Chemical composition of degrading mangrove leaf litter and changes produced after consumption by mangrove crabNeosarmatium smithi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Sesarmidae)

The leaves of the mangroveCeriops tagal contained 3.2–4.1% (all percentages relate to dry weight) ofd-1-O-methyl-muco-inositol previously unreported in mangroves. They consisted of 37% aqueous acetone-water-soluble material, 18% water-insoluble polysaccharides, and ca. 50% polyphenols, which include soluble and insoluble tannins and lignin. The polysaccharide component sugars were glucose, arabinose, uronic acids, mannose, xylose, galactose, and rhamnose in the proportions 28262210752, respectively. The leaves were pectate rich, and the low level of glucan was presumed to consist mainly of cellulose. After four weeks of biodegradation, ca. 60% of the acetone-water-soluble material was lost from the leaves. Degradation processes greatly altered the polysaccharide components in the leaves. Pectates were rapidly degraded, while other polysaccharides, although reduced proportionately, resisted degradation at about the same level, and all component sugars were found in the 8-week-old leaves. Apparent lignin contents increased from 15 to >30% during biodegradation up to eight weeks. The yields of the major fractions in corresponding fecal material fromNeosarmatium smithi showed a similar trend to the diets. An enrichment of the insoluble residue was noticeable due to the digestion of dialyzable material. The fecal carbohydrate content was greatly reduced (7–11%) and the apparent lignin increased (27–39%) due to its resistance to degradation. All dietary polysaccharide component sugars were found in the fecal residues, including some uronic acids. The leaves also contained a readily water-soluble fraction (15%) which consisted of pectates strongly complexed with proanthocyanidins.     

Inter- and Intraspecific Comparisons of Antiherbivore Defenses in Three Species of Rainforest Understory Shrubs

Plants defend themselves against herbivores and pathogens with a suite of morphological, phenological, biochemical, and biotic defenses, each of which is presumably costly. The best studied are allocation costs that involve trade-offs in investment of resources to defense versus other plant functions. Decreases in growth or reproductive effort are the costs most often associated with antiherbivore defenses, but trade-offs among different defenses may also occur within a single plant species. We examined trade-offs among defenses in closely related tropical rain forest shrubs (Piper cenocladum, P. imperiale, and P. melanocladum) that possess different combinations of three types of defense: ant mutualists, secondary compounds, and leaf toughness. We also examined the effectiveness of different defenses and suites of defenses against the most abundant generalist and specialist Piper herbivores. For all species examined, leaf toughness was the most effective defense, with the toughest species, P. melanocladum, receiving the lowest incidence of total herbivory, and the least tough species, P. imperiale, receiving the highest incidence. Although variation in toughness within each species was substantial, there were no intraspecific relationships between toughness and herbivory. In other Piper studies, chemical and biotic defenses had strong intraspecific negative correlations with herbivory. A wide variety of defensive mechanisms was quantified in the three Piper species studied, ranging from low concentrations of chemical defenses in P. imperiale to a complex suite of defenses in P. cenocladum that includes ant mutualists, secondary metabolites, and moderate toughness. Ecological costs were evident for the array of defensive mechanisms within these Piper species, and the differences in defensive strategies among species may represent evolutionary trade-offs between costly defenses.     

Genotype and Growing Environment Effects on the Tocopherols and Fatty Acids of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. juncea</Emphasis>

The effects of genotype and growing environment on the tocopherols and fatty acids (FA) of experimental Brassica juncea and B. napus breeding lines were investigated. For both species, with the exception of a few genotypes, the concentration ratio of γ-tocopherols to α-tocopherol was practically constant. The genotype influenced the tocopherol concentration in B. napus, and to a lesser degree, B. juncea. The environment also had a similar effect, and a positive correlation existed between the daily maximum temperature and the α-tocopherol concentration in B. napus. Genotype effects on the FA composition were significant for the conventional but not for Clearfield or triazine tolerant traits of B. napus. The genotype had no effect on the FA of the B. juncea genotypes. In contrast, the growing environment had a significant influence on the FA composition of both species with apparent influence from temperature and rainfall. For both species, the concentration of γ-tocopherol as well as total tocopherols was inversely related to the 18:3 concentration, which could have resulted from opposite and independent effects of temperature on the two variables. No relationship existed between the concentrations of tocopherol and the remaining unsaturated FA 18:1 and 18:2. The positional distribution of unsaturated FA within the oil triacylglycerol was a function of their total concentration.     

