Competitive adsorption of water soluble plasma proteins from egg yolk at the oil/water interface

Water soluble plasma proteins were fractionated from hen's egg yolk, and the molecular weight and pI of the most abundant protein species were characterized with gel electrophoresis. The proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. The protein fraction was used to produce oil-in-water emulsions, both at various protein concentrations and at various pH values, and the surface load was determined through serum depletion. The competitive adsorption was studied through the determination of nonadsorbing species with gel electrophoresis. The results show that it was possible to form an oil-in-water emulsion for which droplet size and maximum surface load depended on the protein concentration and pH. Serum albumin and YGP40 adsorbed selectively at the oil/water interface throughout the pH range investigated, and for albumin the selectivity increased close to its pI. It is suggested that this selective adsorption is due to long hydrophobic stretches in the polypeptide chain, which are present in the selectively adsorbing species but absent in less adsorbing species.     

HPLC analysis of sesaminol glucosides in sesame seeds

An HPLC method was developed and validated for the quantification of sesaminol triglucoside and a sesaminol diglucoside in sesame seeds. These two lignans were isolated, and their structures were characterized by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Defatted sesame flour was extracted first with 85% ethanol for 5 h followed by 70% ethanol for 10 h at room temperature using naringenin as internal standard. Analysis of 65 different samples of sesame seeds indicated that the content of sesaminol triglucoside ranged from 36 to 1560 mg/100 g of seed (mean 637 +/- 312) and that of sesaminol diglucoside ranged from 0 to 493 mg/100 g of seed (mean 75 +/- 95). No significant difference was found between sesaminol glucoside contents in black and white seeds.     

Modelling the sprouting capacity from underground buds of the perennial weed Sonchus arvensis

Sonchus arvensis is a problematic perennial weed species causing problems in many crops. Control measures often rely on soil tillage or mowing; both methods are used to exhaust the root system. This approach fails during periods of restrictions in sprouting capacity or shoot regrowth. The aim of this study was to develop a simulation model for prediction of shoot sprouting capacity in underground buds of S. arvensis. We hypothesised restricted regrowth to be induced as a function of photoperiod and temperature sum and released as a function of cold temperature sum. The model was parameterised and calibrated against observations of shoot regrowth from an experiment on intact roots of S. arvensis. Subsequently, it was validated against observations of regrowth from another experiment on intact roots and sprouting from fragmented roots from a third experiment. Restriction in regrowth was attributed to reduction in the photoperiod, observed when the day length decreased below a threshold of 16.5 h, but also to a daily mean temperature below 16.8°C. Resumed regrowth occurred in late autumn at a daily mean temperature threshold of 4.7°C. The pattern of changes over time in shoot regrowth from an intact root system was well predicted by the model. The temporal change in sprouting capacity from buds on fragmented roots followed the same pattern, but with a quantitative difference between the model prediction and the observed sprouting capacity. We conclude that the model can be used to predict the pattern over time of sprouting capacity in intact roots of S. arvensis.     

#Metoo in the Swedish forest sector: testimonies from harassed women on sexualised forms of male control

This study adds to the literature on the gendered culture of the forest sector by examining testimonies of sexual harassment in relation to the gendering of forestry-related competence and organisations and the consequences that the sexualisation of social relations in organisations has, mainly for women. The empirical base of the study comprised testimonies within the campaign #slutavverkat published on Instagram to highlight experiences of sexual harassment of women in the Swedish forest sector. Qualitative content analysis of the testimonies suggested that the situations described in the testimonies in #slutavverkat comprise controlling actions that diminish women’s power in the forest sector. Sexualised forms of male control and harassment thus work to remind women that they are first and foremost a representation of women, rather than of forestry professions and knowledge. In that sense, sexualised forms of male control and harassment are part of, rather than deviating from, the overall gendering of forestry as a men-dominated sphere. The study adds to organisational understandings and policy developments on discrimination and harassment and suggests that researchers and policy-makers interested in reducing inequality in forestry need to pay more attention to issues of harassment and sexualisation of social relations.     

Mutational robustness of ribosomal protein genes

The distribution of fitness effects (DFE) of mutations is of fundamental importance for understanding evolutionary dynamics and complex diseases and for conserving threatened species. DFEs estimated from DNA sequences have rarely been subject to direct experimental tests. We used a bacterial system in which the fitness effects of a large number of defined single mutations in two ribosomal proteins were measured with high sensitivity. The obtained DFE appears to be unimodal, where most mutations (120 out of 126) are weakly deleterious and the remaining ones are potentially neutral. The DFEs for synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions are similar, suggesting that in some genes, strong fitness constraints are present at the level of the messenger RNA.     

The Bacterial (Vibrio alginolyticus) Production of Tetrodotoxin in the Ribbon Worm Lineus longissimus—Just a False Positive?

