A root auto tracing and analysis (ARATA): An automatic analysis software for detecting fine roots in images from flatbed optical scanners

1. Buried scanners are often used to study fine root dynamics by continuously observing them from the images taken at a fixed point. Accordingly, software have been developed to support operators to quantitatively analyse fine roots from scanned images. However, image processing is still time-consuming work. 2. Deep learning has achieved impressive results as a method for recognising objects in pixel units. In this study, we attempted to automate the image analysis of fine roots using convolutional neural network. 3. Using a root auto tracing and analysis (ARATA), we succeeded in extracting fine roots from scanned images and calculated projected area of fine roots for long-term dynamics. 4. Our software enables the automatic processing of scanned images acquired at various study sites and accelerates the study of fine root dynamics over extended time periods

Sources of carbon supporting the fast growth of developing immature moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) culms: inference from carbon isotopes and anatomy

Phyllostachys edulis is a spectacularly fast-growing species that completes its height growth within 2 months after the shoot emerges without producing leaves (fast-growing period, FGP). This phase was considered heterotrophic, with the carbon necessary for the growth being transferred from the mature culms via the rhizomes, although previous studies observed key enzymes and anatomical features related to C₄-carbon fixation in developing culms. We tested whether C₄-photosynthesis or dark-CO₂ fixation through anaplerotic reactions significantly contributes to the FGP, resulting in differences in the natural abundance of δ¹³C in bulk organic matter and organic compounds. Further, pulse-¹³CO₂-labelling was performed on developing culms, either from the surface or from the internal hollow, to ascertain whether significant CO2 fixation occurs in developing culms. δ¹³C of young shoots and developing culms were higher (−26.3 to −26.9 ‰) compared to all organs of mature bamboos (−28.4 to −30.1 ‰). Developing culms contained chlorophylls, most observed in the skin tissues. After pulse-¹³CO₂-labelling, the polar fraction extracted from the skin tissues was slightly enriched in ¹³C, and only a weak ¹³C enrichment was observed in inner tissues. Main carbon source sustaining the FGP was not assimilated by the developing culm, while a limited anaplerotic fixation of respired CO₂ cannot be excluded and is more likely than C₄-photosynthetic carbon fixation

The Role of Satellite Television Channels in The Political socialization (A Field Study in Lattakia)

 With the momentum in the Presents of the Plethora of events on the political arena، The media plays a great role in shaping the political socialization of a large number of The population who depend on The media as a source of information. Moreover، With the public Concern and political controversy that is taking place nowadays on different levels and in different fields، Most people have Started to express their opinion in accordance with information that they draw on from. what they read or watch through the media. The Current research discusses the role of satellite channels in shaping the political socialization. To achieve the objectives of this study، a questionnaire was designed and administered as Sample of /381/ residents of neighborhoods bsnada and the seventh of April. The results of the study showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the role of the satellite channels in political education and the educational level of the participants. It also revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between the role of the satellite channels in political education and gender

Diurnal variations in the thickness of the inner bark of tree trunk in relation to xylem water potential and phloem turgor

The inner bark plays important roles in tree stems, including radial exchange of water with the xylem and translocation of carbohydrates. Both processes affect the water content and the thickness of the inner bark on a diurnal basis. For the first time, we simultaneously measured the diurnal variations in the inner bark thickness of hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) by using point dendrometers and those of local xylem potential by using stem psychrometers located next to the dendrometers to determine how these variations were related to each other, to phloem turgor and carbohydrate transport. We also estimated the axial hydrostatic pressure gradient by measuring the osmolality of the sap extracted from the inner bark. The inner bark shrunk during the day and swelled during the night with an amplitude related to day-to-day and seasonal variations in climate. The relationship between changes in xylem water potential and inner bark thickness exhibited a hysteresis loop during the day with a median lag of 2 h. A phloem turgor-related signal can be retrieved from the diurnal variations in the inner bark thickness, which was higher at the upper than at the lower position along the trunk. However, a downward hydrostatic pressure gradient was only observed at dawn, suggesting diurnal variations in the phloem sap flow velocity

High belowground biomass allocation in an upland black spruce (Picea mariana) stand in interior Alaska

AbstractThe root system of forest trees account for a significant proportion of the total forest biomass. However, data is particularly limited for forests in permafrost regions. In this study, therefore, we estimated the above- and belowground biomass of a black spruce (Picea mariana) stand underlain with permafrost in interior Alaska. Allometric equations were established using 4–6 sample trees to estimate the biomass of the aboveground parts and the coarse roots (roots >5 mm in diameter) of P. mariana trees. The aboveground biomass of understory plants and the fine-root biomass were estimated by destructive sampling. The aboveground and coarse-root biomasses of the P. mariana trees were estimated to be 3.97 and 2.31 kg m−2, respectively. The aboveground biomass of understory vascular plants such as Ledum groenlandicum and the biomass of forest floor mosses and lichens were 0.10 and 0.62 kg m−2, respectively. The biomass of fine roots <5 mm in diameter was 1.27 kg m−2. Thus, the above- and belowground biomasses of vascular plants in the P. mariana stand were estimated to be 4.07 and 3.58 kg m−2, respectively, indicating that belowground biomass accounted for 47% of the total biomass of vascular plants. Fine-root biomass was 36% of the total root biomass, of which 90% was accumulated in the surface organic layer. Thus, this P. mariana stand can be characterized as having extremely high belowground biomass allocation, which would make it possible to grow on permafrost with limited soil resource availability

