Bovine and canine acute phase proteins

Acute phase proteins are serum proteins which increase in concentration during the acute phase response to inflammation or infection. The response occurs in all animals, but in different species the response of individual proteins can be significantly different. Of the numerous acute phase proteins which have been identified in humans, a number have been examined in cattle and dogs but usually on an individual basis with little reference to their part in the acute phase response. Biochemical, physiological and clinical investigations into haptoglobin, fibrinogen, ₁-proteinase inhibitor, ceruloplasmin, seromucoid and C-reactive protein of cattle and dogs have therefore been reviewed with the emphasis on their role in this response to tissue damage.     

Effects of Acid rain on freshwater ecosystems

Acid-vulnerable areas are more numerous and widespread than believed 7 years ago. Lakes and streams in acid-vulnerable areas of northeastern North America have suffered substantial declines in acid-neutralizing capacity, the worst cases resulting in biological damage. Many invertebrates are very sensitive to acidification, with some disappearing at pH values as high as 6.0. However, the recent rate of acidification of lakes is slower than once predicted, in part the result of decreases in sulfur oxide emissions. A discussion of some of the processes that have contributed to the acidification of lakes as well as those that have protected acid-sensitive freshwaters is presented. The author is in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6, Canada.     

Olmec settlement data from la venta, tabasco, Mexico

Research at La Venta, a major Olmec center on a low salt dome 12 kilometers from the Gulf Coast has revealed evidence of initial occupation (about 1750 to 1400 B.C.) along levees of the silted-in Río Barí, north of the site core in a transitional estuarine-riverine environment. Between 1400 and 1150 B.C. settlement expanded to nearby La Venta itself, which between 1150 and 800 B.C. developed into a major temple-town complex. Local development peaked at La Venta and along the river levees between 800 and 500 B.C. In this span La Venta headed a local three-tiered site hierarchy as social distinctions expanded to the peripheral Río Barí sites. New excavations show that growth in population size and density at La Venta preceded the development of sociopolitical complexity. These data contradict the traditional organizational reconstruction of Olmec society, the "vacant ceremonial center" model, and provide qualified support for a model that presents riverine resource concentration as a significant factor in the evolution of Olmec civilization.     

An assessment of the utility of microcomputers and dairy herd management software for dairy farms and dairy practices

Microcomputer systems were placed in three veterinary practices each serving three farms (bureau), and onto nine dairy farms (on-farm). Over a twenty-four week period, the utilization of the computer system and the DHM software was monitored. The on-farm system was more costly in terms of equipment and technical support effort, but the information was utilized to a greater extent than it was by the bureau participants who had invested more user time per cow. Note that actual time will vary with the software program used. The farmers indicated that they wished to have access to the information offered by the software. `Computer phobia' was not found to be a problem. The expectations of the computer system and its benefits generally remained high. In general, the information available through the microcomputer system and the DHM software was found to be useful to both the dairy farmers and the veterinarians in this study.