Effect of a new thermal treatment in combination with saprobic fungal incubation on the phytotoxicity level of alperujo

Byproducts generated from food industries, such as olive oil mills, have been studied to decrease harmful pollution and their environmental consequences. In this work, a new thermal pretreatment and saprobic fungal incubation to detoxify alperujo (two-phase olive mill waste) have been evaluated in view of its use as fertilizer in agriculture. The sequential use of both methods simplifies the thermal conditions and incubation times of the fungal treatment. Optimization of the thermal treatment from 150 to 170 °C for 45 and 15 min, respectively, reduced the incubation time with Coriolpsis rigida from 20 to 10 weeks needed to reduce phytotoxic effects on tomato plants. Therefore, the combination of thermal and biological treatments will allow the development of the potential benefits of alperujo to improve nutrients in agricultural soil.     

Nutrient and persistent pollutant deposition on the Bothnian Bay ice and snow fields

A study of atmospheric deposited nutrients and some persistent pollutants has been carried out on the ice and snow fields of the subarctic Bothnian Bay, the northernmost basin of the Baltic Sea. Total amounts of 600, 500 and 400 tons NO₃-N, NH₄-N and N_org-N, respectively are deposited in the snow while the corresponding amounts for P_tot-P is 40 tons. The corresponding amount for PCB and lindane are 1.0 and 0.2 kg, respectively. The measurements were carried out on the snow-covered ice four to six weeks old. A part of the deposited snow has been incorporated -into the snow-ice and an attempt to estimate its mean thickness and its amount of nutrients has been made. The total amounts now reach 1700, 1300 and 1100 tons of NO₃-N and NH₄-N and N_org-N, respectively in the snow and ice together. The results obtained support the use of land-based stations in estimates of seasonal atmospheric nutrient deposition to the Bothnian Bay. The observed concentrations of chloroorganic compounds correspond to those land-based observations reported from the same latitude in the northern hemisphere and reported in literature.     

The fate of imazapyr in a Swedish railway embankment

The long-term fate of the herbicide imazapyr [2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)nicotinic acid] applied to a Swedish railway embankment was studied. Imazapyr was applied at 750 and 1500 g ha(-1) by a spraying train used for full-scale herbicide treatment operations. Soil and groundwater were sampled twice a year for 8 years after application of the herbicide, and the dissipation of imazapyr was studied by HPLC analysis of the residues in soil and groundwater. A clean-up procedure including solid-phase extraction was performed prior to detection by HPLC. Recoveries of imazapyr from soil and water samples were 76-98% and 61-90%, respectively, and detection levels were 0.003 mg kg(-1) and 0.05 microg litre(-1), respectively. Sorption, desorption and microbial amount and activity were also measured at the two locations. The organic matter content correlated positively and the pH negatively to the adsorption of imazapyr on soil, and increasing organic matter contents decreased desorption. Apart from the 0-10-cm top layers of both sites, the microbial amount and activity were small. The main proportion of imazapyr was found in the upper 30 cm of the soil, and degraded with a half-life in the range 67-144 days. Small amounts were transported to lower soil layers and to the groundwater in proportion to the amounts applied. Traces of imazapyr were detected in the groundwater even 8years after application. It was concluded that environmental risks from the use of herbicides on railway embankments could be reduced by including adsorption layers in the embankment during their construction and by reducing the dose of the herbicide used.     

Impact features on Stardust: implications for comet 81P/Wild 2 dust

Particles emanating from comet 81P/Wild 2 collided with the Stardust spacecraft at 6.1 kilometers per second, producing hypervelocity impact features on the collector surfaces that were returned to Earth. The morphologies of these surprisingly diverse features were created by particles varying from dense mineral grains to loosely bound, polymineralic aggregates ranging from tens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers in size. The cumulative size distribution of Wild 2 dust is shallower than that of comet Halley, yet steeper than that of comet Grigg-Skjellerup.     

Imaginal discs secrete insulin-like peptide 8 to mediate plasticity of growth and maturation

Developing animals frequently adjust their growth programs and/or their maturation or metamorphosis to compensate for growth disturbances (such as injury or tumor) and ensure normal adult size. Such plasticity entails tissue and organ communication to preserve their proportions and symmetry. Here, we show that imaginal discs autonomously activate DILP8, a Drosophila insulin-like peptide, to communicate abnormal growth and postpone maturation. DILP8 delays metamorphosis by inhibiting ecdysone biosynthesis, slowing growth in the imaginal discs, and generating normal-sized animals. Loss of dilp8 yields asymmetric individuals with an unusually large variation in size and a more varied time of maturation. Thus, DILP8 is a fundamental element of the hitherto ill-defined machinery governing the plasticity that ensures developmental stability and robustness.     

