Stress and pain response after oligofructose induced-lameness in dairy heifers

Lameness is one of the most painful conditions that affects dairy cattle. This study was conducted to evaluate clinical signs and plasma concentration of several pain and stress biomarkers after oligofructose-induced lameness in dairy heifers. Lameness was induced using an oligofructose overload model in 12 non-pregnant heifers. Clinical parameters and blood samples were obtained at 48 and 24 h and at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h after induction of lameness. Clinical parameters included heart rate, respiratory rate, ruminal frequency and lameness score. Plasma biomarkers included cortisol, haptoglobin, norepinephrine, beta-endorphin and substance P. Differences were observed in all parameters between control and treated heifers. The plasma concentration of biomarkers increased significantly in treated animals starting 6 h after induction of lameness, reaching maximum levels at 24 h for cortisol, 48 h for haptoglobin, 6 h for norepinephrine, 12 h for substance P and at 24 h for beta-endorphin. Overall, our results confirm that lameness associated pain induced using the oligofructose model induced changes in clinical parameters and plasma biomarkers of pain and stress in dairy heifers.     

Wind-generated transport of fictitious passive larvae into shallow tidal estuaries

Four 14-day field experiments were conducted to determine the densities of postlarval white shrimp and blue crab megelopae moving into a tidal inlet along the south-eastern United States. Certain winds directions were statistically associated with peaks in abundance, a result which motivated us to use a high resolution finite-element numerical model to simulate passive larval transport under a variety of wind directions into the inlet. The passive particles were initially distributed uniformly in a zone of the continental shelf which extended 20 km offshore and 20 km alongshore in either direction. Each simulation was conducted for five tidal cycles (2.5 days) under constant wind stress. These simulations indicated that larvae are withdrawn from the continental shelf into the inlet from a narrow zone parallel to the shoreline but extending less that 5 km offshore. The withdrawal zone changed to one directly offshore of the inlet mouth only for a wind direction that pointed directly toward the inlet mouth. Under downwelling-favourable winds, particles originating in the surface accumulate along the downwind boundary and drift shoreward with time thus causing a 'pooling' of larvae along the coast. This scenario is repeated with less efficiency for upwelling-favourable winds with particles originating near bottom. The 'pooling' process occurs over the scale of the particle domain. A second and smaller scale is indicated by the relatively few particles which are withdrawn into the inlet as they pass inside the 7-m isobath (within 5 km of the coast). Those that do pass become available for inlets farther downstream.     

Räumlich differenzierende Berechnung großmaßstäblicher Erosionsprognosekarten - Modellgrundlagen der dABAG

A Spatially Differenciating Method for Computing High Resolution Maps of Soil Loss by Rain Wash - Fundamental Principles of the dUSLE The theoretical basis of a procedure to compute maps of the soil loss is presented. This procedure allows to estimate soil loss on a large scale (1:5000) for planning specific protection measures. The procedure uses the Universal Soil Loss Equation combined with a digital terrain model that consists of a triangulated, irregular network. In this way not only slope but also the influence of increasing soil loss down slope and the slope morphology are taken into account. Also, slope morphology is considered along the slope as well as across the slope. Therefore the procedure is called differentiating Universal Soil Loss Equation dUSLE. With the dUSLE it is possible to combine high resolution with high automatisation and reasonable computation time. The application of the USLE has the advantage of easy use and availability of data. Furthermore, most parts of the USLE have been adapted to and verified for German conditions in recent years. In part 2 the integration of the equations presented in the digital terrain model will be described. In a third part the application of the dUSLE in land reconsolidation and farmers extension service will be presented.     

Synthesis of a biotin-like phosphonate model compound for (+)-hydantocidin

Approaches to the synthesis of biotin-like phosphonate are described. It was hoped that this would be a simpler model compound for the naturally occurring spironucleoside (+)-hydantocidin, but it showed no activity as a herbicide nor as an inhibitor of AdSS.