Evaluation of the anaesthetic effects of combinations of ketamine, medetomidine, romifidine and butorphanol in European badgers (Meles meles)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of three anaesthetic combinations in adult European badgers (Meles meles). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, blinded, experimental trial. ANIMALS: Sixteen captive adult badgers. METHODS: The badgers were each anaesthetized by intramuscular injection using the three techniques assigned in random order: romifidine 0.18 mg kg(-1), ketamine 10 mg kg(-1) and butorphanol 0.1 mg kg(-1) (RKB); medetomidine 0.1 mg kg(-1), ketamine 9 mg kg(-1) and butorphanol 0.1 mg kg(-1) (MKB); and medetomidine 0.1 mg kg(-1) and ketamine 10 mg kg(-1) (MK). Initial drug doses were calculated based on a body mass of 10 kg. Additional anaesthetic requirements, time to drug effect, duration of action and recovery from anaesthesia were recorded. Heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate and rhythm, rectal and subcutaneous microchip temperature and oxygen saturation were recorded every 5 minutes. Depth of anaesthesia was assessed using: muscle tone; palpebral and pedal reflexes; and tongue relaxation at these time points. Blood samples and a tracheal aspirate were obtained under anaesthesia. Atipamezole was administered if the badger had not recovered within 60 minutes Parametric data were analysed using anova for repeated measures, and nonparametric data using Friedman's, and Cochran's Q tests: p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: All combinations produced good or excellent muscle relaxation throughout the anaesthetic period. RKB had the shortest duration of anaesthesia (16.8 minutes compared with MKB 25.9 minutes and MK 25.5 minutes) and antagonism was not required. RKB depressed respiratory rate less than MK and MKB. There was no significant difference between techniques for heart rate and rhythm. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: All combinations provided anaesthetic conditions suitable for sampling and identification procedures in adult badgers. The RKB protocol provided a significantly shorter period of anaesthesia when compared with the combinations containing medetomidine.     

Effects of increased dosages of the Mycoplasma gallisepticum vaccine MYCOVAC-L in layer chickens subsequently challenged with virulent M. gallisepticum: egg production and serologic response

Ten-week-old Hy-Line Commercial W-36 pullets were spray-vaccinated with MYCOVAC-L at the manufacturer's recommended dosage (1x) or at 15 times that rate (15x). At 22 or 45 wk of age, subsets of 1x- and 15x-vaccinated pullets were challenged with the virulent Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) strain Rlow. Percent hen-day egg production was determined through week 55. Analyses for treatment effects on overall (22-56 wk) percent hen-day egg production revealed no significant differences between nonchallenged 1x and nonchallenged 15x MYCOVAC-L treatments. Among 1x MYCOVAC-L-vaccinated groups, Rlow challenge at 45 wk corresponded to significantly (P < or = 0.01) lower overall egg production compared with the unchallenged 1x-vaccinated control (70.88% vs. 79.15%, respectively). Conversely, at the 15x MYCOVAC-L dosage level, overall egg production was not significantly affected by virulent MG challenge at 45 wk compared with its unchallenged counterpart (84.09% vs. 81.03%, respectively) and could indicate increased protection from virulent MG challenge. Serologic monitoring indicated the virulent MG challenge was consistently (100%) associated with seroconversion. Comparisons among the nonchallenged experimental treatments indicated that vaccinations at the 15x MYCOVAC-L dosage rate were associated with a greater seroconversion rate at weeks 21, 27, and 44, but not at week 50.     

