Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the CrDAT gene and selection of transgenic periwinkle lines with a high vincristine accumulation

Catharanthus roseus contains vincristine and vinblastine, which are outstanding drugs for cancer. In the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in C. roseus, deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase (DAT) is a key enzyme that catalyses the last reaction of vindoline biosynthesis to form vinblastine and vincristine. In this study, the CrDAT transgene was transferred into the periwinkle by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and generated transgenic periwinkle lines with an increase in vincristine accumulation. The C. roseus DAT gene was introduced into C. roseus plants and it was confirmed that CrDAT was successfully transferred into the genome of periwinkle plants and efficiently translated to synthesise recombinant DAT protein. Four transgenic periwinkle lines in T1 generation, T1-1, T1-3, T1-6, and T1-7, expressed recombinant DAT protein with the total protein content in the range of 2.86 μg.mg^?1 to 5.12 μg.mg^?1. Moreover, the vincristine contents of four transgenic lines increased by 1.63?2.48-fold compared to non-transgenic plants, ranging from 6.91 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight) to 10.53 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight). The T1-1 line had the highest vincristine content. Hence, the overexpression of the recombinant DAT protein can improve the vincristine accumulation of transgenic C. roseus plants.

Abbreviation: CrDAT - Catharanthus roseus Deacetylvindoline-4-O-Acetyl Transferase; D4H - Deacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase; ELISA - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Monoterpene indole alkaloid; T0, T1 - Generations of transgenic plants; TIAs - Terpenoid indole alkaloids; WT- The wild-type tobacco plants (non transgenic plant); 35S - Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter     

Comparative energy and economic analyses of conventional and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods of rice production in Thai Nguyen Province,Vietnam

The consumption of energy inputs in agricultural production has been increasing rapidly during the past decades. However, given the limitations and costs of non-renewable energy, increasing production while using the least energy possible has become a major concern of most nations. Prompted by this concern, we conducted a face-to-face survey of 90 farming households in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, to find out how energy is being used in agriculture and, specifically, in their rice production. Through analysis of energy input–output balances, combined with economic efficiency analysis, a comparison was made of conventional and SRI methods of rice production. The study found that applying the SRI method can save around 23% of energy inputs, while increasing energy outputs by 11%. Economic benefits per hectare also rise by more than 8 million dong (USD 364) compared to those under the conventional cultivation system. The study also showed conflicts between the energy and economic balances for manual compared with machine ploughing operations. This study contributes to providing an overview of energy consumption in rice cultivation at the household level. Its findings can help stakeholders to assess current policies and make better decisions on the uses of energy in agricultural production. In addition, the comprehensive approach taken here to analysing energy use and efficiency could expand the analysis and comparison of energy uses at sectoral or activity level—still a new field in Vietnam and many other countries.     

Bacterial population in intestines of white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei fed a synbiotic containing Lactobacillus plantarum and galactooligosaccharide

The aims of this study were to unravel the intestinal microbiota of Litopenaeus vannamei after being fed a diet without (control) or with the synbiotic (SYN) for 60 days using next‐generation sequencing technology to see if changes in the intestinal microbiota were involved in the improved growth performance and health status of the shrimp. Next‐generation sequencing data showed that six phyla, 11 classes, 19 orders, 30 families, 58 genera and 73 species with taxonomic names assigned were detected. The majority of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was shared between the SYN and control shrimp and comprised 37 OTUs. However, intestinal biodiversity analyses revealed that SYN‐fed shrimp had a higher species richness, evenness and Shannon–Weaver index than did shrimp fed the control diet, but without reaching statistical significance. Interestingly, shrimp fed the SYN diet exhibited improved colonization of Lactobacillus plantarum and reduced prevalences of Vibrio harveyi and Photobacterium damselae in the intestines. These findings indicate that the SYN was able to modulate the intestinal bacterial community of shrimp and could be used to control vibriosis in shrimp.     

