Polymerisation of gluten proteins in developing wheat grain as affected by desiccation

The breadmaking quality of wheat is affected by the composition of gluten proteins and the polymerisation of subunits that are synthesised and accumulated in developing wheat grain. The biological mechanisms and time course of these events during grain development are documented, but not widely confirmed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to monitor the accumulation of gluten protein subunits and the size distribution of protein aggregates during grain development. The effect of desiccation on the polymerisation of gluten proteins and the functional properties of gluten were also studied. The results showed that the size of glutenin polymers remained consistently low until yellow ripeness (YR), while it increased during grain desiccation after YR. Hence, this polymerisation process was presumed to be initiated by desiccation. A similar polymerisation event was also observed when premature grains were dried artificially. The composition of gluten proteins, the ratios of glutenin to gliadin and high molecular weight-glutenin subunits to low molecular weight-glutenin subunits, in premature grain after artificial desiccation showed close association with the size of glutenin polymers in artificially dried grain. Functional properties of gluten in these samples were also associated with polymer size after artificial desiccation.     

Disulphide structure of high-molecular-weight (HMW-) gliadins as affected by terminators

This study aimed at elucidating SS-bonds of HMW-gliadins (HGL) from wheat with the focus on terminators of glutenin polymerisation. HGL from wheat flour extracts non-treated or treated with the S-alkylation reagent N-ethylmaleinimide (NEMI) were compared. HGL from wheat flour Akteur were isolated, hydrolysed with thermolysin and the resulting peptides pre-separated by gel permeation chromatography and analysed by liquid chromatography/mass-spectrometry using alternating electron transfer dissociation/collision-induced dissociation. Altogether, 22 and 28 SS-peptides from samples without and with NEMI treatment, respectively, were identified. Twenty-six peptides included standard SS-bonds of α- and γ-gliadins, high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits. Eleven SS-bonds were identified for the first time. Fifteen peptides unique to HGL contained cysteine residues from gliadins with an odd number of cysteines (ω5-, α- and γ-gliadins). Thus, gliadins with an odd number of cysteines, glutathione and cysteine had acted as terminators of glutenin polymerisation. Decisive differences between samples without and with NEMI treatment were not obvious showing that the termination of polymerisation was already completed in the flour. The two HGL samples, however, were different in the majority of ten peptides that included disulphide-linked low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols such as glutathione and cysteine with the former being enriched in the non-treated HGL-sample.     

A rapid extensigraph protocol for measuring dough viscoelasticity and mixing requirement

The extensigraph is particularly useful in characterizing dough viscoelastic properties; however, testing throughput for standard method is low due to the prerequisite for farinograph water absorption, long dough resting and milling to prepare large amounts of flour. Therefore, a rapid extensigraph method was developed that reduced sample size (165 g wheat) for milling and more than tripled throughput. Wheat is milled in Quadrumat Junior mill with a modified sieving system. The resulting flour (100 g) was mixed with a pin mixer at constant water absorption to allow the evaluation of wheat genotypes at the absorption level they are expected to perform. Dough was subsequently stretched by an extensigraph after 15 min of floor time and 30 min resting. Strong correlations for extensigram R_max (r > 0.93), extensibility (r > 0.64) and area (r > 0.88) were found for the proposed method compared to the standard method. Mixing parameters (time and energy) obtained during dough preparation provided further information about dough strength and mixing requirement. By significantly reducing sample size requirement and increasing testing throughput, this rapid extensigraph method can be widely adopted in milling and baking industry and meets the need for a fast evaluation of dough strength in breeding trials.     

Otolith chemistry indicates walleye movement and entrainment in a large serial reservoir system

Understanding fish movement in impounded river systems is important for fisheries management. Otolith chemistry was used to examine walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) intra‐ and inter‐reservoir movement in four Missouri River impoundments. Age‐0 individuals were reclassified with 75%–93% accuracy to known natal sites, allowing for reliable evaluation of movement patterns of age‐1 and older fish. Nearly half of walleye occupied the same location annually (i.e. site residency) between 2009 and 2010. In 2011, during the largest flood on record since 1898, downstream movement (49% of age‐1 and older fish) exceeded upstream movement (7%) and site residency (33%) across the study area. After the flood, most walleye moved downstream within reservoirs (45%) or were site residents (37%). Entrainment occurred most frequently during the flood year and was proportionally greatest in downstream reservoirs. Otolith chemistry is useful for understanding walleye movement and entrainment and is a tool for fisheries management with applications such as informing reservoir water releases, harvest regulations and habitat protection and rehabilitation within and outside the Missouri River reservoir system.     

