Effect of various veterinary procedures on plasma concentrations of cortisol, luteinising hormone and prostaglandin F2 alpha metabolite in the cow

Five commonly practised veterinary procedures were studied: Palpation per rectum of the reproductive tract, intramuscular injection, single venepuncture, repeated venepuncture and jugular vein catheterisation. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased from baseline values of approximately 2 ng/ml to maximum mean values between 6.5 +/- 2.5 ng/ml and 13.8 +/- 5.6 ng/ml approximately 13 to 27 minutes after each manipulation. Baseline values occurred approximately 80 minutes later. In the control bleeding periods unacclimatised cows initially had high values of plasma cortisol (5 to 10 ng/ml) which returned to baseline after two hours, ie, before beginning any procedure. There were no statistically significant changes in luteinising hormone concentrations. The concentration of 13,14 dihydro, 15-keto prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGFM) increased from 61.0 +/- 4.6 pg/ml to 209.8 +/- 152.1 pg/ml in three out of five cows palpated on days 16 and 19 of the oestrous cycle. Increases did not occur in five other cows palpated during the follicular phase, nor in five cows palpated on day 12. However, after palpation on day 8, one animal did have concentrations of PGFM similar to those occurring during spontaneous release on days 18 to 20 of the oestrous cycle.     

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against formalin-inactivated Nipah virus isolated from the lungs of a pig

Eight clones of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) to Nipah virus (NV) were produced against formalin-inactivated NV antigens. They reacted positive by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test, and one of them also demonstrated virus neutralizing activity. They were classified into six different types based on their biological properties. These Mabs will be useful for immunodiagnosis of NV infections in animals and further research studies involving the genomes and proteins of NV.     

Brassinosteroid-mediated enrichment in yield attributes, active constituents and essential oil production in Mentha arvensis L.

Recently, brassinosteroids (BRs) have emerged as a new group of growth promoting phytohormones. 28-homobrassinolide (HBR) is one of the several brassinosteroids, the role of which in enhancing growth, productivity and quality of plants, via improving various physiological processes, has been established both under stress and normal conditions. Out of a large number of essential oil bearing plants, mint (Mentha arvensis L.) constitutes the most important source of therapeutic agents used in the alternative systems of medicine. The mint plant has marvelous medicinal and aromatic values. In view of enhancing yield and quality of this medicinally important plant, a pot experiment was conducted under natural conditions of net house. The study was aimed at exploring the effect of four concentrations of HBR (10^?0, 10^?8, 10^?7 and 10^?6 M) on the performance of mint with regard to physiological attributes, herbage yield, content and yield of essential oil, and active constituents at 100 and 120 days after planting. The foliar application of HBR enhanced physiological attributes, herbage yield and the yield and content of most of the active constituents (menthol, L-methone, isomenthone and menthyl acetate) of mint at both the stages, with 10^?7 M concentration proving the best. However, the next higher concentration of HBR (10^?6 M) exhibited no further increase in the values of the attributes studied. Rather, 10^?6 M was slightly inferior to 10^?7 M concentration; but it always proved significantly better than the control.     

Augmentation of photosynthesis,crop productivity,enzyme activities and alkaloids production in Sadabahar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Catharanthus roseus</Emphasis> L.) through application of diverse plant growth regulators

Exogenous application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) has vital impact on the growth and productivity of plants. Foliar application of selected PGRs, viz. indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (KIN), thidiazuron (TDZ), gibberellic acid (GA3), salicylic acid (SA), homobrassinosteroids (HBR), and triacontanol (TRIA), were carried out in order to assess the effects on growth of two cultivars (Rosea and Alba) of Catharanthus roseus L. G. Don. The Rosea and Alba plants were sprayed with PGRs (10⁻⁷ M) at 60 days after planting (DAP). Shoot and root lengths, plant fresh and dry weights, leaf-area index, total chlorophyll and carotenoids content, net photosynthetic rate, nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase activities, and leaf essential nutrients (N, P, and K) were analyzed at 150 DAP while yield attributes and total alkaloids of leaves and roots, contents of vincristine and vinblastine alkaloids were measured at 210 DAP. The results showed that HBR significantly improved most of the growth attributes. Application of HBR, KIN, and GA3 resulted in the ameliorative effects on plant productivity, physiological and biochemical parameters as compared to the unsprayed (control) plants. The effect of TDZ was not significantly different than the control plants. GA3 application significantly increased the vincristine content (7.3%) while TDZ exhibited reduced vincristine content. The effect of other PGR was insignificant towards vincristine and vinblastine contents. The response of Rosea toward exogenous PGRs application was better than Alba in terms of crop productivity, physiological and biochemical parameters, and alkaloid production.     

