Isolation and Identification of the Microbiota of Danish Farmhouse and Industrially Produced Surface-Ripened Cheeses

For studying the microbiota of four Danish surface-ripened cheeses produced at three farmhouses and one industrial dairy, both a culture-dependent and culture-independent approach were used. After dereplication of the initial set of 433 isolates by (GTG)5-PCR fingerprinting, 217 bacterial and 25 yeast isolates were identified by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene or the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA gene, respectively. At the end of ripening, the cheese core microbiota of the farmhouse cheeses consisted of the mesophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starter cultures Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteorides as well as non-starter LAB including different Lactobacillus spp. The cheese from the industrial dairy was almost exclusively dominated by Lb. paracasei. The surface bacterial microbiota of all four cheeses were dominated by Corynebacterium spp. and/or Brachybacterium spp. Brevibacterium spp. was found to be subdominant compared to other bacteria on the farmhouse cheeses, and no Brevibacterium spp. was found on the cheese from the industrial dairy, even though B. linens was used as surface-ripening culture. Moreover, Gram-negative bacteria identified as Alcalignes faecalis and Proteus vulgaris were found on one of the farmhouse cheeses. The surface yeast microbiota consisted primarily of one dominating species for each cheese. For the farmhouse cheeses, the dominant yeast species were Yarrowia lipolytica, Geotrichum spp. and Debaryomyces hansenii, respectively, and for the cheese from the industrial dairy, D. hansenii was the dominant yeast species. Additionally, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis revealed that Streptococcus thermophilus was present in the farmhouse raw milk cheese analysed in this study. Furthermore, DGGE bands corresponding to Vagococcus carniphilus, Psychrobacter spp. and Lb. curvatus on the cheese surfaces indicated that these bacterial species may play a role in cheese ripening.     

The impact of prehistoric mining activities on the environment: a multidisciplinary study at the fen Schwarzenbergmoos (Brixlegg, Tyrol, Austria)

The exploitation of copper ore deposits of the northern Greywacke Zone was initiated by the implementation of metallurgic technologies in the Eastern Alps thousands of years ago. This multi-proxy study aimed to detect prehistoric mining phases in the vicinity of a prominent copper ore deposit in the Lower Inn Valley. Therefore we studied a peat core from a fen using pollen, micro charcoal and geochemical analyses. In the same fen, an archaeological investigation revealed an ore beneficiation site, well dated by dendrochronological analysis to the Late Bronze Age (9th century b.c.). First hints of mining activities reflected by the occurrence of anthropogenic indicators in the pollen diagram, associated with elevated metal values, at the beginning of the Bronze Age might result from early mineral prospecting and metallurgical experiments around the use of fahlore. The local ore deposit was then abandoned until during the Bronze Age mining activities started to increase. This is reflected by an expansion of the pioneer species Pinus and Larix on mine spoil heaps in the proximity. Concomitantly metal ratios and micro charcoal increase. From about 1000 to 850 b.c. a strong impact of mining activities is displayed in the multi-proxy data. The local forest was partly cleared on and in the vicinity of the fen. According to dendrochronological data the ore beneficiation plant was in use from about 900 to 870 b.c. Until about 700 b.c. another period with moderate impact by mining activities in the further vicinity of the fen shows up.     

An Automated System for Monitoring and Regulating the pH of Bicarbonate Buffers

The bicarbonate buffer is considered as the most biorelevant buffer system for the simulation of intestinal conditions. However, its use in dissolution testing of solid oral dosage forms is very limited. The reason for this is the thermodynamic instability of the solution containing hydrogen carbonate ions and carbonic acid. The spontaneous loss of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the solution results in an uncontrolled increase of the pH. In order to maintain the pH on the desired level, either a CO₂ loss must be completely avoided or the escaped CO₂ has to be replaced by quantitative substitution, i.e. feeding the solution with the respective amount of gas, which re-acidifies the buffer after dissociation. The present work aimed at the development of a device enabling an automatic pH monitoring and regulation of hydrogen carbonate buffers during dissolution tests.     

Biodiversity of 52 chicken populations assessed by microsatellite typing of DNA pools

In a project on the biodiversity of chickens funded by the European Commission (EC), eight laboratories collaborated to assess the genetic variation within and between 52 populations from a wide range of chicken types. Twenty-two di-nucleotide microsatellite markers were used to genotype DNA pools of 50 birds from each population. The polymorphism measures for the average, the least polymorphic population (inbred C line) and the most polymorphic population (Gallus gallus spadiceus) were, respectively, as follows: number of alleles per locus, per population: 3.5, 1.3 and 5.2; average gene diversity across markers: 0.47, 0.05 and 0.64; and proportion of polymorphic markers: 0.91, 0.25 and 1.0. These were in good agreement with the breeding history of the populations. For instance, unselected populations were found to be more polymorphic than selected breeds such as layers. Thus DNA pools are effective in the preliminary assessment of genetic variation of populations and markers. Mean genetic distance indicates the extent to which a given population shares its genetic diversity with that of the whole tested gene pool and is a useful criterion for conservation of diversity. The distribution of population-specific (private) alleles and the amount of genetic variation shared among populations supports the hypothesis that the red jungle fowl is the main progenitor of the domesticated chicken.     

