Catalytic hydration of terminal alkenes to primary alcohols

Direct catalytic hydration of terminal alkenes to primary alcohols would be an inexpensive route to industrially useful alcohols and a convenient synthetic route for the synthesis of terminal alcohols in general. The reaction between trans- PtHCl(PMe(3))(2) (where Me = CH(3)) and sodium hydroxide in a one-to-one mixture of water and 1-hexene yields a species that, at 60 degrees C and in the presence of the phasetransfer catalyst benzyltriethylammonium chloride, catalyzes selective hydration of 1-hexene to n-hexanol at a rate of 6.9 +/- 0.2 turnovers per hour. Hydration of 1-dodecene to n-dodecanol occurs at a rate of 8.3 +/- 0.4 turnovers per hour at 100 degrees C. Deuterium labeling experiments with trans-PtDCl(PMe(3))(2) show that hydration involves reductive elimination of a C-H bond. At low hydroxide concentrations (<8 equivalents), hydration of the water-soluble olefin 3-butene-1-ol to 1,4-butanediol exhibited a first-order dependence on hydroxide concentration for loss of catalytic activity. This suggests that hydroxide attacks the coordinated alkene slowly. At high hydroxide concentrations, the rate of catalysis was hydroxide-independent and first order in alkene. Substitution of coordinated water (k(1) = 9.3 +/- 0.5 x 10(-3) liters per mol per second) appears to be limitng under these conditions.     

Direct immunoelectron microscopy of transmissible gastroenteritis virus with immunoglobulins G and A and guinea pig complement

Porcine colostral immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA, isolated from transmissible gastroenteritis virus-infected sows, were compared by direct immunoelectron microscopy. It was estimated, using antibodies with a less than a twofold difference in virus-neutralizing activity, that IgG was 500 times more efficient than was IgA for coating transmissible gastroenteritis virions. Guinea pig complement enhanced the antibody coating with IgG, but did not increase virus-neutralizing activity of IgG or IgA.     

Detection of antibodies against hog cholera virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus in porcine serum. A comparative examination using CF, PLA and NPLA assays

The antibodies in serum samples from an outbreak of low-virulent hog cholera in Spielbach, West Germany, 1966, as well as serum samples from pigs inoculated with hog cholera (HG) virus and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus, respectively, were examined by means of 3 different methods:

1. A modified direct complement fixation (GF) test,
2. A peroxidase-linked antibody (PLA) assay based on microplates with fixed, viral-antigen containing cells,
3. A neutralization assay carried out in microplates using the “chessboard” principle and read by means of the peroxidaselinked antibody (NPLA) assay.

A good correlation was found in their ability to detect the antibodies. Generally neutralizing antibodies could be found 2 weeks after inoculation. By CF and PLA antibodies could be detected at the same time or up to 2 weeks later. All sera were tested by the 3 methods against both HG viral antigen and BVD viral antigen. HC-antibodies could not be distinguished from BVD-antibodies by CF but to a certain degree by PLA. BVD-antibodies could to a certain degree be distinguished from HG-antibodies by CF but not by PLA. This means that CF and PLA together provide a good possibility for differentiation between the two types of antibodies. NPLA could to a high degree of reliability distinguish between HG-antibodies and BVD-antibodies.     

Water pollution and the ulcer syndrome in the cod (Gadus morhua)

One and a half-2 1/2 year old cold living in Danish coastal waters suffer from a specific ulcer syndrome, which occurs only in waters polluted with town sewage or effluents from sugar and cellulose plants. Although the etiology of the primary lesions is unknown (virus?, stress?), the development of ulcers depends upon a bacterial infection.Vibrio anguillarum was the most common bacterium involved in both local and generalized infections in these cod. The prevalence ofVibrio anguillarum was greater in polluted than in unpolluted areas, and the response to an outlet of wastewater from a sugar plant was an immediate increase in the number ofVibrio anguillarum in water and sediment. There was, however, no simple relationship between the prevalence ofVibrio anguillarum and the frequency of the ulcer syndrome. The observed heterogeneity among strains ofVibrio anguillarum from different localities requires a more intensive study of the taxonomy and serology of these strains. In the future the ulcer syndrome in cod and the prevalence ofVibrio anguillarum (and other Vibrios) might be important measurements in programmes for monitoring marine pollution.     

