β-Carotene from the Alga Dunaliella bardawil Decreases Gene Expression of Adipose Tissue Macrophage Recruitment Markers and Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids are involved in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism and inflammation. We examined the effect of dietary supplementation using all-trans and 9-cis β-carotene-rich Dunaliella bardawil alga as the sole source of vitamin A on obesity-associated comorbidities and adipose tissue dysfunction in a diet-induced obesity mouse model. Three-week-old male mice (C57BL/6) were randomly allocated into two groups and fed a high-fat, vitamin A-deficient diet supplemented with either vitamin A (HFD) or β-carotene (BC) (HFD-BC). Vitamin A levels in the liver, WATs, and BAT of the HFD-BC group were 1.5–2.4-fold higher than of the HFD group. BC concentrations were 5–6-fold greater in BAT compared to WAT in the HFD-BC group. The eWAT mRNA levels of the Mcp-1 and Cd68 were 1.6- and 2.1-fold lower, respectively, and the plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were 30% and 28% lower in the HFD-BC group compared with the HFD group. Dietary BC can be the exclusive vitamin A source in mice fed a high-fat diet, as shown by the vitamin A concentration in the plasma and tissues. Feeding BC rather than vitamin A reduces adipose tissue macrophage recruitment markers and plasma lipid concentrations.     

Effect of dietary concentrations of fat and energy on fat deposition in broilers divergently selected for high or low abdominal adipose tissue

1. Fat deposition in abdominal, mesenterial, sartorial and gizzard adipose tissues (AT), liver, breast muscle, skin and carcase was studied in male broilers, selected for high (HF) and low (LF) abdominal fat and fed on diets differing in energy density and total fat content. 2. There were no significant differences in body weight in the experimental groups. The relative weight (g/kg body weight) of the dissected adipose tissues was higher in HF than in LF birds. Fat concentration in the AT (sartorial excepted), skin and body was higher in the HF compared with the LF birds. The lines did not differ significantly in liver and breast muscle fat content. 3. Abdominal AT was affected by selection or dietary fat more than other AT and total body fat. 4. In the HF birds increasing energy density from 12.3 to 13.4 MJ/kg (dietary fat kept constant: 5.46 g/MJ) significantly increased the weight of the abdominal, mesenterial and sartorial AT. Increasing dietary fat (at both energy densities) decreased the weight of the AT, whereas increasing both energy and fat did not affect it. In the LF birds, similar but milder and insignificant trends were observed. It is suggested that this interaction has biological significance.     

Composition and amino acid content of carcass,skin and feathers of the growing gosling

1. Growth rate, food intake and utilisation were determined for goslings (Anser cireneus) from hatching to 7 weeks of age.

2. The relative weight of the carcass (body without feathers, skin or intestinal content) decreased from 0.83 of total body weight at hatching to 0.73 at 7 weeks. The skin relative weight increased from 0.12 at hatching to 0.17 at 2 weeks of age and subsequently remained constant. The weight of feathers increased from 0.034 of body weight at hatching to 0.08 at 7 weeks.

3. The fat of the carcass and skin increased during the 7‐week experimental period. The skin retained about half of the total body fat.

4. While amino acid compositions of feathers and skin proteins were quite similar to data reported for other birds, carcass proteins were lower in methionine and lysine.     

The prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) antibodies in dromedary camels in Israel

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS‐CoV, was identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and as of January 29, 2018, there were 2,123 laboratory‐confirmed MERS‐CoV cases reported to WHO (WHO, 2018, https://www.who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/ ). Multiple studies suggest that dromedary camels are a source for human MERS‐CoV infection. MERS‐CoV‐specific antibodies have been detected in the serum of dromedary camels across Northern Africa and across the Arabian Peninsula. Israel's geographic location places Israel at risk for MERS‐CoV infection. To date, MERS‐CoV‐related illness has not been reported and the burden of MERS‐CoV infection in the Israeli population is unknown. The seroprevalence of MERS‐CoV‐specific antibodies in Israeli dromedary camels is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MERS‐CoV seropositivity in dromedary camels in Israel. The prevalence of MERS‐CoV antibodies in Israeli camels was examined in 71 camel sera collected from four farms across Israel by MERS‐CoV‐specific microneutralization (Mnt) assay and confirmed by MERS‐CoV‐specific immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Although this study cannot rule out potential antibody cross‐reactivity by IFA, the presence of bovine coronavirus‐specific antibodies do not appear to impact detection of MERS‐CoV antibodies by Mnt. MERS‐CoV neutralizing antibodies were detectable in 51 (71.8%) camel sera, and no association was observed between the presence of neutralizing antibodies and camel age or gender. These findings extend the known range of MERS‐CoV circulation in Middle Eastern camels. The high rate of MERS‐CoV‐specific antibody seropositivity in dromedary camels in the absence of any reported human MERS cases suggests that there is still much to be learned about the dynamics of camel‐to‐human transmission of MERS‐CoV.     

Intersubject synchronization of cortical activity during natural vision

To what extent do all brains work alike during natural conditions? We explored this question by letting five subjects freely view half an hour of a popular movie while undergoing functional brain imaging. Applying an unbiased analysis in which spatiotemporal activity patterns in one brain were used to "model" activity in another brain, we found a striking level of voxel-by-voxel synchronization between individuals, not only in primary and secondary visual and auditory areas but also in association cortices. The results reveal a surprising tendency of individual brains to "tick collectively" during natural vision. The intersubject synchronization consisted of a widespread cortical activation pattern correlated with emotionally arousing scenes and regionally selective components. The characteristics of these activations were revealed with the use of an open-ended "reverse-correlation" approach, which inverts the conventional analysis by letting the brain signals themselves "pick up" the optimal stimuli for each specialized cortical area.     

