Presence of Caffeic Acid in Flaxseed Lignan Macromolecule

Phenolic compounds were extracted from defatted flaxseeds using ethanol-dioxane (1:1, v/v). The crude extract obtained was purified using Amberlite XAD-16 column chromatography with water and methanol as mobile phases. RP-HPLC and SE-HPLC showed a lignan macromolecule (LM) as a dominant phenolic compound in the purified extract. After the alkaline hydrolysis of LM caffeic acid glucoside (CaAG) was isolated using a semi-preparative HPLC and its structure was confirmed by LC-ESI-MS. In LM of the investigated flaxseed, one molecule of caffeic acid corresponded with five molecules of p-coumaric acid and two molecules of ferulic acid. The presence of caffeic acid in the lignan molecule might be very beneficial due to its high antioxidant activity.     

Diversity loss of lichen pine forests in Poland

In Central Europe, deciduous forests are the dominant community type and lichen pine forests are restricted to certain areas with extremely nutrient-poor and xeric soil types. In recent decades, a retreat of vegetation of oligotrophic habitats has been observed in Central Europe. In this study, we assessed changes of lichen pine forests in Poland: within the main area of the range in Central Europe. We used two sets of data collected at a local and regional (nation-wide) scale. On the basis of data from semi-permanent plots, we examined changes in the structure and species composition of lichen pine forests over 33 years at the local scale (between 1975 and 2008). To compare trends at the regional scale, we used data collected in the Polish Vegetation Database (PVD). For identification of lichen pine forests we determined a group of co-occurring Cladonia species. We analyzed differences in species richness and vegetation structure at the regional scale in tree time periods (1) between 1951 and 1969, (2) 1970 and 1989, and (3) 1990 and 2011. We found that changes in lichen pine forests are primarily quantitative at both scales. Our results indicate that the abundance of Cladonia species is limited by strong competitors, i.e., vascular plants and bryophytes, which may be explained by eutrophication and climate warming. Only pine forests with a minor abundance of lichens have chances to persist in the vegetation of Central Europe, while the most valuable communities with high abundance of indicators will disappear. Though an assessment of the total decrease in the area of lichen pine forests is not possible with the available regional data, local observations indicate a large decline in the area of lichen pine forests in Central Europe. Their conservation seems to be a serious challenge, because it is difficult to provide optimal conditions for all indicators.     

Reactivity of selected markers of innate and adaptive immunity in rabbits experimentally infected with antigenic variants of RHD (Lagovirus europaeus/GI.1a)

Veterinary Research Communications - Lagovirus europaeus/GI.1 causes a fatal viral condition in rabbits characterized by acute viral hepatitis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Due to...     

An evaluation of two potential risk factors, MHC diversity and host density, for infection by an invasive nematode Ashworthius sidemi in endangered European bison (Bison bonasus)

Parasites are thought to increase the risk of host extinction, but their dynamics in endangered species have not been well investigated. The free-living European bison population in Bia?owie?a Forest has recently been massively invaded by a blood-sucking nematode, Ashworthius sidemi. This nematode originated in Asia and was probably transmitted to Europe with the introduction of the sika deer. Here, we investigate the impacts of genetic factors (the Major Histocompatibility Complex class II genes responsible for extracellular parasite recognition) and management practices (supplementary feeding affecting winter population density) on the intensity of A. sidemi infections in bison. All but two out of 110 animals investigated between 2005 and 2009 were infected with A. sidemi, and the intensity of infection increased significantly with time. Due to a severe population bottleneck experienced by the bison, only four class II DRB alleles are retained in the Bia?owie?a population. We found that despite high sequence divergence, neither any of the alleles nor DRB heterozygosity was significantly associated with infection intensity. We did find, however, that winter density of bison herds was positively associated with infection intensity. Winter bison population densities were in turn predicted by the intensity of supplementary feeding.     

