Safety of elevated dosages of a 0.24% diflubenzuron pellet administered orally to horses

The safety of a feed-thru pellet formulation containing the insect growth regulator diflubenzuron (0.24%) for control of manure-breeding flies (Musca domestica L. and Stomoxys calcitrans L.) in horses was evaluated. Pellets were administered orally at 0, 1, 3, and 5 times the clinical dosage (0.12 to 0.20 mg/kg) on a daily basis for 31 consecutive days. Variables examined included daily clinical observations, hematology, coagulation, serum chemistry, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, body weights, and physical examinations. Horses remained healthy throughout the study, and no adverse reactions or events related to the pellets were observed. Statistically significant differences (P < or = 0.10) between dose groups (0x, 1x, 3x, and 5x) were observed for only four of the 44 serum chemistry and hematologic variables measured, none of which was dose related. Diflubenzuron can be safely administered orally to horses at 0.12 to 0.20 mg/kg for control of manure-breeding flies.     

Sensory Analysis of Rainbow Trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss,Fed Enriched Black Soldier Fly Prepupae,Hermetia illucens

A growth trial and fillet sensory analysis were conducted to examine the effects of replacing dietary fish meal with black soldier fly (BSF) prepupae, Hermetia illucens, in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. A practical‐type trout diet was formulated to contain 45% protein; four test diets were developed by substituting 25 and 50% of the fish meal with normal (BSF) or fish offal‐enriched black soldier fly (EBSF) prepupae. Dietary fat was adjusted to approximately 20% lipid using fish oil and poultry fat. Diets were fed to three replicate tanks of fish per treatment (10 fish/tank) for 8 wk. After the trial, three fish per tank were sampled for determination of hepatosomatic index, intraperitoneal fat ratio and muscle ratio, and muscle proximate and fatty acid composition. Fish remaining after sampling were used for sensory evaluation. Growth of fish fed the EBSF diets was not significantly different from those fish fed the fish meal‐based control diet, while the growth of fish fed the BSF diets was significantly reduced as compared to the control diet. A group of 30 untrained panelists did not detect a significant difference in a blind comparison of fish fed the fish meal containing control diet as compared to fish fed the EBSF or BSF diets.     

Avian whole‐brain spheroid cultures: applications in pesticide toxicity

The adult hen is the species of choice when assessing the potential of organophosphate compounds (OPs) to evoke OP‐induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN). OPIDN has been shown to depend on the irreversible covalent binding of certain OPs to the enzyme neuropathy target esterase (NTE). Levels of this enzyme in human brain are similar to those in avian species. We have previously shown that the hen embryo whole brain spheroids are histotypically similar to adult brain and express measurable levels of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and NTE, the key enzymes in mechanisms of OP toxicity. Single‐cell suspensions were prepared from meninges‐free 7 day in ovo hen brains. Cells were grown in serum‐free media and incubated on an orbital shaker at 37 °C in 5% carbon dioxide humidified air. Spheroids can be maintained long‐term in culture and allow the effects of repeated dose and recovery studies to be conducted. Hen embryo brain spheroids were exposed to varying concentrations of tri‐o‐cresyl phosphate, leptophos and its metabolite leptophos oxon at day 14 in vitro and the effects on the activity of AChE and NTE measured. Whilst current legislation regarding toxicity testing of OPs requires the use of animals, our in vitro model provides a potential pre‐screen for novel chemical entities and commercial OP mixture variants. Such an approach should refine and reduce the number of animals used in development of new materials. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of likelihood function choice for estimating crop model parameters using the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation method

Proper estimation of model parameters is required for ensuring accurate model predictions and good model-based decisions. The generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method is a Bayesian Monte Carlo parameter estimation technique that makes use of a likelihood function to measure the closeness-of-fit of modeled and observed data. Various likelihood functions and methods of combining likelihood values have been used in previous studies. This research was conducted to determine the effects of using previously reported likelihood functions in a GLUE procedure for estimating parameters in a widely-used crop simulation model. A factorial computer experiment was conducted with synthetic measurement data to compare four likelihood functions and three methods of combining likelihood values using the CERES-Maize model of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT). The procedure used an arbitrarily-selected parameter set as the known “true parameter set” and the CERES-Maize model to generate true output values. Then synthetic observations of crop variables were randomly generated (four replicates) by using the simulated true output values (dry yield, anthesis date, maturity date, leaf nitrogen concentration, soil nitrate concentration, and soil moisture) and adding a random observation error based on the variances of corresponding field measurements. The environmental conditions were obtained from a sweet corn (Zea mays L.) experiment conducted in 2005 in northern Florida. Results showed that the method of combining likelihood values had a strong influence on parameter estimates. The combination method based on the product of the likelihoods associated with each set of observations reduced the uncertainties in posterior distributions of parameter estimates most significantly. It was also found that the likelihood function based on Gaussian probability density function was the best among those tested. This combination accurately estimated the true parameter values, suggesting that it can be used when estimating CERES-Maize model parameters for real experiments.     