We test previous claims that the bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus produces tetrodotoxin (TTX) when living in symbiosis with the nemertean Lineus longissimus by a setup with bacteria cultivation for TTX production. Toxicity experiments on the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, demonstrated the presence of a paralytic toxin, but evidence from LC-MS and electrophysiological measurements of voltage-gated sodium channel–dependent nerve conductance in male Wistar rat tissue showed conclusively that this effect did not originate from TTX. However, a compound of similar molecular weight was found, albeit apparently non-toxic, and with different LC retention time and MS/MS fragmentation pattern than those of TTX. We conclude that C. maenas paralysis and death likely emanate from a compound <5 kDa, and via a different mechanism of action than that of TTX. The similarity in mass between TTX and the Vibrio-produced low-molecular-weight, non-toxic compound invokes that thorough analysis is required when assessing TTX production. Based on our findings, we suggest that re-examination of some published claims of TTX production may be warranted.     

Effects of temperature on the final stages of sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis> L.)

Maturing male and female Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were held under three temperature regimes for 10 weeks between September and December: warm (constant 14–16 °C), ambient (decreasing from 11 to 5 °C), and cold (decreasing from 7 to 3 °C). Blood samples were analyzed for plasma steroid levels, and the fish were inspected for the presence of expressible milt (total volume and spermatocrit) and ovulation weekly. Samples of eggs were dry-fertilized with milt stripped from three males held at the same temperatures and incubated until the eyed stage. In females, levels of plasma testosterone (T) and 17β-oestradiol (E₂) dropped as ovulation approached, concurrent with a rapid increase in levels of plasma 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20β-P). In males, levels of T and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) peaked 2–3 weeks after the first appearance of expressible milt, while levels of 17,20β-P increased steadily and did not exhibit a definite peak. Exposure of females to cold water amplified and advanced the profiles of all three steroids compared with the ambient group, and increased the survival rates to the eyed egg stage. Cold water had no immediate effect on the male steroid profiles, but later, higher levels of 17,20β-P were evident compared with both the ambient controls and the warm water group, while the effects on 11-KT and T were more variable. Exposure to warm water completely inhibited both milt production and ovulation. Moreover, warm water modulated the steroid profiles of the males with lower 11-KT levels compared with ambient controls and lower 17,20β-P level compared with cold-water-treated males. In females, warm water resulted in total inhibition of the peri-ovulatory peak in 17,20β-P and prevented the normal decline of T and E₂ levels associated with ovulation. The findings of the present study are highly relevant for broodstock management in aquaculture, as well in understanding the impact of climate change/temperature variability on wild salmon spawning.     

Epidemiology and Integrated Control of Potato Late Blight in Europe

Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight, is a major threat to potato production in northwestern Europe. Before 1980, the worldwide population of P. infestans outside Mexico appeared to be asexual and to consist of a single clonal lineage of A1 mating type characterized by a single genotype. It is widely believed that new strains migrated into Europe in 1976 and that this led to subsequent population changes including the introduction of the A2 mating type. The population characteristics of recently collected isolates in NW Europe show a diverse population including both mating types, sexual reproduction and oospores, although differences are observed between regions. Although it is difficult to find direct evidence that new strains are more aggressive, there are several indications from experiments and field epidemics that the aggressiveness of P. infestans has increased in the past 20?years. The relative importance of the different primary inoculum sources and specific measures for reducing their role, such as covering dumps with plastic and preventing seed tubers from becoming infected, is described for the different regions. In NW Europe, varieties with greater resistance tend not to be grown on a large scale. From the grower??s perspective, the savings in fungicide input that can be achieved with these varieties are not compensated by the higher (perceived) risk of blight. Fungicides play a crucial role in the integrated control of late blight. The spray strategies in NW Europe and a table of the specific attributes of the most important fungicides in Europe are presented. The development and use of decision support systems (DSSs) in NW Europe are described. In The Netherlands, it is estimated that almost 40% of potato growers use recommendations based on commercially available DSS. In the Nordic countries, a new DSS concept with a fixed 7-day spray interval and a variable dose rate is being tested. In the UK, commercially available DSSs are used for c. 8% of the area. The validity of Smith Periods for the new population of P. infestans in the UK is currently being evaluated.     

Alkylresorcinols in wheat varieties in the HEALTHGRAIN Diversity Screen

The contents of alkylresorcinols (AR) were analyzed in 131 winter wheats, 20 spring wheats, 10 durum wheats, 5 spelt wheats, and 10 early cultivated forms of wheat (5 diploid einkorn and 5 tetraploid emmer), which are part of the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen. AR were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), which provides both total contents and relative homologue compositions, as well as with a Fast Blue colorimetric method that provides only total contents but which is fast and easily screens a large number of samples. There was considerable variation in the total AR content analyzed with GC: winter wheat (220-652 microg/g of dm), spring wheat (254-537 microg/g of dm), durum wheat (194-531 microg/g of dm), spelt (490-741 microg/g of dm), einkorn (545-654 microg/g of dm), and emmer wheat (531-714 microg/g of dm). The relative AR homologue composition was different for different types of wheat, with a C17:0 to C21:0 ratio of 0.1 for winter, spring, and spelt wheats, 0.04 for einkorn and emmer wheat, and 0.01 for durum wheat. The total AR content analyzed with the Fast Blue method was lower than that analyzed with GC but there was a good correlation between the two methods (R(2) = 0.76).