Sucrose effects on in vitro fruiting and seed production of Centaurium pulchellum

The effect of sucrose on fruiting, seed production, and seed germination of lesser centaury [Centaurium pulchellum (Sw.) Druce] was examined using explants of flowers and flower buds. Sucrose concentrations in the culture medium ranged from 0.003 to 0.3 M. It has been shown that the number of auxiliary buds, capsules dimension, number of viable seeds per capsule and seed dimensions increased with the increase of sucrose concentrations. The highest values were recorded at sucrose concentrations higher than 0.03 M, except for seeds size, which were larger at sucrose concentration ranging from 0.003 to 0.1 M. The germination of in vitro produced seeds was affected by previous culture history: a higher germination percentage was obtained in seeds that were raised from explants originally grown on medium with sucrose concentrations higher than 0.003 M.     

三种昆虫的营养成分测定

黄粉虫、蝇蛆和大麦虫是市场上最常见的饲用昆虫.本试验采用或借鉴饲料营养成分测定的国家标准方法,测定了3种昆虫的常规营养成分、矿物元素、氨基酸和中长链脂肪酸的含量.结果表明,黄粉虫、蝇蛆和大麦虫的粗蛋白含量(％)依次为50.20、45.62和45.08,粗脂肪含量(％)依次为28.96、30.10和41.71,总能含量(KJ/g)依次为26.16、25.95和28.66;蝇蛆中钙、磷、铁和锰的含量(mg/100 g)最高,依次为500.0、885.7、1.17和3.06,黄粉虫中铜和锌的含量(mg/100 g)最高,分别为1.49和10.51;黄粉虫中支链氨基酸、直链氨基酸、必需氨基酸和总氨基酸的含量(％)均最高,依次为8.51、5.71、16.76和39.88,蝇蛆中苯丙氨酸、谷氨酸和赖氨酸的含量(％)较高,依次为2.71、6.29和3.19;黄粉虫中C14∶0和顺C18∶2的相对含量较高,分别为6.15％和33.17％,蝇蛆中C16∶0和C16∶1的相对含量较高,分别为39.62％和4.08％,大麦虫中C18∶0和顺C18∶1的相对含量较高,依次为23.33％和43.54％.上述结果表明,三种昆虫均具有较高的营养价值,可用于养殖业中蛋白质饲料原料的开发.     

The detection of vegetational change by multitemporal analysis of LANDSAT data: the effects of goose foraging

1 The North American mid-continent population of lesser snow geese now exceeds 3 million birds and the population is increasing in the order of 7% per annum. The foraging activities of the birds on Arctic breeding grounds are leading to loss of vegetation and habitat destruction, particularly in coastal areas bordering the Hudson and James Bays.
2 Multitemporal analysis of LANDSAT data has been carried out to detect vegetational change from 1973 to 1993 at La Pérouse Bay and its vicinity, the site of a breeding colony of snow geese.
3 Difference vegetation images (DVI) (difference between infra-red and red images) were prepared from images obtained in late summer in 1973, 1984 and 1993, in order to enhance vegetation density. Pair-wise differences were calculated between these DVI images, which resulted in three, secondary, classified images. Classification of the three secondary images (1973–84, 1984–93, 1973–93) yielded three well-defined classes: water, vegetation decline and no change in vegetation.
4 Histogram counts gave the following values for areas of vegetation decline: 1973–84, 1026 ha; 1984–93, 1428 ha; 1973–93, 2454 ha.
5 The loss of vegetation and the destruction of habitat are discussed in relation to the foraging activities of the expanding goose population.     

