Interaction between barley and mixed cultures of nitrogen fixing and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria

Pot experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of inoculation with pure and mixed cultures of nitrogen fixers Azospirillum lipoferum 137, Arthrobacter mysorens 7 and the phosphate-solubilizing strain Agrobacterium radiobacter 10 on growth and mineral nutrition of two barley cultivars. A significant positive effect on grain yield both of the studied barley cultivars was obtained after inoculation with mixtures of A. lipoferum 137 + A. radiobacter 10 and A. lipoferum 137 + A. mysorens 7 only. The acetylene reduction activity on roots or in batch culture was significantly higher when A. lipoferum 137 and A. radiobacter 10 were combined. Using ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique it was established that these mixed cultures significantly increased the accumulation of nitrogen fertilizer in the plants. The strain A. radiobacter 10 promoted a better accumulation of phosphorus fertilizer by plants and A. mysorens 7 increased the total phosphorus content in plant tissues. The maximum positive effect of joint inoculation on plant development was observed when the combined nitrogen in soil was in short supply. It was concluded that inoculation with bacterial mixtures provided a more balanced nutrition for the plants and the improvement in root uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus was the major mechanism of interaction between plants and bacteria. The introduced bacteria were able to colonize actively the rhizoplane of barley. No interspecific competition or antagonism were established between components of the bacterial mixtures in the rhizoplane. The strains A. mysorens 7 and A. radiobacter 10 improved viability of A. lipoferum 137 when the plants were grown in acid soil. Field experiments carried out on 3 barley cultivars confirmed the assertion that inoculation with mixed cultures significantly increases the grain yield and nitrogenous nutrition of plants as compared with single cultures.     

The effects of different sampling techniques on smear quality and the diagnosis of cytological abnormalities in cervical screening

A major cause of false‐negative cervical smears is sampling error. We examined the results obtained with three different instruments in 126 608 smears from general practitioners. The spatula/brush combination yielded the highest proportion of smears showing cytological abnormalities, and the Cervex brush the lowest. Although not a randomized study, this paper highlights the shortcomings of the Cervex brush. We postulate a mechanical deficiency. Diagnostic accuracy rather than a high proportion of good quality smears should dictate the choice of instrument.     

光动力复合藻胆蛋白及其分子内能量传递现象

通过杂双官能团偶联试剂,３－（２－吡啶联疏基）丙酸Ｎ－羟基琥珀酰亚胺酯（ＳＰＤ）,我们合成了Ｒ－藻红蛋白（Ｒ－ＰＥ）与变藻蓝蛋白（ＡＰＣ）的共轭复合物。这种光动力复合藻胆蛋白具有一些特别的光物理性质,如很大的ｓｔｏｋｅｓ位移（约１７０ｕｍ,４９０ｎｍ激发,６６５ｎｍ发出荧光）、高效的分子内能量传递效率等。复合物中Ｒ—ＰＥ与ＡＰＣ的摩尔比为１４,且Ｒ—ＰＥ和ＡＰＣ在复合物中保持了它们各自的光谱性质。通过荧光发射光谱,我们观察到了这种复合藻胆蛋白的分子内能量传递现象,计算表明从Ｒ—ＰＥ到ＡＰＣ的分子内能量传递效率为６５％。二硫苏糖醇（ＤＴＴ）对复合物中联结Ｒ—ＰＥ与ＡＰＣ间的脂族二硫桥键的还原导致分子内能量传递的阻断这一现象进一步证实了复合物中存在分子内能量传递现象。根据Ｆｏｒｓｔｅｒ能量转移机理,计算得出给体与受体发色团间距离为７２Ａ,这一距离与两种蛋白的大小是基本相符的。     

Direct and indirect estimates of Leaf Area Index (LAI) for lodgepole and loblolly pine stands

We compared direct and indirect estimates of leaf area index (LAI) for lodgepole and loblolly pine stands. Indirect estimates of LAI using radiative methods of the LI-COR LAI-2000 Plant Canopy Analyzer (PCA) did not correlate with allometric estimates for lodgepole pine, and correlated only weakly with litter-trap estimates for loblolly pine. The PCA consistently under-estimated LAI in lodgepole pine stands with high LAI, and over-estimated LAI in the loblolly pine stands with low LAI. We developed a physical model to test the hypothesis that the PCA may under-estimate LAI in high leaf area stands because of increased foliage overlap and, therefore, increased selfshading. Radiative estimates of LAI using the PCA for the physical model were consistenly lower than allometric measures. Results from the physical model suggested that increased foliage overlap decreased the ability of the PCA to accurately estimate LAI. The relationship between allometric and radiative measures suggested an upper asymptote in LAI estimated using the PCA. The PCA may not accurately estimate LAI in stands of low or high leaf area index, and the bias or error associated with these estimates probably depends on species and canopy structure. A species specific correction factor will not necessarily correct bias in LAI estimates using the PCA.     

