Educational needs and perceptions of the sustainability of precision agriculture: survey evidence from Greece

Precision agriculture (PA) constitutes a dynamic production method which is gaining attention in several parts of the world. Its environmental and economic sustainability has been examined in terms of its ability to reduce the adverse effects of agrochemical use—by regulating their application to the levels needed at the land parcel level—and of its contribution to higher incomes and profitability. At the social level, PA has been linked to collective action although little insight is available regarding the role of various actors and education. This study tackles PA through an assessment of the attitudes of farmers towards the elements of its sustainability and of their educational needs. The analysis of survey data of a sample of young farmers in Greece showed that the majority of respondents were not familiar with PA. Significant differences were found between the attitudes of knowledgeable and non-knowledgeable farmers, the former demonstrating better acknowledgement of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of PA. Important educational needs were also detected, with group and individual methods being the most preferred ones for education and information campaigns. The results of the analysis could be of use for the design of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar II measures for the promotion of PA targeting to specific audiences and actors.     

An experimental simulation of moisture distribution and its uniformity within the soil profile under laboratory conditions

This research is a study on the relationship of irrigation water treatments and soil moisture distribution uniformity (DU). Soil moisture distribution was based on long-term data sets that were collected using a novel electromagnetic sensor-based platform moving inside sub-surface horizontal access-tubes. The research was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions in a soil tank. The irrigation treatments regarding two case studies under dry and wet soil conditions (from permanent wilting point to field capacity) were conducted for a period of 115 and 110 days respectively. In dry soil conditions, the irrigation water treatments strongly affect the DU of soil moisture that can be achieved constantly using non-uniform irrigation treatments. In contrast, the DU of soil moisture in wet soil conditions was maintained at a high percentage and was slightly affected by irrigation treatments. However, obtaining accurate soil moisture information at a large scale over a long period can be used to improve water use efficiency.     

Dyeing performance of disperse dyes based on 2-aminothiazole for cellulose triacetate and nylon fibers

A series of monoazo disperse dyes based on 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole was prepared using variousN,N-dialkylaniline derivatives as the coupling component. The dyes were characterized by IR spectral studies, visible absorption spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The dyeing performance of these dyes was assessed on cellulose triacetate and nylon fibers. These dyes were found to give a wide range of colour shades varying from bright red to royal blue with very good depth, brightness and levelness on fibers. The dyed fibers showed good to very good light fastness and very good to excellent fastness to washing, perspiration, rubbing and sublimation. The dyebath exhaustion and fixation on the fibers were found to be very good.     

Epipolythiodiketopiperazines from the Marine Derived Fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii with NF-κB Inhibitory Potential

The Ascomycota Dichotomomyces cejpii was isolated from the marine sponge Callyspongia cf. C. flammea. A new gliotoxin derivative, 6-acetylmonodethiogliotoxin (1) was obtained from fungal extracts. Compounds 2 and 3, methylthio-gliotoxin derivatives were formerly only known as semi-synthetic compounds and are here described as natural products. Additionally the polyketide heveadride (4) was isolated. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 dose-dependently down-regulated TNFα-induced NF-κB activity in human chronic myeloid leukemia cells with IC_50s of 38.5 ± 1.2 µM, 65.7 ± 2.0 µM and 82.7 ± 11.3 µM, respectively. The molecular mechanism was studied with the most potent compound 1 and results indicate downstream inhibitory effects targeting binding of NF-κB to DNA. Compound 1 thus demonstrates potential of epimonothiodiketopiperazine-derived compounds for the development of NF-κB inhibitors.     

Low-Molecular-Weight Fucoidan Induces Endothelial Cell Migration via the PI3K/AKT Pathway and Modulates the Transcription of Genes Involved in Angiogenesis

Low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF) is a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed that presents antithrombotic and pro-angiogenic properties. However, its mechanism of action is not well-characterized. Here, we studied the effects of LMWF on cell signaling and whole genome expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and endothelial colony forming cells. We observed that LMWF and vascular endothelial growth factor had synergistic effects on cell signaling, and more interestingly that LMWF by itself, in the absence of other growth factors, was able to trigger the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, which plays a crucial role in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. We also observed that the effects of LMWF on cell migration were PI3K/AKT-dependent and that LMWF modulated the expression of genes involved at different levels of the neovessel formation process, such as cell migration and cytoskeleton organization, cell mobilization and homing. This provides a better understanding of LMWF’s mechanism of action and confirms that it could be an interesting therapeutic approach for vascular repair.     

