Diuron mineralisation in a Mediterranean vineyard soil: impact of moisture content and temperature

BACKGROUND: The diuron‐mineralising ability of the microbiota of a Mediterranean vineyard soil exposed each year to this herbicide was measured. The impact of soil moisture and temperature on this microbial activity was assessed. RESULTS: The soil microbiota was shown to mineralise diuron. This mineralising activity was positively correlated with soil moisture content, being negligible at 5% and more than 30% at 20% soil moisture content. According to a double Gaussian model applied to fit the dataset, the optimum temperature/soil moisture conditions were 27.9 °C/19.3% for maximum mineralisation rate and 21.9 °C/18.3% for maximum percentage mineralisation. The impact of temperature and soil moisture content variations on diuron mineralisation was estimated. A simulated drought period had a suppressive effect on subsequent diuron mineralisation. This drought effect was more marked when higher temperatures were used to dry (40 °C versus 28 °C) or incubate (28 °C versus 20 °C) the soil. The diuron kinetic parameters measured after drought conditions were no longer in accordance with those estimated by the Gaussian model. CONCLUSION: Although soil microbiota can adapt to diuron mineralisation, its activity is strongly dependent on climatic conditions. It suggests that diuron is not rapidly degraded under Mediterranean climate, and that arable Mediterranean soils are likely to accumulate diuron residues. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Variation of Aujeszky's disease viruses in wild swine in USA

In the United States of America, Aujeszky's disease (pseudorabies) has been eradicated from all domestic swine. Some re-emergence of infection occurred as vaccine use diminished. Sporadic outbreaks have also occurred because of the reservoir of infection in feral swine that have spread across the southern two-thirds of the country and Hawaii. In order to be able to understand the origins of re-emerging virus, sequence analysis of variable genes in pseudorabies virus (PRV) has been used to differentiate strains. Most PRV from feral swine can be distinguished from virus circulating in domestic pigs during the national epizootic. However, several feral swine isolates of PRV from south central states are closely related or identical in sequence to strains from domestic pigs. Extensive study by PCR for the presence of virus in the oral cavity of feral pigs disclosed that the viral DNA is distributed widely in tonsils salivary glands, taste buds and even mucosa in the vicinity of tusks. Clearly the virus in feral swine has multiple mechanisms of transmission to insure persistent infection and the threat of re-emergence in domestic swine continues.     

Isoproturon mineralization in an agricultural soil

The impact of soil moisture content and temperature on isoproturon (3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethyl-urea [IPU]) mineralization activity was assessed on an agricultural soil regularly exposed to this herbicide. Mineralization of ¹⁴C-IPU was monitored on soil microcosms incubated at different temperatures (10°C, 20°C, 28°C) and soil moisture contents (9%, 12%, 15, 18%, 21%, 24%). An increase in temperature and/or soil moisture significantly enhanced the maximum rate and percentage of IPU mineralization while it decreased the lag time before mineralization. The maximum rate and percentage of IPU mineralization respectively ranged from 0.18% day⁻¹ and 9% for the lowest temperature and soil moisture content pair (10°C–9%) to 1.51% day⁻¹ and 27.1% for the highest pair (28°C–24%). Statistics revealed a cross interaction of temperature and soil moisture content on the maximum rate of IPU mineralization. The optimum conditions for IPU mineralization, estimated from the double Gaussian model, were 25.8°C and 24% soil moisture content. The influence of fluctuations in soil moisture content on IPU-mineralization was investigated by subjecting the soil microcosms to drought stress. When IPU was added at the end of the drought stress, it had no statistical effect on IPU mineralization. However, when it was added before the drought stress, two mineralization phases were observed: (1) one corresponding to the drought stress for which mineralization was low and (2) another one observed after restoration of soil moisture content characterized by higher mineralization rate. It can be concluded that climatic fluctuations affect the activity of IPU mineralizing microbial community, and may lead to an increase in IPU persistence.     

Statistical Assessment of the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network in Saskatchewan

Surface water quality monitoring is one of the responsibilities of a number of provincial and federal environmental departments in Canada. In Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Environment is responsible for the province water quality monitoring network. The sampling effort was initiated 40 years ago and has been ongoing since, with varying degrees of spatial and temporal coverage. The main objective of the Saskatchewan monitoring network is the assessment of ambient water quality status. In addition, one of the main uses of the generated water quality data is the calculation of a Water Quality Index. The adequacy of the monitoring network to perform these tasks needs to be validated. The objective of this study is to provide a statistical assessment of two of the monitoring network main aspects, the water quality variables and their sampling frequency. A new rationalization approach is applied for the assessment and reselection of water quality variables. The proposed approach provides, in a systematic way, the optimal combinations of variables to continue measuring, variables that may be redundant and could be considered for discontinuance, and variables that may need to be added to the list of variables being measured. The confidence interval around the mean is used as the main criterion for the sampling frequency assessment. A design chart is provided for the sampling frequency assessment, which is easy to use, and provides an initial assessment of the number of samples required to provide a mean value with a predefined error percentage.     

