Increased risk of select glucocorticoid adverse events in dogs of higher body weight

There are limited data on glucocorticoid treatment in dogs. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dogs of higher body weight experienced more adverse events when receiving glucocorticoid therapy. Data pertaining to glucocorticoid therapy was abstracted from the records of 61 dogs that were prescribed glucocorticoids for treatment of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia or hemolytic anemia from 2014 to 2019. The odds of developing muscle atrophy and polyphagia during therapy were increased by 30% for each 5 kg of additional body weight. Almost half of the dogs (44.3%) fluctuated > 15% from baseline weight during therapy. Dogs whose body condition scored as above ideal were at increased risk (odds ratio = 4.2) for being diagnosed with urinary tract infection. Our findings suggest that standard linear glucocorticoid dosing may place higher body weight dogs at increased risk of developing adverse events. Accelerated glucocorticoid tapering and/or alternative dosing schemes in dogs with higher body weights may be prudent in efforts to improve tolerance and client compliance.     

“Indirect selection” for genetic change: A quantitative analysis illustrated with Macrobrachium rosenbergii

“Indirect selection” is exerted on a trait indirectly, by means other than artificial selection for the trait itself. Expressions are derived for calculating the intensity of indirect selection in aquaculture environments. The calculations are illustrated with growth-rate data on M. rosenbergii from farm ponds in Thailand, and with computer-generated data which simulate measurements made during a multiple mark-recapture experiment. Indirect selection for growth is probably negligible in Thai prawn farms and hatcheries at present, but small changes in management practice could exert strong indirect selection on growth rate. One very effective change appears to be collecting broodstock as early in the production cycle as possible. Control of indirect selection may be useful for the genetic improvement of aquaculture stock, especially in developing countries and other situations where an intensive artificial selection program is not economically or biologically desirable. Like all selection programs, the probability of success is critically dependent on the genetics of the traits being selected.     

Spatio‐temporal trends of sailfish,Istiophorus platypterus catch rates in relation to spawning ground and environmental factors in the equatorial and southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Spatial and temporal trends of sailfish catch rates in the southwestern and equatorial Atlantic Ocean in relation to environmental variables were investigated using generalized additive models and fishery‐dependent data. Two generalized additive models were fit: (i) ‘spatio‐temporal’, including only latitude, longitude, month, and year; and (ii) ‘oceanographic’, including sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll‐a concentration, wind velocity, bottom depth, and depth of mixed layer and year. The spatio‐temporal model explained more (average ~40%) of the variability in catch rates than the oceanographic model (average ~30%). Modeled catch rate predictions showed that sailfish tend to aggregate off the southeast coast of Brazil during the peak of the spawning season (November to February). Sailfish also seem to aggregate for feeding in two different areas, one located in the mid‐west Atlantic to the south of ~15°S and another area off the north coast of Brazil. The oceanographic model revealed that wind velocity and chlorophyll‐a concentration were the most important variables describing catch rate variability. The results presented herein may help to understand sailfish movements in the Atlantic Ocean and the relationship of these movements with environmental effects.     

Changes in thyroid hormone levels in eggs and larvae and in iodide uptake by eggs of coho and chinook salmon,Oncorhynchus kisutsch andO. tschawytscha