High-resolution fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of a pituitary microtumor in a dog

A 16-year-old, castrated, male English cocker spaniel dog was presented due to generalized alopecia. Routine clinical pathology, endocrine and abdominal ultrasonography results were consistent with a diagnosis of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. The adenohypophyseal lesion was clearly visualized on both 3 T and 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pituitary gland. Although biochemical and MRI findings were consistent with a functional pituitary microtumor, a pituitary lesion was not detected using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). This report firstly describes the application of high-resolution FDG-PET to a spontaneous pituitary microtumor in a dog.     

Papyriflavonol A, a new prenylated flavonol from Broussonetia papyrifera

A new prenylated flavonol, papyriflavonol A, was isolated from the root barks of Broussonetia papyrifera. The structure of this compound was elucidated as 5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-6,5'-di-(gamma,gamma-dimethylallyl)-flavonol (1) by spectroscopic analysis.     

成品糠醛微量水分测定方法的研究

本文报道了用气相色谱法和卡尔、费休法测定成品糠醛微量水分的研究。着重论述了两种方法的准确度和精密度,并用甲苯蒸馏法作了对照。研究结果证明:这两种方法的准确度和精密度均较高,用于测定糠醛微量水分是可行的。测定优级品糠醛水分范围的结果都比甲苯蒸馏法为高,测定一级品糠醛水分范围的结果都比甲苯蒸馏法为低的偏差规律。     

A case study of forest management planning using a new heuristic algorithm

We present an approach to generate and evaluate different silvicultural development paths and to optimize the development of a Norway spruce stand, using a long-term planning horizon. To generate a silvicultural path, the maximum stand density was applied. At each thinning event, three possible thinning intensities (10, 20, 30% of the stem number per ha) were randomly chosen. A search algorithm known as modified Accelerated Simulated Annealing (mASA) was used to estimate the optimum combination of stand paths for a given forest as a whole. Production and economic management objectives were considered and then compared. The economic criterion was the Expected Stand Value (ESV) with a 4% discount rate. The generated data set of 38 Norway spruce stands (comprising a total of 123.8 ha) was used in the case study. The result with the best combination of paths was presented in a digitized forest map. Forest management simulation was performed using a specially developed computer program, for a planning horizon of 20 years. The mASA proved to be an effective search method for identifying optimum paths.     

桉树叶中黄酮类的提取及其在农业上的应用

本文报导了从桉树叶中提取黄酮类物质的工艺。采用单罐提取,产品得率为30％左右;三罐组或五罐组逆流浸提,产品得率可达35％;提取的黄酮类物质能调节蔬菜和果树的生长,对植物的病害和病毒都有一定的防治效果。     

Data envelopment analysis for production efficiency improvement: An empirical application on brine shrimp Artemia franciscana culture in the Mekong Delta,Vietnam

Artemia culture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, is becoming more and more important to satisfy the global demands of cyst production. Nevertheless, Artemia cyst productivity in the Mekong Delta has been fluctuating largely due to not only technical inefficiencies and external factors but also farms’ characteristics. This study employed a data envelopment analysis to evaluate the production efficiencies in correlation with biological and cost inputs of Artemia culture in Vinh Chau and Bac Lieu located in the Mekong Delta. The key factors affecting technical efficiency (TE) were determined using ordinary least squares regression model. The empirical results indicated that production efficiencies of farms in Vinh Chau and Bac Lieu were similar with metatechnology ratios of 0.97 and 0.96 respectively. About 62.8% of surveyed farms were operating in technically inefficient circumstances. Farmers’ experience, educational level and culture technique training participation had positive effects on TE, while climate effects and water problems have been proved to have negative effects on TE. To improve production efficiency, inefficient farms are suggested to have moderately increasing combinations of organic fertilizer, chemical and feed. The use of probiotics should be reduced as it increases production cost and affects TE. Notably, a collaboration of scientists and feed processing companies is recommended to produce a specific formulated feed for Artemia in commercial scales. This study also proposes adaptive policies for local governments and cooperatives to assist coastal famers in the Mekong Delta overcome technical inefficiencies, improve cyst productivity and obtain economic sustainability in Artemia culture.