Willingness to pay for compulsory deworming of pets entering Sweden to prevent introduction of Echinoccoccus multilocularis

To investigate if the Swedish entry rules for pets to prevent the introduction of Echinococcus multilocularis (EM) are proportional (i.e. that their costs do not exceed the value of their benefits), a dichotomous-choice contingent valuation study was conducted. The study was performed before the first case of EM was detected in Sweden in February 2011. About 5000, randomly selected, Swedish citizens were invited to participate and 2192 of them (44%) accepted to do so. Missing information on whether or not one would accept to pay for keeping the rules for 143 respondents resulted in 2049 observations (41%) available for the estimation of willingness to pay (WTP), and missing information on personal characteristics for another 274 respondents reduced the number of observations available for sensitivity analysis to 1775 (36%). Annual expected WTP for keeping the rules ranged between € 54.3 and € 99.0 depending on assumptions about compensations demanded by respondents not willing to pay. The estimates are conservative since only answers from respondents that were absolutely certain they would pay the suggested bid were regarded as yes-responses. That WTP is positive implies that Swedish citizens perceived the benefits of the rules to be larger than their costs.     

Pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin after oral administration in recently weaned piglets with experimentally induced Escherichia coli subtype O149:F4 diarrhea

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effect of Escherichia coli subtype O149:F4-induced diarrhea on the pharmacokinetics of orally administered amoxicillin in affected piglets relative to that of uninfected piglets. ANIMALS: 22 healthy 4-week-old recently weaned Danish crossbred piglets. PROCEDURE: 12 piglets were orally inoculated through gastric intubation with 10(9) CFUs of an E. coli O149:F4 strain and responded by developing diarrhea 12 to 16 hours later. Piglets were dosed with amoxicillin trihydrate solution (20 mg/kg) by gastric intubation. A control group of 10 age-matched piglets without signs of diarrhea was dosed similarly. Blood samples were obtained before amoxicillin administration and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after amoxicillin administration. The plasma concentration of amoxicillin was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: A significant 39% decrease in the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve of amoxicillin was observed in piglets with diarrhea relative to that of control piglets. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was significantly (52%) lower in piglets with diarrhea, compared with control piglets, while the elimination rate constant, time to reach Cmax, and elimination half-life were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Escherichia coli-induced diarrhea may decrease systemic bioavailability of amoxicillin. Escherichia coli bacteria attach to the intestinal epithelial cells. Because it is assumed that the concentration of the antimicrobial at the site of infection reflects the systemic concentration, higher doses of amoxicillin in the treatment of piglets with E. coli O149:F4-induced diarrhea may be appropriate.     

Development of pollution-induced community tolerance is linked to structural and functional resilience of a soil bacterial community following a five-year field exposure to copper

Copper (Cu) is accumulating in agricultural soils worldwide creating concern for adverse impacts on soil microbial communities and associated ecosystem services. In order to evaluate the structural and functional resilience of soil microbial communities to increasing Cu levels, we compared a Cu-adapted and a corresponding non-adapted soil microbial community for their abilities to resist experimental Cu pollution. Laboratory soil microcosms were set-up with either High-Cu soil from Cu-amended field plots (63 g Cu m⁻²) or with Low-Cu control soil from the same five-year field experiment. Laboratory treatments consisted of Cu amendments in the presence or absence of pig manure. Microbial activities (soil respiration, substrate-induced respiration, [³H]leucine incorporation), bacterial community structure (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, T-RFLP), community-level physiological profiles, and pollution-induced bacterial community tolerance (PICT detected using the [³H]leucine incorporation technique) were monitored for 12 weeks. The High-Cu and Low-Cu soil microbial communities initially exhibited almost identical structure and function and could only be distinguished from each other by their differential Cu tolerance. Experimental Cu pollution inhibited microbial activities, affected bacterial community structure, and induced further bacterial community tolerance to Cu. However, Low-Cu and High-Cu soil microbial communities showed essentially identical responses. Manure amendment did not protect against Cu toxicity and slightly increased Cu bioavailability as measured by a Cu-specific whole-cell bacterial biosensor. Our results indicate convergence of bacterial community structure and function in the High-Cu and Low-Cu soils during the five-year field experiment. We conclude that soil bacterial communities can exhibit structural and functional resilience to a five-year Cu exposure by virtue of their ability to develop Cu tolerance without affecting overall community structure. The observed increased Cu tolerance may involve phenotypic adaptation or selection at the micro-diversity level, for example an increased proportion of Cu-resistant strains within each bacterial species, which go undetected by T-RFLP community fingerprinting. Finally, our results indicate that Cu-dissolved organic matter complexes contribute to microbial toxicity in manure-amended soils implying that free Cu may comprise a poor predictor of metal toxicity.     

