Respiratory function and pulmonary lesions in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Pulmonary dysfunction was evaluated in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV, isolate VR-2332) and compared to clinical and pathological findings. Infected pigs developed fever, reduced appetite, respiratory distress and dullness at 9 days post-inoculation (dpi). Non-invasive pulmonary function tests using impulse oscillometry and rebreathing of test gases (He, CO) revealed peripheral airway obstruction, reduced lung compliance and reduced lung CO-transfer factor. PRRSV-induced pulmonary dysfunction was most marked at 9–18 dpi and was accompanied by a significantly increased respiratory rate and decreased tidal volume. Expiration was affected more than inspiration. On histopathological examination, multifocal areas of interstitial pneumonia (more severe and extensive at 10 dpi than 21 dpi) were identified as a possible structural basis for reduced lung compliance and gas exchange disturbances.     

Responses of root growth of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Fabaceae) to different simulated groundwater depths in the southern fringe of the Taklimakan Desert,China

Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Fabaceae) is a spiny, perennial herb. The species grows in the salinized, arid regions in North China. This study investigated the response characteristics of the root growth and the distribution of one-year-old A. sparsifolia seedlings to different groundwater depths in controlled plots. The ecological adaptability of the root systems of A. sparsifolia seedlings was examined using the artificial digging method. Results showed that: (1) A. sparsifolia seedlings adapted to an increase in groundwater depth mainly through increasing the penetration depth and growth rate of vertical roots. The vertical roots grew rapidly when soil moisture content reached 3%-9%, but slowly when soil moisture content was 13%-20%. The vertical roots stopped growing when soil moisture content reached 30% (the critical soil moisture point). (2) The morphological plasticity of roots is an important strategy used by A. sparsifolia seedlings to obtain water and adapt to dry soil conditions. When the groundwater table was shallow, horizontal roots quickly expanded and tillering increased in order to compete for light resources, whereas when the groundwater table was deeper, vertical roots developed quickly to exploit space in the deeper soil layers. (3) The decrease in groundwater depth was probably responsible for the root distribution in the shallow soil layers. Root biomass and surface area both decreased with soil depth. One strategy of A. sparsifolia seedlings in dealing with the increase in groundwater depth is to increase root biomass in the deep soil layers. The relationship between the root growth/distribution of A. sparsifolia and the depth of groundwater table can be used as guidance for harvesting A. sparsifolia biomass and managing water resources for forage grasses. It is also of ecological significance as it reveals how desert plants adapt to arid environments.     

Spatio-temporal analysis of crop rotations and crop sequence patterns in Northern Germany: potential implications on plant health and crop protection

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Crop sequence patterns are considered as those schemes farmers apply within a single field to succeed crops over time, regardless of whether the same crop...     

Dynamic oxygen mapping in the root zone by fluorescence dye imaging combined with neutron radiography

Purpose  

The rooted zone of a soil, more precisely the rhizosphere, is a very dynamic system. Some of the key processes are water uptake and root respiration. We have developed a novel method for measuring the real-time distribution of water and oxygen concentration in the rhizosphere as a biogeochemical interface in soil. This enables understanding where and when roots are active in respect to root respiration and water uptake and how the soil responds to it.     

Low Mw-lignin fractions together with vegetable oils as available oligomers for novel paper-coating applications as hydrophobic barrier

Lignin residues are available in large amounts as kraft lignin from chemical pulping processes. This lignin is mainly incinerated in recovery boilers. The recovery boilers are often the bottle-necks in the overall pulping process when pulp production increases are desired. Through cross-flow nano-filtration of the black liquor from kraft pulping, a low-molecular weight lignin fraction can be removed thus decreasing the organic load on the recovery boilers. The low-molecular weight lignin fraction furthermore exhibit different characteristics compared to other commercial kraft lignins and represents a new raw material source in novel applications.The low-molecular weight lignin was used together with a vegetable oil to produce a new hydrophobic lignin derivative similar to suberin. The lignin and the lignin derivative was analysed with FT-IR, UV–vis and SEC. The ability of the product to make paper surfaces hydrophobic was also evaluated.The results demonstrate the possibility to make a suberin-like lignin derivative that is potentially of interest in paper-coating applications due to its capability to interact well with wood fibres and make paper hydrophobic.     

Toll-like receptor-mediated anti-inflammatory action of glaucine and oxoglaucine

Two isochinoline alkaloids, glaucine and oxoglaucine were investigated for their suggested anti-inflammatory influence concerning nitric oxide and cytokine production. Mouse peritoneal macrophages were stimulated with different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as LPS for TLR4, zymosan for TLR2 and CpG for TLR9. The alkaloids inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 production induced by these ligands. In regard to IL-12 suppressive effect was registered in the case of CpG stimulation. Glaucine succeeded to enhance LPS and zymosan-induced IL-10 production. The reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase of anti-inflammatory IL-10 are indicative for their use in different acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.     

A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features

A nearly complete skeleton of Archaeopteryx with excellent bone preservation shows that the osteology of the urvogel is similar to that of nonavian theropod dinosaurs. The new specimen confirms the presence of a hyperextendible second toe as in dromaeosaurs and troodontids. Archaeopteryx had a plesiomorphic tetraradiate palatine bone and no fully reversed first toe. These observations provide further evidence for the theropod ancestry of birds. In addition, the presence of a hyperextendible second toe blurs the distinction of archaeopterygids from basal deinonychosaurs (troodontids and dromaeosaurs) and challenges the monophyly of Aves.     

Structure of PTB bound to RNA: specific binding and implications for splicing regulation

The polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB) is a 58-kilodalton RNA binding protein involved in multiple aspects of messenger RNA metabolism, including the repression of alternative exons. We have determined the solution structures of the four RNA binding domains (RBDs) of PTB, each bound to a CUCUCU oligonucleotide. Each RBD binds RNA with a different binding specificity. RBD3 and RBD4 interact, resulting in an antiparallel orientation of their bound RNAs. Thus, PTB will induce RNA looping when bound to two separated pyrimidine tracts within the same RNA. This leads to structural models for how PTB functions as an alternative-splicing repressor.