Die Grundlagen des natürlichen Erdbeeraromas

Due to its abundance of taste and odour compounds the strawberry becomes more and more popular. But what makes the flavour of this fruit so extraordinary? Scientists from the Technische Universität München (TUM) provide an answer. They succeeded in the elucidation of the formation pathway of a key aroma chemical of strawberry fruit on the molecular level.     

Grass and legume seeding on a scarified coastal alluvial site in northwestern British Columbia: response of native non-crop vegetation and planted Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) seedlings

The success of various grass-legume mixtures in controlling competing vegetation, and their effect on subsequent survival and growth of Sitka spruce seedlings was studied on a coastal alluvial site in northwestern British Columbia. Mechanically scarified (bladed) strips were hand seeded to pure and combined mixtures of legumes, bunchgrasses, and sodforming grasses. An unseeded control (bladed but not seeded) was also established.Alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum L.) was the most successful legume species. Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), big bluegrass (Poa ampla Merr.), and creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) were the most successful grass species. Red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) density and height were lower in legume-seeded treatments. Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L.) and salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis Pursh.) were effectively reduced by blading and have reestablished slowly. A combination of blading and early establishment of either sodforming grasses or bunchgrasses effectively decreased reinvasion by thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus Nutt.).Growth of Sitka spruce was best in the unseeded control treatment or in the treatments with legumes but no sodforming grasses. Presence of sodforming grasses decreased both diameter and height growth. Sitka spruce diameter decreased with increasing red alder density. After 5 growing seasons, spruce has outgrown all competitors except red alder.     

Use of capecitabine after renal allograft transplantation in dog erythrocyte antigen-matched dogs

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of a capecitabine (CAP)-based regimen after renal transplantation in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, pilot study. ANIMALS: Healthy, unrelated, dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA)-matched, adult beagles. METHOD: Standard heterotopic renal transplantation with native nephrectomy was performed in 7 dogs. Dogs received oral, twice daily, CAP (250 mg/m2), cyclosporine-A (CsA) (4 mg/kg), ketoconazole (5 mg/kg), and prednisolone (0.25 mg/kg). After 90 days the surviving dogs were euthanatized and complete necropsy was performed. RESULTS: Seven transplants were performed. All dogs survived surgery. Six dogs had acute neurotoxicity, which resulted in death or euthanasia of 2 dogs within 2 days of surgery. In the remaining dogs, toxicity resolved rapidly with cessation of drug administration. Thereafter, modification of the regimen minimized toxicity. The 5 remaining dogs survived to study end; 4 dogs had no evidence of graft rejection. Necropsy examination was mostly unremarkable in all dogs. There were no major changes in CBC or biochemical values, except for a significant increase in serum calcium. CONCLUSIONS: CAP appeared well tolerated in most dogs. Toxicity occurred but abated with modification of the drug regimen. Efficacy for postoperative immunosuppression cannot be determined by this study, although results are promising. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: CAP-CsA-prednisolone is an effective, oral immunosuppressive regimen for prevention of acute allograft rejection in DEA-matched beagles. Further studies on dose, toxicity, and efficacy compared with current immunosuppressive regimens are needed before use in clinical practice.     

Improved assessment of frozen/thawed mouse spermatozoa using fluorescence microscopy

Genetically modified (GM) animals are unique mutants with an enormous scientific potential. Cryopreservation of pre-implantation embryos or spermatozoa is a common approach for protecting these lines from being lost or to store them in a repository. A mutant line can be taken out of a breeding nucleus only if sufficient numbers of samples with an appropriate level of quality are cryopreserved. The quality of different donors within the same mouse line might be heterogeneous and the cryopreservation procedure might also be error-prone. However, only limited amounts of material are available for analysis. To improve the monitoring of frozen/thawed spermatozoa, commonly used in vitro fertilization (IVF) followed by embryo transfer were replaced with animal-free techniques. Major factors for assessing spermatozoa quality (i.e., density, viability, motility, and morphology) were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. For this, a live/dead cell staining protocol requiring only small amounts of material was created. Membrane integrity was then examined as major parameter closely correlated with successful IVF. These complex analyses allow us to monitor frozen/thawed spermatozoa from GM mice using a relatively simple staining procedure. This approach leads to a reduction of animal experiments and contributes to the 3R principles (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments).     