Evaluation of a technique to occlude the internal carotid artery of horses

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an occlusion technique for the internal carotid artery of horses using an intravascular, detachable, self-sealing, latex balloon distally and ligatures proximally. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Six healthy adult horses. METHODS: In each horse, the left internal carotid artery was occluded by placement of an intravascular, detachable, self-sealing, latex balloon distally and two ligatures proximally. Radiographs were taken on days 2, 5, 10, and 30 after surgery to evaluate balloon inflation and position. Endoscopic examination of the left guttural pouch was performed 10 days after surgery to evaluate the integrity of the internal carotid artery and surrounding tissues. At 30 days, the left and right, common, internal, and external carotid arteries were examined grossly and then processed for histologic evaluation. RESULTS: Immediate and long-term occlusion of the left internal carotid artery was achieved in all horses. The surgical procedure was technically straightforward and no intraoperative or postoperative complications were encountered. The balloons remained inflated and in their original position throughout the study. Maturing to mature, organized thrombi were present in the left internal carotid artery in all horses at 30 days. The cerebral arterial circle and common carotid artery were patent at their junctions with the internal carotid artery in all horses. CONCLUSIONS: Use of an intravascular, detachable, self-sealing, latex balloon distally and ligatures proximally is an effective technique for occluding the internal carotid artery of horses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This technique may be useful for prevention of fatal hemorrhage in horses with lesions of the internal carotid artery.     

Evaluation of analytical performance assisted by total error criteria of a commercial enzyme immunometric assay for canine serum thyrotropin

The aim of the present study was to evaluate analytical performance using total error criteria of a commercial enzyme immunometric assay for the determination of endogenous canine thyrotropin (TSH). The allowable total error for this assay (22.6%) was estimated using previously reported data on biological variation. Inaccuracy and imprecision of the assay (0% and 5.7% for the low control material; 6.8% and 3.0% for the high control material) were estimated by measuring the same lot of control material for 21 consecutive weeks, during which time the assay was considered stable and in control. Analytical performance was assessed using a MEDx chart, a graphical tool for comparing inaccuracy and imprecision, with an analytical quality requirement stated in the form of allowable total error. The results of the present study showed that the canine TSH assay had good to excellent analytical performance.     

Effects of sow-crate design on sow and piglet behavior

The effects of sow-crate design on certain behaviors of sows and piglets at farrowing and again approximately 3 wk later were evaluated with a 2 x 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of crate width (narrow [N = 55 cm] or wide [W = 64] between lowest horizontal pipes), length (short [S = 183 cm] or long [L = 198] from rump stop to front gate) and side type (lower side of sow crate "fingered" [F], "bowed" bottom bar 20 cm above the floor [B], or straight bottom bar 20 cm [S20] or 25 cm above the floor [S25]). Farrowing-crate design influenced both sow and piglet behaviors both during and immediately after parturition and during nursing-suckling bouts approximately 3 wk later. Activities of 51 sows and their piglets were videorecorded during and immediately following parturition. Sow-crate design affected neither the interval between births of successive piglets in a litter nor the frequency of standing by the sow during parturition. Latency from birth to first mammary contact (LMC) was greater with S25-sided and S sow crates, and especially with S, W crates. A significant interaction occurred between sow-crate side type and dimensions; LMC was longer when S25 sides were combined with S or W crates. Data on suckling behavior were collected from 113 litters over three successive sucklings approximately 3 wk after farrowing. Sow-crate design had no effect either on the consistency with which a piglet suckled a particular teat or teat pair or on the frequency of multiple-teat use. Piglets maintained fewer functional teats with S, S20 crates. The distribution of functional teats between rows was less symmetric with S crates. Piglets nursed with their bodies over a side bar more frequently with B- and S20-sided crates. The sow permitted her piglets to suckle while she was in a vertical stance more frequently with S and N crates, and especially with S, N crates. Sow-crate design affected important behaviors of sows and piglets both during and immediately after parturition as well as during nursing-suckling bouts about 3 wk later.     