Cross-sectional study on acrylamide hemoglobin adducts in subpopulations from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study

Acrylamide exposure was investigated in subgroups of the EPIC study population (510 subjects from 9 European countries, randomly selected and stratified by age, gender, and smoking status) using hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (HbAA) and its primary metabolite glycidamide (HbGA). Blood samples were analyzed for HbAA and HbGA by HPLC/MS/MS. Statistical models for HbAA and HbGA were developed including body mass index (BMI), educational level, and physical activity. A large variability in acrylamide exposure and metabolism between individuals and country groups was observed with HbAA and HbGA values ranging between 15-623 and 8-377 pmol/g of Hb, respectively. Both adducts differed significantly by country, sex, and smoking status. HbGA values were significantly lower in high alcohol consumers than in moderate consumers. With increasing BMI, HbGA in nonsmokers and HbAA in smokers decreased significantly. In the assessment of potential health effects related to acrylamide exposure, country of origin, BMI, alcohol consumption, sex, and smoking status should be considered.     

Assessment of the long‐acting ivermectin formulation in sheep: Further insight into potential pharmacokinetic interactions

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the in vivo pharmacokinetic of ivermectin (IVM) after the administration of a long‐acting (LA) formulation to sheep and its impact on potential drug‐drug interactions. The work included the evaluation of the comparative plasma profiles of IVM administered at a single therapeutic dose (200 μg/kg) and as LA formulation at 630 μg/kg. Additionally, IVM was measured in different gastrointestinal tissues at 15 days posttreatment with both IVM formulations. The impact of the long‐lasting and enhanced IVM exposure on the disposition kinetics of abamectin (ABM) was also assessed. Plasma (IVM and ABM) and gastrointestinal (IVM) concentrations were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescent detection. In plasma, the calculated C_max and AUC_0‐t values of the IVM‐LA formulation were 1.47‐ and 3.35‐fold higher compared with IVM 1% formulation, respectively. The T_1/2ab and T_max collected after administration of the LA formulation were 2‐ and 3.5‐fold longer than those observed after administration of IVM 1% formulation, respectively. Significantly higher IVM concentrations were measured in the intestine mucosal tissues and luminal contents with the LA formulation, and in the liver, the increase was 7‐fold higher than conventional formulation. There was no drug interaction between IVM and ABM after the single administration of ABM at 15 days post‐administration of the IVM LA formulation. The characterization of the kinetic behavior of the LA formulation to sheep and its potential influence on drug‐drug interactions is a further contribution to the field.     

ENCHONDROMATOSIS IN AN ADULT DOG

A 7‐year‐old crossbreed dog presented for lameness with diffuse soft tissue swelling in the right fore limb. Radiographs identified increased opacity of medullary cavity involving the radius and ulna. Whole‐body computed tomography (CT) revealed mineral attenuation in the medullary cavity of multiple bones. Histopathology of the right distal tibia showed a fibrocartilaginous matrix occupying intertrabecular spaces. The final diagnosis was enchondromatosis. Long‐term favorable progression of the dog's clinical condition further supported the benign histopathologic classification. This is the fifth case of canine enchondromatosis reported so far and the first documentation of further characterization with CT.     

Growth and reproduction of Perionyx excavatus (Perr.) (Megascolecidae) as factors in organic waste management

 The life cycle of Perionyx excavatus has been studied and the potential of this epigeic earthworm species for breaking down and processing organic wastes is well known. Understanding of its optimal environmental requirements is required in order to optimize and accelerate the vermicomposting process. The rates of growth and reproduction of P. excavatus, on a variety of organic wastes, were evaluated in these experiments. The time of maturation and the rates of growth of this species, under various population density pressures and temperatures between 15  °C and 30  °C, were also assessed. Increasing temperatures up to 30  °C accelerated the growth of earthworms and lessened the time to sexual maturity. However, the highest rates of reproduction occurred at 25  °C both in cattle solids and sewage sludge. The mean time to egg hatching decreased and the degree of hatching success increased with increasing temperature. Earthworms grew at similar rates in cattle solids, pig solids and aerobically digested sewage sludge, but the earthworms did not grow well in horse solids and grew only poorly in turkey wastes. The maximum individual growth rates as a function of earthworm population and the maximum earthworm weights as a function of time with a constant food supply at four different temperatures were assessed. Received: 16 July 1997