Herd management and welfare assessment of dairy goat farms in Northern Cyprus by using breeding,health, reproduction,and biosecurity indicators

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study describes the results of a farm-based welfare assessment, herd management, and some yield indicators in Northern Cyprus dairy goat farms. Out of...     

Application of the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spin Probe Technique for Detection of Irradiated Wheat

The fast decay of free radicals makes application of traditional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques impractical for detection of irradiated wheats when the storage time is longer than 30 days. In this study, therefore, the effects of irradiation on wheat seeds were investigated by using the EPR spin probe technique. The technique is based on the ability of the spin probes to transfer valuable information related to the changes in the structural characteristics of embryo cell membranes caused by irradiation. As a result of irradiation, the enviroment of the spin probe is modified and this modification can be followed from the recorded spectra. The doses studied were 1.0, 2.5, 10.0, and 20.0 kGy. An aqueous solution of 16-doxyl stearic acid (16-DSA) was used The embryos were detached using a steel needle and kept in 16-DSA solution for 2.5 hr and washed with distilled water. The spectra of the samples were recorded. The detection of irradiated wheats by this technique was possible at doses of ≥2.5 kGy. An important advantage of this approach is that it is applicable even after eight months of storage.     

Resistance to common insecticides and mechanisms of resistance in Aphis pomi de Geer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in apple orchards in Turkey

Phytoparasitica - The Green apple aphid, Aphis pomi de Geer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most common and serious insect pests of apple orchards in Turkey. This species feeds on succulent...     

Molecular characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bovine virus diarrhea viruses</Emphasis> species 2 (BVDV-2) from cattle in Turkey

Five BVDV species 2 (BVDV-2) isolates were detected from cattle in Turkey. Phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) and E2 coding gene regions, respectively. The isolates were closely related to BVDV-2a strains from North America and Canada used as references. This is the first report of the detection of BVDV-2 in naturally infected Turkish cattle. It is important to consider BVDV-2 for planning future BVDV control and vaccination programs in Turkey.     

The lumbosacral Plexus of the Barn Owl (tyto alba): Formation,branches and distribution

The aim of the present study is to reveal the anatomical structure of lumbosacral plexus of barn owl. Six barn owls were included in the study. Nerves originating from plexus were dissected individually, and findings of innervation areas of nerves were determined. Lumbosacral plexus of barn owl was observed to be formed by ventral rami of ten synsacral spinal nerves. It was found that while the r. cutaneus femoris lateralis, the n. obturatorius, the n. coxalis cranialis, the r. cutaneus femoris medialis, the n. cutaneus femoris cranialis and the n. femoralis originated from the lumbar plexus, the n. isciofemoralis, the n. cutaneus femoris caudalis, the n. coxalis caudalis and the n. ischiadicus originated from the sacral plexus. Consequently, when the results of the study were compared with information of different avian species, it was observed that differences focused on the formation of the lumbar and sacral plexuses and innervation level of digits.     

Methicillin and aminoglycoside resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> isolates from bovine mastitis and sequence analysis of their <Emphasis Type="Italic">mecA</Emphasis> genes

Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were generally isolated from human beings; these agents were recently isolated from various animal species. It has been shown that MRSA isolates are not only resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, but can also be resistant to the other commonly used antibiotics. In this study, 18 phenotypic methicillin resistant S. aureus isolates from bovine mastitis cases were analyzed by PCR for the presence of mecA gene encoding methicillin resistance and aac(6′)/aph(2″), aph(3′)-IIIa and ant(4′)-Ia genes encoding aminoglycoside resistance. Out of 18 S. aureus isolates (oxacillin MICs, ≥4 μg/ml), 3 were positive for mecA gene. Only one from 3 mecA positive isolates was positive for genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes and this isolate carried aac(6′)/aph(2″) in combination with aph(3′)-IIIa gene. The aph(3′)-IIIa gene was detected in 3 isolates. These three isolates carrying the aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes were resistant to gentamicin, kanamycin and neomycin. The mecA gene of 3 MRSA isolates was sequenced. All three mecA genes of these isolates were identical to that found in human MRSA strains, except a one-base substitution at nucleotide position 757. From the data presented in this study, it can be concluded that MRSA isolated from bovine mastitis may be originated from human beings, but further studies are needed to investigate the possibility of zoonotic transfer of MRSA.     

Magnetic field-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae

Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is cosmopolitan pest of stored products. The effect of strong magnetic fields (MFs) on DNA damage and oxidative stress on larvae stage of E. kuehniella was assessed. Antioxidant enzyme systems, which include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and malondialdehyde (MDA), the end product of lipid peroxidation as a result of strong MF intoxication that might occur in the larvae tissue, were evaluated. A simple technique of single-cell gel electrophoresis (DNA comet assay) enabled a quick detection of MF treatment on larvae. The larvae were exposed in a 1.4-Tesla (T) MF from a DC power supply at 50 Hz for different time periods (3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h). MFs caused increasing DNA damage and demonstrated using the comet assay with its parameters including tail DNA%, tail length and tail moment. DNA damage at increasing exposure times were significantly larger than the control group (p < 0.05). These parameters were detected using BS 200 ProP with image analysis software. SOD, CAT, GPx, and GST activities decreased and MDA level increased in the MF-treated group in larvae tissue compared to control group for increasing exposure times at 1.4 T (p < 0.05). In our investigation, we showed that MFs caused oxidative stress and proved to be DNA damage as revealed by the comet assay. MFs may be used to determine potential toxic effects as a control agent against E. kuehniella larvae.     

Limbal pseudotumor in a Cob Pony

A tumor-like tissue mass of lateral-limbal site in the right eye of a 12-year-old Cob Pony mare was presented for surgical removal. The mass, covering the lateral limbus, bulbar conjunctiva and part of the cornea, was surgically removed, and the corneal defect repaired with a pedicle bulbar conjunctival graft. The mass was inflammatory in nature containing mononuclear cells. No recurrence or complication occurred at 6- and 12-month follow-up examination.     

Daily pan evaporation modeling using linear genetic programming technique

This paper investigates the ability of linear genetic programming (LGP), which is an extension to genetic programming (GP) technique, in daily pan evaporation modeling. The daily climatic data, air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, pressure and humidity of three automated weather stations, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego in California, are used as inputs to the LGP to estimate pan evaporation. The LGP estimates are compared with those of the Gene-expression programming (GEP), which is another branch of GP, multilayer perceptrons (MLP), radial basis neural networks (RBNN), generalized regression neural networks (GRNN) and Stephens–Stewart (SS) models. The performances of the models are evaluated using root mean square errors (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and determination coefficient (R ²) statistics. Based on the comparisons, it was found that the LGP technique could be employed successfully in modeling evaporation process from the available climatic data.