Mixed poly (ethylene glycol) and oligo (ethylene glycol) layers on gold as nonfouling surfaces created by backfilling

Backfilling a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of long poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) with short PEG is a well-known strategy to improve its potential to resist fouling. Here it is shown, using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle, and atomic force microscopy, that backfilling PEG thiol with oligo (ethylene glycol) (OEG) terminated alkane thiol molecules results in underbrush formation. The authors also confirm the absence of phase separated arrangement, which is commonly observed with backfilling experiments involving SAMs of short chain alkane thiol with long chain alkane thiol. Furthermore, it was found that OEG addition caused less PEG desorption when compared to alkane thiol. The ability of surface to resist fouling was tested through serum adsorption and bacterial adhesion studies. The authors demonstrate that the mixed monolayer with PEG and OEG is better than PEG at resisting protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion, and conclude that backfilling PEG with OEG resulting in the underbrush formation enhances the ability of PEG to resist fouling.     

Diagnosing salmonellosis in horses culturing of multiple versus single faecal samples

Summary

Three rectal faecal samples were taken at 24‐hour intervals from 136 horses in order to investigate whether multiple faecal cultures yield a greater number of Salmonella‐positive horses compared to single faecal cultures. Of these 136 horses, 89 were suspected of salmonellosis on clinical grounds and 47 belonged to a control group. From the ‘Salmonella suspected’ group, 22 horses (25 %) were Salmonella positive on one or more occasions. Only twelve of these 22 positive horses (55 %) were positive at first sampling. Of the control group, only three horses (6 %) were positive for Salmonella. Thirty‐one (69 %) of the 45 positive cultures from the ‘Salmonella suspected’ group were found only after enrichment in Selenite broth. From the results of the present study it is concluded that multiple faecal cultures are superior to single faecal cultures for diagnosing clinical salmonellosis in horses and that there is no relation between the course of the disease and whether the Salmonellae were cultured directly or indirectly, after enrichment in Selenite broth. Salmonellae were cultured from the faeces of horses treated with antibiotics before their referral, even when the isolated strain was sensitive to the antimicrobial drug used by the practitioner.     

RADIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS OF HOOF BALANCE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY A HORSE'S STANCE

Hoof balance radiographs are commonly used as the basis for corrective farriery decision‐making in horses, however there are limited published data quantifying effects of the stance of the horse or the horizontal radiographic beam angle. In this analytical study, the influence of variation of the horse's stance in the craniocaudal and lateromodial plane on hoof balance measurements as well as the influence of variation of the horizontal radiographic beam angle on dorsopalmar hoof balance measurements was examined. Distal left thoracic limb lateromedial radiographs were acquired using a standardized protocol while varying the craniocaudal stance of five horses, each selected to be sound and conformationally normal. Dorsopalmar foot radiographs were acquired while varying the lateromedial stance; and variable angle horizontal beam dorsopalmar foot radiographs were acquired while keeping the limb position constant. Analyses of measurements demonstrated that hoof pastern angle had a linear relationship (R² = 0.89, P < 0.001) with craniocaudal stance of the horse. The relationship of joint angle and stance was greater for the distal interphalangeal joint angle (R² = 0.89, P < 0.001) than the proximal interphalangeal joint angle (R² = 0.65, P = 0.001). The distal phalanx angle did not change with craniocaudal stance variation. The proximal interphalangeal joint width, distal interphalangeal joint width, or distal phalanx height did not change with lateromedial stance variation, nor within a 15 degree dorsolateral to caudomedial and dorsomedial to caudolateral variation from the dorsopalmar axis. Findings indicated that positioning of the thoracic limb needs to be considered during radiographic interpretation and decision‐making for corrective farriery.     

A randomized, controlled study to evaluate the steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation in the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled multicentre clinical trial of 12 weeks' duration was undertaken in 60 dogs with atopic dermatitis to evaluate the steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation. The dogs were randomly assigned to receive either a combination of borage seed oil and fish oil or a placebo, in addition to prednisolone tablets. All dogs received a standardized basal diet. Owners of the dogs recorded pruritus daily using a 10 cm visual analog scale and the dosage of prednisolone was established based on the pruritus score, according to written instructions. The dosage of prednisolone and the use of any concurrent treatment (shampoo and/or ear-cleanser) were recorded by the owner on a daily basis. The investigators graded the skin lesions at days 0, 42 and 84. The use of prednisolone during the test period was lower in the active group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.32). The test period was sequentially divided into 43-84, 50-84, 57-84, 64-84, 71-84 and 78-84 days. On day 64, the difference between the active group and the placebo group reached statistical significance (P = 0.04) with an increasing difference towards the end of the study. A statistically significant reduction in the pruritus scores and the total clinical scores from day 0 to day 84 was apparent in both groups (P < 0.0001). At the end of the study, both the pruritus score and the total clinical score were lower in the active group. Our findings indicate a steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation in canine atopic dermatitis and, furthermore, that there is a time lag before the effect is attained.     

Genetic diversity in Nordic horseradish,Armoracia rusticana,as revealed by AFLP markers

176 horseradish accessions from the Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden were analysed to estimate the level of genetic diversity and to propose conservation strategies for this cultivated plant. Most of the accessions were collected in old gardens of the Nordic countries but selections from European countries and Danish breeding lines were also included in the study. Since horseradish is mainly vegetative propagated the genetic diversity has been assumed to be small. However, using the AFLP method with three primer combinations we revealed a significant genetic diversity among Nordic horseradish. The analysis yielded 65 polymorphic bands and we found an overall diversity index of 0.5 (Shannon–Weaver). The highest diversity was found among the Finnish accessions followed by the Danish accessions. An overall AMOVA analysis indicated that 90 % of the variation could be explained by among accession variation. The AFLP data assigned the different accessions into groups that corresponded with their country of origin. A closer relationship was observed between the Swedish, Danish and some of the Norwegian accessions while the Finnish accessions separated more clearly from the other three countries. A possible explanation for the diversity is that horseradish probably has been introduced to the Nordic countries at many occasions during a long period of time.     

