Detection of reaginic antibodies against Faenia rectivirgula from the serum of horses affected with Recurrent Airway Obstruction by an in vitro bioassay

Reaginic antibodies, mainly of the IgE and some IgG subclasses, play an important role in the induction of type I immediate hypersensitivity reactions. These antibodies bind through their Fc fragment to high affinity receptors (FcεRI) present in the membrane of mast cells and basophils. Previously, several studies have investigated the role of reaginic antibodies in the pathogenesis of RAO. However, whereas immunological aspects of RAO have been extensively studied, the precise sequence of events is still not well understood and role of IgE in this disease still remains controversial. Therefore, in this study a bioassay was developed for reaginic antibody determination in serum from RAO-affected horses in order to determine the etiology of disease. The technique involves measuring in vitro calcium mobilization in RBL-2H3 cells following incubation with horse serum from RAO-affected or unaffected horses and one of the RAO antigens (Faenia rectivirgula). Results demonstrated that 15% of samples from the RAO-affected horses reacted positively in this in vitro bioassay, whereas the samples from unaffected horses did not. This bioassay indicates that reaginic antibodies could be involved in the immunological mechanism leading to RAO; and this technique may facilitate future research in other allergic diseases in horses.     

Calcareous amendments in truffle culture: A soil nutrition hypothesis

Several statistical studies have indicated that a high concentration of active carbonate in the soil favours Tuber melanosporum fruit body production. The amount of active carbonate is significantly higher and the total carbonate is significantly lower inside than outside the T. melanosporum brûlés. These statistical patterns and other works show that T. melanosporum mycelia may acidify their immediate soil environment and solubilise carbonated fractions. Subsequently, the particular environmental conditions of brûlé soils may favour a secondary carbonate precipitation with a net increase in active carbonate which would in turn favour T. melanosporum mycelia. The greater brûlé size and fruiting are simultaneously both related to how well the fungus is growing, suggesting that the model which best explains the cause-effect of all these observations is a feedback process. Other statistical studies suggest that active carbonate favours increased fruiting of T. melanosporum as compared with Tuber aestivum, Tuber mesentericum and Tuber rufum, which has led to the use of calcareous amendments in truffle culture. We have studied the carbonated fractions of 46 soil samples from T. melanosporum plantations contaminated and uncontaminated with Tuber brumale (a serious problem in truffle culture), and it appears that the use of calcareous amendments does not serve to eradicate T. brumale from these plantations. However, we have observed the positive effect of calcareous amendments on the production of fruit bodies of both species. The similar response by T. melanosporum and T. brumale to soil active carbonate may be related to the close phylogenetic relationships between both species. Based on these findings, we propose a new soil nutrition hypothesis as a guide for research procedures in truffle soil ecology. Soils which are high in active carbonate lead to host plant chlorosis, which is a symptom of an underlying nutrient deficiency. This nutrient deficiency could lead to greater colonisation of T. melanosporum ectomycorrhizas and favour the growth of mycelia, fruit body production and brûlé development, which in turn encourages the formation of new amounts of active carbonate on the basis of the proposed feedback model.     

Understory structure and function following release from cattle grazing and overstory thinning in Mediterranean conifer plantations

Key message

Cattle grazing and overstory cover restrict understory growth and interact in shaping the understory community structure in Mediterranean conifer plantations.

Context

Understanding how silvicultural manipulations drive understory structure and function in Mediterranean pine plantations is essential for their multifunctional management.

Aims

This paper aims to study the interactive effects of cattle grazing and overstory thinning on understory structure and function.

Methods

Ten plots (0.25 ha) were selected in East Mediterranean mature Pinus brutia plantation (rainfall = 600 mm year^?1) representing thinned (≈100 trees ha^?1, leaf area index (LAI) ≈ 1.6) and non-thinned (≈230 trees ha^?1, LAI ≈ 3.5) areas. Two subplots (100 m²) within each plot were fenced in 2000 and 2006 while a third one remained grazed. Understory growth and species composition were measured in 2010.

Results

Thinning and grazing exclusion both positively influenced woody growth with their combined effect during 10 years leading to 20-fold increase in vegetation volume. An increase (15-fold) in herbaceous biomass was recorded 4 years after grazing exclusion but disappeared 10 years after exclusion due to increased woody cover. Species richness was not influenced by grazing but was positively affected by thinning. Understory composition was affected by grazing × thinning interaction with herbaceous ephemerals and short woody species being more frequent in grazed, thinned areas while larger woody species were more associated with ungrazed, non-thinned areas.

Conclusion

Grazing impacts on forest understories depend on overstory cover. We propose variable grazing-thinning combinations to meet multiple management objectives.

