The introduction of oil palm in Northeast Thailand: A new cash crop for smallholders?

As part of the Thai Government's objective to increase energy security through biodiesel, oil palm was introduced to Northeast Thailand in 2005. Nong Khai Province was selected as a pilot project because of its suitable environmental conditions. This study assesses the acceptance of policy interventions and socio‐economic conditions by adopters and non‐adopters. We found that total farmland size was significantly higher among oil palm producers than among non‐producers. Nevertheless, the area under oil palm cultivation did not increase in accordance with land size in the way rubber did. Oil palm and non‐oil palm farmers had almost equal amounts of rice area thereby providing household food security. Oil palm did not replace food crops. Farmers investing in oil palm tend to base their livelihood around on‐farm production, whereas non‐adopters tend to diversify with off‐farm income sources. Oil palm was found to be one component of a diversified farming system and an additional income source, albeit not the primary one. In conclusion, oil palm was a crop that had been tried by (wealthier) farmers with sufficient capital, and an aim to further diversify on‐farm household income. Oil palm is certainly not (yet) contributing substantially to household income in Thailand's Northeast.     

Nuclear survivin expression as a potentially useful tool for the diagnosis of canine cutaneous sebaceous lesions

Background – Sebaceous glands are specialized cutaneous adnexal glands, which work under constant hormonal control to produce sebum. They can give rise to several proliferative lesions, such as hamartoma, hyperplasia and neoplasms (adenoma, epithelioma and carcinoma). Their nomenclature is currently confusing, both in veterinary and in human medicine, owing to the difficulty of differentiating between some of these lesions. Methods – The present study used immunohistochemistry to determine the expression levels and patterns of survivin and Ki67 in five samples of normal canine skin and 44 cases of canine cutaneous lesions with sebaceous differentiation (10 hamartomas, nine hyperplasia, eight adenomas, eight epitheliomas and nine carcinomas). Results – In normal glands, survivin, as well as Ki67, was expressed in scattered reserve cells. In hamartomas, survivin was more highly expressed than in normal skin, indicating a possible role of this molecule in the pathogenesis of these congenital lesions. In tumours, a moderate or high level of survivin and Ki67 expression (more than two and four and more than two positive cells, respectively) were significantly correlated with a malignant histotype, infiltrative growth and a moderate or high number of mitoses (more than two). Conclusions and clinical importance – The level of survivin expression increased with increasing malignancy, designating survivin as a new diagnostic marker in the assessment of malignancy of sebaceous tumours.     

Performance of legume–grass mixtures in the West Balkan region

Three perennial legumes (alfalfa, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil) and four cool-season perennial grasses (orchardgrass, tall fescue, Italian ryegrass and red fescue) were grown in legume–grass combinations and in pure stands of individual species, at three locations in the West Balkan region (Novi Sad, Banja Luka and Pristina) in the period from 2012 to 2015. The study evaluated dry matter yield, legume–grass–weed proportion and forage quality. High annual forage yield of legume–grass mixtures can be obtained with proper selection of species and an appropriate legume–grass ratio. However, high and stable yield, particularly in the case of grasses, depends on the amount and schedule of precipitation as well as the cutting time. The mixtures and legume pure stands achieved better forage production both per cutting and on the annual basis and had better forage quality than grass pure stands.     

Changes in Ensembles’ Thermal Insulation According to Garment’s Fit and Length Based on Athletic Figure

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of design solutions on the thermal insulation of the garments and the ensembles. Previous studies investigated the microclimatic air gaps and volumes, however only under the first - and the second - layered clothing. Since none of the previous studies covered three - layered ensembles, in this study ensembles were accompanied by jackets of different fit and length to investigate the ensembles’ thermal insulation. Variants of bomber jacket differ in the amount of the ease allowance, while variants of the parka differ in length. The thermal insulation of the ensembles increased for 21.6 to 59.7 % when one of the jacket variants was added as the outerwear garment. A threshold volume, after which the thermal insulation will start to decrease due to convection, wasn’t determined for the outerwear third - layered garments nor was the impact of the length of the garment on the thermal insulation clearly stated. This study involved laboratory testing of garments and ensembles by 3D body scanning and thermal manikin measurements. To evaluate the volume of the microclimatic air volume the accurate 3D body scanning was used and the impact of the microclimatic volume on the ensemble’s insulation was tested. The thermal insulation for the selected outerwear garments and afterwards ensembles was measured by resting thermal manikin. Analysis of the results obtained from tests, showed that the garments’ fit and length can be used to model the overall thermal insulation of the ensembles. The ensembles insulation enlargement was measured for microclimatic volumes up to 33.57 dm³ (measured with ensembles accompanied with bomber jacket). The study proved that the limiting microclimatic volume is greater for three - layered clothing, than previously reported. The overall ensembles’ insulation increased simultaneously with the length enlargement (measured with ensembles accompanied with parka jacket). Findings will be of help in the future research on garments and ensembles thermal properties modelled through the design process and the construction.     

