Response of feral cats to vaccination at the time of neutering

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether administration of inactivated virus or modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines to feral cats at the time of neutering induces protective serum antiviral antibody titers. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 61 feral cats included in a trap-neuter-return program in Florida. PROCEDURES: Each cat received vaccines against feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpes virus (FHV), feline calicivirus (FCV), FeLV, and rabies virus (RV). Immediately on completion of surgery, vaccines that contained inactivated RV and FeLV antigens and either MLV or inactivated FPV, FHV, and FCV antigens were administered. Titers of antiviral antibodies (except those against FeLV) were assessed in serum samples obtained immediately prior to surgery and approximately 10 weeks later. RESULTS: Prior to vaccination, some of the cats had protective serum antibody titers against FPV (33%), FHV (21%), FCV (64%), and RV (3%). Following vaccination, the overall proportion of cats with protective serum antiviral antibody titers increased (FPV [90%], FHV [56%], FCV [93%], and RV [98%]). With the exception of the FHV vaccine, there were no differences in the proportions of cats protected with inactivated virus versus MLV vaccines. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that exposure to FPV, FHV, and FCV is common among feral cats and that a high proportion of cats are susceptible to RV infection. Feral cats appeared to have an excellent immune response following vaccination at the time of neutering. Incorporation of vaccination into trap-neuter-return programs is likely to protect the health of individual cats and possibly reduce the disease burden in the community.     

Abnormalities of endosperm development inLilium hybrids

Summary Of 191 interspecific crosses attempted between 27 different species representing different subgenera ofLilium only 14 gave rise to seeds and only 6 of these were viable. Sterility was associated with various types of abnormality in endosperm development. Many of these irregularities involved chromosome breakage and reunion but others entailed abnormal DNA replication and chromosome coiling. In one cross the individual endosperm nuclei contained four stranded structures, the behaviour of which at division was similar to that of bivalents at meiosis. The embryo-sac ofLilium is of theFritillaria type, containing both haploid and triploid polar nuclei. As a consequence the balance between the number of chromosome sets in the embryo, endosperm and maternal tissue is 2:5:2 and not 2:3:2 as is more commonly found in diploid species. It is suggested that sterility results from genetic imbalance of the endosperm itself rather than interaction of the endosperm with either embryo or maternal tissue.     

Tonmineral- und K-Ca-Austauscheigenschaften von Oberböden des Nährstoffpotentialversuches Hallertau

Clay mineralogy and K-Ca-exchange properties of surface soils from the nutrient potential trial Hallertau (Bavaria) In soils of four locations of the Hallertau nutrient potential trial, with a soil texture consisting of sand, silty sand, silty loam and sandy clayey loam, clay mineral properties were measured with the standardized glycerol expansion method and with n-alkylammonium (Rn_c-NH₃⁺-clay). The expandable minerals of the sandy soils consist exclusively of smectites s.s., (s.s. = sensu stricto) with 0.42 to 0.28 charge equivalents per formula unit (p.f.u.). The expandable minerals of the loams are an assemblage of smectites s.s. and vermiculites. The total layer charge of the smectites s.s. extend from 0.54 to 0.28 charge eq. p.f.u. The fine clay fractions (< 0.1 μm) do not contain vermiculites. The layer charge density of vermiculites with homogeneous charge in the coarse fractions varies between 0.60 and 0.95 charge eq. p.f.u. The immediate K-Ca-exchange was extended with the values of the continued K exchange versus Ca at low K intensity. The Q/I isotherms of sandy soils have a more pronounced curvature than the isotherms of the loams; in all cases, however, the exchange curves have a continuous form. This phenomen is discussed in terms of the clay mineralogy of the soils. After 8 years without K fertilizing, samples gave values between 168 and 497 kg smectite-K/ha for the surface soils. The constant rates of K-desorption vary between 12.8 and 28.7 kg K/ha (surface soil). The rates are better differentiated between unfertilized and fertilized soils for the loams than for the sandy soils. The constant rates of K release were found to be controlled at an AR-level between 1.6 · 10^?4 M^1/2 (unfertilized sandy soil) and 5.2 · 10^?4 M^1/2 (fertilized sandy clayey loam soil).     

Quantitative extraction of macro-invertebrates from temperate and tropical leaf litter and soil: efficiency and time-dependent taxonomic biases of the Winkler extraction

Winkler extractors, a simple device presumed to extract macro-invertebrates efficiently from soil and litter samples, is being used increasingly in ecological surveys and functional studies of soil macro-invertebrate communities. In this study the extraction efficiency and taxonomic bias of the Winkler extraction are evaluated for extraction periods of 3 h up to 7 weeks, calibrated by hand-sorting after 7 weeks. The method extracts most macro-invertebrates completely or to a proportion of over 90% except Isopoda, Diplopoda and Mollusca. However, for an exhaustive result, a long extraction period of several weeks is necessary. For the most speciose group (adult beetles) and for the commonly most abundant group (ants), a short extraction of 3 days was sufficient to get 70% of the individuals and nearly all species. Three days was also sufficient to recover the rank abundance order of beetle families, while for ‘higher taxa’ and for Chilopoda species, 4 and 3 weeks were necessary, respectively. Optimum extraction times for the abundant macro-invertebrate groups and possible adjustment factors for the soil macro-invertebrates of temperate woodlands are proposed to compensate the taxonomic bias caused by short extraction periods. However, for recording an accurate snapshot of the soil and litter fauna at a particular time, shorter extraction periods are advisable because of the short life cycle of many soil invertebrates causing emergence of later stages or a second generation during longer extraction periods. The problem of contamination of samples is also discussed.     

A high-resolution paleoclimate record spanning the past 25,000 years in southern East Africa

High-resolution profiles of the mass accumulation rate of biogenic silica and other geochemical proxies in two piston cores from northern Lake Malawi provide a climate signal for this part of tropical Africa spanning the past 25,000 years. The biogenic silica mass accumulation rate was low during the relatively dry late Pleistocene, when the river flux of silica to the lake was suppressed. Millennial-scale fluctuations, due to upwelling intensity, in the late Pleistocene climate of the Lake Malawi basin appear to have been closely linked to the Northern Hemisphere climate until 11 thousand years ago. Relatively cold conditions in the Northern Hemisphere coincided with more frequent north winds over the Malawi basin, perhaps resulting from a more southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.