Dissolved and Particulate Heavy Metals in the Salado River (Santa FE, Argentina)

The objective of this work is to analyze Fe, Mn, Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn distributions in the water column in terms of total, dissolved, and particulate concentrations in the Salado River (Santa Fe – Argentina); their relationship with total, dissolved and suspended solids; and the impact of two pollution sources on the watercourse: a stream that collects domestic and industrial wastewater discharges of the region and a direct discharge that releases urban and industrial effluents to the river. Water samples obtained from 5 surveys were analyzed. The Salado River transported a load of heavy metals that ranged from 700 g/s to 2200 g/s of Fe, 20 g/s to 60 g/s of Mn and 1 g/s to 3 g/s of Cr. Results show that most metals were found in particulate form, that the metal input from the direct discharge may be significant at low water levels, whereas a lesser impact was produced by the stream, and that both pollution sources were negligible at high water levels.     

Geomorphological significance of lichen colonization in a present snow hollow: Hoya del Cuchillar de las Navajas, Sierra de Gredos (Spain)

This paper discusses the results of a lichenometrical and geomorphological study of one of the few remaining active snow hollows in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula. The study area, located on a glacial shoulder, is called Hoya del Cuchillar de las Navajas. A protalus rampart occurs at the base of the hollow. Our studies, conducted between 1992 and 1998, were designed to determine the geomorphological characteristics of Hoya, the mobility of the deposits, and the characteristics of the snow cover. These data formed the basis for a study of the lichen colonization on the blocks and on the wall surrounding the snow hollow. All of the lichen species found were analyzed according to their abundance, distribution and the extent of their surface cover. Measurements of the diameter of the thalli of the species Rhizocarpon geographicum were also obtained. Thalli of this species were found to require a mean snow-free growing season of at least 95 days (13.5 weeks) per year. Maximum mean thallus diameters indicate that the protalus rampart was formed during the Little Ice Age and became inactive 130 years ago.     

A structural mechanism for MscS gating in lipid bilayers

The mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) is a key determinant in the prokaryotic response to osmotic challenges. We determined the structural rearrangements associated with MscS activation in membranes, using functorial measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and computational analyses. MscS was trapped in its open conformation after the transbilayer pressure profile was modified through the asymmetric incorporation of lysophospholipids. The transition from the closed to the open state is accompanied by the downward tilting of the transmembrane TM1-TM2 hairpin and by the expansion, tilt, and rotation of the TM3 helices. These movements expand the permeation pathway, leading to an increase in accessibility to water around TM3. Our open MscS model is compatible with single-channel conductance measurements and supports the notion that helix tilting is associated with efficient pore widening in mechanosensitive channels.     

Kinetics of morphogen gradient formation

In the developing fly wing, secreted morphogens such as Decapentaplegic (Dpp) and Wingless (Wg) form gradients of concentration providing positional information. Dpp forms a longer-range gradient than Wg. To understand how the range is controlled, we measured the four key kinetic parameters governing morphogen spreading: the production rate, the effective diffusion coefficient, the degradation rate, and the immobile fraction. The four parameters had different values for Dpp versus Wg. In addition, Dynamin-dependent endocytosis was required for spreading of Dpp, but not Wg. Thus, the cellular mechanisms of Dpp and Wingless spreading are different: Dpp spreading requires endocytic, intracellular trafficking.     

Erasing the world's slow stain: strategies to beat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR) is perceived as a growing hazard to human health worldwide. Judgments about the true scale of the problem, and strategies for containing it, need to come from a balanced appraisal of the epidemiological evidence. We conclude in this review that MDR is, and will probably remain, a locally severe problem; that epidemics can be prevented by fully exploiting the potential of standard short-course chemotherapy (SCC) based on cheap and safe first-line drugs; and that best-practice SCC may even reduce the incidence of MDR where it has already become endemic. On the basis of the available, imperfect data, we recommend a three-part response to the threat of MDR: widespread implementation of SCC as the cornerstone of good tuberculosis control, improved resistance testing and surveillance, and the careful introduction of second-line drugs after a sound evaluation of cost, effectiveness, and feasibility.     

Sampling strategy to develop a core collection of Uruguayan maize landraces based on morphological traits

Core collections were suggested to improve germplasmutilization. A core collection is a subset chosen to represent thediversity of a collection with a minimum of redundancies. Becausediversity is distributed between and within groups with differentdegrees of organization, an adequate classification of accessionsinto related groups should be performed prior to the selection of acore collection. Different classification strategies for theUruguayan Maize Collection were compared, and the best one was usedto select a core collection. The following classification strategieswere compared following a multivariate approach using the availablemaize data base: i) racial classification, ii) geographicorigin (south and north of the country), and iii) acombination of kernel type and geographic origin. The third optionwas considered the best classification rule, since it takes intoaccount two points which are closely related to the distribution ofdiversity: genotypic composition and geographic origin. The followingfive groups were identified in the collection: a) pop, b)floury, c) dent, d) southern flint-semiflints, ande) northern flint-semiflints. Eight core collections,each of 90 accessions, were selected, using different strategies toweight the groups in the core and to select the accessions from thegroups. The P, C, and L strategies were used and combined with eitherrandom selection within the group or the Relative Diversity method.Two samples of 90 accessions were obtained at random withoutconsidering the classification. The Relative Diversity methodcombined with the L strategy produced the best core collection, as itretained the highest percentage of the ranges for the 17 variablesincluded in the analysis. On average, 91% of the ranges wereretained in the core, confirming its representativeness.     

