Effect of different extraction methods on fatty acids,volatile compounds,and physical and chemical properties of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) oil

Because Mexico is the number one producer of avocados in the world, this fruit has potential as a source for oil extraction. It is appropriate to further investigate the detailed changes that the oil undergoes when different extraction methods are applied. This research paper presents the study of the physical and chemical changes, the fatty acids profile, the trans fatty acid content, and the identification of volatile compounds of the oils from avocado pulp (Persea americana Mill.), obtained by four different extraction methods. The method with the greatest extraction yield was the combined microwave-hexane method. The amount of trans fatty acids produced in the microwave-squeezing treatment was <0.5 g/100 g. On the other hand, the amounts of trans fatty acids produced with the hexane and acetone treatments were 0.52 and 0.87 g/100 g, respectively. The method that caused the slightest modification to the oil quality was a novel combined extraction method of microwave-squeezing proposed by the authors.     

Post-fire resprouting ability of 15 non-dominant shrub and tree species in Mediterranean areas of NE Spain

Post-fire resprouting ability of the non-dominant tree and shrub species of the Mediterranean Basin has not yet been experimentally tested, although this group contributes to maintain the richness of Mediterranean plant communities. In this study, we have analyzed the post-fire recovery ability of 15 woody species that occur in relatively low abundance in dry and sub humid Mediterranean areas in NE of Spain. The main goals have been: (i) to determine experimentally the post-fire resprouting ability of these species and (ii) to compare the abundance of these species in areas affected by wildland fires and in unburned areas. We have observed a high resprouting ability after prescribed burning of most species except for Juniperus communis and J. phoenicea which showed a null resprouting. As the species with high resprouting ability showed similar presence in burned and unburned areas, we can conclude that wildfires are not a factor that constrains the presence of these species in Mediterranean woodlands. However, we found a reduction in the abundance of J. communis and J. phoenicea at the regional level after wildland fires.     

Microbiological and Sanitary Quality of Recreational Seawaters of Southern Portugal

Three microbiological criteria (European Economic Community,World Health Organization/United Nations Environment Programand European Union) for water quality have been comparativelyevaluated in a resort zone of southern Portugal, located atthe Ria Formosa (Algarve). The results obtained in this studysuggest that the three compared directives adequatelyclassified the bathing zones according to their fecalpollution level. However, none of the directives establish asanitary classification of the recreational use of the bathingzones. By the use of the Cumulative Contamination Indexapplied in this study, classification based on both the levelof fecal pollution and on the sanitary condition of thebathing zones has been achieved. The application of this newapproach to the monitoring of bathing waters allows us topropose a new criterion of water quality based on thecoliphage levels (Ph₈₀ = 300 pfu 100 mL^-1 and Ph₉₅ = 2000 pfu 100 mL^-1) for inclusion in the newwater quality regulations. Coliphages have been shown to havea close correlation with the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, and with the fecal pollution levels of recreational seawaters. However, none of the microbial indicatorstested ensured detection of pathogen presence.     

Effect of chelating and antioxidant agents on morphology and DNA methylation in freeze-drying rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) spermatozoa

Freeze-drying (FD) has been exhaustively tried in several mammalian species as an alternative technique to sperm cryopreservation, but few studies have been done in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The main objective of this study was to compare the protective effect of various antioxidants added to EDTA medium on structural and functional components of FD rabbit spermatozoa and on their status of global DNA methylation. FD media used were composed of basic FD medium (10 mM Tris-HCl buffer and 50 mM NaCl) supplemented with either 50 mM EDTA alone (EDTA) or added with 105 µM of rosmarinic acid (RA, EDTA-RA) or 10 µM of melatonin (MLT, EDTA-MLT). The effect of each medium on the preservation of FD spermatozoon structure was evaluated with light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Global DNA methylation was quantified in all FD sperm samples as well as in fresh spermatozoa. Morphologically, fracture points were evidenced in the neck, mid and principal piece of the spermatozoon tail. No differences in spermatozoon fracture points were evidenced among FD treatments: intact spermatozoa were the largest (p < .01) category, whereas the most frequent (p < .01) injury was the neck fracture, resulting in tailless heads. At SEM, the head of spermatozoa showed a well-conserved shape and intact membrane in all treatments. DNA methylation status was the same in all FD treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of EDTA, EDTA-RA and EDTA-MLT during FD preserved rabbit sperm morphological integrity and methylation status as well. Therefore, the difficulty of getting viable offspring using FD semen is likely unrelated to the impact of the lyophilization process on DNA methylation and morphology of lyophilized spermatozoa.     

