Detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium johnei by counterimmunoelectrophoresis.

Counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) was applied in the detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium johnei in 110 sheep, 11 goat and 31 cattle sera and compared to immunodiffusion (ID) test. One per cent Noble agar, 7 ml per slide of 5 cm x 10 cm; barbitone-tris buffer, mu = 0.03, pH 8.6; a constant current of 5 mA per slide and M johnei protoplasmic antigen at 4 mg per ml were found to impart high sensitivity to CIE and give rapid results. CIE detected 97 sheep, 11 goat and 31 cattle positive sera, a total of 139, as compared to 44, 11, 28 and 83 respectively, detected by ID. Strongly positive sera could be demonstrated within 30 minutes by CIE and the test was run for only 90 minutes while earliest reactions were not observed before 18 hours and some reactions took 144 hours to develop in ID test.     

Microcracking and healing in granites: new evidence from cathodoluminescence

Quartz grains in granitic rocks usually have blue cathodoluminescence (CL). Within the blue-luminescing grains, there are often red-luminescing domains which are frequently impossible to detect without CL contrast. This finding suggests that the red-luminescing quartz is sealing preexisting mnicrocracks. The presence of these now-healed microcracks has important implications with respect to the role of pore fluid pressure and fluid transfer in metamorphism, the origih of granites, longperiod crustal deformation, earthquake mechanics, physical properties of rocks, and deep-seated geothermal energy.     

Designing double-layered nanofibrous membranes as a wound dressing material

New generation wound dressings require the criteria that both bioactive and conventional wound dressing materials can recompense the fundamental properties like defense of wound from microbial invasion, dehydration during the wound care duration and mimic the healing process. In this study, functional double-layered nanofibrous composite membranes were fabricated via electrospinning method. The matrices consist of a sheet of ampicillin loaded poly(2-hydroxylethyl methacrylate/polyacrylic acid (pHEMA/pAA) nanofibers on the upper side (first layer: pH sensitive antibacterial barrier) and a sheet of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/gelatin nanofibers (second layer: bioactive part). Ampicillin was successfully incorporated to double-layered matrices which greatly changed the mechanical properties, biodegradability and water uptake ratios (up to 4 fold higher values). The success of the antimicrobial activity of ampicillin on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was indicated by the inhibition zone test. pH sensitivity was confirmed by the swelling and ampicillin release studies by shifting pH value to basic environment. Thus, double-layered pHEMA-pAA nanofibers suggest as a potential wound dressing material for its pH sensitive drug delivery ability and its bioactive part.     

轮台小白杏丰产栽培配套技术探讨1）

轮台属于大陆型气候,气候干燥,昼夜温差大,很适宜杏树的种植。但是该县杏树生产目前还是传统的粗放经营方式,产量低,品质差,效益低,严重影响其发展进程。因此,只有因地制宜的建立杏树生产基地,在进行集约化的土水肥管理和树体管理措施才能更好地适应市场需求,生产产量和品质较高的,适应国内外市场的优质商品果。在轮台小白杏的生物学特性,生长地环境进一步调查了解的基础上,对小白杏生产过程中采取的主要技术措施进行了分析和总结,结合小白杏的产量和品质,提出了比较适宜的高产并优质果生产的栽培管理的配套技术措施。认为在小白杏生产过程中只要采取规范化并集约化的栽培管理措施,可以提高产量和品质,达到提高经济效益的栽培目的。     

Purification and characterization of polyphenol oxidase from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.)

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) of cauliflower was purified to 282-fold with a recovery rate of 8.1%, using phloroglucinol as a substrate. The enzyme appeared as a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The estimated molecular weight of the enzyme was 60 and 54 kDa by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration, respectively. The purified enzyme, called phloroglucinol oxidase (PhO), oxidized phloroglucinol (K(m) = 3.3 mM) and phloroglucinolcarboxylic acid. The enzyme also had peroxidase (POD) activity. At the final step, the activity of purified cauliflower POD was 110-fold with a recovery rate of 3.2%. The PhO and POD showed the highest activity at pH 8.0 and 4.0 and were stable in the pH range of 3.0-11.0 and 5.0-8.0 at 5 °C for 20 h, respectively. The optimum temperature was 55 °C for PhO and 20 °C for POD. The most effective inhibitor for PhO was sodium diethyldithiocarbamate at 10 mM (IC(50) = 0.64 and K(i) = 0.15 mM), and the most effective inhibitor for POD was potassium cyanide at 1.0 mM (IC(50) = 0.03 and K(i) = 29 μM).     

Unrevealing metabolomics for abiotic stress adaptation and tolerance in plants

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - The post-genomic era has witnessed several new possibilities to understand diverse functional aspects of plants quite precisely. From genomics to...     

