Mycotoxins and abnormal embryonic development

This chapter reviews studies on the effects of mycotoxins on embryonic and fetal development, especially those toxins that are global food and feed contaminants. The toxins discussed include aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, ochratoxin which is produced by Aspergillus species particularly A. ochraceus as well as Penicillium verrucosum, ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps spp., and the Fusarium toxins (fumonisins, deoxynivalenol [vomitoxin], and zearalenone). These toxins have been shown to be teratogenic and/or embryotoxic in different animal bioassays. The implications of toxicity on embryogenesis, and the progress of research on these mycotoxins, are also examined.

Different routes to pure food allergens: extraction, recombinant techniques and total chemical synthesis for obtaining the plant-food pan-allergen LTP

La richiesta di allergeni puri è in continuo aumento per scopi diagnostici, come standard per metodi di rilevamento e di quantificazione, per l'immunoterapia e per lo studio a livello molecolare dei meccanismi delle reazioni allergiche, al fine di facilitare lo sviluppo di possibili cure. In questa tesi di dottorato sono descritte diverse strategie per l’ottenimento di forme pure di non-specific Lipid Transfer Proteins (nsLTPs), le quali sono state riconosciute essere rilevanti allergeni alimentari in molti frutti e verdure comunemente consumati e sono state definite come modello di veri allergeni alimentari. Una LTP potenzialmente allergenica, non nota in precedenza, è stata isolata dalle mandorle, mentre una LTP dall’allergenicità nota contenuta nelle noci è stata prodotta mediante tecniche di DNA ricombinante. Oltre a questi approcci classici, metodi per la sintesi chimica totale di proteine sono stati applicati per la prima volta alla produzione di un allergene, utilizzando Pru p 3, la LTP prototipica e principale allergene della pesca nell'area mediterranea, come modello. La sintesi chimica totale di proteinepermette di controllarne completamente la sequenza e di studiare la loro funzione a livello atomico. La sua applicazione alla produzione di allergeni costituisce perciò un importante passo avanti nel campo della ricerca sulle allergie alimentari. La proteina Pru p 3 è stata prodotta nella sua intera lunghezza e sono necessari solo due passaggi finali di deprotezione per ottenere il target nella sua forma nativa. Le condizioni sperimentali per tali deprotezioni sono state messe a punto durante la produzione dei peptidi sPru p 3 (1-37) e sPru p 3 (38-91), componenti insieme l'intera proteina. Tecniche avanzate di spettrometria di massa sono state usate per caratterizzare tutti i composti ottenuti, mentre la loro allergenicità è stata studiata attraverso test immunologici o approcci in silico.

Development of techniques to predict production line efficiency

This industrial based research project was undertaken for British Leyland and arose as a result of poor system efficiency on the Maxi and Marina vehicle body build lines. The major factors in the deterioration of system efficiency were identified as: a) The introduction of a 'Gateline' system of vehicle body build. b) The degeneration of a newly introduced measured daywork payment scheme. By relating the conclusions of past work on payment systems to the situation at Cowley, it was concluded that a combination of poor industrial relations and a lack of managerial control had caused the measured daywork scheme to degenerate into a straightforward payment for time at work. This ellminated the monetary incentive to achieve schedule with the consequence that both inefficiency and operating costs increased. To analyse further the cause of inefficiency, a study of Marina gateline stoppage logs was carried out. This revealed that poor system efficiency on the gateline was caused more by the nature of its design than poor reliability on individual items of' plant. The consideration given to system efficiency at the design stage was found to be negligible, the main obstacles being: a) A lack of understanding pertaining to the influence of certain design factors on the efficiency of a production line. b) The absence of data and techniques to predict system efficiency at the design stage. To remedy this situation, a computer simulation study of' the design factors was carried out from which relationships with system efficiency were established and empirical efficiency equations developed. Sets of tables were compiled from the equations and efficiency data relevant to vehicle body building established from the gateline stoppage logs. Computer simulation, the equations and the tables,when used in conjunction. with good efficiency data, are shown to be accurate methods of predicting production line system.efficiency.

Evaluation and development of drainage and pipeline construction processes

In 1974 Dr D M Bramwell published his research work at the University of Aston a part of which was the establishment of an elemental work study data base covering drainage construction. The Transport and Road Research Laboratory decided to, extend that work as part of their continuing research programme into the design and construction of buried pipelines by placing a research contract with Bryant Construction. This research may be considered under two broad categories. In the first, site studies were undertaken to validate and extend the data base. The studies showed good agreement with the existing data with the exception of the excavation trench shoring and pipelaying data which was amended to incorporate new construction plant and methods. An inter-active on-line computer system for drainage estimating was developed. This system stores the elemental data, synthesizes the standard time of each drainage operation and is used to determine the required resources and construction method of the total drainage activity. The remainder of the research was into the general topic of construction efficiency. An on-line command driven computer system was produced. This system uses a stochastic simulation technique, based on distributions of site efficiency measurements to evaluate the effects of varying performance levels. The analysis of this performance data quantities the variability inherent in construction and demonstrates how some of this variability can be reconciled by considering the characteristics of a contract. A long term trend of decreasing efficiency with contract duration was also identified. The results obtained from the simulation suite were compared to site records collected from current contracts. This showed that this approach will give comparable answers, but these are greatly affected by the site performance parameters.

