Riding arenas and different riding track surfaces in relation to the airway contamination in horses. Laboratory studies on riding surfaces]

29 samples of commonly used surfaces were tested for their water characteristics (litre weight, water capacity, water binding, water evaporation) and their contribution to airborne fungal spores (dust formation, dust setting). The results are discussed in comparison to the literature with regard to the environment. The results are: 1. Any surface--no matter of what material--eventually causes air pollution with fungal spores and dust. 2. Correct watering prevents air pollution by any surface. 3. Artificial products have no advantage over natural materials in the parameters tested. 4. The question of proper disposal of old surface material has to be clarified before purchase. The results show that a mixture of sand and wood shavings should be recommended as a surface for indoor arenas, especially in regard to environmental protection and proper disposal.     

The effects of low voltage current on healing of thermal third degree wounds.

Bilateral third degree burns were created on the flanks of eight miniature swine. Each animal had one side treated daily with low intensity direct (LIDC) of 400 microamperes (muA) by contact electrode for 2 hours morning and afternoon until healing occurred. The polarity of the electrode was negative in 4 pigs and positive in 4 pigs. One group of 4 pigs had the eschar surgically removed 24 hours post burn. Weekly biopsies and cultures were taken of treated and control wounds. Results indicated: local treatment of 400 muA LIDC did not hasten or delay healing of thermal third degree burns; escharectomy hastened wound healing by 10 days, and superficial proteus infection occurred in 80% of all wounds.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of a series of N-substituted [2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)]propylamines

A series of N-mono- or N, N-disubstituted [2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl-3-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)]propylamines and N-[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl-3-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]amides were synthesized and tested for their fungicidal activity in vitro and in vivo against a group of plant pathogenic fungi. Some compounds exhibited a fairly good in vitro activity. The replacement of the ether group of tetraconazole with a secondary or tertiary amino group leads to compounds that maintain the antifungal activity on several phytopathogenic fungi, provided that the substituents are not too bulky or lipophilic. The allyl, propargyl, and cyclopropyl groups appear particularly suitable. Although these compounds have some structural similarities with terbinafine and naftifine, which act as squalene epoxidase inhibitors, they maintain the usual mechanism of action of the other triazoles.     

Modern forestry vehicles and their impacts on soil physical properties

“Close-to-nature forest stands” are one central key in the project “Future oriented Forest Management” financially supported by the German Ministry for Science and Research (BMBF). The determination of ecological as well as economical consequences of mechanized harvesting procedures during the transformation from pure spruce stands to close-to-nature mixed forest stands is one part of the “Southern Black Forest research cooperation”. Mechanical operations of several typical forest harvesting vehicles were analysed to examine the actual soil stresses and displacements in soil profiles and to reveal the changes in soil physical properties of the forest soils. Soil compaction stresses were determined by Stress State Transducer (SST) and displacement transducer system (DTS) at two depths: 20 and 40 cm. Complete harvesting and trunk logging processes accomplished during brief 9-min operations were observed at time resolutions of 20 readings per second. Maximum vertical stresses for all experiments always exceeded 200 kPa and at soil depths of 20 cm for some vehicles and sequences of harvesting operations approached ≥500 kPa. To evaluate the impacts of soil stresses on soil structure, internal soil strengths were determined by measuring precompression stresses. Precompression stress values of forest soils at the field sites ranged from 20 to 50 kPa at soil depths of 20 cm depth and from 25 to 60 kPa at soil depths of 40 cm, at a pore water pressure of −60 hPa. Data obtained for these measured soil stresses and their natural bearing capacities proved that sustainable wheeling is impossible, irrespective of the vehicle type and the working process. Re-occurring top and subsoil compaction, increases in precompression stress values in the various soil horizons, deep rut depths, vertical and horizontal soil displacements associated with shearing stresses, all affected the mechanical strengths of forest soils. In order to sustain naturally “unwheeled” soil areas with minimal compaction, it is recommended that smaller machines, having less mass, be used to complete forest harvesting in order to prevent or at least to maintain currently minimal-compacted forest soils. Additionally, if larger machines are required, permanent wheel and skid tracks must be established with the goal of their maximum usefulness for future forest operations. A first step towards accomplishing these permanent pathways requires comprehensive planning with the Federal State Baden-Württemberg. The new guideline for final opening with skid tracks (Landesforstverwaltung Baden-Württemberg, 2003) proposes a permanent skid track system with a width of 20–40 m.     

