Cytauxzoon felis infections are present in bobcats (Lynx rufus) in a region where cytauxzoonosis is not recognized in domestic cats

This study was performed to determine the prevalence of Cytauxzoon felis (C. felis) infections in bobcats (Lynx rufus) from a region where C. felis is recognized in domestic cats, North Carolina (NC), and a region where C. felis is not recognized in domestic cats, Pennsylvania (PA). Samples from NC (n=32) were obtained post-mortem via cardiac puncture from legally trapped bobcats. Samples from PA (n=70) were collected post-mortem onto Nobuto blood collecting strips by the PA Game Commission. Each sample was tested using a C. felis specific PCR assay as well as a PCR assay targeting host DNA to rule out the presence of PCR inhibitors. Three samples were excluded due to the presence of PCR inhibitors. Thirty-three percent (10/30) of the samples from NC and 7% (5/69) of the samples from PA tested positive for the presence of C. felis. The proportion of C. felis positive bobcats from NC was significantly different than that from PA (P<0.005). Despite the lower prevalence of C. felis infections in bobcats from PA this finding is unique and indicates the potential for C. felis infections in domestic cats in the northeastern USA if the appropriate tick vectors are present. Veterinary practitioners in PA should be on alert for cytauxzoonosis in domestic cats. Further studies about the epidemiology and transmission of C. felis infections among both domestic cats and bobcats are needed.     

Degradation of carbetamide and its chief metabolites in alkaline soil

The degradation kinetics of carbetamide D-(?)-N-ethyl-2(phenylcarbamoyloxy) propionamide and its potential metabolites have been measured at different temperatures in both unsterilized and sterilized alkaline soil. A very large difference in both rates and processes of degradation between compounds was found. The kinetic studies were conducted by quantitative and qualitative analysis of the transformed product using [¹⁴C]-labelled compounds. Good radioactivity recovery was obtained and the existence of an important non-extractable fraction was detected in all cases. This soil-bound fraction is attributed to either conjugation of aniline with soil organic matter or aromatic ring cleavage to give amino acid precursors.     

Research Practices and Support Needs of Scholars in the Field of Agriculture at Cornell University

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of one of numerous and coordinated qualitative studies carried out at land-grant universities across the United States, to improve our understanding of agricultural research practices and identify new avenues for library services to meet the changing needs of agricultural faculty and research staff. We interviewed agricultural researchers across several departments at Cornell University about their research practices including research dissemination methods, data sharing, their use of primary and secondary resources, and current challenges in conducting agricultural research. Emerging themes included stakeholder engagement, collaboration and interdisciplinarity, the impact of technology, and research inputs and outputs.     

Detecting benefits of protection level on diversity facets in a sea of temporal scarcity

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Behaviour of fipronil in soil under Sahelian Plain field conditions

The behaviour of fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide used for locust control, was studied under sub-Saharan conditions in soils of the Niamey region of Niger. A formulation of fipronil (Adonis^®) was applied to uncultivated soils at Banizoumbou and Saguia. Soil was sampled at 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths for up to two months after treatment. Residues were analysed by gas chromatography using electron capture and mass detectors. For both soils, a rapid initial decrease of fipronil was observed, with rapid formation for the most part of a photodegradate. Three other metabolites of fipronil were also detected throughout the study. These metabolites displayed different dissipation kinetics. Fipronil and its metabolites did not move beyond 10 cm depth, except for the amide, which is not considered a toxicologically significant metabolite. © 1998 SCI.     

Steroid 5alpha-reductase deficiency in man: an inherited form of male pseudohermaphroditism

In male pseudohermaphrodites born with ambiguity of the external genitalia but with marked virilization at puberty, biochemical evaluation reveals a marked decrease in plasma dihydrotestosterone secondary to a decrease in steroid 5alpha-reductase activity. In utero the decrease in dihydrotestosterone results in incomplete masculinization of the external genitalia. Inheritance is autosomal recessive.     

A field evaluation of the Hasl wet-dry deposition collector

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Titan's atmospheric temperatures, winds, and composition

Temperatures obtained from early Cassini infrared observations of Titan show a stratopause at an altitude of 310 kilometers (and 186 kelvin at 15 degrees S). Stratospheric temperatures are coldest in the winter northern hemisphere, with zonal winds reaching 160 meters per second. The concentrations of several stratospheric organic compounds are enhanced at mid- and high northern latitudes, and the strong zonal winds may inhibit mixing between these latitudes and the rest of Titan. Above the south pole, temperatures in the stratosphere are 4 to 5 kelvin cooler than at the equator. The stratospheric mole fractions of methane and carbon monoxide are (1.6 +/- 0.5) x 10(-2) and (4.5 +/- 1.5) x 10(-5), respectively.     

Sex‐biased survivorship and differences in migration of wild steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts from two coastal Oregon rivers

In salmonids with partial migration, females are more likely than males to undergo smoltification and migrate to the ocean (vs. maturing in freshwater). However, it is not known whether sex affects survivorship during smolt migration (from fresh water to entry into the ocean). We captured wild steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts in two coastal Oregon rivers (USA) and collected fin tissue samples for genetic sex determination (2009; N = 70 in the Alsea and N = 69 in the Nehalem, 2010; N = 25 in the Alsea). We implanted acoustic tags and monitored downstream migration and survival until entry in to the Pacific Ocean. Survival was defined as detection at an estuary/ocean transition array. We found no effect of sex on smolt survivorship in the Nehalem River in 2009, or in the Alsea River in 2010. However, males exhibited significantly lower survival than females in the Alsea River during 2009. Residency did not influence this result as an equal proportion of males and females did not reach the estuary entrance (11% of males, 9% of females). The sexes did not differ in timing or duration of migration, so those variables seem unlikely to explain sex‐biased survivorship. Larger males had higher odds of survival than smaller males in 2009, but the body size of females did not affect survivorship. The difference in survivorship between years in the Alsea River could be due to flow conditions, which were higher in 2010 than in 2009. Our findings suggest that sex may affect steelhead smolt survival during migration, but that the difference in survivorship may be weak and not a strong factor influencing adult sex ratios.