Evaporated extracts of samples for pesticide residue analysis simplifies transport from remote places

The increasing use of pesticides demands a world-wide control of residue levels in food and the environment. However, pesticide residue analysis is challenging and needs both experience and instrumentation. Although much can be done with fairly simple means, many countries with limited resources can only perform certain analyses. Also in technologically more advanced countries, different laboratories may specialize in certain kinds of analyses and there is also a need to confirm results with an exchange of samples between laboratories. There are usually several technical difficulties connected with the transport of pesticide samples, in addition to the risk of transmission of pests and diseases and related customs control; and in many areas of the world transport of pesticide samples is not feasible at all. A way to circumvent these difficulties is presented here. Even if a laboratory lacks the basic requirements to purchase, run and maintain instrumentation to analyze pesticide residues, there are often possibilities to extract the pesticide samples. The extracts are taken to dryness in the presence of a ‘keeper’ substance, and the residues can then be sent in apparently empty glass vials. We have investigated the use of polyethylene glycol as a keeper at harsh conditions, for up to three weeks at 44°C. This was done to find out whether the residues remain in the vials at simulated transport conditions. In all, 64 pesticides were tested and of these 56 substances give recoveries of at least 70% after storage at 44°C for 3 weeks. Thus, according to the results it would be possible to send pesticide samples as evaporated extracts even in a hot climate. In conclusion, the results presented here clearly show that a much simplified method of transfer of samples between laboratories is adequate, which enables monitoring of pesticide residues in any part of the world

Development of an instrument for early detection of dementia in people with Down syndrome

The successful detection of early signs of dementia in people with Down syndrome could form a basis for useful early support and for drug treatment. This report describes the development and preliminary application of an interview and test instrument for the assessment of dementia among people with intellectual disability, as well as a framework for diagnosis that combines the findings of an interview and a test with the diagnostic criteria of ICD-10, DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA. From among the number of tests and interview questions developed, those showing the most significant differences between participants in three groups of differing levels of intellectual disability and estimated dementia were kept. Reported are the assumptions for the items used, descriptions of the process and items used, and the associations of test items with predicting the presence of dementia. The authors conclude that a protocol combining testing and interview has promise and potential for detecting early signs of dementia in this population and could prove feasible for use in practice

Windsurfing in Mute Swans (Cygnus olor)

Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) were observed using tailwind as a support for high-speed water transportation on three different occasions in three different locations in Sweden. With the wings arched over the back, they traveled similar to 100 m in an inlet of the Baltic Sea in Stockholm, several hundred meters in Lake Hjalstaviken in Enkoping, and similar to 350 m in Lake Krankesjon in Lund. The speed of the movement was estimated to be much higher than normally seen for swimming swans. The first observation included two Mute Swans traveling one after another in the same direction, the second observation was of one single individual traveling towards a group of conspecifics, and the third observation was of a single individual traveling by itself. This behavior may serve as a means of medium-distance water transportation in this heavy bird species

The phytopathogen powdery mildew affects food-searching behavior and survival of Coccinella septempunctata

The diet of entomophagous coccinellids is mainly based on aphids and other food sources such as pollen, nectar, or fungal spores. Knowledge of their foraging behavior on plants infected by powdery mildew and their survival on fungal spores is currently limited. In this study, we investigated the olfactory response of Coccinella septempunctata to odor emission of barley plants infected by powdery mildew and their survival on fungal spores in the presence or absence of aphids. Odors released by powdery-mildew infected plants were more attractive for ladybirds compared to those of uninfected controls. After 3days, the survival rate of ladybirds feeding only on powdery-mildew spores was less than 50%, while for ladybirds feeding exclusively on Rhopalosiphum padi aphids, the survival rate was close to 90%. After 15days, the highest survival rate (almost 80%) was observed for ladybirds feeding on plants with both aphids and powdery mildew. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of fungal spores in ladybird guts when feeding either on powdery mildew or on a mixed diet. Our results provide new insights into foraging behavior of entomophagous coccinellids revealing the potential of powdery mildew to be utilized as important non-essential food in a mixed diet, but also its lethal effect if consumed alone

Real-Time Locating System to study the persistence of sociality in large-mammal group dynamics

Je n'ai pas encore les pages des proceedingsReal-Time Locating System to study the persistence of sociality in large-mammal group dynamics. European Conference on Precisions Livestock Farming (ECPLF

