Seismic imaging of the downwelling Indian lithosphere beneath central Tibet

A tomographic image of the upper mantle beneath central Tibet from INDEPTH data has revealed a subvertical high-velocity zone from approximately 100- to approximately 400-kilometers depth, located approximately south of the Bangong-Nujiang Suture. We interpret this zone to be downwelling Indian mantle lithosphere. This additional lithosphere would account for the total amount of shortening in the Himalayas and Tibet. A consequence of this downwelling would be a deficit of asthenosphere, which should be balanced by an upwelling counterflow, and thus could explain the presence of warm mantle beneath north-central Tibet.     

Discovery and directed evolution of a glyphosate tolerance gene

The herbicide glyphosate is effectively detoxified by N-acetylation. We screened a collection of microbial isolates and discovered enzymes exhibiting glyphosate N-acetyltransferase (GAT) activity. Kinetic properties of the discovered enzymes were insufficient to confer glyphosate tolerance to transgenic organisms. Eleven iterations of DNA shuffling improved enzyme efficiency by nearly four orders of magnitude from 0.87 mM-1 min-1 to 8320 mM-1 min-1. From the fifth iteration and beyond, GAT enzymes conferred increasing glyphosate tolerance to Escherichia coli, Arabidopsis, tobacco, and maize. Glyphosate acetylation provides an alternative strategy for supporting glyphosate use on crops.     

Biocontrol of soil-borne plant pathogens: Concepts and their application

A few soil-borne plant pathogens have been controlled successfully by commercial formulations of biocontrol agents, but many attempts to develop biocontrol inoculants, although promising under experimental conditions, have met with difficulties in practice. The reasons for this are discussed in this review, which outlines some of the major findings on the behaviour of microbial inoculants in soil. It is emphasized that biocontrol also occurs naturally in current agricultural practice and can be exploited purposely, but it is vulnerable to disruption by agrochemicals or mismanagement. The future of biocontrol of soilborne plant pathogens probably lies in integrated (biorational) control systems that combine the use of commercial inoculants, where appropriate, with management practices that maintain and enhance the natural biocontrol systems.     

Welfare and environmental benefits of integrating commercially viable free-range broiler chickens into newly planted woodland: A UK case study

The commercial, welfare and environmental impacts of rearing small colonies of free-range chickens in newly planted woodland at two sites in the UK, during the first 2 years of the enterprise, were investigated. Newly planted rather than established trees were used so that commercially viable species could be planted in a way that would suit the management of the chicken enterprise, and small colonies were used so that farmers wishing to diversify could buy into the system progressively. It was anticipated that marketing a high specification product would provide an immediate income, whilst waiting for the future investment in trees to grow.     

Use of vascular access ports in femoral veins of dogs and cats with cancer

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term function of vascular access ports (VAPs) implanted in the femoral vein of dogs and cats undergoing cancer treatment. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS: 3 dogs and 6 cats treated via chemotherapy or radiation. PROCEDURES: VAPs were surgically implanted in the left femoral vein of 3 dogs and 6 cats over a 1-year period. Injection port location was alternated to either a caudal thoracic or ilial location in each patient. Duration of VAP function, ease of infusion, and ease of aspiration through the VAPs were recorded, and associated complications were assessed at each VAP use. Client satisfaction with VAP placement was evaluated by use of a questionnaire. RESULTS: Primary uses of the VAPs included blood sampling and delivering sedative or chemotherapeutic drugs. Median duration of successful infusion was 147 days (range, 60 to 370 days), and median duration of successful aspiration was 117 days (range, 10 to 271 days). The frequency of signs of VAP-related discomfort was low (7% of patient observations). Clients were satisfied with their decision to use VAPs. Complications included partial (n = 7) or complete (2) VAP occlusion, port migration (1), and presumptive infection (1). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that VAP implantation into the femoral vein provides an acceptable means of chronic venous access in dogs and cats undergoing cancer treatment.     

SCINTIGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EQUINE FOREDIGIT AND METACARPOPHALANGEAL REGION FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS OF AGE

Both foredigits and metacarpophalangeal joints of six Quarter Horse foals were scanned serially to six months of age using ⁹⁹Tc-methylene diphosphonate. Dorsal scans were made on day 1 and at two, four, six, ten, 14, 18, 22 and 26 weeks of age. Scans were assessed visually for distal third metacarpal, proximal phalangeal, and middle phalangeal physeal appearance and closure. Scans were also evaluated by computer region-of-interest (ROI) and line-profile analysis to characterize the physes quantitatively. Physeal region radioactivity relative to a disphyseal reference region was greatest at four weeks for all physes. Scintigraphic physeal closure of all physes occurred at approximately six months of age with a range of four and one half to greater than six months. The study was conducted to allow better assessment of diffuse and focal physeal disease by determining developmental times at which normal physeal region radioactivity has decreased enough to not obscure abnormal radioactivity and by quantifying scintigraphic physeal appearance which enables computer analysis to detect visually indeterminate physeal abnormalities.     

Investigations into carbamate insecticide selectivity: I: Evaluation of potential selectophores

In an effort to improve the generally unfavorable mouse/housefly toxicity ratio of most carbamate insecticides, potential selectophores (nitrile, carbamoyl oxime, carboxylic ester, or amide) were incorporated into a series of phenyl N-methylcarbamates. In addition to the insect and mouse toxicity determinations, the anticholinesterase activity of these compounds was determined for purified housefly head acetylcholinesterase and bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase. The presence of these functional groups, in general, did not give enhanced selectivity ratios and, in one case, (o-N-methylcarbamoyloxyiminomethylphenyl N-methylcarbamate), a very unfavorable selectivity ratio of <0.03 was obtained. A mechanism implicating a Beckmann rearrangement is advanced to rationalize the high rodenticidal activity of this molecule. In general, the carbamates showed poor insecticidal activity when applied alone to the housefly, but, when the flies were pretreated with piperonyl butoxide, the compounds were quite toxic. Finally, an explanation is derived which seeks to justify the inability of these potential selectophores to improve the mouse/housefly toxidity ratio.