Sugar contents of Brandy de Jerez during its aging

Brandy de Jerez is aged in American oak casks according to the traditional dynamic system (Soleras y Criaderas) and sometimes additionally by the static system (Anadas). The experimental arrangement used here for the analytical monitoring of brandy aging consisted of 15 casks, 12 of which were set up for aging by the dynamic system, which is well established in the denomination of origin area, whereas the other 3 contained the same brandy but aged according to the static system. This paper studies the kinetics of sugar extraction from oak wood to distillate, as well as the possible correlations between the sugar contents in brandy and its age or the commercial type it belongs to (Solera, Solera Reserva, or Solera Gran Reserva). High-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection was used as the analytical tool to measure the concentrations of glucose, fructose, arabinose, galactose, and xylose, the presence of which in brandy has previously been described.     

Improved Mass Screening of Tolerance to Iron Toxicity in Rice by Lowering Temperature of Culture Solution

Breeding for tolerance to iron (Fe) toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is hindered by lack of a suitable screening technique. In the culture solution methods used to date, a major difficulty has been maintaining an excess level of iron concentration in order to reveal toxicity symptoms. Experimental results showed that this problem was solved by lowering the solution temperature to around 20°C, at which leaf discoloration in susceptible cultivars became more pronounced. At 20°C Fe uptake was increased from a threshhold content of 300 mg/kg of dry weight of shoot for toxic symptom to more than 1000mg/kg in susceptible and in tolerant cultivars. Concentrations of other related minerals in the plant tissue, i.e., potassium (K) and phosphorus (P), were not affected by the low solution temperature itself but by Fe content, which can be inferred on the basis of their response curves to the excess Fe treatment. Using the proposed screening method makes it possible to obtain reproducible results in screening a large number of plants or breeding lines.     

Morphological Investigations of the Surface Epithelium of Ductuli Efferentes of Black Isogenic Mice (Mus musculus)

Morphological investigations of the epithelial cell types that line the ductuli efferentes (DE) of black isogenic mice confirm absorption of the luminal fluid phase by endocytosis as the main function of ductuli efferentes (DE) in this species. Furthermore, all the histochemical and ultrastructural observations on the DE epithelial histoarchitecture indicate other cellular functions such as exocytosis and probably secretion, including an aprocrine secretory process.     

Nursery Training for Smallholders: An Evaluation of Two Extension Programs in the Philippines

High-quality seedlings are a prerequisite for successful forestry and agroforestry expansion in developing countries. Unfortunately, in the central Philippines, as supplies of timber from native forest have diminished in recent years, the expansion in planting of timber trees has been retarded by sub-optimal production of seedlings from small-scale nurseries. To address this problem, an extension program supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has attempted to improve the quality of seedlings produced in home nurseries, by assisting smallholders to raise and out-plant seedlings. A complementary program undertaken as part of the Community Agricultural Technology Program (CATP) has attempted to provide community workers and managers of small-scale nurseries with the benefit of recent ACIAR nursery research. Extended assistance in the ACIAR program addressed smallholders’ low self-efficacy in nursery technology and was successful in assisting them to grow high quality seedlings. A limited program of assistance was relatively unsuccessful. Evaluation of the CATP program showed that prior to the training, CATP participants were unfamiliar with some aspects of basic nursery technology. Consequently, they may have been unable to provide competent advice to smallholders. This implies that—as with the ACIAR training—extended training and follow-up assistance may be the key to improving the quality of seedlings for forestry and agroforestry expansion in the central Philippines.     

Total substitution of fish oil by vegetable oils in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) diets: effects on fish performance, biochemical composition, and expression of some glucocorticoid receptor-related genes

To study the substitution of fish oil by vegetable oils in fish diets, juveniles Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) were fed diets (56 % crude protein, 12 % crude lipid) containing either linseed (100LO) or soybean (100SO) oils in comparison with a 100 % fish oil-based diet (100FO) for 90 days. Samples of muscle, liver, and intestine were collected for biochemical analysis and for glucocorticoid receptor-related genes, including GR1 and GR2, and the associated heat shock proteins HSP70, HSP90AA, and HSP90AB. Besides, basal levels of plasma cortisol were also determined. After the feeding period, a stress test, consisting on 5 min of net chasing, was applied to a selected population of each dietary group. Total replacement of fish oil by vegetable oils did not induced changes in fish growth and performance, but affected fatty acid profile of muscle, liver, and intestine, reflecting those tissues the characteristic fatty acids of each type of dietary oil. A tendency to conserve the ARA/EPA ratio could be observed in the different tissues, despite of the level of these fatty acids in diet. Chasing stress induced an increase of muscle GR1 and a reduction in intestinal GR2 relative expressions at any of the experimental diets assayed. In liver, chasing stress induced an increase in both GR1 and GR2 gene expression in fish fed fish oil diets. Similarly, chasing stress induced an increase of muscle HSP70 and decrease of HSP90AB in liver at any of the experimental diet assayed. Besides, vegetable oils decreased the expression of HSP70 in intestine, being the relative expression of liver HSP90AA increased by the inclusion of linseed oil in the diet, at any of the experimental conditions assayed.     

