Synthesis of large arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes on glass

Free-standing aligned carbon nanotubes have previously been grown above 700 degreesC on mesoporous silica embedded with iron nanoparticles. Here, carbon nanotubes aligned over areas up to several square centimeters were grown on nickel-coated glass below 666 degreesC by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Acetylene gas was used as the carbon source and ammonia gas was used as a catalyst and dilution gas. Nanotubes with controllable diameters from 20 to 400 nanometers and lengths from 0. 1 to 50 micrometers were obtained. Using this method, large panels of aligned carbon nanotubes can be made under conditions that are suitable for device fabrication.     

Environmental influences on Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) catch per unit effort in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) population in the western Atlantic supports substantial commercial and recreational fisheries. Despite quota establishment and management under the auspices of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, only small increases in population growth have been estimated. In contrast to other western bluefin tuna fisheries indices, contemporary estimates of catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence have increased rapidly and are at record highs. This area is characterized by the Cold Intermediate Layer (CIL) that is defined by waters <3°C and located at depths of 30–40 m in September. We investigated the influence of several in situ environmental variables on the bluefin tuna fishery CPUE using delta‐lognormal modelling and relatively extensive and consistent oceanographic survey data, as well as dockside monitoring and mandatory logbook data associated with the fishery. Although there is considerable spatial and temporal variation of water mass characteristics, the amount of available habitat in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (assuming a > 3°C thermal ambit) for bluefin tuna has been increasing. The percentage of the water column occupied by the CIL was a significant environmental variable in the standardization of CPUE estimates. There was also a negative relationship between the spatial extents of the CIL and the fishery. Properties of the CIL account for variation in the bluefin tuna CPUE and may be a factor in determining the amount of available feeding habitat for bluefin tuna in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.     

Histopathological and parasitological study of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum

Background

The aim of this study was to provide a systematic pathological and parasitological overview of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), including the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon, of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania.

Methods

Twenty mongrel dogs naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and obtained from the Control Zoonosis Center of the Municipality of Ribeirão das Neves, Belo Horizonte Metropolitan area, Minas Gerais (MG) state, Brazil, were analyzed. The dogs were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised nine clinically normal dogs and group 2 comprised 11 clinically affected dogs. After necropsy, one sample was collected from each GIT segment, namely the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon. Furthermore, paraffin-embedded samples were used for histological and parasitological (immunohistochemistry) evaluation and a morphometrical study were carried out to determine the parasite load (immunolabeled amastigote forms of Leishmania). The Friedman and the Mann Whitney tests were used for statistical analysis. The Friedman test was used to analyze each segment of the GIT within each group of dogs and the Mann Whitney test was used to compare the GIT segments between clinically unaffected and affected dogs.

Results

The infected dogs had an increased number of macrophages, plasma cells and lymphocytes, but lesions were generally mild. Parasite distribution in the GIT was evident in all intestinal segments and layers of the intestinal wall (mucosal, muscular and submucosal) irrespective of the clinical status of the dogs. However, the parasite load was statistically higher in the caecum and colon than in other segments of the GIT.

Conclusion

The high parasite burden evident throughout the GIT mucosa with only mild pathological alterations led us to consider whether Leishmania gains an advantage from the intestinal immunoregulatory response (immunological tolerance).     

Feline house soiling: elimination and marking behaviors.

Although challenging at times, managing cats with elimination issues can be rewarding. The frustration in management of these cases is often a result of the lack of a proper diagnosis and random treatment application. A systematic approach to these cases should help to achieve treatment success. Also, new information should lead to further advancements in treatment.     

Subclinical laminitis in dairy heifers

By causing poorer horn quality, subclinical laminitis is considered to be a major predisposing cause of other hoof problems, particularly sole ulcers in newly calved heifers. In this study the hind hooves of 136 female Friesian/Holstein cattle aged between four months and two years were examined to discover at what age the signs of subclinical laminitis appeared. Sole haemorrhages were found in the hoof horn of calves as young as five months. The consistent finding of these lesions in heifers of all ages indicated that subclinical laminitis of varying degree was a common condition during the early growing period of young dairy heifers.     

Management of land and livestock contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls

Investigations were conducted on several small neighbouring beef cattle and sheep farms that were found to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The residues detected contained about 62% w/w chlorine and soil concentrations ranged from 0.35 to 1.9 mg/kg. Beef cattle and sheep grazing the contaminated land had PCB concentrations in their fat of 0.3 to 1.7 mg/kg and 0.19 to 0.45 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of PCBs in the caudal fat of cattle was 0.3 to 2 times the concentration of PCBs in the land they were grazing and was positively related to stocking rates. PCBs were present in milk fat from cattle at about the same concentration as in caudal fat, and lactation appeared to contribute to decontamination. Wool grease from sheep contained about 1 to 2 times the concentration of PCBs in subcutaneous fat. Calves of contaminated cows also became contaminated. The half-life for decontamination of PCBs in a group of 8 young female beef cattle was calculated at 13 months. PCBs were detected in pasture samples at concentrations ranging from less than 0.01 mg/kg to 0.12 mg/kg. However, PCBs were not detected in any sample of hay cut from these paddocks. In 4 sheep fed a sole ration of this hay, traces of PCBs were detected in their fat following 89 days of feeding. Grazing livestock for meat production on land contaminated with PCBs is not recommended because livestock readily acquire residues, and PCBs persist in soil and livestock for long periods. Grazing sheep for wool production on land contaminated with PCBs may be an option.     

Prototheca zopfii mastitis in a herd of dairy cows

Mastitis caused by the colourless alga Prototheca zopfii was diagnosed in 17 of 120 cows in a dairy herd. Infection occurred in animals varying from 3-14 years old and was present in one to four quarters of each cow. Nine cases were associated with clinical mastitis characterised by the presence in milk of flakes or small clots. Somatic cell counts consistent with subclinical mastitis (>500 x 10(3) cells/ml) were recorded in five of the eight remaining cows. Histological examination of udder tissue showed the presence of granulomatous lesions associated with the presence of Prototheca. The problem was identified and controlled by repeated microbiological examination of milk samples from all lactating cows and immediate culling of infected animals. P. zopfii was also recovered from environmental water samples on this farm. It is suggested that infection may have occurred as a result of teat sores caused by trauma from a milking machine, and the tendency for cows to lay down on a race, the surface of which was sometimes flooded by drain water in which Prototheca were present.