Competencies: a cure for pre-med curriculum     

Anderson WA  Amasino RM  Ares M  Banerjee U  Bartel B  Corces VG  Drennan CL  Elgin SC  Epstein IR  Fanning E  Guillette LJ  Handelsman J  Hatfull GF  Hoy RR  Kelley D  Leinwand LA  Losick R  Lu Y  Lynn DG  Neuhauser C  O'Dowd DK  Olivera T  Pevzner P  Richards-Kortum RR  Rine J  Sah RL  Strobel SA  Walker GC  Walt DR  Warner IM  Wessler S  Willard HF  Zare RN 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,334(6057):760-761

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A slowly progressive retinopathy in the Shetland Sheepdog     

Karlstam L  Hertil E  Zeiss C  Ropstad EO  Bjerkås E  Dubielzig RR  Ekesten B 《Veterinary ophthalmology》2011,14(4):227-238

Objective To describe a slowly progressive retinopathy (SPR) in Shetland Sheepdogs. Animals Forty adult Shetlands Sheepdogs with ophthalmoscopic signs of SPR and six normal Shetland Sheepdogs were included in the study. Procedure Ophthalmic examination including slit‐lamp biomicroscopy and ophthalmoscopy was performed in all dogs. Electroretinograms and obstacle course‐test were performed in 13 affected and 6 normal dogs. The SPR dogs were subdivided into two groups according to their dark‐adapted b‐wave amplitudes. SPR1‐dogs had ophthalmoscopic signs of SPR, but normal dark‐adapted b‐wave amplitudes. Dogs with both ophthalmoscopic signs and subnormal, dark‐adapted b‐wave amplitudes were assigned to group SPR2. Eyes from two SPR2 dogs were obtained for microscopic examination. Results The ophthalmoscopic changes included bilateral, symmetrical, greyish discoloration in the peripheral tapetal fundus with normal or marginally attenuated vessels. Repeated examination showed that the ophthalmoscopic changes slowly spread across the central parts of the tapetal fundus, but did not progress to obvious neuroretinal thinning presenting as tapetal hyper‐reflectivity. The dogs did not appear seriously visually impaired. SPR2 showed significantly reduced b‐wave amplitudes throughout dark‐adaptation. Microscopy showed thinning of the outer nuclear layer and abnormal appearance of rod and cone outer segments. Testing for the progressive rod–cone degeneration ( prcd )‐mutation in three dogs with SPR was negative. Conclusion Slowly progressive retinopathy is a generalized rod–cone degeneration that on ophthalmoscopy looks similar to early stages of progressive retinal atrophy. The ophthalmoscopic findings are slowly progressive without tapetal hyper‐reflectivity. Visual impairment is not obvious and the electroretinogram is more subtly altered than in progressive retinal atrophy. The etiology remains unclear. SPR is not caused by the prcd‐mutation.  相似文献   

Effects of UV-radiation of humic water on primary and secondary production     

Dag O. Hessen  Ellen Van Donk 《Water, air, and soil pollution》1994,75(3-4):325-338

Bioassays with UV-irradiated surface waters from two humic localities revealed a consistent pattern with phytoplankton production being stimulated at moderate doses (1.1.–5.4 J cm^?2, 312 nm), but with a transition to severe growth inhibition at increasing doses (>10 J cm^?2). Phytoplankton (Selenastrum capricornutum) was inoculated after the irradiation treatment, and the observed growth response gave support to the hypothesis of long-lasting algicidal effects induced by UV-radiation. High UV-doses apparently also liberated nutrients and metals (Al) complexed by humus. Since the applied UV₃₁₂-doses corresponded to mid-summer solar intensity, the results suggest both chemical and ecological implications, and that these effects have a non-linear response on UV-dose. Conversely no effects were detected on dark respiration or during corresponding bioassays with the crustacean zooplankton Daphnia magna.  相似文献   

A method of preparing mesocosms for assessing complex biotic processes in soils     

Alexander Bruckner  John Wright  Christian Kampichler  Roswitha Bauer  Ellen Kandeler 《Biology and Fertility of Soils》1995,19(2-3):257-262

Equipment and handling methods for the preparation of soil mesocosms were developed. The mesocosms were used to investigate the interrelationships between mesofauna and microflora in a coniferous forest soil. Soil monoliths were taken from the ground, defaunated by deep-freezing, wrapped in nets to control reimmigration of different faunal size-classes, and replanted in the field for 8 months. in a practical test the technique described here proved to be an inexpensive field method for producing a replicated series of mesocosm in a short time. Deep-freezing is appropriate for defaunating soil monoliths. The fine nets effectively exluded meso-and macrofauna. No significant differences were found in the abundance of Enchytraeids and Collembola between recolonized mesocosms and the undisturbed control at the end of the study period. In contrast, oribatid mite abundace was still greatly reduced in the recolonized esocosms. Dominance structure and species composition of the more dominant oribatid species in the different treatments were apparently similar. To compensate for the low colonization ability of oribatids, a reintroduction of selected animal size-classes to defaunated monoliths is recommended.  相似文献   

