The ‘pole-hooking’ method: A novel and economical technique for in situ tagging small to medium-sized fishes

We describe a new manual procedure for catching and tagging fish underwater, the ‘pole-hooking’ method, and demonstrate and discuss its advantages over standard tagging techniques (i.e. hook-and-line fishing). The new technique was designed for tagging Acanthistius brasilianus [Cuvier, M., Valenciennes, L.B., 1828. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Museau de Histoire Naturelle, Paris], a small to medium-sized fish inhabiting rocky reefs of the Argentine coast. The pole-hooking method minimizes injuries, avoids fast depressurization of fish and allows registration of the precise location of capture and release. In addition, the equipment needed is very simple and economical. The mean number of fish tagged per minute using this methodology on shallow rocky reefs (up to 25-m depth) was similar to that obtained during hook-and-line fishing sessions (ca. one tagged fish every 3 min), given similar densities of A. brasilianus in the fished reefs.     

Effect of nutrient solution salinity and ionic concentration on parsley (Petroselinum crispum Mill.) essential oil yield and content

The growth and essential oil (EO) production of parsley were evaluated in response to salinity and nutrient solution concentrations in a soilless culture. Parsley plants that were 60 days old were potted in a coconut fiber and peat moss medium and were treated with four different nutrient solutions, including T1, T2, T3 and T4. The T1 nutrient solution was the standard, the T2 and T3 solutions contained incremental macronutrient concentrations with an electrical conductivity (EC) of up to 2.2 and 3.2 dS m^?1, respectively, and the T4 solution was the same as T2 but with sodium chloride (NaCl) and an incremental macronutrient concentration with an EC of 3.2 dS m^?1. Next, these plants were grown for 90 days in a greenhouse with natural daylight in Nador, Morocco. Shoot and root growth significant decreased with increasing EC. However, the salinity that resulted from the addition of NaCl did not affect plant growth in the nutrient solutions. The optimum obtained growth and EO production were 1.2 and 2.2 dS m^?1, respectively. Consequently, the optimum EC value (based on the EO production) of parsley in the soilless culture was 1.2–2.2 dS m^?1.     

Cell viability effects and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Tunisian date syrup (Rub El Tamer) polyphenolic extracts

The aqueous-acetone polyphenolic extract of the traditionally derived date syrup, known as "Rub El Tamer", was analyzed using RP-HPLC-DAD and ESI-MS. The phenolic content of the extract was 394.53 ± 1.13 mg per 100 g of syrup with caffeoylsinapylquinic acid as the most abundant compound (72.23%). The extract exhibited strong antioxidant activities as evaluated using the ABTS (2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) methods. The extract antimicrobial potential against a range of microorganism strains showed that Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Bacillus cereus were the most sensitive bacteria with MBC in the range of 0.5-0.05 mg/mL. Furthermore, in the presence of the syrup extract (8.18-131 μg/mL), the Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma and the 3T3 fibroblast cell lines showed dissimilar reduction of viability suggesting a higher cytotoxic effect against tumorigenic cells. Our results provide new insights into date syrup characterization which should stimulate further studies of this hot desert resource.     

Influence of pH and calcium on the growth,polysaccharide production and symbiotic association of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Sinorhizobium meliloti</Emphasis> SEMIA 116 with alfalfa roots

The Sinorhizobium -legume interaction is sensitive to a number of environmental factors, soil acidity being one of the most important. In the typic Hapludoll soil of the central-southern region of Córdoba (Argentine) it was found that the nodulation of alfalfa ( Medicago sativaL.) roots was impaired with a reduction in shoot dry matter under conditions of soil acidity (pH 5.5) Our results showed that the addition of lime as dolomitic limestone at a concentration of 1 t ha ^-1to acid soil caused a significant increase in the nodulation of alfalfa roots inoculated with the strain Sinorhizobium meliloti SEMIA 116 (recommended inoculum for alfalfa) in the greenhouse experiments. The success of the lime treatment may be related not only to an increase in the pH values but also to an increase in the Ca concentration, improving the growth of S. meliloti and its nodulation ability under acidic conditions. In this study, we also demonstrated an increment in the bacterial growth rate as well as in the production of exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides under low pH (5.5) and a high Ca concentration (5 mM) in the culture medium.     

Infection, immunity and the neuroendocrine response

The Central Nervous (CNS) and Immune Systems (IS) are the two major adaptive systems which respond rapidly to numerous challenges that are able to compromise health. The defensive response strictly linking innate to acquired immunity, works continuously to limit pathogen invasion and damage. The efficiency of the innate response is crucial for survival and for an optimum priming of acquired immunity. During infection, the immune response is modulated by an integrated neuro-immune network which potentiates innate immunity, controls potential harmful effects and also addresses metabolic and nutritional modifications supporting immune function. In the last decade much knowledge has been gained on the molecular signals that orchestrate this integrated adaptive response, with focus on the systemic mediators which have a crucial role in driving and controlling an efficient protective response. These mediators are also able to signal alterations and control pathway dysfunctions which may be involved in the persistence and/or overexpression of inflammation that may lead to tissue damage and to a negative metabolic impact, causing retarded growth.This review aims to describe some important signalling pathways which drive bidirectional communication between the Immune and Nervous Systems during infection. Particular emphasis is placed on pro-inflammatory cytokines, immunomodulator hormones such as Glucocorticoids (GCs), Growth hormone (GH), Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), and Leptin, as well as nutritional factors such as Zinc (Zn).Finally, the review includes up-to-date information on this neuroimmune cross-talk in domestic animals. Data in domestic animal species are still limited, but there are several exciting areas of research, like the potential interaction pathways between mediators (i.e. cytokine-HPA regulation, IL-6-GCS-Zn, cytokines-GH/IGF-1, IL-6-GH-Leptin and thymus activity) that are or could be promising topics of future research in veterinary medicine.     

