Molecular strategies to enhance the genetic resistance of grapevines to powdery mildew

The Eurasian winegrape Vitis vinifera has little or no genetic resistance to the major fungal pathogens, powdery mildew ( Erysiphe necator ) and downy mildew ( Plasmopora viticola ). These pathogens were first introduced into French vineyards from North America in the 1800s before spreading to all major grape producing regions of the world. As a result, grape production is highly dependent on the use of fungicides. With the increasing financial and environmental costs of chemical application and the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains, the introduction of natural genetic resistance against these fungal pathogens is a high priority for viticultural industries worldwide. We are utilising a number of different molecular approaches to increase our understanding of the basis of resistance to these important major fungal pathogens and to identify potential new sources of genetic resistance. This review will outline the progress and the potential of each of these different molecular strategies to the generation of fungal-resistant grapevine germplasm.     

Biosecurity on dairy operations: hazards and risks

The objective here was to present a model for considering biosecurity related to infectious diseases on US dairy operations using a risk assessment framework. With the example of an important dairy cattle pathogen (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis), I followed risk assessment steps to characterize risks related to the use of certain management practices and possible risk reduction within an infectious disease biosecurity program. Biosecurity practices focus on the prevention of introduction of these pathogens to the dairy, and estimates of the risks associated with introduction of different sources of cattle are presented. In addition, biosecurity practices also limit the transmission of these pathogens within an infected dairy operation, especially those focused on sick cow management, calving area management, and manure management. Recent information from the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy 96 Study indicates that many of these practices have not been adopted on US dairy operations, indicating both risk of disease and opportunity for animal health improvement.     

Fundamental changes to EPA's research enterprise: the path forward

Environmental protection in the United States has reached a critical juncture. It has become clear that to address the complex and interrelated environmental challenges we face, we must augment our traditional approaches. The scientific community must build upon its deep understanding of risk assessment, risk management, and reductionism with tools, technologies, insights and approaches to pursue sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized this need for systemic change by implementing a new research paradigm called "The Path Forward." This paper outlines the principles of the Path Forward and the actions taken since 2010 to align EPA's research efforts with the goal of sustainability.     

An Update on Potential Perspectives of Glucosinolates on Protection against Microbial Pathogens and Endocrine Dysfunctions in Humans

Glucosinolates are the major bioactive secondary metabolites found in the Brassicaceae family and studied extensively in biosynthetic and application perspectives. Because of their potential applications in the welfare of plants (protection against plant pathogens) and human life (prevention of cancer and other diseases), these compounds attracted much interest in the scientific community. In this review, we presented updates on glucosinolate derivatives in protection against microbial pathogens and endocrine related diseases in human. Further, the mechanism of action of glucosinolate derivatives and the strategies to improve their efficiency through modern approaches were discussed. Finally, the genetic enrichment of their contents in plant systems has also been discussed.     

Invited review: The role of contagious disease in udder health

Contagious diseases are a threat to animal health and productivity, both nationally and at the farm level. This makes implementation of biosecurity measures to prevent their introduction and spread within countries and farms a necessity. Mastitis is the most common and costly contagious disease affecting dairy farms in the western world. The major mastitis pathogens are endemic in most countries, and biosecurity measures to prevent introduction and transmission must therefore be implemented at farm level. The 40-yr-old mastitis control plan remains a solid foundation to prevent the spread of contagious intramammary infections. Contagious diseases that do not affect the mammary gland directly may have an indirect effect on mastitis. This is true for list A diseases such as foot and mouth disease, for which biosecurity measures may need to be taken at national level, and for other infections with nonmastitis pathogens such as bovine viral diarrhea virus and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis. Maintaining a closed herd decreases the risk of introduction of pathogens that affect udder health directly or indirectly. If animals are purchased, their udder health history should be evaluated and they should be examined and tested for contagious diseases. Transmission of infections by and to humans and nonbovine animals may occur. Contact with visitors and nonbovine animals should therefore be minimized. Because of globalization and heightened consumer awareness, the importance of biosecurity now supersedes individual farms, and increased pressure to control transmission of contagious diseases can be expected at industry or government levels in western countries and elsewhere.     

