Effect of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the interaction of plant pectin methylesterase and its proteinaceous inhibitor from kiwi fruit

A proteinaceous pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI) was isolated from kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensiscv. Hayward) and purified by affinity chromatography on a cyanogen bromide (CNBr) Sepharose 4B-orange PME column. The optimal pH of banana PME activity was 7.0, whereas that for carrot and strawberry PME activity was 9.0. The optimal pH for the binding between kiwi fruit PMEI and these PMEs was 7.0. The kiwi fruit PMEI has a different affinity for PME depending on the plant source. The inhibition kinetics of kiwi fruit PMEI to banana and strawberry PME followed a noncompetitive type, whereas that to carrot PME followed a competitive type. The kiwi fruit PMEI was mixed with banana, carrot, and strawberry PME to obtain PMEI-PME complexes, which were then subjected to thermal (40-80 degrees C, atmospheric pressure) or high-pressure (10 degrees C, 100-600 MPa) treatment. Experimental data showed that the PMEI-PME complexes were easily dissociated by both thermal and high-pressure treatments.     

越南和平水电站库区不同农林复合模式的环境效益比较

为了找出最适宜于越南中部山区、预期综合环境效益最佳的、更利于生态平衡的农林复合模式,该研究以越南和平水电站库区4种主要农林复合模式：马占相思树（Acacia mangium）-玉米（Zea mays）、马占相思树-木薯（Manihot esculenta crantz）、赤桉树（Eucalyptus camandulensis）-旱稻（Oraza sativa）和马占相思树-木薯-玉米为研究对象,采用盖度、土壤理化性质、土壤蓄水能力、水土保持能力等指标进行环境效益的比较,最后得出的结论为：在4种农林复合模式中,马占相思树-木薯-玉米复合模式具有最高的水土保持效益和综合环境效益;赤桉树-旱稻复合模式的水土保持效益和综合环境效益均最低;实践中应该增加前者的种植面积,限制和减小后者的种植面积。在马占相思树-木薯-玉米复合模式的基础上加以改进,提出了预期综合环境效益更好的马占相思树-木薯-玉米-肉桂（Cinnamomum cassia）复合模式,为农林复合系统在和平水电站库区的应用提供更好的选择,同时也为世界上有类似气候环境条件的地区农林复合模式的采用提供参考。     

Partial purification,characterization, and thermal and high-pressure inactivation of pectin methylesterase from carrots (Daucus carrota L.)

Pectin methylesterase (PME) from carrots (Daucus carrota L.) was extracted and purified by affinity chromatography on a CNBr-Sepharose 4B-PME inhibitor column. A single protein and PME activity peak was obtained. A biochemical characterization in terms of molar mass (MM), isoelectric points (pI), and kinetic parameters of carrot PME was performed. In a second step, the thermal and high-pressure stability of the enzyme was studied. Isothermal and combined isothermal-isobaric inactivation of purified carrot PME could be described by a fractional-conversion model.     

RAPD variability in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants derived from desiccation-tolerant calli

Genetic modification from selfed progenies of 18 rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants regenerated from callus tissues which survived desiccation, were investigated at the DNA level using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Twelve 10-mer random primers were used to amplify DNA of progenies from the regenerated plants, and a total of 228 PCR products and 1780 DNA fragments were obtained by primers, generating between four to thirteen major bands. The size of the amplified fragments ranged from 0.2 to 2.55 kb. The results showed that 10 out of 12 primers produced polymorphic bands, two primers (RA31 and RA185) showed no polymorphism among plants tested. A dendrogram of the genetic distance was constructed based on their polymorphism, demonstrating that somaclonal variation exists in rice plants regenerated from callus which survived the desiccation treatment. Part of this variation can be useful in rice breeding. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Increasing cyst yields in Artemia culture ponds in Vietnam: the multi-cycle system

In this study, one-cycle and multi-cycle culture systems for Artemia in seasonal salt ponds are compared. In one-cycle systems, Artemia is inoculated only once per season, while in multicycle systems ponds are drained and re-stocked several times per season. In Vietnam, three-cycle systems gave significantly higher cyst yields than did the one-cycle system. However, after two cycles, systems were not significantly different. Food limitation probably caused the steady decline in cyst yields, as observed in the one-cycle ponds. In these ponds, females have smaller broods (from the second cycle onwards) and during the last cycle the number of adult females is lower than in multi-cycle ponds.     