     

Effect of oil impregnation on water repellency,dimensional stability and mold susceptibility of thermally modified European aspen and downy birch wood

Conventional chemical wood preservatives have been banned or restricted in some applications due to human and animal toxicity and their adverse impact on the surrounding environment. New, low-environmental-impact wood treatments that still provide effective protection systems are needed to protect wood. Thermal modification of wood could reduce hygroscopicity, improve dimensional stability and enhance resistance to mold attack. The aim of this study was to investigate if these properties enhanced in thermally modified (TM) wood through treatments with oils. In this study, TM European aspen (Populus tremula) and downy birch (Betula pubescens) wood were impregnated with three different types of oil: water-miscible commercial Elit Träskydd (Beckers oil with propiconazole and 3-iodo-2-propynyl butylcarbamate, IPBC), a pine tar formulation and 100% tung oil. The properties of oil-impregnated wood investigated were water repellency, dimensional stability and mold susceptibility. The treated wood, especially with pine tar and tung oil, showed an increase in water repellency and dimensional stability. However, Beckers oil which contains biocides like propiconazole and IPBC showed better protection against mold compared with pine tar and tung oil. To enhance the dimensional stability of the wood, pine tar and tung oil can be used, but these oil treatments did not significantly improve mold resistance rather sometimes enhanced the mold growth, whereas a significant anti-mold effect was observed on Beckers oil treated samples.     

Plant management of greenhouse roses. The pruning

Results of pruning-experiments showed no significant differences in winter flower production between selective pruning and hedging. Winter production was related to the degree of the plant cut-back during the spring. Severe removal of the plant canopy resulted in decreased winter production of flowers. Delay in autumn cut-back decreased total winter yield, but mid-winter production was increased. The decline in winter flower production, following early summer cut-back, was partially restored by continuous lateral bud removal (de-shooting) during the summer. Flowering was greatly hampered by defoliation.     

Diversity among isolates ofVerticillium lecanii as expressed by DNA polymorphism and virulence towardsBemisia tabaci

Thirty-six isolates ofVerticillium lecanii andVerticillium sp. were taken from different hosts (both insects and rusts) and geographical locations. The isolates were analyzed for genomic variability, as expressed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), in relation to virulence onBemisia tabaci. Virulence on larvae ofB. tabaci within these isolates ranged from 0% to 83%. RAPD analysis was performed employing two different arbitrary decamer primers and the calculated similarity coefficients were subjected to cluster analysis using the unweighted average linkage (UPGMA) algorithm. The dendrograms obtained with each of the two primers were identical. Eight cluster groups and three unclustered isolates were obtained by selecting a similarity level of 80%. The amplification pattern of DNA obtained by RAPD for the various isolates suggested thatV. lecanii is a highly diverse species. No correlation could be established between virulence and either RAPD polymorphism of the fungal isolates or the insect host from which they were isolated. Generally, no correlation could be established between the clustering ofV lecanii strain and geographical location although a limited number of strains obtained from Russia and Georgia were assembled in the same cluster and those from Kazakhstan were clonal.     

Effect of night temperature and growing-practices on the winter yield of roses

The effect of night temperatures on the yield and quality of the rose, cultivars ‘Baccara’, ‘Sonia’ and ‘Belinda’, was studied during the winters of 1974/75 and 1975/76. Lower night temperature decreased the number of saleable flowers, reduced flower stem length, and increased ‘Baccara’ flower malformation. Sacrificing autumn yield (October–November) increased the number of mid-winter flowers and their stem length while significantly decreasing ‘Baccara’ flower malformation. The favorable response to sacrificing early yield is attributed to an enhanced rate of lateral bud breaking, as well as to a prolonged accumulation of summer metabolites and a more satisfactory balance of growth substances which reduce the incidence of flower malformation.     

Development of a sensitive and specific indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on a baculovirus recombinant antigen for detection of specific antibodies against Ehrlichia canis.

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on baculovirus recombinant P30 protein of Ehrlichia canis and the 1BH4 anticanine IgG monoclonal antibody was developed and evaluated by examining a panel of 98 positive and 157 negative sera using the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test as the reference technique. The P30-based ELISA appeared to be sensitive and specific (77.55% and 95.54%, respectively) when qualitative results (positive/negative) were compared with those of the IFA test; the coefficient of correlation (R) between the 2 tests was 0.833. Furthermore, it was possible to establish a mathematical formula for use in comparing the results of both techniques. These results indicate that recombinant P30 antigen-based ELISA is a suitable alternative of the IFA test for simple, consistent, and rapid serodiagnosis of canine ehrlichiosis. Moreover, the use of this recombinant protein as antigen offers a great advantage for antigen preparation in comparison with other techniques in which the whole E. canis organism is used as antigen.