Root endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in a natural hot desert are differentially regulated in dry and wet seasons by stochastic processes and functional traits.

Dryland ecosystems experience seasonal cycles of severe drought and moderate precipitation. Desert plants may develop symbiotic relationships with root endophytic microbes to survive under the repeated wet and extremely dry conditions. Although community coalescence has been found in many systems, the colonization by functional microbes and its relationship to seasonal transitions in arid regions are not well understood. Here we examined root endophytic microbial taxa, and their traits in relation to their root colonization, during the dry and wet seasons in a hot desert of the southwestern United States. We used high-throughput DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer gene profiling of five desert shrubs, and analyzed the seasonal change in endophytic microbial lineages. Goodness of fit to the neutral community model in relationship to microbial traits was evaluated. In summer, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidia increased, although this was not genus-specific. For fungi, Glomeraceae selectively increased in summer. In winter, Gram-negative bacterial genera, including those capable of nitrogen fixation and plant growth promotion, increased. Neutral model analysis revealed a strong stochastic influence on endophytic bacteria but a weak effect for fungi, especially in summer. The taxa with higher frequency than that predicted by neutral model shared environmental adaptability and symbiotic traits, whereas the frequency of pathogenic fungi was at or under the predicted value. These results suggest that community assembly of bacteria and fungi is regulated differently. The bacterial community was affected by stochastic and deterministic processes via bacterial response to drought (response trait), beneficial effect on plants (effect trait), and likely stable mutualistic interactions with plants suggested by the frequency of nodule bacteria. For fungi, mycorrhizal fungi were selected by plants in summer. The regulation of beneficial microbes by plants in both dry and wet seasons suggests the presence of plant-soil positive feedback in this natural desert ecosystem.

Abiotic and biotic factors controlling the dynamics of soil respiration in a coastal dune ecosystem in western Japan.

In this study, we examined the abiotic and biotic factors controlling the dynamics of soil respiration (Rs) while considering the zonal distribution of plant species in a coastal dune ecosystem in western Japan, based on periodic Rs data and continuous environmental data. We set four measurement plots with different vegetation compositions: plot 1 on bare sand; plot 2 on a cluster of young Vitex rotundifolia seedlings; plot 3 on a mixture of Artemisia capillaris and V. rotundifolia; and plot 4 on the inland boundary between the coastal vegetation zone and a Pinus thunbergii forest. Rs increased exponentially along with the seasonal rise in soil temperature, but summer drought stress markedly decreased Rs in plots 3 and 4. There was a significant positive correlation between the natural logarithm of belowground plant biomass and Rs in autumn. Our findings indicate that the seasonal dynamics of Rs in this coastal dune ecosystem are controlled by abiotic factors (soil temperature and soil moisture), but the response of Rs to drought stress in summer varied among plots that differed in dominant vegetation species. Our findings also indicated that the spatial dynamics of Rs are mainly controlled by the distribution of belowground plant biomass and autotrophic respiration.

Chemicals behind the use of Strombus tricornis opercula in traditional sudanese perfumery and medicine.

Strombidae is one of the major molluscan families in Sudan and due to their opercula, has tremendous economic value. In traditional Sudanese homemade perfumes and body care cosmetics, Strombidae family operculum is one of the main ingredients. Their fumigation generates a charming odor preferred by Sudanese people, used for body smoke baths by married women. Moreover, these fumes are believed to treat several gynecological disorders. In this study, we attempted to confirm the presence of volatiles with pleasant odors and compounds with pharmaceutical importance in the Strombidae opercula. Volatiles from the smoke and soak extracts of the burned opercula were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, polar components from the methanol extract of opercula powder were isolated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and UV spectra. The elemental and metal contents were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). GC-MS analysis revealed several phenols, aldehydes, ketones, and other functional fragrant and volatile constituents. Further, two compounds were purified from the methanol extract of Strombidae opercula, and named compounds B and D, which were identified as cyclo-(Tyr-Gly) and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, respectively. ICP-MS analysis revealed the presence of various elements and metals at different levels. These findings support the historical and traditional practices and usage of the Strombidae opercula in therapeutic and esthetic products. The opercula contains many biologically active compounds and produces smoke containing volatile scent compounds, which might provide alternative pharmaceuticals and cosmetic ingredients that can cooperate to improve the manufacturing of numerous medical products.

