Development of a quantification assay for the cysts of the toxic dinoflagellate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alexandrium tamarense</Emphasis> using real-time polymerase chain reaction

ABSTRACT:   The cysts of toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense are the seed population for the bloom responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). However, it is impossible to identify the Alexandrium spp. cyst on the basis of morphological features. In this study, we prepared A. tamarense cysts by sexual conjugation in laboratory conditions and developed an efficient DNA extraction method for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Using the A. tamarense cysts, we established the identification and quantification method showing the species specificity and the high sensistivity for A. tamarense cysts using real-time PCR. This assay was also able to detect and quantify the A. tamarense cysts accurately when mixed with excess cysts of A. catenella (Whedon and Kofoid) Balech prepared by conjugation experiment.     

Hygienic acceptance of wood in food industry

Food is physically manipulated by other materials during production processes, and therefore, food quality and safety are vital in processes where foods are in contact with various materials. Wooden frames were used for centuries for dried egg pasta trays; however, with the development of different materials, wood was slowly abandoned and replaced by plastic. Nevertheless, there are some hygienic considerations concerning plastic frames in the dried egg pasta making industry. In this study, plastic and wooden trays were analysed by swabbing (n?=?210) and evaluated in regard to total number of aerobic counts (TAC), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, moulds, yeasts and Staphylococcus aureus using dry medium plates. The aims of the research were to (1) evaluate the total number of microorganisms on wood and plastic material used for pasta trays and (2) make a hygienic evaluation of analysed materials for application in the pasta industry. The research was aimed to answer the question, ‘Does the tray material and/or location of the swab sample influence the colony forming unit (CFU)/20?cm²?’ Results showed a statistical difference in CFU/20?cm² for all bacterial determinations, except for E. coli which was not detected in swabs taken from wooden or plastic trays. This hygiene evaluation study supported the conclusion that the use of wood is appropriate in the food industry from a hygienic and technological point of view.     

丁香属植物种质资源研究概况

综述了丁香属(Syringa Linn.)植物种质资源的名称、分类、分布、群体遗传多样性、生化特性、育种繁殖以及植物药学和园林应用等各方面的研究成果和进展概况, 指出今后丁香种质资源研究应在充分利用世界研究成果的基础上, 加强资源清理、收集、保护、利用和花粉致敏性等方面工作。     

Methoxylated xanthones in the quality control of small centaury (Centaurium erythraea) flowering tops.

In the course of a phytochemical study of the bitter tonic plant, small centaury (Centaurium erythraea), six methoxylated xanthones (1,5-hydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6-trimethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6,7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,6,7,8-pentamethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,7,8-trimethoxyxanthone and 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5,6,7-tetramethoxyxanthone) were isolated and identified by spectroscopic means (nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectroscopy, and UV). Subsequently, a high-performance liquid chromatography/diode array detection method was developed for the determination of these and other methoxylated xanthones occurring in the chloroform extract of small centaury aerial parts. The methodology developed was applied to twelve samples, and in all of them, nine xanthones were identified and quantified. This methodology can be considered complimentary to the one proposed by the European Pharmacopoeia.     

11个油茶高产无性系最佳配置模式的研究

为了较为科学合理的进行油茶种植,提高油茶产量,研究了江西11个油茶高产无性系的花期、花粉生活力及杂交组合坐果情况和种子含油率。结果表明：①通过花期观察,确定赣55、赣无1、赣无2、赣无16和赣无24花期基本一致。②11个油茶高产无性系的花粉生活力均达到50％以上,在油茶种植配置上花粉活力不会成为油茶高产的限制因子。③通过比较分析杂交组合坐果情况和种子含油率,确定赣无1、赣无16、赣无2、赣无11、赣55、赣190和赣无8混栽为科学合理的配置模式。④综合考虑11个油茶高产无性系的花期、花粉生活力及授粉组合坐果情况和种子含油率,以赣55、赣无1、赣无2和赣无16为主栽品种进行油茶种植,是最佳的配置模式。     

The grafting of recycled polyol from waste polyurethane foam onto new polyurethane and its impact on shape recovery and water vapor permeation

Recycled polyols from waste polyurethane (PU) foams were grafted onto PU to improve the properties such as tensile strength, shape recovery, low-temperature flexibility, and water compatibility. The recycled polyol was either purified by column chromatography before grafting or was used directly for grafting. The soft segment melting temperature of PU did not notably increase with the addition of polyol, whereas the glass transition temperature increased with increased polyol content. The tensile strength sharply increased at low polyol content and decreased at high polyol content, while the strain at break did not significantly change with an increase in polyol content. The shape recovery at 10 oC notably improved compared with unmodified PU and remained high after four cyclic tests. Polyol-grafted PU demonstrated better lowtemperature flexibility and reduced the water vapor permeability of PU membranes. Overall, grafting recycled polyol onto PU significantly improved the tensile stress, shape recovery, and low-temperature flexibility of PU.     

绿茶低温真空与热风联合干燥新工艺研究

为提高烘干绿茶的品质,特别是保证得到绿茶绿润的干茶色泽,对绿茶的干燥工艺进行了探索。对揉捻后的绿茶采用低温真空与热风联合干燥,以传统的热风干燥和真空冷冻干燥为对照,对不同干燥方法绿茶中叶绿素、茶多酚、氨基酸等有效成分保留程度、绿茶感官品质以及能耗等指标进行综合评价。结果表明:联合干燥工艺绿茶的外形、香气、叶底得分均比传统热风干燥的高,特别是在外形色泽上有明显优势;同时,其综合品质也高于冷冻真空干燥工艺的品质;联合干燥工艺能耗介于热风干燥与冷冻真空干燥之间。     

Effect of plastic-film mulching on leaching of nitrate nitrogen in an upland field converted from paddy

A lysimeter experiment was conducted to examine the effects of plastic film mulching on the leaching rate of nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) from chemical fertilizer that was applied to an upland field that had been converted from paddy rice production. Leaching was monitored in two lysimeters filled with sandy loam soil, which contained low soil organic matter content, under different surface mulch conditions. One was mulched only on the ridge (ridge-mulch treatment) and another one was mulched fully, including the furrow, with black plastic film (full-mulch treatment). Chemical fertilizer was mixed into the top 0.2 m of soil in the two lysimeters before installing the mulch. After transplanting broccoli, the amount of subsurface discharge water and the NO₃-N concentrations in the discharge water were measured every day. Larger NO₃-N discharges occurred in the ridge-mulch treatment for three days after heavy rainfalls in which cumulative precipitation exceeded 10 mm, and the daily NO₃-N load was twice as large as the full-mulch treatment. The differences in the amount of subsurface discharge water and NO₃-N discharged between treatments were not significant when there was no rainfall. Cumulative NO₃-N loads for the ridge- and full-mulch treatment during the last month of the experimental period were 0.246 and 0.195 g m^–2, respectively. The effect of mulching on the reduction of NO₃-N discharge rate was higher for the full-mulch treatment. This result showed that a plastic-film mulching system would be effective as an appropriate fertilizer management to reduce nitrate-leaching losses.