Developing actions to minimise avoidable waste and its challenge to plant safety

Purpose: Considering the UK's limited capacity for waste disposal (particularly for hazardous/radiological waste) there is growing focus on waste avoidance and minimisation to lower the volumes of waste being sent to disposal. The hazardous nature of some waste can complicate its management and reduction. To address this problem there was a need for a decision making methodology to support managers in the nuclear industry as they identify ways to reduce the production of avoidable hazardous waste. The methodology we developed is called Waste And Sourcematter Analysis (WASAN). A methodology that begins the thought process at the pre-waste creation stage (i.e. Avoid). Design/methodology/ approach: The methodology analyses the source of waste, the production of waste inside the facility, the knock on effects from up/downstream facilities on waste production, and the down-selection of waste minimisation actions/options. WASAN has been applied to case studies with licencees and this paper reports on one such case study - the management of plastic bags in Enriched Uranium Residues Recovery Plant (EURRP) at Springfields (UK) where it was used to analyse the generation of radioactive plastic bag waste. Findings: Plastic bags are used in EURRP as a strategy to contain hazard. Double bagging of materials led to the proliferation of these bags as a waste. The paper reports on the philosophy behind WASAN, the application of the methodology to this problem, the results, and views from managers in EURRP. Originality/value: This paper presents WASAN as a novel methodology for analyzing the minimization of avoidable hazardous waste. This addresses an issue that is important to many industries e.g. where legislation enforces waste minimization, where waste disposal costs encourage waste avoidance, or where plant design can reduce waste. The paper forms part of the HSE Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's desire to work towards greater openness and transparency in its work and the development in its thinking.© Crown Copyright 2011.

Climate or rural development policy?

Being heavily energy dependent, it is not much of a surprise that Europe pays special attention to reducing the use of fossil fuels. Each one of the ten new member states is characterized by relatively low per capita energy consumption and relatively low energy efficiency, and the share of renewables in their energy mix tends to be low, too. The paper examines the problem when policy measures create a decrease in environmental capital instead of an increase. In this case it hardly seems justified to talk about environmental protection. The authors describe a case of a Hungarian rapeseed oil mill which would not be of too much interest on its own but given that almost all similar plants went bankrupt, there are some important lessons to learn from its survival. The enterprise the authors examined aimed at establishing a micro-regional network. They completed a brown-field development to establish a small plant on the premises of a former large agricultural cooperative. By partnering with the former employees and suppliers of the sometime cooperative, they enjoyed some benefits which all the other green-field businesses focusing on fuel production could not. The project improved food security, energy security and population retention as well.

Correlations between garden design plant applications and climate change

Possible effects of climate change means great challenges to landscape design professionals in Hungary. Our climate will shift towards the Mediterranean and we have to prepare for this with among others, choosing correctly the plants to be planted. Teaching garden design dendrology has not recognized yet the necessity and urgency of this matter. Quick measures are required due to the long life-time and slow development of woody taxons. This paper presents the double relationship between landscape design and climate change emphasizing the outdoor architectural methods of adjustment. Such techniques recognized abroad are presented like precipitation drainage by vegetation and extensive green roof. Finally the effects of climate change on ornamental plants application are presented together with the associated project started at the Corvinus University of Budapest in 2010.

Project finance in Hungarian electricity sector. Effect of feed-in tariff system’s change onto power plant investments

The research analyses the former and the current status of the small gas-motor power plant investments in the Hungarian energy sector. It discusses the development of project financing in the segment and the major changes and effects of new regulations and subsidy-policy implemented in 2010. The objective of this paper is to present the results of an empirical research of the so called GCHP projects, and to draw conclusion concerning how classic project financing conditions were present and changed during the last decade, and how regulation affected the current and future financial status of these projects.

Shade promotes thorn development in a tropical liana, Artabotrys hexapatalus (Annonaceae)

The liana Artabotrys hexapetalus (L.f.) Bhand., which is widely planted in the Tropics and native to African rain forests, produced new reiterations (new leader shoots) normally and after damage induced by Hurricane Andrew (August 24, 1992). In each new orthotropic shoot, there is a gradient in lateral branch structures from basal thorns, to vegetative leafy branches, to distal leafy flowering branches. We noted that reiterations developing in shade had more thorns than similar reiterations developing in full sun. Tents with clear (66% photosynthetically active radiation [PAR]) and shaded plastic film (12%–14% PAR) were placed over nodes when the axillary buds began to expand to produce reiteration shoots. After 2 mo of growth inside the tents and in the open, the types of lateral outgrowths (thorn vs. branch) were recorded. Shoots in spectrally neutral shade (red to far red of full sun) and spectrally altered shade (red to far red of canopy shade) produced significantly more thorns at the lower nodes of the shoots as compared to those in full sun. Shoots in control clear plastic tents were the same as those in full sun. We conclude that the fate of lateral bud development is controlled by irradiance (light level) but not by light quality. Increased thorn production in shade could be advantageous to plants growing in the deep shade of rain forests. Thorns in the self-shaded regions of the plant, and well below the forest canopy, could aid in protection from herbivory and in climbing by acting as hooks.

