Extractable iron and organic matter in the suspended insoluble material of fog droplets

In this work the formation and composition of aggregates between metals and organic material is studied in real fog samples. In a preliminary experiment it has been found that concentrated cloud samples form a yellow-brown precipitate in the presence of Fe(III). Standards of humic acids and fulvic acids co-precipitate with Fe(III), forming similar aggregates i.e. iron-humates (Fe-HA) and iron-fulvates (Fe-FA). By comparing the solubility properties of aggregates by extracting organic carbon (OC) in different pH conditions, it has been observed that fog droplet particulate samples are characterised by solubility properties more similar to those of Fe-HA than Fe-FA. Dilute alkaline solutions can also easily extract organic refractory substances that form aggregates with metals. The recoveries of the total extractable organic matter (accounting for 12% of total insoluble carbon and 15% of particulate mass) are similar to those of humic-like substances (HULIS) from particulate samples. The chromatographic behaviour and functional group characteristics measured in the alkali-extract fraction of precipitated aggregates with iron and in the insoluble particulate of fog samples, are those of humic-like material. Thus, soluble HULIS are able to interact with iron to form particulate, but the composition of a large fraction of insoluble organic carbon is still unknown. These findings have implications on the solubility and surface tension properties of fog droplets and can therefore potentially influence droplet formation, as well as cloud chemical and photochemical processes.     

Partial ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy in rabbits

Six lop rabbits were presented with clinical signs of otitis media or externa. The presence of disease was confirmed by computerized tomography examination, with two rabbits suffering from bilateral disease. The rabbits were anaesthetized and underwent surgery of the affected bulla. Rabbits with bilateral disease had a minimum of 2 weeks between procedures. A single vertical incision was made over the base of the vertical canal, which was bluntly dissected free from surrounding tissue. The ventral portion of the vertical canal was removed and a lateral bulla osteotomy was performed. The mucosa at the base of the dorsal vertical canal was apposed and the aural cartilage sutured to form a blind‐ending pouch open at the pretragic incisure. Histopathological samples taken from the dorsal margin of the vertical canal yielded subtle and non‐specific changes in the six samples submitted. All rabbits were discharged within 48 hours of surgery. The cosmetic outcome was excellent with animals retaining visually normal aural anatomy. The partial ear canal ablation/lateral bulla osteotomy procedure is quick and has a good cosmetic result when performed in rabbits.     

Successful Management of a Case of Pregnancy Failure in a Degu (Octodon degus)

A 3-month-old female degu (Octodon degus) was presented because blood was noticed in its cage. On physical examination, firm masses were palpable within the caudal abdomen and traces of blood appeared to be coming from the patient’s vaginal opening. Radiographic images showed areas of ill-defined mineralization within the uterus, consistent with fetus formation. Three fetuses could be identified. Ultrasound examination of the degu failed to confirm viable fetal heartbeats. Pregnancy failure with fetal death was suspected. Overnight 1 fetus was passed, but medical therapy with oxytocin failed to induce delivery of the 2 remaining fetuses by the following morning. The degu was therefore anesthetized, an ovariohysterectomy was performed, and the patient made an uncomplicated recovery. Histopathological examination of the fetuses failed to identify any abnormalities. In the uterus, histology confirmed a minimal to mild diffuse, chronic active endometritis. The definitive cause of fetal death was not identified.     

Assessment of the antifungal susceptibility of Malassezia pachydermatis in various media using a CLSI protocol

The microdilution antifungal method (CLSI BMD, M27-A3) was used for testing the antifungal susceptibility of Malassezia species. However, optimal broth media that allow sufficient growth of M. pachydermatitis and produce reliable and reproducible MICs using the CLSI BMD protocol are yet to be established. In this study, the susceptibility of M. pachydermatis isolates to ketoconazole (KTZ), itraconazole (ITZ) and fluconazole (FLZ) was evaluated in vitro by the CLSI BMD test using Christensen's urea broth (CUB) and mRPMI 1640 containing lipid supplementation, Sabouraud dextrose broth with 1% tween 80 (SDB), and Dixon broth (DXB). A FLZ-resistant M. pachydermatis was generated in vitro and tested under the same conditions. A good growth of M. pachydermatis incubated for 48 and 72h, respectively, was observed in CUB, SDB and DXB and not in mRPMI 1640 (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences were detected between the MIC values registered after 48h and 72h incubation. ITZ displayed lower MIC values than KTZ and FLZ regardless of the media employed. A large number of FLZ-resistant Malassezia strains (86.6%) was observed using DXB. A MIC>64mg/L was observed only when the FLZ-resistant M. pachydermatis isolate was tested in SDB. Based on the results obtained herein, culture in SDB, stock inoculum suspensions of 1-5×10(6)CFU/ml, and an incubation time of 48h are proposed as optimal conditions for the evaluation of the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of M. pachydermatis using a modified CLSI BMD protocol.     

