Vaccination of Mixed and Full-Sib Families of Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Against Enteric Septicemia of Catfish With a Live Attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri Isolate (RE-33)

These studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a live attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine against enteric septicemia of catfish. In one study channel catfish fingerlings (72 d of age post hatch) were immersed for 30 min in water containing E. ictaluri RE-33 at dosages of 1 × 10⁶, 1 × 10⁷ and 2 × 10⁷ CFU/ML of water. No mortalities were observed following vaccination. Following exposure to virulent Edwardsiella ictaluri the cumulative mortality of fish vaccinated with dosages of at least 1 × 10⁷ CFU/mL were significantly lower than that of non-vacccinated fish in both laboratory and field challenges. Vaccination with 1 × 10⁶ CFU RE-33mL provided some protection during the laboratory challenge but failed to protect fish under field conditions. In a second study, vaccination of 6 full-sib families of channel catfish at a vaccine dosage of 1 × 10⁷ CFU/mL resulted in a relative percent survival among families ranging from 67.1 to 100%. Significant differences in mortality were found among families and between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, but there was no family by vaccine interaction. Families with the highest mortality after vaccination were also shown to have the highest mortality without vaccination (r = 0.82; P = 0.04).     

Pathologic Factors Affecting Postsplenectomy Survival in Dogs

The apparently high prevalence of splenomegaly in dogs, along with the surgical accessibility of the spleen, results in a relatively large number of splenectomies in dogs in clinical veterinary practice. Splenic nodular lesions are widely considered to be indicative of hemangiosarcoma and thus a disease that is ultimately fatal. This study correlates the results of complete pathologic evaluation and classification of 500 spleens obtained by splenectomy with survival information for each dog. Among the spleens examined, 257 of 500 (51.4%) were classified nonneoplastic and 241 (48.2%) were neoplastic; 2 (0.4%) were unclassified. Miscellaneous non-nodular splenomegaly accounted for 46 of 257 (18%) of the nonneoplastic lesions; nodular splenomegaly accounted for 206 of 257 (79%) of nonneoplastic splenic lesions and was composed of lymphoid hyperplastic nodules and associated hematomas, hyperplastic lymphoid nodules alone, or hematomas with no apparent underlying cause. Nodular neoplastic diseases of the spleen were divided among benign tumors (11.5%) and a variety of primary sarcomas. Hemangiosarcoma made up 51% of splenic malignancies but accounted for less than 25% of the spleens evaluated. Survival of dogs with hematomas associated with nonneoplastic conditions of the spleen was markedly different from that in dogs with hemangiosarcoma-associated hematomas, even though most could not be effectively differentiated on gross inspection. Two month postoperative survival was 83% for dogs with nonneoplastic-related hematomas, whereas only 31% of dogs with hemangiosarcoma, with or without associated hematomas, were alive after 2 months. Twelve-month survival times were 64% and 7%, respectively. An overall postsplenectomy survival rate of 52% was based on the number of dogs surviving for a minimum of 6 months postoperatively.     

Stomatal conductance of Acer rubrum ecotypes under varying soil and atmospheric water conditions: predicting stomatal responses with an abscisic acid-based model

A multiplicative model of stomatal conductance was developed and tested in two functionally distinct ecotypes of Acer rubrum L. (red maple). The model overcomes the main limitation of the commonly used Ball-Berry model (Ball et al. 1987) by accounting for stomatal behavior under soil drying conditions. We combined the Ball-Berry model with an integrated expression of abscisic acid (ABA)-based stomatal response to ABA concentration ([ABA]) in bulk leaf tissue (gfac), which coupled physiological changes at the leaf level with those in the root. The factor gfac = exp(-beta[ABA]L) incorporated the stomatal response to [ABA] into the Ball-Berry model by down regulating stomatal conductance (gs) in response to physiological changes in the root. The down regulation of gs is pertinent under conditions where soil drying may modify the delivery of chemical signals to leaf stomata. Model testing indicated that the multiplicative model was capable of predicting gs in red maple under wide ranges of soil and atmospheric conditions. Concordance correlation coefficients were high (between 0.59 and 0.94) for the tested ecotypes under three environmental conditions (atmospheric, rhizospheric and minimal stress). The study supported the use of gfac as a gas exchange function that controls water stress effects on gs and aids in the prediction of gs responses.     

Performance of ponderosa pine seedlings under four herbicide regimes in northeast Oregon

The herbicide, hexazinone, was applied four ways over ponderosa pine, 2–0 seedlings planted in northeast Oregon. The four treatments were two broadcast applications, a single broadcast application, a large spot application, and a small spot application. Seedling survival and growth were monitored for five growing seasons. Results indicate that survival more than doubled with either large or small spot applications compared to no application, and either one or two broadcast applications can increase survival an additional 30% over spot applications. Differences in stem volume were substantial, with two broadcast applications yielding more than twice the volume of a single broadcast treatment and more than five times the volume of seedlings treated with spot applications. Trees in small spots were still three times bigger than surviving seedlings in the control. These results are consistent with the concept of competition threshold. Management implications were considered in terms of cost of established seedlings. Although broadcast applications cost more per acre than spot applications, gains in seedling survival, growth and quality offset the additional cost and translate into lower established seedling costs. The cost effectiveness of broadcast applications also may be seen in the elimination of replanting or in-planting requirements and increases in long-term growth potential of the established trees.     

