Correlation between Chemical Structure and Biological Activity of Host-Selective Plant Pathogen Mycotoxins

Toxin, one of the most important factors of plant fungal disease, has attracted much attention of many academicians who have been studying pathogen mycotoxin in deep research. The paper summarized chemical structures of some host-selective plant pathogen mycotoxins discovered in recent years and the correlation between biological activity and chemical structure of toxin.     

Stabilizing Lead-Salt Diode Lasers: Understanding and Controlling Chaotic Frequency Emission

Lead-salt tunable diode lasers (TDLs) are the only devices currently available that can generate tunable monochromatic radiation at arbitrary wavelengths between 3 and 30 micrometers and are particularly useful for high-resolution spectroscopy over a wide range of spectral regimes. Detailed observations of TDLs show that the observed instrumental linewidth is actually a temporal average of many narrow (less than 0.5 megahertz) emission "modes." The time scale characteristic of these "modes," which appear to be of relatively constant intensity, is of the order of a microsecond. The laser's behavior is highly suggestive of a chaotic process, that is, seemingly random excursions of a dynamic variable (frequency) within a bounded range. This report shows experimentally that TDL emissions are indeed chaotic. Furthermore, in a simple and robust fashion, this chaotic behavior has been successfully controlled with the use of recent techniques that take advantage of chaos to produce a narrow band laser output.     

酸度对胡敏酸与镉和锌离子络合反应的影响

用离子交换平衡法研究了不同pH下胡敏酸与锌、镉单独及复合存在下形成络合物的稳定性及配位数.结果表明:在Zn2+,Cd2+单独存在时,络合反应的稳定常数及配位数随着pH值的增大而增大;相同pH条件下,Zn2+和胡敏酸络合物的稳定常数及配位数大于Cd2+.在Zn2+,Cd2+复合存在时,pH的变化与胡敏酸络合金属离子的稳定常数及配位数没有明显依存关系;与单独存在时相比,在pH 3.5和pH7.0时,Zn2+,Cd2+和胡敏酸络合物的稳定常数和配位数都减小;而在pH 5.0时,Cd2+和胡敏酸络合物的稳定常数和配位数都增大,Zn2+和胡敏酸络合物的稳定常数和配位数都减小.     

Computed tomographic assessment of vascular invasion and resectability of mediastinal masses in dogs and a cat

AIMS: To assess the sensitivity of non-angiographic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to determine the presence of vascular invasion of cranial mediastinal masses in dogs and a cat, and to evaluate the association between vascular invasion and peri-operative mortality.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 25 dogs and one cat. CT scans were completed with slices ranging from 2 to 10 mm. CT images were evaluated by a board-certifi ed radiologist blinded to previous diagnoses and surgical fi ndings. Each CT study was evaluated for vascular invasion, defi ned as disruption of the vessel wall and extension of the mass into the vessel lumen. Data retrieved from the surgery reports included surgical approach, whether vascular invasion was present, the surgeon's decision on operability, and post-operative complications.

RESULTS: Computed tomographic evaluation revealed 25/26 masses had no evidence of vascular invasion. During surgical exploration, 10/26 masses were found to invade major regional vasculature; the cranial vena cava (CVC) was the vessel most commonly invaded (7/10 animals), and 4/7 (57%) patients with invasion of the CVC were euthanised or died in the perioperative period, from surgical or disease-related problems, which was signifi cantly higher than patients without vascular invasion (p=0.045).

CONCLUSIONS: Non-angiographic contrast-enhanced CT was signifi cantly less sensitive for detecting vascular invasion of cranial mediastinal masses when compared with surgical evaluation. If the CVC was invaded by a tumour there was a signifi cant risk of death peri-operatively when compared with non-invasive cases.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Due to the signifi cantly higher mortality risk associated with invasion of the CVC, a more sensitive method than CT should be investigated to determine vascular invasion of mediastinal masses pre-operatively.     

Multiple resistance in Trichostrongylus and Teladorsagia (Ostertagia) in goats to oxfendazole,levamisole and moxidectin,and ineffi cacy of trichlorphon

Extract

We wish to report the identification, from a flock of commercially-traded goats, of nematode worms that we have been unable to kill using the anthelmintic groups currently registered for use in sheep in New Zealand.     

Anthelmintic resistance and management of nematode parasites on beef cattle-rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand

AIM: To provide information on current farmers’ opinions and farming practices thought to be related to anthelmintic resistance, and to test for associations between the presence of anthelmintic resistance and management practices on beef cattle- rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand.

METHODS: A study using an interview-based questionnaire about management of internal parasites was conducted on 62 beef cattle-rearing farms in the North Island of New Zealand, using case-control analyses to test for associations between management practices and the presence or absence of resistance to ivermectin or albendazole. Resistance was inferred from faecal nematode egg count (FEC) reduction (FECR) tests (FECRTs) when there was <90% reduction in FEC 7-10 days after treatment of calves <12 months of age.

RESULTS: Of the 59 farmers who completed the questionnaire, most (n=40) ranked parasites highly, and at about the same level as quality and quantity of feed, as important production-limiting factors for their enterprises. In contrast, anthelmintic resistance was not perceived to be a problem on 13 farms, and its importance was rated low on 24, moderate on 15, and high on only six farms. Despite all farms having planned parasite control programmes, there was heavy reliance on clinical signs of parasitism to determine frequency of treatments. About one in three farmers with beef breeder cows routinely treated their calves at marking, one in five treated mixed-age cows, and almost half treated rising 2-year-old cows before calving. One in four farmers used anthelmintics on calves on 8–12 occasions in their first year of life. Co-grazing with other species was rare, but follow-on grazing within 3 months after older cattle or sheep was common. On most farms, grazing cattle was restricted to part of the farm, a finding with implications for parasite control and persistence of larvae in refugia. Macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics or their combinations with other action families were currently, and for the past 5 years, used more frequently than benzimidazoles and levamisole, and benzimidazole-levami- sole combinations. The prevalence of resistance to ivermectin was high (82%) and no plausible model of associations could be constructed from the data. The prevalence of resistance to albendazole was 60%, and the risk of resistance increased as the number of rising 1-year-old cattle present mid-winter increased, and decreased as the number of breeding cows >2 years old present mid-winter increased.

