Effect of mineral nitrogen fertilizer forms on N2O emissions from arable soils in winter wheat production

Nitrogen fertilizers are supposed to be a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from arable soils. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of N forms on N₂O emissions from arable fields cropped with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In three field trials in North‐West Germany (two trials in 2011/2012, one trial in 2012/2013), direct N₂O emissions during a one‐year measurement period, starting after application of either urea, ammonium sulfate (AS) or calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), were compared at an application rate of 220 kg N ha^?1. During the growth season (March to August) of winter wheat, N₂O emission rates were significantly higher in all three field experiments and in all treatments receiving N fertilizer than from the non‐fertilized treatments (control). At two of the three sites, cumulative N₂O emissions from N fertilizer decreased in the order of urea > AS > CAN, with emissions ranging from 522–617 g N ha^?1 (0.24–0.28% of applied fertilizer) for urea, 368–554 g N ha^?1 (0.17–0.25%) for AS, and 242–264 g N ha^?1 (0.11–0.12%) for CAN during March to August. These results suggest that mineral nitrogen forms can differ in N₂O emissions during the growth period of winter wheat. Strong variations in the seasonal dynamics of N₂O emissions between sites were observed which could partly be related to weather events (e.g., precipitation). Between harvest and the following spring (post‐harvest period) no significant differences in N₂O emissions between fertilized and non‐fertilized treatments were detected on two of three fields. Only on one site post‐harvest emissions from the AS treatment were significantly higher than all other fertilizer forms as well as compared to the control treatment. The cumulative one‐year emissions varied depending on fertilizer form across the three field sites from 0.05% to 0.51% with one exception at one field site (AS: 0.94%). The calculated overall fertilizer induced emission averaged for the three fields was 0.38% which was only about 1/3 of the IPCC default value of 1.0%.     

Zoonotic poxviruses

Poxviruses compromise a group of long known important pathogens including some zoonotic members affecting lifestock animals and humans. While whole genome sequence analysis started to shed light into the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell infection, viral replication as well as virulence, our understanding of poxvirus maintenance in nature and their transmission to humans is still poor. During the last two decades, reports on emerging human monkeypox outbreaks in Africa and North America, the increasing number of cowpox virus infections in cats, exotic animals and humans and cases of vaccinia virus infections in humans in South America and India reminded us that – beside the eradicated smallpox virus – there are other poxviruses that can cause harm to men. We start to learn that the host range of some poxviruses is way broader than initially thought and that mainly rodents seem to function as virus reservoir. The following review is aiming to provide an up-to-date overview on the epidemiology of zoonotic poxviruses, emphasizing orthopoxviruses. By outlining the current knowledge of poxvirus transmission, we hope to raise the awareness about modes of acquisition of infections and their proper diagnosis.     

OCCURRENCE OF INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE IMMUNOREACTIVE MATERIAL IN THE RETINA OF THE CLAWED FROG,Xenopus laevis

借助Ⅱ和Ⅲ型一氧化氮合成酶（ＮＯＳ）特异性抗体对成年爪蛙（Ｘｅｎｏｐｕｓｌａｅｖｉｓ）视网膜中含ＮＯＳ的结构进行了免疫细胞化学定位研究。发现视杆和视锥细胞的视网膜杆、少数神经节细胞和无足细胞的细胞体均含有ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应物质,缪勒细胞呈现强的ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应性,外神经丛层的神经突起亦含强的ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应性。在视网膜的细胞结构中,未见ＮＯＳⅢ免疫反应性。该结果暗示由ＮＯＳⅡ产生的一氧化氮可能参与视觉传导的调节。     

Maintenance and Enhancement of Sustainable Forest Development on Regional Levels

Zusammenfassung:   Der verbesserte Katalog der gesamteuropäischen Kriterien und Indikatoren einer nachhaltigen Forstwirtschaft ist geeignet, Zustände und Entwicklungen auf verschiedenen Skalenniveaus zu beurteilen. Er repräsentiert die Vielfalt der möglichen Sachziele einer multifunktionalen Forstwirtschaft, die sich in einem hierarchischen Zielsystem strukturieren lassen. Vergleiche zwischen den aktuellen Zuständen und den angestrebten Zielen liefern wichtige Informationen für die überbetriebliche Steuerung. Zur Erreichung der angestrebten Ziele bieten sich meist mehrere Handlungsalternativen an. Diese lassen sich mit Hilfe von Waldwachstumsmodellen auf unterschiedlichen räumlichen und zeitlichen Skalenniveaus überprüfen. Insbesondere Einzelbaummodelle sind geeignet, strategische Entscheidungen für oder gegen bestimmte Bewirtschaftungskonzepte multikriteriell zu unterstützen. Die Verschneidung von Sachdaten mit Lagedaten in einem geographischen Informationssystem erleichtert es, Kompromisse zwischen den Forderungen verschiedener Waldnutzer auf überbetrieblichen Ebenen zu finden.     