Detecting interaction(s) and assessing the impact of component subsets in a chemical mixture using fixed-ratio mixture ray designs     

Michelle Casey  Chris Gennings  W. Hans Carter  Virginia C. Moser  Jane Ellen Simmons 《Journal of Agricultural, Biological & Environmental Statistics》2004,9(3):339-361

An important environmental and regulatory issue is the protection of human health from potential adverse effects of cumulative exposure to multiple chemicals. Earlier literature suggested restricting inference to specific fixed-ratio rays of interest. Based on appropriate definitions of additivity, single chemical data are used to predict the relationship among the chemicals under the zero-interaction case. Parametric comparisons between the additivity model and the model fit along the fixed-ratio ray(s) are used to detect departure from additivity. Collection of data along reduced fixed-ratio rays, where subsets of chemicals of interest are removed from the mixture and the remaining compounds are at the same relative ratios as considered in the full ray, allow researchers to make inference about the effect of the removed chemicals. Methods for fitting simultaneous confidence bands about the difference between the best fitting model and the model predicted under additivity are developed to identify regions along the rays where significant interactions occur. This general approach is termed the “single chemicals required” (SCR) method of analysis. A second approach, termed “single chemicals not required” (SCNR) method of analysis, is based on underlying assumptions about the parameterization of the response surface. Under general assumptions, polynomial terms for models fit along fixed-ratio rays are associated with interaction terms. Consideration is given to the case where only data along the mixture rays are available. Tests of hypotheses, which consider interactions due to subsets of chemicals, are also developed.  相似文献   

Dust levels and control methods in poultry houses   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Ellen HH  Bottcher RW  von Wachenfelt E  Takai H 《Journal of agricultural safety and health》2000,6(4):275-282

This article summarizes information from the papers and posters presented at the international symposium on "Dust Control in Animal Production Facilities", held in Aarhus (Denmark) on 30 May-2 June 1999. Dust concentrations in poultry houses vary from 0.02 to 81.33 mg/m3 for inhalable dust and from 0.01 to 6.5 mg/m3 for respirable dust. Houses with caged laying hens showed the lowest dust concentrations, i.e., less than 2 mg/m3, while the dust concentrations in the other housing systems, e.g., perchery and aviary systems, were often four to five times higher. Other factors affecting the dust concentrations are animal category, animal activity, bedding materials and season. The most important sources of dust seem to be the animals and their excrements. Further studies on the effects of housing systems on dust sources and their compounds are desired for development of a healthier working environment in poultry production facilities. Adjustment of the relative humidity (RH) of the air in a broiler house to 75% will have an effect on inhalable dust, but not on respirable dust. A slight immediate effect on the respirable dust was observed after fogging with pure water or water with rapeseed oil. In an aviary system, a 50 to 65% reduction of the inhalable dust concentration was found after spraying water with 10% of oil and pure water, respectively. To obtain a higher dust reducing efficiency, improvement of techniques for application of droplets onto dust sources will be desired.  相似文献   

Spatial distribution of earthworms [Lumbricidae] in recultivated soils of the Rhenish lignite‐mining area,Germany     

Heinz‐Christian Fründ  Ellen Egbert  Gerhard Dumbeck 《植物养料与土壤学杂志》2004,167(4):494-502

The spatial distribution of earthworms was studied by means of combined formalin expulsion and hand sorting in three arable fields of the Rhenish lignite‐mining area that differed in their recultivation age (6, 12, 24 yr). In addition, pH and the spatial distribution of penetration resistances were measured to see if they are corresponding with the distribution of earthworms. Already the 6 yr old field had a rich population of endogeic, anecic, and epigeic earthworms (119 ind. m^–2, 48 g m^–2, 6 species). This quantity was similar to the 24 yr old site. The 12 yr old field was only sparsely populated by earthworms (5 ind. m^–2, 5 g m^–2, 3 species). In the 6 yr old field, the spatial distribution pattern showed a center of maximal earthworm abundances, corresponding to the distributional pattern of penetration resistances. In the old field (24 yr), the species varied in their spatial distribution, and there was no correspondence with the distribution of penetration resistance. In general, the penetration resistance at the youngest site was clearly lower than at the two older sites. The earthworm population in the 6 yr old field can be explained by cocoons contained in the dumped material. A calculation using literature data on earthworm‐population dynamics shows that a founding population of 400–600 reproductive individuals per hectare and a continuity of favorable growth conditions during the time of soil management is necessary for the development of the situation found at the 6 yr old site in this study.  相似文献   

