Vitamin C in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) flower buds as affected by postharvest light,UV-B irradiation and temperature

In this study, the changes in vitamin C, l-ascorbic acid (AA) and l-dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) levels in broccoli flower buds were examined during pre-storage and storage periods, simulating refrigerated transport with wholesale distribution and retail, respectively. Broccoli heads were pre-stored for 4 or 7 days at 0 °C or 4 °C in the dark and then stored for 3 days at 10 °C or 18 °C. During storage the broccoli heads were exposed for 12 h per day to three different levels of visible light (13, 19 or 25 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) or a combination of visible light (19 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and UV-B irradiation (20 kJ m⁻² d⁻¹), or they were stored in the dark. The vitamin C content in broccoli flower buds during storage was significantly affected by pre-storage period and temperature. Higher vitamin C levels in flower buds after storage were observed for broccoli heads pre-stored for 4 days or at 0 °C as compared to those pre-stored for 7 days or at 4 °C. Storage temperature also affected vitamin C in broccoli flower buds, with higher levels observed for broccoli stored at 10 °C than at 18 °C. Hence, vitamin C in broccoli flower buds was demonstrated to decrease together with increasing pre-storage period, pre-storage temperature and storage temperature. AA in broccoli flower buds was influenced mainly by storage temperature and to a minor extent by pre-storage temperature. The DHA level and DHA/AA ratio were stable in flower buds of broccoli pre-stored for 7 days, whereas increasing tendencies for both DHA level and ratio were observed after pre-storage for 4 days. These results indicate a shift in the ascorbate metabolism in broccoli flower buds during storage at low temperatures, with its higher rate observed for broccoli pre-stored for shorter time. There were no effects of the light and UV-B irradiation treatments on vitamin C, AA and DHA levels in broccoli flower buds.     

Effect of the particle size on the ammonia removal rate and the bacterial community composition of bioflocs

The total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal efficiency and bacterial community composition of bioflocs with <50-μm particle size, > 50-μm particle size and un-sieved bioflocs were investigated in the current study. The initial ratio of dissolved organic carbon to TAN (DOC/TAN) in the three groups were about 14:1. No significant difference was found in the removal rate of TAN, average concentrations of TAN and nitrite nitrogen among the three groups (P > 0.05). The C/N (w/w) ratio of the > 50-μm bioflocs was significantly higher than those of the other groups. No significant differences were found in the crude protein content in the bioflocs among the three groups. The development of the bacterial community compositions of the bioflocs was analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing analyses. Most OTUs were shared among the three groups at all the sampled time points. With the increase in the relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes, that of phylum Proteobacteria, Chorolexi, and Bacteroidetes decreased in all the three groups. The phylum Firmicutes and genus Bacillus were predominant in all the sampled time points. At the end of the experiment, genus Bacillus accounted for 81% in the < 50-μm group, 82% in the > 50-μm group, and 75% in the un-sieved group.     

Structural,rheological and gelatinization properties of wheat starch granules separated from different noodle-making process

In this study, three typical wheat cultivars (ZM366, AK58, and ZM103) with high, medium, and low gluten strength, respectively, were selected as the raw material. The starch granules separated from different stages of the noodle-making process, including kneading, resting, sheeting, cutting, and drying, were used to explore the structure, dynamic rheology, and quality of the noodles. The D50 (median diameter) of the starch granules decreased during the noodle-making process, and the reduction was enhanced by an increase in the gluten strength of the flour. Between steps 4 and 5 of the noodle-making process, the solubility of ZM103 variety increased from 4.3% to 5.0% at 80 °C, while the peak viscosity decreased from 3626 to 3386 mPa s, which resulted in a decrease in the cooking loss of noodles. Similar trend was observed in the ZM366 and AK58 varieties. The gelatinization enthalpy was reduced, suggesting that the crystalline regions of the starch granules were destroyed during the kneading process. Between steps 4 and 5 of the noodle-making process, the elastic modulus of the starch granules significantly increased, while the temperature at which maximum elastic modulus was decreased, indicating an increase in the crystalline stability of starch during the drying process. Correlation analysis indicated that the changes occurred to the gelatinization property was primarily due to the change in the particle size.     

X射线灭活活体日本沼虾精子的初步研究

为检测X射线对日本沼虾精子的灭活效果,利用X射线对雄性日本沼虾进行不同时间的照射处理,将处理后的雄虾与刚完成生殖脱壳的雌虾交配。待雌虾产卵后,计数雌虾抱卵天数,并在显微镜下观察卵的畸形情况。X射线管照射强度为100 k V,5 m A,源距10 cm,照射时间为0、30、60、90、120 min。结果发现:照射30 min组的抱卵天数及卵的畸形率较0 min组无变化,卵的畸形率为0,卵能正常发育至孵化出膜。随着照射时间的增加,在30~90 min之间,雌虾抱卵天数逐渐减少,且所抱卵的畸形率呈上升趋势。照射120 min组的抱卵天数较90 min组变化不大,卵的畸形率达100%。在本试验照射时间范围(0~120 min)内,灭活日本沼虾精子遗传物质的最佳照射时间为90~120 min。     

