Does <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia hemerocallidis</Emphasis> regularly host-alternate between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hemerocallis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Patrinia</Emphasis> plants in Japan?

Daylily rust fungus, Puccinia hemerocallidis, was proven to host-alternate between a wild daylily, Hemerocallis fulva var. longituba, and a patrinia, Patrinia villosa. No proof was obtained for the early belief that the fungus is pathogenic to plantainlilies, Hosta species, in addition to daylilies, Hemerocallis species. The fungus seems to alternate regularly between daylilies and patrinias in Japan because most daylily species are deciduous, and a vegetatively reproducing stage of the pathogen does not seem capable of successfully overwintering free of the living host tissue.     

Evaluation of the Staph-Zym-system for identification of Staphylococcus hyicus and Staphylococcus intermedius

The Staph-Zym system was evaluated as a means for identifying cultures of Staphylococcus hyicus isolated from pigs and bovines and cultures of Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from canines. The selected cultures had been identified by conventional methods. The Staph-Zym system correctly identified all 52 S. hyicus and all 33 S. intermedius. It is concluded that the Staph-Zym system is a practical and reliable test for identifying mostly animal pathogenic S. hyicus and S. intermedius, and might possibly be useful for veterinary microbiologists.     

Colonization of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs by the fungus Verticillium chlamydosporium Goddard.

The process of colonization of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs by the fungus Verticillium chlamydosporium was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The preparations were made by fractionation of egg suspension exposed to the fungus for four days and frozen in liquid nitrogen according to St?rba and Milácek (1986). Ovicidal fungus forms an abundant ramifying mycelial network in the area between the eggs. However, egg-shells are penetrated only by some hyphae without any penetration organs produced (simple hyphal penetration). In a liquid medium, after penetration, hyphae inside the eggs rapidly grow among inner structures of egg-shells and on the surface of developing larvae. In the next phase, hyphae colonize the developing larva. The eggs attacked by this fungus remain morphologically unchanged for a long time except the sites of penetration. Verticillium chlamydosporium is a fungus with unique ovicidal properties. It colonizes the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides at all stages of embryo development and also attacks larvae inside the eggs.     

Strategies,Effectiveness and Rationale of Vector-borne Disease Control in the Pastoralist System of South-western Uganda

In Uganda, control of vector-borne diseases is mainly in form of vector control, and chemotherapy. There have been reports that acaricides are being misused in the pastoralist systems in Uganda. This is because of the belief by scientists that intensive application of acaricide is uneconomical and unsustainable particularly in the indigenous cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the strategies, rationale and effectiveness of vector-borne disease control by pastoralists. To systematically carry out these investigations, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods was used, in both the collection and the analysis of data. Cattle keepers were found to control tick-borne diseases (TBDs) mainly through spraying, in contrast with the control of trypanosomosis for which the main method of control was by chemotherapy. The majority of herders applied acaricides weekly and used an acaricide of lower strength than recommended by the manufacturers. They used very little acaricide wash, and spraying was preferred to dipping. Furthermore, pastoralists either treated sick animals themselves or did nothing at all, rather than using veterinary personnel. Oxytetracycline (OTC) was the drug commonly used in the treatment of TBDs. Nevertheless, although pastoralists may not have been following recommended practices in their control of ticks and tick-borne diseases, they were neither wasteful nor uneconomical and their methods appeared to be effective. Trypanosomosis was not a problem either in Sembabule or Mbarara district. Those who used trypanocides were found to use more drugs than were necessary.     

Application of an enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) for rapid screening of 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione (DHP) in blood plasma of the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus.

Populations of African (Loxodonta Africana) and Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in zoos and safari parks are at risk due to their low reproductive success. To extend the limited knowledge of their reproductive physiology, the development of easy and practical methods for the analysis of the relevant reproductive hormones is essential to support e.g. assisted reproduction. For the measurement of 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione (DHP), the predominant ovarian gestagen in both species, an enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) based on commercial reagents was applied. Advantages of this EIA are the small volume of plasma needed for evaluation (5 microliters) and the possibility of direct processing without an extraction stage. The lower limit of detection was 0.16 ng/ml, the mean recovery was 101% and the mean coefficients of variation were 7.3% (intra-assay) and 9.9% (inter-assay). In Asian elephants, DHP levels reached 15 ng/ml during the luteal phase and up to 21 ng/ml during pregnancy. Estrous cycle lengths based on the lowest DHP concentrations varied from 12 to 20 weeks (mean 15.4 +/- 2.3). In two Asian elephant cows a calf was still-borne. Thereafter, the animals reassumed ovarian activity after approximately 8 and 13 weeks, respectively. In one animal estradiol implants for hormonal contraception caused a down regulation of the ovarian function as demonstrated by an irregular pattern of DHP secretion over a period of 48 weeks. We propose the direct DHP-EIA as a suitable method for reproductive monitoring in elephants, as it can be easily established in laboratories.     

