Urban storm water transport and wash-off of Cæfesium-137 after the chernobyl accident

Radiation protection planning in urban areas after a radioactive fallout requires knowledge of decontamination caused by storm water transport. This report elucidates the transport of ¹³⁷Cs from a roof and three storm sewers in Uppsala during the first rainfall after those, on 29–30 April 1986, causing the Chernobyl contamination. Runoff and concentration Of ¹³⁷Cs in storm water were determined with an accuracy of 10 to 15%. The origin of storm water was determined from its content of ¹⁸O. Surface contamination was measured on 3 July 1986. Total fallout was 25 kBq m^?2. During the rainfall on 11 May, 4 kBq m^?2 were transported from the roof and approximately 1 kBq m^?2 from the sewered areas. From 30 April to 4 July there was a decontamination of 13 to 20 kBq m^?2. Measurements from another project showed that the fallout rain events washed off 10 to 16 kBq m^?2. The wash-off by the small rainfall on 11 May constituted one third of the remaining decontamination occurring up until 4 July. The transport of ¹³⁷Cs during the 11 May event increased when the runoff increased, but was less efficient as the event proceeded. The relations between ¹³⁷Cs concentrations and runoff implied that the wash-off of ¹³⁷Cs in Uppsala was totally dominated by that bound to particles.     

Response of Zea mays and Vicia faba to CULTAN fertilization

The response of broad bean (Vicia faba L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) to CULTAN fertilization was compared. Roots of broad bean turned black and were severely damaged by CULTAN fertilization, whereas corn roots were not affected. Consequently, dry matter production of roots and shoots of broad bean was significantly reduced. CULTAN fertilization caused a soil pH increase which may be attributed to hydrolysis of urea applied during CULTAN fertilization. It is assumed that the occurrence of high NH₃ concentration in soil due to CULTAN fertilization may be toxic to broad bean but not to corn.     

A family with severe insulin resistance and diabetes due to a mutation in AKT2

Inherited defects in signaling pathways downstream of the insulin receptor have long been suggested to contribute to human type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here we describe a mutation in the gene encoding the protein kinase AKT2/PKBbeta in a family that shows autosomal dominant inheritance of severe insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. Expression of the mutant kinase in cultured cells disrupted insulin signaling to metabolic end points and inhibited the function of coexpressed, wild-type AKT. These findings demonstrate the central importance of AKT signaling to insulin sensitivity in humans.     

Associations between maternal milk protein genotypes with preweaning calf growth traits in beef cattle

The objectives of this study were to investigate milk casein polymorphisms in dams and to determine the impacts of maternal casein genotypes on growth traits of their sucking calves. Milk samples from 433 dams of the breeds German Angus (GA) and German Simmental (GS) were typed at the milk protein loci α _s1-casein (α_s1-CN), β-casein (β-CN), α _s2-casein (α_s2-CN), and κ-casein (κ-CN) via isoelectric focusing. Associations between casein genotypes in maternal milk with growth traits of their 1,872 calves were analyzed until the age of weaning using linear mixed models, considering either genotypes of individual casein loci (model 1) or composite α _s1-β-α _s2-κ-CN genotypes within the casein cluster (model 2). Besides environmental effects such as sex, age of the dam, and calving year-season, genetic effects (breed group and maternal and paternal effects) were considered in statistical models. The composite casein genotype BBǀA2A2ǀAAǀAB (order of genes on bovine chromosome 6: α _s1-ǀβ-ǀα _s2-ǀκ-CN) was associated with greater average daily weight gains (ADG) and heavier age-adjusted weaning weights (WW) of calves (P < 0.05). The effects of composite genotypes on birth weight of calves were similar (P > 0.05; model 2). With regard to individual casein loci, greater ADG and WW were observed for calves from dams with the genotypes κ-CN BB and α _s1-CN BB, respectively (P < 0.05; model 1). Age-adjusted WW was largest for calves from dams carrying the κ-CN genotype BB (215 kg) compared with calves representing the maternal AB and AA genotypes (both 204 kg). Results from the present study suggested selectable casein genotypes due to their nutritional value of milk (value in terms of offspring performances), offering new perspectives for breeding strategies in beef cattle to improve preweaning calf performance.     

On the importance of non-linear relationships between landscape patterns and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services

Marginal land use changes can abruptly result in non-marginal and irreversible changes in ecosystem functioning and the economic values that the ecosystem generates. This challenges the traditional ecosystem services (ESS) mapping approach, which has often made the assumption that ESS can be mapped uniquely to land use and land cover data. Using a functional fragmentation measure, we show how landscape pattern changes might lead to changes in the delivery of ESS. We map changes in ESS of dry calcareous grasslands under different land use change scenarios in a case study region in Switzerland. We selected three ESS known to be related to species diversity including carbon sequestration and pollination as regulating values and recreational experience as cultural value, and compared them to the value of two production services including food and timber production. Results show that the current unceasing fragmentation is particularly critical for the value of ESS provided by species-rich habitats. The article concludes that assessing landscape patterns is key for maintaining valuable ESS in the face of human use and fluctuating environment.     

Genetic resistance to natural helminth infections in two chicken layer lines

Groups of Lohmann Brown (LB) and Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) hens were reared under helminth-free conditions and kept afterwards together in a free range system. Mortality rate, body weight development, laying performance and faecal egg counts (FEC) were recorded during a 12 month laying period. At the end of the laying period, 246 LSL and 197 LB hens were necropsied and worms counted following the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) guidelines. In addition adult Heterakis gallinarum and Ascaridia galli were sexed and measured for length. Significant (P<0.01) differences were observed in mortality rates between LSL and LB animals (12.9 vs. 5.7%). LSL hens showed significantly (P<0.05) higher FEC when compared with LB hens at almost all dates of monitoring. Almost all animals became infected with at least one helminth species. The most prevalent species were H. gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and A. galli. LB hens showed a significantly (P<0.05) higher average number of adult H. gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and tapeworms when compared with LSL animals. However, number of adult A. galli was in tendency lower in these animals. In total, LB had a significantly (P<0.05) higher worm burden than LSL (192.3 vs. 94.3). The estimated heritabilities for total worm burden were 0.23 (SE±0.12) in LSL and 0.75 (SE±0.21) in LB, respectively. The number of all different helminth species were positively correlated. The sex ratio of H. gallinarum and A. galli and the average worm lengths were not significantly (P>0.05) different between the genotypes. There was no significant phenotypic correlation between body weight and worm burden in LSL, whereas it was the case in LB (r=0.17, P<0.05). Based on the estimated heritabilities it is possible to select for helminth resistance in both genotypes.     

Canopy effects on vegetation caused by harvesting and regeneration treatments

This paper reviews the primary effects of canopy on understorey vegetation to provide insight into the management of the canopy space to benefit tree regeneration. Site conditions, like nutrient and water availability, overstorey conditions, e.g. tree species, and canopy density, are important determinants of ground vegetation. An investigation of canopy effects is concerned about how the canopy trees modify site conditions. As canopy density may be deliberately modified during regeneration treatments, the effect of canopy density on individual species in the herbaceous layer and tree regeneration is important. This autecological perspective focuses on the successional traits of species to help understand species differences in fecundity, survival, density and growth. From a synecological perspective, the importance of successional traits for the outcome of competition between species arising from differences in canopy densities is highlighted. This review shows that moderately dense canopies may favour tree regeneration over aggressive shade-intolerant graminoids or forbs. This is particularly true for shade-tolerant and intermediate shade-tolerant tree species. To better understand and utilise this phenomenon, research should try to identify and isolate different canopy effects.