Scanning Proton-Induced X-ray Microspectrometry in an Atmospheric Environment

Collimated million-electron-volt proton beams, brought out into air, can be used as a scanning microprobe to examine specimens with a spatial resolution of the order of 1 micrometer. Trace elements at concentrations as low as 1 part per million can be detected. Some preliminary results based on the use of this simple method are presented.     

Sterile soil from Antarctica: organic analysis

Soils from the dry-valley region of Antarctica can be sterile by the usual microbiological criteria and yet contain significant amounts of organic carbon. Examination of one such soil shows that the organic material is finely divided anthracite coal. These findings have significant implications for the biological exploration of Mars.     

Growout of Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Fertilized Ponds with Reduced Levels of Formulated Feed

Formulated feed for freshwater prawn farming under semi-intensive conditions is expensive, presenting a significant portion of the farm's operating costs. Production and availability of natural food in earthen ponds may reduce the needs for formulated feed. This paper evaluates growth of freshwater prawn Macrobrachiurn rosenbergii under three feeding regimes, where supplemental feed was reduced and natural productivity of the ponds was increased by a fertilization program that included the addition of lime, phosphorus and nitrogen. Prawns (4.35 g) were stocked into 12 50-m² earthen ponds (6 juveniles/m²) and grown for 84 d feeding on 25% crude protein ration. Chemical and physical water parameters were monitored routinely. Growth and production were similar at 100% formulated feed supplementation with no fertilization and at 50% formulated feed with fertilization, as determined by weight gain, specific growth rate, and net yield ( P >0.05). However, further reduction in feed supplementation (0, 25%, and 50% of feeding rate, respectively, for each subsequent 28-d period) with fertilization, yielded shrimp smaller than market size. Feed conversion ratios were significantly higher ( P 0.05) for the 100% versus the 50% feed supplementation. Survival rate averaged 86% with no significant differences among treatments. Reducing up to 50% of the supplemental feed with added fertilization for increased natural productivity does not reduce yield of M. rosenbergii raised under semi-intensive conditions in northeastern Brazil. Under the local conditions of semi-arid and warm water temperatures (24.0–33.5 C), increasing natural productivity of ponds significantly improves feed conversion ratio, which is reflected in feed cost savings and potential savings of the farm operating cost.     

Effects of piperonyl butoxide on Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae): mortality, development, parasitism and predation in Israeli cotton fields

In field trials in Israel, piperonyl butoxide (PB) alone, at concentrations of 2000 and 5000 ppm exerted good control over nymphal Bemisia tabaci populations on cotton. Weekly doses of these concentrations exerted greater control than a recommended oil and were as effective as the standard single application of buprofezin. Cypermethrin caused marked resurgence within the plots, probably as a consequence of its detrimental effects on natural enemies. Neither PB, buprofezin nor the oil reduced the incidence of natural enemies. Treatment with 2000 or 5000 ppm PB resulted in a shift in age structure toward a greater proportion of young instars than in other treatments. There was some evidence that these effects facilitated a greater level of parasitism in PB-treated plots.     

Needle biopsy for hepatic vitamin A levels in lions (Panthera leo)

Hypovitaminosis A (HA)-related skull malformations resulting in neurologic abnormalities and death have been, and still are, reported in captive lions (Panthera leo) worldwide. Liver vitamin A (VA) concentration is the most reliable indicator of animals' VA status, and its assessment is essential in prevention and treatment of HA in lions. A percutaneous needle liver biopsy using high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet retinoid analysis for VA concentration measurement was validated. It was first assessed in vitro using chicken liver. Later, the safety and feasibility of ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle liver biopsy was assessed in living lions. Hepatic VA concentrations in lion liver were measured using the above laboratory method. Mean chicken hepatic VA concentration in needle biopsy (NB) and wedge biopsy (WB) of the same liver lobes were 108.66 and 60.89 microg/g wet tissue, respectively, and were significantly (P = 0.03) correlated (r = 0.74). The calculated linear regression for predicting VA concentration in WB using NB VA for chicken liver was 25.194 + 0.3234x NB (microg/g). Four ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle liver biopsies were obtained from each of the four lions under general anesthesia. Mean hepatic VA concentration was 8.25 microg/g wet tissue (range 1.43-25.29 microg/g). Mean serum VA concentration, measured in these four lions was 1,011.1 nmol/L with a standard deviation of 337.91 nmol/L (range 590.26-1,077.2 nmol/L). The lions recovered uneventfully, and no complications were observed during a 4-yr follow-up period. In conclusion, the percutaneous needle liver biopsy technique is a reliable, practical, safe tool for obtaining liver tissue samples antemortem for assessment of the VA status in lions and can be used in future studies.     

Infraspecific variation ofSolanum nigrum L. andS. villosum Miller,important crop weeds in Israel

Solarium nigrum L. is represented in Israel by subsp.nigrum, andS. villosum Miller by subsp.villosum and subsp.puniceum (Kirschleger) Edmonds. OnlyS. villosum subsp.villosum is apparently native. Major distinctive characters of the species and subspecies are the type of indumentum, shape of calyx lobes, and color of leaves and ripe fruits. The significance ofSolanum spp. as weeds is emphasized.     

Effect of environmental factors on herbicidal activity of diphenamid

Diphenamid (N,N-dimethyl-2,2-diphenylacetamide) in an aqueous solution in plastic bottles was partially detoxified when exposed to sunlight for 1 week. Varying spray volumes from 300 to 1,800 I/ha did not have an appreciable effect on the phytotoxicity of diphenamid, sprayed on a coarse or fine soil surface. The marked dissipation of diphenamid which occurred from the soil surface was attributed to photodecomposition and volatilization. Diphenamid phytotoxicity was greater when the first irrigation after spraying was applied in four increments of 100 m³/ha or two increments of 200 m¹/ha than when it was applied in a single 400 m¹/h watering; the latter caused more leaching of the herbicide. The diphenamid fraction leached out of a 4-cm soil layer increased as the organic matter content in the soil decreased, from 25% in peat (22.3% o.m.) to >88% in sandy loam (0.9% o.m.). The herbicidal activity remaining after leaching was lower in sandy loam and in peat than in soil with medium organic matter content (11.6% and 6.2%). Diphenamid degradation rate in soil at 50% field capacity moisture level, increased when temperature was increased from 10° to 30°C. After 4 months of incubation at 10°C, 40-50% of the original herbicide was detoxified, while at 20° and 30°C the loss exceeded 90%. Within the range of day-temperatures of 10° to 40°C in soil and of 10° to 35°C in nutrient solution, diphenamid phytotoxicity to tomato seedlings increased with temperature.