基于数字土壤制图技术的土壤有机碳储量估算

精准的土壤属性空间分布信息有助于提升土壤有机碳储量估算的精度。本研究以河南省济源市南山林场为研究区,以地形因子为预测因子,利用模糊C均值(FCM)聚类方法对土壤有机碳含量、土壤容重、土壤厚度和土壤砾石含量进行数字土壤预测制图,基于数字制图结果实现土壤有机碳密度预测制图和土壤有机碳储量估算。结果表明: 基于数字土壤制图方法得到的研究区土壤有机碳密度平均值为4.24 kg·m^-2,其预测图的平均误差(ME)为0.08 kg·m^-2,平均绝对误差(MAE)为2.80 kg·m^-2,均方根误差(RMSE)为5.03 kg·m^-2,与传统类型方法相比,预测结果的精度和稳定性更高,具有较高的可信度,最终估算得到研究区土壤有机碳储量为3.08×10⁸ kg。基于数字土壤制图技术仅采用少量土壤样点即可实现较高精度的土壤有机碳密度制图和储量估算,且能表征土壤有机碳密度空间分布特征。本研究为土壤有机碳储量估算提供了新途径,有助于提升土壤有机碳储量估算的精度和效率。     

红糖加工型甘蔗种质资源评价与筛选方法的建立

优良的甘蔗原料是生产高品质红糖的基础,筛选营养价值丰富的甘蔗种质资源,是选育红糖加工型甘蔗品种的基础。本研究以全国广泛种植、当前普遍用于红糖加工以及历史上较早应用于制作红糖等具有代表性的16份甘蔗种质为试验材料,通过分析蔗汁的蛋白质、总游离氨基酸、总多酚、蔗糖、还原糖、灰分、氯化物、胶体含量等营养、品质指标,采用因子分析、聚类分析、灰色多维综合评估等方法,建立了红糖加工型甘蔗种质资源评价与筛选方法,对16份甘蔗种质的营养价值综合评价得分进行排序。试验结果显示:不同参试甘蔗种质营养及品质指标间存在显著差异,选三、闽糖69-421、ROC22所含蛋白质、氨基酸的均值在所有材料中位居前列,灰分含量适中,可作为红糖加工型甘蔗种质进行应用;兼顾红糖生产需求和甘蔗营养成分含量,综合评价排序前5的种质依次为选三、闽糖69-421、云蔗05-51、ROC22和川糖61-408,是红糖加工型甘蔗种质的首选材料。     

不同青花椒品种挥发油成分的对比分析

青花椒产业近年来在南方地区发展迅速,而与品质相关的基础研究却较为滞后。本研究以市场上主要的八个青花椒品种为研究对象,采用水蒸气蒸馏法提取青花椒中的挥发油,结合气相色谱-质谱联用技术(gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,GC-MS)分析挥发油成分并进行聚类分析。结果显示,八个青花椒品种挥发油含量差异较大,在八种青花椒中共鉴别出60种成分,占挥发油相对含量的99.76%～99.66%,其中有29种共有成分,占挥发油含量的96.64%～98.95%。这些共有成分主要为醇类和烯类,含量较高的为芳樟醇和柠檬烯。八个青花椒品种挥发油的主要挥发性成分相似但含量相差较大,多数非共有挥发性成分含量少于1%,根据共有挥发性成分含量的差异,将八个青花椒品种分为了两类。对不同青花椒品种挥发油成分及含量的分析,可为青花椒的品质评价、品种选育及开发利用提供参考。     

In silico insights into the identification of potential novel angiogenic inhibitors against human VEGFR-2: a new SAR-based hierarchical clustering approach

Abstract

In this study, binding efficiency of new pyrrolopyrimidine structural analogs against human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) were elucidated using integrated in silico methods. Optimized high-resolution model of VEGFR-2 was generated and adopted for structure-based virtual screening approaches. Pyrrolopyrimidine inhibitor (CP15) associated compounds were screened from PubChem database and subjected to virtual screening and comparative docking methods against the receptor ligand-binding domain. Accordingly, high efficient compounds were clustered with similarity indices through PubChem structure cluster module using single-linkage algorithm. Moreover, pharmacokinetics including drug metabolism activities of high-binding leads under investigation was portrayed using ADMET and similarity ensemble analysis. Optimal energy orientations of the selected protein model have been shown to be reliable, and highly recommended for screening and docking studies. Docking and clustering strategies were shown that nineteen candidates as most effective binders for VEGFR-2 than CP15, and are grouped as three classes. Lys⁸⁶⁸, Glu⁸⁸⁵, Cys⁹¹⁹, His¹⁰²⁶, Arg¹⁰²⁷, Asp¹⁰⁴⁶, and Gly¹⁰⁴⁸ residues were predicted as novel hotspot residues, and participate in H-bonds, π-cation, π-stacking, halogen bonds, and salt-bridges formation with ligands. These additional bonds are contributing extent stability that holds the receptor structure at flexible state, this make difficult to any further conformational changes for evoking angiogenic signals. The ADMET and similarity ensemble analysis results were strongly indicated that thirteen candidates as best ligands for angiogenesis targets. Altogether, these findings indicate potential angiogenic templates and their binding levels with VEGFR-2; sorted viewpoints could be useful as a promising way to describe potential angiogenesis inhibitors with related molecular targets.     