Agrosecurity: The Role of the Agricultural Experiment Stations

ABSTRACT: In order to protect the nation's agriculture and food processing systems from the new threat of bioterror‐ism, agricultural and food technology research must be effectively harnessed and applied. The U.S. conducts the majority of its agricultural research through state‐based Agricultural Experiment Stations. To respond to the new challenges of biosecurity, and to facilitate communication between the federal research system and the state‐based agricultural research system, the Directors of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) facilitated the creation of a National Institute for Agricultural Security (NIAS). The mission of NIAS is to help address national homeland security and biosecurity issues that affect the nation's farms and ranches, food production and distribution system, and rural communities by harnessing, coordinating, and targeting agricultural research and food science technology projects. NIAS was created to provide a “front door” and “one‐stop shopping” for federal agencies and the public. NIAS is currently developing projects to improve site security at SAES field stations and laboratories. The Institute is facilitating the development of prototype‐secured information technology networks. NIAS is serving as a liaison to federal agency offices to help identify high priority agricultural and food science research needs. The Institute is also exploring the possibility of collaborating in the development of regional pathogen outbreak simulations with the regional university coordinators of the Dept. of Agriculture's National Plant Diagnostics Network (NPDN). NIAS is collaborating with the Institute for Countermeasures Against Bioterrorism to host an international workshop on the managing of events when harmful pathogens are introduced into the food supply. And, NIAS is exploring the potential role of university Cooperative Extension Service as part of the “first responder network,” as “first detectors,” and as facilitators for helping rural community leaders plan to address homeland security concerns.     

Plasma-activated liquids for mitigating biofilms on food and food contact surfaces

Plasma-activated liquids (PALs) are emerging and promising alternatives to traditional decontamination technologies and have evolved as a new technology for applications in food, agriculture, and medicine. Contamination caused by foodborne pathogens and their biofilms has posed challenges and concerns to the food industry in terms of safety and quality. The nature of the food and the food processing environment are major factors that contribute to the growth of various microorganisms, followed by the biofilm characteristics that ensure their survival in severe environmental conditions and against traditional chemical disinfectants. PALs show an efficient impact against microorganisms and their biofilms, with various reactive species (short- and long-lived ones), physiochemical properties, and plasma processing factors playing a crucial role in mitigating biofilms. Moreover, there is potential to improve and optimize disinfection strategies using a combination of PALs with other technologies for the inactivation of biofilms. The overarching aim of this study is to build a better understanding of the parameters that govern the liquid chemistry generated in a liquid exposed to plasma and how these translate into biological effects on biofilms. This review provides a current understanding of PALs-mediated mechanisms of action on biofilms; however, the precise inactivation mechanism is still not clear and is an important part of the research. Implementation of PALs in the food industry could help overcome the disinfection hurdles and can enhance biofilm inactivation efficacy. Future perspectives in this field to expand existing state of the art to seek breakthroughs for scale-up and implementation of PALs technology in the food industry are also discussed.     

食源性致病菌快速检测的前增菌培养的研究进展

近年来,由食源性致病菌污染食物导致中毒或死亡事件在全球频发,严重危害人类健康,食源性微生物引起的疾病已成为危害人类健康的头号杀手。目前,食源性致病菌快速检测技术研究已成为国际学者关注的热点,研究的焦点主要集中在快速检测技术。但是,在快速检测中,尤其是分子生物学检测技术需要增菌过程,如何缩短前增菌时间和提高增菌效果,是快速检测研发解决的难题。本文对沙门氏菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、单增李斯特菌、副溶血性弧菌和志贺氏菌的爆发案例进行了简述,重点综述了前四种菌的前增菌的研究现状,以便了解到现有的快速检测的前增菌培养的研究情况,在更短时间检测出食源性致病菌。      

Emerging Biorecognition and Transduction Schemes for Rapid Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria in Food

The presence of unsafe levels of microorganisms in food constitutes a growing economic and public health problem that necessitates new technology for their rapid detection along the food continuum from production to consumption. While traditional techniques are reliable, there is a need for more sensitive, selective, rapid, and cost‐effective approaches for food safety evaluation. Methods such as microbiological counts are sufficiently accurate and inexpensive, and are capable of determining presence and viability for most pathogens. However, these techniques are time consuming, involve destructive sampling, and require trained personnel and biosafety‐certified facilities for analysis. Molecular techniques such as the polymerase chain reaction have greatly improved analytical capability over the last decade, achieving shorter analysis time with quantitative data and strain specificity, and in some cases the ability to discriminate cell viability. The emerging field of nanosensors/biosensors has demonstrated a variety of devices that hold promise to bridge the gap between traditional plate counting and molecular techniques. Many nanosensors/biosensors are rapid, portable, accurate devices that can be used as an additional screening tool for identifying unsafe levels of microorganisms in food products with no need for pre‐enrichment. In this review, we provide a brief overview of available biorecognition–transduction techniques for detecting bacteria in food. We then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, and describe some recent biosensor or nanosensor technologies that are under development. We conclude by summarizing the opportunities and challenges in the field of pathogen monitoring in food systems and we focus the discussion on the strengths/weaknesses of the most popular biorecognition agents and transducer nanomaterials for biosensing.     

