Trypanocidal Action of (?)-Elatol Involves an Oxidative Stress Triggered by Mitochondria Dysfunction

Natural compounds have shown good potential for the discovery of new chemotherapeutics for the treatment of Chagas’ disease. Recently, our group reported the effective trypanocidal activity of (−)-elatol, extracted from the red macroalgae Laurencia dendroidea present in the Brazilian coast against Trypanosoma cruzi. However, the mechanism of action of this compound has remained unclear. There are only hypotheses concerning its action on mitochondrial function. Here, we further investigated the mechanisms of action of (−)-elatol on trypomastigotes of T. cruzi. For this, we evaluated some biochemical alterations in trypomastigotes treated with (−)-elatol. Our results show that (−)-elatol induced depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, an increase in the formation of mitochondrial superoxide anion and loss of cell membrane and DNA integrity. Additionally, (−)-elatol induced formation of autophagic vacuoles and a decrease in cell volume. All together, these results suggest that the trypanocidal action of (−)-elatol involves multiple events and mitochondria might be the initial target organelle. Our hypothesis is that the mitochondrial dysfunction leads to an increase of ROS production through the electron transport chain, which affects cell membrane and DNA integrity leading to different types of parasite death.     

A Study on Tolerance to Pretilachlor in Eight Species of Echinochloa

Height of seedlings, length of leaf and coleoptile cells, and α-amylase activities of eight species or varieties of barnyardgrass (Echinochloa) were measured after seeds being treated with pretilachlor. There existed obvious differences in the tested traits among the materials. The inhibition rate of pretilachlor to Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beavu. var. mitis (Pursh.) Peterm was the lowest, and that to E. colonum (L.) Link was the highest among the eight species or varieties of barnyardgrass. It suggested that the different species or varieties of barnyardgrass possess variable tolerance to pretilachlor.     

Anti-Feedant Activity of the Extracts from Six Species of Wild Rice Against Spodoptera litura

Eight wild rice entries related to six species, including E6-1 and E6-3/6-4 (different ecotypes of [i]Oryza grandiglumis[/i]); E7-4 ([i]O. granulata[/i]), E9-10 and E9-20(different ecotypes of [i]O. latifolia[/i]), E13-13 ([i]O. minuta[/i]) , E15-13 ([i]O. officinalis[/i]) and E16-3 ([i]O.[/i] [i]punctata[/i]), were used in experiment for the investigation of their anti-feedant effect on Spodoptera litura. The rice leaf extracts were prepared with methanol by Sohxlet method. The extract rates of the six species of wild rice were between 8.50% and 24.86%. Selective anti-feedant activity and non-selective anti-feedant activity of the extracts from the six species of wild rice against the 3rd instar larvae of [i]S. litura[/i] showed that the extract of the wild rice E6-1 of [i]O.[/i] [i]grandiglumis[/i] had stronger anti-feedant activity than the others. The concentration for 50% anti-feedant activity (AFC[sub]50[/sub]) of the wild rice E6-1 extract against the 2nd instar larvae of [i]S. litura[/i] was 120 mg/mL in 24 h and 50 mg/mL in 48 h after treatment.     

The Effect of Photoperiod on Tuberisation in Cultivated × Wild Potato Species Hybrids

Wild Solanum species offer a valuable source of genetic diversity for potato improvement. Most of these species are found in equatorial South and Central America and they do not tuberise under long-day photoperiods typical of those in the major potato production areas of North America, Europe and Asia. Crosses between two haploids of Solanum tuberosum Chilotanum Group as females and two wild Solanum species clones generated four hybrid families. The parents and progeny were subjected to two greenhouse trials to evaluate tuberisation at 20-, 14-, and 8-h photoperiods. Parents and offspring tuberised most readily at the 8-h photoperiod, and poorly or not at all at the 20-h photoperiod. Segregation for tuberisation in hybrids was apparent at the 14-h photoperiod and depended on the cultivated parent, but not the wild species parent. The data support previous studies and best fit a model in which tuber production under long photoperiods is controlled by two dominant genes in cultivated × wild species hybrids.     

