Influence of early re-spacing on Sitka spruce branch structure

• Context   

The frequency, size, and insertion angle of primary branches are important determinants of wood quality and can be significantly influenced by silvicultural activities.     

Monitoring protein structural changes and hydration in bovine meat tissue due to salt substitutes by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of NaCl and two salt substitutes, MgSO4 and KCl, in different concentrations (1.5, 6.0, and 9.0%) on meat proteins by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy. Hydration properties and secondary structural properties of proteins were investigated by studying the amide I, amide II, and water regions (3500-3000 cm(-1)) in FTIR spectra. By applying multivariate analysis (PCA and PLSR), differences between samples according to salt concentration and salt type were found and correlated to spectral bands. The most distinctive differences related to salt type were obtained by using the water region. It was found that samples salted with MgSO4 exhibited hydration and subsequent denaturation of proteins at lower concentrations than those salted with NaCl. Samples salted with KCl brines showed less denaturation even at the 9.0% concentration. The FTIR results were further supported by water-binding capacity (WBC) measurements.     

Immunohistochemical detection of chlamydiae in formalin-fixed tissue sections: comparison of a monoclonal antibody with yolk derived antibodies (IgY)

Immunohistological detection of chlamydiae in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of various organs from several species is described. In a retrospective study, two antisera, a commercially available monoclonal murine antibody (IgMur) and vitelline immunoglobulins (IgY), extracted from the egg yolk of immunized hens, were compared and tested for their applicability under routine condition. Both antisera were applied to tissues from which chlamydiae had been isolated or in which the presence of chlamydiae had been suspected in specially stained sections. Antigen labelling was optimal with the monoclonal antibody. Vitelline immunoglobulins produced some unspecific reactions, especially in lung tissue sections. Because of the antigenic relationship between the vitelline antibodies and tissues of birds, IgY are not suitable for the detection of psittacosis on avian substrates, when using an indirect immunological method. Staining in other tissues e.g. intestine or placenta was of equal quality as that attained with monoclonal antibodies. Depending on the advantages and disadvantages in every individual case, one of the two antibodies may be chosen for further studies. Vitelline antibodies should be preferred with respect to animal welfare.     

Mechanische Fruchtbehangsregulierung

The objective of the present study was to thin apple flowers without use of chemicals, in order to improve fruit quality, reduce labour for hand thinning and overcome alternate bearing. The newly developed device comprises three rotors with adjustable angles and vertically rotating ropes, which remove excess apple flowers. Eleven year-old cv. ‘Braeburn’ apple trees were thinned at flower opening (BBCH growth stage 61) with the new device in Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany. Adjacent untreated, hand-thinned or chemically (benzyladenine-)thinned apple trees of the same rows served as controls. Tree branches remained un-damaged by the vertically rotating ropes. Slight leaf damages of less than 8% were observed at the fastest rotor speed of 320?rpm, which also gave the best thinning results. The portion of class one fruits >?70?mm was increased by 10% without yield loss and by up to 20% with yield losses of ca. 5–10%, depending on the settings, relative to the untreated control. This was equivalent to fruit mass gains of 10?g without yield loss and of 20?g with 10%–20% yield loss with economic gain in both cases. The single or double-sided mechanical thinning required 1.2?h ha^?1 or 2.4?h ha^?1 at a tractor speed of 2.5?km h^?1 and reduced the subsequent hand thinning by respectively 20% or 45% (by 7?h or by 15?h/ha or its cost by 50–135 €/ha). The new device gently removed up to one third of both peripheral and central flowers at a cost of less than 100 €/ha and with a negligible risk of over-thinning and without effect on return bloom.     

The role of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria in the pathogenesis of river blindness

Parasitic filarial nematodes infect more than 200 million individuals worldwide, causing debilitating inflammatory diseases such as river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. Using a murine model for river blindness in which soluble extracts of filarial nematodes were injected into the corneal stroma, we demonstrated that the predominant inflammatory response in the cornea was due to species of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria. In addition, the inflammatory response induced by these bacteria was dependent on expression of functional Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on host cells.     

Maternal-fetal interaction and immunological memory

Female rats of the poorly responding, inbred F344 strain were immunized with poly(Glu(52)Lys(33)Tyr(15)) aggregated with methylated bovine serum albumin, and then they were mated. The first and second litters in the F(1) generation and in the F(2) generation showed an enhanced immune response. When poly-lysine was used as the aggregating agent, enhancement occurred in only the first litter of the F(1) generation and in the F(2) generation. In both cases, antigen was transmitted from the immunized female to her offspring, where it localized in the bone marrow and, in a few cases, in the thymus and spleen also. The transplacental passage of antigen is probably the basis for the enhanced antibody response, which is a manifestation of immunological memory.