Long-term application of animal slurries to grassland alters soil cation balance

Abstract. Soil samples from a 32-year grassland field experiment were taken from 0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm soil depths in February 2002. Plots received annual treatments of unamended control, mineral fertilizer, three rates of pig slurry and three rates of cow slurry, each with six replicates. Samples were analysed for cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), pH and Olsen P. Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) was calculated as a sodicity indicator. Mean ESP was generally greater for slurry treatments than the control, with a trend of increasing ESP with application rate. This was particularly marked for cow slurry. At 0–5 cm depth ESP increased from 1.18 in the control to 1.75 at the highest rate of pig slurry and 5.60 at the highest rate of cow slurry. Similar trends were shown for CEC, exchangeable Na⁺, K⁺ and Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Olsen P. The build-up of soil P due to slurry applications, together with this combination of physical and chemical factors, may increase the risk of P loss to surface waters, particularly from soils receiving high rates of cow slurry.     

The effect of dose and concentration on D-xylose absorption in healthy,immature dogs

Nine combinations of dosages and concentrations of D-xylose were given orally to eight clinically normal, immature dogs. The concentrations and dosages of D-xylose consisted of 5%, 10%, and 20% at 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, and 750 mg/kg. Serum samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 minutes. Serum xylose was quantitated using the phloroglucinol microassay technique. A peak in serum xylose concentration was seen for each treatment combination at 60 or 90 minutes after dosing. The dosage effect was important in influencing serum xylose values (P < 0.0001). As the test solution dosages increased from 250 mg/kg to 500 mg/kg and 750 mg/kg, serum xylose values (when dosage was analyzed over the length of the entire test) rose linearly (R(2) = 0.98). The treatment combinations of 5% and 20% xylose solutions dosed at 750 mg/kg produced the highest serum xylose values at the 60- and 90-minute peak intervals. The independent effect of concentration was significant (p < 0.001) but was overridden by the stronger dosage effect. Serum xylose concentrations varied little statistically (p > 0.05) when the 5%, 10%, and 20% solutions were compared at a specific dosage.     

Relationship between energy and protein intakes and laying characteristics in individually‐caged broiler breeder hens

1. Individually‐caged broiler hens, which had been reared on an advised rationing programme, were fed allowances of 1.88, 1.61, 1.32 or 1.13 MJ apparent metabolisable energy/bird d at four different protein intakes (27, 23, 19.5 or 16.5 g crude protein per bird d) from 21 to 60 weeks of age.

2. Age at first egg, body‐weight gain and egg production were affected by energy allowance. Birds on the lower energy allowances came into lay later than birds on the higher energy allowances and at a lower body weight.

3. Body‐weight gain decreased with decreasing energy allowance. The decrease in egg output in response to decreasing energy allowance resulted from more birds ceasing to lay and fewer birds laying on more than 3 d per week. Similar changes in the distribution of rates of lay were observed on each treatment as the flock aged.

4. The relationship between body‐weight gain and egg number on each treatment was negative from 21 to 36 weeks, but became less consistent with age.

5. Protein intake had little effect on body weight. At the lowest energy allowance, egg number and egg weight decreased with increasing protein allowance. This effect was not observed on the higher energy allowances.     

Effects of energy and protein allowances during lay on the reproductive performance of broiler breeder hens

1. Broiler parent stock were fed daily allowances of 1.88, 1.73 or 1.52 MJ apparent metabolisable energy (AME) per bird at two different daily protein intakes (27, 21.3 g crude protein (CP) per bird) or daily protein intakes of 24.6 and 19.4 g CP per bird at a daily energy intake of 1.88 MJ AME per bird from 21 to 64 weeks of age.

2. Body‐weight gain and carcass fat and water content increased and fertility decreased with increasing energy allowance. Maximum egg production occurred at an energy intake of 1.73 MJ AME/bird d.

3. Differences in egg weight and hatchability were related to differences in both energy and protein intake. The highest egg weight occurred at the highest allowance of energy and protein. Hatchability was depressed where the daily allowances of protein and energy were in a ratio of more than 15 g protein: 1 MJ AME.

4. Apart from egg size no significant effects on reproductive performance were observed when dietary protein intake was varied from 27 to 19.5 g/bird d.

5. Requirements of broiler breeder hens for protein during lay may be lower than previously thought. For the strain used a protein intake of 19.5 g/bird d appeared adequate provided essential amino acid concentrations were maintained.

6. The close relationships between body weight and energy allowance and the latter and egg production make body‐weight gain a useful guide to management. A body‐weight gain of about 1.1 kg from 21 to 36 weeks of age was associated with optimum performance in this study.     

