Studies on red light-induced resistance of broad bean to Botrytis cinerea: I. Possible production of suppressor and elicitor by germinating spores of pathogen

When detached broad bean leaves were preinoculated with virulent strain B304 of Botrytis cinerea 24 h before a challenge inoculation with strain B304, lesion formation by B304 was significantly inhibited in red light but not in the dark. In leaves that were preinoculated with avirulent strain 021 and then challenged by B304, however, lesion formation was not inhibited even under red light. Such differences in lesion formation after the challenge inoculation with an avirulent strain were also observed with lesions caused by Alternaria alternata, a nonpathogen of broad bean and by avirulent strain 021R in the presence of germination fluid from spores of strains B304 and 021R. These results suggest the possibility that virulent B. cinerea produced a suppressor involved in induced susceptibility and an elicitor involved in resistance induced by red light during spore germination.     

Biological activity of Glechoma hederacea

The n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts of the aerial parts of Glechoma hederacea have been screened for antibacterial and free radical scavenging activity. General toxicity (brine shrimp lethality assay) of these extracts has also been assessed.     

Maternal anthropometry as a predictor of birth weight

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether maternal anthropometry predicted birth weight, and if so, to identify which cut-offs provided the best prediction of low birth weight (LBW) in a field situation. DESIGN: Community-based longitudinal study. SETTING: A rural union of Bhaluka Upazila, Mymensingh, located 110 km north-west of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1104 normotensive, non-smoking pregnant women who attended community nutrition centres were studied from first presentation at the centre until delivery of their child. RESULTS: Most of the pregnant mothers were between 20 and 34 years of age. Over one-third of the women were nulliparous, while 12.8% were multiparous (parity >/= 4). Most (93%) mothers registered between the 3rd and 5th month of pregnancy. The frequency of LBW ( < 2500 g) was 17%. Polynomial regression analyses showed that the best predictors of birth weight (based on adjusted R2 values) were in general weight at registration and weight at month 9, with adjusted R2 ranging from 2.5% to nearly 20%. Sequential regression analyses with height and weight showed that there was a significant effect of height after removing the weight variables, and adjusted R2 increased in all analyses. Weight and height at registration month continued to be the best predictors of LBW. Sensitivity and specificity curves were drawn for each registration month, body mass index and different weight gain groups, and using different weight and height combinations. The results showed that, for registration month 3-5, a combination of weight ( 相似文献   

Chemical composition, iron bioavailability, and antioxidant activity of Kappaphycus alvarezzi (Doty)

Kappaphycus alvarezzi, an edible seaweed from the west coast of India, was analyzed for its chemical composition. It was found that K. alvarezzi is rich in protein (16.24% w/w) and contains a high amount of fiber (29.40% w/w) and carbohydrates (27.4% w/w). K. alvarezzi showed vitamin A activity of 865 mug retinal equivalents/100 g of sample. It contained a higher quantity of unsaturated fatty acids (44.50% of the total), in which relative percentage of oleic acid was 11%, cis-heptadecanoic acid 13.50%, and linoleic acid 2.3% and 37.0% of saturated fatty acids (mainly heptadecanoic acid). K. alvarezziwas also found to be good source of minerals, viz 0.16% of calcium, 0.033% of iron, and 0.016% of zinc, which are essential for various vital biological activities. Bioavailability of iron by in vitro methods showed a higher efficiency in intestinal conditions than in stomach conditions. Ascorbic acid influenced higher bioavailability of iron. Successive extracts of n-hexane, acetone, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and direct extractables of chloroform/methanol (1:1 and 2:1) were screened for antioxidant activity using a beta-carotene linoleic acid model system (B-CLAMS), DPPH (alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl) model system and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The chloroform/methanol (2:1) extract has shown 82.5% scavenging activity at 1000 ppm. Acetone fraction extracts at the 1000 ppm level showed 63.31% antioxidant activity in beta-carotene linoleic acid system. The acetone extract showed 46.04% scavenging activity at 1000 ppm concentration. In the case of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, all the extracts showed better activity at the concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm, where at the 50 ppm level ethyl acetate extract showed 76.0%, acetone 75.12%, and hexane 71.15% activity, respectively. Results of this study suggest the utility of K. alvarezzi (Eucheuma) for various nutritional products, including antioxidant for use as health food or nutraceutical supplement.     