Metabolomics Analyses Reveal Metabolites Affected by Plant Growth-Promoting Endophytic Bacteria in Roots of the Halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. (common ice plant) is an edible halophyte. However, if ice plants are used to phytoremediate salinity soil, there are problems of slow initial growth, and a long period before active NaCl uptake occurs under higher salinity conditions. Application of endophytic bacteria may improve the problem, but there remain gaps in our understanding of how endophytic bacteria affect the growth and the biochemical and physiological characteristics of ice plants. The aims of this study were to identify growth-promoting endophytic bacteria from the roots of ice plants and to document the metabolomic response of ice plants after application of selected endophytic bacteria. Two plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria were selected on the basis of their ability to promote ice plant growth. The two strains putatively identified as Microbacterium spp. and Streptomyces spp. significantly promoted ice plant growth, at 2-times and 2.5-times, respectively, compared with the control and also affected the metabolome of ice plants. The strain of Microbacterium spp. resulted in increased contents of metabolites related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and photosynthesis. The effects of salt stress were alleviated in ice plants inoculated with the endobacterial strains, compared with uninoculated plants. A deeper understanding of the complex interplay among plant metabolites will be useful for developing microbe-assisted soil phytoremediation strategies, using Mesembryanthemum species.

The telediagnosis of double aortic arch using spatio-temporal image correlation.

We diagnosed two cases of double aortic arch (DAA) remotely. In both cases, the right aortic arch was suspected, and a remote diagnosis was requested. We performed a remote diagnosis by the spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) method. DAA was diagnosed by detecting the left aortic arch in an axial transverse section in the three-vessel trachea view. Since the STIC method can make multiple cross sections, making a diagnosis by the STIC method was useful for the remote diagnosis of these patients. In particular, HD flow render mode clearly showed left aortic arch, so it was possible to diagnose DAA.

The Evaluation of Fetal Cardiac Remote Screening in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy Using the Spatio-Temporal Image Correlation Method.

We prospectively performed remote fetal cardiac screening using the spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC), and examined the usefulness and problems of remote screening. We performed heart screening for all pregnant women at four obstetrics clinics over the three years from 2009 to 2014. The STIC data from 15,404 examinations in normal pregnancies (16-27 weeks, median 25 weeks) were analyzed. Obstetricians and sonographer collected STIC data from four-chamber view images. Eight pediatric cardiologists analyzed the images offline. A normal heart was diagnosed in 14,002 cases (90.9%), an abnormal heart was diagnosed in 457 cases (3.0%), and poor images were obtained in 945 cases (6.1%). 138 cases had congenital heart disease (CHD) after birth, and severe CHD necessitating hospitalization occurred in 36 cases. We were not able to detect CHD by screening in 12 cases. The sensitivity and specificity of STIC in CHD screening was 50% and 99.5%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of STIC in screening for severe CHD was 82% and 99.9%, respectively. The STIC method was useful in fetal remote screening for CHD. However, the fact that > 10% of images that could not be analyzed by this method was a problem.

Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems in Japan's temperate region may be primarily constituted by limited fungal taxa.

We investigated arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities in secondary forests and/or Chamaecyparis obtusa plantations at eight study sites in Japan's temperate region. In the secondary forests, AM plants of the families Lauraceae, Sapindaceae, Rutaceae, Araliaceae, Rosaceae, Magnoliaceae, Cornaceae, Piperaceae, and Anacardiaceae were found. The AM fungal communities were evaluated based on compositions of the AM fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which were clustered at a 97% similarity threshold of the sequences of a partial small subunit of a nuclear ribosomal RNA gene obtained from the plant roots. The compositions of AM fungal OTUs were significantly correlated with the plant family compositions and were significantly differentiated among the study sites and between the study forests. Interestingly, only 19 OTUs remained after selecting for those that had more than 1.0% of the total reads, and these 19 OTUs accounted for 86.3% of the total rarefied reads that were classified into 121 OTUs. Furthermore, three dominant OTUs constituted 48.0% of the total reads, and the most dominant OTU was found at all study sites, except at one. These results indicate that AM fungal communities are primarily constituted by limited AM fungal taxa in the forest ecosystems with diverse plant taxa in Japan's temperate region. The results of basic local algorithm search tool (BLAST) searches against MaarjAM, a database of AM fungal sequences, also revealed that the AM fungi which were the three dominant OTUs are distributed in forest ecosystems on a worldwide scale.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Community in Roots and Nitrogen Uptake Patterns of Understory Trees Beneath Ectomycorrhizal and Non-ectomycorrhizal Overstory Trees.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant nutrient, and plants can take up N from several sources, including via mycorrhizal fungal associations. The N uptake patterns of understory plants may vary beneath different types of overstory trees, especially through the difference in their type of mycorrhizal association (arbuscular mycorrhizal, AM; or ectomycorrhizal, ECM), because soil mycorrhizal community and N availability differ beneath AM (non-ECM) and ECM overstory trees (e.g., relatively low nitrate content beneath ECM overstory trees). To test this hypothesis, we examined six co-existing AM-symbiotic understory tree species common beneath both AM-symbiotic black locust (non-ECM) and ECM-symbiotic oak trees of dryland forests in China. We measured AM fungal community composition of roots and natural abundance stable isotopic composition of N (δ15N) in plant leaves, roots, and soils. The root mycorrhizal community composition of understory trees did not significantly differ between beneath non-ECM and ECM overstory trees, although some OTUs more frequently appeared beneath non-ECM trees. Understory trees beneath non-ECM overstory trees had similar δ15N values in leaves and soil nitrate, suggesting that they took up most of their nitrogen as nitrate. Beneath ECM overstory trees, understory trees had consistently lower leaf than root δ15N, suggesting they depended on mycorrhizal fungi for N acquisition since mycorrhizal fungi transfer isotopically light N to host plants. Additionally, leaf N concentrations in the understory trees were lower beneath ECM than the non-ECM overstory trees. Our results show that, without large differences in root mycorrhizal community, the N uptake patterns of understory trees vary between beneath different overstory trees.

