Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars

Objective The aims of this work were to (1) develop a low-cost equine movement tracking collar based on readily available components, (2) conduct preliminary studies assessing the effects of both paddock size and internal fence design on the movements of domestic horses, with and without foals at foot, and (3) describe distances moved by mares and their foals. Additional monitoring of free-ranging feral horses was conducted to allow preliminary comparisons with the movement of confined domestic horses. Procedures A lightweight global positioning system (GPS) data logger modified from a personal/vehicle tracker and mounted on a collar was used to monitor the movement of domestic horses in a range of paddock sizes and internal fence designs for 6.5-day periods. Results In the paddocks used (0.8–16 ha), groups of domestic horses exhibited a logarithmic response in mean daily distance travelled as a function of increasing paddock size, tending asymptotically towards approximately 7.5 km/day. The distance moved by newborn foals was similar to their dams, with total distance travelled also dependent on paddock size. Without altering available paddock area, paddock design, with the exception of a spiral design, did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled. Feral horses (17.9 km/day) travelled substantially greater mean daily distances than domestic horses (7.2 km/day in 16-ha paddock), even when allowing for larger paddock size. Conclusions Horses kept in stables or small yards and paddocks are quite sedentary in comparison with their feral relatives. For a given paddock area, most designs did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled.     

Unusual osteochondral lesions of the talus in a horse

A 2-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was evaluated for a grade 3 out of 5 unilateral hind limb lameness. Flexion of the right hock and stifle joints (spavin test) exacerbated the lameness. Response to intra-articular and perineural anaesthesia isolated the source of lameness to the tarsocrural area, despite an absence of tarsocrural joint effusion. Routine radiographic examination of the hock did not reveal any significant abnormalities. Skeletal nuclear scintigraphic evaluation revealed a focal region of increased bone activity in the proximal medial trochlear ridge of the talus. Flexed lateromedial radiographic views identified three discrete semicircular lytic lesions at the proximal articular margin of the medial trochlear ridge of the talus. Conservative management of the lesions was associated with a successful return to racing. The location and appearance of the osteochondral lesions of this report have not been previously reported and may be a manifestation of developmental orthopaedic disease and abnormal endochondral ossification. Nuclear scintigraphy and flexed lateromedial radiographic views facilitated identification of the lesions. This radiographic view is recommended when lameness is isolated to the tarsocrural joint and standard radio-graphic projections fail to identify a cause.     

Diamond genesis,seismic structure,and evolution of the Kaapvaal-Zimbabwe craton

The lithospheric mantle beneath the Kaapvaal-Zimbabwe craton of southern Africa shows variations in seismic P-wave velocity at depths within the diamond stability field that correlate with differences in the composition of diamonds and their syngenetic inclusions. Middle Archean mantle depletion events initiated craton keel formation and early harzburgitic diamond formation. Late Archean accretionary events involving an oceanic lithosphere component stabilized the craton and contributed a younger Archean generation of eclogitic diamonds. Subsequent Proterozoic tectonic and magmatic events altered the composition of the continental lithosphere and added new lherzolitic and eclogitic diamonds to the Archean diamond suite.     

Metathesis of Alkanes Catalyzed by Silica-Supported Transition Metal Hydrides

The silica-supported transition metal hydrides (=Si-O-Si=)(=Si-O-)2Ta-H and (=Si-O-)xM-H (M, chromium or tungsten) catalyze the metathesis reaction of linear or branched alkanes into the next higher and lower alkanes at moderate temperature (25degrees to 200degreesC). With (=Si-O-Si=)(=Si-O-)2Ta-H, ethane was transformed at room temperature into an equimolar mixture of propane and methane. Higher and lower homologs were obtained from propane, butane, and pentane as well as from branched alkanes such as isobutane and isopentane. The mechanism of the step leading to carbon-carbon bond cleavage and formation likely involves a four-centered transition state between a tantalum-alkyl intermediate and a carbon-carbon final sigma-bond of a second molecule of alkane.     

