Mediation of partial resistance to rice blast through anaerobic induction of ethylene

ABSTRACT The correlation between anaerobic soil conditions and increased resistance to rice blast disease has long been observed without benefit of an adequate explanation. We researched flood depth, dissolved oxygen (DO), and ethylene relative to expression of partial blast resistance in cvs. M-201, Newbonnet, LaGrue, Mars, and Cypress. Cultivar blast index (BI) and flood DO decreased with increasing flood depth. BIs were positively correlated with DO. Total leaf blast lesions were 3.4 and 3.2 times greater in cvs. M-201 and LaGrue growing in a 5.0-mul liter(-1) DO nutrient solution than when growing in a 0.1-mul liter(-1) DO solution. Treatment with 0.25 mM ethephon, which releases ethylene, lowered BIs of Newbonnet, LaGrue, and Cypress growing upland when applied drench, foliar, or foliar-drench. If flooded, BIs of ethephon-treated cultivars were decreased by drench and foliar-drench applications only. BIs of upland plants were unchanged, whereas BIs of analogous flooded plants increased following treatment with 0.31 mM aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor. We hypothesize that varying anaerobic conditions mediate production of phytohormones, particularly ethylene, which modify expression of inherent partial blast resistance in these rice cultivars.     

D-lactate production and excretion in diarrheic calves

The origin of D-lactate, the most important acid contributing to metabolic acidosis in the diarrheic calf, is unknown. We hypothesized that because D-lactate is produced only by microbes, gastrointestinal fermentation is the source. The objective of this study was to determine whether D-lactate production occurs in the rumen, colon, or both, and to measure D- and L-lactate concentrations in urine. Fecal, rumen, blood, and urine samples were obtained from 16 diarrheic and 11 healthy calves. Serum electrolyte concentrations were measured in both groups, and blood gas analyses were performed for diarrheic calves. All samples were analyzed for D- and L-lactate by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Diarrheic calves were generally hyperkalemic with high serum anion gap, depressed serum bicarbonate, and low blood pH. L-lactate was markedly higher in rumen contents (22.7 mmol/ L [median]) and feces (8.6 mmol/L) of diarrheic calves than healthy calves (0.5 mmol/L and 5.1 mmol/L, respectively), but not different in serum or urine. Rumen, fecal, serum, and urine D-lactate concentrations were all significantly higher (P < .05) in diarrheic calves (17.0, 25.4, 13.9, and 19.2 mmol/L, respectively) than in healthy calves (0.5, 9.1, 1.4, and 0.5 mmol/L, respectively). Higher D-lactate concentrations in the rumen and feces of diarrheic calves suggests these sites as the source of D-lactate in blood and urine.     

Short-term interval baiting to combat the re-emergence of fox rabies in Rhineland Palatinate (Germany) in 2005

In 2005, the final phase of terrestrial rabies eradication in Germany was put at risk by a severe setback due to re-introduction of the disease in Rhineland-Palatinate from neighbouring Hesse after seven years of absence. The rapid westward spread of the disease prompted veterinary authorities to react swiftly and apply a new yet unproven vaccination strategy to rapidly increase herd immunity in an almost unprotected fox population to stop the epidemic. The cornerstones of this emergency oral rabies vaccination strategy, i. e. vaccination intervals, identification of high risk spots, real time epidemiological assessment, capable to eliminate rabies within 13 months after incursion are described here. This strategy may be used as a template to tackle similar emergency situations in Europe in the future.     

Esophagostomy Feeding Tube Use and Placement in Exotic Pets

Providing enteral nutrition to injured or ill exotic animal patients by means of assisted feedings minimizes catabolism and gastrointestinal morbidity associated with anorexia, while optimizing immune system and organ function, and providing nutritional precursors necessary for healing. When determining the nutritional needs of a debilitated animal, it is important to account for both metabolic rate and energy requirements. Providing enteral nutrition via a feeding tube utilizes the functional gastrointestinal tract in patients that cannot or will not eat. Additionally, administration of food through a feeding tube is significantly less stressful for patients than restraint and syringe feeding. Feeding tube placement should be considered in any animal where the stress associated with syringe feeding is likely to result in significant morbidity or when the need for an extended period of assisted feeding is required.     

Rooted in grass: Challenging patterns of knowledge exchange as a means of fostering social change in a southeast Minnesota farm community

By convening a multidisciplinary team(the Monitoring Team) that included farmers,university and agency researchers, andnon-profit staff; a small group of farmers insoutheast Minnesota, U.S.A., bolstered thelegitimacy of the sustainable agriculturemovement. Through the experience of forming ateam and working with individuals who operatedwithin the mainstream knowledge paradigm,farmers gained validation of their knowledgeabout farming, while researchers came to valuealternative knowledge systems. In the contextof a socially embedded movement, farmers wereempowered by sharing their knowledge withresearchers, and ultimately contributed to thesustainable agriculture movement by challengingtraditional patterns of knowledge exchange.     

Identifying autism loci and genes by tracing recent shared ancestry

To find inherited causes of autism-spectrum disorders, we studied families in which parents share ancestors, enhancing the role of inherited factors. We mapped several loci, some containing large, inherited, homozygous deletions that are likely mutations. The largest deletions implicated genes, including PCDH10 (protocadherin 10) and DIA1 (deleted in autism1, or c3orf58), whose level of expression changes in response to neuronal activity, a marker of genes involved in synaptic changes that underlie learning. A subset of genes, including NHE9 (Na+/H+ exchanger 9), showed additional potential mutations in patients with unrelated parents. Our findings highlight the utility of "homozygosity mapping" in heterogeneous disorders like autism but also suggest that defective regulation of gene expression after neural activity may be a mechanism common to seemingly diverse autism mutations.     

The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.     

Variation in E(rns) viral glycoprotein associated with failure of immunohistochemistry and commercial antigen capture ELISA to detect a field strain of bovine viral diarrhea virus

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) affects cattle populations causing clinical signs that range from subclinical immunosuppression to severe reproductive and respiratory problems. Detection and removal of persistently infected (PI) calves is the single most important factor for control and eradication of BVDV. Current testing strategies to detect PI calves rely heavily on immunohistochemistry (IHC) and a commercially available antigen capture ELISA (ACE) assay. These viral assays depend on 1 or 2 monoclonal antibodies which target the E(rns) glycoprotein of BVDV. The sensitivity and specificity of these two tests have been reported previously. The purpose of this research was to characterize a strain of BVDV (AU501) that was undetectable using IHC and ACE based on a single monoclonal antibody, but was consistently detected in samples from a Holstein steer using virus isolation and PCR testing. Sequencing of this AU501 viral isolate revealed a unique mutation in the portion of the genome coding for the E(rns) glycoprotein. This unique field strain of BVDV demonstrates the risk of relying on a single monoclonal antibody for detection of BVDV. Multiple testing strategies, including polyclonal or pooled monoclonal antibodies that detect more than one viral glycoprotein may be necessary to detect all PI calves and facilitate eradication of BVDV.