Somatic hybrids between Brassica oleracea and B. campestris: selection by the use of iodoacetamide inactivation and regeneration ability

Summary An efficient procedure for obtaining somatic hybrids between B. oleracea and B. campestris has been developed. Hypocotyl protoplasts of B. oleracea were fused with mesophyll protoplasts from three different varieties of B. campestris by the polyethylene glycoldimethylsulfoxide method. The selection of somatic hybrids utilized the inactivation of B. oleracea protoplasts by iodoacetamide (IOA) and the low regeneration ability of B. campestris. The efficiency of recovery of somatic hybrids depended upon the IOA concentration, and when 15 mM IOA was used, 90% of the regenerated plants were found to be hybrid. The somatic hybrids were examined for i) leaf morphology, ii) leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) isozyme and iii) chromosome number. All the hybrids had intermediate leaf morphology and possessed LAP isozymes of both parental species. The chromosome analysis revealed a considerable variation in chromosome number of somatic hybrids, showing the occurrence of multiple fusion and chromosome loss during the culture. Some of the hybrids flowered and set seeds.     

三叶草体内磷通过菌丝桥向黑麦草的传递研究

应用5室分隔法研究了供体三叶草体内的³²P通过菌丝桥向受体黑麦草的传递作用。结果表明,菌根侵染供体三叶草根系之后,根外菌丝可穿过中室到达受体植株根室而再度侵染受体黑麦草的根系,从而形成三叶草-黑麦草根系之间的菌丝桥;供体三叶草体内的³²P可通过根间菌丝桥传递给受体黑麦草,³²P的传递量随受体植株施磷水平的提高而降低.     

不同化学杂交剂(CHA)对小麦花药同工酶影响的研究

在小麦叶枕距±2cm时,喷施4种不同化学杂交剂（CHA）后,分别取小孢子处于不同发育阶段的花药,进行过氧化酶（POD）、淀粉酶（Amy）和酯酶（Est）等同工酶的分析。研究表明：在小孢子母细胞减数分裂期,处理2、3和4三种CHA对POD的A1、A2;B2、B4和B5,C1、C2和C3同工酶带的活性均有明显的抑制作用;处理5除去对A1和A2表现抑制外,对其他酶带的活性均有增强作用。在单枚早期,处理2和3的A、B和C区POD同工酶活性均明显低于对照;处理4和5上述各区POD同工酶活性却明显高于对照。在上述两个发育时期,处理2对Amy1区酶活性有增强作用,而处理3、4和5对该区酶活性却表现了专一性的抑制。各处理对Est同工酶A区和B区的酶活性主要表现为抑制。实验结果表明,不同的CHA均通过干扰花药的物质和能量代谢而导致雄性生理性不育。     

Birding and DNA: species for the new millennium

Capsule Based on the 1999 Witherby Memorial Lecture – reviews how developments in molecular and population genetics have led to a reappraisal of species limits in birds.

The taxonomy of birds of the West Palearctic has moved from the comparative stability of the ‘Voous List’ into a period of serious activity, with new data emerging in almost every issue of every evolutionary and avian journal! This activity comes from two directions. Firstly, developments in population genetics, molecular biology, acoustics, behaviour and distributional studies have opened new avenues to measuring differentiation among groups of birds. This, in turn, has led to the recognition that earlier views of what constitutes a ‘species’ are in need of modification (‘improvement’), and the emergence of the ‘lineage concept’ of species. I review some of the species concepts most relevant to avian studies, and attempt to show how and why this change has happened, and its consequences for taxonomy and species limits. Examples are given in the form of ‘case studies’, and include Carrion/Hooded Crows Corvus corone/cornix, Green-winged/Eurasian Teals Anas carolinensis/crecca and Phylloscopus warblers.     

Enhanced ethanol and chitosan production from wheat straw by Mucor indicus with minimal nutrient consumption

Recently, Mucor indicus was introduced as a promising ethanol producing microorganism for fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates, showing a number of advantages over Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, high nutrient requirement is the main drawback of the fungus in efficient ethanol production from lignocelluloses. In this study, application of fungal extract as a potential nutrient source replacing all required nutrients in fermentation of wheat straw by M. indicus was investigated. Wheat straw was pretreated with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) at 120 °C for 1–5 h prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. Hydrolysis yield was improved at least by 6-fold for 3 h pretreated straw compared with that of untreated one. A fungal extract was produced by autolysis of M. indicus biomass, an unavoidable byproduct of fermentation. Maximum free amino nitrogen (2.04 g/L), phosphorus (1.50 g/L), and total nitrogen (4.47 g/L) as well as potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the fungal extract were obtained by autolysis of the biomass at 50 °C and pH 5.0. The fungal extract as a nutrient-rich supplement substituted yeast extract and all other required minerals in fermentation and enhanced the ethanol yield up to 92.1% of the theoretical yield. Besides, appreciate amounts of chitosan were produced as another valuable product of the autolysis.     

大豆异黄酮浸种对盐胁迫大豆幼苗的生理效应

大豆异黄酮( Soybean isoflavones)是在大豆生长过程中形成并在成熟种子和叶片中积累较多的一类具有生物活性的次生代谢物,通常可作为人们日常生活中的一类营养保健品.研究了外源大豆苷或染料木苷溶液(0.01 mg/L)浸种处理对盐胁迫栽培大豆(N23674品种)和滩涂野大豆(BB52种群)及其经逐代耐盐性筛选的杂交后代(4076株系,F5)幼苗叶片伤害率、光合作用、Na+含量和Na+/K+值、活性氧清除酶活性及内源大豆异黄酮含量等生理指标的影响.结果表明:盐胁迫下,两种外源大豆异黄酮浸种处理均可显著抑制叶片相对电解质渗透率和硫代巴比妥酸反应物(TBARS)含量的上升及净光合速率(Pn)的下降,降低Na+含量和Na+/K+值,增强超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性,提高内源大豆异黄酮含量,从而表现对盐害的缓解效应,其中对耐盐性较弱的栽培大豆N23674品种效应更明显.这为大豆异黄酮在大豆耐盐育种、化学调控和盐碱地种植利用等提供了理论依据.     

