An artificial inoculation protocol for Uromycladium acaciae,cause of a serious disease of Acacia mearnsii in southern Africa

Uromycladium acaciae is the cause of a severe wattle rust epidemic in plantations of Acacia mearnsii (black wattle) in southern Africa. Research on the biology of this damaging rust is assisting in the development of control strategies. One strategy under investigation is the identification and deployment of resistant lines of A. mearnsii. Selection of resistant families currently relies on large-scale, time-consuming and expensive field trials. In this study, we present a detailed artificial inoculation protocol for U. acaciae, which can be used to screen for resistance. The results of an experiment that used the protocol to screen the relative resistance of 12 families of A. mearnsii to U. acaciae are also presented. The developed artificial inoculation protocol can also be used to investigate several other aspects of this host–pathogen system.     

鸡TIGAR基因真核表达质粒的构建及其抗凋亡功能评价

【背景】 TP53诱导的糖酵解和凋亡调节因子（TP53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator,TIGAR）是p53下游的靶基因,具有调节糖酵解水平和去除活性氧（Reactive oxygen species,ROS）并降低由活性氧诱发的细胞凋亡水平。【目的】 构建鸡源TIGAR基因的真核表达质粒,并检测TIGAR基因在DF1细胞中的抗凋亡作用,为建立稳定表达鸡TIGAR基因的细胞系做准备。【方法】根据GenBank（登录号：XM_417232.6）中预测基因设计引物,利用RT-PCR的方法从SPF鸡脾脏中扩增鸡TIGAR基因,将扩增产物克隆至载体（Flag-CMV14）后送公司测序验证;随后构建进化树对鸡TIGAR基因与其他哺乳动物及水生动物的TIGAR基因进行同源性分析。将重组质粒（Flag-TIGAR）转染入DF1细胞24 h后,使用新城疫病毒诱导细胞凋亡,利用Western Blot检测重组质粒表达情况以及Poly ADP-Ribose Polymerase（PARP）裂解情况。此外还将重组质粒（Flag-TIGAR）转染入DF1细胞,并于收样前2 h使用Staurosporine刺激细胞发生凋亡,分别在转染后24、48 h收集样品,并用流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡情况。【结果】 RT-PCR扩增TIGAR基因,在843 bp处出现目的条带与预测相符,构建的TIGAR真核表达质粒（Flag-TIGAR）经测序,结果显示其序列与GenBank上预测的基本一致。Western Blot结果显示在30 h、36 h收集的样品中PARP均被裂解且转染重组质粒（Flag-TIGAR）的实验组与未转染质粒（MOCK）组或转染空载体（Flag-CMV14）组的样品相比,裂解的PARP表达量明显降低,且差异极显著（P<0.01）。流式结果显示：24 h 检测转染Flag-CMV14后细胞总凋亡率为11%（早期凋亡7.8%,晚期凋亡3.2%）,而转染Flag-TIGAR后细胞总凋亡率仅为4%（早期凋亡3.7%,晚期凋亡0.3%）,转染Flag-CMV14的早期凋亡率和晚期凋亡率均高于转染Flag-TIGAR组,且差异显著（P<0.05）。48 h转染Flag-CMV14后细胞总凋亡率为20.3%（早期凋亡14.3%,晚期凋亡6.0%）,而转染Flag-TIGAR后细胞总凋亡率为6.4%（早期凋亡4.8%,晚期凋亡1.6%）,转染Flag-CMV14组的细胞早期凋亡和晚期凋亡率均高于转染Flag-TIGAR的组,且差异极显著（P<0.01）。【结论】成功扩增出鸡TIGAR基因,并构建了其真核表达质粒,通过Western Blot和流式实验均证实过表达TIGAR后可降低细胞的凋亡程度并有利于细胞存活。     

“稻—小龙虾”连作生态种养技术

稻虾连作作为一种绿色高效的农业生产模式,提高了土地资源利用率,产出的小龙虾品质更优,同时生产出绿色稻米,也解决了低湖田因惧怕洪涝威胁而长时间闲置的问题,技术简单可行,能达到稻丰虾肥的效果。介绍了稻虾田标准池田建设、小龙虾高产养殖技术和水稻高产栽培技术。     

Residual patterns of alkyl polyoxyethylene surfactant droplets after water evaporation

