Prevalence of incidental humeral intracondylar fissures in brachycephalic breed dogs in CT studies

Humeral intracondylar fissures (HIF) have been predominantly reported in spaniel breeds and proposed to be possible risk factors for humeral condyle fractures (HCF). We hypothesized that the prevalence of incidental HIF in French Bulldogs may be greater than that of other brachycephalic breeds. A retrospective, observational, prevalence study was performed using CT examinations of French bulldogs and other brachycephalic breed dogs presenting for an unrelated condition. Two European College of Veterinary Diagnostic and Imaging-certified radiologists reviewed the images of the humeral condyles of these dogs. A classification system was devised to grade the findings. We considered a Score 1 to be normal, Score 2 to have centralised sclerosis, Score 3 to have a partial fissure and Score 4 to have a complete fissure. A total of 228 elbows were reviewed from 122 dogs. Of this population, 145 elbows were from French Bulldogs, 54 were from Pugs, and the remainder were from a mix of other brachycephalic breeds. The prevalence of HIF (score 3 or 4) in elbows of the French bulldog, pug and other breed groups was 6.9% (CI 2.8–11%), 5.6% (CI 0–11.7%), and 3.4% (CI 0–10.15%), respectively. At a dog level, the prevalence of HIF (score 3 or 4 present in at least one elbow) was found to be 11.8% (CI 4.6–19%) in French Bulldogs, 11.1% (CI 0–22.9%) in Pugs, and 5.26% (CI 0–15%) in the other breed group. There was no significant difference between the breed groups. The inter-reviewer reliability for CT scoring of HIF based on Cohen's weighted kappa was low at 0.19.     

Detection and characterization of a rhabdovirus causing mortality in black bullhead catfish,Ameiurus melas

This study fully describes a severe disease outbreak occurred in 2016 in black bullhead catfish farmed in Italy. Affected fish showed nervous clinical signs as well as emaciations and haemorrhagic petechiae on the skin at the fin bases, abdomen and gills. Viral isolation in cell culture allowed the subsequent identification of a rhabdovirus, tentatively named ictalurid rhabdovirus (IcRV), through electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The newly isolated virus, together with 14 additional viral strains stored in our repository and detected during similar mortality episodes in the period 1993–2016, was phylogenetically analysed on the basis of the nucleoprotein and the glycoprotein nucleotide and amino acid sequences. The genetic distances among Italian IcRV strains were also estimated. Our results show that all the IcRV strains belong to the genus Sprivivirus and are closely related to the tench rhabdovirus (TenRV). Italian catfish production is constantly decreasing, mainly due to viral infections, which include the newly characterized IcRV. Data presented in this work will assist to investigate the molecular epidemiology and the diffusive dynamics of this virus and to develop adequate surveillance activities.     

Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial communities in the shrimp and sea cucumber aquaculture environment in northern China by culturing and PCR–DGGE

In this study, we investigated the bacterial communities in the shrimp and sea cucumber culture environment, including shrimp ponds (SP), sea cucumber ponds (SCP), mixed-culture ponds (MCP) and the effluent channel (EC) in Qingdao, China. Bacteria cultivation showed that the counts of heterotrophic, nitrate-reducing and sulfate-reducing bacteria in the sediment of SP were higher than that in the sediment of SCP and MCP, varying between 8.7 × 10⁴ and 1.86 × 10⁶, 2.1 × 10⁴ and 1.1 × 10⁵, and 9.3 × 10¹ and 1.1 × 10⁴ CFU g^?1, respectively. In contrast, the counts of ammonium-oxidizing and nitrifying bacteria in the sediment of SP was lower than that in the sediment of SCP and MCP. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA gene and dendrogram analyses showed that bacterial diversity in the mixed-culture environment was higher than that in the monocultures. The similarity of bacterial community between EC and SCP or MCP was higher than that between EC and SP. These results indicated that sea cucumber culture played a significant role in influencing the environmental bacterial communities that were composed mainly of Flavobacteriaceae (64.3%), Bacteriodetes (21%) and delta proteobacteria (14.7%), including the genera of Croceimarina, Lutibacter, Psychroserpens and so on. The results explained the benefit of sea cucumber culture in shrimp ponds at the level of microbial ecology.     

收获沙棘振动器试验研究

该项研究的核心是研制振动器,通过振动果枝的方式来收获沙棘果实。2003到2004年间,基于我们的试验研究结果显示,沙棘品种＂印度夏季＂通过用频率为40Hz,振幅为15mm,10s为一振动周期的果枝振动器可有效获得果实。利用这个参数的振动可以有效获得90%的果实,且对果枝的损害很小,从果枝上下来的叶片、芽及木枝的碎片也很少。在2003年进行了最原始的研究,2004年测试发现这种方法存在一定缺陷。发电机利用机轴进行来回的旋转运动,利用这个原理进行各种振幅试验,但这对果树各部分会产生大量的压力。用1.5kW的电机可以在车间及没有农业机械的土地上进行试验,但这个过程需要人工看护。最原始的方法效率不高且过程复杂。2005年进行了设备的改进,通过凸轮产生的振动来驱动液压马达。尽管这种方法使用时间还很短,但是它的振动功能还是非常显著的。如果选在最佳采摘季节收获果实,收获的果实品质最佳,同时对果树的伤害也是最小的。如果在每个季节采摘500株或是更少果树的果实,这种振动收获果实的方法是一种最佳选择。     

Using operating area size and adjacency constraints to mitigate the effects of harvesting activities on boreal caribou habitat

Context

Sustained timber harvesting conflicts with the long-term viability of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations. The spatial arrangement of harvest blocks in the landscape could mitigate the impact of logging on caribou populations. For the forest industry, however, these measures represent constraints that reduce the annual allowable cut (AAC).

