Chemoprophylaxis ofTrypanosoma evansi infections in ponies

Summary An investigation on the protection afforded to ponies, by quinapyramine suraminate and its constituents used singly, againstTrypanosoma evansi infections of low and high intensity was conducted. It was observed that full protection with the suraminate lasted for 61/2 to 231/2 months depending upon the dose of the drug and intensity of the test infection employed. Considerable partial protection was evident up to 38 months. Prophylaxis with suramin and quinapyramine extended up to 1 month and 11/2 months, respectively. The protection period was observed to be directly related to the dose of the suraminate employed and inversely with the intensity of the test infection. Infections breaking through prophylaxis were characterized by sub-microscopic and low-grade parasitaemia which was mostly detected by the rat-inoculation test only.

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Sumario Se ha hecho una investigación sobre la protección conferida por varias dosis de suramina, sales de quinapiramina y MSb en ponis contra infecciones simples deTrypanosoma evansi y suraminato de quinapiramina contra infecciones repetidas. La protección completa con suramina, quinapiramina y su prosal y MSb se extendía hasta 1, 11/2, 2 y 3 meses, respectivamente. La protección con suraminato de quinapiramina variaba de 61/2 a 261/2 meses contra el desafío ‘suave’ y 61/2 a 231/2 meses contra el desafío ‘fuerte’. La protección parcial, sin embargo, era aparente por periodos de hasta 38 meses. La profilaxis con suraminato de quinapiramina era directamente proporcional a la dosisintervalo de la droga usada y usualmente inversamente proporcional a la cantidad del desafío empleado. Las infecciones recurrentes fueron caracterizadas por por una parasitemia rara ó muy escasa. Algunas vecez las infecciones no eran detectadas por la prueba microscópica. Esta conducta atípica de las infecciones fue demostrada no ser debida a una disminuida virulencia de le parásito.

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Résumé Une étude à été faite sur la protection donnée aux chevaux par des doses variables de suramine, sels de quinapyramine et de MSb contre une infection unique parTrypanosoma evansi et par le suraminate de quinapyramine contre les infections répétées. Une protection complète par la suramine, la quinapyramine et son ‘prosalt’ et le MSb durait respectivement jusqu’ à 1, 11/2, 2 et 3 mois. La protection par le suraminate de quinapyramine contre l’épreuve légère variait de 6 mois et demi à 26 mois et demi et, contre l’épreuve sévère, de 6 mois et demi à 23 mois et demi. Une protection partielle a néanmoins été observée pendant des périodes allant jusqu’à 38 mois. La durée de la prophylaxie par le suraminate de quinapyramine était directement proportionnelle à la dose du médicament utilisée, habituellement inversement proportionnelle à la quantité des organismes utilisés pour l’épreuve. Les infections résultantes étaient caractérisées par un type de parasitémie rare et faible. Elles n’ont parfois pas du tout été révélées par l’examen microscopique. Il a été démontré que ce comportement atypique des infections n’était pas d? à une virulence diminuée du parasite.

     

Productivity and nutrient uptake of newly released wheat varieties at different sowing times under poplar plantation in north-western India

Standardisation of cultural practises is one of the primary objectives to make the system ecologically sustainable and economically viable. In this context, the present study was conducted to optimise the time of sowing in relation to newly released wheat varieties under 4–6 year old poplar block plantation. Six widely grown wheat varieties (PBW 502, PBW 343, WH 542, PDW 274, PBW 509 and PBW 373) were intercultivated during three consecutive crop growth seasons at three times of sowing (mid November, late November and mid December) under block plantation of poplar (Populus deltoides Bartr.) clone G-48. The grain yield and nutrient uptake of wheat varieties was higher in open conditions than under the trees. The wheat variety PBW 502 out yielded the rest of wheat varieties over different sowing times. The highest grain yield was recorded when crop was sown during mid November over the 3 years. Thus adoption of PBW 502 under poplar plantation would substantially improve the overall productivity of the system without any additional input cost. All the varieties performed better when sown early compared to one-month delay. The various growth parameters like tiller height and number, spike length and 100 grain weight contributed significantly towards higher grain yield in early sown conditions (mid November) under poplar irrespective of its age of plantation. The nutrient uptake (N, P and K) by wheat straw and grain was higher in early sown crop with longer growth span than the late sown crop. The higher quantity of N, P and K was removed from soil by PBW 509, PBW 373 and PBW 343, respectively.     

Exploring animal rabies endemicity to inform control programmes in Punjab,India

Previous studies estimate that one‐third of the annual global burden of rabies (~20,000 cases) occurs in India. Elimination of canine rabies is essential to reduce this burden. Surveillance of animal cases can assess both the risk to humans and the efficacy of control strategies. The objective of this study was to describe the spatial and temporal occurrence of reported confirmed cases of rabies in animals in Punjab, India, from 2004 to 2014. We analysed passive surveillance data on 556 samples submitted from 2004 to 2014 to GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Regression and time series analyses were conducted to understand seasonal and long‐term variation of cases and identify cross‐correlation of monthly cases between species. Spatio‐temporal analyses assessed spatial autocorrelation of date of reporting, mean geographic centres of disease occurrence and clustering of cases using Kulldorff's space‐time permutation statistic. The annual number of submissions and proportion of confirmed cases were consistent throughout 2004–2014. Most submissions (320; 57.6%) were confirmed rabies cases, including dogs (40.6%), buffalo (29.7%) and cattle (23.1%). Regression analysis of monthly cases in dogs showed seasonal variation with significant increases in cases in March and August. Monthly case numbers in buffalo decreased over time. Long‐term temporal trend was not detected in dog and cattle cases. Time‐series models identified significant cross‐correlation between dog and buffalo cases, suggesting that buffalo cases were spillover events from dogs. Significant spatio‐temporal variation or clusters of cases were not detected. These results indicate that rabies cases in animals—and therefore, the potential for exposure to humans—were temporally and spatially stable during 2004–2014 in Punjab, India. The endemic nature of rabies transmission in this region demands a coordinated, sustained control programme. This study provides baseline information for assessing the efficacy of rabies control measures and developing seasonally targeted dog vaccination and rabies awareness strategies.     