Aktuelle Fragen der Schädlingsbekämpfung in Lebensmittelbetrieben unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Verbraucherschutzes

Zusammenfassung Der Verfasser schildert die gegenwärtige Situation in der Bekämpfung von Schädlingen in deutschen Lebensmittelbetrieben, Er weist auf die Begünstigung mancher Schädlingsarten durch die Technisierung und Rationalisierung der Betriebe hin. Probleme der schriftlichen und persönlichen Beratung sowie die Organisation und Durchführung der Bekämpfung von Lebensmittelschädlingen werden eingehend besprochen, ebenso die wichtigsten Vorbeugungsmaßnahmen gegen die Einschleppung von Schädlingen unter Berücksichtigung der Einrichtung von Sicherheitsschleusen und Bestrahlungsräumen. Die zur Zeit in der Bundesrepublik üblicben Entseuchungsverfahren für ganze Betriebsanlagen werden unter Beschreibung der wichtigsten Begasungsmethoden diskutiert. Besondere Hinweise gelten der Bekämpfung eingeschleppter Schadlinge und der Vernichtung von Nagetieren. Auch die Problematik in der Beurteilung von Reklamationen wird erörtert. Darüber hinaus finden die Bestimmungen des neuen Pflanzenschutzgesetzes sowie der Höchstmengen-Verordnung — Pflanzenschutz — im Hinblick auf die Bekämpfung von Lebensmittelschädlingen besondere Berücksichtigung.

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Summary The author describes the present pest control situation in German food processing plants. He refers to the constant spread of some pests favoured by modern food processing techniques and by the rationalization of plants. Problems of advisory work carried out by personal consultation or written information as well as the organization and implementation of pest control are discussed in detail. This applies also to the principal prophylactic measures against an introduction of pests into the plant by the installation of safety sluices and radiation chambers. The disinfection methods for entire plants presently applied in the Federal Republic of Germany and the principal fumigation methods are also being described. Special recommendations are given for the control of the pests introduced and for the eradication of rodents. Furthermore, the problems relating to an assessment of reclamations are being discussed. In view of the control of pests on food special attention is paid to the regulations of the new Plant Protection Act and to the Regulations on the Maximum Quantity of Residues Tolerated on Food (Plant Protection).

     

Harnessing the potential for otolith microchemistry to foster the conservation of Amazonian fishes

1. Freshwater environments host roughly half of the world’s fish diversity, much of which is concentrated in large, tropical river systems such as the Amazon. Fishes are critical to ecosystem functioning in the Amazon River basin but face increasing human threats. The basic biology of these species, and particularly migratory behaviour, remains poorly studied, in part owing to the difficulty associated with conducting tagging studies in remote tropical regions.
2. Otolith microchemistry can circumvent logistical issues and is an increasingly important tool for studying fish life histories. However, this approach is still new in the Amazon, and its potential and limitations to inform fish conservation strategies remain unclear.
3. Here, otolith microchemistry studies in the Amazon are reviewed, highlighting current possibilities, and several key factors that limit its use as a conservation tool in the Amazon are discussed. These include the dearth of spatiotemporal elemental data, poor understanding of environment–fish–otolith pathways, and insufficient funding, facilities, and equipment.
4. A research initiative is proposed to harness the potential of this technique to support conservation in the Amazon. Key aspects of the proposal include recommendations for internal and external funding, which are critical to acquiring and maintaining technical staff, cutting-edge equipment, and facilities, as well as fostering regular scientific meetings and working groups. Meetings can facilitate a systematic approach to investigating environment–otolith pathways, broadening the chemical baseline for most Amazonian tributaries, and exploring potential valuable elements.
5. These outcomes are urgently needed to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the Amazon, especially given threats such as widespread hydroelectric damming. The initiative proposed here could make otolith microchemistry an important, cost-effective tool to inform and foster conservation in the Amazon, and act as a template for other imperilled tropical river basins, such as the Mekong and the Congo.

     

Comparison of bronchoalveolar lavage and respiratory secretion cytology in horses with clinically diagnosed chronic pulmonary disease

Thirty-nine horses and 3 ponies underwent a thorough respiratory examination and were grouped as follows: healthy (4 horses and 1 pony); mild chronic pulmonary disease (CPD 11 horses); moderate CPD (16 horses and 1 pony); and severe CPD (8 horses and 1 pony). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from all animals and respiratory secretions (RS) obtained from 39 of these animals were evaluated cytologically and the results were compared. It was concluded that cytological examination of either BAL fluid or RS was useful in diagnosing various equine pulmonary diseases. The only advantage that BAL offered over RS sampling was in cases in which there was no RS available in the trachea. In addition, the severity of the CPD did not always correlate with either RS or BAL cytology.     

Preliminary experiences with the treatment of shock in horses with a plasma expander from a starch base

HAES Steril 10% is a colloidal plasma expander rarely used in veterinary medicine. In this study HAES was used in clinical cases for the treatment of shock and in a comparative hypervolemic hemodilution study (HAES versus lactated Ringer's solution) using two experimental horses. Injection of a HAES volume equivalent to 10% of estimated blood volume resulted in a highly significant drop in PCV and in a significant drop in total protein concentration. Half live of HAES was approximately two hours. No incompatibility reactions were observed. In man HAES improves microcirculation. Studies in progress may confirm a similar effect in the equine.