Frequent mutation of BAP1 in metastasizing uveal melanomas

Metastasis is a defining feature of malignant tumors and is the most common cause of cancer-related death, yet the genetics of metastasis are poorly understood. We used exome capture coupled with massively parallel sequencing to search for metastasis-related mutations in highly metastatic uveal melanomas of the eye. Inactivating somatic mutations were identified in the gene encoding BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) on chromosome 3p21.1 in 26 of 31 (84%) metastasizing tumors, including 15 mutations causing premature protein termination and 5 affecting its ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase domain. One tumor harbored a frameshift mutation that was germline in origin, thus representing a susceptibility allele. These findings implicate loss of BAP1 in uveal melanoma metastasis and suggest that the BAP1 pathway may be a valuable therapeutic target.     

Urine flavonoids and plasma carotenoids in the validation of fruit, vegetable and tea intake during pregnancy in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

OBJECTIVE: To validate a new food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for measuring the intake of fruit, vegetables and tea reported by women participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). DESIGN: Intake of fruits, vegetables and tea estimated by the FFQ was compared with urinary flavonoid excretion, plasma carotenoid concentration and intake measured by a 4-day weighed food diary (FD). The triangular method was applied to calculate FFQ validity coefficients using two independent biomarkers. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: One hundred and nineteen women participating in MoBa. RESULTS: The FFQ estimate of fruit intake was significantly correlated with urine phloretin (r = 0.33), citrus fruit/juice with urine hesperetin (r = 0.44), cooked vegetables with plasma alpha-carotene (r = 0.37), and tea with urine kaempferol (r = 0.41) (P < 0.01 for all). On average, 60% of the participants fell into the same or adjacent quintiles when classified by FFQ and biomarkers. Significant correlations between the FFQ and FD were found for fruit (r = 0.39), vegetables (r = 0.34), juices (r = 0.50) and tea (r = 0.53). The FFQ validity coefficient was 0.65 for citrus fruit/juice and 0.59 for cooked vegetables as calculated by the triangular method. CONCLUSIONS: The validation study shows that the MoBa FFQ can be used to estimate fruit, juice, vegetable and tea intake in pregnant Norwegian women, and to rank individuals within the distribution.     

Interactions between a non glycosylated human proline-rich protein and flavan-3-ols are affected by protein concentration and polyphenol/protein ratio

Interactions between salivary proline-rich proteins and tannins are involved in astringency, which is one of the most important organoleptic sensations perceived when drinking wine or tea. This work aimed to study interactions between a recombinant human salivary proline-rich protein, IB-5, and a flavan-3-ol monomer, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). IB-5 presented the characteristics of natively unfolded proteins. Interactions were studied by dynamic light scattering, isothermal titration microcalorimetry, and circular dichroism. The interaction mechanism was dependent on protein concentration. At low concentrations, a three-stage mechanism was evidenced. Saturation of the interaction sites (first stage) was followed by protein aggregation into metastable colloids at higher EGCG/protein ratios (second stage). Further increasing this ratio led to haze formation (third stage). At low ratios, a disorder-to-order transition of IB-5 structure upon binding was evidenced. At high protein concentrations, direct bridging between proteins and EGCG was observed, resulting in significantly lower aggregation and turbidity thresholds.     

Powdery mildew resistance of Nordic spring wheat cultivars grown in Estonia

Abstract

A group of spring wheat cultivars originating from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands was analysed for powdery mildew resistance. Using functional molecular markers, two alleles of the major resistance gene Pm3 were detected among the cultivars under the study. One of the alleles, Pm3d, was detected in the resistant cultivars ‘Vinjett’, ‘SW Estrad’, and ‘Zebra’, and in ‘Tjalve’, a cultivar of earlier release susceptible to the local population of powdery mildew. The second allele of Pm3 detected in the analysed group of cultivars was the allele Pm3f, rarely used in Europe. It was identified in the resistant cultivars ‘Satu’, ‘Helle’, and in the moderatively resistant cultivar ‘Mahti’. Pm3f was found to be effective against the local population of powdery mildew in Estonia, while Pm3d provided no protective effect. Besides the Pm3d allele on chromosome 1A, monosomic analysis of the cultivar ‘Vinjett’,which is almost immune to powdery mildew, identified two additional loci on chromosomes 5D and 7D, respectively, presumably responsible for the high resistance in this cultivar. In contrast to the earlier cultivars, six recently released cultivars (‘Vinjett’, ‘SW Estrad’, ‘Zebra’, ‘Satu’, ‘Helle’, ‘Meri’) demonstrated a high resistance to the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis DC. f. sp. tritici both in the field and seedling tests, showing that the genetic basis of powdery mildew resistance in Nordic spring wheat has been improved noticeably in the last ten years.