Comparative performance of hatchery-reared and wild Scylla paramamosain (Estampador, 1949) in pond culture

The performance of hatchery‐reared juveniles either in aquaculture grow‐out systems or stock enhancement is likely to be dependent on a range of factors during the hatchery phase of production. With recent progress in the development of hatchery systems for the mud crabs Scylla spp., there is growing interest in evaluation of the quality of hatchery‐reared juveniles relative to wild seed crabs as currently used in aquaculture. Hatchery‐reared and wild‐collected Scylla paramamosain juveniles were stocked either together in ponds or separately. All crabs were tagged with microwire‐coded tags, so that origin could be determined in the mixed groups. Preliminary validation demonstrated that tagging did not affect survival or growth, with a tag retention of 94%. After 106 days of culture, there was no significant difference in survival at harvest between the two sources of crabs. The wild juvenile crabs had a significantly higher initial weight:carapace width (CW) ratio compared with those from the hatchery, indicating a difference in condition. However, where crabs were stocked separately, the hatchery‐reared animals exhibited significantly faster growth than those collected from the wild, both in terms of specific growth rate and CW increase per month. However, in the mixed ponds, where there was competition with wild crabs, there was no significant difference in growth rate between crabs from the two sources. Overall, the results demonstrate that the growth performance of hatchery‐reared S. paramamosain can at least equal that of wild‐collected seed crabs in ponds culture.     

Use of GIS and machine learning to predict disease in shrimp farmed on the east coast of the Mekong Delta,Vietnam

Diseases in shrimp farms in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam cause significant crop losses and are therefore of great concern to producers. Once a pond becomes infected, it is difficult to prevent spread of the disease to nearby shrimp farming areas. Thus, predicting the occurrence of disease is an essential part of reducing the risk for shrimp farmers. In this study, we applied an integrated geographic information system and machine learning system to predict three serious diseases of shrimp, namely, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis, white spot syndrome disease, and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infection, based on data collected from shrimp farms in the Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, and Ca Mau provinces of Vietnam. We first constructed a map showing the distribution of these diseases using the locations of affected farms, and then we conducted spatial analysis to acquire the geographical features of the affected locations. This latter information was combined with environmental factors and clinical signs to form the set of independent variables affecting the outbreak of diseases. The neural network model outperformed the logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting methods in terms of predicting infection to estimate the probability of disease occurrence in farmed areas. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease infected farms downstream of the Co Chien and Hau Rivers of Tra Vinh and west of Ca Mau. Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infection is distributed in Soc Trang Province, while white spot syndrome virus has spread to the coastal districts of Soc Trang and Bac Lieu Provinces, where it is highly associated to water from a complex canal system.

     

辐照后转移时间对水稻体细胞愈伤组织分化的影响

用137Csγ射线辐照 3份籼稻 (OryzasativaL .subsp .Indica)幼穗诱导的愈伤组织 ,研究了辐照剂量、辐照后转移时间对愈伤组织褐化率与分化率的影响。结果发现除了基因型和辐照剂量有明显作用之外 ,辐照后转移时间也有重要作用。辐照后延迟转移时间会不同程度提高褐化率 ,而存活的愈伤组织的分化率却有一定的提高。辐照后 48h转移愈伤组织的效果优于辐照后 2 4h转移愈伤组织的效果。讨论了扩大γ射线辐照愈伤组织的应用范围的可能性