Identification of RFLP markers linked with heading date and its heterosis in hexaploid wheat

Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between hexaploid wheat (T. aestivum cv. Chinese Spring (CS) and T. spelta (Sp)) were used for RFLP analysis of heading date and heterosis. Fourteen RFLP markers linking with heading date were identified; two were localized on chromosome 1A, one on 2A, three on 2B, one on 2D, four on 5A, two on 7A and one unlinked but reported to be on group 2. All of these markers may be attributable to genes for earliness per se. However, the markers in the chromosomes of 1A and 7A are new to this study. RILs were crossed with (tim)-CS, the alloplasmic CS with T. timopheevi cytoplasm, and the heterosis from earlier-parent and mid-parents were calculated for the F₁s to examine the heterotic effect toward earliness on heading date. Five and two RFLP markers were associated with heterosis from the earlier-parent and mid-parents, respectively. They were distributed on the chromosomes of homoeologous groups 1 and 2. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effect of chondrocyte cryopreservation on cartilage engineering

Chondrocytes were collected from the stifle joints of four pigs to study the effect of cryopreservation on the chondrogenic potential of chondrocytes. Half of the cells were cryopreserved for 3months. Polyglycolic acid scaffolds were cultured with fresh or cryopreserved chondrocytes for 4weeks. Cell morphology and the quality of engineered tissue were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, histopathology and biochemical methods. More cells attached to scaffolds at 48h when fresh chondrocytes were seeded. At 4weeks, the numbers of cells, DNA and collagen II were greater in constructs engineered by fresh cells. However, the collagen II/DNA ratio did not differ between the two groups. More matrix was identified on a scanning electron microscope and by histopathology in the fresh group. Cartilage engineered with cryopreserved chondrocytes may contain less matrix and fewer cells. These findings most likely resulted from a lack of cell attachment on the matrix secondary to cryopreservation. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the mechanism by which cryopreservation may affect chondrocyte attachment.     

Metabolism and distribution of [2,3-(14)C]acrolein in lactating goats

The metabolism and distribution of [2,3-(14)C]acrolein were studied in a lactating goat orally administered 0.82 mg/kg of body weight/day for 5 days. Milk, urine, feces, and expired air were collected. The goat was killed 12 h after the last dose, and edible tissues were collected. The nature of the radioactive residues was determined in milk and tissues. All of the identified metabolites were the result of the incorporation of acrolein into the normal, natural products of intermediary metabolism. There was evidence that the three-carbon unit of acrolein was incorporated intact into glucose, and subsequently lactose, and into glycerol. In the case of other natural products, the incorporation of radioactivity appeared to result from the metabolism of acrolein to smaller molecules followed by incorporation of these metabolites into the normal biosynthetic pathways.     

Humoral antibody responses to different H5N1 and H5N2 vaccination regimes: implications for the development of autogenously based vaccines

Whereas H5N1 vaccine and several H5N2 vaccines are commercially available and are used to control H5N1 outbreaks in some endemic countries, infections hit many vaccinated flocks. The following study was conducted to compare the efficacy of such vaccines and to assess their potential induction of antibodies against the haemagglutinin of local H5N1 isolate after single vaccination. The possible beneficiary effect of booster dose at different intervals was screened for both H5N1 vaccine as well as a selected H5N2 candidate. Differences in the serological immune response among native and cross breeds were also screened. No significant variations were detected between available commercial H5N1 and H5N2 vaccines after single vaccination. Two vaccination shots using H5N1 but not H5N2 vaccine were found to be superior to a single vaccination scheme, where chicks developed more conceivable antibody titers than in single vaccination program. There was considerable variation among chicken lines in the immune response to H5N1 vaccine: native breeds possessed the highest antibody titers as compared to other breeds.     

Experimental challenge models for Johne's disease: a review and proposed international guidelines

An international committee of Johne's disease (JD) researchers was convened to develop guidelines for JD challenge studies in multiple animal species. The intent was to develop and propose international standard guidelines for models based on animal species that would gain acceptance worldwide. Parameters essential for the development of long-term and short-term infection models were outlined and harmonized to provide a "best fit" JD challenge model for cattle, goats, sheep, cervids, and mice. These models will be useful to study host-pathogen interactions, host immunity at the local and systemic level, and for evaluating vaccine candidates and therapeutics. The consensus guidelines herein list by animal species strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis used, challenge dose, dose frequency, age of challenge, route of challenge, preparation of inoculum, experimental animal selection, quality control, minimal experimental endpoints and other parameters.