Homogeneous shear stress field of wood in an Arcan shear test configuration measured by means of electronic speckle pattern interferometry: description of the test setup

Wood Science and Technology - Several studies have dealt with the problem of how to measure the shear modulus of small clear wood specimens, avoiding bias from normal compression, bending, tension...     

Differential Activity of Carboxylic Acid Amide Fungicides Against Various Developmental Stages of Phytophthora infestans

ABSTRACT Three carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides, mandipropamid (MPD), dimethomorph (DMM) and iprovalicarb (IPRO) were examined for their effects on various asexual developmental stages of Phytophthora infestans in vitro and in planta. Germination of cystospores and direct germination of sporangia were inhibited with nanomole concentrations of MPD (0.005 mug/ml) and micromole concentrations of DMM (0.05 mug/ml) or IPRO (0.5 mug/ml). A temporary exposure of 1 h to CAAs was not detrimental to germination and infectivity of sporangia or cystospores. CAAs applied to cystospores at 1 h after the onset of germination did not prevent the emergence of germ tubes, but inhibited their further growth and deformed their shape. None of the fungicides affected discharge of zoospores from sporangia or the encystment (cell wall formation/assembly) of the zoospores. Mycelium growth in solid or liquid media was inhibited with micromole concentrations. CAAs mixed with sporangia and drop inoculated onto detached leaves strongly suppressed infection. Curative application at 1 day postinoculation (dpi) required higher concentrations of CAAs than preventive application to inhibit infection and lost its effectiveness at 2 dpi. When sprayed on established late blight lesions 4 days after inoculation, CAAs reduced sporangial production in a dose-dependent manner. Trans-laminar protection of potato or tomato leaves, although achieved with higher doses, was more effective with MPD than with DMM or IPRO. Shade house studies demonstrated superior control of late blight epidemics by MPD compared with the other molecules. The data suggest that germ tube formation by cystospores or sporangia is the most sensitive stage in the life cycle of P. infestans to CAAs. Of the three CAAs, MPD had the highest intrinsic activity against spore germination. This property, together with its better trans-laminar activity, makes MPD more effective than DMM or IPRO in controlling epidemics caused by P. infestans.     

After nasopharyngeal infection,foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype A RNA is shed in bovine milk without associated mastitis

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious aphthoviral infection of cloven-hoofed animals, inducing vesiculopustular stomatitis, pododermatitis, and thelitis. Vesicular fluid represents a major pathway of virus excretion, but bovine milk is another important source of virus shedding. We describe here the time course of FMD virus (FMDV) excretion in the milk and characterize associated lesions in the mammary gland. Three dairy cows were infected by nasopharyngeal instillation of FMDV and monitored over 12 d. Autopsy was performed at the end of the study, and specimens were collected for histopathology, IHC, and RT-qPCR. All 3 cows developed fever, drooling, vesiculopustular stomatitis, interdigital dermatitis, and thelitis. FMDV RNA was detectable in whole milk until the end of the trial, but only transiently in saliva, nasal secretions, and blood serum. Although histology confirmed vesiculopustular lesions in the oral and epidermal specimens, the mammary glands did not have unequivocal evidence of FMDV-induced inflammation. FMDV antigen was detectable in skin and oral mucosa, but not in the mammary gland, and FMDV RNA was detectable in 9 of 29 samples of squamous epithelia but only in 1 of 12 samples of mammary gland.     

Impact of temperature and nutrition on the toxicity of the insecticide λ-cyhalothrin in full-lifecycle tests with the target mosquito species Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens

The global spread of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, an urban pest as well as a vector for arboviruses, is a threat for public health. As control measures include the use of insecticides such as the pyrethroid λ-cyhalothrin, it is crucial to assess their efficiency and their potential impact on the biodiversity especially under climate change conditions. To evaluate the environmental risk, biotests are well established for non-target organisms but not yet for mosquitoes. We therefore developed a full-lifecycle biotest for mosquitoes kept under quarantine conditions based on the OECD guideline 219. Therewith we tested the effect of temperature and nutrition on the ecotoxicological response to λ-cyhalothrin on the mosquitoes Ae. albopictus and Culex pipiens by assessing sublethal and life history parameters. The efficiency of λ-cyhalothrin decreased in both mosquito species with increasing temperature and changed with feeding protocol. At effective concentrations for potential mosquito control in surface waters, λ-cyhalothrin poses a high risk for indigenous aquatic key role species inhabiting the same microhabitats. Those aspects should to be taken into account in vector control strategies.     

