The Effects of Different Undergrowth Vegetation on the Types and Densities of Functional Ground-Dwelling Arthropods in Citrus Orchards

In agricultural lands, citrus orchards, pest feeding and weed seed predation by ground-dwelling arthropods are essential ecosystem services. This research aims to investigate the effects of different undergrowth vegetation, including weed area, bare land, rattail fescue and white clover fields, on the types and densities of functional ground-dwelling arthropods in citrus orchards, using pitfall traps. The captured organisms included carnivorous beetles (Pheropsophus jessoensis, Chlaenius naeviger and Dolichus halensis), wolf spiders (Lycosidae sp.), earwigs (Anisolabididae sp.), house centipedes (Scutigeromorpha sp.), herbivorous ground beetles (Amara sp., Harpalinae sp.), crickets and millipedes. Furthermore, the population of the functional ground-dwelling arthropods was significantly increased by the presence of a live mulch, where a higher number was seen in the rattail fescue or white clover compared to the weed or bare land fields. The cover crops also affected the types of arthropods identified, with the rattail fescue field including more Pheropsophus jessoensis while the white clover had an elevated number of wolf spiders, earwigs and Amara sp. (a weed seed predator). This discovery indicates that the type of undergrowth vegetation plays an important role in enhancing functional biodiversity. The kind of pests and weeds that these arthropods are effective against, as well as the extent to which their densities can be decreased, is also unknown. Therefore, further research on the feeding habit and predation of these arthropods should be conducted

Sulfonylurea-resistant biotypes of Monochoria vaginalis generate higher ultraweak photon emissions than the susceptible ones

All living organisms spontaneously generate ultraweak photon emissions, which originate from biochemical reactions in cells. Current research uses the ultraweak photon emission from organisms as a novel indicator in nondestructive analyses of an organisms living state. This study indicates that ultraweak photon emissions from Monochoria vaginalis are different between resistant biotypes (R) to sulfonylurea (SU) and susceptible biotypes (S). In SU-R biotypes, distinct increases in photon emissions were observed, but there was little increase in SU-S biotypes. In addition, photon emissions from the resistant biotypes of M. vaginalis were suppressed by treatment with P450 inhibitors. This suggests that cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, which plays a crucial role in the metabolic detoxification of SUs, could be associated with the generation of ultraweak photon emissions. Ultraweak photon emissions have a potential use in a novel diagnosis system as an indicator in a nondestructive testing of weeds resistant to SUs

Correlations between Oxidative Stress and Blood Lipids Are Stronger in Men than Women

Oxidative stress is one cause of atherosclerosis that makes it a lifestyle-related disease. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein （OxLDL） was previously found to be related to oxidative stress, measured using the diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites （d-ROMs） test and showed a negative correlation between biological antioxidant potential （BAP） test results and triglycerides （TG）. In addition, large gender differences exist among vascular disorders caused by arteriosclerosis. However, such gender differences and their correlation with oxidative stress and blood lipids have not been clarified. In this study, gender differences in correlations between oxidative stress and blood lipids as factors in the development of atherosclerosis was addressed. Subjects were 149 individuals who underwent medical examinations conducted in Ashikaga Teishin Clinic in Tochigi, Japan （98 males and 51 females）. A strong positive correlation was observed between d-ROMs test results and OxLDL in men （R＝0.480, P<0.0001）, but no correlation was seen in women. A strong negative correlation between BAP test results and TG was also noted in men （R＝−0.571, P<0.0001）, and a moderate negative correlation was detected in women （R＝−0.344, P＝0.0133）. A positive correlation between d-ROMs tests and OxLDL was seen in women under 50 years of age （R＝0.399, P＝0.0393）, but this correlation was not present in women who were 50 years of age or older （R＝−0.00656, P＝0.976）. Correlations between oxidative stress and OxLDL and between antioxidant potential and TG in men were more prominent than in women. This finding suggests that decreasing oxidative stress in the blood to prevent atherosclerosis is more important for men