Rapid Screening for Aluminum Tolerance in Cereals by Use of the Chlorophyll Fluorescence Test

The effects of aluminum on the photosynthetic apparatus were examined in cereals grown in nutrient solutions (pH 4.5) at two Al levels (0 and 148 μM). The chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics results confirmed that the soft wheat ‘BHG’ cultivar has the potential for growth on acid soils while triticale cultivars ‘Niovi’ and ‘Dada’ appeared to be relatively tolerant. The percentage decrease in F_v/F_m of the less tolerant cultivars after Al-treatment indicated a decrease in the efficiency of the primary photochemistry of PS II, while the decrease in the ratio F_V/F_osuggested that exposure of the cultivars ‘Dio’ and ‘Appulo E’ to aluminum caused injury to the thylakoid structure. The percentage fluctuations of the ratio F_v/F_mwere shown to correlate very closely with the assessment of injury as evaluated by the relative top fresh weight. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence in vivo could be used to monitor injury caused by “Al-stress”, and thus they may serve as a rapid screening test for Al tolerance.     

Food intake and energy expenditure in growing cats with and without a predisposition to overweight

Overweight and obesity are multifactorial diseases caused by an imbalance in energy metabolism. An underlying genetic predisposition is often a factor in these conditions. In the cat breeding family of the Institute of Animal Nutrition at the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, a segregating overweight phenotype with a genetic contribution was observed. From this breeding family, 26 kittens were followed from birth up to 8 months of age. During this time, food intake was measured using an automatic feeding station, and energy expenditure was investigated using indirect calorimetry at the ages of 4 and 6 months. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed and blood glucose, leptin and insulin were measured at the ages of 4, 6 and 8 months. The kittens were also weighed daily for the first 2 weeks of life, every second day until weaning and once per week until 8 months of age. The body condition score (BCS) was evaluated monthly between 2 and 8 months of age. The main finding of this study is that a predisposition to overweight is connected to a higher food intake early in life, with no significant alterations in energy expenditure. The leptin blood levels were related to body fat percentage, and insulin sensitivity did not seem to be affected.     

X射线荧光光谱法快速测定稻谷中的镉

探索了一种对稻谷中重金属镉的快速、直接的测定方法,以适用稻谷集中收购、存储和流通过程中快速检测的的需要。样品无需前处理,直接磨成粉状即可上机测定。该方法采用X射线荧光光谱分析的原理,样品中的待测元素受激产生特征X射线,并由高性能探测器接收,得到镉元素的信号强度,然后根据信号强度与浓度的比例关系,经过软件处理自动计算样品中镉的含量,20min内完成精确定量。检出限可达到0.034mg/kg,实物标样标准偏差为0.016。此方法简单快速,并且准确性高,重现性好,可广泛应用于稻谷中镉的快速检测。     

Pedotransfer functions to assess adsorbed phosphate using iron oxide content and magnetic susceptibility in an Oxisol

Adsorbed phosphate in soils can be chemically extracted; however, this process is both time‐consuming and not cost‐effective if large numbers of samples have to be analysed. Indirect assessment of adsorbed phosphate by pedotransfer functions (PTFs) can help optimize fertilizer strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial variability of adsorbed phosphate (P_ads), iron oxides and magnetic susceptibility (MS) in oxisols and to calibrate PTFs to predict P_ads. A total of 308 soil samples were collected from Hapludox and Eutrudox soils formed from sandstone in Brazil. The contents of clay (196–607 g/kg), iron oxides (40–165 g/kg), MS (1.2–29 × 10^?6 m³/kg) and P_ads (327–842 mg/kg) were in the range of typical values for these highly weathered soils. This study showed that the attributes studied were spatially dependent. Geomorphic surfaces enabled understanding of spatial variability and helped to develop a more efficient sampling scheme to calibrate PTFs. Moreover, the adsorbed phosphate in these oxisols could be predicted by a PTF using iron oxides and MS as predictors. The MS attribute enabled the most accurate prediction (concordance coefficient = 0.95, root‐mean‐square error = 46 mg/kg and relative improvement in root‐mean‐square error = ?4.12) of spatial variability through PTF compared to other predictors.     

