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.     

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.     

蛤蜊岗不同贝龄四角蛤蜊数量性状的通径分析

为研究蛤蜊岗不同贝龄四角蛤蜊(Mactra veneriformis)形态性状与质量性状之间的相关性,采用相关分析、通径分析和多元回归分析等方法,对1~3龄四角蛤蜊的壳长(SL)、壳宽(SW)、壳高(SH)、活体湿重(BW)和软组织湿重(RW)等参数进行分析,建立形态性状与质量性状之间的回归方程。结果显示,不同生长阶段四角蛤蜊形态性状对质量性状的贡献存在极显著差异(P<0.01)。与1~3龄四角蛤蜊活体湿重最相关的形态性状均为壳宽。对软组织湿重影响最大的形态性状,在1龄贝为壳宽,在2龄和3龄贝为壳长。壳高对2龄四角蛤蜊活体湿重和软组织湿重的直接通径系数均未达到显著水平(P>0.05)。以活体湿重为目标性状时,1~3龄贝均应以壳宽为主要选择性状,并以壳长作为辅助选择性状;以软组织湿重为目标性状时,1龄贝应以壳宽为主要选择性状,同时辅以壳长;2龄和3龄贝均应以壳长为主要选择性状,并分别以壳宽和壳高作为2龄贝和3龄贝的辅助选择性状。研究结果可为蛤蜊岗四角蛤蜊良种选育提供基础数据。     

Studies on Herpesvirus scophthalmi infection of turbot Scophthalmus maximus (L.): Histopathological observations

Abstract. The histological features of the disease caused by infection of turbot by Herpesvirus scophthalmi are described. Infection of epidermal cells of skin and gill resulted in the formation of giant cells showing a variety of nuclear and cytoplasmic changes associated with the replication of the virus. The effects of the condition together with possible control measures are discussed.     

Thin layer chromatographic separation and spectrodensitometric determination of higher and lower sulfonated subsidiary dyes in FD&C Yellow No. 6.

A thin layer chromatographic method is presented by which higher and lower sulfonated subsidiary dyes are simultaneously separated from FD&C Yellow No. 6. After separation, the colors are quantitated directly, using a spectrodensitometer. Recoveries of 1, 2, and 5% of added 1-(4-sulfophenylazo)-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid ranged from 92 to 111%. Recoveries of 1, 2, and 5% of added 1-(4-sulfophenylazo)-2-naphthol ranged from 90 to 110%.