Protein analysis of human von Ebner saliva and a method for its collection from the foliate papillae

The lingual serous glands of von Ebner are located close to the foliate and circumvallate papillae. Saliva secreted by these glands provides the immediate environment of the taste buds, and it has been hypothesized that it modulates taste perception. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for collection of unstimulated and stimulated saliva from human von Ebner glands. Saliva was collected under resting conditions and after application of various gustatory stimuli (sweet, sour, salt, and bitter) by insertion of periostrips into the folds of the foliate papillae of healthy human volunteers. Stimulated saliva was also collected in glass microcapillaries or micropipettes. The flow-rates of unstimulated von Ebner saliva were 2.3 +/- 0.6 (S.E.) microL/min and 4.5 +/- 1.2 (S.E.) microL/min with 1% citric acid stimulation. The protein content was 2.5 +/- 0.5 (S.E.) mg/mL. The SDS gel electrophoretic profile of von Ebner saliva revealed two protein bands of Mr 18,000 that were identified on Western blots as von Ebner gland (VEG) proteins. Although lingual lipase activity was detected at very low levels by enzyme assay, this protein was not detected on Western blots. This collection technique should prove useful for analysis of specific functions associated with secretion from von Ebner glands.     

Combining parasitoids and plant resistance for the control of the bruchid Acanthoscelides obtectus in stored beans

Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) and Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman) are the main bruchid pests of stored beans in widespread regions of Latin America and Africa. Host-plant resistance based on the protein arcelin is effective in reducing damage caused by Z. subfasciatus, but beans containing arcelin remain susceptible to A. obtectus. The compatibility of combining arcelin resistance with biological control by Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) was investigated in climatic chambers. Three arcelin containing bean varieties with high and intermediate resistance towards Z. subfasciatus (RAZ 36, RAZ 94 and RAZ 104) and an arcelin-free standard (Calima, susceptible to both bruchids) were investigated. Immature development of A. obtectus in arcelin-containing beans was prolonged by 15% as compared to the standard, allowing D. basalis to have access to suitable host stages for a longer period of time. Over a 20-week storage period, the combined use of resistant host plants and biological control agents yielded best results with the host-plant varieties RAZ 94 and RAZ 104. In both varieties, parasitoids managed to keep bruchid damage below 1% as compared to 4.7% in the arcelin-free standard, and bruchids were eradicated in 80% of the replicates. Control levels in RAZ 36, the bean variety with the highest resistance to Z. subfasciatus, were not greater than the standard. Our results show that the combination of certain arcelin-enriched bean varieties with the parasitoid D. basalis is favourable for suppressing damage by A. obtectus.     

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder associated with OKT3 and decreased antiviral prophylaxis in pancreas transplant recipients

Between September 1994 and October 1995, we diagnosed and treated four cases of early onset posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) occurring within 62 days of pancreas transplantation. The development of PTLD was associated with both a significantly higher total muromonab-CD3 (OKT3) dose and a lack of ganciclovir/acyclovir prophylaxis, but it was not associated with the total dose of antithymocyte globulin or cytomegalovirus serostatus. All four patients were treated aggressively and survived without evidence of recurrent PTLD more than 1.5 years later. We conclude that the use of a high total dose of OKT3 puts pancreas transplant recipients at increased risk for early onset PTLD, while ganciclovir/acyclovir prophylaxis may help to prevent this disorder; however, if early onset PTLD does occur in these patients, aggressive therapy can lead to a favorable outcome.     

Minimal state space realizations in Jacobson normal form

We derive a procedure for a minimal state space realization of a rational transfer matrix over an arbitrary field. The procedure is based on the Smith-McMillan form and leads to a state transition matrix in Jacobson normal form.     

Identität durch Grundrechte

Am ersten Dezember 2009 trat der Vertrag von Lissabon in Kraft. Damit wurde auch die Charta der Grundrechte der Europ?ischen Union rechtsverbindlich. Die Charta bildet zusammen mit der Europ?ischen Menschenrechtskonvention ein europ?isches Grundrechtsschutzsystem. Dadurch gelangt die Idee von Europa als Kultur und Rechtskultur zum Durchbruch. Die identit?tsstiftende Funktion der Grundrechte, der Gedanke „europ?ische Identit?t durch Grundrechte“, wird aber noch kaum wahrgenommen. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, den notwendigen Weg eines solchen Verstehens der Grundrechte in Europa in Gang zu bringen. Diese Frage wird insbesondere mit Blick auf den grundrechtlich verankerten Datenschutz bzw. auf den Schutz der Privatheit vertieft.     