Ship noise and cortisol secretion in European freshwater fishes

Underwater noise pollution is a growing problem in aquatic environments and as such may be a major source of stress for fish. In the present study, we addressed the effects of ship noise and continuous Gaussian noise on adrenal activity in three European freshwater species. Underwater ship noise recorded in the Danube River and two Austrian lakes was played back to fish at levels encountered in the field (153 dB re 1 μPa, 30 min). Post exposure cortisol secretion was compared with control situations. Cortisol was measured with enzyme immunoassay techniques (EIA, ng cortisol/l water/g fish) in extracted aquarium water with corrections for fish mass. In the first series, two hearing specialists, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and one hearing generalist, the European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were exposed to ship noise. The noise level was well above hearing thresholds in these species. In a second series, fish were exposed to continuous Gaussian noise at a similar level (156 dB) which is known to induce temporary hearing loss in hearing specialists. All three species responded with increased cortisol secretion when exposed to ship noise. Interestingly, no elevation was observed when fish were exposed to continuous Gaussian noise. Our results indicate that ship noise characterized by amplitude and frequency fluctuations, constitutes a potential stressor in contrast to continuous noise. Surprisingly, the data also demonstrate no apparent differences between species possessing excellent hearing abilities (hearing specialists) and species with poor hearing abilities like perch.     

Soil particle size range correction for improved calibration relationship between the laser-diffraction method and sieve-pipette method

Particle size fraction(clay, silt, and sand) is an important characteristic that influences several soil functions. The laser-diffraction method(LDM) provides a fast and cost-effective measurement of particle size distribution, but the results usually differ from those obtained by the traditional sieve-pipette method(SPM). This difference can persist even when calibration is applied between the two methods. This partly relates to the different size ranges of particles measured by the two methods as a result of different operational principles, i.e., particle sedimentation according to Stokes’ Law vs. Mie theory for laser beam scattering. The objective of this study was to identify particle size ranges of LDM equivalent to those measured by SPM and evaluate whether new calibration models based on size range correction can be used to improve LDM-estimated particle size fractions, using 51 soil samples with various texture collected from five soil orders in New Zealand. Particle size distribution was determined using both LDM and SPM. Compared with SPM, original data from LDM underestimated the clay fraction(< 2 μm), overestimated the silt fraction(2–53 μm), but provided a good estimation of the sand fraction(53–2 000 μm).Results from three statistical indices, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient, slope, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, showed that the size ranges of < 2 and 2–53 μm defined by SPM corresponded with the < 5 and 5–53 μm size ranges by LDM, respectively. Compared with the traditional calibration(based on the same particle size ranges), new calibration models(based on the corrected size ranges of these two methods) improved the estimation of clay and silt contents by LDM. Compared with soil-specific models(i.e., different models were developed for different soils), a universal model may be more parsimonious for estimating particle size fractions if the samples to be assessed represent multiple soil orders.     

Gemeindebezogene standortinformationen im agraratlas sachsen‐anhalt

Im Agraratlas des Landes Sachsen‐Anhalt werden für raumstrukturelle Entscheidungen natürliche und ökonomische Faktoren und Bewertungen in ihrer regionalen Anordnung dargestellt. Der vorliegende Beitrag bezieht sich auf den Teilkomplex “Gemeindebezogene Standortinformationen”; und beinhaltet methodisches Vorgehen und Ergebnisse zu den thematischen Karten:

Geologische Substratherkünfte, Hangneigungsverhältnisse, Hydromorphieverhältnisse, Steinigkeit, Bodenbedingte Anbaueignung, Substratbedingte Bewirtschaftungseignung und Potentielle Gefährdung für Wasser‐ und Winderosion.

Zu den Karteninhalten werden tabellarisch gemeindebezogene Häufigkeiten von Legendeneinheiten und Flächenangaben zum Vorkommen von Merkmals‐ und Beurteilungsklassen mitgeteilt.     