Pansteatitis in polluted Olifants River impoundments: nutritional perspectives on fish in a eutrophic lake,Lake Loskop,South Africa

This study compares the aetiology of pansteatitis in Lake Loskop, relative to two other impoundments along the Olifants River. Macroscopic and microscopic pathology, age determination and analysis of stomach content, fatty acids and stable isotopes explain the high prevalence of pansteatitis in Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) and several other species in Lake Loskop. All the dietary indicator comparisons between pansteatitis‐affected and healthy fish fail to support a systemic cause. Pansteatitis in Lake Loskop was linked to size and weight of O. mossambicus, but not to ontogenic age. Fish in Lake Loskop showed abnormally high omega‐3 to omega‐6 fatty acid ratios normally only found in marine fish with no significant difference in degree of assimilation of these fatty acids between pansteatitis‐affected and healthy fish. This explains the vulnerability to, but not the occurrence of, pansteatitis. As a cause for the pansteatitis, these results point towards sporadic vitamin E‐depleting trigger events, known sporadic fish die‐off occurrences that provide surviving fish with a rich source of rancid fats on which to scavenge. The mechanism ties pansteatitis to eutrophication and trophic cascade effects, the intrinsic drivers of the disease and suggests an adaptive management strategy that might be applied by relevant conservation authorities.     

Variation in prey selection and foraging success associated with early‐life ontogeny and habitat use of American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)

Many fishes are planktivorous during early life and switch to piscivory or consume larger food items as ontogeny progresses. In contrast, paddlefish start as particulate feeders and later become filter feeders. Few studies have identified food items essential for paddlefish growth, survival and recruitment surrounding this ontogenetic diet shift. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) prey types consumed by paddlefish, (ii) variability in prey selection surrounding an ontogenetic diet shift and (iii) whether habitat affected paddlefish prey selection or foraging success. We analysed gut contents of 189 wild age‐0 paddlefish from the middle Mississippi River (MMR) and also conducted a laboratory experiment to address these objectives. We found that paddlefish primarily foraged on benthic macroinvertebrates in the MMR, which differed from previous studies in lentic systems, suggesting young paddlefish prey selection may be labile depending on habitat (i.e., lotic versus lentic). Dominant prey of wild‐caught and experimental age‐0 paddlefish were caddisfly larvae (Trichoptera), followed by hemipterans and amphipods. We found little evidence that habitat attributes affected foraging success, but the most common prey items consumed were associated with wing dike habitat and the upstream and downstream tips of alluvial islands. Our experimental study revealed that if provided a mixture of organisms, age‐0 paddlefish will primarily consume macroinvertebrates while age‐1 paddlefish will mainly filter zooplankton. Overall results suggest young paddlefish prey selection can be highly variable, but also heavily reliant on a narrow group of prey resources.     

Three‐dimensional visualization of green fluorescence protein‐labelled Edwardsiella tarda in whole Medaka larvae

The invasive fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda is common in aquatic environments and causes the environmentally and economically destructive emphysematous putrefactive disease called edwardsiellosis. In order to understand the organism's infection pathway, medaka larvae (Oryzias latipes) were immersion‐infected with E. tarda labelled with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and then visualized in three dimensions under confocal laser microscopy and light‐sheet fluorescence microscopy. Confocal microscopy revealed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the mouth, head, gill bridges, gill cover, skin, membrane fin, gastrointestinal tract and air bladder, and in the caudal vein, somite veins, caudal artery and caudal capillaries. Light‐sheet microscopy additionally showed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the pharyngeal cavity, muscle of the pectoral fin and cardiac atrium and ventricle. These findings suggest that during its infection of fish, E. tarda initially adheres to, and invades, the epithelial cells of the skin, gills and gastrointestinal tract (through the pharyngeal cavity); E. tarda then enters the blood vessels to access organs, including the air bladder and heart.     