Invasive exotic plant indicators for ecosystem restoration: An example from the Everglades restoration program

We have developed a comprehensive ecological indicator for invasive exotic plants, a human-influenced component of the Everglades that could threaten the success of the restoration initiative. Following development of a conceptual ecological model for invasive exotic species, presented as a companion paper in this special issue, we developed criteria to evaluate existing invasive exotic monitoring programs for use in developing invasive exotic performance measures. We then used data from the selected monitoring programs to define specific performance measures, using species presence and abundance as the basis of the indicator for invasive exotic plants. We then developed a series of questions used to evaluate region and/or individual species status with respect to invasion. Finally, we used an expert panel who had answered the questions for invasive exotic plants in the Everglades Lake Okeechobee model to develop a stoplight restoration report card to communicate invasive exotic plant status. The report card system provides a way to effectively evaluate and present indicator data to managers, policy makers, and the public using a uniform format among indicators. Collectively, the model, monitoring assessment, performance measures, and report card enable us to evaluate how invasive plants are impacting the restoration program and how effectively that impact is being managed. Applied through time, our approach also allows us to follow the progress of management actions to control the spread and reduce the impacts of invasive species and can be easily applied and adapted to other large-scale ecosystem projects.

Across-scale patterning of plant-soil-water interactions surrounding tree islands in Southern Everglades landscapes

The freshwater Everglades is a complex system containing thousands of tree islands embedded within a marsh-grassland matrix. The tree island-marsh mosaic is shaped and maintained by hydrologic, edaphic and biological mechanisms that interact across multiple scales. Preserving tree islands requires a more integrated understanding of how scale-dependent phenomena interact in the larger freshwater system. The hierarchical patch dynamics paradigm provides a conceptual framework for exploring multi-scale interactions within complex systems. We used a three-tiered approach to examine the spatial variability and patterning of nutrients in relation to site parameters within and between two hydrologically defined Everglades landscapes: the freshwater Marl Prairie and the Ridge and Slough. Results were scale-dependent and complexly interrelated. Total carbon and nitrogen patterning were correlated with organic matter accumulation, driven by hydrologic conditions at the system scale. Total and bioavailable phosphorus were most strongly related to woody plant patterning within landscapes, and were found to be 3 to 11 times more concentrated in tree island soils compared to surrounding marshes. Below canopy resource islands in the slough were elongated in a downstream direction, indicating soil resource directional drift. Combined multi-scale results suggest that hydrology plays a significant role in landscape patterning and also the development and maintenance of tree islands. Once developed, tree islands appear to exert influence over the spatial distribution of nutrients, which can reciprocally affect other ecological processes.

Patterns of Soil Bacteria and Canopy Community Structure Related to Tropical Peatland Development

Natural environmental gradients provide important information about the ecological constraints on plant and microbial community structure. In a tropical peatland of Panama, we investigated community structure (forest canopy and soil bacteria) and microbial community function (soil enzyme activities and respiration) along an ecosystem development gradient that coincided with a natural P gradient. Highly structured plant and bacterial communities that correlated with gradients in phosphorus status and soil organic matter content characterized the peatland. A secondary gradient in soil porewater NH4 described significant variance in soil microbial respiration and β-1-4-glucosidase activity. Covariation of canopy and soil bacteria taxa contributed to a better understanding of ecological classifications for biotic communities with applicability for tropical peatland ecosystems of Central America. Moreover, plants and soils, linked primarily through increasing P deficiency, influenced strong patterning of plant and bacterial community structure related to the development of this tropical peatland ecosystem.

Patterns of phosphorus, nitrogen and δ15N along a peat development gradient in a coastal mire, Panama

Differentiation of limiting nutrients within small spatial scales has been observed in coastal mangrove forests, but research on other tropical peatlands suggests it is a more widespread phenomenon. In the Changuinola mire of coastal Panama, oligotrophy was hypothesized to increase along a gradient of peat development (peat doming). Nutrient and carbon concentration of leaf tissue, soil, and soil porewater were characterised over a successive sequence of plant communities along the gradient. Soil phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations decreased from 1200 μg P g−1 and 27 mg N g−1 to 377 μg P g−1 and 22 mg N g−1 within 2.7 km into the mire interior. These changes coincided with an increase in soil and average leaf N:P molar ratios from 52–128 and 24–41, respectively. Soil P was strongly related to leaf P and soil N:P to foliar N:P. There was a wide range in δ15N values for canopy (4.0 to −9.4‰), Campnosperma panamense (4.0 to −7.8‰) and understorey (4.8 to −3.1‰) species. Foliar δ15N values of canopy species were strongly related to soil N:P, soil P and leaf P. The depleted foliar δ15N values appeared to be an effect of both the N atmospheric source and P limitation. Here, P limitation is likely associated with ombrotrophic conditions that developed as hydrologic inputs became dominated by precipitation.