Ex situ NMR in highly homogeneous fields: 1H spectroscopy

Portable single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnets used for nondestructive studies of large samples are believed to generate inherently inhomogeneous magnetic fields. We demonstrated experimentally that the field of an open magnet can be shimmed to high homogeneity in a large volume external to the sensor. This technique allowed us to measure localized high-resolution proton spectra outside a portable open magnet with a spectral resolution of 0.25 part per million. The generation of these experimental conditions also simplifies the implementation of such powerful methodologies as multidimensional NMR spectroscopy and imaging.     

Discovery of an unmelted h-chondrite inclusion in an iron meteorite

The link between H chondrites and silicate inclusions in group IIE iron meteorites has long been suspected, but direct evidence for a common parentage has remained elusive. The discovery of an unmelted chondritic inclusion in the Techado iron meteorite sheds light on the genetic relation between these two groups, providing clues on the origin of chondritic materials as inclusions in iron meteorites. It is proposed that the complex IIE iron meteorite breccias formed by collisions with several different bodies, followed by deep burial of metal and silicate fragments in the asteroidal megaregolith.     

Variability of first flower to ground distance in olive seedlings and its relationship with the length of the juvenile period and the parent genotype

During development, most woody plants that develop from seeds undergo a juvenile phase before transitioning to adulthood. The first flowering indicates the end of the juvenile period and can be used as a marker to discriminate between phases. In this study we analyzed the distance of the first flower from the ground, measured along the trunk and supportive branches, in 385 olive seedlings coming from eight different crosses. We found that for tree canopy base heights of 1.5 and 1.0 m the average distance at which the first flower appeared was 2.41 or 2.07 m, respectively. Moreover, we observed for the first time that the first flower to ground distance was significantly correlated with the juvenile period length and the olive seedling parent genotype. In fact, a particular cultivar demonstrated a consistent influence on the location of the progeny first flower, irrespective of being used as female or male parent. This implies that the first flower to ground distance may not be constant within the olive species.     

Depletion of the Outer Asteroid Belt

During the early history of the solar system, it is likely that the outer planets changed their distance from the sun, and hence, their influence on the asteroid belt evolved with time. The gravitational influence of Jupiter and Saturn on the orbital evolution of asteroids in the outer asteroid belt was calculated. The results show that the sweeping of mean motion resonances associated with planetary migration efficiently destabilizes orbits in the outer asteroid belt on a time scale of 10 million years. This mechanism provides an explanation for the observed depletion of asteroids in that region.     

A human Y-linked DNA polymorphism and its potential for estimating genetic and evolutionary distance

A human DNA sequence (p12f2), derived from a partial Y-chromosome genomic library and showing homology with the X and Y chromosomes and with an undetermined number of autosomes, detected two Y-specific restriction fragment length variants on male DNA that had been digested with Taq I and Eco RI. These variants may have been generated through a deletion-insertion mechanism and their pattern of holoandric transmission indicates that they represent a two-allele Y-linked polymorphism (RFLP). By means of DNA from patients with inborn deletions in chromosome Y, this polymorphic DNA site was mapped to the interval Yq11.1-Yq11.22. The frequency of the rarest allele was about 35 percent in Algerian and Sardinian human males, whereas it was only 4 percent among Northern Europeans. The p12f2 probe also detected Y-specific DNA fragments in the gorilla and chimpanzee. In view of the monosomy of the Y chromosome in mammalian species, Y-linked RFLP's may prove to be more useful than autosomal or X-linked markers in estimating genetic distances within and between species.     

Welfare of farmed deer in New Zealand. 1. Management practices

This review summarises research of management practices that potentially impact on the welfare of farmed deer. The processes of capture and initial domestication of feral deer caused many welfare problems but are now essentially complete in New Zealand. The health and production status of farmed deer, and readily visible indicators of their welfare are generally good, although preventive medicines and optimum management practices have not been universally adopted. Research into social behaviour, effects of yarding, weaning, mating, calving, shelter, shade and nutrition has identified ways of improving the welfare of farmed deer and has provided recommendations for deer industry quality assurance programmes. Research has identified transport design and practices that minimise the impact of transport on deer welfare and reduce carcass wastage caused by bruising during transport. Time in lairage prior to slaughter should be minimised and electrical stunning is a humane method of slaughter. Ongoing research is needed on management practices and farm environments to further improve the welfare of farmed deer, consistent with the goals of the New Zealand deer industry and its proactive approach to date.     

Evaluation of Obturator Foramen Suggests No Differences Between Sexes in Young Bovines

Among the numerous bovine pelvic traits displaying sex differences, no detailed studies of bovine obturator foramen are available in the veterinary literature. The purpose of this work was to study quantitatively this structure using lineal biometrics, shape indexes and Fourier analysis. The material consisted of 60 hemicoxae belonging to young bovines of approximately 1 year of age. Although significant differences were found in area, perimeter and length of obturator foramen, none of the analyses used were able to differentiate between sexes and thus cannot be used as a natural trait for determining sex, at least in young bovines.     

