Distribution of Protura along an urban gradient in Vienna

In the first study of the Protura of a big city, six representative habitat types were sampled in Vienna, Austria. Twenty-five sites between the green belt and the city centre yielded 42 known species. Abundance, species number and diversity were highest in colline deciduous forests, with a maximum of 23 syntopic species in a Quercus pubescens stand. Acerella muscorum, all of the five Acerentomon spp. and 13 further species occurred exclusively in colline deciduous forests. The mediterranean Berberentulus berberus and six other species were recorded exclusively in parks or artificial habitats, suggesting anthropogenic transport. No Protura were found in garden and arable soils. Species density in the municipal area of Vienna (415 km²) is a function of the city's biogeographic situation on the border between the Alps and the Pannonian lowland as well as its diversity of seminatural habitats, and unintentional introduction.     

Organic matter effects on phosphorus sorption in sandy soils

Phosphorus (P) sorption processes in soils contribute to important problems in agriculture: a deficiency of this plant nutrient and eutrophication in aquatic systems. Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a major role in sorption processes, but its influence on P sorption remains unclear and needs to be elucidated to improve the ability to effectively manage soil P. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of SOM on P sorption. The study was conducted in sandy soil profiles and in topsoils before and after removal of SOM with H₂O₂. The results were interpreted with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Our results indicated that SOM affected P sorption in sandy soils, but that P sorption also depended on specific soil properties (e.g. values of the degree of P saturation (DPS), P sorption capacity (PSC) and pH) often related to land use. Removal of SOM decreased PSC in most of the topsoils tested; other soil properties became important in controlling P sorption. An increase in P desorption observed after SOM removal indicated that SOM was potentially that soil constituent which increased P binding and limited P leaching from these sandy soils.     

Differences in C and N release from Alliaria petiolata leaves and stems: consequences for nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems

European Journal of Forest Research - Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cav. et Grande) is a widespread forest edge plant species in the European temperate zone and also one of the most...     

Impact of lactation on pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in goats

Use of drug in lactating animal should be carefully considered due to its possibility of changes in pharmacokinetics as well as drug penetration in milk. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of lactation on pharmacokinetics of meloxicam after IV and IM administrations in goats. A crossover design (2 × 2) was used for each lactating and nonlactating group of goats with a 3-week washout period. Meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg) was administered into the jugular vein and upper gluteal muscle by IV and IM routes, respectively. The plasma and milk drug concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, and the pharmacokinetic analysis was carried out by noncompartmental analysis. The pharmacokinetic parameters of meloxicam in lactating and nonlactating goats were not significantly different. The IM bioavailability of meloxicam was relatively lower in lactating (75.3 ± 18.6%) than nonlactating goats (103.8 ± 34.7%); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, AUC ratio between milk and plasma, which represent drug milk penetration, for both IV and IM administrations was less than 1 (about 0.3). In conclusion, pharmacokinetic parameters of meloxicam are not significantly altered by lactation for either the IV or IM routes of administration and this drug does not require a different dosage regimen for lactating animals.     

Selected leukocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood and uterine washings in cows before and after intrauterine administration of cefapirin and methisoprinol

The aim of the study was to evaluate the selected lymphocyte subpopulations TCD4, TCD8, BCD21, BCD25, CD18, CD11b, and MHC II in blood and uterine flush of cows with endometritis, before and after intrauterine (i.u.) administration of cefapirin and methisoprinol. The research was carried out on 28 cows with clinical endometritis. Animals were divided into four groups, each composed of seven cows, depending on the i.u. preparation used: Group A, cefapirin; Group B, methisoprinol; Group C, cefapirin and methisoprinol simultaneously; and a control group—without medication. The study was performed using flow cytometry method. Summarizing the results of the research, i.u. infusion of cefapirin caused a weakening of the effector phase of the local uterine immune response; however, it enhanced leukocyte chemotaxis and antigen presentation. After i.u. administration of methisoprinol, the stimulation of specific uterine immunity mechanisms was mainly observed. The use of both mentioned preparations showed the strengthening of specific uterine immunological mechanisms presumably caused by methisoprinol, despite the inhibitory effect of the antibiotic. Intrauterine use of immunostimulatory substances can improve the effectiveness of the endometritis treatment in cows by improving specific local mechanisms of uterine immunity. As a consequence, it may enhance the effector function of immune competent cells and finally eliminate inflammation.     

