Diverse novel mesorhizobia nodulate New Zealand native Sophora species

Forty eight rhizobial isolates from New Zealand (NZ) native Sophora spp. growing in natural ecosystems were characterised. Thirty eight isolates across five groups showed greatest similarity to Mesorhizobium ciceri LMG 14989T with respect to their 16S rRNA and concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. Seven isolates had a 16S rRNA sequence identical to M. amorphae ATCC 19665T but showed greatest similarity to M. septentrionale LMG 23930T on their concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. All isolates grouped closely together for their nifH, nodA and nodC sequences, clearly separate from all other rhizobia in the GenBank database. None of the type strains closest to the Sophora isolates based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity nodulated Sophora microphylla but they all nodulated their original host. Twenty one Sophora isolates selected from the different 16S rRNA groupings produced N2-fixing nodules on three Sophora spp. but none nodulated any host of the type strains for the related species. DNA hybridisations indicated that these isolates belong to novel Mesorhizobium spp. that nodulate NZ native Sophora species

An MPEG-7 scheme for semantic content modelling and filtering of digital video

Abstract Part 5 of the MPEG-7 standard specifies Multimedia Description Schemes (MDS); that is, the format multimedia content models should conform to in order to ensure interoperability across multiple platforms and applications. However, the standard does not specify how the content or the associated model may be filtered. This paper proposes an MPEG-7 scheme which can be deployed for digital video content modelling and filtering. The proposed scheme, COSMOS-7, produces rich and multi-faceted semantic content models and supports a content-based filtering approach that only analyses content relating directly to the preferred content requirements of the user. We present details of the scheme, front-end systems used for content modelling and filtering and experiences with a number of users

Mesorhizobium waimense sp. nov. isolated from Sophora longicarinata root nodules and Mesorhizobium cantuariense sp. nov. isolated from Sophora microphylla root nodules

In total 14 strains of Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacteria were isolated from Sophora longicarinata and Sophora microphylla root nodules and authenticated as rhizobia on these hosts. Based on the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, they were shown to belong to the genus Mesorhizobium, and the strains from S. longicarinata were most closely related to Mesorhizobium amorphae ACCC 19665(T) (99.8-99.9 %), Mesorhizobium huakuii IAM 14158(T) (99.8-99.9 %), Mesorhizobium loti USDA 3471(T) (99.5-99.9 %) and Mesorhizobium septentrionale SDW 014(T) (99.6-99.8 %), whilst the strains from S. microphylla were most closely related to Mesorhizobium ciceri UPM-Ca7(T) (99.8-99.9 %), Mesorhizobium qingshengii CCBAU 33460(T) (99.7 %) and Mesorhizobium shangrilense CCBAU 65327(T) (99.6 %). Additionally, these strains formed two distinct groups in phylogenetic trees of the housekeeping genes glnll, recA and rpoB. Chemotaxonomic data, including fatty acid profiles, supported the assignment of the strains to the genus Mesorhizobium and allowed differentiation from the closest neighbours. Results of DNA-DNA hybridizations, MALDI- TOF MS analysis, ERIC-PCR, and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of our strains from their closest neighbouring species. Therefore, the strains isolated from S. longicarinata and S. microphylla represent two novel species for which the names Mesorhizobium waimense sp. nov. (ICMP 19557(T)=LMG 28228(T)=HAMBI 3608(T)) and Mesorhizobium cantuariense sp. nov. (ICMP 19515(T)=LMG 28225(T)=HAMBI 3604(T)), are proposed respectively

Nucleon Polarizabilities from Deuteron Compton Scattering within a Green's-Function Hybrid Approach

We examine elastic Compton scattering from the deuteron for photon energies ranging from zero to 100 MeV, using state-of-the-art deuteron wave functions and NN-potentials. Nucleon-nucleon rescattering between emission and absorption of the two photons is treated by Green's functions in order to ensure gauge invariance and the correct Thomson limit. With this Green's-function hybrid approach, we fulfill the low-energy theorem of deuteron Compton scattering and there is no significant dependence on the deuteron wave function used. Concerning the nucleon structure, we use Chiral Effective Field Theory with explicit \Delta(1232) degrees of freedom within the Small Scale Expansion up to leading-one-loop order. Agreement with available data is good at all energies. Our 2-parameter fit to all elastic $\gamma d$ data leads to values for the static isoscalar dipole polarizabilities which are in excellent agreement with the isoscalar Baldin sum rule. Taking this value as additional input, we find \alpha_E^s= (11.3+-0.7(stat)+-0.6(Baldin)) x 10^{-4} fm^3 and \beta_M^s = (3.2-+0.7(stat)+-0.6(Baldin)) x 10^{-4} fm^3 and conclude by comparison to the proton numbers that neutron and proton polarizabilities are essentially the same.Comment: 47 pages LaTeX2e with 20 figures in 59 .eps files, using graphicx. Minor modifications; extended discussion of theoretical uncertainties of polarisabilities extraction. Version accepted for publication in EPJ

Foliations of Isonergy Surfaces and Singularities of Curves

It is well known that changes in the Liouville foliations of the isoenergy surfaces of an integrable system imply that the bifurcation set has singularities at the corresponding energy level. We formulate certain genericity assumptions for two degrees of freedom integrable systems and we prove the opposite statement: the essential critical points of the bifurcation set appear only if the Liouville foliations of the isoenergy surfaces change at the corresponding energy levels. Along the proof, we give full classification of the structure of the isoenergy surfaces near the critical set under our genericity assumptions and we give their complete list using Fomenko graphs. This may be viewed as a step towards completing the Smale program for relating the energy surfaces foliation structure to singularities of the momentum mappings for non-degenerate integrable two degrees of freedom systems.Comment: 30 pages, 19 figure

A Comparison of Solar Cycle Variations in the Equatorial Rotation Rates of the Sun's Subsurface, Surface, Corona, and Sunspot Groups

Using the Solar Optical Observing Network (SOON) sunspot-group data for the period 1985-2010, the variations in the annual mean equatorial-rotation rates of the sunspot groups are determined and compared with the known variations in the solar equatorial-rotation rates determined from the following data: i) the plasma rotation rates at 0.94Rsun, 0.95Rsun,...,1.0Rsun measured by Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) during the period 1995-2010, ii) the data on the soft X-ray corona determined from Yohkoh/SXT full disk images for the years 1992-2001, iii) the data on small bright coronal structures (SBCS) which were traced in Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/EIT images during the period 1998-2006, and iv) the Mount Wilson Doppler-velocity measurements during the period 1986-2007. A large portion (up to approximate 30 deg latitude) of the mean differential-rotation profile of the sunspot groups lies between those of the internal differential-rotation rates at 0.94Rsun and 0.98Rsun.The variation in the yearly mean equatorial-rotation rate of the sunspot groups seems to be lagging that of the equatorial-rotation rate determined from the GONG measurements by one to two years.The amplitude of the latter is very small.The solar-cycle variation in the equatorial-rotation rate of the solar corona closely matches that determined from the sunspot-group data.The variation in the equatorial-rotation rate determined from the Mount Wilson Doppler-velocity data closely resembles the corresponding variation in the equatorial-rotation rate determined from the sunspot-group data that included the values of the abnormal angular motions (> 3 deg per day) of the sunspot groups. Implications of these results are pointed out.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Solar Physic