Establishing Quercus ilex under Mediterranean dry conditions: sowing recalcitrant acorns versus planting seedlings at different depths and tube shelter light transmissions

Article New Forests November 2015, Volume 46, Issue 5, pp 869-883 First online: 17 June 2015 Establishing Quercus ilex under Mediterranean dry conditions: sowing recalcitrant acorns versus planting seedlings at different depths and tube shelter light transmissionsJuan A. OlietAffiliated withDepartamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Email author View author's OrcID profile , Alberto Vázquez de CastroAffiliated withDepartamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Jaime PuértolasAffiliated withLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University $39.95 / €34.95 / £29.95 * Rent the article at a discount Rent now * Final gross prices may vary according to local VAT. Get Access AbstractSuccess of Mediterranean dry areas restoration with oaks is a challenging goal. Testing eco-techniques that mimic beneficial effects of natural structures and ameliorate stress contributes to positive solutions to overcoming establishment barriers. We ran a factorial experiment in a dry area, testing two levels of solid wall transmission of tube shelters (60 and 80 %) plus a control mesh, and two depths (shallow and 15 cm depth) of placing either planted seedlings or acorns of Quercus ilex. Microclimate of the planting or sowing spots was characterized by measuring photosynthetically active radiation, temperature and relative humidity. Plant response was evaluated in terms of survival, phenology, acorn emergence and photochemical efficiency (measured through chlorophyll fluorescence). We hypothesize that tube shelters and deep planting improve Q. ilex post-planting and sowing performance because of the combined effects of reducing excessive radiation and improving access to moist soil horizons. Results show that temperature and PAR was reduced, and relative humidity increased, in deep spots. Midsummer photochemical efficiency indicates highest level of stress for oaks in 80 % light transmission shelter. Optimum acorn emergence in spring was registered within solid wall tree shelters, and maximum summer survival of germinants and of planted seedlings occurred when acorns or seedlings were placed at 15 cm depth irrespectively of light transmission of shelter. Survival of germinants was similar to that of planted seedlings. The importance of techniques to keep high levels of viability after sowing recalcitrant seeds in the field is emphasized in the study

Inclusion of fiber in diets for brown-egg laying pullets: Effects on growth performance and digestive tract traits from hatching to 17 weeks of age

We investigated the effects of fiber inclusion in the diet on growth performance and digestive traits in pullets from hatching to 17 wk of age. The control diets of the 3 feeding periods (0 to 5 wk, 5 to 10 wk, and 10 to 17 wk) were based on corn and soybean meal and did not include any additional fiber source. The experimental diets included 2 or 4% of cereal straw or sugar beet pulp (SBP) at the expense (wt:wt) of the control diet. From 0 to 5 wk of age, fiber inclusion did not affect pullet performance. From hatch to 17 wk of age, the inclusion of straw had little effect on pullet performance but the inclusion of 4% SBP reduced (ADG) (P < 0.05) and reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR; P < 0.001). Pullets fed straw had greater ADG (P < 0.05) and better energy conversion ratio (P < 0.01) than pullets fed SBP. An increase in fiber from 2 to 4% reduced FCR (P < 0.05). Body weight uniformity was not affected by diet. Fiber inclusion increased the relative weight (% BW) of the gizzard at 5 wk (P = 0.056) and 10 wk (P < 0.01) of age, but no differences were detected between fiber sources. At same ages, the relative length (cm/kg BW) of the pullets (P = 0.058 and P < 0.01, respectively) and tarsus (P = 0.079 and P < 0.05, respectively) was higher in pullets fed SBP than in pullets fed straw. Fiber inclusion, however, did not affect any of these traits at 17 wk of age. In summary, the inclusion of 2% straw at the expense (wt:wt) of the whole diet did not affect pullet performance at 17 wk of age. An increase in the level of straw from 2 to 4% reduced FCR but did not affect ADG. The inclusion of SBP, however, reduced pullet growth, with effects being more pronounced at the higher level.

