Photochemical isomerization of fluazifop-butyl

Fluazifop-butyl, butyl (RS)-2-[4-(5-trifluoromethyl-2-pyridyloxy)-phenoxy]propionate, as a thin film on glass, was photo-rearranged by ultraviolet irradiation at 254 nm to the isomer, butyl (RS)-2-[4-hydroxy-3-(5-trifluoromethyl-2-pyridyl)phenoxy]propionate. The reaction followed first-order kinetics. A mechanism that accounts for the formation of this product is proposed.     

Assessment of Orchidometry and Scrotal Circumference in Coatis (Nasua nasua)

This study describes the morphometry of the testicles of captive coatis (Nasua nasua) and verifies the existence of correlations between the testicles and the semen producing characteristics. Twelve ejaculates were obtained from five adult specimens that were restraint by anaesthesia. Visual and morphometric evaluation of the external genitalia was performed by using a caliper. The animals presented a scrotal circumference of 9.4 ± 0.7 cm. The right testicle presented a width of 1.7 ± 0.2 cm, length of 2.6 ± 0.2 cm and volume of 3.9 ± 1.1 cm³. The left testicle presented a width of 1.7 ± 0.1 cm, length of 2.5 ± 0.3 cm and volume of 3.6 ± 0.7 cm³. No significant correlations were obtained between the scrotal circumference or total testicular volume and the semen producing characteristics (volume and sperm concentration). For the first time in this field, this study presents an important contribution to the knowledge of the reproductive morphophysiology of coatis.     

Influence of environmental temperature on experimental infection of redfin perch (Perca fluviatilis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus, an Australian iridovirus

SUMMARY Experimental transmission of epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) to adult redfin perch Perca fluviatilis and juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was undertaken at different water temperatures using intraperitoneal (IP) and bath inoculation. Redfin perch were highly susceptible to EHNV by both routes of infection. Bath inoculation with as few as 0.08 TCID₅₀. _mL^-1 was lethal. The incubation period in redfin perch was about 11 days at a water temperature of 19–21°C but was longer at colder temperatures and disease did not occur at temperatures below 12°C. The longest incubation period recorded in redfin perch was 28 days. Rainbow trout were not susceptible to infection by bath inoculation but the disease was reproduced after IP inoculation with 10^5.6 TCID₅₀ at water temperatures ranging from 8–21°C. The incubation period was 3–10 days at 19–21°C, but was up to 32 days at 8–10°C. Persistent infection with EHNV was detected by virus isolation in a clinically unaffected rainbow trout after 63 days. The implications of these findings in the understanding of the epidemiology of EHNV infection are discussed.     

Salinomycin poisoning in point-of-lay turkeys

Salinomycin poisoning occurred in a flock of 700 point-of-lay turkeys; 400 birds died over 7 days as a result of consuming feed contaminated with 50 ppm salinomycin. No gross lesions were detected. Histologic evidence of a myopathy was most readily detected in leg muscles of turkeys 5 to 7 d after ingesting salinomycin. Feeding trials were undertaken and individual susceptibility to the drug was found to vary greatly. In affected birds the plasma concentrations of creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were found to be in the range of 500,000 to 2,500,000 IU/l and 9000 to 25,000 IU/l, respectively. The marked increase in the plasma activities of these enzymes preceded histological evidence of segmental muscle necrosis.     

Advancements in Large Animal Embryo Transfer and Related Biotechnologies

Embryo transfer has been an inherent part of cattle breeding for more than 35 years and has also gained remarkable interest from the equine industry after several breeds allowed registration of more than one foal per year. In both large animal species, non‐surgical embryo recovery and transfer are well‐established techniques. However, success rates after superovulation and cryopreservation of embryos in horses are still lagging behind those of cattle, and more research is needed to address these areas. To address the problem of freezing large equine embryos, we offer a preliminary demonstration of a new cryopreservation method which involves reduction of the blastocoelic volume and microinjection of cryopreservative. Successful cryopreservation will improve the ability of practitioners to preserve and implant embryos in recipient mares. Recent advances in the use of equine FSH to induce superovulation in mares brings to the forefront the issue of how to best preserve the large number of embryos that are produced. Finally, the use of sexed semen after superovulation will provide the bovine and equine breeding industry the offspring of the desired sex.     

