Phosphorus availability to maize from partially acidulated phosphate rocks and phosphate rocks compacted with triple superphosphate

Two phosphate rocks (PR), moderately reactive Hila PR from Colombia and slightly reactive Capinota PR from Bolivia, were compacted with triple superphosphate (TSP) such that 50% of total P in the mixture was in water-soluble form. The effectiveness of these materials as phosphorus sources was compared with that of partially acidulated phosphate rocks (PAPR) at 50% acidulation with sulfuric acid and TSP in Hartsells silt loam (pH 4.5) with maize as the test crop. Huila PAPR and Huila PR compacted with TSP were as effective as TSP as phosphorus sources. Huila PR was only half as effective. The slightly reactive Capinota PR with 8.8% Al₂O₃ + Fe₂O₃ content was not suited for direct application, and Capinota PAPR was only half as effective as TSP. Capinota PR compacted with TSP, however, was as effective as TSP. PR compacted with TSP, urea, and KCl was no more effective as phosphorus source than PR compacted with TSP alone.     

Utilization of acrylates emulsion terpolymer with chitosan as a finishing agent for cotton fabrics

Cotton fabrics were treated with finishing bath formulation containing emulsion lattices based on acrylate monomers, chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to provide cotton fabrics with antibacterial, UV-protection as well as improvement of dyeing properties with direct, acid and reactive dyes. The terpolymer emulsion, chitosan and PEG concentrations as well as fabric pretreatment with alkali significantly affected the performance properties, antimicrobial activity, UV-protection and dyeing behavior of treated cotton fabric. The finished fabrics were characterized in terms of FTIR, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) as well as mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break (%), abrasion resistance and air permeability. The obtained data showed that the tested fabrics have appropriate antibacterial activity with highly UV-protection properties with increasing chitosan concentration up to 3%. The mechanical properties expressed as tensile strength and abrasion resistance increased after finishing treatment. Moreover, the performance of the finished fabrics and dyeing properties with different dyes classes were greatly influenced by the action of alkali pretreatment of cotton fabrics, adding the polyethylene glycol to the finishing bath formulation as well as emulsion and chitosan concentrations.     

Remote control of alpha- or beta-stereoselectivity in (1-->3)-glucosylations in the presence of a C-2 ester capable of neighboring-group participation

In (1-->3)-glucosylation the glycosyl bond originally present in either donor or acceptor is shown to control the stereoselectivity of the forthcoming bond, i.e., the newly formed glycosidic linkage has the opposite anomeric configuration of that of either the donor or acceptor. Therefore, with alpha-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides with nonreducing ends that have the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with an alpha-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with 3-OH free as the acceptor, beta-linked trisaccharides were obtained. Meanwhile, with beta-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides that have nonreducing ends with the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with a beta-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with the 3-OH free as the acceptor, alpha-linked trisaccharides were obtained in spite of the C-2 neighboring group participation.     

The binding site of chicken hepatic lectin

The binding site of the chicken hepatic lectin involved in the clearance of N-acetylglucosamine-terminated serum glycoproteins was explored by a competitive binding assay using 3H-labeled agalacto-orosomucoid and various glycoproteins, polysaccharides, monosaccharides, and glycosides as inhibitors. The binding site is relatively small, involving a terminal nonreducing DGlcNAc structure with an equatorial N-acetamido group on carbon 2 and an equatorial hydroxyl group on carbon 4. Among the mono- and oligosaccharides tested, benzyl alpha DGlcNAc was the best inhibitor, being three times as effective as DGlcNAc; and in general, all alpha-anomeric glycosides were better than beta-glycosides. All oligosaccharides with terminal nonreducing beta DGlcNAc have almost the same inhibitory power, whereas those with nonreducing DGlc or DGal were relatively inactive. Among the serum and blood group glycoproteins, a Smith degraded human H substance with several exposed terminal nonreducing beta DGlcNAc residues was the most active and twice as effective as agalacto-orosomucoid and an A substance, Hog 75 10% precipitate. Almost all hog preparations, some with A or with H activity, were equally effective. A glycopeptide with terminal DGlcNAc was twice as active as one with terminal nonreducing DMan and DGlcNAc residues and almost three times as potent as one with terminal nonreducing DGal; a glycopeptide with terminal sialic acid was inactive. The slopes of the inhibition lines differed, reflecting the heterogeneity of the various determinant groups on the glycoproteins.     

