Construction of a cDNA library of Bemisia tabaci for use in the ''yeast two-hybrid screen'' method

Bemisia tabaci was reported for the first time in the Mediterranean part of Croatia in 2000. It was found in glasshouses in the agricultural area between the towns of Trogir and Omis, on the following crops: Euphorbia pulcherrima , Thunbergia grandiflora , Cucumis sativus (cucumber), Solanum melongena (aubergine), Phaseolus spp. (beans), Ficus carica (fig), Rubus spp. and several weeds of the families Asteraceae and Solanaceae . In 2001, monitoring for the pest was organized all over the country, in each of the 21 counties. In each county, there were several monitoring points so that all the major vegetable and flower producers were included. A special effort was made to record the spread of B. tabaci in the region where it was first found, bearing in mind that optimal conditions for outdoor spread exist along the Adriatic coast. Yellow sticky traps and visual inspection are used to monitor for B. tabaci . Eradication measures are being applied, and regulatory measures have been taken to prevent further spread of B. tabaci to continental parts of Croatia.     

Die Verwendung markierter Schnecken zur Populationsdichteabschätzung und zum Studium des Migrationsverhaltens vonArion sp.

Staining the skin of larger slugs with dots of methylene-blue proved to be a simple, reliable and variable marking technique. The marks lasted for about 6 weeks; vitality and activity of marked slugs were not impaired. By use of marked slugs in a capture-recapture experiment the density ofA. rufus in a maize field could be estimated to be about 0.5 slugs/m²; a repetition gave the same result. Registration of marked slugs in artificial refuges showed thatArion rufus is vagrant. An experimental population had left a round area with a diameter of 20 m completely within 12 and 9 days resp., and was replaced by new immigrants. On lawn, singleA. rufus crawled between 3.5 and 12.8 m within one night; on asphalt, they made only between 1.1 and 5.8 m.     

Effect of Oil Overlay on Inhibition Potential of Roscovitine in Sheep Cumulus‐Oocyte Complexes

Inhibitors of cyclin‐dependent kinases, as roscovitine, have been used to prevent the spontaneous resumption of meiosis in vitro and to improve the oocyte developmental competence. In this study, the interference of oil overlay on the reversible arrest capacity of roscovitine in sheep oocytes as well as its effects on cumulus expansion was evaluated. For this, cumulus‐oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured for 20 h in TCM 199 with 10% foetal bovine serum (Control) containing 75 μm roscovitine (Rosco). Subsequently, they were in vitro matured (IVM) for further 18 h in inhibitor‐free medium with LH and FSH. The culture was performed in Petri dishes under mineral oil (+) or in 96 well plates without oil overlay (?) at 38.5°C and 5% CO₂. At 20 and 38 h, the cumulus expansion and nuclear maturation were evaluated under stereomicroscope and by Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. No group presented cumulus expansion at 20 h. After additional culture with gonadotrophins, a significant rate of COCs from both Control groups (+/?) exhibited total expansion while in both Rosco groups (+/?) the partial expansion prevailed. Among the oocytes treated with roscovitine, 65.2% were kept at GV in the absence of oil overlay while 40.6% of them reached MII under oil cover (p < 0.05). This meiotic arrest was reversible, and proper meiosis progression also occurred in the Control groups (+/?). So, the culture system without oil overlay improved the meiotic inhibition promoted by roscovitine without affecting the cumulus expansion rate or the subsequent meiosis progression.     

Evaluation of laryngeal function under the influence of various head and neck positions during exercise in 58 performance horses

The objective of this study was to examine laryngeal function at rest and during ridden exercise and to further analyse the impact of different head and neck positions on the laryngeal function in ridden sport horses. Fifty‐eight Warmblood horses were examined endoscopically during ridden exercise as well as during quiet breathing at rest before and after sedation. Four different head‐neck positions (unrestrained, reference, elevation and hyperflexion) were assessed during the exercise test. Laryngeal function was graded at rest and for every combination of gait and head and neck position during exercise. There was a significant correlation between the grade of laryngeal function during exercise and at rest both before (correlation coefficient = 0.794) and after (correlation coefficient = 0.741) sedation (P<0.01). No significant association was found between the grade of laryngeal function during exercise and the different head and neck positions.     

