Production of human milk fat analogue containing docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids

Human milk fat (HMF) analogue containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) at sn-1,3 positions and palmitic acid (PA) at sn-2 position was produced. Novozym 435 lipase was used to produce palmitic acid-enriched hazelnut oil (EHO). EHO was then used to produce the final structured lipid (SL) through interesterification reactions using Lipozyme RM IM. Reaction variables for 3 h reactions were temperature, substrate mole ratio, and ARASCO/DHASCO (A:D) ratio. After statistical analysis of DHA, ARA, total PA, and PA content at sn-2 position, a large-scale production was performed at 60 °C, 3:2 A:D ratio, and 1:0.1 substrate mole ratio. For the SL, those results were determined as 57.3 ± 0.4%, 2.7 ± 0.0%, 2.4 ± 0.1%, and 66.1 ± 2.2%, respectively. Tocopherol contents were 84, 19, 85, and 23 μg/g oil for α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol. Melting range of SL was narrower than that of EHO. Oxidative stability index (OSI) value of SL (0.80 h) was similar to that of EHO (0.88 h). This SL can be used in infant formulas to provide the benefits of ARA and DHA.     

近16年来新疆耕地与人口变化相关分析

利用1990～2006年的统计数据,采用统计分析方法,建立了耕地与人口相关模型,在此基础上分析了近16年来新疆的耕地变化过程、地域分异特征、耕地与人口相关性变化趋势、以及不同地区耕地与乡村人口相关的区域差异。结果表明:近16年来新疆耕地面积呈现波动增加趋势,但增加速度缓慢,不同时段耕地年均递增率呈现高-低-高-低模式,耕地变化地域差异特征明显;利用2006年耕地与对应的乡村人口数据进行相关分析,发现耕地面积与乡村人口数之间存在着极显著的正相关关系;1990～2006年新疆耕地面积与乡村人口之间的相关性呈正相关,并达到了0.01水平的显著性,且不同地区乡村人口数与耕地面积之间的相关系数在不同时期差别较大;1990～2006年期间,人均耕地面积减少了0.0874hm2,年均递减率为1.46%,而劳耕密度呈现增长趋势,净增加0.1926人/hm2,年递增率为0.2754%,在不同时段人均耕地面积及劳耕密度的变化幅度及趋势不同。     

Daylight crop water stress index for continuous monitoring of water status in apple trees

We studied the suitability of empirical crop water stress index (CWSI) averaged over daylight hours (CWSI_d) for continuous monitoring of water status in apple trees. The relationships between a midday CWSI (CWSI_m) and the CWSI_d and stem water potential (ψ _stem), and soil water deficit (SWD) were investigated. The treatments were: (1) non-stressed where the soil water was close to field capacity and (2) mildly stressed where SWD fluctuated between 0 and a maximum allowable depletion (MAD of 50 %). The linear relationship between canopy and air temperature difference (ΔT) and air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) averaged over daylight hours resulted in a non-water-stressed baseline (NWSBL) with higher correlation (?T = ?0.97 VPD – 0.46, R ² = 0.78, p < 0.001) compared with the conventional midday approach (?T = ?0.59 VPD – 0.67, R ² = 0.51, p < 0.001). Wind speed and solar radiation showed no significant effect on the daylight NWSBL. There was no statistically meaningful relationship between midday ψ _stem and CWSI_m. The CWSI_d agreed well with SWD (R ² = 0.70, p < 0.001), while the correlation between SWD and CWSI_m was substantially weaker (R ² = 0.38, p = 0.033). The CWSI_d exhibited high sensitivity to mild variations in the soil water content, suggesting it as a promising indicator of water availability in the root zone. The CWSI_d is stable under transitional weather conditions as it reflects the daily activity of an apple crop.     