Mini Nutritional Assessment of rural elderly people in Bangladesh: the impact of demographic, socio-economic and health factors

OBJECTIVE: In stating the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations aims to halve malnutrition around the world by 2015. Nutritional status of the elderly population in low-income countries is seldom focused upon. The present study aimed to evaluate the magnitude of malnutrition among an elderly population in rural Bangladesh. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data collection for a multidimensional cross-sectional study of community-based elderly people aged 60 years and over was conducted in a rural area in Bangladesh. SUBJECTS: Of 850 randomly selected elderly individuals, 625 participated in home interviews. Complete nutritional information was available for 457 individuals (mean age 69+/-8 years, 55% female). Nutritional status was assessed using an adapted form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) including body mass index (BMI). Age, sex, education, household expenditure on food and self-reported health problems were investigated as potential predictors of nutritional status. RESULTS: BMI<18.5 kg m(-2), indicating chronic energy deficiency, was found in 50% of the population. MNA revealed a prevalence of 26% for protein-energy malnutrition and 62% for risk of malnutrition. Health problems rather than age had a negative impact on nutritional status. Level of education and food expenditure were directly associated with nutritional status. CONCLUSION: In order to reduce world hunger by half in the coming decade, it is important to recognise that a substantial proportion of the elderly population, particularly in low-income countries, is undernourished.     

Effects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on seed germination of Tamarindus indica: a multi-purpose tree species in Bangladesh

We investigated the morphology and germination of Tamarindus indica seeds in order to discover the effects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on germination. The experiment was carried out in the nursery of the Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh. Seeds were collected from different but healthy trees from various locations in Bangladesh and subjected to four pre-sowing treatments, i.e., control, immersion in cold water (4°C for 24 h), immersion in hot water (80°C for 10 min) and scarification with sand paper. Seed germination was carried out in poly-bags with a mixture of topsoil and cow dung in the ratio of 3:1. The average length of the fresh seeds was 1.35±0.26 cm, their width 1.07 ±0.20 cm and thickness 0.69±0.11 cm. The results revealed that pre-sowing treatments affected the germination process of seeds, which significantly increased the germination percentage with the cold water (81.67%) and scarification with sand paper (82.33%) treatments, compared with those in the control (58.33%) and hot water treatment (59.00%). In all treatments germination started on average within 5 to 7 days after the start of the treatments and were completed from 13 to 19 days later. The greatest success in germination (82.33%) was found in scarification with sand paper, followed with 81.67% in the cold water treatment. The results of analyses of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences (p<0.05) in germination closing dates, seed germination periods and germination percentages among the treatments but no significant difference among seed sources. However, the effect of the interaction between seed source variation and pre-treatment differed significantly in seed germination closing dates and germination percentages. We recommend cold water treatment (submersion of seed at a temperature of 4°C for a 24-h period) for seed germination of T. indica in rural Bangladesh.     

Effects of date palm leaf fiber on the thermal and tensile properties of recycled ternary polyolefin blend composites

This work investigated the effects of date palm leaf fiber (DPLF) content on the thermal and tensile properties; and morphology of compatibilized polyolefin ternary blend. Recycled polyolefin ternary blend consisting of low density polyethylene (RLDPE), high density polyethylene (RHDPE) and polypropylene (RPP) were fabricated at different parts per hundred resin (phr) of DPLF. Maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) was used as compatibilizer to enhance the adhesion between filler and polymer matrix. The composites were prepared using melt extrusion and tests samples were produced via injection molding process. Thermal conductivity results showed that as much as 11 % reduction in thermal conductivity was achieved with the incorporation of 30 phr DPLF. Highest tensile strength was observed with the incorporation of 10 phr DPLF. The elongation at break was reduced with the addition of DPLF due to impediment of chain mobility by the fillers. Initial degradation temperature increased with the addition of DPLF. Hence, it is concluded that DPLF can be used to develop green and thermally insulating composites. It is hoped that the present results will stimulate further studies on the thermally insulative materials based on natural fibers reinforced polymer composites for applications in the building industries.     

