Contamination of Urban Soils in an Area of Northern France Polluted by Dust Emissions of Two Smelters

The contamination of 27 urban topsoils has been assessed around two lead and zinc smelters (Metaleurop Nord and Umicore) in the North of France. Eighteen trace elements have been analysed (Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, In, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, Th, U and Zn). The investigation included the study of the vertical distribution of Cd, Pb and Zn as indicators of pollution. It was shown that Cd, In, Pb, Sb and Zn were major pollutants followed in lesser quantities by Ag, Bi, Cu and Hg. In addition, As, Ni, Se, Sn and Tl were present at levels slightly higher than regional agricultural values. The other elements (Co, Cr, Th and U) were at endogenous levels. The observations have highlighted the strong heterogeneity of the physico-chemical parameters of urban soils and the existence of heavy contamination of the under layers by Cd, Pb and Zn. A potential transfer of metals from the topsoil to the deeper layers and especially Cd and Zn, is not excluded. Indeed the soil rework is not the only factor explaining contamination level of the deeper layers of the studied soils. The comparison of the studied element concentrations in urban soils with nearby local agricultural values shows that the dust emission originating from the Metaleurop and Umicore smelters were not the only source of contamination. Thus a large contamination of the studied urban soils by Sb and In could be explained by domestic combustion of coal for heating.     

Metal soil pollution differentially affects both the behaviour and exposure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">A. caliginosa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">L. terrestris</Emphasis>: a mesocosm study

The effects on two earthworm species of a gradient of metal contamination in soil collected close to a 50-year-old lead recycling factory were investigated in mesocosms filled with soil sampled at three distances from the factory (10, 30 and 60 m). After 5 weeks of exposure, earthworm litter consumption and weight change were measured. Burrow systems were analysed using X-ray tomography, and water infiltration was measured. No significant differences in earthworm weight or activity were observed between mesocosms filled with soil from 30 and 60 m. In contrast, both earthworm species significantly lost weight and burrowed less in the soil sampled at 10 m. In the cores filled with the soil collected at 10-m distance, Aporrectodea caliginosa avoided the highly contaminated first layer (0–5 cm) and burrowed deeper whereas Lumbricus terrestris burrowed relatively more in this layer. We assume that these different reactions are associated with their ecological types. Epi-anecic earthworms forage litter at the soil surface, whereas endogeic earthworms are geophagous and thus are able to forage deeper. This was further corroborated by the bioaccumulation factors measured for each species: for L. terrestris, BAF values for Pb and Cd only decreased slightly in the 10-m soil correlating with their overall reduced activity. However, BAF values for A. caliginosa were 20-fold lower compared to those observed in soil from 30 and 60 m. These modifications in burrowing behaviour in the 10-m mesocosms resulted in a significant and marked decrease in water infiltration rates but only for L. terrestris.     

Risk of anaesthetic mortality in dogs and cats: an observational cohort study of 3546 cases

Objective To evaluate the anaesthetic death risk for dogs and cats in a French private practice. Study design Observational cohort study. Animal population All small animals anesthetized at the Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire des Cordeliers between April 15th, 2008 and April 15th, 2010. Methods General anaesthesia was defined as a drug‐induced unconsciousness characterised by a controlled and reversible depression of the central nervous system and analgesia, sufficient to allow endotracheal intubation. Patient outcome (alive or dead) was assessed at the end of anaesthesia defined as the meeting point of the return of consciousness, rectal temperature >36 °C and ability to maintain sternal recumbency. Death occurring during anaesthesia was recorded. Relationship between anaesthetic death and ASA status, species, age, nature of the procedure, anaesthetic protocol and occurrence of epidural administration of a combination of morphine and bupivacaine were analysed. Results During the study period 3546 animals underwent general anaesthesia. The overall death rate in the present study was 1.35% (48 in 3546, 95% CI 0.96–1.75). The death rate of healthy animals (ASA 1 and 2) was 0.12% (3 in 2602 95% CI 0.02–0.34). For sick animals (ASA status 3 and over), the overall death rate was 4.77% (45 in 944 95% CI 3.36–6.18). The death rates in the ASA 3, 4 and 5 categories were 2.90%, 7.58% and 17.33%, respectively. The main factor associated with increased odds of anaesthetic death in ASA categories 3 and over was poor health status (ASA physical status classification). The nature of the procedure the patient underwent and epidural administration of a combination of morphine and bupivacaine were not correlated with the occurrence of death during anaesthesia. Neither species nor age effects were detected. Conclusion and clinical relevance Specific factors were associated with increased odds of anaesthetic death, especially poor health status. Efforts must be directed towards thorough preoperative patient evaluation and improvement of clinical conditions if possible. Identification of risk factors before anaesthesia should lead to increased surveillance by trained staff. This could result in better outcomes.     

