Näringsförsök i ettårig odling av substratodlade long cane-hallon

Long cane-hallon som bärkultur, odlat i substrat och i tunnel under en säsong, är idag ett modernt och mycket framgångsrikt sätt att odla på. Denna odlingsteknik för hallon skiljer sig från andra genom att det är en kultur där man endast tar skörd på plantorna under en säsong och sedan byter ut plantorna. När vi sökte fakta på området i en tidigare kurs kunde vi inte finna någon gödslingsrekommendation som specifikt var riktat mot substratodlade long cane-hallon. Det gjorde att vi ville ta reda på mer kring ämnet och själva göra ett försök med näring i long cane-hallon. Kväve är en viktig del av de näringsämnen som hallon (Rubus idaeus L.) behöver. Men hur påverkar kvävemängden skörden i en kultur där man endast tar skörd på plantorna under en säsong och sedan slänger plantorna? För att bestämma huruvida skördemängden och skördekvaliteten påverkas av kväve genomfördes ett odlingsförsök. Ett försök sattes upp med tre behandlingar vardera innehållande 6x5 plantor. Försöket bestod av en kontrollbehandling samt en lägre och en högre kvävebehandling. Hypotesen var att se om den totala avkastningen skiljde sig mellan de tre kvävebehandlingarna. Vi undersökte också bärvikt och hållbarhet i konsumentkyl. Resultatet visade att det inte var någon skillnad mellan de tre gödslingsnivåerna på någon av de mätbara variablerna. Vi har, genom vårt försök, fått indikationer på att odlare skulle kunna minska kvävemängden i substratodlade long cane-hallon i tunnel.Protected cultivation of potted long cane raspberries fertilized during one season is a modern and efficient way to grow raspberries. This type of raspberries differ from others in that the plants are only cultured during one season whereafter the plants are replaced. Recommendations of amounts of fertilization was searched for, without results. This is why we wanted to learn more about this subject, and also to make an experiment with different levels of fertigation in long cane raspberries. Nitrogen is an important part of the essential nutrients for raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.). The question asked is in what way the amount of nitrogen influences the yield in such a culture. In order to determine in what way the harvest of raspberries as well as the quality of the berries is influenced by the amount of nitrogen, the following experiment were set up. The experiment contained three levels of fertigation: one lower, one with the recommend level and one with a higher level. Each group consisted of six replicates each with five plants. The results did not show any differences between the three levels of fertigation on the total weight of the harvest, the mean weight of individual raspberries and how well the raspberries it is preserved in an ordinary fridge. The conclusion of the results indicates that it could be possible to reduce the amount of nitrogen without loss of fruit yield when cultivating long cane raspberries

Pre and post functional endoscopic sinus surgery nasal cavity volume assessment by acoustic rhinometry

Acoustic rhinometry is an objective method to determine nasal cavity geometry. The technique is based on sound wave reflexion analysis in the nasal cavity, and determines crossectional areas as a function of distance as well as volume. AIM: The purpose of this study is to analyse nasal cavity volume changes caused by functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in adults with chronic rhinosinusitis by acoustic rhinometry, and to correlate these changes with improvements in the sensation of nasal obstruction. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty patients aged from 18 to 73 years were prospectively evaluated between August and October 1999 at the Graz University Hospital, Austria. All patients were diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis, and undertook acoustic rhinometry before and after FESS. SCIENTIFIC DESIGN: A clinical prospective study. RESULTS: The nasal cavity total volume increased significantly after surgery. Nasal obstruction was improved in 88% of the patients, 20% with partial improvement and 68% with total improvement. There was no correlation between volume increase and improvement of the sensation of nasal obstruction. CONCLUSION: Total nasal cavity volume significantly increased after surgery; however, there was no correlation between volume increase and improvements of nasal obstruction. No significant pre or postoperative increase in total nasal cavity volume after decongestion were observed.A rinometria acústica é um método objetivo de determinar a geometria da cavidade nasal, pela análise da reflexão de ondas sonoras. Determina a área de secção transversal da cavidade em função da distância da narina e seu volume. OBJETIVO: Analisar a alteração do volume da cavidade nasal causada pela cirurgia endoscópica funcional dos seios paranasais, em adultos com rinossinusite crônica, e correlacionar esta alteração com a melhora da obstrução nasal. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Foram avaliados 40 pacientes de 18 a 73 anos, entre agosto e outubro de 1999, na Universidade de Graz - Áustria, com rinossinusite crônica, antes e depois de serem submetidos à CEFSP. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Clínico prospectivo. RESULTADOS: O volume total da cavidade nasal aumentou significativamente no pós-operatório. 88% dos pacientes referiram melhora da obstrução nasal, 20% de forma parcial e 68% total. Nenhum paciente piorou deste sintoma. Não houve relação linear entre o aumento do volume da cavidade nasal e melhora subjetiva da obstrução nasal. CONCLUSÃO: O volume total da cavidade nasal aumentou no pós-operatório, mas não houve relação entre aumento do volume e melhora da obstrução nasal. Não houve aumento do volume da cavidade nasal após o uso do vasoconstritor, seja no pré ou no pós-operatório.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina setor de RinologiaUniversidade de Graz Depto. de OtorrinolaringologiaUNIFESP, EPM, setor de RinologiaSciEL