性控奶山羊精液X和Y精子分离比例检测方法的建立

旨在建立可以定量计算奶山羊精液中X、Y精子数量的双重TaqMan荧光定量PCR方法,用以检测经过分离的奶山羊精液X和Y精子的数量和比例,为性控技术的开发和生产应用提供技术支撑。本研究选择X、Y染色体中特异基因F9及ZFY片段设计引物,建立标准曲线,优化荧光定量PCR反应体系和条件。通过对阳性标准品梯度稀释以及对60支已知纯度的性控精液进行测定（3次重复）来检验方法的敏感性和可靠性。结果显示,所建立的双重TaqMan荧光定量PCR方法特异性和重复性好,X和Y精子检测灵敏性分别为47和51 copies·μL^-1;利用该方法对商品化的奶山羊性控冷冻精液中X和Y精子的数量和比例进行计算,其结果与销售公司提供的X和Y精子的纯度无显著差异（P>0.05）,表明该方法结果可靠。本研究建立的计算奶山羊X、Y精子数量的双重TaqMan荧光定量PCR方法特异性和重复性好,灵敏度高,结果可靠,为计算奶山羊精液分离后X、Y精子数量及比例提供了快速可靠的方法。     

New technique of sex preselection for increasing female ratio in boar sperm model

In this study, we tried to optimize the porcine semen extender conditions to maximize the differences between live X chromosome-bearing (X) spermatozoa and to Y chromosome-bearing (Y) spermatozoa without a decline in the fertility rate at different pH conditions during storage. We observed the viability of X and Y boar spermatozoa in acidic (pH 6.2), original (pH 7.2), and alkaline condition (pH 8.2) for 5 days to investigate the effect of storage conditions on the X to Y spermatozoa ratio. The functional parameters of spermatozoa were also examined to evaluate sperm quality. Sperm motility was preserved at pH 7.2 and pH 6.2 for 3 days, while sperm motility at pH 8.2 decreased significantly after 2 days. Non-capacitated spermatozoa increased while capacitated spermatozoa decreased during storage. Sperm viability decreased significantly duration-dependent under all pH conditions, but there was no significant difference during storage at pH 6.2 and 7.2. The X: Y ratio of live spermatozoa in acidic condition was maximized (1.2:1) without affecting the sperm function and fertility-related protein expression after 2 days compared to original conditions. Moreover, insemination of sows using acidic extender increased the number of female pups on days 1 and 2 of preservation. These results indicate that the production of female offspring may increase when acidic BTS is used for 2 days without affecting the success rate of AI. Above all, this method is simple and economical compared to other methods.     

Sequence and unique phylogeny of G genes of bovine respiratory syncytial viruses circulating in Japan

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is an etiologic agent of bovine respiratory disease. The rapid evolutionary rate of BRSV contributes to genetic and antigenic heterogeneity of field strains and causes occasional vaccine failure. We conducted molecular epidemiologic characterization of BRSV circulating in Japan to obtain genetic information for vaccine-based disease control. Phylogenetic analysis of G and F gene sequences revealed that all of the isolated Japanese BRSV strains clustered in the same genetic subgroup, which was distinct from the 9 known groups. We assigned the Japanese group to subgenotype X. The Japanese isolates formed 2 temporal clusters: isolates from 2003 to 2005 clustered in lineage A; isolates from 2017 to 2019 formed lineage B. The alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of the G gene revealed that the central hydrophobic region responsible for viral antigenicity is conserved in all of the isolates; unique amino acid mutations were found mainly in mucin-like regions. Our results suggest that BRSV has evolved uniquely in Japan to form the new subgenotype X; the antigenic homogeneity of the viruses within this group is inferred.     

盐胁迫下5-磺基水杨酸、水杨酸对小黑麦种子生理特性的影响

采用种子萌发试验,研究了5-磺基水杨酸、水杨酸对盐胁迫下小黑麦种子萌发及幼苗生长情况的影响.结果表明:在盐胁迫下,适当浓度的两种酚酸均能提高小黑麦种子萌发的发芽率、发芽指数、活力指数,浓度增高则抑制种子萌发.适当浓度的两种酚酸还能降低幼苗叶片电导率和丙二醛(MDA)含量、提高叶绿素含量.总的看来,5-磺基水杨酸的效果比水杨酸好,且低浓度的效果比高浓度的好.     

大型双向X型流道泵站机组减振技术研究

安徽省凤凰颈排灌站是一座大型双向X型流道泵站，文中简述了凤凰颈泵站机组运行中出现的故障，即机组振动问题；分析了故障产生的主要原因，是由出水流道水流脉动压强差引发了泵轴振摆，导致机组振动；本研究采用隔开振动源的措施消除了故障，通过运行实践证明，隔开振动源的方法简单、合理、可行，达到了使机组运行平稳的预期效果，并取得了显著的经济和社会效益。