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Selected AbstractsOpportunities and constraints in the adaptation of technology for the diagnosis of bacterial plant diseases , experience from Tanzania,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 3-4 2000R. Black In order to improve diagnostic services and plant quarantine capabilities in Tanzania, the techniques of semi-selective media, the BACTID system, metabolic profiling (Biolog), indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were assessed for suitability with the existing facilities for the diagnosis and detection of plant-pathogenic bacteria of vegetables. Field-collected samples as well as farmers' own and commercial germplasm were used in studies involving Ralstonia solanacearum, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in Solanaceae and X. c. pv. campestris in Brassicaceae. Each of the techniques was used successfully with one or more of the target pathogens; each had advantages depending on the speed, sensitivity and specificity required, as well as the costs of carrying out the diagnosis. However, constraints emerged relating to the use and disposal of materials such as plastic Petri dishes and toxic substances. The more familiar underlying constraints of high cost and poor availability of consumables and erratic water and electricity supply continued to present problems. These problems will be discussed in relation to the development of an integrated and sustainable approach to the provision of routine diagnostic services. [source] Seabird predation by great skuas Stercorarius skua, intra-specific competition for food?JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Stephen C. Votier Competition for food is widely cited as an important cost of coloniality among birds and much of the evidence in support of this hypothesis comes from studies of colonial piscivorous seabirds. However, for generalist seabirds able to switch between different prey types, the role of food availability in relation to colony size is unclear. Here we investigate patterns of the consumption of seabird prey in relation to colony size in a generalist seabird, the great skua Stercorarius skua, in Shetland, UK. At the population level skuas feed mainly on sandeels Ammodytes marinus and fishery discards, but respond to declines in fish availability to facultatively prey on other seabirds. By comparing the consumption of seabirds among seven different sized colonies, including one colony with artificially reduced numbers of skuas (Fair Isle), we investigate whether consumption of seabird prey is influenced by skua population size, while simultaneously measuring seabird prey availability. Data from five years also enables us to investigate the influence of annual variation in environmental conditions on seabird consumption. Using measures of body condition and reproductive performance we investigate the consequences of living in different sized colonies, which may provide insight into ultimate costs of nesting at high population density. Skua diets varied among colonies and the proportion of seabird prey in the diet was inversely related to skua colony size, despite similar per capita numbers of seabirds across colonies. At the colony where their numbers were artificially suppressed, skuas consumed a greater proportion of seabirds per capita. Highly significant year effects in seabird predation were observed but the pattern among colonies remained consistent over time. Two measures of adult body condition (pectoral muscle index and mean corpuscular volume) revealed that adult great skuas were in poorer condition at the largest colony (Foula), but reproductive performance did not alter significantly among colonies. This study provides evidence that intra-specific competition among skuas may limit opportunities for obtaining seabird prey, which may be particularly important during periods of poor availability of sandeels and fishery discards, and has implications for assessing the impact of skuas on seabird populations. [source] Towards stereoselective radiosynthesis of ,-[11C]methyl-substituted aromatic ,-amino acids , a challenge of creation of quaternary asymmetric centre in a very short time,JOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 5-6 2007Alexander Popkov Abstract In positron emission tomography (PET) , -methyl amino acids have two potential applications: As analogues of neutransmitter precursors for the study of neurodegenerative diseases; as non-metabolised analogues of proteinogenic amino acids for the study of amino acid uptake into normal and cancer cells. Clinical applications of such amino acids are strongly limited due to their poor availability. We carried out [11C]methylation of metalocomplex synthons derived from protected DOPA or tyrosine. For [11C]methylation, sodium hydroxide (5 mg of fine dry powder) was sealed in a vial, which was flushed with dry nitrogen before addition of a solution of the complex (10 mg) and 11CH3I in 1,3-dimethylimidazolidin-2-one (300 µl). After 10 min at 25°C, a 9% radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) of a mixture of the diastereomeric , -[11C]methylDOPA complexes or a 7% radiochemical yield of a mixture of the diastereomeric , -[11C]methyltyrosine complexes was achieved. Individual diastereomers were successfully separated by preparative HPLC, diluted with excess of water and extracted on C18 cartridges. Optimisation of the procedure including hydrolysis of the complexes (hydrolytic deprotection of enantiomerically pure amino acids) and subsequent purification of the enantiomers of , -[11C]methylDOPA and , -[11C]methyltyrosine is underway. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cladosporium fulvum (syn. Passalora fulva), a highly specialized plant pathogen as a model for functional studies on plant pathogenic MycosphaerellaceaeMOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2005BART P. H. J. THOMMA SUMMARY Taxonomy:,Cladosporium fulvum is an asexual fungus for which no sexual stage is currently known. Molecular data, however, support C. fulvum as a member of the Mycosphaerellaceae, clustering with other taxa having Mycosphaerella teleomorphs. C. fulvum has recently been placed in the anamorph genus Passalora as P. fulva. Its taxonomic disposition is supported by its DNA phylogeny, as well as the distinct scars on its conidial hila, which are typical of Passalora, and unlike Cladosporium s.s., which has teleomorphs that reside in Davidiella, and not Mycosphaerella. Host range and disease symptoms:, The presently known sole host of C. fulvum is tomato (members of the genusLycopersicon). C. fulvum is mainly a foliar pathogen. Disease symptoms are most obvious on the abaxial side of the leaf and include patches of white mould that turn brown upon sporulation. Due to stomatal clogging, curling of leaves and wilting can occur, leading to defoliation. C. fulvum as a model pathogen:, The interaction between C. fulvum and tomato is governed by a gene-for-gene relationship. A total of eight Avr and Ecp genes, and for four of these also the corresponding plant Cf genes, have been cloned. Obtaining conclusive evidence for gene-for-gene relationships is complicated by the poor availability of genetic tools for most Mycosphaerellaceae,plant interactions. Newly developed tools, including Agrobacterium -mediated transformation and RNAi, added to the genome sequence of its host tomato, which will be available within a few years, render C. fulvum attractive as a model species for plant pathogenic Mycosphaerellaceae. Useful websites:,http://www.sgn.cornell.edu/help/about/index.html; http://cogeme.ex.ac.uk [source] | ||||||||||