Serum lipid,enzyme, and hematological responses of broilers fed Acacia angustissima leaf meal-based diets

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The objective of the study was to determine serum lipid, enzyme, and hematological responses of broilers to Acacia angustissima leaf meal. Acacia...     

HEC-HMS水文模型在数据稀缺山区流域中的应用——以乌鲁木齐河流域为例

[目的]评价HEC-HMS分布式水文模型在干旱区资料稀缺内陆河流域洪水模拟预报中的适用性。[方法]以乌鲁木齐流域上游为例,结合流域实测水文气象资料,率定模型参数、建立并验证HEC-HMS模型。[结果]1957—2009年乌鲁木齐河上游流域13场历史洪水模拟中,HEC-HMS模型洪水模拟确定系数R2取值分布在0.67~0.87之间,洪峰流量模拟相对误差均小于15.6%,模拟精度较高。[结论]建立的HEC-HMS模型有效,模型参数的率定合理以及HEC-HMS模型在干旱数据稀缺山区流域洪水模拟中具有较好的适用性。     

Approaches for developing molecular markers associated with virus resistances in potato (Solanum tuberosum)

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Potato, (Solanum tuberosum), is one of the most common and important food sources for humans. It is not only essential as a food source but also has many...     

Focused evolution of HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies revealed by structures and deep sequencing

Antibody VRC01 is a human immunoglobulin that neutralizes about 90% of HIV-1 isolates. To understand how such broadly neutralizing antibodies develop, we used x-ray crystallography and 454 pyrosequencing to characterize additional VRC01-like antibodies from HIV-1-infected individuals. Crystal structures revealed a convergent mode of binding for diverse antibodies to the same CD4-binding-site epitope. A functional genomics analysis of expressed heavy and light chains revealed common pathways of antibody-heavy chain maturation, confined to the IGHV1-2*02 lineage, involving dozens of somatic changes, and capable of pairing with different light chains. Broadly neutralizing HIV-1 immunity associated with VRC01-like antibodies thus involves the evolution of antibodies to a highly affinity-matured state required to recognize an invariant viral structure, with lineages defined from thousands of sequences providing a genetic roadmap of their development.     

Inoculation with Phosphate Solubilizing Mesorhizobium Strains Improves the Performance of Chickpea (Cicer aritenium L.) Under Phosphorus Deficiency

The use of phosphate-solubilising bacteria as inoculants increases plant phosphorus (P) uptake and thus crop yield. Strains from the genus Mesorhizobium are among the most powerful phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. In order to study efficiency in P uptake and N₂ fixation in chickpea (Cicer aritenium), forty-two rhizobia strains natively from Tunisian soils were studied in symbiosis with the chickpea variety “Béja1” which is frequently cultivated in Tunisia. Plants were inoculated separately with these strains under controlled conditions in perlite under two sources of P i.e. soluble (KH₂PO₄) and insoluble P (Ca₂HPO₄). At flowering stage, growth, nodulation, P uptake and N₂ fixation were assessed in all symbiotic combinations. The results showed that the S27 strain efficiently mobilized P into plants, observed as a significant increase of plant P content when insoluble P (Ca₂HPO₄) was supplied to the soil. This was associated with a significant increase in plant biomass, nodule number and N content under insoluble P conditions. Additionally, inoculation with the Mesorhizobium strain S27 significantly increased the root acid phosphatase activity under insoluble P. This study also shows significant correlations found between plant P content and acid phosphatase activity under low P conditions which may highlight the contribution of acid phosphatases in increasing P use efficiency. A field experiment also showed that most of the chickpea analyzed parameters were improved when plants inoculated with two selected rhizobia strains (S26 and S27) and supplied with P2O5. Overall, these findings postulate that rhizobial inoculation should not only be based on the effectiveness of strains regarding N fixation, but also to other traits such as P solubilisation potential.     

