Screening the Main Factors Affecting Extraction of the Antimicrobial Substance from Bacillus sp. fmbJ using the Plackett–Burman Method

Summary The Plackett–Burman screening method was utilized as a tool to evaluate the importance of the selected six factors, including methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pH and time, which are relevant to the extraction of the antimicrobial substance produced by Bacillus sp. fmbJ. The main factors that affected the extraction of the antimicrobial substance were determined as methanol (P < 0.0001), ethanol (P < 0.0001), pH (P = 0.0032), and time (P < 0.0001) by using the JMP software. Within the test ranges, methanol, ethanol, and time showed a significant positive relativity to the total extracted amounts respectively; while pH had a significant negative effect. The maximum prediction profile indicated that the total extracted amounts for the antimicrobial substance would reach 50.21 mg/100 ml with 99.64% probability.     

冬凌草最佳采收期的研究

以冬凌草的分枝数、单墩叶重及叶中冬凌草甲素的含量作为冬凌草药材产量和质量的评价指标,确定了河南淇县野生冬凌草和湖北广水、武汉野转家种冬凌草的最佳采收期,并分析了气象因素对冬凌草药材质量和产量的影响。结果表明：气象因素对引种地与原产地冬凌草的质量没有明显影响,药材叶中冬凌草甲素含量均在6月份左右达到峰值且十分接近;但气象因素对冬凌草产量则有影响,气候不同导致引种地野转家种药材的分枝数比原产地野生药材多2～4倍。综合质量和产量的考察结果,冬凌草的最佳采收期应定在其开花前,引种地武汉宜定在6月份,引种地广水宜定在6～7月份,原产地河南淇县宜定在6～8月份。     

Natural revegetation on topsoiled mining-spoils according to the exposure

Comparative plant successional studies on derelict sites are providing significant insights into vegetation dynamics to ensure the success of future revegetation projects in these areas and, in the short-term, by using a space-for-time substitution. In this paper we describe, in relation to site exposure, vegetation development on waste rock materials covered with biologically active soil media, and compare this development with that from a previous study at the same mine (CW Spain) on non-biologically modified waste rock materials. The succession under study is faster on the North slope, as expected, and does not differ significantly from the general pattern of primary revegetation, although it was characterised by its own sequence of plant species. The topsoiling of waste increases richness and diversity from the first year of revegetation, reduces the time required for recovery of a terminal stage, and highlights the influence of slope orientation on vegetation dynamics. A total of 237 plant taxa were recorded, showing one of four patterns of change: (1) ‘pioneer’, (2) ‘intermediate’, (3) ‘late coloniser’ and (4) ‘fluctuating’.     

Underestimation of Risk Due to Exposure Misclassification

Aim. Exposure misclassification constitutes a major obstacle when developing dose-response relationships for risk assessment. A non-differentional error results in underestimation of the risk. If the degree of misclassification is known, adjustment may be achieved by sensitivity analysis. The purpose of this study was to examine the full magnitude of measurement error in determining the prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Materials and methods. We used data from a prospective study of a Faroese birth cohort. Two biomarkers of methylmercury exposure were available, i.e., the mercury concentrations in cord blood and in maternal hair (sampled at the time of parturition). The laboratory imprecision on both chemical analyses was thought to be below 5% (coefficient of variation, CV). As a third exposure parameter, we used the dietary questionnaire response on frequency of whale meat dinners. Factor analysis and structural equation analysis were applied to assess the full extent of the imprecision. Results. The calculated total imprecision much exceeded the known laboratory variation: the CV was 28–30% for the cord-blood concentration and 52–55% for the maternal hair concentration. The dietary questionnaire response was even more imprecise. Conclusions. These findings illustrate that measurement error may be greatly underestimated if judged solely from reproducibility or laboratory quality data. Adjustment by sensitivity analysis is meaningful only if realistic measurement errors are applied. When exposure measurement errors are overlooked or underestimated, decisions based on the precautionary principle will not appropriately reflect the degree of precaution that was intended.     

