225 research outputs found
Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems (RELACS) â a comprehensive Horizon 2020 project
Organic farmers adhere to high standards in producing quality food while protecting the environment. However, organic farming needs to improve continuously to keep meeting its ambitious objectives. The project âReplacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systemsâ (RELACS) will foster the development and adoption of cost-efficient and environmentally safe tools and technologies to further reduce the use of external inputs on organic farms across Europe as well as in Non EU Mediterranean countries.
Project partners will provide scientific support to develop fair and implementable EU rules to improve current practices in organic farming. Farm advisory networks in 11 European countries will reach out to farmers to ensure effective dissemination and adoption of the tools and techniques
Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Their Hydroxylated Metabolites (OH-PCBs) in Pregnant Women from Eastern Slovakia
OBJECTIVE: Our aim in the present study was to characterize and quantify the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and specific polychlorobiphenylol (OH-PCB) metabolites in maternal sera from women delivering in eastern Slovakia. DESIGN: During 2002â2004, blood samples were collected from women delivering in two Slovak locations: Michalovce district, where PCBs were formerly manufactured, and Svidnik and Stropkov districts, about 70 km north. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 762 and 341 pregnant women were sampled from Michalovce and Svidnik/Stropkov, respectively, and OH-PCBs were measured in 131 and 31. EVALUATION/MEASUREMENTS: We analyzed PCBs using gas chromatography (GC)/electron capture detection. OH-PCBs and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were determined as methyl derivatives using GC-electron capture negative ionization/mass spectrometry. We characterized distributions in the full cohort using inverse sampling weights. RESULTS: The concentrations of both PCBs and OH-PCB metabolites of Michalovce mothers were about two times higher than those of the Svidnik/Stropkov mothers (p < 0.001). The median weighted maternal serum levels of the sum of PCBs (âPCBs) were 5.73 ng/g wet weight (Michalovce) and 2.82 ng/g wet weight (Svidnik/Stropkov). The median sum of OH-PCBs (âOH-PCBs) was 0.55 ng/g wet weight in Michalovce mothers and 0.32 ng/g wet weight in Svidnik/Stropkov mothers. 4-OH-2,2âČ ,3,4âČ ,5,5âČ ,6-Heptachlorobiphenyl (4-OH-CB187) was a primary metabolite, followed by 4-OH-2,2âČ ,3,4âČ ,5,5âČ -hexachlorobiphenyl (4-OH-CB146). Only four PCB congenersâCBs 153, 138, 180, and 170âhad higher concentrations than 4-OH-CB187 and 4-OH-CB146 (p < 0.001). The median ratio of the âOH-PCBs to the âPCBs was 0.10. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers residing in eastern Slovakia are still highly exposed to PCBs, and their body burdens of these pollutants and OH-PCB metabolites may pose a risk for adverse effects on health for themselves and their children
Effect of bioactive compounds from Sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) on the in vitro larval migration of Haemonchus contortus : role of tannins and flavonol glycosides
Recommended from our members
Assessment of the anthelmintic activity of medicinal plant extracts and purified condensed tannins against free-living and parasitic stages of Oesophagostomum dentatum
Background: Plant-derived condensed tannins (CT) show promise as a complementary option to treat gastrointestinal helminth infections, thus reducing reliance on synthetic anthelmintic drugs. Most studies on the anthelmintic effects of CT have been conducted on parasites of ruminant livestock. Oesophagostomum dentatum is an economically important parasite of pigs, as well as serving as a useful laboratory model of helminth parasites due to the ability to culture it in vitro for long periods through several life-cycle stages. Here, we investigated the anthelmintic effects of CT on multiple life-cycles stages of O. dentatum.
Methods: Extracts and purified fractions were prepared from five plants containing CT and analysed by HPLC-MS. Anthelmintic activity was assessed at five different stages of the O. dentatum life cycle; the development of eggs to infective third-stage larvae (L3), the parasitic L3 stage, the moult from L3 to fourth-stage larvae (L4), the L4 stage and the adult stage.
Results: Free-living larvae of O. dentatum were highly susceptible to all five plant extracts. In contrast, only two of the five extracts had activity against L3, as evidenced by migration inhibition assays, whilst three of the five extracts inhibited the moulting of L3 to L4. All five extracts reduced the motility of L4, and the motility of adult worms exposed to a CT-rich extract derived from hazelnut skins was strongly inhibited, with electron microscopy demonstrating direct damage to the worm cuticle and hypodermis. Purified CT fractions retained anthelmintic activity, and depletion of CT from extracts by pre-incubation in polyvinylpolypyrrolidone removed anthelmintic effects, strongly suggesting CT as the active molecules.