Complexation of several fungicides with beta-cyclodextrin: determination of the association constants and isolation of the solid complexes

The formation of inclusion complexes with beta-cyclodextrin was studied for several popular fungicides of different types: prochloraz, 2-phenylphenol, thiophanate methyl, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and benalaxyl. Phase solubility diagrams showed that in all cases complexation takes place, leading to an important increase of water solubility in prochloraz and benalaxyl. Equilibrium association constants could be determined from the phase solubility data and from NMR titrations in the case of 2-phenylphenol. Because of the low solubility of the complex formed between 8-hydroxyquinoline and beta-cyclodextrin, the corresponding association constant could not be determined. The solid complexes of fungicide-cyclodextrin were prepared and isolated by different methods. The isolation of real complexes and not physical mixtures was confirmed in the cases of prochloraz, 2-phenylphenol, and benalaxyl by differential scanning calorimetry.     

Nitrogen form and concentration interact to affect the performance of two ecologically distinct Mediterranean forest trees

Most studies examining inorganic N form effects on growth and nutrition of forest trees have been conducted on single species from boreal or temperate environments, while comparative studies with species from other biomes are scarce. We evaluated the response of two Mediterranean trees of contrasting ecology, Quercus ilex L. and Pinus halepensis Mill., to cultivation with distinct inorganic N forms. Seedlings were fertilized with different NH₄ ⁺/NO₃ ^? proportion at either 1 or 10 mM N. In both species, N forms had small effects at low N concentration, but at high N concentration they markedly affected the plant performance. A greater proportion of NH₄ ⁺ in the fertilizer at high N caused toxicity as it reduced growth and caused seedling death, with the effect being greater in Q. ilex than in P. halepensis. An increase in the proportion of NO₃ ^? at high N strongly enhanced growth relative to low N plants in P. halepensis but had minor effects in Q. ilex. Relatively more NH₄ ⁺ in the fertilizer enhanced plant P concentration but reduced K concentration in both species, while the opposite effect occurred with NO₃ ^?, and these effects were enhanced under high N concentration. We conclude that species responses to inorganic N forms were related to their ecology. P. halepensis, a pioneer tree, had improved performance with NO₃ ^? at high N concentration and showed strong plasticity to changes in N supply. Q. ilex, a late successional tree, had low responsiveness to N form or concentration.     

Root trenching: a useful tool to estimate autotrophic soil respiration? A case study in an Austrian mountain forest

We conducted a trenching experiment in a mountain forest in order to assess the contribution of the autotrophic respiration to total soil respiration and evaluate trenching as a technique to achieve it. We hypothesised that the trenching experiment would alter both microbial biomass and microbial community structure and that fine roots (less than 2 mm diameter) would be decomposed within one growing season. Soil CO₂ efflux was measured roughly biweekly over two growing seasons. Root presence and morphology parameters, as well as the soil microbial community were measured prior to trenching, 5 and 15 months after trenching. The trenched plots emitted about 20 and 30% less CO₂ than the control plots in the first and second growing season, respectively. Roots died in trenched plots, but root decay was slow. After 5 and 15 months, fine root biomass was decreased by 9% (not statistically different) and 30%, (statistically different) respectively. When we corrected for the additional trenched-plot CO₂ efflux due to fine root decomposition, the autotrophic soil respiration rose to ~26% of the total soil respiration for the first growing season, and to ~44% for the second growing season. Soil microbial biomass and community structure was not altered by the end of the second growing season. We conclude that trenching can give accurate estimates of the autotrophic and heterotrophic components of soil respiration, if methodological side effects are accounted for, only.     

QTL mapping of volatile compounds in ripe apples detected by proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry

The availability of genetic linkage maps enables the detection and analysis of QTLs contributing to quality traits of the genotype. Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS), a relatively novel spectrometric technique, has been applied to measure the headspace composition of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by apple fruit genotypes of the progeny ‘Fiesta’ × ‘Discovery’. Fruit samples were characterised by their PTR-MS spectra normalised to total area. QTL analysis for all PTR-MS peaks was carried out and 10 genomic regions associated with the peaks at m/z = 28, 43, 57, 61, 103, 115 and 145 were identified (LOD > 2.5). We show that it is possible to find quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to PTR-MS characterisation of the headspace composition of single whole apple fruits indicating the presence of a link between molecular characterisation and PTR-MS data. We provide tentative information on the metabolites related to the detected QTLs based on available chemical information. A relation between apple skin colour and peaks related to carbonyl compounds was established. The two authors contributed equally to this work.     

A comparative study of the precipitation acidity in two cities in Cantabria (Spain) with different degrees of industrialization

A study was carried out on the pH values obtained from bulk (wet and dry) precipitation samples collected simultaneously in two cities in Cantabria (Spain), Santander and Torrelavega over a period of a year. It was observed that the annual weighted average values for the pH of precipitation, 4.42 and 4.21, respectively, differ significantly although the difference is less than that existing between their pollution levels. The difference is greater when total annual H⁺ depositions are compared. The study also demonstrated the strong influence of long-range transport effect on acidity and to a lesser degree the effect of mid-range transport.