Developmental profiles of thyroxin (T₄), triiodothyronine (T₃) and radioactive iodide uptake were established for eggs and T₄ and T₃ profiles were established for larvae (whole-body, yolk-only and body-only) of coho and chinook salmon. T₄ and T₃ were consistently present in all samples. In eggs, hormone levels remained fairly constant in all cohorst for at least the first three weeks of incubation, but then fluctuated in both directions in some sample groups. Large increases in T₄ (from 9 ng/g to 245 ng/g) were seen in 1985 chinook eggs 28 days after fertilization. Radioactive iodide uptake (which was used as a possible indicator of thyroxinogenesis) increased at least 10-fold in both 1986 coho and chinook eggs from 23–30 days after fertilization. T₄ (62 ng/g) and T₃ (393 ng/g) were found in the bodies of 28-day-old 1986 chinook embryos. In whole larvae, hormone levels varied depending upon the cohort studied. In general, initial body-only concentrations of both T₄ and T₃ decreased as body weight increased, but before yolksac resorption was completed, both thyroid hormone content and concentration increased (except for chinook T₃). T₄ and T₃ content in larval yolk stayed constant as yolksac size decreased, resulting in increased thyroid hormone concentration in the yolksac. All of these data suggest that the initial source of thyroid hormones in coho and chinook salmon eggs is maternal, but that by approximately 3–4 weeks after fertilization, the developing embryos begin to produce their own thyroid hormones. After hatching, increases in tissue T₄ and T₃ concentration coupled with constant T₄ and T₃ content in diminishing yolksacs suggest that larvae also produce their own thyroid hormones; yolksac content then may reflect both the original maternal hormones and the larva-producted hormones.     

Einfluss selektiver mechanischer Fruchtbehangsregulierung auf Ethylensynthese als Stressindikator sowie Ertrag und Fruchtqualität bei Kernobst

The overall objective of this work was to improve fruit quality, break alternate bearing and reduce hand thinning using fewer chemicals in fruit crops. A device was constructed for mechanical thinning, which consisted of three independent horizontal rotors with ropes and freely adjustable angles on a frame, mounted on a front three point hitch and powered by the tractor hydraulics. This can be adapted to any fruit tree trained as spindle, Solaxe, (tall) vertical axis or fruit wall (le mur fruitier) irrespective of rootstock employed. Rotor speed varied from 300 to 460?rpm at either 5 or 7.5?km/h tractor speed. Eight-year-old or twelve-old apple trees cvs. ‘Gala’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ were mechanically thinned in 2007 between pink bud and full bloom (flower bud stages 6–8 or F1–F2) near Bonn, Germany; non-thinned and hand-thinned apple trees of the same block and variety served as control. Mechanically thinned flowering branches showed a similar amount of ethylene efflux (0.4–0.6?ppm C₂H₄/branch) as non-thinned flower branches, preventing potentially unexpected subsequent fruit drop, except for those removed by the rotors. The impact of the horizontal rotors on the branches was from the upper side and removed excessive flowers right to the tree trunk viz. the centre of the tree canopy, where fruits of lesser quality are expected leaving 2–3 flowers per cluster. Leaf damage was less than??10%, even at the fast rotor speed of 420?rpm, which was associated with negligible wood injury. Mechanical thinning induced firmer and sweeter fruit, i.e. tastier apples with longer shelf life, relative to control fruit from non-thinned apple trees. The greatest efficacy in terms of final fruit quality in the grading/sorting was achieved by a rotor speed of 360?rpm at a tractor speed of 5?km/h: Fruit mass increased by up to 20?g and the proportion of fruit larger than 70–75?mm by 10–30% compared with the fruit from non-thinned trees. Mechanical thinning with this newly constructed device led to a 10–20% reduction in yield, but increased returns due to better fruit size and colouration in apple with the potential to overcome alternate bearing.     

Tracking change in a human‐dominated landscape: developing conservation guidelines using freshwater fish

• 1. To conserve biodiversity in a human‐dominated landscape, a science‐based inventory and monitoring plan is needed that quantifies existing resources, isolates drivers that maintain natural communities, determines harmful stressors, and links ecological drivers and human stressors. A tactical approach is proposed for conservation planning using freshwater fish at the Cape Cod National Seashore.
• 2. Freshwater fish are well studied and occur across environmental gradients. The lentic systems at the national park are relatively pristine yet are enveloped by a region of high population density. Using fish community data, three steps were taken for tracking anthropogenic impacts in a human dominated landscape. First, fish and potential drivers were sampled intensively along a gradient to determine which fish metrics reflect natural communities and which abiotic and biotic factors structure them. Second, emerging and existing regional human threats were identified. Third, these human threats were linked to the potential drivers that maintain natural communities to identify the most informative metrics to monitor and track change.
• 3. Fish communities, water quality, habitat, and food resources were sampled concurrently in 18 ponds in 1999 and 2000. Three common fish species explained 98% of variation in numbers across systems. Based on ecological relationships, pH, depth, vegetation, prey, and community complexity were determined to maintain biodiversity of freshwater fish communities.
• 4. The primary human threats here included: development‐related, land‐use changes; non‐point source pollution; eutrophication from septic systems; and introduced species that are a byproduct of high human visitation. These are common threats in many rapidly urbanized areas and are likely to have relevance to many sites.
• 5. To track the impact of emerging threats to freshwater ponds related to increased human population, monitoring changes in water quality, vegetated habitat, fish diversity, and trophic interactions are recommended.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy and resource consumption of land-based Atlantic salmon smolt hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest (USA)

