一种面向育种家的新型台式棉籽脱绒机

正棉籽酸脱绒会危害育种家人身安全和潜在环境。需要1种无需用酸,能有效去除棉短绒且对棉种萌发无不利影响的脱绒方法。为了优化棉籽机械脱绒流程,美国农业部农业研究中心(USDA-ARS)棉花生产与加工部门(Lubbock,Texas)研发创制了一台棉籽机械脱绒样机(图1,图2)。测试设计了应用7种滚筒衬垫(1种是不用任何研磨材料,其余6种分别采用不同的研磨材料)、1个或2个辊刷"擦     

Floristic attributes of small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) growing areas in the Western Ghats of peninsular India

A field study was conducted in the Western Ghats of peninsular India to test the following two hypotheses: (1) lower floristic diversity for the cardamom hill reserves (CHR —a traditional agroforestry system of the tropics) compared to undisturbed evergreen forests and (2) a truncated vegetation structure for shade trees in the cardamom areas. The experimental sites involved three CHRs and an evergreen forest site.The CHRs, regardless of their locations, were characterized by lower floristic diversity and density than the evergreen forest site. The undisturbed forest site at Ayyappancoil registered the highest floristic richness and diversity (Simpson's floristic diversity index, D=0.93), followed by the well-managed CHR site, suggesting that managerial interventions may have a strong bearing on the floristic diversity of CHRs. The current suite of species in the CHRs included both heliophilic as well as shade-tolerant components. However, dominant tree species, their density and relative abundance exhibited marked variations among the CHR sites, albeit about one-third of the species were common at all sites.Stand physiognomy was characterized by the dominance of a single layer of trees in the CHRs, while the wet evergreen forest exhibited a multilayered canopy structure. Some of the lower height classes were poorly represented in the cardamom areas, whereas the evergreen forests depicted an inverse J shaped height distribution pattern. Implicit in the truncated stand structure of the CHR is the poor regeneration status, due to systematic removal of the lower size classes.     

Analysis of methoxyfenozide residues in fruits, vegetables, and mint by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Methoxyfenozide [3-methoxy-2-methylbenzoic acid 2-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-2-(1,1-dimethylethyl) hydrazide; RH-2485], in the formulation of INTREPID, was applied to various crops. Analysis of methoxyfenozide was accomplished by utilizing liquid-liquid extraction and partitioning, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Method validations for fruits, vegetables, and mint are reported. Methoxyfenozide mean recoveries ranged from 72 to 129% over three levels of fortification. The overall average of mean recoveries is 97 +/- 10%. The limit of quantitation for fruits, artichoke, cucumber, squash, and refined sugar was 0.010 ppm, with a detection limit of 0.005 ppm. For all other crops, the limit of quantitation was 0.050 ppm, with a detection limit of 0.025 ppm. No residues were found greater than the limit of quantitation in control samples. Residues above the limit of quantitation were found in all matrices except refined sugar. Foliage (bean, beet, pea, and radish) had greater residue levels of methoxyfenozide residue than their corresponding roots or pods. Other crop matrices contained <1.0 ppm of methoxyfenozide except artichoke, which had a mean of 1.10 ppm.     

Upscaling as ecological information transfer: a simple framework with application to Arctic ecosystem carbon exchange

Transferring ecological information across scale often involves spatial aggregation, which alters information content and may bias estimates if the scaling process is nonlinear. Here, a potential solution, the preservation of the information content of fine-scale measurements, is highlighted using modeled net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of an Arctic tundra landscape as an example. The variance of aggregated normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), measured from an airborne platform, decreased linearly with log(scale), resulting in a linear relationship between log(scale) and the scale-wise modeled NEE estimate. Preserving three units of information, the mean, variance and skewness of fine-scale NDVI observations, resulted in upscaled NEE estimates that deviated less than 4% from the fine-scale estimate. Preserving only the mean and variance resulted in nearly 23% NEE bias, and preserving only the mean resulted in larger error and a change in sign from CO₂ sink to source. Compressing NDVI maps by 70–75% using wavelet thresholding with the Haar and Coiflet basis functions resulted in 13% NEE bias across the study domain. Applying unique scale-dependent transfer functions between NDVI and leaf area index (LAI) decreased, but did not remove, bias in modeled flux in a smaller expanse using handheld NDVI observations. Quantifying the parameters of statistical distributions to preserve ecological information reduces bias when upscaling and makes possible spatial data assimilation to further reduce errors in estimates of ecological processes across scale.     

