IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—URINARY BLADDER DUPLICATION IN A CAT

A female kitten presented for chronic, intermittent, antibiotic‐responsive urinary incontinence and chronic kidney disease. Abdominal ultrasound identified bilateral pelvic/ureteral dilation and three closely apposed thin‐walled fluid‐filled structures in the caudal abdomen, extending toward the pelvic inlet. Excretory urography and negative contrast cystography identified contrast medium accumulation from the dilated ureters into two tubular soft tissue masses of the caudal abdomen, with subsequent gradual filling of a more cranially located urinary bladder. A retrograde vaginocystourethrogram identified a normal uterus, normal vagina, and a single urethra continuous with the cranially located urinary bladder. Antemortem diagnosis was suspicious for bilateral ectopic ureteroceles. Postmortem diagnosis, 35 months following initial presentation, determined the fluid‐filled masses to have abundant smooth muscle in the wall, including a muscularis mucosa connected by a common ostium, consistent with urinary bladder duplication. Urinary bladder duplication should be included as a differential diagnosis in cats with these clinical and imaging characteristics. In this case, differentiation of ectopic ureterocele from urinary bladder duplication required histological confirmation.     

Reproductive medicine of companion marsupials.

Marsupials have recently become popular as exotic pets. Marsupial reproduction is considerably different than that of placental mammals. The reproductive parameters and artificial milk formulations specific for marsupials are discussed.     

Insecticide resistance in house flies from the United States: Resistance levels and frequency of pyrethroid resistance alleles

Although insecticide resistance is a widespread problem for most insect pests, frequently the assessment of resistance occurs over a limited geographic range. Herein, we report the first widespread survey of insecticide resistance in the USA ever undertaken for the house fly, Musca domestica, a major pest in animal production facilities. The levels of resistance to six different insecticides were determined (using discriminating concentration bioassays) in 10 collections of house flies from dairies in nine different states. In addition, the frequencies of Vssc and CYP6D1 alleles that confer resistance to pyrethroid insecticides were determined for each fly population. Levels of resistance to the six insecticides varied among states and insecticides. Resistance to permethrin was highest overall and most consistent across the states. Resistance to methomyl was relatively consistent, with 65–91% survival in nine of the ten collections. In contrast, resistance to cyfluthrin and pyrethrins + piperonyl butoxide varied considerably (2.9–76% survival). Resistance to imidacloprid was overall modest and showed no signs of increasing relative to collections made in 2004, despite increasing use of this insecticide. The frequency of Vssc alleles that confer pyrethroid resistance was variable between locations. The highest frequencies of kdr, kdr-his and super-kdr were found in Minnesota, North Carolina and Kansas, respectively. In contrast, the New Mexico population had the highest frequency (0.67) of the susceptible allele. The implications of these results to resistance management and to the understanding of the evolution of insecticide resistance are discussed.     

Advances in economics of marketing and implications for aquaculture development

Abstract

This paper builds on an earlier review by Kinnucan and Wessells (1997) by discussing in some detail product differentiation, market integration, and generic advertising. The goal is to identify approaches and findings in each topical area that would appear to have relevance for aquaculture. Selected applications are given to highlight principles and to demonstrate usefulness.     

Vadose Zone Microbial Transport Below At-Grade Distribution of Wastewater Effluent

The attenuation of Escherichia coli and total coliform from secondary treated wastewater effluent under two “at-grade” effluent distribution systems was evaluated in a sandy silt vadose zone in a cold climate. The two at-grade distribution lines had different designs and hydraulic loading rates. Effluent transport was examined using chloride as a tracer. Coliform fate was evaluated relative to the chloride using a combination of in situ pore water sampling and destructive soil sampling, combined with the observation of a dye tracer along excavation sidewalls. Although bacteria attenuation in the subsoil appeared to decrease during colder, winter temperatures (likely due to decreased viability and decreased predation), the subsoil provided about a four log reduction in E. coli over 90 cm of vertical transport. Horizontal transport of bacteria (up to 1.5 m from the line) was likely aided by flow on top of a microbial biomat observed at the soil surface. Both the subsurface dye patterns and the E. coli sampling suggested less preferential flow occurred below the lower loading rate design. At-grade distribution of secondary treated wastewater appears to be a viable alternative to conventional distribution fields at sites with similar climate and soils.     

A review of applications of model–data fusion to studies of terrestrial carbon fluxes at different scales

Model–data fusion is defined as matching model prediction and observations by varying model parameters or states using statistical estimation. In this paper, we review the history of applications of various model–data fusion techniques in studies of terrestrial carbon fluxes in two approaches: top-down approaches that use measurements of global CO₂ concentration and sometimes other atmospheric constituents to infer carbon fluxes from the land surface, and bottom-up approaches that estimate carbon fluxes using process-based models. We consider applications of model–data fusion in flux estimation, parameter estimation, model error analysis, experimental design and forecasting. Significant progress has been made by systematically studying the discrepancies between the predictions by different models and observations. As a result, some major controversies in global carbon cycle studies have been resolved, robust estimates of continental and global carbon fluxes over the last two decades have been obtained, and major deficiencies in the atmospheric models for tracer transport have been identified. In the bottom-up approaches, various optimization techniques have been used for a range of process-based models. Model–data fusion techniques have been successfully used to improve model predictions, and quantify the information content of carbon flux measurements and identify what other measurements are needed to further constrain model predictions. However, we found that very few studies in both top-down and bottom-up approaches have quantified the errors in the observations, model parameters and model structure systematically and consistently. We therefore suggest that future research will focus on developing an integrated Bayesian framework to study both model and measurement errors systematically.     

12种澳大利亚特优观赏植物的种子繁殖试验研究

以澳大利亚特优观赏植物为研究对象,在贵州省植物园内进行种子繁殖试验研究,对12种澳大利亚特优观赏植物的种子特征、幼苗形态和种苗繁育进行了详细的记录和总结。由于两地气候的相似性,本次试验取得了较大的成果,为远距离的植物引种保育和开发利用提供了希望。