Determination of fungicide residues in field-grown strawberries following different fungicide strategies against gray mold (Botrytis cinerea)

In a 2 year experiment, residues in field-grown strawberries were investigated from the fungicides fenhexamid, pyrimethanil, tolylfluanid, and kresoxim-methyl resulting from different strategies, as regards the dose, number, and time of fungicide applications. Kresoxim-methyl was only used the first year and in full or no dose to control powdery mildew. In the first year, the highest concentrations analyzed were 0.66 mg kg(-1) for pyrimethanil and 0.63 mg kg(-1) for fenhexamid resulting from the use of recommended dose rates and a preharvest interval (PHI) of 10 days, thus not exceeding the Danish maximum residue limit (MRL) of 1 mg kg(-1). Tolylfluanid was used no later than 21 days before harvest, which left residue contents in the berries of 0.48 mg kg(-1), a value well below the MRL of 5 mg kg(-1). In the second year, fungicide residues found in the samples were generally lower, 0.39 and 0.03 mg kg(-1) for pyrimethanil and fenhexamid, respectively. No residues of kresoxim-methyl were found in any of the samples from the field trials, indicating that kresoxim-methyl residues had declined to a level well below the detection limit within the 28 day period between the last application and the harvest.     

Uncoupling of microbial CO2 production and release in frozen soil and its implications for field studies of arctic C cycling

Knowledge of seasonal trends and controls of soil CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere is important for simulating atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and for understanding and predicting the global carbon cycle. This is particularly the case for high arctic soils subject to extreme fluctuating environmental conditions. Based on field measurements of soil CO₂ efflux, temperature, water content, pore gas composition in soil and frozen cores as well as detailed temperature experiments performed in the laboratory, we evaluated seasonal controls of CO₂ effluxes from a well-drained tundra heath site in NE-Greenland. During the growing season, near-surface temperatures correlated well with observed CO₂ effluxes (r²>0.9). However, during intensive thawing of near-surface layers we observed up to 1.5-fold higher effluxes than expected due to temperature alone. These high rates were consistent with high CO₂ concentrations in frozen soil (>10% CO₂) and suggested a spring burst event during soil thawing and a corresponding trapping of produced CO₂ during winter. Laboratory experiments revealed that microbial soil respiration continued down to a least −18 °C and that up to 80% of the produced CO₂ was trapped in soil at temperatures between 0 and −9 °C. The trapping of CO₂ in frozen soil was positively correlated with soil moisture (r²=0.85) and led to an abrupt change of the temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) observed for soil CO₂ release at 0 °C with Q₁₀ values below 0 °C being up to 100-fold higher than above 0 °C. The results of sub-zero CO₂ production allowed us to predict the microbial soil respiration throughout the year and to evaluate to what extent burst events during thawing can be explained by the release of CO₂ being produced and trapped during winter. Taking only the upper 20 cm of the soil into account, winter soil respiration accounted for about 40% of the annual soil respiration. At least 14% of the winter CO₂ production was trapped during the winter 2000-2001 and observed to be released upon thawing. Thus, the site-specific winter soil respiration is an important part of the annual C cycle and CO₂ trapping should be accounted for in future field and modelling studies of soil respiration dynamics in arctic ecosystems. In conclusion, we have discovered a soil moisture dependent uncoupling of CO₂ production and release in frozen soils with important implications for future field studies of Arctic C cycling.     