THE INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF SUBSTANCES RELATED TO THE PYRETHRINS

The toxicity as contact insecticides of the esters of (±)-3-methyl-2-allyl-cycfopent-3-en-4-ol-i-one with the natural (+ )-trans and with synthetic (±) -cis-trans-chrysaii- themum monocarboxylic acids has been compared with that of the natural pyrethrins. The comparison was carried out on five species of test-insects.
It was found that the figure for both the absolute and the relative toxicities of these compounds varied with the species used as test-subject.
The factors involved in this variation are discussed. The extremes of variation of relative toxicity for the compounds with the natural acid were from about one-eighth as toxic as the pyrethrum standard when the aphid Macrosiphum solanifolii was used as test subject to nearly four times as toxic as the standard with the larvae of the moth Plutella maculipennis. The fully synthetic material varied from about one-sixteenth as toxic as the standard to Macrosiphum solanifolii to nearly twice as toxic to the larvae of Plutella maculipennis. The compound with the natural acid was approximately twice as toxic as the fully synthetic material to three of the insect species, but the fully synthetic material was considerably more than half as toxic as the partially synthetic to the fourth test-species. It is pointed out that while it is widely recognized that large differences in relative toxicity may occur when the effect of chemicals of widely different structure and mechanism of action are compared on a number of different test-species, the fact that these differences may also occur with related chemicals with, presumably, a similar mechanism of action, has not been clearly stated.
Even when the differences in relative toxicity are taken into account, the two synthetic pyrethrin-like esters still show high insecticidal activity.
It seems reasonable to suppose from the results that economic commercial synthesis of pyrethrin-like insecticides is not impossible.     

温室黄瓜叶部微生物区系

采用稀释分离法和消毒叶片研磨液培养法对温室黄瓜叶围和内生微生物进行了分离,共分离到248个菌株,初步鉴定出13个属的叶围真菌,其中链格孢属(Alternaria)和青霉属(Penicillium)真菌为优势类群;鉴定出4个属的内生真菌,其中曲霉属(Aspergillus)真菌为优势类群;10个属的叶围细菌,其中芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)和黄单胞菌属(Xanthomonas)细菌为优势类群;6个属的内生细菌,其中芽孢杆菌属和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)细菌为优势类群;6个属的叶围酵母菌,其中隐球酵母属(Cryptococcus)为优势类群;已鉴定出2个属的叶围放线菌,分别为链霉菌属(Streptomyces)和小多孢菌属(Micropolpspora).未分离到内生酵母菌和放线菌.     

Bacterial toxins and their application

The review deals with the structure of protein bacterial toxins, steps of the toxin molecule interaction with the target cell, molecular mechanisms of the toxic effect, as well as with the fields of application of toxins as research tools and as medicinal preparations.     

激活蛋白处理水稻引发基因差异表达的研究

利用抑制性消减杂交技术(Suppression Subtractive Hybridization,SSH)成功构建了植物激活蛋白处理水稻与非处理组水稻中差异表达的消减cDNA文库。从文库中一共筛选到1756个克隆,通过反向Northern杂交,从中得到264个有效克隆并测序,利用BLAST在GenBank数据库进行序列相似性比对分析,获得28个上升表达差异基因。通过分析这些基因与植物的光合作用、营养物质的运输代谢等多种植物的生理生化功能相关。本研究为揭示激活蛋白的作用机理奠定基础。     