Using a nonionic, alkyl polyoxyethylene surfactant (X-77) in aqueous solutions, sessile droplet spreading, pinning, evaporation, contraction, and post-evaporation deposits are characterized. X-77 is widely used in the agricultural field as a spreader/adherent, intended to optimize pathenogenic agent coverage. Using a single droplet size under monitored temperature conditions, we control humidity, substrate hydrophobicity, and surfactant concentration to mimic varying agricultural conditions. For hydrophilic surfaces, the droplet spreads, reaching and retaining a maximum, stationary size. At this stage, a ring accretion occurs at the maximum spread diameter. During the final stage, the water film retracts, resulting in deposition of small islands of surfactant residue inside the ring. At lower concentrations of surfactant, we discover ring formations that break-up into "ring islands" at late-stage evaporation, accompanied by a distribution of the smaller islands in the interior portion of the substrate contact area. These are promoted by higher relative humidity. At higher concentrations, only a solid ring of surfactant remains, post-evaporation. Increasing surfactant concentration tends to increase the mean of the interior island size and to broaden the overall island size distribution. On sufficiently hydrophobic surfaces, surfactant-laden droplets do not evidence pinning, ring formations, or post-evaporation interior islands. Interestingly, lower humidity increases spreading at higher surfactant concentrations. Such pattern formations of surfactant deposit are reported for the first time and are of significance in projecting how surfactants such as X-77 distribute pesticides or other chemicals on leaf surfaces.     

Worldwide genotyping of castor bean germplasm (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ricinus communis</Emphasis> L.) using AFLPs and SSRs

Worldwide genetic diversity in 200 individuals comprising 41 castor bean accessions was assessed using amplified fragment polymorphisms (AFLPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We found that, despite surveying five continents and 35 countries, genetic diversity in castor bean germplasm is relatively low (overall H _e = 0.126 for AFLPs and 0.188 for SSRs) compared to estimates of genetic diversity in other plant species. Our data also show no geographic structuring of genotypes across continents or countries within continents. An assessment of the congruence between AFLP and SSRs indicates a low correlation (R ² = 0.19) between the two data sets, but each marker class nonetheless shows similar patterns of low-genetic diversity and a lack of geographic structure. Our data do suggest that SSRs yield a higher percentage of polymorphic loci, higher heterozyosity and a greater range of genetic distances, and are therefore more informative than are AFLPs on a locus-by-locus basis. Based on comparisons with numerous other plant species, we suggest that the lower genetic variation in this worldwide collection may be due to one or more factors including: sampling strategies that have not captured the full extent of genetic variation in the species; artifactual variation due to long-term germplasm storage and seed regeneration; or intense selection followed by domestic cultivation of a limited number of castor bean genotypes, which are widely propagated for their horticultural and agro-economic value.     

Optimization of Stachydrine Hydrochloride in Leonurus Extraction Method by HPLC-ELSD

The study was aimed to extract stachydrine hydrochloride in leonurus by HPLC-ELSD,and establish hydrochloride stachydrine determination methods for providing theoretical basis of leonurus extraction process optimization.The chromatographic conditions:venusil HILIC hydrophilic column;Mobile phase was acetonitrile -0.2% acetic acid solution (volume ratio 80:20);The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min;And the column temperature was 30 ℃;The detector was ELSD and drift tube temperature was 80 ℃ with the atomization chamber temperature 50 ℃ and carrier gas volume flow 1.0000 mL/min.The results showed that there was a good linear relationship when the stachydrine hydrochloride content was 0.49 to 4.91 μg (R²=0.9993);There was the highest rate of active ingredients extraction of when the extraction time was 1 h,material to water ratio was 20:1 and extracted for 2 times.Combined with production practice,the final optimization scheme was that the extraction time was 1.5 h,material to water ratio was 20:1 and extracted for 2 times.In summary,the determination of stachydrine hydrochloride in leonurus should use HPLC-ELSD method which had high specificity,good stability,response and reproducibility and easy to handle.This method could provide the theoretical basis for optimizing the leonurus extraction process.     

Nutritional Contribution of Biofloc within the Diet of Growout and Broodstock of Litopenaeus vannamei,Determined by Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

The relative contributions of feed sources were determined through the isotopic signal (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and fatty acid profile of feed items, shrimp muscle, and eggs of Litopenaeus vannamei reared in a biofloc system. In the growout phase, the isotope analysis showed the biofloc particle size class ≥250 μm contributed 55–100%; size ≥50 < 250 μm contributed 0–22%; and artificial feed contributed 0–45%. Principal component analysis applied to fatty acid profiles showed that biofloc ≥250 μm and artificial feed were the most important items in shrimp growout. For the egg production, isotope analysis suggested that the most important feed sources according to their relative contributions were polychaetes (0–100%), followed by artemia biomass (0–86%) and semi‐moist feed (0–66%), with lower contributions from squid, mussel, and the muscle of L. vannamei broodstock that had been cultured in biofloc. In terms of fatty acids, the most important items were artemia, polychaetes, and semi‐moist feeds. This work clarified the importance of feed sources for shrimp during culture in biofloc systems and during reproduction. Analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids can be successfully used to trace the assimilation of nutrients during the nutrition of shrimp.     

