Diversity of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae on susceptible and resistant rice lines in bacterial blight hot spot areas of the Philippines

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Rice bacterial blight is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which is one of the most common diseases in most rice-growing countries. The study aims...     

Density multiplication and improved lithography by directed block copolymer assembly

Self-assembling materials spontaneously form structures at length scales of interest in nanotechnology. In the particular case of block copolymers, the thermodynamic driving forces for self-assembly are small, and low-energy defects can get easily trapped. We directed the assembly of defect-free arrays of isolated block copolymer domains at densities up to 1 terabit per square inch on chemically patterned surfaces. In comparing the assembled structures to the chemical pattern, the density is increased by a factor of four, the size is reduced by a factor of two, and the dimensional uniformity is vastly improved.     

A basal dinosaur from the dawn of the dinosaur era in southwestern Pangaea

Upper Triassic rocks in northwestern Argentina preserve the most complete record of dinosaurs before their rise to dominance in the Early Jurassic. Here, we describe a previously unidentified basal theropod, reassess its contemporary Eoraptor as a basal sauropodomorph, divide the faunal record of the Ischigualasto Formation with biozones, and bracket the formation with (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages. Some 230 million years ago in the Late Triassic (mid Carnian), the earliest dinosaurs were the dominant terrestrial carnivores and small herbivores in southwestern Pangaea. The extinction of nondinosaurian herbivores is sequential and is not linked to an increase in dinosaurian diversity, which weakens the predominant scenario for dinosaurian ascendancy as opportunistic replacement.     

Relationship between content and intake of bean polyphenolics and protein digestibility in humans

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of bean polyphenolics on bean protein digestibility in humans. Steam pressure cooking decreased tannic acid in beans by: 38.2 (white), 23.9 (red), 38.5 (white:black mixture, 50:50), 20.5 (Ipala black) and 44.4% (Jalpatagua black). The reduction in catechin was: 57.5, 97.6, 83.0, 78.7 and 88.4%, respectively. The content of tannic acid in dried cooked beans was: 284.9 in white, 834.5 in red, 620.2 in the white:black mixture, 1,021 in Ipala black and 1,009 mg/100 g in the Jalpatagua black bean. These percentages correlate significantly with fecal nitrogen (r=0.29, p<0.05). Catechin of the dried cooked beans was 7.5 in white, 27.4 in red, 25.4 in the white:black mixture (50:50), and 60.1 and 55.5 mg/100 g in each of the black cultivars, and correlated significantly with fecal nitrogen (r=0.34, p<0.01), absorbed nitrogen (r=–0.37, p<0.01) and protein digestibility (r=–0.35, p<0.01). It was concluded that one of the factors that reduces bean protein digestibility is the polyphenlic compound.     

A comparison of in vivo and in vitro estimates of protein digestibility of native and thermally processed vegetable proteins

Research was performed to determine the suitability of the rapid multienzymatic assay for in vitro protein digestibility estimation by using a group of native and thermally processed vegetable proteins which constitute the staple foods in developing countries. The in vitro digestibility was assessed by measuring the extent to which the pH of the protein suspension dropped when treated with a multienzyme system consisting of trypsin, chymotrypsin, and peptidase for 10 min, andStreptomyces griseus protease for 10 min more. The best correlation occurred between in vivo rat protein digestibility and the pH of the protein suspension after 15 min enzymatic treatment. The response of different types of proteins to the multienzyme assay was different, and thus distinct equations were derived for the in vitro digestibility estimation of the samples assayed. The first group included nonprocessed cereal grains and oilseeds, and cereal grain-leguminous seed mixtures. The second group was formed by leguminous seeds, and the third by thermally processed cereal and oilseed products. Although highly significant correlations between in vivo and in vitro estimates for the three groups were found, important differences occurred in the group of processed samples; therefore, more research is required with these types of samples.     

The nutritional properties of extruded and non-extruded corn fiber isolate

The feed efficiency and selected organ weights of rats fed diets containing 3 or 7% corn fiber, extruded corn fiber or silica were compared to rats fed a fiber-free diet. No significant differences were found in feed efficiency, spleen, lung or liver weights for any of the treatments relative to the fiber-free control diet.     

Brominated compounds from marine sponges of the genus Aplysina and a compilation of their 13C NMR spectral data

Aplysina is the best representative genus of the family Aplysinidae. Halogenated substances are its main class of metabolites. These substances contribute greatly to the chemotaxonomy and characterization of the sponges belonging to this genus. Due to their pharmacological activities, these alkaloids are of special interest. The chemistry of halogenated substances and of the alkaloids has long been extensively studied in terrestrial organisms, while the number of marine organisms studied has just started to increase in the last decades. This review describes 101 halogenated substances from 14 species of Aplysina from different parts of the world. These substances can be divided into the following classes: bromotyramines (A), cavernicolins (B), hydroverongiaquinols (C), bromotyrosineketals (D), bromotyrosine lactone derivatives (E), oxazolidones (F), spiroisoxazolines (G), verongiabenzenoids (H), verongiaquinols (I), and dibromocyclohexadienes (J). A compilation of their (13)C NMR data is also part of the review. For this purpose 138 references were consulted.     

Brachial plexus blockade in chickens with 0.75% ropivacaine

Objective  To evaluate the quality of brachial plexus blockade with 0.75% ropivacaine in domestic chickens.
Study design  Prospective experimental trial.
Animals  Six 30-week-old female chickens, weighing 4.5 ± 0.4 kg.
Methods  Six brachial plexus injections were performed after anesthetic induction with isoflurane. After achieving adequate muscle relaxation, the animals were positioned in dorsal recumbency and injected with ropivacaine (1 mL kg⁻¹). The birds recovered and assessments of motor function and response to pinch were scored every 5 minutes for 180 minutes. The scores were from zero (no response) to three (greatest response). The scores over time were analyzed using a Wilcoxon nonparametric test with statistical significance accepted if p  ≤ 0.05.
Results  There was a significant difference ( p  < 0.05) from 15 to 130 minutes and 15 to 120 minutes for motor and sensory blocks, respectively. The onset of both blocks took 15 minutes and the effective periods of sensory and motor anesthesia were 105 and 115 minutes, respectively. Comparison between blocks at different times did not demonstrate significant differences ( p  > 0.05).
Conclusions and clinical relevance  No complications were observed after the technique. Brachial plexus blockade with 0.75% ropivacaine is a simple and effective technique for procedures on the thoracic limb of domestic chickens.     

Structure-antifungal activity relationship of cinnamic acid derivatives

A structure-antifungal activity relationship (SAR) study of 22 related cinnamic acid derivatives was carried out. Attention was focused on the antifungal activities exhibited against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, and Aspergillus niger. (E)-3-(4-methoxy-3-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)phenyl)acrylic acid (16) exhibited antifungal activity against A. niger, comparable to that of miconazole and a significant antifungal effect against A. flavus and A. terreus as well. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of related cinnamic acid derivatives has allowed a model to be proposed for the recognition of the minimal structural requirements for the antifungal effect in this series.