Organic amendments to enhance herbicide biodegradation in contaminated soils   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Thomas B. Moorman  Jennifer K. Cowan  Ellen L. Arthur  Joel R. Coats 《Biology and Fertility of Soils》2001,33(6):541-545

Pesticide contamination of soil and groundwater at agricultural chemical distribution sites is a widespread problem in the USA. Alternatives to land-farming or solid waste disposal include biostimulation and phytoremediation. This research investigated the ability of compost, corn stalks, corn fermentation byproduct, peat, manure, and sawdust at rates of 0.5% and 5% (w/w) to stimulate biodegradation of atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methyethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide], and trifluralin [2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenamine] added as a mixture to soil. Initial concentrations were 175ᆾ mg atrazine kg^-1 soil, 182ᆭ mg metolachlor kg^-1 soil, and 165ᆫ mg trifluralin kg^-1 soil. After amendment addition, 30% of the atrazine, 33% of the metolachlor, and 44% of the trifluralin was degraded over 245 days, which included 63 days' aging prior to amendment additions. Atrazine degradation was enhanced by 0.5% manure, 5% peat, and 5% cornstalk amendments compared to nonamended soils. Metolachlor degradation was enhanced by all amendments at the 5% level, except for compost and peat. Amendments had no effect on trifluralin degradation. The 5% addition of compost, manure, and cornstalks resulted in significant increases in bacterial populations and dehydrogenase activity. A second experiment compared the persistence of atrazine, metolachlor, and trifluralin applied in a mixture to their persistence in soil individually. A combined average of 123 mg atrazine kg^-1 remained in soil treated with the three-herbicide mixture compared to 31 mg atrazine kg^-1 remaining in soil treated with atrazine only. Atrazine mineralization and atrazine-degrading microorganisms were suppressed by high concentrations of metolachlor, but not by trifluralin.  相似文献   

Oligonucleotide fingerprint analysis of the genomes of two variants of bluetongue virus serotype 2 isolated in the U.S.A.     

Ellen W. Collisson  Shan-Ing Chung  Kristen Hoegenauer 《Veterinary microbiology》1989,20(4):369-375

The genome segments of two electrophoretically distinct variants of bluetongue virus (BTV) Serotype 2 (Ona A and Ona B) from the U.S.A. were analyzed by double-dimension gel electrophoresis of RNase T1 produced oligonucleotides. Segments 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 were examined individually after separation by SDS-PAGE; and Segments 2 and 3, and 8 and 9, which were difficult to resolve, were fingerprinted as pairs. The Ona A and Ona B strains appeared to be closely related since corresponding segments were comparable, sharing 53–89% of the large oligonucleotides counted. Since the strains with the Ona A electropherotype preceded Ona B infection in Florida, U.S.A. and since Ona A was indistinguishable from the early African isolate of Serotype 2, Ona B was thought to be a variant of an Ona A strain. These data tend to support the hypothesis that Ona B could have evolved from Ona A as the result of point mutations or genetic drift.  相似文献   

Measurement of serum IgG in foals by radial immunodiffusion and automated turbidimetric immunoassay     

Davis DG  Schaefer DM  Hinchcliff KW  Wellman ML  Willet VE  Fletcher JM 《Journal of veterinary internal medicine / American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine》2005,19(1):93-96

Hypogammaglobulinemia as a result of failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) is an important risk factor for infectious disease in neonatal foals. The current gold standard for determining serum immunoglobulin concentrations is radial immunodiffusion (RID). The purpose of this study was to compare immunoglobulin concentrations measured by RID with those determined by an automated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA), which has a much shorter turnaround time. Immunoglobulin concentrations were measured by both RID and TIA in serum collected from 84 neonatal foals. Sixty-seven foals had results within the linear range for both assays. Sensitivity and specificity of TIA for diagnosis of FTPI with IgG < or = 800 mg/dL were 0.81 (95% CI 0.70-0.88) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.76-0.93) and with IgG < or = 400 mg/dL were 0.63 (95% CI 0.35-0.86) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.87-0.95), respectively. A significant linear relationship was found between IgG concentrations determined by TIA and RID (TIA = 0.9511RID + 8.4354; R2 = .59, P < .0001). The coefficients of variation for between-run and within-run precision for the TIA were 2.5 and 3%, respectively. Storage of samples from 10 foals at -20 degrees C for 10-12 months resulted in a reduction in TIA-measured serum IgG concentration of -17.6% (SD = 3.7%), indicating that long-term storage of samples at -20 degrees C should be avoided. The results of this study indicate that measurement of serum IgG by TIA can be used to evaluate foals for FTPI.  相似文献