Efficacy of silver ions against Sacbrood virus infection in the Eastern honey bee Apis cerana

Although silver is known to be a broad-spectrum biocidal agent, the effects of this metal against Sacbrood virus have not yet been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of silver ions against natural Korean sacbrood virus (KSBV) infection of Apis (A.) cerana. Ten KSBV-infected colonies containing A. cerana with similar strength and activity were selected from an apiary located in Bosung-gun (Korea). Among these, five colonies were randomly assigned to the treatment group that was fed sugar syrup containing 0.2 mg/L silver ions. The other colonies were assigned to the untreated control group in which bees were given syrup without the silver ions. To assess the efficacy of the silver ions, colony strength, colony activity, and the number of dead larvae per hive were measured. During the experimental period, the test group maintained its strength and activity until day 32 while those of bees in the control group decreased sharply after day 8 to 16. Survival duration of the test group was significantly longer (40 days) than that of the control group (21 days). These results strongly indicated that silver ions are effective against KSBV infection in A. cerana.     

冬季日光温室的保温措施及对天气性灾害的预防对策

高效节能日光温室以太阳能为主要能源 ,不加温或临时加温就能进行果菜类生产 ,但近几年发展的温室偏高偏宽 ,保温措施又跟不上 ,结果在1 999年冬至 2 0 0 0年春雪多、严寒的条件下 ,不少温室出现了 2℃以下低温 ,甚至冻害 ,使果菜类生产受到很大影响 ,造成了很大的损失。对此 ,我站经过试验和调研 ,提出如下的保温措施及对天气灾害性的对策 ,使果菜类冬季能在日光温室得以正常生长 ,进一步提高冬季蔬菜生产的经济效益和社会效益 ,保证我市保护地蔬菜生产持续发展。1　温室结构与保温的关系沈阳市地处北纬 41°以北 ,冬至太阳高度角低 ,中午 …     

In vitro antiprotozoal effects of artemisinin on Neospora caninum.

Neospora caninum is an intracellular apicomplexan parasite that infects a wide range of mammals and has been associated with abortion in cattle worldwide. Artemisinin is an effective antimalarial compound derived from a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, qinghao or Artemisia annua L. In the study reported, the cultured host cells (vero cells or mouse peritoneal macrophages) infected with N. caninum tachyzoites were incubated with alpha-MEM (minimal essential medium) 10%HS supplemented with various concentration or artemisinin (20, 10, 1, 0.1 and 0.01 microg/ml) to examine the efficacy of artemisinin against N. caninum tachyzoites intracellular multiplication. In long-term studies, at 20 or 10 microg/ml for 11 days, artemisinin reduced N. caninum and completely eliminated all microscopic foci of N. caninum. At 1 microg/ml for 14 days, artemisinin reduced N. caninum and completely achieved elimination of all microscopic foci of N. caninum. There was no apparent toxicity to host cells in long-term studies. In short-term studies, at > or = 0.1microg/ml, artemisinin reduced N. caninum tachyzoites intracellular multiplication, significantly (P < 0.05) and appeared to depend on the artemisinin concentrations. Pretreatment of host cells or N. caninum tachyzoites with artemisinin had no effect on N. caninum tachyzoites intracellular multiplication. These results demonstrate that artemisinin inhibited N. caninum tachyzoites intracellular multiplication.     

Effect of Restricted Feeding Regimes on Compensatory Growth and Body Composition of Red Sea Bream, Pagrus major

Compensatory growth of red sea bream, Pagrus major, during feed deprivation and after refeeding was investigated. Groups of three fish each were allocated into 28 cages. Fish were fed by a commercial feed to satiation twice a day. Four feeding groups of fish were prepared: one group with continuous feeding (C) for 9 wk and three other groups with feed deprivation for 1 wk (F1) in Week 3, 2 wk (F2) from Week 2 to Week 3, and 3 wk (F3) from Week 1 to Week 3, respectively. All fish in the feed deprivation treatments resumed feeding in Week 4. The full compensatory growth was achieved in F1 and F2 fish after refeeding for the first 3 wk but in F3 fish after refeeding for the second 3 wk. Specific growth rate and feed conversion efficiency in all fish experiencing fasting were higher than those of control fish after first 3 wk of refeeding. At the end of feed deprivation in Week 3, crude protein, crude lipid, and energy content of all fish experiencing fasting were lower than those of the control fish. These results indicated that red sea bream experienced 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐wk fasting could achieve full compensatory growth in the 9‐wk feeding trial.     

Determining the age of cats by pulp cavity/tooth width ratio using dental radiography

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the ratio of pulp cavity/tooth width (P/T ratio) in healthy cats. The dental radiographs of 32 cats (16 males and 16 females) were generated with a digital dental X-ray unit with the animals under general anesthesia. Standardized measurement of the canine teeth was performed by drawing a line on the radiograph perpendicular to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) of the tooth. There was an inversely proportional correlation between chronological age and the P/T ratio. Moreover, a strong Pearson squared correlation (γ² = 0.92) was identified by the curved regression model. No significant differences in the P/T ratio based on gender or breed were found. These results suggest that determination of age by P/T ratio could be clinically useful for estimating the chronological age of cats.     

Effects of sample size and temperature on coarse woody debris respiration from Quercus variabilis logs

Measuring coarse woody debris (CWD) respiration (R _CWD) may have advantages over other approaches in determining CWD decomposition rates to accurately estimate forest carbon budgets and effects of warm temperatures on decomposition; however, studies on R _CWD are insufficient. The R _CWD from Quercus variabilis logs of different sizes (e.g., different surface area to weight ratios or weights) was measured under homogeneous conditions by using a closed-chamber system with a non-dispersive infrared sensor. The size effect on R _CWD measured on a weight or volume basis was not significant, but it was significant on a surface area basis. This indicates that R _CWD on a weight or volume basis would be a reliable measure, regardless of the size and cross-sectional area effects, while R _CWD on a surface area basis must vary geometrically according to the change in sample size. R _CWD did not change significantly over time until 122 h after sampling. An exponential model with a Q ₁₀ of 2.34 was fitted only at temperatures below 22.6 °C because R _CWD was suppressed at high temperatures due to constantly decreasing moisture. Instead, a logistic model was applied for all temperatures. The annual R _CWD and the decay rate constant were estimated to be 53.4 g C kg^?1 year^?1 and 0.107 year^?1, respectively. The decomposition rate estimate through R _CWD might not correspond to that using the mass loss approach. It remains uncertain whether the methodological differences may lead to potential errors in measuring the actual CWD decomposition rate; therefore, a multiple approach study for CWD decomposition should be conducted.