Formation of spray-dried powder of S-adenosyl-L-methionine

S-Adenosyl-L -methionine (SAM) is an essential metabolite in all living organisms. In clinical research, SAM has also been suggested as a chemotherapeutic agent in various diseases. The main problem of SAM is its instability at high temperatures, at neutral and alkaline pH, and in the presence of humidity. SAM retention in spray-dried powder was determined under various conditions of spray-drying. The highest SAM retention was obtained when maltodextrin (dextrose equivalent, DE, of 25) was used as the carrier solid with the SAM feed liquid at pH 4.0. The water content in the powder had a significant effect on the stability of SAM. SAM powder with lower water content exhibited higher stability.     

Influence of wetland hydroperiod on diversity and abundance of metamorphosing juvenile amphibians

Numbers of successfully metamorphosing juvenile amphibians were tabulated at three wetlands in South Carolina, U.S.A. using terrestrial drift fences with pitfall traps. A relatively undisturbed Carolina bay was studied for eight years, a partially drained Carolina bay for four years, and a man-made borrow pit for three years. Annual production of juveniles at the undisturbed Carolina bay ranged from zero to 75,644 individuals of 15 species. Fewer individuals of fewer species typically metamorphosed at the borrow pit than at the undisturbed bay, with the least numbers at the partially drained Carolina bay. Both total number and species diversity of metamorphosing juveniles at each site each year showed a strong positive correlation with hydroperiod, i.e., the number of days a site contained standing water that year. Data for one common anuran species and the most common salamander species were analyzed separately by multiple regression, in addition to the community analyses. For the mole salamander, Ambystoma talpoideum, hydroperiod was a significant predictor of the number of metamorphosing juveniles, but the number of breeding females was not. For the ornate chorus frog, Pseudacris ornata, the number of breeding females was a significant predictor of the number of metamorphosing juveniles, but hydroperiod was not. Variation in the dates of wetland filling and drying interacts with other factors to determine amphibian community structure and diversity. Either increasing or decreasing the number of days a wetland holds water could increase or decrease the number and species diversity of amphibians in and around a wetland.     

Variable effects of air-drying on leaching losses from tree leaf litter

Leaching of soluble substances may be an important first step in leaf litter decomposition in small streams, but recent research has suggested that large leaching losses (up to 30% of initial mass in 48 h) may be an artifact created by using air-dried leaves in decomposition experiments. In laboratory experiments, we compared 3 d leaching losses from freshly fallen and air-dried senescent leaves of 27 tree species from different regions across Canada. Air-dried leaves from all species leached measurable amounts of original mass (3.6–32.8% dry mass), but leaching losses from fresh leaves (0–35%) were detectable in all but two species. Air-drying increased leaching losses in many species, but in others it reduced leaching losses or had no measurable effect. Results for leaves of the same species collected in different regions or in different years were generally similar, but species within the same genus often behaved very differently. Neither moisture content (fresh or air-dried), leaf thickness, nor cuticle thickness proved of any value as predictors of leaching losses or the effect of air-drying. The propensity of autumn-fallen leaves to leach, whether fresh or air-dried, appears to be a property of the individual tree species.     

Pan-Arctic soil moisture control on tundra carbon sequestration and plant productivity

Long-term atmospheric CO₂ concentration records have suggested a reduction in the positive effect of warming on high-latitude carbon uptake since the 1990s. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the reduced net carbon sink of northern ecosystems with increased air temperature, including water stress on vegetation and increased respiration over recent decades. However, the lack of consistent long-term carbon flux and in situ soil moisture data has severely limited our ability to identify the mechanisms responsible for the recent reduced carbon sink strength. In this study, we used a record of nearly 100 site-years of eddy covariance data from 11 continuous permafrost tundra sites distributed across the circumpolar Arctic to test the temperature (expressed as growing degree days, GDD) responses of gross primary production (GPP), net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and ecosystem respiration (ER) at different periods of the summer (early, peak, and late summer) including dominant tundra vegetation classes (graminoids and mosses, and shrubs). We further tested GPP, NEE, and ER relationships with soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit to identify potential moisture limitations on plant productivity and net carbon exchange. Our results show a decrease in GPP with rising GDD during the peak summer (July) for both vegetation classes, and a significant relationship between the peak summer GPP and soil moisture after statistically controlling for GDD in a partial correlation analysis. These results suggest that tundra ecosystems might not benefit from increased temperature as much as suggested by several terrestrial biosphere models, if decreased soil moisture limits the peak summer plant productivity, reducing the ability of these ecosystems to sequester carbon during the summer.     

