To define more precisely the inoculation methods to be used in the oxacillin screen test for Staphylococcus aureus, we tested agar screen plates prepared in house with 6 microg of oxacillin/ml and 4% NaCl using the four different inoculation methods that would most likely be used by clinical laboratories. The organisms selected for testing were 19 heteroresistant mecA-producing strains and 41 n...

The majority of microorganisms from natural environments cannot be grown in the laboratory. The diffusion-chamber-based approach is an alternative method that allows microorganisms to grow in their natural environment. An inoculum is sandwiched between semipermeable (0.03-mum-pore-size) membranes of the chamber, which is then returned to the source environment. The chamber allows for a free exc...

This paper, for the first time, describes the development of a microbial biocathode for hydrogen production that is based on a naturally selected mixed culture of electrochemically active micro-organisms. This is achieved through a three-phase biocathode startup procedure that effectively turned an acetate- and hydrogen-oxidizing bioanode into a hydrogen-producing biocathode by reversing the po...

After tip (b) has been calibrated to deliver a known amount of water per minute, only one adjustment need be made thereafter in the apparatus, namely the length of tube (a), which projects into bottle B. Since (a) has been calibrated to contact known levels of water in B, this adjustment is simply performed. In order to re-use the apparatus, the rubber stopper in B with its attached tubes, toge...

Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, CODA-CERVA-VAR, Groeselenberg 99, 1180 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisbur...

Earlier experiments have shown that the evolution of postponed senescent populations can be achieved by selection on either demographic or stress resistance characters. Both types of selection have produced results in which survival characters (stress resistance and longevity) have apparently traded-off against early-life fecundity. Here we present the results of a series of experiments in whic...

PURPOSE Anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID) is a form of peripheral tolerance achieved via intracameral antigen inoculation. It is well known that ACAID effectively down-regulates potentially destructive immunities such as delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) at extraorbital sites. However, what has not been specifically addressed is whether local intraocular tissues are negativ...

BACKGROUND Soybean red crown rot is a major soil-borne disease all over the world, which severely affects soybean production. Efficient and sustainable methods are strongly desired to control the soil-borne diseases. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We firstly investigated the disease incidence and index of soybean red crown rot under different phosphorus (P) additions in field and found that the natural i...

The objectives of this work were to evaluate two greenhouse screening methods for sudden death syndrome (SDS) and to determine which one is best correlated with fi eld resistance of soybean genotypes. The evaluations were done with three sets of genotypes that were classifi ed as partially resistant, intermediate, and susceptible to SDS based on previous fi eld evaluations. These three sets wer...