Penetrative and dislodgeable residue characteristics of 14C-insecticides in apple fruit

Infinite- and finite-dose laboratory experiments were used to study the penetrative and dislodgeable residue characteristics of (14)C-insecticides in apple fruit. The differences in dislodgeable and penetrated residues of three radiolabeled insecticides ((14)C-thiamethoxam, (14)C-thiacloprid, and (14)C-indoxacarb), applied in aqueous solution with commercial formulations, were determined after water and methanol wash extractions. The rate of sorption and extent of penetration into the fruit cuticles and hypanthium of two apple cultivars were measured after 1, 6, and 24 h of treatment exposure, using radioactivity quantification methods. For all three compounds, 97% or more of the treatment solutions were found on the fruit surface as some form of non-sorbed residues. For indoxacarb, sorption into the epicuticle was rapid but desorption into the fruit hypanthium was delayed, indicative of a lipophilic penetration pathway. For the neonicotinoids, initial cuticular penetration was slower but with no such delay in desorption into the hypanthium.     

Behavioral responses of Callosobruchus maculatus to volatile organic compounds found in the headspace of dried green pea seeds

There is growing evidence that insects rely on chemical cues to locate food, hosts, predators, and potential mates. The pulse beetle Callosobruchus maculatus has been recognized for decades as the major post-harvest insect pest of legume seeds. In a previous study, we identified five volatile organic compounds in the headspace of dried green pea seeds as electroantennographically active in C. maculatus antennae: 1-pentanol, 1-octen-3-ol, (E)-2-octenal, nonanal, and 3-carene. Some of these compounds used individually elicited attraction toward C. maculatus adults. However, since volatile compounds are generally perceived by insects as blends, we hypothesized that C. maculatus might particularly show attraction to different mixtures of the aforementioned compounds. To test this, we examined the behavioral response of C. maculatus toward a quinary, a quaternary, two ternary, and three binary mixtures in a dual choice Y-tube olfactometer. The results seem to indicate that in a dual choice situation, the first choice made by the beetles is an indication of the attractive or repellent properties of the mixture tested. In most cases, a positive response of C. maculatus to the mixtures of volatiles was observed. Females were attracted to five mixtures, while males were attracted only to two binary mixtures consisting exclusively of aldehydes. The other mixtures caused C. maculatus to respond negatively, suggesting they were repellent. Further investigations with the attractive mixtures should be done in real storage conditions with the aim of developing a trap for the pulse beetle, C. maculatus.     

Impact of Co-Culture on the Metabolism of Marine Microorganisms

Natural products from plants have been listed for hundreds of years as a source of biologically active molecules. In recent years, the marine environment has demonstrated its ability to provide new structural entities. More than 70% of our planet’s surface is covered by oceans, and with the technical advances in diving and remotely operated vehicles, it is becoming easier to collect samples. Although the risk of rediscovery is significant, the discovery of silent gene clusters and innovative analytical techniques has renewed interest in natural product research. Different strategies have been proposed to activate these silent genes, including co-culture, or mixed fermentation, a cultivation-based approach. This review highlights the potential of co-culture of marine microorganisms to induce the production of new metabolites as well as to increase the yields of respective target metabolites with pharmacological potential, and moreover to indirectly improve the biological activity of a crude extract.     

Multiple Beneficial Lipids Including Lecithin Detected in the Edible Invasive Mollusk Crepidula fornicata from the French Northeastern Atlantic Coast

The invasive mollusk Crepidula fornicata, occurring in large amounts in bays along the French Northeastern Atlantic coasts, may have huge environmental effects in highly productive ecosystems where shellfish are exploited. The present study aims at determining the potential economic value of this marine species in terms of exploitable substances with high added value. Lipid content and phospholipid (PL) composition of this mollusk collected on the Bourgneuf Bay were studied through four seasons. Winter specimens contained the highest lipid levels (5.3% dry weight), including 69% of PLs. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) was the major PL class all year, accounting for 63.9% to 88.9% of total PLs. Consequently, the winter specimens were then investigated for PL fatty acids (FAs), and free sterols. Dimethylacetals (DMAs) were present (10.7% of PL FA + DMA mixture) revealing the occurrence of plasmalogens. More than forty FAs were identified, including 20:5n-3 (9.4%) and 22:6n-3 (7.3%) acids. Fourteen free sterols were present, including cholesterol at 31.3% of the sterol mixture and about 40% of phytosterols. These data on lipids of C. fornicata demonstrate their positive attributes for human nutrition and health. The PL mixture, rich in PC and polyunsaturated FAs, offers an interesting alternative source of high value-added marine lecithin.     