This paper evaluates the resource and energy requirements of six different types of land-based, hatchery production systems located in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: flow-through with a gravity water supply, flow-through with a pumped water supply, flow-through with pure oxygen, partial reuse system, partial reuse with heating, and a reuse system for the production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts. Key parameters used in the evaluation include direct energy, indirect energy, transportation energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollutant discharges.Power (electricity and natural gas) and feed energy accounted for the majority of the required energy for all the rearing option evaluated. The sum of the fixed capital and chemicals components accounted for less than 2–12% of the total energy budget for any rearing option. The energy efficiency (energy output/energy input) of the six options ranges from 0.97% for flow-through with pumped supply to 3.49% for the flow-through with gravity supply. The rearing options with the three highest energy efficiencies were flow-through with gravity supply (3.49%), partial reuse (2.75%), and reuse (2.64%).On a kg of smolt produced basis, the six rearing options showed a wide range in performance. The reuse system had the lowest water (2 m³ kg^− 1) and land (0.13 m² kg^− 1) requirements and the third lowest total energy requirement (288 MJ kg^− 1). The partial reuse system had the second lowest total power requirement (276 MJ kg^− 1), a low land requirement (0.21 m² kg^− 1), and moderate water requirements (33 m³ kg^− 1). The partial reuse with temperature control had the second highest total power requirement (657 MJ kg^− 1) and land and water requirements similar to the partial reuse system without temperature control. The flow-through system with pumped water supply had the highest water (289 m³ kg^− 1), land (2.19 m² kg^− 1), and energy requirements (786 MJ kg^− 1) of any of the rearing options. By comparison, the flow-through system with gravity water supply had the lowest energy requirement (218 MJ kg^− 1), a moderate land requirement (0.78 m² kg^− 1), and a high water requirement (214 m³ kg^− 1). The ranking of the six rearing options based capital and operating costs are likely to be quite different from those based on energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions.     

Skating on thin ice: Identifying the need for species‐specific data and defined migration ecology of Rajidae spp.

Skates (class Chondrichthyes; subclass Elasmobranchii; order Rajiformes; family Rajidae) comprise one quarter of extant chondrichthyans, yet have received little attention in the scientific literature likely due to their relatively low economic value and difficulties in species identification. The absence of species‐specific information on catch, life history and migration of skates has often precluded the development of single‐species stock assessments and led to the use of cursory multispecies assessments, which lack the ability to track species‐specific catch and abundance trends. This has resulted in undetected local extirpations, as has been previously reported for common (Dipturus batis, Rajidae), white (Rostroraja alba, Rajidae) and long‐nose (Dipturus oxyrhinchus, Rajidae) skates in the Irish Sea. Here, we (a) use case studies to illustrate how the perception of skate population structure and stock status has historically been masked through multispecies assessment and management practices, (b) review current information on the movement of skates and identify gaps in knowledge, and (c) identify biases associated with the use of various tagging technologies, which have confounded our understanding of movement and migration ecology of skates. Considering that over 40% of extant Rajidae species are listed as “Data Deficient” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, we illustrate a critical need to broaden the current understanding of skate life history, movement and migration ecology by providing recommendations on the further application of electronic tags and biogeochemical natural tags in movement studies and highlight the benefits that studies using these approaches have for novel management frameworks.