Adaptation of the quantitative PCR method for the detection of the main representatives of cereal grain mycobiota

The content of fungal DNA and mycotoxins in cereal crops (31 varieties of wheat, oats, and barley) was quantitatively determined and used for comparative characterization of grains. The quantitative PCR has been adapted for the analysis of the target DNA of Alternaria spp., Bipolaris sorokiniana (B. sorokiniana), Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), F. culmorum, and F. sporotrichioides fungi, which are often present in mycobiota of small grain cereals. The content of DNA of aggressive pathogen B. sorokiniana was determined using quantitative PCR for the first time. The DNA of Alternaria fungi was found abundantly in all grain samples, but its content in the oat was significantly higher compared to barley and wheat (5 and 9 times higher, respectively). In barley grain, the content of B. sorokiniana DNA was on average significantly higher than in the grains of oats and wheat. The presence of F. graminearum DNA was established in all the analyzed grain samples while the F. culmorum DNA was found in 70% of the oat’s samples and in all samples of barley and wheat. Mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by these fungi was detected in all analyzed cereal grains in a range from 77 to 4133 μg/kg. The DNA of F. sporotrichioides was detected in 70% of oats and 50% of barley samples but was not found in wheat. The T-2 toxin produced by this fungus was detected in 45% of all samples within the range from 2 to 89 μg/kg. The statistically significant positive correlation with the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) equal to 0.49 (p<0.05) was observed between the amount of F. graminearum DNA and DON in the grain samples. Another significant positive correlation (r = 0.72, p<0.01) was found between DNA contents of Alternaria fungi and F. sporotrichioides in the grain samples. This leads to the suggestion that conditions for growth of these fungi in grain substrates are similar.The content of fungal DNA and mycotoxins in cereal crops (31 varieties of wheat, oats, and barley) was quantitatively determined and used for comparative characterization of grains. The quantitative PCR has been adapted for the analysis of the target DNA of Alternaria spp., Bipolaris sorokiniana (B. sorokiniana), Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), F. culmorum, and F. sporotrichioides fungi, which are often present in mycobiota of small grain cereals. The content of DNA of aggressive pathogen B. sorokiniana was determined using quantitative PCR for the first time. The DNA of Alternaria fungi was found abundantly in all grain samples, but its content in the oat was significantly higher compared to barley and wheat (5 and 9 times higher, respectively). In barley grain, the content of B. sorokiniana DNA was on average significantly higher than in the grains of oats and wheat. The presence of F. graminearum DNA was established in all the analyzed grain samples while the F. culmorum DNA was found in 70% of the oat’s samples and in all samples of barley and wheat. Mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by these fungi was detected in all analyzed cereal grains in a range from 77 to 4133 μg/kg. The DNA of F. sporotrichioides was detected in 70% of oats and 50% of barley samples but was not found in wheat. The T-2 toxin produced by this fungus was detected in 45% of all samples within the range from 2 to 89 μg/kg. The statistically significant positive correlation with the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) equal to 0.49 (p<0.05) was observed between the amount of F. graminearum DNA and DON in the grain samples. Another significant positive correlation (r = 0.72, p<0.01) was found between DNA contents of Alternaria fungi and F. sporotrichioides in the grain samples. This leads to the suggestion that conditions for growth of these fungi in grain substrates are similar

The ethical climate of the organization of closed type: the proportion between adaptive-conformist and individual-creative behaviors

This article discusses the relationship between the two conventional types of behavior of people in organizations. The basis for this consideration are the results of a survey of employees of the private security company, conducted under the previous interdisciplinary project.В данной статье рассматривается соотношение двух условных типов поведения людей в организации. Основой для подобного рассмотрения являются результаты анкетирования сотрудников закрытого охранного предприятия, проведенного в рамках предшествующего междисциплинарного проекта

The influence of brood chickens by-products processing with probiotic culture starter on change of their functional and technological parameters.

By-products are the potential source of animal protein obtained from brood chickens and egg-laying hens. Certain by-products like gizzards and combs are quite tough and possess low nutritional and biological value due to their high content of connective tissue. Biotechnological processing improves the quality parameters of collagen-containing by-products. In this article a probiotic starter culture of propionic acid bacteria, which have high proteolytic activity, was used to treat the gizzards and combs of brood chickens. Before processing of by-products with starter culture, physical and chemical parameters and the yield of by-products in relation to poultry live weight were analyzed and recorded. 5%, 10% and 15% starter culture were added to the tested samples of chopped by-products, the samples were kept at a temperature of 30 °C, and every 4 hours the following functional and technological parameters were monitored: moisture binding capacity, water holding capacity (MBC and WHC) and yield of the product after heat treatment. The results proved that increase of starter culture amount and longer exposure of by-products to hydrolysis led to decrease of functional and technological parameters values, but for the combs those parameters remained at a sufficiently high level compared to the gizzards, as the gizzards were exposed to more intense hydrolysis than combs. The decrease in the pH value correlated with the dynamics of MBC and WHC changes; and dynamics of the product yield after the heat treatment. Also the stained histological preparations were studied in order to assess the influence of biotechnological processing on by-products microstructure, where significant differences were found in the morphological structure of muscle and collagen fibers of hydrolysates of combs and gizzards exposed to action of bacterial concentrate. The results of rheological studies showed that hydrolyzed chicken combs differed from gizzards; the combs were denser and featured more elastic structure due to a lower degree of hydrolysis by bacterial enzymes. In general, the properties of collagen-containing by-products (muscular gizzards and combs) change significantly after being exposed to enzymes of propionic acid bacteria

