The characterization of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from wild birds in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009

Due to concerns that wild birds could possibly spread H5N1 viruses, surveillance was conducted to monitor the types of avian influenza viruses circulating among the wild birds migrating to or inhabiting in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009. An H5N2 virus isolated from a Eurasian woodcock had a close phylogenetic relationship to H5 viruses recently isolated in South Korea and Japan, suggesting that H5N2 has been shared between Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. An H9N2 virus isolated from a Chinese Hwamei was closely related to two H9N2 viruses that were isolated from humans in Hong Kong in 2009, suggesting that an H9N2 strain relevant to the human isolates had been transmitted to and maintained among the wild bird population in Vietnam and South China. The results support the idea that wild bird species play a significant role in the spread and maintenance of avian influenza and that this also occurs in Vietnam.     

Treatment of canine generalized demodicosis associated with hyperadrenocorticism with spot-on moxidectin and imidacloprid

Background

Canine generalized demodicosis associated with hyperadrenocorticism is often problematic and might be intractable. The aim of this study was to report the efficacy of a weekly application of spot-on moxidectin/imidacloprid in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and secondary generalized demodicosis.

Methods

Dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and secondary generalized demodicosis were included. The condition of hyperadrenocorticism was treated and stabilized with trilostane before and throughout the study period in all dogs.

Results

Average total live adult mite counts before treatment and after four, eight and 12 weeks of spot-on moxidectin/imidacloprid (2.5/10 mg/kg) applications were 20.1 ± 6.3 (range, 13–33), 0.5 ± 0.7 (range, 0–2; 6/11 were negative), 0.2 ± 0.4 (range, 0–1; 9/11 were negative), 0.2 ± 0.4 (range, 0–1; 9/11 were negative) and 0.1 ± 0.3 (range, 0–1; 10/11 were negative) respectively; this difference was significant (P < 0.001). Ten of 11 dogs (90.1%) achieved clinical remission, as demonstrated by the absence of demodectic mites at any life stage at monthly scrapings for eight consecutive weeks, and maintained remission throughout the 12-month follow-up period.

Conclusion

The weekly application of spot-on moxidectin/imidacloprid appeared to be effective and safe against generalized adult onset canine demodicosis associated with hyperadrenocorticism.     

Technical efficiency in timber production and effects of other income sources

In Norway, as in many other European countries, income from forestry has become marginal to owners’ household economies and most employment of forest-owner households is now undertaken off the property. Also, many forest owners have focused increasingly on other revenue-earning activities on their properties, such as providing recreational services. It is a challenge in all kinds of production to find the optimal way of converting inputs into outputs, i.e., to be technically efficient. Extent of financial dependency on income from forestry differs between part-time and full-time forest owners. Since the two groups have different livelihood strategies, it is plausible that full-time forest owners have more professional forest management practices. Data for a cross-section of 3,249 active (i.e., harvesting) forest owners were extracted from the 2004 Sample Survey of Agriculture and Forestry representing the year 2003. A stochastic production frontier analysis was applied to evaluate forest management efficiency impacts of important factors including property and owner characteristics, outfield-related and agricultural activities, off-property income and geographical location in central or remote areas. It was found that many forest owners are technically inefficient, and there exist opportunities for improved performance. Off-property income was found to have an estimated negative impact on technical efficiency, the inefficiency arising (weakly) with increasing share of household incomes from outfield activities, and properties in urban centred areas are less efficient than those in remote areas. One policy implication of the study is that a potentially substantial efficiency increase might be achieved from allowing small inefficient woodlots to merge into larger units of forestry production. Also, providing support for forest management plans may improve efficiency.     

Critical loads of acidity for surface waters

The critical load of acidity for surface waters is based on the concept that the inputs of acids to a catchment do not exceed the weathering less a given amount of ANC. The Steady State Water Chemistry (SSWC) Method is used to calculate critical loads, using present water chemistry. To ensure no damage to biological indicators such as fish species a value for ANC_limit of 20 μeq/l has been used to date for calculating critical loads. The SSWC-method is sensitive to the choice of the ANC_limit. In areas with little acid deposition the probability of acid episodes leading to fish kills is small even if the ANC_limit is set to zero, while in areas with high acidic deposition fish kills may occur at this value. Thus, the ANC_limit can be a function of the acidifying deposition to the lake, nearing zero at low deposition and increasing to higher values at higher deposition. A formulation for such an ANC_limit has been worked out, and we have tested the effect of the ANC_limit as a linear function of the deposition, assuming ANC_limit = 0 at zero deposition with a linear increase to 50 ueq/l at a deposition of 200 meq.m^?2.yr^?1. For areas with high deposition the effect of a variable ANC_limit is small, while in areas with low deposition the effect is significant. For Norway the exceeded area decreases from 36 to 30% using a variable ANC_limit instead of a fixed value of 20 μeq/l.     

The REFISH (restoring endangered fish in stressed habitats) project, 1988–1994

The REFISH (Restoring Endangered Fish In Stressed Habitats) Project was established in 1988 to assess acid-tolerance among indigenous Norwegian strains of brown trout. The work, comprising both laboratory and field studies, has involved the restocking and subsequent test-fishing of thirteen lakes with five brown trout strains. There was considerable variation in the ability of individual lakes to support adult trout. This did not appear related to ANC (acid neutralising capacity) or any single chemical factor. One strain, Bygland, was found to be relatively acid-tolerant, accounting for more than 60% of all fish recaptured by test-fishing over 1990–1994. This is consistent with better survival of young life-stages of the Bygland strain, compared with that of the other strains, in laboratory experiments employing acidic conditions. Strainspecific differences in calcium metabolism may be the physiological basis for acid tolerance.     