Effect of Rice Volatiles on the Orientation Behavior of the Striped Stem Borer,Chilo suppressalis Larvae

The orientation behavior of the 1st and the 3rd instar larvae of the striped stem borer (SSB), Chilo suppessalis, to the volatiles emitted from rice plants was studied with a Y-tube olfactometer. The treatments included healthy plants vs clean air (HP vs CA), striped stem borer damaged plants vs clean air (SSB-DP vs CA), rice leaf folder damaged plants vs clean air (RLF-DP vs CA), HP vs SSB-DP, HP vs RLF-DP and SSB-DP vs RLF-DP. Volatiles from all rice plants had significant attraction for both of the 1st and the 3rd instar larvae. The orientation selection of larvae to the volatiles from rice plants treated differentially (HP, SSB-DP, and RLF-DP) did not impose any significant influence.     

Studies on the inheritance of transgenic rice with bar gene

Bar gene driven under the control of CaMV 35s promotor was delivered into the immature embroys of a japonica rice cultivar Jingying 119 through biolistic approach. Two putative transgenic plants were produced, which ex-pressed Basra-resistance. One of the Basra-re-sistance transgenic rices was completely sterile(JY 119-3), the other was self-fertile (JY119-4).     

Effect of xanthan gum on the degradation of cereal β-glucan by ascorbic acid

Oat and barley β-glucans are polysaccharides known for their beneficial effects on glycemia and cholesterol. These physiological effects seem to be related to increased viscosity in the digestive tract. It has recently been shown that free radicals derived from the reaction of ascorbic acid and oxygen can cause a viscosity loss in β-glucan due to depolymerization through the Fenton reaction. However, recent studies have reported a synergistic effect between xanthan gum and β-glucan on viscosity in heat-treated fruit juices. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if xanthan gum has a protective effect against OH radical-induced depolymerization of β-glucan by ascorbic acid. Oat β-glucan (0.4%) solutions were studied in water at pH 4. Ascorbic acid concentrations and viscosity profiles were measured over a period of 56 days. The addition of ascorbic acid caused a rapid decrease in β-glucan viscosity. The presence of xanthan gum reduced the viscosity loss (p ≤ 0.0001) but did not provide complete protection for β-glucan over time. Therefore, incorporation of β-glucan in food formulations still presents a challenge in ensuring its physical and nutritional stability in the final product. The use of OH radical scavengers such as sugars and antioxidant compounds could be used in addition to xanthan gum to obtain improved protection.     

Effect on the application of large granule urea to irrigated rice

The effects of large granule urea(LOU) to irrigated rice were studied at the farm of China National Rice Research Institute. Experiment soil contained organic C 19.0g/kg, total N 2.2g/kg, total P 0.60g/kg, total K 20.1g/kg and pH6.9.     

Effect of phytate on the amylosynthetase activity and rice grain quality

Phytate of three concentrations was sprayed on the leaves of an indica rice Yuanfengzao in heading stage, full heading stage, filling stage and wax ripeness stage respectively. The effects of phytate on the enzyme activity in endosperm and rice grain quality were determinated. Plants sprayed with distilled water were used as control. It was showed that spraying solutions in full heading stage had the most manifest effect. The activity of amylosynthetase between the 100mg/kg and 150mg/kg phytate treatment was identical, which was 7.4% higher than that of 50mg/kg treatment. On the other hand, amylase activity on the 50mg/kg treatment was 12.5% and 8.7% lower than those     

Studies on the relationship between the changes of the endogenous scavengers of active oxygen and resistance in hybrid rice under temperature stress

The seedlings of indica hybrid rice Weiyou 49 and Weiyou 28 were exposed to 1℃ and 40℃ .and the changes of activity (content) of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), ascorbic acid (ASA), glutathione (GSH),malondialdehyde (MDA) and leakage of electrolytes (%) were measured.     

Levels of β-carotene and effects of processing on selected fruits and vegetables of the arid zone of India

Some locally available fruits and vegetables of the arid zone of Rajasthanwere analyzed for their -carotene content; the selected fruits and vegetables were: Dansra (Rhus myserensis), Kachri (Cucumis collosus), fruit Kachri (Cucumis collosus), Kair (Capparisdecidua) and Sanghri (Prosopis cineriria). The -carotene contents of the samples were estimated in fresh and various processed states (blanched, dried and roasted). The results showed the heat lability of -carotene. Among the samples, kair was found to be the richest source of -carotene. Variety, too, had an impact on the content of this fat soluble vitamin.     

