Ratite production as an agricultural enterprise.

The ratite industry remains in the market introduction stage of evolution; basic information on markets and production is limited. It is uncertain when, or perhaps whether, either the ostrich or emu industries will progress to the market growth stage. Until significant expansion occurs, ratite operations are likely to be faced with low or even nonexistant profits. It is the authors' observation that the ostrich industry is making slow but significant progress toward introducing products into potential growth markets. The fact that ostrich products were in demand prior to the ostrich being introduced into North America has helped the industry. The future of the emu industry appears to be much less certain. In the authors' opinion, in order for the emu industry to become profitable and grow, significant promotion of emu meat and immediate resolution of the value of the oil must be achieved. Meat sales alone will not carry emu production as a profitable commercial enterprise. Veterinarians can derive significant conclusions from this information. Currently, ratite production is composed of firms generating losses or minimal profits. South African producers are receiving approximately the same amount for a slaughter ostrich as North American producers. It is unlikely that North American ostrich prices will increase significantly. Prices of ostrich breeders of $2,000 to $4,000 per pair and $400 to $450 for slaughter birds are likely to remain the same for some time. Given that world demand has increased at a slower rate than supply, prices may decrease further. Breeder and slaughter birds will continue to require significant veterinary care; however, the producer will be forced to perform more farm treatments, given the negligible margins. Based on the differences in efficiency of existing operations, there are ample opportunities for veterinarians and extension services to assist producers. Vertical coordination in the ratite industry may evolve slowly in the future, especially in the arid regions of the country; however, economies of size in ratite slaughter are likely to remain uncaptured in the short run, limiting the rate at which vertical coordination evolves. If significant opportunities develop for veterinarians in vertically integrated ratite firms, the emphasis, as with other intensive livestock operations, will be preventative rather than therapeutic medicine, and will involve the integration of nutrition, management, genetics, and the control of disease.     

Evaluation of alternative strategies to prevent Newcastle disease in Cambodia

Velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease (vvNCD), which is endemic in Cambodia, can be prevented in theory by a combination of biosecurity and immunization of broiler flocks. The relative contribution of appropriate biosecurity and effective vaccination was quantified at the farm level, applying realistic projections for capital investment, fixed and variable production costs and losses following infection. Non-protected broiler flocks generate a loss when the probability of vvNCD infection exceeds 0.4. Applying both biosecurity and effective vaccination would sustain profitability up to a probability of exposure of 1.0. The benefit to cost ratios for alternative strategies were evaluated for a range of probabilities of exposure to vvNCD extending from 0.1 to 1.0. The benefit-to-cost ratio for biosecurity exceeded unity at a risk of exposure exceeding 0.1, and 0.2 for vaccination and the combination of vaccination and biosecurity respectively. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the efficiency of protection, feed cost, and financial consequences of infection markedly affected the projected benefit-to-cost ratios associated with alternative methods of prevention.     

Immunohistochemical Expression of Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) in Feline Endometrial Adenocarcinoma and in Normal and Hyperplastic Endometria

Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) is overexpressed in several human and animal neoplasms, including the human endometrial carcinoma. It has been suggested as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target. This study aimed to (i) clarify histological aspects of feline endometrial adenocarcinomas (FEA) of the papillary serous type and (ii) characterize COX‐2 immunohistochemical expression in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrium in this species. Archived paraffin‐embedded tissue samples of 33 FEA, eight cystic endometrial hyperplasias (CEHs) and 21 samples of normal, healthy endometrium in the follicular (FS; n = 10) and luteal (LS; n = 11) stages were evaluated. Histological evaluation of haematoxylin and eosin‐stained sections of the FEA revealed a papillary proliferation of neoplastic cells of serous type, accompanied by clear and multinucleated cells. Other architectural arrangements mainly included solid and tubular growth. Randomly distributed areas of necrosis within the tumours were commonly observed. Invasion of the myometrium, of the serosa and of the vascular and/or lymphatic vessels was not constant features. The mean number of mitoses was higher in FEA compared to non‐neoplastic endometrium. COX‐2 scores were lower in FEA (p = 0.003) and CEH (p = 0.05) when compared to normal epithelium (NE). The loss of the membrane apical reinforcement in epithelial cells was observed in FEA samples, which was accompanied by the dislocation of COX‐2 labelling into the cytoplasm and the perinuclear area; in contrast, in epithelial cells in the healthy and hyperplastic endometria, the immunoreaction showed the characteristic pattern of apical membrane reinforcement, suggestive of the membrane polarization. COX‐2 epithelial scores were higher in the FS than in the LS. No differences were found in stromal COX‐2 expression between normal, CEH and FEA groups, but it was higher in the LS than in the FS. In summary, loss of COX‐2 compartmentalization in neoplastic epithelial cells might be one of the molecular events underlying endometrial carcinogenesis.     