Feed form and energy concentration of the diet affect growth performance and digestive tract traits of brown-egg laying pullets from hatching to 17 weeks of age

The influence of feed form and energy concentration of the diet on growth performance and the development of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) was studied in brown-egg laying pullets. Diets formed a 2 x 5 factorial with 2 feed forms (mash vs. crumbles) and 5 levels of energy differing in 50 kcal AMEn/kg. For the entire study (0 to 17 wk of age) feeding crumbles increased ADFI (52.9 vs. 49.7 g; P < 0.001) and ADG (12.7 vs. 11.6 g; P < 0.001) and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR; 4.18 vs. 4.27; P < 0.001). An increase in the energy content of the diet decreased ADFI linearly (P < 0.001) and improved FCR quadratically (P < 0.01) but energy intake (kcal AMEn/d) was not affected. BW uniformity was higher (P < 0.05) in pullets fed crumbles than in those fed mash but was not affected (P > 0.05) by energy content of the diet. At 5, 10, and 17 wk of age, the relative weight (RW, % BW) of the GIT and the gizzard, and gizzard digesta content were lower (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) and gizzard pH was higher (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) in pullets fed crumbles than in pullets fed mash. Energy concentration of the diet did not affect any of the GIT variables studied. In summary, feeding crumbles improved pullet performance and reduced the RW of the GIT and gizzard, and increased gizzard pH at all ages. An increase in the energy content of the diet improved FCR from 0 to 17 wk of age. The use of crumbles and the increase in the AMEn content of the diet might be used adventageously when the objetive is to increase the BW of the pullets. However, crumbles affected the development and weight of the organs of the GIT, which might have negative effects on feed intake and egg production at the beginning of the egg laying cycle.

Influence of the main cereal and feed form of the rearing phase diets on performance, digestive tract, and body traits of brown-egg laying pullets from hatch to 17 weeks of age

We hypothesize that pullets could respond similarly, independent of feed form, to the feeding of diets based on corn or wheat supplemented with adequate NSP enzymes. Also, pullets would quickly adapt their gastrointestinal tract and modify productive performance accordingly, when switched from crumbles to mash feeds. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of feeding crumbles for different periods of time, followed by feeding mash to 17 wk of age, on performance, gastrointestinal tract development, and body measurements of brown-egg laying pullets fed diets based on corn or wheat.

Engineering analysis of ITER In-Vessel Viewing System guide tube

The In Vessel Viewing System (IVVS) will be one of the essential machine diagnostic systems at ITER to provide information about the status of in-vessel and plasma facing components and to evaluate the dust inside the Vacuum Vessel. The current design consists of six scanning probes and their deployment systems, which are placed in dedicated ports at the divertor level. These units are located in resident guiding tubes 10 m long, which allow the IVVS probes to go from their storage location to the scanning position by means of a simple straight translation. Moreover, each resident tube is supported inside the corresponding Vacuum Vessel and Cryostat port extensions, which are part of the primary confinement barrier. As the Vacuum Vessel and the Cryostat will move with respect to each other during operation (especially during baking) and during incidents and accidents (disruptions, vertical displacement events, seismic events), the structural integrity of the resident tube and the surrounding vacuum boundaries would be compromised if the required flexibility and supports are not appropriately assured. This paper focuses on the integration of the present design of the IVVS into the Vacuum Vessel and Cryostat environment. It presents the adopted strategy to withstand all the main interfacing loads without damaging the confinement barriers and the corresponding analysis supporting it.

Effect of level of fiber of the rearing phase diets on egg production, digestive tract traits, and body measurements of brown egg-laying hens fed diets differing in energy concentration

This research studied the effects of additional fiber in the rearing phase diets on egg production, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) traits, and body measurements of brown egg-laying hens fed diets varying in energy concentration from 17 to 46 wk of age. The experiment was completely randomized with 10 treatments arranged as a 5 × 2 factorial with 5 rearing phase diets and 2 laying phase diets. During the rearing phase, treatments consisted of a control diet based on cereals and soybean meal and 4 additional diets with a combination of 2 fiber sources (cereal straw and sugar beet pulp, SBP) at 2 levels (2 and 4%). During the laying phase, diets differed in energy content (2,650 vs. 2,750 kcal AMEn/kg) but had the same amino acid content per unit of energy. The rearing diet did not affect any production trait except egg production that was lower in birds fed SBP than in birds fed straw (91.6 and 94.1%, respectively; P < 0.05). Laying hens fed the high energy diet had lower feed intake (P < 0.001), better feed conversion (P < 0.01), and greater BW gain (P < 0.05) than hens fed the low energy diet but egg production and egg weight were not affected. At 46 wk of age, none of the GIT traits was affected by previous dietary treatment. At this age, hen BW was positively related with body length (r = 0.500; P < 0.01), tarsus length (r = 0.758; P < 0.001), and body mass index (r = 0.762; P < 0.001) but no effects of type of diet on these traits were detected. In summary, the inclusion of up to 4% of a fiber source in the rearing diets did not affect GIT development of the hens but SBP reduced egg production. An increase in the energy content of the laying phase diet reduced ADFI and improved feed efficiency but did not affect any of the other traits studied.

