Time-resolved spectral studies of blue-green fluorescence of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. Var. Scolymus) leaves: identification of chlorogenic acid as one of the major fluorophores and age-mediated changes

Synchrotron radiation and the time-correlated single-photon counting technique were used to investigate the spectral and time-resolved characteristics of blue-green fluorescence (BGF) of artichoke leaves. Leaves emitted BGF under ultraviolet (UV) excitation; the abaxial side was much more fluorescent than the adaxial side, and in both cases, the youngest leaves were much more fluorescent than the oldest ones. The BGF of artichoke leaves was dominated by the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids. A decrease in the percentage of BGF attributable to the very short kinetic component (from 42 to 20%), in the shape of the BGF excitation spectra, and chlorogenic acid concentrations indicate that there is a loss of hydroxycinnamic acid with leaf age. Studies on excitation, emission, and synchronized fluorescence spectra of leaves and trichomes and chlorogenic acid contents indicate that chlorogenic acid is one of the main blue-green fluorophores in artichoke leaves. Results of the present study indicate that 20-42% (i.e., the very short kinetic component) of the overall BGF is emitted by chlorogenic acid. Time-resolved BGF measurements could be a means to extract information on chlorogenic acid fluorescence from the overall leaf BGF.     

Optimisation of sodium and potassium concentrations and pH in the artificial seminal plasma of common carp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyprinus carpio</Emphasis> L.

The effect of sodium and potassium concentrations as well as optimal pH on the motility of common carp Cyprinus carpio L. sperm during short-term storage in artificial seminal plasma (ASP) was investigated. Sperm was collected from individual males (n?=?5) and each sample diluted tenfold (1:9) in ASP (sperm:extender) containing 2 mM CaCl₂, 1 mM Mg₂SO₄ and 20 mM Tris at pH 8.0 and supplemented by the following concentrations of sodium and potassium (mM/mM): 0/150, 20/130, 40/110, 75/75, 110/40, 130/20 and 150/0. The osmolality of all ASP variants was set at 310 mOsm kg^?1. Sperm motility was measured using a CASA system during 72 h of storage. Immediately after dilution, sperm motility was high (90%) both in each variant and in the control group (fresh sperm). After 72-h storage, the highest sperm motility was noted in ASP containing 110 mM NaCl and 40 mM KCl. No differences were found in the motility of samples preserved within the pH range of 7.0–9.0. Our data suggest that for the short-term storage of common carp sperm, whereas the pH of the solution does not play a crucial role, a specific potassium concentration of around 40 mM is required.     

Destratification in deep fish culture reservoirs in Israel: Practice and modelling

Thermal stratification negatively affects water quality, and thus is a threatto fish culture in deep water ponds and reservoirs. To prevent and controlit, a device based on an underwater propeller that vertically transportsoxygen rich warm water from the epilimnion down to the anoxic and colderhypolimnion was assembled. The empirical results so far obtained in Israelidual purpose reservoirs for field crop irrigation and fish culture aresummarized herein, and a mathematical model of the device's effect onreservoir thermal structure is presented.     

Wind deposition of mud aggregates and their role in development of lamellae in the Fair Oaks Dunes,Indiana

Three parabolic dunes from the Fair Oaks Dune field in northern Indiana were excavated, in order to study the properties and genesis of lamellae. Reddish lamellae with sharp upper boundaries and diffuse lower boundaries are intercalated with yellowish sand layers within the upper 3–5 m of each dune. The thicknesses of the lamellae decrease from > 2 cm in the east (Winamac dune) to < 0.3 cm in the west (Shelby dune). In deeper parts of the dunes lamellae were absent, but straight or slightly convex, clay rich depositional laminae were present. Thin sections of lamellae reveal that most of the clays are depositional with a lesser clay amount resulting from in situ weathering of feldspar grains. Clays were deposited as sand-size mud (silt/clay) aggregates that winds removed from glacio-fluvial valleys. Lithic fragments, primarily mud aggregates and carbonates, are much more abundant in unweathered depositional laminae than in weathered lamellae. Weathering and depletion of exchangeable Ca⁺ and Mg⁺ led to breakdown of mud aggregates and clay dispersion from clay rich sand laminae through clay-poor sand laminae. The reddish color of lamellae results from oxidation of mafic grains. Sand-size mud aggregates were lighter than quartz or feldspar grains and were carried further downwind and, as a result, the clay in the dunes, and the thickness of the lamellae, increases to the east. At 5.6 m depth in the Winamac dune we found the straight depositional laminae transitioning into wavy lamellae. This is the most direct evidence of depositional lamellae (petrogenic) formation in the literature to date.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LIPIDURIA IN CLINICALLY NORMAL CATS

