Presence of a Temperature Gradient Among Genital Tract Portions and the Thermal Changes Within These Portions Over the Estrous Cycle in Beef Cows

The aim of the present study was to describe the temperature of the different portions of the female genital tract and their relation to rectal temperature and to investigate the effect of steroid hormones profiles on these variables over the estrous cycle in cattle. Four nonpregnant Japanese Black cows were investigated daily over two successive estrous cycles using a digital thermometer with a long probe and rounded-end sensor to record the temperature of the rectum (RT), vagina (VT), cervix (CT), uterine body (UBT) and uterine horns (UHT). Blood samples were collected immediately before temperature recording to assay peripheral levels of progesterone (P₄) and estradiol-17β (E₂). Moreover, transrectal ultrasonography was carried out after temperature recording to monitor the ovulatory follicle and track ovulation. During the experiment, the ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded for further calculation of the temperature humidity index (THI). The temperature within the genital tracts in these cows progressively increased towards the uterine horns from the vagina. The VT, CT, UBT and UHTs were significantly higher in association with peripheral P₄ concentrations greater than 4 ng/ml (mid-luteal phase) when compared with lower peripheral P₄ concentrations. The VT was more significantly (P<0.01) correlated to the CT, UBT and UHTs than RT. In conclusion, a temperature gradient was present among the vagina, cervix and uterus over the estrous cycle, and changes in peripheral P₄ concentrations were associated with the thermal variations within these portions. The VT could be more beneficial than RT in monitoring temperature of deeper portions of the female genital tract in bovine.     

Varietal differences in tillering ability of fourteen japonica and indica rice varieties

Field experiments were conducted to clarify the relation between the tillering ability and morphological characters, dry matter production, or nitrogen absorption among 14 rice varieties including different ecospecies with different plant types, and about the same heading time. Tiller number varied widely among the varieties and the number of tillers per plant at the maximum tiller number stage ranged between 14.3 and 39.5 in 1995 and 12.2 and 34.6 in 1996. Among all the varieties, IR 36 followed by Suweon 258 produced the highest maximum tiller number and Dawn produced the lowest maximum tiller number. The plant length and the specific leaf area, i.e. one of the indicators of leaf thickness, showed a strong negative and positive significant correlation, respectively, with the maximum tiller number. The varieties with a shorter plant length produced shorter and thinner leaves which would provide less competition for dry matter and nitrogen between mother stem and tillers and among tillers. This resulted in a higher efficiency of tiller production in the higher-tillering varieties for the same amount of dry matter production and nitrogen absorption. Percentage of productive tillers widely varied among the varieties, ranging from 42 to 73% in 1995 and from 50 to 81% in 1996. Semidwarf indica and japonica-indica varieties showed a lower percentage of productive tillers than the Japanese and tall indica varieties, and high-tillering varieties IR 36 and Suweon 258 produced the highest number of dead tillers, which resulted in the lowest percentage of productive tillers. The number of dead tillers depended mainly on the extent of competition for carbohydrates produced and nitrogen absorbed from the maximum tiller number stage to heading among tillers, although the increasing ratio of dead tillers was higher in indica varieties than in japonica varieties with a decrease in the amounts of these substances.     

Heterosis in numbers of differentiated,degenerated, and surviving spikelets and their relations to the dry matter production in F1 hybrids of rice

Heterosis in the number of differentiated, degenerated, and surviving spikelets in two important Chinese F₁ hybrids Shanyou 63 (SY63) and Yayou 2 (YY2) and their parents was observed under solution culture conditions. The results indicated that the number of differentiated, degenerated, and surviving spikelets all showed a very high value for mid-parental (MP) heterosis in the hybrids at both panicle and plant levels. The increase in the number of surviving spikelets primarily depended on that of the number of differentiated spikelets. The percentage of degenerated spikelets showed a positive value for MP and higher-parental (HP) heterosis (increase) in SY63, while it showed a negative value for MP and HP heterosis (decrease) in YY2. Morphologically, the components of the number of surviving spikelets increased in the hybrids, especially the number of surviving secondary rachis branches. Dry matter production at heading showed a high value for MP and HP heterosis. However, the ratio of dry matter weight to the number of differentiated spikelets did not show a MP heterosis. The hybrids showed a lower percentage of degenerated spikelets for the same ratio of dry matter weight to the number of differentiated spikelets. The N uptake in the hybrids showed a MP and HP heterosis, but the efficiency of the N in producing the number of surviving spikelets showed a negative value for MP and HP heterosis. The MP and HP heterosis in the sink-source ratio of the number of surviving spikelets to the leaf area varied considerably with the combinations. These findings suggested that still many characters could be further improved in F₁ hybrid rice.     

