How <Emphasis Type="Italic">Doratomyces stemonitis</Emphasis> copes with Benzoxazolin-2(3<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-one (BOA), its derivatives and detoxification products

Summary. Doratomyces stemonitis (Hyphomycetales, Dematiaceae) is a saprotrophic fungus belonging to the mycobiota of the cereal rhizosphere. The fungus is able to metabolize benzoxazolin-2-(3H)-one and a variety of its derivatives including higher plant detoxification products, microbial degradation products and the chemically rather stable 2-amino-(3H)-phenoxazin-3-one. D. stemonitis can use all of these compounds as sole C-sources but their utilization, especially that of microbial degradation products and 2-amino-(3H)-phenoxazin-3-one, seems to be highly energy consuming, resulting in slow mycelium growth and a change of colony morphology. Benzoxazolin-2-(3H)-one derived compounds induce the synthesis of different isoforms of a glycosylated protein with sequence homologies to the endo-1,3-β-glucanase Asp f2, an allergen from Aspergillus fumigatus and other Asp f2-like proteins e.g., from Verticillium dahliae or PRA1 antigen from Candida albicans. The induction of the protein is regarded as a stress response.     

A new type of insect infrared organ of low thermal mass

The Australian beetle Acanthocnemus nigricans is attracted by forest fires and has a pair of complex infrared (IR) receptor organs on the first thoracic segment. Each organ consists of a tiny sensory disc (diameter 120-130 µm) which serves as an absorbing structure for IR radiation. The disc is arranged above an air-filled cavity which is located just anteriorly to the coxae of the prothoracic legs. Inside the disc, about 30 multipolar thermoreceptors (warmth receptors) are tightly attached to the cuticle which is directed to the outside. The many dendrites of each multipolar neuron are tightly wrapped around the soma and contain a large number of mitochondria. Absorption of IR radiation by the disc causes an increase in temperature which is measured by the warmth receptors. Therefore, the IR receptors of A. nigricans can be classified as microbolometers with reduced thermal mass and in principle can be compared to the IR organs of pit vipers.     

Analytical process damping stability prediction

This paper describes an analytical solution for turning and milling stability that includes process damping effects. Comparisons between the new analytical solution, time-domain simulation, and experiment are provided. The velocity-dependent process damping model applied in the analysis relies on a single coefficient similar to the specific cutting force approach to modeling cutting force. The process damping coefficient is identified experimentally using a flexure-based machining setup for a selected tool-workpiece pair (carbide insert-AISI 1018 steel). The effects of tool wear and cutting edge relief angle are also evaluated. It is shown that a smaller relief angle or higher wear results in increased process damping and improved stability at low spindle speeds.     

TNT in Komposten und Flüssigkultur

The formation of aromatic amines was investigated using a summarized test (NEDA-test) during the composting of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) contaminated soil. In this test, the aromatic amines were diazolated and then coupled to N-1-Naphthyl-ethylenediamine-dihydrochloride (NEDA) to yield an azo dye which can be monitored photometrically. The test was calibrated for known TNT-metabolites with an active amine-group. Liquid samples from composting- and liquid-culture-experiments were analyzed by HPLC for these known metabolites. Moreover, the samples were monitored by the NEDA-test and the expected extinction of the TNT-metabolites found with amine function were extrapolated with the help of calibration curves. It was shown that substantial differences are obvious between the monitored and extrapolated values. After separation into polar and non-polar aromatic amines, it became clear that these differences are made by the polar aromatic amines. Polar aromatic amines, which are not detectable by presently available analytical tests, were generated during the composting of TNT-contaminated soils. Contaminated stagnant water, which was generated during anaerobization of a compost prephase, was treated aerobically for 70 days in a biofermenter. During this treatment TNT and its known metabolites were eliminated almost entirely. Simultaneously, the toxicity in the Lumis Tox-test decreased drastically. In striking contrast, the sum of aromatic amines decreased only to a minor extent. Moreover, the percentage of polar compounds from total amount of aromatic amines increased drastically from 48% to more than 95%. At present, the chemical identification of these polar compounds is still missing and is the object for further research.     

Histopathological lesions and DNA adducts in the liver of European flounder (Platichthys flesus) collected in the Seine estuary versus two reference estuarine systems on the French Atlantic coast