CONCLUSION: It is clear that in practice anthelmintic resistance is a secondary consideration to obtaining productivity advantages from the use of anthelmintics in beef cattle. Farmers’ opinions were divided on many issues and the overall impres- sion was of confused and diverse thinking regarding the principles of the use of anthelmintics. The overall outlook regarding anthelmintic resistance in cattle is bleak unless the need for integrated and long-term research activities is acted upon soon.     

Fourier transform infrared spectra of drying oils treated by irradiation

Drying oils, such as linseed oil and tung oil, have the potential as coating materials to improve barrier properties of biobased packaging films. Oil drying is a chemical reaction in which polyunsaturated fatty acids undergo autoxidation. During drying, oils polymerize and form water-resistant films. However, drying rates tend to be too slow for practical applications. Metal driers are used in the paint industry to accelerate drying, but often driers are not safe for food contact. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of ionizing radiation on the oxidation or drying rate of drying oils. The effect of irradiation dose on the drying rate of linseed and tung oils was monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The peak at 3010 cm (-1) was found to be a useful index of oxidation rate. The decrease in peak intensity with time was fitted with exponential functions of the form Abs = Abs 0 exp (- t/ k), where Abs 0 is the initial absorbance and 1/ k is the rate constant for the oxidation process. Values for k were 9.91 ( R (2) = 0.98), 6.59 ( R (2) = 0.95)n and 6.44 ( R (2) = 0.97) for radiation levels of 0, 50, and 100 kGy, respectively. The k values suggested that the oxidation rate increased as the radiation dose increased from 0 to 50 kGy. A further increase to 100 kGy had only a limited effect.     

长江口沿岸碎波带刀鲚仔稚鱼的数量分布

2007年5-10月,每月大潮期间在长江口沿岸碎波带13个站位用小型拖网各采样1次.195次拖网共采获刀鲚(Coilia nasus)仔稚鱼9 358尾,体长范围为3.0～61.2mm,优势体长为6.0～25.0 mm,以10.0～16.0 mm的弯曲期和13.0～21.0 mm的后弯曲期仔鱼为主.采获数量以7月最高,占总数55.0%,主要分布在长江口南支和北支上游,有3个站位(St.5、St.7、St.10)数量较高.其中有1个站位(St.7)刀鲚仔鱼的平均体长按月呈递增趋势,表明刀鲚仔稚鱼有利用沿岸碎波带作为早期生长场所的习性.根据刀鲚仔稚鱼在长江口沿岸碎波带分布和数量变动的调查结果,结合目前刀鲚成鱼资源量贫乏的现状,建议有关部门限制鳗苗定置网等作业,并加强对沿岸碎波带保育场的保护.     

Contribution of plant photosynthate to soil respiration and dissolved organic carbon in a naturally recolonising cutover peatland

The aim of this study was to investigate how three vascular plant species (Calluna vulgaris, Eriophorum angustifolium and Eriophorum vaginatum) colonising an abandoned cutover peatland affect fluxes of recent photosynthate to dissolved organic carbon (DOC), soil and plant respiration and shoot biomass. We used in situ ¹³CO₂ pulse labelling to trace carbon (C) throughout a 65 day pulse chase period. Between 16 and 35% of the pulse of ¹³C remained in shoot biomass after 65 days with significant differences between C. vulgaris and E. angustifolium (P = 0.009) and between C. vulgaris and E. vaginatum (P = 0.04). A maximum of 29% was detected in DOC beneath labelled plants and losses of ¹³C from peat respiration never exceeded 0.16% of the original pulse, showing that little newly fixed C was allocated to this pool. There were no significant differences between the different plant species with respect to ¹³C recovered from DOC or via peat respiration. More C was lost via shoot respiration; although amounts varied between the three plant species, with 4.94–27.33% of the ¹³C pulse respired by the end of the experiment. Significant differences in ¹³C recovered from shoot respiration were found between C. vulgaris and E. angustifolium (P = 0.001) and between E. angustifolium and E. vaginatum (P = 0.032). Analysis of δ¹³C of microbial biomass indicated that recently assimilated C was allocated to this pool within 1 day of pulse labelling but there were no significant differences in the ¹³C enrichment of the microbial biomass associated with the different plant species. The data suggest that peat respiration represents a small flux of recent assimilate compared to other fluxes and pools and that different vascular plant species show considerable variation in the quantities and dynamics of C allocated to DOC.     

Residence Time Distribution and Barrel Fill in Pet Food Twin‐Screw Extrusion Cooking

The residence time distribution and barrel fill of pet food in a twinscrew extruder was determined under conditions of a constant ratio of feed rate to screw speed. Specific feeding load was held constant at 0.16 kg/hr/ rpm while feed rate ranges were 24–56 kg/hr and screw speed ranges were 150–350 rpm. The residence time rapidly decreased as feed rate and screw speed increased. The spread of the residence time distribution (RTD) was smaller at higher feed rates and screw speed, however analysis of the normalized RTD indicated greater mixing. The barrel fill was constant at ≈50% throughout the range of experimental conditions.