Long-term organic farming fosters below and aboveground biota: Implications for soil quality, biological control and productivity

Organic farming may contribute substantially to future agricultural production worldwide by improving soil quality and pest control, thereby reducing environmental impacts of conventional farming. We investigated in a comprehensive way soil chemical, as well as below and aboveground biological parameters of two organic and two conventional wheat farming systems that primarily differed in fertilization and weed management strategies. Contrast analyses identified management related differences between “herbicide-free” bioorganic (BIOORG) and biodynamic (BIODYN) systems and conventional systems with (CONFYM) or without manure (CONMIN) and herbicide application within a long-term agricultural experiment (DOK trial, Switzerland). Soil carbon content was significantly higher in systems receiving farmyard manure and concomitantly microbial biomass (fungi and bacteria) was increased. Microbial activity parameters, such as microbial basal respiration and nitrogen mineralization, showed an opposite pattern, suggesting that soil carbon in the conventional system (CONFYM) was more easily accessible to microorganisms than in organic systems. Bacterivorous nematodes and earthworms were most abundant in systems that received farmyard manure, which is in line with the responses of their potential food sources (microbes and organic matter). Mineral fertilizer application detrimentally affected enchytraeids and Diptera larvae, whereas aphids benefited. Spider abundance was favoured by organic management, most likely a response to increased prey availability from the belowground subsystem or increased weed coverage. In contrast to most soil-based, bottom-up controlled interactions, the twofold higher abundance of this generalist predator group in organic systems likely contributed to the significantly lower abundance of aboveground herbivore pests (aphids) in these systems. Long-term organic farming and the application of farmyard manure promoted soil quality, microbial biomass and fostered natural enemies and ecosystem engineers, suggesting enhanced nutrient cycling and pest control. Mineral fertilizers and herbicide application, in contrast, affected the potential for top-down control of aboveground pests negatively and reduced the organic carbon levels. Our study indicates that the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicide application changes interactions within and between below and aboveground components, ultimately promoting negative environmental impacts of agriculture by reducing internal biological cycles and pest control. On the contrary, organic farming fosters microbial and faunal decomposers and this propagates into the aboveground system via generalist predators thereby increasing conservation biological control. However, grain and straw yields were 23% higher in systems receiving mineral fertilizers and herbicides reflecting the trade-off between productivity and environmental responsibility.     

Sterilization of exopolysaccharides produced by deep-sea bacteria: impact on their stability and degradation

Polysaccharides are highly heat-sensitive macromolecules, so high temperature treatments are greatly destructive and cause considerable damage, such as a great decrease in both viscosity and molecular weight of the polymer. The technical feasibility of the production of exopolysaccharides by deep-sea bacteria Vibrio diabolicus and Alteromonas infernus was previously demonstrated using a bioproduct manufacturing process. The objective of this study was to determine which sterilization method, other than heat sterilization, was the most appropriate for these marine exopolysaccharides and was in accordance with bioprocess engineering requirements. Chemical sterilization using low-temperature ethylene oxide and a mixture of ionized gases (plasmas) was compared to the sterilization methods using gamma and beta radiations. The changes to both the physical and chemical properties of the sterilized exopolysaccharides were analyzed. The use of ethylene oxide can be recommended for the sterilization of polysaccharides as a weak effect on both rheological and structural properties was observed. This low-temperature gas sterilizing process is very efficient, giving a good Sterility Assurance Level (SAL), and is also well suited to large-scale compound manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry.     

