Technological,environmental and biological factors: referent variance values for infrared imaging of the bovine

Background

Despite its variety of potential applications, the wide implementation of infrared technology in cattle production faces technical, environmental and biological challenges similar to other indicators of metabolic state. Nine trials, divided into three classes (technological, environmental and biological factors) were conducted to illustrate the influence of these factors on body surface temperature assessed through infrared imaging.

Results

Evaluation of technological factors indicated the following: measurements of body temperatures were strongly repeatable when taken within 10 s; appropriateness of differing infrared camera technologies was influenced by distance to the target; and results were consistent when analysis of thermographs was compared between judges. Evaluation of environmental factors illustrated that wind and debris caused decreases in body surface temperatures without affecting metabolic rate; additionally, body surface temperature increased due to sunlight but returned to baseline values within minutes of shade exposure. Examination/investigation/exploration of animal factors demonstrated that exercise caused an increase in body surface temperature and metabolic rate. Administration of sedative and anti-sedative caused changes on body surface temperature and metabolic rate, and during late pregnancy a foetal thermal imprint was visible through abdominal infrared imaging.

Conclusion

The above factors should be considered in order to standardize operational procedures for taking thermographs, thereby optimizing the use of such technology in cattle operations.     

Partitioning of lipid-modified monomeric GFPs into membrane microdomains of live cells

Many proteins associated with the plasma membrane are known to partition into submicroscopic sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich domains called lipid rafts, but the determinants dictating this segregation of proteins in the membrane are poorly understood. We suppressed the tendency of Aequorea fluorescent proteins to dimerize and targeted these variants to the plasma membrane using several different types of lipid anchors. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements in living cells revealed that acyl but not prenyl modifications promote clustering in lipid rafts. Thus the nature of the lipid anchor on a protein is sufficient to determine submicroscopic localization within the plasma membrane.     

Social sustainability, farm labor, and organic agriculture: Findings from an exploratory analysis

Much of the attention by social scientists to the rapidly growing organic agriculture sector focuses on the benefits it provides to consumers (in the form of pesticide-free foods) and to farmers (in the form of price premiums). By contrast, there has been little discussion or research about the implications of the boom in organic agriculture for farmworkers on organic farms. In this paper, we ask the question: From the perspective of organic farmers, does “certified organic” agriculture encompass a commitment to “sustainability” that prioritizes social goals? Specifically, we aim to broaden our understanding of the relationship between social sustainability and organic agriculture by drawing attention to issues affecting farmworkers, whose labor and contribution tends to elude most discussions of organic agriculture. We present findings from a survey of organic farmers in California about the possible incorporation of social standards into organic certification criteria. Our findings suggest that, at best, lukewarm support for social certification within organic agriculture exists among certified organic farmers in California. They also question expectations that organic agriculture necessarily fosters social or even economic sustainability for most of the farmers and farmworkers involved. However, we also find exceptions to the patterns evidenced in our survey. In-depth interviews with select organic farmers demonstrate that there are individuals whose practices are atypical and demonstrate that, under some circumstances, an organic production system can be at once environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.     

Control of winter cereals in the spring with glyphosate

Poor survival of winter cereals due to winter conditions in Ontario can necessitate destruction of the stand in the spring to allow the subsequent seeding of an alternative crop. Winter cereals were seeded in the autumn of 2004 and 2005 at the Huron Research Station and at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus in Ontario to evaluate two formulations of glyphosate [potassium (K) vs diammonium (DA) salt] at different doses (225, 450, 675, 900, or 1350 g a.e. ha⁻¹) for the burn-off of soft white winter wheat (SWW), soft red winter wheat (SRW), hard red winter wheat (HRW) and autumn rye (AR) in either late April or early May. There was no difference between the glyphosate formulations for the control of winter cereals at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after treatment (WAT). There was generally improved control with glyphosate applications made in early May compared to late April however results were not always statistically significant. Generally, control of winter cereals increased as the glyphosate dose was increased from 225 to 1350 g a.e. ha⁻¹. The minimum dose of glyphosate required for providing 90% or greater control of SWW, SRW, HRW, and AR was 675 g a.e. ha⁻¹ at 4 WAT. Glyphosate applied at 675 g a.e. ha⁻¹ caused a 98, 97, 98, and 99% reduction in shoot dry weight of SWW, SRW, HRW, and AR, respectively. Based on this study glyphosate (K or DA) applied in late April or early May can be used at doses as low as 675 g a.e. ha⁻¹ to adequately control SWW, SRW, HRW, and AR in the spring.     