Evaluation of Garden Crop Mercury Uptake and Potential Exposure from Consumption of Garden Crops Grown on Floodplain Soils

ABSTRACT

This study investigated Hg uptake from soil into garden crops to help assess the significance of human consumption of crops as a potential route of exposure to Hg. Locations for both a floodplain and a control garden were identified within the Augusta Forestry Center near Crimora, VA, USA, which is about 16 river-km downstream from the city of Waynesboro, along the South River. The floodplain garden had measured soil Hg concentrations ranging from 4.2 to 78 mg Hg kg^?1 dry weight basis in the surface to 15-cm deep layer. A total of 139 samples from the floodplain garden from 17 different crops were analyzed for Hg. All crop samples (except for nine) had less than 0.1 μg Hg g^?1 wet weight basis (ww). Many samples were less than the method detection limit (MDL) of 0.003 μg Hg g^?1 ww. Based on the measured Hg concentrations and several conservative assumptions (e.g., Hg assumed present when less than MDL; 100% consumption from the geographical area in which study was conducted; and 100% bioavailable Hg as methyl Hg), consumption of crops with these Hg levels is not expected to be a significant route of Hg exposure.     

Automated analysis of courtship suppression learning and memory in Drosophila melanogaster

Study of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has yielded important insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. Courtship conditioning is a well-established behavioral assay used to study Drosophila learning and memory. Here, we describe the development of software to analyze courtship suppression assay data that correctly identifies normal or abnormal learning and memory traits of individual flies. Development of this automated analysis software will significantly enhance our ability to use this assay in large-scale genetic screens and disease modeling. The software increases the consistency, objectivity, and types of data generated.     

Proteome analysis of the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is the causal agent of bacterial blight, which is one of the most serious diseases of rice. Xoo has been studied for over one century, and much has been learned about it, but proteomic investigation has been neglected. In this study, proteome reference maps of Xoo were constructed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and 628 spots in the gels representing 469 different protein species were identified with MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. The identified spots were assigned to 15 functional categories according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database and the annotations from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The data set has been deposited in the World-2DPAGE database (Database ID: 0044). In addition, comparative proteomic analysis revealed that proteins related to the TonB-dependent transportation system and energy metabolism are involved in the phenazine-1-carboxylic acid resistance in Xoo. In conclusion, we have established a proteome database for Xoo and have used this database in a comparative proteomic analysis that identified proteins potentially contributing to phenazine-1-carboxylic acid resistance in Xoo.     

Identification of Pak1 inhibitors using water thermodynamic analysis

Abstract

p21-activated kinases (Paks) play an integral component in various cellular diverse processes. The full activation of Pak is dependent upon several serine residues present in the N-terminal region, a threonine present at the activation loop, and finally the phosphorylation of these residues ensure the complete activation of Pak1. The present study deals with the identification of novel potent candidates of Pak1 using computational methods as anti-cancer compounds. A diverse energy based pharmacophore (e-pharmacophore) was developed using four co-crystal inhibitors of Pak1 having pharmacophore features of 5 (DRDRR), 6 (DRHADR), and 7 (RRARDRP and DRRDADH) hypotheses. These models were used for rigorous screening against e-molecule database. The obtained hits were filtered using ADME/T and molecular docking to identify the high affinity binders. These hits were subjected to hierarchical clustering using dendritic fingerprint inorder to identify structurally diverse molecules. The diverse hits were scored against generated water maps to obtain WM/MM ΔG binding energy. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculations were performed on the final hits to understand the stability of the complexes. Five structurally diverse novel Pak1 inhibitors (4835785, 32198676, 32407813, 76038049, and 32945545) were obtained from virtual screening, water thermodynamics and WM/MM ΔG binding energy. All hits revealed similar mode of binding pattern with the hinge region residues replacing the unstable water molecules in the binding site. The obtained novel hits could be used as a platform to design potent drugs that could be experimentally tested against cancer patients having increased Pak1 expression.