放射线引导下经椎间盘入路内脏大小神经毁损术治疗上腹部癌痛的临床分析

目的:观察放射线引导下经椎间盘入路毁损内脏神经治疗上腹部癌痛的疗效及安全性。方法:选择上腹部癌痛患者26例,在放射线引导下经T11~12椎间盘入路穿刺,注射无水乙醇5.0 mL毁损内脏大、小神经,观察穿刺成功率,并记录术前、术后1天、1周、2周、1月、2月的疼痛强度(NRS评分)、生活质量评分(QOL),阿片类药物的用量以及手术不良反应的发生情况。结果:所有患者均穿刺到位,无严重并发症出现。和术前相比,术后各时点的NRS评分、每日吗啡消耗量下降,QOL评分增加(P0.05)。其中,6例患者发生暂时性腹泻,一周内恢复;5例患者出现不同程度的腹背部烧灼感,未经特殊处理24 h后症状消失。结论:在放射线引导下经椎间盘入路毁损内脏神经治疗上腹部癌痛的操作简单,疗效好,可显著提高患者的生活质量,且安全性高。     

Localization of post-proline cleaving peptidases in Tenebrio molitor larval midgut

Two soluble post-proline cleaving peptidase activities, PPCP1 and PPCP2, were demonstrated in Tenebrio molitor larval midgut with the substrate benzyloxycarbonyl-L-alanyl-L-proline p-nitroanilide. Both activities were serine peptidases. PPCP1 was active in acidic buffers, with maximum activity at pH 5.3, and was located mainly in the more acidic anterior midgut lumen. The dynamics of PPCP1 activity and the total activity of soluble digestive peptidases in the course of food digestion were similar, suggesting that the enzyme participates in protein digestion. PPCP2 is a nondigestive soluble tissue enzyme evenly distributed along the midgut. An increase in the activity of PPCP2 was observed in buffers of pH 5.6-8.6 and was maximal at pH 7.4. The sensitivity of PPCP2 to inhibitors and the effect of pH are similar to prolyl oligopeptidases with a cysteine residue near the substrate binding site.     

Bovine serum albumin displays luciferase-like activity in presence of luciferyl adenylate: insights on the origin of protoluciferase activity and bioluminescence colours.

Luciferyl adenylate, the key intermediate in beetle bioluminescence, is produced through adenylation of d-luciferin by beetle luciferases and also by mealworm luciferase-like enzymes which produce a weak red chemiluminescence. However, luciferyl adenylate is only weakly chemiluminescent in water at physiological pH and it is unclear how efficient bioluminescence evolved from its weak chemiluminescent properties. We found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) and neutral detergents enhance luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence by three orders of magnitude, simulating the mealworm luciferase-like enzyme chemiluminescence properties. These results suggest that the beetle protoluciferase activity arose as an enhanced luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence in the protein environment of the ancestral AMP-ligase. The predominance of luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence in the red region under most conditions suggests that red luminescence is a more primitive condition that characterized the original stages of protobioluminescence, whereas yellow-green bioluminescence may have evolved later through the development of a more structured and hydrophobic active site.     

Outdoor flight activity and immigration of Rhyzopertha dominica into seed wheat warehouses

The flight activity of lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), was monitored at two Foundation seed wheat warehouses during the 2003 and 2004 field seasons, using pheromone‐baited Lindgren funnel traps positioned indoors and outdoors. General stored‐product insect activity was also monitored using unbaited sticky traps positioned inside the warehouses around overhead doors. Pheromone‐baited traps were useful for monitoring R. dominica activity, however insect captures decreased when lures were not changed weekly. Flight peaks were documented in early May and again from September through October, and insect captures inside warehouses correlated with timing of outdoor captures. Multiple regression analyses showed that slightly more than half of the variability in R. dominica captures could be explained by mean ambient air temperature and wind speed during the 2 h preceding sunset. Stored‐product Coleoptera captured on unbaited glue boards around overhead doors included Ahasverus advena, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, R. dominica, Sitophilus oryzae, Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma variabile, and Typhaea stercorea. Door gaskets significantly reduced the number of insect captures on glue boards placed around the overhead doors, and generally restricted their entry to ground level. These studies demonstrated that outdoor pheromone‐baited traps are effective monitoring tools for determining when grain‐handling facilities are most susceptible to infestation and that exclusion may be an effective component of a pest management program.