Cover crops and mulches influence weed management and weed flora composition in strip‐tilled tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

This study was conducted in the Mediterranean environment of Central Italy from 2011 to 2013 with the aim of evaluating the effects of winter cover crops and their residues on weed composition in a cover crop‐tomato sequence. Treatments consisted of five soil managements (three cover crop species ‐ hairy vetch, phacelia, white mustard, winter fallow mulched with barley straw before tomato transplanting and conventionally tilled soil), two nitrogen fertilisation levels (0 and 100 kg N ha^?1) and two weed management levels (weed free and weedy) on tomato. Cover crop residues were arranged in strips on the soil surface and then used as beds for transplanting the tomato seedlings in paired rows. Rotary hoeing was performed in the bare strips between paired tomato rows. At tomato harvesting, the weed aboveground biomass and density was higher in nitrogen‐fertilised tomato than unfertilised tomato, except in hairy vetch and barley straw that showed similar values. Hairy vetch used as a cover crop and dead mulch was the most suppressive species with the highest production of residues, while phacelia and mustard were not suitable for controlling weeds. The tomato yield was high in nitrogen fertilised and weed‐free treatments, except in barley straw mulch, which showed similar values among the weed management treatments. The mulch strips caused variations in weed species composition that was mainly composed of perennial ruderal weeds, while in tilled soil, the weed flora was dominated by annual photoblastic weeds.     

Floristic composition and species diversity of weed community after 10 years of different cropping systems and soil tillage in a Mediterranean environment

Sustainable cropping systems based on low inputs have received much attention, even if they may lead to the establishment of a competitive weed flora. This study, conducted from 2011 to 2014 in a Mediterranean environment, evaluated the changes in weed community composition in two cropping systems [conventional (CONV ) and organic (ORG )] with different soil tillage [inversion tillage (IT ) and non‐inversion tillage (NoIT )] in a wheat–tomato–chickpea rotation that began in 2000. The treatments were replicated three times according to a randomised complete block design. The organic system was managed according to EU regulations. Inversion tillage consisted of mouldboard ploughing to a depth of 30 cm, while NoIT consisted of subsoiling to a depth of 20 cm. Weed control was based on herbicide application in CONV and mechanical weeding in ORG . The organic non‐inversion system showed the highest weed biomass (134, 128 and 195 g dry matter (DM ) m^?2 in wheat, tomato and chickpea, respectively) and weed density (66, 77 and 76 plants m^?2 in wheat, tomato and chickpea, respectively), as well as community richness. However, ORG always increased weed diversity, even if annual dicotyledon species were abundant in ORG ‐IT and perennial dicotyledon species in ORG ‐NoIT . The conventional system enhanced the relative frequency of both annual (CONV ‐IT ) and perennial (CONV ‐NoIT ) grasses. There was a negative correlation between density of perennial weeds and crop yield (r ² = 0.24, P  <  0.001). Therefore, in the Mediterranean environment, combining organic practices with non‐inversion tillage could lead to the establishment of perennial weeds that are difficult to control, thus requiring specific weed management practices.     

The effects of cover cropping on yield and weed control of potato in a transitional system

Cover cropping can have various beneficial effects to the cropping system such us the increase of soil nutrient content and weed suppression. In this respect, the species used for covering is of great importance. This paper reports results on the yield and weed control effects in potato crops preceded by different cover crops over a 2-year period (2003 and 2004) in Central Italy (Viterbo). Results were obtained in the frame of a more complex study set up in 2002 where in a 3-year chick-pea/potato/tomato rotation, each crop was preceded by 7 different soil managements: 5 cover crops (rapeseed, Italian ryegrass, hairy vetch, snail medick and subclover) + 1 unfertilised weedy fallow (cover crop absent) + 1 control (weedy fallow fertilised with mineral N at a rate of 170 kg ha⁻¹ for potato). Two different weed control regimes in potato were also applied [weed-free crop (1 inter-row hoeing + 1 hilling up + manual weeding on the row); mechanical control (1 inter-row hoeing + 1 hilling up)]. Cover crops were sown in September and cut and ploughed just before potato planting in March. The potato crops following the cover crops were only fertilised with green manure. Averaged over years, all the cover crops produced more above-ground dry biomass than the weedy fallow (4.79 t ha⁻¹ on average vs 2.36 t ha⁻¹). Hairy vetch and subclover accumulated the highest N in the incorporated biomass (169 and 147 kg ha⁻¹), followed by snail medick (108), rapeseed (99), ryegrass (88) and weedy fallow (47). Rapeseed and ryegrass were the most efficient weed suppressors and had the least proportion of weed biomass (<1%) of the total produced by the cover, while they also reduced weed emergence in the following potato crops (8.8 plants m⁻²vs 25.5 plants m⁻² with all other cover crops). Following subclover and hairy vetch the potato crop yield was similar to that obtained by mineral N-P-K fertilisation (48.5 t ha⁻¹ of fresh marketable tubers). Mechanical weed control compared to weed free crop always reduced potato yield and the reduction, averaged over years, was greater in N-P-K mineral fertilised control (−23.6%) and smaller in ryegrass (−7.9%).