Effect of canopy cover,seeding depth,and soil moisture on emergence of Centaurea maculosa and C. diffusa*

The effects of canopy cover, seeding depth, and soil moisture on emergence of Centaurea maculosa Lam. and C. diffusa Lam. were studied. Canopy cover had no effect on ermergence rate (seedlings/day/100 seeds) of either species. Seeds of both species emerged faster when placed on the soil surface. Emergence rate decreased as seeding depth increased. Both species required more than 55% initial soil moisture to initiate emergence, with 65–70% being optimum. Percentage emergence followed exactly the same trend as emergence rate. C. maculosa had better emergence characteristics over a wider range of conditions than C. diffusa, possibly being some of the reasons for the former having a wider geographical distribution in the United States and Canada.     

Fuels from biomass: integration with food and materials systems

The development of fuels from biomass can lead naturally to dispersed facilities that incorporate food or materials production (or both) with fuel production, forming adaptive systems that can be modified to meet evolving needs and constraints. The technology that is appropriate to each system needs to be worked out, taking into account associated food and materials opportunities in order to decrease the ultimate cost of energy delivered to the consumer. I analyze possible systems based on sugarcane, corn, and guayule.     

Stability of abdominal fat and meat of broilers: Effect of duration of feeding antioxidants 1

1. The α‐tocopherol (AT) content of abdominal fat and fat stability increased as a function of the duration of α‐tocopheryl acetate (ATA) feeding in broilers fed on diets containing either 40 g acidulated soyabean‐oil soapstock (ASS) or tallow/kg. A linear relationship was observed between AT content of the adipose tissue and its stability with both types of fat supplements.

2. The stabilities of carcass fat and meat of 9‐week‐old broilers fed on diets containing ASS with 300 mg ethoxyquin (EQ)/kg or diets containing tallow with 20 mg ATA/kg from weeks 5 to 9 were comparable with those obtained by feeding these antioxidants and fats throughout the growth period.

3. ATA added to a diet containing ASS, and EQ, added to a diet containing tallow did not improve meat stability despite such an effect on adipose tissue when fed for 9 weeks. The results emphasise the importance of using the dietary antioxidant appropriate to the fat supplement to improve carcass stability.     

The effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B: 290–320 nm) radiation on blister blight disease of tea (Camellia sinensis)

Sunlight is known to reduce the incidence of blister blight disease of tea, caused by Exobasidium vexans . The effects of the ultraviolet-B (UV-B: 290–320 nm) component of solar radiation on the disease and the development of E. vexans were studied in the field in Sri Lanka using UV-screening filter materials held over a commercial crop. Exclusion of UV-B radiation by Polyester, which reduces fluxes in the UV-B region by approximately 75–85%, increased both the number of translucent spots (immature sites of infection) and number of sporulating blisters (mature sites of infection), but it had little or no effect on the sporulation of the pathogen. When basidiospores were artificially inoculated on leaves, and were exposed to full or filtered solar radiation, their survival and germination increased when UV-B wavelengths were removed; significant differences were found 62 h after inoculation. However, UV-B did not affect the extension of germ tubes. This study indicates that the UV-B component of solar radiation plays an important role in the natural regulation of blister blight disease in the field.     

德南牛全基因组变异解析和功能基因挖掘

[目的]研究德南牛的群体遗传结构和解析影响其重要性状的关键基因。[方法]通过主成分分析、群体进化树分析、群体遗传结构分析等方法,研究德南牛的遗传结构和与其他品种的亲缘关系;同时,利用全基因组SNP数据,计算德南牛与德国黄牛、南阳牛群体固定指数(Fst)和核苷酸多样性比值(π ratio)、复合似然比(CLR)、XP-EHH等多种选择信号指标,以筛选出德南牛基因组上受到选择的信号,鉴定出重要的候选基因。[结果] 德南牛具有欧洲普通牛(0.789)、东亚牛(0.176)、中国瘤牛(0.035)的混合血统。在θπ和CLR方法中鉴定出93个共有基因,使用FST和XP-EHH方法鉴定出17个共有基因。进行富集以及基因功能注释后,发现这些基因可能与生殖性能(TUBB3、NSD2、GRM1、ERBB4)、生长性状(RFX3、FGFR3、GABRB1、PDE4D)、环境适应性(PGR、GRIA4)和免疫系统反应(P2RY12、P2RY13、GPR87、P2RY14、GPR171)有关。[结论]本项研究发现德南牛血统受德国黄牛影响较多,且挖掘了德南牛基因组内可能具有经济意义的性状相关的选择特征,为德南牛种群的选育提高提供理论支撑。     

