Temperature and surface-ocean water balance of the mid-holocene tropical western pacific

Skeletal Sr/Ca and 18O/16O ratios in corals from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, indicate that the tropical ocean surface approximately 5350 years ago was 1 degrees C warmer and enriched in 18O by 0.5 per mil relative to modern seawater. The results suggest that the temperature increase enhanced the evaporative enrichment of 18O in seawater. Transport of part of the additional atmospheric water vapor to extratropical latitudes may have sustained the 18O/16O anomaly. The reduced glacial-Holocene shift in seawater 18O/16O ratio produced by the mid-Holocene 18O enrichment may help to reconcile the different temperature histories for the last deglaciation given by coral Sr/Ca thermometry and foraminiferal oxygen-isotope records.     

In vitro Capacitation and Acrosome Reaction of Dog Spermatozoa can be Feasibly Attained in a Defined Medium Without Glucose

Incubation of dog spermatozoa in a medium without glucose and in the presence of lactate and pyruvate (l-CCM) for 4 h at 38.5 degrees C in a 5% CO(2) atmosphere induced in vitro capacitation of these cells. This was verified after the combined specific capacitation-like changes in percentages of viability and altered acrosomes, motility characteristics, sperm location of reactivity against Pisum sativum, Arachis hypogaea and Helix pomatia lectins and the tyrosine phosphorylation pattern. Furthermore, a feasible acrosome reaction (AR) was induced when spermatozoa incubated in l-CCM for 4 h were further co-incubated for 1 h with canine oocytes. This was demonstrated by AR-like changes in percentages of viability, altered acrosomes, motility characteristics and sperm location of reactivity against P. sativum, A. hypogaea and H. pomatia lectins. All these results clearly indicate that in vitro capacitation, and subsequent AR, can be feasibly achieved without the presence of sugars. This ability can be related to the specific characteristics of energy-metabolism regulation reported in dog spermatozoa.     

Seroprevalence of equine herpesvirus 1 in Thoroughbred foals before and after weaning

Objective To investigate the seroprevalence of equine herpesvirus 1 in foals around weaning and after weaning on two large Thoroughbred farms using a type-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine exposure to infection.
Design A longitudinal population study in groups of Thoroughbred weanling foals.
Study population Two hundred weanling Thoroughbred foals from a population of about 380 foals were enrolled on two adjacent stud farms in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Foals on both farms were weaned from February to May 1995 into randomly selected groups of 10 to 15 foals. Farms were selected because of their willingness to cooperate in the survey and because their detailed records of foals and their movements. They were representative of well-managed large Thoroughbred stud farms in New South Wales. Both studs had upper respiratory tract disease among weanling foals around weaning each year although the sero-prevalence of viral respiratory disease on either farm was not known before the study.
Procedure Serum was collected from foals within each group at fortnightly intervals from 9th February until 1st June 1995, and at a single follow-up period in August 1995. Each sample was tested in triplicate using an antibody-detection ELISA which is type-specific for EHV-1 and EHV-4 antibodies.
Results and conclusions There was serological evidence of EHV-1 infection both before and after weaning. The prevalence of EHV-1 antibody in the sample population increased during the study and individual cases of EHV-1 infection were identified. The increase was caused both by the seroconversion of foals within the groups and by the recruitment into the study of foals with pre-existing EHV-1 antibody. Evidence of EHV-1 infection in Thoroughbred foals after weaning has not been reported previously in Australia and this has implications for vaccination regimens.     

Effects of Gonadotropins on In Vitro Maturation and of Electrical Stimulation on Parthenogenesis of Canine Oocytes

