Tilapia Lake Virus was not detected in non-tilapine species within tilapia polyculture systems of Bangladesh

Sixteen countries, including Bangladesh, have reported the presence of tilapia lake virus (TiLV), an emerging tilapia pathogen. Fish polyculture is a common farming practice in Bangladesh. Some unusual mortalities reported in species co-cultivated with TiLV-infected tilapia led us to investigate whether any of the co-cultivated species would also test positive for TiLV and whether they were susceptible to TiLV infection under controlled laboratory experiments. Using 183 samples obtained from 15 farms in six districts across Bangladesh, we determined that 20% of the farms tested positive for TiLV in tilapia, while 15 co-cultivated fish species and seven other invertebrates (e.g. insects and crustaceans) considered potential carriers all tested negative. Of the six representative fish species experimentally infected with TiLV, only Nile tilapia showed the typical clinical signs of the disease, with 70% mortality within 12 days. By contrast, four carp species and one catfish species challenged with TiLV showed no signs of TiLV infection. Challenged tilapia were confirmed as TiLV-positive by RT-qPCR, while challenged carp and walking catfish all tested negative. Overall, our field and laboratory findings indicate that species used in polycultures are not susceptible to TiLV. Although current evidence suggests that TiLV is likely host-specific to tilapia, targeted surveillance for TiLV in other fish species in polyculture systems should continue, in order to prepare for a possible future scenario where TiLV mutates and/or adapts to new host(s).     

泗棉3号的超高产栽培调控技术研究

本文围绕泗棉３号研究了因种高产栽培的调控技术。所获主要结果如下：泗棉３号在超高产水平下以较低的群体起点，配以科学的肥料运筹，能够调节棉株生理机能，改善叶层与叶角分布，增加光合能力，积累更多的干物质并以较大的比例分配到生殖器官中去，增加成铃数量。     

右美托咪定复合利多卡因持续输注对犬异氟烷麻醉的影响

为了减小异氟烷麻醉的不良反应,获得良好的麻醉效果,探讨了盐酸右美托咪定和利多卡因复合静脉输注对异氟烷麻醉效果的影响。将12只临床健康的小型成年犬随机分为单一异氟烷(13mL/L)维持麻醉组(ISO)和右美托咪定(每小时2μg/kg静脉输注)-利多卡因(每小时50μg/kg静脉输注)-异氟烷(7.5mL/L)复合维持麻醉组(LDI)。两组犬均采用相同的麻醉前处理并辅助机械通气,麻醉维持时间1h,并监测和记录各项麻醉相关指标。结果显示,与ISO组相比,复合麻醉组犬只能更快地进入麻醉稳定期(P0.01),镇静、镇痛和肌松效果更好(P0.05),恢复苏醒的时间也更短(P0.01);期间动物心率明显降低(P0.01),但血压和血气离子浓度变化相对稳定。此外,心脏出现的代偿性扩张(P0.05)和血液动力学变化并未明显影响心脏的收缩和射血功能,均在临床可接受范围内。结果表明,盐酸右美托咪定和利多卡因复合用药可减少异氟烷的使用浓度,提供稳定的麻醉效果,动物的苏醒质量更佳,可以用于临床麻醉。     

CD34 protein is expressed in murine,canine, and porcine lungs

The cell surface protein CD34 is expressed in various human tissues and cells, including hematopoietic stem cells, vascular endothelial cells, mucosal dendritic cells, mast cells, eosinophils, microglia, fibrocytes, muscle satellite cells, and platelets. There is a lack of data on the expression of CD34 in canine and porcine tissues. Therefore, we designed a series of immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence experiments to observe CD34 expression in murine, canine, and porcine lungs. We used a rabbit antibody (clone EP373Y) to target the conserved human CD34 C-terminal region and validated its immunoreactivity against mouse lung homogenates. The data showed diffuse bronchiolar and alveolar epithelial localization of CD34 protein in normal murine, canine, and porcine lungs. At 9 or 24 h after bacterial endotoxin exposure, murine CD34 protein shifted to specific bronchoalveolar cells with a punctate pattern, as quantified by CD34 fluorescence. Specific porcine bronchoalveolar cells and leukocytes had significant CD34-positive immunostaining after H3N1 influenza infection. Thus, our study provides fundamental data on the expression of CD34 in lungs and validates an antibody for use in further experiments in these animal species.     

Application of the Cropping System Model (CSM)‐CROPGRO‐Soybean for Determining Optimum Management Strategies for Soybean in Tropical Environments

The determination of optimum crop management practices for increasing soybean production can provide valuable information for strategic planning in the tropics. However, this process is time consuming and expensive. The use of a dynamic crop simulation model can be an alternative option to help estimate yield levels under various growing conditions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the Cropping System Model (CSM)‐CROPGRO‐Soybean and to determine optimum management practices for soybean for growing conditions in the Phu Pha Man district, Thailand. Data from two soybean experiments that were conducted in 1991 at Chiang Mai University and in 2003 at Khon Kaen University were used to determine the cultivar coefficients for the cultivars CM 60 and SJ 5. The CSM‐CROPGRO‐Soybean model was evaluated with data from two experiments that were conducted at Chiang Mai University. The observed data sets from farmers’ fields located in the Phu Pha Man district were also used for model evaluation. Simulations for different management scenarios were conducted with soil property information for seven different soil series and historical weather data for the period 1972–2003 to predict the optimum crop management practices for soybean production in the Phu Pha Man district. The results of this study indicated that the cultivar coefficients of the two soybean cultivars resulted in simulated growth and development parameters that were in good agreement with almost all observed parameters. Model evaluation showed a good agreement between simulated and observed data for phenology and growth of soybean, and demonstrated the potential of the CSM‐CROPGRO‐Soybean model to simulate growth and yield for local environments, including farmers’ fields, in Thailand. The CSM‐CROPGRO‐Soybean simulations indicated that the optimum planting dates from June 15 to July 15 produced maximum soybean yield in a rainfed environment. However, the planting date December 15 produced the highest yield under quality irrigation. Soybean yield was slightly improved by applying nitrogen at a rate of 30 kg N ha^?1 at planting. Soybean yield also improved when the plant density was increased from 20 to 40 plants m^?2. The results from this study suggest that the CSM‐CROPGRO‐Soybean model can be a valuable tool in assisting with determining optimum management practices for soybean cropping systems in the Phu Pha Man district and might be applicable to other agricultural production areas in Thailand and southeast Asia.     