Modification of milk and whey surface properties by enzymatic hydrolysis of milk phospholipids

Phospholipase A1 were shown to improve foaming properties of skim milk and whey, implying that phospholipases can be useful tools for modifying the functionality of dairy products and ingredients. The ability of three fungal phospholipases and porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 to hydrolyze milk phospholipids was investigated by using sodium deoxycholate-solubilized milk phospholipid and whole milk. The enzyme with the highest activity in milk was Fusarium venenatum phospholipase A1. Milk and whey were subsequently characterized using tensiometry and interfacial shear rheology. The lysophospholipids released from the fat globule membrane decreased the surface tension of skim milk and whey. A dramatic decrease in the surface shear viscous and elastic moduli indicated a shift from a protein-dominated to a surfactant-dominated interface. The surface shear moduli did not correlate with the foam stability, which was improved by phospholipase A1.     

Prediction of Penicillium expansum spoilage and patulin concentration in apples used for apple juice production by electronic nose analysis

Classification models for Penicillium expansum spoilage of apples and prediction models for patulin concentration in apples usable for apple juice production were made on the basis of electronic nose (e-nose) analysis correlated to HPLC quantification of patulin. A total of 15 Golden Delicious and 4 Jonagold apples were surface sterilized and divided into three groups per variety. The Golden Delicious group consisted of five apples each. Group 1 was untreated control, group 2 was surface inoculated with P. expansum, and group 3 was inoculated in the core with P. expansum. The apples were incubated at 25 degrees C for 10 days. E-nose analysis was performed daily. At day 10 the Golden Delicious apples were individually processed for apple juice production. During apple juice production the mash and juice were analyzed by e-nose, and samples were taken for patulin analysis by HPLC. The volatile metabolite profile was obtained by collection of volatile metabolites, on tubes containing Tenax TA, overnight between the 9th and 10th days of incubation and subsequent analysis of the collected compounds by GC-MS. Prediction models using partial least-squares, with high correlation, for prediction of patulin concentration in shredded apples as well as apple juice were successfully created. It was also shown that it is possible to classify P. expansum spoilage in apples correctly on the basis of soft independent modeling of class analogy classification of e-nose analysis data. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of a regression model between e-nose data and mycotoxin content in which actual concentrations are reported. This implies that it is possible to predict mycotoxin production and concentration by e-nose analysis.     

Interior wood use: linking user perceptions to physical properties

Focus groups were carried out in Austria, Finland, France, Norway, and Sweden to understand building professional’s and laypeople’s perceptions of building materials and well-being in indoor environments. Focus groups asked participants to share their opinions and experiences related to seven main topics: choosing interior materials, naturalness, naturalness for building materials, well-being in the indoor environment, wood materials, cleanabililty, and ethics and environment. The main objective of the focus groups was to explore how the use of wood is perceived in the interior environment and suggest opportunities for use of wood in the built environment. Participants’ responses can be linked to the physical properties of wood: density/hardness, grain, thermal conductivity, moisture content, chemical composition, color, and natural origin. Based on the discussion, these physical properties can be related more closely to the perception of wood as a natural material with respect to intended use, such as visual and tactile products. Based on the findings, it is also possible to alter product properties to enhance users’ experience of wood in the interior built environment. The results also indicate that the relevance and trustworthiness of the current schemes for documenting sustainable forestry practices, is questionable.     

Constitutive phenolics of Harpephyllum caffrum (Anacardiaceae) and their biological effects on human keratinocytes

Assessment of the UV protecting potential of an aqueous methanol leaf extract of Harpephyllum caffrum proved that it possesses a distinct radical scavenging effect and inhibits the production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 by human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) following UV radiation. Phytochemical investigation of this extract led to isolation and structural determination of the hitherto unknown phenolics, kaempferol 3-O-(2″-sulphatogalactopyranoside), its quercetin analogue and 3-methoxyellagic acid 4-O-galactopyranoside in addition to 18 known phenolic compounds. The structures were determined by spectroscopic and conventional methods of analysis. Flavonoid sulphatoglycosides which have been rarely found in nature were major phenolic constituents of this plant, and this is the first report of the isolation of any of them from Anacardiaceae. The extract was found to diminish UV phototoxic reaction of keratinocytes. However, the isolated kaempferol sulphatogalactopyranoside did not interact with UVB triggered IL-6 production of HaCaT keratinocytes.