Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) Induced Changes in Growth,Some Biochemical Attributes,and Mineral Accumulation in Two Cultivars of Mung Bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Addition of cadmium, lead, and cadmium + lead (Cd, Pb, and Cd+Pb) to growth medium leads to a reduction in seed germination, length, fresh and dry biomass of shoots and roots, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and soluble proteins in plants. This study was undertaken on two mungbean cultivars (MN-92 and MN-98). Application of these metals in the growth medium reduced the bioabsorption of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). Concentrations of all the metals were greater in the roots than in the shoots except for K, which was greater in the shoots. Mungbean cultivar NM-98 performed better than NM-92 in response to heavy-metal toxicity. Overall, the metal-induced physiobiochemical changes resulted in reduced growth of both mungbean cultivars.     

Anthrax outbreak in a Swedish beef cattle herd - 1st case in 27 years: Case report

After 27 years with no detected cases, an outbreak of anthrax occurred in a beef cattle herd in the south of Sweden. The outbreak was unusual as it occurred in winter, in animals not exposed to meat-and-bone meal, in a non-endemic country.The affected herd consisted of 90 animals, including calves and young stock. The animals were kept in a barn on deep straw bedding and fed only roughage. Seven animals died during 10 days, with no typical previous clinical signs except fever. The carcasses were reportedly normal in appearance, particularly as regards rigor mortis, bleeding and coagulation of the blood. Subsequently, three more animals died and anthrax was suspected at necropsy and confirmed by culture and PCR on blood samples.The isolated strain was susceptible to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and ampicillin. Subtyping by MLVA showed the strain to cluster with isolates in the A lineage of Bacillus anthracis.Environmental samples from the holding were all negative except for two soil samples taken from a spot where infected carcasses had been kept until they were picked up for transport.The most likely source of the infection was concluded to be contaminated roughage, although this could not be substantiated by laboratory analysis. The suspected feed was mixed with soil and dust and originated from fields where flooding occurred the previous year, followed by a dry summer with a very low water level in the river allowing for the harvesting on soil usually not exposed. In the early 1900s, animal carcasses are said to have been dumped in this river during anthrax outbreaks and it is most likely that some anthrax spores could remain in the area.The case indicates that untypical cases in non-endemic areas may be missed to a larger extent than previously thought. Field tests allowing a preliminary risk assessment of animal carcasses would be helpful for increased sensitivity of detection and prevention of further exposure to the causative agent.     

Net change in organically bound halogens in relation to soil pH

The total amount of organically bound halogens was determined in soil samples from the Palace Leas meadow hay plots, Northumberland, UK. These plots have been amended with different combinations of farmyard manure, potassium chloride, ammonium sulphate or nitrate since their establishment in 1897, resulting in, among other things, substantial pH differences between the plots. It was found that the amount of organically bound halogens increased significantly with decreasing pH. Net changes in amounts of organohalogens were also studied in soil obtained from a coniferous forest in southern Sweden. The collected soil was divided into four sets of samples, which were incubated in a climate chamber and subjected to different treatment regimes that influence soil pH. Significant changes in amounts of organically bound halogens were detected in three of the four sets of samples, resulting in significantly increasing amounts with decreasing pH. However, although the amount of organically bound halogens detected was related to soil pH in both the field and the experimental study, the net changes observed in the latter investigation were not directly related to soil pH. This shows that net changes in the amount of organically bound halogens in soil are caused by complex processes, and that further studies are needed to clarify the nature of the observed relation between soil pH and amounts of organically bound halogens.     

Polar wandering on Mars?

Polar wandering during the past 10(8) years may be recorded by unique quasi-circular structures in the polar regions of Mars. Polar wandering on Mars is likely if deep convection is involved in the origin of the very large constructional volcanic features located near the equator. The magnitude of the nonhydrostatic low order components of the gravity field and their correlation with the equatorial volcanic features may be additional evidence of deep convection and associated polar wandering.     

Tectonics and evolution of venus

The global tectonics of Venus differs significantly from that of Earth, most markedly in that the surface is covered predominately by gently rolling terrain; there apparently are no features like ocean rises; the gravity is positively correlated with topography at all wavelengths; and the few highlands are estimated to be supported or compensated at a depth of approximately 100 kilometers. The surface of Venus appears to be covered mainly by an ancient crust, the high surface temperature making subduction difficult. It seems likely that well over 1 billion years ago water was destabilized at the surface and, soon after, plate tectonics ceased. The highlands appear to be actively supported, presumably as manifestations of long-enduring hot spots.     

Imaging of small-scale features on 433 Eros from NEAR: evidence for a complex regolith

On 25 October 2000, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendevous (NEAR)-Shoemaker spacecraft executed a low-altitude flyover of asteroid 433 Eros, making it possible to image the surface at a resolution of about 1 meter per pixel. The images reveal an evolved surface distinguished by an abundance of ejecta blocks, a dearth of small craters, and smooth material infilling some topographic lows. The subdued appearance of craters of different diameters and the variety of blocks and different degrees of their burial suggest that ejecta from several impact events blanketed the region imaged at closest approach and led to the building up of a substantial and complex regolith consisting of fine materials and abundant meter-sized blocks.     

Effect of surrounded air atmospheric plasma treatment on polypropylene dyeability using cationic dyestuffs

The dyeing properties of the polypropylene (PP) fabrics using cationic dyestuffs were investigated after surrounded air atmospheric cold-plasma treatment. Surrounded air plasma (SAP) was used to modify fabric surface and to optimize the effects of some discharge parameters on dyeability. Surface morphology and physical-chemical properties of plasma treated fibers were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Activated surfaces by SAP were grafted with different compounds: 6-aminohexanoic acid, acrylic acid, and hexamethyldisiloxane. Dyeing the plasma-induced grafted PP fabric with basic dye was quite satisfactory when high color strength and good fasteness were considered.     