Maternal induced haploids in rye (Secale cereale L.)

Summary An inbred line of rye named P8 was found to possess haploid plants in their diploid stock. Phenomenon of spontaneous haploidy was examined in this line. Fifty families derived from this inbred line were screened to determine their ploidy level by mitotic chromosome count taking root tips. Seven families were found to contain haploid plants. Among these seven families, plants from two families which were diploid were crossed reciprocally with the standard out breeding cultivar Conrah. As all of the tested plants of P8 were found aa allele for 6-Phosphogluconic dehydrogenase (6-PGD) isozyme, therefore, only those Conrah plants which have bb alleles for the same isozyme were used in crossing programme.F1 seedlings were screened with the same isozyme marker and out of 1741 F1 seedlings tested, 51 were found to be non-hybrid phenotype for 6-PGD enzyme. Among these, only five plants were found haploid and the rest were diploid. Haploid plants were obtained only from those crosses where P8 was female which indicates that haploids in this line was maternally induced.     

Effect of Silver-Sheet and Figaron on Flower Production, Abscission of Reproductive Organs, Yield and Yield Components in Soybean (Glycine max L.)

Both silver-sheet (a light reflector) and Figaron (a phytohormone), used individually, influence the production and abscission of reproductive organs during the reproductive stages of soybean. The combined use of silver-sheet and Figaron, however, has a much larger effect on production and abscission than the use of each alone. Experiments were conducted in the field at Niigata University, Japan, to investigate the light intensity at the canopy attributable to light reflection by silver-sheet and the individual and combined effects of silver-sheet and Figaron on reproductive abscission, yield and yield components of soybean. The field study was conducted on a sandy loam soil at 25 and 16 plants m⁻² in 1999 and 2000. The results of the 2-year study indicated that Figaron had no effect on growth parameters, whereas silver-sheet had an effect. Flower production in the Figaron and Figaron + silver-sheet treatments tended to be lower than in the control and silver-sheet treatments. Silver-sheet increased the light intensity in the lower canopy of soybean through reflection, and thus the percentage of reproductive abscission in the lower canopy was lower in the silver-sheet treatments than in the other treatments. Greater pod set was observed in the middle and upper canopies than in the lower canopy in the Figaron treatments. Therefore, total pod set or pod number was greater in the combined silver-sheet and Figaron treatments. Yield and its components were greater at higher plant densities and tended to be greater in the combined treatments of silver-sheet and Figaron. The increase of yield components in the combined silver-sheet and Figaron treatments was believed to be a result of favourable light conditions and source–sink alterations in the canopy induced by Figaron.     

孟加拉国Bhanugach西部保育林用地类型变化(英文)

应用遥感和地理信息系统调查了孟加拉国Sylhet林业分局所辖的Bhanugach西部保育林从1988年到2006年间用地类型的变化。应用了监督和非监督两种方法,用全球定位系统搜集了地面控制点。地理信息系统软件制成地图。结果表明,植被覆盖从1988年的1826hm2大幅地降低到1996年的1714.85hm2,随着协同管理措施的实施,植被覆盖自1996年后逐年增长到2006年的1847.83hm2。在没有其他类型的用地转变成裸地的情况下,裸地变化与植被覆盖间成反比。18年间水体面积从1988年的307.67hm2增加到1996年379.53hm2,96-97年间略有下降,1997年以后直到2006年基本保持不变。本文还提出了将遥感技术和地理信息系统应用于用地类型变化及地理信息系统数据库创建的一些建议。