Treatment of sarcoptic mange in canadian cattle with ivermectin

In 1982, approximately 13,000 Canadian cattle were treated once for sarcoptic mange with ivermectin at a dose of 10 mg per 45.4 kg of body weight. The results showed 100% efficacy against Sarcoptes scabiei and other ectoparasites present. All cattle showed marked improvement in general condition with new hair growth and apparent weight gains by 31 days posttreatment. Surveillance of treated herds for a year following treatment showed that one parenteral treatment with ivermectin eradicated the disease from closed herds.     

Broiler pulmonary hypertension syndrome. I. Increased right ventricular mass in broilers experimentally infected with Aegyptianella pullorum

Infection with the obligatory intra-erythrocytic anaplasma-like rickettsia Aegyptianella pullorum in 4-week-old broilers at a moderate altitude of 1,200 m produced a significant increase in the mean relative right ventricular (RV) mass (RV: TV) from 0.23 in the controls to 0.31 in the infected group. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of birds suffering from severe RV hypertrophy from 14.3% in the controls to 50% in the infected group. Pulmonary hypertension and subsequent RV hypertrophy could have been caused by the severe anaemia experienced in the course of the infection or by metabolic or biochemical action of A. pullorum. As the agent does not occur on commercial broiler farms, it cannot play a practical role in the broiler ascites syndrome.     

Type IV secretion and Brucella virulence

The type IV secretion system, encoded by the virB region, is a key virulence factor for Brucella. The 12 genes of the region form an operon that is specifically induced by phagosome acidification in cells after phagocytosis. We speculate that the system serves to secrete unknown effector molecules, which allow Brucella to pervert the host cell endosomal pathways and to create a novel intracellular compartment in which it can replicate.     

Changes in the sotolon content of dry white wines during barrel and bottle aging

GC-MS in electron ionization mode (EI) was used as a simple, sensitive method for assaying sotolon [4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2(5) H-furanone] in various dry white wines. The impact of barrel-aging conditions, that is, whether yeast lees were present or not, on the formation of sotolon in dry white wines was then studied. The sotolon content was highest in dry white wines aged in new barrels without lees, often exceeding the perception threshold (8 microg/L). These results demonstrated that yeast lees were capable of minimizing the formation of sotolon in dry white wines during aging. The sotolon and oxygen contents of several bottle of the same white wine were also compared 7 years after bottling. At the range of dissolved oxygen concentrations generally measured, between 5 and 100 microg/L, the sotolon content remained below its perception threshold in wine. The perception threshold was exceeded only in wines with oxygen concentrations above 500 microg/L. The presence of dissolved oxygen in the wine samples analyzed also resulted in a decrease in their free sulfur dioxide content.     

Mixing of propagules from discrete sources at long distance: comparing a dispersal tail to an exponential

Background  

Rare long distance dispersal events impact the demography and the genetic structure of populations. When dispersal is modelled via a dispersal kernel, one possible characterisation of long-distance dispersal is given by the shape of the tail of the kernel, i.e. its type of decay. This characteristic is known to directly act on the speed and pattern of colonization, and on the spatial structure of genetic diversity during colonization. In particular, colonization waves behave differently depending on whether the kernel decreases faster or slower than an exponential (i.e. is thin-tailed vs. fat-tailed). To interpret and extend published results on the impact of long-distance dispersal on the genetic structure of populations, we examine a classification of dispersal kernels based on the shape of their tails and formally demonstrate qualitative differences among them that can influence the predicted diversity of a propagule pool sampled far from two distinct sources.     

Issues and challenges in landscape models for agriculture: from the representation of agroecosystems to the design of management strategies

Context

Agroecosystems produce food and many other services that are crucial for human well-being. Given the scales at which the processes underlying these services take place, agricultural landscapes appear as appropriate spatial units for their evaluation and management. The design of sustainable agricultural landscapes that value these services has thus become a pressing issue but faces major challenges stemming from the diversity of processes, their interactions and the number of scales at stake. Agricultural landscape modelling can provide a key contribution to this design but must still overcome several difficulties to offer reliable tools for decision makers.