Buchbesprechungen

P. Leinweber: Organische Substanzen in Partikelgrößenfraktionen: Zusammensetzung, Dynamik und Einfluß auf Bodeneigenschaften. VSAG Vechtaer Studien zur Angewandten Geographie und Regionalwissenschaft, Bd 15, 1995, 148 S., ISBN: 3–88441–131–4, 34,80 DM     

Pharmacokinetics of tildipirosin in porcine plasma,lung tissue,and bronchial fluid and effects of test conditions on in vitro activity against reference strains and field isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Rose, M, Menge, M, Bohland, C, Zschiesche, E, Wilhelm, C, Kilp, S, Metz, W, Allan, M, Röpke, R, Nürnberger, M Pharmacokinetics of tildipirosin in porcine plasma, lung tissue, and bronchial fluid and effects of test conditions on in vitro activity against reference strains and field isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap.  36 , 140–153. The pharmacokinetics of tildipirosin (Zuprevo^® 40 mg/mL solution for injection for pigs), a novel 16‐membered‐ring macrolide for the treatment for swine respiratory disease (SRD), was investigated in studies collecting blood plasma and postmortem samples of lung tissue and bronchial fluid (BF) from swine. In view of factors influencing the in vitro activity of macrolides, and for the interpretation of tildipirosin pharmacokinetics in relation to minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), additional experiments were conducted to study the effects of pH, carbon dioxide‐enriched atmosphere, buffers, and serum on tildipirosin MICs for various reference strains and Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae field isolates. After single intramuscular (i.m.) injection at 4 mg/kg body weight, maximum plasma concentration (C_max) was 0.9 μg/mL observed within 23 min (T_max). Mean residence time from the time of dosing to the time of last measurable concentration (MRT_last) and terminal half‐life (T_1/2) both were about 4 days. A dose–response relationship with no significant sex effect is observed for area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time 0 to the last sampling time with a quantifiable drug concentration (AUC_last) over the range of doses up to 6 mg/kg. However, linear dose proportionality could not be proven with statistical methods. The time–concentration profile of tildipirosin in BF and lung far exceeded that in blood plasma. In lung, tildipirosin concentrations reached 3.1 μg/g at 2 h, peaked at 4.3 μg/g at day 1, and slowly declined to 0.8 μg/g at day 17. In BF, tildipirosin levels were 14.3, 7.0, and 6.5 μg/g at days 5, 10, and 14. T_1/2 in lung was ～7 days. Tildipirosin is rapidly and extensively distributed to the respiratory tract followed by slow elimination. Culture media pH and carbon dioxide‐enriched atmosphere (CO₂‐EA) had a marked impact on in vitro activity of tildipirosin in reference strains of various rapidly growing aerobic and fastidious bacteria including Histophilus (H.) somni ATCC 700025 and A. pleuropneumoniae ATCC 27090. For A. pleuropneumoniae ATCC 27090 testing conditions without CO₂‐EA resulted in reduced acidification of culture media pH and a reduction in the minimum inhibitory concentrations compared to standard in vitro test conditions by 2 log₂ dilution steps (4‐fold) from 8 to 2 μg/mL. Supplementary buffering of standard culture media resulted in a reduction in the A. pleuropneumoniae (n = 8) MIC range by 4 log₂ dilution steps (16‐fold) from 8–16 to 0.5–1 μg/mL. Incremental supplementation of culture media with 50% serum resulted in noticeable shifts to lower minimum or maximum MICs by at least 2 log₂ dilution steps (≥4‐fold) in all aerobic and fastidious reference strains tested except for Pasteurella (P.) multocida. The MIC of A. pleuropneumoniae ATCC 27090 decreased by 2–4 log₂ dilution steps (4 to 16‐fold) from 8 to 0.5–2 μg/mL when 50% serum was added to the standard assay. Considering a higher presence of serum and the rather neutral pH conditions maintained in vivo, it is suggested to take the influence of these factors on in vitro activity into account when interpreting tildipirosin MICs for A. pleuropneumoniae in relation to pharmacokinetics.     

Seasonal changes in vertical distribution patterns of cod (Gadus morhua) in the Bornholm Basin,central Baltic Sea

Hydroacoustic single fish detection and corresponding hydrographic measurements were used to study seasonal changes in vertical distribution of adult cod (Gadus morhua) in relation to ambient environmental conditions in the Bornholm Basin, central Baltic Sea. Sampling was conducted in April, June and August covering the years 2006–2009. Vertical distribution of individual fish was resolved from hydroacoustic single‐target detection in combination with a fish‐tracking algorithm and related to ambient hydrographic conditions. Based on a generalized linear effect model, both salinity and oxygen concentration were identified as key parameters affecting cod vertical distribution. Results also showed a clear seasonal effect with a more shallow distribution as the spawning season progressed and oxygen concentrations in the deep parts of the basin deteriorated. The upper limit of the distributional range was mostly constituted by the halocline and remained rather constant, whereas increasing oxygen depletion in the deep water layers lifted the lower boundary of the vertical distribution, leading to the observed upward shift in the overall distribution pattern. The results presented in this study highlight a significant shortcoming of the assessment survey design established for this species, as the observed shift in vertical distribution is not taken into account, thus introducing a potential bias into a data series used to tune the ICES standard stock assessment of this species.