Establishing a rapid and effective method for screening salt tolerance in soybean

Chlorine (Cl) toxicity has been recognized as a constraint for soybean production. Although the use of a Cl-tolerant crop easily solves the problem, current screening methodologies for Cl tolerance are often ineffective because of inadequate means of detecting and measuring plant response to salinity. In order to facilitate the evaluation process and selection of Cl-tolerant genotypes, a study was conducted to develop a rapid and effective method for screening Cl tolerance in soybean. Seeds of five soybean cultivars, each representing either the includer or excluder genotype to salt stress, were grown in a greenhouse in two different growing media (potting mix or sandy loam) with four different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions. Visual symptoms of Cl toxicity were rated on a 1 to 6 scale (1 as healthy and 6 as dead), and the score was compared with relative shoot/ root dry weight and Cl concentration in shoot/root to corroborate the accuracy of the visual ratings. Reduced dry weight was associated with higher Cl concentrations in both root and shoot tissues. The optimal NaCl concentration for screening was determined as 120 mM NaCl since it effectively differentiated excluders from includers. There were negative, significant correlations between relative shoot dry weight and Cl concentration in shoot tissue (r = -0.91 p = 0.05), and Cl concentration in shoot was also significantly correlated with visual rating score (r = 0.79 p = 0.05). The presented methodology is simple, rapid, and effective for screening for salt tolerance in soybean

Comparison of instrumental methods for measuring seed hardness of food-grade soybean

Seed hardness is an important factor in determining soybean suitability for natto production. There is no established methodology for testing seed texture of soybeans. The objective of this study was to develop an efficient method by examining different instruments and seed parameters that could be potentially used for testing soybean seed hardness. Five food-grade soybean genotypes with different seed sizes were used to determine seed hardness and water-absorption capacity. Water absorption capacity was expressed by swell ratios for seed weight, seed dimension, and volume of water changes before and after soaking. Seed hardness test was conducted by a one-bite method using two food-texture analyzers: a TMS-2000 equipped with shear cell (SC) and a TA-XT2i equipped with either a single blade (SB), a 2-mm probe (PB), a 75-mm cylinder (CY), or a 16-probe pea rigs (PR). The results showed that hardness testing by CY with ten seeds (CV=0.14), SB with 5 seeds (CV=0.11), and SC with 30 g steamed seeds (CV=0.14) produced dependable and consistent results with low coefficient of variance. However, SC may not be practical for early plant selection in a breeding program due to a relatively large sample requirement. Seed size was negatively, whereas swell ratio by weight and volume was positively, correlated with seed hardness, and therefore, can be used as indirect selection indicators for seed hardness

Title VII and African American Hair: A Clash of Cultures

This Note discusses the possible motivations behind grooming policies across various industries that disproportionally disfavor African-Americans from adopting natural hairstyles. Dewberry frames the analysis in light of current protections under Title VII case law and other factors of implicit bias. The author suggests that Title VII fails to recognize hair discrimination as racial discrimination, and the importance of hairstyles as a racial identifier. The Note proposes a shift from using Title VII litigation to including minority voices in shaping grooming policies in an effort to incorporate objective criteria instead of subjective standards that leave room for implicit bias

Warming and Labile Substrate Addition Alter Enzyme Activities and Composition of Soil Organic Carbon

Warming can increase the efflux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from soils and can potentially feedback to climate change. In ajout to warming, the input of labile carbon can enhance the microbial activity by stimulating the co-metabolism of recalcitrant soil organic matter (SOM). This is particularly true with SOM under invaded ecosystems where elevated CO2 and warming may increase the biomass of invasive species resulting in higher addition of labile substrates. We hypothesized that the input of labile carbon would instigate a greater soil organic carbon (SOC) loss with warming compared to the ambient température. We investigated this by incubating soils collected from a native pine (Pinus taeda) forest to which labile carbon from the invasive species kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was added. We evaluated the microbial extracellular enzyme activité, molecular composition of SOC and the temperature sensitivity of soil CO2 efflux under warming and labile carbon addition. After 14 months of soil incubation, the addition of labile C through kudzu extract increased the activity of β-1,4-glucosidase compared with the control. However, the activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and fungal biomasse (ergosterol) decreased with labile carbon addition. The activity of peroxidase increased with warming after 14 months of soil incubation. Although the carbon content of incubated soils did not vary with substrate and temperature treatments, the molecular composition of SOC indicated a general decrease in biopolymers such as cutin, suberin, long-chain fatty acids, and phytosterol with warming and an increasing trend of microbial-derived compounds with labile substrate addition. In soils that received an addition of labile C, the macro-aggregate stability was higher while the temperature sensitivity of soil C efflux was lower compared with the control. The increase in aggregate stability could enhance the physical protection of SOC from microbial decomposition potentially contributing to the observed pattern of temperature sensitivity. Our results suggest that warming could preferentially accelerate the decomposition of recalcitrant compounds while the addition of labile substrates could enhance microbial-derived compounds that are relatively resistant to further decomposition. Our study further emphasizes that global change factors such as plant invasion and climate change can differentially alter soil microbial activity and the composition of SOC

