Ammonia oxidation is not required for growth of Group 1.1c soil Thaumarchaeota

© FEMS 2015. FUNDING EBW is funded by Centre for Genome Enabled Biology and Medicine, University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Pre-Eocene Synmetamorphic Structure in the Mindoro-Romblon-Palawan Area, West Philippines, and implications for the history of southeast Asia

International audienceThe structure of the pre-Eocene rocks, considered as the "basement" of the Philippines, has been investigated in the Mindoro-Lubang, Romblon-Tablas-Sibuyan, and North Palawan areas. In the former two areas the same pre-Eocene succession of units is recognized from top to bottom: (1) a pre-Eocene olistostrome; (2) an ophiolitic nappe; (3) a schistose sequence (pelites, sandstones, basic schists and marbles); and (4) a gneissic unit. The nature of the contact between the olistostrome and the underlying units is unclear, but the ophiolite and the schistose sequence form two thrust sheets of oceanic origin thrust upon the gneissic unit that is considered a part of a continental basement called the West Philippines Block. Small-scale structures show that the early deformation stage is characterized by a submeridian (0°-N40°E) lineation formed in greenschist to amphibolite facies conditions during the thrusting. Kinematic analysis show that the thrusting was from north to south. In North Palawan, metamorphic rocks with similar microtectonic and kinematic characteristics are found. They are overlain by a Late Jurassic olistostrome which is correlated with the olistostromes found in Calamian, North Mindoro, Carabao, and Buruanga peninsula (North Panay). The microstructural features and the presence of the olistostrome suggest that the North Palawan, Mindoro, Tablas, Romblon, Sibuyan, and Carabao islands belong to the same North Palawan block of Hamilton (1979) which is a continental fragment rifted from Asia in Cenozoic times. It is assumed that the Western Panay and Zamboanga areas, which are characterized by Mesozoic ophiolites and metamorphic rocks, also belong to the North Palawan Block. All these islands experienced, to some extent, the same Mesozoic geohistory: the south verging thrusting is interpreted as the result of an oblique collision of the West Philippines Block with Asia. The contemporaneous left-lateral strike-slip faulting and the calc-alkaline magmatism widespread along the Chinese margin are also included in the geodynamic model

Effects of curzerene and Smyrnium cordifolium Boiss. extract on addiction withdrawal syndrome in mice

Introduction: The purpose of this study was evaluating the effect of Smyrnium cordifolium extract (SCE) and curzerene (Cur) on withdrawal syndrome in mice compared with clonidine. Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the active ingredients of S. cordifolium. To evaluate the effects of SCE and Cur, 64 mice were divided into 8 equal groups. Groups 1, 2 and 3 were treated Cur (0.03, 0.06, 0.12 mg/kg, respectively). Groups 4, 5 and 6 were treated with SCE (100, 200, 300 mg/kg, respectively). The seventh group received just morphine. Group 8 received morphine and clonidine (0.2 mg/kg). Results: The results of this study showed that Cur was the most important ingredient in the extract of the plant, and the hydroalcoholic extract yield of S. cordifolium was 17.55% (w/w). The dose of 100 mg/kg of extract (SCE100) and 0.03 mg/kg curzerene (Cur1) (P < 0.05), dose of 200 mg/kg of extract (SCE200) and dose of 0.06 mg/kg curzerene (Cur2), (P < 0.01), dose of 300 mg/kg of extract (SCE300) and dose of 0.12 mg/kg of curzerene (Cur3) (P < 0.001) decreased the symptoms compared to clonidine. Doses higher than 300 mg/kg of extract and 0.12 mg/kg of Cur had fatal effects. All doses of SCE and Cur in comparison with the control group at significant level (P < 0.001) reduced the number of jumping, rearing and teeth chattering in morphine-dependent mice. Conclusion: The findings suggest that SCE and Cur are capable of reducing the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome and their effectiveness may be more than clonidine in reducing the addiction withdrawal syndrome, which may have human therapeutic potential

Genome Sequence of “Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus franklandus” C13, a Terrestrial Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaeon

“Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus franklandus” C13 is an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon (AOA) isolated from soil. Its complete genome is 2.84 Mb and possesses predicted AOA metabolic pathways for energy generation and carbon dioxide fixation but no typical surface layer (S-layer) proteins, only one ammonium transporter, and divergent A-type ATP synthase genes

Genetic relations between the central and southern Philippine Trench and the Sangihe Trench

International audienceWe surveyed the junction between the central and southern Philippine Trench and the Sangihe Trench near 6øN using swath bathymetry, gravity, and magnetics. These data, along with seismicity, allow us to discuss the genetic relations between these trenches and the forces acting on converging plates. Our final model favors the northern extension of the Halmahera Arc up to 8øN, with three segments offset left-laterally along NW-SE transform faults. Accretion of the northern segment to Mindanao Island 4 to 5 m.y. ago resulted in the failure within the Philippine Sea Plate east of the arc. Initiation of the Philippine Trench between 7øN and 10øN agrees with the maximum recorded depth of the Philippine Trench floor (10,000 m below sea-level) and Philippine Sea slab (200 km). South of 6øN (trench junction), another segment of the arc is being subducted beneath the Sangihe margin, while south of 3øN, the southern segment of the Halmahera Arc is still active. The rapid southward shallowing of the trench floor along the southern Philippine Trench, the type of faulting affecting both sides of the trench, the lack of significant interplate seismicity, and the concentration of the seismicity beneath the Miangas-Talaud Ridge are interpreted as a slowing down of the subduction along this branch of the Philippine Trench compared with the rest of the subduction zone. The Sangihe deformation front has been recognized up to 7øN but seems active only south of 6øN

Geografi budaya daerah Kalimantan Tengah

Penduduk Kalimantan Tengah masih banyak yang belum mengenal akan alam lingkungan hidupnya dengan baik. Penelitian yang menyangkut geografi budaya masih perlu diadakan guna menunjang perencanaan, pembi naan, dan pengembangan pembangunan khususnya yang menyangkut alam dan manusia yang menghuni Propinsi Kalimantan Tengah. Supaya dapat memberikan sumbangan kepada perencanaan pembangunan nasional sehingga alam lingkungan dan penduduk dapat lebih dilibatkan dalam proses pembangunan yang menyeluruh, menyebar dan merata. Membina kelangsungan dan pengembangan sumber daya manusia dan sumber-sumber daya alam serta sistem, kebidupan sosial-budaya daerah. Menyusun aspek geografi budaya dari Daerah Kalimantan Tengah sebagai bagian dari Wawasan Nusantara

Geografi budaya daerah Kalimantan Tengah

Buku ini berisikan informasi mengenai geografi budaya daerah Kalimantan Timur yang membahas mengenai sumber daya alam meliputi lokasi, geologi, iklim, topografi, keadaan tanah, vegetasi dan dunia hewan, sungai, danau, dan rawa. Selain itu, diuraikan juga mengenai sistem kebudayaan, sosial-budaya, serta wilayah-wilayah pembangunan di Propinsi Kalimantan Tengah

Ammonia-oxidising archaea living at low pH: Insights from comparative genomics

Obligate acidophilic members of the thaumarchaeotal genus Candidatus Nitrosotalea play an important role in nitrification in acidic soils, but their evolutionary and physiological adaptations to acidic environments are still poorly understood, with only a single member of this genus (Ca. N. devanaterra) having its genome sequenced. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of two additional cultured Ca. Nitrosotalea strains, extracted an almost complete Ca. Nitrosotalea metagenome-assembled genome from an acidic fen, and performed comparative genomics of the four Ca. Nitrosotalea genomes with 19 other archaeal ammonia oxidiser genomes. Average nucleotide and amino acid identities revealed that the four Ca. Nitrosotalea strains represent separate species within the genus. The four Ca. Nitrosotalea genomes contained a core set of 103 orthologous gene families absent from all other ammonia-oxidizing archaea and, for most of these gene families, expression could be demonstrated in laboratory culture or the environment via proteomic or metatranscriptomic analyses respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that four of these core gene families were acquired by the Ca. Nitrosotalea common ancestor via horizontal gene transfer from acidophilic representatives of Euryarchaeota. We hypothesize that gene exchange with these acidophiles contributed to the competitive success of the Ca. Nitrosotalea lineage in acidic environments