MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE NORMAL FELINE ABDOMEN: AN ANATOMIC REFERENCE

Magnetic resonance images of two adult domestic short-haired cats were obtained with a whole body scanner. Images of the abdomen were compared with cross-sectional anatomy cadaver specimens from the same two cats. Anatomic structures were first identified on the cadaver specimens with the aid of anatomy texts and references and were then identified and labeled on the magnetic resonance images. Results from this project provide an atlas of normal cross-sectional MRI anatomy of the feline abdomen.     

CONGENITAL ATRESIA OF THE PAROTID DUCT IN A HORSE

Congenital anomalies of the equine salivary glands and their ductal systems are rare. In man, parotid duct atresia is thought to be due to a congenital malformation of the first branchial arch. One horse with unilateral parotid salivary duct atresia is described. Imaging modalities available for accurate diagnosis, and treatment options, are reviewed.     

The relative resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infection of three British sheep breeds

The relative resistance of Manx Loaghtan, Shetland and Southdown sheep to naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematode infection was assessed over a ten week period. Thirty shearling ewes, ten from each of the three breeds, were co-grazed on an infective pasture. The animals were initially treated with an anthelmintic to minimise previous nematode infection, and faecal samples were collected from individual animals every two weeks. Southdown sheep had significantly higher faecal egg counts (FEC) than Shetland by week 6, and than Manx Loaghtan by week 10. After ten weeks there was an 86-fold difference in FEC between Shetland and Southdown sheep, and a 14-fold difference between Manx Loaghtan and Southdown sheep. These preliminary results suggest that primitive Shetland and Manx Loaghtan sheep may have greater resistance to gastrointestinal parasites, a trait that could be of value to the UK livestock industry.     

“We like insects here”: entomophagy and society in a Zambian village

Entomophagy—the practice of eating insects—has been touted as a means to combat undernutrition and food insecurity globally. Insects offer a nutritious, environmentally friendly alternative to resource-intensive livestock. But the benefits of edible insects cannot be realized if people do not choose to eat them. We therefore examine the social acceptability of edible insects in rural Zambia, where entomophagy is common but underexplored. Through a village case study, we show that edible insects are not valued equally, are understood socially, and seem to reflect and reinforce social values. We utilize grounded theory and ethnographic methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observation to examine collective entomophagy beliefs. While we expected to see differentiation in perceptions across groups based on kinship, we demonstrate that social values related to class, urbanism, gender, and age emerge as more germane explanations for entomophagy perceptions, reflecting their social weight. By expanding on current apperception of entomophagy behavior, our findings inform future research and efforts to promote entomophagy through minilivestock farming. Systems designed to maximize output, minimize labor, and highlight benefits are more likely to be widely accepted. We do not anticipate tribal association will be the primary limitation on minilivestock adoption in this context.     

Crop water stress mapping for site-specific irrigation by thermal imagery and artificial reference surfaces

Variable-rate irrigation by machines or solid set systems has become technically feasible, however mapping crop water status is necessary to match irrigation quantities to site-specific crop water demands. Remote thermal sensing can provide such maps in sufficient detail and in a timely way. In a set of aerial and ground scans at the Hula Valley, Israel, digital crop water stress maps were generated using geo-referenced high-resolution thermal imagery and artificial reference surfaces. Canopy-related pixels were separated from those of the soil by upper and lower thresholds related to air temperature, and canopy temperatures were calculated from the coldest 33% of the pixel histogram. Artificial surfaces that had been wetted provided reference temperatures for the crop water stress index (CWSI) normalized to ambient conditions. Leaf water potentials of cotton were related linearly to CWSI values with R ² = 0.816. Maps of crop stress level generated from aerial scans of cotton, process tomatoes and peanut fields corresponded well with both ground-based observations by the farm operators and irrigation history. Numeric quantification of stress levels was provided to support decisions to divide fields into sections for spatially variable irrigation scheduling.