Surgical repair of an atrial septal defect in a juvenile Sumatran orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus sumatraensis).

A systolic heart murmur was auscultated in a 2-yr-old female Sumatran orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus sumatraensis) with a slower than expected growth rate. Cardiac ultrasound revealed an 11-mm atrial septal defect. Cardiac catheterization confirmed the diagnosis. Surgical repair was performed during cardiopulmonary bypass using a pericardial patch. The bypass pump was primed with human albumin and donor orangutan whole blood of a compatible type. Hematuria occurred shortly after the initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass. Successful repair was immediately confirmed with transesophageal ultrasonography. The animal was extubated shortly after returning to spontaneous ventilation but had to be reintubated 4 hr later due to tachypnea and decreased SpO2. Additional extubation attempts failed, necessitating continuous positive pressure ventilation, monitoring, and intensive care environment. Thoracic radiographs suggested adult respiratory distress syndrome. The animal required 14 days of intensive care before extubation of the trachea was successful. After 4 wk of isolation, the orangutan was successfully reintroduced to its family group.     

Milling and Chinese raw white noodle qualities of common wheat near-isogenic lines differing in puroindoline b alleles

Understanding the effects of different alleles at the puroindoline b (Pinb) locus on processing quality will provide crucial information for quality improvement. Seven near-isogenic lines (NILs) planted at two locations in the 2008 cropping season were used to determine the effect of puroindoline b alleles on milling performance and Chinese raw white noodle (CRWN) quality. The Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a genotype possessed significantly higher values in grain hardness, protein content and starch damage than other genotypes, whereas the Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1d genotype had the lowest grain hardness and starch damage, with higher break flour yield, and less reduction flour yield, higher flour colour L*, and lower flour colour b*, than other genotypes. Farinograph parameters, except for water absorption, were not significantly affected by variation of puroindoline b alleles. Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1e had the highest peak viscosity, whereas the lowest value was observed in a Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a genotype. For CRWN quality, higher noodle viscoelasticity was obtained in the genotype Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1e and Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1g, whereas Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1d had a lower smoothness score. Genotypes with Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1e and Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1g produced the best total noodle score. It was concluded that genotype Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1d had better milling qualities, whereas Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1e and Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1g had slightly superior CRWN qualities in comparison with other genotypes.     

Oxidative Gelation Measurement and Influence on Soft Wheat Batter Viscosity and End-Use Quality

Viscosity is an important end-use attribute for some soft wheat flour formulations. Specifically, in formulations with minimal gluten development, such as batters (as in cake, pancake, and doughnut) and coatings (as in tempura), viscosity is important to leavening gas retention and flow characteristics. Current tests for predictors of viscosity leave considerable unexplained variation. The potential for water-extractable arabinoxylans to form oxidative gels through ferulic acid dimerization may represent an important component of viscosity variation. A method was developed to identify variation in viscosity due to oxidative gelation. This method, comparing viscosity of flour slurries made with water, a peroxide-peroxidase system, and a system with xylanase, indicated that two, and likely three, types of oxidative gelation were contributing to viscosity. Predicted viscosity due to inter-arabinoxylan gelation through ferulic acid dimerization, dityrosine formation among proteins, and ferulic acid-tyrosine bond formation varied among wheat cultivars. Oxidative gel formation increased batter viscosity probably due to water sequestration; this effect was correlated with reduction in the sugar snap cookie spread (diameter). Results indicate that oxidative gelation is an important contributor to batter viscosity and also contributes to the quality attributes of dough systems.     

Anaesthesia in the fourth dimension. Is biological scaling relevant to veterinary anaesthesia?

Fundamental laws, such as gravity and thermodynamics, are in common use in the physical sciences but are less applicable to biology. However, although there are fewer biological laws relative to other disciplines, the ones that exist are of great importance, e.g. natural selection. Another example may be a new law of biological network design which explains observations on how metabolic rate changes as organisms change size. It has been known for some time that as animal size increases its metabolic rate falls ( Rubner 1883 ; Kleiber 1932 ; Adolph 1949 ; Schmidt‐Nielsen 1984 ; Calabrese 1991 ). This has developed from a physiological curiosity to a tool that is used extensively to predict drug effects across species ( Lave et al. 1999 ). The function of this article is to review the development of this concept, and to examine its application in veterinary anaesthesia.     

Motivations of recreational fishers involved in fish habitat management

This study profiled the motivations of recreational fishers involved in habitat management activities in Australia, USA, UK and Ireland. Fishers were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Primary motivations for involvement were social (‘putting something back’) rather than to increase fish numbers or improve fishing experience. Fishers were more likely to participate in habitat management if they were members of a club or organisation or self‐rated their knowledge of various aspects of fish ecology as very good. Most activities undertaken were relatively simple tasks such as picking up litter and contacting government or the media. Fishers that did not take part in habitat management cited lack of time as the principal reason, but organisational issues (lack of contacts, funding and ideas) were also important. There are considerable opportunities for government agencies and recreational fishing organisations to increase the participation of recreational fishers in habitat management as well as their involvement in more complex tasks through targeted programmes providing contact points, ecological information and administrative support.     

Effect of Arthrospira supplementation on Oreochromis niloticus gut microbiota and flesh quality

Supplementing fish feed with Arthrospira platensis has several beneficial effects, such as improved growth, survival and feed conversion, but little is known about how it affects gut microbiota or flesh quality. In this trial, feed with 3% A. platensis was given to Oreochromis niloticus (SPR, spirulina supplemented) over a period of 50 days and their gut microbiota and flesh quality were compared with controls (CTRs, no supplementation). Average daily growth was higher in SPR fish (p < 0.05). Regarding microbiota, a total of 5,470,272 readings (individuals) were obtained from 16 gut samples (n = 8 CTR, n = 8 SPR), with a gamma diversity of 1,563 species but no significant differences were found between treatments. Among the high inter‐individual variability found, some individual microbiota were dominated by Proteobacteria (36.6%) and Fusobacteria (32.9%) and others more by Actinobacteria (37%). Regarding flesh quality, significant differences were observed in flesh colour post‐mortem (a*, b* and chroma) (p < 0.05), with higher reflectance in the range of 470–500 and 620–670 nm in SPR tilapia, which corresponds with the reflectance range of β‐carotene and phycocyanin. However, rigor mortis was resolved earlier in SPR fish (p < 0.05), which suggests a shorter shelf life. Adding 3% of A. platensis in O. niloticus diet can improve growth and flesh colour and does not appear to modify intestinal microbiota.     

九个中国北部普通小麦品种T.aestivum同源转化群5单体单价体在减数分裂后期Ⅰ时的错分裂

首次对中国北部品种同源转化群5单体单价体错分裂及单双极分布进行了研究。单体5A、5B 和5D 减数分裂后期Ⅰ错分裂频率分别为14.2%、9.2%和9.1%。中国春5A 具有最高错分裂频率(40.0%)。单体染色体或它们的错分裂产物的单极分布频率从18.6%到36.7%。双极分布频率比单极分布频率高,并随错分裂产物的增加而增加。一次、二次、三次错分裂频率差异很大。与欧、美品种相比中国北部品种同源转化群5错分裂行为与日本品种更相似。