Molecular cloning,purification and immunogenicity of recombinant Brucella abortus 544 malate dehydrogenase protein

The Brucella mdh gene was successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli. The purified recombinant malate dehydrogenase protein (rMDH) was reactive to Brucella-positive bovine serum in the early stage, but not reactive in the middle or late stage, and was reactive to Brucella-positive mouse serum in the late stage, but not in the early or middle stage of infection. In addition, rMDH did not react with Brucella-negative bovine or mouse sera. These results suggest that rMDH has the potential for use as a specific antigen in serological diagnosis for early detection of bovine brucellosis.     

Apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients and amino acids in soybean meal,fish meal,spray‐dried plasma protein and fermented soybean meal to weaned pigs

This study sought to determine whether fermentation could increase apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), energy (E) and amino acids (AA) in fermented soybean meal (FSBM) greater than that of soybean meal (SBM) in weaned pigs. Four weaned pigs (10.00 ± 0.30 kg) were surgically equipped with T‐cannulas and randomly followed a 4 × 4 Latin square design of treatments (SBM, FSBM, fish meal and spray‐dried plasma protein). Overall, the fermentation process was able to reduce the amount of anti‐nutritional factors (ANF), including trypsin inhibitors, raffinose and stachyose, in the FSBM diet, which were significantly reduced by 39.4, 92.2, and 92.9%, respectively, as compared to the SBM diet. As a consequence of ANF reduction in FSBM, the AID of DM, N and E as well as AA was significantly greater with FSBM than SBM. Taken all together, the fermentation process improved the nutritional quality of SBM, due to ANF reduction, leading to improvement of digestibility of AA. As such, FSBM can be potentially used as a specialized feed ingredient, especially for young animal diets in an attempt to reduce diet costs.     

Chemical Composition Change in TSP Due to Dust Storm at Gosan, Korea: Do the Concentrations of Anthropogenic Species Increase Due to Dust Storm?

Aerosol composition change between dust storm and non-dust storm periods in spring is studied using the total suspended particle data measured at Gosan, a background area in Korea. The concentrations of eight inorganic ions and 12 elements were analyzed for the TSP samples collected from March 1992 to May 2006. Two-step statistical analyses were carried out for the data: F test and t test. The concentrations of anthropogenic ionic species showed increasing trend since 2003. The absolute concentrations of most anthropogenic species such as sulfate or nitrate increased (from 7.33 to 9.25 µg m^?3 and from 2.04 to 4.84 µg m^?3, respectively) during the dust storm period. However, the enrichment factors or normalized concentrations based on Al of most anthropogenic species decreased during dust storm period (factor of 0.1–0.5). It suggests that, in general, relative importance of anthropogenic species during dust storm would be not high.     

Variation and correlation analysis of flavonoids and carotenoids in Korean pigmented rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars

Flavonoids and carotenoids of pigmented rice ( Oryza sativa L.), including five black cultivars and two red cultivars, from Korea were characterized to determine the diversity among the phytochemicals and to analyze the relationships among their contents. Black cultivars were higher in flavonoids and carotenoids than the red and white cultivars. The profiles of eight phytochemicals identified from the rice grains were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the differences among cultivars. PCA could fully distinguish between these cultivars. The Heugjinjubyeo (BR-1) and Heugseolbyeo (BR-2) cultivars were separated from the others based on flavonoid and carotenoid concentrations. Flavonoid contents had a positive correlation with carotenoid contents among all rice grains. The BR-1 and BR-2 cultivars appear to be good candidates for future breeding programs because they have simultaneously high flavonoid and carotenoid contents.     

Properties of low-moisture viscoplastic materials consisting of oil droplets dispersed in a protein-carbohydrate-glycerol matrix: effect of oil concentration

The influence of oil concentration and baking on the properties of low-moisture composites consisting of oil droplets dispersed in a protein-carbohydrate-glycerol matrix was investigated. These composites were produced by blending canola oil, whey protein concentrate (WPC), corn syrup, and glycerol together using a high-speed mixer. The resulting system consisted of oil droplets dispersed in a polar matrix. Some composites were analyzed directly after preparation, while others were analyzed after being heated at 176 degrees C for 10 min to simulate baking. The "lightness" of the composites was greater before baking (higher L value), but the color was more intense after baking (higher a and b values). The lightness and color intensity of the composites decreased as the oil concentration increased, with the effects being more pronounced in the baked samples. The zeta potential of the oil droplets (measured after dilution at pH 6) was highly negative (approximately -40 mV), indicating that whey protein was adsorbed to the droplet surfaces. The mean particle diameter (measured after dilution at pH 6) increased appreciably after baking, which was attributed to droplet flocculation. The rheological properties of the unbaked and baked materials were characterized by squeezing flow viscometry, which showed that the measurements associated with consistency and yield stress increased with increasing oil concentration and with baking.     

Potential Anti-Aging Substances Derived from Seaweeds

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The exact mechanisms underlying the aging process are not fully elucidated. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that several pathways, such as sirtuin, AMP-activated protein kinase, insulin-like growth factor, autophagy, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 play critical roles in regulating aging. Furthermore, genetic or dietary interventions of these pathways can extend lifespan by delaying the aging process. Seaweeds are a food source rich in many nutrients, including fibers, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. The health benefits of seaweeds include, but are not limited to, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obese activities. Interestingly, a body of studies shows that some seaweed-derived extracts or isolated compounds, can modulate these aging-regulating pathways or even extend lifespans of various animal models. However, few such studies have been conducted on higher animals or even humans. In this review, we focused on potential anti-aging bioactive substances in seaweeds that have been studied in cells and animals mainly based on their anti-aging cellular and molecular mechanisms.     

A typology of agricultural production systems: Capability building trajectories of three Asian economies

Analysing the agricultural sectors of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, this paper examines the capability‐building process that encourages productivity and innovation. It describes and explains the origins and subsequent evolution of three forms of agricultural production system, each generating different farming capabilities and distinct forms of competitive advantages. The paper argues that Taiwan's rice‐oriented agricultural production system stimulates both productivity and innovation, helping Taiwanese farmers raise their income level and living standards. The active deployment of state institutions and a malleable labour force, evidenced in the Malaysian palm oil industry, is effective in raising farming productivity but not the ability to innovate. Singapore's aquaculture‐oriented agricultural production system is somewhat useful in stimulating productivity and innovation. Yet the city‐state's inherent lack of space and open international trade regime have circumscribed the potential of its aquaculture industry. It now relies on the regional ethnic Chinese business networks to expand the aquaculture industry's knowledge base and its industrial commons. The principles discussed in this paper provide policy lessons, or at least some initial guidance, for other developing economies aspiring to modernise their agricultural sector.     

The mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome reveals a mechanism of mTORC1-mediated inhibition of growth factor signaling

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein kinase is a master growth promoter that nucleates two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Despite the diverse processes controlled by mTOR, few substrates are known. We defined the mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome by quantitative mass spectrometry and characterized the primary sequence motif specificity of mTOR using positional scanning peptide libraries. We found that the phosphorylation response to insulin is largely mTOR dependent and that mTOR exhibits a unique preference for proline, hydrophobic, and aromatic residues at the +1 position. The adaptor protein Grb10 was identified as an mTORC1 substrate that mediates the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase typical of cells lacking tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), a tumor suppressor and negative regulator of mTORC1. Our work clarifies how mTORC1 inhibits growth factor signaling and opens new areas of investigation in mTOR biology.