In vitro studies of the submerged angiospermRuppia maritima: Auxin and cytokinin effects on plant growth and development

Axenic tissue cultures ofRuppia maritima L. were established and propagated clonally in vitro from terminal rhizome segments collected from Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Cultures were maintained in a base medium consisting of synthetic seawater supplemented with half-strength Murashige and Skoog salts and 1% sucrose at pH 5.6. The effects of five cytokins [6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 2-isopentyladenine (2iP), 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enylamino) purine (zeatin), andn-phenyl-n-1,2,3-thidiazol-5yl urea (thidiazuron)] and one auxin [napthalene acetic acid (NAA)] on explant growth and development were investigated. Cytokinin additions resulted in a 3- to 4-fold increase in nodal production, branching, and biomass ofR. maritima after 12 wk in culture. Cultures responded in a dose-dependent manner to 2iP but exhibited broad dose-response curves to kinetin, BAP, zeatin, and thidiazuron. NAA addition resulted in increased leaf and internodal lengths, but reduced the number of leaves per node and the rhizome biomass. The addition of NAA almost completely suppressed root growth in media without cytokinins and had an antagonistic effect on nodal production and branching in cytokinin-supplemented media.     

Interlaboratory evaluation of endotoxin analyses in agricultural dusts--comparison of LAL assay and mass spectrometry

Endotoxin exposure is associated with wheeze and asthma morbidity, while early life exposure may reduce risk of allergy and asthma. Unfortunately, it is difficult to compare endotoxin results from different laboratories and environments. We undertook this study to determine if lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extraction efficiency could account for differences among laboratories. We generated and collected aerosols from chicken and swine barns, and corn processing. We randomly allocated side-by-side filter samples to five laboratories for Limulus assay of endotoxin. Lyophilized aliquots of filter extracts were analyzed for 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OHFAs) as a marker of LPS using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. There were significant differences in endotoxin assay and GC-MS (LPS) results between laboratories for all dust types (p < 0.01). Patterns of differences between labs varied by dust type. Relationships between assay and GC/MS results also depended on dust type. The percentages of individual 3-OHFA chain lengths varied across labs (p < 0.0001) suggesting that each lab recovered a different fraction of the LPS available. The presence of large amounts of particle associated LPS and absence of a freezing thawing cycle were associated with lower correlations between LPS and bioactivity, consistent with an absence of Limulus response to cell-bound endotoxin. These data suggest that extraction methods affect endotoxin measurements. The LAL methods may be most suitable when comparing exposures within similar environments; GC-MS offers additional information helpful in optimizing sample treatment and extraction. GC-MS may be of use when comparing across heterogeneous environments and should be considered for inclusion in future studies of human health outcomes.     

Prenatal investigation of a 45,X/46,X,r(?) karyotype in amniocytes using fluorescence in situ hybridization with an X-centromeric probe

The karyotype of cultured amniotic fluid cells obtained on the indication of advanced maternal age was shown to be a mosaic 45,X/46,X,r(?). The small size and banding pattern made it difficult to determine whether the ring was derived from and X or a Y chromosome, or even from an autosome. By using an X-centromeric probe and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we demonstrated the ring to have an X centromere. Thus, a more complete genetic counselling was possible. This confirms the usefulness of FISH in identifying and characterizing this and other chromosome rearrangements in prenatal diagnosis.     

Effect of Cross-Linking Waste Protein with Dialdehydes on Its Biodegradation Under Anaerobic Conditions

Most native polymers used in processing and application technologies are admittedly disposable from the environment in a biologic manner, but products possess low mechanical strength. One of the paths to increasing this attribute (if feasible) is their cross-linking, which may, however, affect their readiness to biodegradation. In the presented work this condition was observed on the example of waste protein (Hykol B) cross-linking by means of glutardialdehyde and glyoxal. Degree and course of cross-linking were determined through impedance spectroscopy. The objective of this work also was to obtain data for constructing a sensor capable of following the cross-linking course in real time, for potential industrial application of Hykol in continuous production. Impedance spectroscopy proved to be applicable even to this kind of material marked by considerable water content and exhibiting relatively high electric conductivity; so far it had been used only for materials of low conductivity. An aqueous environment inoculated with digested anaerobic sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was selected for modeling anaerobic conditions. The relation was studied between cross-linking degree given by content of cross-linking agent (determined by impedance spectroscopy) and biodegradation degree under anaerobic conditions. It was confirmed that network density as given by quantity of added agent not only reduced breakdown degree but also slowed the course of the process. This fact is particularly obvious with cross-linking by means of glyoxal; network density is thus dependent on type of employed substance, which affect type and structure of created network. That not merely forms an obstacle during polymer swelling and dissolution but also prevents access of bacteria to source of metabolized organic carbon.     

Knowledge, values, uses and management of the Araucaria araucana forest by the indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people: A basis for collaborative natural resource management in southern Chile

One of the most important endemic tree species of Chile and at the same time one of the most endangered ones is Araucaria araucana (Mol.) C. Koch, the monkey‐puzzle tree. It grows in the Andes Mountains, homeland of the indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people who depend on this tree. This paper is based on field research that investigated the ecological knowledge, uses and management of the Araucaria araucana forest by indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people based on the socio‐cultural, spiritual and ecological relationships they have with the Araucaria forest, to find out how indigenous people and their knowledge could contribute to sustainable Araucaria forest management. A Mapuche Pewenche community located in the IX region of Chile contributed to this study. Based on the analyses this paper illustrates the nature of indigenous ecological knowledge of Araucaria araucana on the one hand, and its utility in native forest management on the other. The research shows that the Mapuche Pewenche hold ecological knowledge and conduct practices to manage their Araucaria forest in a balanced way. They conserve and use forest biodiversity at one and the same time. This paper provides recommendations for sustainable Araucaria forest management and conservation strategies ex‐situ and in‐situ incorporating indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge and for promoting a collaborative natural resources management.     

The role of digital data entry in participatory environmental monitoring

Many argue that monitoring conducted exclusively by scientists is insufficient to address ongoing environmental challenges. One solution entails the use of mobile digital devices in participatory monitoring (PM) programs. But how digital data entry affects programs with varying levels of stakeholder participation, from nonscientists collecting field data to nonscientists administering every step of a monitoring program, remains unclear. We reviewed the successes, in terms of management interventions and sustainability, of 107 monitoring programs described in the literature (hereafter programs) and compared these with case studies from our PM experiences in Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greenland, and Vietnam (hereafter cases). Our literature review showed that participatory programs were less likely to use digital devices, and 2 of our 3 more participatory cases were also slow to adopt digital data entry. Programs that were participatory and used digital devices were more likely to report management actions, which was consistent with cases in Ethiopia, Greenland, and Australia. Programs engaging volunteers were more frequently reported as ongoing, but those involving digital data entry were less often sustained when data collectors were volunteers. For the Vietnamese and Canadian cases, sustainability was undermined by a mismatch in stakeholder objectives. In the Ghanaian case, complex field protocols diminished monitoring sustainability. Innovative technologies attract interest, but the foundation of effective participatory adaptive monitoring depends more on collaboratively defined questions, objectives, conceptual models, and monitoring approaches. When this foundation is built through effective partnerships, digital data entry can enable the collection of more data of higher quality. Without this foundation, or when implemented ineffectively or unnecessarily, digital data entry can be an additional expense that distracts from core monitoring objectives and undermines project sustainability. The appropriate role of digital data entry in PM likely depends more on the context in which it is used and less on the technology itself.