Major compositional units of the moon: lunar prospector thermal and fast neutrons

Global maps of thermal and fast neutron fluxes from the moon suggest three end-member compositional units. A high thermal and low fast neutron flux unit correlates with the lunar highlands and is consistent with feldspathic rocks. The South Pole-Aitken basin and a strip that surrounds the nearside maria have intermediate thermal and fast neutron flux levels, consistent with more mafic rocks. There appears to be a smooth transition between the most mafic and feldspathic compositions, which correspond to low and high surface altitudes, respectively. The maria show low thermal and high fast neutron fluxes, consistent with basaltic rocks.     

Lunar Fe and Ti abundances: comparison of lunar prospector and clementine data

The Lunar Prospector neutron spectrometer data correlate well with iron and titanium abundances obtained through analysis of Clementine spectral reflectance data. With the iron and titanium dependence removed, the neutron spectrometer data also reveal regions with enhanced amounts of gadolinium and samarium, incompatible rare earth elements that are enriched in the final phases of magma crystallization. These regions are found mainly around the ramparts of the Imbrium impact basin but not around the other basins, including the much larger and deeper South Pole-Aitken basin. This result confirms the compositional uniqueness of the surface and interior of the Imbrium region.     

Organogenesis and foetal haemodynamics during the normal gestation of healthy black‐rumped agoutis (Dasyprocta prymnolopha,Wagler, 1831) bred in captivity

The objective of this study was to define the patterns of organogenesis and foetal haemodynamics during the normal gestation of healthy agoutis (Dasyprocta prymnolopha) kept in captivity. Thirty pregnant agoutis that ranged in size from small to medium and weighed between 2.5 and 3 kg underwent B‐mode and Doppler ultrasonography for the biometric evaluation of the foetal organs. The foetal aortic blood flow proved to be predominantly systolic, and the measured flow velocity was 78.89 ± 2.95 cm/s, with a maximum pressure gradient of 2.12 ± 0.27 mmHg. The liver was characterized by its large volume, occupying the entire cranial aspect of the abdominal cavity, and it was associated cranially with the diaphragm and caudally with the stomach. The flow velocity in the portal vein was estimated to equal 12.17 ± 2.37 cm/s, with a resistivity index of 0.82 ± 0.05. The gallbladder was centrally located and protruded cranially towards the diaphragm. The spleen was visualized as an elongated structure with tapered cranial and caudal extremities, and the foetal kidneys were visualized bilaterally in the retroperitoneal region, with the right kidney positioned slightly more cranially than the left. The morphological characterization and hemodynamic analysis of the foetal organs of black‐rumped agoutis via B‐mode and Doppler ultrasonography allow determination of the vascular network and of reference values for the blood flow required for perfusing the anatomical elements essential for maintaining the viability of foetuses at different gestational ages.     

Follow-up of mercury levels in fish,human hair and urine in the Madeira and Tapajós basins,Amazon, Brazil

Informal economy of gold mining has contaminated some important river basins in Amazon. Follow-up studies on critical compartments showed some areas with high Hg levels in fish as well as in human hair samples. Average Hg in piscivorous fish in the Madeira river itself was 846 ppb (N=284) with a maximum of 3921 ppb. Mercury in fish from non polluted areas in this basin shows high variability, even for single species. A seasonal variation in Hg content was observed, with higher values at the end of the dry season. In the upper Tapajós basin comparable values were found for fish but with a definite decreasing trend downstream. Average value for piscivorous fish in the whole Tapajós basin is 482 ppb (N=122) with a maximum value of 3770 ppb. Hair Hg was higher in fishing villages in the Tapajós (average: 17 ppm; with N=432 and maximum value of 176 ppm) than in the Madeira (average: 9 ppm; N=169; maximum 71 ppm), and data from some areas of the Tapajós suggest a decrease with time. Mercury was much higher in urine of goldshop workers in Santarém (low Tapajós) than in Alta Floresta (high Tapajbs) and show a decreasing trend in both cases, probably related to the significant decline in gold mining activities during the study period (1986–1994).