Emerging foodborne pathogens

The broad spectrum of foodborne infections has changed dramatically over time, as well-established pathogens have been controlled or eliminated, and new ones have emerged. The burden of foodborne disease remains substantial: one in four Americans is estimated to have a significant foodborne illness each year. The majority of these illnesses are not accounted for by known pathogens, so more must remain to be discovered. Among the known foodborne pathogens, those more recently identified predominate, suggesting that as more and more is learned about pathogens, they come under control. In addition to the emergence or recognition of new pathogens, other trends include global pandemics of some foodborne pathogens, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, the identification of pathogens that are highly opportunistic, affecting only the most high-risk subpopulations, and the increasing identification of large and dispersed outbreaks. New pathogens can emerge because of changing ecology or changing technology that connects a potential pathogen with the food chain. They also can emerge de novo by transfer of mobile virulence factors, often through bacteriophage. Though this is rarely observed, it can be reconstructed. Better understanding of the ecology and dynamics of phage transmission among bacteria will help us to understand the appearance of new pathogens in the future. One may look for emerging foodborne pathogens among the silent zoonoses, and among the severe infections affecting the immunocompromised humans. We should expect the unexpected. In the past, separating human sewage and animal manure from human food and water supplies was critical to improving public health. Now, our health depends increasingly on the safety of the feed and water supplies for the animals themselves. The successes of the 20th century and the new challenges we face mean that public health vigilance, careful investigation of new problems, responsible attention to food safety from farm to table, and partnerships to bring about new foodborne disease control measures will be needed for the foreseeable future.     

染整企业精细化管理

当今小批量、多品种的生产模式给染整企业的生产管理带来了很多新的挑战。现今的染整企业,改善的重点在技术提升上,更在管理上。染整企业的精细化管理即降低生产成本、提高劳动生产率,这是摆在每个染整企业管理者面前的首要课题。从原料管理、技术管理、设备管理、制度管理和人员管理逐步分析如何进行有效的精细化管理。     

Food microbiology: the challenges for the future.

Food microbiology has become a mature science in the twentieth century and has made great advances. While recognising these achievements, it is also necessary to consider how the science may need to change. This paper addresses this by reference to three areas. These are possible changes in foodborne diseases of concern and the impact of molecular and genetic techniques on our current methodology. The recognition of the role of food and associated microbial contaminants in chronic diseases could become a major concern. New developments in our understanding of microbial genetics could affect our concepts of bacterial taxonomy. The current methodologies we use, based upon genotypically identical populations, may need to be addressed. If the trends indicated here are realised, they indicate a major challenge and opportunity for the food microbiologist.     

Invited review: A critical appraisal of mastitis vaccines for dairy cows

Infections of the mammary gland remain a frequent disease of dairy ruminants that negatively affect animal welfare, milk quality, farmer serenity, and farming profitability and cause an increase in use of antimicrobials. There is a need for efficacious vaccines to alleviate the burden of mastitis in dairy farming, but this need has not been satisfactorily fulfilled despite decades of research. A careful appraisal of past and current research on mastitis vaccines reveals the peculiarities but also the commonalities among mammary gland infections associated with the major mastitis pathogens Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus agalactiae, or Streptococcus dysgalactiae. A major pitfall is that the immune mechanisms of effective protection have not been fully identified. Until now, vaccine development has been directed toward the generation of antibodies. In this review, we drew up an inventory of the main approaches used to design vaccines that aim at the major pathogens for the mammary gland, and we critically appraised the current and tentative vaccines. In particular, we sought to relate efficacy to vaccine-induced defense mechanisms to shed light on some possible reasons for current vaccine shortcomings. Based on the lessons learned from past attempts and the recent results of current research, the design of effective vaccines may take a new turn in the years to come.     

昆虫对低氧环境的适应性机制研究进展

昆虫需要利用氧气进行有氧呼吸,产生能量,维持正常的生命活动。在储藏环境中,可以利用气调技术控制环境中氧气的占比,以达到防治害虫的目的。然而害虫低氧适应性的发展为这项技术的推广和应用带来挑战。文章围绕低氧对昆虫生长发育、生命活动、生理功能的影响,以及昆虫适应低氧环境的补偿性策略,包括内在调控机制,生物学特性调节,代谢网络重构,基因调控等方面进行了综述。以期为害虫低氧适应性的产生机制提供新的研究线索,为绿色储粮技术的研究及发展提供参考。     

“九五”全国食品工业科技发展纲要的建议(摘要)

<正> 指导思想与基本原则 依据《中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展“九五”计划和2010年远景目标纲要》和《全国食品工业“九五”计划和2010年远景目标的建议》,依靠科技进步,积极开发和采用新技术、新设备、新产品,充分开发利用食物资源、开展综合利用和深度加工,搞好传统食品生产科学化,提高产品技术含量和附加值,逐步     

Hanging on the coat tails of the obesity epidemic: will metabolic syndrome be the next public health crisis and does nutrition have a role in its prevention?