Simulation analysis of lucerne–wheat crop rotation on the Loess Plateau of Northern China

The Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) was parameterised and tested against datasets from two field experiments being conducted on Heilu soil at the Qingyang Research Station, Gansu, China as to investigate long-term lucerne productivity and management options of reducing impact of lucerne on winter wheat yield in a lucerne–wheat rotation system. With minimal parameterisation and configuration of the APSIM-Lucerne module, APSIM was able to simulate phenological development and seasonal growth of winter-dormant lucerne cultivar, Longdong compared with the observed data. Flowering date was accurately simulated using the established relationship between accumulated thermal time and mean photoperiod. After the APSIM-Lucerne module was configured for the seasonal variation in RUE (radiation use efficiency), the model simulated lucerne seasonal biomass production over three growing seasons in the continuous lucerne treatment with a root mean squared deviation (RMSD) of 1132 kg/ha (30% of the mean observed biomass). In the treatment where lucerne was removed in August 2001 and two winter wheat crops were sown and harvested in 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 growing seasons, APSIM simulated winter wheat crop biomass in both growing seasons with a RMSD of 1420 kg/ha (20% of the mean observed crop biomass). Wheat grain yield was simulated with a RMSD of 918 kg/ha (27% of the mean observed grain yield). Using measurements of drained upper limit (DUL) and lower limit (LL), and standard soil evaporation and runoff parameters, the model was able to simulate soil water dynamics and water use by lucerne in the lucerne-fallow, continuous lucerne and lucerne–wheat treatments.     

Neuroprotective Effect of the Marine-Derived Compound 11-Dehydrosinulariolide through DJ-1-Related Pathway in In Vitro and In Vivo Models of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait impairment. In a previous study, we found that the marine-derived compound 11-dehydrosinulariolide (11-de) upregulates the Akt/PI3K pathway to protect cells against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-mediated damage. In the present study, SH-SY5Y, zebrafish and rats were used to examine the therapeutic effect of 11-de. The results revealed the mechanism by which 11-de exerts its therapeutic effect: the compound increases cytosolic or mitochondrial DJ-1 expression, and then activates the downstream Akt/PI3K, p-CREB, and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways. Additionally, we found that 11-de could reverse the 6-OHDA-induced downregulation of total swimming distance in a zebrafish model of PD. Using a rat model of PD, we showed that a 6-OHDA-induced increase in the number of turns, and increased time spent by rats on the beam, could be reversed by 11-de treatment. Lastly, we showed that 6-OHDA-induced attenuation in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a dopaminergic neuronal marker, in zebrafish and rat models of PD could also be reversed by treatment with 11-de. Moreover, the patterns of DJ-1 expression observed in this study in the zebrafish and rat models of PD corroborated the trend noted in previous in vitro studies.     

Path Analysis of Tiller Density of Winter Wheat Demonstrates the Importance of Practices that Manipulate Clod Size Based on Soil Moisture at Seeding in the Rice–Wheat Cropping System

Abstract

The moisture of paddy soil after rice cropping is a major impediment to the establishment, tillering and yield of winter wheat in the rice?wheat (R?W) cropping system. We examined the seedling establishment ratio, based on soilmoisture at seeding by path analysis of nine soil/plant traits in the farmer's fields in Western Japan where the R?W cropping system was being used, to establish a strategy for improving tiller density by optimizing the seedling establishment ratio. The clod size of surface soil, which showed a significant positive correlation with soil moisture at seeding, had a significant negative direct effect on the seedling establishment ratio. The reduction in seedling establishment ratio, together with fewer tillers per plant, resulted in a significant decrease in tiller density. The sum total of contribution of soil moisture contents to tiller density via clod size was smaller than that of seeding rate, and similar to that of the amount of nitrogen (N) basal dressing. This indicates that manipulating clod size based on soil moisture at seedingprovides an opportunity for maintaining tiller density, as well as changing the amount of N basal dressing with the soil moisture conditions after rice cropping.     

Use of the hormone-biosynthesis inhibitors fluridone and paclobutrazol to determine the effects of altered abscisic acid and gibberellin levels on pre-maturity α-amylase formation in wheat grains

During germination of cereal grain, α-amylase formation is known to be inhibited by abscisic acid (ABA) and stimulated by gibberellins (GA). The role of these hormones in pre-maturity α-amylase (PMA) formation in wheat grains is less well understood. Our previous work with ABA and GA exogenously applied to grains demonstrated a clear stimulatory effect of GA, with little effect of ABA. Here, in glasshouse experiments, fluridone (ABA biosynthesis inhibitor; FD [20 μM]) or paclobutrazol (GA biosynthesis inhibitor; PB [20 μM]) were applied to intact, developing grains of the PMA-susceptible variety Rialto at 480 days after anthesis (DAA) to assess if a reduction in endogenous ABA and/or GA alters PMA formation. The experiments were conducted under non-PMA-inducing (ambient) and PMA-inducing (cold-shock) conditions. In solvent-only treated grains, a cold-shock significantly reduced the ABA content but increased GA and α-amylase activity. FD increased GA levels and α-amylase activity under ambient conditions, but decreased GA levels and α-amylase activity under cold-shock conditions, with no effect on ABA levels under either condition. PB had no effect under ambient conditions, but reduced GA levels and α-amylase under cold-shock conditions. These results indicate an association between GA levels at mid-grain development and PMA formation in wheat.     