Insect pyrethroid-hydrolyzing esterases

Esterases in acetone powder preparations of milkweed bugs, cockroaches, houseflies, cabbage loopers, mealworms, and mouse liver hydrolyze the (+)-trans- and (+)-cis-isomers of resmethrin and tetramethrin but they do not hydrolyze S-bioallethrin. Homogenate fractions are less suitable than acetone powders for assaying the insect esterases due to interfering reactions or inhibitors. The milkweed bug, looper and mouse liver esterases cleave the trans-isomers more rapidly than the cis-isomers of resmethrin and tetramethrin but this isomer specificity is less prominent or not present with the other esterase sources. Pyrethroid-hydrolyzing esterases are much less active in insect than in mouse liver preparations. 1-Naphthyl N-propylcabamate is a more potent inhibitor than S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate for the insect esterases whereas the latter compound is more effective in inhibiting the mouse esterases. Both of these chemicals are noncompetitive inhibitors in each case suggesting that they carbamoylate and phosphorylate the detoxifying enzymes. Esterase inhibitors acting in the nmolar range may be useful synergists in species where pyrethroid detoxification by esterases limits the insecticidal action.     

Transgenic Cloned Mice Expressing Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein Generated by Activation Stimuli Combined with 6‐dimethylaminopurine

Most studies of mouse cloning successfully achieved activation of the reconstructed oocytes by strontium (Sr) combined with cytochalasin B (CB) treatment. A protein kinase inhibitor, 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP), was used to inhibit the activity of maturation promoting factor for activation of oocytes, but it has never been successfully applied in mouse cloning. This study investigates the activation efficiency of 6‐DMAP in mouse somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Higher parthenogenetic blastocyst rates (71–72%, p < 0.05) were achieved in the oocytes treated with Sr6D (10 mM Sr combined with 2 mM 6‐DMAP for 4 h) and Sr6D + SrCB (Sr6D for 2 h then Sr combined with 5 μg/ml CB for another 2 h), and a higher rate of hatching and hatched blastocyst was observed in the Sr6D + SrCB group (31%, p < 0.01) compared with other treatment groups (1–8%). For mouse cloning, cumulus cells of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)‐expressed ESC chimera F1 were used as donor nuclei. Following activation, better development of the cloned embryos was observed in Sr6D + SrCB treatment. Moreover, different media, i.e. KSOM‐AA, MEM‐α and MK, for culturing cloned embryos were also compared in this study. Better morula/blastocyst (40%) and blastocyst (29%) rates were achieved in the embryos cultured in MEM‐α medium (p < 0.05). Consequently, four EGFP cloned mice were generated in the activation treatment containing 6‐DMAP following embryo transfer. In conclusion, treatment with 6‐DMAP in combination with other activation stimuli successfully activates mouse reconstructed oocytes and support full‐term development of the transgenic SCNT cloned embryos.     

Increase in the plant protein ratio in the diet of white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone), using Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal as a replacement

This study aimed to improve the nutritional value and utilization of soybean meal (SBM) used as feed ingredient for shrimp by an approach of solid‐state fermentation with Bacillus subtilis E20. The protein content and B. subtilis E20 proliferation significantly increased, as the initial moisture increased from 30% to 50% during fermentation. Compared with SBM, the protein content of FSBM increased by 19% after fermentation, accompanied by an increase of 18.75% in the total hydrolyzed amino acids. The free amino acid profile and content in FSBM also obviously increased by 374.9% compared with SBM. The FSBM is a good substitute for fish meal (FM) in a diet with 37% protein and 7% lipid content. The maximal replacement levels of FM in shrimp diet with SBM and FSBM were 37.42% and 61.67%, respectively, based on the feed efficiency estimated by a broken‐line analysis. The B. subtilis E20‐FSBM can be a potential protein source used as a replacement for FM in shrimp diet.     

Modeling risk analysis for rice production due to agro-climate change in Taiwan

This study proposes a risk analysis model for the rice production due to climate change in terms of agro-climate indices (i.e., cumulative temperature anomaly, cumulative precipitation anomaly, cumulative sunlight anomaly, cumulative radiation anomaly, and E1 Niño). This risk analysis model is developed by incorporating the multivariate Monte Carlo simulation method, multivariate regression equation, and uncertainty analysis method (advanced first-order second-moment, AFOSM). The study area is composed of 15 counties/cities in Taiwan, East Asia. The data set for the model development and applicability contains 27 years of annual rice productions and agro-climate indices in addition to cultivation areas. Through the proposed risk analysis model, it can be seen that the rice production in Taiwan is especially sensitive to temperature, precipitation, and sunlight. Also, on average, improving performance by reducing insufficient rice risk can rise by 80 % when the rice production increases from 3 × 10⁴ to 3 × 10⁵ tons.     

Comparing estimates of number of breeders Nb based on microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphism of three groups of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Microsatellites (10 MSs) and single nucleotide polymorphism (3871 SNPs) were analysed in three closely related, single‐cohort groups of brown trout, Salmo trutta L. Autumn (W/0+) and subsequent year (W/1+) samples of brown trout of the same stream were retrieved using electric fishing, and one sample of artificially reared brown trout (H/1+), bred from wild parents, was collected from a hatchery. The number of breeders, N_b, was estimated based on each total sample set and from subsets of loci by means of the software LDNe, and by means of Colony2, NeEstimator and ONeSAMP softwares. MS‐based estimates were consequently higher than those based on SNPs. ML‐Relate and Colony2 software was used to estimate putative full‐sib pairs, and there was considerable variation between methods. For monitoring species and populations, both methods are recommended, but to compare N_b across samples and years, the same markers of MSs or SNPs must be used as estimates varied across markers within sample.