Approaching the quantum limit of a nanomechanical resonator

By coupling a single-electron transistor to a high-quality factor, 19.7-megahertz nanomechanical resonator, we demonstrate position detection approaching that set by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle limit. At millikelvin temperatures, position resolution a factor of 4.3 above the quantum limit is achieved and demonstrates the near-ideal performance of the single-electron transistor as a linear amplifier. We have observed the resonator's thermal motion at temperatures as low as 56 millikelvin, with quantum occupation factors of NTH = 58. The implications of this experiment reach from the ultimate limits of force microscopy to qubit readout for quantum information devices.     

饲粮添加有机和无机微量元素对猪粪矿物元素排泄量及生-K性能的影响

1 摘要 本研究采用分析粪样、试验末体重和超声波检测的方法评定百乐(R)系列有机微量元素对生长肥育猪粪矿物元素(铜、铁和锌)排泄量以及生长性能和肉质的影响(n=528).     

Lack of detectable West Nile virus RNA in brains and kidneys of dogs and cats with immunohistological precipitates using virus-specific antibodies

Five dogs and four cats from Germany suffering from encephalitis revealed positive immunoreactivity using two West Nile virus (WNV) specific monoclonal antibodies in brain and in kidney. However, WNV-infection could not be confirmed by additional PCR analyses. This study indicated that positive immunoreactivity for WNV in dogs and cats must be interpreted cautiously and should be confirmed by a second virus-specific technique.     

Insect midgut structures and molecules as targets of plant‐derived protease inhibitors and lectins

The midgut of insects is involved in digestion, osmoregulation and immunity. Although several defensive strategies are present in this organ, its organization and function may be disturbed by some insecticidal agents, including bioactive proteins like lectins and protease inhibitors (PIs) from plants. PIs interfere with digestion, leading to poor nutrient absorption and decreasing amino acid bioavailability. Intake of PIs can delay development, cause deformities and reduce fertility. Ingestion of PIs may lead to changes in the set of proteases secreted in the insect gut, but this response is often insufficient and results in aggravation of the malnutrition status. Lectins are proteins that are able to interact with glycoconjugates, including those linked to cell surfaces. Their effects on the midgut include disruption of the peritrophic matrix, brush border and secretory cell layer; induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress; interference with nutrient absorption and transport proteins; and damaging effects on symbionts. In addition, lectins can cross the intestinal barrier and reach the hemolymph. The establishment of resistant insect populations due to selective pressure resulting from massive use of a bioactive protein is an actual possibility, but this can be minimized by the multiple mode‐of‐action of these proteins, mainly the lectins. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Genomics,genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement.     

土壤反硝化对磺胺嘧啶及抗性基因消减的影响

农田土壤中抗生素及抗性基因的复合污染已给生态环境安全和人体健康带来了全新隐患。针对厌氧条件下,反硝化作用过程对土壤抗生素乃至抗性基因消减影响的研究一直相对较少。因而,本研究采集牛粪堆积池塘周边底层农田土壤作为目标污染土壤,重点研究反硝化作用过程对土壤磺胺嘧啶及抗性基因消减动态的影响。结果表明:相较于原始污染土壤处理(T1),添加了NO_3~–-N的处理(T2)可以显著强化土壤和水相中反硝化速率,提升N_2O的产气速率,促进土壤中磺胺嘧啶浓度和抗性基因丰度的快速降低;同时发现土壤反硝化基因(nir K、nir S和nos Z)与磺胺类抗性基因(sul Ⅰ和sul Ⅱ)呈显著负相关(P0.05),说明当NO_3~–-N底物越充足,土壤反硝化细菌活性往往被激活,其反硝化功能基因表达就越活跃,土壤反硝化作用过程就越强烈,从而反馈作用促进磺胺嘧啶抗生素的厌氧消减,进而有助于sul系列抗性基因丰度的显著衰减;同时通过高通量测序技术及对反硝化细菌的分离筛选后,发现变形菌门(Proteobacteria)赖氨酸芽胞杆菌属(Lysinibacillus)的细菌是土壤厌氧反应前后的主导优势菌群,对于强化反硝化过程和促进磺胺嘧啶及sul抗性基因的消减发挥了潜在的积极作用。本研究结果可为探明土壤中抗生素的厌氧消减过程和缓解抗性基因的扩散传播提供新颖的认知基础。