Defining the domains of type I collagen involved in heparin- binding and endothelial tube formation

Cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) interactions with type I collagen may be a ubiquitous cell adhesion mechanism. However, the HSPG binding sites on type I collagen are unknown. Previously we mapped heparin binding to the vicinity of the type I collagen N terminus by electron microscopy. The present study has identified type I collagen sequences used for heparin binding and endothelial cell–collagen interactions. Using affinity coelectrophoresis, we found heparin to bind as follows: to type I collagen with high affinity (Kd ≈ 150 nM); triple-helical peptides (THPs) including the basic N-terminal sequence α1(I)87–92, KGHRGF, with intermediate affinities (Kd ≈ 2 μM); and THPs including other collagenous sequences, or single-stranded sequences, negligibly (Kd ≫ 10 μM). Thus, heparin–type I collagen binding likely relies on an N-terminal basic triple-helical domain represented once within each monomer, and at multiple sites within fibrils. We next defined the features of type I collagen necessary for angiogenesis in a system in which type I collagen and heparin rapidly induce endothelial tube formation in vitro. When peptides, denatured or monomeric type I collagen, or type V collagen was substituted for type I collagen, no tubes formed. However, when peptides and type I collagen were tested together, only the most heparin-avid THPs inhibited tube formation, likely by influencing cell interactions with collagen–heparin complexes. Thus, induction of endothelial tube morphogenesis by type I collagen may depend upon its triple-helical and fibrillar conformations and on the N-terminal heparin-binding site identified here.

Homocysteine induces congenital defects of the heart and neural tube: Effect of folic acid

The biological basis or mechanism whereby folate supplementation protects against heart and neural tube defects is unknown. It has been hypothesized that the amino acid homocysteine may be the teratogenic agent, since serum homocysteine increases in folate depletion; however, this hypothesis has not been tested. In this study, avian embryos were treated directly with d,l-homocysteine or with l-homocysteine thiolactone, and a dose response was established. Of embryos treated with 50 μl of the teratogenic dose (200 mM d,l-homocysteine or 100 mM l-homocysteine thiolactone) on incubation days 0, 1, and 2 and harvested at 53 h (stage 14), 27% showed neural tube defects. To determine the effect of the teratogenic dose on the process of heart septation, embryos were treated during incubation days 2, 3, and 4; then they were harvested at day 9 following the completion of septation. Of surviving embryos, 23% showed ventricular septal defects, and 11% showed neural tube defects. A high percentage of the day 9 embryos also showed a ventral closure defect. The teratogenic dose was shown to raise serum homocysteine to over 150 nmol/ml, compared with a normal level of about 10 nmol/ml. Folate supplementation kept the rise in serum homocysteine to ≈45 nmol/ml, and prevented the teratogenic effect. These results support the hypothesis that homocysteine per se causes dysmorphogenesis of the heart and neural tube, as well as of the ventral wall.

Region-specific differentiation of neural tube-derived neuronal restricted progenitor cells after heterotopic transplantation

Spinal cord neuronal restricted progenitor (NRP) cells, when transplanted into the neonatal anterior forebrain subventricular zone, migrate to distinct regions throughout the forebrain including the olfactory bulb, frontal cortex, and occipital cortex but not to the hippocampus. Their migration pattern and differentiation potential is distinct from anterior forebrain subventricular zone NRPs. Irrespective of their final destination, NRP cells do not differentiate into glia. Rather they synthesize neurotransmitters, acquire region-specific phenotypes, and receive synapses from host neurons after transplantation. Spinal cord NRPs express choline acetyl transferase even in regions where host neurons do not express this marker. The restricted distribution of transplanted spinal cord NRP cells and their acquisition of varied region-specific phenotypes suggest that their ultimate fate and phenotype is dictated by a combination of intrinsic properties and extrinsic cues from the host.

