Protection of cattle against rinderpest with vaccinia virus recombinants expressing the HA or F gene

Rinderpest is a highly contagious ruminant viral disease manifested by a rapid course and greater than 90% mortality. Infectious vaccinia virus recombinants were constructed that express either the hemagglutinin or the fusion gene of rinderpest virus. All cattle vaccinated with either recombinant or with the combined recombinants produced neutralizing antibodies against rinderpest virus and were protected against the disease when challenged with more than 1000 times the lethal dose of the virus.     

Movement of bacteria and nutrients from pit latrines in the boundary waters canoe area wilderness

In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the movement of fecal bacteria, N, and P from pit latrines was studied, as well as the effectiveness of peat latrine liners in reducing this movement. When latrines are constructed where only a thin layer of permeable soil overlies bedrock or other impermeable material, fecal bacteria can be carried considerable distances by subsurface flow. Lining latrine pits with acid peat appears to reduce bacteria transport. Most soils strongly adsorb P and prevent its movement. In this study no movement of P from latrine pits was seen except at one site with very sandy soil. In such soil a peat liner appears to be of some value, if a peat with a high P adsorption capacity is used. A peat liner should be viewed as an additional protection against P and bacteria movement rather than as a substitute for proper soil conditions. Latrines should not be built in thin, rocky soils. Nitrogen appears to move readily from toilet pits, regardless of soil type or presence of peat liners. But, because of dilution, N is not likely to have a discernible impact on water quality.     

Comparative effects of propylene oxide,sodium azide,and autoclaving on selected soil properties

Samples of soil (25 g) were treated with 1 or 2 ml of propylene oxide, 400 or 800 parts/10⁶ of sodium azide, or autoclaved for 1.5 or 3.0 h. Soil sterilization was achieved by the propylene oxide and autoclaving treatments. Sodium azide inhibited the bacteria and actinomycetes and drastically reduced the fungal population. The autoclaving treatment decreased the soil pH 0.2 unit, while propylene oxide and sodium azide treatments increased it 0.5–1.1 units. Extractable manganous—Mn was increased 2- to 3-fold by all treatments except for a 90- to 120-fold increase in an autoclaved soil; extractable Ca was not affected; and the extractable K changes were slight. Total extractable N was increased 10–20 parts/10⁶, and available P was generally increased by the treatments. Propylene oxide induced the least chemical alterations upon sterilization and is considered an appropriate sterilant to study chemical transformations in soils; but, germination and growth of wheat and alfalfa were retarded in propylene oxide treated soil.     

Movements and spatiotemporal distribution of escaped farmed and local wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

Commercial farming of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) is now being developed in several countries. The ecological consequences of cod culture are poorly understood, but recent research suggests that Atlantic cod are more prone to escape from net pens than Atlantic salmon. Here, we describe the movements and the spatiotemporal distribution of farmed cod after escape relative to wild cod, both during and outside the natural spawning season. The experimental design included simulating escape incidents of farmed cod tagged with acoustic transmitters and using an array of automatic listening stations to monitor their dispersal and distribution. For comparison, local wild cod were monitored using the same array of receivers. The farmed cod dispersed rapidly after a simulated escape, they randomly distributed over large areas and their distribution overlapped with local wild cod. Moreover, escaped farmed fish were found at local cod spawning areas during the spawning season. The study also indicated that the recapture rate of escaped farmed cod was high compared with that of escaped farmed salmon. Thus, while our results showed that there is a considerable potential for ecosystem effects caused by escaped farmed cod, mitigating actions such as an efficient recapture fishery for escapees may be possible.     

Salmon gill poxvirus disease in Atlantic salmon fry as recognized by improved immunohistochemistry also demonstrates infected cells in non‐respiratory epithelial cells

Gill diseases cause serious losses in farming of Atlantic salmon and the number of agents involved increases. Salmon gill poxvirus (SGPV) and the gill disease in causes where SGPV apparently was the only disease‐causing agent were initially characterized. Recently, it was further shown that SGPV can be a common denominator in widely different multifactorial gill diseases. Here, we present the challenge of diagnosing gill disease with SGPV in salmon fry of 0,3–5 grams. Apoptosis of gill lamellar epithelial cells and hemophagocytosis was also observed in fry similar to findings in smolts and grow‐out fish. Using our newly developed immunohistochemistry method, we further demonstrate that some of the apoptotic epithelial cells covering the oral cavity were positive for SGPV. Thus, SGPV is not restricted to respiratory epithelium alone and may infect the fish at very early life stages. Furthermore, as the cases examined here are from Norway, Faroe Island and Scotland, we show that SGPV is more widespread than previously reported.     

Fisheries buybacks: a review and guidelines

Buybacks of fishing vessels, licences, access and other rights, and gear, sometimes called decommissioning schemes, have traditionally been a key policy tool to address overcapacity, overexploitation of fish stocks, and distributional issues in fisheries. Two more issues can be added, sustainable use of ecosystems and conservation of biodiversity (i.e. ecological public goods and services) and providing a transition to a more rationalized fishery. This study discusses reasons for buybacks; examines consequences; considers asymmetric information, design of buyback auctions and other design issues; buybacks as a transition to a rationalized industry with strong property rights and governance, financing and transnational fisheries; draws out key lessons from the international experience; and provides an overall evaluation.     

INFLUENCE OF DRYING AND STORAGE CONDITIONS ON NONSTRUCTURAL CARBOHYDRATE ANALYSIS OF HERBAGE TISSUE—A REVIEW

No one method of drying can be relied upon for all plant species, plant parts, or form (e.g., fresh v. ensiled herbage). Least changes in nonstructural carbohydrates appear to occur when fresh tissue is immersed in boiling alcohol. Freeze-drying provides results more similar to fresh tissue than heat-drying. Heat-drying at high temperatures (above 80°C) can cause thermo-cbemical degradation, while slow drying at low temperatures (below 50°C) allows time for DM losses by respiration and enzymatic conversions. The most acceptable heat-drying results have been obtained by drying for a short time at a high temperature (i.e. 100°C) and thereafter at a moderate temperature (i.e. 70°C). Changes in nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations occur during the storage of either freeze- or heat-dried tissues. Thus, analyses should be conducted as soon as possible after tissue sampling. The least changes occur during storage in alcohol, following killing of the tissue in boiling alcohol.     

Discovery of Novel Pimprinine and Streptochlorin Derivatives as Potential Antifungal Agents

Pimprinine and streptochlorin are indole alkaloids derived from marine or soil microorganisms. In our previous study, they were promising lead compounds due to their potent bioactivity in preventing many phytopathogens, but further structural modifications are required to improve their antifungal activity. In this study, pimprinine and streptochlorin were used as parent structures with the combination strategy of their structural features. Three series of target compounds were designed and synthesized. Subsequent evaluation for antifungal activity against six common phytopathogenic fungi showed that some of thee compounds possessed excellent effects, and this is highlighted by compounds 4a and 5a, displaying 99.9% growth inhibition against Gibberella zeae and Alternaria Leaf Spot under 50 μg/mL, respectively. EC₅₀ values indicated that compounds 4a, 5a, 8c, and 8d were even more active than Azoxystrobin and Boscalid. SAR analysis revealed the relationship between 5-(3′-indolyl)oxazole scaffold and antifungal activity, which provides useful insight into the development of new target molecules. Molecular docking models indicate that compound 4a binds with leucyl-tRNA synthetase in a similar mode as AN2690, offering a perspective on the mode of action for the study of its antifungal activity. These results suggest that compounds 4a and 5a could be regarded as novel and promising antifungal agents against phytopathogens due to their valuable potency.