Effects of Restoration on Plant Species Richness and Composition in Scandinavian Semi-Natural Grasslands

Plant species richness in rural landscapes of northern Europe has been positively influenced by traditional management for millennia. Owing to abandonment of these practices, the number of species‐rich semi‐natural grasslands has decreased, and remaining habitats suffer from deterioration, fragmentation, and plant species decline. To prevent further extinctions, restoration efforts have increased during the last decades, by reintroducing grazing in former semi‐natural grasslands. To assess the ecological factors that might influence the outcome of such restorations, we made a survey of semi‐natural grasslands in Sweden that have been restored during the last decade. We investigated how plant species richness, species density, species composition, and abundance of 10 species that are indicators of grazing are affected by (1) the size of the restored site, (2) the time between abandonment of grazing and restoration, (3) the time elapsed since restoration, and (4) the abundance of trees and shrubs at the restored site. Only two factors, abundance of trees and shrubs and time since restoration, were positively associated with total species richness and species density per meter square at restored sites. Variation in species composition among restored sites was not related to any of the investigated factors. Species composition was relatively similar among sites, except in mesic/wet grasslands. The investigated factors had small effects on the abundance of the grazing‐indicator species. Only Campanula rotundifolia responded to restoration with increasing abundance and may thus be a suitable indicator of improved habitat quality. In conclusion, positive effects on species richness may appear relatively soon after restoration, but rare, short‐lived species are still absent. Therefore, remnant populations in surrounding areas may be important in fully recreating former species richness and composition.     

Parallels and Antagonisms of Embryogenesis and Carcinogenesis

The main similarities of embryonic and tumor cells, as well as the mechanisms preventing the malignant transformation of embryonic cells, are presented in this review. Special attention is paid to the role of specific polypeptide growth factors in reciprocally excluding processes: embryogenesis and carcinogenesis. Based on the presented analysis, new potential targets for antitumor drugs are considered.     

引种台湾桤木的水分生理特性

台湾桤木(Alnusformosana)原产台湾,是台湾地区重要的先锋造林树种和林地培肥树种。水分是限制植物地理分布和决定植物引种能否成功的重要因子之一。采用Li-6400光合测定系统对引种两年生台湾桤木苗木的水分生理特性进行了研究,结果表明:(1)在整个生长期,叶片蒸腾速率日变化均表现为宽大的单峰型曲线,以13∶00～15∶00时左右蒸腾速率最高,不同部位叶片在不同生长期的峰值有所不同,属非蒸腾午休型植物。气孔导度日变化有单峰型和双峰型2种变化曲线;(2)蒸腾速率季节变化表现为单峰曲线,以7月为最高,整个生长期叶片日均蒸腾速率为3.25mmol·m-2·s-1,表现出高光合、强蒸腾的生理特点;(3)水分利用效率日变化与光合速率日变化相似,有单峰曲线和双峰曲线2种类型,与气孔导度的日变化有显著相关性。在整个生长期,以6月、7月叶片水分利用效率为最低,8月为最高;(4)在影响水分利用效率季节变化的生理生态因子中,以温度、光合有效辐射、气孔导度和相对湿度4个因子的直接作用为最大。     

Insulin Accelerates Seedling Growth of Canavalia ensiformis (Jack bean)

Insulin is a 6 kDa peptide hormone that activates several metabolic processes and cellular growth. Germination studies showed that insulin, vanadyl sulphate (an insulin mimetic compound), tyrphostin (an inhibitor of insulin receptor kinase activity), pinitol (a chiro inositol analogue) and glucose were able to accelerate Canavalia ensiformis (Jack bean) seedling radicle and epicotyl development. Immunofluorescence microscopy analysis showed that proteins binding to insulin, insulin receptor and phosphoserine antibodies are localized in an internal layer of the C. ensiformis seed coat. These results and others previously reported from our laboratory suggest that insulin, insulin receptor and phosphoserine proteins could be components of signalling pathways akin to those present in animals.     

Combination of BMI and Waist Circumference for Identifying Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Whites

Objective: BMI (kilograms per meters squared) and waist circumference (WC) (measured in centimeters) are each associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, a combination of the two may be more effective in identifying subjects at risk than either alone. The present study sought to identify the combination of BMI and WC that has the strongest association with CVD risk factors in whites. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 8712 white men and women from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The optimal combination of BMI and WC was developed using logistic regression models with BMI and WC as predictors and CVD risk factors as outcomes. The combined measure of BMI and WC using current cut‐off points was also examined. Sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics curves were compared between the combined measures and BMI alone. Results: For white men, the optimal combination of BMI and WC for identifying CVD risk factors was 0.68 × BMI + 0.32 × WC. This combination generated a score that better estimated the odds of having CVD risk factors than either alone. For white women, WC alone largely determined the likelihood of having CVD risks. The combination of BMI and WC using current cut‐off points may provide an improved measure of CVD risk. Combined measures showed a higher sensitivity or a shorter distance in receiver operating characteristic curves in the identification of CVD risk factors. Discussion: Combined measures of BMI and WC may provide a higher overall test performance for CVD risk factors and may be useful in some ethnic groups as an improved means of screening subjects for further evaluation in the clinical setting.