Malpighian tubules are important determinants of Pseudomonas transstadial transmission and longtime persistence in Anopheles stephensi

Background: Pseudomonas is a genus of bacteria commonly found in investigations of gut microbes in malaria mosquitoes. Among those mosquitoes is the dominating malaria vector in Asia, Anopheles stephensi, where Pseudomonas is a prevailing bacterium and natural inhabitant of its breeding places. In order to explore the reason for finding Pseudomonas so frequently, an investigation of its localization and transstadial properties was undertaken.Methods: A Pseudomonas isolate from Anopheles stephensi was transformed successfully with an endogenous plasmid modified to express green fluorescent protein (GFP). Subsequently, the Pseudomonas-GFP was added to the laboratory larval breeding place of Anopheles stephensi and taken up by the larvae. After 24 hours, the larvae were cleaned and moved to a bath with double-distilled water. Also, female adults were fed sugar solution containing Pseudomonas-GFP. The Pseudomonas-GFP was traced in the alimentary canal of larvae, pupae and adults.Results: Fluorescent microscopy and PCR assays showed that the Pseudomonas bacteria underwent transstadial transmission from larvae to pupae and then to adults. In blood-fed female mosquitoes, the bacteria increased in numbers and remained in the mosquito body for at least three weeks after eclosion. In addition to the midgut, the Malpighian tubules of both larvae and adult mosquitoes were colonized by the bacteria. Also Pseudomonas-GFP that was distributed through sugar solution was able to colonize the Malpighian tubules of adult females.Conclusions: Colonization of the Malpighian tubules by Pseudomonas bacteria seems to be important for the transstadial passage from larvae to adult and presumably for the longevity of the bacteria in the adult mosquito. The existence of an entry point in the larval stage, and the long duration in the female gut, opens up for a possible use of Pseudomonas in mosquito paratransgenesis

Molecular analysis of the mitochondrial markers COI, 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of Iranian scorpions

Objectives Annually, 1.2 million humans are stung by scorpions and severely affected by their venom. Some of the scorpion species of medical importance have a similar morphology to species with low toxicity. To establish diagnostic tools for surveying scorpions, the current study was conducted to generate three mitochondrial markers, Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI gene), 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of medically important Iranian scorpions: Androctonus crassicauda, Hottentotta saulcyi, Mesobuthus caucasicus, M. eupeus, Odontobuthus doriae, and Scorpio maurus. Results Phylogenetic analyses of the obtained sequences corroborated the morphological identification. For the first time, 12S rDNA sequences are reported from Androctonus crassicauda, Hottentotta saulcyi, Mesobuthus caucasicus and M. eupeus and also the 16S rDNA sequence from Hottentotta saulcyi. We conclude that the mitochondrial markers are useful for species determination among these medically important species of scorpions

Genetic characterisation of an Iflavirus associated with a vomiting disease in the Indian tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta

Antheraea mylitta, the Tropical tasar silkworm, is frequently affected by a vomiting disease called Virosis by sericulturists although not confirmed being of viral origin. Based on the symptoms and the disease pattern, the causal agent is however suspected to be a virus. The condition involves a series of characteristic and progressive symptoms that generally culminates in the death of the larva. The disease is common in autumn season (SepOct), with widespread distribution causing severe damage to the tasar silk industry. The leads for this study were obtained from a transcript identified in the EST database in a different study, which matched the positive strand of Iflavirus, an RNA virus known to infect insects. In the present study the genome of this novel Iflavirus was characterised and the full length of the genome was found to be 9728 nucleotides long encoding for a single large open reading frame (ORF) with flanking NTR regions at 5 ' and 3 ' ends and a natural poly A tail at the 3 ' end. The ORF encoded structural proteins at the N-terminal end and non-structural proteins at the C-terminal end with a predicted 2967 amino acid long polyprotein. The structural proteins consisted of 4 proteins (VP1-VP4) and the non-structural proteins consisted of helicase, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and 3C-protease. The virus is found in various tissues (midgut, fatbody, trachea, Malpighian tubules and silk gland) and also has a vertical route of transmission, i.e., from gravid females to the offspring. Based on the available data, the virus is a new member of Iflaviridae for which we propose the name Antheraea mylitta Iflavirus (AmIV)