Thin layer chromatographic separation and spectrodensitometric determination of higher and lower sulfonated subsidiary dyes in FD&C Yellow No. 6.

A thin layer chromatographic method is presented by which higher and lower sulfonated subsidiary dyes are simultaneously separated from FD&C Yellow No. 6. After separation, the colors are quantitated directly, using a spectrodensitometer. Recoveries of 1, 2, and 5% of added 1-(4-sulfophenylazo)-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid ranged from 92 to 111%. Recoveries of 1, 2, and 5% of added 1-(4-sulfophenylazo)-2-naphthol ranged from 90 to 110%.     

Chlamydiosis in workers at a duck farm and processing plant

SUMMARY An outbreak of chlamydiosis was Investigated in workers at a duck farm and processing plant during winter 1989. Chlamydia psittaci was isolated from ducks, but there was little evidence of clinical chlamydiosis in the ducks. Serological tests showed that 76% of workers had been exposed to Infection, 12% recently, 16% had not been exposed and 8% had inconclusive test results. There was a strong association (P < 0.05) between years of employment and exposure to Infection. Infection appeared to be contracted during the first year of employment. Measures were Implemented to reduce shed contamination and control rodents and wild birds. At the same time, ducks were medicated, the processing plant was modified, work practices were altered and workers were advised about chlamydiosis to reduce the risk of human infection.     

The role of p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the mechanism regulating cyclooxygenase gene expression in equine leukocytes

The goal of this study was to define the role for p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in the signaling mechanism regulating pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase (COX) gene expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated equine leukocytes for the purposes of identifying novel targets for anti-inflammatory therapy in endotoxemic horses. The p38 MAPK has been shown to positively regulate inflammatory gene expression in human leukocytes and can be activated by a variety of stimuli including LPS, TNF-alpha, and IL-1. Activation-associated phosphorylated p38 MAPK has been implicated in the up-regulation of several inflammatory genes, including COX-2 which ultimately results in the production of prostanoids that are responsible for the pathophysiology associated with endotoxemia. Our hypothesis is that activation of p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression in equine peripheral blood leukocytes. We tested our hypothesis by investigating the effects of the specific p38 MAPK inhibitors SB203580 and SB202190 on LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. LPS stimulation activated p38 MAPK and increased COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner with maximal activation observed after 30min and 4h, respectively, at a concentration of 10 ng/ml LPS. In contrast, LPS stimulation did not affect COX-1 protein expression. Pretreatment with SB203580 or SB202190 significantly inhibited LPS-induced activation-associated p38 MAPK phosphorylation, COX-2 mRNA and protein levels, and PGE(2) production in equine leukocytes. Maximal inhibition of LPS-induced COX-2 protein expression was achieved at a concentration of 10 microM SB203580. We concluded that p38 MAPK is essential for LPS-induced COX-2 expression suggesting that p38 MAPK is a potential target for anti-inflammatory therapy during equine endotoxemia.     

水分状况及硼素营养对油菜苗期根系生长及硼营养效率的影响

采用温室盆栽试验 ,研究了不同土壤水分条件下施硼对油菜苗期根系生长、硼吸收、利用及其移动性的影响。结果表明 ,随土壤含水量、施硼量的下降 ,油菜根长、根体积、根系生长速率、根 /冠比减小 ,根系及地上部干物质积累降低 ,植株地上部硼浓度及含硼量下降。而硼利用效率、硼运移指数则随土壤含水量、施硼量的下降而升高。不同油菜品种的根系形态参数 (包括根长、根体积、根干重、根冠比及根系生长速率 )、硼利用效率及运移指数存在明显差异 ,即在相同条件下 ,V1根系较发达 ,硼利用效率、运移指数均高于V4 。研究认为 ,根系发达程度、硼利用效率及硼移动性大小是不同基因型油菜耐缺硼差异的重要因素。     

Soil sorption–desorption of phosphorus from piggery effluent compared with inorganic sources

The leaching of phosphorus (P) within soils can be a limiting consideration for the sustainable operation of intensive livestock enterprises. Sorption curves are widely used to assist estimation of P retention, though the effect of effluent constituents on their accuracy is not well understood. We conducted a series of P‐sorption–desorption batch experiments with an Oxic Haplustalf (soil 1), Haplusterts (soils 2 and 3), and a Natrustalf (soil 4). Phosphorus sources included effluent, orthophosphate‐P in a matrix replicating the effluent's salt constituents (the reference solution), and an orthophosphate‐P solution. Treated soils were incubated for up to 193 days before sequential desorption extraction. Effluent constituents, probably the organic or particulate components, temporarily increased the vulnerability of sorbed‐P to desorption. The increase in vulnerability was removed by 2–113 days of incubation (25°C). Despite vigorous extraction for 20 consecutive days, some P sorbed as part of the treatments of soils 1 and 2 was not desorbed. The increased vulnerability due to effluent constituents lasted a maximum of about one cropping season and, for all other treatments, adsorption curves overestimated vulnerability to desorption. Therefore, adsorption curves provide a conservative estimate of vulnerability to desorption where effluent is used in continued crop production in these soils.     

Ecological correlates of paternal investment of urates in a tropical cockroach

Females of the tropical cockroach Xestoblatta hamata feed on urates offered by the male after copulation. Females on nitrogen-deficient diets ingest and transfer to their maturing oocytes more male-derived uric acid than do females on high-protein diets. In isolated females, the greatest uptake of uric acid by the ovaries occurs during the mating stage in the reproductive cycle. Uric acid from males contributes significantly to the female's nitrogen pool and may help shorten the time between mating and oviposition. In both field and laboratory experiments males choose high-protein foods and dietary uric acid.     

Early Man Site Found in Highland Ecuador

Field investigations in Ecuador have produced archeological evidence for the occupation of the northern Andes by early nomadic hunters. Surface collections and test excavations have demonstrated a complex of stone tools with typological relationships to level I at Fell's Cave in southern Chile, and technological relationships to the late Pleistocene "fluted point" complexes of North America. The date of these materials is estimated at 7000 to 8000 B.C.     

Water in Earth's Mantle: The Role of Nominally Anhydrous Minerals

Most minerals of Earth's upper mantle contain small amounts of hydrogen, structurally bound as hydroxyl (OH). The OH concentration in each mineral species is variable, in some cases reflecting the geological environment of mineral formation. Of the major mantle minerals, pyroxenes are the most hydrous, typically containing approximately 200 to 500 parts per million H(2)O by weight, and probably dominate the water budget and hydrogen geochemistry of mantle rocks that do not contain a hydrous phase. Garnets and olivines commonly contain approximately 1 to 50 parts per million. Nominally anhydrous minerals constitute a significant reservoir for mantle hydrogen, possibly accommodating all water in the depleted mantle and providing a possible mechanism to recycle water from Earth's surface into the deep mantle.