Managing faba bean residues to enhance the fruit quality of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) crop

Mulching and/or topsoil incorporation of plant residues from green manure legumes can increase cropping system sustainability, and can supply and retain nutrients. Two field experiments were conducted in Italy over the period of 2006–2007, to investigate the effect of faba bean grown in a temperate environment to fruit morphology, quality and chemical composition of the subsequent melon (Cucumis melo L.) crop. Flowering faba bean plants were managed as mulch on the melon plant rows and cut and incorporated into the soil, in comparison with cultivated soil (control) and black plastic mulch.     

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infection in Neotropical primates in the western Amazon,Brazil

The Brazilian Amazon is endemic for malaria and natural infections by Plasmodium spp. have been detected in Neotropical primates. Despite the diversity of primate species in the region, studies on infections by these agents are limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of infection by Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum in free‐born primates that were kept in captivity, in the western Amazon, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 98 Neotropical primates. Detection of P. vivax and P. falciparum DNA was performed using a semi‐nested PCR, and the amplified products were sequenced. Plasmodium spp. DNA was detected in 6.12% (6/98) of the primates. P. vivax, and P. falciparum DNA was detected in 2.04% (2/98) and 4.08% (4/98) of these mammals, respectively. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the results obtained from the semi‐nested PCR. The presence of infected non‐human primates (NHP) can be auxiliary in the maintenance of P. falciparum and P. vivax and may have implications for the malaria surveillance and control in the Brazilian Amazon. It is necessary to structure an efficient surveillance system for the aetiological agents of malaria that infect NHP and humans to reduce the risk of Plasmodium spp. introduction into new areas, to protect all susceptible species.     

Wild Seed Harvesting at Mountainous Species-Rich Grassland in Calcareous Italian Alps

Wild harvesting is an efficient option for supplying seed to be used for restoring seminatural grasslands. Several methods are currently used to implement wild harvesting, but few controlled experiments have investigated its efficiency regarding seed amount and number of species collected. A harvesting trial was conducted in a species-rich, low-productivity grassland of the calcareous Italian Alps (1 030 m above sea level [a.s.l.). Three mechanical methods were tested in three replications using a completely randomized block design: green hay (GH), dry hay (DH), and seed stripping (SS) harvesting. The number of fertile shoots, mature seeds, and species collected was recorded and compared with the standing seed yield (SSY). GH, DH, and SS harvested approximately 84%, 70%, and 29% of SSY, respectively. Forbs were harvested more efficiently than grasses in all methods but in most cases at very low seed amounts per m² due to their low seed density for SSY. No significant difference among methods was found for the number of species collected as mature seeds, but SS, implemented on larger plots, tended to collect more forb species. Comparing the results with those of other experiments demonstrated that the relatively cool temperature of the seed maturation period at the mountain site favored stronger seed retention and therefore increased the GH and DH efficiency but decreased the SS efficiency. In cool mountain areas, wild harvesting from forb-rich grasslands should be more successful by SS implemented on wide areas and several times over the vegetative season. In less species-rich grassland, GH and DH can efficiently collect high seed amounts of the fewer species present, even if implemented over smaller areas.     

Experimental evaluation of low head oxygenators

The overall mass transfer coefficient, G₂₀, for a single hole orifice plate was evaluated in a series of experiments as affected by four geometric variables: orifice plate hole diameter (5, 10, 14, 19, and 22 mm), hydraulic head on the flooded plate (2.5, 5, and 13 cm), water fall height from the orifice to the receiving pool of water (30, 61, 91, and 122 cm), and the collection pool depth (2.5, 8, 13, 25, and 41 cm). This is, in essence, the simplest form of a low head oxygenator (LHO). A regression equation was developed to predict G₂₀ as a function of these variables, their interactions, and squared terms. The hydraulic head above the flooded plate had no significant effect (P<0.10) on the overall mass transfer coefficient. It was determined that the contribution of the orifice hole solely to overall gas transfer was much less than previously assumed, suggesting that a much larger percentage of gas transfer is due to the splashing and subsequent entrainment as water droplets fall into the receiving pool of water. Practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Experimental infection of cattle, sheep and pigs with 'Hobi'-like pestivirus