Early, microbially driven follicular reactions in the neonatal piglet do not contribute to expansion of the immunoglobulin heavy chain V-D-J repertoire

Selective microbial colonisation of germ-free piglets is reported to result in expansion of immunoglobulin V(H)- and D(H)-segment usage from an initially limited repertoire. Here, the response of the palatine tonsil to microbial colonisation was compared in age-matched conventionally reared and germ-free piglets. At 3 and 5 days after birth an expansion in the B-cell follicle area was observed in the conventional, microbially colonised animals, which was not seen in the germ-free piglets. Consistent with this observation, sequencing of re-arranged heavy chain V-D-J units demonstrated accumulation of point mutations indicating somatic hypermutation in the conventional, microbially colonised piglets but not in the germ-free animals. However, V(H)- and D(H)-segment usage and CDR3 length did not differ between the groups. The results suggest that the follicle reaction observed occurs in response to microbial challenge, involves proliferation and somatic hypermutation of B-cells but does not expand repertoire or generate classical, isotype-switched memory B-cells. We suggest that microbial colonisation of neonatal piglets drives immunological competence in two stages: first, an antigen non-specific, follicular reaction which expands immunological compartments; and second, microbe driven changes in V-segment usage which expand immunological repertoire.     

Extending Our Reach: Surveying,Analyzing, and Planning Outreach to Extension Staff

This study describes how University of Minnesota Extension staff locate and use information to accomplish daily activities. The major findings were: (a) information seeking is a daily or weekly need; (b) staff use predominately online resources from a variety of sources—peer-reviewed journals, technical or research reports, and government information—and use search engines most frequently to locate them; and (c) Extension staff are aware of the majority of library resources and services. Extension staff welcome advanced information-seeking tools and techniques for professional development.     

A reversible synthetic rotary molecular motor

The circumrotation of a submolecular fragment in either direction in a synthetic molecular structure is described. The movement of a small ring around a larger one occurs through positional displacements arising from biased Brownian motion that are kinetically captured and then directionally released. The sense of rotation is governed solely by the order in which a series of orthogonal chemical transformations is performed. The minimalist nature of the [2]catenane flashing ratchet design permits certain mechanistic comparisons with the Smoluchowski-Feynman ratchet and pawl. Even when no work has to be done against an opposing force and no net energy is used to power the motion, a finite conversion of energy is intrinsically required for the molecular motor to undergo directional rotation. Nondirectional rotation has no such requirement.     

Performance of shrimp futures markets as price discovery and hedging mechanisms

Abstract

Granger causality tests revealed leading indicators of shrimp futures prices, implying that futures prices do not reflect all available market information and potentially fail to be an exemplary price discovery mechanism. Trading simulations confirmed that the use of some leading indicators allowed profitable arbitrage in shrimp futures trading. Shrimp futures were deficient as a hedging tool, as well. Correlations between futures and wholesale cash prices were often low, and basis risk rivaled price risk. Lack of liquidity is a likely explanation for shrimp futures’ shortcomings as a hedging tool and price discovery mechanism.     

Production Comparison of Three Genetic Strains of Freshwater Prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii,Raised Under Two Pond Management Technologies

Three genetic strains (Texas [cultured], Hawaii [cultured], and Myanmar [wild]) of freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, were characterized and compared under two pond grow‐out management technologies using a 3 × 2 factorial design. Juvenile prawns (45 d nursed juveniles) from each strain were stocked at individual average weights of 0.4 ± 0.3 g (Texas), 0.3 ± 0.2 g (Hawaii), and 0.3 ± 0.2 g (Myanmar). The low input management technology prawns were stocked at 24,700 /ha with no added substrate. The high input management technology prawns were stocked at 74,100 /ha with the addition of artificial substrate. Each of the six treatment combinations were replicated in three, 0.04 ha earthen ponds (total of 18 ponds). Prawns were fed a sinking pellet (32% protein) once daily at a standardized rate. After 112 d, prawns were harvested, bulk weighed, and counted. Survival of Texas strain (95%) was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than Myanmar strain (77–80%) under both management technologies with survival of Hawaii strain (86–91%) intermediate and not significantly different (P > 0.05) from other strains. Under both management technologies, average weight, total production, and marketable percentage (>20 g) was significantly better (P ≤ 0.05) in Texas and Hawaii strains in comparison to the Myanmar strain. These data appear to indicate that the cultured strains evaluated in this study demonstrate positive impacts of domestication and do not indicate inbreeding depression.