Cryopreservation of filefish (Thamnaconus septentrionalis Gunther, 1877) sperm

The present study examined the possibility of long‐term storage, by cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen, of the sperm of filefish (Thamnaconus septentrionalis). Changes in motility, survival rate, ultrastructure and fertilization rate of the sperm after freezing and thawing were tested. For selection of the immobilizing solution, artificial seawater (ASW) of 250, 350 and 450 mOsmol kg^?1 were tested. Sperm motility was significantly inhibited in 350 mOsmol kg^?1 ASW, and restored entirely after 100% ASW (1200 mOsmol kg^?1) was added. Two cryoprotectants, dimethyl sulphoxide and glycerol, were employed. The sperm was diluted at the ratio of 1:6 with the extenders, and frozen at a freezing rate of ?40°C min^?1 to ?100°C after equilibration for 10 min at room temperature, followed by plunging into liquid nitrogen. The highest post‐thawed sperm motility and survival rate were obtained with 5% glycerol. Afterwards, the effect of different freezing rates was examined using 5% glycerol as a cryoprotectant, and the rate of ?30°C min^?1 to ?100°C showed the best result.     

Decomposition of Gaseous Acetone in an Annular Photoreactor Coated with TiO2 Thin Film

Photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous acetone was studied with a fixed-bed annular reactor using TiO₂ as the photocatalyst. The relation of UV light intensity to the reaction rate was found to be roughly first-ordered. The decomposition of acetone was obviously enhanced with increasing retention time. Removal of acetone was slightly increased with the relative humidity for experiments conducted with relative humidity below 20%. However, the removal of acetone was decreased drastically with relative humidity for experiments conducted with relative humidity greater than 20%. Decomposition of acetone was promoted considerably with increasing oxygen concentration for experiments conducted with oxygen less than 200,000 ppmv, yet the decomposition of acetone was kept relatively constant for experiments conducted with oxygen above 200,000 ppmv. Based on the mass balance for carbon species, the amount of organic intermediates formed for experiments conducted under various conditions were found to be minimal. Experimental results for the decomposition of gaseous acetone by UV/TiO₂ process can be adequately described by the developed two-site Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) kinetic model.     

Thermal contrast in the atmosphere of venus: initial appraisal from pioneer venus probe data

The altitude profiles of temperature and pressure measured during the descent of the four Pioneer Venus probes show small contrast below the clouds but significant differences within the clouds at altitudes from 45 to 61 kilometers. At 60 kilometers, the probe which entered at 59.3 degrees north latitude sensed temperatures 25 K below those of the lower latitude probes, and a sizable difference persisted down to and slightly below the cloud base. It also sensed pressure below those of the other probes by as much as 49 millibars at a mean pressure of 200 millibars. The measured pressure differences are consistent with cyclostrophic balance of zonal winds ranging from 130 +/- 20 meters per second at 60 kilometers to 60 +/- 17 meters per second at 40 kilometers, with evidence in addition of a nonaxisymmetric component of the winds. The clouds were found to be 10 to 20 K warmer than the extended profiles of the lower atmosphere, and the middle cloud is convectively unstable. Both phenomena are attributed to the absorption of thermal radiation from below. Above the clouds, in the lower stratosphere, the lapse rate decreases abruptly to 3.5 K per kilometer, and a superimposed wave is evident. At 100 kilometers, the temperature is minimum, with a mean value of about 170 K.     

Naturally occurring eastern equine encephalitis in a Hampshire wether.

Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was diagnosed (postmortem) in a sheep with clinical signs attributable to a central nervous system disease. The sheep was febrile and initially had front limb incoordination, which progressed to paralysis of both front and hind limbs during a course of 2 days. The sheep maintained an alert attitude with the ability to eat up to the time of euthanasia. The only clinical pathologic abnormalities were neutrophilia and lymphopenia without appreciable leukocytosis, a moderate hyperglycemia, and an elevated creatine kinase. Treatment included hydrotherapy for lowering body temperature, intravenous fluids, thiamine hydrochloride, tetanus antitoxin, antibiotics, and corticosteroids. The only gross lesion at the time of necropsy was a wet glistening surface of the brain (leptomeninges). Microscopically, there was severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis, poliomyelitis, and polyradiculoneuritis with mild multifocal neutrophilic infiltration. The EEE virus was isolated from the brain, and subsequent fluorescent antibody testing for EEE was positive on cell culture.     

Characterization of phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of a purple tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

A newly developed nongenetically modified purple tomato V118 was investigated for its phytochemical compositions and antioxidant activities. A highly efficient and sensitive UPLC method was developed for both the phenolics and carotenoids, which showed that in addition to the phytochemicals commonly known for tomatoes, V118 had a unique composition of anthocyanins. The total carotenoid content of V118 was 234.78 μg/g dry weight (DW), and the total phenolic content was 659.11 mg GAE/100 g DW. The antioxidant activities of the lipophilic extract as measured by the PCL and ORAC-L assays were 30.11 μmol TE/g DW and 11.97 μmol TE/g DW, respectively, while the hydrophilic extracts as determined by the ORAC-H and FRAP assays were 323.23 μmol TE/g DW and 54.95 μmol AAE/g DW, respectively. The LC-MS study showed three major anthocyanins, which were mainly acylglycosides of petunidin and malvidin. This study showed that purple tomatoes such as V118 possess additional phytochemicals like anthocyanins, which can potentially have added health benefits.     

Quantitative autoradiography of [3H]muscimol binding in rat brain

A simple quantitative autoradiographic technique for the study of neurotransmitter receptors that includes the use of a tritium-sensitive film permits saturation, kinetic, and competition studies of brain samples as small as 0.01 cubic millimeter. This technique was used to study [3H]muscimol binding in rat brain. Unilateral gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor supersensitivity was observed in the substantia nigra pars reticulata after production of localized lesions of the ipsilateral corpus striatum.     

Isoflavone profiles of red clovers and their distribution in different parts harvested at different growing stages

The isoflavone compositions and concentrations in the leaf, flower, petiole, and stem of 13 red clover cultivars were studied using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array and a mass spectrometric detector with negative electrospray ionization. Different cultivars showed significantly different concentrations of individual and total isoflavones. The leaf contained the highest overall concentration, followed by the stem, petiole, and flower. Biochanin A and formononetin were the predominant isoflavones in all cultivars and all parts, along with eight other minor aglycones, daidzein, genistein, glycitein, irilone, orobol, pratensein, pseudobaptigenin, and prunetin, and four minor malonylglycosides, genistein-7-glucoside-6' '-malonate, orobol-7-glucoside-6' '-malonate, formononetin-7-glucoside-6' '-malonate, and biochanin A-7-glucoside-6' '-malonate. The isoflavone compositions and concentrations were also found to be different between red clover parts harvested at the early bud stage and the late flowering stage. Sample storage and handling prior to analysis were also found to be important. Samples in this study were kept at -5 degrees C for a few days before being freeze-dried and were found to contain mainly the aglycones of isoflavones. This may actually be an advantage in that "natural" and more bioactive isoflavones can be obtained without using chemical hydrolysis. Findings in this study therefore provide important information for developing isoflavone-rich red clovers and for optimizing harvest timing and choosing the right part of the red clover plant.     

Slow viscous flow and the organization of the cell wall in conifer tracheids

Summary In view of the known orientation of microfibrils about pits in conifer tracheids a model is presented which is consistent with the assumption that this pattern derives from the slow viscous flow of a fluid about a cylindrical obstacle.At present at the Botany Department, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3083, Victoria, AustraliaThe authors wish to thank Dr. W. B. Thompson and Professor A. B. Wardrop for their constructive criticism.