Brainstem Auditory-Evoked Potential Assessment of Congenital Deafness in Dalmatians: Associations With Phenotypic Markers

To screen for congenital deafness, brainstem auditory-evoked potential (BAEP) testing was performed on 1031 Dalmatians from three geographically separated areas. Phenotypic marker assessment was done to determine markers possibly associated with deafness. Markers included sex, hair coat color, pigmentation of different areas of skin (eye rims, nose, and ears), presence of a patch, spot size and marking (density of spotting), sire and dam BAEP status, and presence of iris and retinal tapetal pigmentation. Combined data from all test sites showed 8.1% bilateral deafness (N = 83 dogs) and 21.6% unilateral deafness (N = 223), or an overall 29.7% incidence of hearing disorders. Significant (P less than 0.05) associations with deafness for the data from all test sites combined were seen for patch, sire and dam BAEP, iris pigment, and retinal pigment. However, results differed for several of the significant phenotypic markers when analyses were done on the data from the individual test sites; changes from significant to not significant were found. This suggested the existence of multiple populations of deafness patterns, and reinforced the precautionary conclusion that associations of phenotypic markers with deafness are not necessarily functionally significant.     

Plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, insulin-like growth factor-1, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus concentrations in pregnant beef cows and calves from a herd with a known history of congenital joint laxity and dwarfism.

An investigation was undertaken to ascertain the possibility of a relationship between calcium, inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations in blood plasma and occurrence of congenital joint laxity and dwarfism (CJLD) in young cattle. Pregnant cows were fed hay (30 cows) or grass silage (122 cows) during winter months (October 15 to calving in March). Blood samples were taken from cows on seven occasions during the experiment and 48 hours after calving, and from calves at birth, and at seven, 14 and 56 days old. Five per cent of calves born (six of 122) to cows fed grass silage and none born to cows fed hay were affected by CJLD. The diet and health status of calves were not significantly (P greater than 0.05) associated with the plasma concentration of 1,25(OH)2D. The plasma calcium concentration declined with age of the calves (P less than 0.05) but was not affected by the occurrence of CJLD. Plasma phosphorus and magnesium concentrations in calves born to cows fed silage were higher (P less than 0.05) than in those born to cows fed hay. At birth and seven days old, plasma phosphorus concentrations were higher (P less than 0.05) in CJLD-affected calves than in healthy calves but the plasma concentration of IGF-1 was not different (P greater than 0.05). It was concluded that the high plasma phosphorus concentrations in CJLD-affected calves and their dams could be related to the aetiology of the CJLD condition in calves.     

Effects of faunation and type of dietary protein on gastric solubility and liver content of copper in sheep

Three experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the presence of protozoa on copper (Cu) metabolism in sheep fed corn silage or corn silage supplemented with casein, fish meal or soybean meal. For each diet, eight rams were kept fauna-free; eight additional rams were faunated and housed separately from them. The faunated rams in all treatments grew faster and consumed more feed and, consequently, more Cu. However, they had a lower (P less than .01) ruminal Cu solubility and accumulated less Cu in their livers than the fauna-free rams when fed corn silage alone or in combination with soybean meal (insoluble, ruminally degraded protein). Such effects were not significant when corn silage was supplemented with fish meal (protein resistant to ruminal degradation). The presence of ciliate protozoa in the rumen had no effect on the accumulation of Cu in the liver of sheep fed corn silage supplemented with casein (soluble, ruminally degraded protein) and produced conflicting results on ruminal Cu solubility. Hence, the effect of protozoa on Cu metabolism is indirect and depends on the type of protein present in the diet.     

Ganglioneuroblastoma in a cat: a rare neoplasm treated with electrochemotherapy

An 8-year-old male castrated cat was referred for sudden onset of lameness. Physical examination revealed a 1x2x1cm mass originating from a footpad of the right hind leg. A diagnosis of ganglioneuroblastoma was suggested by the tumour appearance following histopathological staining with haematoxylin and eosin and haematoxylin/van Gieson. Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament and S100 further confirmed the diagnosis. The staging process did not indicate metastatic spread. The cat was treated with three sessions of electrochemotherapy (ECT) 1 week apart, following local injection of bleomycin. The tumour had completely regressed within 1 week of the third ECT application and remained in remission for 402 days at which time a small recurrence was noted. The animal was given a further session of ECT using intra-lesional cisplatin and again went into remission. It remained tumour free at 450 days. Electrochemotherapy is considered a safe and effective treatment for localised neoplasms of cats and dogs and warrants further investigation.     