Structural and magnetic dimers in the spin-gapped system CuTe2O5

We investigated the magnetic properties of the system CuTe2O5 by susceptibility and electron spin resonance measurements. The anisotropy of the effective g-factors and the ESR linewidth indicates that the anticipated structural dimer does not correspond to the singlet-forming magnetic dimer. Moreover, the spin susceptibility of CuTe2O5 can only be described by taking into account interdimer interactions of the same order of magnitude than the intradimer coupling. Analyzing the exchange couplings in the system we identify the strongest magnetic coupling between two Cu ions to be mediated by super-super exchange interaction via a bridging Te ligand, while the superexchange coupling between the Cu ions of the structural dimer only results in the second strongest coupling

Social Problems of Modern Society: Alcoholism In Russia

The article analyzes alcoholism as a social problem of modern Russian society. The situation of alcohol consumption in the Russian Federation and the factors that have a negative impact on the increase in the level of alcohol consumption in the country.В статье проводится анализ алкоголизма как социальной проблемы современного российского общества. Рассматривается ситуация потребления алкогольной продукции в Российской Федерации и факторы, оказывающие отрицательное влияние на повышение уровня потребления алкоголя в стране

Modeling trends in cohort survival probabilities

A new dynamic parametric model is proposed for analyzing the cohort survival function. A one-factor parameterized polynomial in age effects, complementary log-log link and multinomial cohort responses are utilized, within the generalized linear models (GLM) framework. Sparse Principal component analysis (SPCA) is then applied to cohort dependent parameter estimates and provides (marginal) estimates for a two-factor structure. Modeling the two-factor residuals in a similar way, in age-time effects, provides estimates for the three-factor age-cohort-period model. An application is presented for Sweden, Norway, England & Wales and Denmark mortality experience

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: focus on improving behavioral risk factors

Public health strategies for the detection, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) can be implemented at many levels as follows: from individual behavioral alterations to population-based strategies that affect different national and cultural communities. Despite the fact that the priority of primary prevention is treating hypertension and hyperlipidemia, great importance is given to improving behavioral and biological risk factors. Dietary modification, exercise and smoking cessation are specific interventions that can be targeted to reduce CVD risk at both the individual and population levels. Following a healthy lifestyle can potentially change factors such as overweight/obesity, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. The aim of this review was to present and summarize new data on the primary cardiovascular prevention with a focus on improving behavioral risk factors considered in the current guidelines

Characterization of resistance of winter wheat varieties to Fusarium head blight

In this study, naturally and artificially inoculated winter wheat varieties were studied with respect to their productivity and resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB). We used the following set of disease assessment parameters: the percentage of visually and latent Fusarium-damaged grains (FDG); the DNA content of Fusarium fungi; the productivity of inoculated plants compared with non-inoculated plants; and the amount of mycotoxins in the grain. In case of naturally infected grains, the average FDG was found to be about 6.1 % (range of 0–15 %). The amount of DNA of Fusarium graminearum was found to be in the range of (1.1–42.7) × 10–5 ng/ng wheat DNA. The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) was detected in 15 samples of grain from plants that were grown under natural infection. The maximum DON amount was found to be 420 μg/kg. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) was not be detected in naturally infected grain. In case of artificially inoculated plants, the average FDG was found to be 25.8 % (2–54 %). The amount of F. graminearum DNA was found to be significantly higher (4.24– 49.8) × 10–3 ng/ng than it was detected in grain of non-inoculated plants. The wheat varieties inoculated with F. graminearum contained DON in high amounts from 20255 to 79245 μg/kg. Furthermore, a significant amount of FB1 was detected in all wheat varieties in the range of 980–20326 μg/kg. Among the analysed wheat varieties, Adel was characterized to be the most resistant to fungal infection as well as to the contamination by mycotoxins. Antonina, Lebed and Pamyat varieties were classified more relatively resistant than that of other varieties, and Utrish variety was found to be the most susceptible to FHB. The similar resistance of wheat varieties against F. graminearum and F. verticillioides infection was recorded, and the interactions between the fungi during the colonization of grain were shown