A Lactobacilli diet that confers MRSA resistance causes amino acid depletion and increased antioxidant levels in the C. elegans host

Probiotic bacteria are increasingly popular as dietary supplements and have the potential as alternatives to traditional antibiotics. We have recently shown that pretreatment with Lactobacillus spp. Lb21 increases the life span of C. elegans and results in resistance toward pathogenic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Lb21-mediated MRSA resistance is dependent on the DBL-1 ligand of the TGF-β signaling pathway. However, the underlying changes at the metabolite level are not understood which limits the application of probiotic bacteria as timely alternatives to traditional antibiotics. In this study, we have performed untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolic profiling. We report the metabolomes of Lactobacillus spp. Lb21 and control E. coli OP50 bacteria as well as the nematode-host metabolomes after feeding with these diets. We identify 48 metabolites in the bacteria samples and 51 metabolites in the nematode samples and 63 across all samples. Compared to the control diet, the Lactobacilli pretreatment significantly alters the metabolic profile of the worms. Through sparse Partial Least Squares discriminant analyses, we identify the 20 most important metabolites distinguishing probiotics from the regular OP50 food and worms fed the two different bacterial diets, respectively. Among the changed metabolites, we find lower levels of essential amino acids as well as increased levels of the antioxidants, ascorbate, and glutathione. Since the probiotic diet offers significant protection against MRSA, these metabolites could provide novel ways of combatting MRSA infections

Transcription Factor Binding Site Polymorphism in the Motilin Gene Associated with Left-Sided Displacement of the Abomasum in German Holstein Cattle

Left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is a common disease in many dairy cattle breeds. A genome-wide screen for QTL for LDA in German Holstein (GH) cows indicated motilin (MLN) as a candidate gene on bovine chromosome 23. Genomic DNA sequence analysis of MLN revealed a total of 32 polymorphisms. All informative polymorphisms used for association analyses in a random sample of 1,136 GH cows confirmed MLN as a candidate for LDA. A single nucleotide polymorphism (FN298674:g.90T>C) located within the first non-coding exon of bovine MLN affects a NKX2-5 transcription factor binding site and showed significant associations (ORallele = 0.64; −log10Pallele = 6.8, −log10Pgenotype = 7.0) with LDA. An expression study gave evidence of a significantly decreased MLN expression in cows carrying the mutant allele (C). In individuals heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation, MLN expression was decreased by 89% relative to the wildtype. FN298674:g.90T>C may therefore play a role in bovine LDA via the motility of the abomasum. This MLN SNP appears useful to reduce the incidence of LDA in German Holstein cattle and provides a first step towards a deeper understanding of the genetics of LDA

Computational modeling of polycrystals using gradient crystal plasticity

This thesis treats the modeling of grain size dependence inmicrostructure models of metals. It is shown how gradient hardening, in a thermodynamically consistent fashion, can be included into a crystal plasticity model, which is used as the constitutive model in each grain of the polycrystal. In effect, the flow stress on each slip system is expanded to depend on the second spatial derivative, along the slip direction, of the hardening variable. A numerical strategy is proposed, formulating a two--field coupled finite element problem in order solve the arising equations, by constructing an auxiliary finite element problem to identify nodal values for the gradient variables involved in the gradient hardening formulation. Furthermore, the model is implemented in a two--dimensional finite element model of a grain structure. A solution algorithm based on subdividing the grain structure into separate finite element problems for each grain is presented, and the efficiency of the algorithm is studied. Finally, different formulations of boundary conditions on the auxiliary gradient problem are discussed and some numerical results are given