Effect of Different Nitrogen Doses on Dry Matter Ratio,Chlorophyll and Macro/Micro Nutrient Content in Sweet Herb (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)

With this study, the effect of different nitrogen (N) doses applied to sweet herb (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 N kg ha^?1) on the macro/micro nutrient element content, dry matter ratio and on the chlorophyll amount in the plant leaves is examined. The research was carried out in the research and trial field of Faculty of Agriculture Agronomy department, Akdeniz University, during the 2012–2013 growing season under field conditions for 2 years with four replications according to the randomized block trial design. Chlorophyll amounts were determined and the average was obtained with three readings from each leaf by a chlorophyll meter when the plants were in the beginning of flowering. Post-harvest macro and micro nutrient elements of the sweet herb were also investigated. According to the obtained data, while the highest chlorophyll and N amounts in the leaf for both the first and second years were determined as 46.97 SPAD (Minolta Corp, NJ, USA) and 1.34 N% 44.9 SPAD, 1.42 N%, respectively, under 200 kg ha^?1 N application, the lowest chlorophyll and N amounts were determined in the control group. In addition, N application in different doses for both years increased the phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents and increased the microelement contents, especially in the second year. At the same time, a correlation between the chlorophyll content in the plant leaves and the N amount was determined and a linear increase was observed in the chlorophyll amount with the increased green part.     

Application of Exogenous Sodium Nitroprussid Alleviates Boron Toxicity in Wheat Seedlings: Investigation of Thiol Compounds,Macro/Micronutrient,and Polyamine Contents

High boron (B) levels in the soil reduce plant growth and yield production in crop plants. Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive signaling molecule involved in stress response in plants. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of sodium nitroprussid (SNP), a NO donor, in alleviating the B-induced toxicity in two wheat cultivars. Both cultivars were treated with 10 mM B, 10 mM B + 0.1 mM SNP, 10 mM B + 0.2 mM SNP, and 10 mM B + 0.5 mM SNP. The nutrient contents were investigated via inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry. Contents of polyamines and thiol compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The B toxicity caused a significant decrease in nutrient contents and thiol compounds, but increased polyamine contents. However, exogenous application of 0.2 mM SNP increased nutrient contents and thiol compounds, but lowered polyamine contents. The study clearly revealed that exogenous SNP can overcome the toxic effects of B on wheat seedlings.     

Effect of stocking density on growth performance of juvenile sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa (Gmelin, 1788)

Stock density is one among the most important factors in aquaculture that directly influences the growth of organisms; however, there is limited information about the effects of stocking density on growth performance of sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa (Gmelin, 1788) that has a commercial potential and represents a new species for aquaculture. In this study, we investigated the effect of stocking densities on the growth performance of juvenile H. tubulosa (40.3 ± 3.34 g) in laboratory conditions. Stocking densities were selected as 6, 15 and 30 ind m^?2 with total biomass 253.3 ± 0.18, 601.2 ± 0.11 and 1201.4 ± 0.15 g m^?2 respectively. We monitored the growth by wet weights and calculated the growth performance through weight gain, growth rate, specific growth rate, relative weight gain, coefficients of variation and survival rate during 8 weeks of research period. We found that individual mean weight gain in 6 ind m^?2 group was approximately 29.53 g while it was 3.03 g and ?4.36 g for 15 ind and 30 ind m^?2 groups respectively. Results have shown that the specific growth rate tends to decrease as the number of individuals in unit area increases. The final mean weight, growth rate, specific growth rate, relative weight gain and coefficients of variation were significantly different among treatment groups. In conclusion, a density of 6 ind m^?2 is recommended for stocking juvenile H. tubulosa under rearing conditions. Stocking density of 15 ind m^?2 is not favourable for long term as the growth rate is negligible where 30 ind m^?2 should be avoided in tank‐based rearing units.     

Tetraploid induction in tropical oysters,Crassostrea belcheri (Sowerby) and Crassostrea iredalei (Faustino)

