Decametric radio pulses from jupiter: characteristics

On occasion the decametric radio bursts from Jupiter contain pulses of millisecond duration. Study of data for 2 years shows that the distribution in Jovian longitude of these fast pulses is different from that of the more common pulses of longer duration. The two classes of pulses also appear to be differently affected by the position of the innermost Galilean satellite.     

Failure to detect mismatches between intention and outcome in a simple decision task

A fundamental assumption of theories of decision-making is that we detect mismatches between intention and outcome, adjust our behavior in the face of error, and adapt to changing circumstances. Is this always the case? We investigated the relation between intention, choice, and introspection. Participants made choices between presented face pairs on the basis of attractiveness, while we covertly manipulated the relationship between choice and outcome that they experienced. Participants failed to notice conspicuous mismatches between their intended choice and the outcome they were presented with, while nevertheless offering introspectively derived reasons for why they chose the way they did. We call this effect choice blindness.     

Measurement of C‐reactive protein and Prostaglandin F2α Metabolite Concentrations in Differentiation of Canine Pyometra and Cystic Endometrial Hyperplasia/Mucometra

Canine pyometra is a dioestrus period disease in which systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a common outcome due to the response of the body to the bacterial infection. The purpose of this study was i) to differentiate canine pyometra and cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH)/mucometra by measuring serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) and prostaglandin F_2α metabolite (PGFM) concentrations in blood and ii) to compare serum concentrations of CRP and PGFM in bitches with a pathological uterus (pyometra or CEH/mucometra) to concentrations in bitches with a healthy uterus. Mean CRP concentrations were found significantly higher (p < 0.001) in dogs with pyometra compared to those with CEH/mucometra or healthy uterus. However, no statistical difference could be detected between the groups for mean PGFM concentrations. Mean white blood cell count (WBC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total protein concentrations were found significantly higher (p < 0.001) in dogs with pyometra. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated microorganism from dogs with pyometra (64.3%). Edwardsiella spp. was detected in a single case of pyometra for the first time. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that serum CRP concentrations were increased in dogs with pyometra and thus we conclude that serum CRP concentration but not PGFM might be useful as a marker to differentiate a case of CEH/mucometra from pyometra in female dogs. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report in which Edwardsiella spp. has been isolated in the canine uterus.     

Ascorbate-2-sulfate as a dietary vitamin C source for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): 2. Effects of dietary levels and immunization on the metabolism of trace elements

Atlantic salmon fingerlings were fed a vitamin C deficient diet for four months. The fish were then provided a dry, practical fishmeal based diet supplemented with 0, 500 or 5000 mg vitamin C/kg as L-ascorbic acid or equivalent amounts of ascorbate-2-sulfate. After six weeks on these diets ten fish in each group were injected with a soluble antigen (NIP₁₁-LPH). Six weeks thereafter blood, liver, kidney, spleen and vertebrae were examined for trace elements. The livers were also analysed for metallothionein. The vitamin C deficient fish were anemic despite the significantly elevated iron concentrations in the liver. Vitamin C had no positive effect in lowering tissue levels of cadmium. The highest level of dietary vitamin C given as ascorbic acid reduced the liver selenium concentrations. In response to antigen injection, the fish in all groups showed increased levels of hepatic metallothionein, copper, zinc and cadmium, while hepatic selenium and iron levels were less affected. The elemental composition in other organs was affected by the antigen injection to a minor extent.     

Induction of metallothionein synthesis in rainbow trout,Salmo gairdneri,during long-term exposure to waterborne cadmium

Rainbow trout were exposed to 200 g cadmium/l in the water during four months at 6–10°C. The liver, kidney and gills were analyzed for cadmium, copper, zinc, metallothionein and metallothionein mRNA. Cadmium accumulated in all three organs and reached the highest concentration in the kidney. The tissue zine and copper concentrations showed no major alterations during the experiment. The cytosolic distribution of cadmium, copper and zinc was followed during four months of exposure by Sephadex G-75 chromatography. It was found that cadmium was predominantly associated with proteins of an apparent molecular vieght of 10,000 daltons. These proteins were further identified as metallothioneins after fast protein liquid chromatography on a Mono-Q column. The metallothionein concentration was significantly higher in liver of exposed fish than in control fish after only one month. The kidneys reached significantly elevated levels of metallothionein in the exposed group after three months. In the gills, elevated metallothionein concentrations were observed after four months of exposure. After four months of exposure, the metallothionein mRNA content of liver and kidney was analyzed using a rainbow trout anti-sense RNA probe. Elevated MT mRNA levels were observed in both kidney and liver. These results demonstrate thatde novo synthesis of metallothionein is induced by cadmium in rainbow trout after exposure to the metalvia water.     

