Evidence of long distance airborne transmission of Aujeszky's disease (pseudorabies) virus

Aujeszky's disease has been the subject of an eradication campaign in Denmark since 1980. A detailed knowledge of the virus strains present in the country was provided by restriction fragment analyses of older clinical isolates, and of isolates from all the virologically confirmed outbreaks since 1985. The introduction of foreign strains into southern border areas was demonstrated during the winters of 1984/85, 1986/87 and 1987/88. An epizootic during the winter of 1987/88 was shown to correlate with an unusual predominance of southerly winds. Both conventional and specific pathogen free herds became infected. A herd level case-control analysis of the outbreaks during the winter of 1987/88 revealed that there was a positive correlation between the risk of infection and the size of the herd. The observations support the hypothesis of airborne transmission of the disease.     

Carbon cycling in subarctic tundra; seasonal variation in ecosystem partitioning based on in situ C pulse-labelling

Carbon assimilation and allocation were studied in a tundra ecosystem in northern Scandinavia. Seasonal variation in the below-ground carbon allocation to dissolved organic carbon (DOC), coarse-, fine-, and hair roots was investigated using in situ ¹⁴C pulse-labelling, adding 2-3 MBq ¹⁴CO₂ dm⁻² to the above-ground vegetation. Combining the allocation data with regression models of the seasonal carbon flux made it possible to estimate a temporally explicit ecosystem carbon allocation budget.The ecosystem was a net source of CO₂, losing on average 0.97 g C m⁻² d⁻¹ to the atmosphere, with little variation through the season. There was, however, significant temporal variation in partitioning of recently assimilated carbon. Allocation to below-ground compartments over 32 days following labelling increased from 18% in June to 55% in September. Above-ground allocation showed the opposite trend. Hair roots and DOC were strong sinks in the autumn. Transport of newly assimilated carbon occurred rapidly throughout the season, ¹⁴C appearing in all sampled pools within 4 h of labelling.The seasonal variation in carbon partitioning observed in this study has implications for the residence time of assimilated carbon in the ecosystem. A relatively greater allocation to rapidly decomposing pools, such as hair roots and DOC, would tend to reduce incorporation into woody tissue, increasing the overall rate of carbon cycling and decreasing ecosystem storage. The results of this study will be of value for building and validating mechanistic models of ecosystem carbon flow in tundra and subarctic ecosystems.     

Changes in volatile compounds of carrots (Daucus carota L.) during refrigerated and frozen storage

Carrots (Daucus carota L.) of cv. Bolero and cv. Carlo were processed into shreds and stored for up to 4 months at -24 degrees C (frozen storage), or the roots were stored for up to 4 months at 1 degrees C (refrigerated storage) followed by processing into shreds. Volatiles from the carrot shreds were collected by dynamic headspace technique and analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, and GC-O to determine the volatile composition and aroma active components of carrots stored under different temperature conditions. A total of 52 compounds were quantified, of which mono- and sesquiterpenes accounted for approximately 99% of the total volatile mass. Major volatile compounds were (-)-alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, (-)-limonene, (+)-limonene, (+)-sabinene, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-humulene, and (E)- and (Z)-gamma-bisabolene. A considerable increase in the concentration of mono- and sesquiterpenes was observed during refrigerated storage, whereas the concentration of terpenoids was around the same level during frozen storage. GC-O revealed that the major volatiles together with (+)-alpha-pinene, (-)-beta-pinene, (+)-beta-pinene, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, (-)-beta-bisabolene, beta-ionone, and myristicin had an odor sensation, which included notes of "carrot top", "terpene-like", "green", "earthy", "fruity", "citrus-like", "spicy", "woody", and "sweet".     

Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations. IV. Effect of waste leachates on distribution coefficients

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to assess the survival of B.t. var. kurstaki in waters. B.t. var. kurstaki was recovered from rivers and public water distribution systems following aerial application of a commercial B.t. formulation (Thuricide 16B). Laboratory studies indicate that B.t. var. kurstaki can survive for relatively long periods of time in fresh water and the marine environment at 20 °C. The amount of residual Cl normally applied to a standard water purification system does not appear to be sufficient to destroy B.t. var. kurstaki. A total Cl residual of at least 1.5 mg L^?1 and 60 min contact time was needed to inactivate 99% of the B. t. var. kurstaki population in tap water at pH 7.2 and 20 °C.     

Monitoring chemical changes of dry-cured Parma ham during processing by surface autofluorescence spectroscopy

Parma hams at various processing stages were investigated by surface autofluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence "landscapes" of raw meat and salted (3 months), matured (11 and 12 months), and aged (15 and 18 months) Parma hams were obtained, and a three-dimensional data array (sample x emission x excitation) was used to develop a PARAFAC model including five components, which all exhibited characteristics of pure fluorophores regarding both excitation and emission spectra. The relative amount of each component related strongly to the processing stage, and sample age showed good correlation to fluorescence data (R = 0.98), with a relative error of prediction of approximately 1 month. Fluorescence measurements from samples of either semimembranosus or biceps femoris were used to predict chemical or sensory reference data, yielding good correlation for biceps femoris data, thereby enabling moisture content, sensory and instrumental color, and proteolysis value to be fairly well predicted. Overall, surface autofluorescence of Parma hams proved to hold relevant information, relating to major chemical/physical changes during processing. It is concluded that fluorescence spectroscopy has potential as an innovative method of quality control in dry-cured ham.     

Volatilisation of aromatic hydrocarbons from soil: Part II,Fluxes from coal tar contaminated soils residing below the soil surface

The non-steady-state fluxes of aromatic hydrocarbons from coal tar contaminated soil, placed below a 5 cm deep layer of uncontaminated soil, were measured in the laboratory over a period of 53 days. The contaminated soil originated from a former gasworks site and contained concentrations of 11 selected aromatic hydrocarbons between 50 to 840 µg/cm³. Where the microbial activity was inhibited, the fluxes stabilized on a semi-steady-state level for the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene after a period of 10–20 days. Fluxes of acenaphthene and fluorene were only measurable in an experiment that utilized a cover soil with a low organic content. The fluxes were predicted by a numerical model assuming that the compounds acted independently of each other and that local equilibrium between the air, water, and sorbed phases existed. The model overestimated the fluxes for all the detected aromatic hydrocarbons by a factor of 1.3 to 12. When the cover soil was adapted to degrade naphthalene, the fluxes of naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene approached the detection limit after 5 to 8 days. Thereafter the fluxes of these two compounds were less than predicted by the model employing half-life values of 0.5 and 1 day for naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene respectively.     

Surficial deposits at Gusev Crater along Spirit Rover traverses

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has traversed a fairly flat, rock-strewn terrain whose surface is shaped primarily by impact events, although some of the landscape has been altered by eolian processes. Impacts ejected basaltic rocks that probably were part of locally formed lava flows from at least 10 meters depth. Some rocks have been textured and/or partially buried by windblown sediments less than 2 millimeters in diameter that concentrate within shallow, partially filled, circular impact depressions referred to as hollows. The terrain traversed during the 90-sol (martian solar day) nominal mission shows no evidence for an ancient lake in Gusev crater.