv) recycling of nutrients and improvement of soil quality, (v) improvement of biodiversity of vegetation, soil microbes and micro- and meso-fauna. All these effects depend upon the management of the grassland: cutting vs. grazing, stocking density, level of N inputs. Management decisions often result from short- term objectives, whereas the soil-vegetation interactions are long-term processes. Therefore, a steady state is usually not reached, which makes it difficult to determine the overall environmental effects of changes in land use and in grassland management

Atributos de los genotipos de maíz sometido a la tasa de nitrógeno en los diferentes niveles de paja.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resposta de genótipos de milho (Zea mays L.), cultivado em sistema de plantio direto, a diferentes quantidades de palha de aveia-preta (Avena strigosa Schreb.) e doses de nitrogênio. O experimento foi conduzido em um Latossolo Vermelho eutrófico, em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso em parcelas subsubdivididas, com três repetições. As parcelas principais foram representadas pelas quantidades de palha na superfície do solo (sem palha, 5,16 e 10,32 Mg ha-1). As subparcelas foram representadas por três genótipos de milho e as subsubparcelas constituíram-se das doses 0, 60, 120, 180 e 240 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio. O aumento da dose de nitrogênio reduziu a requeima das folhas e promoveu o suprimento adequado de nitrogênio das plantas de milho em todos os tratamentos com palha de aveia-preta. Os genótipos de milho diferenciaram-se quanto à produtividade de grãos, ao aproveitamento do nitrogênio mineralizado da palha e ao comprimento do sistema radicular, quando submetidos a diferentes quantidades de palha de aveia-preta e de nitrogênio.The objective of this work was to assess the performance of corn (Zea mays L.) genotypes as affected by inputs of black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) residues applied on the soil surface and nitrogen fertilization under no-tillage system in a Typical Haplustox. The experiment was carried out in a complete randomized block design, arranged in split-split plots with three replicates. The main plots consisted of the amount of crop residues on the soil surface (no crop residue, 5.16 and 10.32 Mg ha-1). The split plots were three corn genotypes, and the split-split plots were five nitrogen rates: 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha-1. An increase in the nitrogen rates decreased nitrogen deficiency and provided an adequate nitrogen supply for corn, under all the amounts of black oat residues. The corn genotypes grown with different amounts of black oat residues and nitrogen rates had different grain yield responses, use of mineralized nitrogen from crop residues, and root growth.El nitrógeno (N) es considerado uno de los principales factores responsables de la producción para aumentar la productividad de los granos de maíz. Este trabajo se llevó a cabo para evaluar la respuesta de los atributos de genotipos de maíz para el efecto de la aplicación del contenido de paja y las tasas de nitrógeno en sistema de labranza. El experimento fue un complot subsubdivididas al azar en tres bloques. El tratamiento se compone de tres elementos esenciales de paja (sin paja; 5,16 ton ha-1 y 10,32 ton ha-1). Los tratamientos fueron establecidos lado de tres genotipos de maíz (AG 9020®, AG 6018® y AG 8021®). Y la subsubtratamentos que consta de cinco niveles de nitrógeno (0, 60, 120, 180 y 240 kg ha-1). La metodología utilizada para cuantificar la longitud de raíz en el perfil del suelo es a través del procesamiento de imágenes digitales. Los genotipos mostraron un comportamiento diferente en la productividad, tiempo para la deficiencia de N, el contenido de nitrógeno en hoja índice y la longitud de raíces, lo que indica que cada genotipo presenta características peculiares. Con sólo 60 kg de N ha-1 fue casi suficiente para lograr el mayor rendimiento de grano del experimento. Los genotipos mostraron un comportamiento diferente en relación con el uso del N mineralizado de rastrojos