Brucella suis in three dogs: presentation,diagnosis and clinical management

Brucella suis is an emerging, zoonotic disease predominantly affecting dogs and humans that engage in feral pig hunting in Australia and other countries. Although B. suis infection in dogs shares some clinical similarities to the host-adapted species (B. canis), B. suis remains an incompletely understood pathogen in dogs with limited published data on its pathogenesis and clinical features. This case series describes the presentations, diagnosis, and clinical management of B. suis infection in three dogs: (1) a bitch with dystocia, abortion and mastitis; (2) an entire male dog with septic arthritis and presumptive osteomyelitis; and (3) a castrated male dog with lymphadenitis. Unique features of these cases are reported including the first documented detection of B. suis from milk and isolation from lymph nodes of canine patients, as well as the follow-up of pups born to a B. suis-infected bitch. Consistent with previous reports, all three dogs showed a favourable clinical response to combination antibiotic therapy with rifampicin and doxycycline. Individually tailored drug regimens were required based on the clinical presentation and other factors, including owner expectations and compliance with therapy as well as a zoonotic risk assessment (generally considered low, except around time of whelping). The authors include their recommendations for the clinical management of dogs that are at-risk or seropositive for B. suis with or without clinical signs or laboratory-confirmed infection.     

Patterns of species and functional diversity around a coastal marine reserve: a fisheries perspective

• 1. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are expected to function simultaneously as biological conservation and fisheries management tools, but empirical evidence linking biodiversity conservation with fisheries benefits is scarce. Around the Medes Islands marine reserve (Spain, NW Mediterranean) patterns of fish catch diversity, catch (CPUE) and income (IPUE) were assessed and the economic value of diversity for local fisheries was explored by combining a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis with geostatistics.
• 2. Catch data were derived from the trammel net fleet operating around the MPA to gain information on species diversity, functional diversity, functional redundancy, CPUE and IPUE.
• 3. Results revealed significant impact of both the fishing prohibition in the MPA and the presence of seagrass beds on diversity metrics, catch and income. Clear differences in functional redundancy in fish assemblages were found within the study area, indicating greater resilience of the fish assemblage against fishing pressure or human impact close to the MPA (?2 km). In contrast, fish assemblages beyond 2 km of the MPA border are more vulnerable to disturbance. High values of diversity, CPUE and IPUE overlapped close to the MPA border and close to seagrass beds.
• 4. The spatial approach developed suggests that, in addition to the more commonly studied effect of density‐dependent spillover of adult fish, increased levels of ecological diversity and economic diversity can also result in fisheries benefits of an MPA. Hence, the fishing regulations in and around the Medes Islands marine reserve have shown that biological conservation and fisheries benefits can be complementary in the long‐term, which should be considered in future policies for MPAs or MPA networks.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oil quality and sensory evaluation of almond (Prunus amygdalus) stored after electron beam processing

The changes in the lipid fraction and the deterioration of its quality were studied in almonds (Prunus amygdalus) of the variety Guara after treatment with accelerated electrons at doses of 3, 7, and 10 kGy, during a storage period of 5 months. In almond oil, the most significant difference from the nutritional point of view was seen in the fatty acid linolenic (18:3), which shows at 3 kGy a maintenance of the initial content during the whole storage period, whereas, at 7 and 10 kGy, the content in 18:3 disappears from the first moment. The quality indices of the oil (K(232), K(270)) decreased at all doses and remained stable during the time of storage. The peroxide value did not show changes at the doses of 3 and 7 kGy, in non-irradiated samples, but significantly increased when the maximum dose of 10 kGy was applied. These changes were reflected in the sensory analysis, in which the tasters did not find sensory differences between the controls and those irradiated at doses of 3 or 7 kGy, whereas almonds irradiated at 10 kGy exhibited a rancid flavor and a significant decrease in general quality.     

Volatile organic compound emission and biochemical properties of degraded Ultisols ameliorated by no tillage and liming

The Ultisols in the Raña de Cañamero area in Southwest Spain showed aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity, and the clearance of natural vegetation and decades of intensive conventional agriculture caused the deplation of soil organic matter (SOM). Therefore, we studied the long-term effects of no tillage and liming using sugar beet foam (SF) and red gypsum (RG), alone or in combination, on the restoration of Ultisols affected by acidification, Al phytotoxicity, and SOM depletion. We measured the main soil chemical properties, soil microbial biomass, soil enzyme activities involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur mineralization, and the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results indicated that liming effectively neutralized the soil acidity in the long term and, in combination with no tillage, significantly increased soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities. Twenty-three VOCs were detected using the proton transfer reaction-time of flight (PTR-ToF) technique, and both liming and tillage changed the VOC emission patterns. The greatest difference in VOC emission pattern was observed between no-tilled un-amended soils and tilled lime-amended soils, suggesting the activation of different metabolic pathways within the microbial communities of soils under different management. Differences in VOC emission patterns could be attributed to the decomposition of carbohydrates, which were also sustained by the higher enzyme activities in the lime-amended soils.     

