Effects of Protein Hydrolysate on Soil Fertility and Heavy-Metal Accumulation in Sinapis alba L.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of protein hydrolysate (Hemozym) for fertilization purposes used in unpolluted and cadmium-polluted soil. Three levels of Hemozym (0, 0.1, and 0.2 cm³ kg^?1 dry weight [DW] soil) and cadmium (Cd) rate 5 mg kg^?1 DW soil were used. The fertilizer value of Hemozym was evaluated based on characteristics of the sorptive complex and soil respiratory activity as well as based on the soil and plant heavy-metal content. Increased soil fertility due to the beneficial effect of Hemozym on the improvement in the physicochemical properties of the soil and its microbial activity. However, they do not allow us to determine unambiguously the effect of this fertilizer on solubility vs. binding of heavy metals that occur naturally in the soil (zinc [Zn], copper [Cu], and lead [Pb]) and of intentionally introduced Cd, in spite of an indicative tendency towards the conversion of metals into poorly soluble forms.     

The time-dependent effect of gluconasturtiin and phenethyl isothiocyanate on metabolic and antioxidative parameters in rats

The effect of gluconasturtiin (GNST) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) on some metabolic changes and antioxidative parameters in the rat was tested using different doses of PEITC and duration of GNST or PEITC ingestion. Their effect on antioxidative processes was previously observed, however, their influence on metabolic changes is still poorly characterized. In the performed experiment, the effect of GNST (0.5 mg/kg BW) and PEITC (0.1 mg/kg BW or 0.3 mg/kg BW) administered intragastrically after 4 h or 14 days to growing male rats was studied. PEITC at both doses after 4 h of its administration caused a considerable increase in liver cholesterol and triglyceride content with a concomitant drop in the amount of glycogen. Blood glucose, free fatty acids, phospholipids and total, free, esterified cholesterol as well as cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein were not altered. GNST, at its short-time ingestion, augmented significantly the concentration of triglycerides in blood serum. The compounds tested had no influence on metabolic changes after a longer period of action with the exception of glycogen values in liver, which were substantially augmented by PEITC at both doses. Our trial revealed a lack of GNST and PEITC influence on the content of liver sulphhydryl groups and on glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase activities. The only distinct change in the content of malonodialdehyde was observed after short-time action of lower dose of PEITC. Our research showed that the short-term PEITC action constituted a significant factor interfering with liver metabolism. Although PEITC has been repeatedly advocated as very promising anticancer agent, in our experiment, the lower dose of PEITC was revealed as a pro-oxidative substance. These inconsistent properties seem to depend on its dose and time of action.     

Selenium and the health status,production results,and product quality in poultry

A Selenium (Se) is an element belonging to the nonmetallic group. It was first discovered in 1817 by J.J. Berzelius. Until the 1950s, it was considered to be toxic to animals. However, with increasing research conducted on laboratory animals, it is now clear that Se is necessary for the proper functioning of both plants and animals. Recent studies indicate that Se is necessary for the proper functioning of metabolic pathways in animals. It was evidenced that Se is a component of about 100 proteins involved in the immune system, antioxidant homeostasis, or release of an inflammatory mediator. Therefore, it is of key interest to find the appropriate dosage for the supplementation of Se in the diet of farm animals and thereby eliminate physiological disorders in the body associated with Se imbalance. In this study, we present a literature review on the importance and appropriate dosage of Se in the diet of poultry concerning their health status, production results, and the quality of animal-origin products.     

The role of alkaloids in the feeding behaviour of slugs (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora) as pests of narrow-leafed lupin plants

The degree of damage done to lupin plants by slugs is highly dependent on the species and the cultivar of plant. A study was carried out, in laboratory conditions and on small plots, to investigate the extent of damage done to plants of eight cultivars of narrow-leafed lupin when exposed to grazing by Arion vulgaris, Arion rufus and Deroceras reticulatum. Five sweet and three bitter cultivars of lupin were selected, respectively, having low- and high-alkaloid content. The contents of the dominant lupine alkaloids in these plants were determined. It was found that the susceptibility of the plants to slug damage is dependent on their content of alkaloids. The plants of high-alkaloid cultivars (Karo, Mirela and Oskar) were less heavily damaged by the studied species of slugs. The greatest differences were recorded for A. vulgaris and D. reticulatum, while the differences for A. rufus were smaller. For all studied slug species, the differences were statistically significant. The results of carried out experiments may potentially be of use in the selection of cultivars of Lupinus angustifolius to be grown in areas inhabited by these slug species.     

Surface fractal dimension of thermally treated peat soils from adsorption isotherms of nitrogen

Adsorption isotherms of nitrogen at 80 K were measured on thermally modified peat soils. The isotherms were used to evaluate the surface fractal dimension from the Frenkel‐Halsey‐Hill equation. We also tested if surface characteristics were correlated to the water holding capacity index, which characterizes the degree of the secondary transformation of peat soils. In most cases the thermal treatment lowered the value of the surface fractal dimension, i.e. diminished the roughness of the part of the surface that adsorbs nitrogen molecules.     

