Modified Primers for the Identification of NonpathogenicFusarium oxysporum Isolates That Have BiologicalControl Potential against Fusarium Wilt of Cucumber inTaiwan

Previous investigations demonstrated that Fusarium oxysporum (Fo), which is not pathogenic to cucumbers, could serve as abiological control agent for managing Fusarium wilt of cucumber caused by Fo f. sp. cucumerinum (Foc) in Taiwan. However,thus far it has not been possible to separate the populations of pathogenic Fo from the nonpathogenic isolates that havebiological control potential through their morphological characteristics. Although these two populations can bedistinguished from one another using a bioassay, the work is laborious and time-consuming. In this study, a fragment of theintergenic spacer (IGS) region of ribosomal DNA from an Fo biological control agent, Fo366, was PCR-amplified withpublished general primers, FIGS11/FIGS12 and sequenced. A new primer, NPIGS-R, which was designed based on the IGSsequence, was paired with the FIGS11 primer. These primers were then evaluated for their specificity to amplify DNA fromnonpathogenic Fo isolates that have biological control potential. The results showed that the modified primer pair, FIGS11/NPIGS-R, amplified a 500-bp DNA fragment from five of seven nonpathogenic Fo isolates. These five Fo isolates delayedsymptom development of cucumber Fusarium wilt in greenhouse bioassay tests. Seventy-seven Fo isolates were obtainedfrom the soil and plant tissues and then subjected to amplification using the modified primer pair; six samples showedpositive amplification. These six isolates did not cause symptoms on cucumber seedlings when grown in peat moss infestedwith the isolates and delayed disease development when the same plants were subsequently inoculated with a virulentisolate of Foc. Therefore, the modified primer pair may prove useful for the identification of Fo isolates that arenonpathogenic to cucumber which can potentially act as biocontrol agents for Fusarium wilt of cucumber

A Novel Buffer Tank to Attenuate the Peak Flow of Runoff

Impermeable pavements and roofs in urban areas convert most rainfall to runoff, which is commonly discharged to local sewers pipes and finally to the nearby streams and rivers. In case of heavy rain, the peak flow of runoff usually exceeds the carrying capacity of the local sewer pipes, leading to urban flooding. Traditional facilities, such as green roofs, permeable pavements, soakaways, rainwater tanks, rain barrels, and others reduce the runoff volume in case of a small rain but fail in case of a heavy rain. Here we propose a novel rainwater buffer tank to detain runoff from the nearby sealed surfaces in case of heavy rain and then to discharge rainwater from an orifice at the tank’s bottom. We found that considering a 100m2 rooftop with 0.80 runoff coefficient and a 10cm rainfall depth for an hour, a cubic tank with internal edge side of a square of 2 m attenuates the peak flow about 45%. To reduce a desirable peak flow, the outlet orifice of the buffer tank must be optimized according to site-specific conditions. The orifice can be set at an elevation from the tank’s bottom to create a dead storage for harvesting rainwater

Beneficial Metabolic Effects of 2′,3′,5′-tri-acetyl-N6- (3-Hydroxylaniline) Adenosine in the Liver and Plasma of Hyperlipidemic Hamsters

BACKGROUND: Pharmaceutical research of hyperlipidemia has been commonly pursued using traditional approaches. However, unbiased metabonomics attempts to explore the metabolic signature of hyperlipidemia in a high-throughput manner to understand pathophysiology of the disease process. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: As a new way, we performed (1)H NMR-based metabonomics to evaluate the beneficial effects of 2',3',5'-tri-acetyl-N(6)- (3-hydroxylaniline) adenosine (WS070117) on plasma and liver from hyperlipidemic Syrian golden hamsters. Both plasma and liver profiles provided a clearer distinction between the control and hyperlipidemic hamsters. Compared to control animals, hyperlipidemic hamsters showed a higher content of lipids (triglyceride and cholesterol), lactate and alanine together with a lower content of choline-containing compounds (e.g., phosphocholine, phosphatidylcholine, and glycerophosphocholine) and betaine. As a result, metabonomics-based findings such as the PCA and OPLS-DA plotting of metabolic state and analysis of potential biomarkers in plasma and liver correlated well to the assessment of biochemical assays, Oil Red O staining and in vivo ultrasonographic imaging suggesting that WS070117 was able to regulate lipid content and displayed more beneficial effects on plasma and liver than simvastatin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This work demonstrates the promise of applying (1)H NMR metabonomics to evaluate the beneficial effects of WS070117 which may be a good drug candidate for hyperlipidemia

Lowering emissivity of concrete roof tile\u27s underside cuts down heat entry to the building

Buildings in Southern China widely use a double-skin roof to reduce heat entry through the roof to the building interior during summertime. Concrete roof tiles are preferably installed as the outmost layer of the double-skin roof due to their resistance to hail and wind damages and their attractive price. However, after construction, the tile’s top tends to be darkened by dust deposit and algae growth, increasing the heat entry through the roof to the building. Here, we show that this heat entry can be curtailed by lowering the emissivity at the tile’s underside. Temperatures and heat fluxes at different elevations of a double-skin roof with concrete tiles as the outmost layer of the roof are monitored. The underside of each concrete tile is coated with a specific paint to get a unique emissivity. Observations reveal that lowering the emissivity of concrete roof tiles could cut down the summer heat gain of buildings in tropical regions