Soil nitrogen cycling is determined by the competition between mycorrhiza and ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes.

Mycorrhizal fungi have considerable effects on soil carbon (C) storage, as they control the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), by modifying the amount of soil nitrogen (N) available for free-living microbes. Through their access to organic N, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi compete with free-living soil microbes; this competition is thought to slow down SOM decomposition. However, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi cannot decompose SOM, and therefore must wait for N to first be processed by free-living microbes. It is unclear what form of N the ECM fungi and free-living microbes compete for, or which microbial groups compete for N with ECM fungi. To investigate this, we focused on the N transformation steps (i.e., the degradation of high-molecular-weight organic matter, mineralization, and nitrification) and the microbes driving each step. Simple comparisons between AM forests and ECM forests are not sufficient to assert that mycorrhizal types would determine the N transformation steps in soil, because soil physiochemistry, which strongly affects N transformation steps, differs between the forests. We used an aridity gradient with large differences in soil moisture, pH, and SOM quantity and quality, to distinguish the mycorrhizal and physicochemical effects on N transformation. Soil samples (0-10 cm depth) were collected from AM-symbiotic black locust forests under three aridity levels, and from ECM-symbiotic oak forests under two aridity levels. Soil physicochemical properties, extractable N dynamics and abundance, composition, and function of soil microbial communities were measured. In ECM forests, the ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotic abundance was low, whereas that of ECM fungi was high, resulting in lower nitrate N content than in AM forests. Since ECM forests did not have lower saprotrophic fungal abundance and prokaryotic decompositional activity than the AM forests, the hypothesis that ECM fungi could reduce SOM decay and ammonification by free-living microbes, might not hold in ECM forests. However, the limitation of ECM fungi on nitrate N production would result in a feedback that will accelerate plant dependence on these fungi, thereby raising soil C storage through an increase in the ECM biomass and plant C investment in soils.

Evaluation of the post-LA space index in the normal fetus.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported the post-LA space index (PLAS index), which is calculated as left atrial-descending aorta distance (LD) divided by the diameter of descending aorta (DA), could be useful for prenatal diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). In this study, we evaluated PLAS index in normal fetuses to assess its usefulness. METHODS: In 304 normal fetuses, LD and DA were retrospectively measured, and the PLAS index was calculated. In 206 fetuses with data on the biparietal diameter (BPD) and femoral length (FL), the relationship between the PLAS index and them was investigated. We also calculated the PLAS index in 13 TAPVC fetuses. RESULTS: Mean LD was 3.0+/-0.94 mm, mean DA was 4.8+/-0.87 mm, and the mean PLAS index was 0.62+/-0.19. DA and LD were correlated with gestational age (R = 0.52, 0.25), while the PLAS index showed little variation with gestational age (R < 0.2). BPD and FL were correlated with DA (R = 0.4, 0.42) but not with LD or the PLAS index (both R < 0.2). In the TAPVC fetuses, both LD and the PLAS index were significantly higher than in normal fetuses. CONCLUSION: In normal fetuses, the PLAS index was independent of gestational age and fetal physique and may be useful for raising the suspicion of congenital heart disease, including TAPVC.