Worldwide rates of obesity are on the increase and following in their tracks are increases in the metabolic syndrome (a cluster of characteristic features associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes). Along with these trends, healthcare costs are expected to escalate and part of the solution to coping with this situation is to direct the public health focus towards prevention. The situation is complicated by the fact that people are living longer and longer (and people gradually tend to put on weight as they get older). Cognisant of the major challenges ahead, funding agencies are supporting a variety of multidisciplinary projects, some of which are showcased here (Ob‐Age and Lipgene), that are seeking to understand, on the one hand, the influence our genetic make‐up has on the way our bodies handle particular nutrients and how these relationships relate to disease risk, and at the other end of the spectrum how the food chain can be manipulated to improve the nutritional value of the food we consume. Crucial to developing targeted dietary messages is a sound understanding of the nutritional value of foods. Weaknesses in current databases are being addressed by a pan‐European Project, EuroFIR. Looking to the future, it is to be hoped that new research underway in the UK and around the world, some of which is referred to here, will inform policy that will enable us to really get to grips with the current trends in obesity and related conditions such as the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, which are currently threatening the improvements in life expectancy seen consistently around the world over the past 150 years. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Plant breeding for nutrition-sensitive agriculture: an appraisal of developments in plant breeding

Plant breeding for nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) has to address the various aspects of food and nutrition security by taking on an integrated approach. In our article, we summarize past and current developments in plant breeding that are relevant to nutrition in this broader context. We outline how plant breeding can contribute to availability of, access to and utilization of food, and give examples of how the concept of NSA is differently addressed in selected plant breeding projects. Effective targeting towards the needs of vulnerable groups seems to be a key success factor. Differences exist with regard to the underlying concept of technology diffusion, the importance given to agrobiodiversity for improving food and nutrition security, and the degree and quality of participation of target groups. We conclude that the potentials of crop and variety improvement for NSA are far from being tapped. Plant breeding for NSA requires that the inherent focus of most breeding programs on crops and varieties be broadened towards people and their needs. It is thus required to integrate complementary expertise into breeding programs, and to overcome the divide between technology-oriented and system or actor-oriented approaches. Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that commercial breeding needs to be complemented by other initiatives and institutions that focus particularly on food and nutrition security of vulnerable groups. Any efforts to further harmonize agricultural, nutrition, health, environmental, and educational policies, also with international policy frameworks and obligations, could help to create an enabling policy environment for NSA.     

ADSA Foundation Scholar Award: What makes for a good life for transition dairy cows? Current research and future directions

Dairy cows experience several challenges during the transition period, historically defined as the 3 wk before to 3 wk after calving. During this 6-wk window, cows undergo a series of social, nutritional, and physical changes that affect their quality of life. Cows are also at the highest risk of becoming ill in the days and weeks after calving compared with any other period in their adult life. Because of this, the transition cow has been a central focus of dairy cattle research for at least the last 50 yr, with much of this work targeted at identifying, treating, and preventing postpartum disease. However, understanding what makes for a good life for transition cows requires consideration of more than just their health. When considering a cow's welfare, we must also include her emotional experiences and ability to live a reasonably natural life. To gain a broader perspective on the welfare of transition cows that goes beyond their health, continued inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are needed. The aims of this narrative review are to (1) describe a framework used to study animal welfare, which includes different perspectives on what makes for a good life for animals using examples from transition cow research, (2) summarize the advancements we have made in developing our understanding of the welfare of transition dairy cows over the last several decades, (3) identify gaps in the literature and propose new and continued topics for research, and (4) suggest a path forward for researchers, including the use of methods from both the natural and social sciences to rethink existing problems, understanding barriers to adoption of evidence-based practice, and prepare for future challenges.     

设计教育助力国际时尚消费中心城市建设的研究

国际时尚消费中心城市建设是国家的重大战略部署,这就为时尚人才培养提供了新的机遇和挑战。面对这一重要建设工作,首先需要清楚认知国际时尚消费中心城市的定义与建设要点,其次要梳理清楚设计教育与中心城市建设之间的关系,最终从设计教育本身及出口两端来规划和做好工作:产教与科教平台构建,培养目标-毕业要求-课程体系的支撑关系构建、质量保障与评价体系构建,协同创新教育教学机制构建、政策支撑与孵化平台建设等,实现人才培养在素质、知识、技能及创新方面的创新,最终满足城市建设对专业人才需要。