松嫩平原玉米带农业生态系统的研究(Ⅱ)——能流模型的建立与可持续性分析

在测试并确定农业生态系统各项参数和状态变量的基础上， 应用数学模型方法建立了松嫩平原玉米带农业生态系统的能流型， 进行了结构与功能的分析， 探讨了不同农业技术模式、土壤有机质和农田产量之间消长的关系。结果认为， 实现农业的持续发展， 应采取有机无机相结合的农业技术体系。     

Convenient Agarose Preparation with Hydrogen Peroxide and Desulfation Process Analysis

Agarose is a natural seaweed polysaccharide and widely used in the medicine, food, and biological fields because of its high gel strength, non-toxicity, and electrical neutrality. The sulfate group is one of the main charged groups that affect the performance of agarose. In the present study, a simple, eco-friendly, and efficient method was explored for agarose preparation. After desulfation with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), the sulfate content of agar reached 0.21%. Together with gel strength, electroendosmosis, gelling and melting temperature, the indicators of desulfated agar met the standards of commercially available agarose. Notably, the desulfated agar can be used as an agarose gel electrophoresis medium to separate DNA molecules, and the separation effect is as good as that of commercially available agarose. Further, the H₂O₂ desulfation process was analyzed. The addition of a hydroxyl radical (HO•) scavenger remarkably decreased the H₂O₂ desulfation rate, indicating that HO• has a certain role in agar desulfation. Sulfate content detection indicated that sulfur was removed from agar molecules in the form of sulfate ions (SO₄²⁻) and metal sulfate. The band absence at 850 cm⁻¹ indicated that the sulfate groups at C-4 of D-galactose in sulfated galactan were eliminated.     

Expression of scavenger receptor B1 (SR-B1) in the liver of high fat and sugar diet-induced diabetic mice

AIM: To investigate serum lipid and the expression of SR-B1 in the livers of diabetic mice. METHODS: Ten normal diet, female C57BL/6J mice, fifteen high fat and sugar diet female C57BL/6J mice, five fed 8 weeks and ten fed 16 weeks were used in the experiment. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin (INS) and the expression of SR-B1 in the livers were measured. RESULTS: 1. In the high fat and sugar diet mice, serum TC and FBG at 16 weeks were significantly higher than that in normal diet mice (P<0.05). 2. The expression of SR-B1 protein in the liver of high fat and sugar diet mice was the higher than that in normal mice, and the SR-B1 expression in the liver of the mouse fed 16 weeks was also higher than that fed 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: The expression of SR-B1 protein in the liver of type 2 diabetes mice is higher than that in normal mice, perhaps it is related to the decrease in serum HDL-C.     

Roles of atypical chemokine receptors in progression and metastasis of tumor

Chemokines and their receptors have been implicated mostly in tumor progression and metastasis. Atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) comprise a group of 7-transmembrane domain proteins structurally similar to G protein-coupled receptors. However, ACKRs do not induce classical signaling via the typical G protein-mediated pathways. ACKRs efficiently internalize the cognate chemokine ligands and act as scavengers instead. ACJRs are composed of at least 3 members of chemokine receptors:Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC, also known as ACKR1), D6 (also known as ACKR2) and ChemoCentryx chemokine receptor (CCX-CKR, also known as ACKR4). These receptors bind to and/or internalize their chemoattractant ligands without activating signal transduction cascades leading to cell migration. In this review, we summarize the recent progress regarding the roles of ACKRs in the progression and metastasis of tumor.     

Genetic control of acquired high temperature tolerance in winter wheat

Summary The development of high temperature-tolerant wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm is necessary to improve plant productivity under high-temperature stress environments. The quantification of high temperature tolerance and the characterization of its genetic control are necessary for germplasm enhancement efforts. This study was conducted to determine the genetic control of acquired high temperature tolerance in common bread wheat cultivars. Reduction of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) by heat-stressed seedling leaves was used as a quantitative measure to characterize acquired high temperature tolerance. Eleven-day-old seedlings of 20 F₁ progeny produced through a complete 5×5 (Payne, Siouxland, Sturdy, TAM W-101, and TAM 108) diallel mating design were acclimated at 37° C for 24 hours, followed by a 2-hour incubation at 50° C. Under these test conditions, acquired high temperature tolerance ranged from a high of 75.7% for the genotype TAM W-101 × TAM 108, to a low of 37.3% for the genotype Payne × Siouxland. Partitioning of genotypic variance revealed that only the general combining ability component effect was statistically highly significant, accounting for 67% of the total genotypic variation. These results suggest that enhancing the level of high temperature tolerance in wheat germplasm is feasible utilizing existing levels of genetic variability and exploiting additive genetic effects associated with high temperature tolerance.Contribution of the Texas Tech College of Agric. Sci. Journal no T-4-386. This work was supported by USDA specific agreement No. 58-7MNI-6-114 from the Plant Stress and Water Conservation Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Lubbock, Texas, USA