75 years The International Society of Soil Science

This paper describes the history of the International Society of Soil Science (ISSS), including a regional analysis of memberships and an overview of the ISSS main activities. The ISSS was founded in 1924 by, mainly, European agro-pedologists who were interested in establishing standardised methods of soil analysis and soil classification. In total, 16 international congresses were organized by the ISSS in the past 75 years and eight of these congresses were held in Europe. Commissions, Subcommissions, Working Groups and Standing Committees have been established, which deal with virtually all aspects of soil research and management. Number of members increased from around 550 after WWII to over 7000 in 1998. Almost 60% of the members are from North America and Western Europe. Large differences were found in the number of soil scientists and ISSS/International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) members in relation to the total population and agricultural land area. One of the important contributions of the ISSS has been the Soil Map of the World, which was prepared in the 1960s and 1970s. The ISSS has also been active in dissemination and publication of scientific results through periodicals and cooperating journals. In 1998, the ISSS was restructured into the IUSS following upon its admission as a Union member of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in 199

Resolving the ‘Nitrogen Paradox’ of arbuscular mycorrhizas : fertilization with organic matter brings considerable benefits for plant nutrition and growth

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can transfer nitrogen (N) to host plants but the ecological relevance is debated, as total plant N and biomass do not generally increase. The extent to which the symbiosis is mutually beneficial is thought to rely on the stoichiometry of N, phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) availability. While inorganic N fertilisation has been shown to elicit strong mutualism, characterised by improved plant and fungal growth and mineral nutrition, similar responses following organic N addition are lacking. Using a compartmented microcosm experiment, we determined the significance to a mycorrhizal plant of placing a 15N‐labelled, nitrogen‐rich patch of organic matter in a compartment to which only AMF hyphae had access. Control microcosms denied AMF hyphal access to the patch compartment. When permitted access to the patch compartment, the fungus proliferated extensively in the patch and transferred substantial quantities of N to the plant. Moreover, our data demonstrate that allowing hyphal access to an organic matter patch enhanced total plant N and P contents, with a simultaneous and substantial increase in plant biomass. Moreover, we demonstrate that organic matter fertilization of arbuscular mycorrhizal plants can foster a mutually beneficial symbiosis based on nitrogen transfer, a phenomenon previously thought irrelevant

Genetic architecture of spatial electrical biomarkers for cardiac arrhythmia and relationship with cardiovascular disease

The 3-dimensional spatial and 2-dimensional frontal QRS-T angles are measures derived from the vectorcardiogram. They are independent risk predictors for arrhythmia, but the underlying biology is unknown. Using multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies we identify 61 (58 previously unreported) loci for the spatial QRS-T angle (N = 118,780) and 11 for the frontal QRS-T angle (N = 159,715). Seven out of the 61 spatial QRS-T angle loci have not been reported for other electrocardiographic measures. Enrichments are observed in pathways related to cardiac and vascular development, muscle contraction, and hypertrophy. Pairwise genome-wide association studies with classical ECG traits identify shared genetic influences with PR interval and QRS duration. Phenome-wide scanning indicate associations with atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular block and arterial embolism and genetically determined QRS-T angle measures are associated with fascicular and bundle branch block (and also atrioventricular block for the frontal QRS-T angle). We identify potential biology involved in the QRS-T angle and their genetic relationships with cardiovascular traits and diseases, may inform future research and risk prediction

Multi-ancestry GWAS of the electrocardiographic PR interval identifies 202 loci underlying cardiac conduction

The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrioventricular conduction, and is associated with conduction abnormalities, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation (AF), and cardiovascular mortality. Here we report a multi-ancestry (N = 293,051) genome-wide association meta-analysis for the PR interval, discovering 202 loci of which 141 have not previously been reported. Variants at identified loci increase the percentage of heritability explained, from 33.5% to 62.6%. We observe enrichment for cardiac muscle developmental/contractile and cytoskeletal genes, highlighting key regulation processes for atrioventricular conduction. Additionally, 8 loci not previously reported harbor genes underlying inherited arrhythmic syndromes and/or cardiomyopathies suggesting a role for these genes in cardiovascular pathology in the general population. We show that polygenic predisposition to PR interval duration is an endophenotype for cardiovascular disease, including distal conduction disease, AF, and atrioventricular pre-excitation. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic basis of cardiac conduction, and the genetic relationship between PR interval duration and cardiovascular disease

The oil palm

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75 years The International Society of Soil Science

This paper describes the history of the International Society of Soil Science (ISSS), including a regional analysis of memberships and an overview of the ISSS main activities. The ISSS was founded in 1924 by, mainly, European agro-pedologists who were interested in establishing standardised methods of soil analysis and soil classification. In total, 16 international congresses were organized by the ISSS in the past 75 years and eight of these congresses were held in Europe. Commissions, Subcommissions, Working Groups and Standing Committees have been established, which deal with virtually all aspects of soil research and management. Number of members increased from around 550 after WWII to over 7000 in 1998. Almost 60% of the members are from North America and Western Europe. Large differences were found in the number of soil scientists and ISSS/International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) members in relation to the total population and agricultural land area. One of the important contributions of the ISSS has been the Soil Map of the World, which was prepared in the 1960s and 1970s. The ISSS has also been active in dissemination and publication of scientific results through periodicals and cooperating journals. In 1998, the ISSS was restructured into the IUSS following upon its admission as a Union member of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in 199

Soils and agriculture

8.00SIGLELD:3487.463(2) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo