Changes in proline-14C metabolism in barley seedlings germinating at low temperature

Changes in the metabolic pattern of proline-¹⁴C were examined in barley seedlings germinated at the low temperature of 2°C (LT) and compared with those germinated at 25°C (HT). In the LT shoots. proline-¹⁴C incorporation was higher in the cationic fraction and lower in the acid-neutral fraction than that of HT, respectively. More proline-¹⁴C of LT was converted to other amino acids, especially to acidic amino acids in free amino acid state, than was the HT proline-¹⁴C which had a comparatively wide distribution.

In the LT protein fractions. more proline-¹⁴C was incorporated into the cytoplasmic protein than into the cell wall protein. On the contrary, the radioactivity of the lIT cell wall increased more distinctively. proline-¹⁴C in the two proteins of LT was a little less converted to other amino acids than in those of HT. A little higher radioactivity was found in the aspartate and glutamate of the LT protein hydrolysates. The hydroxyproline which is closely related with proline had a little lower level of radioactivity in the LT cell wall.     

A new spore precipitator with polarized dielectric insulators for physical control of tomato powdery mildew

ABSTRACT In an attempt to physically protect greenhouse tomato plants from the powdery mildew fungus Oidium neolycopersici, we developed a new electrostatic spore precipitator in which a copper wire conductor is linked to an electrostatic generator and covered with a transparent acrylic cylinder (insulator). The conductor was negatively charged by the generator, and the electrostatic field created by the conductor was used to dielectrically polarize the insulator cylinder. The dielectrically polarized cylinder also produced an electrostatic force without a spark discharge. This force was directly proportional to the potential applied to the conductor and was used to attract conidia of the pathogen. The efficacy of this spore precipitator in protecting hydroponically cultured tomato plants from powdery mildew was evaluated in the greenhouse. The hydroponic culture troughs were covered with a cubic frame installed with the spore precipitator, and the disease progress on precipitator-guarded and unguarded seedlings was traced after the conidia were disseminated mechanically from inoculum on tomato plants. Seedlings in the guarded troughs remained uninfected during the entire experiment, in spite of rapid spread of the disease to all leaves of the unguarded seedlings.     

Vulnerability of feline T-lymphocytes to charged particles

An analysis of ionizing radiation-induced damage in peripheral lymphocytes has been employed to predict the prognosis of radiotherapy in terms of toxicity in normal tissues. Therefore, understanding the sensitivity of lymphocytes to high linear energy transfer (LET)-charged particles would be indispensable for utilizing charged particle therapy in veterinary medicine. However, the availability of such information is very limited. This study aimed to compare the radiosensitivity of feline T lymphocytes to gamma-rays (0.2 keV/microm) and 4 different types of charged particles with LET values ranging from 2.8 to 114 keV/microm. It was observed that the relative biological effectiveness, inactivation cross-section, and isodose-induced apoptosis increased in an LET-dependent manner. On the other hand, no difference in apoptosis frequency was observed in the cells exposed to an isosurvival dose of all the radiation types tested. This is the first study that demonstrates the LET dependence of cell killing and apoptosis induction in feline T lymphocytes. Our results suggest that lymphocytes can be effectively used to predict the prognosis of charged-particle therapy in cat patients.     

Effect of intermittent heat treatment on crystallinity in wood cellulose

The effect of intermittent heat treatment on cellulose crystallites in wood was studied to evaluate quantitatively the changes of crystallinity induced by intermittent and continuous heating. The changes in crystallinity were found to be strongly affected by the intermittent heat treatment. The increased crystallinity, the width of the crystals, and the piezoelectric properties were the same for the first intermittent heating as for continuous heating. Further intermittent heating for the same time duration and temperature had no effect on the above properties, probably due to the stopping of the thermal reaction during the interval. Our results suggested that intermittent heat treatment has certain critical cooling temperatures that stop the thermal reaction and are closely related to the duration of the interval. Samples once exposed to a certain duration of heat treatment and then cooled need more time, about twice that of the first duration of intermittent heating compared with continuous heating, to reach maximum crystallinity in wood cellulose.     