Conclusions: These results suggest that CT may have promise as an alternative parasite control option for O. dentatum in pigs, particularly against adult stages. Moreover, our results demonstrate a varied susceptibility of different life-cycle stages of the same parasite to CT, which may offer an insight into the anthelmintic mechanisms of these commonly found plant compounds
Anatomical study of the female reproductive system and bacteriome of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, (Insecta: Hemiptera, Liviidae) using micro-computed tomography
Huanglongbing (HLB) (citrus greening disease) is one of the most serious bacterial diseases of citrus. It
is caused by (1) Candidatus Liberibacter africanus, transmitted by Trioza erytreae and (2) C.L. asiaticus
and C.L. americanus, transmitted by Diaphorina citri. As part of a multidisciplinary project on D. citri
(www.citrusgreening.org), we made a detailed study, using micro-computed tomography, of the female
abdominal terminalia, reproductive system (ovaries, accessory glands, spermatheca, colleterial (=
cement) gland, connecting ducts, and ovipositor) and bacteriome, which we present here. New terms
and structures are introduced and described, particularly concerning the spermatheca, ovipositor and
bacteriome. The quality of images and bacteriome reconstructions are comparable, or clearer, than
those previously published using a synchrotron or fuorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). This study:
reviews knowledge of the female reproductive system and bacteriome organ in D. citri; represents
the frst detailed morphological study of D. citri to use micro-CT; and extensively revises existing
morphological information relevant to psylloids, hemipterans and insects in general. High quality
images and supplementary videos represent a signifcant advance in knowledge of psylloid anatomy
and are useful tools for future research and as educational aids.Kansas State University (KSU)
S15192.01University of Granada, USDA-NIFA
S15192.01
2014-70016-2302
A Search for Coincident Neutrino Emission from Fast Radio Bursts with Seven Years of IceCube Cascade Events
This paper presents the results of a search for neutrinos that are spatially
and temporally coincident with 22 unique, non-repeating Fast Radio Bursts
(FRBs) and one repeating FRB (FRB121102). FRBs are a rapidly growing class of
Galactic and extragalactic astrophysical objects that are considered a
potential source of high-energy neutrinos. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory's
previous FRB analyses have solely used track events. This search utilizes seven
years of IceCube's cascade events which are statistically independent of the
track events. This event selection allows probing of a longer range of extended
timescales due to the low background rate. No statistically significant
clustering of neutrinos was observed. Upper limits are set on the
time-integrated neutrino flux emitted by FRBs for a range of extended
time-windows
Limits on Neutrino Emission from GRB 221009A from MeV to PeV using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have long been considered a possible source of
high-energy neutrinos. While no correlations have yet been detected between
high-energy neutrinos and GRBs, the recent observation of GRB 221009A - the
brightest GRB observed by Fermi-GBM to date and the first one to be observed
above an energy of 10 TeV - provides a unique opportunity to test for hadronic
emission. In this paper, we leverage the wide energy range of the IceCube
Neutrino Observatory to search for neutrinos from GRB 221009A. We find no
significant deviation from background expectation across event samples ranging
from MeV to PeV energies, placing stringent upper limits on the neutrino
emission from this source.Comment: Version in ApJ Letters Focus on the Ultra-luminous Gamma-Ray Burst
GRB 221009
A Search for IceCube sub-TeV Neutrinos Correlated with Gravitational-Wave Events Detected By LIGO/Virgo
The LIGO/Virgo collaboration published the catalogs GWTC-1, GWTC-2.1 and
GWTC-3 containing candidate gravitational-wave (GW) events detected during its
runs O1, O2 and O3. These GW events can be possible sites of neutrino emission.
In this paper, we present a search for neutrino counterparts of 90 GW
candidates using IceCube DeepCore, the low-energy infill array of the IceCube
Neutrino Observatory. The search is conducted using an unbinned maximum
likelihood method, within a time window of 1000 s and uses the spatial and
timing information from the GW events. The neutrinos used for the search have
energies ranging from a few GeV to several tens of TeV. We do not find any
significant emission of neutrinos, and place upper limits on the flux and the
isotropic-equivalent energy emitted in low-energy neutrinos. We also conduct a
binomial test to search for source populations potentially contributing to
neutrino emission. We report a non-detection of a significant neutrino-source
population with this test.Comment: Submitted to Ap
Observation of high-energy neutrinos from the Galactic plane
The origin of high-energy cosmic rays, atomic nuclei that continuously impact
Earth's atmosphere, has been a mystery for over a century. Due to deflection in
interstellar magnetic fields, cosmic rays from the Milky Way arrive at Earth
from random directions. However, near their sources and during propagation,
cosmic rays interact with matter and produce high-energy neutrinos. We search
for neutrino emission using machine learning techniques applied to ten years of
data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. We identify neutrino emission from
the Galactic plane at the 4.5 level of significance, by comparing
diffuse emission models to a background-only hypothesis. The signal is
consistent with modeled diffuse emission from the Galactic plane, but could
also arise from a population of unresolved point sources.Comment: Submitted on May 12th, 2022; Accepted on May 4th, 202
- âŠ