Cuba and the dilemma of modern agriculture

Having lost 73% of its purchasing power and 42% of it gross national product since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba faces a crisis with the modern agricultural system it had developed over the past 30 years. The response has been to put an alternative model into practice. The successes and problems associated with this model are discussed.     

Habitat suitability,coverage by protected areas and population connectivity for the Siamese crocodile Crocodylus siamensis Schneider, 1801

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On the diffusion constant of water in wheat

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to obtain diffusion constants for water in the embryo and endosperm of wheat. Our experiments showed a significant difference between the diffusion constant for the two components. It was also shown that water diffusion in both the endosperm and embryo deviates from the typically observed Gaussian behavior in bulk fluids, showing a time-dependent diffusion constant. Diffusion constants for the embryo and endosperm were shown to differ by an order of magnitude. Using a model for restricted diffusion, information on the endosperm pore size and the embryo cell dimensions could be obtained.     

Direct actions of serotonin on gonadotropin-II and growth hormone release from goldfish pituitary cells: interactions with gonadotropin-releasing hormone and dopamine and further evaluation of serotonin receptor specificity

In this study, the direct actions of serotonin (5HT) on gonadotropin (GTH)-II and growth hormone (GH) release in the goldfish were tested at the pituitary cell level. 5HT (10 nM - 10 µM) stimulated GTH-II but inhibited GH release from perifused goldfish pituitary cells in a dose-dependent manner. The minimal effective dose of 5HT tested to suppress basal GH secretion (10 nM) was 10-fold lower than that to stimulate GTH-II release (100 nM). The GTH-II releasing effect of 5HT was abolished by repeated 5HT treatment (10 µM) whereas the corresponding inhibition on GH release was unaffected. These results suggest that 5HT receptors on goldfish gonadotrophs and somatotrophs exhibit intrinsic differences in terms of sensitivity to stimulation and resistance to desensitization. Salmon GTH-releasing hormone (sGnRH, 100 nM) stimulated GTH-II and GH release from goldfish pituitary cells. The GTH-II releasing action of sGnRH was unaffected by simultaneous treatment of 5HT (1 µM). However, the corresponding GH response to sGnRH (100 nM) was inhibited. In the goldfish, dopamine is known to stimulate GH release through activation of pituitary D1 receptors. In the present study, the GH-releasing action of dopamine (1 µM) and the D1 agonist SKF38393 (1 µM) was significantly reduced by 5HT (1 µM). To examine the receptor specificity of 5HT action, the effects of 5HT1 and 5HT2 analogs on GTH-II and GH release were tested in goldfish pituitary cells. The 5HT1 agonist 8OH DPAT (0.1 and 1µM) and 5HT2 agonist methyl 5HT (0.1 1µM) mimicked the GTH-II releasing effect of 5HT. The 5HT1 agonist 8OH DPAT (0.1 and 1µM) also stimulated GH release but the 5HT2 agonist methyl 5HT (0.1 and 1µM) was inhibitory to basal GH secretion. In addition, 5HT (1µM) -stimulated GTH-II release was abolished by the 5HT1 antagonist methiothepin (10µM) and 5HT2 antagonist mianserin (10µM). Similarly, the inhibitory action of 5HT (1µM) on basal GH release was blocked by the 5HT2 antagonist mianserin (10µM). The 5HT1 antagonist methiothepin (10µM) was not effective in this regard. These results, taken together, indicate that 5HT exerts its regulatory actions on GTH-II and GH release in the goldfish directly at the pituitary cell level, probably through interactions with other regulators including sGnRH and dopamine. The GTH-II releasing action of 5HT is mediated through 5HT2 and possibly 5HT1 receptors. The inhibition of 5HT on basal GH release is mediated through 5HT2 receptors only. Apparently, 5HT1 receptors are not involved in this inhibitory action. In this study, a paradoxical stimulatory component of 5HT on GH release by activating 5HT1 receptors is also implicated.     