Quality and flavour stability of coffee substitute prepared by extrusion of wheat germ and chicory roots

Summary. A mixture of roasted chicory roots and wheat germ (1:1 w/w) was subjected to extrusion processing for preparation of coffee substitute. Comparative studies concerning sensory characteristics and headspace volatiles were carried out between genuine coffee and a freshly prepared coffee substitute. The sensory evaluation revealed similarities between the two samples. The comparative odour profile analysis showed that the sweetish/caramel-like note scored higher in our coffee substitute sample than in real coffee, whereas the other odour quality attributes showed an opposite trend. The high quality of the fresh coffee substitute was correlated to the presence of volatiles that are responsible for the fresh coffee aroma, such as: 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylfuran and 2,3-butanedione in high concentration. Storage of coffee substitute samples revealed a noticeable decrease in concentration of the Strecker aldehydes and diketones and a remarkable increase in phenolic compounds, whereas pyrazine and furan derivatives showed no linear changes during storage. The ratio of 2,3-butanedione/2-methylfuran (B/M) was used as an indicator for aging of coffee substitute samples. The variation in this ratio (B/M) during storage for 6 months was consistent with that of the odour profile analysis. Authors’ address: Prof. Dr. Hoda H. M. Fadel, Chemistry of Flavour and Aroma Department, National Research Centre, Al-Behos St., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt     

Jabuticaba‐Inspired Hybrid Carbon Filler/Polymer Electrode for Use in Highly Stretchable Aqueous Li‐Ion Batteries

Stretchable electronics are considered as next‐generation devices; however, to realize stretchable electronics, it is first necessary to develop a deformable energy device. Of the various components in energy devices, the fabrication of stretchable current collectors is crucial because they must be mechanically robust and have high electrical conductivity under deformation. In this study, the authors present a conductive polymer composite composed of Jabuticaba‐like hybrid carbon fillers containing carbon nanotubes and carbon black in a simple solution process. The hybrid carbon/polymer (HCP) composite is found to effectively retain its electrical conductivity, even when under high strain of ≈200%. To understand the behavior of conductive fillers in the polymer matrix when under mechanical strain, the authors investigate the microstructure of the composite using an in situ small‐angle X‐ray scattering analysis. The authors observe that the HCP produces efficient electrical pathways for filler interconnections upon stretching. The authors develop a stretchable aqueous rechargeable lithium‐ion battery (ARLB) that utilizes this HCP composite as a stretchable current collector. The ARLB exhibits excellent rate capability (≈90 mA h g^?1 at a rate of 20 C) and outstanding capacity retention of 93% after 500 cycles. Moreover, the stretchable ARLB is able to efficiently deliver power even when under 100% strain.     

Corporate and Product Carbon Footprint under Compound Hybrid Analysis: Application to a Spanish Timber Company

The European Union (EU) is advancing steadily toward the stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Various sectors are now obliged to make reductions, and new policies based on the carbon footprint are being encouraged. However, voluntary reporting of so‐called scope 3 emissions is hindering successful implementation of these policies. In this study, we present a tiered hybrid analysis to report emissions according to the ISO/TR 14069 standards and to obtain complete measures of scope 3 emissions. A process analysis for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions is complemented with a multiregional input‐output analysis for upstream scope 3 emissions. This novel approach is applied to the case study of a Spanish timber company. Its total carbon footprint in 2011 was 783,660 kilograms of carbon‐dioxide equivalent, of which 88% correspond to scope 3 emissions. These emissions are globally distributed; 71% are from European countries, followed by 8% from emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, Australia, and Turkey), 5% from China, and, finally, 16% from the rest of the world. We identify and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this novel approach, the European implementation of which could be highly effective in reducing global carbon emissions.     

不同发育时期小麦粒重性状QTL的动态分析

利用6044×01-35构建的重组自交系(RIL)群体为试验材料,对小麦粒重性状进行发育动态QTL分析。结果表明,在小麦花后子粒灌浆的7个不同时期,两个试验点共检测到16个与粒重性状相关的QTL。其中开花后20d检测到的单穗粒重QTL位于2A染色体上,解释率达12%,遗传效应超过10;两环境下控制千粒重QTL在7个时期均被检测到。花后的各个时期均能在Xgwm448-Xgpw7399标记区间定位到千粒重QTL。其中花后10d检测到1个千粒重QTL,位于2A染色体的Xgwm448-Xgpw7399标记区间,解释较大的表型变异,达到18%。Qtl8、Qtl13和Qtl14均定位在Xgwm448-Xgpw7399标记区间的同一位置,共同解释11%的表型变异。花后20d和花后25d均检测到1个QTL,位于2A染色体的Xgwm372-Xgwm95标记区间的不同位点,均能解释4%的表型变异。花后40d检测到1个QTL,位于1D染色体的Xwmc93-Xgpw2224标记区间,解释1%的表型变异。从连锁群的位置上看,控制千粒重的QTL主要集中在2A染色体的Xgwm448-Xgpw7399标记区间,这是一个控制千粒重QTL的富集区域,以期进行精细定位和图位克隆。