An attempt to control <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cameraria ohridella</Emphasis> using an attract-and-kill technique

This study estimates the efficacy of an attract-and-kill (A&K) technique to control the horse chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella Deschka and Dimic (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae), an invasive insect pest of the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum L. (Hippocastanaceae). The A&K formulation was dispensed as 50 μl droplets of paste-like matrix, containing C. ohridella sex pheromone, (8E,10Z)-tetradeca-8,10-dienal (85% + pure; 0.16% w/w) and a fast acting contact toxicant, pyrocides (94% pure; 6% w/w), applied directly to the bark of the trees. It was tested in 2003 at rates of 30 and 45 droplets/tree at the Ostrobramska site and at rates of 30, 60 and 90 droplets/tree at the Woloska site in Warsaw, Poland, for the first insect generation. A set of untreated plots (0 droplets/tree) was established at each site as well. The treatment efficacy was estimated using two indices: (1) moth catches in pheromone traps and (2) the number of mines per leaf. Trap catches were significantly higher in the untreated plots than in the treated plots regardless of the application rate in all sites. However, there were no significant differences in leaf damage amongst all plots on each site. At the “Lazienki Krolewskie” park the attractiveness of two types of pheromone sources were compared: traps were baited with rubber septum lures or with A&K droplets. The catches of C. ohridella in traps baited with lures were lower than captures in A&K droplet-baited traps, but the difference was not significant. Possible reasons for the low efficacy of the A&K method in management of C. ohridella and reducing leaf damage are discussed.     

Inheritance of the efficiency of nitrogen uptake and utilization in winter wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) under diverse nutrition levels

The effects of contrasting soil nitrogen (N) levels on the inheritance of the efficiency of N uptake and N utilization in grain mass formation were examined in winter wheat. Parents of various origins and their diallel F₂-hybrids were evaluated in field and pot experiments under varying levels of soil N. The range of additive variance in the components of N efficiency was narrow, especially under N shortage. The soil N-treatments imposed had a substantial influence on gene actions responsible for the efficiency components and modes of inheritance. Genotype × nutrition interactions were common. Under high N-fertilization, the efficiency components were inherited in a manner favourable for wheat selection (preponderance of additive effects). However, the enhanced contribution of non-additive gene effects and increased dominance under N-limited conditions could impede wheat selection to improve the N efficiency and adaptation to less luxurious fertilization regimes. Selection methods that eliminate masking non-additive influences and take advantage of the additive variance should be employed to improve these traits.     

Logic of the yeast metabolic cycle: temporal compartmentalization of cellular processes

Budding yeast grown under continuous, nutrient-limited conditions exhibit robust, highly periodic cycles in the form of respiratory bursts. Microarray studies reveal that over half of the yeast genome is expressed periodically during these metabolic cycles. Genes encoding proteins having a common function exhibit similar temporal expression patterns, and genes specifying functions associated with energy and metabolism tend to be expressed with exceptionally robust periodicity. Essential cellular and metabolic events occur in synchrony with the metabolic cycle, demonstrating that key processes in a simple eukaryotic cell are compartmentalized in time.     

Effects of season and dietary ascorbic acid on some biochemical characteristics of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) semen

During the reproductive season, rainbow trout spermatozoa are stored in the sperm ducts for several months. There is no sperm production at this time since spermatogenesis is completed before spawning. To leam more about characteristics of semen during such a long storage, we analyzed changes in protein concentrations, anti-proteinase activity in seminal plasma and sperm aspartate aminotransferase activity during an extended reproductive period during which fish were fed diets supplemented with various ascorbic acid concentrations. Seminal plasma protein concentration and anti-proteinase activity declined toward the end of the reproductive season. These phenomena may be related to oncoming proteolytic events leading to degradation of the sperm. Protein concentrations and anti-proteinase activities were strongly correlated within groups of different ascorbic acid supplementations and several sampling dates (r=0.6–0.9 in most cases, p<0.05). Ascorbic acid deficiency resulted in a decrease in both parameter levels as compared to levels in groups with vitamin C supplement (p<0.08). Deficiency also resulted in lower stimulation of aspartate aminotransferase by an exogenous pyridoxal 5-phosphate in comparison to fish fed vitamin C-supplemented diets (p<0.05). These results support earlier studies suggesting a protective role of ascorbic acid toward maintaining sperm quality.     

Changes in commercially exploited populations of tench, Tinca tinca (L.), in littoral zones of lakes of northeastern Poland

Commercially exploited tench, Tinca tinca, (L.) populations in 480 lakes in the northeastern Poland were analyzed on the basis of the fishery data from 1949 to 1994. The long-term changes in tench catch were studied in four categories of lakes with respective proportions of littoral zones (<30, 31–60, 61–90 and <90% of total lake area). The analyses were performed with using relative catch (kg ha⁻¹ month⁻¹) of tench. Mean relative catch of tench for 1949–1994 ranged from 0.36 kg ha⁻¹ month⁻¹ in lakes with smallest littoral zone (>30%) to 0.93 kg ha⁻¹ month⁻¹ in lakes with the largest littoral (<90%). Mean relative catch increased with increasing proportions of littoral zones in lakes. However, long-term trends in mean relative catch of tench showed decreasing tendencies in all lakes. The beginning of these tendencies was found about ten years earlier in lakes with smaller littoral (<60%) in comparison to lakes with larger littoral zones (>60%). Mean stocking rates of tench (number of 1-year-old fish per ha of littoral) for 1949–1994 were not significantly different in lakes of studied categories. However, lakes with proportionally less littoral zone had reduced stocking efficiency estimated as number of stocked fish per ha of littoral to require 1 kg ha⁻¹ month⁻¹ of tench.