Short-term biological variation of clinical chemical values in Dumeril's monitors (Varanus dumerili).

Plasma biochemical values are routinely used in the medical management of ill reptiles, and for monitoring the health of clinically normal animals. Laboratory tests, including clinical biochemical values, are subject to biological and analytical variation, the magnitude of which determines the utility of population-based reference ranges for the detection of abnormal results in the individual animal. Nested analysis of variance of repeated measurements allows the variance to be broken into within-individual, between-individual, and analytical variation. When the within-individual variation is large and the interindividual variation is low, a sample may be accurately classified as normal or abnormal based on a population-based reference interval. However, if the intraindividual variation is low and the interindividual variation high, population-based reference intervals are of limited value as the ranges for an individual encompass only a part of the conventional reference interval. Between-lizard, within-lizard, and analytical components of variance were assessed by nested analysis of variance for 16 commonly measured plasma biochemical parameters in eight healthy adult Dumeril's monitors (Varanus dumerili). Albumin, cholesterol, phosphate, calcium, sodium, and total protein demonstrated levels of individuality suggesting that comparison of a single measurement to a conventional population-based reference range may be too insensitive to detect small but significant alterations in the value for that animal. Only for potassium and AST did the index of individuality suggest that the use of reference values may be warranted. Uric acid, globulin, glucose, and amylase fell in a gray zone, where population-based ranges should be used with caution. The critical difference indicates the difference between two consecutive analytical results that may be safely ascribed to natural variation. In the present study critical difference varied from 7 and 11%, respectively, for sodium and chloride to 75 and 125% for uric acid and AST.     

Resting heart rate and tympanic temperature in operant conditioned western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

The conscious, resting heart rate and body temperature of healthy western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is not reported in the literature. To obtain this information, two clinically healthy adult male western lowland gorillas in a training program were conditioned to allow auscultation and obtain tympanic temperatures. The mean heart rate was 73.8 +/- 8.96 beats per minute (n = 176), and it was lower than mean heart rate reported in studies on anesthetized gorillas. The mean tympanic temperature was 35.5 +/- 0.7 degrees C (95.9 +/- 1.23 degrees F) (n = 209). The right tympanic temperature (rtt) and left tympanic temperature (ltt) were recorded separately for one gorilla. A small but statistically significant difference was present between the mean rtt of 35.8 +/- 0.7 degrees C (96.5 +/- 1.2 degrees F) (n = 137) and the mean ltt of 35.7 +/- 0.8 degrees C (96.2 +/- 1.3 degrees F) (n = 121).     

Integrated disease management of ascochyta blight in pulse crops

Ascochyta blight causes significant yield loss in pulse crops worldwide. Integrated disease management is essential to take advantage of cultivars with partial resistance to this disease. The most effective practices, established by decades of research, use a combination of disease-free seed, destruction or avoidance of inoculum sources, manipulation of sowing dates, seed and foliar fungicides, and cultivars with improved resistance. An understanding of the pathosystems and the inter-relationship between host, pathogen and the environment is essential to be able to make correct decisions for disease control without compromising the agronomic or economic ideal. For individual pathosystems, some components of the integrated management principles may need to be given greater consideration than others. For instance, destruction of infested residue may be incompatible with no or minimum tillage practices, or rotation intervals may need to be extended in environments that slow the speed of residue decomposition. For ascochyta-susceptible chickpeas the use of disease-free seed, or seed treatments, is crucial as seed-borne infection is highly effective as primary inoculum and epidemics develop rapidly from foci in favourable conditions. Implemented fungicide strategies differ according to cultivar resistance and the control efficacy of fungicides, and the effectiveness of genetic resistance varies according to seasonal conditions. Studies are being undertaken to develop advanced decision support tools to assist growers in making more informed decisions regarding fungicide and agronomic practices for disease control.     

