The magnitude and duration of Late Ordovician-Early Silurian glaciation

Understanding ancient climate changes is hampered by the inability to disentangle trends in ocean temperature from trends in continental ice volume. We used carbonate "clumped" isotope paleothermometry to constrain ocean temperatures, and thereby estimate ice volumes, through the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian glaciation. We find tropical ocean temperatures of 32° to 37°C except for short-lived cooling by ~5°C during the final Ordovician stage. Evidence for ice sheets spans much of the study interval, but the cooling pulse coincided with a glacial maximum during which ice volumes likely equaled or exceeded those of the last (Pleistocene) glacial maximum. This cooling also coincided with a large perturbation of the carbon cycle and the Late Ordovician mass extinction.     

Earth's free oscillations excited by the 26 December 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake

At periods greater than 1000 seconds, Earth's seismic free oscillations have anomalously large amplitude when referenced to the Harvard Centroid Moment Tensor fault mechanism, which is estimated from 300- to 500-second surface waves. By using more realistic rupture models on a steeper fault derived from seismic body and surface waves, we approximated free oscillation amplitudes with a seismic moment (6.5 x 10(22) Newton.meters) that corresponds to a moment magnitude of 9.15. With a rupture duration of 600 seconds, the fault-rupture models represent seismic observations adequately but underpredict geodetic displacements that argue for slow fault motion beneath the Nicobar and Andaman islands.     

Successful therapy of vitamin D-dependant rickets in a kitten

A 7 mo old, 2.4 kg, intact female kitten was evaluated for an inability to walk after falling out of the owner's arms. Diagnostic testing abnormalities included hypocalcemia, low ionized calcium, and elevated intact parathyroid hormone concentration. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was normal. Radiographic abnormalities included generalized osteopenia, a nondisplaced, folding fracture of the proximal right fibula, and sclerosis with a compression fracture of the proximal right tibia. Based on these findings and response to calcium carbonate and calcitriol therapy, a diagnosis of vitamin D-dependent rickets was made. Reports of similar cases in veterinary medicine are sparse and no other reports to date document radiographic abnormalities with a successful therapeutic outcome.     

The spatial pattern of demographic performance as a component of sustainable landscape management and planning

Prioritizing habitat for animal conservation in heterogeneous landscapes requires an understanding of where animal occurrence coincides with human influences on demographic performance. We related broad-scale patterns of occurrence with risk of mortality among female Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) in a human-modified landscape to develop a spatially-explicit framework for animal conservation at the landscape level. Variability in the spatial pattern of elk occurrence was driven by preference for specific habitat types as well as responses to human activity. In contrast, risk of mortality was a function of human modification of the landscape with little variation explained by habitat. Proximity to industrial development was associated with increased risk of mortality whereas proximity to residences and agricultural structures was associated with decreased risk. Individual-level results revealed added complexity, whereby risk of mortality was associated with a consistent pattern of occurrence relative to industrial development, yet the association between risk and occurrence relative to structures was highly variable and likely a function of disparate land-use priorities. Approaches to managing human-mediated risk at the landscape level are most effective when they decompose human activity into constituent parts influencing risk, and when individual variation relative to the population response is investigated. Conservation interventions need to target factors that have a consistent influence across the population rather than risk uncertainty that would arise from targeting factors that influence individuals in variable or situation-specific ways. The spatial tools developed herein provide guidance for sustainable landscape planning in the study area, while the concept of linking occurrence and demographic performance within a hierarchical modeling framework has general application for animal conservation in landscapes subject to change, human-caused or otherwise.     

Entomotoxic effect of silica nanoparticles against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus oryzae</Emphasis> (L.)

Fumigants and residual insecticides are commonly used to combat stored grain pests. In recent years, consumer awareness of the health hazard from residual toxicity and the growing problem of insect resistance to these conventional insecticides have led the researchers to look for alternative strategies for stored grains protection. For example, diatomaceous earth (DE) can be effective against stored grain insects. In this study, DE was used to design amorphous nano sized hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and lipophilic silica in 15–30 nm size range. Nanocides are expected to reduce the volume of application and kinetics of development of resistance in pests. We hypothesized that surface-functionalized silica nanoparticle (SNP) might be a viable alternative to conventional pesticides. Entomotoxicity of SNP was tested against rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae and its efficacy was compared with bulk-sized silica (individual particles larger than 1 μm). Amorphous SNP was found to be highly effective against this insect pest causing more than 90% mortality, indicating the effectiveness of SNP to control insect pests.     