Emergency airway management by intensive care unit nurses with the intubating laryngeal mask airway and the laryngeal tube

When using the laryngeal tube and the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA), the medium-size (maximum volume 1100 ml) versus adult (maximum volume 1500 ml) self-inflating bags resulted in significantly lower lung tidal volumes. No gastric inflation occurred when using both devices with either ventilation bag. The newly developed medium-size self-inflating bag may be an option to further reduce the risk of gastric inflation while maintaining sufficient lung ventilation. Both the ILMA and laryngeal tube proved to be valid alternatives for emergency airway management in the experimental model used.

Population based cohort study of the association between alcohol intake and cancer of the upper digestive tract

Objective: To examine the relation between different types of alcoholic drinks and upper digestive tract cancers (oropharyngeal and oesophageal).

Regulation of patched by sonic hedgehog in the developing neural tube.

Ventral cell fates in the central nervous system are induced by Sonic hedgehog, a homolog of hedgehog, a secreted Drosophila protein. In the central nervous system, Sonic hedgehog has been identified as the signal inducing floor plate, motor neurons, and dopaminergic neurons. Sonic hedgehog is also involved in the induction of ventral cell type in the developing somites. ptc is a key gene in the Drosophila hedgehog signaling pathway where it is involved in transducing the hedgehog signal and is also a transcriptional target of the signal. PTC, a vertebrate homolog of this Drosophila gene, is genetically downstream of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in the limb bud. We analyze PTC expression during chicken neural and somite development and find it expressed in all regions of these tissues known to be responsive to Sonic hedgehog signal. As in the limb bud, ectopic expression of Sonic hedgehog leads to ectopic induction of PTC in the neural tube and paraxial mesoderm. This conservation of regulation allows us to use PTC as a marker for Sonic hedgehog response. The pattern of PTC expression suggests that Sonic hedgehog may play an inductive role in more dorsal regions of the neural tube than have been previously demonstrated. Examination of the pattern of PTC expression also suggests that PTC may act in a negative feedback loop to attenuate hedgehog signaling.

Specific accumulation of tumor-derived adhesion factor in tumor blood vessels and in capillary tube-like structures of cultured vascular endothelial cells.

Tumor-derived adhesion factor (TAF) was previously identified as a cell adhesion molecule secreted by human bladder carcinoma cell line EJ-1. To elucidate the physiological function of TAF, we examined its distribution in human normal and tumor tissues. Immunochemical staining with an anti-TAF monoclonal antibody showed that TAF was specifically accumulated in small blood vessels and capillaries within and adjacent to tumor nests, but not in those in normal tissues. Tumor blood vessel-specific staining of TAF was observed in various human cancers, such as esophagus, brain, lung, and stomach cancers. Double immunofluorescent staining showed apparent colocalization of TAF and type IV collagen in the vascular basement membrane. In vitro experiments demonstrated that TAF preferentially bound to type IV collagen among various extracellular matrix components tested. In cell culture experiments, TAF promoted adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to type IV collagen substrate and induced their morphological change. Furthermore, when the endothelial cells were induced to form capillary tube-like structures by type I collagen, TAF and type IV collagen were exclusively detected on the tubular structures. The capillary tube formation in vitro was prevented by heparin, which inhibited the binding of TAF to the endothelial cells. These results strongly suggest that TAF contributes to the organization of new capillary vessels in tumor tissues by modulating the interaction of endothelial cells with type IV collagen.

Disruption of the MacMARCKS gene prevents cranial neural tube closure and results in anencephaly.

MacMARCKS is a member of the MARCKS family of protein kinase C (PKC) substrates. Biochemical evidence demonstrates that these proteins integrate calcium and PKC-dependent signals to regulate actin structure at the membrane. We report here that deletion of the MacMARCKS gene prevents cranial neural tube closure in the developing brain, resulting in anencephaly. This suggests a central role for MacMARCKS and the PKC signal transduction pathway in the folding of the anterior neural plate during the early phases of brain formation, and supports the hypothesis that actin-based motility directs cranial neural tube closure.