Evaluation of the in vivo anthelmintic properties of Mitragyna inermis (Willd.) as a livestock dewormer against parasitic hematophagous worm Haemonchus contortus infections in different breeds of lambs

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes remain a major constraint on livestock production throughout the world. This study assessed the in vivo efficacy of the...     

Genome-wide association mapping for root cone angle in rice

Background

Plant root systems play a major role in anchoring and in water and nutrient uptake from the soil. The root cone angle is an important parameter of the root system architecture because, combined with root depth, it helps to determine the volume of soil explored by the plant. Two genes, DRO1 and SOR1, and several QTLs for root cone angle have been discovered in the last 5 years.

Results

To find other QTLs linked to root cone angle, a genome-wide association mapping study was conducted on two panels of 162 indica and 169 japonica rice accessions genotyped with two sets of SNP markers (genotyping-by-sequencing set with approximately 16,000 markers and high-density-rice-array set with approximately 300,000 markers). The root cone angle of all accessions was measured using a screen protractor on images taken after 1 month of plant growth in the Rhizoscope phenotyping system. The distribution of the root cone angle in the indica panel was Gaussian, but several accessions of the japonica panel (all the bulus from Indonesia and three temperate japonicas from Nepal or India) appeared as outliers with a very wide root cone angle. The data were submitted to association mapping using a mixed model with control of structure and kinship. A total of 15 QTLs for the indica panel and 40 QTLs for the japonica panel were detected. Genes underlying these QTLs (+/?50 kb from the significant markers) were analyzed. We focused our analysis on auxin-related genes, kinases, and genes involved in root developmental processes and identified 8 particularly interesting genes.

Conclusions

The present study identifies new sources of wide root cone angle in rice, proposes ways to bypass some drawbacks of association mapping to further understand the genetics of the trait and identifies candidate genes deserving further investigation.

     

Impact of wheat flour-associated endoxylanases on arabinoxylan in dough after mixing and resting

The impact of varying levels of endoxylanase activity in wheat flour on arabinoxylan (AX) in mixed and rested dough was studied using eight industrially milled wheat flour fractions with varying endoxylanase activity levels. Analysis of the levels of reducing end xylose (RX) and solubilized AX (S-AX) formed during mixing and resting and their correlation with the endoxylanase activity in the flour milling fractions showed that solubilization of AX during the mixing phase is mainly due to mechanical forces, while solubilization of AX during resting is caused by endoxylanase activity. Moreover, solubilization of AX during the dough resting phase is more outspoken than that during the mixing phase. Besides endoxylanase activity, there were significant xylosidase and arabinofuranosidase activities during the dough resting phase. The results indicate that wheat flour-associated endoxylanases can alter part of the AX in dough, thereby changing their functionality in bread making and potentially affecting dough and end product properties.     

Comparison of sarcoplasmic proteomes between two groups of pig muscles selected for shear force of cooked meat

Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to compare Longissimus sarcoplasmic protein abundance between two groups (tough meat and tender meat), defined on the basis of extreme Warner-Bratzler shear force values measured on cooked pork. Fourteen protein spots differed in quantity (P<0.05) between the two groups and were identified. Adypocyte fatty acid binding protein and acyl-CoA binding protein involved in lipid traffic and in the control of gene expression regulating cell proliferation and differentiation, and Enoyl-CoA hydratase, aldose reductase and triosephosphate isomerase indirectly related to lipid metabolism were overrepresented in the tender group. The tender group was further characterized by increased levels of proteins involved in protein folding and polymerization (initiation factor elf-3beta, chaperonin subunit 2, profilin II). The results suggest that the lower post-cooking shear force could at least in part be related to muscle adipogenetic and/or myogenetic status of which the possible underlying mechanisms are discussed.