Monitoring forest structure to guide adaptive management of forest restoration: a review of remote sensing approaches

New Forests - With the demand for, and scale of, ecological restoration increasing globally, effectiveness monitoring remains a significant challenge. For forest restoration, structural complexity...     

Evaluation of selective media in antimicrobial surveillance programs capturing broad-spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli from chickens at slaughter

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance targeting agricultural animals is practiced in many countries but does not often include media selective for cephalosporin resistance. Here, we compared the frequency of recovery of resistant Escherichia coli using selective and non-selective media from the cecal contents of 116 chickens collected by the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS). Third generation cephalosporin resistance was detected in 24 samples including 12, 10, and 2 on selective, non-selective, and both media, respectively. Isolates producing the CTX-M-1 ESBL were grown from 11 samples, 10 on selective medium only. Our results suggest that current surveillance approaches underestimate the true prevalence of resistance to critically important antimicrobials.     

A MODIFIED CAPACITANCE PROBE TECHNIQUE FOR ESTIMATING PASTURE YIELD

An instrument for estimating pasture yield electronically was constructed. It was a modification of that described by Campbell et al (1). A transistorized crystal oscillator was incorporated to provide a highly stable frequency standard for use in the field. This provided a zero reference point for both the measuring head oscillator and the reading oscillator before and during use. The instrument is fully described and details are given of its field adjustment and operation.     

Relationship between inbreeding and milk production traits in two Italian dairy sheep breeds

The effects of inbreeding in livestock species breeds have been well documented and they have a negative impact on profitability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of inbreeding in Sarda (SAR, n = 785) and Valle del Belice (VdB, n = 473) dairy sheep breeds and their impact on milk production traits. Two inbreeding coefficients (F) were estimated: using pedigree (F_PED), or runs of homozygosity (ROH; F_ROH) at different minimum ROH lengths and different ROH classes. After the quality control, 38,779 single nucleotide polymorphisms remained for further analyses. A mixed-linear model was used to evaluate the impact of inbreeding coefficients on production traits within each breed. VdB showed higher inbreeding coefficients compared to SAR, with both breeds showing lower estimates as the minimum ROH length increased. Significant inbreeding depression was found only for milk yield, with a loss of around 7 g/day (for SAR) and 9 g/day (VdB) for a 1% increase of F_ROH. The present study confirms how the use of genomic information can be used to manage intra-breed diversity and to calculate the effects of inbreeding on phenotypic traits.     

Effects of lidocaine constant rate infusion on sevoflurane requirement, autonomic responses, and postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing ovariectomy under opioid-based balanced anesthesia

The effects of constant rate infusion (CRI) of lidocaine on sevoflurane (SEVO) requirements, autonomic responses to noxious stimulation, and postoperative pain relief were evaluated in dogs undergoing opioid-based balanced anesthesia. Twenty-four dogs scheduled for elective ovariectomy were randomly assigned to one of four groups: BC, receiving buprenorphine without lidocaine; FC, receiving fentanyl without lidocaine; BL, receiving buprenorphine and lidocaine; FL, receiving fentanyl and lidocaine. Dogs were anesthetized with intravenous (IV) diazepam and ketamine and anesthesia maintained with SEVO in oxygen/air. Lidocaine (2mg/kg plus 50μg/kg/min) or saline were infused in groups BL/FL and BC/FC, respectively. After initiation of lidocaine or saline CRI IV buprenorphine (0.02mg/kg) or fentanyl (4μg/kg plus 8μg/kg/h CRI) were administered IV in BC/BL and FC/FL, respectively. Respiratory and hemodynamic variables, drug plasma concentrations, and end-tidal SEVO concentrations (E'SEVO) were measured. Behaviors and pain scores were subjectively assessed 1 and 2h post-extubation. Lidocaine CRI produced median drug plasma concentrations <0.4μg/mL during peak surgical stimulation. Lidocaine produced a 14% decrease in E'SEVO in the BL (P<0.01) but none in the FL group and no change in cardio-pulmonary responses to surgery or postoperative behaviors and pain scores in any group. Thus, depending on the opioid used, supplementing opioid-based balanced anesthesia with lidocaine (50μg/kg/min) may not have any or only a minor impact on anesthetic outcome in terms of total anesthetic dose, autonomic responses to visceral nociception, and postoperative analgesia.     

Strain and age differences in behaviour,fear response and pecking tendency in laying hens

1. Behaviours associated with a high or low tendency to feather peck could be used as predictors of feather pecking behaviour in selective breeding programmes. This study investigated how strain and age at testing influenced responses in behavioural tests. 2. Four layer-type strains (ISA Brown, Columbian Blacktail, Ixworth and a high feather pecking (HP) and a low feather pecking (LP) line of White Leghorn) were reared in 6 same-strain/line pens of 8 birds from one day old. Birds in half the pens were given an open field test, a novel object test and a test with loose feather bundles between 4 and 12 weeks of age and a tonic immobility (TI) test at 13 weeks of age. All pens were tested with fixed feather bundles at 26 weeks, and undisturbed behaviour in the home pens was videoed at 1 and 27 weeks of age. Daily records of plumage damage were used as an indicator of feather pecking activity in the home pens. 3. Strain did not influence novel object test, open field test or loose feather test behaviour, although age effects in all three tests indicated a reduction in fearfulness and/or an increase in exploratory behaviour with increasing age. 4. White Leghorns showed longer TI durations than the other strains but less pecking at fixed feather bundles than ISA Browns and Columbian Blacktails. 5. There were few associations between behaviour in the 5 different tests, indicating that birds did not have overall behavioural traits that were consistent across different contexts. This suggests hens cannot easily be categorised into different behavioural 'types', based on their test responses and casts doubt on the usefulness of tests as predictors of feather pecking.     

Comparative study of ovomucoid isolated from Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata), domestic goose (Anser anser) and domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

1. Ovomucoids were purified from Muscovy duck, domestic duck and domestic goose.

2. Peptide maps of cyanogen bromide‐cleaved ovomucoids from Muscovy duck and domestic duck were very similar to one another, but differed from that of goose.

3. Muscovy duck ovomucoid showed the same protease inhibitory pattern as ovomucoid from domestic duck, inhibiting trypsin in the molar ratio of 1:2 and chymotrypsin 1:1.

4. Inhibitory complexes could be detected between chymotrypsin and ovomucoid from both Muscovy and domestic duck, but not from goose, by using non‐denaturing gels.

5. No complexes could be detected between DFP‐inactivated chymotrypsin and any of the ovomucoids.

6. The results show that of ovomucoid from Muscovy duck more closely resembles that from domestic duck than goose.