Evaluation of different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the diagnosis of brucellosis due to Brucella melitensis in sheep

Six serological assays for the diagnosis of ovine brucellosis, due to Brucella melitensis were evaluated. Reference serum samples from sheep of known B. melitensis infection status (n = 118) were assessed using the Rose Bengal test (RBT), complement fixation test (CFT) and four commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), including two indirect ELISAs (iELISAs), one competitive ELISA (cELISA) and one blocking ELISA (bELISA).The highest differential positive rates (DPR) were obtained with the cELISA and bELISA, while the lowest DPR was estimated using iELISAs. A latent class analysis was performed to estimate the accuracy of the CFT, RBT and bELISA using 1827 sera from sheep undergoing testing as part of a surveillance and control programme. Lower sensitivity and specificity were obtained for the three serological tests when the field samples were used. A higher DPR was achieved by the CFT, compared to bELISA and RBT. The results suggest that ELISAs, and particularly the bELISA, might be suitable for inclusion in the European Union legislation on intra-community trade for diagnosing B. melitensis infection in sheep, as it has a similar test performance compared to the RBT.     

Milk yield,gross composition and fatty acid profile of dual‐purpose Aosta Red Pied cows fed separate concentrate‐forage versus total mixed ration

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of two feeding methods on milk yield, composition and fatty acid (FA) profile obtained from dual‐purpose cattle. Twenty‐four Aosta Red Pied cows beyond peak of lactation were assigned to two groups and fed hay and concentrates in the proportions 0.69 and 0.31 on a dry matter basis for 10 weeks. Concentrates were offered separately from forages 6 times a day (separate ration, SR) or as a total mixed ration (TMR). The feeding method did not significantly influence dry matter intake (16.8 vs. 16.9 kg/head/day for SR‐ and TMR‐fed cows, respectively), milk yield (17.4 vs. 17.5 kg/head/day), milk fat, protein and lactose contents (36.4 vs. 35.2, 33.5 vs. 32.8, and 47.3 vs. 47.4 g/kg) and yields (607.9 vs. 613.4, 567.4 vs. 572.7 and 805.5 vs. 829.7 g/head/day). The overall milk FA profile was very similar between groups. Milk concentrations of FA used as indirect markers of rumen function (C18:2 t10c12, odd‐ and branched‐chain FA) and the extent of ruminal biohydrogenation were comparable (P > 0.05) between SR‐ and TMR‐fed cows, suggesting that ruminal pH did not vary considerably as a consequence of the feeding strategy applied.     

Do land cover changes shape sensitivity to forest fires in peri-urban areas?

The present study assesses the spatial distribution of selected land cover classes at two years (1975 and 2000) in a Mediterranean urban area (Athens, Greece) to test the hypothesis that land cover changes determine an increase in the sensitivity of landscape to forest fires on a regional scale. While urban and agricultural areas increased, although with different rates of growth, forests and semi-natural areas decreased in the study area. These changes are reflected in a significant increase of vegetation sensitivity to forest fires measured by the forest fire risk (FR) index developed in the framework of MEDALUS project. The cover classes which contributed the most to the increase of the FR index were crop mosaic, mixed agricultural-natural areas and discontinuous, low-density settlements. Results of the present study indicate that the transformation of the fringe landscape towards low-quality agricultural and pasture areas and fragmented forest patches is potentially detrimental for environmental quality and the ecological fragility of land.     

Fishers,dams, and the potential survival of the world's rarest turtle,Rafetus swinhoei,in two river basins in northern Vietnam

1. Next to cetaceans and megafishes, freshwater turtles are the most iconic endangered freshwater species.
2. A detailed questionnaire survey conducted with more than 100 individuals from fishing communities in northern Vietnam was used to investigate the current status of Southeast Asian turtles and provides new hope concerning the survival of Rafetus swinhoei, for which recent official records in the wild are limited to a single individual in Vietnam.
3. The survey included the entire Vietnamese portion of the Da River in Hoa Binh and Son La provinces, as well as the Chu and Ma river system in Thanh Hoa Province, as they are the last sites where the world's rarest and largest Asian softshell turtle has been seen. The questionnaire, conducted in Vietnamese, focused on demographic details, fishing intensity and gear, the status of fishing grounds, and the frequency of interaction with turtles.
4. The great majority of fishers could recognize different turtle species from photographs and describe their preferential breeding habitats; not all knew that they are protected. A few confirmed that more than once each year they still encounter freshwater turtles during their fishing activities.
5. This survey provides detailed information on sites where freshwater turtles are still seen in northern Vietnam and broadens our hope that wild individuals of the extremely rare R. swinhoei may still be present in the remaining riparian wetlands of these biodiverse, dammed, and controlled river basins in North Vietnam.

