Functional Casein-Poly saccharide Conjugates Prepared by Controlled Dry Heating

Casein was conjugated with dextran and galactomannan in a controlled dry state at a relative humidity of 79% and at 60°C for 24 hr. The covalent attachment of polysaccharides to casein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and HPLC. The emulsifying activity of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 1.5 times higher than that of casein. The emulsion stability of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 10 times higher than that of casein. The improvement in these emulsifying properties reached a steady state when the conjugation of casein with polysaccharide was done for 24 hr in a controlled dry state, suggesting the rapid formation of conjugates through a Maillard reaction in the case of casein. Compared to commercial emulsifiers, the casein-polysaccharide conjugates showed better emulsifying properties in acidic and high-salt concentration systems.     

Obligation and the new naturalism

Although it has become increasingly evident that an adequate theory of obligation must rest on evolutionary biology and human ethology, attempts toward this end need to explore the full range of personal, cultural, and political obligations observed in our species. The new naturalism reveals the complexity of social behavior and the defects of reductionist models that oversimplify the foundations of human duties and rights. Ultimately, this approach suggest a return to the Aristotelian concept of natural justice.     

Characteristics of action potentials in Helianthus annuus

The action potentials induced by nondamaging electrical stimuli in 16- to 22-day-old plants of Helianthus annuus were examined. Typical recordings are presented. Mean values of their amplitudes and conduction velocities in the stem, the strength-duration relation, the 'all-or-none' law and the refractory periods have been determined. The amplitude and velocity of propagation were essentially identical in the upward and downward direction, but greater in the upper than in the lower half. In 'electrically active' plants, the rheobase value is 2 V, the minimum period for stimulation is 1.8 s. and the chronaxie 2.3 s. It is noted that the excitability level between similar plants on the same day and in the same plant on different days is highly variable and undergoes periodic changes.     

Uridine Transport and Metabolism in the Central Nervous System

Myelin and myelin-containing (P3) fractions were prepared from human white matter by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation. The myelin isolated from each of the fractions of different densities was morphologically and biochemically distinct. Light myelin fractions consisted of compact, multilamellar myelin, whereas the denser fractions consisted predominantly of loose myelin with fewer lamellae. The amounts of both basic protein and lipophilin (proteolipid protein) were reduced in the denser fractions. In contrast, the high-molecular-weight components were elevated in the dense fractions. The lipid composition was similar in all the fractions studied. Analysis of basic protein by gel electrophoresis at pH 10.6 revealed differences in basic protein microheterogeneity among the fractions. The light myelin fraction was enriched in the more positively charged basic protein components (components 1, 2, and 3), whereas these components were reduced in the denser fractions. Myelin in the dense fractions was enriched in the more modified forms of basic protein (components 6, 7, and 8). The pattern of microheterogeneity was different for basic protein isolated from myelins of a 2-year-old and an adult brain; the former showed fewer components and mainly the most cationic species. On the other hand, the pattern of microheterogeneity of basic protein isolated from the different density gradient fractions was similar for both ages.     

Selection of diverse genotypes for heterosis in yield and response in toria (Brassica campestris L.)

Summary Thirty-one genotypes of toria (Brassica campestris L.) were grown in twelve environments and subsequently analysed in order to select potential parents which expressed diversity for both 12 different characters (estimated by Mahalanobis' D² technique) and response to the environments (estimated on the basis of negative correlation between deviations in seed yield of a pair of genotypes from their respective environmental means). Coefficients of determination (r²) were also used to measure the reliability of correlation, which is the basis of diversity of response. Stability parameters (b and S²d) and mean seed yield were also considered in selecting potential parents. On the basis of these criteria, three pairs of genotypes (ITSA and TCSU-1, TCSU-7 and TH-8 and Ludhiana Composite-1 and TH-4) are recommended to be used as parents for hybridization programmes so that heterosis both in seed yield and response may be exploited.     

四种猕猴桃属植物的染色体数目观察

本文报道了四种猕猴桃植物的染色体数目。结合其他作者的有关报道,讨论了猕猴桃属的染色体基数,性染色体,倍性,及其与地理分布之间的关系。     

Heterogeneity of soil and soil solution chemistry under Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and European beech (Fagus silvatica L.) as influenced by distance from the stem basis

The present study aims at characterizing plant water status under field conditions on a daily basis, in order to improve operational predictions of plant water stress. Ohm's law analog serves as a basis for establishing daily soil-plant relationships, using experimental data from a water-limited soybean crop: 227-1. The daily transpiration flux, T, is estimated from experimental evapotranspiration data and simulated soil evaporation values. The difference, 227-2, named the effective potential gradient, is derived from i) the midday leaf potential of the uppermost expanded leaves and ii) an effective soil potential accounting for soil potential profile and an effectiveness factor of roots competing for water uptake. This factor is experimentally estimated from field observation of roots. G is an apparent hydraulic conductance of water flow from the soil to the leaves. The value of the lower potential limit for water extraction, required to assess the effective soil potential, is calculated with respect to the plant using the predawn leaf potential. It is found to be equal to –1.2 MPa. It appears that over the range of soil and climatic conditions experienced, the daily effective potential gradient remains constant (1.2 MPa), implying that, on a daily basis, transpiration only depends on the hydraulic conductance. The authors explain this behaviour by diurnal variation of osmotic potential, relying on Morgan's theory (1984). Possible generalization of the results to other crop species is suggested, providing a framework for reasoning plant water behaviour at a daily time step.     

