Acid-adaption by a medic microsymbiont: new insights from the genome of Sinorhizobium medicae WSM419

The poor availability of nitrogen is one of the principal factors limiting global biomass. Legumes are vital components of agricultural systems because of their ability to associate symbiotically with root nodule bacteria (RNB) and subsequently fix atmospheric nitrogen to a form that can be utilised by the plant partner. Furthermore, this symbiotic relationship provides available soil nitrogen for subsequent non-leguminous crops. This RNB-legume interaction is affected by a number of environmental factors. Progressive acidification of agricultural soils is one of the big challenges in agriculture as soil acidity negatively impacts legume productivity. One genus of RNB, Sinorhizobium, is particularly acid-sensitive causing a major reduction in Medicago productivity in acidic soils. Due to the importance of Medic pasture production, alternative strains have been captured, and are still being captured, from the genetic pool that display superior acid tolerance characteristics. This presentation will focus on the acid-tolerant species S. medicae (previously known as S. meliloti) and in particular on the previously used commercial inoculant WSM419

Estimating the potential impact of canine distemper virus on the Amur tiger population (Panthera tigris altaica) in Russia

Lethal infections with canine distemper virus (CDV) have recently been diagnosed in Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), but long-term implications for the population are unknown. This study evaluates the potential impact of CDV on a key tiger population in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik (SABZ), and assesses how CDV might influence the extinction potential of other tiger populations of varying sizes. An individual-based stochastic, SIRD (susceptible-infected-recovered/dead) model was used to simulate infection through predation of infected domestic dogs, and/or wild carnivores, and direct tiger-to-tiger transmission. CDV prevalence and effective contact based on published and observed data was used to define plausible low- and high-risk infection scenarios. CDV infection increased the 50-year extinction probability of tigers in SABZ by 6.3% to 55.8% compared to a control population, depending on risk scenario. The most significant factors influencing model outcome were virus prevalence in the reservoir population(s) and its effective contact rate with tigers. Adjustment of the mortality rate had a proportional impact, while inclusion of epizootic infection waves had negligible additional impact. Small populations were found to be disproportionately vulnerable to extinction through CDV infection. The 50-year extinction risk in populations consisting of 25 individuals was 1.65 times greater when CDV was present than that of control populations. The effects of density dependence do not protect an endangered population from the impacts of a multi-host pathogen, such as CDV, where they coexist with an abundant reservoir presenting a persistent threat. Awareness of CDV is a critical component of a successful tiger conservation management policy

COGNITIVE COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AS A FUNCTION OF ADAPTABILITY AND APPREHENSION IN COMMUNICATION AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study determined to find out which domain of communicative adaptability and communication apprehension significantly predicts cognitive communication competence. A quantitative descriptive-predictive design was employed in this study. The research participants were 250 Grade 11 Senior High School students enrolled in English 1s – Oral Communication in Context at UM Digos Senior High School. The gathered data were analyzed and interpreted using the mean, standard deviation, Pearson-r, regression, and multiple linear regression. It was found that the SHS students have a high level of communicative adaptability, moderate communication apprehension, and a high level of cognitive communication competence. The study’s findings revealed a significant relationship between communicative adaptability and cognitive communication competence. In contrast, communication apprehension was adversely related to cognitive communication competence. Through multiple linear regression, the findings corroborated the three domains of communicative adaptability and communication apprehension: social confirmation, appropriate, and apprehension in small groups, significantly predict cognitive communication competence. The findings obtained in this study suggest that English language teachers may employ strategies and activities, with various contexts among various individuals, as performance tasks. It will help students adapt to various communication contexts, lessen communication apprehension, and improve communication competence.  Article visualizations

A search for double beta decays of tin isotopes with enhanced sensitivity

A search for the various double beta decay modes of 124Sn and 112Sn has been performed on 75 kg.days of data. New half-life limits for excited states in 124Sn have been obtained including a lower limit for the decay into the first excited 2+ state of 124Te of T_half > 0.87e20 yrs (90% CL) and into the first excited 0+ state of T_half > 1.08e20 yrs (90% CL). Ground state and excited state transitions of 112Sn have also been experimentally explored. A limit for the 2 neutrino double electron capture of T_half > 1.8e19 yrs (90% CL) is obtained. The non-observation of de-excitation gammas from the 0+ at 1888.5keV results in a lower half-life limit on the 0 neutrino double electron capture decay of 112Sn of T_half > 0.8e19 yrs (90% CL), despite a possible resonant enhancement of the decay rate due to degenerated states.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, updated analysis and tex

Climate Change Impacts on Future Wave Climate around the UK

Understanding the changes in future storm wave climate is crucial for coastal managers and planners to make informed decisions required for sustainable coastal management and for the renewable energy industry. To investigate potential future changes to storm climate around the UK, global wave model outputs of two time slice experiments were analysed with 1979–2009 representing present conditions and 2075–2100 representing the future climate. Three WaveNet buoy sites around the United Kingdom, which represent diverse site conditions and have long datasets, were chosen for this study. A storm event definition (Dissanayake et al., 2015) was used to separate meteorologically-independent storm events from wave data, which in turn allowed storm wave characteristics to be analysed. Model outputs were validated through a comparison of the modelled storm data with observed storm data for overlapping periods. Although no consistent trends across all future clusters were observed, there were no significant increases in storm wave height, storm count or storm power in the future, at least according to the global wave projection results provided by the chosen model

The Diet of Prisoners in England

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to establish whether the meals provided by the prison service enable prisoners to follow government guidelines on nutrition and healthy eating, and the extent to which they do so. Design/methodology/approach – A total of eight prisons, four male (category A, B and C), two female and two young offenders’ institutes were randomly identified and visited. Data collection involved taking three days of cyclical menus, the institution’s recipes and methods and standard or average portion sizes to calculate the mean nutrient composition of standard, healthy, vegetarian/vegan and Halal menus. Menus were also analysed to establish how well they conformed to the “Balance of Good Health”. Findings – Results show that, with the exception of some nutrients, prisoners have access to and are able to choose a nutritionally balanced diet and in the main do so. All prisons have attempted to make available menus that conform to the Balance of Good Health model; however, in some cases, choice is hampered, primarily because menus have not been annotated accurately; some dishes are not always as healthy as they might or could be; and prisoners in most cases do not actually understand what constitutes a healthy balanced diet. Originality/value – There is a paucity of data on prison food service and as such this original work adds to the body of knowledge in the field

Simple Soil Tests for Onsite Evaluation of Soil Health in Orchards

This fact sheet describes the importance of soil health and best soil testing practices