Comparison of a rebound and an applanation tonometer for measuring intraocular pressure in normal rabbits

Objective To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements made on healthy adult rabbits without the effect of tranquilizers using the new applanation tonometer, Tono‐Pen Avia^®, and the rebound tonometer Tonovet^®. Methods Intraocular pressure was measured throughout the day (6:00, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00 h) in 38 adult New Zealand White rabbits (76 eyes). The animals were 20 males and 18 females, with a mean weight of 3.5 kg and an average age of 6 months. A complete ocular exam (including Schirmer tear test, fluorescein staining, slit‐lamp biomicroscopy, and direct ophthalmoscopy) was performed on all animals at the beginning of the trial. Rebound tonometry was performed, and after 10 min, anesthetic drops were instilled and applanation tonometry was carried out. IOP values obtained using the two techniques were analyzed statistically. Results The mean IOP was 9.51 ± 2.62 mmHg with Tonovet^®, and 15.44 ± 2.16 mmHg with the Tono‐Pen Avia^®. Significant differences between measurements with the two tonometers were observed (P < 0.001). The linear regression equation describing the relationship between the two tonometers was y = 0.4923x + 10.754 (y = Tonovet^® and x = Tono‐Pen Avia^®). High IOPs were recorded in the early measurements (6:00), but the average IOPs from both devices were statistically similar throughout the day (P = 0.086). The correlation coefficient was r² = 0.357. No significant difference in IOP regarding gender was observed. Conclusion The Tono‐Pen Avia^® recorded higher levels of IOP compared with the Tonovet^®. Early in the day, the IOP of rabbits was higher than later in the day, regardless of the tonometer used.     

Hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside,an important phenolic compound in olive fruits and derived products

There is increasing interest in olive polyphenols because of their biological properties as well as their contribution to the color, taste, and shelf life of olive products. However, some of these compounds remain unidentified. It has been shown that hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside (4-beta-D-glucosyl-3-hydroxyphenylethanol) coeluted with hydroxytyrosol [(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol] under reversed phase conditions in the phenolic chromatograms of olive pulp, vegetation water, and pomace of olive oil processing. A method to separate this compound from hydroxytyrosol by HPLC has been developed. The concentration of this glucoside increased in olive pulp with maturation and could be the main phenolic compound in mature olives. In contrast, the presence of this compound was not detected in olive oil by using HPLC-MS. The compound must be considered both in table olives and olive oil processing because of its glucose and hydroxytyrosol contribution to these products.     

Polyphenol changes during fermentation of naturally black olives

The individual evolution of phenolic compounds has been studied during the natural fermentation of black olives for the first time. Cyanidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-glucoside were the main anthocyanins identified in fresh olives, and they were not detected after 1 month of storage either in brine or in olive. The fruit colors were different when aerobic or anaerobic conditions were used and as a consequence of the different anthocyanin polymerizations that took place. At time zero, the polyphenols observed in the olive juice were hydroxytyrosol-4-beta-glucoside, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, salidroside, and verbascoside and, after 12 months, the main phenol was hydroxytyrosol. The polyphenol content in the oil phase of olives was also analyzed. The dialdehydic form of elenolic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, oleuropein aglycon, and ligstroside aglycon were the main compounds found at the beginning of fermentation but were not detected after 3 months. In contrast, hydroxytyrosol, hydroxytyrosol acetate, tyrosol, and tyrosol acetate were the main polyphenols detected in the oil phase of the final product. The acid hydrolysis of the initial glucosides (in olive juice) and the aglycons (in oil phase) was, therefore, the main reaction that took place during fermentation.     

A nine-year study of successful breeding in a Bonelli’s eagle population in southeast Spain: a basis for conservation

We analyse the factors influencing breeding success in a healthy population of Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) from south-east Spain, a raptor that has suffered a serious decline in Europe. Between 18 and 33 pairs were annually monitored during the period 1994-2002. Several factors that may affect four breeding parameters were studied, namely human presence, vegetation, relief, climatic factors, intra- and inter-specific relationships, diet, prey abundance, nest building, adult mortality and age of reproduction. A consistently high breeding success was registered during the study period (productivity=1.43, SD=0.11), which was probably the result of high adult survival, adequate prey availability and mild weather conditions. However, a certain vulnerability to the presence of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and to human disturbance was observed. One interesting result was the reduced survival of young chicks on north-facing cliffs owing to colder conditions, which may partially explain the decline of the Bonelli’s eagle populations along its European distribution limits. We discuss the role of this healthy subpopulation in an Iberian metapopulation context, and propose that the potential interference of golden eagles should be taken into account when designing management strategies for Bonelli’s eagles. Finally, we pinpoint some conservation priorities and the importance of reducing the main causes of adult mortality (i.e. shooting and electrocution) to assure successful reproduction and survival of this species.     