Effects of Chronic Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Administration to Rats with Partial Flmbrial Transections on Presynaptic Cholinergic Parameters and Muscarinic Receptors in the Hippocampus: Comparison with Nerve Growth Factor

Abstract: The present study compares the effects of chronic administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) on various hippocampal cholinergic parameters in rats with partial unilateral fimbrial transections. Lesions resulted in marked reductions of several presynaptic cholinergic parameters: choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity (by 50%), [³H]-acetylcholine ([³H]ACh) synthesis (by 59%), basal and ve-ratridine (1 μM)-evoked [³H]ACh release (by 44 and 57%, respectively), and [³H]vesamicol binding site densities (by 35%). In addition, [³H]AF-DX 116/muscarinic M₂ binding site densities were also modestly decreased (by 23%). In contrast, [³H]pirenzepine/muscarinic M₁ and [³H]AF-DX 384/muscarinic M₂/M₄ binding site densities were not altered by the lesions, nor were they affected by any of the treatments. Intracerebroventricular administration of bFGF (10 ng, every other day, for 21 days) partially prevented the lesion-induced deficit in hippocampal ChAT activity, an effect that was not markedly different from that measured in the NGF-treated (1 μg intracerebroventricularly, every other day, for 21 days) rats. In rats treated with a combination of bFGF and NGF, ChAT activity was not different from that in rats treated with the individual factors alone. In contrast, the lesion-induced deficits in the other cholinergic parameters were not attenuated by bFGF treatment, although they were at least partially prevented by NGF administration. To determine whether higher concentrations of bFGF are necessary to affect cholinergic parameters other than hippocampal ChAT activity, rats were treated with 1 μg (every other day, 21 days) of the growth factor. In this group of rats, detrimental effects of bFGF, manifested by an increased death rate (46%), and marked reductions in body weight of the survivors, were observed. In addition, this concentration of bFGF appeared to exacerbate the lesion-induced reduction in [³H]ACh synthesis by hippocampal slices; [³H]ACh synthesis in lesioned hippocampi represented 36 and 52% of that in contralateral unlesioned hippocampi for the bFGF-treated and control groups, respectively. In conclusion, although bFGF administration attenuates the deficit in hippocampal ChAT activity induced by partial fimbrial transections, this does not appear to translate into enhanced functional capacity of the cholinergic terminals. This is clearly in contrast to NGF, which enhances not only hippocampal ChAT activity, but also other parameters indicative of increased function in the cholinergic terminals.     

Comparative karyomorphology and interrelationships ofSelaginella in Japan

Karyomorphological comparisons were made of 16 native and cultivated species ofSelaginella in Japan. The somatic chromosome numbers are 2n=16 inS. boninensis; 2n=18 inS. doederleinii, S. helvetica, S. limbata, S. lutchuensis, S. nipponica, S. selaginoides, S. tama-montana, andS. uncinata; 2n=20 inS. biformis, S. involvens, S. moellendorffii, S. remotifolia, andS. tamariscina; 2n=30 inS. rossii; and 2n=32 inS. heterostachys. The interphase nuclei of all species examined are uniformly assigned to the simple chromocenter type. The metaphase karyotype of 2n=16 (x=8) is 8 m (=median centromeric chromosomes)+8(st+t)(=subterminal and terminal). The group of the species having 2n=18 (x=9) is heterogeneous karyomorphologically: The karyotype ofS. nipponica is 2n=18=6 m+12(st+t),S. tama-montana 10 m+2 sm(=submedian)+6(st+t), andS. uncinata 6 m+7 sm+5(st+t). Although the remaining five species have the common karyotype 8 m+4 sm+6(st+t), the values of mean chromosome length are variable. Another group of the specles having 2n=20 (x=10) is homogeneous, since all species have the same karyotypes 8 m+4 sm+8(st+t) and have similar chromosome size. The karyotype of 2n=30 is 12 m+6 sm+12(st+t) and is suggested to be a triploid of x=10, and 2n=32=16m+16(st+t), a tetraploid of x=8. Thus, three kinds of basic chromosome numbers, x=8, 9, 10 are present in JapaneseSelaginella examined, and their karyomorphological relationships are discussed.