Chirality sensing with synthetic pores

A concept to determine enantiomeric excess with synthetic multifunctional pores is introduced. To do so, the poor stereoselectivity of molecular recognition by stimuli-responsive pores is coupled with the stereospecificity of enzymes. With substrates as good and products as poor pore blockers, enzymatic conversion of one enantiomer is shown to readily reveal the concentration of the other one. Calculations suggest that high substrate/product discrimination by the synthetic pores may provide access to the accurate detection of the extreme enantiomeric excess that is of interest in chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, but otherwise possibly problematic to detect. Validity of the introduced concept is experimentally confirmed with poly-L-glutamate and poly-D-glutamate as enantiomeric substrates with high blockage efficiency, L-glutamate and D-glutamate as enantiomeric products with poor blockage efficiency, subtilisin A as enzyme, and a classical rigid-rod beta-barrel as synthetic pore.     

Adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imino)triphosphate and guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) do not necessarily provide non-phosphorylating conditions in adenylate cyclase studies

Commercial preparations of adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imino)triphosphate (App(NH)p) were found to be contaminated with a GTP-like substance(s) as well as a phosphate donor(s) for GDP. Thus, when these preparations were used as substrate with no purification, GDP was as effective as GTP in promoting PGE1 stimulation of human platelet adenylate cyclase. With purified App(NH)p as substrate, the effect of PGE1 with GDP was reduced but still observable, while that with GTP was unaltered. PGE1 also caused a stimulation in the presence of guanosine 5'-o-(2-thiodiphosphate)(GDP beta S) with ATP as substrate. Both of the PGE1-stimulated activities observed with GDP and its analog were completely lost by the addition of UDP, thereby, inhibiting GTP formation catalyzed by membrane-associated nucleoside diphosphate kinase. The results demonstrate that the stimulatory effects of PGE1 observed with GDP and App(NH)p, and with GDP beta S and ATP were transphosphorylation dependent and, therefore, the analogs must be used with special caution in adenylate cyclase studies.     

Asymmetric autocatalysis and its application to chiral discrimination

Chiral pyrimidyl, quinolyl, and pyridyl alkanols act as asymmetric autocatalysts with significant amplification of enantiomeric excess (ee) in the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to pyrimidine-5-, quinoline-3-, and pyridine-3-carbaldehydes, respectively. 2-Alkynyl-5-pyrimidyl alkanol with as low as 0.6% ee automultiplies during the consecutive asymmetric autocatalysis with increasing ee to as high as >99.5%. Asymmetric autocatalysis is applied to chiral discrimination of organic compounds. In the presence of methyl mandelate or 2-butanol with very low ee's (0.05-0.1%) as chiral initiators, the reaction between pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde and diisopropylzinc affords pyrimidyl alkanol with higher ee's with the correlated absolute configurations to those of the chiral initiators. Chirality of amino acids (such as leucine) and helicenes with very low ee's are also discriminated by asymmetric autocatalysis, affording pyrimidyl alkanol with very high ee's. Asymmetric autocatalysis also discriminates the chirality of primary alcohols-alpha-d, monosubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes and octahedral cobalt complex with achiral ligands of which the chirality is due to the topology of coordination of the achiral ligand. Even the chirality of inorganic crystals such as quartz and sodium chlorate is discriminated by asymmetric autocatalysis of pyrimidyl alkanol. Thus, asymmetric autocatalysis provides a unique method for the discrimination of chiral compounds and crystals.     