Objective

Estimate the long-term impacts of spatial constraints to harvesting, applied alone or in combination, on AAC and boreal caribou populations.

Methods

We divided a 30,000 km² region into 20 harvest block sizes varying from 50 to 1000 km², and modeled the implementation of spatially explicit harvest schedule plans in combination with wildfire and caribou population dynamics. We then evaluated the probability of persistence of boreal caribou populations.

Results

The probability of maintaining an AAC target declined with increasing target AAC, increasing size of operating area, and increasing adjacency constraints. In contrast, the probability of maintaining caribou populations declined with increasing AAC, decreasing size of operating areas, and decreasing adjacency constraints. An increase in operating area size from 50 to 300 km² produced a considerable gain in AAC for all adjacency constraints.

Conclusions

Because adjacency constraints led only to a small increase in the probability of maintaining caribou populations, we recommend adopting less constraining landscape management actions, such as a 70-year period between two consecutive harvests in the same ~300-km² operating area.

     

A variance-covariance structure to take into account repeated measurements and heteroscedasticity in growth modeling

This study proposes a within-subject variance-covariance (VC) structure to take into account repeated measurements and heteroscedasticity in a context of growth modeling. The VC structure integrates a variance function and a continuous autoregressive covariance structure. It was tested on a nonlinear growth model parameterized with data from permanent sample plots. Using a stand-level approach, basal area growth was independently modeled for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] in mixed stands. For both species, the implementation of the VC structure significantly improved the maximum likelihood of the model. In both cases, it efficiently accounted for heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation, since the normalized residuals no longer exhibited departures from the assumptions of independent error terms with homogeneous variances. Moreover, compared with traditional nonlinear least squares (NLS) models, models parameterized with this VC structure may generate more accurate predictions when prior information is available. This case study demonstrates that the implementation of a VC structure may provide parameter estimates that are consistent with asymptotically unbiased variances in a context of nonlinear growth modeling using a stand-level approach. Since the variances are no longer biased, the hypothesis tests performed on the estimates are valid when the number of observations is large.     

Moisture content-water potential relationship of red pine sapwood above the fiber saturation point and determination of the effective pore size distribution

Summary The pressure membrane and pressure plate techniques were used to establish the moisture content-water potential (M-) relationship of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) sapwood in desorption above the fiber saturation point. The moisture content-water potential relationship is required for the development of a model of drying considering the gradient of water potential as the driving force of moisture in wood. This relationship was established at 18, 56 and 85 °C for radial desorption. The results obtained demonstrate that water potential increases with temperature T at a given moisture content M. There is no significant variation of /T with temperature. Also, there is no plateau at intermediate moisture contents as was the case for the M- relationship of aspen sapwood established in a previous work. The effective integral and differential pore size distributions inferred from the M- relationship are also presented. The largest proportion of effective pore openings was found for a radius of 0.2 m. This value can be related to the pit membrane openings of red pine.This research project is currently supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under grant no. OGP0121954     

Growth, nutrition and response to water stress of Pinus pinaster inoculated with ten dikaryotic strains of Pisolithus sp

Reconstituted dikaryons of Pisolithus sp. (Pers.) Coker & Couch from South Africa influenced growth parameters (shoot length, shoot/root ratio and leaf area), nutrition and physiological indicators (transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and xylem water potential) of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) seedlings during drought and recovery from drought. Seedlings colonized with certain dikaryons were more sensitive to water stress and showed less mycorrhiza formation under water stress than seedlings colonized with other dikaryons. Control (uninoculated) seedlings were significantly smaller than those inoculated with dikaryons. Transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and xylem water potential varied among mycorrhizal treatments during the water stress and recovery periods. After rewatering, the controls and seedlings inoculated with dikaryon 34 x 20 had a weaker recovery in transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and xylem water potential than the other treatments and appeared to have experienced damage due to the water stress. Concentrations of various elements differed in the shoots of Pinus pinaster colonized by the various dikaryons. It is suggested that breeding of ectomycorrhizal fungi could constitute a new tool for improving reforestation success in arid and semi-arid zones.     

Synovial fluid changes in induced infectious arthritis in calves

The objective was to develop an experimental model of septic arthritis in calves and to evaluate the effect of treatment on cytologic and bacteriologic variables of synovial fluid. The right tarsus of 7 healthy Holstein bull calves were inoculated with 10(8) colony-forming units of viable Escherichia coli of a pap-positive strain (day 1). On day 2, joint lavage was performed and antibiotic treatment was instituted. Cytologic examinations, bacterial cultures, and pap factor determinations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed on synovial fluid samples that were collected daily until day 4, then every 4 days until day 24. Results of physical examination, the severity of lameness, and swelling were recorded. Clinical signs of septic arthritis appeared on day 2 and persisted until day 9 for all calves. Bacterial cultures from all calves were positive for E. coli on day 2, and remained positive until day 3 for 1 calf and until day 4 for 5 calves. In addition, PCR results were positive for all calves, with 6 positive through day 3 and 1 positive through day 4, after which a positive result was again obtained on day 24. Synovial fluid neutrophil counts and white blood cell counts were significantly increased on days 2-4; however, synovial total protein concentrations were increased (P < .05) throughout the experiment in comparison to day 1. Results of all bacterial cultures were negative on day 8, although clinicopathologic signs of inflammation persisted until day 20. This model successfully induced acute septic arthritis in calves. Rapid recovery occurred within 1 week when an appropriate treatment was instituted early in the course of the disease.