玉米株型相关基因ZmDwarf4的克隆及表达分析

以松散型玉米自交系沈137为材料,利用同源克隆法成功克隆与水稻Dwarf4基因同源的玉米Dwarf4基因。序列分析发现,该基因cDNA序列全长1 626 bp,开放阅读框1 521 bp,编码506个氨基酸,与高粱、水稻、拟南芥的氨基酸同源性分别为95%、89%和71%。Real-Time PCR分析表明,ZmDwarf4基因的表达量为3～11叶期表达量逐渐增加,9～11叶期达到最大量,12～19叶期表达量逐渐降低,推测ZmDwarf4基因正向调控玉米叶夹角的大小。ZmDwarf4基因的表达量在叶片中最高,在叶枕中最低。不同激素处理的结果表明,用植物激素（IAA）处理的样品ZmDwarf4基因的表达量始终高于对照;用Brassinolide（BR）处理的样品6叶期ZmDwarf4基因的表达量高于对照,7～10叶期该基因的表达趋势与对照基本一致,但始终低于对照;用IAA+BR处理的样品,该基因的表达趋势与对照基本一致,但高于对照。ZmDwarf4参与玉米BR生物合成途径,进而调控其相关株型建成。     

Habitat structure and prey aggregation determine the functional response in a soil predator-prey interaction

Functional responses describe the per capita consumption rates of predators depending on prey density, which quantifies the energy transfer between trophic levels. We studied a typical interaction of the litter-soil systems between hunting spiders (Pardosa lugubris; Araneae: Lycosidae) and springtails (Heteromurus nitidus; Collembola: Entomobryidae) at varying habitat structure, i.e. with moss vs. without moss. We found a hyperbolic increase in consumption (functional response type II) in the treatment without habitat structure that was converted into a roller-coaster (or dome-shaped in a broad sense) functional response in treatments with habitat structure. Additional experiments suggest that the reduced per capita consumption rates at high prey densities may be explained by aggregative defence behaviour of the springtails. Experimentally, this behaviour was induced by the presence of habitat structure. We analyzed the net-energy gain of this predator-prey interaction by comparing the predator’s metabolic energy loss to its energy gain by consumption. In treatments with habitat structure, the net-energy gain of the predator was limited at intermediate prey densities where prey aggregation reduced the consumption rates. Our results stress the importance of habitat structure and prey behaviour in shaping the functional response in a typical soil-litter predator-prey interaction.     

Erstellung eines Moorstandortkataloges als eine grundlage für das moorschutzprogramm in mecklenburg‐vorpommern

Der Moorstandortkatalog Mecklenburg‐Vorpommern wird als Bestandteil der bodenkundlichen Landesaufnahme seit 1992 durch den Geologischen Dienst erarbeitet. Moore nehmen 12% der Wirtschaftsfläche, entsprechend etwa 300000 ha ein. Fast ausschließlich sind es Niedermoore (nur ca. 5 000 ha Regenmoore) verschiedener Typen unter subkontinentalen Klimabedingungen und größtenteils landwirtschaftlicher Nutzung.

Gegenwärtig sind 30% aller Niedermoorböden, es handelt sich um die größten, mit kartographischen Übersichten, Daten und fachspezifischen Erläuterungen über ihren Aufbau und Zustand katalogisiert. Damit liegt eine wichtige Grundlage für das in Ausarbeitung befindliche Landes‐Moorschutzprogramm vor. Die Daten für jedes Moorgebiet werden im Fachinformationssystem Boden gespeichert. Die auf die Erstellung des Moorstandortkataloges gerichteten Untersuchungen zeigen, daß sich die ursprüngliche Genese der Niedermoore den lithogenetischen und morphologischen Bedingungen ihres Wassereinzugsgebietes anglich. Die Zuordnung der hydrologisch‐genetischen Moortypen folgt weitgehend der geomorphologischen Struktur des Jungmoränengebietes, z.B. Durchströmungsmoore in der ebenen bis welligen Grundmoräne, Küstenüberflutungsmoore am ca. 314km langen Küstenabschnitt der südlichen Ostsee, Kesselmoore in Endmoränengebieten usw.     

利用若干单株混合提取DNA方法进行玉米群体SSR的分析

以金皇后玉米群体90个单株：DNA和6个自交系DNA为供试材料，利用15对SSR引物，比较了同一群体4种DNA样品处理(单株DNA样品、3个单株混合DNA样品、10个单株混合DNA样品、15个单株混合DNA样品)的SSR遗传多态性。结果表明，利用单株DNA样品能获得等位基因数、基因频率、基因型杂合度等较全面的遗传信息，适宜进行单个或少量群体的遗传结构研究，但试验工作量大；利用混合DNA样品所能获得的遗传信息有所减少，比较4种DNA样品处理的检测结果发现，15个单株混合样品的检测结果误差较大，而采用3～10个单株DNA混合的样品基本可以反映出一个群体的等位基因数目和SSR带型的差异，由于试验工作量大大减少，可以应用于较多玉米群体间遗传差异的比较。