The U3 Promoter and the nef Gene of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) smmPBj1.9 Do Not Confer Acute Pathogenicity upon SIVagm

Two chimeric proviruses comprising the U3 promoter and the nef gene of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) smmPBj1.9 in addition to other genomic regions of SIVagm3mc from African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) were constructed. The derived chimeric viruses (SIVagm3mc/SIVsmmPBj1.9) were both able to replicate in nonstimulated peripheral blood leukocytes from pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina), a biological property often correlated with acute pathogenicity. However, only one of the chimeric viruses was acutely pathogenic, inducing a rapid depletion of the peripheral CD4⁺ T cells in two infected pig-tailed macaques within 10 days after infection in a manner similar to infection with SIVsmmPBj1.9 itself. The other chimeric virus actively replicated during the first 8 weeks after experimental infection of two pig-tailed macaques but induced neither acute disease nor CD4⁺ T-cell depletion for 113 weeks after infection. Thus, the U3 promoter and the nef gene of SIVsmmPBj1.9 alone appear to be insufficient to confer acute pathogenicity to SIVagm3mc.     

Mammalian protein homologous to VAT-1 of Torpedo californica: Isolation from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells,biochemical characterization,and organization of its gene

Recently, interest has focused on the human gene encoding the putative protein homologous to VAT-1, the major protein of the synaptic vesicles of the electric organ of the Pacific electric ray Torpedo californica, after it has been localized on chromosome locus 17q21 in a region encompassing the breast cancer gene BRCA1. Chromosomal instability in this region is implicated in inherited predisposition for breast and ovarian cancer. Here we describe isolation and biochemical characterization of a mammalian 48 kDa protein homologous to the VAT-1 protein of Torpedo californica. This VAT-1 homolog was isolated from a murine breast cancer cell line (Ehrlich ascites tumor) and identified by sequencing of cleavage peptides. The isolated VAT-1 homolog protein displays an ATPase activity and exists in two isoforms with isoelectric points of 5.7 and 5.8. cDNA was prepared from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, and the murine VAT-1 homolog sequence was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and partially sequenced. The known part of the murine and the human translated sequences share 97% identity. By Northern blots, the size of the VAT-1 homolog mRNA in both murine and human (T47D) breast cancer cells was determined to be 2.8 kb. Based on the presented data, a modified gene structure of the human VAT-1 homolog with an extended exon 1 is proposed. VAT-1 and the mammalian VAT-1 homolog form a subgroup within the protein superfamily of medium-chain dehydrogenases/reductases. J. Cell. Biochem. 69:304–315, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Environmentally cued parturition in a desert rattlesnake,Crotalus atrox

Embryonic development in animals is dynamically regulated by physiological, behavioural, and environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, humidity), which in turn influence the timing of birth or hatching. In the present study, we provide evidence that parturition in a large‐bodied North American pitviper, the western diamond‐backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), is environmentally cued. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis of births coinciding with rainfall events during the second‐half of the monsoon season (late July to mid September) using randomization modelling. Twenty‐one adult females surgically implanted with radio‐transmitters were tracked for extended periods from 2001–2010. From 2003 to 2007, the 21 females gave birth to 38 litters, generating sufficient data to test our hypothesis. In all years, births were restricted to a 4‐week period from 5 August to 7 September, which spanned between 6 and 19 days (mean ± SD, 15 ± 5.2 days). Most births (92.1%) occurred in August. Births were significantly associated with rainfall events in 2007, although births in 2003 and 2005 occurred closer to rain events than randomly generated births for respective years. However, when birth events across all 5 years were pooled, the model indicated a significance difference in mean rain‐days versus random rain‐days. Hence, births occurred more closely to rain events than random days. Other variables associated with monsoon events (increases in cloud cover and humidity; changes in barometric pressure) were not measured but constitute potential cues. The present research is the first long‐term, individual‐based radio‐telemetric study of a snake species to investigate environmental cues related to parturition using procedures of randomization modelling. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110 , 866–877.     

Environmental costs of buildings: monetary valuation of ecological indicators for the building industry

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - Building life cycle assessment (LCA) draws on a number of indicators, including primary energy (PE) demand and global warming potential (GWP). A...