Influence of water stress on susceptibility of red oak (Quercus rubra) to Phytophthora cinnamomi

Influence of water status of oak trees (Quercus rubra) on the development of Phytophthora cinnamomi lesions was studied. On agar media or excised inner bark, growth of P. cinnumomi was reduced by low water potentials. In contrast, on voung saplings or mature oak trees the development of P. cinnamomi lesions was not affected during a period of water stress. But after the end of the water stress treatment, susceptibility of the young saplings to P. cinnamoni increased.     

Genome-wide association studies for osteochondrosis in French Trotter horses

A genome-wide association study for osteochondrosis (OC) in French Trotter horses was carried out to detect QTL using genotype data from the Illumina EquineSNP50 BeadChip assay. Analysis data came from 161 sire families of French Trotter horses with 525 progeny and family sizes ranging from 1 to 20. Genotypes were available for progeny (n = 525) and sires with at least 2 progeny (n = 98). Radiographic data were obtained from progeny using at least 10 views to reveal OC. All radiographic findings were described by at least 2 veterinary experts in equine orthopedics, and severity indices (scores) were assigned based on the size and location of the lesion. Traits used were a global score, the sum of all severity scores lesions (GM, quantitative measurement), and the presence or absence of OC on the fetlock (FM), hock (HM), and other sites (other). Data were analyzed using 2 mixed models including fixed effects, polygenic effects, and SNP or haplotype cluster effects. By combining results with both methods at moderate evidence of association threshold P < 5 × 10(-5), this genome-wide association study displayed 1 region for GM on the Equus caballus chromosome (ECA) 13, 2 for HM on ECA 3 and 14, and 1 for other on ECA 15. One region on ECA 3 for HM represented the most significant hit (P = 3 × 10(-6)). By comparing QTL between traits at a decreased threshold (P < 5 × 10(-4)), the 4 QTL detected for GM were associated to a QTL detected for FM or HM but never both. Another interesting result was that no QTL were found in common between HM and FM.     

Clinical evaluation of a nutraceutical,carprofen and meloxicam for the treatment of dogs with osteoarthritis

The efficacy, tolerance and ease of administration of a nutraceutical, carprofen or meloxicam were evaluated in a prospective, double-blind study on 71 dogs with osteoarthritis. The client-owned dogs were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments or to a placebo control group. The influence of osteoarthritis on the dogs' gait was described by comparing the ground reaction forces of the arthritic dogs and 10 normal dogs. Before the treatments began, and 30 and 60 days later, measurements were made of haematological and biochemical variables and of the ground reaction forces of the arthritic limb, and subjective assessments were made by the owners and by the orthopaedic surgeons. Changes in the ground reaction forces were specific to the arthritic joint, and were significantly improved by carprofen and meloxicam but not by the nutraceutical; the values returned to normal only with meloxicam. The orthopaedic surgeons assessed that there had been an improvement with carprofen and meloxicam, but the owners considered that there had been an improvement only with meloxicam. The blood and faecal analyses did not reveal any changes. The treatments were well tolerated, except for a case of hepatopathy in a dog treated with carprofen.     

Chitinases of Trichoderma atroviride Induce Scab Resistance and Some Metabolic Changes in Two Cultivars of Apple

ABSTRACT This study reports the combination of a transgene-mediated defense mechanism with a conventionally bred resistance in order to improve apple scab resistance. Two cultivars of apple (Galaxy, scab-susceptible, and Ariane, carrying the Vf resistance gene) were transformed with endochitinase and exochitinase genes derived from the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma atroviride. The obtained transgenic lines were analyzed for the expression of both genes and resistance to two races of the pathogen Venturia inaequalis: the common race 1 and race 6 which overcomes the resistance conferred by the Vf gene. A negative correlation between growth of transgenic lines and endochitinase activity was observed. Reduced growth appeared to be associated with high lignin content and high peroxidase as well as glucanase activity, suggesting that endochitinase activity may disturb the metabolism of the plant. Scab inoculation with races 1 and 6 performed in a growth chamber on 14 lines of normal vigor identified 6 lines with significantly enhanced resistance. Ten lines with reduced vigor were tested in vitro with a bioassay on rooted shoots. All lines expressing high endochitinase activity exhibited a significant reduction of scab symptoms.     

LSD: no teratogenic action in rats, mice, and hamsters

Lysergic acid diethylamide tartrate was given to 98 pregnant rats, 67 mice, and 22 hamsters as a single dose of 5 to 500 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day either at the beginning of gestation or during the period of organogenesis. Examination of the 1003 rat fetuses, 521 mouse fetuses, and 189 hamster fetuses obtained failed to prove any abortifacient, teratogenic, or growth-depressing effects.     

Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition of III-V Semiconductors

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is a process in which two or more metalorganic chemicals (for instance, trimethylgallium) or one or more metalorganic sources and one or more hydride sources (for instance, arsine, AsH(3)) are used to form the corresponding intermetallic crystalline solid solution. MOCVD materials technology is a vapor-phase growth process that is becoming widely used to study the basic physics of novel materials and to grow complex semiconductor device structures for new optoelectronic and photonic systems. The MOCVD process is described and some of the device applications and results that have been realized with it are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the III-V compound semiconductors.     

