Snake bites recorded by veterinary practices in Australia

Objective To determine the extent of the snake bite problem in domestic animals, its regional significance and the effects of antivenom treatment.
Design A questionnaire was designed seeking information on the number and type of domestic animals referred, whether treated or untreated, type of snakes and management of the bite.
Procedure The survey form was sent to 10% of veterinary surgeons, selected at random throughout Australia.
Results The response of 106 veterinary surgeons revealed that snake bite in domestic animals is frequent, with an estimated 6200 cases reported annually. Bites were more prominent in rural (78%) than urban areas (22%) with brown, tiger and black snakes accounting for 76%, 13% and 6% of cases, respectively. Cats and dogs were the most frequently reported victims. Ninety-one percent of cats and 75% of dogs survived following the administration of antivenom whereas 66% of cats and 31% of dogs survived without antivenom. Overall, in 33% of cases antivenom was not used, and venom detection kits were used in only 1% of cases. A number of drugs were used in various combinations with or without antivenom and intravenous fluids in the treatment of animals with snake bite, but their role in reducing the severity of envenomations was not assessed.
Clinical implications Antivenom significantly improves the chances of survival of domestic animals bitten by snakes.     

The increasing risk of Lyme disease in Canada

There is an increasing risk of Lyme disease in Canada due to range expansion of the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis. The objectives of this article are to i) raise public awareness with the help of veterinarians on the emerging and expanding risk of Lyme disease across Canada, ii) review the key clinical features of Lyme disease in dogs, and iii) provide recommendations for veterinarians on the management of Lyme disease in dogs.     

Mechanism of simmondsin decomposition during sodium hydroxide treatment

Jojoba seed meal shows appetite-suppressing activity due to the presence of simmondsin. This pharmacological activity disappears with treatment of the meal with sodium hydroxide. To elucidate this mechanism of inactivation, the reaction of simmondsin in 1 N NaOH at 20 degrees C was monitored as a function of time. The end products of the reaction as well as intermediates were isolated and identified. The half-life of simmondsin was approximately 60 min with d-glucose and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetonitrile as reaction end products. The reaction mechanism could be elucidated by the isolation of isosimmondsin and a simmondsin lactone derivative. Those compounds were isolated and purified by a combination of column chromatography and HPLC and identified mainly by HRMS and NMR spectroscopy.     

Atmospheric mercury concentrations above mercury contaminated mill tailings in the Carson River Drainage Basin,NV

During processing of the historic Comstock Ore, Virginia City, NV, an estimated 5.5 × 10⁹ g of metallic mercury (Hg) were released into the Carson River Drainage Basin. The Bessels Mill site is one of at least 75 locations where Hg was used to amalgamate the gold and silver from the ore. Although the mill is no longer standing, Hg contaminated tailings attest to its past location. Mercury concentrations in samples of tailings from the Bessels Mill site are as high as 1570 μg/g. Mercury concentrations vary spatially over the site. Total Hg concentrations in air measured directly over the site are well above regional background levels (1 to 7.1 ng/m³). The highest average atmospheric Hg concentration measured at the site was 240 ng/m³ for October 1993. The estimated range of Hg flux to the atmosphere from the site was 37 to 500 ng/m² hr. Atmospheric Hg concentrations varied seasonally, diurnally and spatially. Atmospheric Hg concentrations varied as a function of Hg concentration, soil and air temperature, wind speed and surface morphology.     

Rooting behavior of rice cultivars under different planting methods

An experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh in Old Brahmaputra Alluvial Flood Plain (AEZ-9) during December 2005 to May 2006 to examine the root growth of different rice cultivars under various establishment methods. This experiment comprised two sets of treatment (i) three methods of planting viz., dry direct seeding, wet direct seeding and transplanting, and (ii) six rice cultivars, two inbreds viz., BRRI Dhan 28 and BRRI Dhan 29, two hybrids, viz., Aalok 6201 and Sonarbangla 1 and two local improved cultivar viz., Habigonj IV and Habigonj VIII. Cultivars had more remarkable effect on different root parameters i.e. number of roots, root length, root length density, root biomass, root weight ratio and root shoot ratio of hybrid, inbred and local improved rice cultivars than method of planting. BRRI Dhan 28 performed the best for most of the parameters. At harvest, BRRI Dhan 29 showed the best rooting behavior among the cultivars. For both stages hybrid rice cultivars showed intermediate and local improved cultivars performed lower in rooting behavior. Direct seeding method performed better than transplanting method for most of the root parameters but wet direct seeding and dry direct seeding methods were identical. Interaction effect between method of planting and cultivar in most of the root parameters were insignificant. But, BRRI Dhan 28 and BRRI Dhan 29 under wet direct seeding method and Sonarbanngla 1 under transplanting method showed the best rooting performance among the other combinations.     

