Radioactive elements on Mercury's surface from MESSENGER: implications for the planet's formation and evolution

The MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer measured the average surface abundances of the radioactive elements potassium (K, 1150 ± 220 parts per million), thorium (Th, 220 ± 60 parts per billion), and uranium (U, 90 ± 20 parts per billion) in Mercury's northern hemisphere. The abundance of the moderately volatile element K, relative to Th and U, is inconsistent with physical models for the formation of Mercury requiring extreme heating of the planet or its precursor materials, and supports formation from volatile-containing material comparable to chondritic meteorites. Abundances of K, Th, and U indicate that internal heat production has declined substantially since Mercury's formation, consistent with widespread volcanism shortly after the end of late heavy bombardment 3.8 billion years ago and limited, isolated volcanic activity since.     

Cats and calcium oxalate: strategies for managing lower and upper tract stone disease

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Calcium oxalate (CaOx) containing stones are among the most common of the urinary tract stones identified in cats. RISK FACTORS: Risk factors for CaOx stone formation include such things as breed, gender and diet; stress and obesity have also been hypothesized to be risk factors for this disease. MANAGEMENT APPROACH: A tailored, individual management strategy for preventing CaOx stone recurrence is important and should include addressing the diet, environment and any other comorbid conditions present. Increasing the cat's moisture intake is one of the key mechanisms for preventing recurrence. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: CaOx ureterolithiasis has emerged as a difficult and sometimes life-threatening problem for cats. In those cats where stones are found incidentally, periodic monitoring may be required to assess for disease progression. Interventional procedures such as ureteral stent placements are now increasingly being performed for recurrent cases or those with larger stone burdens. Periodic radiographs for more severe cases and frequent client communication can help ensure successful outcomes for cats with lower and upper CaOx stone disease. EVIDENCE BASE: Limited evidence-based studies are published regarding management of feline upper and lower urinary tract CaOx stone disease, making this a difficult condition to manage in some cats. Studies designed to evaluate the relationship to dietary modifications, medical management, stress, obesity and surgical techniques are warranted in cats with upper and lower urinary tract CaOx stones.     

Sulphur gas emissions in the boreal forest: The west whitecourt case study IV: Air quality and the meteorological environment

A program of atmospheric measurements was carried out in support of the West Whitecourt case study in the summers of 1975 and 1976. Measurements in and around an isolated stand of mature lodgepole × Jack pine trees included temperature, moisture, and wind measurements at a climatological station outside the stand and at several levels on a 30 m radio mast tower within the stand. Sulphur dioxide concentrations were also measured on the tower. A number of short-term, intensive measurements were made to document the meteorological and SO₂ environments in more detail, with special attention given to the transport of S gas from the source to the sink. The major source of SO₂ at the intensive experimental site was very likely the flare stacks at the gas processing plant. Sulphur dioxide events at the study site were typically daytime, low concentration bursts of a few minutes in duration which occurred with westerly winds under fair weather conditions. Air impinging on the stand tended to flow around the edges of the stand, over the canopy, and into the trunk space. This aerodynamic effect, together with the uptake of SO₂ by the vegetation, caused a minimum in SO₂ concentration in the crown of the forest.     

Binding affinity of hydrolyzable tannins to parotid saliva and to proline-rich proteins derived from it

Proline-rich proteins (PRP) in human parotid saliva have a high affinity for dietary polyphenolic compounds (tannins), forming stable complexes that may modulate the biological and nutritional properties of the tannin. The formation of such complexes may also have an important role in the modulation or promotion of the sensation of oral astringency perceived when tannin-rich foods and beverages are consumed. The major classes of PRP (acidic, basic, and glycosylated) have been isolated from human saliva, and the relative binding affinities of a series of hydrolyzable tannins, which are found in a number of plant-derived foods and beverages, to these PRP classes have been determined using a competition assay. All of the classes of PRP have a high capacity for hydrolyzable tannins. Within the narrow range of binding affinities exhibited, structure/binding relationships with the levels of tannin galloylation, hexahydroxydiphenoyl esterification, and degree of polymerization were identified. No individual class of human salivary PRP appears to have an exclusive affinity for a particular type of hydrolyzable tannin.     

Mechanical transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus throughout a coordinated sequence of events during cold weather

Using a field-based model, mechanical transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was assessed throughout a coordinated sequence of events that replicated common farm worker behavior during cold weather (< 0°C). The model involved fomites (boots and containers), vehicle sanitation, transport, and the movement of personnel. A field strain of PRRSV was inoculated into carriers consisting of snow and water, and carriers were adhered to the undercarriage of a vehicle. The vehicle was driven approximately 50 km to a commercial truck washing facility where the driver's boots contacted the carriers during washing, introducing the virus to the vehicle interior. The vehicle was then driven 50 km to a simulated farm site, and the driver's boots mechanically spread virus into the farm anteroom. Types of containers frequently employed in swine farms (styrofoam semen cooler, metal toolbox, plastic lunch pail, and cardboard animal health product shipping parcel) contacted drippings from footwear on the anteroom floor. The truck wash floor, vehicle cab floor mats, boot soles, anteroom floor, and the ventral surface of containers were sampled to track the virus throughout the model. Ten replicates were conducted, along with sham-inoculated controls. At multiple sampling points PRRSV nucleic acid was detected in 8 of 10 replicates. In each of the 8 PCR-positive replicates, infectious PRRSV was detected on the surfaces of containers by virus isolation or swine bioassay. All sham-inoculated controls were negative. These results indicate that mechanical transmission of PRRSV can occur during coordinated sequence of events in cold weather.     

Comparison of results using electron microscope, immunodiffusion and fluorescent antibody analyses to detect rotavirus in diarrheic fecal samples of calves.

Seventy-nine diarrheic calf fecal samples were examined by electron microscopy, immunodiffusion and the fluorescent antibody technique for the presence of rotavirus (reovirus-like agent). Thirty-eight (48%) of the samples were positive by electron microscopy, 59% by immunodiffusion and 20% positive by fluorescent antibody technique analyses. Another 9% were suspect-positive by fluorescent antibody technique. Chymotrypsin treatment of the fecal samples increased the ease of observing the viral particles by electron microscopy and also intensified the immunodiffusion arcs obtained. Immunodiffusion analyses using specific antisera to the virus would appear to be a practical method of detecting rotavirus in diarrheic fecal samples.     

Bordetella bronchiseptica and toxigenic type D Pasteurella multocida as agents of severe atrophic rhinitis of swine

Bordetella bronchiseptica and toxigenic type-D Pasteurella multocida were cultured from pigs in each of five herds diagnosed as having severe atrophic rhinitis (AR). B. bronchiseptica alone, P. multocida alone, or both organisms isolated from four herds were inoculated intranasally into 1-week-old gnotobiotic pigs which were necropsied 4 weeks post-inoculation (PI). Nasal turbinate atrophy in B. bronchiseptica-inoculated pigs was moderate to severe, while P. multocida-inoculated pigs had slight to severe atrophy. Pigs inoculated with both organisms had moderate to complete turbinate atrophy. P. multocida was reisolated at necropsy from all pigs receiving the organism except those having no turbinate damage. B. bronchiseptica and P. multocida from a fifth herd were simultaneously inoculated into six naturally farrowed 6-day-old SPF pigs. Necropsy performed 4 weeks PI revealed severe to complete turbinate atrophy. Nasal turbinates were normal for control pigs in both experiments.