Radioimmunoassay for the determination of digoxin and related compounds in Digitalis lanata

A radioimmunoassay technique has been developed for the measurement of digoxigenin glycosides in crude extracts from both fresh and dried leaf material of Digitalis lanata, The antibody, obtained by immunizing rabbits against a conjugate of digoxin with human serum albumin, had a high affinity (K_a = 0.8 × 10¹⁰ l/mol) for digoxin and permitted detection of as little as 60 fmol digoxin (45 pg) per 0.1 ml of sample. The antiserum was highly specific for digoxigenin and its glycosides, with only diginatin showing a substantial cross reactivity (3?0%). The use of [³H]-labelled and [¹²⁵I]-labelled digoxin as tracer and of dextran-coated charcoal or ammonium sulfate for separation did not change the specificity of the assay nor the properties of the standard curve. This method has been found to correlate with the usual fluorimetric determination of digoxin, but is more sensitive by a factor of 10⁴. A correlation analysis of 8 and 30 different D. lanata plants (leaf discs and drugs analysed with both methods) gave correlation coefficients of r = 0.989 and r = 0.907 respectively. The analysis of a single leaf disc, 3 mm in diameter (obtained from a fresh leaf), gave an exact measure of the digoxin content found in the dried leaf drug (r = 0.973). With a semi-automated technique, about 2000 quantitative analyses per week can be performed by one person, thus providing the potential to screen plants for use in breeding or tissue culture work. The distribution of digoxigenin equivalents in single seeds, seedlings and plants of different ages has also been investigated.     

Isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients: Principle,methodology and some applications

A new technique for generating pH gradients in isoelectric focusing is described, based on the principle that the buffering groups are covalently linked to the matrix used as anticonvective medium. For the generation of this type of pH gradient in polyacrylamide gels, a set of buffering monomers, called Immobiline (in analogy with Ampholine), is used. The pH gradient gels are cast in the same way as pore gradient gels, but instead of varying the acrylamide content, the light and heavy solutions are adjusted to different pH values with the aid of the Immobiline buffers. Available Immobiline species make it possible to generate any narrow linear pH gradient between pH 3 and 10. The behaviour of these types of gradients in isoelectric focusing is described.Immobilized pH gradients show a number of advantages compared with carrier ampholyte generated pH gradients. The most important are: (1) the cathodic drift is completely abolished; (2) they give higher resolution and higher loading capacitu; (3) they have uniform conductivity and buffering capacity; (4) they represent a milieu of known and controlled ionic strenght.     

Scanning electron microscopical comparisons of insect virus occlusion bodies prepared by several techniques

Samples of baculoviruses, a cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus, and an entomopoxvirus were prepared by several techniques for study in the scanning electron microscope. The techniques which gave satisfactory definition of surface ultrastructure were: (1) double fixation in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide with critical point drying; and (2) double fixation as in (1) with a further postfixation by ligand-mediated osmium binding using thiocarbohydrazide as the ligand (OTO method) followed by critical point drying. The latter technique was superior to the former technique. Air drying of samples gave acceptable but inferior definition when compared with critical point-dried samples prepared by these techniques.     

Populations of strongyloid nematode infective stages in sheep pastures: Comparison between direct pasture sampling and tracer lambs as estimators of larval abundance

Waller P.J., Dobson R.J., Donald A.D. and Thomas R.J. 1981. Populations of strongyloid nematode infective stages in sheep pastures : comparison between direct pasture sampling and tracer lambs as estimators of larval abundance. International Journal for Parasitology11: 359–367. Over a 2-year period, numbers of infective larvae in samples of pasture herbage, and numbers of worms in previously worm-free “tracer” lambs allowed 4 weeks grazing, were compared as estimators of the abundance of infective larvae on pastures.Transformation of sample estimates of infective larval numbers per 100 g herbage dry matter (DM) and of worm numbers in tracer sheep, according to the expression y = log₁₀ (x+25), was effective in stabilizing variances. Estimates of error variance for each technique did not differ significantly among the genera Haemonchus, Ostertagia or Trichostrongylus and the pooled estimate for the tracer sheep method was 4 times greater than that for pasture sampling. From these results, more tracer sheep than pasture samples would be required to achieve the same level of precision with the two techniques. Using conventional statistical methods, the effects of numbers of pasture samples or tracer sheep on the size of the difference between two means which can be detected as significant and on the width of the confidence interval about a single mean, are illustrated. These can be used as a guide in the choice of sample sizes. Error variances for Nematodirus spp. were significantly less than for the other genera by pasture sampling, and greater by the tracer sheep technique. Possible reasons for this are discussed, but it is concluded that pasture sampling is likely to be much the more precise method for estimating Nematodirus spp. infective larval availability.Changes with time in infective larval abundance, for Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Nematodirus spp. which were present in moderate to low numbers, followed similar trends by both techniques. However, for Ostertagia spp. larvae, which were much more abundant, peak levels were defined more sharply and occurred earlier by pasture sampling than by the tracer method. It is suggested that worm counts from tracer sheep, especially those grazing for 4 weeks rather than shorter periods, may systematically underestimate the infective larval population on pasture at high levels of abundance owing to density-dependent worm loss.     

Critical review of Identification Techniques for Armillaria spp. and Heterobasidion annosum Root and Butt Rot Diseases

The need for a rapid and definite diagnosis of the Armillaria spp. and Heterohasidion annosum root and butt rot diseases as well as general requirements expected of a test to detect the pathogens are reviewed. As a spin-off from more fundamental molecular biological research there has been a remarkable increase in new methods for diagnosis (i.e. detection and identification) in recent years. These new methods all have in comtnon that they use strtjctural elements of the target organisms such as proteins, polysaccharides, glycoproteins, nucleic acids, etc. for the construction of antibodies, probes and primers for detection, or to produce electrophoretic patterns to be used for classification and identification. This paper presents a short review of principles, advantages, disadvantages and some perspectives of the new methods developed for Armillaria spp. and H. annosum diagnosis compared with conventional ones, such as interfertility testing or visual inspection of the pathogens in situ and in vitro in pure culture. It will be noted that the specificity and reproducibility of the new techniques, which are closely linked with potential experimental error, lead to principal pitfalls which should be kept in mind when conclusions are drawn on data generated by them.
Even though PCR-based methods become increasingly more widespread it is likely that most diagnostic methods will continue to be used or co-exist in some form in the future.