Effects of trampling of a wet dairy pasture soil on soil porosity and on mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions by a nitrification inhibitor,dicyandiamide

Urine patches in dairy pastures are major sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Wet winters result in compaction damage to pastures because of animal trampling. The nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), is effective at reducing N₂O emissions from urine patches. Here, we assessed the extent of damage to the physical quality of the soil by trampling and whether this influenced the ability of DCD to mitigate N₂O emissions. A field experiment was conducted where a sandy loam soil was trampled by a mechanical hoof just before urine and DCD application. Trampling reduced air permeability and pore continuity, but this had no effect on bulk density. Urine appeared to have contributed to pore collapse and blockage. Trampling increased average cumulative N₂O emissions from 1.74 to 4.66% of urine‐N applied. This effect was attributed to increased water‐filled pore space, aggregate destruction and suppression of grass growth. DCD was highly effective in reducing N₂O emissions, with the N₂O emission factor of the urine‐N being decreased by 58–63%. Trampling did not significantly affect the effectiveness of DCD in reducing N₂O emissions.     

狂犬病病毒特异性抗体保护致死性疾病攻击的效价测定

抗体在对抗多种感染源中扮演重要角色。中和作用是抗体最主要的功能,这些多功能蛋白的Fc及补体依赖活性是其在提供对抗多种病毒感染的保护能力中最关键的。体内抗病毒的保护作用很复杂,其中病毒中和作用(抗体使病毒失去感染力的能力,通常在体外进行)很重要,通常它仅仅占保护作用的一部分。荧光焦点抑制试验仍是检测狂犬病病毒中和抗体的金标准。除了中和试验,抗体的狂犬病病毒特异性抗原结合活性也可以通过酶联免疫吸附试验及其他备用方法进行测定。对于任何一种疾病,选择适当的试验测定抗体滴度,验证检测及如何进行判定是重要的考率因素。在替代保护分析试验和结果判断方法的选择中,必须仔细考虑检测狂犬病病毒抗体的单一实验室方法的固有局限性及所选方法的有效性。     

Phase II, open-label trial of single-agent CCNU in dogs with previously untreated histiocytic sarcoma

Background: Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an aggressive neoplasm in dogs, and in most instances, the disease is localized, but not amenable to surgical removal, or is disseminated. Affected patients usually die within 6 months. There have been no prospective studies to determine efficacy of single‐agent chemotherapy in dogs with HS. Hypothesis: Single‐agent CCNU [1‐(2‐chloroethyl)3‐cyclohexyl‐1‐nitrosourea; lomustine] has antitumor activity against HS in dogs. Animals: Twenty‐one dogs with histologically confirmed, nonresectable localized or disseminated HS. Methods: Prospective, open‐label phase II clinical trial in which dogs with previously untreated HS were uniformly treated with CCNU as a single oral dosage of 90 mg/m² every 4 weeks. The primary outcome measure was reduction in tumor size. Results: Fourteen dogs with disseminated HS and 7 with localized HS were enrolled between 1999 and 2008. Overall response rate was 29% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14–50%) for a median of 96 days (95% CI, 55–137 days). Three dogs (1 disseminated, 2 localized) had complete responses lasting for 54–269 days and 3 dogs (2 disseminated, 1 localized) had partial responses lasting for 78–112 days. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: CCNU, when used as a single agent, has activity against HS in dogs. Evaluation of CCNU postoperatively for dogs with resectable localized HS and as part of combination therapy for tumors that are nonresectable or disseminated should be considered.     

General Biomechanics: The Horse As a Biological Machine

The “Mechanical Mode” of a horse refers to the condition of the musculature appropriate to the moment or task—stretched, contracted, or slack. It can be because of posture or carriage, rigidity, as a result of defensiveness, sustained contraction of musculature beyond the need of the task at hand, general condition of the musculature from moment to moment, and much more. One way to demonstrate this is to address the concept of suppleness. The mechanics of gait can be divided into purity, quality, and way of going. The mechanics of gait should be well understood by the veterinarian so that when evaluating the horse with the complaint of lameness they are best able to integrate and differentiate the true lameness from a mechanical, riding, or performance problem.     