Towards an Effective Version of a Theorem of Stafford

A classical theorem of Stafford says: every left ideal of partial differential operators with rational or even polynomial coefficients in n variables can be generated by two elements. The highly involved proof of this theorem is reorganized and completed for rational coefficients in order to yield a procedure which guarantees the computability in finitely many steps. Consequences for an eventual normal form for matrices of such operators are discussed.     

Biological control of the bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) (Col.: Bruchidae), by the native parasitoid Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hym.: Pteromalidae) on small-scale farms in Colombia

The potential of the parasitoid Dinarmus basalis to control natural infestation by Acanthoscelides obtectus was evaluated on seven farms. All samples taken at harvest already contained some level of immature weevil stages inside the bean seeds. If left untreated, weevils caused visible damage of up to 40% of the beans during a 16-week storage period. In this study, we distinguished between farms with low and high levels of infestation at the time of harvest. A single introduction of the parasitoid D. basalis (five males and five females per kg bean seeds) in the first week following harvest resulted in weevil eradication on four farms with a low level of initial infestation. Suppression of the weevil population on the three farms with a high level of initial infestation depended on the developmental stage of the weevil population at harvest time. When weevil larvae were present as early instars, parasitoids reduced weevil populations by 88-97%. Control was ineffective in beans containing later weevil instars at time of harvest. The results show that biological control of the bean weevil by its natural enemy D. basalis under on-farm conditions can be quite successful. The effectiveness can be further improved by harvesting beans as early as possible.     

Coordinated aerobiological sampling of a plant pathogen in the lower atmosphere using two autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an important tool to track the long‐distance movement of plant pathogens above crop fields. Here, we describe the use of a control strategy (coordination via speed modulation) to synchronize two autonomous UAVs during aerobiological sampling of the potato late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans. The UAVs shared position coordinates via a wireless mesh network and modulated their speeds so that they were properly phased within their sampling orbits. Three coordinated control experiments were performed August 14–15, 2008. In the first two experiments, two UAVs were vertically aligned at two different altitudes [25 and 45 m above ground level (AGL)] with identical sampling orbits (radii of 150 m). In the third experiment, two UAVs shared the same altitude (35 m AGL) with different sampling orbits (radii of 130 and 160 m). Orbit times did not vary significantly between the two UAVs across all three aerobiological sampling missions, and the phase error during sampling converged to zero within 2 min following the start of the coordinated control algorithm. Viable sporangia of P. infestans were recovered following two of the coordinated flights. This is the first detailed report of autonomous UAV coordination during the aerobiological sampling of a plant pathogen in the lower atmosphere. UAVs operating independently of one another may experience significant sampling variations during the course of a flight. Coordinating the flight of two or more UAVs ensures that the vehicles enter, sample, and exit a spore plume at consistent times. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Development and application of an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle for precise aerobiological sampling above agricultural fields

Remote‐controlled (RC) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used to study the movement of agricultural threat agents (e.g., plant and animal pathogens, invasive weeds, and exotic insects) above crop fields, but these RC UAVs are operated entirely by a ground‐based pilot and often demonstrate large fluctuations in sampling height, sampling pattern, and sampling speed. In this paper, we describe the development and application of an autonomous UAV for precise aerobiological sampling tens to hundreds of meters above agricultural fields. We equipped a Senior Telemaster UAV with four aerobiological sampling devices and a MicroPilot‐based autonomous system, and we conducted 25 sampling flights for potential agricultural threat agents at Virginia Tech's Kentland Farm. To determine the most appropriate sampling path for aerobiological sampling above crop fields with an autonomous UAV, we explored five different sampling patterns, including multiple global positioning system (GPS) waypoints plotted over a variety of spatial scales. An orbital sampling pattern around a single GPS waypoint exhibited high positional accuracy and produced altitude standard deviations ranging from 1.6 to 2.8 m. Autonomous UAVs have the potential to extend the range of aerobiological sampling, improve positional accuracy of sampling paths, and enable coordinated flight with multiple UAVs sampling at different altitudes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.