Nitrification kinetics of biofilm as affected by water quality factors

Various types of fixed film biofilters have been used in recirculating aquaculture systems under different water quality and operating conditions. The effectiveness of the nitrification process can be evaluated by nitrification kinetics. Nitrification in the bacterial film of the biofilter involves physical, chemical and biological processes that are governed by a variety of parameters such as substrate and dissolved oxygen concentrations, organic matters, temperature, pH, alkalinity, salinity and turbulence level. The impacts of these parameters upon nitrification kinetics make predicting the performance of a biofilter for a given application an engineering challenge. Knowing the performance of a biofilter is critical for both designers and managers. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on nitrification kinetics as affected by the aforementioned factors based on literature and the results from the authors’ laboratories. These factors were ranked according to their significance of impact on biofilter nitrification performance. The information presented can be used as a reference for the design and operation of biofilters in recirculating aquaculture systems.     

Experimental concurrent infection of sheep with Oestrus ovis and Trichostrongylus colubriformis: negative interactions between parasite populations and related changes in the cellular responses of nasal and digestive mucosae

Concurrent infections of sheep with Oestrus ovis and trichostrongyles of the digestive tract are common in the field. In order to examine the possible occurrence of interactions between these two parasites and the consequences on parasite biology and the associated pathophysiological changes, an experimental study was conducted on four groups of na?ve sheep. Group O was infected repeatedly with O. ovis larvae from D0 to D42 of experiment; group T received a single infection of Trichostrongylus colubriformis on D49; sheep from group OT received both infections, and animals from group C remained uninfected as controls. Parasitological and pathophysiological parameters were measured regularly. At necropsy (D94), the mucosal cellular responses in the nasal cavities and digestive tract from all animals were analysed from histological sections. Infection of the digestive tract with nematodes did not modify the biology of Oestrus populations. In contrast, the presence of O. ovis was related to significant reductions in nematode egg excretion, worm fecundity and worm burdens. These changes were associated with significant modifications in tissular populations of mast cells, globule leucocytes and eosinophils in the respiratory and digestive tracts. These results indicate that parasitic infection in one particular anatomical site induces "at distance" inflammatory reactions of the whole mucosal system. The relationships between the cellular response and the changes in worm biology are discussed.     

Peanut allergen Ara h 1 interacts with proanthocyanidins into higher molecular weight complexes

Mildly extracted peanut allergen Ara h 1 was previously reported to occur as an oligomeric complex. In this paper we describe how the protein in this oligomeric complex interacts noncovalently with phenolic compounds of the proanthocyanidin type. These interactions are being disrupted during anion exchange chromatography, resulting in the dissociation of the oligomeric Ara h 1 complex into protein trimers. By use of the known three-dimensional structure of beta-conglycinin, a soy protein homologous to Ara h 1, proline-rich regions were observed in silico on both faces of its trimeric structure, which are conserved in Ara h 1. These proline-rich regions could explain the binding of proanthocyanidins to Ara h 1 and the formation of multiple Ara h 1 trimer complexes. This was supported by the observation that the addition of peanut proanthocyanidins to trimeric Ara h 1 and to beta-conglycinin resulted in the formation of soluble oligomeric protein complexes. The structurally related legumin proteins do not contain such proline-rich regions on both sides of the protein, and proanthocyanidins were shown to have a lower affinity for legumin proteins from peanuts and soybeans (peanut allergen Ara h 3 and soy glycinin, respectively). Ara h 1 present as the oligomeric complex is assumed to be the representative form of the allergen in which it is consumed by humans.     

Pericardiocentesis and principles of echocardiographic imaging in the patient with cardiac neoplasia

Ultrasonography is a safe, noninvasive, sensitive, and specific tool for evaluation of the heart and pericardium in patients with cardiac neoplasia. In small animals, the incidence of cardiac neoplasia is low. In dogs, hemangiosarcoma and chemocdectoma are the two most common types of cardiac neoplasia. In cats, lymphosarcoma is the most common form of cardiac neoplasia. Pericardial effusion is a common and potentially life-threatening consequence of cardiac neoplasia. Pericardial effusion leads to a rise in the intrapericardial pressure, resulting in varying degrees of hemodynamic compromise. Cardiac tamponade occurs when the intrapericardial pressure equals or exceeds right ventricular diastolic filling pressures, leading to a decreased cardiac output. Pericardiocentesis is used to stabilize animals with life-threatening cardiac tamponade, and to obtain fluid samples for diagnostic evaluation. The fluid should be quantified and characterized. If the etiology of the effusion is not known, then a sample of the fluid should be submitted for fluid analysis and cytology. Serious complications associated with pericardiocentesis are rare. Complications include cardiac puncture, arrhythmias, and laceration of the tumor or coronary artery, resulting in intrapericardial hemorrhage.     

Molecular characterization of the incitant of cowpea bacterial blight and pustule, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vignicola

Strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vignicola (Xcv), isolated from cowpea leaves with blight or minute pustules and collected from various geographic areas, were selected on the basis of pathological and physiological features. All strains were analyzed for genotypic markers by two methods: ribotyping with EcoRI endonuclease, and RFLP analysis with a plasmid probe (pthB) containing a gene required for pathogenicity from Xanthomonas campestris pv. manihotis. Ribotyping revealed a unique pattern for all the strains that corresponded to the previously described ribotype rRNA7. Based on polymorphism detected by pthB among Xcv strains, nine haplotypes were defined. The observed genetic variation was independent of the geographic origin of the strains and of pathogenic variation. Some haplotypes were widely distributed, whereas others were localized. In some cases, we could differentiate strains isolated from blight symptoms and pustules according to haplotypic composition. However, in most cases, no significant differences were observed. Our results and the previous pathogenic and biochemical characterizations suggest that the strains isolated from leaves with blight symptoms or minute pustules belong to the same pathovar. We provide information on pathogen diversity that can be used to identify and characterize resistant germplasm.     