Determination of baseline susceptibility of European populations of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) to indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole using a novel dip bioassay method

BACKGROUND: Tuta absoluta(Meyrick) is one of the most serious pests of tomato recently introduced in the Mediterranean region. A novel bioassay method designed for the accurate determination of insecticide toxicity on T. absoluta (IRAC method No. 022) was validated by three different laboratories [Greece (NAGREF), Italy (UC) and Spain (UPCT)] on European populations. RESULTS: The insecticides indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole were used as reference products. The IRAC leaf dip method is easy to perform, producing repeatable, homogeneous responses. LC₅₀ values for indoxacarb ranged between 1.8 and 17.9 mg L^?1 (NAGREF), 0.93 and 10.8 mg L^?1 (UC) and 0.20 and 0.70 mg L^?1 (UPCT), resulting in a tenfold, 12‐fold and fourfold difference between the least and most susceptible populations at each laboratory respectively. For chlorantraniliprole, LC₅₀ values ranged between 0.10 and 0.56 mg L^?1 (NAGREF), 0.23 and 1.34 mg L^?1 (UC) and 0.04 and 0.24 mg L^?1 (UPCT), resulting in a sixfold difference in all three cases. Overall, UPCT reported lower mean LC₅₀ to indoxacarb, while UC reported higher LC₅₀ to chlorantraniliprole. CONCLUSIONS: The new bioassay is reliable, providing a useful tool in the design of IRM strategies. Within each country/lab, the variability observed in the results for both indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole can be attributed to natural variation. Future research is necessary to determine the extent to which it is possible to compare results among laboratories. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chromosome and genome composition of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum</Emphasis> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thinopyrum</Emphasis> hybrid by classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques

Triticum–Thinopyrum amphiploids arose from the need to obtain forage grasses highly resistant to pest, drought, soil salinity and frost and they can be used as efficient bridges to transfer desired genes from wheatgrass species to wheat. One of them is trigopiro SH16 INTA, it was introduced in Argentina in 1947 but its genomic composition was unknown. The aim of this work was to determine the chromosome number and genomic and chromosome composition of trigopiro SH16 INTA in order to use it in breeding programs. The simultaneous use of the in situ hybridization technique with different probes (genomic DNA of Th. ponticum (Podp.) Barkworth et D.R. Dewey, pSc119.2 and pAs1) allowed us to conclude that the chromosome number of trigopiro SH16 is 2n = 42 and the genome composition would be: 14 chromosomes of the B genome, the 2D and 4D chromosome pairs of wheat, 14 chromosomes of the J genome of Thinopyrum and the remaining chromosomes probably belong to the A genome of wheat.     

Potential Remediation of 137Cs and90 Sr Contaminated Soil by Accumulation in Alamo Switchgrass

Cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) and Strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) are radionuclides characteristic of nuclear fallout from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear reactor accidents. Alamo switchgrass (Panicum virginatum L.) is a perennial C⁴ species native to central North America that produces exceptionally high biomass yields in short periods of time. In three separate experiments, Alamo switchgrass plants were tested for their ability to accumulate ¹³⁷ Cs and⁹⁰ Sr from a contaminated growth medium. Plants in experiment 1 were grown in 33 × 20 × 7 cm plastic pans containing 2.5 kg sand. Plants in experiments 2 and 3 were grown in 30 × 3 cm diameter test tubes containing 0.3 kg growth medium. After 3 months of plant growth, either 102 Bq ¹³⁷Cs or 73 Bq⁹⁰ Sr g^?1 soil were added to the growth medium. Plants in all three experiments were grown within a greenhouse that was maintained at 22 ± 2 °C with a photosynthetic active radiation of 400–700 µmol m^?2 s^?1 and a 14–16 h photoperiod. Above-ground plant biomass did not differ between plants that were not exposed to these radionuclides (controls) and those that were exposed to growth medium containing ¹³⁷Cs or⁹⁰ Sr over the course of the experiment. Plants accumulated 44 and 36% of the total amount of ⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷ Cs added to growth medium after the first 5 harvests. After the first two harvests, the concentration of ¹³⁷Cs and⁹⁰ Sr in plant tissue and the amount of ¹³⁷Cs or⁹⁰ Sr removed from growth medium declined with each successive harvest. Duration of exposure correlated curvilinearly with accumulation of both ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs by plants (r² = 0.95 and 0.78, respectively). As concentration of both ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in growth medium increased, plant accumulation of both radionuclides increased and correlated curvilinearly in seedlings (r² = 0.83 and 0.89 respectively).