Concentration-Dependent Mobility of Chlorfenvinphos in Isolated Plant Cuticles

The mobility of chlorfenvinphos in isolated pear (Pyrus communis cv. Bartlett) leaf cuticular membranes (CM) was studied as a function of concentration of chlorfenvinphos sorbed in the cuticle. Mobilities of chlorfenvinphos increased approximately 9-fold when the amount sorbed increased from 1 to 100 μg cm⁻² pear leaf cuticle. From the amounts per area, average volume fractions of chlorfenvinphos in the cuticle were calculated ranging from 2×10⁻³ to 5·1×10⁻². The increase in mobilities was steepest at the lower and levelled off at higher volume fractions. This correlation could be described for the whole range of volume fractions investigated by an equation which assumes homogeneously dispersed chlorfenvinphos. Temperature dependence of mobilities was studied at 17, 25 and 35°C and chlorfenvinphos volume fractions of 5·5×10⁻³ and 0·12, respectively. Arrhenius graphs were linear for both volume fractions, showing that cuticles did not undergo a phase transition due to the high amount of sorbed chlorfenvinphos. However, at a volume fraction of 0·12, the activation energy of diffusion, E_D, was significantly lower (83·6 kJ mol⁻¹) than at 5·5×10⁻³ (135 kJ mol⁻¹). We interpret these findings as evidence for a plasticising effect on cuticular waxes by chlorfenvinphos. So far, such an effect had been demonstrated only for certain adjuvants (ethoxylated alcohols) but not for active ingredients. Chlorfenvinphos not only increased its own mobility in pear leaf cuticles, but also that of 2,4-D in Citrus leaf cuticles. This would be expected if plasticising of waxes was the sole mechanism responsible for increased mobilities. From these data we predict that permeabilities of cuticles to chlorfenvinphos are not constant. Depending on temperature as well as types and amounts of adjuvants, rates of foliar penetration of chlorfenvinphos can be higher if its concentration in the spray liquid is increased.     

Factors affecting the field performance of an attracticide against the codling moth Cydia pomonella

Factors affecting the efficacy of an attracticide strategy for the control of the codling moth Cydia pomonella L (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) were investigated using laboratory and field experiments. The sex-pheromone-based insect-control strategy utilises 100-microliters droplets of a sticky, paste-like formulation containing 1 mg g-1 (E,E)-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol (codlemone) as an attractant for male moths and 40 mg g-1 cyfluthrin, a contact insecticide, applied to branches in the upper parts of the tree crown. The longevity of the treatment under field conditions was assessed in the laboratory by biological testing of variously aged samples of the attracticide formulation which had been applied to the bark of apple trees growing in commercial orchards. Electroantennogram responses of male moth antennae were used to compare codlemone release from the attracticide after different lengths of environmental exposure. Changes in insecticidal efficacy of the same samples were assessed with reference to the speed of knockdown (KT50) and the mortalities after 48 h among populations of male moths confined in cages containing samples of fresh and field-aged formulations. Gradual declines in both the amount of pheromone released and insecticidal activity were observed over the 10-week period of the experiments. Various factors associated with the behaviour of codling moths in the field which might influence the attracticide strategy were also investigated. Although the vertical position of attracticide sources within apple trees had a strong influence on their attractiveness, their horizontal position had none. Results of field trials showed that efficacy of the attracticide depends on the population density of the pest. Under the conditions of the current study a density of three or more sources per tree (= 4500 sources per ha) was required to attain satisfactory levels of codling moth control.     

Comparison of diagnostics techniques in an outbreak of infectious laryngotracheitis from meat chickens

Various diagnostics techniques were compared for their ability to detect infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) during an outbreak in chickens aged between 4 and 21 wk. Gross lesions ranged from excess mucus to accumulation of fibrinonecrotic exudate in the larynx and trachea. Syncytial cells with intranuclear inclusion bodies were found in sinus, conjunctiva, larynx, trachea, lung, and air sac. Virus isolation in chicken embryos was attempted in every case. Negative-stain electron microscopy detected herpesvirus in only 6% of the cases. Yet, isolation of ILT virus in the chorioallantoic membrane was presumed by histology in >20% of the samples and confirmed by fluorescent antibody (FA) in 35% of the embryos inoculated with conjunctivas or tracheas from affected birds. Overall, results from histology and FA tests were highly correlated. FA test has the advantage over histology of being diagnostically specific for ILT virus. Polymerase chain reaction was the most sensitive test and detected the viral DNA even in cases where histology and FA were negative. ILT virus DNA was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (Re-Ti ILTV). Histologic and FA results from larynx and trachea were negative if the concentration of the viral DNA was < or =4 of log10. A viral DNA concentration higher than log10 4, as determined by Re-Ti ILTV, was required for clinical ILT to be manifested.     