Rural housing is related to plant invasions in forests of southern Wisconsin,USA

Forests throughout the US are invaded by non-native invasive plants. Rural housing may contribute to non-native plant invasions by introducing plants via landscaping, and by creating habitat conditions favorable for invaders. The objective of this paper was to test the hypothesis that rural housing is a significant factor explaining the distribution of invasive non-native plants in temperate forests of the Midwestern US. In the Baraboo Hills, Wisconsin, we sampled 105 plots in forest interiors. We recorded richness and abundance of the most common invasive non-native plants and measured rural housing, human-caused landscape fragmentation (e.g. roads and forest edges), forest structure and topography. We used regression analysis to identify the variables more related to the distribution of non-native invasive plants (best subset and hierarchical partitioning analyses for richness and abundance and logistic regression for presence/absence of individual species). Housing variables had the strongest association with richness of non-native invasive plants along with distance to forest edge and elevation, while the number of houses in a 1 km buffer around each plot was the variable most strongly associated with abundance of non-native invasive plants. Rhamnus cathartica and Lonicera spp. were most strongly associated with rural housing and fragmentation. Berberis thumbergii and Rosa multiflora were associated with gentle slopes and low elevation, while Alliaria petiolata was associated with higher cover of native vegetation and stands with no recent logging history. Housing development inside or adjacent to forests of high conservation value and the use of non-native invasive plants for landscaping should be discouraged.     

Use of acepromazine for stress control in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) captured by drive-net

Capture and restraint can induce stress in wild animals and tranquilizers may be beneficial in preventing some of the more adverse effects. A short-acting neuroleptic agent (acepromazine) was assessed in 25 Spanish ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) captured by drive-net. The animals were divided into a control group (14 ibexes) and a treated group (11 ibexes). Heart rate and rectal temperature, as well as haematological and biochemical parameters, were used to evaluate the effects of tranquilization during 3 h of restraint. A reduction in rectal temperature, red blood cell count, packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, lymphocytes, neutrophils, activities of creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and concentrations of urea, total bilirubin and potassium in the treated group, suggested that acepromazine decreased signs of stress in Spanish ibex following drive-net capture.     

Irrigated agriculture in the Guadiana River high basin (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain): environmental and socioeconomic impacts

This article is concerned with the management of the Guadiana River high basin's water resources. The region of Castilla-La Mancha in general, and Western La Mancha and the Campo de Montiel in particular, are areas where agriculture has great economic importance. This activity is the principal water consumer, but it is necessary to take account of ecological and social considerations if two important objectives are to be achieved. Firstly, to keep wetlands and biodiversity. Secondly, to maintain natural resources which are vital if the area's future is to be assured. The paper criticizes the mechanical and partial methodological focus which has been used by conventional economics and agriculture. Thus, it supports an integrated and multidisciplinary view that recognises the region's biophysical and social characteristics in such a way that policies applied respect it.     

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE NORMAL EQUINE BRAIN

The purpose of this investigation was to define the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearance of the brain and associated structures of the equine head. MR images were acquired in oblique dorsal (T2-weighted), sagittal (T1-weighted), and transverse planes (T2-weighted), using a magnet of 1.5 Tesla and a human body coil. Relevant anatomic structures were identified and labeled at each level. The resulting images provided excellent anatomic detail of the cranioencephalic structures. Annotated MR images from this study are intended as a reference for clinical imaging studies of the equine head, specially in the diagnosis of brain diseases in the horse.     

Comparative Histological Study of the Small Intestine in Lizards (Reptilia)

A light and electron microscopica study of the small intestine of four species of lizard was conducted. The organization of the small intestine is described and comparisons are made between the species examined.