Metabolism of the lignan macromolecule into enterolignans in the gastrointestinal lumen as determined in the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem

Estrogenic plant compounds from the human diet such as the lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, 1) can exert biological activity in the human body upon ingestion and bioactivation to enterodiol (END, 5) and enterolactone (ENL, 6). Bioavailability of lignans is influenced by the food matrix and gut microbial action, of which the latter is subject to a large interindividual variation. In this study, the fate of the lignan precursor SDG, present in the lignan macromolecule of flax seed ( Linum usitatissimum), was determined during an artificial stomach and small intestinal digestion and during metabolism by two different enterolignan phenotypes in a TWINSHIME environment (TWIN Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem). The lignan macromolecule acted as a delivery system of SDG in the large intestine. SDG was only hydrolyzed into secoisolariciresinol (SECO, 2) through microbial action in the ascending colon, after which it was bioactivated into enterolignans from the transverse colon onward. Single demethylation was a first step in the bioactivation, followed by dehydroxylation. Enterolignan phenotypes remained stable throughout the experimental period. The establishment of END and ENL production equilibria reflected the subdominance of ENL-producing bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.     

A common near infrared—based partial least squares regression model for the prediction of wood density of Pinus pinaster and Larix?×?eurolepis

Wood density is defined as the ratio of mass to volume and therefore in principle it should be possible to calculate a unique partial least squares regression (PLS-R) model for several species. PLS-R models for wood density based on X-ray microdensity data were calculated for each species Pinus pinaster and Larix × eurolepis and for both species together. After cross-validation and test set validation the data sets were combined and final models were calculated. The common model gave a residual prediction deviation (RPD) of 3.1, a range error ratio (RER) of 11.7, and a SEP/SEC of 1.06. The single models for Pinus pinaster and Larix?×?eurolepis gave RPD’s of 3.5 and 3.2, RER’s of 13 and 11, and a SEP/SEC of 1.2. To the best knowledge of the authors all obtained PLS-R models are the first ones that fulfil the requirements according to AACC Method 39-00 (AACC in AACC Method, 39-00:15, 1999) to be used at least for screening (RPD?≥?2.5). Although this method and the defined limits were developed for the analysis of grains they can be used as a rough rule of thumb until limits for wood are available. The improvement of the PLS-R models, compared to published results, might be due to three facts (1) the higher number of scans collected for a single spectrum, (2) that the samples were better represented by the NIR spectra and X-ray microdensity values, and (3) that the sites for the measurement of NIR spectra and X-ray microdensity were coincided as strictly as possibly.     

Relationships between biochemical attributes (non-structural carbohydrates and phenolics) and natural durability against fungi in dry teak wood (Tectona grandis L. f.)

• Introduction   

Non-structural carbohydrates and phenolic compounds are implicated in the natural durability of wood. In order to find the chemical traits of natural durability in teak wood, the radial distribution of phenolics compounds and non-structural carbohydrates were studied in trees ranked by contrasting natural durability class against Antrodia sp.     

Cellular and humoral local immune responses in sheep experimentally infected with Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae)

Cellular and humoral local responses were investigated following repetitive artificial Oestrus ovis infections in lambs. The presence of larvae induced a huge local recruitment of either leucocytes (T and B lymphocytes, macrophages) or granulocytes (eosinophils, mast cells and globule leucocytes). This cellular response was more pronounced in the ethmoid and sinus (development sites of second and third instar larvae) than in the septum or turbinates where first instar larvae migrate. Infected lambs produced Oestrus ovis specific IgG and IgA antibodies in their mucus. This local humoral response was mainly directed against larval salivary gland antigens and not against larval digestive tract antigens. Compared to the control animals, the sinusal mucosa of infected animals was extremely thickened and the epithelium exhibited hyperplasia, metaplasia and eosinophilic exocytosis. The possible roles of these local immune responses in the regulation of O. ovis larvae populations in sheep are discussed.     

Functional investigation of a QTL affecting resistance to Haemonchus contortus in sheep

This study reports a functional characterization of a limited segment (QTL) of sheep chromosome 12 associated with resistance to the abomasal nematode Haemonchus contortus. The first objective was to validate the identified QTL through the comparison of genetically susceptible (N) and resistant (R) sheep produced from Martinik × Romane back-cross sheep. The R and N genotype groups were then experimentally infected with 10 000 H. contortus larvae and measured for FEC (every three days from 18 to 30 days post-challenge), haematocrit, worm burden and fertility. Significant differences in FEC and haematocrit drop were found between R and N sheep. In addition, the female worms recovered from R sheep were less fecund. The second step of the characterization was to investigate functional mechanisms associated with the QTL, thanks to a gene expression analysis performed on the abomasal mucosa and the abomasal lymph node. The gene expression level of a candidate gene lying within the QTL region (PAPP-A2) was measured. In addition, putative interactions between the chromosome segment under study and the top ten differentially expressed genes between resistant MBB and susceptible RMN sheep highlighted in a previous microarray experiment were investigated. We found an induction of Th-2 related cytokine genes expression in the abomasal mucosa of R sheep. Down-regulation of the PAPP-A2 gene expression was observed between naïve and challenged sheep although no differential expression was recorded between challenged R and N sheep. The genotyping of this limited region should contribute to the ability to predict the intrinsic resistance level of sheep.