IN SITU PRESERVATION OF THE TRANSVERSE FLAGELLUM OF PERIDINIUM CINCTUM (DINOPHYCEAE) FOR SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY1

Three-dimensional structure of the transverse flagellum was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in Peridinium cinctum (O.F.M.) Ehrenberg. Several fixation and dehydration procedures were compared. Cells fixed, rapidly in 1% osmium tetroxide and critical-point dried showed accurate preservation of structural features seen in living cells; in particular, both transverse and posterior flagella were retained in the furrows on the cell surface. Osmium-fixed and freeze-dried, samples were prone to cellular collapse and loss of flagella. Glutar-aldehyde-fixed and critical-point dried cells showed a layer of material covering the thecal plates, most conspicuously over the girdle region; flagella were absent. Stereo-pair micrographs illustrate the 3-dimensional configuration of the transverse flagellum. Modifications of previous structural models are proposed.     

Factors influencing the potential mobility and bioavailability of exchangeable ammonium ion in dried lake sediments

Abstract

The effect of drying temperature and oxidation on the level of exchangeable ammonium ion found in sediments has been examined using samples collected from along a polluted creek and from shallow lake bays. The sediments were dried at temperatures between 20°C and 100°C (either in air or under a nitrogen atmosphere), and the ammonium ion content was extracted into 0.1 M KCl prior to analysis using an ion selective electrode. Exposure to air during the drying stage usually resulted in lower ammonium values, while increasing the drying temperature altered the amount of displaceable (i.e. available) ammonium ion extracted, generally in an upward direction. The amount detected (5–25 μ g^?1) varied between sites, and surface sediment values differed from the 10–50 cm core material results. The pH of the extracts varied with the drying temperature used, indicating that the heating process promoted some chemical changes in the test samples. The study has demonstrated that in nutrient level surveys, the analytical data produced can depend greatly on the sample preparation procedure selected. It also indicated the type of changes which could occur when dredged sediments are land dumped.     

热风干燥温度对荷叶离褶伞干燥特性及挥发性风味物质的影响

为探究不同热风干燥温度对荷叶离褶伞干燥特性及挥发性风味物质的影响。本研究比较了8种常见干燥动力学模型对荷叶离褶伞干燥过程拟合的适用性,采用GC-IMS技术,对不同干燥温度处理下荷叶离褶伞的挥发性风味物质进行测定。结果表明：荷叶离褶伞热风干燥为典型的降速干燥,Midilli-Kucuk模型可以较好地描述其热风干燥过程（R²>0.99791,RMSE<0.0152,χ²<2.31×10^-4）;温度对荷叶离褶伞风味物质影响显著,在5个干燥温度处理下的荷叶离褶伞中共鉴定到47种挥发性风味物质,包括醛类13种、酮类8种、醇类13种、酯类5种和其他类8种。随着干燥温度升高（55-75℃）,醛类物质相对含量呈下降趋势,而醇类、酮类以及其他物质（乙酸等）略有上升趋势。     

Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins confer water stress tolerance to mammalian somatic cells

Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are commonly found in plants and other organisms capable of undergoing severe and reversible dehydration, a phenomenon termed “anhydrobiosis”. Here, we have produced a tagged version for three different LEA proteins: pTag-RAB17-GFP-N, Zea mays dehydrin-1dhn, expressed in the nucleo-cytoplasm; pTag-WCOR410-RFP, Tricum aestivum cold acclimation protein WCOR410, binds to cellular membranes, and pTag-LEA-BFP, Artemia franciscana LEA protein group 3 that targets the mitochondria. Sheep fibroblasts transfected with single or all three LEA proteins were subjected to air drying under controlled conditions. After rehydration, cell viability and functionality of the membrane/mitochondria were assessed. After 4 h of air drying, cells from the un-transfected control group were almost completely nonviable (1% cell alive), while cells expressing LEA proteins showed high viability (more than 30%), with the highest viability (58%) observed in fibroblasts expressing all three LEA proteins. Growth rate was markedly compromised in control cells, while LEA-expressing cells proliferated at a rate comparable to non-air-dried cells. Plasmalemma, cytoskeleton and mitochondria appeared unaffected in LEA-expressing cells, confirming the protection conferred by LEA proteins on these organelles during dehydration stress. This is likely to be an effective strategy when aiming to confer desiccation tolerance to mammalian cells.