产DHA菌株的诱变育种

以海水中分离得到产DHA的酒香酵母(编号为7-3)作为出发菌株,对其进行单一及复合诱变处理,初筛采用分光光度法确定菌体中油脂的相对含量,选择吸光度相对较高的菌株进行复筛,复筛采用有机溶剂萃取法测定油脂含量、气相色谱法测定DHA含量。单一诱变的菌株H-1的脂肪含量达到43.8%,为对照的4倍,经复合诱变后得到1株编号为H-Z-6-3的菌株其油脂含量达50.4%,诱变后油脂中DHA的含量提高较少。     

Early Prediction of Sepsis Incidence in Critically Ill Patients Using Specific Genetic Polymorphisms

Several diagnostic methods for the evaluation and monitoring were used to find out the pro-inflammatory status, as well as incidence of sepsis in critically ill patients. One such recent method is based on investigating the genetic polymorphisms and determining the molecular and genetic links between them, as well as other sepsis-associated pathophysiologies. Identification of genetic polymorphisms in critical patients with sepsis can become a revolutionary method for evaluating and monitoring these patients. Similarly, the complications, as well as the high costs associated with the management of patients with sepsis, can be significantly reduced by early initiation of intensive care.     

Calmodulin stimulation of adenylate cyclase in rat brain membranes does not require GTP

Calcium stimulates adenylate cyclase activity in rat cerebral cortical membranes with either ATP or AppNHp as substrate. In contrast, isoproterenol stimulates the cerebral cortical enzyme with ATP as substrate but not with AppNHp as substrate unless exogenous GTP is added. In rat striatal membranes, calcium or dopamine stimulate adenylate cyclase activity with ATP as substrate, but not with AppNHp as substrate. GTP restores the dopamine but not the calcium response. The inhibitory guanine nucleotide GDP-βS antagonizes dopamine and GppNHp stimulation of the brain adenylate cyclases, but not stimulation by calcium of either rat cerebral cortical or striatal enzymes. Results indicate that GTP is not requisite to calcium-calmodulin activation of adenylate cyclases in brain membranes. In addition, calcium-calmodulin cannot activate striatal adenylate cyclases with a nonphosphorylating nucleotide, AppNHp, as substrate.     

A New Alginate Adjuvant

Studies with a new, low polymer sodium alginate adjuvant are described using soluble, as well as particulate, antigens. Comparative data in experimental animals for the titres elaborated using the sodium alginate as an adjuvant were, in most cases, as good as, or superior to, antibody titres procured with Freund's adjuvant. The alginate adjuvant is miscible with water and can be used as a liquid sodium salt prior to injection, after which it forms an insoluble gel as the calcium alginate which is gradually absorbed from the site of the inoculation.     

Osteoprotegerin and diabetes-associated pathologies

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily of cytokines which, in spite of being initially described as a strong anti-resorptive factor, has lately been considered as a possible link between bone and vascular disease. In the last few years, several studies have evidenced its close relationship with the development of diabetes. In this review, we analyse the role of OPG in diabetic patients and its links with the most relevant associated diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction and diabetic nephropathy, as well as its connection with related pathologies as fibrosis, obesity and metabolic syndrome.     

Macrophages in the embryo and beyond: much more than just giant phagocytes

Originally recognized as an essential part of the innate and acquired immune systems, macrophages emerged as omnipresent and influential regulators of embryo- and organo-genesis, as well as of tissue and tumor growth. Macrophages are present essentially in all tissues, beginning with embryonic development and, in addition to their role in host defense and in the clearance of apoptotic cells, are being increasingly recognized for their trophic function and role in regeneration. Some tissue macrophages are also found to possess a substantial potential for autonomous self-renewal. Macrophages are associated with a significant proportion of malignant tumors and are widely recognized for their angiogenesis-promoting and trophic roles, making them one of the new promising targets for cancer therapies. Recent expression profiling of embryonic macrophages from different tissues revealed remarkable consistency of their gene expression profiles, independent of their tissue of origin, as well as their similarities with tumor-associated macrophages. Macrophages are also capable of fusion with other cells in tissue repair and metastasizing tumors, as well as with each other in the immune response and osteoclastogenesis.     