Evaluation of Lecanicillium longisporum, Vertalec against the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, and cucumber powdery mildew, Sphaerotheca fuliginea in a greenhouse environment

The commercial mycopesticide, Vertalec^® based on Lecanicillium longisporum, was evaluated for simultaneous control of aphids and powdery mildew on cucumbers in a greenhouse setting where temperature and RH were allowed to fluctuate within normal operating ranges. Five to six week old cucumber plants were inoculated with either Sphaerotheca fuliginea (Sf) spores, cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii) or both. Vertalec, Vertalec containing irradiation-inactivated blastospores (II Vertalec) or sterilized water (control) were applied to the plants 1, 4, and 7 days later. Vertalec treatment provided complete control of aphids 16 days after aphid inoculation, whereas effects of the II Vetalec were not significantly different from the water-treated control. The number of powdery mildew spots on cucumber leaves and the number of S. fuliginea spores in each spot were significantly lower in Vertalec-treated plants than II Vertalec-treated plants or the controls, whereas numbers in the II Vertalec treatment were lower that the untreated control. These results demonstrate that Vertalec has potential for simultaneous management of both cotton aphid and powdery mildew in greenhouse cucumber production.     

Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in white-tailed deer sharing rangeland with cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with access to cattle pastures. DESIGN: Survey study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 212 fecal samples from free ranging white-tailed deer. PROCEDURE: Fresh feces were collected on multiple pastures from 2 farms in north central Kansas between September 1997 and April 1998. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was identified by bacterial culture and DNA-based methods. RESULTS: Escherichia coli O157:H7 was identified in 2.4% (5/212) of white-tailed deer fecal samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is considerable interest in the beef industry in on-farm control of E coli O157:H7 to reduce the risk of this pathogen entering the human food chain. Results of our study suggest that the design of programs for E coli O157:H7 control in domestic livestock on pasture will need to account for fecal shedding in free-ranging deer. In addition, the results have implications for hunters, people consuming venison, and deer-farming enterprises.     

Glomalin-related soil protein contains non-mycorrhizal-related heat-stable proteins, lipids and humic materials

Glomalin is reportedly a stable and persistent protein produced in copious quantities by mycorrhizal fungi and may be an important pool of organic N in soil. Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), however, is only operationally defined by its extraction method, and has been only poorly characterized at best. The goal of this study was to characterize the molecular structures within GRSP. Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and pyrolysis field-ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS) revealed that GRSP contains a consortium of proteins along with many impurities. Employing proteomic techniques, we found that glomalin itself may be a thioredoxin-containing chaperone; however, no homologies with proteins or DNA of mycorrhizal origin were detected. Proteomics techniques further revealed that this fraction contains large amounts of soil-related heat-stable proteins and proteins of non-mycorrhizal origin. Results of this research show that the current extraction procedure that defines GRSP yields a mixture of compounds and thereby overestimates glomalin stocks when quantified using the Bradford assay. The chemical nature of glomalin has yet to be conclusively determined; it is unlikely that the chemical structure of glomalin can be elucidated from the mixture extracted as GRSP. Instead, an investigation into the specific biochemistry of immunoreactive assays currently used to define GRSP, followed by proteomic characterization of monoxenic mycorrhizal cultures may be required to advance our understanding of the chemical nature and agronomic significance of GRSP in soils.     

Phase velocities of rayleigh waves in the MELT experiment on the east pacific rise

The phase velocities of Rayleigh waves increase more rapidly with distance from the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis than is predicted by models of conductive cooling of the lithosphere. Low velocities near the axis are probably caused by partial melt at depths of 20 to 70 kilometers in a zone several hundred kilometers wide. The lowest velocities are offset to the west of the EPR. Wave propagation is anisotropic; the fast direction is approximately perpendicular to the ridge, parallel to the spreading direction. Anisotropy increases from a minimum near the axis to 3 percent or more on the flanks.     

Predatory dinosaur remains from madagascar: implications for the cretaceous biogeography of gondwana

Recent discoveries of fossil vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar include several specimens of a large theropod dinosaur. One specimen includes a nearly complete and exquisitely preserved skull with thickened pneumatic nasals, a median frontal horn, and a dorsal projection on the parietals. The new materials are assigned to the enigmatic theropod group Abelisauridae on the basis of a number of unique features. Fossil remains attributable to abelisaurids are restricted to three Gondwanan landmasses: South America, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent. This distribution is consistent with a revised paleogeographic reconstruction that posits prolonged links between these landmasses (via Antarctica), perhaps until late in the Late Cretaceous.