芥川龍之介論 -日本近代文学と〈疎外〉-

早大学位記番号:新7237早稲田大

暖温帯林の落葉層における水分の不均質性が落葉分解呼吸の時空間変動に与える影響

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(農学)甲第19032号農博第2110号新制||農||1031(附属図書館)学位論文||H27||N4914(農学部図書室)31983京都大学大学院農学研究科地域環境科学専攻(主査)教授 谷 誠, 教授 北山 兼弘, 教授 本田 与一学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Agricultural ScienceKyoto UniversityDGA

Museu do Ipiranga

O Museu do Ipiranga ou Museu Paulista da USP é órgão de integração da Universidade de São Paulo e dedica-se ao estudo da História da Cultura Material da sociedade brasileira. O edifício, que o abriga, foi construído como Monumento à Independência. Os acervos tiveram início na coleção do Museu Sertório, que em fins de 1890 foi comprado pelo Conselheiro Francisco de Paula Mayrink e por ele doado ao Governo do Estado. Subordinou-se à Comissão Geográfica e Geológica do Estado de São Paulo, de 1890 a 1893. Em agosto de 1893, determinou-se o uso do Monumento como sede do Museu, com a transferência das coleções, e autorizou-se a sua reorganização. A 7 de setembro de 1895 foi inaugurado solenemente e aberto ao público. Em 1934, tornou-se um instituto complementar da Universidade de São Paulo, à qual se integrou definitivamente em 1963. O Museu Paulista possui mais de 130 mil peças concentradas em três áreas: Objetos, Documentação Textual e Iconografia, abrangendo o período do século XVI até meados do XX.The Museu do Ipiranga, or Museu Paulista da USP is a University of São Paulo integration organism and dedicates itself to the study of the History of the Brazilian society's Material Culture. The building that houses it was built as a Monument to Independence. The collections were began with the Museu Sertório collection, which was bought, at the end of 1890, by Counselor Francisco de Paula Mayrink, and donated by him to the State Government. The collection was subordinated to the State of São Paulo Geographical and Geological Commission between 1890 and 1893. In August 1893, it was determined that the Monument would be used as the Museum's headquarters. The collections were transferred and reorganization was authorized. The museum was solemnly inaugurated and open to the public on September 7th 1895. In 1934, it became a University of São Paulo complementary institute, and it was finally incorporated to it in 1963. The Museu Paulista owns more than 130 thousand pieces concentrated in three areas: Objects, Textual Documentation and Iconography, covering the period ranging from the 16th to mid 20th Centuries

CO2 efflux from leaf litter focused on spatial and temporal heterogeneity of moisture

Leaf litter respiration (R [LL]) was directly measured in situ to evaluate relationships with the water content in leaf litter (WC), which is distributed heterogeneously under natural conditions. To do so, we developed a small, closed static chamber system using an infrared gas analyzer, which can measure instantaneous R [LL]. This study focuses on the measurement of CO2 effluxes from leaf litter using the chamber system in the field and examines the relationship between R [LL] and WC among seven broadleaf species in a temperate forest. The measurements focused on the position of leaves within the litter layer, finding that both R [LL] and WC were significantly higher in the lower layer. The value of R [LL] increased with increasing WC, and the response of R [LL] to WC was similar among all seven species. Moreover, the temporal variation in WC differed among three species and was associated with leaf litter thickness. The observed heterogeneity in WC induced by the physical environment (e.g., position and thickness of leaf litter) affects the variation in WC and, therefore, both R [LL] and the decomposition rates of organic matter in the litter layer