Echoes are frequently seen in the urinary bladder of cats during abdominal ultrasound. These have been attributed to hematuria, pyuria, crystalluria, and lipid. However, sonographic findings have not been previously correlated with urinalysis. We prospectively evaluated 40 clinically normal cats via ultrasound, serum chemistry, and urinalysis. Thin layer chromatography was performed on the urine to determine the amount (mg) of lipid subfractions including diacylglycerol, triglyceride, phospholipid, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and cholesterol ester. Ninety percent (36/40) of the cats in our population had sonographic echoes suspended in the urinary bladder, with most having a subjective score of mild echoes (n = 20). None of the sonographic echoes were gravity dependent or caused distal acoustic shadowing, reverberation, or twinkle artifact. Of the cats with sonographic echoes in the urine, 66% (24/36) had no significant findings on urinalysis other than the presence of lipid. The total amount of subjective sonographic echoes was not significantly related to the total amount of fat measured on thin layer chromatography or the number of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis. An increased amount of urine diacylglycerol was significantly associated with clumping of echoes (P = 0.02) and the amount of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis (P = 0.04). An association between increased amounts of urine diacylglycerol and the amount of echoes seen on ultrasound approached significance (P = 0.05). Findings from this study support previously published theories that sonographic echoes within the urinary bladder of clinically normal cats may be due to urine lipid.     

Effect of supplemental feed type on water quality,plankton and benthos availability and carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) growth in semi‐intensive monoculture ponds

A four‐and‐a‐half months study was conducted in nine earthen ponds to evaluate the addition of different supplemental feeds as a management tool for enhancing natural food availability and common carp growth, while maintaining optimal water quality in the semi‐intensive system. Three supplemental feeds were used: commercial extruded and pelleted feed with 25% protein and 7% fat and cereals. The type of supplemental feed did not influence water quality, except hardness, but significantly affected abundance of cyanobacteria, natural food availability and common carp growth. The use of pelleted feed was related to the lowest abundance of cyanobacteria in the ponds. For the two groups of large zooplankton, Cladocera and Copepoda, abundances were higher in the ponds with pelleted feed compared with the ponds where cereals and extruded feed were used. The abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates in the treatment with pelleted feed was three times higher than in the other two treatments. The results of this study indicate that pelleted feed can help farmers not only as a source of nutrients for carp growth but also indirectly as a management tool for maintaining ecological stability and control of cyanobacterial bloom in ponds.     

Comparative analysis of using cereal grains and compound feed in semi-intensive common carp pond production

The semi-intensive system of carp farming is dominant in inland aquaculture. Although it appears to be simple, this system has a whole range of options, from those based on traditional rearing methods with use of plants from the region where the fish are reared to production based on the use of high-quality concentrated feeds. In this paper, we conduct a comparative analysis of the effect of using cereal grains as opposed to compound feed (pelleted and extruded) on the quantity of fish produced, flesh quality, histological changes in the digestive tract, water quality, and structure of the biocoenosis in the pond ecosystem. When the fish are fed cereal grains, production ranges from 500 to 1500 kg/ha, while using compound feed gives production that is twice as great. The proportions of protein and water are higher and that of lipids lower in flesh of common carp reared on compound feed in relation to fish fed cereal grains. Use of extruded feed gives better content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and a better n-3/n-6 ratio than when pelleted feed and cereal grains are used. Comparison of water quality in carp ponds under conditions of using various types of feed indicates that there are no significant differences. Although it was expected that feed with a higher percentage of proteins would cause disturbances in the aquatic ecosystem, their continual incorporation into the cycling of matter in the water contributes to maintenance of ecological equilibrium and even indirectly promotes growth of the common carp.     

Gap disturbances and regeneration patterns in a Bosnian old-growth forest: a multispectral remote sensing and ground-based approach

Objectives

We examined canopy gap structure and regeneration patterns at the landscape scale using a combination of remote sensing and field-based surveys.

Methods

The study was carried out in the forest reserve of Lom, an old-growth Fagus-Abies-Picea forest located within the Dinaric Alps in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A high-resolution (1-m panchromatic and 4-m multispectral) Kompsat-2 satellite image was orthorectified and classified through an unsupervised pixel-based classification using an artificial neural network method.

Results

This approach allowed the identification of 650 canopy gaps, ranging in size from 32 to 1,776?m². Only 20 intermediate to large gaps (>250?m²) were identified, and they were mainly present near the perimeter of the reserve. The origin of these large openings was associated with past human-caused disturbances or topographic conditions. The species composition of regeneration within large, human-caused gaps differed markedly from small gaps and non-gap sites in the core area of the reserve. Shade-intolerant species dominated the seedling and sapling layers in large openings. The landscape approach employed in this study confirmed the hypothesis that small gaps predominate at Lom, especially within the core area of the reserve.