Metabolic Profiling and In Vitro Assessment of the Biological Activities of the Ethyl Acetate Extract of Penicillium chrysogenum “Endozoic of Cliona sp. Marine Sponge” from the Red Sea (Egypt)

Marine sponge-derived endozoic fungi have been gaining increasing importance as promising sources of numerous and unique bioactive compounds. This study investigates the phytochemical profile and biological activities of the ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium chrysogenum derived from Cliona sp. sponge. Thirty-six compounds were tentatively identified from P. chrysogenum ethyl acetate extract along with the kojic acid (KA) isolation. The UPLC-ESI-MS/MS positive ionization mode was used to analyze and identify the extract constituents while 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy were used for kojic acid (KA) structure confirmation. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities were assessed in vitro. Both the extract and kojic acid showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC 250 ± 0.82 µg/mL. Interestingly, the extract showed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 93.75 ± 0.55 and 19.53 ± 0.48 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, KA showed the same potency against Fusarium oxysporum and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 39.06 ± 0.85 and 39.06 ± 0.98 µg/mL, respectively. Ultimately, KA showed strong antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ 33.7 ± 0.8 µg/mL. Moreover, the extract and KA showed strong cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma (with IC₅₀ 22.6 ± 0.8 and 23.4 ± 1.4 µg/mL, respectively) and human larynx carcinoma (with equal IC₅₀ 30.8 ± 1.3 and ± 2.1 µg/mL, respectively), respectively. The current study represents the first insights into the phytochemical profile and biological properties of P. chrysoenum ethyl acetate extract, which could be a promising source of valuable secondary metabolites with potent biological potentials.     

投喂率对凡纳对虾中间培育生长、生理和水环境的影响

中间培育是凡纳对虾(Penaeus vannamei)养殖的重要阶段,投喂率是影响此阶段养殖成效的重要参数。本研究开展为期30 d的养殖实验,研究3组投喂率(投喂率分别为体重的5%、7.5%、10%,分别命名为T5、T7.5和T10)对凡纳对虾中间培育养殖水质、微生物群落结构、非特异性免疫指标及生长性能的影响。实验期间,水体pH、盐度、温度及溶解氧均保持在适宜对虾生长的范围内。结果显示,随着实验进行,总氨氮(TAN)、亚硝态氮(NO2–-N)和化学需氧量(COD)浓度出现上升趋势,实验结束时,其浓度随投喂率升高呈现显著差异：T10>T7.5>T5。微生物群落结构分析表明,养殖水体的微生物群落丰富度和多样性随投喂率升高呈下降趋势,不同投喂率的优势门类均为变形菌门(Proteobacteria, 50.36%~67.53%)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes, 12.09%~67.53%);在属水平上,对凡纳对虾有害的弧菌(Vibrio)相对丰度在T10组最高(37.33%)、T5组最低(0.13%);对其有益的假交替单胞菌(Pseudoalteromonas)相对丰度在T10组最低(0.28%)、T7.5组最高(9.78%)。凡纳对虾肝胰腺的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、酸性磷酸酶(ACP)和碱性磷酸酶(AKP)活性在T10组最低、T7.5组最高(P<0.05)。T7.5和T10组对虾的体长和体重均显著大于T5组(P<0.05),但T7.5和T10组之间无显著差异(P>0.05),投喂率与存活率呈负相关,且3组间存在显著差异(P<0.05)。利用因子分析对非特异性免疫指标和生长指标进行综合评价,结果表明,T7.5组得分最高,为0.92,凡纳对虾中间培育的投喂率在7.5%左右为宜。