A syndrome of hereditary tyrosinemia in mink (Mustela vison Schreb.).

A hereditary disease in mink (Mustela vison Schreb.) leading to death when the affected kits are about six weeks old has been investigated. The disorder is inherited as a simple autosomal recessive character. Strongly elevated plasma tyrosine concentration is an outstanding feature of the disease. An enzyme defect in tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5) or 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.27) is considered together with the possibility of a parallel between the disease in mink and the disease tyrosinosis or hereditary tyrosinemia in man.     

A review of the criteria used to assess insensibility and death in hunted whales compared to other species

This review addresses the diagnosis of insensibility and death in various species so as to evaluate the validity of the current criteria used to judge death in hunted whales by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The only other species in which official criteria of death have been formulated is humans and these are controversial with the kernel of the debate being the definition of brain death. In slaughter animals, the moment of insensibility is regarded as the most important criterion and the issue has received scientific interest related to the pre-slaughter stunning. During hunting of terrestrial wildlife, the moment of death is usually regarded as the moment the animal falls and does not move. Based on the data presented in the present paper, it is concluded that when death in whales is solely determined on the basis of the IWC criteria, which in practice are based on immobility, a significant proportion of animals will be recorded as being sensible and alive when they are actually unconscious and the time to death (TTD) will be overestimated. If the criteria are used in conjunction with a postmortem examination, the recorded TTD will be closer to the real TTD and can be used for comparison of methods and performance.     

Use of Green Fluorescent Protein and Image Analysis to Quantify Proliferation of Trichoderma harzianum in Nonsterile Soil

ABSTRACT One drawback of traditional methods for fungal biomass measurement is the inability to distinguish biomass of an introduced fungus from that of the indigenous microbial community in nonsterile soil. We quantified biomass of a specific fungal biological control agent in nonsterile soil using epifluorescence microscopy and image analysis of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing Trichoderma harzianum (ThzID1-M3). Numbers of colony forming units on a semiselective medium were compared with biomass estimates from image analysis, after ThzID1-M3 was incubated in soil that either remained moist (-0.05 MPa) for 14 to 21 days or remained moist for approximately 5 days and then was allowed to dry to <-3.0 MPa. Recovery of significant numbers of ThzID1-M3 propagules lagged approximately 3 days behind initiation of hyphal growth. Reductions in both colony counts and biomass were observed over time when soil was allowed to dry. However, in soil that remained moist, colony counts increased over a 14- to 21-day period even though biomass declined after approximately 3 to 5 days. Our results confirm that use of GFP, along with epifluorescence microscopy, is a useful tool to distinguish active hyphal biomass, the form of the fungus that is functional for biological control, from inactive propagules such as conidia or chlamydospores that are enumerated by plate counts.     

Influence of a Fungus-Feeding Nematode on Growth and Biocontrol Efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum

ABSTRACT A fungivorous nematode, Aphelenchoides sp., was isolated from field soil by baiting with mycelium of the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma harzianum ThzID1, and subsequently was maintained on agar cultures of the fungus. Interactions between the nematode and the green fluorescent protein-producing transformant, T. harzianum ThzID1-M3, were investigated in both heat-treated (80 degrees C, 30 min) and untreated field soil. ThzID1-M3 was identified in soil by epifluorescence microscopy. When ThzID1-M3 was added to soil as an alginate pellet formulation, addition of the nematode (10 per gram of soil) significantly reduced radial growth and recoverable populations of the fungus, and the effect was greater in heat-treated soil than in untreated soil. Addition of ThzID1-M3 to soil pretreated with the nematode (10 per gram of soil) stimulated nematode population growth for approximately 10 to 20 days, whereas nematode populations decreased in the absence of added Trichoderma sp. When sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were added to soil (10 per 200 g of soil) with ThzID1-M3 (40 pellets per 200 g of soil), addition of Aphe-lenchoides sp. (2,000 per 200 g of soil) reduced the number of sclerotia colonized by ThzID1-M3. These results suggest that fungivorous nematodes may be a significant biotic constraint on activity of biocontrol fungi in the field.     

Biological Seed Treatment of Cereals with Fresh and Long-term Stored Formulations of Clonostachys rosea: Biocontrol Efficacy Against Fusarium culmorum

In six field experiments, seed treatment with Clonostachys rosea (IK726) significantly reduced disease caused by Fusarium culmorum. IK726 was active against the pathogen at average soil temperatures at sowing ranging from 6.2 to 12 °C. Both in the field experiments and in growth chamber experiments conducted in sand, dried and stored conidia of IK726 controlled F. culmorum as effectively as freshly harvested conidia. A high correlation was found between disease index ratings from field experiments and from corresponding growth chamber sand tests. Amendment with the stickers Pelgel or Sepiret did not influence control activity. The effective dosages of IK726 (cfu/seed) were estimated in bioassays and were very similar for freshly harvested conidia and for dried conidia. With a density of > 5×10³ conidia per seed more than 80% disease control was repeatedly obtained with both types of conidia.     

Visual instruction of the neural map of auditory space in the developing optic tectum

Neural maps of visual and auditory space are aligned in the adult optic tectum. In barn owls, this alignment of sensory maps was found to be controlled during ontogeny by visual instruction of the auditory spatial tuning of neurons. Large adaptive changes in auditory spatial tuning were induced by raising owls with displacing prisms mounted in spectacle frames in front of the eyes; neurons became tuned to sound source locations corresponding to their optically displaced, rather than their normal, visual receptive field locations. The results demonstrate that visual experience during development calibrates the tectal auditory space map in a site-specific manner, dictating its topography and alignment with the visual space map.     

Content of chalconaringenin and chlorogenic acid in cherry tomatoes is strongly reduced during postharvest ripening

The contents of chalconaringenin, chlorogenic acid, rutin, ascorbic acid, lycopene, and beta-carotene were analyzed during postharvest and vine ripening of cherry tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) (cv. Jennita) produced in a greenhouse. A remarkable decrease in the content of chalconaringenin took place during postharvest ripening. The tomatoes were found to contain 15.26 mg 100 g(-1) fresh weight (FW) at harvest but held only 0.41 mg after 3 weeks at 20 degrees C in darkness. Chalconaringenin did not convert into naringenin. The content of chlorogenic acid fell from 0.51 to 0.06 mg 100 g(-1) FW at the same conditions. The content of rutin and that of total phenolics remained stable during postharvest ripening. The amounts of lycopene as well as beta-carotene and ascorbic acid increased during postharvest ripening. No significant change in the amount of methanol soluble antioxidants or total soluble solids was found during postharvest ripening of the tomato fruits. During vine ripening, the total amount of phenolics and that of soluble solids (% Brix) increased. The content of phenolics correlated well with the content of methanol soluble antioxidants (p < 0.001). The amount of ascorbic acid increased from 9.7 mg in green-yellow tomatoes to 17.1 mg 100 g(-1) FW in red tomatoes. The amount of chalconaringenin decreased to 8.16 mg 100 g(-1) FW, whereas no significant change was observed for chlorogenic acid or rutin. Possible causes for the decrease in chalconaringenin are discussed.     

Directed search for plant constituents: a case study concerning flavonoids in Norway spruce

The reported content of flavonoids in the needles of Norway spruce, Picea abies, has been used as a basis for a directed search for compounds previously undetected in this species. Combined with advanced chromatographic methods and sensitive detection techniques, the directed search approach assisted in the identification of the novel flavonols, myricetin 3- O- (6-acetylglucoside) and syringetin 7- O-glucoside, and several other flavonoids isolated for the first time from this species.