Development of interspecies cloned monkey embryos reconstructed with bovine enucleated oocytes

This study was carried out to determine whether culture media reconstructed with bovine enucleated oocytes and the expression pattern of Oct-4 could support dedifferentiaton of monkey fibroblasts in interspecies cloned monkey embryos. In this study, monkey and bovine skin fibroblasts were used as donor cells for reconstruction with bovine enucleated oocytes. The reconstructed monkey interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos were then cultured under six different culture conditions with modifications of the embryo culture media and normal bovine and monkey specifications. The Oct-4 expression patterns of the embryos were examined at the two-cell to blastocyst stages using immunocytochemistry. The monkey iSCNT embryos showed similar cleavage rates to those of bovine SCNT and bovine parthenogenetic activation (PA). However, the monkey iSCNT embryos were not able to develop beyond the 16-cell stage under any of the culture conditions. In monkey and bovine SCNT embryos, Oct-4 could be detected from the two-cell to blastocyst stage, and in bovine PA embryos, Oct-4 was detectable from the morula to blastocyst stage. These results suggested that bovine ooplasm could support dedifferentiation of monkey somatic cell nuclei but could not support embryo development to either the compact morula or blastocyst stage. In conclusion, we found that the culture conditions that tend to enhance monkey iSCNT embryo development and the expression pattern of Oct-4 in cloned embryos (monkey iSCNT and bovine SCNT) are different than in bovine PA embryos.     

Concurrent immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia and severe thrombocytopenia in 21 dogs

The medical records of 21 dogs with concurrent immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (imha) and severe thrombocytopenia (defined as an automated platelet count of less than 50x10(9)/l, confirmed by the examination of a blood smear) were reviewed. Their mean (sd) age was 5.8 (2.5) years. When compared with the 24,759 dogs in the hospital population for the same period Airedale terriers and dobermanns appeared to be over-represented with odds ratios of 22.5 (95 per cent confidence interval [ci] 5.2 to 97.9) and 7.6 (95 per cent ci 1.8 to 32.7) respectively. The median duration of the dogs' clinical signs was seven days, with a range from one to 17 days. Eleven of the dogs had a history of a tendency to bleed, and 15 had evidence of bleeding when examined. Twenty of the 21 dogs had been treated with glucocorticoids, nine with vincristine, and seven with azathioprine. Their median stay in hospital was four days, with a range from one to 17 days. The median period for which they survived after admission to hospital was five days, with a range from one to 558 days, and 16 of the 21 dogs had died or been euthanased within 30 days of their admission.     

Seroepidemiology and genotyping of hepatitis E virus in Singapore reveal rise in number of cases and similarity of human strains to those detected in pig livers

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes 20 million infections worldwide yearly, of which only about 3.3 million are symptomatic. In developed Asian countries, HEV strains detected in human sera and in food sources were genetically similar, suggesting that indigenous HEV infections may be largely food‐borne. To assess the burden of hepatitis E in Singapore, we performed a seroepidemiologic study of the infection. Additionally, we carried out HEV genotyping on archived, residual HEV IgM‐positive serum samples collected between 2014 and 2016 (n = 449), and on pig liver samples (n = 36) purchased from wet markets and supermarkets. Our study shows a rise in hepatitis E incidence (IgM) from 1.7 to 4.1 cases per 100,000 resident population from 2012 to 2016 and an increase in hepatitis E IgG positivity rate among residents from 14% in 2007 to 35% in 2016. Other findings also suggest the epidemiology of hepatitis E in Singapore has shifted, from it being mainly a disease imported from the Indian subcontinent, to one that is now increasingly prevalent in our resident population. Genotypes obtained from 143 human samples identified the majority to be genotype 3 (n = 121), 21 to be genotype 1 and one to be genotype 4. Further phylogenetic analyses suggest genotype 3a to be the cause of indigenous infections in residents, which showed genetic similarity to the genotype 3a strains detected in pig livers. This link between the strains in the majority of human samples and those in pig livers consumed by the public suggests a possible food‐borne route of HEV infection in Singapore.