Quantitation of odor-active compounds in rye flour and rye sourdough using stable isotope dilution assays

Application of the aroma extract dilution analysis on a flavor distillate prepared from freshly ground rye flour (type 1150) revealed 1-octen-3-one (mushroom-like), methional (cooked potato), and (E)-2-nonenal (fatty, green) with the highest flavor dilution (FD) factors among the 26 odor-active volatiles identified. Quantitative measurements performed by stable isotope dilution assays and a comparison to the odor thresholds of selected odorants in starch suggested methional, (E)-2-nonenal, and hexanal as contributors to the flour aroma, because their concentrations exceeded their odor thresholds by factors >100. Application of the same approach on a rye sourdough prepared from the same batch of flour revealed 3-methylbutanal, vanillin, 3-methylbutanoic acid, methional, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, 2,3-butanedione, and acetic acid as important odorants; their concentrations exceeded their odor thresholds in water and starch by factors >100. A comparison of the concentrations of 20 odorants in rye flour and the sourdough made therefrom indicated that flour, besides the fermentation process, is an important source of aroma compounds in dough. However, 3-methylbutanol, acetic acid, and 2,3-butanedione were much increased during fermentation, whereas (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and 2-methylbutanal were decreased. Similar results were obtained for five different flours and sourdoughs, respectively, although the amounts of some odorants in the flour and the sourdough differed significantly within batches.     

Is it economically feasible to harvest by management zone?

The economics of harvesting wheat based on input management zones in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia was studied using a simulated field of regular dimensions with varying zone sizes and layouts. Fertilizer application rates and crop yield and quality data from field trials of input management were used to estimate the gross crop revenue and harvesting costs from the different field layouts and zone combinations. As a general observation there was no consistency in the results; harvesting by zone generated more gross income in some combinations of field layout and yield quantity scenarios, but not in others. However, there were key factors in determining whether it was profitable to harvest by zone. These were prior knowledge of the potential yield and quality characteristics of grain from each zone in a field, and the layout of zones within a field.     

Activin and its receptors in the goldfish

Activin (_AA, _AB and _BB) is a dimeric protein that belongs to the transforming growth factor- (TGF-) superfamily of growth factors and is involved in the regulation of many physiological and developmental processes. Recently, we have demonstrated that porcine activin stimulated goldfish gonadotropin-II (GTH-II) and growth hormone (GH) secretion from dispersed pituitary cells in static culture and pituitary fragments in perifusion. The action of activin in the goldfish is unique in that it has an acute stimulatory effect on the secretion of GTH-II and GH, whereas in mammals activin usually exhibits long-term stimulatory actions on FSH secretion. The action mechanism of activin is different from that of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Using domain-specific antibodies against mammalian activin subunits, we subsequently demonstrated the existence of immunoreactive activin subunits (_A and _B) in the goldfish ovary, testis, pituitary and brain, suggesting endocrine, paracrine and autocrine roles for activin in the regulation of goldfish reproduction. Both activin _A and _B subunits have been cloned from goldfish genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using the PCR fragments as probes, we have cloned a full length cDNA coding for activin _B subunit from the goldfish ovary. Both activin _A and _B subunits show high homology to those of other vertebrates with the _B subunit much more conserved (93 and 98% identity with human and zebrafish _B subunit, respectively). The identity of the cloned _B subunit was further confirmed by expression in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and detection of the specific activity of activin in the culture medium. The messenger RNA of activin _B subunit is expressed in a variety of goldfish tissues including ovary, testis, brain, pituitary, kidney and liver, suggesting a wide range of physiological roles for activin in the goldfish. We have also cloned a full length cDNA coding for the activin Type IIB receptor from the goldfish ovary, suggesting that activin may have paracrine or autocrine actions on the ovarian functions. The identity of the cloned receptor was confirmed by specific binding of¹²⁵ I-activin on COS-1 cells transfected with the cloned Type IIB receptor.