Functional MRI activity in the thalamus and occipital cortex of anesthetized dogs induced by monocular and binocular stimulation.

The neuroanatomy of the mammalian visual system has received considerable attention through electrophysiological study of cats and non-human primates, and through neuroimaging of humans. Canine neuroanatomy, however, has received much less attention, limiting our understanding of canine vision and visual pathways. As an early step in applying blood oxygenation level dependant (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for veterinary use, we compared visual activity in the thalamus and occipital cortex of anesthetized dogs presented with binocular and monocular visual stimuli. Activity in the left and right thalamus and occipital cortex during monocular stimulation was also compared. Six beagles were presented with a vertical grating visual stimulus and scanned at 4 Tesla. Each dog was scanned twice under each of 3 anesthetic protocols (isoflurane, propofol, and fentanyl/midazolam). We found: 1) significant BOLD activation in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus and the occipital cortex; 2) a significantly larger area of activation in the LGN during monocular stimulation than during binocular stimulation; and 3) that activity in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulus was not significantly greater than that ipsilateral to it.     

Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis and Acute Suppurative Pancreatitis in the Cat

Medical records and histologic sections of 40 cats with acute pancreatitis were reviewed. Two distinct groups of cats with pancreatitis were established by histologic analysis of tissue. Group I (32 cats) had acute pancreatic necrosis (APN). Group 2 (8 cats) had suppurative pancreatitis. Ages of affected cats ranged from 3 weeks to 16 years. l h e majority consisted of indoor cats of the Domestic Short-Haired breed but Siamese cats were over-represented relative to the general population ( P > 0.05). Twenty-two percent of cats were obese and 57%were underweight. Thirty-eight percent of cats had acute disease. In the other cats, two stages in the progression of the disease were evident: (1) anorexia. weight loss, and lethargy, followed by (2) acute deterioration, development of shock, and a moribund state, despite fluid therapy. The most common clinical signs were severe lethargy (100%), reduced appetite (97%), dehydration (92%), and hypothermia (68%). The initial hemogram occasionally showed a neutrophilia (30%) and anemia (2670)but packed cell volume (PCV) decreased markedly to the extent that 555% of cats were anemic terminally. Serum biochemical abnormalities included increased activities of A1, T (68%) and ALP (50%). and increased conrentrations of bilirubin (64%) and cholesterol (64%).Cats with APN were hyperglycemic (64%)), glycosuric (60%) and ketonuric (20%), whereas cats with suppurative pancreatitis tended to be hypoglycemic (7%). Renal failure and electrolyte abnormalities were mild or infrequent escept for hypokalemia (56%)).This study characterizes a severe necrotizing pancreatitis in the cat similar to that reported in other species, and a histologically distinct suppurative pancreatitis.     

Effect of Melatonin Implantation to Sperm Donor Rams on Post-thaw Viability and Acrosomal Integrity of Sperm Cells in the Breeding and Non-breeding Season

The influence of melatonin administration to sperm donors on the freezability of ram semen and enzyme leakage through sperm cells during different steps of the cryopreservation process were evaluated in the breeding and non-breeding season. Melatonin implantation to rams in the breeding season improved post-thaw sperm viability and intact acrosome rates without influencing the motility rate (p   < 0.05). Likewise, the post-thaw alkaline phosphatase release through sperm cells was significantly lower in the melatonin-treated group in comparison with untreated controls (p   < 0.05). In the non-breeding season, melatonin administration enhanced intact acrosome rates (p   < 0.05) and reduced aspartate aminotransferase activity (p   < 0.05) post-thaw in the offseason ejaculates. Melatonin implantation twice in the breeding and non-breeding season did not produce any further improvement in the post-thaw sperm parameters in the non-breeding season ejaculates. It was concluded that melatonin administration to sperm donors improved freezability of ram semen collected from these rams and reduced enzyme leakage through sperm cells during cryopreservation.     

Nitrification in paleocene shale

Exchangeable ammonium nitrogen is present in Paleocene (Fort Union) shale below a depth of 10 meters in North Dakota and eastern Montana. Above 10 meters, exchangeable ammonium nitrogen is nitrified in situ. The lack of viable nitrifying organisms and the probable lack of oxygen prevent in situ nitrification below 10 meters. Shale samples incubated at 27 degrees C under nonsterile conditions or shales exposed to atmospheric contamination exhibited active nitrification without additional treatment.     