坛紫菜耐高温品系的选育与海区中试

利用人工诱变和体细胞再生技术,选育出可在30℃下生长的坛紫菜耐高温品(Q-1),实验结果表明:(1)在高温(28℃和30℃)下培养15d,Q-1品系的壳孢子成活率分别为76.8%和60.1%,分裂率分别为100%和83%;而对照组野生型(WT)品系的壳孢子成活率分别为15.9%和6.7%,分裂率分别为90.4%和63.8%。Q-1品系的壳孢子成活率和分裂率均远高于WT品系。(2)在常温(24℃)下培养35d的Q-1和WT品系壳孢子苗,在24℃、28℃和30℃组中再分别培养25d,Q-1品系的苗平均体长分别增加了19.4、10.8和2.8倍,而WT品系的苗平均体长分别只增加了7.3、1.7和0.9倍;Q-1品系的苗平均体长分别为WT品系的2.5、5.8和1.9倍。另外,在28℃和30℃中培养15d的WT品系幼苗发生了大面积腐烂;而Q-1品系幼苗没有出现任何烂苗迹象,表现出较好的生长。Q-1品系在海区中试中也表现出很好的耐高温特性。2008年秋季,坛紫菜采苗后遇到了长时间的高温天气,当地传统养殖的坛紫菜野生种发生了大规模腐烂与脱苗,产量大幅度减少;而Q-1品系的苗仍然维持良好的生长势头,没有出现烂苗,取得了高产。由此证实,Q-1品系是既能较快生长又耐高温的品系,有很大的生产应用价值。     

Management strategies for short lived species: The case of Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery: 2. Choosing appropriate management strategies using input controls

A Management Strategy Evaluation framework is used to evaluate management strategies based on input controls for the fishery for two tiger prawn species (Penaeus esculentus and Penaeus semisulcatus) in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery. Three “assessment procedures” are considered and two forms of decision rule. The performance of the management strategies is evaluated in terms of whether stocks are left at (or above) the spawning stock size at which Maximum Sustainable Yield is achieved (S_MSY), the long-term discounted total catch and the extent of inter-annual variation in catches. The focus of the analysis is on management strategies based on the current method of stock assessment because an alternative method of assessment based on a biomass dynamics model is found to be highly variable. None of the management strategies tested is able to leave the spawning stock size of P. esculentus near S_MSY if the target effort level used in the management strategy is set to E_MSY. Accounting for stock structure through the application of a spatially- (stock-) structured assessment approach fails to resolve this problem. Since the assessment method is generally close to unbiased, the failure to leave the stocks close to S_MSY is because the measure of control is total effort and the two species are found (and caught) together. Reducing the target effort level to below E_MSY increases the final stock size, but the reduced risk comes at a cost of reduced catches. The best management strategy in terms of leaving both species close to S_MSY is found to be one that changes the timing of the fishing season so that effort is shifted from P. esculentus to P. semisulcatus and sets more precautionary effort targets for P. esculentus.     

Development of a vision-based automatic vaccine injection system for flatfish

Traditionally, flatfish vaccination has been performed manually a laborious and time-consuming, procedure with low accuracy. The handling requirement also makes it prone to contamination. With a view to eliminating these drawbacks, we designed an automatic vaccine system in which the injection is delivered by a Cartesian coordinate robot (also called a linear robot) guided by a vision system. The automatic vaccine injection system is driven by an injection site location algorithm that uses a template-matching technique. The proposed algorithm was designed to derive the time and possible angles of injection by comparing a search area with a template. The algorithm is able to vaccinate various sizes of flatfish, even when they are loaded at different angles. We validated the performance of the proposed algorithm by analyzing the injection error according to randomly generated loading angles. The proposed algorithm allowed an injection rate of 2000 per hour on average. Vaccination of flatfish with a body length of up to 500 mm was possible, even when the orientation of the fish was random. The injection errors in various sizes of flatfish were very small, ranging from 0 to 0.6 mm.     

Chukar Watering Patterns and Water Site Selection

We evaluated chukar (Alectoris chukar) watering patterns as well as habitat variables influencing water site selection in western Utah. Motion-sensing cameras and chukar dropping counts were primary techniques to evaluate watering patterns. We took vegetative and other habitat measurements at each water source (n = 43) to discriminate use from nonuse sites using logistic regression. Chukars watered during daylight hours with a modal hour from 1200 hours to 1300 hours daylight savings time. Annual patterns suggest limited use of water sources from November to May with first observed visits occurring in June and last observed visits in October. Shrub canopy cover was the only variable to discriminate between site types (P &spilt; 0.01). Cross validation showed a predictive success rate of 84%. Significant differences were found between use and nonuse sites in terms of security cover (P &spilt; 0.01), but not total cover (P &spigt; 0.05). Chukars seem to have a loose shrub canopy threshold near 11% that is likely due to predation risk. Water sources meeting this threshold received use, whereas those not meeting this threshold did not. Increasing shrub canopy cover above 11% did not translate into increased water source use. Managers might want to consider annual patterns when setting hunt season timing and structure as well as judging sites for new water developments based on shrub canopy cover. More generally, these results suggest a behavioral constraint on the use of water sources as a function of predation risk—we should expect other species to demonstrate similar behavioral constraints. These constraints must be considered in any effort to determine benefits or impacts of water developments.