To date, limited information is available on the ability of 'Hobi'-like pestiviruses (putative bovine viral diarrhoea 3) to infect and cause disease in animal species traditionally affected by pestiviruses. In order to obtain new insights into host range and pathogenic potential of this atypical pestivirus, BVDV-seronegative calves (n=5), lambs (n=5) and piglets (n=5) were experimentally infected with the European 'Hobi'-like strain Italy-1/10-1, whereas two animals per species served as uninfected controls. Appearance of clinical signs, leukopenia, viremia, viral shedding and seroconversion were monitored for 28 days post-infection. Calves and lambs were successfully infected, displaying respiratory signs (nasal discharge), moderate hyperthermia and leukopenia, viremia and viral shedding through the nasal and faecal routes. Antibody responses were observed in both animal species by ELISA and virus neutralisation assays. In contrast, inoculated piglets did not display any clinical signs nor leukopenia and viral RNA was not detected in any biological samples. Nevertheless, the presence of detectable antibodies by virus neutralisation accounted for a successful, albeit limited infection of these animals.     

Different efficiencies in organic P exploitation of two Italian alfalfa (Medicago sativa) landraces involving a possible adaptation pattern of the phytase encoding MsPHY1 gene

The agricultural practice of manure cropping can result in the accumulation of surplus phosphorus (P) in soils with consequent losses by leaching. Two Italian alfalfa landraces originating from intensive (“Cremonese”) versus extensive (“Senese”) cattle farming regions were studied in order to investigate their variation for (a) efficiency in exploiting different P sources–farm dairy effluents (FDE), phytic acid (Phy), and inorganic P (IP)–in a lysimeter trial, and (b) the sequence of the MsPHY1 gene, which encodes a root extracellular phytase, releasing inorganic P for plant growth. The Cremonese landrace showed higher P uptake efficiency than Senese in the FDE and Phy treatments and lower inorganic P losses in leachates, particularly in the FDE treatment. The MsPHY1 gene was highly variable and the variation was not neutral but maintained by selection. Two non-synonymous SNPs, in particular SNP970, located in a motif containing conserved metal-ligating residues, produced alternative alleles with frequency differences between landraces. A pattern of adaptive response for the ability to use organic P forms is discussed at both the physiological and genetic levels.     

New dates of a Northern Italian loess deposit (Monte Orfano,Southern pre-Alps,Brescia)

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Loess in Northern Italy has been usually considered deposited during the MIS 4-2 period, which corresponds to the last Pleistocene glacial cycle. In particular, no...     

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of epoxidized soybean oil in food products

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) is widely used as a plasticizer and stabilizer in such polymers [poly(vinyl chloride) in particular] commonly adopted for manufacturing of gaskets of the lids for glass jars and plastic films for food packaging. Human exposure to ESBO and its derivatives is likely to occur over a lifetime with a significant variation according to life stage. A reversed phase liquid chromatography interfaced with electrospray ion trap tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of ESBO in foods was developed. A simple sample treatment procedure entailing the use of an extraction step with dichloromethane without any further cleanup was proved. Chromatographic separation was performed using two C18 columns with an aqueous acetic acid-acetone-acetonitrile mixture as the mobile phase under gradient conditions. The method was validated in terms of detection limits (4 mg kg(-1)), quantitation limits, linearity (established over 2 orders of magnitude), recovery (good mean recoveries, higher than 90% for all of the signals detected), precision (RSD% < 8), and trueness. The applicability of the method to the determination of ESBO in different food matrices (in particular those rich in edible oil) was demonstrated, and the performances were compared to those reachable by the commonly well-known gas chromatography-mass spectrometry procedure.     

Inferring nonneutral evolution from human-chimp-mouse orthologous gene trios

Even though human and chimpanzee gene sequences are nearly 99% identical, sequence comparisons can nevertheless be highly informative in identifying biologically important changes that have occurred since our ancestral lineages diverged. We analyzed alignments of 7645 chimpanzee gene sequences to their human and mouse orthologs. These three-species sequence alignments allowed us to identify genes undergoing natural selection along the human and chimp lineage by fitting models that include parameters specifying rates of synonymous and nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution. This evolutionary approach revealed an informative set of genes with significantly different patterns of substitution on the human lineage compared with the chimpanzee and mouse lineages. Partitions of genes into inferred biological classes identified accelerated evolution in several functional classes, including olfaction and nuclear transport. In addition to suggesting adaptive physiological differences between chimps and humans, human-accelerated genes are significantly more likely to underlie major known Mendelian disorders.