The effect of short day treatments on containerized Douglas-fir morphology,physiology and phenology

The effect of short day treatments (blackout) on Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) container seedlings at the time of lift and following cold storage was investigated. Variables measured included height, root collar diameter (RCD), root growth capacity (RGC), photosynthetic efficiency after –18 °C freezing (PEF), and days to terminal bud break (DBB). From one to four blackout dormancy induction treatments were started on three dates (July 12, July 26, and August 10) with 10 or 20 d between multiple blackouts. Increasing the number of blackout treatments resulted in lower RCD, lower DBB in the late winter/early spring, and higher PEF in the early fall. Later blackout start dates decreased PEF in the early fall, and increased overall height and late fall RGC as compared to earlier blackout start dates. Nurseries growing Douglas-fir seedlings from coastal Pacific Northwest provenances should be aware that blackout regimes can decrease RGC in the late fall, and cause quicker dormancy release in the early spring. Coastal Douglas-fir can be lifted and planted in the early fall, when RGC and DBB are relatively high. If planting between February and April is necessary, seedlings given blackout should be cold stored in January to maintain an adequate level of dormancy, RGC and PEF.     

Long-term changes in forest floor processes in southern Appalachian forests

Soil nutrient concentrations decreased in an aggrading southern Appalachian forest over a 20-year period. Construction of nutrient budgets showed significant nutrient sequestration aboveground including increased forest floor mass. We hypothesized that the changes in forest floor mass resulted from decreased litter decomposition rates because of decreased litter quality. In 1992 and 1993, we repeated a litter decomposition experiment conducted in 1969 and 1970 to test this hypothesis. In addition, we examined microarthropod populations and functional groups as litter decomposed. For four of the five species tested, first-year decomposition rates were about the same in both experiments. Initial litter nutrient concentrations of P were lower in all tree species in the most recent sampling. N, Ca, and Mg concentrations also declined in some species. These declines often resulted in decreased nutrient release rates during decomposition. Microarthropod populations differed significantly among litter species, as well as between years (probably resulting from differences in growing-season rainfall). For some litter species we found significant relationships between microarthropod populations and nutrient concentration (primarily C and N); however, most r²-values were low. Data suggest that changes in forest floor mass probably resulted from decreased litter quality and that those changes may have an effect on microarthropod populations.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN 57 CATS WITH PRIMARY PULMONARY NEOPLASIA

Primary pulmonary neoplasia is relatively uncommon in cats and generally has a poor prognosis. In this multicenter, retrospective study of 57 cats with pulmonary neoplasia, the most frequent presenting signs were anorexia/inappetence (39%) and cough (37%). The pulmonary tumors were considered to be incidental findings in 9% cats. In computed tomographic (CT) images, primary pulmonary tumors appeared as a pulmonary mass in 55 (96%) cats and as a disseminated pulmonary lesion without a defined mass in two (4%) cats. Most pulmonary tumors were in the caudal lobes, with 28 (49%) in the right caudal lobe and 17 (30%) in the left caudal lobe. CT features associated with pulmonary tumors included mass in contact with visceral pleura (96%), irregular margins (83%), well‐defined borders (79%), bronchial compression (74%), gas‐containing cavities (63%), foci of mineral attenuation (56%), and bronchial invasion (19%). The mean (range) maximal dimension of the pulmonary masses was 3.5 cm (1.1–11.5 cm). Additional foci of pulmonary disease compatible with metastasis were observed in 53% cats. Pleural fluid was evident in 30% cats and pulmonary thrombosis in 12% cats. The histologic diagnoses were 47 (82%) adenocarcinomas, six (11%) tumors of bronchial origin, three (5%) adenosquamous cell carcinomas, and one (2%) squamous cell carcinoma. In this series, adenocarcinoma was the predominant tumor type, but shared many features with less common tumor types. No associations were identified between tumor type and CT features. Prevalence of suspected intrapulmonary metastasis was higher than in previous radiographic studies of cats with lung tumors.