控制疫苗的行为

新型的佐剂可使疫苗一次接种即长时间有效     

The metabolic behavior of chlorotoluron in wheat and soil

The degradation of chlorotoluron, 1-(3-chloro-4-methylphenyl)-3,3-dimethylurea, was investigated in laboratory and field-grown wheat and soil. Thin-layer cochromatography and, partially, derivatization and mass spectroscopy were used to elucidate the structures of the metabolites. Wheat treated with 4-methyl[¹⁴C]-phenyl-labeled chlorotoluron rapidly metabolized the herbicide using two independent mechanisms: (I) oxidation of the 4-methylphenyl group to yield 4-hydroxy-methylphenyl and 4-carboxyphenyl derivatives; and (II) N-demethylation. Mechanism (I) clearly predominated over mechanism (II). Young wheat degraded the herbicide mainly to 4-hydroxy-methylphenyl derivatives with only a small fraction being additionally N-monodemethylated. Most of both metabolites was conjugated, most probably, with glucose. In straw and grains of mature field-grown summer wheat treated postemergence with labeled chlorotoluron at a rate corresponding to 2 kg active ingredient/hectare 2.8 ppm and 0.12 ppm radioactivity equivalent to chlorotoluron were found, respectively. About 50% of this terminal radioactivity was nonextractable by organic solvents. No chlorotoluron or its N-demethylated derivatives were present in either plant part. About 40% of the radioactivity in straw consisted of 4-carboxyphenyl derivatives half of which were N-mono- or didemethylated. The rest of the terminal radioactivity was mainly in form of the 4-hydroxymethylphenyl derivative of chlorotoluron. Less than 20% of the soluble metabolites was present as conjugates. In soil mechanism (II) exceeded mechanism (I). At harvest of the wheat the 0.4 ppm radioactivity of the 0- to 30-cm soil layer was composed of 43% chlorotoluron, 36% N-mono- and 3% N-didemethylated chlorotoluron, as well as 13% 4-carboxyphenyl derivatives partly N-demethylated.     

Control of potato virus Y (PVY) in seed potatoes by oil spraying,straw mulching and intercropping

Potato virus Y (PVY) is the potato virus with the highest economic impact on seed potato production. Insecticides are efficient in controlling aphids, which are the vectors of this virus, but rarely limit virus spread in the field. Straw mulching and mineral oil spraying are known as alternatives to insecticides to reduce PVY incidence, but important year‐to‐year variation in efficacy has been observed with both of these techniques. Preliminary studies revealed the efficacy of intercropping in controlling PVY spread, but more data are needed to validate this observation. A four‐year field trial was conducted in Switzerland to assess the potential synergistic effect of combining mineral oil spraying with straw mulching to increase the protection of seed potato crops against PVY spread. Furthermore, the efficacy of intercropping with oat and hairy vetch was examined as a novel way to control in‐field PVY spread. The present work demonstrates that the modes of action of mineral oil and straw mulching are complementary and reduce the year‐to‐year variation observed with oil and straw when used alone as PVY control agents. The results also demonstrate the efficacy of intercropping for the control of PVY, and the mode of action of this novel control method is discussed. Overall, this work shows that it is possible to increase the protection of potato fields against PVY spread by combining control strategies with different modes of action that complement each other, such as mulching, oil spraying and intercropping.     

The movement of potato virus Y (PVY) in the vascular system of potato plants

Potato virus Y (PVY) is responsible for major viral diseases in most potato seed areas. It is transmitted by aphids in a non-persistent manner, and it is spread in potato fields by the winged aphids flying from an infected source plant to a healthy one. Six different PVY strains groups affect potato crops: PVY^C, PVY^N, PVY^O, PVY^N:O, PVY^NTN, and PVY^N-Wi. Nowadays, PVY^NTN and PVY^N-Wi are the predominant strains in Europe and the USA. After the infection of the leaf and accumulation of the virus, the virus is translocated to the progeny tubers. It is known that PVY^N is better translocated than PVY^O, but little is known about the translocation of the other PVY strains. The translocation of PVY occurs faster in young plants than in old plants; this mature plant resistance is generally explained by a restriction of the cell-to-cell movement of the virus in the leaves. The mother tuber may play an important role in explaining mature plant resistance. PVY is able to pass from one stem to the other stems of the same plant through the vascular system of the mother tuber, but it is unknown whether this vascular link between stems is permanent during the whole life of the plant. Two greenhouse trials were set up to study the spread of PVY in the vascular system of the potato plant. The PVY-susceptible cultivar Charlotte was used for both trials. It was demonstrated that all stems growing from a PVY-infected tuber will become infected sooner or later, and that PVY^N-Wi translocates more efficiently to progeny tubers than PVY^NTN. It was also demonstrated that the progressive decay of the mother tuber in the soil reduces the possibility for virus particles to infect healthy stems through the vascular system of the mother tuber. This new element contributes to a better understanding of the mechanism of mature plant resistance.