A comparison of popular approaches to optimize landscape resistance surfaces

Landscape Ecology - Landscape resistance surfaces are often used to address questions related to movement, dispersal, or population connectivity. However, modeling landscape resistance is...     

Teton Russet: An Early-Maturing,Dual-Purpose Potato Cultivar Having Higher Protein and Vitamin C Content,Low Asparagine,and Resistances to Common Scab and Fusarium Dry Rot

Teton Russet is an early-maturing, medium-russeted, potato cultivar with high merit for both fresh-pack and processing. In early harvest trials in the Pacific Northwest, Teton Russet had total yields similar to Russet Norkotah, and higher than Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank. Marketable yield of Teton Russet in the early harvest trials was also comparable to or higher than Russet Norkotah in Washington and Oregon, and higher than Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank at these sites, as well as in Idaho. In full-season trials, while total yield of the earlier-maturing Teton Russet tended to be lower than Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank, marketable yield was generally higher than Russet Burbank across the majority of sites due to its higher percentage of U.S. No. 1 tubers. Teton Russet is suitable for processing, with acceptable fry color following up to 8 months of storage at 8.9 °C. Uniformity of fry color was also very consistent. Teton Russet has shown lower levels of the amino acid asparagine relative to Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank which may contribute to lower acrylamide levels in French fries and other processed potato products. Teton Russet is notable for having resistance to common scab (Streptomyces spp.) and Fusarium dry rot, and is moderately resistant to tuber net necrosis. Analyses have also shown Teton Russet to have significantly higher protein levels than Russet Norkotah, Ranger Russet, and Russet Burbank, as well as higher vitamin C content than Russet Norkotah and Russet Burbank. Teton Russet was released in 2011 by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, and is a product of the Pacific Northwest Potato Variety (Tri-State) Development Program.     

Herpesvirus antigens on cell membranes detected by centrifugation of membrane-antibody complexes

Herpesviruses specify new glycoproteins that bind to cell membranes and also appear in the envelope of the virion. Incubation of purified smooth membranes from infected cells with antiviral antibody results in an increase in the density of the membranes as determined by flotation in sucrose density gradients. The magnitude of this increase depends on the amount of antibody used; densities as high as 1.16 grams per cubic centimeter have been obtained (the density of the untreated membranes is 1.08 grams per cubic centimeter). Antiviral antibody does not increase the density of uninfected cell membranes nor do saline or normal rabbit serum change the densities of infected or uninfected cell mnembranes. Viral antigens-presumably the glycoproteins specified by the virus-are probably on the surface of the infected cell membranes and bind to them strongly enough to withstand the hydrodynamic forces applied to them in the sucrose gradient.     

Swine models for cardiovascular research: a low stress transport and restraint system for large swine.

A restraint and transport system was developed for handling large swine during cardiovascular research studies. The major design criteria provided for comfortable, low stress restraint of the swine, safety for laboratory personnel and ability to perform a wide variety of hemodynamic and echocardiographic measurements in the standing, supported standing and sedated, or in Panepinto sling positions. A head gate is provided for venipuncture procedures, and an auxiliary feeding and watering front panel can replace the head gate for use of the system as a post-operative "recovery room". Using this system animals weighing 22 to 150 kg can be easily managed.     

Incessant Atrial Tachycardias in a Dog With Tricuspid Dysplasia

In a dog, tricuspid regurgitation due to congenital tricuspid dysplasia resulted in extreme right heart enlargement and right heart failure. Incessant supraventricular tachycardias were present, requiring the intravenous administration of verapamil to reduce the ventricular rate. Oral therapy using a combination of verapamil and quinidine was partially effective in controlling the ventricular rate during the following week. At that time, electrophysiologic studies were performed. They revealed that a succession of several atrial tachycardias with different cycle lengths, including one episode of atrial flutter, was present. Atrial activity was spanning the majority of the cycle length in all these arrhythmias. Epicardial mapping was performed during the atrial flutter. This enabled the detection of a depolarization wave-front traveling counterclockwise from the dorsolateral right atrium toward the right appendage, following the tricuspid valve annulus. No areas of abnormal conduction were detected. Because programmed electric stimulation maneuvers could not be performed, definitive conclusions about the mechanism of the arrhythmia could not be drawn. The two most likely possibilities were circus movement using part of the dilated tricuspid valve annulus as an anatomic barrier or a leading circle type of re-entry.