Objectives

Our study aimed at shedding light on the main scientific and technical difficulties that make the building of landscape models that may efficiently inform decision-makers a complex task, as well as translating them in terms of challenges that can be further investigated and discussed.

Methods

We examine current issues and challenges and indicate future research needs to overcome the scientific and technical obstacles in the development of useful agricultural landscape models.

Results

We highlight research perspectives to better couple landscape patterns and process models and account for feedbacks, integrate the decisions of multiple stakeholders, consider the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of data and processes, explore alternative landscape organisations and assess multiobjective performance.

Conclusion

Coping with the issues and challenges discussed in this paper should improve our understanding of agroecosystems and give rise to new hypotheses, thereby informing future research.

     

Increasing the sink:source balance enhances photosynthetic rate of 1-year-old balsam fir foliage by increasing allocation of mineral nutrients

To determine the impact of altering the sink:source balance on gas exchange rates in 1-year-old foliage of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), seedlings were either debudded before the growing season began or left intact. To assess alternative explanations for the observed photosynthetic response, additional seedlings were variously root pruned, shaded, drought stressed or deprived of fertilizer in combination with debudding. Foliar gas exchange rates and carbohydrate concentrations, xylem water potential and current-year growth were measured on three occasions spanning the shoot extension period. In addition, growth, foliar concentrations of chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic rate at different CO2 concentrations were determined 1 month after shoot extension ceased. Debudded seedlings had higher photosynthetic rates than budded seedlings, and the difference increased as the growing season progressed. We observed no evidence that debudding increased photosynthetic rate by improving water relations or by reducing foliar carbohydrate concentrations. Debudding increased foliar concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and chlorophyll, as well as quantum yield and photochemical quenching as determined by chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. Therefore, we conclude that debudding increased the photosynthetic rate by increasing the allocation of nutrients to 1-year-old foliage, thereby enhancing the amount or activity, or both, of photosynthetic enzymes, as well as increasing chlorophyll concentration.     

Differences in stem respiration responses to temperature between balsam fir trees in thinned and unthinned stands

The change in stem respiration rates with change of temperature was significantly lower in a recently thinned balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stand than in an unthinned stand. A comparison of respiration measurements made in the morning with those made in the afternoon indicated that there was more variation among afternoon readings and greater responses to changes in temperature among morning readings. Lower respiration rates in the afternoon were more common in the thinned stand than in the unthinned stand.     

The development of immunoassays to identify and quantify species source of gum arabic

Gum arabic from Acacia senegal is commonly used as an additive in foodstuffs. Adulteration of gum arabic by other gums is a potential problem for reasons of safety and quality. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of potential adulterants of gum arabic. Indirect competitive ELISAs (IC-ELISAs) were developed using the monoclonal antibodies SY CC7 (A. senegal), SY HH3 (Acacia seyal), and SY J1A1 (Combretum erythrophyllum). All IC-ELISAs had a working range of 0.005-10 mg/mL. The antibodies used were tested using the IC-ELISAs for cross-reactivity with other Acacia species and other gums. The antibodies were very specific for their respective antigens. Significant cross-reactivity was found for SY CC7 (between A. senegal and A. melliferae) and SY J1A1 (between C. erythrophyllum and A. seyal). The IC-ELISA was adapted further to test confectionery samples for the presence of gum arabic, which was successful, although recovery rates were reduced. Both IC- and plate trapped antigen ELISA (PTA-ELISA) formats were able to distinguish an adulterated sample of gum arabic when blended with either A. seyal or C. erythrophyllum. The PTA-ELISA was more sensitive for A. seyal than the IC-ELISA, but both were equally sensitive for C. erythrophyllum. The results suggest that the antibodies SY CC7, SY HH3, and SY J1A1 could be used in combination with each other for the detection of potential adulterants of A. senegal and the detection of gum arabic in foodstuffs.