RADIOGRAPHIC DETECTION OF DEFECTS OF THE NASAL BOUNDARIES

The sensitivity of conventional radiography for lesions of the cribriform plate, naso-orbital wall, lateral nasal wall and hard palate was investigated in 13 canine cadaver heads by creating measured defects in these structures. The location of the perforations were marked with a thin copper wire and the radiographic appearance of the defects was evaluated retrospectively by a single reviewer. Despite demarcation cribriform plate destruction of 2 mm could not be detected. Defects of 3 mm were detected in only 2 heads, 4 mm defects in 1 further head, an oblong 4 x 10 mm defect in 7 heads and in the remaining 3 heads only a 10 x 10 mm defect became visible as such. The naso-orbital wall had to be destroyed in its whole vertical length for detection of a defect in ventrodorsal or dorsoventral views. Therefore conventional radiography is of low diagnostic value for these lesions. Defects of 2 mm in the lateral nasal wall and the hard palate could be detected confidently in all heads indicating high sensitivity of conventional radiography. Soft tissue opacification did not alter the detectability of any nasal border structure lesion.     

NODULAR FAT NECROSIS IN THE FELINE AND CANINE ABDOMEN

The radiographic appearance of nodular fat necrosis is described in ten cats and one dog. The most common radiographic sign was the presence of a focal mineralized circular to oval soft tissue mass in the abdominal fat as present in 9 cats. These masses had a distinct eggshell-like rim encapsulating the lesion. In one cat and one dog multiple masses were present, without radiographic signs of mineralization. Abdominal ultrasound was performed in three cats and one dog, findings included the presence of hyperechoic masses with associated acoustic shadowing, some with a hypoechoic centre. Almost all animals were old and obese. In three cats and one dog, changes were confirmed with biopsy or post mortem examination. Lesions having the appearance of those in this paper are most likely incidental findings and should not be confused with abdominal masses of neoplastic origin. Ultrasound can be helpful in identifying such lesions.     

Cobalt requirement of beef cattle — feed intake and growth at different levels of cobalt supply

In a study using a total of 36 German Simmental beef bulls weighing between 236 kg and about 620 kg the question of what constitutes an adequate Co supply was investigated with reference to the performance criteria growth, feed intake, energy intake, nutrient intake and carcass criteria. The bulls received a diet of corn silage ad libitum and 2.5 kg concentrate for a period of 280 days. Ten rations (R) with graduated Co supplements were fed with mean concentrations of 0.07 (R1), 0.09 (R2), 0.11 (R3), 0.15 (R4), 0.18 (R5), 0.26 (R6), 0.33 (R7), 0.42 (R8), 0.59 (R9) and 0.69 (R10) mg Co per kg dry matter (DM) intake. The Co supplement was added as CoSO₄7H₂O. The diets with no or low Co supplementation produced either distinctly lower daily gains of 1045g (R1) and 1130g (R2) or lower daily gains of about 1260 g (R3, R4) than rations R5–R10, where daily gains averaged 1340 g. The mean daily feed intake per animal was also significantly or marginally affected with values of 6.0 kg DM (R1) rising to 7.7 kg DM (R2–R4) versus 7.9 kg DM on average (R5–R10). Calculations using the broken line model and the quadratic model show that the optimal Co supply for maximum growth is 0.12 mg/kg dietary DM and for maximum feed intake, 0.16–0.18 mg Co/kg dietary DM. After taking further biochemical criteria into account (Stangl et al. 2000), a level of 0.20 mg/kg dietary DM is recommended as an adequate Co supply for growing cattle.     

A free-fall determination of the newtonian constant of gravity

Recent determinations of the Newtonian constant of gravity have produced values that differ by nearly 40 times their individual error estimates (more than 0.5%). In an attempt to help resolve this situation, an experiment that uses the gravity field of a one-half metric ton source mass to perturb the trajectory of a free-falling mass and laser interferometry to track the falling object was performed. This experiment does not suspend the test mass from a support system. It is therefore free of many systematic errors associated with supports. The measured value was G = (6.6873 +/- 0. 0094) x 10(-11) m3 kg-1 sec-2.     

A typology of fisheries management tools: using experience to catalyse greater success

Fisheries provide nutrition and livelihoods for coastal populations, but many fisheries are fully or over‐exploited and we lack an approach for analysing which factors affect management tool performance. We conducted a literature review of 390 studies to assess how fisheries characteristics affected management tool performance across both small‐scale and large‐scale fisheries. We defined success as increased or maintained abundance or biomass, reductions in fishing mortality or improvements in population status. Because the literature only covered a narrow set of biological factors, we also conducted an expert elicitation to create a typology of broader fishery characteristics, enabling conditions and design considerations that affect performance. The literature suggested that the most commonly used management tool in a region was often the most successful, although the scale of success varied. Management tools were more often deemed successful when used in combination, particularly pairings of tools that controlled fishing mortality or effort with spatial management. Examples of successful combinations were the use of catch limits with quotas and limited entry, and marine protected areas with effort restrictions. The most common factors associated with inadequate biological performance were ‘structural’ issues, including poor design or implementation. The expert‐derived typologies revealed strong local leadership, high community involvement and governance capacity as common factors of success across management tool categories (i.e. input, output and technical measures), but the degree of importance varied. Our results are designed to inform selection of appropriate management tools based on empirical data and experience to increase the likelihood of successful fisheries management.