Effects of root-zone temperature on nitrogen accumulation by non-bearing apple trees

Summary

Non-bearing, potted, apple plants were subjected to root temperature of 8.6.1(LRT) or 23.6.18C (HRT) and irrigated with 100 ml of water containing 20 mg of N as NH₄NO₃, in which both ammonium and nitrate-N fractions were enriched in ¹⁵N (10 atom%). The root system of each plant was pressurized (325 kPa) at day 1, 2, 4, and 8 after

¹⁵ N application to evaluate the transport of nitrogen derived from fertilizer (NDFF) through the xylem. This technique was used to investigate N absorption. LRT reduced the rate of N uptake the day after ¹⁵N application relative to HRT. Two, 4 and 8.d after fertilization, the rate of exudation and consequently the uptake rate was similar for LRT and HRT. The total amount of N removed by plants after 8.d was not affected by root treatments. Carbon dioxide assimilation, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance were lower for trees subjected to LRT during the time course of the experiment. We suggest that the delay in N absorption was related mostly to the lower activity of root nitrate reductase detected at the lower root temperature, which increased the nitrate xylem sap concentration and diminished the rate of N uptake.     

The effect of quantum flux density and net photosynthetic rate on morphology and time to flower of hybrid geraniums

Three cultivars of 63-day-old hybrid geraniums (Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey) were grown under high (800–1200 mE m^?2 s^?1), medium (300–600 mE m^?2 s^?1) or low (100–160 mE m^?2 s^?1) quantum flux densities. Plants grown under low light and 25% greater total leaf area but 25% lower dry weight than plants grown under medium or high levels, regardless of cultivar. Time to flower in all cultivars was negatively correlated with quantum flux density, and specific leaf weight and leaf thickness were positively correlated to net photosynthetic rate. ‘Sprinter Scarlet’ and ‘Sooner Red’ had similar correlation coefficients (r) for most relationships, but r values for ‘Ringo’ were generally not as strong. Quantum flux density appears to affect both organogenesis and maturation of the flower.     

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis in human UNC-93B deficiency

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) encephalitis (HSE) is the most common form of sporadic viral encephalitis in western countries. Its pathogenesis remains unclear, as it affects otherwise healthy patients and only a small minority of HSV-1-infected individuals. Here, we elucidate a genetic etiology for HSE in two children with autosomal recessive deficiency in the intracellular protein UNC-93B, resulting in impaired cellular interferon-alpha/beta and -lambda antiviral responses. HSE can result from a single-gene immunodeficiency that does not compromise immunity to most pathogens, unlike most known primary immunodeficiencies. Other severe infectious diseases may also reflect monogenic disorders of immunity.     

TLR3 deficiency in patients with herpes simplex encephalitis

Some Toll and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) provide immunity to experimental infections in animal models, but their contribution to host defense in natural ecosystems is unknown. We report a dominant-negative TLR3 allele in otherwise healthy children with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis. TLR3 is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), where it is required to control HSV-1, which spreads from the epithelium to the CNS via cranial nerves. TLR3 is also expressed in epithelial and dendritic cells, which apparently use TLR3-independent pathways to prevent further dissemination of HSV-1 and to provide resistance to other pathogens in TLR3-deficient patients. Human TLR3 appears to be redundant in host defense to most microbes but is vital for natural immunity to HSV-1 in the CNS, which suggests that neurotropic viruses have contributed to the evolutionary maintenance of TLR3.     

Experimental studies on Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) in protected tomato crops in France: biological control and integrated crop protection

Tuta absoluta is a pest from South America which has been detected in many European and Mediterranean countries since 2006. It was identified in Corsica and the South of France in late 2008, and by 2010 this Lepidopteran species had spread to further tomato‐production areas. The pest is present mainly on tomatoes in protected and field crops, and damage on leaves and fruit can be so severe that it can lead to total destruction of the plant. Since 2010, studies have been carried out in experimental insect‐proof glasshouses with artificial infestations of the pest. The objective was to gain better knowledge of this emergent pest and to develop adapted control strategies under the conditions of the South‐East of France. Integrated pest management is widely used on tomato crops in France, and the predator Macrolophus pygmaeus and the parasitoid Trichogramma achaeae were studied, alone and in combination. The possible effect of the concurrent prey Trialeurodes vaporariorum on the impact of the predator on T. absoluta was also studied. The best results were obtained when the two beneficials were released in combination, even in the presence of whiteflies T. vaporariorum.     

Natural abundance 2H-ERETIC-NMR authentication of the origin of methyl salicylate

Methyl salicylate is a compound currently used in the creation of many flavors. It can be obtained by synthesis or from two natural sources: essential oil of wintergreen and essential oil of sweet birch bark. Deuterium site-specific natural isotope abundance (A(i)) determination by NMR spectroscopy with the method of reference ERETIC ((2)H-ERETIC-NMR) has been applied to this compound. A(i) measurements have been performed on 19 samples of methyl salicylate from different origins, natural/synthetic and commercial/extracted. This study demonstrates that appropriate treatment performed on the data allows discrimination between synthetic and natural samples. Moreover, the representation of intramolecular ratios R(6/5) as a function of R(3/2) distinguishes between synthetics, wintergreen oils, and sweet birch bark oils.