Environmentally sustainable production of food,feed and fuel from natural resources in the tropics

Responding to the challenges posed by global warming, peak oil and biofuels will require a paradigm shift in the practice of agriculture and in the role of live stock within the farming system. Farming systems should aim at maximizing plant biomass production from locally available diversified resources, processing of the biomass on farm to provide food, feed and energy and recycling of all waste materials. The approach that is the subject of this paper is that the generation of electricity can be a by-product of food/feed production. The concept is the fractionation of biomass into inedible cell wall material that can be converted to an inflammable gas by gasification, the gas in turn being the source of fuel for internal combustion engines driving electrical generators. The cell contents and related structures such as tree leaves are used as human food or animal feed. As well as providing food and feed the model is highly appropriate for decentralized small scale production of electricity in rural areas. It also offers opportunities for sequestration of carbon in the form of biochar the solid residue remaining after gasification of the biomass.     

Modeling Bare Ground With Classification Trees in Northern Spain

Bare ground abundance is an important rangeland health indicator and its detection is a fundamental part of range management. Remote sensing of bare ground might offer solutions for land managers but also presents challenges as modeling in semiarid environments usually involves a high frequency of spectral mixing within pixels. Classification tree analysis (CTA) and maximum likelihood classifiers were used to model bare ground in the semiarid steppes of the middle Ebro valley, Aragon, Spain using Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre 4 (SPOT 4) imagery and topographic data such as elevation, slope, aspect, and a morphometric characterization model. A total of 374 sample points of bare-ground fraction from sixteen 500-m transects were used in the classification and validation process. Overall accuracies were 85% (Kappa statistic = 0.70) and 57% (Kappa statistic = 0.13) from the CTA and maximum likelihood classifiers, respectively. Although spectral attributes were essential in bare-ground classification, the topographic and morphometric properties of the landscape were equally critical in this modeling effort. Although the specific layers best suited for each specific model will vary from region to region, this study provided an important insight on both bare-ground modeling and the potential advantages of CTA.     

Severe hyperkalaemia associated with renal dysplasia in a 2-day-old foal

A 2-day-old filly foal presented with signs of depression, recumbency and inappetence. Blood analyses revealed hypoalbuminaemia, hyperfibrinogenaemia, hyperglycaemia and hyperkalaemia. The foal deteriorated despite intensive treatment and was subjected to euthanasia. At post mortem examination, the urinary bladder, ureters and kidneys appeared normal grossly. Histologically both kidneys showed disorganised development with the presence of structures inappropriate for a foal of this age, including primitive glomeruli, immature renal tubules and persistent metanephric ducts. Based on these findings a diagnosis of bilateral renal dysplasia was made.     

Rat bite fever

Rat bite fever (RBF) is a bacterial zoonosis for which two causal bacterial species have been identified: Streptobacillis moniliformis and Spirillum minus. Haverhill fever (HF) is a form of S. moniliformis infection believed to develop after ingestion of contaminated food or water.     

Macroscopic features of the arterial supply to the reproductive system of the male ostrich (Struthio camelus)

The macroscopic features of the arterial supply to the reproductive system of the male ostrich was studied in 16 pre-pubertal and eight sexually mature and active birds. The left and right cranial renal arteries arise from the aorta, between the cranial divisions of the kidneys. These vessels supply the cranial divisions of the kidneys, the testes, the epididymides and the cranial segments of the ducti deferentia. Accessory testicular arteries which arise directly from the aorta are present in 45.8% of the specimens. They supply the testes and cranial parts of the ducti deferentia. They are variable in number and origin, and four variants are identified. A cranial ureterodeferential branch originates from the cranial renal artery, supplies the cranial portion of the ductus deferens and ureter, and runs caudally to anastomose with the middle renal artery. The sciatic artery arises laterally from the aorta, just caudal to the acetabulum, and gives rise, ventrally, to a common trunk, the common renal artery, which divides into the middle and caudal renal arteries. The middle renal artery gives rise to the middle ureterodeferential branch which supplies the middle part of the ductus deferens and ureter. A few centimetres caudal to the kidney, the aorta terminates in three branches, namely, the left and right internal iliac arteries and the median caudal artery. The internal iliac artery divides into the lateral caudal artery and the pudendal artery; the latter gives off caudal ureterodeferential branches that supply the caudal segments of the ductus deferens and ureter. In addition, the pudendal artery gives off vessels that supply the cloaca, some of which continue to the base of the phallus, where they form an arterial network. In conclusion, the pattern of the blood supply to the reproductive organs of the male ostrich is, in general, similar to that of the domestic fowl and pigeon, although there are a few highlighted distinctive features.     