Biochemical and catalytic properties of three recombinant alcohol acyltransferases of melon. sulfur-containing ester formation, regulatory role of CoA-SH in activity, and sequence elements conferring substrate preference

Alcohol acyltransferases (AAT) play a key role in the biosynthesis of ester aroma volatiles in fruit. Three ripening-specific recombinant AATs of cantaloupe Charentais melon fruit (Cm-AAT1, Cm-AAT3, and Cm-AAT4) are capable of synthesizing thioether esters with Cm-AAT1 being by far the most active. All proteins, as well as AAT(s) extracted from melon fruit, are active as tetramers of around 200 kDa. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that CoA-SH, a product of the reaction, is an activator at low concentrations and an inhibitor at higher concentrations. This was confirmed by the addition of phosphotransacetylase at various concentrations, capable of modulating the level of CoA-SH in the reaction medium. Site-directed mutagenesis of some amino acids that were specific to the Cm-AAT sequences into amino acids that were consensus to other characterized AATs greatly affected the selectivity of the original protein and the number of esters produced.     

Nanometer-thick equilibrium films: the interface between thermodynamics and atomistics

Nanometer-thick films at interfaces and surfaces exist in various materials and can substantially influence their properties. Whether these films are an equilibrium or transient state is debated. To address this question, we equilibrated 1.2-nanometer-thick films at gold-sapphire interfaces in the presence of anorthite glass and measured the solid-solid interface energy. The equilibrated film significantly reduced the interfacial energy and could be described by the Gibbs adsorption isotherm expanded to include structure in addition to chemical excess. Unlike artificially made conventional thin films, these films do not break up during equilibration and offer an alternative design criterion for thin-film technology. These results demonstrate that nanometer-thick films at interfaces and surfaces can be an equilibrium state and included in phase diagrams with dedicated tie-lines.     

Effects of latex from "Amapazeiro"Parahancornia amapa (Apocynaceae) on blowfly Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae) post-embryonic development

Nowadays, insect control is usually carried out using chemical insecticides, but insect resistance and other negative side effects have prompted the search for alternatives. Biopesticides provide a positive alternative to synthetic pesticides because they have low impact on the environmental, low toxicity to humans and low costs among other advantages. This research was carried out to evaluate the activity of Parahancornia amapa (Huber) Ducke (Apocynaceae) lyophilized latex on the post embryonic development of Chrysomya megacephala (F.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Larvae treated with 1.0% latex showed a shorter post embryonic development period (larval, pupal and newly hatched larvae to adult); whereas larvae treated with 3.0% latex provoked a prolongation of these periods. Viability (53%) was also very low at the newly hatched larvae to adult period for larvae treated with 3.0% latex, indicating that latex from P. amapa at high concentrations could change C. megacephala post embryonic development.     

Relation between visitors’ behaviour and characteristics of green spaces in the city of Granada,south-eastern Spain

This paper examines the relation between visitor behaviour and certain features of a number of major green spaces in the city of Granada, south-eastern Spain, focussing on key urban, ecological and landscape-related issues. Information on user profiles and numbers, the various uses made of these areas, their design, plant species richness and local urban and sociological background, was collected by means of in situ observation in a total of ten urban green spaces with surface areas of over 5000 m². Findings indicated that these spaces were used largely for purposes directly related to well-being: recreational and sporting activities, socialising, or simply relaxing. Interestingly, the most common activities in each space were governed by features intrinsic to the space itself: accessibility, design, maintenance and plant richness and distribution, all of which affected the health-related attributes and aesthetic value of the space. The study also highlighted a number of serious deficiencies in certain green spaces, which will need to be addressed in future action plans and replanning projects as an essential step in ensuring that they meet the real needs and expectations of the target population. The information provided by this research may prove particularly valuable for improving the systemic functions of green spaces in Mediterranean cities sharing similar bioclimatic and sociological features, and for ensuring that they fulfil the role assigned to green spaces in sustainable cities.     

Plant management of greenhouse roses. Lateral bud removal

Removal of sprouting lateral shoots in rose plants caused breaking of lateral accessory buds. The sprouting of accessory buds decreased toward cane base. Lateral-shoot removal also resulted in an increase in the leaf specific weight and chlorophyll content and an increase in the average root weight. The effect of de-shooting on the leaf abscission differed in canes of different positions on the plant.