     

Location and stability of a recombinant ovine prion protein in synthetic humic-like mineral complexes

Location and stability of a recombinant prion protein (recPrP) and its interaction with humic-like complexes were investigated by low-temperature ashing (LTA), thermal gravimetric (TG), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Humic-like complexes were obtained by abiotic polymerization of catechol, one of the possible precursors of soil humic matter, through the catalysis of birnessite, a manganese oxide common in soil environment. The recPrP was immobilized in organomineral complexes via sorption or entrapment. Complexes were treated by LTA, allowing the controlled removal of organic matter layer by layer, from the external to the internal side, with minimal disturbance of mineral constituents. Thermal gravimetric and SEM analyses were performed on specimens before and after LTA treatment. Entrapped recPrP, compared with sorbed, resulted less easily accessible to LTA treatment and showed a higher thermal stability by TGA analyses. On the basis of these findings, we hypothesize that the processes leading to newly formed organic complexes can enhance prion stability in soil and thus influence the environmental diffusion of infectivity.     

BAX and BAK regulation of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+: a control point for apoptosis

BAX and BAK are "multidomain" proapoptotic proteins that initiate mitochondrial dysfunction but also localize to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient for BAX and BAK (DKO cells) were found to have a reduced resting concentration of calcium in the ER ([Ca2+]er) that results in decreased uptake of Ca2+ by mitochondria after Ca2+ release from the ER. Expression of SERCA (sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ adenosine triphosphatase) corrected [Ca2+]er and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in DKO cells, restoring apoptotic death in response to agents that release Ca2+ from intracellular stores (such as arachidonic acid, C2-ceramide, and oxidative stress). In contrast, targeting of BAX to mitochondria selectively restored apoptosis to "BH3-only" signals. A third set of stimuli, including many intrinsic signals, required both ER-released Ca2+ and the presence of mitochondrial BAX or BAK to fully restore apoptosis. Thus, BAX and BAK operate in both the ER and mitochondria as an essential gateway for selected apoptotic signals.     

Assessment of Eco-Physiological Performance of Quercus ilex L. Leaves in Urban Area by an Integrated Approach

Bioretention cells, also known as raingardens, are increasingly being constructed as a means to collect, infiltrate, and treat stormwater runoff. There are concerns, however, about how stormwater management practices might function in terms of infiltration and pollutant removal as they age. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K _sat) values were obtained for eight cells in 2006 and again for three of those cells in 2010 using an infiltrometer. A strong positive correlation of mean K _sat with service time was observed (slope = 10.2?±?2.4 cm/h per year, R ² = 0.67). Results from metals analyses of bioretention media cores collected from six bioretention cells showed the expected trend of Cu and Zn enrichment at the surface while Cd was detected only in one out of 72 media samples analyzed. Sorption isotherms from batch testing of field media samples (T = 22.5 °C, pH = 7.2) were used to estimate metal sorption capacities based on representative stormwater Cd and Zn concentrations. Cu was not considered, as very little of the metal is dissolved under these conditions (22.8?±?7.1 %). The mean equilibrium sorption capacities for Cd (10.2?±?3.1 mg/kg) and Zn (294.9?±?14.9 mg/kg) far exceeded observed levels in the bioretention media such that the remaining sorption capacity was ≥83 % for Zn and ≥90 % for Cd for the cells. Overall, the results of this investigation suggest that bioretention cells can provide many years of effective infiltration (>6 years) and metals removal performance (>25 years).     

Organic Matter Effects on the Cr(VI) Removal Efficiency and Tolerance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Typha domingensis</Emphasis>

The removal efficiency and tolerance of Typha domingensis to Cr(VI) in treatments with and without organic matter (OM) addition were evaluated in microcosm-scale wetlands. Studied Cr(VI) concentrations were 15 mg L^?1, 30 mg L^?1, and 100 mg L^?1, in treatments with and without OM addition, arranged in triplicate. Controls (without neither metal nor OM addition—without metal with OM addition) were disposed. Cr(VI) was removed efficiently from water in all treatments. OM addition enhanced significantly Cr(VI) and total Cr removals from water. In the treatments with OM addition, significantly higher Cr concentrations were found in sediment than the treatments without OM addition. Plants of the treatments without OM addition showed significantly higher Cr concentrations in tissues but lower biomass increase than the treatments with OM addition. The highest Cr concentrations in tissues were observed in submerged parts of leaves, followed by roots. According to SEM analysis, in the 100 mg L^?1 treatments, the highest Cr accumulation was observed in the epidermis of old leaves. Although Cr(VI) produced changes in root morphology, the OM addition favored the plant growth. In T. domingensis, root morphological plasticity is an important mechanism to improve metal tolerance and Cr uptake in wetland systems minimizing the environmental impact.     

Soil solid phases effects on the proteomic analysis of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34

Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is a completely sequenced soil-borne beta-proteobacterium with known genome and proteome. Comparative 2-D electrophoresis and protein mass spectrometry were used to compare the proteome of C. metallidurans CH34 from liquid culture and after incubation for 1, 3, and 12?days in microcosms containing quartz sand, kaolinite, montmorillonite, or an artificial soil. Results showed that proteome from liquid culture was similar to CH34 proteins extracted from sand and kaolinite, whereas the proteins extracted from artificial soil differed significantly and no proteins were detected from C. metallidurans CH34 incubated in the montmorillonite microcosms. Protein recovery decreased on prolonging incubation time in all microcosms. Mass spectrometry identification showed that the trend of lower recovery upon incubation time was independent on the putative function of protein. These results suggest that the soil solid phase influences the protein recovery and soil proteomic analysis and that distinction between protein recovery and protein expression in soil will be a challenging for soil proteomic researchers.