A two-year study of parasitoid entomofauna associated with spruce bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the altimontane belt of Slovenia (Pohorje)

Parasitoids are known to be an important factor in the population density regulation of bark beetles. In our study of the parasitoid complex of spruce bark beetles in 2011 and 2012, we collected bark samples from trees infested with I. typographus from spruce stands in the altimontane belt of Slovenia. The samples were taken at different altitudes: 450, 700 and 1230 m above sea level. A total of 9 bark beetle species and 12 parasitoid species was found. Ips typographus was most abundant, with 93% of all species of scolytids. The parasitoid species that were found belonged mainly to the Pteromalidae and Braconidae families. By far the most abundant and frequent species was Roptrocerus xylophagorum, which represented 84% of all parasitoids and was present in all study samples. Differences in species composition, parasitoid species diversity, species abundance and parasitism rate were confirmed between locations and also between both years of our study.     

Genetic analysis of Newcastle disease virus strains isolated in Bosnia-Herzegovina,Croatia, Slovenia and Yugoslavia,reveals the presence of only a single genotype,V, between 1979 and 2002

Newcastle disease (ND) epizootics in some European countries after the World War II were caused by ND virus (NDV) of multiple genotypes (IV-VIIa) occurring sequentially and/or simultaneously. This study was carried out to characterise the genetic composition of NDV strains during the outbreaks in the territory of the former Yugoslavia in order to enhance our understanding of the relationships of past epizootics in Europe. Sixty-eight NDV strains isolated between 1979 and 2002 were analysed by restriction enzyme digestion and partial sequencing of the fusion protein gene. All isolates were placed in genotype V, an exotic type, that was introduced to western Europe in 1970. Residue substitution analysis has allowed the recognition of four genetic variants, Vb1-Vb4, and the tracing of their movements. Vb1, a dominant variant in Bulgaria from the late 1970s, was also wide spread in the former Yugoslavia throughout the period under investigation. Vb2, a variant occurring in the neighbouring countries in the early 1970s could be the founder of the epidemic in Yugoslavia and it was present up to the late 1980s. Variants Vb3 and Vb4 could be found only after 1987. In conclusion, the ND outbreaks in Yugoslavia were part of the epizootic wave due to genotype V viruses that started in western Europe in 1970 and became endemic in the region. Inter-country transmission occurred for all variants, and Vb3 and Vb4 might have evolved during the endemic period.     

Feline herpes dermatitis treated with interferon omega

This case report describes the diagnosis, demonstration and treatment of feline herpes virus-induced facial dermatitis in a cat. The cat was successfully treated with interferon omega (IFN-omega).     

Efficacy of enrofloxacin, florfenicol and amoxicillin against Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale and Escherichia coli O2:K1 dual infection in turkeys following APV priming

Experimental groups of 15 susceptible 3-week-old turkeys were inoculated oculonasally with avian metapneumovirus (APV) subtype A and susceptible Escherichia coli O2:K1 and Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) bacteria, with a 3 days interval between viral and bacterial inoculation and approximately 8h between the two bacterial inoculations. The aims of the present study were to assess the efficacy of drinking-water administration of enrofloxacin for 3 and 5 days, amoxicillin for 5 days and florfenicol for 5 days for the treatment of the resulting respiratory disease, based on clinical and bacteriological examinations. Antimicrobial treatment started 1 day after dual bacterial inoculation. After infection, the birds were examined and scored for clinical signs daily, weighed at different times, and their tracheae swabbed daily. Five birds were euthanised and examined for macroscopic lesions at necropsy at 5 days post-bacterial inoculation (dpbi) and the remainder at 15dpbi. Samples of the turbinates, trachea, lungs, sinuses, air sacs, heart, pericardium and liver were collected for bacteriological examination. Recovery from respiratory disease caused by an APV/E. coli/ORT triple infection in 3-week-old turkey poults was overall most successful after enrofloxacin treatment, irrespective of treatment duration, followed by florfenicol treatment. Compared with the untreated group, clinical signs as well as ORT and E. coli multiplication in the respiratory tract were significantly reduced by both enrofloxacin treatments and the florfenicol treatment, with the enrofloxacin treatments showing significantly better reductions than the florfenicol treatment. Five-day treatment with amoxicillin, compared with the untreated group, did not cause a significant reduction in any of the aforementioned parameters.