Response of spring planted barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oats (Avena sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to mesotrione

There is little information on the response of spring planted barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oats (Avena sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to mesotrione under Ontario environmental conditions. Four field studies were conducted in Ontario, Canada over a two-year period (2008 and 2009) to evaluate the sensitivity of spring planted cereals (barley, oats, and wheat) to pre-emergence (PRE) and post-emergence (POST) applications of mesotrione at 50, 100, and 150 g ai ha⁻¹. Mesotrione applied PRE caused minimal visible injury at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after emergence (DAE) and had no adverse effect on plant height or yield of barley, oats and wheat. Mesotrione applied POST caused as much 11% injury and reduced plant height as much as 6% in spring planted cereals. Injury was higher in wheat compared to barley or oats. Mesotrione applied POST had no adverse effect on the yield of barley or oats but decreased the yield of wheat as much as 14%. Based on this study, mesotrione applied PRE at 50, 100 or 150 g ai ha⁻¹ can be safely used in spring planted barley, oats, and wheat. Mesotrione applied POST at the proposed dose of 50, 100 or 150 g ai ha⁻¹ can also be safely used in spring planted barley and oats. However, mesotrione applied POST results in unacceptable injury in spring planted wheat.     

Weed control,environmental impact and profitability with trifluralin plus reduced doses of imazethapyr in dry bean

Field experiments were conducted in 2003, 2006, and 2007 in Ontario to determine if reduced doses of imazethapyr combined with trifluralin applied pre-plant incorporated (PPI) can be used as an economically and environmentally feasible weed management strategy for broad spectrum weed control in white and kidney bean. There was minimal injury (<5%) in white or kidney bean from imazethapyr applied alone or in combination with trifluralin, regardless of dose. The dose of imazethapyr required for 80 and 95% control of Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. (green foxtail), Chenopodium album L. (common lambsquarters) and Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (common ragweed) was reduced when combined with trifluralin (600 g ai ha⁻¹). There was a trend for increased yield of white and kidney bean with increasing doses of imazethapyr applied alone and in combination with trifluralin. Combining trifluralin with imazethapyr increased the environmental impact (EI) by more than ten-fold compared to imazethapyr alone. The lowest dose of imazethapyr used in this study resulted in the lowest environmental risk. The doses of imazethapyr that maximized profit were 38 g ai ha⁻¹ for white bean and 47 g ai ha⁻¹ for kidney bean. Combining imazethapyr with trifluralin will provide growers with a weed management strategy that provides acceptable weed control, with only a small increase in environmental impact, and has the potential to increase yields and net returns.     

Tracheal Obstruction due to Glossal Entrapment by a String Foreign Body in a Peahen (Pavo cristatus)

A female juvenile peahen (Pavo cristatus) presented with acute respiratory distress after the owner observed the bird apparently “choking” the night before presentation. A swelling at the base of the throat was also noted by the owner approximately 2 days prior to the “choking” incident. An air sac breathing tube was placed immediately following presentation and the respiratory rate and effort returned to normal. While performing a physical examination on the patient, a string foreign body was identified and removed from the oral cavity. The string had been wrapped around the base of the tongue, initially resulting in a laceration at the base of the tongue and displacing the glottis caudally, but eventually retroflexed the tongue resulting in occlusion of the glottis. Once the string was transected, the tongue was replaced into normal anatomic position. Three days after presentation, the bird was able to breathe normally with the air sac tube occluded, thus the air sac tube was removed. The lesions under the tongue completely resolved 8 weeks following the initial presentation. Although there have been reports of string foreign bodies in avian species, there are no reports of these foreign bodies causing entrapment of the tongue with subsequent obstruction of the glottis.     

Aphanomyces invadans and ulcerative mycosis in estuarine and freshwater fish in Florida

In the spring of 1998, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute received numerous reports of lesioned or ulcerated fish primarily from the St. Lucie Estuary on the southeast coast of Florida, an area known since the late 1970s for lesions of the ulcerative mycosis (UM) type. From these and archived reports, as well as others received from different areas of Florida, we documented that diseased specimens had randomly distributed skin ulcers (usually reddened or hemorrhagic) with raised irregular margins and, in some cases, deeply penetrating hyphae in the surrounding muscle tissue. Since 1998, 256 fish (comprising 18 species) with ulcerative lesions (from 15 different locations) were confirmed with hyphae in fresh squash preparation or by histological evaluation. Squash preparations revealed nonseptate, sparsely branching, thick-walled hyphae; histological sections revealed mycotic granulomas in the dermis that occasionally penetrated into the skeletal muscle. These pathological characteristics were consistent with UM caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces invadans in Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, and the United States. For specific identification, six isolates from ulcerated fish were cultured and prepared for molecular characterization using established diagnostic methods. Ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis identified three isolates as Aphanomyces invadans, one as the oomycete Achlya bisexualis, and two as the ascomycete Phialemonium dimorphosporum. A more extensive survey of 67 ulcerated skin samples from fish collected between 1998 and 2003 was performed using a polymerase chain reaction assay specific for Aphanomyces invadans. Of these, 26 (38.8%) samples from seven fish species and nine collection locations were positive. Confirmation of UM associated with Aphanomyces invadans represents new host records in Florida for the sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus, striped mullet Mugil cephalus, white mullet Mugil curema, silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura, black drum Pogonias cromis, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, and American shad Alosa sapidissima.