Subpopulations of Stromal Cells from Long-term Human Bone Marrow Cultures: Ontogeny of Progenitor Cells and Expression of Growth Hormone Receptors *

Long-term culture of bone marrow derived stromal colony forming cells (S-CFC) in matrix and nutrient defined agar medium resulted in stromal cell colonies that pass sequentially through three distinct morphological stages: firstly, aggregated loose syncytium of round to ovoid cells (stage I), a second developmental stage of large branching colonies in which the cells become enlarged, elongated with cytoplasmic projections forming a loosely anastomized network with adjacent cells (stage II), and finally cells become dissociated, loosing their long, thin cytoplasmic filaments and breaking their contacts with one another, but remain large and retain a bi-polar nature (stage III). Cells were also grown in liquid medium in a culture microenvironment closely resembling conditions of haemopoiesis in vitro. Using a panel of well defined monoclonal antibodies reactive against the rat, rabbit and human growth hormone receptors, this study found immunochemical evidence of the presence and localization of binding sites of growth hormone (GH) in the cell membrane and extra-nuclear Golgi area of long-term bone marrow derived human stromal cells in liquid and semi-solid nutrient agar mediums. GH-receptor immunoreactivity was present in small proliferating progenitor cells, myofibroblast-like cells, large reticular fibroblast cells, adipocytes and endothelial cells. Only MAb known to be reactive against human tissue resulted in strong immunoreactivity. The expression of GH-receptors not only on small proliferating, but also on the well differentiated cells, indicates a role for growth hormone on non-progenitor cells. GH-receptor immunoreactivity on differentiating and/or differentiated cells suggests that GH is also necessary for, or has a trophic function in differentiation. We propose that direct GH action is necessary not only for differentiation of progenitor cells as implied by the dual effector hypothesis, but also their subsequent clonal expansion, differentiation and maintenance.     

A multivariable prognostic model for equine colic patients

A survey of 1965 equine colic cases was conducted from August 1985 to July 1986 ten equine referral hospitals located througout the U.S.A. Two-thirds of the cases were randomly selected for model development (1336), while the remaining cases (629) were used only for subsequent validation of the model. The following outcomes were defined: (1) died or killed prior to discharge from the hospital; or (2) alive at the time of discharge. Only variables which were significant (P<0.05) in an initial bivariate screening procedure and for which there were less than 400 missing values were considered in the multivariable modelling. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed using a stepwise algorithm. The model used 666 cases and included the following variables: peripheral pulse (normal or weak), pulse rate, surgical or medical treatment, packed cell volume, self-inflicted trauma (absent or present) and capillary refill time. For each horse in the validation data set which had the appropriate variables recorded (n=335), the estimated expected probability of death (expected value) was calculated using the logistic regression equation. Using Bayes theorem, the post-test probability was calculated from the expected value (an estimate of the test odds) and the present probability (the case-fatality rate at each institution). Nomograms of predictive values for different case-fatality rates and expected values were constructed. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the model fitted the model data set well but the validation set poorly. However, when the observed case-fatality rates were compared with the average post-test probabilities for 0.10 increments of post-test probability, qualitatively, the model's performance was better.     

A small molecule Smac mimic potentiates TRAIL- and TNFalpha-mediated cell death

We describe the synthesis and properties of a small molecule mimic of Smac, a pro-apoptotic protein that functions by relieving inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein (IAP)-mediated suppression of caspase activity. The compound binds to X chromosome- encoded IAP (XIAP), cellular IAP 1 (cIAP-1), and cellular IAP 2 (cIAP-2) and synergizes with both tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to potently induce caspase activation and apoptosis in human cancer cells. The molecule has allowed a temporal, unbiased evaluation of the roles that IAP proteins play during signaling from TRAIL and TNF receptors. The compound is also a lead structure for the development of IAP antagonists potentially useful as therapy for cancer and inflammatory diseases.     

Effects of taurine on glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and reduced glutathione levels in rats

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of oral administration of taurine on endogenous glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Glutathione Reductase (GR) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) level in normal rats. Normal saline (Group I) or 5% taurine in normal saline was administered in dose of 50 mg (Group II), 250 mg (Group III) or 500 mg kg(-1) of body weight (Group IV) through intragastric intubation for 60 days. GPx and GR enzyme activities and GSH and taurine levels were determined in liver, heart, stomach, kidney and plasma of normal Wistar rats. GPx activity showed an increase in liver, heart, stomach and plasma. GR activity increased in kidney and decreased in liver and plasma. GSH levels increased in liver, stomach and decreased in kidney. Liver showed an increase and heart, stomach and kidney a decrease in taurine level in taurine administered rats when compared to control rats. The results varied from organ to organ and the observed variations among organs might be related to their respective enzymatic, non-enzymatic antioxidant potential and its functions. From the present study it may be concluded that long term oral administration of taurine affects GPx, GR and GSH levels in normal rats.