Size and Shape Variability in the Skull of the Bottlenose Dolphin,Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a widely spread cetacean species. We present a quantitative analysis of age dimorphism variation in the skull of T. truncatus assessed by geometric morphometrics (GM) methods. Differences in size and shape of skulls were investigated using eight landmarks plotted on 2‐D images of ventral views of 14 museum specimens. The results of GM revealed differences in size, but not in shape. The left side appears more variable, which is probably an effect of telescoping.     

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in wildlife on three deer farms with a history of Johne's disease

Abstract

AIM: To determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) infection in wildlife, in pastoral landscapes with a recent history of clinical Johne's disease in livestock.

METHODS: A total of 449 wild mammals and birds from three farms in the South Island of New Zealand with recent histories of clinical Johne's disease in their deer herds were trapped and examined for gross pathological changes in the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, individual mesenteric lymph nodes from 380 mammals, and segments of gastrointestinal tract from 32 birds were excised, homogenised and cultured for viable Map bacilli. The prevalence of Map infection was then calculated for the various species. Faecal samples from those mammals which had culture-positive tissues were further cultured for the presence of Map.

RESULTS: Gross pathological changes were identified in the gastrointestinal tract of four brushtail possums, one cat, six ferrets, 12 hares, six hedgehogs, three rabbits, one stoat, and one paradise shelduck. Infection with Map in the gastrointestinal tract was confirmed in only three of these cases, one each of brushtail possums, hares and hedgehogs. In contrast, Map infection in the absence of gross pathological changes was frequently recorded in enteric tract tissues of mammals and birds. Among mammals, Map infection was recorded in 18/73 (25%) brushtail possums, 4/23 (17%) cats, 15/42 (36%) hedgehogs and 29/113 (26%) rabbits. Among birds, intestinal tract tissue Map infection was recorded in 3/17 (18%) paradise shelducks. Among 64 of the 74 mammals which had Map culture-positive tissues, 38% (n=5) of hedgehogs and 11% (n=3) of rabbits also had culture-positive faecal samples.

CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to identify that Map infection can be prevalent in wildlife in New Zealand. There was a high prevalence of Map infection among both scavenging and grazing wild animals. Both mammals and birds are capable of harbouring viable Map organisms in their gastrointestinal tract; further, viable Map was excreted into the environment via faeces by hedgehogs and rabbits.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Previous studies overseas have postulated a role of wildlife as reservoirs of Map infection and possible vectors of Johne's disease to livestock. Here, brushtail possums, hedgehogs and rabbits and in particular were identified as potential wildlife hosts for Map infection in NewZealand. This suggests that several wildlife species could contribute to the persistence of Map infection within a wildlife/livestock complex, and potentially, perhaps more importantly, to the spread of infection between farms.     

Components of electroencephalographic responses to slaughter in halothane-anaesthetised calves: Effects of cutting neck tissues compared with major blood vessels

AIM: To identify whether cutting neck tissues or cutting major blood vessels initiates the mechanisms responsible for electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to slaughter by ventral-neck incision without prior stunning in halothane-anaesthetised calves.

METHODS: Calves were assigned to two groups, viz transection of neck tissues with intact blood circulation through the brain (n=10), or transection of the major blood vessels of the neck but not most other neck tissues (n=7). They were minimally anaesthetised with halothane, using an established anaesthesia protocol. The animals in the neck-tissue transection group had their carotid arteries and jugular veins exposed and cannulated proximal and distal to the proposed site of subsequent ventral-neck incision; this diverted blood fl ow through these vessels so that cerebral perfusion and drainage were preserved. In animals in the blood-vessel transection group, the carotid arteries and jugular veins were exposed bilaterally by surgical dissection. They were then transected without further damage to the remaining structures of the neck. Changes in the median frequency (F50), 95% spectral edge frequency (F95), total power of the EEG (Ptot), and arterial blood pressure were compared within each group before and after neck-tissue or blood-vessel transection, and between groups following treatments.

RESULTS: Neck-tissue transection resulted in little overall change in the F50, an increase in the F95, and an initial increase in Ptot followed by a transient decrease and eventual return to pre-treatment values. There was between-animal variation in these EEG parameters. Transection of the major blood vessels of the neck resulted in a decrease in F50 in most animals; changes in F95 were highly variable, and there was a decrease in Ptot.

CONCLUSIONS: The EEG responses seen following necktissue and blood-vessel transection were qualitatively distinct, and suggested that cutting neck tissues caused greater noxious sensory input than transection of only the major blood vessels of the neck. These observations support the conclusion that the EEG responses seen after ventral-neck incision in intact animals are primarily due to noxious stimulation as a result of incision of ventral-neck tissues and not mainly as a result of loss of blood flow through the brain.