Life below the ross ice shelf, antarctica

Samples and observations under 420 meters of ice and 430 kilometers from the open sea on the Ross Ice Shelf at a water depth of 597 meters revealed an unusual assemblage of benthic organisms. Scavenging amphipods, an isopod, and fish were present but a living infauna was absent. The observations may be accounted for by sampling or spatial bias, or by extremely low or fluctuating trophic resources.     

Two-dimensional nanosheets produced by liquid exfoliation of layered materials

If they could be easily exfoliated, layered materials would become a diverse source of two-dimensional crystals whose properties would be useful in applications ranging from electronics to energy storage. We show that layered compounds such as MoS(2), WS(2), MoSe(2), MoTe(2), TaSe(2), NbSe(2), NiTe(2), BN, and Bi(2)Te(3) can be efficiently dispersed in common solvents and can be deposited as individual flakes or formed into films. Electron microscopy strongly suggests that the material is exfoliated into individual layers. By blending this material with suspensions of other nanomaterials or polymer solutions, we can prepare hybrid dispersions or composites, which can be cast into films. We show that WS(2) and MoS(2) effectively reinforce polymers, whereas WS(2)/carbon nanotube hybrid films have high conductivity, leading to promising thermoelectric properties.     

Analysis of two bentonites of enological interest before and after commercial activation by solid Na(2)CO(3)

Two natural calcium-rich bentonites used for the removal of wine proteins, originating from Greece and Turkey, were studied by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and solid state NMR, before and after activation by solid Na(2)CO(3). Exchange of Ca(2+) by Na(+) mainly occurs for cations located at the edge of layers and only weakly for interlayer cations. This Na(2)CO(3) activation process leads to an increased efficiency in the adsorption process of bovine serum albumin (BSA) used as a model protein for both bentonites. A direct correlation is observed between the extent of Ca(2+)/Na(+) exchange, the strength of adsorption of BSA, and the extent of unfolding of BSA backbone.     

A survey of antibodies to pestivirus in sheep in the Republic of Ireland

: Sera from 1,448 adult ewes in 91 flocks, representing all 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland, were examined for pestivirus antibodies using a commercially available ELISA which detected IgG1 antibody to border disease virus. Eighty-one sheep (5.6%) in 42 flocks (46.0%) were antibody-positive. Within infected flocks, the mean seroprevalence level was 11.4% with a range of 6.3% to 30.0%. The highest antibody prevalence was detected in sheep from central lowland counties of Ireland. Comparative neutralisation testing of 42 ELISA-positive sera detected geometric mean antibody titres of 136 to the NADL strain of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), 92 to the Moredun strain of border disease virus and 21 to the 137/4 strain of border disease virus. These results suggest that BVDV may be the major ruminant pestivirus infecting sheep in Ireland. Although there are high numbers of infected flocks, many sheep within such flocks remain antibody-negative and are at risk of giving birth to lambs with congenital border disease.     

Characterization of odor-active volatiles in apples: influence of cultivars and maturity stage

The aroma and texture of three different apple cultivars, harvested at three maturity stages, were analyzed by sensory and instrumental analysis. The emphasis was on the identification of the most potent odorant volatiles, and the challenge was to separate the few most important flavor compounds, which may be trace chemicals, from the vast number of nonodorant compounds present in apple aroma extracts. Thirty-six odorant compounds were detected, 24 of which were common to all extracts. A significant correlation coefficient was found between the aroma intensity scores and overall quantity of the odorant volatiles, which shows that the development of sensory aroma is similar to that of odorant volatiles. This study also showed that the parameters measured by penetrometry and compression were highly correlated with sensory textural attributes. The determination of the optimal maturity stage for different apple cultivars by the usual parameters, such as color, diameter, total soluble solids, and titrable acidity, may not be sufficient to determine the optimal sensory quality for consumers. Moreover, the sensory quality of fruits changes during maturation in a different way from one cultivar to another, and this should be taken into account.     

The equine alveolar macrophage: Functional and phenotypic comparisons with peritoneal macrophages

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) constitute the first line of defence in the lung of all species, playing a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses to inhaled pathogens. A detailed understanding of the function and phenotype of AMs is a necessary pre-requisite to both elucidating their role in preventing opportunistic bacterial colonisation of the lower respiratory tract and developing appropriate preventative strategies. The purpose of the study was to characterise this important innate immune cell at the tissue level by making functional and phenotypic comparisons with peritoneal macrophages (PMs). We hypothesised that the tissue of origin determines a unique phenotype of AMs, which may constitute an appropriate therapeutic target for certain equine respiratory diseases. Macrophages isolated from the lung and the peritoneal cavity of 9 horses were stimulated with various toll like receptor (TLR) ligands and the production of nitrite, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin (IL) 10 and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) were measured by the Griess reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and/or quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Cells were also compared on the basis of phagocytic-capacity and the expression of several cell surface markers. AMs, but not PMs, demonstrated increased TNFα release following stimulation with LPS, polyinosinic polycytidylic acid (Poly IC) and heat-killed Salmonella typhinurium and increased TNFα and IDO mRNA expression when stimulated with LPS. AMs showed high expression of the specific macrophage markers cluster of differentiation (CD) 14, CD163 and TLR4, whereas PMs showed high expression of TLR4 only. AMs, but not PMs, demonstrated efficient phagocytic activity. Our results demonstrate that AMs are more active than PMs when stimulated with various pro-inflammatory ligands, thus supporting the importance of the local microenvironment in the activation status of the macrophage. This information provides a valuable knowledge base on which to improve our understanding of the role of macrophages and their microenvironment in equine innate immunity.