Contamination of soil with Toxocara eggs in urban (Prague) and rural areas in the Czech Republic

Contamination of soil with feline and canine ascarid eggs in public parks, backyards and sand pits in Prague, Czech Republic was investigated in this work. Soil samples from shelters and rural areas were also collected. The comparison of soil from different areas (urban, rural, backyards and shelters) exhibited significant difference (chi(2)=32.16, d.f.=3 and p<0.0001). The highest rate of contamination (45%) was found in backyards inhabited by feral cats. The eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 20.4% of parks, 10% of shelters and 5% of rural samples. Mean egg density per sample from Prague parks was 6.2 eggs/100g of soil. In 126 composite samples from children's and pits, the prevalence of Toxocara eggs was 11.90%. The number of eggs in positive samples varied from 2 to 22 (per 100g). A high proportion (46.9%) of eggs was fully embryonated. There was no difference between the sand pits with or without formal exclusion of dogs (chi(2)=0.6, d.f.=1 and p<0.0001).     

Effect of liming on extractable Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn in selected Scottish soils

Ten naturally acidic Scottish soils have been limed with CaCO₃ at 0,0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 times the recommended lime requirement, and then subjected to three cycles of alternate wetting to field capacity at 20°C for 1 month and drying for 1 month. The Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn extracted by DTPA solution, both at pH 7.3 and also after adjustment to match the final soil pH, were measured by flame AAS. The same elements were determined in ammonium acetate extracts, for extractants buffered at pH 4.8, pH 7.0 or at the final soil pH. The effect of extractant pH upon the amounts of trace elements removed is discussed for the two extractants, with particular reference to Zn. The influence of soil pH upon the amounts of trace elements extracted is also considered. There appears to be a distinct relationship between rate of decrease of DTPA-extractable Fe with increasing soil pH and the effect of pH upon DTPA-extractable Zn, high rates of decrease of extractable Fe being associated with a more continuous decline in extractable Zn with increasing soil pH. Possible reasons for this relationship are discussed, in the light of an experiment conducted to examine the effect of Fe and A1 on loss of Zn from solution at high pH. DTPA-extractable Cu varied little with increasing soil pH.     

Genotyping Common Bean for the Potyvirus Resistance Alleles I and bc-1(2) with a Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

ABSTRACT A multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to simultaneously genotype plants for the I and bc-1(2) alleles, which condition resistance in beans to Bean common mosaic virus and Bean common mosaic necrosis virus. A segregating F(2) population was derived from the cross between pinto bean breeding line P94207-189A (bc-1 bc-1 I I) and Olathe (bc-12 bc-1(2) i i). Real-time PCR assays were developed that were specific for each allele, and a multiplex PCR reaction could unambiguously assign F(2) plants to one of nine genotypes. Remnant F(1) plants were used as a comparative reference sample. PCR results among this sample fit a normal distribution for both real-time PCR assays, and 99% probability distributions were determined for heterozygotes. F(2) plants were genotyped based on results relative to the probability distributions for heterozygotes. F(2) plants also were genotyped for the I and bc-1(2) alleles by performing F(3) family progeny tests for virus resistance. Agreement between the two methods was 100% (198/198) for the bc-1(2) allele, and 92.4% (183/198) for the I allele. Erroneous genotyping was due to recombination between the amplicon and the I allele. Realtime PCR assays provide a robust method for genotyping seedlings and, in some cases, may eliminate the need for progeny testing.     

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Assessment of salt tolerance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops</Emphasis> L. from the VIR collection

The effect of high NaCl concentrations on accumulation of biomass and change in content of sodium and potassium ions in 17 accessions of nine species of Aegilops L. is studied. Three salt-tolerant accessions (Ae. tauschii k-677 and 674 and Ae. cylindrica k-676) containing the D genome and having a high K/Na ratio are identified.     

Response of Ugandan common bean varieties to Pseudocercospora griseola and Angular leaf spot disease development in varietal mixtures

Angular leaf spot (ALS) is one of the most economically important bean diseases in Africa. One promising control option for the disease is the use of mixtures of resistant and susceptible varieties. This research evaluated (1) the reaction of farmer preferred bean varieties to ALS in the screenhouse and on-station and (2) the effect of different spatial arrangements of resistant and susceptible bean varieties on ALS disease development. For the latter, five mixture combinations and two controls were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design having three replicates. Analysis of variance and least significant differences (LSDs) were used to compare disease levels in both studies above. Varietal screening showed significant differences in varietal reaction to ALS. Screenhouse disease scores ranged between 0 and 5, compared to 0.7–3.9 in the field. For the varietal mixture trial, the lowest disease levels and the highest mixture efficiencies were observed for the combination of equal proportions of the susceptible and resistant varieties randomly mixed (even mixture) prior to planting. We conclude that even mixtures reduce the amount of ALS disease that develops in the season.     

Using 3D animations to teach intracellular signal transduction mechanisms: taking the arrows out of cells

Traditional methods of teaching intracellular biological processes and pathways use figures or flowcharts with the names of molecules linked with arrows. Many veterinary students, presented with such material, simply memorize the names or chemical structures of the molecules and are then likely to forget the material once the examination is completed. To address this problem, the authors designed, created, and field-tested new teaching media that incorporate realistic three-dimensional (3D) animations depicting the dynamic changes that occur in intracellular molecules during cellular activation. Testing found that veterinary students taught using traditional teaching media (e.g., lectures, handouts, textbooks) are proficient in memorizing the names and order of intracellular molecules but unable to appreciate the interactions between these elements or their spatial relationships within cells. In contrast, more than 90% of veterinary students taught using 3D animations not only recall the facts about the intracellular elements but also develop accurate mental images of the interactions among these molecules and their spatial relationships. These findings strongly suggest that the comprehension of complex biological processes by veterinary students can be enhanced by the use of dynamic 3D depictions of these processes in the classroom.