Thromboelastographic evaluation of hemostatic function in dogs with disseminated intravascular coagulation

BACKGROUND: There is considerable variation in the coagulation profile of dogs with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), making it difficult to assess overall hemostatic function. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the overall hemostatic state in dogs with DIC, by use of tissue factor-activated thromboelastography (TF-TEG), and to determine whether there is an association between hemostasis and outcome. ANIMALS: 50 dogs with DIC. METHODS: Dogs admitted to the intensive care units, with an underlying disease known to predispose to DIC, were prospectively assessed with TF-TEG. Citrated blood samples were collected daily during hospitalization and an extended coagulation panel and TF-TEG were performed. Diagnosis of DIC was based on expert opinion. RESULTS: Hemostatic dysfunction was observed on the TF-TEG profile in 33/50 of the dogs, of which 22/50 were hypercoagulable and 11/50 were hypocoagulable based on the TF-TEG G value alone. There were significant differences in k, alpha, and MA values (P < .0001) among hypo-, normo-, and hypercoagulable dogs. There was a significant difference in case fatality rate between hypo- (64%) and hypercoagulable (32%) dogs (relative risk = 2.38; P= .04). Dogs that died had significantly lower antithrombin activity (P= .03) and higher d-dimer concentration (P= .03) than survivors. CONCLUSIONS: The most common overall hemostatic abnormality in dogs diagnosed with DIC was hypercoagulability, and there was significant difference in survival between hyper- and hypocoagulable dogs. The results suggest TF-TEG is valuable in the assessment of hemostatic function in dogs diagnosed with DIC.     

Simulating nitrate retention in soils and the effect of catch crop use and rooting pattern under the climatic conditions of Northern Europe

This model analysis of catch crop effects on nitrate retention covered three soil texture classes (sand, loamy sand, sandy loam) and three precipitation regimes in a temperate climate representative of northern Europe (annual precipitation 709–1026 mm) for a period of 43 years. Simulations were made with two catch crops (ryegrass and Brassica) with different rooting depths, and soil N effects in the next spring were analysed to 0.25, 0.75 and 2.0 m depth to represent the catch crop effect on following crops with different rooting depths. Nitrate retained without a catch crop was generally located in deeper soil layers. In the low precipitation regime the overall fraction of nitrate retained in the 0–2.0 m soil profile was 0.23 for the sandy soil, 0.69 for the loamy sand and 0.81 for the sandy loam. Ryegrass reduced leaching losses much less efficiently than Brassica, which depleted nitrate in the 0–0.75 m soil layer more completely, but also in the deeper soil layer, which the ryegrass could not reach. A positive N effect (N_eff, spring mineral N availability after catch crop compared with bare soil) was found in the 0–0.25 m layer (that is shallow rooting depth of a subsequent main crop) in all three soil texture classes, with on average 10 kg N/ha for ryegrass and 34 kg N/ha for Brassica. Considering the whole soil profile (0–2.0 m deep rooting of next crop), a positive N_eff was found in the sand whereas generally a negative N_eff was found in the loamy sand and especially the sandy loam. The simulations showed that for shallow‐rooted crops, catch crop N_eff values were always positive, whereas N_eff for deeper‐rooted crops depended strongly on soil type and annual variations in precipitations. These results are crucial both for farmers crop rotation planning and for design of appropriate catch crop strategies with the aim of protecting the aquatic environment.     

Utilisation of glucose by Mycoplasma suipneumoniae and Mycoplasma flocculare.

The utilisation of glucose by Mycoplasma suipneumoniae and Mycoplasma flocculare was examined by chemical determination of glucose disappearance during growth, and by examination for hexokinase activity in cell preparations. Both species degraded glucose during growth and possessed hexokinase activity as evidence of the presence of a glycolytic pathway. The glucose utilisation capacity was found to be greater for M. flocculare than for M. suipneumoniae.