Ocular morphology of the Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Objective The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest extant reptile and the sole member of the family Dermochelyidae. Here, the eye of this critically endangered marine turtle was investigated to determine the anatomy, optics, and optical sensitivity. Animals studied Three Leatherback sea turtles, Dermochelys coriacea. Results The eye is small in proportion to body size of the adult compared to other vertebrates, with prominence of the retractor bulbi and pyramidalis muscles. The nictitans shows extensive folding of the bulbar conjunctiva as an apparent mechanism to increase the surface area for mucus secretion. The intraocular anatomy is consistent with an eye adapted to aquatic vision with minimal curvature of the cornea, a near‐spherical lens, deep ciliary cleft and highly vascularized ciliary body. The optical sensitivity, a measure of the sensitivity to light of a given optical system, is higher than in other marine turtles studied but lower than those found in teleost fish that share a habitat with the Leatherback sea turtle. Conclusions The Leatherback sea turtle shows ocular features that are characteristic of Chelonians with similarities to aquatic mammals. The calculated optical sensitivity suggests that compared to pelagic fishes, for instance, the Leatherback sea turtle eye is not particularly well adapted for vision in dim light even though this species is known to venture into deep, dark waters, and might feed at night.     

Bias in heritability estimates from genomic restricted maximum likelihood methods under different genotyping strategies

We investigated the effects of different strategies for genotyping populations on variance components and heritabilities estimated with an animal model under restricted maximum likelihood (REML), genomic REML (GREML), and single‐step GREML (ssGREML). A population with 10 generations was simulated. Animals from the last one, two or three generations were genotyped with 45,116 SNP evenly distributed on 27 chromosomes. Animals to be genotyped were chosen randomly or based on EBV. Each scenario was replicated five times. A single trait was simulated with three heritability levels (low, moderate, high). Phenotypes were simulated for only females to mimic dairy sheep and also for both sexes to mimic meat sheep. Variance component estimates from genomic data and phenotypes for one or two generations were more biased than from three generations. Estimates in the scenario without selection were the most accurate across heritability levels and methods. When selection was present in the simulations, the best option was to use genotypes of randomly selected animals. For selective genotyping, heritabilities from GREML were more biased compared to those estimated by ssGREML, because ssGREML was less affected by selective or limited genotyping.     

Performance of dual and triple fungicide premixes for managing soybean rust across years and regions in Brazil: A meta-analysis

Soybean rust in Brazil is currently controlled with several commercial fungicide premixes composed of demethylation inhibitors (EPOXiconazole, CYPRoconazole, PROThioconazole, TEBUconazole), quinone-outside inhibitors (AZOXystrobin, TriFLoXystrobin, PYRAclostrobin, PICOxystrobin), and succinate demethylation inhibitors (BENZovindiflupyr, BIXaFen, FLUXapyroxad). Here, we summarize the performance of eight premixes evaluated in 177 cooperative trials conducted in 46 locations across 10 states from 2015 to 2020. All fungicide treatments were sprayed three times starting at R1/R2. Percentage control (, %), from back-transforming meta-analytic estimates of the log of the ratio, ranged from 56.2% (PICO + CYPR) to 76.8% (BIXF + TFLX + PROT). Estimates of mean yield difference (, kg/ha) between fungicide-treated and untreated plots were greatest for BIXF + TFLX + PROT (1,080) followed by PICO + BENZ (1,010), PYRA + EPOX + FLUX (981.5), AZOX + BENZ (910), TFLX + PROT (891), PICO +TEBU (682), TFLX + CYPR (646), and PICO + CYPR (600). Significant declines in both and in as little as 4 years were detected for AZOX + BENZ (35.3%; 550 kg/ha) and PICO + BENZ (15.5%; 359.8 kg/ha). Variance in was reduced by the inclusion of baseline severity as covariate. In trials where baseline disease was ≥70%, yield was 250 kg/ha greater compared to areas with low baseline disease. Disease control and yield response were generally greater in the south-east, where the frequency of profitable scenarios was 30% higher on average than in the north-west. Results of this meta-analysis are critical for supporting decisions during planning of fungicide programmes.     

Relationship between apparent modulus of elasticity,gage length,and tensile strength of lumber

The percent explained variation (r²) of tensile strength (T) of dimension lumber can be accounted for primarily by apparent modulus of elasticity (E_a).Tensile strength ratio, a good index of T of structural lumber, and E_a are both dependent on relative knot size, making T a function of E_a. This theoretical relationship helps to increase r² when T is regressed on E_a and gives the cause and effect for some multiple regression analyses. An independent variable was identified on the basis of this theory.Shortening the gage length enhances ability to predict T when flatwise bending E_a or tension E_a is used as an independent variable, but not when edgewise bending E_a is used.Two single variables not previously reported, E_a measured in flatwise bending on 16-inch gage length (EF 16) and E_a measured in tension on 6-inch gage length (ET 6) (based solely on deformation measurements), are individually able to explain approximately as much variation of T (r²=0.75) as the combination of E_a measured flatwise on 48-inch gage length (span length for the existing American grading machines), and ASTM bending strength ratio. The combination of EF 16 and ET6 can explain 85% of the variation of T. The highest r² (0.87) was obtained when a modified bending strength ratio was added to these new variables.This research was done in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Science, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., May 1971.