Effect of shrimp head protein hydrolysates on the state of water and denaturation of fish myofibrils during dehydration

ABSTRACT:   To utilize fisheries waste products as food materials with functional properties, shrimp head protein hydrolysates (SHPH) from three species of shrimp, that is, Northern pink shrimp ( Pandalus eous ), Endeavour shrimp ( Metapenaeus endeavouri ) and Black tiger shrimp ( Penaeus monodon ), were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis using endopeptidase derived from Bacillus subtilis and exopeptidase derived from Aspergillus oryzae at a level of 0.1% (w/w). SHPH were rich in protein (90–91%) and amino acids (71–84%) but little fat (0.01–0.02%). The average molecular weight of SHPH was 300–1400. The effect of 5% SHPH (dry basis) addition on the state of water and denaturation of lizard fish myofibrils (Mf) during the dehydration process was evaluated by the desorption isotherm and the Ca-ATPase activity, and compared with the effect of sodium glutamate (Na-Glu). SHPH decreased the water activity and the Ca-ATPase inactivation, and increased monolayer sorbed water and multilayer sorbed water of Mf, although these effects of SHPH were smaller than those of Na-Glu. These findings suggest that the SHPH suppressed dehydration-induced denaturation of myofibrillar protein by stabilizing the hydrated water surrounding myofibrils.     

鲁南典型区域土地利用变化研究——以台儿庄区为例

以台儿庄区为研究区域,通过搜集2005、2009、2014年3个年份的土地利用状况数据为基础,研究2005~2014年该区域各土地利用类型面积、分布及程度在时间和区域空间的变化,以期对区域土地利用方向和资源管理提供理论和技术支持。结果表明,台儿庄区近十年来农用地总量减少4.23 km~2,建设用地增加6.03 km~2;各乡镇街道中运河街道变化较大,结构变化指数为30.45,土地利用程度变化率高于全区整体水平。     

钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达的影响

本研究以波尔山羊为实验动物,旨在观察钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达的影响。选用63头健康波尔山羊随机分成7组,每组3个重复,选用七钼酸铵([(NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O])作为实验钼源,氯化镉(Cd Cl2)作为实验镉源,按每kg山羊体质量添加钼、镉对照组(Mo 0 mg/kg+Cd 0 mg/kg),低镉低钼组(Mo 15mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),低镉中钼组(Mo 30 mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),低镉高钼组(Mo 45 mg/kg+Cd 0.5 mg/kg),高镉低钼组(Mo 15 mg/kg+Cd 1.0 mg/kg),高镉中钼组(Mo 30 mg/kg+Cd 1.0 mg/kg),高镉高钼组(Mo 45 mg/kg+Cd1.0 mg/kg),实验期50 d。并于当天、第25、50天每组各剖杀3头山羊取肾组织进行相关实验,观察不同剂量钼、镉对山羊肾脏细胞凋亡相关基因表达等的影响。结果显示,与对照组相比,在实验第25、50天时,实验组山羊肾脏bcl-2 mRNA表达量下降(P0.01),bax mRNA、caspase-3 mRNA和cytc mRNA表达量上升(P0.05或P0.01);山羊钼镉联合胁迫导致肾线粒体抗氧化功能降低、自由基含量升高,导致细胞促凋亡基因表达量上升,抗凋亡基因的表达量下降,提示钼镉联合胁迫对山羊肾脏有明显损伤。     

Effect of Baking Process on Added Folic Acid and Endogenous Folates Stability in Wheat and Rye Breads

In Poland bread as a staple food both made from wheat and rye flour can be a potential product for future fortification with folic acid. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of fermentation and baking on added folic acid and some endogenous folates stability during breadmaking of rye and wheat breads. Breads were produced using the formulation containing enriched flour with 0.2 mg folic acid/100 g product, baker’s yeast and additionally ascorbic acid for wheat bread and lactic acid for rye bread. Folates were extracted with Hepes/Ches buffer (pH = 7.85) followed by destruction of matrix by amylase and protease and deconjugation with rat serum conjugase. Affinity chromatography (FBP bovine milk) was used to purify and concentrate samples. The folates were separated by HPLC with C18 column and with a combination of fluorescence and UV detection. For both rye and wheat breads there was a decrease of folic acid from flour to bread stage. The total losses depend on baking process and ranged from 12 to 21%. Some changes in the level of different native folate forms during the stage of baking process were also observed.