Ultrastructure of steam-exploded wood

Summary The ultrastructure of steam-exploded wood from the softwood Pinus radiata D. Don was examined by electron microscopy in order to determine the reasons for increased porosity and enhanced susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis. Ultrastructural changes were observed in the form of lignin redistribution and swelling of the cellulose framework. Lignin showed evidence of melting, having contracted into well defined agglomerates suspended in a web of cellulose. Using lanthanum and gold tracers of known particle size the pores in the microfibrillar cell wall have been examined. Cellulose regions were shown to contain numerous pores greater than 2 nm, while lignin agglomerates did not contain such pores. Treatment with NaOH resulted in lignin being smeared over the porous cell wall material — hence blocking pores and reducing digestibility.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of T. A. Clark and K. F. Deverell during the course of this work     

A comparison of two methods of estimating the soil pore network available to protozoa

Two methods of estimating pore size distributions in different soil horizons are discussed and compared. These methods involve the use of either an image analyser or a camera lucida. The former method is rapid, but any enlargement of the original image of the soil pores yields inaccurate porosity measurements with the image analyser. The camera lucida method involves prolonged microscopical observations, but it can yield satisfactory pore size distributions of different soil horizons and when used with a microcomputer can be used to view a selected group of pores in three dimensions. The potential use of these methods in ecological studies of soil protozoa is discussed.     

Does Freezing Affect Sediment Sampling Results?

Sewer sediment sampling is subject to errors, and these canoften make a significant contribution to the discrepanciesbetween predictions from mathematical models of pollutiontransport and what actually happens. Deep freezing ofsediment and cutting samples is the most reliable method ofsampling, unfortunately it is expensive and is limited mostlyto trunk sewers of diameters exceeding 800 mm. The impact offreezing sediment collected from filter backwash watersedimentation tank on the size distribution of particles below180 μm was investigated, demonstrating that the process had asignificant impact. Small particles are known to contribute toheavy metal content in sewer sediments, so they are the subjectof special concern.     

Rheology of mixed beta-casein/beta-lactoglobulin films at the air-water interface

The adsorption of dilute mixtures of beta-casein/beta-lactoglobulin to the air-water interface was investigated using surface dilatation and surface shear rheology. The data were fitted to simple rheological models to try to gain further information regarding the composition and nature of the interface. The dilatational measurements suggested that the composition of the interface could be determined using these models and that the surface concentration was dominated by the beta-casein in the early stages of adsorption but that high levels of beta-lactoglobulin were present in the final stages. Surface shear rheological measurements showed a similar trend. However, the shear measurements appeared to be more sensitive to the strength of the network than to the composition of the interface. Fluorescence microscopy supported the findings and demonstrated that any "phase separation" capable of affecting the surface rheological measurements occurred at the sub-micrometer scale. The results also demonstrated that the heterogeneity of the interface, once formed, is kinetically trapped, and no further phase separation occurs over the time span of the experiments.     

Effect of giving enrofloxacin in the diet to pigs experimentally infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Three groups of 16 pigs were exposed individually when four weeks old to intranasal infection with 10(8.9) viable Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (serovar 3, strain 2/(10P2); a fourth group was kept in isolation from the others as uninfected controls. Seven days later the 62 surviving animals were killed and necropsied. The organism had caused typical, mainly subacute disease in 12 of the 16 unmedicated animals but in only two of the 16 which had had continuous access to a diet containing 150ppm of enrofloxacin from four hours before exposure to infection, and in six of the 16 given 32 ppm enrofloxacin. However, only 150 ppm enrofloxacin produced marked control of the infection in terms of reduced average severity of thoracic lesions and much reduced prevalence of the organism in the lung at necropsy, and the mean weight gain (1.55 kg) and feed conversion efficiency (2.08) of this infected group over seven days were similar to those of the unmedicated, uninfected controls (1.67 kg and 2.25). The infected but untreated group on average produced detectable antibody seven days after infection whereas in the infected and medicated groups a specific response against serovar 3 was absent.     

Histological changes to the skin of Merino sheep following deep dermal and subcutaneous injections of sodium lauryl sulfate

Objectives To characterise the changes caused to sheep skin by deep dermal and subcutaneous injections of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and describe the subsequent healing process. Procedure On 6 sheep 20 small areas of skin were each given deep dermal and subcutaneous injections of 0.2 mL of 7% SLS. Biopsies were collected at intervals up to 28 days after treatment and the histological changes in each of the treated skin samples were assessed and graded. Results There was no evidence of alterations in behaviour, weight gain or appetite of the sheep following the injections. Initial swelling of the treated site subsided by day 14, leaving a firm, slightly raised crust. At day 21, the treated area was depressed and covered by a scab, which sloughed completely by day 28. There was necrosis of the subcutis and deep dermis 2 min after treatment, followed by inflammation, fibroplasia, angiogenesis and tissue remodelling. Conclusion Injection of SLS caused almost immediate local necrosis followed by eschar formation, sloughing and scarring of treated skin. Deep dermal and subcutaneous SLS is potentially useful as a chemical alternative to mulesing.     

Prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjoin bulk tank milk from unvaccinated irish dairy herds

: Bulk tank milk samples, collected from 347 herds throughout the Republic of Ireland using a sampling frame based on seven milk-recording organisations, were tested by ELISA for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo. These herds, which had not been vaccinated against leptospirosis within the previous five years, were categorised according to their province, milk-recording organisation and size. Two-hundred-and-seventy-three herds (79%) had a positive ELISA titre. Both the probability of a herd being seropositive and the antibody level in the herd milk sample were affected by the province (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and the herd size category (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Larger herds were significantly more likely to have positive reactions and higher mean concentrations of antibody. It was concluded that a high proportion of unvaccinated Irish dairy herds have been exposed to infection with Leptospira hardjo.     

Gastritis associated with Helicobacter-like organisms in baboons

Subclinical gastritis was observed in 10 of 10 baboons (Papio spp.) from a toxicity study in a research facility. The lesions were similar in xenobiotic-treated and control animals, suggesting a spontaneous rather than chemical-induced disease. Histologic examination revealed lymphoplasmacytic gastritis in the antral mucosa. The fundic mucosa contained minor, scattered aggregates of lymphocytes and plasma cells. A Warthin-Starry silver stain and ultrastructural examination revealed numerous spiral-shaped bacteria morphologically resembling Helicobacter pylori in antral glands and numerous spiral-shaped bacteria morphologically consistent with H. heilmannii-like organisms in fundic glands. Polymerase chain reaction assay of paraffin-embedded antral and fundic tissue using primers for the urease gene and 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplified deoxyribonucleic acid fragments with a high degree of sequence homology for H. pylori and H. heilmannii. This is the first report of gastritis associated with Helicobacter-like organisms in baboons.