Detection of Helicobacter-like Bacteria in Porcine Gastric Biopsy Samples by Amplification of 16S rRNA,ureB, vacA and cagA Genes by PCR

Preliminary evidence for the presence of Helicobacter-like bacteria was sought in 395 porcine gastric samples by a urease test. Of the samples, 37% (146/395) were urease-positive and 82% (82/100) of the Gram-stained urease-positive samples showed large, tightly spiralled organisms. Several methods were applied to culture the organisms but isolation was unsuccessful, contaminant organisms being considered to be one of the major problems. PCR with Helicobacter genus-specific primers for 16S rRNA and ureB genes, and primers for H. pylori vacA and cagA genes were tested with 102 urease-positive biopsy samples. The PCR results showed some evidence for the presence of the urease and the vacA genes in porcine Helicobacter-like bacteria and raises the possibility of pathogenicity by these organisms.     

Über die Veränderungen der Sorptionseigenschaften von Wurzeln zweier Pflanzenarten während der Verrottung

Die Steigerung der naturalen Erträge unserer Kulturpflanzen ist gegenwärtig kein wissenschaftlicher Arbeitsgegenstand der produktionsorientierten landwirtschaftlichen Forschung. Es bestehen häufig Bedenken, daß mit einer zunehmenden Ertragshöhe unerwünschte Wirkungen auf die Umwelt verbunden sind.

An ausgewählten Beispielen wird dargelegt, daß es zum einen nicht möglich ist, aus der Ertragshöhe oder den Ertragssteigerungen pauschal auf negative Umweltwirkungen der ackerbaulichen Produktion zu schließen. Zudem wird diskutiert, welche Bedeutung die Steigerung der Erträge von Kulturpflanzen für die Sicherung der technologischen, aber auch der ökologischen Ansprüche hat.

Ein Rückgang der Forschungs‐ und Publikationsleistungen zu Anbauverfahren bzw. dem Ertragsmanagement wird für die letzten Jahre dargelegt und dessen Bedeutung für die wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion erörtert.     

Effects of topical application of three pyrethroid insecticides on spontaneous activity in sensory nerves of Periplaneta americana and Blabera craniifer

Electrophysiological techniques were used to analyse the effects, on the activity in the sensory nerves of Periplaneta americana and Blabera craniifer, after topical applications of three different pyrethroid insecticides: deltamethrin, (1R)-tetramethrin, and 5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl (E)-(1R)-cis-2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-oxothiolan-3-ylidenemethyl)cyclopropanecarboxylate (RU-15525; ‘Kadethrin’). The insecticides were applied: (a) to the cercus, and the activity was recorded on the cercal nerve and on the central nervous connectives; or (b) to the last segments of the metathoracic leg, and the corresponding activity was recorded on the crural nerve. In both cases, several categories of receptor were affected but the major part of the recorded activity came from the mechanoreceptors, the functional properties of which were monitored throughout the experiments. In most cases, topical application of small amounts of pyrethroid were found to induce an increase in the spontaneous activity, followed by decrease in excitability. Characteristic differences were, however, found between the three compounds and the effects were concentration- and solvent-dependent. The results were consistent with those obtained from experiments on the sense organs of vertebrates but did not support the idea that the effectiveness of pyrethroid insecticides with an α-cyanobenzyl group, compared with those without an α-cyanobenzyl group, originates from a greater effect on the peripheral sensory receptors.     

The pathomorphology and pathogenesis of acute cardiovascular failure in swine. 2. Histopathologic findings in the myocardium of swine of different populations

Histopathological alterations of the myocardium (inflammatory processes, fibrolysis, fibronecrosis, dystrophic calcification, fatty degeneration of fibres, sarcosporidia) were recorded for quantitative evaluation from 200 hearts which had been collected from clinically intact pigs for slaughter of different populations (Leicoma, land race, Schwerfurt breed, Belgian land race). Both incidence and severity of myocardial damage in pigs of stress-sensitive populations were higher with significance than those in the less stress-sensitive Leicoma population oriented to breeding. The highest rate of pathological processes was recorded from hearts of the Schwerfurt breed. These alterations were interpreted as objectively measurable expressions of breed-dependent differences in cardiovascular stability. In this context, rates of damage were higher in hearts of low absolute mass.     

Diameter growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees grown at elevated temperature and carbon dioxide concentration under boreal conditions

We investigated the impacts of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) on diameter growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), aged about 20 years, grown with a low nitrogen supply in closed chambers at (i) ambient temperature and [CO2] (AT+AC), (ii) ambient temperature and elevated [CO2] (AT+EC), (iii) elevated temperature and ambient [CO2] (ET+AC), and (iv). elevated temperature and [CO2] (ET+EC). Each treatment was replicated four times. Diameter growth was monitored with a band dendrograph at 15-min intervals throughout the growing seasons of 1997, 1998 and 1999. Over the monitoring period, diameter growth began 2-3 weeks earlier in trees in the ET+EC and ET+AC chambers than in trees in the AT+AC and AT+EC chambers. However, the cessation of growth occurred about a week later in trees in the ET+EC, ET+AC and AT+EC chambers compared with the AT+AC chambers. The duration of the growing season was 115 and 108 days in the ET+EC and ET+AC chambers, respectively, and 95 and 84 days in the AT+EC and AT+AC chambers, respectively. The ET+AC and ET+EC treatments enhanced diameter growth most early in the growing season, whereas in trees in the AT+AC and AT+EC treatments diameter growth rate was highest in the middle of the growing season. Diameter growth rate leveled off more slowly in trees in the ET+EC and AT+EC treatments than in the other treatments. The growth response to elevated T, elevated [CO2] or both decreased with time and it was less than the maximum observed in other studies for small seedlings and under optimal growth conditions. Nevertheless, cumulative diameter growth for the 3-year period was 67% greater in trees in the ET+EC treatment, and 57 and 26% greater in trees in the AT+EC and ET+AC treatments, respectively, compared with trees in the AT+AC treatment. Over the 3 years, [CO2] had a statistically significant (P < 0.10) effect on both absolute and relative diameter growth, but the interaction between [CO2] and temperature was not significant.     