Utilization of free amino acids, yolk proteins and lipids in developing eggs and yolk-sac larvae of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma

ABSTRACT:   To elucidate the utilization of the major yolk nutrient stocks in eggs and larvae of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma , the contents of free amino acids (FAA), the major yolk protein (180 kDa lipovitellin originated from vitellogenin B in ovulated eggs: oLv B), and lipids were measured. Most eggs hatched 18 days after fertilization at 5°C, and all larvae absorbed almost all their yolk mass by 28 days. The total FAA content showed no change during the first 6 days, and then decreased to 28% of the initial level by 18 days. The oLv B contents, measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a specific antiserum against oLv B, gradually decreased from 6 to 18 days, followed by a rapid decline. The content of phospholipids (PL) and triacylglycerols (TG) showed no marked change until hatching, and then decreased until disappearance of yolk sac. From these results, it is proposed that there are two main periods for nutrient utilization in embryos and larvae of walleye pollock. In the first period, FAA was mainly utilized until 18 days after fertilization. Active utilization of oLv B and lipids (PL and TG) instead of FAA occurred during the second period from 18 to 28 days.     

First report of blueberry red ringspot disease caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blueberry</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">red</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">ringspot</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">virus</Emphasis> in Japan

Virus-like symptoms—red ringspots on stems and leaves, circular blotches or pale spots on fruit—were found on commercial highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) cultivars Blueray, Weymouth, Duke and Sierra in Japan. In PCR testing, single DNA fragments were amplified from total nucleic acid samples of the diseased blueberry bushes using primers specific to Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRV). Sequencing analysis of the amplified products revealed 95.7–97.7% nucleotide sequence identity with the BRRV genome. This paper is the first report of blueberry red ringspot disease caused by BRRV in Japan. The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper are available in the GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ database as accessions AB469884 to AB469893 for BRRV isolates from Japan.     

基于脆弱性和退化驱动力分析的环境质量评价

 针对淮河流域伏牛山区不同区域的自然环境及社会经济特征,以县级行政区为评价单元,建立环境质量评价指标体系,然后使用层次分析法评价该地区环境脆弱性,并在同一指标体系下采用主成分分析法分析影响该区环境脆弱性的驱动力。结果表明:中度、强度和极强度脆弱区占淮河流域伏牛山区总面积的2/3以上,主要分布在研究区的中东部地区,而轻度和微度脆弱区分布在西部和南部的山区;影响该区环境脆弱性的6大驱动力为土地过度垦殖、土壤密度与枯落物量、降雨量、农业发展与产业结构水平、地形与植被覆盖、文化素质。     

Seasonality of serum levels of vitellogenin in male Japanese whiting, Sillago japonica, reared under natural temperature and photoperiod

ABSTRACT:   Because blood vitellogenin (Vg) has been considered a biomarker for environmental estrogens, the basal levels of Vg and 17β-estradiol (E₂) were determined in male Japanese whiting reared under natural conditions. Serum levels of Vg and E₂ were measured and gonadal development was assessed by gonadosomatic index (GSI) and histological observation in 8–10 male fish at monthly intervals throughout the annual reproductive cycle. Serum E₂ was <60 pg/mL throughout the study period. In contrast, serum Vg exhibited seasonal changes: serum levels of Vg gradually increased from April to May (mean 63 ± 13 ng/mL and 124 ± 48 ng/mL in April and May, respectively), and then reached a peak value (mean 352 ± 68 ng/mL) in June. Thereafter, serum Vg gradually decreased, reaching undetectable levels (<50 ng/mL) in October. Serum levels of Vg tended to increase in the male fish in which the GSI was >1%. Histological observation revealed that testes in such male fish were in active spermatogenesis and then all of the testes of male fish in which serum Vg decreased to ND levels were regressed. These results suggest that Vg productive potency (sensitivity to estrogens) may increase in the spermatogenic stage, resulting in production of Vg in response to very low levels of natural or xenobiotic estrogens.