Three-dimensional structure of favin: saccharide binding-cyclic permutation in leguminous lectins

The three-dimensional structure of favin, the glucose- and mannose-binding lectin of Vicia faba (vetch, broad bean), has been determined at a resolution of 2.8 angstroms by molecular replacement. The crystals contain specifically bound glucose and provide the first high-resolution view of specific saccharide binding in a leguminous lectin. The structure is similar to those of concanavalin A (Con A) and green pea lectin; differences from Con A show that minimal changes are needed to accommodate the cyclic permutation in amino acid sequence between the two molecules. The molecule is an ellipsoidal dimer dominated by extensive beta structures. Each protomer contains binding sites for two divalent metal ions (Mn2+ and Ca2+) and a specific saccharide. Glucose is bound by favin in a cleft in the molecular surface and has noncovalent contacts primarily with two peptide loops, one of which contains several metal ion ligands. The specific carbohydrate-binding site is similar to that of Con A in location and general peptide folding, despite several differences in specific amino acid residues.     

The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.     

Release of doxycycline through cellulose acetate symmetric and asymmetric membranes produced from recycled agroindustrial residue: Sugarcane bagasse

Cellulose acetate is one of the components employed in drug controlled-release systems in the form of membranes. The aim of this study was to examine the controlled-release of doxycycline employing cellulose acetate symmetric and asymmetric membranes as matrices. The cellulose triacetate was produced from sugarcane bagasse through a homogeneous acetylation reaction, using acetic acid as the solvent, acetic anhydride as the acetylating agent and sulfuric acid as the catalyst. The viscosity average molecular weight of the cellulose acetate produced was 39,000 g mol⁻¹. The symmetric membranes were produced using a system solvent of dichloromethane/ethanol (9:1, v/v) and the asymmetric membranes were produced from the same solvent system and 10% of water. For the formulation of both, 5% of doxycycline was used. The membranes were characterized by thermal analysis (DSC and TGA) and scanning electron microscopy SEM. The release of doxycycline through cellulose triacetate matrices was examined using spectrophotometric analysis in the ultraviolet-visible region, at 275 nm. The results revealed that asymmetric membranes release 80% of the drug in 100 min, while symmetric membranes release 14% of the drug during the same time interval.     

Use of molasses as a carbon source during the nursery rearing of Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis (Latreille, 1817) in a Biofloc technology system

The present work evaluated the use of molasses as a carbon source during the nursery rearing of Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis in a Biofloc technology system. During a 30 days trial, three replicate tanks were randomly assigned to the following treatments: 1.) molasses (with molasses addition) and 2.) control (without molasses addition). Bacteriological analysis was used to quantify the abundance of presumptive Vibrio spp. between control and molasses treatment. The concentration of this microorganism was lower in molasses compared with control. For the immunological analysis, shrimp haemolymph was collected to determine the total haemocyte count and the total protein concentration. The immunological results were not different between treatments. The performance results of shrimp reared with molasses addition showed that the survival rate (88.87 ± 6.36), the mean final weight (1.22 ± 0.38) and the specific growth rate (0.0309 ± 1.06) were significantly higher compared with control (80.5 ± 2.42; 1.03 ± 0.13; 0.0256 ± 0.97 respectively). Moreover, the addition of molasses contributed to the maintenance of water quality and lower concentration of presumptive Vibrio spp. The control presented an unstable variation of Vibrio spp. reaching values of 80 × 10² CFU/ml, while the highest result of molasses was 20 × 10² CFU/ml, confirming the beneficial effects of molasses addition.     

Impact of land-use type and harvesting on population structure of a non-timber forest product-providing tree in a semi-arid savanna, West Africa

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) strongly contribute to livelihood security in the semi-arid tropics. Main factors determining the populations of NTFP-providing species are human activities. This study examined the impact of land-use, combined with rates and patterns of debarking and chopping on a NTFP-providing tree (Anogeissus leiocarpa) in Burkina Faso. We compared stands in a protected area (W National Park) with those of its surrounding communal area (fallows, croplands) in order to (i) obtain an indication on the status of the population, (ii) assess its harvesting tolerance, (iii) estimate the sustainability of present management, and (iv) derive which additional management strategies may foster its conservation. Our results reveal that the stands of A. leiocarpa are in healthy states in fallows and in the park. In croplands, the absence of saplings gives evidence of a declining population. Nearly all individuals of A. leiocarpa were harvested in croplands and fallows, while the number of harvested individuals in the park was negligible. Intensity of debarking and chopping was tree size-specific. The sprouting ability significantly increased with higher chopping intensity. We conclude that despite the land-use impact and the intense harvesting, stands of A. leiocarpa are still well preserved due to the species life history (fast growing and high sprouting) and due to indirect positive influences of human activities by providing better environmental conditions for its recruitment. Thus, the population of A. leiocarpa is not at risk to over-harvesting and land-use even though it is not protected.