The correlation of intramuscular fat content between muscles of the lamb carcass and the use of computed tomography to predict intramuscular fat percentage in lambs

Intramuscular fat (IMF) % contributes positively to the juiciness and flavour of lamb and is therefore a useful indicator of eating quality. A rapid, non-destructive method of IMF determination like computed tomography (CT) would enable pre-sorting of carcasses based on IMF% and potential eating quality. Given the loin muscle (longissimus lumborum) is easy to sample, a single measurement at this site would be useful, providing is correlates well to other muscles. To determine the ability of CT to predict IMF%, this study used 400 animals and examined 5 muscles from three sections of the carcass: from the fore-section the m. supraspinatus and m. infraspinatus, from the saddle-section the m. longissimus lumborum and from the hind-section the m. semimembranosus and m. semitendinosus. The average CT pixel density of muscle was negatively associated with IMF% and can be used to predict IMF% although precision in this study was poor. The ability of CT to predict IMF% was greatest in the m. longissimus lumborum (slope −0.07) and smallest in the m. infraspinatus (slope −0.02). The correlation coefficients of IMF% between the five muscles were variable, with the highest correlation coefficients evident between muscles of the fore section (0.67 between the m. supraspinatus and the m. infraspinatus) and the weakest correlations were between the muscle of the fore and hind section. The correlation between the m. longissimus lumborum to the other muscles was fairly consistent with values ranging between 0.34 and 0.40 (partial correlation coefficient). The correlation between the proportion of carcass fat and the IMF% of the five muscles varied and was greatest in the m. longissimus lumborum (0.41).     

Influence of soil texture and crop management on the productivity of miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu.) in the Mediterranean

Biomass productivity is the main favorable trait of candidate bioenergy crops. Miscanthus × giganteus is a promising species, due to its high‐yield potential and positive traits including low nutrient requirements and potential for C sequestration in soils. However, miscanthus productivity appears to be mostly related to water availability in the soil. This is important, particularly in Mediterranean regions where the risk of summer droughts is high. To date, there have been no studies on miscanthus responses under different soil conditions, while only a few have investigated the role of different crop managements, such as irrigation and nitrogen fertilization, in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the effects of contrasting soil textures (i.e. silty‐clay‐loam vs. sandy‐loam) and alternative agricultural intensification regimes (i.e. rainfed vs. irrigated and 0, 50, 100 kg ha^?1 nitrogen fertilization), on miscanthus productivity were evaluated at three different harvest times for two consecutive years. Our results confirmed the importance of water availability in determining satisfactory yields in Mediterranean environments, and how soil and site characteristics strongly affect biomass production. We found that the aboveground dry yields varied between 5 Mg ha^?1 up to 29 Mg ha^?1. Conversely, nitrogen fertilization played only a minor role on crop productivity, and high fertilization levels were relatively inefficient. Finally, a marked decrease, of up to ?40%, in the aboveground yield occurred when the harvest time was delayed from autumn to winter. Overall, our results highlighted the importance of determining crop responses on a site‐by‐site basis, and that decisions on the optimal harvest time should be driven by the biomass end use and other long‐term considerations, such as yield stability and the maintenance of soil fertility.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of pyrazolone derivatives and their terbium complexes

Seven novel pyrazolone derivatives were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra, mass spectra, infrared spectra and elemental analysis. Their terbium complexes were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, EDTA titrimetric analysis, UV/vis spectra, infrared spectra and molar conductivity, as well as thermal analysis. The fluorescence properties and fluorescence quantum yields of the complexes were investigated at room temperature. The results indicated that pyrazolone derivatives had good energy‐transfer efficiency for the terbium ion. All the terbium complexes emitted green fluorescence characteristic of terbium ions, possessed strong fluorescence intensity, and showed relatively high fluorescence quantum yields. Cyclic voltammograms of the terbium complexes were studied and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of these complexes were estimated. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

57份苎麻种质资源主要农艺性状及纤维品质鉴定评价

对57份苎麻种质的主要农艺性状和纤维品质性状进行了鉴定评价。结果筛选出高产苎麻种质10份(原麻产量≥2000 kg/hm2),纤维品质优良的种质7份(纤维细度≥2000 m/g),鲜皮出麻率≥12.5%的苎麻种质20份,炼折率超过65%的苎麻种质有10份,按照苎麻优异种质评价规范,满足高产和出麻率高2个优良指标的种质7份,满足优质和鲜皮出麻率高2个优良指标的种质1份。     

Morphometric divergence in populations of Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera,Tephritidae) from Colombia and some Neotropical locations

The West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua, is one of seven species of quarantine importance of its genus and is one of the most economically important fruit fly pests in Colombia. The taxonomic status of this species is a key issue for further implementation of any pest management program. Several molecular studies have shown enough variability within Anastrepha obliqua to suggest its taxonomic status could be revised; however, there are no morphological studies supporting this hypothesis. The aim of this work was to describe the morphological variability of Colombian populations of Anastrepha obliqua, comparing this variability with that of other samples from the Neotropics. Measurements were performed on individuals from 11 populations collected from different geographic Colombian localities and were compared with populations from Mexico (2), Dominica Island (1), Peru (1) and Brazil (2). Linear morphometric analyses were performed using 23 female morphological traits, including seven variables of the aculeus, three of the thorax, and six of the wing; seven ratios among them were also considered. Discriminant function analyses showed significant morphological differentiation among the Colombian populations, separating them into two groups. Furthermore, in the comparisons between Colombian samples with those from other countries, three clusters were observed. The possibility of finding more than one species within the nominal Anastrepha obliqua population is discussed.     

Wing morphometrics as a possible tool for the diagnosis of the Ceratitis fasciventris,C. anonae,C. rosa complex (Diptera,Tephritidae)

Previous attempts to resolve the Ceratitis FAR complex (Ceratitis fasciventris, Ceratitis anonae, Ceratitis rosa, Diptera, Tephritidae) showed contrasting results and revealed the occurrence of five microsatellite genotypic clusters (A, F1, F2, R1, R2). In this paper we explore the potential of wing morphometrics for the diagnosis of FAR morphospecies and genotypic clusters. We considered a set of 227 specimens previously morphologically identified and genotyped at 16 microsatellite loci. Seventeen wing landmarks and 6 wing band areas were used for morphometric analyses. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance detected significant differences both across morphospecies and genotypic clusters (for both males and females). Unconstrained and constrained ordinations did not properly resolve groups corresponding to morphospecies or genotypic clusters. However, posterior group membership probabilities (PGMPs) of the Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) allowed the consistent identification of a relevant proportion of specimens (but with performances differing across morphospecies and genotypic clusters). This study suggests that wing morphometrics and PGMPs might represent a possible tool for the diagnosis of species within the FAR complex. Here, we propose a tentative diagnostic method and provide a first reference library of morphometric measures that might be used for the identification of additional and unidentified FAR specimens.