A pulse of summer precipitation after the dry season triggers changes in ectomycorrhizal formation, diversity, and community composition in a Mediterranean forest in California, USA.

Rapid responses of microbial biomass and community composition following a precipitation event have been reported for soil bacteria and fungi, but measurements characterizing ectomycorrhizal fungi remain limited. The response of ectomycorrhizal fungi after a precipitation event is crucial to understanding biogeochemical cycles and plant nutrition. Here, we examined changes in ectomycorrhizal formation, diversity, and community composition at the end of a summer drought and following precipitation events in a conifer-oak mixed forest under a semiarid, Mediterranean-type climate in CA, USA. To study the effects of different amounts of precipitation, a water addition treatment was also undertaken. Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and community composition changed within 6 days following precipitation, with increased simultaneous mortality and re-growth. Ectomycorrhizal diversity increased and community composition changed both in the natural rainfall (less than 10 mm) and water addition (50 mm) treatments, but larger decreases in ectomycorrhizal diversity were observed from 9 to 16 days after precipitation in the water addition treatment. The changes were primarily a shift in richness and abundance of Basidiomycota species, indicating higher drought sensitivity of Basidiomycota species compared with Ascomycota species. Our results indicate that ectomycorrhizal formation, diversity, and community composition rapidly respond to both precipitation events and to the amount of precipitation. These changes affect ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling, decomposition, and plant nutrient uptake, in semiarid regions.

Prediction of pregnancy after frozen-thawed embryo transfer via in vivo intrauterine oxidation-reduction potential measurements: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: During the implantation period, the uterus goes through many complex, orchestrated changes, including alterations of the glycocalyx that are due to sialylation, sulfation, and fucosylation. A previous mouse study showed that the in vivo intrauterine oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) aided in determining the alterations in the uterine endometrium that are suitable for implantation and for evaluating prospective uterine receptivity, while the in vivo intrauterine pH did not. It was assessed if the in vivo intrauterine ORP could be a useful parameter to predict pregnancy in women. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted for patients who had received a frozen-thawed single embryo transfer in a programmed, hormonally controlled cycle. The in vivo intrauterine ORP was measured 3 times during the treatment cycle, at cycle days 9-10, 1 day before progesterone administration and immediately before the embryo transfer. RESULTS: The amount of in vivo intrauterine ORP at 9-10 days after the start of menstrual bleeding was significantly lower in the pregnant group than in the non-pregnant group. A receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis of the intrauterine ORP as a predictor of non-conception showed an area under the curve of 0.80. CONCLUSION: The in vivo intrauterine ORP could be a useful parameter to predict pregnancy for the frozen-thawed embryo transfer treatment cycle.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities under gradients of grazing in Mongolian grasslands of different aridity.

Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Mongolian grassland were characterized under gradients of grazing intensity at three study sites of different aridity: mountain forest steppe at Hustai National Park (Hustai), and desert steppe at Mandalgovi and Bulgan. Grazing intensity was classified into three categories: lightly grazed (LG), moderately grazed (MG), and heavily grazed (HG). With regard to floristic composition, grazing decreased the shoot biomass of Poaceae species, especially Stipa spp. Distinctness of the AM fungal communities was observed among the three study sites, but most of the AM fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that comprised over 1.0% of the total reads were ubiquitous. This result indicates that the AM fungal communities may be derived from similar AM fungal floras in correspondence with environmental factors. The composition of AM fungal communities differed significantly among the grazing intensities at all study sites. The relative abundance of the most dominant AM fungal OTU of the LG plots decreased with an increase in grazing intensity at all study sites. The mean proportions of the most dominant AM fungal OTUs also decreased with increased grazing intensity at Hustai. Dominance by a single AM fungal taxon may be a typical ecological feature of the AM fungal symbiosis, and grazing disturbs AM fungal community structure.

Gas exchange by the mesic-origin, arid land plantation species Robinia pseudoacacia under annual summer reduction in plant hydraulic conductance.

