Solid shelter tubes alleviate summer stresses during outplanting in drought-tolerant species of Mediterranean forests

New Forests - The effect of shelter tubes on plant performance has been widely studied. Although, the role of shelter tubes in alleviating the effects of drought and high-irradiance stresses during...     

Modification of Campylobacterjejuni Broiler Colonization by a Feed Additive Composed of Encapsulated Organic Acids and Essential Oils

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a novel feed additive on chicken intestinal colonization and carcass contamination by Campylobacterjejuni. The feed additive was composed of microencapsulated organic acids and essential oils （OA/EO）. The feed additive tested was provided by Jefo Nutrition Inc., St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. Day-old birds were separated into two rooms and subdivided into two groups. Chicken were fed with OA/EO or not fed with OA/EO until they reached 35 d of age. At 14 d of age, chickens received an oral suspension of two well characterized C. jejuni strains, depending on the room they were housed in. The levels of C. jejuni were periodically monitored in the caecum and on the carcasses. C. jejuni colonization was further characterized by the use of high-resolution melt analysis of the C. jejuniflaA gene （HRM-flaA）. The effect of the feed additive was strain-dependent. In room two, the feed additive had no effect on the caecal counts. In room one, at 35 d of age, caecal C. jejuni counts were higher with OA/EO, as opposed to carcasses counts which were lower in the treated group. The HRM-flaA analysis showed that an amplification profile was predominant in birds fed with OA/EO at 35 d of age in room one, suggesting the selection of a C. jejuni strain. In conclusion, the OA/EO seemed to be effective to reduce C. jejuni levels but this effect appeared strain dependent.     

Analysis of some Italian lemon liquors (limoncello)

The chemical composition of several commercial Italian Limoncellos, lemon-peel-based alcoholic beverages, was studied by chromatographic techniques. These methods allowed a rapid monitoring of Limoncello, giving information on quality markers and possible adulteration of the product. Quantitative data for more than 60 compounds are reported. Limoncellos were characterized by the presence of selected volatile (terpenes, aldehydes, alcohols) and nonvolatile compounds (psoralens, coumarins, phenolics, carbohydrates and acids). On the basis of their composition, the samples were grouped by PCA analysis in two sets; the first group showed a composition similar to lemon essential oils, with a high content of b-pinene, myrcene, trans-a-bergamottene, and b-bisabolene, and a low content in neral and geranial. The composition of the second group suggested the occurrence of oxidative phenomena and/or the addition of flavors. The presence of ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, 2-methyl-1-propanol and glycerol showed that a fermentation probably occurred in the sugar syrup used to dilute the Limoncello after the extraction process.     

Locomotor primitives in newborn babies and their development

How rudimentary movements evolve into sophisticated ones during development remains unclear. It is often assumed that the primitive patterns of neural control are suppressed during development, replaced by entirely new patterns. Here we identified the basic patterns of lumbosacral motoneuron activity from multimuscle recordings in stepping neonates, toddlers, preschoolers, and adults. Surprisingly, we found that the two basic patterns of stepping neonates are retained through development, augmented by two new patterns first revealed in toddlers. Markedly similar patterns were observed also in the rat, cat, macaque, and guineafowl, consistent with the hypothesis that, despite substantial phylogenetic distances and morphological differences, locomotion in several animal species is built starting from common primitives, perhaps related to a common ancestral neural network.     

Purification of a Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan for SPECT Molecular Imaging of Myocardial Infarction

Fucoidans constitute a large family of sulfated polysaccharides with several biochemical properties. A commercial fucoidan from brown algae, containing low molecular weight polysaccharidic species constituted of l-fucose, uronic acids and sulfate groups, was simply treated here with calcium acetate solution. This treatment led to a purified fraction with a yield of 45%. The physicochemical characterizations of the purified fucoidan using colorimetric assay, MALLS, dRI, FT-IR, NMR, exhibited molecular weight distributions and chemical profiles similar for both fucoidans whereas the sulfate and l-fucose contents increased by 16% and 71%, respectively. The biodistribution study in rat of both compounds labeled with ^99mTc evidenced a predominant renal elimination of the purified fucoidan, but the crude fucoidan was mainly retained in liver and spleen. In rat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, we then demonstrated the better efficiency of the purified fucoidan. This purified sulfated polysaccharide appears promising for the development of molecular imaging in acute coronary syndrome.     

The physicochemical and tribological properties of oleic acid based triester biolubricants

Currently, increasing pollutants in the environment lead to an increase in the use of plant oil based biolubricants. These products could lead to a significant reduction in environmental pollution and thus contribute to the discovery of a replacement for petroleum-based lubricants. Plant oils are advantageous because they are rapidly biodegradable, renewable, excellent lubricants and inexpensive to produce. However, these oils show poor stability to oxidation and unfavorable properties at low temperatures. Thus, this work outlines modifications in the epoxidation, oxirane ring opening, esterification and acylation reactions used to produce oleic acid based triester derivatives. These products have improved physicochemical and tribological properties that make them good biolubricant base stock candidates. Octyl 9-(lauroyloxy)-10-(behenoxy)octadecanoate 22 has the lowest pour point (−45 °C) while octyl 9-(lauroyloxy)-10-(octyloxy)octadecanoate 16 has the highest onset temperature. Based on the results, an increase in mid chain substituent length improves the pour point and anti-wear properties but conversely lowers the onset temperature.     

Morphological traits of stem to indirect selection of resistance to lodging in Avena sativa L

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - The runout of newly cultivated areas in the world without recurring to the deforestation, demand a necessity to improve yield to sustain a growth...     

Identification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops</Emphasis> L. species and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L. based on chloroplast DNA

The genus Aegilops L. is a very important genetic resource for the breeding of bread wheat Triticum aestivum. Therefore, an accurate and easy identification of Aegilops species is required. Traditionally, identification of Aegilops species has relied heavily on morphological characters. These characters, however, are either not variable enough among Aegilops species or too plastic to be used for identification at the species level. Molecular markers that are more stable within species, therefore, could be the alternative strategy towards an accurate identification. Since the chloroplast DNA has a lower level of evolution compared to the nuclear genome, an attempt was made in this study to investigate polymorphism in the chloroplast DNA among 21 Aegilops species (including Ae. mutica that is now known as Amblyopyrum muticum) and between the latter and T. aestivum to generate markers for the diagnosis of all targeted species. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) applied on 22 coding and non-coding chloroplast regions using 80 endonucleases and sequencing of two of those regions revealed little polymorphism between T. aestivum and the various Aegilops species examined and to a less extent was the variation among Aegilops species. Polymorphism observed among species analysed allowed the discrimination of T. aestivum and 12 Aegilops species.     

Correction to: Associated effects of shading on the behavior,growth, and survival of Stichopus cf. horrens juveniles

Aquaculture International -