Effects of Soybean Fortification on Protein Quality of Tortilla-Based Diets Produced from Regular and Quality Protein Maize

The physiological development of laboratory rats fed with a typical indigenous tortilla diet was studied for two generations. The experiment compared casein control diet and five different types of diets: (1) a diet of tortillas obtained from fresh masa (FM); (2) regular tortillas produced from enriched dry masa flour containing vitamins B₁, B₂, niacin, folic acid, and the microminerals iron and zinc (REDMF); (3) tortillas produced from enriched dry masa flour fortified with 6% defatted soybean meal (FEDMF); (4) tortillas produced from enriched quality protein maize flour (EQPM); and (5) and, tortillas produced from enriched quality protein maize flour fortified with 3% defatted soybean meal (FEQPM). The growth of rats fed FEDMF and FEQPM diets was significantly higher (P<0.05) in both generations than their counterparts fed EQPM, REDMF, or FM diet. Animals fed quality protein maize (QPM) tortilla had the highest protein digestibility, but the FEQPM and FEDMF diets had the highest biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU), and protein-digestibility-corrected EAA scores (PDCEAAS). The difference among treatments was more evident in the second-generation rats. The pregnancy rate, number of newborns/litter, litter weight, and newborn survival rate was also higher for rats fed FEDMF, EQPM, and FEQPM diets than their counterparts fed REDMF and FM.     

Studies on composite filaments from nanoclay reinforced polypropylene

The development of high tenacity, high modulus monofilaments from Polypropylene/Clay nanocomposite has been investigated. Pure sodium montmorillonite nanoclay was modified using hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB) via an ion exchange reaction. Pure and modified clay were characterized through X-ray diffraction, FTIR and TGA. The modified clay was melt blended with polypropylene (PP) in presence of a swelling agent. Composite filaments from PP/Clay nanocomposite were prepared at different weight percentages of nanoclay and the spinning and drawing conditions were optimized. The filaments were characterized for their mechanical, morphological and thermal properties. The composite PP filaments with modified clay showed improved tensile strength, modulus and reduced elongation at break. The composite filaments with unmodified clay did not show any improvement in tensile strength but the modulus improved. The sharp and narrow X-ray diffraction peaks of PP/nanoclay composite filaments indicate increase in crystallinity in presence of modified clay at small loadings (0.5%). The improved thermal stability was observed in filaments with modified as well as unmodified clays.     

Lithothamnion muelleri Controls Inflammatory Responses,Target Organ Injury and Lethality Associated with Graft-versus-Host Disease in Mice

Lithothamnion muelleri (Hapalidiaceae) is a marine red alga, which is a member of a group of algae with anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and immunomodulatory properties. The present study evaluated the effects of treatment with Lithothamnion muelleri extract (LM) in a model of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), using a model of adoptive splenocyte transfer from C57BL/6 donors into B6D2F1 recipient mice. Mice treated with LM showed reduced clinical signs of disease and mortality when compared with untreated mice. LM-treated mice had reduced tissue injury, less bacterial translocation, and decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines (interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5)). The polysaccharide-rich fraction derived from LM could inhibit leukocyte rolling and adhesion in intestinal venules, as assessed by intravital microscopy. LM treatment did not impair the beneficial effects of graft-versus-leukaemia (GVL). Altogether, our studies suggest that treatment with Lithothamnion muelleri has a potential therapeutic application in GVHD treatment.     

杂交水稻夷优180的选育与应用

夷优180系福建省南平市农业科学研究所用自主选育的三系不育系夷A与恢复系南恢180配组而成的杂交中稻新品种。经多年在福建省各地试验、试种表现群体整齐、适应性广、产量高、抗性好等特点,2014年通过福建省农作物品种审定。简述了杂交水稻夷优180的选育及应用。