Metsulfuron spray drift reduces fruit yield of hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna L.)

This study was carried out to investigate whether spray drift of metsulfuron has a potential to negatively affect hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) hedgerows near agricultural fields. For this purpose four doses of metsulfuron ranging from 5% to 40% of the field dose (4 g metsulfuron per hectare) were sprayed on trees in seven different hawthorn hedgerows. The actual deposition on the leaves was measured by means of a tracer (glycine). Spraying was conducted both at the bud stage and at early flowering. Leaves, flowers, green berries and mature berries were harvested and the number and weight of each were measured. The spraying at the bud stage caused a highly significant reduction in number and dry weight of berries, whereas it had no effects on leaf and flower production. The berry reduction was close to 100% at actual depositions relevant for spray drift under normal conditions. Spraying at early flowering also significantly reduced berries although the effect was smaller than for the spraying at bud stage. The early flower stage spraying caused no reduction in number and size of leaves. The possible ecological consequence is that metsulfuron spray drift from agricultural fields has a potential to reduce the amount of berries available for frugivorous birds in nearby hedgerows. A potential need for regulatory measures to reduce herbicide spray drift to hedgerows situated near agricultural fields with herbicide use is also indicated.     

Susceptibility of Lactobacillus spp. to antimicrobial agents

Bacteria used as probiotics or in starter cultures may serve as hosts of antibiotic resistance genes, which can be transferred to pathogenic bacteria. Before launching a starter culture or a probiotic product into the market, it is therefore important to verify that the single bacterial isolates (strains) do not contain transferable resistance genes. A study has been undertaken to establish the levels of susceptibility of Lactobacillus spp. to various antimicrobial agents. This is a prerequisite for differentiating putative transferable resistance from natural resistance. A selection of 62 strains has been screened with the use of the Etest (ABBiodisk, Stockholm, Sweden) for their susceptibility to 25 antimicrobial agents. The strains belonged to the following species: Lactobacillus plantarum/pentosus, L. rhamnosus, L. paracasei, L. sakei, L. curvatus and species of the L. acidophilus group: L. johnsonii, L. crispatus, L. gasseri, and L. acidophilus.The results from the Etests have shown that the level of susceptibility to the antimicrobial agents is species-dependent. For the following antimicrobial agents, susceptibility varied several folds between species: vancomycin, teicoplanin, tetracycline, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid, and clindamycin. The differences between the species were more subtle for the rest of the tested antimicrobial agents. On the basis of the result, it was possible to suggest minimal inhibition concentrations (MICs) for the individual Lactobacillus species to be used as a microbiological breakpoint when screening strains for transferable resistance genes.     

Second-home electricity consumption

In Denmark, electricity consumption in first and second homes has developed quite differently. Since 1990, electricity consumption in ordinary residences has grown moderately, while consumption in weekend and second homes has increased considerably. In turn, this development has been blamed on a growing number of luxury cottages, new legislation permitting senior citizens to have their permanent address in their second home and a growing number of electric appliances.     

Visual scoring of milk mixed with blood

Sorting of normal and abnormal milk at time of milking is done visually for conventional milking systems, but more concrete standards are needed when milking is done in automatic milking systems (AMS). Several panel tests were carried out to find out how different consumer groups, milkers and advisors look at and respond to the visual appearance of milk mixed with blood, in order to set a limit for what they think is acceptable. It is concluded from the test panel results that milk samples with 0.4% or more of blood all will be scored as pink and samples with 0.1% blood (about 6 microM-haemoglobin or 100 mg/l) can be visually detected if they are compared with milk samples without blood. The consumer group scored fewer of the samples with 0-1% blood as normal than did the professional groups. The test panel scored 65% of the samples with 1% blood as normal when milk was presented in a black strip cup, which is the reference method when foremilking takes place in a conventional parlour. Only 2% of the milk samples with 2% blood (about 120 microM-haemoglobin or 2000 mg/l) were scored as normal in a black strip cup and should consequently be detected by conventional as well as automatic systems. One model of AMS was tested for its ability to detect and separate milk coloured by blood. The model separated milk with > or = 6 microM-haemoglobin. Milk mixed with blood injected into the milk stream for a short time at the beginning of milking was not separated. We lack data on how blood is naturally expelled into milk and in what amount. We propose that cow composite milk with > 6 microM-haemoglobin should be separated because at this level milk will have a red tinge.     

Antibiotic survey of Lactococcus lactis strains to six antibiotics by Etest, and establishment of new susceptibility-resistance cut-off values

In order to establish cut-off values for Lactococcus lactis to six antibiotics to distinguish susceptible and intrinsically resistant strains from those having acquired resistances, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tetracycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and vancomycin was determined in 93 different Lc. lactis strains using the Etest. These bacterial strains were originally isolated from dairy and animal sources in widely separated geographical locations. Cut-offs were defined on the basis of the distribution of the MICs frequency of the studied antibiotics, which in the absence of acquired determinants should approach to a normal statistical distribution. In general, the new cut-off values proposed in this study are higher than previously defined (European Commission, 2005. The EFSA Journal 223, 1-12). Based on these new values, all the strains tested were susceptible to erythromycin, chloramphenicol and vancomycin, and 79 susceptible to all six antibiotics. However, 11 strains (around 12%) were considered resistant to tetracycline (six of which had been identified after screening of a large collection of lactococci strains for tetracycline resistance) and five (5.4%) resistant to streptomycin. Of these, two fish isolates proved to be resistance to both tetracycline and streptomycin. From the tetracycline resistant strains, tet(M) and mosaic tet(L/S) genes were amplified by PCR, demonstrating they harboured acquired antibiotic resistance determinants.     

Do superconductors change as fast as possible when quenched?

If superconductors change as fast as possible as they pass through a phase transition, then the initial domain structure is constrained by causality. We shall see that Josephson junctions do indeed display such behaviour. However, we shall argue that causal bounds arise through the Gaussian nature of the order parameter, which can be thought of as a consequence of instabilities growing as fast as possible.