黄河三角洲五个耐盐树种苗木生物量比较

对黄河三角洲盐渍土上所育的2年生臭椿、美国竹柳、白榆、白蜡和五角枫5个耐盐树种苗木分别进行了生长、形态与生物量的比较分析。结果表明,臭椿、美国竹柳、白榆和白蜡4个树种苗木地上部分生长较好,五角枫苗木生长较差;白榆和白蜡2个树种主、侧根系发达,根系数量多、长度大,臭椿和美国竹柳2个树种苗木以粗根为主,中细根较少,五角枫根系多以中、细根为主;单株生物量由大到小的顺序为:白榆>白蜡>美国竹柳>臭椿>五角枫。综合5个树种苗木生产力7个指标的聚类分析显示,白榆、白蜡和美国竹柳为生产力高的1类,臭椿苗木生产力中等,五角枫生产力较低。从根系生长能力及发育程度来考虑,白榆、白蜡2个树种苗木与相同条件下生长的3个树种苗木比较,具有明显的优势,是盐渍土造林的好树种。     

Larval development and salinity tolerance of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) from hatching to juvenile settlement

Salinity tolerance and growth of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus at different developmental stages were evaluated, including newly hatched larvae (nhl), yolk sac larvae (ysl), oil droplet larvae (odl), post oil droplet larvae (podl), premetamorphic larvae (preml) and prometamorphic larvae (proml), at 11 salinities from 5 to 55 g L^?1 for 96 h. The ontogenesis during the early life of P. olivaceus was investigated under hatchery salinity 35 g L^?1. The results showed that suitable salinities for nhl, ysl, odl, podl, preml and proml larvae were 10 to 25 g L^?1, 10 to 30 g L^?1, 20 to 30 g L^?1, 30 g L^?1, 10 to 30 g L^?1, 15 g L^?1, respectively, demonstrating an ontogenetic variation of salinity tolerance. The salinity tolerance of nhl, ysl, preml was higher than that of odl, podl and proml. The ysl and preml larvae displayed wide salinity tolerances. The present findings demonstrate that the suitable salinity for larviculture of P. olivaceus is 20–25 g L^?1 before the depletion of oil droplet; after that, higher salinity (30 g L^?1) should be ensured for the post‐oil droplet larvae; the premetamorphic larvae can be cultured at a wide salinity range (10–30 g L^?1), and the metamorphosed larvae should be reared at salinity about 15 g L^?1.     

Characterization of a Phytophthora mating hormone

Water molds of the genus Phytophthora include many plant pathogens responsible for epidemics such as potato blight and sudden oak death, causing global economic damages. Sexual reproduction is of biological importance in Phytophthora and has been believed to be stimulated by unknown endogenous factors named a hormones. We describe here the chemical characterization of a Phytophthora mating hormone, a1, which was obtained from approximately 2 tons of culture fluid of one mating type of a species and which induced sexual spores on the counter-mating type at a nanogram level.     

Arabidopsis CLV3 peptide directly binds CLV1 ectodomain

CLV1, which encodes a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase, and CLV3, which encodes a secreted peptide, function in the same genetic pathway to maintain stem cell populations in Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem. Here, we show biochemical evidence, by ligand binding assay and photoaffinity labeling, that the CLV3 peptide directly binds the CLV1 ectodomain with a dissociation constant of 17.5 nM. The CLV1 ectodomain also interacts with the structurally related CLE peptides, with distinct affinities depending on the specific amino acid sequence. Our results provide direct evidence that CLV3 and CLV1 function as a ligand-receptor pair involved in stem cell maintenance.     

A plant peptide encoded by CLV3 identified by in situ MALDI-TOF MS analysis

The Arabidopsis CLAVATA3 (CLV3) gene encodes a stem cell-specific protein presumed to be a precursor of a secreted peptide hormone. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) applied to in situ Arabidopsis tissues determined the structure of a modified 12-amino acid peptide (MCLV3), which was derived from a conserved motif in the CLV3 sequence. Synthetic MCLV3 induced shoot and root meristem consumption as cells differentiated into other organs, displaying the typical phenotype of transgenic plants overexpressing CLV3. These results suggest that the functional peptide of CLV3 is MCLV3.     

不同生理状态中华鲟体表黏液与生境微生物组成差异分析

为揭示不同生理状态下中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)体表黏液与生境微生物组成差异,本研究比较了健康和亚健康中华鲟体表黏液菌群的群落结构差异,探讨细菌群落结构与中华鲟生理状态的相关性。本研究采集健康与亚健康中华鲟的体表黏液和养殖水体,利用高通量测序技术分析其菌群结构。结果表明,亚健康组微生物多样性与丰富度显著高于健康组(P<0.05)。序列的统计分析表明,相较于水体,黏液样本存在大量的独有操作分类单元(operational taxonomic unit, OTU),且与水体的共有OTU数目因中华鲟生理状况而发生变化。根据组间的相似性与差异分析,不同组之间的主成分与主坐标分析显示出较强的分离趋势,且组内样本相对距离较小。在门和属水平下,中华鲟体表黏液和水体群落组成和优势种有显著差异。水体中优势菌门为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)(31.84%)和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)(24.37%);健康组优势菌门为变形菌门(55.23%)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)(21.00%);亚健康组的变形菌门(40.23%)占比相较于健康组有所下降,但酸杆菌...