Meat quality responses to feeding distiller's grains to finishing Holstein steers

Strip loins from two experiments were used to evaluate effects of feeding dry (DDG) or wet (WDG) distiller's grains on beef color, tenderness, and sensory traits of Holstein steers. In Exp. 1, conducted at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, dietary treatments consisted of a control whole corn-corn silage diet with soybean meal (SBM) or diets formulated with 12.5% DDG plus urea, 25% DDG, 25% WDG, 50% DDG, or 50% WDG (DM basis). In Exp. 2, conducted at Iowa State University, dietary treatments consisted of cracked corn-corn silage-hay diets with either SBM or urea (Urea) as the control diets, or diets formulated with 10, 20, or 40% DDG or WDG (DM basis). Within each study, strip loins from each of four steers (representing 45.7 and 66.6% of steers in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively) in four replicate pens per treatment were aged for 13 d at 4 degrees C for subsequent color, tenderness, and palatability evaluation. Color of steaks was measured objectively using a HunterLab Miniscan XE spectrophotometer and was subjectively evaluated by a trained panel. Tenderness was measured using the Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) instrument on steaks cooked to 70 degrees C. For sensory evaluation, 95 consumers were recruited to evaluate tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of cooked steaks. In Exp. 1, steaks from steers fed 25% WDG had higher (P < 0.05) a* values after 138 h of simulated retail display than all other treatments, except for those from steers fed 12.5% DDG. In Exp. 2, a greater (P < 0.05) percentage of steaks from steers fed 40% DDG or 40% WDG were considered moderately undesirable during retail display (steaks that received a consumer acceptability score of 3 or less). There were no (P = 0.20 in Exp. 1, and P = 0.33 in Exp. 2) differences among treatments in Exp. 1 and Exp. 2 for WBSF (1.47 +/- 0.66 kg and 1.58 +/- 0.72 kg, respectively) or taste panel tenderness (5.7 +/- 0.30 and 6.2 +/- 0.22, respectively), beef flavor (6.0 +/- 0.23 and 6.2 +/- 0.22, respectively), and juiciness (5.6 +/- 0.31 and 5.8 +/- 0.23). Feeding distiller's grains at up to 50% of the dietary DM did not affect tenderness or sensory traits, and seems to be a viable feed alternative without negatively impacting sensory attributes.     

The effect of high correlated colour temperature office lighting on employee wellbeing and work performance

Background  

The effects of lighting on the human circadian system are well-established. The recent discovery of 'non-visual' retinal receptors has confirmed an anatomical basis for the non-image forming, biological effects of light and has stimulated interest in the use of light to enhance wellbeing in the corporate setting.     

Near extinction of a large, widely distributed fish

Are extinctions of marine vertebrates as rare and unlikely as current data indicate? Long-term research surveys on the continental shelf between the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and southern New England reveal that one of the largest skates in the northwest Atlantic, the barndoor skate (Raja laevis), is close to extinction. Forty-five years ago, research surveys on St. Pierre Bank (off southern Newfoundland) recorded barndoor skates in 10% of their tows; in the last 20 years, none has been caught, and this pattern of decline is similar throughout the range of the species.     

Spatial Variability of Turbulent Mixing in the Abyssal Ocean

Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise. The diapycnal diffusivity there was estimated to be less than or approximately equal to 0.1 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. In contrast, mixing rates are large throughout the water column above the rough Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the diffusivity deduced for the bottom-most 150 meters exceeds 5 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. Such patterns in vertical mixing imply that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.     

Production of an epidermal growth factor receptor-related protein

Human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells in culture produce a soluble 105-kilodalton protein which, by the criteria of epidermal growth factor (EGF) binding, recognition by monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to the EGF receptor, amino-terminal sequence analysis and carbohydrate content, is related to the cell surface domain of the EGF receptor. The high rate of production and the finding that with biosynthetic labeling the specific activity of this 105-kilodalton protein exceeds that of the intact receptor indicate that it is not derived from membrane-bound mature receptor but is separately produced by the cell. These cells thus separately synthesize an EGF receptor that is inserted into the membrane and an EGF receptor-related protein that is secreted.     

Repeated measurement: sensitive tests for experiments with few animals

Animal scientists who conduct experiments involving repeated measurements of animals often are frustrated by low statistical power of tests for comparisons of treatment means. In many cases, low power of the traditional tests simply is the consequence of low replication (few animals per treatment) that was forced by cost or complexity of experimental technique. A method is given for comparing treatments in a way that permits sensitive tests (via partition of the treatment X period interaction), often when the number of animals per treatment is not more than five or six. Modifications for the procedure are given for the case of heterogeneous variances and covariances. An example from mammary physiology is used to illustrate the procedure and to compare it with standard methods of analysis.