Identification of major immunogenic proteins of Mycoplasma synoviae isolates

Mycoplasma synoviae isolates differ in patterns of immunogenic proteins, but most of them have not been identified yet. The main aim of this study was their identification in two closely related M. synoviae isolates, ULB 02/P4 and ULB 02/OV6, recovered recently from chickens in Slovenia. N-terminal sequencing identified 17 M. synoviae proteins. Amongst them were 14 major, highly expressed but previously unidentified proteins, including enzymes, chaperones and putative lipoproteins. ULB 02/P4 proteins with increasing molecular weight (M(w)) in the region above the lipoprotein MSPB (approximately 40 kDa) were elongation factor EF-Tu, enolase, NADH oxidase, haemagglutinin MSPA, ATP synthase beta chain, trigger factor, pyruvate kinase and chaperone DnaK. Enolase (approximately 47 kDa) seemed to be immunogenic for chickens infected with M. synoviae, whereas EF-Tu, which might cross-react with antibodies to the P1 adhesin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, was not. ULB 02/OV6 synthesized several immunogenic proteins and those with M(w) of approximately 70, 78, 82, 90, 110 and 160 kDa, cross-reacted with antibodies to Mycoplasma gallisepticum. They remain to be identified, because besides putative lipoproteins, protein bands of 78, 82, 85 and 110 kDa contained also dehydrogenase PdhD, elongation factor EF-G, enzyme PtsG and putative neuraminidase, respectively.     

Evaluation of 2 cement techniques for augmentation of stripped 1.5 mm screw sites in the distal metaphysis of feline radii

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of 2 cement augmentation techniques on pullout strength of 1.5 mm screws placed in stripped 1.5 mm screw sites in the distal metaphysis of feline radii. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Feline radii (21 pairs). METHODS: Treatment groups (n=4) were allocated according to a Latin square design to 4 sites in each pair of radii. Positive and negative controls were a 1.5 mm screw and a screw of the same diameter in a previously stripped screw hole, respectively. Treatment groups were a 1.5 mm screw implanted in a previously stripped screw hole after injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or a bioresorbable calcium phosphate cement (CPC, Norian skeletal repair system (SRS)). The ultimate pullout strength was compared between groups. RESULTS: The mean (+/-SEM) pullout strength of screws augmented with either bone cement was less than that of the positive control group and greater than that of the negative control. Injection of CPC or PMMA before screw implantation increased the pullout strength of the negative control by 86.8+/-22.9% and 104.1+/-32.1%, respectively. Holding power of the positive control screws differed from these 2 groups, and was 274.8+/-39.17% higher than that of the negative control. CONCLUSION: Injection of CPC or PMMA increases but does not restore the holding power of stripped 1.5 mm diameter screws. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of CPC (Norian SRS) augmentation of stripped 1.5 mm diameter screws warrants clinical investigation as it combines biomechanical results similar to PMMA with osteoconduction and resorbability.     

Influence of the Expert Effect on Cultural Models

We examined hunters’ perceptions of fauna to see if expert hunters and other hunters perceive wildlife abundance similarly. We used cultural consensus analysis (CCA) to assess the knowledge of 25 hunters in the Bolivian Amazon about the abundance of 38 animals. CCA indicated highly shared beliefs among hunters concerning wildlife abundance (average agreement = .62). However, expert hunters (as judged by their reported successful hunts of rare species, having hunted recently, and consuming more game in their diet) perceived more animals as abundant than did non-experts, although they all shared the same model. Since the expert hunters did not always agree on which species was more abundant, they had low cultural knowledge scores in CCA results. These experts may be unwilling to curtail hunting efforts on key species that they perceive to be abundant.     

Combining top-down and bottom-up dynamics in land use modeling: exploring the future of abandoned farmlands in Europe with the Dyna-CLUE model

Land use change is the result of interactions between processes operating at different scales. Simulation models at regional to global scales are often incapable of including locally determined processes of land use change. This paper introduces a modeling approach that integrates demand-driven changes in land area with locally determined conversion processes. The model is illustrated with an application for European land use. Interactions between changing demands for agricultural land and vegetation processes leading to the re-growth of (semi-) natural vegetation on abandoned farmland are explicitly addressed. Succession of natural vegetation is simulated based on the spatial variation in biophysical and management related conditions, while the dynamics of the agricultural area are determined by a global multi-sector model. The results allow an exploration of the future dynamics of European land use and landscapes. The model approach is similarly suitable for other regions and processes where large scale processes interact with local dynamics.