The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) faces threat of extinction due to illegal trafficking of its scales for the purpose of traditional medicine in the Asian region. Ex-situ captive breeding and reintroduction programs have been identified to be a key effort in the conservation of the species. The establishment of blood parameters for captive Sunda pangolins are vital to assess the health in these animals during health assessments. The objective of this study is to establish blood parameters for captive Sunda pangolins and compare the blood parameters with the established blood reference ranges for rescued wild Sunda pangolins in Singapore. Blood parameters for hematology and serum biochemistry were established from 13 clinically normal captive Sunda pangolins. Male captive Sunda pangolins were found to have significantly (P<0.05) higher potassium compared to the female captive Sunda pangolins. Captive Sunda pangolins were found to have significantly (P<0.05) lower white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil counts, alanine phosphatase (ALP) and phosphorus and significantly (P<0.05) higher PCV, TP, globulin and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) when compared with rescued wild Sunda pangolins from the previous study. 相似文献
Serological prevalence of IgG antibodies against Rift Valley fever (RVFV) virus was investigated in 22 major localities in five different regions of Saudi Arabia where vaccination against RVF virus (RVFV) is not practiced. The study excludes the southwestern region where a major outbreak of RVF occurred in 2000 and where annual vaccination of ruminants is practiced. Sheep and goat IgG-sandwich ELISA were used to test serum samples from sheep and goats, and bovine IgG-sandwich ELISA was used to test cattle sera. A nonspecies-specific, nonantibody isotype-specific ELISA was used to test camel sera. A total of 3,480 sheep, goats, cattle and camels with no previous history of vaccination against RVFV were randomly tested. All tested animals were negative for IgG class antibodies against the virus except four out of 1,508 sheep and three out of 913 goats, which tested positive. All animals were clinically normal and no evidence was found of virus activity in the studied areas. It is, therefore, most likely that those rare positive cases, which constituted 0.002% of the total animals tested, were either false positives or vaccinates smuggled from the outbreak zone. The need for regular monitoring of animals both within the outbreak zone of 2000 and other parts of the kingdom is strongly emphasized. 相似文献
The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) on Opportunity investigated the mineral abundances and compositions of outcrops, rocks, and soils at Meridiani Planum. Coarse crystalline hematite and olivine-rich basaltic sands were observed as predicted from orbital TES spectroscopy. Outcrops of aqueous origin are composed of 15 to 35% by volume magnesium and calcium sulfates [a high-silica component modeled as a combination of glass, feldspar, and sheet silicates (approximately 20 to 30%)], and hematite; only minor jarosite is identified in Mini-TES spectra. Mini-TES spectra show only a hematite signature in the millimeter-sized spherules. Basaltic materials have more plagioclase than pyroxene, contain olivine, and are similar in inferred mineral composition to basalt mapped from orbit. Bounce rock is dominated by clinopyroxene and is close in inferred mineral composition to the basaltic martian meteorites. Bright wind streak material matches global dust. Waterlain rocks covered by unaltered basaltic sands suggest a change from an aqueous environment to one dominated by physical weathering. 相似文献
Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and Rhizobium leguminosarum alone and in combination were observed on the disease complex of pea caused by Meloidogyne incognita and Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi. Plants inoculated with M. incognita and P. syringae pv. pisi, alone or in combination, showed a significant reduction in plant growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid content compared to uninoculated controls. Use of ZnO NPs (0.10?ml?1) as seed priming resulted in a greater increase in plant growth than 0.10?ml?1 foliar spray. Plants inoculated with R. leguminosarum had better plant growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid content than plants without R. leguminosarum. Greater plant growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid content were observed when NPs primed seeds were grown with R. leguminosarum than the use of NPs foliar spray plus R. leguminosarum. Plants inoculated with R. leguminosarum showed higher root nodulation while only few nodules were observed in plants without R. leguminosarum. Both tested pathogens had adverse effect on nodulation, while use of ZnO NPs with R. leguminosarum also reduced nodulation. ZnO NPs and R. leguminosarum reduced blight disease indices, galling and nematode population. Use of ZnO NPs primed seeds with R. leguminosarum resulted in the highest reduction in disease indices, galling and nematode population. The segregation of various treatments in the biplot of principal component analysis demonstrates a suppressive role of ZnO NPs on blight disease complex of pea.
With the goal of preparing low-cost functional food, squid protein hydrolysate (SPH) was extracted from four squid species by protease treatment. Peptides are the major components (approximately 84-88%) of the SPH. The stabilization effects of 5% SPH (dried weight/wet weight) on the state of water and the denaturation of frozen lizard fish Saurida wanieso myofibrillar protein (Mf) were evaluated on the basis of desorption isotherm curves with respect to Ca2+-ATPase inactivation and the presence of unfrozen water, which was determined using differential scanning calorimetry during dehydration, and the effects were compared with those of sodium glutamate. The Mf with SPH was found to contain higher levels of monolayer and multilayer sorption water, resulting in decreased water activity and Ca2+-ATPase inactivation. The amount of unfrozen water in Mf with SPH increased significantly, suggesting that the peptides of SPH stabilized water molecules on the hydration sphere of Mf, which maintained the structural stability of Mf, and therefore suppressed dehydration-induced denaturation. The effect by SPH was less than that by sodium glutamate. 相似文献
Currently, white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is gaining importance due to its high nitrogen fixation capability and potential in sustainable crop production systems. Even though research conducted in Australia, Chile, Germany, New Zealand, and Portugal has indicated lupin's positive potential as human and animal food, such information from Virginia and adjoining areas of the United States is not available. In addition, effects of growing environment and genotypes on lupin seed composition need to be characterized to evaluate lupin's potential as a food and feed crop. Towards this end, seed of 12 lupin genotypes produced in Maine (USA) and Virginia (USA) were compared to determine genotypic and environmental effects on contents of protein, sugar, oil, various fatty acids, amino acids, and minerals. The protein content of dry seed was not affected by growing environment. However, growing environment had significant effects on contents of total sugar, amino acids, oil, fatty acids, and minerals. Significant variation existed among 12 lupin genotypes for various traits when composition of seed produced in Virginia was evaluated. The results indicated that site-specific evaluation of adapted lupin genotypes for chemical composition should be included in efforts to evaluate lupin's overall potential as a food or feed crop. 相似文献
Gram-negative marine bacteria can thrive in harsh oceanic conditions, partly because of the structural diversity of the cell wall and its components, particularly lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS is composed of three main parts, an O-antigen, lipid A, and a core region, all of which display immense structural variations among different bacterial species. These components not only provide cell integrity but also elicit an immune response in the host, which ranges from other marine organisms to humans. Toll-like receptor 4 and its homologs are the dedicated receptors that detect LPS and trigger the immune system to respond, often causing a wide variety of inflammatory diseases and even death. This review describes the structural organization of selected LPSes and their association with economically important diseases in marine organisms. In addition, the potential therapeutic use of LPS as an immune adjuvant in different diseases is highlighted. 相似文献