Situation of serum antibodies against Newcastle disease virus in slaughter-age ostriches after vaccination campaign in Japan

A total of 516 slaughter-age ostrich sera were collected in Japan during 2006-2009. Sixty-one of five hundred and sixteen were positive by virus neutralization (VN) test and the titer of most positive samples was low level. Within the 61 positive sera, 35 sera were collected from unvaccinated ostriches. This result implies that these ostriches might have been infected naturally with low-virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Within the 455 negative samples, 125 samples were from vaccinated ostriches. Since ostrich farmers use live attenuated vaccines, it is reasonable that the titer decreased to below detection level by 1 or 1.5 year-old. The above data indicate that NDV has infiltrated into ostrich farms in Japan, and that the efficacy of ostrich ND vaccination is often time-limited.     

Agroforestry for Livelihood Security in Agrarian Landscapes of the Padma Floodplain in Bangladesh

In the Padma floodplain of Bangladesh, the traditional system of agriculture has become unsustainable due to high population growth. Mango-based agroforestry which has been practiced by the farmers since the 1990s, is a promising alternative and is considered as one of the few options to lift farmers out of poverty and improve livelihood security. This paper examines the potential of mango-based agroforestry to improve livelihoods, using data collected by rapid rural appraisal, farmer participatory research, stakeholder analysis and a farm household survey in six representative villages in the floodplain. Farmers with the least land were found to allocate a higher percentage of their land to agroforestry, and the increased income from agroforestry compared to other agricultural systems helps reduce relative poverty. This income maintains basic household needs, providing food security and fuelwood, and contributes to healthcare, housing and sanitation conditions, and meeting educational expenses.     

Impacts of initial stand density and thinning regimes on energy wood production and management-related CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions in boreal ecosystems

An ecosystem model (Sima) was utilised to investigate the impact of forest management (by changing both the initial stand density and basal area thinning thresholds from current recommendations) on energy wood production (at energy wood thinning and final felling) and management-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for the energy wood production in Finnish boreal conditions (62°39′ N, 29°37′ E). The simultaneous effects of energy wood, timber and C stocks in the forest ecosystem (live and dead biomass) were also assessed. The analyses were carried out at stand level during a rotation period of 80 years for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) growing in different fertility sites. Generally, the results showed that decreased basal area thinning thresholds, compared with current thinning, reduced energy wood (logging residues) and timber production, as well as carbon stocks in the forest ecosystem. Conversely, increased thinning thresholds increased energy wood production (ca. 1–27%) at both energy wood thinning and final felling and reduced CO₂ emissions (ca. 2–6%) related to the production chain (e.g. management operations), depending on the thinning threshold levels, initial stand density, species and site. Increased thinning thresholds also enhanced timber production and carbon stocks in the forest ecosystem. Additionally, increased initial stand density enhanced energy wood production for energy wood thinning for both species, but this reduced energy wood production at final felling for Scots pine and Norway spruce. This study concluded that increases in both initial stand density and thinning thresholds, compared with the current level, could be useful in energy wood, timber and carbon stocks enhancement, as well as reducing management-related CO₂ emissions for energy wood production. Only 2.4–3.3% of input of the produced energy (energy wood) was required during the whole production chain, depending on the management regime, species and sites. However, a comprehensive substitution analysis of wood-based energy, in respect to environmental benefits, would also require the inclusion of CO₂ emissions related to ecosystem processes (e.g. decomposition).