RGO/Nylon-6 composite mat with unique structural features and electrical properties obtained from electrospinning and hydrothermal process

In this work, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets were effectively uploaded through nylon-6 fibers using combined process of electrospinning and hydrothermal treatment. Good dispersion of graphene oxide (GO) with nylon-6 solution could allow to upload GO sheets through nylon-6 fibers and facilitate the formation of spider-wave-like nano-nets during electrospinning. GO sheets present on/into nylon-6 spider-wave-like nano-nets were further reduced to RGO using hydrothermal treatment. The impregnated GO sheets into nylon-6 nanofibers and their reduction during hydrothermal treatment were confirmed by FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR and Raman spectra. The electrical characteristics of pristine nylon-6, GO/nylon-6 and RGO/nylon-6 nanofibers were investigated and it was found that RGO/nylon-6 composite mat had better electrical conductivity than others. The formation of spider-wave-like nano-nets as well as indirect route of incorporation of RGO sheets on electrospun nylon-6 mat may open a new direction for future graphene/polymer electronics.     

A Comparison of Three Different Hydroponic Sub-systems (gravel bed, floating and nutrient film technique) in an Aquaponic Test System

Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii (Mitchell), and Green Oak lettuce, Lactuca sativa, were used to test for differences between three hydroponic subsystems, Gravel Bed, Floating Raft and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), in a freshwater Aquaponic test system, where plant nutrients were supplied from fish wastes while plants stripped nutrients from the waste water before it was returned to the fish. The Murray Cod had FCR's and biomass gains that were statistically identical in all systems. Lettuce yields were good, and in terms of biomass gain and yield, followed the relationship Gravel bed > Floating > NFT, with significant differences seen between all treatments. The NFT treatment was significantly less efficient than the other two treatments in terms of nitrate removal (20% less efficient), whilst no significant difference was seen between any test treatments in terms of phosphate removal. In terms of dissolved oxygen, water replacement and conductivity, no significant differences were observed between any test treatments. Overall, results suggest that NFT hydroponic sub-systems are less efficient at both removing nutrients from fish culture water and producing plant biomass or yield than Gravel bed or Floating hydroponic sub-systems in an Aquaponic context. Aquaponic system designers need to take these differences into account when designing hydroponic components within aquaponic systems.     

Comparison of three fish-loading systems to harvest food-size channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Three fish-loading systems were used to harvest food-size channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Loading rates of equipment and their effect on post-harvest fish survival and weight gain during cool and warm weather were studied.

The turbine pump loading rate (300·7 kg/min) was greater than the lift net (158·00 kg/min) and vacuum pump (54·1 kg/min), while the lift net was greater than the vacuum pump (p < 0·05).

Mean survivals (± SD) for catfish loaded by lift net, turbine pump and vacuum pump from earthen ponds during cool and warm weather were 96·6% (±2·8), 93·9% (±7·4) and 97·7% (±1·1) and 94·0% (±5·7), 85·3% (±8·6) and 89·0% (±12·5), respectively. Mean weight change (± SD) per catfish loaded by the same equipment during cool-and warm-weather tests were −8·2 g/fish (±31·1), −12·4 g/fish (±15·2) and −17·5 g/fish (±19·9), and 67·6 g/fish (±60·6), 33·9 g/fish (±137·4) and 32·4 g/fish (±142·1), respectivley. There were no significant differences among loading systems for survival or mean weight change per fish. The turbine pump is a possible alternative to the traditional life net as a means of loading food-size channel catfish. Further testing on commercial catfish farms is required.