THE PATH OF CARBON IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS. XXVI. UPTAKE AND TRANSPORT OF METHYLGLUCOPYRANOSIDE THROUGHOUT PLANTS

¹⁴Carbon methyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (¹⁴C-MeG) was applied to roots and shoots of Beta vulgaris L. and the label was tracked as it was transported and assimilated, primarily as a plant nutrient. Foliar application resulted in 6.7% of the ¹⁴C-MeG absorbed within 15 min of the solution drying into leaves. Roots in liquid medium with dissolved ¹⁴C-MeG absorbed approximately 97% of the ¹⁴C-label in 22 h. Whether fed in the light or dark, 40% of the ¹⁴C-MeG that was applied appeared in the cellulose fraction, incorporated completely intact. Rapid incorporation of ¹⁴C-MeG into the insoluble fraction with few ¹⁴C-labeled metabolites found in the soluble fraction were observed. In contrast to roots, a higher percentage of ¹⁴C-MeG was incorporated into starch and lipids of shoots.     

Vancomycin for the treatment of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal and enterococcal infections in 15 horses

We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 15 foals and adult horses in which vancomycin was used, alone or in combination with an aminoglycoside, to treat methicillin-resistant staphylococcal and enterococcal infections. Signalment, presenting complaint, history (including history of treatment for the current complaint), results of bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, treatment, and outcome were reviewed. The average vancomycin dosage was 7.5 mg/kg q8h, administered by intravenous infusion over 30 min. The infection resolved in all 7 horses with soft tissue infections and in 6 of the 8 horses with infections involving a bone or a joint, or both. No adverse effects of vancomycin therapy were noted. Although the number of cases is small, our findings suggest that vancomycin, alone or in combination with an aminoglycoside, is safe and effective for the treatment of resistant staphylococcal and enterococcal infections in horses and foals. However, owing to the importance of staphylococci and enterococci in human medicine and the problems with emerging resistance, we recommend that the use of vancomycin in horses be limited to cases in which culture and susceptibility results clearly indicate that this agent is likely to be effective and in which there is no reasonable alternative.     

Decoupling from international food safety standards: how small-scale indigenous farmers cope with conflicting institutions to ensure market participation

Although inclusion in formal value chains extends the prospect of improving the livelihoods of rural small-scale producers, such a step is often contingent on compliance with internationally-promoted food safety standards. Limited research has addressed the challenges this represents for small rural producers who, grounded in culturally-embedded food safety conceptions, face difficulties in complying. We address this gap here through a multiple case study involving four public school feeding programs that source meals from local rural providers in the Bolivian Altiplan. Institutional logics theory is used to describe public food safety regulations and to compare them to food safety conceptions in the local indigenous Aymara rural setting. We identify a value-based conflict that leads to non-compliance of formal food safety rules that jeopardizes the participation of small farmers in the market. These include: (1) partial adoption of formal rules; (2) selective adoption of convenient rules; and (3) ceremonial adoption to avoid compliance. Decoupling strategies allow local actors to largely disregard the formal food safety regulations while accommodating traditional cultural practices and continuing to access the market. However, these practices put the long-term sustainability of the farmers’ participation in potentially favorable opportunities at risk.     

Enhancing the TurtleWatch product for leatherback sea turtles,a dynamic habitat model for ecosystem‐based management

Fishery management measures to reduce interactions between fisheries and endangered or threatened species have typically relied on static time‐area closures. While these efforts have reduced interactions, they can be costly and inefficient for managing highly migratory species such as sea turtles. The NOAA TurtleWatch product was created in 2006 as a tool to reduce the rates of interactions of loggerhead sea turtles with shallow‐set longline gear deployed by the Hawaii‐based pelagic longline fishery targeting swordfish. TurtleWatch provides information on loggerhead habitat and can be used by managers and industry to make dynamic management decisions to potentially reduce incidentally capturing turtles during fishing operations. TurtleWatch is expanded here to include information on endangered leatherback turtles to help reduce incidental capture rates in the central North Pacific. Fishery‐dependent data were combined with fishing effort, bycatch and satellite tracking data of leatherbacks to characterize sea surface temperature (SST) relationships that identify habitat or interaction ‘hotspots’. Analysis of SST identified two zones, centered at 17.2° and 22.9°C, occupied by leatherbacks on fishing grounds of the Hawaii‐based swordfish fishery. This new information was used to expand the TurtleWatch product to provide managers and industry near real‐time habitat information for both loggerheads and leatherbacks. The updated TurtleWatch product provides a tool for dynamic management of the Hawaii‐based shallow‐set fishery to aid in the bycatch reduction of both species. Updating the management strategy to dynamically adapt to shifts in multi‐species habitat use through time is a step towards an ecosystem‐based approach to fisheries management in pelagic ecosystems.     

Clinical pathology of the domestic rabbit. Acquisition and interpretation of samples.

Diagnostic laboratories are receiving increasing numbers of samples from practitioners as they strive to diagnose complex disease processes and manage rabbit cases. Proper acquisition of diagnostic samples and interpretation of results are key skills necessary for successful management of medical cases. This article reviews the collection and interpretation of clinicopathologic samples commonly used in rabbits.     

Machine Vision-based Guidance System for Agricultural Grain Harvesters using Cut-edge Detection

A machine vision guidance algorithm was developed to guide an agricultural combine harvester based on the lateral position of the crop cut edge. The algorithm used images collected from a single camera mounted on the head directly above the cut/uncut edge. The algorithm was developed for maize harvesting and was tested under both laboratory and field conditions. Test results indicated that the algorithm was capable of accurately locating the cut/uncut edge and providing a lateral positioning signal for automated combine harvester guidance.