The mesic-origin plantation species Robinia pseudoacacia L. has been successfully grown in many arid land plantations around the world but often exhibits dieback and reduced growth due to drought. Therefore, to explore the behavior of this species under changing environmental conditions, we examined the relationship between ecophysiological traits, gas exchange and plant hydraulics over a 3-year period in trees that experienced reduced plant hydraulic conductance (Gp) in summer. We found that the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance (Gs) and minimum leaf water potential (Ψlmin) decreased in early summer in response to a decrease in Gp, and that Gp did not recover until the expansion of new leaves in spring. However, we did not observe any changes in the leaf area index or other ecophysiological traits at the leaf level in response to this reduction in Gp. Furthermore, model simulations based on measured data revealed that the canopy-scale photosynthetic rate (Ac) was 15-25% higher than the simulated Ac when it was assumed that Ψlmin remained constant after spring but almost the same as the simulated Ac when it was assumed that Gp remained high even after spring. These findings indicate that R. pseudoacacia was frequently exposed to a reduced Gp at the study site but offset its effects on Ac by plastically lowering Ψlmin to avoid experiencing any further reduction in Gp or Gs.

The Impacts of Soil Fertility and Salinity on Soil Nitrogen Dynamics Mediated by the Soil Microbial Community Beneath the Halophytic Shrub Tamarisk.

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most common limiting nutrients for primary production in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbes transform organic N into inorganic N, which is available to plants, but soil microbe activity in drylands is sometimes critically suppressed by environmental factors, such as low soil substrate availability or high salinity. Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is a halophytic shrub species that is widely distributed in the drylands of China; it produces litter enriched in nutrients and salts that are thought to increase soil fertility and salinity under its crown. To elucidate the effects of tamarisks on the soil microbial community, and thus N dynamics, by creating "islands of fertility" and "islands of salinity," we collected soil samples from under tamarisk crowns and adjacent barren areas at three habitats in the summer and fall. We analyzed soil physicochemical properties, inorganic N dynamics, and prokaryotic community abundance and composition. In soils sampled beneath tamarisks, the N mineralization rate was significantly higher, and the prokaryotic community structure was significantly different, from soils sampled in barren areas, irrespective of site and season. Tamarisks provided suitable nutrient conditions for one of the important decomposers in the area, Verrucomicrobia, by creating "islands of fertility," but provided unsuitable salinity conditions for other important decomposers, Flavobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria, by mitigating salt accumulation. However, the quantity of these decomposers tended to be higher beneath tamarisks, because they were relatively unaffected by the small salinity gradient created by the tamarisks, which may explain the higher N mineralization rate beneath tamarisks.

Land-use types and soil chemical properties influence soil microbial communities in the semiarid Loess Plateau region in China.

Similar land-use types usually have similar soil properties, and, most likely, similar microbial communities. Here, we assessed whether land-use types or soil chemical properties are the primary drivers of soil microbial community composition, and how changes in one part of the ecosystem affect another. We applied Ion Torrent sequencing to the bacterial and fungal communities of five different land-use (vegetation) types in the Loess Plateau of China. We found that the overall trend of soil quality was natural forest > plantation > bare land. Dominant bacterial phyla consisted of Proteobacteria (42.35%), Actinobacteria (15.61%), Acidobacteria (13.32%), Bacteroidetes (8.43%), and Gemmatimonadetes (6.0%). The dominant fungi phyla were Ascomycota (40.39%), Basidiomycota (38.01%), and Zygomycota (16.86%). The results of Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) based on land-use types displayed groups according to the land-use types. Furthermore, the bacterial communities were mainly organized by soil organic carbon (SOC). The fungal communities were mainly related to available phosphorus (P). The results suggested that the changes of land use type generated changes in soil chemical properties, controlling the composition of microbial community in the semiarid Loess Plateau region. The microbial community could be an indicator for soil quality with respect to ecological restoration.

Novel Nonsense Mutation in the NLRP7 Gene Associated with Recurrent Hydatidiform Mole.

AIM: This study aimed to clarify the genetic and epigenetic features of recurrent hydatidiform mole (RHM) in Japanese patients. METHODS: Four Japanese isolated RHM cases were analyzed using whole-exome sequencing. Villi from RHMs were collected by laser microdissection for genotyping and DNA methylation assay of differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Single nucleotide polymorphisms of PEG3 and H19 DMRs were used to confirm the parental origin of the variants. RESULTS: A novel homozygous nonsense mutation in NLRP7 (c.584G>A; p.W195X) was identified in 1 patient. Genotyping of one of her molar tissue revealed that it was biparental but not androgenetic in origin. Despite the fact that the RHM is biparental, maternally methylated DMRs of PEG3, SNRPN and PEG10 showed complete loss of DNA methylation. A paternally methylated DMR of H19 retained normal methylation. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first Japanese case of RHM with a novel homozygous nonsense NLRP7 mutation and a specific loss of maternal DNA methylation of DMRs. Notably, the mutation was identified in an isolated case of an ethnic background that has not previously been studied in this context. Our data underscore the involvement of NLRP7 in RHM pathophysiology and confirm that DNA methylation of specific regions is critical.