Who benefits from international tourism in small Pacific islands? Value capture in the hotel industry in Hawaii

There is a consensus among small Pacific islands that the extent to which they benefit from international tourism largely depends on how much of the value created by tourism remains in the local economy. This study examines how the value created in the hotel industry is distributed among the key stakeholders in a small Pacific island context. We used aggregated income statements of full-service and limited-service hotels from the STR Inc., a hotel industry data company, to calculate the value distribution among the key stakeholders in the hotel industry of a small Pacific island. We found that labour and owners captured most of the value created, whereas hotel management companies and franchisors captured a small share of the value. Our results suggest that tourism workers' ability to take united action and hence to negotiate higher wages will result in higher value capture by local labour and less value leaking out of the local economy. Our results also reveal that foreign ownership in the hotel industry is the single largest cause of economic leakages. The study has several implications for the tourism-based growth policies in small Pacific islands.     

Pelvic lymphoma as a cause of urethral compression in a mare

A 6-year-old mare was presented for evaluation of dysuria and pollakiuria. A pelvic mass, which caused obstruction of urinary outflow, was identified. Evidence of renal failure was also present. Due to poor prognosis the mare was euthanized. A postmortem examination revealed a pelvic lymphoma that surrounded and compressed the urethra.     

Replacing fish oil and astaxanthin by microalgal sources produced different metabolic responses in juvenile rainbow trout fed 2 types of practical diets

Dietary fish oil supplementation provides n-3 long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids for supporting fish growth and metabolism and enriching fillet with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; c22:6n-3). Two experiments were performed as a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments for 16 wk to determine effects and mechanisms of replacing 0%, 50%, and 100% fish oil with DHA-rich microalgae in combination with synthetic vs. microalgal source of astaxanthin in plant protein meal (PM)- or fishmeal (FM)- based diets for juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish (22 ± 0.26 g) were stocked at 17/tank and 3 tanks/diet. The 100% fish oil replacement impaired (P < 0.0001) growth performance, dietary protein and energy utilization, body indices, and tissue accumulation of DHA and EPA in both diet series. The impairments were associated (P < 0.05) with upregulation of hepatic gene expression related to growth (ghr1and igf1) and biosynthesis of DHA and EPA (fads6 and evol5) that was more dramatic in the FM than PM diet-fed fish, and more pronounced on tissue EPA than DHA concentrations. The source of astaxanthin exerted interaction effects with the fish oil replacement on several measures including muscle total cholesterol concentrations. In conclusion, replacing fish oil by the DHA-rich microalgae produced more negative metabolic responses than the substitution of synthetic astaxanthin by the microalgal source in juvenile rainbow trout fed 2 types of practical diets.     

Extrapituitary and Pituitary Pathological Findings in Horses with Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction: A Retrospective Study

The objective of this study was to describe the histopathologic changes observed in extrapituitary organs as well as the pituitary glands of horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Adrenal gland, thyroid gland, liver, lung, kidney, heart, and pituitary gland from 32 horses with clinical and histologic evidence of PPID and 20 control horses were reviewed histologically. Ten of the control horses were aged animals (≥15 years), allowing those changes attributed to age to be identified. In addition to previously reported changes in adrenal gland and liver, an association was established between PPID and several extrapituitary histopathologic changes, namely bronchiolitis, proliferative glomerulopathy, and myocardial lipofuscinosis and fibrosis. The potential biologic significance of these changes is discussed and, although the retrospective design of the current study precludes establishment of causal relationships between the observed extrapituitary changes and PPID, these findings suggest that further investigations are warranted.     

Effect of post-insemination progesterone supplementation on pregnancy rate in dairy cows

Progesterone plays an important role in maintenance of pregnancy. It is hypothesized that insufficient progesterone early in pregnancy may result in embryonic loss, and that supplemental progesterone would decrease pregnancy loss in dairy cows. In Experiment 1, 84 cows and 16 heifers from a single dairy operation were selected randomly. Within each age category, controlled internal drug release (CIDR) devices were inserted into the vagina of every other female on Day 4 post-insemination and removed on Day 18 post-insemination. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed to determine pregnancy at 4 time periods [days 30 to 37 (week 5), days 44 to 51 (week 7), days 58 to 65 (week 9), and days 86 to 93 (week 13)]. Progesterone supplementation had no effect on pregnancy rate. In Experiment 2, there were no differences in progesterone concentrations between cows that did and did not receive a CIDR. Further, cows receiving CIDR devices did not have an increase in circulating progesterone concentrations 30 min or 1 h after CIDR insertion. It appears that progesterone supplementation does not increase circulating levels of progesterone in the early pregnant lactating dairy cow. Alterative methods to influence progesterone concentrations and/or early embryonic loss need to be investigated.