Customer adapted grading of Scots pine sawn timber using a multivariate method

To define new grading rules, or to customize the ones in use in a rule-based automatic grading (RBAG) system of boards, is a time-consuming job for a sawmill engineer. This has the effect that changes are rarely made. The objective of this study was to continue the development of a method that replaces the calibration of grading rule settings by a holistic-subjective automatic grading, using multivariate models. The objective was also to investigate if this approach can improve sawmill profitability and at the same time have a satisfied customer. For the study, 323 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) boards were manually graded according to the preferences of an important customer. That is, a customer that regularly purchases significant volumes of sawn timber. This manual grading was seen as reference grading in this work. The same boards were also scanned and graded by a RBAG system, calibrated for the same customer. Multivariate models for prediction of board grade based on aggregated knot variables, obtained from the scanning, were calibrated using partial least squares regression. The results show that prediction of board grades by the multivariate models were more correct, with respect to the manual grading, than the grading by the RBAG system. The prediction of board grades based on multivariate models resulted in 76–87% of the boards graded correctly, according to the manual grading, while the corresponding number was 63% for the RBAG system.     

Köderscheu bei Wühlmäusen (Microtinae)

Zusammmenfassung Im Rahmen der amtlich vorgeschriebenen Prüfung von Rodentiziden wurde beobachtet, daß Jungtiere der Rötelmaus und der Erdmaus, die noch im Familienverband mit ihren Eltern leben, besonders häufig köderscheu werden. Offensichtlich ermöglicht das Lernverhalten der Jungtiere bei der Nahrungsaufnahme der Eltern ein allmähliches Kennenlernen geeigneter oder ungeeigneter Nahrung. Die Jungtiere nehmen häufig feine Nahrungspartikel von den Lippen, insbesondere des Muttertieres auf. Somit können sie allmählich auch Erfahrungen über die Wirkung von akut wirksamen Rodentiziden sammeln, ohne selbst eine letale Dosis aufzunehmen. Hinweise über eine weitergehende Informationsübertragung, die zur Köderscheu führen kann, wurden nicht gefunden.

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Bait shyness of voles

Some rodents like the Common Vole (Microtus agrestis) and the Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) can cause severe damages in forest cultivations and orchards by gnawing roots and bark of the trees. Among other countermeasures zinc phosphide baits are used to prevent losses. However, some individuals get bait shy against the used acute poison usually. It was observed in some choice tests that young voles can learn very easily from her parents to avoid baits which contain an acute poison. The nestlings are licking the lips especially of her mother during food consumption. In this way they can get some information about palatable and non-palatable food items. Young voles living in her family can become bait shy rapidly during the learning and food imprinting process.

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Mit einer Tabelle     

Sekrete und Delta-16-Steroide als Lockmittel für die Rötelmaus (Clethrionomys glareolus)

Zusammenfassung Lebendfallen, die Nestmaterial oder Ausscheidungen von Rötelmäusen enthielten, wurden im Freiland von Artgenossen signifikant häufiger besucht als nicht-kontaminierte Fallen. Die Untersuchungen wurden im Spätsommer und Herbst in den Jahren 1986 und 1987 in Forstkulturen durchgeführt. In den Monaten August bis Oktober wurden Fallen, die kontaminierte Einstreu von Artgenossen enthielten, bevorzugt, in den Monaten November und Dezember Fallen mit Nestgeruch.Von den beiden Verbindungen 16-(5-alpha)-androsten-3-on (Androsten-on) und 16-(5-alpha)-androsten-3-alpha-ol (Androsten-ol) wurde die letztere signifikant von der Rötelmaus bevorzugt.

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Secretions and Delta-16-steroids as attractants for Bank Voles (Clethrionomys glareolus)

Bank Voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) preferred significantly live traps containing bedding or nesting material contaminated by conspecifics in comparision to clean traps (=control). The tests were conducted in forest cultivations in late summer and autumn of 1986 and 1987. In both years at the begin in August the traps contaminated with urin of conspecifics were most attractive. Females were significantly more frequently caught in traps contaminated by conspecific males and vice versa males visited preferably traps with bedding material of females. Later during October and November traps with nest odour were preferred by both sexes.It was assumed that derivatives of hormones could act as pheromones. Both compounds 16-(5-alpha)-androsten-3-one and 16-(5-alpha)-androsten-3-alpha-ol were tested in field plots. The latter was significantly preferred by Bank Voles but not by other species.

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Mit 7 Abbildungen und einer Tabelle     

Auftreten vonThomasiniana crataegi Barnes (Weiβdornzweiggallmücke) an Weiβdorn

Ohne Zusammenfassung