Modelling spring and autumn calving systems in beef herds of the Salado region of Argentina

Spring calving is recommended for beef herds in the Salado region of Argentina, but autumn calving is an alternative being used by some farmers. This study explored the biological and economic feasibility of autumn calving in cow–calf systems and their long-term performance compared with spring calving. Reproduction and calf performance data were collected from an autumn calving herd (1999–2005) and from a spring calving herd (1966–1995) at the INTA-Balcarce Research Station (37°45′ S; 58°18′ W). Similar data were obtained from a commercial farm which practiced both autumn and spring calving (1998–2003). These data showed that autumn calving is feasible in the region, provided that cows calve with a high condition score. This is a major difference with spring calving, where cows can normally gain weight during breeding. A climatically driven computer model was used to compare, at farm level, the effect of calving season across a range of combinations of weaning dates and stocking rates. Spring calving systems had greater production potential (15–20%) and profitability (17–28%) at high stocking rates. However, at low to moderate stocking rates, calving season had little effect on expected production and risk efficiency. This suggests that autumn calving could be a suitable alternative for the Salado region of Argentina. To exploit its potential, however, calf weaning age should be greater than with spring calving.     

Improved porcine model for Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli infection by deprivation of colostrum feeding in newborn piglets

Porcine edema disease (ED) is a toxemia caused by enteric infection with Shiga toxin 2e (Stx2e)‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC). ED occurs most frequently during the weaning period and is manifested as emaciation associated with high mortality. In our experimental infection with a specific STEC strain, we failed to cause the suppression of weight gain in piglets, which is a typical symptom of ED, in two consecutive experiments. Therefore, we examined the effects of deprivation of colostrum on the sensitivity of newborn piglets to STEC infection. Neonatal pigs were categorized into two groups: one fed artificial milk instead of colostrum in the first 24 h after birth and then returned to the care of their mother, the other breastfed by a surrogate mother until weaning. The oral challenge with 10¹¹ colony‐forming units of virulent STEC strain on days 25, 26 and 27 caused suppression of weight gain and other ED symptoms in both groups, suggesting that colostrum deprivation from piglets was effective in enhancing susceptibility to STEC. Two successive STEC infection experiments using colostrum‐deprived piglets reproduced this result, leading us to conclude that this improved ED piglet model is more sensitive to STEC infection than the previously established models.     

Genetic characteristics of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolated from cage cultured cobia,Rachycentron canadum (L.)

Disease outbreaks occurred during 2007–2013 in Taiwan with 2.5–10% mortality among the cage cultured cobia, Rachycentron canadum (L.), characterized by the presence of polyserositis, pericarditis and peritonitis. The micro‐organisms isolated from internal organs were Gram‐positive cocci. The isolates were confirmed as Streptococcus dysgalactiae by a polymerase chain reaction assay that yielded the expected specific 259 bp amplicon. Additionally, partial sequence of the 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer region of the GCS strain isolates from fish was also compared and produced 100% sequence identity with S. dysgalactiae (GenBank accession number AB252398 ). The genetic characterization was then determined by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. Based on PFGE, the Apa I or Sma I digestion patterns of chromosomal DNA of these isolates were grouped into three main clusters. Taiwanese strains were divided into two clusters, and the tet(M) gene was detected in cluster 1 (pulsotypes: A1–A2 and S1–S3), but not in cluster 2 strains (pulsotypes: A3–A4 and S4–S5). Three Japanese strains from amberjack, Seriola dumerili (Risso), were grouped into cluster 3 (pulsotypes: A5–A7 and S6–S8) and displayed no mortality to cobia in the challenge experiment. Conversely, Taiwanese strains from cobia and snubnose pompano, Trachinotus blochii (L.), displayed a mortality rate of 50–87.5% in cobia.     

Changes to freshwater mussel assemblages after 25 years of impoundment and river habitat fragmentation

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Finding suitable growth models for turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) in aquaculture 1 (length application)