Cell-directed assembly of lipid-silica nanostructures providing extended cell viability

Amphiphilic phospholipids were used to direct the formation of biocompatible, uniform silica nanostructures in the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and bacterial cell lines. The cell surfaces organize multilayered phospholipid vesicles that interface coherently with the silica host and help relieve drying stresses that develop with conventional templates. These host structures maintain cell accessibility, addressability, and viability in the absence of buffer or an external fluidic architecture. The cell surfaces are accessible and can be used to localize added proteins, plasmids, and nanocrystals. Prolonged cell viability combined with reporter protein expression enabled stand-alone cell-based sensing.     

Protein and lipid oxidation during frozen storage of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study aimed at investigating protein and lipid oxidation during frozen storage of rainbow trout. Rainbow trout fillets were stored for 13 months at -20, -30, or -80 degrees C, and samples were analyzed at regular intervals for lipid and protein oxidation markers. Lipid oxidation was followed by measuring lipid hydroperoxides (PV), as well as secondary oxidation products (volatiles) using dynamic headspace GC-MS. Free fatty acids (FFA) were measured as an estimation of lipolysis. Protein oxidation was followed using the spectrophotometric determination of protein carbonyls and immunoblotting. Significant oxidation was observed in samples stored at -20 degrees C, and at this temperature lipid and protein oxidation seemed to develop simultaneously. FFA, PV, and carbonyls increased significantly for the fish stored at -20 degrees C, whereas the fish stored at -30 and -80 degrees C did not show any increase in oxidation during the entire storage period when these methods were used. In contrast, the more sensitive GC-MS method used for measurement of the volatiles showed that the fish stored at -30 degrees C oxidized more quickly than those stored at -80 degrees C. Detection of protein oxidation using immunoblotting revealed that high molecular weight proteins were oxidized already at t = 0 and that no new protein oxidized during storage irrespective of the storage time and temperature. The results emphasize the need for the development of more sensitive and reliable methods to study protein oxidation in order to gain more explicit knowledge about the significance of protein oxidation for food quality and, especially, to correlate protein oxidation with physical and functional properties of foods.     

Prey-predator dynamics in communities of culturable soil bacteria and protozoa: differential effects of mercury

We investigated whether the prey-predator dynamics of bacteria and protozoa were affected by inorganic mercury at concentrations of 0, 3.5 and 15 mg Hg(II) kg soil⁻¹. The amount of bioavailable Hg was estimated using a biosensor-assay based on the mer-lux gene fusion. The numbers of bacterial CFUs on the general medium 1/100 tryptic soy agar (TSA) were significantly decreased when the soil had been amended with Hg. In contrast, no effect was seen on the number of CFUs on the Pseudomonas-specific medium Gould's S1 agar. Protozoan numbers estimated by the most probable number (MPN) method with 1/100 TSB as growth medium were also negatively affected by Hg. The different fractions of protozoa were affected to different degrees suggesting that amoebae were less sensitive than slow-growing flagellates, which again were less sensitive than the fast-growing flagellates. In contrast, Hg did not induce any detectable changes in the diversity of flagellate morphotypes. In the treatment with 15 mg Hg kg⁻¹ a transiently increased number of bacteria was seen at day 6 probably concomitant with a decrease in the numbers of protozoa. This might indicate that Hg affected the prey-predator dynamics in communities of culturable bacteria and protozoa in soil. Furthermore, we showed that the number of Pseudomonas spp. was not affected by Hg whereas the number of bacteria growing on a general medium was.     

Independent effects of connectivity predict homing success by northern flying squirrel in a forest mosaic

Landscape composition and configuration, often termed as habitat loss and fragmentation, are predicted to reduce species population viability, partly due to the restriction of movement in the landscape. Unfortunately, measuring the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on functional connectivity is challenging because these variables are confounded, and often the motivation for movement by target species is unknown. Our objective was to determine the independent effects of landscape connectivity from the perspective of a mature forest specialist—the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus). To standardize movement motivation, we translocated 119 squirrels, at varying distances (0.18–3.8 km) from their home range across landscapes representing gradients in both habitat loss and fragmentation. We measured the physical connectedness of mature forest using an index of connectivity (landscape coincidence probability). Patches were considered connected if they were within the mean gliding distance of a flying squirrel. Homing success increased in landscapes with a higher connectivity index. However, homing time was not strongly predicted by habitat amount, connectivity index, or mean nearest neighbour and was best explained as a simple function of sex and distance translocated. Our study shows support for the independent effects of landscape configuration on animal movement at a spatial scale that encompasses several home ranges. We conclude that connectivity of mature forest should be considered for the conservation of some mature forest specialists, even in forest mosaics where the distinction between habitat and movement corridors are less distinct.     

Modelling flowering of plants using time-to-event methods

Climate and environmental factors are known to influence the propensity of plants to flower. In order to capture the time dynamics in the underlying biological processes, this paper proposes to use a grouped-data survival analysis methodology. We formulate a semi-parametric model for the hazard rate of flowering, which allows all available climatic and environmental data to be included. Estimation can be carried using a generalized linear model approach. In addition, the model can be validated by means of recently developed residual-based model-checking procedures similar to what is available for ordinary regression models. The main finding is that the model proposed captures the major trends and is a first step in the direction of a model-based quantification of some climatic and environmental factors that influence the flowering of plants.