Effect of water and nutrient supply on root distribution in anEucalyptus globulus plantation

Water and nutrients were supplied to anEucalyptus globulus plantation in a controlled experiment in west central Portugal. The trees were planted in a sandy soil at a spacing of 3 × 3 m. The experiment consisted of four treatments: irrigation, irrigation plus fertilization, fertilization without irrigation, and a rain fed and unfertilized control. The quantification of root biomass was carried out 13 mo after planting. When the plantation was 31 mo old, a trench was dug in the soil to uncover the distribution of the roots of individual trees. In the irrigated treatments root biomass was higher than in the control and in the fertilized plots. Differences in fine and coarse root distribution along the soil profile were also observed. In both irrigated treatments roots were concentrated along tree rows, where the irrigation tubes were dripping water or water plus nutrients.     

Gas chromatographic quantification of major volatile compounds and polyols in wine by direct injection

Methanol, propanol, isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, acetaldehyde, 1,1-diethoxyethane, acetoin, ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, and ethyl succinate and the polyols 2,3-butanediol (levo and meso forms) and glycerol were quantified by direct injection of wine samples. Linear responses over the usual concentration ranges for these compounds and r2 values from 0.9932 to 0.9998 were obtained. The confidence limits for the mean values ranged from 2.34% for diethyl succinate to 8.52% for 1,1-diethoxyethane, both at a probability level of 0.05. Relative errors ranged from 8 to 10% for the polyols and 1,1-diethoxyethane and were all less than 5% for alcohols and acetaldehyde. The proposed method is useful with a view to identifying relationships between alcoholic fermentation byproducts and controlling biological or chemical aging in wines.     

1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene Flow Characteristics in Saturated Homogeneous and Stratified Porous Media

Aerosol samples were continuously collected at Rishiri Island, Japan and concentrations of trace metals and water-soluble ionic constituents in the aerosol samples were measured in this study. Trace metal concentrations were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry equipped with a laser ablation sample introduction (LA/ICP-MS), which is a rapid and simultaneous method for multi-element analysis. The average concentrations of trace metals and water-soluble ionic constituents in TSP at Rishiri Island from March 2001 to October 2003 were: Al: 251 ± 371 (n= 359), Ti: 27 ± 38 (n= 342), V: 1.3 ± 1.6 (n= 327), Cr: 2.0 ± 2.2 (n= 202), Mn: 8.6 ± 12.0 (n= 353), Fe: 356 ± 645 (n= 349), Co: 0.18 ± 0.25 (n= 250), Ni: 1.9 ± 3.4 (n= 232), Cu: 7.4 ± 10.2 (n= 123), Zn: 16 ± 20 (n= 242), As: 1.2 ± 2.1 (n= 312), Se: 0.49 ± 0.65 (n= 133), Cd: 0.19 ± 0.33 (n= 285), Sb: 0.46 ± 0.62 (n= 265), Pb: 16 ± 30 (n= 314), Na⁺: 1153 ± 1384 (n= 306), NH₄ ⁺: 247 ± 257 (n= 254), K⁺: 74 ± 63 (n= 284), Ca²⁺: 144 ± 174 (n= 294), Mg²⁺: 150 ± 161 (n= 293), Cl^?: 2703 ± 3151 (n= 180), NO₃ ^?: 339 ± 415 (n= 332), SO₄ ^2?: 1648 ± 1398 (n= 362) (unit: ng m^?3). The obtained trace metal concentration levels in the aerosol were 1/10–1/70 of those obtained at Beijing, China and 1/2–1/40 of those obtained at Tokyo, Japan. The correlation between Al, Ti, Mn, and Fe, which were derived mainly from soil dust, was high at Rishiri Island. High-concentration events (when the measured value exceeds the average +3σ for the entire observation period) for each chemical constituent were observed several times per year, although the chemical concentration levels in TSP at Rishiri Island were almost constant throughout the year. The high-concentration phenomenon, which occurred in only 2% of the measurement days, raised the average concentration of the atmospheric chemical constituents at Rishiri Island by about 10%. The average value of the Pb/Zn ratio at Rishiri Island during the entire period was 1.8 ± 2.9, which is higher than 1. This suggests that the atmosphere at Rishiri Island has constantly been receiving contaminants from the Asian Continent. We conclude that the chemical constituents in the aerosol at Rishiri Island have been regularly transported from a wide area across the Asian Continent.     

Chemometrical analysis of capillary electrophoresis casein fractions for predicting ripening times of milk mixture cheese

The effect of the ripening time on the proteolytic process in cheeses manufactured from mixtures of cow's and ewe's milk during a 167-day ripening period was monitored by capillary electrophoresis of the pH 4.6-insoluble fraction. Totals of 21 and 16 peaks were recognized and matched in the electropherograms obtained with a fused-silica capillary and a neutral capillary (hydrophilically coated), respectively. These peaks corresponded to intact bovine and ovine caseins and their hydrolysis products (e.g., alpha(s1)-casein, gamma-caseins). In 167-day-old cheeses, bovine alpha(s0)-casein (alpha(s1)-casein 9P) had been completely degraded and 6% of the residual bovine alpha(s1)-casein remained intact. Breakdown of the beta-casein fraction was lower than that of the alpha(s)-casein fraction. Finally, partial least-squares regression and principal component regression were used to predict the ripening time in cheeses. The root-mean-square errors in prediction by cross-validation were <7.8 days in all cases.