Beauveria bassiana (Hyphomycetes) as a possible agent for biological control of Chagas disease vectors

Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (isolate CG306) was tested on 3rd instars of 9 Triatoma spp., 4 Rhodnius spp., 2 Panstrongylus spp. and Dipetalogaster maxima (Uhler) at 25 degrees C and 50% RH. Quantitative sporulation of the fungus on cadavers was studied at 25 degrees C and 97% RH. Mortality, estimates of survival time, and conidial production on cadavers differed significantly among the genera and species tested. Panstrongylus herreri Wygodzinsky, Dipetalogaster maxima, Triatoma picturata Usinger, Rhodnius robustus Larrousse, Rhodnius prolixus St?l, Triatoma infestans (Klug), and Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva were most susceptible to fungal infection. Most conidia per cadaver were produced on Triatoma williami Galv?o, Souza & Lima and Triatoma lecticularia (St?l). Results indicate that B. bassiana (CG306) might be a candidate for control of important or potential vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi using the fungus as a bioinsecticide.     

The effects of a stress-management training program in individuals at risk in the community at large

In this study we examine the effects of a stress-management training program on individuals without serious (mental) health complaints but with an increased chance of developing them as a consequence of stress. Potential subjects were randomly selected from the community at large and, then screened for participation in the training program if some of several (mental) health risk factors could be attributed to them: past life-events, neuroticism, inassertiveness, avoidant coping style and lack of social support. The control group, which did not take part in the training program, consisted of individuals with a similar risk profile as those in the training group. The training program consisted of several stress-management techniques: changing unhealthy life-style, relaxation training, problem-solving training and social skills-training. Multivariate analyses of variance showed that the training group, as compared to the control group, reported significantly less distress, less trait anxiety, less daily hassles, more assertiveness and more satisfaction with social support at follow-up. There were, however, no significant changes found in the coping skills of either group.     

Impact of chemical oxidation on sludge properties and membrane flux in membrane separation bioreactors

The effects of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) on sludge properties and membrane permeate flux were studied using a pressurized stirred ultrafiltration cell. Oxidation with NaOCl resulted in sludge solubilization and decreased sludge floc sizes. The sludge dissolution constant was estimated at 0.3 ± 0.1 mg sludge mg^?1 free chlorine under testing conditions. The increases in soluble chemical oxygen demand and total carbohydrate concentration in centrifuged supernatant were less than proportional to chemical dosage. Membrane permeate fluxes were much lower as a result of oxidation. Soluble biopolymers accounted for more than 76% of the total hydraulic resistance during ultrafiltration of oxidized sludge. By contrast, both the settleable sludge flocs and the soluble biopolymers were important contributors to the hydraulic resistance of sludge before oxidation. Given the benefits of NaOCl solution for membrane cleaning and its negative impact on sludge properties, the quantity of NaOCl solution used for maintenance cleaning of membranes should be optimized. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

The function of the p190 Rho GTPase-activating protein is controlled by its N-terminal GTP binding domain

p190 is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the Rho family of GTPases. The GAP domain of p190 is at the C terminus of the protein. At its N terminus, p190 contains a GTP binding domain of unknown significance. We have introduced a mutation (Ser36 --> Asn) into this domain of p190 that decreased its ability to bind guanine nucleotide when expressed as a hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged protein in COS cells. In vitro, both the wild type and S36N mutant HA-p190 proteins showed similar GAP activities toward RhoA, but when expressed in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts only wild type p190 appeared able to function as a RhoGAP. Wild type HA-p190 induced a phenotype of rounded cells with long, beaded extensions similar to that seen when Rho function is disrupted by ADP-ribosylation. HA-p190(S36N), although expressed at a similar level to the wild type protein, had no discernible effect on the cells. The beaded extension phenotype induced by wild type HA-p190 required GAP function. A GAP-defective mutant, p190(R1283A), had no effect on cell morphology. Moreover, the beaded extension phenotype could be suppressed by co-expression of a gain-of-function Rho mutant, RhoA(G14V), or Rac mutant, Rac1(G12V). Activation of the Jun kinase (JNK) via muscarinic receptors was inhibited by wild type HA-p190, but JNK activity was enhanced by the S36N mutant. Co-expression of HA-p190 with a fragment containing only the mutated GTP binding domain partially inhibited the beaded extension phenotype, suggesting that it may sequester a factor required for p190 function. Taken together these data demonstrate that within the cell, the Rho/Rac GAP activity of p190 can be regulated by the N-terminal GTP binding domain.     

Electrically induced blink reflex in horses

The electrically induced blink reflex was studied electromyographically in 21 healthy adult, detomidine-sedated horses. Using surface electrodes, the supraorbital nerve was electrically stimulated at the supraorbital foramen. The responses were recorded from the ipsilateral and contralateral orbicularis oculi muscles with concentric needle electrodes inserted in the lateral aspect of the ventral eyelids. Ipsilateral and contralateral recordings were made on successive stimulations of the same side of the face, maintaining a constant stimulus intensity. The electromyographically recorded responses consisted of an early R1 response in the orbicularis oculi muscle ipsilateral to the side of stimulation, a bilateral late response (ipsilateral R2 and contralateral Rc) and a third, R3 response, in the ipsilateral orbicularis oculi muscle. All the responses were polyphasic muscle potentials of variable duration and peak to peak amplitudes. The reflex latency of the R1 response was, as in man, fairly stable. The R2 response showed greater variability both within and between individual horses. The Rc response was recorded in only 13 of the 21 horses and showed a slightly longer latency than the corresponding R2. The R3 response, which is significantly related to pain sensation in man, appeared in 19 horses and showed the greatest variability in latency.