Blood glucose in horses with acute abdominal disease

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia in critically ill humans is associated with increased glucose production and insulin resistance and is associated with death. This might also be true in horses presenting with acute abdominal disease. HYPOTHESIS: Throughout hospitalization, hyperglycemia will be common in adult horses presenting with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia will be associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge. ANIMALS: Two hundred sixty-nine adult horses with acute abdominal disease. METHODS: Observational retrospective study. Records were reviewed for 269 horses that had glucose data analysed and recorded at the time of hospital admission: 154 horses had a first sample after admission; 110 horses at 24 hours after admission; 74 horses at 36 hours after admission; and 49 horses at 48 hours after admission. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of glucose concentrations with survival, in addition to the association of glucose concentrations with surgical, small intestinal, strangulating lesions, and lesions requiring a resection. RESULTS: Of 269 horses presenting with acute abdominal disease, 50.2% had blood glucose concentrations greater than the reference range (75.6-131.4 mg/dL); 0.4%, below the reference range; and 49.4%, within the reference range at admission. Of 269 horses, 2.3% had blood glucose concentrations below the reference range at some point during the first 48 hours of hospitalization, all of which had strangulating intestinal lesions. Horses that did not survive to hospital discharge had a higher mean blood glucose concentration at admission; at the first sample after admission; at 24, 36, and 48 hours after admission; and higher maximum and minimum blood glucose concentrations in the first 24 hours after admission. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Derangements of blood glucose concentration are common in horses with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia is much more common than hypoglycemia in these animals. Hyperglycemia in the first 48 hours of hospitalization is associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge.     

Radiographic assessment of the progression of osteoarthrosis in the contralateral stifle joint of dogs with a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament

The formation and progression of osteoarthrosis in the unaffected contralateral stifle joints of 14 dogs with a unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture were monitored radiographically in terms of a global score and the scores for 10 parameters specific for the stifle joint. The dogs were examined initially and six and 12 months later by three observers, and the variability between the observers' scores was also assessed. The score for osteophytes at the tibial attachment site of the ligament was the most reliable parameter, and that for the increase in femoropatellar joint space was the least reliable. In the contralateral stifle joints there were significant increases after six and 12 months in osteophyte formation caudal to the tibial plateau, and in subchondral sclerosis of the tibial plateau and of the long digital extensor muscle groove. These three parameters progressed more regularly during the disease process than the other parameters. The global osteoarthrosis score of the contralateral stifle joint was an important risk factor for sustaining a rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament in that joint during the next six months.     

Efficacy, duration, and onset of immunogenicity of a West Nile virus vaccine, live Flavivirus chimera, in horses with a clinical disease challenge model

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: West Nile virus (WNF) is a Flavivirus responsible for a life-threatening neurological disease in man and horses. Development of improved vaccines against Flavivirus infections is therefore important. OBJECTIVES: To establish that a single immunogenicity dose of live Flavivirus chimera (WN-FV) vaccine protects horses from the disease and it induces a protective immune response, and to determine the duration of the protective immunity. METHODS: Clinical signs were compared between vaccinated (VACC) and control (CTRL) horses after an intrathecal WNV challenge given at 10 or 28 days, or 12 months post vaccination. RESULTS: Challenge of horses in the immunogenicity study at Day 28 post vaccination resulted in severe clinical signs of WNV infection in 10/10 control (CTRL) compared to 1/20 vaccinated (VACC) horses (P<0.01). None of the VACC horses developed viraemia and minimal histopathology was noted. Duration of immunity (DPI) was established at 12 months post vaccination. Eight of 10 CTRL exhibited severe clinical signs of infection compared to 1 of 9 VACC horses (P<0.05). There was a significant reduction in the occurrence of viraemia and histopathology lesion in VACC horses relative to CTRL horses. Horses challenged at Day 10 post vaccination experienced moderate or severe clinical signs of WNV infection in 3/3 CTRL compared to 5/6 VACC horses (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This novel WN-FV chimera vaccine generates a protective immune response to WNV infection in horses that is demonstrated 10 days after a single vaccination and lasts for up to one year. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: This is the first USDA licensed equine WNV vaccine to utilise a severe challenge model that produces the same WNV disease observed under field conditions to obtain a label claim for prevention of viraemia and aid in the prevention of WNV disease and encephalitis with a duration of immunity of 12 months.     

Factors associated with time to neonatal diarrhoea in French beef calves

A prospective study was carried out on 92 randomly selected beef herds in the Midi-Pyrénées region in France. The objective was to determine factors associated with time to neonatal gastroenteritis. By taking into account the “intra-herd” correlation in failure time (in the semiparametric Cox model), we identified 12 management risk factors associated with hazard of diarrhoea. Some previously have been identified, but “new” risk factors were feeding of corn silage and the incidence of diarrhoea in the last season. We used the two main approaches which are often reviewed: marginal and frailty Cox models. Our results show that these two models give different parameter estimates, so the choice of the model remains crucial.