Reduction of oxidized inorganic nitrogen compounds by a new strain of Thiobacillus denitrificans

Denitrification by Thiobacillus denitrificans "RT" strain was investigated using manometry and gas chromatography. 1. From nitrate, resting cells produced only nitrogen anaerobically with thiosulfate as the electron donor. The data suggest that nitrate was assimilated and dissimilated by the same nitrate reductase, assayed with benzyl-viologen as the electron donor. 2. From nitrite, whole cells produced nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen, using thiosulfate as the electron donor; nitrogen was the final product of the reduction. Crude extract reduced nitrite to nitrogen with p-phenylene-diamine and dimethyl-p-phenylene diamine as the electron donors, and produced nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen with tetramethyl-p-phenylene-diamine as the electron donor. Nitrite was reduced to nitric oxide and nitrous oxide by crude extract using ascorbate-phenazine methosulfate as the electron donor. 3. From nitric oxide, whole cells produced nitrous oxide and nitrogen using thiosulfate as the electron donor, nitrogen was the final reduction product. Nitric oxide was reduced to nitrous oxide by crude extract with the ascorbate-phenazine methosulfate system. 4. Whole cells reduced nitrous oxide to nitrogen with thiosulfate as the electron donor. It was not possible to detect any nitrous oxide reductase activity in crude extract. 5. A scheme was of denitrification by Thiobacillus denitrificans "RT" strain.     

Synthesis of 4-cyanophenyl and 4-nitrophenyl 1,5-dithio-D-ribopyranosides as well as their 2-deoxy and 2,3-dideoxy derivatives possessing antithrombotic activity

1,2,3,4-Tetra-O-acetyl-5-thio-D-ribopyranose as well as its 1-bromide were used as donors in the reaction with 4-cyano- and 4-nitrobenzenethiol, to give the corresponding thioglycosides in different anomeric ratios depending on the reaction conditions. Zemplén deacetylation afforded 4-cyanophenyl as well as 4-nitrophenyl 1,5-dithio-alpha- and beta-D-ribopyranosides, respectively. 1,3,4-Tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-5-thio-D-erythro-pentopyranose was synthesized from methyl 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentofuranoside and was coupled with 4-cyano- and 4-nitrobenzenethiol to give anomeric mixtures from which 4-cyanophenyl as well as 4-nitrophenyl 1,5-dithio-beta-D-erythro-pentopyranosides were isolated after deacetylation. 1,4-Di-O-acetyl-2,3-dideoxy-5-thio-D-glycero-pentopyranose was obtained starting from 1,2,5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol and used as the donor in the glycosylation reaction with 4-cyano- and 4-nitrobenzenethiol. The resulting anomeric mixtures were separated to give, after deacetylation, 4-cyanophenyl as well as 4-nitrophenyl 2,3-dideoxy-1,5-dithio-beta-D-glycero-pentopyranosides. All of these thioglycosides showed significant antithrombotic activity on rats after oral administration.     

Size-dependent sex allocation and sexual selection in Aplysia kurodai, a hermaphrodite with nonreciprocal mating

Abstract. For simultaneous hermaphrodites, a male-to-female shift in sex allocation with growth, and weak sexual selection on the male function, is predicted by many theories, although empirical data for both predictions are insufficient for internally fertilizing hermaphrodites with nonreciprocal mating. To address these issues, I studied mating and egg-laying behavior of the sea hare, Aplysia kurodai (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) in the laboratory. Both frequency and duration of egg laying increased with body weight, indicating that fecundity increased with weight. On the other hand, frequency and duration of mating as males did not increase with body weight, suggesting that sperm usage was independent of weight. Therefore, sex allocation shifted from male to female functions with growth. The lack of a relationship between body weight and mating activities as males also suggests that there was no "female" choice for large partners. However, the frequency of mating as females increased with body weight, suggesting "male" choice for large partners. This "male" choice is further supported by the presence of size-assortative mating and a longer duration of mating when the female partner was large. In addition, the variance in mating frequency as females was larger than that as males. As a whole, the mating behavior in A. kurodai can be summarized as choosy as males and unchoosy as females, the opposite of the patterns known in most gonochoric and hermaphroditic animals.