Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia and dyskeratosis in Australian Poll Hereford calves

Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) is a heterogeneous group of rare genetic disorders that in humans is characterised by ineffective haematopoiesis with morphological abnormalities in erythroid precursor cells and secondary iron overload. In the 1990s, a syndrome of CDA with dyskeratosis and progressive alopecia was reported in Poll Hereford calves in Canada and the USA. We report the clinical and pathological findings in two Poll Hereford calves with this syndrome from separate properties in South Australia. The animals had a variably severe anaemia, associated with abnormal nucleated red blood cells in peripheral blood, and large numbers of rubricytes and metarubricytes with a characteristic nuclear ultrastructure in the bone marrow. Both calves were born with a wiry hair coat and a progressively ‘dirty‐faced’ appearance associated with hyperkeratosis and dyskeratosis (apoptosis).     

Genome‐Wide Association Study for Sperm Concentration in Holstein‐Friesian Bulls

The aim of the study was to screen the entire bull genome to identify markers and candidate genes underlying sperm concentration. The analysed data set originates from a population of 877 Polish Holstein‐Friesian bulls. Based on sperm concentration value, two extreme groups of bulls were created: Low (L, n = 126) and High (H, n = 140). Each bull was genotyped using the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. Genome‐wide association analysis was performed with the use of GoldenHelix SVS7 software. An additive model with a Cohran–Armitage test, Correlation/Trend adjusted by a Bonferroni test, was used to estimate the effect of SNP marker for sperm concentration. Thirteen markers reached genome‐wide significance. The most significant SNPs were located on chromosome 3 (rs109154964 and rs108965556), 14 (rs41621145) and 18 (rs41615539), in the close vicinity of protein arginine methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6), Sel1 repeat containing 1 (SELRC1), triple QxxK/R motif containing (TRIQK) and zinc finger homeobox 3 (ZFHX3) genes, respectively. For three other candidate genes located close to significant markers (within a distance of ca 1 Mb), namely histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9), an inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2) and glutathione S‐transferase theta 1 (GSTT1), their potential role in the production of male germ cells was confirmed in earlier studies. Six additional candidate genes (Vav3, GSTM1, CDK5, NOS3, PDP1 and GAL3ST1) were suspected of being significantly associated with sperm concentration or semen biochemistry. Our results indicate the genetic complexity of sperm concentration but also open the possibility for finding causal polymorphism useful in marker‐assisted selection.     

Submerged citric acid fermentation on orange peel autohydrolysate

The citrus-processing industry generates in the Mediterranean area huge amounts of orange peel as a byproduct from the industrial extraction of citrus juices. To reduce its environmental impact as well as to provide an extra profit, this residue was investigated in this study as an alternative substrate for the fermentative production of citric acid. Orange peel contained 16.9% soluble sugars, 9.21% cellulose, 10.5% hemicellulose, and 42.5% pectin as the most important components. To get solutions rich in soluble and starchy sugars to be used as a carbon source for citric acid fermentation, this raw material was submitted to autohydrolysis, a process that does not make use of any acidic catalyst. Liquors obtained by this process under optimum conditions (temperature of 130 degrees C and a liquid/solid ratio of 8.0 g/g) contained 38.2 g/L free sugars (8.3 g/L sucrose, 13.7 g/L glucose, and 16.2 g/L fructose) and significant amounts of metals, particularly Mg, Ca, Zn, and K. Without additional nutrients, these liquors were employed for citric acid production by Aspergillus niger CECT 2090 (ATCC 9142, NRRL 599). Addition of calcium carbonate enhanced citric acid production because it prevented progressive acidification of the medium. Moreover, the influence of methanol addition on citric acid formation was investigated. Under the best conditions (40 mL of methanol/kg of medium), an effective conversion of sugars into citric acid was ensured (maximum citric acid concentration of 9.2 g/L, volumetric productivity of 0.128 g/(L.h), and yield of product on consumed sugars of 0.53 g/g), hence demonstrating the potential of orange peel wastes as an alternative raw material for citric acid fermentation.     

Control methods against invasive Aedes mosquitoes in Europe: a review

Five species of invasive Aedes mosquitoes have recently become established in Europe: Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. japonicus japonicus, Ae. koreicus and Ae. atropalpus. These mosquitoes are a serious nuisance for people and are also competent vectors for several exotic pathogens such as dengue and chikungunya viruses. As they are a growing public health concern, methods to control these mosquitoes need to be implemented to reduce their biting and their potential for disease transmission. There is a crucial need to evaluate methods as part of an integrated invasive mosquito species control strategy in different European countries, taking into account local Aedes infestations and European regulations. This review presents the control methods available or in development against invasive Aedes mosquitoes, with a particular focus on those that can be implemented in Europe. These control methods are divided into five categories: environmental (source reduction), mechanical (trapping), biological (e.g. copepods, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, Wolbachia), chemical (insect growth regulators, pyrethroids) and genetic (sterile insect technique and genetically modified mosquitoes). We discuss the effectiveness, ecological impact, sustainability and stage of development of each control method. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

The Food Safety Management System

A comprehensive food safety strategy involves establishing risk management goals, food safety objectives and, for production systems, performance objectives and performance criteria. The working instructions for each step of the process should be validated for their effect before integration within a specific HACCP plan. The importance of realistic inactivation models to predict the hygienic equivalence of food processing operations is discussed.

     

An analysis of potential investment returns of planted forests in South China

New Forests - Financial returns of forest plantations are an important concern around the world. In this research, we focused on South China’s timber investments, collected data from the...     

Ending overfishing while catching more fish

The world's seas and oceans are a vital source of animal protein from fishing and a major contributor to global food security. It has been argued that global wild‐catch production has reached its limit, and there is concern that many species are overfished. Concerns are also mounting about the state of marine ecosystems and the ecological impacts of fishing on them, with increasing efforts to protect marine biodiversity. Fisheries appear to be at an impasse – demand for seafood is rising but so is concern about the impacts of fishing. However, through a simple analysis, we show that global exploitation rates are well below long‐term sustainable levels at a whole ecosystem level. The oceans can support considerably higher sustainable catch than currently harvested. Overfishing has happened but only to a small fraction of species as a result of intensive and selective fishing. Shifting fishing effort away from highly targeted stocks towards currently underutilized species would reduce pressure on overfished species, result in fewer adverse ecosystem effects of fishing and increase overall fisheries production. This shift requires significant changes to our views about seafood, particularly in the developed world. We suggest ways in which this paradigm shift could happen and the range of expertise that would be required to achieve higher global yields with less ecological impact.