Distinct Root Microbial Communities in Nature Farming Rice Harbor Bacterial Strains With Plant Growth-Promoting Traits

A nature farming system is an ecological farming practice that entails cultivating crops without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To understand the diversity and functions of root microbiomes associated with nature farming systems, we compared the root microbial community of rice under nature farming conditions with those under conventional farming conditions. High-throughput amplicon analysis demonstrated a higher abundance and greater diversity of the root microbiome under unfertilized nature farming conditions than under conventional conditions. The application of chemical fertilizers reduced the microbial diversity and abundance of some beneficial taxa important for plant growth and health. Subsequently, we isolated and identified 46 endo- and epiphytic bacteria from rice roots grown under nature farming conditions and examined their plant growth-promoting activity. Six potential isolates were selected for plant growth assessment in insoluble P- and K-containing media. Most of the isolates promoted rice growth, and Pseudomonas koreensis AEPR1 was able to enhance rice growth significantly in both insoluble P- and K-containing media. Our data indicated that nature farming systems create a distinct root microbiome that is comparatively more diverse and supports plant growth under low-input cultivation practices than under conventional practices. The potential isolates could be exploited as sources with potential applications in sustainable agriculture.

Methods of expressing religious beliefs through sacred numbers in the architecture and sport of Zurkhaneh

Ancient sports, dating to the size of the history of Mithraism, have undergone many changes throughout history and have been mixed with Sufism and Shiism. As a result of these developments, Zurkhaneh's building also has a distinct root in the Islamic era by preserving patterns of the ancient world. The structure and its components are based on beliefs and sentiments that have been exhibited in different shapes in the architecture of Zurkhaneh building throughout history, holding symbolic concepts like sacred numbers. As in other examples of Iranian architecture, it has played a major role in the formation of architecture and sports of Zurkhaneh. Examples like the octagonal Field of Zurkhaneh, which is a symbol of the eight gates of Paradise and commemorating the eighth Shiite Imam, and the dome is a symbol of unity. This research tries to investigate the effect of sacred numbers on formation of archery sports and Zurkhaneh architecture by using a descriptive and analytic approach and using library documents and resources.

Effective keyword search on graph data using limited root redundancy of answer trees

Purpose This paper aims to propose a new keyword search method on graph data to improve the relevance of search results and reduce duplication of content nodes in the answer trees obtained by previous approaches based on distinct root semantics. The previous approaches are restricted to find answer trees having different root nodes and thus often generate a result consisting of answer trees with low relevance to the query or duplicate content nodes. The method allows limited redundancy in the root nodes of top-k answer trees to produce more effective query results. Design/methodology/approach A measure for redundancy in a set of answer trees regarding their root nodes is defined, and according to the metric, a set of answer trees with limited root redundancy is proposed for the result of a keyword query on graph data. For efficient query processing, an index on the useful paths in the graph using inverted lists and a hash map is suggested. Then, based on the path index, a top-k query processing algorithm is presented to find most relevant and diverse answer trees given a maximum amount of root redundancy allowed for a set of answer trees. Findings The results of experiments using real graph datasets show that the proposed approach can produce effective query answers which are more diverse in the content nodes and more relevant to the query than the previous approach based on distinct root semantics. Originality/value This paper first takes redundancy in the root nodes of answer trees into account to improve the relevance and content nodes redundancy of query results over the previous distinct root semantics. It can satisfy the users’ various information need on a large and complex graph data using a keyword-based query.

The two-domain tree of life is linked to a new root for the Archaea

One of the most fundamental questions in evolutionary biology is the origin of the lineage leading to eukaryotes. Recent phylogenomic analyses have indicated an emergence of eukaryotes from within the radiation of modern Archaea and specifically from a group comprising Thaumarchaeota/“Aigarchaeota” (candidate phylum)/Crenarchaeota/Korarchaeota (TACK). Despite their major implications, these studies were all based on the reconstruction of universal trees and left the exact placement of eukaryotes with respect to the TACK lineage unclear. Here we have applied an original two-step approach that involves the separate analysis of markers shared between Archaea and eukaryotes and between Archaea and Bacteria. This strategy allowed us to use a larger number of markers and greater taxonomic coverage, obtain high-quality alignments, and alleviate tree reconstruction artifacts potentially introduced when analyzing the three domains simultaneously. Our results robustly indicate a sister relationship of eukaryotes with the TACK superphylum that is strongly associated with a distinct root of the Archaea that lies within the Euryarchaeota, challenging the traditional topology of the archaeal tree. Therefore, if we are to embrace an archaeal origin for eukaryotes, our view of the evolution of the third domain of life will have to be profoundly reconsidered, as will many areas of investigation aimed at inferring ancestral characteristics of early life and Earth.