DEHYDRATION BY DESORPTION AND BY SPRAY DRYING OF DAIRY PROTEINS: INFLUENCE OF THE MINERAL ENVIRONMENT

A drying method by desorption in a water activity meter was used to simulate the conditions of spray drying and to determine the water transfer inside dairy concentrates towards the surface and from the surface to the drying air. The concentrates were also spray dried and solubility index of powders were determined during reconstitution. Whey protein concentrates (WPC) and native phosphocaseinate suspensions (NPCS) were used to study the effect of NaCl (420 mM), CaCl₂ (222 raM), sodium phosphate (173 mM) and sodium citrate (238 mM) on the water transfers. The decrease in water transfer during drying was explained by the high hygroscopicity of added mineral salts to WPC. NaCl addition to NPCS decreased the water transfer during drying, but increased the solubility index. Citrate and phosphate addition to NPCS increased the water transfer during drying and reconstitution. CaCl₂ increased the water transfer during drying but the solubility index was always low. Results are discussed as a function of the aqueous environment, of the nature of mineral salts, of the structure of dairy proteins and of protein solvation.     

Oxidation Kinetics and Oxide Scale Characterization of Nickel-Based Superalloy IN738LC at 900 °C

The high-temperature isothermal oxidation behavior of the polycrystalline nickel-based superalloy IN738LC was investigated at 900 °C in air for up to 1000 h. The results from the tests suggest that the alloy showed single-stage parabolic oxidation behavior during isothermal oxidation. The oxidized samples were characterized using SEM and SEM/EDS, and the results show that the alloy is comprised of an outer dense chromia scale with titania proving Type II oxidation behavior. In addition, the formation of a spinel composition adjacent to the external layer and a discontinuous needle-shaped alumina scale in the alloy subsurface zone were also observed. The depletion of gamma prime (γ′) phase leads to a precipitate-free zone formation in the subscale zone. A JMatPro thermodynamic analysis showed that an increase in titanium content from 1 to 3.44 wt.% increased the chromium activity by 50%. Therefore, the results suggest that the presence of high amounts of titanium (~3.44 wt.%) in IN738LC increased the oxidation kinetics by increasing the chromium scale growth rate and resulting in an oxidation rate constant of 2.79 × 10^?6 mg² cm^?4 s^?1.     

数码摄影必备滤镜

<正>每一位摄影师都应该准备一套滤镜,这能让你在拍摄中更好地适应外界的光线变化。在这一页里,我们将带你挑选一套最值得拥有的滤镜。1高坚H250A中灰渐变镜www.cokin.com.cn高坚这套中灰密度镜分为三块方形滤镜,每块的压暗效果不同,可以在天空和地面曝光不同时调节光比。这套滤镜分为P121L(压暗一挡)、P121M(压暗两挡)和P121S(压暗三挡)三块滤镜。     

Butyrate and Propionate Restore the Cytokine and House Dust Mite Compromised Barrier Function of Human Bronchial Airway Epithelial Cells