饲喂氨化棉籽壳对塔里木马鹿瘤胃内环境指标及血清尿素氮含量的影响

本试验旨在研究饲喂氨化棉籽壳对塔里木马鹿瘤胃内环境指标及血清尿素氮含量的影响,以期为塔里木马鹿对氨化饲料的合理利用提供理论依据。选用3只安装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的塔里木马鹿作为试验动物,采用配对试验设计(饲喂氨化棉籽壳前和饲喂氨化棉籽壳后),分2期进行,前期饲喂含未氨化棉籽壳(1 kg)的饲粮,后期饲喂用氨化棉籽壳全部替换掉未氨化棉籽壳的饲粮。每期试验分为预试期和正试期,预试期7 d,正试期15 d。结果显示:饲喂氨化棉籽壳后,塔里木马鹿瘤胃液p H、氨态氮浓度、微生物蛋白含量和血清尿素氮含量均显著或极显著高于饲喂氨化棉籽壳前(P0.05或P0.01),乙酸、丁酸和总挥发性脂肪酸浓度显著或极显著低于饲喂氨化棉籽壳前(P0.05或P0.01)。饲喂氨化棉籽壳前、后每只塔里木马鹿每天的饲料成本分别为5.55和5.04元,饲喂后比饲喂前低0.51元。由此可见,塔里木马鹿对氨化棉籽壳有很强的适应能力,氨化棉籽壳在塔里木马鹿饲粮中的应用可有效节约蛋白质饲料,提高粗饲料的利用效率,提高经济效益。     

Effect of the supplementation of live preys enriched in cod liver oil on the survival rate,growth and fatty acid profile of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) larvae

First‐feeding diets employed in the rearing of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) larvae are based on live preys that are commonly enriched to compensate for their deficiency of essential fatty acids. A feeding trial was conducted on meagre larvae (Argyrosomus regius) fed rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) and Artemia salina enriched in lipids from an emulsion of cod liver oil (CLO) and a commercial product (CP). The effect of both enrichment products was evaluated on the survival rate, size and lipid composition of meagre larvae. The results showed that larvae fed CLO presented significant higher values of survival rate (35.0 ± 3.2%) and larval size (12.06 ± 1.17 mm) at the end of the experiment, compared to the CP diet (26.0 ± 2.5%, 11.41 ± 0.91 mm, respectively). Both zootechnical parameters were related to the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the larvae. Indeed, the larvae fed CLO presented a higher ratio DHA/EPA than those enriched in commercial product (0.82 ± 0.18 and 0.38 ± 0.12 at 26 days after hatching, respectively). Both larval groups presented similar body content of arachidonic acid (1.4 wt.% on average at 26 days after hatching), regardless the enrichment source. From all above, we can conclude that the enrichment of live preys with an emulsion of cod liver oil is an economically viable alternative to commercial products. Indeed, cod liver oil emulsions are able to fully meet the requirements for fatty acids of meagre larvae. Furthermore, cod liver oil is easily available from fish processing facilities.     

Rigidoporus microporus and the white root rot disease of rubber

Rigidoporus microporus is an economically important plant pathogenic fungus causing particularly severe losses to the rubber industry worldwide. The pathogen is responsible for white root rot (WRR) disease, infecting the host roots via white fibrous mycelia, causing vascular disfunction, and visible symptoms including leaf discolouration and dieback in severely infected trees. The final stage of the disease is characterized by the appearance of basidiocarps at the tree collar. The development of WRR in rubber plantations is dependent on fungal diversity in the soil, pH, temperature, and cation levels. Several ‘-omics’ approaches have been undertaken to understand how R. microporus functions with the objective, ultimately, to control WRR. Unfortunately, no resistant rubber clone has been identified to date. The disease is managed through physical and chemical methods that are laborious and negatively impact the environment, respectively. Recent developments in research on R. microporus shed light on potential sustainable routes to WRR disease control using beneficial microorganisms and natural compounds. This review discusses the characteristics of R. microporus isolates from different geographical origins, the pathogenicity and virulence mechanisms of the necrotrophic fungal pathogen, factors that influence the development of WRR, recent findings from the multi-omics studies, and control methods that are available to combat this economically important pathogen.     

Molecular approach to determine taxonomic status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Septoria</Emphasis> sp. causing leaf blotch of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Castanea sativa</Emphasis> in Hyrcanian forests

Castanea sativa is a valuable tree species in Hyrcanian forests, an evolutionary relict ecosystem whose communities suffer from overexploitation and fungal diseases. In the current study, three species delimitation methods were utilized with ITS regions sequencing to determine the taxonomic status of Septoria causing leaf blotch of C. sativa in Hyrcanian forests. The results indicated that the length of ITS region in the genus Septoria (extracted from GenBank) varied from 650 to 680 bp. There were almost three times more variable sites in ITS1 than in ITS2. The ITS2 secondary structure of Hyrcanian Septoria community had the highest similarity with Septoria castaneicola, except for some differences in helix II and III. Also, Hyrcanian samples had minimum genetic distances with S. castaneicola and maximum with Septoria quercicola. The maximum parsimony method divided the studied Septoria genus into three distinct clades, mostly located in clade I. Clade II consisted entirely of Septoria aciculosa, while clade III contained S. castaneicola as well as Hyrcanian samples.