THE EFFECT OF ANTHELMINTIC TREATMENT AND OTHER MANAGEMENT FACTORS ON THE INCIDENCE OF BREECH STRIKE IN MERINO SHEEP

SUMMARY Repeated scouring and soiling of the breech region with faeces rendered mulesed, Merino sheep susceptible to breech strike. Anthelmintic treatment of ewes before and after lambing and of lambs 6 to 8 weeks old reduced intestinal trichostrongylosis, scouring and consequent breech strike. Wether lambs tended to be more susceptible than ewe lambs and sheep grazing long pastures were struck more frequently than those on short pastures.     

Diuretic, laxative and toxicity studies of Cocculus hirsutus aerial parts

The aqueous extract of the Cocculus hirsutus aerial parts (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) showed significant diuretic activity and laxative effect in rats. The acute toxicity, orally evaluated in mice, was found to be higher than 3000 mg/kg.     

Carbon stock and rate of carbon sequestration in Dipterocarpus forests of Manipur,Northeast India

We examined the carbon stock and rate of carbon sequestration in a tropical deciduous forest dominated by Dipterocarpus tuberculatus in Manipur,North East India.Estimation of aboveground biomass was determined by harvest method and multiplied with density of tree species.The aboveground biomass was between18.27–21.922 t ha-1and the carbon stock ranged from9.13 to 10.96 t C ha-1across forest stands.Aboveground biomass and carbon stock increased with the increase in tree girth.The rate of carbon sequestration varied from1.4722 to 4.64136 t ha-1year-1among the dominant tree species in forest stands in tropical deciduous forest area.The rate of carbon sequestration depends on species composition,the density of large trees in different girth classes,and anthropogenic disturbances in the present forest ecosystem.Further work is required to identify tree species having the highest potential to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere,which could lead to recommendations for tree plantations in a degraded ecosystem.     

Varietal differences in the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from mango (Mangifera indica) and papaya (Carica papaya) fruits

Mango and papaya, which are rich sources of beta-carotene, are widely consumed in India. In this study, beta-carotene content and its bioaccessibility were determined in six locally available varieties of mango, namely, Badami, Raspuri, Mallika, Malgoa, Totapuri, and Neelam, and two varieties of papaya, namely, Honey Dew and Surya. Varietal differences were evident in both beta-carotene content and its bioaccessibility in the case of mango. beta-Carotene content in ripe mango ranged from 0.55 +/- 0.03 mg/100 g in the Malgoa variety to 3.21 +/- 0.25 mg/100 g in the Badami variety. Similarly, in the Honey Dew and Surya varieties of papaya, beta-carotene contents were 0.70 +/- 0.10 and 0.74 +/- 0.12 mg/100 g, respectively. Bioaccessibility of beta-carotene ranged from 24.5% in Badami to 39.1% in Raspuri varieties of mango. Considering both the percent bioaccessibility and the inherent beta-carotene content, the amount of bioaccessible beta-carotene was highest in the Mallika variety (0.89 mg/100 g), followed by Badami (0.79 mg/100 g). Because mango and papaya are also consumed as a blend with milk, the influence of the presence of milk on the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from these fruits was also examined. Addition of milk generally brought about a significant increase in the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from mango, the increase ranging from 12 to 56%. Bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from the two varieties of papaya examined was similar (31.4-34.3%). Addition of milk increased this bioaccessibility by 19 and 38% in these two varieties. Considering the beta-carotene content of mango and papaya, the latter has to be consumed in amounts roughly 3 times that of mango to derive the same amount of beta-carotene. Thus, this study has indicated that varietal differences exist in the content and bioaccessibility of beta-carotene in mango and that the addition of milk is advantageous in deriving this provitamin A from the fruit pulp of mango and papaya.     

Role of cathepsins B and D in proteolysis of yolk in the catfish Clarias gariepinus

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - Yolk processing pathways vary in the oocytes of benthophil and pelagophil teleosts. The present study investigated the yolk processing pattern in the oocytes of...     

Serum antibody response of Indian major carp, Labeo rohita to three species of pathogenic bacteria; Aeromonas hydrophila, Edwardsiella tarda and Pseudomonas fluorescens

The immune response to mixed whole cell antigens of Aeromonas hydrophila, Edwardsiella tarda and Pseudomonas fluorescens, the common Gram negative bacterial pathogens associated with diseases of Indian major carps were evaluated for their efficacy in triggering antibody responses in rohu, Labeo rohita (Ham.). The rohu yearlings were either immunized with antigens from single bacterial strain, A. hydrophila, E. tarda and P. fluorescens or a combination of all three. An antibody response was detected at 1st week post immunization that rose significantly (p<0.05) at 4th week post immunization in all the immunized groups. The antibody level started declining after 8th week but persisted up to 10th week post immunization in all the immunized groups. Similarly, no significant difference (p>0.05) in the antibody level was found between groups immunized with single and mixed bacterial antigens. Moreover, the use of mixed bacterial antigens did not jeopardize the specific immune response to the vaccine components. Upon challenge with single pathogen, a high relative percent survival was recorded in the group immunized with mixed bacterial antigens and was comparable to those fish immunized with the single bacteria.     

Mexican labor and Oregon agriculture: The changing terrain of conflict

This article examines the efforts by the Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United union to organize Mexican migrant farmworkers in the Willamette Valley. It focuses on the union's 1995 organizing campaign of strawberry picker?s, the largest campaign in the history of Pacific Northwest agriculture. To provide context for the union's efforts, the article develops the historical role and changing nature of Oregon agriculture, sketches the politics of agriculture in the state, and describes the industry's labor system. The article concludes that significant gains for strawberry pickers were made during the 1995 campaign; the long-term consolidation of those gains remains to be demonstrated.     

Requirement for DARPP-32 in progesterone-facilitated sexual receptivity in female rats and mice

DARPP-32, a dopamine- and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-regulated phosphoprotein (32 kilodaltons in size), is an obligate intermediate in progesterone (P)-facilitated sexual receptivity in female rats and mice. The facilitative effect of P on sexual receptivity in female rats was blocked by antisense oligonucleotides to DARPP-32. Homozygous mice carrying a null mutation for the DARPP-32 gene exhibited minimal levels of P-facilitated sexual receptivity when compared to their wild-type littermates. P significantly increased hypothalamic cAMP levels and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. These increases were not inhibited by a D1 subclass dopamine receptor antagonist. P also enhanced phosphorylation of DARPP-32 on threonine 34 in the hypothalamus of mice. DARPP-32 activation is thus an obligatory step in progestin receptor regulation of sexual receptivity in rats and mice.     

Observations on the occurence and specificity of anti-bodies produced by infected hosts against the acetyl-cholinesterase present in some common gastrointestinal nematode parasites

Sera from hosts infected with a variety of nematodes were examined for the presence of antibodies against nematode acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Antibodies were detected in the serum from hosts infected with Oesophagostomum spp., Ostertagia spp. and Trichostrongylus spp., but not in serum from hosts infected with Cooperia pectinata or Haemonchus spp., Toxocara spp. or Trichuris vulpis. In those infections in which anti-AChE antibodies were found, some individual animals failed to produce detectable antibodies. The enzyme appeared to possess antigenic specificity at the genus but not the species level.