Development of primers for detecting dominant yeasts in smear-ripened cheeses

PCR primers were developed for the specific detection of Clavispora lusitaniae, Debaryomyces hansenii var hansenii, Geotrichum candidum, Kluyveromyces lactis and K. marxianus and Yarrowia lipolytica, yeast species commonly found on the surface of smear cheese. Forty eight representative strains frequently found in smear cheeses or taxonomically related to the target yeasts were used as templates, to validate the designed primers. The specific and selective detection of these yeasts was effective in situ, in Livarot smear, without yeast isolation and culture and was comparable with data obtained with a conventional method. The primers described here have thus potential for PCR studies applied to cheese. It should also be possible to use some of these primers with other substrates.     

Development of a monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay for specific quantification of bovine milk alkaline phosphatase

The detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is used as a legal test to determine whether milk has been adequately pasteurized or recontaminated with raw milk. However, a wide variety of microorganisms produce both heat labile and heat stable ALPs which cannot be differentiated from the milk ALP by current enzymatic methods. Monoclonal antibodies specific of the bovine milk ALP were obtained in mice from a raw bovine milk ALP preparation. Coated in microtitre plates, these antibodies specifically capture the bovine milk ALP from dairy products. After washing, the enzymatic activity of the captured ALP is revealed by adding p-nitrophenyl-phosphate as a substrate. This simple immunoassay does not react with ALPs of intestinal or bacterial origin and, once optimized, was found to be the first immunoassay suitable to detect raw milk in boiled milk down to a 0.02% dilution. Moreover, in contrast with competitive indirect ELISA formats, the capture immunoassay does not require purified ALP.     

Interannual variation in spawning success of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Saint John River,New Brunswick

Barriers such as dams have been cited as a serious threat to striped bass survival, especially when they affect or impede migration and access to spawning grounds. On the Saint John River, New Brunswick, the installation of the large Mactaquac Dam in the immediate vicinity of a historic striped bass spawning location was suspected to have caused the arrest of striped bass reproduction and the collapse of the native striped bass population. In 2014, juvenile striped bass of confirmed Saint John River origin were documented in the river for the first time since 1979. In the current study, we examined juveniles from 6 years of sampling to determine corresponding years of successful recruitment. We also tracked adult striped bass matching the ancestry of native Saint John River juveniles to determine the timing and location of spawning. Over 5 years, we observed an annual upstream migration by adult striped bass to historic spawning areas near Fredericton, identified a dominant year class of Saint John River origin juveniles reproduced in 2013, and linked the apparent successful production of year classes to definable discharge conditions, that is, extended periods of sustained flow >36 hr downstream from the Mactaquac Dam. The results of this study suggest important first management actions towards recovering and sustaining the re‐discovered striped bass population in the Saint John River, New Brunswick.     

Spider Silk Coatings as a Bioshield to Reduce Periprosthetic Fibrous Capsule Formation

Medical grade silicones have been employed for decades in medical applications. The associated long‐term complications, such as capsule formation and contraction have, however, not been fully addressed yet. The aim of this study is to elucidate if capsule formation and/or contraction can be mitigated by veiling the surface of the silicone during the critical phase after implantation. Medical grade silicone implants are homogeneously coated with a micrometer thin layer of recombinant spider silk proteins. Biocompatibility analysis in vitro and in vivo focuses on specific physiological reactions. Applying quantitative methods for the determination of marker‐specific gene expression and protein concentration, it is detected that the silk coating inhibits fibroblast proliferation, collagen I synthesis, and differentiation of monocytes into CD68‐positive histiocytes. It significantly reduces capsule thickness, post‐operative inflammation, synthesis and re‐modeling of extracellular matrix, and expression of contracture‐mediating factors. Therefore, coatings made of recombinant spider silk proteins considerably reduce major post‐operative complications associated with implantation of silicone‐based alloprosthetics, such as capsular fibrosis and contraction, rendering spider silk coatings a bioshield for such implants.     

Noninformative Bayesian testing and neutral Bayes factors

Summary In contrast with usual point estimation settings, there is no well-defined notion of noninformative Bayesian, procedures for tests of two-sided hypotheses. In this paper, we examine the behavior of the answers associated with the (point estimation) Jeffreys priors and show that, in some cases, they coincide numerically with the classical p-values. This partial equivalence between noninformative and classical answers is also exhibited with neutral Bayes factors. This new evaluation, which determines the cut-off point between acceptance and rejection of the null hypothesis, actually leads to a procedure similar to the (so-called) Jeffreys answere and thus supports the use of a noninformative improper prior. This interpretation thus brings a partial rehabilitation of some p-values as noninformative answers.     

Varations in maize pollen emission and deposition in relation to microclimate

The coexistence of genetically modified (GM) crops with conventional crops has become a subject of debate and inquiry. Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most cultivated crop plants in the world and there is a need to assess the risks of cross-pollination. Concentration and deposition rate downwind from different-sized maize crops were measured during three flowering seasons, together with micrometeorological conditions in the surrounding environment. Pollen release started once the air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increases above 0.2 to 0.5 kPa. Moreover, the dynamics of release was correlated with the dynamics of VPD surrounding the tassels. Horizontal deposition appeared to follow a power law over short distance downwind from the source, and the dispersal distance increased with the source canopy height and the roughness length of the downwind canopy. This work also provides a data set containing both pollen measurements and contrasting weather conditions to validate dispersal models and further investigate maize pollen dispersal processes.     

On the calibration of the helicopter borne polarimetric radar René

The cetp and Thomson- csf have developed in 1992 a new polarimetric fm/cw X- band radar which has been designed to be easily mounted on small helicopter or aircraft. As it is devoted to research investigations on radar polarimetry applied to land and vegetation remote sensing, it needs to be calibrated in phase and amplitude with a very good accuracy. A calibration procedure using trihedral and dihedral corner reflectors is presented here and then compared to the calibration method using random distributed targets that has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A very good agreement between both methods enables us to apply our calibration algorithms to natural surfaces measurements at different incidence angles (20°, 40° and 50°.