On the Lipidic Fraction of some Typical Mediterranean Soils from Micaschists

The lipidic fraction extracted from Rankers and Cambisols developed under the same pedoclimatic conditions was studied using chemical and physical methods. Their amounts extracted from different horizons varied from 0.10 to 0.66 g/100 g soil or from 2.7 to 33.3 g/100 g soil organic matter. UV-visible, NMR and IR analyses indicate a rather homogeneous constitution of the lipidic fraction of the examined soils, characterized by a prevalence of long aliphatic saturated chains and only traces of aromatic compounds. X-ray diffractometry gives evidence of the presence in all horizons of ozocerite, a crystalline mineral wax which can be considered an accumulation metabolic product. The characteristics of the lipids of these soils, shown by the acid number and by the E₂/E₃ ratio, can be used as an index of their bioactivity.     

Effects of lead pollution on different soil enzyme activities

We studied the effects of Pb pollution on soil dehydrogenase and phosphatase activity. Samples of four soils (Saxe, Podestà, Porto Teulada, and Sa Xia Manna) were collected from various locations in southwestern Sardinia, Italy. The soils, which differ mainly in heavy metal contents of pedologic origin (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb), were treated with Pb (0, 100, 500, 1000, and 5000 g Pb g^-1 soil) and incubated in the laboratory. Samples of the incubated soils were collected periodically (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks) and the enzymes were measured. Soil dehydrogenase activity was influenced by both the Pb additions and variations in soil moisture content. Only the addition of 5000 g Pb g^-1 soil led to a significant decrease in dehydrogenase activity compared to the controls, while the other doses of Pb did not always result in a clear reduction in enzyme activity. Drying the soil led to a considerable reduction in dehydrogenase activity, sometimes so far as to render the differences found between the various treatments not statistically significant. Soil phosphate activity was also influenced by the Pb additions, but the effect of the variation in soil moisture content was less than that found for the dehydrogenase. After the 2nd week of incubation, the phosphate activity in the Podestà and Saxe soils had decreased proportionally to the increase in Pb content. At the end of the incubation period, in the Porto Teulada and Sa Xia Manna soils, a net reduction in phosphatase activity versus controls was found only at the highest Pb concentration. Although both enzyme activities were influenced by the Pb additions, the phosphate activity was less sensitive to variations in the soil moisture content and may thus be a more suitable indicator for soil pollution by Pb.     

Interactions of organic and inorganic chromium species with Ca-polygalacturonate

This study investigated the interactions of CrIII and CrVI present as free metal ions or as organic CrIII (Cr-L) with a Ca-polygalacturonate (Ca-PG) network. Ca-PG networks were treated with solutions of chromium (CrIII and CrVI) at different concentrations at three different pH values. The Cr-L complex were obtained by water extraction of hydrolysed leather. The CrVI had almost no interaction with the Ca-PG networks, whereas CrIII as a free metallic ion was strongly retained by the network. The calculated Langmuir adsorption isotherms showed a twofold increase in maximum CrIII adsorption but a decrease in the affinity of the metal with the Ca-PG networks. This would indicate that the different chromium species, i.e. CrIII and its hydrolytic species, interact in a different way with the polygalacturonate chains. In addition, thermal analysis showed that CrIII sorption modified the structure of the network. These modifications were reduced, and thermal stability increased if Ca-PG adsorbed Cr-L or L. Furthermore, the treatment of Ca-PG with hydrolysed leather water extract-reduced CrIII sorption by 94%. The hydrolysed leather fraction immobilized onto the Ca-PG networks probably consisted of peptides and could therefore represent an important source of organic N.