A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: the day reconstruction method

The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) assesses how people spend their time and how they experience the various activities and settings of their lives, combining features of time-budget measurement and experience sampling. Participants systematically reconstruct their activities and experiences of the preceding day with procedures designed to reduce recall biases. The DRM's utility is shown by documenting close correspondences between the DRM reports of 909 employed women and established results from experience sampling. An analysis of the hedonic treadmill shows the DRM's potential for well-being research.     

Assessment of protective efficacy of live and killed vaccines based on a non-encapsulated mutant of Streptococcus suis serotype 2.

The protective efficacy of a live and killed non-encapsulated isogenic mutant of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 was determined in pigs, and compared with the efficacy of the capsulated wild-type strain. SPF pigs were vaccinated twice intramuscularly at 4 and 7 weeks of age with a dose of 1 x 10(9) formalin-killed CFU of the wild-type (WT-BAC), formalin-killed non-encapsulated mutant (CM-BAC) or live non-encapsulated mutant (CM-LIVE) strain. After 2 weeks, vaccinated pigs and non-vaccinated controls were challenged intravenously with 1 x 10(7) CFU of the homologous, wild-type S. suis serotype 2 strain. Protection was evaluated by clinical, bacteriological, serological and post-mortem examinations. All pigs vaccinated with WT-BAC were completely protected against challenge with the homologous serotype. Pigs vaccinated with CM-BAC were partially protected. Although all pigs vaccinated with CM-BAC survived the challenge, four out of five pigs developed clinical signs of disease for several days. Compared to the WT-BAC and CM-BAC, the CM-LIVE vaccine was less protective. Two out of five pigs vaccinated with CM-LIVE died in the course of the experiment and all of them developed specific clinical signs of disease for several days. The protective efficacy of the vaccines could be associated with serum antibody titers. Antibody titers against cells of wild-type and non-encapsulated mutant strains as well as against muramidase-released proteins (MRP) were high in pigs vaccinated with WT-BAC and CM-BAC. Pigs vaccinated with CM-LIVE showed lower antibody titers. Antibody titers against purified capsular polysaccharides (CPS) of S. suis serotype 2 were only found in pigs vaccinated with WT-BAC. These findings indicate that CPS and other bacterial components of WT-BAC are probably essential for full protection against homologous challenge.     

Pathogenesis of West Nile virus lineage 1 and 2 in experimentally infected large falcons

West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic flavivirus that is transmitted by blood-suckling mosquitoes with birds serving as the primary vertebrate reservoir hosts (enzootic cycle). Some bird species like ravens, raptors and jays are highly susceptible and develop deadly encephalitis while others are infected subclinically only. Birds of prey are highly susceptible and show substantial mortality rates following infection. To investigate the WNV pathogenesis in falcons we inoculated twelve large falcons, 6 birds per group, subcutaneously with viruses belonging to two different lineages (lineage 1 strain NY 99 and lineage 2 strain Austria). Three different infection doses were utilized: low (approx. 500 TCID50), intermediate (approx. 4 log10 TCID50) and high (approx. 6 log10 TCID50). Clinical signs were monitored during the course of the experiments lasting 14 and 21 days. All falcons developed viremia for two weeks and shed virus for almost the same period of time. Using quantitative real-time RT-PCR WNV was detected in blood, in cloacal and oropharyngeal swabs and following euthanasia and necropsy of the animals in a variety of neuronal and extraneuronal organs. Antibodies to WNV were first time detected by ELISA and neutralization assay after 6 days post infection (dpi). Pathological findings consistently included splenomegaly, non-suppurative myocarditis, meningoencephalitis and vasculitis. By immunohistochemistry WNV-antigens were demonstrated intralesionally. These results impressively illustrate the devastating and possibly deadly effects of WNV infection in falcons, independent of the genetic lineage and dose of the challenge virus used. Due to the relatively high virus load and long duration of viremia falcons may also be considered competent WNV amplifying hosts, and thus may play a role in the transmission cycle of this zoonotic virus.     

Investigations concerning the sustainability of remediation by land deposition of tributyltin contaminated harbour sediments

Sediments often contain high concentrations of tributyltin, which is used as a biocide in antifouling paints. The aim of our project was to assess land deposition as an alternative in dealing with TBT-contaminated harbour sediments. Therefore, we followed the biological degradation of TBT under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at different temperatures using defined laboratory experiments and performing field measurements. With the data obtained, a risk assessment is performed. The biological degradation of TBT is faster under aerobic conditions and with increasing temperature. The half-lives found show the dependency of the degradation rates on the temperature between 5 to 55°C The degradation rate determined for water under the same conditions (just biological degradation, without photolysis) is almost 4 times higher than in the sediment. The field studies gave a degradation rate of around 10% per year in untreated sediment and 30% per year in restacked sediments. We did not observe any interference of released TBT with ground water or surrounding areas. The TBT uptake in plants was low. Based on our results, a multidimensional risk evaluation was done, concerning the TBT and its degradation products dibutyl tin (DBT) and rnonobutyl tin (MBT) released from the deposition area. The land deposition appears to be a sustainable solution for dealing with TBT-contaminated harbour sediments. Compared to other disposals, it is economically one of the cheapest and, from an ecological point of view, it is acceptable.     