Laminar sorption and swelling theory for wood and cellulose

Summary The known requirements for the sorption and swelling of wood are reviewed. These are shown to be compatible, in the case of softwoods, with the following simplified model. The fibers are continuous with either rectangular or circular cross sections and lumen of the same shape with a constant size. The fiber walls consist of concentric lamina made up of small repeating units 100 Å by 100 Å, consisting of a microcrystalline core surrounded by an amorphous sheath. All sorption and swelling occurs at the surfaces of or within the amorphous sheath. The major portion of the sorption and swelling is inter-laminar with just sufficient intra-laminar sorption and swelling to avoid laminar distortion. Calculations give the generally accepted internal sorption surface for water of about 200 square meters per gram. The portion of the total sorption that is intra-laminar varies from 5 ... 20 percent in going from wood with a specific gravity of 0.3 ... 1.0. Thickness of sorption in water molecules per sorption site vary from 6.1 ... 4.9 for inter-laminar sorption and 0.35 ... 1.35 for intra-laminar sorption in going from wood with a specific gravity of 0.3 to one of 1.0. Similar values are obtained from experimental swelling data where lumen cross sections change. Similar calculations for super swelling of wood and pulps show that laminar separations may become sufficiently great to be microscopically visible. The calculations show that bound water fiber saturation points for wood normally fall in the range of 25 ... 40 percent. Super swollen wood, chemically isolated fibers and beaten fibers may as a result of reduced restraints have fiber saturation points greater than 150 percent. The latter are attributed to dispersion or diffusion forces rather than the conventional bound water forces of hydrogen bonding for intact wood.

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Zusammenfassung Die bekannten Bedingungen für die Sorption und Quellung von Holz werden erörtert. Sie sind auf Nadelholz unter Anwendung des folgenden, vereinfachten Modells anwendbar. Die Fasern sind durchgehend und haben rechteckigen oder kreisförmigen Querschnitt, mit Zellhohlräumen gleicher Form und konstanter Größe. Die Faserwände bestehen aus konzentrisch angeordneten Schichten, die wiederum aus kleinen, sich wiederholenden 100 ×100 großen Einheiten zusammengesetzt sind; diese wiederum bestehen aus einem mikrokristallinen Kern, umgeben von einer amorphen Auflagerung. Alle Sorptions- und Quellungsvorgänge finden an der Oberfläche oder innerhalb dieser amorphen Auflagerung statt; sie spielen sich in der Hauptsache in der Schicht selbst ab (inter-laminar), jedoch findet genügend Zwischenschicht-Sorption und-Quellung (intra-laminar) statt, um Verformungen der Schichten zu vermeiden. Durch Berechnung erhält man die allgemein anerkannte Größe der inneren Sorptionsfläche für Wasser von etwa 200 m²/g. Der Anteil der intra-laminaren Sorption an der Gesamtsorption schwankt zwischen 5 und 20% bei Holz mit Rohdichten von 0.3 bis 1.0. Die Schichtdicke der sorbierten Wassermoleküle je Sorptionsstelle liegt für inter-laminare Sorption zwischen 6.1 und 4.9, und für intra-laminare Sorption zwischen 0.35 und 1.35 bei Holz mit Rohdichten zwischen 0.3 bis 1.0. Ähnliche Werte ergaben sich aus experimentell ermittelten Quellungsdaten bei Zellhohlräumen mit sich änderndem Querschnitt. Vergleichbare Berechnungen der Super-Quellung des Holzes und des Zellstoffes zeigen, daß laminare Abtrennungen so groß werden können, daß sie mikroskopisch sichtbar werden. Sie zeigen ferner, daß die Fasersättigungspunkte bei gebundenem Wasser meist zwischen 25 und 40% liegen. Extrem gequollenes Holz, chemisch herausgelöste und gemahlene Fasern können aufgrund verringerter Behinderung Fasersättigungspunkte über 150% erreichen. Diese letztere Erscheinung ist eher den Dispersions- oder Diffusionskräften zuzuschreiben als den Kräften aus Wasserstoffbrücken des gebundenen Wassers im intakten Holz.

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Paper No. 2743 of the Journal Series of the N. C. State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina.

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Anselme Payen award paper of the Cellulose, Wood and Fiber Div., Am. Chem. Soc. presented at their 156th National Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September, 1968.     

Growth and enzyme production by Bacillus subtilis and Flavobacterium pectinovorum in Picea sitchensis

Summary When Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is stored in water, an increase takes place in the permeability of the wood. This increase is due to bacterial degradation of the tori and bordered pit membranes and partial degradation of the crossfield pits. It has been demonstrated that two bacteria—Bacillus subtilis and Flavobacterium pectinovorum—isolated from this water stored wood, grow and produce amylase, xylanase and pectinase in sapwood blocks suspended in sterile pond water. Since these organisms have also been shown to increase the permeability of sapwood blocks, it has been concluded that they are primarily responsible for the permeability changes that occur when spruce poles are stored in lake water.When the two organisms are incubated together in sapwood blocks, growth of F. pectinovorum is synergistically affected, while growth of B. subtilis is antagonised. However, no antagonism of enzyme production was evident. The levels of biological activity in the sapwood in these laboratory experiments were much higher than the values observed in the natural lake system. The concentration effect obtained in the laboratory system, in contrast to the dilution effect occurring in the lake environment, is undoubtedly responsible for this variance. Results indicate that the rate at which permeability changes occur could possibly be accelerated by replacing the natural lake system with an enclosed tank system.