Contribution of stream channel erosion to sediment yield from an urbanizing watershed

Stream channel erosion has long been suspected as the major contributor to long-term sediment yield from urbanizing watersheds. For San Diego Creek in southern California, measurements from 1983 to 1993 showed that stream channel erosion furnished 10(5) megagrams per year of sediment, or about two-thirds of the total sediment yield. Thus, because channel erosion can be a major source of sediment yield from urbanizing areas, channel stabilization should be a priority in managing sediment yield.     

Bovine mycotic abortion and pneumonia

Abstract

Extract

Sir,—We should like to take this opportunity to congratulate Messrs Cordes, Dodd and O'Hara (1964 Cordes, D. O., Dodd, D. C. and O'Hara, P. J. 1964. N.Z. vet J., 12: 95–95. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) on their excellent article on bovine mycotic abortion and pneumonia in New Zealand, and at the same time mention certain complementary features of these conditions as noted in Tasmania.     

Pathology of brucellosis in rams in New Zealand

A questionnaire-based case-control study investigating the association of a range of host-related, owner-related and environmental risk factors with feline lower urinary tract disease was conducted in New Zealand over a 2-year period from 1991 to 1993. The study was subsequently extended in two ways, to examine the influence of the use of litter trays and to correlate weather records with the appearance of the disease in one particular region of the country. A range of statistical techniques was employed to analyse the data, including univariate odds ratio and chi-squared calculations, time series analysis, Poisson regression and conditional and unconditional logistic regression. Variables that were positively associated with lower urinary tract disease included low activity levels, the use of a litter tray coupled with restriction indoors, a high number of rainfall days in the month preceding the appearance of clinical signs, stress factors such as moving house within the last 3 months or the presence of more than one cat in the household, and a diet high in dry cat food. There was some indication that high levels of fluid consumption reduced the effect of a diet high in dry cat food. Other variables that appeared to have some protective effects included a routine visit to the veterinarian in the last 12 months and the use of alternative food sources such as rodents and birds.     

Observations on diseases of the central nervous system of sheep in New Zealand

Extract

The purpose of this paper is to describe the salient features of the neurological conditions seen in sheep in New Zealand which are associated with changes in the central nervous system. Several of the conditions associated with perinatal mortality will be mentioned only briefly in this paper as the details will be included in a subsequent paper on ovine perinatal mortality. Some of the entities to be described have been reported before and are reviewed. Others are described here for the first time.     

Observations on mortality of young dogs in New Zealand

Changes in the plasma concentrations of cortisol were recorded in 5–6 weeks-old lambs during the first 480 minutes after surgical castration and tailing in order to define the full post-treatment cortisol response and to determine whether or not the handling associated with repeated blood sampling delayed the return of cortisol concentrations to pretreatment values. Four groups of six or seven lambs were studied: One group was bled regularly throughout the 480 minutes of the study, and in the other three post-treatment blood sampling began at 90, 240 or 480 minutes. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased after treatment and returned to or approached pretreatment values by 480 minutes. No significant differences in mean cortisol concentrations were observed between the groups at any stage. It is concluded that the acute distress response of these lambs to surgical castration and tailing lasted about 8 hours and that repeated handling for blood sampling did not contribute significantly to this distress.     

An outbreak of spinal neuronopathy of goat kids in Fiji

A newly recognised caprine neuropathy is described in which goat kids developed rapidly progressive neurologic signs in association with widespread spinal cord neuronal degeneration and active demyelination.     

Absorption, disposition, metabolism, and excretion of [3-(14)C]caffeic acid in rats

Male Sprague-Dawley rats ingested 140 × 10(6) dpm of [3-(14)C]trans-caffeic acid, and over the ensuing 72 h period, body tissues, plasma, urine, and feces were collected and the overall levels of radioactivity determined. Where sufficient radioactivity had accumulated, samples were analyzed by HPLC with online radioactivity and tandem mass spectrometric detection. Nine labeled compounds were identified, the substrate and its cis isomer, 3'-O- and 4'-O-sulfates and glucuronides of caffeic acid, 4'-O-sulfates and glucuronides of ferulic acid, and isoferulic acid-4'-O-sulfate. Four unidentified metabolites were also detected. After passing down the gastrointestinal tract, the majority of the radiolabeled metabolites were excreted in urine with minimal accumulation in plasma. Only relatively small amounts of an unidentified (14)C-labeled metabolite were expelled in feces. There was little or no accumulation of radioactivity in body tissues, including the brain. The overall recovery of radioactivity 72 h after ingestion of [3-(14)C]caffeic acid was ～80% of intake.     

Effect of age, gender, weight, and time of day on tear production in normal dogs

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of age, weight, gender, and of time of day on tear production in normal dogs. ANIMALS: studied One hundred ophthalmoscopically and systemically unremarkable dogs. PROCEDURE: Schirmer tear tests (STT) were performed every 2 h during the day on one randomly chosen eye of each of 100 dogs. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant effect of time of day and age on the STT measurement. The mean STT decreased by 0.4 mm for every 1 year that age increased (P=0.007). Mean STT values taken at 10:00 am were 0.7 mm lower than values taken at 4:00 pm (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Tear production decreases with age in the normal dog. In this population of dogs the largest difference was between the 10:00 am and the 4:00 pm STT measurements, but this still only amounted to 0.7 mm. This value is unlikely to be of clinical significance in the diagnosis of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS).