To understand the cause of discoloration of the sea laver "nori," which is found in the Ariake Sea, the concentrations of pigments and elements in the normal and discolored laver samples were determined. In the discolored samples, a decrease in all of the pigments, chlorophyll a and carotenoids, and proteinous pigments, phycobiliproteins, was clearly observed. This was accompanied by a decrease...

Selenium (Se) is an essential human micronutrient with critical roles in immune functioning and antioxidant defence. Estimates of dietary Se intakes and status are scarce for Africa although crop surveys indicate deficiency is probably widespread in Malawi. Here we show that Se deficiency is likely endemic in Malawi based on the Se status of adults consuming food from contrasting soil types. Th...

Radioisotope studies of bilirubin turnover, ferrokinetics, and red cell survival ((51)Cr) in a patient with erythrocyte PK deficiency have provided evidence for prompt reticulocyte sequestration and destruction by the reticuloendothelial system. More mature erythrocytes appeared to survive well despite their deficiency of PK. PK-deficient reticulocytes, dependent upon oxidative phosphorylation ...

We studied carbon and nitrogen allocation in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings grown in a semi-hydroponic system with nitrogen as the growth limiting factor. Three ectomycorrhizal fungi were compared: one pioneer species (Thelephora terrestris Ehrh.: Fr.) and two late-stage fungi (Suillus bovinus (L.: Fr.) O. Kuntze, and Scleroderma citrinum Pers.). By g...

Problematic fermentations are common in the wine industry. Assimilable nitrogen deficiency is the most prevalent cause of sluggish fermentations and can reduce fermentation rates significantly. A lack of nitrogen diminishes a yeast's metabolic activity, as well as the biomass yield, although it has not been clear which of these two interdependent factors is more significant in sluggish fermenta...

Boron (B) deficiency has seriously negative effect on citrus production. Carrizo citrange (CC) has been reported as a B-deficiency tolerant rootstock. However, the molecular mechanism of its B-deficiency tolerance remained not well-explored. To understand the molecular basis of citrus rootstock to B-deficiency, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and microarray approaches were combined ...

Rice is the most important crop species on earth, providing staple food for 70% of the world's human population. Over the past four decades, successes in classical breeding, fertilization, pest control, irrigation and expansion of arable land have massively increased global rice production, enabling crop scientists and farmers to stave off anticipated famines. If current projections for human p...

Nitrogen deficiency can seriously reduce yield, while over-fertilization can result problems such as excess nutrient runoff and groundwater pollution. Hence, efficient methods for assessing crop nitrogen status are needed to enable more optimal fertilizer management. The ability to quantify the different nitrogen application rates by crops using digital images taken from an unmanned aerial vehi...

Free asparagine plays a central role in nitrogen storage and transport in many plant species due to its relatively high ratio of nitrogen to carbon. However, it is also a precursor for acrylamide, a Class 2a carcinogen that forms during high-temperature processing and cooking. The concentration of free asparagine was shown to increase by approximately 70% in rye grain in response to severe sulf...