Effect of day length and temperature on the pollen fertility in photo(thermo)-sensitive genic male-sterile rice

The effect of day length and temperature on the pollen fertility of five photoperiod-sensitive genic male-sterile japonica rice lines (PGMSR) and three temperature-sensitive genic malesterile indica rice lines (TGMSR) were investigated in phytotron. The light source used for illumination was xenon lamp, and the light intensity which plant accepted on the leaf surface was 300—350μmol photons m~(-2)s~(-1). The results indicated that pollens of PGMSR 7001S and E47S aborted completely whereas a little part of 31116S pollens appeared normal under long day photoperiod (LD,25℃,15h) (Table 1). High temperature (HT, 30℃, 12h) and lower temperature (LT,     

The effects of ‘Vicia faba L.’ polyphenols on absorption,growth and metabolism in the rat

Two varieties of ‘Vicia faba L.’equina andminor, were studied. Theequina variety had a higher polyphenolic content than theminor variety. Both varieties significantly inhibited rat growth rate and ‘in vivo’ intestinal glucose transport, theequina variety being a more powerful inhibitor than theminor variety. However the raw legume fed animals showed a normal urinary excretion rate of 3-Methylhistidine.     

A comparative study on the estimation of evapotranspiration using backpropagation neural network: Penman�CMonteith method versus pan evaporation method

The study compares the prediction performances of evapotranspiration by the FAO56 Penman–Monteith method and the pan evaporation method using the artificial neural network. A backpropagation neural network was adopted to determine the relationship between meteorological factors and evapotranspiration or evaporation. The evapotranspiration in the ChiaNan irrigated area of Tainan was considered. Weather data compiled by Irrigation Experiment Station of ChiaNan Irrigation Association were the input layer variables, including (1) the highest temperature, (2) the lowest temperature, (3) the average temperature, (4) the relative humidity, (5) the wind speed, (6) hours of sunlight, (7) amount of solar radiation, (8) the dew point, (9) morning ground temperature and (10) afternoon ground temperature. The importance of the ten weather factors was ranked by the general influence (GI) factor. Results show that the correlation coefficient between the evapotranspiration in 2004 calculated by FAO56 Penman–Monteith method and the one predicted by the neural network model with a hidden layer of ten nodes is 0.993. The actual evapotranspiration is 911.6 cm, and value prediction by the neural network is 896.4 cm, between which two values the error is 1.67%. The results reveal that the backpropagation neural network based on the FAO56 Penman–Monteith method can accurately predict evapotranspiration. However, the correlation coefficient between the actual evaporation in 2004 and the value prediction by the neural network with a hidden layer of ten nodes and an output layer with the pan evaporation as its target output is 0.708. The pan evaporation is 1,673.1 cm, while the value predicted by the backpropagation neural network is 1,451.7 cm, between which values the error is 13.23%. The backpropagation neural networks with pan evaporation as target outputs predict the evaporation with large errors. Moreover, the use of four agricultural weather factors (determined by the GI) including wind speed, average temperature, dew point and maximum temperature as input variables, and a hidden layer of three nodes in the backpropagation neural network model can successfully predict evapotranspiration based on the FAO56 Penman–Monteith method (R = 0.98, error = 1.35%).     

Influence of grain quality,heat, and processing time on the reduction of aflatoxin B1 levels in ‘tuwo’ and ‘ogi’: Two cereal-based products

During the production of tuwo from laboratory-contaminated corn (AFB₁:150 mcg/kg) and sorghum (AFB₁:87.5 mcg/kg) grains, reductions in the aflatoxin-B₁ levels of pastes boiled for 30 min and 60 min were found to be 68.0% and 80.8%, respectively. In the preparation of ogi from contaminated corn and sorghum grains, reductions of about 72.5% and 71.4%, respectively, were obtained after fermentation at ambient conditions. Reconstitution of ogi paste into a porridge (akamu) considerably reduced the AFB level.