Barrier dysfunction of airway epithelium contributes to the development of allergies, airway hyper-responsiveness and immunological respiratory diseases. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) enhance and restore the barrier function of the intestinal epithelium. This study investigated whether acetate, propionate and butyrate enhance the integrity of bronchial epithelial cells. Differentiating human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) grown on transwells were exposed to butyrate, propionate and acetate while trans-epithelial electrical resistance was monitored over time. Restorative effects of SCFA were investigated by subsequent incubation of cells with IL-4, IL-13 or house dust mite extract and SCFA. SCFA effects on IL-4-induced cytokine production and the expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathways were investigated by ELISA and Western blot assays. Propionate and butyrate enhanced the barrier function of differentiating 16HBE cells and induced complete recovery of the barrier function after exposure to the above-mentioned stimuli. Butyrate decreased IL-4-induced IL-6 production. IL-4 decreased ZO-1 protein expression and induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) in 16HBE cells, both of which could be restored by SCFA. SCFA showed prophylactic and restorative effects on airway epithelial barrier function, which might be induced by increased ZO-1 expression.     

MESOZOIC MAGMATISM IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS (SOUTH ATLANTIC) AND THEIR OFFSHORE SEDIMENTARY BASINS

Recent mineral and hydrocarbons exploration in and around the Falkland Islands has provided data that allows correlation of the onshore and offshore histories of magmatism. New Ar‐Ar age dating of onshore dykes in East Falkland has extended their Cretaceous age range back to ca. 135 Ma (Valanginian – Hauterivian) from the previously reported age of ca. 121 Ma (Aptian). Widespread onshore, ca.188–178 Ma, Jurassic dykes are generally considered a part of the regional Karoo‐Ferrar magmatism linked to the initial break‐up of Gondwana, but we relate the Early Cretaceous dykes, with their characteristic north‐south orientation, to extension of the Falklands Plateau during initiation of spreading in the South Atlantic Ocean. The onshore dykes demonstrate east‐west Early Cretaceous extension, whilst to the north of the archipelago the offshore North Falklands Basin extended between north‐south boundary fault systems from the Late Jurassic onwards. Intrusion of Valanginian – Hauterivian dykes onshore was penecontemporaneous with the intrusion of sills and the extrusion of lavas in the Falkland Plateau Basin. This magmatism, more extensive than previously supposed, may be linked to regional uplift associated with initial opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. The uplift can be demonstrated from seismic data and DSDP boreholes to have occurred during the Berriasian – Hauterivian interval. The thermally‐driven uplift of the platform region played a crucial role in elevating potential sediment source areas and providing the large volumes of sand that were shed intermittently into the surrounding basins from the Valanginian to the Aptian or Albian.     

Inhibition of hemoglobin-mediated lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle by cranberry components

Fractions enriched in phenolic acids (Fraction 1), anthocyanins (Fraction 2), flavonols (Fractions 3 and 4) and proanthocyanidins (Fractions 5 and 6) were prepared from cranberry powder using Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. Fractions 2, 3, 4, and 5 had nearly equivalent reactivity in the total phenolate assay employed per mg dry weight of each fraction while Fractions 1 and 6 were less reactive. The ability of cranberry fractions to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals as well as their inhibitory effects on hemoglobin (Hb)-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle were assessed. Addition of cranberry fractions at a level of 74 μmol quercetin equivalents per kg of washed cod muscle extended the induction time of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation in the order: Fraction 1, Fraction 3, Fraction 4 > Fraction 2 > Fraction 5 > Fraction 6. This suggests that oligomeric polyphenols (e.g., proanthocyanidins) were least effective at inhibiting Hb-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle compared to the other classes of polyphenolics in cranberry. The ability of the different cranberry fractions to scavenge DPPH radicals did not reflect their relative ability to inhibit lipid oxidation in the washed cod muscle system. Quercetin was tentatively identified as a component in cranberry that was especially effective at inhibiting Hb-mediated lipid oxidation. The ability of flavonol and proanthocyanidin-enriched fractions to inhibit Hb-mediated lipid oxidation in spite of efforts to wash away the added polyphenolics prior to Hb addition indicated these classes of polyphenolics had binding affinities for insoluble components of washed cod muscle.