育雏前期日粮中的核苷酸对雏鸡的促生长作用

雏鸡的第1周的饲料数量仅是上市鸡总饲料的3.5%,但是为了得到最适的生长性能,环境的管理和恰当的营养是关键.因为雏鸡和成年鸡不一样,雏鸡没有复杂的消化酶,所以不能很好的起到消化的作用.在育雏期的早期,雏鸡面临着最困难的生理过渡时期,也就是开产期日粮中复杂的碳水化合物、蛋白质、脂类替代了胚胎中脂类和蛋白质的营养来源.而且雏鸡的免疫系统发育不完全,免疫主要靠母源抗体.……     

Intraspecific variation in 16S rRNA gene of Mycoplasma synoviae determined by DNA sequencing

Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is an important avian pathogen may cause both respiratory disease and joint inflammation synovitis in poultry, causing economic losses to the Brazilian poultry industry. The genotypic variation in 16S rRNA gene is unknown. Partial sequences of 16S rRNA gene of 19 strains of M. synoviae were sequenced and analyzed in order to obtain molecular characterization and evaluation of the genetic variability of strains from distinct Brazilian areas of poultry production. Different polymorphic patterns were observed. The number of polymorphic alterations in the studied strains ranged from 0 to 6. The nucleotide variations, including deletion, insertion and substitutions, ranged from 3 to 5. The genotypic diversity observed in this study may be explained by spontaneous mutations that may occur when a lineage remains in the same flock for long periods. The culling and reposition in poultry flocks may be responsible for the entry of new strains in different areas.     

Influence of rubber trees on leaf-miner damage to coffee plants in an agroforestry system

The coffee leaf-miner (CLM) (Leucoptera coffeella Guérin-Mèneville; Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), the main pest of coffee plants, occurs widely throughout the Neotropics where it has a significant, negative economic and quantitative impact on coffee production. This study was conducted in a rubber tree/coffee plant interface that was influenced by the trees to a varying degrees depending on the location of the coffee plants, i.e. from beneath the rubber trees, extending through a range of distances from the edge of the tree plantation to end in a coffee monocrop field. The most severe damage inflicted on coffee plants by the CLM (number of mined leaves) from April, which marks the start of the water deficit period, until September 2003 was in the zone close to the rubber trees, whereas the damage inflicted on plants in the monocropped field was comparable to that on coffee plants grown directly beneath the rubber trees, which received about 25–40 % of the available irradiance (I_r—available irradiation at a certain position divided by the irradiation received in full sunlight, i.e. in the monocrop). From May until July damage caused by the CLM nearly doubled in each month. In midwinter (July), the damage decreased perceptibly from the tree edge toward the open field. From September onward, with the rising air temperatures CLM damage in the coffee monocrop started to increase. Based on these results, we conclude that coffee plants grown in the full sun incurred the most damage only at the end of winter, with warming air temperatures. Coffee plants grown in shadier locations (25–40 % I_r) were less damaged by the CLM, although a higher proportion of their leaves were mined. The rubber trees probably acted as a shelter during the cold autumn and winter seasons, leading to greater CLM damage over a distance outside the rubber tree plantation that was about equal to the height of the trees. Future studies should attempt to relate leaf hydric potential to pest attack in field conditions. More rigorous measurements of shade conditions could improve our understanding of the relationship of this factor to CLM attack.     

Effects of no‐take area size and age of marine protected areas on fisheries yields: a meta‐analytical approach

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are often promoted as tools for biodiversity conservation as well as for fisheries management. Despite increasing evidence of their usefulness, questions remain regarding the optimal design of MPAs, in particular concerning their function as fisheries management tools, for which empirical studies are still lacking. Using 28 data sets from seven MPAs in Southern Europe, we developed a meta‐analytical approach to investigate the effects of protection on adjacent fisheries and asking how these effects are influenced by MPA size and age. Southern European MPAs showed clear effects on the surrounding fisheries, on the ‘catch per unit effort’ (CPUE) of target species, but especially on the CPUE of the marketable catch. These effects depended on the time of protection and on the size of the no‐take area. CPUE of both target species and the marketable catch increased gradually by 2–4% per year over a long time period (at least 30 years). The influence of the size of the no‐take area appeared to be more complex. The catch rates of the entire fishery in and around the MPA were higher when the no‐take areas were smaller. Conversely, catch rates of selected fisheries that were expected to benefit most from protection increased when the no‐take area was larger. Our results emphasize the importance of MPA size on its export functions and suggest that an adequate, often extended, time frame be used for the management and the evaluation of effectiveness of MPAs.