Factors associated with the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment for ovine virulent footrot

Factors associated with the proportion of sheep cured of virulent footrot after antibiotic treatment were studied in a field trial under dry environmental conditions. From 2 similar flocks, 1091 Merino sheep weighing about 50 kg and infected with virulent footrot received an intramuscular injection of either 12 mL of a mixture of penicillin (250 mg/mL) and streptomycin (250 mg/mL), 6 mL of long acting oxytetracycline (200 mg/mL) or 6 mL of a mixture of lincomycin (50 mg/mL) and spectinomycin (100 mg/mL). Variables that were significantly associated with the proportion of sheep cured were: the type of antibiotic used, the number of feet infected and the flock from which the sheep came. There was an interaction between antibiotic type and number of feet infected and between antibiotic type and flock in association with the proportion of sheep cured. The extent of paring and the occurrence of blowfly strike in footrot lesions treated with diazinon had no significant association with the proportion of sheep cured.     

Quantification and Remediation of Soil Chemical Degradation in Tropical Australia,China and Thailand

Soil and land degradation in the tropics can be identified and described in terms of physical, chemical,and biological changes from its pristine state brought about by natural and anthropogenic influences. Acharacteristic of these ecosystems is their capacity to recycle nutrients through soil organic matter (SOM).Following disturbance through changed land management, SOM is rapidly mineralized and there is a cor-responding decline in fertility and the variable charge component of the cation exchange capacity. As theseecosystems are strongly dependent on SOM for their functionality, changed land use can have irreversible im-pacts on the productivity of these systems. The paper focuses on quantifying chemical degradation throughprinting. Using values taken from the fingerprint of an undisturbed soil, an index of chemical degradationimprove poor quality soils in their natural condition are discussed, such as the addition of natural clays andsilicated materials. Results are present to show the effect of each of the aforementioned strategies on surfacecharge characteristics and associated increases in plant productivity.     

Pleistocene extinction of genyornis newtoni: human impact on australian megafauna

More than 85 percent of Australian terrestrial genera with a body mass exceeding 44 kilograms became extinct in the Late Pleistocene. Although most were marsupials, the list includes the large, flightless mihirung Genyornis newtoni. More than 700 dates onGenyornis eggshells from three different climate regions document the continuous presence of Genyornis from more than 100,000 years ago until their sudden disappearance 50,000 years ago, about the same time that humans arrived in Australia. Simultaneous extinction of Genyornis at all sites during an interval of modest climate change implies that human impact, not climate, was responsible.     

Effect of pre-medication on gastroduodenoscopy in isoflurane-anesthetized cats

The pre‐medicant chosen may influence the ease with which gastroduodenoscopy (GD) is performed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative ease of GD in cats under ketamine and isoflurane anesthesia after IM injection of hydromorphone (H, 0.1 mg kg^?1), hydromorphone plus glycopyrrolate (HG, 0.1 mg kg^?1 (H), 0.01 mg kg^?1 (G)), medetomidine (M, 0.03 mg kg^?1), or butorphanol (B, 0.4 mg kg^?1). Eight cats were assigned randomly to receive each treatment in a cross‐over design with at least 7 days between treatments. Twenty minutes after pre‐medication, medetomidine produced greater (p = 0.001) sedation than the other treatments when assessed, using a subjective ordinal scale. The cats were injected with ketamine (10 mg kg^?1 IM), orotracheally intubated, connected to a pediatric circle breathing system, and allowed to spontaneously breathe isoflurane in oxygen. Once end‐tidal isoflurane concentration was stable at 1.4% for 15 minutes, endoscopy was started. A single endoscopist (REG), who was unaware of the treatment used, performed all endoscopies. The endoscopist scored the difficulty of endoscopy subjectively (0–3). The significance of differences between treatments was evaluated using Friedman's test. Time for entering the stomach was 9.4 (4.7–15.9) (median (minimum–maximum)), 6.6 (5.2–11.7), 8.4 (6.3–16.5), and 7.7 (5.1–14.7) seconds and for entering the duodenum from the stomach was 20.5 (13.8–40.9), 18.2 (10.3–39.8), 20.2 (16.2–119.5), and 22.2 (11.8–83.8) seconds for H, HG, M, and B treatments, respectively. There were no significant differences in the time for, or difficulty of, endoscopy. We conclude that any of these drugs can be used satisfactorily at the doses and combinations tested to pre‐medicate cats prior to general anesthesia for GD.     

The Solar Acoustic Spectrum and Eigenmode Parameters

The Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) project estimates the frequencies, amplitudes, and linewidths of more than 250,000 acoustic resonances of the sun from data sets lasting 36 days. The frequency resolution of a single data set is 0.321 microhertz. For frequencies averaged over the azimuthal order m, the median formal error is 0.044 microhertz, and the associated median fractional error is 1.6 x 10(-5). For a 3-year data set, the fractional error is expected to be 3 x 10(-6). The GONG m-averaged frequency measurements differ from other helioseismic data sets by 0.03 to 0.08 microhertz. The differences arise from a combination of systematic errors, random errors, and possible changes in solar structure.     

Pyloric outflow obstruction secondary to sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis in a dog

A 6-year-old, male neutered mixed breed dog was presented emergently with a three-week history of hyporexia, vomiting, diarrhoea and weight loss. Upon examination, the patient was dull, had generalised muscle atrophy, moderate abdominal pain and a mild amount of peritoneal effusion. A fluid-filled, distended, corrugated small bowel with marked gastroparesis and moderate peritoneal effusion was noted on abdominal ultrasonography. Endoscopy revealed hyperaemic and friable mucosa and a subjectively narrowed pylorus. Emergency exploratory celiotomy was performed due to worsening patient condition and revealed thick, diffuse, fibrous adhesions of the abdominal cavity. Based on these findings, sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) was suspected. A large mass of omentum adjacent to the greater curvature of the stomach had caused a pyloric outflow obstruction. Adhesiolysis was attempted but was unsuccessful due to the friability of the small intestines. The dog was humanely euthanased under anaesthesia. A diagnosis of SEP was confirmed via necropsy. No underlying cause was identified. This is the first known case of a pyloric outflow obstruction secondary to SEP in a dog. Although rare, this condition should be considered as a differential for dogs with signs of a pyloric outflow obstruction with concurrent ascites and abdominal pain, hyporexia, vomiting and diarrhoea.     

弓形虫感染绵羊的诊断与治疗措施

根据一起疑似弓形虫感染绵羊的发病情况、临床症状、病理剖检和实验室诊断,以及针对性治疗和控制,诊断该群绵羊疾病由弓形虫感染引起,并根据当地情况,提出了针对性的防治措施,为羊群弓形虫感染诊治提供参考和借鉴。