三种因素对海水生物流化床启动期间营养盐去除及amoA基因表达的影响

在实验室规模下,以旋转式生物流化床(CB-FSB)为研究对象,研究了初始总氨氮(TAN)、水温及滤料膨胀率3种条件下,海水生物流化床生物过滤功能启动期间TAN和亚硝酸盐氮(NO-2-N)去除及amoA基因数量的变化。结果显示:生物流化床生物过滤功能启动所需时间随着水温的升高而缩短,在水温为15℃、20℃和25℃时,启动所需时间分别为27 d、25 d和23 d;初始TAN质量浓度的升高也会缩短生物流化床生物过滤功能启动所需要的时间,在初始TAN质量浓度为1 mg/L、2 mg/L、4 mg/L时,启动所需时间分别为24 d、22 d和21 d;在膨胀率为100%和150%时,启动所需时间无明显差别,分别为21 d和20 d,明显好于膨胀率为50%时启动所需时间27 d;amoA基因的数量变化与TAN去除率的变化有一定的相关性,并随着初始TAN浓度的升高而增多,在4 mg/L时数量最多,达到2.76×10~7copies/g。     

脲酶抑制剂与硝化抑制剂对稻田土壤氮素转化的影响

【目的】本研究旨在阐明脲酶抑制剂(urease inhibitor,UI)和硝化抑制剂(nitrification inhibitor,NI)对稻田土壤氮素转化的影响,探讨抑制剂提高稻谷产量以及氮肥利用率的机理。【方法】本试验设在我国南方红壤稻田,共5个处理:1)不施氮肥(CK);2)尿素(U);3)尿素+脲酶抑制剂(U+UI);4)尿素+硝化抑制剂(U+NI);5)尿素+脲酶抑制剂+硝化抑制剂(U+UI+NI);脲酶抑制剂采用N-丁基硫代磷酰三胺(NBPT),硝化抑制剂采用3,4-二甲基吡唑磷酸盐(DMPP)。在水稻分蘖期和孕穗期测定土壤脲酶活性、硝酸还原酶活性、土壤铵态氮含量、硝态氮含量以及微生物碳、氮的含量,分析NBPT与DMPP对水稻两个主要生育期土壤氮素供应的影响,比较各处理的产量以及氮肥利用率,通过逐步回归分析研究以上各指标对产量的影响,探明脲酶抑制剂NBPT与硝化抑制剂DMPP在稻田的增效机理。【结果】1)与单施尿素相比,添加NBPT以及NBPT与DMPP配施均显著提高稻谷产量与地上部氮素回收率,两个处理分别增产6.56%与8.24%,氮素回收率提高幅度为19.4%与23.7%。2)与单施尿素相比,添加NBPT以及NBPT与DMPP配施,显著降低水稻分蘖期的土壤脲酶活性和铵态氮含量,显著提高孕穗期的铵态氮含量,而对此时期的脲酶活性无显著影响,所有处理对两个时期的硝态氮含量、硝酸还原酶活性、微生物量碳、氮含量均无显著影响;因此,NBPT对于抑制脲酶活性以及提高铵态氮含量的作用主要在孕穗期之前,而单施DMPP没有显著效应。3)从各项土壤指标与水稻产量相关性的逐步回归分析结果来看,水稻分蘖期与孕穗期稻田土壤中铵态氮含量对水稻产量影响显著,而且孕穗期的影响大于分蘖期,其余指标则对产量无显著影响。【结论】脲酶抑制剂NBPT以及NBPT与硝化抑制剂DMPP配施显著提高孕穗期土壤中的铵态氮含量,显著提高稻谷产量以及地上部氮素回收率,证明了生产上氮肥后移的重要意义。     

乳山近海渔业资源种类组成及变化

根据2013—2015年乳山近海拖网渔船的渔捞日志,分析了乳山近海的单位捕捞努力量渔获量、渔获种类组成及生物多样性等特征。结果表明:(1)乳山近海渔获物共有36种,隶属于19目28科33属。其中鱼类有26种,虾蟹类4种,头足类4种,水母类1种,贝类1种。(2)2013—2015年全年优势种差异明显。其中,蓝点马鲛3年均为优势种,鳀鱼是2014年和2015年优势种,网纹狮子鱼为2013年和2015年的优势种。(3)乳山近海渔获物主要集中在休渔期前后的4—5月、9—11月,渔业生产存在明显的春汛和秋汛。2013—2015年乳山近海单位捕捞努力量渔获量逐年增加,但与历史单位捕捞努力量渔获量相比还是存在明显下降;多样性指数和均匀度指数变化趋势一致,多样性指数和丰富度指数较高值出现在秋季;春汛和秋汛期间,渔业资源种属组成及群落结构相似性较高。