Enhanced sensitivity of photodetection via quantum illumination

The use of quantum-mechanically entangled light to illuminate objects can provide substantial enhancements over unentangled light for detecting and imaging those objects in the presence of high levels of noise and loss. Each signal sent out is entangled with an ancilla, which is retained. Detection takes place via an entangling measurement on the returning signal together with the ancilla. This paper shows that for photodetection, quantum illumination with m bits of entanglement can in principle increase the effective signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 2(m), an exponential improvement over unentangled illumination. The enhancement persists even when noise and loss are so great that no entanglement survives at the detector.     

Medicine. The need for a global HIV vaccine enterprise

A new collaborative model of research is needed to increase resources, to prioritize the R (ii) to increase the pace, reduce the overlap, and more systematically explore the elements of and delivery systems for vaccines; (iii) to use common standards for the prompt comparative testing of vaccine candidates; (iv) to expand resources for manufacturing vaccine candidates to speed their use in human trials; and (v) to increase the capacity for international clinical trials and to focus this effort toward quickly measuring the effectiveness of vaccine protection as prototype vaccine candidates are identified.     

Effect of cow colostrum on the performance and survival rate of local newborn piglets in Benin Republic

The effect of bovine colostrum, including its thermally labile compounds, on the survival and growth performance of local breed piglets reared by their mother, in Benin, was evaluated over a 49-day trial. Three groups of 16 piglets, stemming from two primiparous sows belonging to a unique traditional farm, were respectively fed for the first 48 h of life with either bovine colostrum heated to 85 °C for 30 min, or thawed bovine colostrum, or colostrum from the mother. Thereafter, the animals that received bovine colostrum turned back to their mother. At day 21, almost all piglets from the group that received heated colostrum died. The highest total weight gain was obtained in the group that received thawed bovine colostrum (P???0.01), followed by the group left with the mother. Corresponding average daily gains (ADGs) were 56, 34 and 2 g/day, respectively (P???0.05). At the end of the trial, the treatment effect was highly significant on the survival of piglets (100% in the thawed colostrum group vs. 00 and 50%, respectively, in the heated colostrum group and in the group left with the mother). At day 49, numerically higher weight and ADGs were obtained in the group that received thawed cow colostrum. Thawed bovine colostrum improved the growth performance and piglet survival in the local pig breed in Benin, probably owing to thermally labile components. Bovine colostrum may be used in our farms in order to reduce pre-weaning mortality, improve the profitability of livestock farmers, and ensure survival of traditional farms. The use of bovine colostrum on farms could be facilitated by collaboration between pig farmers and bovine farmers. It could also be facilitated by the creation of a colostrum bank.     

Ileocolic junction resection in dogs and cats: 18 cases

There is limited veterinary literature about dogs or cats with ileocolic junction resection and its long-term follow-up. To evaluate the long-term outcome in a cohort of dogs and cats that underwent resection of the ileocolic junction without extensive (≥50%) small or large bowel resection. Medical records of dogs and cats that had the ileocolic junction resected were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained either by telephone interview or e-mail correspondence with the referring veterinary surgeons. Nine dogs and nine cats were included. The most common cause of ileocolic junction resection was intussusception in dogs (5/9) and neoplasia in cats (6/9). Two dogs with ileocolic junction lymphoma died postoperatively. Only 2 of 15 animals, for which long-term follow-up information was available, had soft stools. However, three dogs with suspected chronic enteropathy required long-term treatment with hypoallergenic diets alone or in combination with medical treatment to avoid the development of diarrhoea. Four of 6 cats with ileocolic junction neoplasia were euthanised as a consequence of progressive disease. Dogs and cats undergoing ileocolic junction resection and surviving the perioperative period may have a good long-term outcome with mild or absent clinical signs but long-term medical management may be required.