Spatial Variability of Turbulent Mixing in the Abyssal Ocean

Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise. The diapycnal diffusivity there was estimated to be less than or approximately equal to 0.1 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. In contrast, mixing rates are large throughout the water column above the rough Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the diffusivity deduced for the bottom-most 150 meters exceeds 5 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. Such patterns in vertical mixing imply that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.     

The influence of feeding patterns on growth and reproduction of the vermicomposting earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta)

Summary Observations in outdoor culture beds indicated that food availability and frequency of feeding influenced worm density. In order to study the role of feeding status on the growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida, pre-clitellate specimens were kept for 180 days under controlled conditions. A control group was regularly provided with freshly produced cattle manure while the experimental groups were fed only sporadically and at some stage even starved by removing some of the substrate. Worm growth, maturation, and cocoon production were monitored. The role of food availability was highlighted by this study. Both worm growth and cocoon production were correlated closely with the feeding pattern that was followed. This study also showed that freshly produced, urine-free, cattle manure proved an excellent food source provided it was added in such a way as to prevent the development of anaerobic conditions. Regular feeding gave high growth and reproduction rates.     

The detection and isolation of a paralysis toxin present in Argas (Persicargas) walkerae

One-day-old leghorn chickens were used in a laboratory assay to determine the toxicity of crude extracts of the tick Argas (Persicargas) walkerae and of fractions obtained during the isolation procedure. Extracts of unfed and engorged larvae, nymphae and females were tested using this in vivo test system. Only extracts of replete A. (P.) walkerae larvae produced paralysis. A toxic fraction was isolated from replete larval extracts by gel-permeation and ion-exchange chromatography. This fraction with a pI of 4,5, showed 2 major bands corresponding to a Mr of 32 kDa and 60 kDa after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Studies on Parafilaria bovicola Tubangui, 1934, 2. Chemotherapy and pathology

The filaricidal effects of trichlorphon, arsenic trioxide, sodium antimony biscathecol disulphonate and nitroxynil against Parafilaria bovicola were the subject of this investigation. Levamisole hydrochooride was retested in a separate trial to assess the time required for healing after successful treatment. A comparison of carcass lesions and the percentage of lesion area in untreated controls with those in treated animals reconfirmed the efficacy of levamisole hydrochlorice, while nitroxynil gave more promising results. Both lesions and lesion area were reduced by 76% by the former and by 93% by the latter compound. The other drugs only slightly suppressed P. bovicola activity. After treatment with levamisole hydrochloride, active lesions were still present for 1-4 weeks and visible lesions on slaughter for 8 weeks. Since the visible lesions during the 8 weeks varied from acute to chronic and as they disappeared 9 weeks post treatment, it is suggested that provision should be made for a healing period of at least 9 weeks.     

Isolation of Cowdria ruminantium by means of Percoll density gradient centrifugation and detection by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

The isolation of Cowdria ruminantium by means of Percoll density gradient centrifugation permits the recovery of partially purified viable populations of the organism possessing distinctly different densities. These conclusions are based upon results of analyses of density fractions by intravenous inoculation into sheep, protein determination, electron microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Morphological differences were observed in the density fractions obtained from infected brain tissue and Amblyomma hebraeum nymphae.     

The detection of antibodies to Cowdria ruminantium in serum and C. ruminantium antigen in Amblyomma hebraeum by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

A sensitive and reliable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies to Cowdria ruminantium in serum and C. ruminantium antigen in Amblyomma hebraeum nymphae is described. For the screening of antibodies, C. ruminantium from A. hebraeum nymphae, partially purified by wheat-germ lectin affinity chromatography, was used as antigen. To screen nymph populations, sera from either Ball 3 strain-infected sheep or Kumm-strain infected mice were used. By using appropriate controls the assays were rendered specific with respect to C. ruminantium.