Epidemiologically non-feasible singleton reactors at the final stage of BoHV1 eradication: Serological evidence of BoHV2 cross-reactivity

A voluntary marker-independent Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (BoHV1) eradication program started in 1986; in 1998 it changed to a compulsory one. Certification of free regions in European member states is based on Article 10 of directive 64/432/EEC. According to this rule Bavaria is listed as free of BoHV1 since October 2011. Surveillance of BoHV1-free dairy cattle farms is currently performed with quarterly bulk-milk testing. Non-negative bulk-milk results must be confirmed by blood tests in cattle older than nine months. An increased regional rate of non-negative bulk-milk samples and the subsequent detection of epidemiologically non-feasible singleton BoHV1-reactors by analysis of blood were observed at the final stage of eradication in southwest Bavaria. Nineteen case farms (734 animals) defined by singleton reactors born at least two years after certification of the farms as BoHV1-free, 23 negative control (NC) farms (NC I: 321 animals) from the same region, 11 NC-farms (NC II: 423 animals) from an already-certified Article 10 region in northeast Bavaria and two BoHV1-infected farms (264 animals) were analysed using BoHV1-, BoHV2- and Feline Herpesvirus 1 (FeHV1)-neutralisation tests (NTs), and three commercially available ELISAs supplied by Idexx Laboratories, B.V., The Netherlands: the CHEKIT? Trachitest 2nd Gen. test for milk or serum (Trachitest), Herdchek? gB- (gB-ELISA) and Herdchek? gE-ELISA (gE-ELISA). Significantly increased levels of BoHV2 antibodies were observed on case farms compared to NC I or II farms. Additionally, reactivity by gB-ELISA and the Trachitest was significantly increased for animals with BoHV2 neutralising antibodies. Singleton BoHV1-reactors tested negative by gE-ELISA even if an elevated cut-off of 0.95±0.05 was applied. At this cut-off, the gE-ELISA was as sensitive and specific as the gB-ELISA. Comparative titration of milk samples from seropositive animals from a BoHV1-infected dairy cattle farm and from singleton BoHV1-reactors performed in CHEKIT? Trachitest 2nd Gen. Milk revealed that the slopes of both groups were distinct; therefore, optimised cut-offs for bulk-milk testing to exclude singleton BoHV1-reactors are proposed.     

Sample type is vital for diagnosing infection with peste des petits ruminants virus by reverse transcription PCR

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) diagnosis from suspected samples from sheep and goats was carried out. Buffy coat, tissues, and oculo-nasal swabs were analyzed using nucleoprotein (NP3/NP4) and fusion protein (F1/F2) gene primers, respectively. Analysis of the sample types and primer set revealed that buffy coat are the best type of samples for PPR diagnosis and the use of two set of primers will increase the number of positives.     

Sources of Heavy Metals and Their Long-term Effects on Microbial C, N and P Relationships in Soil

The effects of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, and Cu) on microbial biomass C, N, and P were assessed in soils contaminated over a wide range by sewage sludge, exhaust dust deposition of a lead factory and river sediments of mining residues. Microbial biomass C, N, and P did not show any clear heavy metal effect related to soil dry weight. Also the ratios of microbial biomass C/N and biomass C/P remained unaffected by heavy metals. The ratios of microbial biomass C/soil organic C, biomass N/total N, and biomass P/total P were all negatively affected by increasing concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cu as detected by a source-specific analysis of covariance using the different heavy metal fractions as covariate. Negative effects of Zn on the ratios microbial biomass C/soil organic C and biomass N/total N increased with increasing metal solubility in the order: (X-ray fluorescence analysis) XFA-detectable <HNO₃ <EDTA ?NH₄NO₃-extractable Zn. The Zn effects on the microbial biomass N/total N were always smaller than those on the microbial biomass C/soil organic C ratio. The same was true for all effects of the Pb and Cu fractions on these two ratios. For this reason, the deposition of highly soluble Zn and Pb by exhaust dust has the most negative effects, although sediments contained the maximum total burden of Zn and Pb. All fractions of Zn, Pb, and Cu had similar negative effects on the microbial biomass P/total P ratio, although the NH₄NO₃-extractable fraction again showed the most pronounced effects.     

Does exceeding the critical loads for nitrogen alter nitrate leaching,the nutrient status of trees and their crown condition at Swiss Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research (LWF) sites?

Nitrogen (N) deposition exceeds the critical loads for this element in most parts of Switzerland apart from the Alps. At 17 sites (8 broadleaved stands, 8 coniferous stands, and 1 mixed stand) of the Swiss Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research network, we are investigating whether N deposition is associated with the N status of the forest ecosystems. N deposition, assessed from throughfall measurements, was related to the following indicators: (1) nitrate leaching below the rooting zone (measured on a subset of 9 sites); (2) the N nutrition of the forest stand based on foliar analyses (16 sites); and (3) crown defoliation, a non specific indicator of tree vitality (all 17 sites). Nitrate leaching ranging from about 2 to 16 kg N ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ was observed at sites subjected to moderate to high total N deposition (>10 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹). The C/N ratio of the soil organic layer, or, when it was not present, of the upper 5 cm of the mineral soil, together with the pool of organic carbon in the soil, played a critical role, as previous studies have also found. In addition, the humus type may need to be considered as well. For instance, little nitrate leaching (<2 kg N ha⁻¹ a⁻¹) was recorded at the Novaggio site, which is subjected to high total N deposition (>30 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹) but characterized by a C/N ratio of 24, large organic C stocks, and a moder humus type. Foliar N concentrations correlated with N deposition in both broadleaved and coniferous stands. In half of the coniferous stands, foliar N concentrations were in the deficiency range. Crown defoliation tended to be negatively correlated with N concentrations in the needles. In the majority of the broadleaved stands, foliar N concentrations were in the optimum nutritional range or, on one beech plot with high total N deposition (>25 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹), above the optimum values. There was no correlation between the crown defoliation of broadleaved trees and foliar concentrations.     

A new cardenolide from the roots of Streptocaulon tomentosum

A new cardenolide, (17 alpha)-H-periplogenin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-4)-2-O-acetyl-3-O-methyl-beta-fucopyranoside (1), was isolated from the roots of Streptocaulon tomentosum.