Single‐Layer Centrifugation Reduces Equine Arteritis Virus Titre in the Semen of Shedding Stallions

Several countries have adopted strategies for preventing and/or controlling equine viral arteritis based on vaccination and restricting the breeding activities of carrier stallions. However, in some cases, carrier stallions are only identified after they have transmitted virus to a mare. Therefore, a mechanism for separating virus from spermatozoa in the semen of carrier stallions would facilitate control measures for preventing disease transmission. In this study, the use of several modifications of single‐layer centrifugation (SLC, SLC with an inner tube and double SLC) through Androcoll‐E, a species‐specific colloid were evaluated for their ability to separate spermatozoa from virus in ejaculates from carrier stallions. The three types of SLC significantly reduced the virus titre in fresh semen at 0 h and in stored semen at 24 h (p < 0.001) but did not completely eliminate the virus. Sperm motility parameters such as total motility and progressive motility were significantly increased after colloid centrifugation, whereas curvilinear velocity and amplitude of lateral head deviation were decreased, and the remainder (straight line velocity, average path velocity, straightness, linearity, wobble and beat cross‐frequency) were not significantly affected by the processing. Although virus titres were reduced in the SLC samples, significant levels of infectivity still remained, especially in stallions shedding large amounts of virus. It remains to be determined whether SLC‐processed sperm samples from stallions shedding low virus titres retain sufficient equine arteritis virus to cause infection in mares through artificial insemination.     

Using scattered hyperspectral imagery data to map the soil properties of a region

Airborne hyperspectral imagery has been recently proved to be a successful technique for predicting soil properties of the bare soil surfaces that are usually scattered in the landscape. This new soil covariate could much improve the digital soil mapping (DSM) of soil properties over larger areas. To illustrate this, we experimented with digital soil mapping in a 24.6‐km² area located in the vineyard plain of Languedoc. As input data, we used 200 points with clay content measurements and 192 bare soil fields representing 3.5% of the total area in which the clay contents of the soil surface were successfully mapped at 5‐m resolution by hyperspectral remote sensing. The clay contents were estimated from CR₂₂₀₆, a spectrometric indicator that quantifies specific absorption features of clay at 2206 nm. We demonstrated by cross‐validation that the co‐kriging procedure based on our co‐regionalization model provided accurate error estimates at the clay measurement sites. Then, we applied a block co‐kriging model to map the mean clay content at increasing resolutions (50 , 100, 250 and 500 m). The results showed the following: (i) using hyperspectral data significantly increased the accuracy of the mean clay content estimations; (ii) a block co‐kriging procedure with reliable estimates of error variance can be used to estimate mean clay contents over larger areas and at coarser resolutions with acceptable and predictable errors and (iii) various maps can be produced that represent different compromises between prediction accuracy and spatial resolution.     

Fine-Scale Doppler Radar Observations of Tornadoes

Observations obtained with a mobile pencil-beam Doppler radar revealed many previously unresolved structures within tornadic storms and tornadoes and helped verify various aspects of conceptual models. Radar data from the parent circulations indicate the existence of spiral reflectivity bands, intense radial wind shear zones, and multiple larger-scale velocity maxima. Tornado structures observed include debris shields, clear axial (eye) regions, multiple reflectivity bands surrounding the center of the eye, and occasional reflectivity protrusions into the eye. Velocity and reflectivity data from tornado-scale circulations show evidence of axial downdrafts.     

Filopodial calcium transients promote substrate-dependent growth cone turning

Filopodia that extend from neuronal growth cones sample the environment for extracellular guidance cues, but the signals they transmit to growth cones are unknown. Filopodia were observed generating localized transient elevations of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) that propagate back to the growth cone and stimulate global Ca2+ elevations. The frequency of filopodial Ca2+ transients was substrate-dependent and may be due in part to influx of Ca2+ through channels activated by integrin receptors. These transients slowed neurite outgrowth by reducing filopodial motility and promoted turning when stimulated differentially within filopodia on one side of the growth cone. These rapid signals appear to serve both as autonomous regulators of filopodial movement and as frequency-coded signals integrated within the growth cone and could be a common signaling process for many motile cells.     

Thermally Switchable Periodicities and Diffraction from Mesoscopically Ordered Materials

Two switchable, mesoscopically periodic materials were created by combining crystalline colloidal array (CCA) self-assembly with the temperature-induced volume phase transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). Body-centered-cubic CCAs of hydrated, swollen PNIPAM particles Bragg-diffract infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light weakly, whereas arrays of compact shrunken particles diffract efficiently. A tunable diffracting array was also created by embedding a CCA of polystyrene spheres within a PNIPAM hydrogel that swells and contracts with temperature; thus the array lattice constant varies with temperature, and the diffracted wavelength was thermally tunable across the entire visible spectrum. These materials may find applications in many areas of optics and materials science.     

A comparison of in vivo and in vitro estimates of protein digestibility of native and thermally processed vegetable proteins

Research was performed to determine the suitability of the rapid multienzymatic assay for in vitro protein digestibility estimation by using a group of native and thermally processed vegetable proteins which constitute the staple foods in developing countries. The in vitro digestibility was assessed by measuring the extent to which the pH of the protein suspension dropped when treated with a multienzyme system consisting of trypsin, chymotrypsin, and peptidase for 10 min, andStreptomyces griseus protease for 10 min more. The best correlation occurred between in vivo rat protein digestibility and the pH of the protein suspension after 15 min enzymatic treatment. The response of different types of proteins to the multienzyme assay was different, and thus distinct equations were derived for the in vitro digestibility estimation of the samples assayed. The first group included nonprocessed cereal grains and oilseeds, and cereal grain-leguminous seed mixtures. The second group was formed by leguminous seeds, and the third by thermally processed cereal and oilseed products. Although highly significant correlations between in vivo and in vitro estimates for the three groups were found, important differences occurred in the group of processed samples; therefore, more research is required with these types of samples.     