An epidemiological survey was conducted in the Seine estuary and in two smaller and relatively preserved estuaries on the French Atlantic coast in order to estimate the occurrence of liver lesions in European flounder, Platichthys flesus, and also to seek putative risk factors for the recorded pathologies. Four hundred and seventy-eight fish of both sexes and of different size ranges were sampled in the three studied areas, 338 of which in the Seine estuary. All fish were examined for histopathological liver lesions, while DNA adducts and otoliths were analyzed on a subsample. Five categories of hepatic lesions were recorded with the following prevalence for the Seine estuary: 36.7 % inflammations, 8 % parasites (mainly encysted nematodes), 6.5 % foci of cellular alteration (FCA), 5.3 % foci of necrosis or regeneration (FNR), and 1.5 % tumors. Inflammation occurrence increased according to age, contrary to parasitic infestations and FCA which were more prevalent in young fish, notably those of <1 year old (group 0). Tumors were only observed in females of more than two winters. Females exhibited a higher prevalence of tumors (3.0 %) and FCA (6.5 %) than males (0 and 2.6 %, respectively). Parasitic and infectious lesions and FNR were equally distributed in males and females. The prevalence of FNR was also shown to vary according to sampling season, with significantly more occurrences of liver necrosis in the fish collected in summer than in spring. Spatial differences were observed with a higher occurrence of encysted parasites in flounders from the upper Seine estuary, while inflammations predominated in flounders living downstream. Temporal trends were also noted, with an increased prevalence of parasitic infestations, inflammations, and FCA in the 2002–2003 period in comparison to the 1996–1997 one. The three flounder populations from the Seine estuary (Normandy), Ster estuary (Brittany), and Bay of Veys (Normandy) showed different spectra of hepatic lesions. Flounders from the Bay of Veys had relatively few liver lesions as compared to flounders from the two other estuaries. Flounders from the Ster estuary exhibited the highest prevalence of parasites (37.2 %) and inflammations (51.1 %). Finally, FCA and liver tumors occurred at very similar levels in both flounder populations from the Seine and the Ster estuaries. Group 0 flounders inhabiting the upper Seine estuary were more prone to parasitic and pre-neoplastic hepatic lesions and had higher levels of liver DNA adducts than the older ones living downstream. It was postulated that group 0 European flounders may serve as valuable bioindicators for assessing the quality of estuarine waters and the health status of euryhaline fish populations.     

The identification of readily bioavailable pollutants in lake shkodra/skadar using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), bioassays and chemical analysis

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Lake Shkodra/Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkans region and located on the border between Albania to the south and Montenegro to the north. Because of the wide range of endemic, rare or endangered plant and animal species it supports, Lake Shkodra/Skadar and its extensive associated wetlands are internationally recognised as a site of significance and importance (Ramsar site). In recent years, social and economic changes in both Albania and Montenegro have lead to unprecedented levels of urban and industrial effluent entering the lake. Of particular concern is the increasing input of toxic hydrophobic organic pollutants (HOPs) into the lake and the degree to which these compounds are available for uptake by aquatic biota. Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) have been shown to sample the readily bioavailable fraction (dissolved phase) of waterborne HOPs and in doing so provide relevant data for exposure assessment. The aim of the current study was to use SPMD-based sampling in conjunction with appropriate bioassays and chemical analysis to identify readily bioavailable HOPs in the lake. METHODS: SPMDs were constructed and deployed at three sites in the Albanian sector and three sites in the Montenegrin sector of Lake Skadar/Shkodra for 21 days. Following the dialytic recovery of target analytes and size exclusion chromatographic clean-up, aliquots of SPMD samples were subjected to GC-MS scan analysis for major components, GC-MS SIM analysis for 16 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PP-PAHs) and assayed for EROD-inducing, estrogenic and mutagenic potential using rainbow trout liver cells (RTL-W1), the yeast estrogen screen (YES) and the Ames Test, respectively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 39 compounds were tentatively identified in SPMD samples from the six sampling sites. Alkylated PAHs were the most abundant and ubiquitous compounds present along with various sterols and sterol derivatives. Numerous other compounds remain unidentified. 15 of the 16 targeted PP-PAHs were present in samples from one or more of the sampling sites indicating these compounds are both readily bioavailable and widely distributed in Lake Shkodra/Skadar. Total PP-PAH concentrations ranged between 3991 ng/SPMD and 10695 ng/SPMD. Bioassays carried out on SPMD samples revealed significant EROD-inducing and estrogenic potential at five of the six sampling sites indicating toxicologically relevant compounds are readily available for uptake by resident aquatic biota. EROD-inducing potential was positively correlated with targeted PP-PAH concentration (r2 = 0.74). However, comparison of bioassay- and analytically-derived toxicity equivalents revealed targeted PP-PAHs were responsible for less than 0.06% of the total EROD-inducing potential. CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK: The combination of SPMD-based sampling with appropriate bioassays and chemical analysis provided an effective tool for the identification of environmentally relevant waterborne pollutants in Lake Shkodra/Skadar. Our results show that toxicologically relevant HOPs including EROD-inducing and potentially estrogenic compounds are widely distributed in the lake and readily available for uptake by aquatic biota. Our results also suggest that alkylated PAHs rather than parent compounds may be of greater toxicological relevance in the lake. As anthropogenic influences continue to increase, SPMD-based sampling is expected to play a central role in future research concerned with the identification, monitoring and assessment of the risk posed by HOPs to Lake Shkodra/Skadar's aquatic biota.