Growth data of two different commercial turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) strains reared in recirculating aquaculture systems were analysed with the aim to determine the most suitable model for turbot. To assess the model performance three different criteria were used: (1) The mean percentage deviation between the estimated length and actual length; (2) the residual standard error with corresponding degrees of freedom and (3) the Akaike information criterion. The analyses were carried out for each strain separately, for sexes within strains and for a pooled data set containing both strains and sexes. We tested a pre‐selection of six models, containing three to four parameters. Models were of monomolecular shape or sigmoid shape with a flexible point of inflection including the special case of monomolecular shape in defined cases of their parameters. The 4‐parametric Schnute model achieved best fit in 62% of all cases and criteria tested, followed by the also 4‐parametric generalized Michaelis–Menten equation in 48% and the 4‐parametric Janoschek model (38%). The von Bertalanffy growth function achieved only 29%, Brody 24% and a new flexible function 19% best fit. In a 1–1000 day growth‐simulation sigmoid shaped curves were produced by the Schnute model in 71% of cases. The Janoschek and the Michaelis–Menten model each produced sigmoid curves in 57% of all cases. This indicates that a flexible 4‐parametric function reflects the growth curve of turbot the best and that this curve is rather sigmoid than monomolecular shaped.     

The structure-activity relationship in herbicidal monosubstituted sulfonylureas

BACKGROUND: The herbicide sulfonylurea (SU) belongs to one of the most important class of herbicides worldwide. It is well known for its ecofriendly, extreme low toxicity towards mammals and ultralow dosage application. The original inventor, G Levitt, set out structure–activity relationship (SAR) guidelines for SU structural design to attain superhigh bioactivity. A new approach to SU molecular design has been developed. RESULTS: After the analysis of scores of SU products by X‐ray diffraction methodology and after greenhouse herbicidal screening of 900 novel SU structures synthesised in the authors' laboratory, it was found that several SU structures containing a monosubstituted pyrimidine moiety retain excellent herbicidal characteristics, which has led to partial revision of the Levitt guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Among the novel SU molecules, monosulfuron and monosulfuron‐ester have been developed into two new herbicides that have been officially approved for field application and applied in millet and wheat fields in China. A systematic structural study of the new substrate–target complex and the relative mode of action in comparison with conventional SU has been carried out. A new mode of action has been postulated. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

The interaction between maternal and post‐hatch n‐3 fatty acid supplementation in broiler diets

This study investigated whether offspring from n‐3‐supplemented breeders have an enhanced performance and immune organ weight when fed a post‐hatch n‐3‐enriched diet in comparison with their control‐fed counterparts and the importance of timing of omega‐3 supplementation. Therefore, 480 Ross‐308 broiler breeder hens were fed one of four different diets (120/treatment). The control diet (CON) was a basal diet, rich in n‐6 fatty acids (FA). The three other diets were enriched in n‐3 FA, formulated to obtain a different EPA/DHA ratio of 1/1 (EPA = DHA), 1/2 (DHA) or 2/1 (EPA). At 33 weeks of age, eggs were incubated to obtain 1440 offspring. They were set up according to their maternal diet and sex in 48 pens of 30 chicks each (12 pens per maternal treatment: six male and six female). Half of the offspring were given a post‐hatch control diet, whereas to other half received an n‐3‐supplemented diet. Zootechnical performance was followed for starter, grower and finisher phase, and at the end of each phase two, chicks per pen were sacrificed to determine the weight of the immune organs. No interaction was found between maternal and post‐hatch n‐3 treatment for zootechnical performance. An interaction arose between the maternal and post‐hatch n‐3 supplementation for proportional bursa weight at day 1 and day 14 and proportional liver weight at day 14, but effects on immune organ weight were rather limited. Offspring post‐hatch n‐3 supplementation did not enhance maternal n‐3 supplementation.     

A stochastic surplus production model in continuous time

Surplus production modelling has a long history as a method for managing data‐limited fish stocks. Recent advancements have cast surplus production models as state‐space models that separate random variability of stock dynamics from error in observed indices of biomass. We present a stochastic surplus production model in continuous time (SPiCT), which in addition to stock dynamics also models the dynamics of the fisheries. This enables error in the catch process to be reflected in the uncertainty of estimated model parameters and management quantities. Benefits of the continuous‐time state‐space model formulation include the ability to provide estimates of exploitable biomass and fishing mortality at any point in time from data sampled at arbitrary and possibly irregular intervals. We show in a simulation that the ability to analyse subannual data can increase the effective sample size and improve estimation of reference points relative to discrete‐time analysis of aggregated annual data. Finally, subannual data from five North Sea stocks are analysed with particular focus on using residual analysis to diagnose model insufficiencies and identify necessary model extensions such as robust estimation and incorporation of seasonality. We argue that including all known sources of uncertainty, propagation of that uncertainty to reference points and checking of model assumptions using residuals are critical prerequisites to rigorous fish stock management based on surplus production models.     

Site fidelity,survival and conservation options for the threatened flapper skate (Dipturus cf. intermedia)

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