Evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies to bovine virus diarrhoea virus in milk

The present study shows that milk is an appropriate source for detection of seroreactors to bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV). There was close agreement between antibody titres in serum and in skim milk, as determined by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antibody titres were usually lower in skim milk than in serum, but all seropositive cows (n = 84) were also skim milk-positive and all but one seronegative cow (n = 55) proved negative in skim milk. During lactation, the level of antibodies to BVDV in milk showed an inverse relationship to the amount of milk produced. However, there was a sufficient level of antibodies in milk throughout lactation to permit an adequate determination of BVDV antibody status in dairy cows. There was a mutual good agreement between milk antibody titre in the four mammary quarters, irrespective of milk cell count. Milk can be used to detect seroreactors to BVDV. Milk is preferable to blood in large-scale epidemiological studies, since the sampling procedure is much simpler.     

Dissolved and colloidal phosphorus fluxes in forest ecosystems—an almost blind spot in ecosystem research

Understanding and quantification of phosphorus (P) fluxes are key requirements for predictions of future forest ecosystems changes as well as for transferring lessons learned from natural ecosystems to croplands and plantations. This review summarizes and evaluates the recent knowledge on mechanisms, magnitude, and relevance by which dissolved and colloidal inorganic and organic P forms can be translocated within or exported from forest ecosystems. Attention is paid to hydrological pathways of P losses at the soil profile and landscape scales, and the subsequent influence of P on aquatic ecosystems. New (unpublished) data from the German Priority Program 1685 “Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest Strategies for limited Phosphorus Resources” were added to provide up‐to‐date flux‐based information. Nitrogen (N) additions increase the release of water‐transportable P forms. Most P found in percolates and pore waters belongs to the so‐called dissolved organic P (DOP) fractions, rich in orthophosphate‐monoesters and also containing some orthophosphate‐diesters. Total solution P concentrations range from ca. 1 to 400 µg P L^?1, with large variations among forest stands. Recent sophisticated analyses revealed that large portions of the DOP in forest stream water can comprise natural nanoparticles and fine colloids which under extreme conditions may account for 40–100% of the P losses. Their translocation within preferential flow passes may be rapid, mediated by storm events. The potential total P loss through leaching into subsoils and with streams was found to be less than 50 mg P m^?2 a^?1, suggesting effects on ecosystems at centennial to millennium scale. All current data are based on selected snapshots only. Quantitative measurements of P fluxes in temperate forest systems are nearly absent in the literature, probably due to main research focus on the C and N cycles. Therefore, we lack complete ecosystem‐based assessments of dissolved and colloidal P fluxes within and from temperate forest systems.     

Detection of potentially allergenic hazelnut (Corylus avellana) residues in food: a comparative study with DNA PCR-ELISA and protein sandwich-ELISA

Allergen detection is of increasing interest for food labeling purposes. A comparative study with a commercial hazelnut-specific PCR-ELISA and a sandwich-type ELISA detecting hazelnut protein was performed to investigate to what extent immunochemical and DNA-based techniques would correlate in the detection of trace amounts of potentially allergenic hazelnut residues. Both methods were highly sensitive and allowed the detection of even <10 ppm of hazelnut in complex food matrixes. The protein-ELISA was highly specific for hazelnut. However, some foods could lead to false-positive results at the 10 ppm level. The PCR-ELISA did not show any cross-reactions with non-hazelnut foods, thus reducing the probability of having false positives at the trace level. Forty-one commercial food products with and without hazelnut components on their labels were analyzed for the presence of hazelnut. Of the 27 products in which hazelnut components were detected, two samples were not identified by the protein-ELISA, and only one sample, namely one white chocolate having <1 ppm of hazelnut protein, was not detected by PCR-ELISA. The good correlation of the results of PCR-ELISA and protein-ELISA suggested that both PCR-based and immunochemical techniques are suitable for reliable detection of potentially allergenic hazelnut residues in foods at the trace level.     

Identification of Volatiles of the Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum

The dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum, often called P. minimum, is a potentially toxic alga found in algal blooms. Volatile compounds released by the alga might carry important information, e.g., on its physiological state, and may act as chemical messengers. We report here the identification of volatile organic compounds emitted by two strains, xenic P. cordatum CCMP 1529 and axenic P. cordatum CCMP 1329. The volatiles released during culture were identified despite their low production rates, using sensitive methods such as open-system-stripping analysis (OSSA) on Tenax TA desorption tubes, thermodesorption, cryofocusing and GC/MS-analysis. The analyses revealed 16 compounds released from the xenic strain and 52 compounds from the axenic strain. The majority of compounds were apocarotenoids, aromatic compounds and small oxylipins, but new natural products such as 3,7-dimethyl-4-octanolide were also identified and synthesized. The large difference of compound composition between xenic and axenic algae will be discussed.     

Impacts from Deposition on Swedish Forest Ecosystems Identified by Integrated Monitoring

Integrated monitoring of ecosystems (IM) is an international co-operative programme (ICP) to control effects of air pollution and climate change on water, soil and biological systems. It is a part of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) of the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (UN/ECE). The ICP-IM is undertaken on sites/catchments to investigate acidification, eutrophication and heavy metals with an integrated approach. In Sweden, long-term time series from forest ecosystems, with a long and stable continuity, will reveal trends and changes in processes and enable modelling to be undertaken. Investigations of acidity/alkalinity in relation to mineral and organic acids indicated the importance of atmospheric deposition. Recent results show very high inorganic nitrogen retention (99%), a net loss of sulphur originating mainly from organic horizons, and a high inorganic aluminium content in the illuvial soil horizons which could be detrimental to forests. Forest deficiency could also be caused by an observed ongoing translocation of Zn to deeper soil layers implying a movement towards increased release to surface waters.     

Fossilized nuclei and germination structures identify Ediacaran "animal embryos" as encysting protists

Globular fossils showing palintomic cell cleavage in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, China, are widely regarded as embryos of early metazoans, although metazoan synapomorphies, tissue differentiation, and associated juveniles or adults are lacking. We demonstrate using synchrotron-based x-ray tomographic microscopy that the fossils have features incompatible with multicellular metazoan embryos. The developmental pattern is comparable with nonmetazoan holozoans, including germination stages that preclude postcleavage embryology characteristic of metazoans. We conclude that these fossils are neither animals nor embryos. They belong outside crown-group Metazoa, within total-group Holozoa (the sister clade to Fungi that includes Metazoa, Choanoflagellata, and Mesomycetozoea) or perhaps on even more distant branches in the eukaryote tree. They represent an evolutionary grade in which palintomic cleavage served the function of producing propagules for dispersion.     

NMR-Based Configurational Assignments of Natural Products: Gibbs Sampling and Bayesian Inference Using Floating Chirality Distance Geometry Calculations

Floating chirality restrained distance geometry (fc-rDG) calculations are used to directly evolve structures from NMR data such as NOE-derived intramolecular distances or anisotropic residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). In contrast to evaluating pre-calculated structures against NMR restraints, multiple configurations (diastereomers) and conformations are generated automatically within the experimental limits. In this report, we show that the “unphysical” rDG pseudo energies defined from NMR violations bear statistical significance, which allows assigning probabilities to configurational assignments made that are fully compatible with the method of Bayesian inference. These “diastereomeric differentiabilities” then even become almost independent of the actual values of the force constants used to model the restraints originating from NOE or RDC data.