Association between avian necrotic enteritis and Clostridium perfringens strains expressing NetB toxin

A novel toxin, NetB, has recently been identified in virulent avian Clostridium perfringens isolates and shown to be an essential virulence factor in a clinical necrotic enteritis isolate. To assess whether NetB is more generally associated with avian necrotic enteritis isolates we have screened a range of C. perfringens strains from geographically diverse locations for both the presence and expression of the netB gene. Forty-four isolates were derived from necrotic enteritis disease cases from Australia, Belgium, Denmark and Canada and 55 isolates from healthy chickens from Australia and Belgium. The majority of strains isolated from necrotic enteritis-affected birds were netB positive (70%) and there was an absolute correlation between the presence of netB and in vitro expression of the NetB protein. Only two of the C. perfringens isolates from healthy chickens carried netB. Sequencing of the netB gene from 23 positive isolates showed that NetB is highly conserved, with only one predicted amino acid (A168T) difference, in six isolates, compared to the published sequence. This change did not alter the in vitro activity of the NetB toxin. The gene encoding the recently discovered TpeL toxin was also screened using PCR and only found in a small proportion of NetB-positive isolates from diseased birds. A selection of NetB-negative isolates, originating from diseased birds, was unable to cause disease in a necrotic enteritis induction model. This study provides further evidence that NetB is important in pathogenesis and advances our current understanding of C. perfringens virulence factors in avian necrotic enteritis.     

The major genetic determinants of HIV-1 control affect HLA class I peptide presentation

Infectious and inflammatory diseases have repeatedly shown strong genetic associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, the basis for these associations remains elusive. To define host genetic effects on the outcome of a chronic viral infection, we performed genome-wide association analysis in a multiethnic cohort of HIV-1 controllers and progressors, and we analyzed the effects of individual amino acids within the classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins. We identified >300 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the MHC and none elsewhere. Specific amino acids in the HLA-B peptide binding groove, as well as an independent HLA-C effect, explain the SNP associations and reconcile both protective and risk HLA alleles. These results implicate the nature of the HLA-viral peptide interaction as the major factor modulating durable control of HIV infection.     

Lessons from long-term studies of harvest methods in southwestern ponderosa pine–Gambel oak forests on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest,Arizona, U.S.A.

The Fort Valley Experiment Station (now Fort Valley Experimental Forest) has contributed many long-term studies to forest research. This paper focuses on a “Methods of Cutting” study initiated in 1913 on the Coulter Ranch Unit of Fort Valley and how that long-term study yielded important ecological and management lessons. We quantified the historical and contemporary forest patterns at this ponderosa pine–Gambel oak site, which was harvested using three different harvesting systems in 1913 (seed tree, group selection, and light selection) and was partially excluded from livestock browsing in 1919. Using nine historically stem-mapped permanent plots for the following three stand structural scenarios: 1913 pre-harvest (modeled), post-harvest (actual), and 2003–2006 (actual) conditions, we examined the short- and long-term consequences of harvest and livestock grazing land-use and stand dynamics. We assessed changes in spatial pattern under each harvesting system and in each structural scenario, and lastly, we examined spatial and temporal tree recruitment patterns as observed in the contemporary (2003–2006) conditions. The seed tree harvests effectively converted the spatial patterns from aggregated to random and left few trees, while the group selection and light selection had varying effects, but consistently exaggerated the spatial patchiness of the stand. By 2003–2006, all plots were aggregated at all scales and were one large patch of predominately small trees. Sites that were harvested, but excluded from livestock browsing had 40% more trees in 2003–2006. Contemporary recruitment patterns were significantly aggregated under all harvesting systems, but were most strongly aggregated if the site received a group selection or light selection cut. For group and light selection, pine seedlings initially established in stump patches created by harvesting and then proceeded to fill-in the remaining area, with recruitment rarely found under the residual pine or oak trees. Long-term data sets, such as these established by the Fort Valley Experimental Forest in 1913, are essential for quantifying the impact of historical land-use practices on contemporary forest composition and structure. Ignoring land-use legacies may lead to the misinterpretation of stand dynamics and development, and therefore should be explicitly quantified and incorporated into future management and restoration activities.