Distribution of myocardial bridges in domestic pig

Localisation and morphology of myocardial bridges in the heart of domestic pig remain an open issue. Since these structures significantly influence haemodynamics in the coronary arteries, their occurance may lead to numerous pathologies. In the examined group of 150 domestic pig's hearts, myocardial bridges were diagnosed in 47.3% of the material, mostly in males. In majority of cases the bridges were present above the posterior interventricular branch of the right coronary artery, less often above the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery, and seldom above other blood vessels. The presence of myocardial bridges usually referred to the medial and initial segments of the arteries examined.     

Mutual relations between PAHs derived from atmospheric deposition,enzymatic activity,and humic substances in soils of differently urbanized areas

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine the mutual relations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) originated from atmospheric emissions and enzymatic activity and humic substances in soils at differently urbanized area, on an example of the Lublin city, east Poland.

Materials and methods

The chosen areas represented three differently urbanized environments: old tenement houses and modern residential blocks, mixture of different building and rural landscape, and typical rural environment with smallholding farms, respectively. On each of the urban, suburban, and rural areas, one representative plot was chosen on fallow lands classified as luvisol derived from loess. The soil samples were collected from the top 25 cm layer. The following properties were determined: pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, humic and fulvic acids, PAHs content (14 PAHs from US EPA list), and the activities of the following enzymes: dehydrogenases, acid phosphatase, alkane phosphatase, protease, and urease.

Results and discussion

Higher contents of organic C and total N were found in the rural soil samples. The share of humic acid was similar in all soils investigated, ranging from 19.38 to 25.27%, while fulvic acid values differ significantly between urban and rural areas. The urban soils indicated much lower share of fulvic acids (9.78–10.99%) than those of rural (29.02–29.32%). Consequently, the values of the C_HA:C_FA ratio of the urban soil were approximately two times higher than those of the rural soil. The results showed that both the rate of humification and the activity of dehydrogenases, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and proteases in the soils increased in the following sequence: urban < suburban < rural.

Conclusions

The results showed that an increase of PAHs in the urbanized areas affect other soil properties. The phenanthrene/anthracene and fluoranthene/pyrene ratios pointed to coal combustion as the principal source of PAHs in the investigated soils. The PAH content in the urbanized area inhibit humification processes in the soil and the activity of dehydrogenases, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and proteases.

     

Acoustic emission for tracing fracture intensity in lime wood due to climatic variations

Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring was used to trace directly the fracture intensity in cylinders of lime wood subjected to variations in temperature and relative humidity (RH) in their environment. High-frequency components produced by mechanical fracturing were extracted from the raw AE signals using the wavelet transforms. The accumulated energy of these components depended on the magnitude and rate of the RH variations. The AE activity correlated well with predictions of the numerical modeling carried out as the first part of the present investigations. In particular, the AE activity became negligible below the allowable magnitude for the rapid RH variation predicted by the simulation, or when the time interval allowed for the RH variation was long enough. Furthermore, AE proved capable of tracing the progressive evolution of damage at the microlevel, which preceded failure of wood discernible from the macroscopic perspective.     

Efficacy of different levels of Escherichia coli phytase in broiler diets with a reduced P content

Escherichia coli-derived 6-phytase expressed in Pichia pastoris (Optiphos) was added to broiler rations with considerably reduced levels of phosphorus (by 1.5 g/kg). This experiment, performed over a five-week period, involved Ross 308 male chickens kept in battery cages. Each group was divided into 9 subgroups, each of 9 chickens (81 birds per treatment). Birds were allocated to a positive control group (I), a negative control group (II) and three phytase-supplemented groups (III-V--the diet as in group II + 250, 500 and 750 FTU Escherichia coli phytase/kg feed, respectively). The major components of starter and grower diets were corn, soybean and wheat meals. Starter and grower diets (in meal form) contained 6.73 and 6.05 g total P/kg, 4.05 and 3.46 g available P (aP)/kg, respectively, in group I, and 5.23 and 4.55 total P/kg, 2.54 g and 1.95 g aP /kg, respectively, in groups II-V. Phytase efficacy was evaluated based on performance results, carcass quality and bone mineralization. P reduction in group II decreased weight gains by 9.1% and increased feed conversion by approximately 8.4%, compared with group I. Diet supplementation with phytase in groups IV and V significantly compensated for the decrease in performance observed in group II. The differences in dressing percentage between group II and groups III and V were significant. Phosphorus reduction in the diets negatively influenced the process of bone mineralization, which was enhanced by phytase supplementation.     

Aphid transmissibility of different European beet polerovirus isolates

Different field isolates of the ‘beet poleroviruses’ Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) and Beet chlorosis virus (BChV) (genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae) collected in France and Poland were evaluated for transmissibility from and to sugar beet plants by different aphid species. In general, both BMYV and BChV were efficiently transmitted by Myzus persicae and by a French clone of Macrosiphum euphorbiae. In contrast, transmissibility of the two poleroviruses by an English clone of M. euphorbiae was evidently weaker, although the aphid samples contained the virus as demonstrated by RT-PCR. None of the BMYV or BChV isolates was transmitted by Aphis fabae or Myzus ascalonicus. In attempting to correlate biological properties with molecular variations, the RT proteins were sequenced. Some amino acid point variations, presumably affecting aphid transmissibility, were identified.