Tetraploid induction has been conducted on temperate oysters but not on tropical oysters. In this study, different heat shocks (32, 35 and 38°C) and cold shocks (1, 4 and 7°C) were used to induce tetraploidy in two tropical oyster species, Crassostrea belcheri and Crassostrea iredalei, through meiosis I inhibition. Temperature shocks were applied on the newly fertilized eggs at 8–10 min post fertilization and terminated when second polar bodies began to form in the control eggs. The ploidy of the larvae and spat was determined via direct chromosome count. The percentage of larval survival until Day 20 was low (between 0.4% and 42.9%) for both temperature shocks and oyster species. No surviving larva was recorded for induction at 1, 4 and 38°C. Tetraploid spat was only recorded in C. iredalei but the percentage is low through heat shock induction of 32 and 35°C. This study shows that the tetraploid induction success rate was slightly higher in C. iredalei compared to C. belcheri. No surviving tetraploid spat were recorded for both oyster species through the cold shock method. This study shows that heat shock can be used to inhibit meiosis for the production of tetraploids but more experiments need to be conducted to determine the optimum temperature when dealing with tropical oysters.     

Efficacy of bath vaccination with a live attenuated Vibrio harveyi against vibriosis in Asian seabass fingerling,Lates calcarifer

Vibrio harveyi causes vibriosis in various marine aquaculture fish species, especially when they are young. The infection subsequently leads to significant economic losses for aquaculture farms. Vaccination is recommended to control this disease. This study describes the efficacy of a live attenuated V. harveyi strain MVh_vhs (LAVh) as a vaccine candidate in controlling infection by wild‐type V. harveyi (WTVh) in Lates calcarifer. A total of 240 fingerlings were divided into four groups. Group 1 was not vaccinated and was not challenged, Group 2 was vaccinated with a formalin‐killed V. harveyi (FKVh), Group 3 was vaccinated with the LAVh before challenge and Group 4 was not vaccinated and was challenged. Bath vaccination was employed for one hour before the LAVh distribution was determined in the fish mucus, gill, liver, gut, kidney and spleen. The gills, livers, kidneys and skins were also sampled for gene expression analysis. To challenge the fish, skin abrasion was conducted before the fish were challenged by immersion with WTVh. The results revealed an extensive distribution of the LAVh in the liver and kidneys of the fish in Group 3 for the first 12 hr, resulting in mild lesions compared with Group 1. Similarly, there were significantly (p < .05) higher expressions of the Chemokine ligand 4 and major histocompatibility complex I genes in the skin and liver of the fish in Group 3 in comparison with other groups. Vaccination with LAVh resulted in a significantly high rate of survival (68%) of the fingerlings after being challenged with WTVh.     

Antioxidant and immune potential marker enzymes assessment in the various tissues of rats exposed to indoleacetic acid and kinetin: A drinking water study

In the present study, the influence of two different PGRs, indoleacetic acid (IAA) and kinetin (Kn) on immune potential enzymes, adenosine deaminase (ADA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), and antioxidant defense enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in various tissues of rats were investigated during the treatment as a drinking water model. 100 ppm of IAA and Kn as drinking water were administered orally to rats (Sprague-Dawley albino) ad libitum for 21 days continuously. The PGRs treatments caused different effects on the immune potential and antioxidant defense enzymes of experimented rats compared to controls. Results show that IAA caused a significant decrease in GR activity in the lungs and liver and an increase in the spleen. Also, IAA caused a significant decline in GPx activity in the lungs and an increase in the heart. SOD was significantly reduced in the heart, while increased in the lungs. Furthermore, IAA caused a significant decrease in ADA activity in the heart and blood whereas an increase in the kidney and spleen. MPO activity was also significantly increased in the heart by IAA treatment. The activity of enzymes were also seriously affected by Kn; GR activity decreased in the lungs, brain, and blood while GPx activity decreased in the spleen, brain, and heart. ADA activity was also significantly reduced in the blood whereas MPO activity rose in the spleen. In addition, SOD activity lowered in all tissues except for lungs where a significant increment was determined. As a conclusion, the results indicate that PGRs might affect on antioxidant and immune potential enzymes. These data, along with the determined changes suggest that PGRs produced substantial systemic organ toxicity in the erythrocyte, liver, brain, heart, lungs, spleen, and kidney during the period of a 21-day subacute exposure.     

Genetic diversity assessments of brown rot pathogen Monilinia fructicola based on the six simple sequence repeat loci

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Monilinia fructicola, causal agent of brown rot of stone fruits, is an economically important problem worldwide. Six of the sequence tagged microsatellite...