Evaluation of some North and South American potato breeding lines for resistance toPotato mop-top virus in Sweden

The necrotic symptoms (spraing) in tubers caused byPotato mop-top pomovirus (PMTV) have become a severe problem for potato production in Scandinavia. PMTV is transmitted by the powdery scab pathogen (Spongospora subterranea) and no methods for control are currently available. Two breeding lines (NY99 and NY103) from the Cornell University potato breeding program, twotuberosum ×acaule lines (TA3.8.3.3 and TA3.5.3.7) from the International Potato Center (CIP), and one line (IvP35) ofSolarium phureja were tested for resistance to PMTV in field trials in Sweden in 1998 and 1999. In both years, NY99 had a low incidence of PMTV infection in tubers, and the infected tubers showed a low accumulation of PMTV, indicating that NY99 is a promising new source of resistance to PMTV for breeding programs. Furthermore, it may be suitable for cultivation in Scandinavia, which, however, needs to be evaluated in more extensive field trials.     

Fungal growth and effects of different wood decomposing fungi on the indigenous bacterial community of polluted and unpolluted soils

Thirty-two different basidiomycete isolates were inoculated separately into contaminated soil and the soil colonization ability was assessed visually. Large differences in the colonization ability and growth patterns were found between the different fungi. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were extracted from the soils of the seven isolates with the best colonizing ability. All PLFAs that were not found in pure cultures of the seven fungi were considered as bacterial PLFAs. The bacterial PLFA data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to indicate changes in the indigenous bacterial community. The experiment was repeated in a sandy agricultural soil. The bacterial PLFA patterns were altered when fungi were inoculated into soil, irrespective of whether it was polluted or not. In particular the PLFA cy19:0, indicative of Gram-negative bacteria, was higher in fungal-inoculated soil than in uninoculated controls. The PLFA patterns for each fungal treatment were distributed more or less similarly in the PCA plots of both contaminated and sandy agricultural soil. Soil inoculated with Antrodia vaillantii, Hypholoma fasciculare or Recinicium bicolor was considerably different from the control along PC 1. Soil inoculated with Phanerochaete chrysosporium was characterized by different values along PC 2 compared with the other fungal soils.     

Soil structural management and production in a non-cultivated peach orchard

Soil managements other than frequent cultivation are often needed for orchard production on poorly structured soils. Irrigated peach trees (Prunus persica L. Batsch), grown for nine years under the Tatura system of soil management described, produced consistently at least three times the average yield of trees grown commercially on similar soil types. The Tatura system of soil management included soil modification to 60 cm depth, hilled surface soil, subsequent non-cultivation, straw mulch and frequent irrigation. The structure of the deepened surface soil approached that required for maximum root growth as specified in earlier work, and was maintained for nine years.The surface soil remained stable (slaking percentage <10) allowing high rates of infiltration. Macroporosity in the surface soil to a depth of 37 cm at nine years was 14% compared with the standard of 20% suggested by earlier work. However, oxygen concentrations exceeded 10% in the modified layer within 24 h of irrigation. For most of the nine years, penetrometer resistance to a depth of 37 cm was below or close to 1 MPa for soil at ?10 kPa matric potential. The root length to 60 cm depth was 60% greater than that of peach trees in an adjacent cultivated orchard.     

An energy based parameter for the assessment of aggregate bond energy

The energy applied to a soil-water suspension by an ultrasonic probe was determined for seven vertisol soils using calorimetric techniques. The rate of energy consumed by aggregate dispersion during sonification was calculated as the difference between the energy components measured before and after complete dispersion. Dispersive energy consumption was found to vary significantly during sonification and significant differences (P<0.05) were found between soils for the total dispersive energy required for complete dispersion. The soil dispersion characteristic curves, which relate the dispersive energy consumption during sonification to the quantity of <2 μm and <20 μm material dispersed, were also significantly different between soils. Error analysis of the calorimetric technique revealed that the energy consumed by complete dispersion is calculated with a precision of ±0.5 J g^?1. For the soils studied, this was smaller than the observed variance in total dispersive energy consumed suggesting sample variability was the major source of variation. The ultrasonic technique was also used to determine the equivalent total energy applied and the amount of energy consumed by aggregate breakdown and dispersion during 30 min of end-over-end shaking. No significant difference (P<0.05) was found between soils for the total energy applied. However, a significant difference (P<0.05) was observed between soils for the quantity of dispersive energy required to produce the equivalent end-over-end dispersion.