Effect of soil salinity and nutrient levels on the community structure of the root-associated bacteria of the facultative halophyte, Tamarix ramosissima, in southwestern United States.

Tamarix ramosissima is a tree species that is highly resistant to salt and drought. The Tamarix species survives in a broad range of environmental salt levels, and invades major river systems in southwestern United States. It may affect root-associated bacteria (RB) by increasing soil salts and nutrients. The effects of RB on host plants may vary even under saline conditions, and the relationship may be important for T. ramosissima. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports relating to T. ramosissima RB and its association with salinity and nutrient levels. In this study, we have examined this association and the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of T. ramosissima on RB because a previous study has reported that colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi affected the rhizobacterial community (Marschner et al., 2001). T. ramosissima roots were collected from five locations with varying soil salinity and nutrient levels. RB community structures were examined by terminal restriction fragment (T-RF) length polymorphism, cloning, and sequencing analyses. The results suggest that RB richness, or the diversity of T. ramosissima, have significant negative relationships with electrical conductivity (EC), sodium concentration (Na), and the colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, but have a significant positive relationship with phosphorus in the soil. However, at each T-RF level, positive correlations between the emergence of some T-RFs and EC or Na were observed. These results indicate that high salinity decreased the total number of RB species, but some saline-tolerant RB species multiplied with increasing salinity levels. The ordination scores of nonmetric multidimensional scale analysis of RB community composition show significant relationships with water content, calcium concentration, available phosphorus, and total nitrogen. These results indicate that the RB diversity and community composition of T. ramosissima are affected by soil salinity and nutrient levels. Sequence analysis detected one Bacteroidetes and eight Proteobacteria species. Most 16S rRNA gene sequences had high similarities with the bacteria isolated from saline conditions, indicating that at least a portion of the RB species observed in T. ramosissima was halotolerant.

Differences in trunk control between early and late pregnancy during gait.

The aim of this study was to compare gait characteristics, including the functional ability of the trunk, between women before and during the third trimester of pregnancy. Gait measurements were performed on 27 pregnant women, who were divided into two groups using the threshold of 28 gestational weeks. The subjects were instructed to walk at their preferred speed. In addition to stride-time coefficient of variation, root mean square (RMS) and autocorrelation coefficient, coefficient of attenuation (CoA) of acceleration was computed as an index to assess the functional ability of the trunk. Differences of gait characteristics between the groups were determined by the Mann-Whitney U test. Gait characteristics that showed a significant difference between the groups were further analyzed with adjustment by age, height, weight and gait velocity by using multiple regression analysis. Women during the third trimester of pregnancy showed significantly smaller RMS in the anteroposterior direction at the lower trunk than those before the third trimester of pregnancy, even after adjusting for age, height, weight and gait velocity [ß=0.47; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07-0.25]. CoA in the anteroposterior direction was also significantly lower in women during the third trimester of pregnancy than in those before the third trimester of pregnancy after adjustment by age, height, weight and gait velocity (ß=0.44; 95% CI 0.39-18.52). The present cross-sectional study suggests the possibility that the functional ability of the trunk during gait declines in late pregnancy.

M-path: a compass for navigating potential metabolic pathways.

MOTIVATION: Construction of synthetic metabolic pathways promises sustainable production of diverse chemicals and materials. To design synthetic metabolic pathways of high value, computational methods are needed to expand present knowledge by mining comprehensive chemical and enzymatic information databases. Several computational methods have been already reported for the metabolic pathway design, but until now computation complexity has limited the diversity of chemical and enzymatic data used. RESULTS: We introduce a computational platform, M-path, to explore synthetic metabolic pathways including putative enzymatic reactions and compounds. M-path is an iterative random algorithm, which makes efficient use of chemical and enzymatic databases to find potential synthetic metabolic pathways. M-path can readily control the search space and perform well compared with exhaustively enumerating possible pathways. A web-based pathway viewer is also developed to check extensive metabolic pathways with evaluation scores on the basis of chemical similarities. We further produce extensive synthetic metabolic pathways for a comprehensive set of alpha amino acids. The scalable nature of M-path enables us to calculate potential metabolic pathways for any given chemicals.