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gonadotropins on in vitro maturation (IVM) and electrical stimulation on the parthenogenesis of canine oocytes. In experiment I, cumulus oocyte complexes were collected from ovaries at a random phase of the oestrus cycle and cultured on maturation medium treated with hCG or eCG for 48 or 72 h. There were no significant differences in the effects on the metaphase II (MII) rate between the hCG and eCG treatment groups over 48 h (5.4% vs 5.5%). The MII rate in the co-treatment group of hCG and eCG for 48 h was higher than in each hormone treated group (15.5%, p < 0.05). In experiment 2, the parthenogenetic effect on oocyte development, at various electrical field strengths (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 kV/cm DC) for 60 or 80 μs with a single DC pulse after IVM on the co-treatment of hCG and eCG, was examined. The rate of pronuclear formation (37.1%) in electrical activation at 1.5 kV/60 μs without cytochalasin B (CB) was higher than that of oocytes activated in the other groups (p < 0.05). However, we did not observe the cleavage stages. Also, CB did not influence parthenogenesis of canine oocytes. The results showed that the pronucleus formation rate, indicative of the parthenogenesis start point, could be increased by electrical stimulation. Therefore, these results can provide important data for the parthenogenesis of canine oocytes and suggest the probability of parthenogenesis in canines.     

Introduction of Mandshurian ash (Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr.) to Estonia: Is it related to the current epidemic on European ash (F. excelsior L.)?

Recent investigations in Japan have suggested that the causal organism of the ongoing epidemic affecting European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) in Europe, Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus, may originate in East Asia. The fungus may have been unintentionally carried to Europe during the introduction of Mandshurian ash (F. mandshurica), the host tree of the fungus in East Asia. Still unicentric emergence hypothesis is in force: An area in the eastern Poland or Baltic has been shown to be the presumed epicentre of the epidemic. Really, during the Soviet occupation, several consignments of F. mandshurica seeds and plants, originating directly from the natural range of F. mandshurica in East Asia (Russian Far East), reached Baltic areas. In this paper, an overview about the Mandshurian ash is presented, the history of introduction of F. mandshurica to Estonia is reviewed and colonization of F. excelsior in this country by H. pseudoalbidus is briefly discussed. At present, we could not find any evidence, spatial or temporal, for a direct connection of the disease emergence on native F. excelsior with the introduction of F. mandshurica. The pathogen first colonized northwest Estonia and moved southeast and not from south to north as would be expected according to the hitherto existing unicentric hypothesis. However, more information is needed from different regions before to pose a multicentric emergence hypothesis and to deepen more into the investigations of the environmental factors that affected the host and supported to the epidemic in different areas.     

Stability and enhancement of berry juice color

Attractive color is one of the main sensory characteristics of fruit and berry products. Unfortunately, the color of red juices is unstable and easily susceptible to degradation, leading to a dull and weak juice color. This study was designed to investigate the color stability and copigmentation of four different berry juices enhanced by phenolic acids and commercial color enhancers. Phenolic acid enrichment improved and stabilized the color of the berry juices during storage. The commercial color enhancers immediately produced an intensive color to the juices, which, however, was not very stable. The color enhancement was intensive in strawberry and raspberry juices and effective in lingonberry and cranberry juices. Sinapic acid induced the strongest color in strawberry juice. Ferulic and sinapic acids improved raspberry juice color equally. Rosmarinic acid enhanced the color of lingonberry and cranberry juices the most. The addition of the simple cinnamic acids produced novel peaks to the end of the high-performance liquid chromatography chromatogram, indicating a formation of new compounds. It can be assumed that sinapic and ferulic acids formed new intramolecular copigmentation compounds with berry anthocyanins whereas rosmarinic acid stabilized anthocyanins intermolecularly.     

Splenic lymphoma in a short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

A 23-year-old, male short-beaked echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ) housed at a North American zoo was successfully treated for flea-associated anaemia, but subsequently died. Cause of death was presumptive septicaemia secondary to splenic lymphoma. This is only the fifth case of neoplasia reported in this monotreme species, and the first from outside of Australia.     

Formation of molecular chlorine from the photolysis of ozone and aqueous sea-salt particles

Halogen atoms from the reactions of sea-salt particles may play a significant role in the marine boundary layer. Reactions of sodium chloride, the major component of sea-salt particles, with nitrogen oxides generate chlorine atom precursors. However, recent studies suggest there is an additional source of chlorine in the marine troposphere. This study shows that molecular chlorine is generated from the photolysis of ozone in the presence of sea-salt particles above their deliquescence point; this process may also occur in the ocean surface layer. Given the global distribution of ozone, this process may provide a global source of chlorine.