Knowledge,attitudes and management of bovine viral diarrhoea virus among eastern Australian cattle producers: results from a 2013 cross-sectional study

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is an economically significant disease affecting the Australian cattle industry, with losses stemming from decreased production and reproductive performance and control costs. However, these losses can be difficult to appreciate, particularly in endemic regions. Overall, there is a variable but high herd-level seroprevalence in Australia. Despite a potentially high financial burden of the disease, the onus for control ultimately falls on producers and strategies employed will vary between regions. A cross-sectional study, using a postal survey, was conducted in 2013 to evaluate the BVDV knowledge, attitudes and management practices utilised by Australian cattle producers. A total of 192 producers participated in the study, and results indicate that knowledge and attitudes towards disease risk are variable and can be improved. Producer knowledge of how persistently infected (PI) animals are produced was higher than that of disease outcomes or transmission pathways. Implementation of biosecurity practices was limited, with approximately half of respondents employing quarantine procedures for introduced stock and only 2% indicating they would antigen test introduced stock for BVDV. Approximately a third (36%) of producers reported engaging in BVDV control, with the majority of these using vaccination strategies over deliberate exposure to a PI. Knowledge of and engagement with BVDV control was positively influenced by the producer relationships with veterinarians. Findings from this study suggest that building on education and delivering a consistent message among stakeholders would likely improve producer awareness and understanding in relation to BVDV and support decision making in BVDV management.     

Apoptosis initiated when BH3 ligands engage multiple Bcl-2 homologs, not Bax or Bak

A central issue in the regulation of apoptosis by the Bcl-2 family is whether its BH3-only members initiate apoptosis by directly binding to the essential cell-death mediators Bax and Bak, or whether they can act indirectly, by engaging their pro-survival Bcl-2-like relatives. Contrary to the direct-activation model, we show that Bax and Bak can mediate apoptosis without discernable association with the putative BH3-only activators (Bim, Bid, and Puma), even in cells with no Bim or Bid and reduced Puma. Our results indicate that BH3-only proteins induce apoptosis at least primarily by engaging the multiple pro-survival relatives guarding Bax and Bak.     

Spectroscopic observations of bright and dark emission features on the night side of venus

Near-infrared spectra of a bright and a dark thermal emission feature on the night side of Venus have been obtained from 2.2 to 2.5 micrometers (microm) at a spectral resolution of 1200 to 1500. Both bright and dark features show numerous weak absorption bands produced by CO(2), CO, water vapor, and other gases. The bright feature (hot spot) emits more radiation than the dark feature (cold spot) throughout this spectral region, but the largest contrasts occur between 2.21 and 2.32 microm, where H(2)SO(4) clouds and a weak CO(2) band provide the only known sources of extinction. The contrast decreases by 55 to 65 percent at wavelengths longer than 2.34 microm, where CO, clouds, and water vapor also absorb and scatter upwelling radiation. This contrast reduction may provide direct spectroscopic evidence for horizontal variations in the water vapor concentrations in the Venus atmosphere at levels below the cloud tops.     

Dissolved organic matter and heterotrophic microneuston in the surface microlayers of the north atlantic

Dissolved organic carbon, carbohydrates, and adenosine triphosphate in the size fractions 0.2 to 3 micrometers and 3 to 1000 micrometers are significantly enriched in the upper 150-micrometer surface layer compared to subsurface water, mean enrichment factors being 1.6, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.1, respectively. When calculated as a 0.1-micrometer microlayer of wet surfactants, the mean concentration of organic matter was 2.9 grams per liter, of which carbohydrates accounted for 28 percent. The data for plant pigments and particulate adenosine triphosphate indicated that bacterioneuston was enriched at seven of nine stations while phagotrophic protists were enriched at five stations. Instances of enrichment and inhibition were verified by cultural data for bacteria and amoebas. The observations indicate that the surface microlayers are largely heterotrophic microcosms, which can be as rich as laboratory cultures, and that an appreciable part of the dissolved organic carbon is carbohydrate of phytoplankton origin, released and brought to the surface by migrating and excreting phagotrophic protists.