Inferring cellular networks using probabilistic graphical models

High-throughput genome-wide molecular assays, which probe cellular networks from different perspectives, have become central to molecular biology. Probabilistic graphical models are useful for extracting meaningful biological insights from the resulting data sets. These models provide a concise representation of complex cellular networks by composing simpler submodels. Procedures based on well-understood principles for inferring such models from data facilitate a model-based methodology for analysis and discovery. This methodology and its capabilities are illustrated by several recent applications to gene expression data.     

Slow-release formulations of sulfometuron incorporated in micelles adsorbed on montmorillonite

The design and tests of slow-release formulations of sulfometuron (SFM), an anionic sulfonylurea herbicide, are described. The formulations are based on incorporation of the herbicide in octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA) micelles, which adsorb on a clay mineral, montmorillonite. An optimization of herbicide/micelle clay ratios yielded high adsorption of SFM (95%), and at a 1% (w/w) water suspension only 0.5% of the adsorbed SFM was released at times varying from hours to 9 days. An analytical test in Seville soil showed that under excessive irrigation (400 mm) 100% of the commercial formulation leached, whereas the micelle-clay formulations showed only 50-65% elution. A plant bioassay in Rehovot soil showed that the commercial dispersible granule formulation (Oust, 75% ai sulfometuron methyl) yielded only 23% root elongation inhibition at the top 5 cm of the soil, whereas complete inhibition was achieved with the micelle-clay formulation. The detected concentration of SFM for the micelle-clay formulation at a depth of 15-20 cm was half of that detected for the commercial one, indicating a reduction in leaching when applying the micelle-clay formulation. A 10-fold reduction in the applied dose of SFM in the micelle-clay formulations resulted in good herbicidal activity of 60-87% inhibition. These characteristics make the new formulation promising from the environmental and economic points of view.     

Common dolphins,common in neritic waters off southern Israel,demonstrate uncommon dietary habits

1. During the last decade, the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) has become the second most sighted species in Israeli coastal waters, after the common bottlenose dolphin. Documentation mostly relies on opportunistic, photo and/or video-backed second-party reports, delimited within a 10 km near-shore strip.
2. Sightings occur year round, are confined to the southern part of the Israeli coast and typically comprise relatively large groups (mean ± SD: 21.5 ± 13.3), often with young calves.
3. Strandings are relatively scarce, typically one per year, and have so far yielded five upper digestive tract contents for diet analysis.
4. Cephalopods comprised 1.2% of the estimated number of prey items in the combined content. Surprisingly, by far the most abundant and prevalent prey item found (57% of pooled prey items; present and dominant in four out of five tracts) was the Balearic eel (Ariosoma balearicum), a sand burrower which is also a major dietary component of the common bottlenose dolphins.
5. Bottlenose dolphins in Israel are known to forage in association with bottom trawlers, leading to the notion that common dolphins also make use of this foraging mode. Indeed, in addition to their association with purse seiners, they have been documented accompanying bottom trawlers, by both day and night. The slender Balearic eels are frequently found protruding from the net's eyes, presumably making easy prey for both dolphin species.
6. Information gaps on common dolphins include range extension to the south/south-west, abundance estimation and genetic flow/isolation. Even so, its unusual diet and the fact that the closest known populations to the north/north-west are from the Aegean Sea, were major considerations in the recent designation of the ‘Coastal Shelf Waters of the South-east Levantine Sea’ as a Mediterranean Important Marine Mammal Area.

     

Fire-free natural regeneration in water limited Pinus halepensis forests: a silvicultural approach

We aimed to elucidate environmental and silvicultural factors that determine the extent of fire-free natural regeneration in east Mediterranean Pinus halepensis forests. The specific aims were to study the potential and identify bottlenecks for natural regeneration and examine the effects of overstory thinning and site preparation treatments. We integrated four experiments conducted in diverse ecoregions in Israel ranging from semiarid to subhumid. Seedling emergence and survival were traced for 2–4 years in Mishmar Ha’Emek Forest (MHF) with annual rainfall of 604 mm; Shaharia Forest (SF)—435 mm; and Yatir Forest (YF)—280 mm. Effects of thinning treatments: clearcut, 100 tree, 200 tree ha^?1 and control—310 tree ha^?1, were examined in MHF. Effects of site preparation treatments: soil scarification and herb clipping were examined in SF. Density of emerged seedlings varied among ecoregions and was linked to average annual rainfall. Within ecoregions, emerged seedling density was higher on north-facing slopes than on south-facing slopes and was strongly related to stand characteristics (e.g., stem basal area) and seed rain. Seedling survival rate of about 20 % was recorded in MHF while no seedling survival was observed in YF and SF during the study years. Thinning treatments reduced seed rain and emerging seedling density, but increased seedling survival and growth. Recruitment 4 years after thinning was highest in the 100 tree ha^?1 treatment and lowest in the control. In SF, seedling survival was limited mainly by herbaceous vegetation and was improved by soil scarification and herb clipping. Silvicultural implications are discussed.