High-density growth and crude protein productivity of a thermotolerant Chlorella vulgaris: production kinetics and thermodynamics

Current study investigated the fermentative production of cell mass and crude protein using an axenic culture of the thermotolerant strain of Chlorella vulgaris grown mixotrophically in an illuminated 10-l glass bioreactor. The process was then upscaled to 1,000-l bioreactor. The organism supported maximum specific growth rate, crude protein volumetric productivity, and specific productivity of 1.2?day^?1, 2.26?g?l^?1?day^?1, and 0.76?g?g^?1?day^?1, respectively, with urea as nitrogen source. Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy values for its formation were 74.3, 56. 2?kJ?mol^?1, and ?59.1?J?mol^?1?K^?1, respectively, in both reactors and corresponded to those of thermotolerant organisms. Algal biomass grown in 10-l bioreactor contained 0.52?±?0.03, 12.6?±?2.0, 60.0?±?4.5, 0.4?±?0.02, 4.5?±?0.2, 12?±?0.5, and 3.81?±?0.5% carotenoids, carbohydrates, crude protein, DNA, RNA, lipids, and total chlorophyll, respectively. Dry biomass supported good growth of fish larvae comparable with that on commercial diet.     

Correction to: Evaluation of recent drought conditions by standardized precipitation index and potential evapotranspiration over Indonesia

In South Asia, an increasing population and frequent droughts have been significant factors deeply affecting water deficits in the region. In this study, recent drought conditions were evaluated by calculating the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the period of 1991–2006, based on past data during the period from 1961 to 1990. In addition, the Thornthwaite equation was used to compute monthly potential evapotranspiration for the entire area of Indonesia. The APHRODITE data set was utilized for precipitation and temperature. Monthly rainfall data from April to September for 30 years (1961–1990) were used to obtain the gamma function for the computation of SPI values. Calculated probability of SPI for which values were < − 2 during the period from 1991 to 2006 was used to evaluate recent Indonesian drought conditions. Regarding potential soil water deficits, under the very simple assumption that the root zone is 30 cm, soil porosity is 0.4, and field capacity is 80% of soil porosity, the critical threshold of soil water deficit was set as − 96 mm. Frequency of potential water deficits < − 96 mm was counted during 1991–2006. The results of the SPI in Indonesia indicate that most parts of Indonesia have encountered severe and extreme drought for the period 1991–2006. Based on SPI interpretation, Borneo Island and West Papua are the islands that encountered the most extreme drought during the dry seasons. Borneo Island seems to have encountered extreme drought at the beginning and the middle of the dry seasons (April, May, and July). On the other hand, based on the Thornthwaite interpretation, Java and Bali Islands, and especially in Central Java and East Java, seem to have encountered the greatest soil water deficit at the middle and the end of the dry seasons (May, June, July, and September).

     

Efficiency of Coated Urea on Nutrient Uptake and Maize Production

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of coated urea with urease inhibitor [copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)], nitrification inhibitor (DMPP), biochar and geopolymer on ammonium, nitrate, Cu, Zn content and crop yield of maize. The treatments were composed of urea alone (control), urea coated Cu and Zn (UCuZn), urea coated with Cu, Zn, and DMPP (UCuZnDMPP), urea impregnated with biochar (Ubio) and urea coated with geopolymer (Ug2). Data showed that treatments with Cu, Zn, and DMPP produced lower ammonium (NH₄) and nitrate (NO₃) in UCuZn and UCuZnDMPP while they had the highest concentration of Cu and Zn in soil and plant tissues. Plots treated with UCuZn and UCuZnDMPP produced maximum N concentrations in grains and yield, with increases by 79.5% and 74.1%, respectively, as compared with urea (control). This finding demonstrates that by slow down the hydrolysis and nitrification process using urease and nitrification inhibitor were beneficial to increased N uptake, ultimately produced higher yield.     

The quantity and quality of feed available to indigenous chickens under the scavenging system in semi-arid Eastern Kenya

Free range indigenous chickens suffer from low productivity due to inadequate quantity and quality of feed, high predation and high mortality rates. The aim of the study was to establish the nutritional gaps in the free range chickens’ diets. A total of 40 farmers from two locations participated in the study. The study used 548 chickens aged 7–8 months purchased from farmers. The experimental chickens were slaughtered before weighing the carcass and crop content. The weight of the gastro-intestinal tract, heart and liver was also recorded. The crop contents were analysed after drying in the oven for 48 hours at 60 °C to determine what was consumed. The mean live weight of the experimental chickens was 1443 ± 296?g. The chickens mainly fed on maize, which accounted for over 80% of their diet. The estimated metabolizable energy (ME) of the crop contents for the study chickens was 2887.8 Kcal/kg. Although the chickens from Kionyweni had significantly (P<0.05) higher ME than those from Kilome, it was lower than the 3044 Kcal/kg recommended for scavenging chickens. The crude protein (CP) was 10.6 ± 2.8%, which was lower than the 16–18% CP requirement for layers. The essential amino acids available to the chickens in the two study areas included lysine, tryptophan and methionine-cysteine. Their availability was higher during the rainy season compared to the dry season.