Effects of snow condition on microbial respiration of Scots pine needle litter in a boreal forest

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The role of the media in shaping the political culture of university youth (A field study on a sample of students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities- Damascus university)

The research aims to determine the role played by the media in shaping the political culture of the university youth in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University, as well as to monitor the differences in the level of political influences resulting from exposure to the media with different variables (gender, political affiliation. Due to the nature of the research, the methodology used is the scientific method based on the description and analysis. The method used in the research is the method of social survey in the sample, in addition to relying on the questionnaire as the main tool for collecting data and information. Third and fourth year students from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University from the academic year 2018/2019. The research has reached a set of results, the most important of which are: 1. There are differences in the level of effects of exposure to media by gender. 2.There are no differences in the level of effects of exposure to the media according to the variable of political affiliation. 3. There is a correlation between the level of media exposure and the political influences of the university youth in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University.   يهدف البحث إلى تحديد الدور التي تقوم به وسائط الإعلام في تشكيل الثقافة السياسية لدى الشباب الجامعي في كلية الآداب والعلوم الإنسانية في جامعة دمشق, وكذلك رصد الفروق في مستوى التأثيرات السياسية الناتجة عن التعرض لوسائط الإعلام باختلاف متغير (الجنس, الانتماء السياسي). ونظراً لطبيعة البحث، فإن المنهج المستخدم هو المنهج العلمي القائم على الوصف والتحليل، أما الطريقة المستخدمة في البحث فهي طريقة المسح الاجتماعي بالعينة, بالإضافة إلى الاعتماد على الاستبيان كأداة رئيسية لجمع البيانات والمعلومات, واختيرت العينة بطريقة العينة العشوائية البسيطة, والتي تكونت من 433 مفردة من طلاب السنتين الثالثة والرابعة من كلية الآداب والعلوم الإنسانية بجامعة دمشق من العام الدراسي 2018/2019. وقد توصل البحث إلى مجموعة من النتائج أهمها: • توجد فروق في مستوى التأثيرات الناتجة عن التعرض لوسائط الإعلام باختلاف متغير الجنس. • لا يوجد فروق في مستوى التأثيرات الناتجة عن التعرض لوسائط الإعلام باختلاف متغير الانتماء السياسي, • هناك علاقة ارتباطية بين مستوى التعرض لوسائط الإعلام والتأثيرات السياسية لدى الشباب الجامعي في كلية الآداب والعلوم الإنسانية في جامعة دمشق

Ibuprofen inhibits migration and proliferation of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells by inducing a differentiated phenotype: role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor y

Objectives: The search for agents that are capable of preventing restenosis and reduce the risk of late thrombosis is of utmost importance. In this study we aim to evaluate the in vitro effects of ibuprofen on proliferation and migration of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs) and on human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) migration. Methods: Cell proliferation was evaluated by direct cell counting using trypan blue exclusion. Cell migration was assessed by wound healing “scratch” assay and by time lapse video-microscopy. Protein expression was assessed by immunoblotting, and morphological changes were studied by immunocytochemistry. The involvement of the PPARγ pathway was studied with the selective agonist troglitazone, and the use of highly selective antagonists of PPARγ such as PGF2α and GW9662. Results: We demonstrate that ibuprofen inhibits proliferation and migration of HCASMCs and induces a switch in HCASMCs towards a differentiated and contractile phenotype, and that these effects are mediated through the PPARγ pathway. Importantly we also show that the effects of ibuprofen are cell type specific as it does not affect migration and proliferation of endothelial cells. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that ibuprofen could be an effective drug for the development of novel drug eluting stents, which could lead reduced rates of restenosis and potentially other complications of DES stent implantation

BAAD: a Biomass And Allometry Database for woody plants

Understanding how plants are constructed—i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass invested in different tissues varies among individuals—is essential for modeling plant growth, carbon stocks, and energy fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere. Allocation patterns can differ through ontogeny, but also among coexisting species and among species adapted to different environments. While a variety of models dealing with biomass allocation exist, we lack a synthetic understanding of the underlying processes. This is partly due to the lack of suitable data sets for validating and parameterizing models. To that end, we present the Biomass And Allometry Database (BAAD) for woody plants. The BAAD contains 259 634 measurements collected in 176 different studies, from 21 084 individuals across 678 species. Most of these data come from existing publications. However, raw data were rarely made public at the time of publication. Thus, the BAAD contains data from different studies, transformed into standard units and variable names. The transformations were achieved using a common workflow for all raw data files. Other features that distinguish the BAAD are: (i) measurements were for individual plants rather than stand averages; (ii) individuals spanning a range of sizes were measured; (iii) plants from 0.01–100 m in height were included; and (iv) biomass was estimated directly, i.e., not indirectly via allometric equations (except in very large trees where biomass was estimated from detailed sub‐sampling). We included both wild and artificially grown plants. The data set contains the following size metrics: total leaf area; area of stem cross‐section including sapwood, heartwood, and bark; height of plant and crown base, crown area, and surface area; and the dry mass of leaf, stem, branches, sapwood, heartwood, bark, coarse roots, and fine root tissues. We also report other properties of individuals (age, leaf size, leaf mass per area, wood density, nitrogen content of leaves and wood), as well as information about the growing environment (location, light, experimental treatment, vegetation type) where available. It is our hope that making these data available will improve our ability to understand plant growth, ecosystem dynamics, and carbon cycling in the world\u27s vegetation