Improving the evaluation and treatment of neuroendocrine disorders

The aim of this thesis was to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine disorders. In addition, it shows further possibilities to achieve this goal in the long term

Improving the evaluation and treatment of neuroendocrine disorders

The aim of this thesis was to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine disorders. In addition, it shows further possibilities to achieve this goal in the long term

Efficacy of Armicarb (potassium bicarbonate) against scab and sooty blotch on apples.

A novel formulation of potassium bicarbon-ate (Armicarb) was evaluated in 2004 and 2005 as agent against apple scab and sooty blotch in several field trials. Armicarb controlled scab equally well as the reference treatments sulphur and copper. Armi-carb showed also excellent activity against sooty blotch. However, potential side-effects such as lenti-cell spot development need further investigation. At present, potassium bicarbonate is considered by the Swiss registration authorities as non-toxic to humans and in consequence, no residue levels have been specified. Armicarb has very interesting properties as a plant protection agent and its composition and risk profile are expected to fulfil the IFOAM standards for acceptance of novel plant protection agents to a very large extent

The impact of infection on host competition and its relationship to parasite persistence in a Daphnia microparasite system

Evolutionary studies often estimate fitness components with the aim to make predictions about the outcome of selection. Depending on the system and the question, different fitness components are used, but their usefulness for predicting the outcome of selection is rarely tested. Here we estimate host fitness components in different ways with the aim to test how well they agree with each other and how well they predict host fitness at the population level in the presence of the parasite. We use a Daphnia magna-microparasite system to study the competitive ability of host clones in the absence and presence of the parasite, the infection intensity of the parasite in individuals of twelve host clones (an estimate of both host resistance and parasite reproductive success), and parasite persistence in small host populations (an estimate of R 0 of the parasite). Analysis of host competitive ability and parasite persistence reveals strong host genotype effects, while none are found for infection intensity. Host competitive ability further shows a genotype-specific change upon infection, which is correlated with the relative persistence of the parasite in the competing hosts. Hosts in which the parasite persists better suffer a competitive disadvantage in the parasite's presence. This suggests that in this system, parasite-mediated selection can be predicted by parasite persistence, but not by parasite infection intensit

Production de spiruline à la ferme : produire de la spiruline à la ferme grâce au digestat et à la chaleur excédentaire d’une installation de biogaz

The development of projects coupling an agricultural anaerobic digestion installation with the production of spirulina is an attractive concept, since the waste streams from the methanisation and from biogas valorization can be used to produce a high value product. This principle allows a better energetic valorization of surplus heat and of exhaust gases coming from the cogeneration unit. The limits of this configuration have been evaluated for Switzerland to study if the implementation of such coupling increases the competitiveness of agricultural anaerobic digestion. The thermal autonomy of the plant has been established as the main criterion to design the spirulina production units. For different working conditions (light radiation, nutrients source, size of methanisation units), the potential production of spirulina has been evaluated. The process energy yield, the environmental impact and the process economy show that 50% of surplus heat can be valorized, being 85-90% of heat contained in the exhaust gases; that the decrease in carbon dioxide emissions is not relevant and that, for the conditions tested, the operating costs are currently too high to allow the economic feasibility of the project

Lab life : when your PhD (almost) falls apart

As a chance observation threatens to unravel several years of work, a PhD student must choose what to do next

Cytological and molecular description of Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov., a microsporidian parasite of Daphnia magna, and establishment of Hamiltosporidium magnivora comb. nov.

We describe the new microsporidium Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov. with an emphasis on its ultrastructural characteristics and phylogenetic position as inferred from the sequence data of SSU rDNA, alpha-and beta-tubulin. This parasite was previously identified as Octosporea bayeri Jirovec, 1936 and has become a model system to study the ecology, epidemiology, evolution and genomics of microsporidia - host interactions. Here, we present evidence that shows its differences from O. bayeri. Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis exclusively infects the adipose tissue, the ovaries and the hypodermis of Daphnia magna and is found only in host populations located in coastal rock pool populations in Finland and Sweden. Merogonial stages of H. tvaerminnensis have isolated nuclei; merozoites are formed by binary fission or by the cleaving of a plasmodium with a small number of nuclei. A sporogonial plasmodium with isolated nuclei yields 8 sporoblasts. Elongated spores are generated by the most finger-like plasmodia. The mature spores are polymorphic in shape and size. Most spores are pyriform (4.9-5.6x2.2-2.3 mu m) and have their polar filament arranged in 12-13 coils. A second, elongated spore type (6.8-12.0x1.6-2.1 mu m) is rod-shaped with blunt ends and measures 6.8-12.0x1.6-2.1 mu m. The envelope of the sporophorous vesicle is thin and fragile, formed at the beginning of the sporogony. Cytological and molecular comparisons with Flabelliforma magnivora, a parasite infecting the same tissues in the same host species, reveal that these two species are very closely related, yet distinct. Moreover, both cytological and molecular data indicate that these species are quite distant from F. montana, the type species of the genus Flabelliforma. We therefore propose that F. magnivora also be placed in Hamiltosporidium gen. nov

Cytological and molecular description of Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov., a microsporidian parasite of Daphnia magna, and establishment of Hamiltosporidium magnivora comb. nov

We describe the new microsporidium Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov. with an emphasis on its ultrastructural characteristics and phylogenetic position as inferred from the sequence data of SSU rDNA, alpha- and beta-tubulin. This parasite was previously identified as Octosporea bayeri Jírovec, 1936 and has become a model system to study the ecology, epidemiology, evolution and genomics of microsporidia - host interactions. Here, we present evidence that shows its differences from O. bayeri. Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis exclusively infects the adipose tissue, the ovaries and the hypodermis of Daphnia magna and is found only in host populations located in coastal rock pool populations in Finland and Sweden. Merogonial stages of H. tvaerminnensis have isolated nuclei; merozoites are formed by binary fission or by the cleaving of a plasmodium with a small number of nuclei. A sporogonial plasmodium with isolated nuclei yields 8 sporoblasts. Elongated spores are generated by the most finger-like plasmodia. The mature spores are polymorphic in shape and size. Most spores are pyriform (4·9-5·6×2·2-2·3 μm) and have their polar filament arranged in 12-13 coils. A second, elongated spore type (6·8-12·0×1·6-2·1 μm) is rod-shaped with blunt ends and measures 6·8-12·0×1·6-2·1 μm. The envelope of the sporophorous vesicle is thin and fragile, formed at the beginning of the sporogony. Cytological and molecular comparisons with Flabelliforma magnivora, a parasite infecting the same tissues in the same host species, reveal that these two species are very closely related, yet distinct. Moreover, both cytological and molecular data indicate that these species are quite distant from F. montana, the type species of the genus Flabelliforma. We therefore propose that F. magnivora also be placed in Hamiltosporidium gen. no