Use of the Anemon Index to evaluate the quality of analgesia during fentanyl and sevoflurane anaesthesia in pigs

Anemon I is a new monitoring system that can be used to evaluate autonomic nervous system reactivity in real time by showing a simple, easily interpretated quantitative index (0–200), the Anemon Index (AI) ( Junke et al. 2000 ). This study used the AI to evaluate the quality of analgesia during sevoflurane and fentanyl anaesthesia in pigs. Six healthy pigs, weighing 24.76 ± 3.40 kg, were induced to anaesthesia with 5% sevoflurane (SEVO) in 5 L minute^?1 oxygen. After endotracheal intubation SEVO was given at 1 MAC (2.66%) in 3 L minute^?1 oxygen. Fentanyl was infused IV at 50 µg kg^?1 hour^?1 for the first 30 minutes of anaesthesia, discontinued for 30 minutes, and then infused at 100 µg kg^?1 hour^?1 for another 30 minutes. Three mechanical noxious stimuli (needle prick, pin‐prick and pressure on the abdomen) were applied for 15 seconds at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The AI, ECG, invasive mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), SpO₂ by pulse oximetry, tidal volume, Fe′sevo , Fe ′CO₂ and respiratory rate were recorded before induction (baseline), after induction, after intubation and extubation, and before and during noxious stimulation at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Recovery times were recorded. Statistically significant differences were determined by anova . Spearman rank‐correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between AI and hemodynamic variables. A p‐value of < 0.05 was considered significant. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease in AI was recorded after anaesthetic induction, from 82.3 ± 21.1 to 52.7 ± 20.3. After intubation, AI increased slightly, but not significantly, to 71.7 ± 27.1. A significant (p < 0.05) increase of AI occurred after extubation. Nociceptive stimuli did not have any measurable effect either on AI or on recorded cardiovascular variables. There was no movement, respiratory changes, or any other visible response to noxious stimulation. The AI did not change significantly with the different doses of fentanyl. Respiratory depression and apnoea were seen in all animals during the fentanyl infusion; therefore, pigs received intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Anaesthesia with sevoflurane and fentanyl resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in MAP. Heart rate did not change significantly. There was no correlation between AI and cardiovascular variables (HR and MAP). Endotracheal intubation caused an increase and extubation a greater significant increase in the AI. This suggests that intubation and extubation may represent stressful events during general anaesthesia, although further studies are needed to validate the use of the AI in pigs. Sevoflurane anesthetic induction may not prevent the sympathetic stimulus caused by endotracheal intubation in pigs, as indicated by the increased AI values.     

肉鸡的最适维生素E营养

<正>1肉鸡饲料中的维生素需要量1.1维生素之间及其与其它营养素的复杂相互作用维生素并非一种单独的营养素,不同维生素之间存在各种各样的相互作用。例如,脂溶性维生素互相竞争小肠吸收,其中一种维生素过量可能导致其它维生素缺乏,使用高水平的维生素A时表现尤     

Linking coastal aquaculture of meagre Argyrosomus regius and Western Mediterranean coastal fisheries through escapes incidents

Escape incidents in coastal aquaculture lead to economic losses for farmers and may have indirect socio‐economic effects on local fisheries. In this study, the relationship of meagre, Argyrosomus regius (Asso), production in open‐sea cages and coastal small‐scale fisheries was analysed through captures of escapes, which are easily detected because this species is considered locally absent in native communities in Western Mediterranean regions. Scale reading showed that 100% of captured meagre were escapees. The existence of a direct relationship, in terms of biomass, between the development of meagre coastal aquaculture and the increase of captures of this species by local fisheries was demonstrated. The spatial distribution of meagre captures suggested that there is a local environmental and economic interaction between meagre aquaculture and fisheries through escapees. Monitoring the presence of locally absent species such as meagre within landings might help to assess the magnitude of escapes, the potential economic effects on local aquaculture and fishery industries, and the potential adverse ecological impacts on local ecosystems.     

Characterization of the urogenital microbiome in Miniature Schnauzers with and without calcium oxalate urolithiasis

BackgroundCalcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths are common in dogs. Humans with CaOx urolithiasis exhibit alterations of the urinary and urogenital microbiomes that might mediate urolith formation. Detection of urogenital microbes associated with CaOx in dogs could inform disease pathophysiology.ObjectiveTo identify compositional differences in the urogenital microbiome of Miniature Schnauzers with and without CaOx uroliths.AnimalsNineteen midstream, voided urine samples from Miniature Schnauzers with (n = 9) and without (n = 10) a history of CaOx urolithiasis.MethodsAnalytical cross‐sectional study. Microbial DNA was extracted from previously frozen urine samples and sequenced for the bacterial 16S rRNA V3‐V4 hypervariable regions. Diversity and composition of microbial populations were compared between urolith formers and controls.ResultsAlpha and beta diversity measures were similar between groups. Five individual bacterial taxa differed in abundance (indicator values >0.5 and P < .05): Acinetobacter, 2 Geobacillus variants, and Hydrogenophaga were overrepresented in the urine of urolith formers, and Sphingopyxis was overrepresented in controls. Two distinct subtypes of urine microbial composition were observed based on beta diversity measures, independent of urolith status, and other clinical variables.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceAlthough we did not detect a difference in the overall urogenital microbial composition between groups, observed differences in individual bacterial taxa might be clinically relevant. For example, Acinetobacter was overrepresented in urolith formers and is associated with CaOx urolithiasis in humans. Two unique clusters of the microbiome were identified, independent of urolith status, which may represent distinct urotypes present in Miniature Schnauzers.