Analyzing the genotype-by-environment interactions under a randomization-derived mixed model

This article describes procedures for studying parameters connected with the genotype-by-environment interactions appearing in a mixed model derived from the randomization principle. It considers estimation of these parameters and of their meaningful functions. A test for the overall no-interaction hypothesis is described, and relevant tests for some implied hypotheses concerning individual parametric functions are considered. Useful data transformations are proposed that allow the graphic presentation of interesting features of the genotype-by-environment interactions. The theoretical considerations are illustrated by an analysis of the results of a series of trials with pea varieties.     

Protein resources of wildSecale species

Summary The aim of this study was to find the eventual sources of increased protein content and of the changed balance between exogenic amino acids in caryopses protein of 9 wildSecale species (S. chaldicum Fed.,S. Kuprijanovii Grossh.,S. anatolicum Boiss.,S. montanum Guss.,S. silvestre Host,S. ancestrale Zhuk.,S. afghanicum Vav.,S. dighoricum Vav.,S. segetale Roshev.). A comparison was completed between the previous cited wild species and low and high protein rye cultivars ofS. cereale L. species, from the point of their amino acid composition and the ultrastructure of endosperm proteins. The wild species surpassed the cultivated varieties in protein content, useful protein content, and as much as twice the direct amount of some of the most important, from a nutritional point of view, amino acids, e.g. lysine or methionine. The first limiting amino acids were for wild species isoleucine, threonine and lysine. The wild species with the highest protein content differed significantly from the cultivated species in the amounts of protein matrix surrounding the starch granules in the deeper layers of endosperm cells.

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Proteinressourcen vonSecale-Wildarten

Zusammenfassung Von 9Secale-Wildarten (S. chaldicum Fed.,S. kuprijanovii Grossh.,S. anatolicum Boiss.,S. montanum Guss.,S. silvestre Host,S. ancestrale Zhuk.,S. afghanicum Vav.,S. dighoricum Vav.,S. segetale Roshev.) wurde das Protein der Karyopsen daraufhin untersucht, ob es darunter Sippen mit einem verbesserten Proteingehalt und einem geänderten Verhältnis von exogenen Aminosäuren gibt. Die genannten Wildarten wurden mit proteinreichen und proteinarmen Zuchtsorten vonS. cereale L. hinsichtlich der Aminosäure-Anteile und der Ultrastruktur des Endosperm-Proteins verglichen. Die Wildarten übertrafen die Zuchtsorten im Eiweißgehalt und im 'nutzbaren Eiweißgehalt und enthielten etwa die doppelte Menge der (unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Ernährung) wichtigsten Aminosäuren, wie Lysin und Methionin. Die ersten limitierenden Aminosäuren waren für die Wildarten Isoleucin, Threonin und Lysin. Die Wildarten mit dem höchsten Proteingehalt unterschieden sich signifikant in den Ausmaßen der Proteinmatrix, die die Stärkekörner von tiefer gelegenen Endospermzellen umgibt, von der Kulturart.

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Secale L.

(S. chaldicum Fed., S. kuprijanovi Grossh., S. anatolicum Boiss., S. montanum Guss., S. silvestre Host, S. ancestrale Zhuk., S. afghanicum Vav., S. dighoricum Vav., S. segetale Roshev.) ë . S. cereale L., , , . , , ( ) , . , . , ë .

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Presented as poster

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The authors thank M.Mauszyska and R.Izdebski for propagation of rye materials used in this research.     

Texture function application for wood ultrastructure description. Part 1: theory

The three-dimensional orientation distribution function (ODF), being a probability of the density of crystallographic orientations, is widely used for describing internal arrangement of polycrystalline materials (especially metals and alloys). The application of the ODF was enhanced in the paper for the monoclinic crystal symmetry. The algorithm of the crystallographic texture analysis based on the arbitrarily defined cells method was presented together with the discussion of the input data required for analyzing the space organization of the ultrastructure of materials with the monoclinic lattice symmetry. The test analysis was performed for the model material of the same type of the crystallographic lattice as in wood cellulose. The obtained ODF was presented and discussed. The results of the analysis were supplemented both with reconstructed complete pole figures and with the inverse pole figures.