The crocodile project in Papua New Guinea

Crocodilians throughout the world are under very heavy pressure from habitat destruction, human displacement and deliberate hunting for skins. In Papua New Guinea crocodiles of two species are still relatively plentiful and play an important part in the economy of many remote settlements. An attempt is being made by the national government to implement a policy intended to bring about the harvesting of wild crocodiles on a sustained yield basis and provide an economic incentive for conserving wild stocks in their natural habitat. Low human population density and the existence of vast swamplands make this a possibility. In recognition of the policy and the exceptional circumstances, Papua New Guinea has been exempted from trade restrictions imposed by a number of countries under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).     

Ovarian ultrasonography in the mare

Ultrasonography has become indispensable in the control of equine reproduction. Mare ovary layers are inverted with respect to other species, with the follicles and corpus luteum found inside the ovary; only large follicles protrude from the organ's surface. This renders the making of diagnoses via rectal palpation of the ovaries very difficult. Ultrasound imaging, however, provides another avenue of examination. Since its first use in 1980, the diagnostic potential of ultrasonography has greatly improved. Colour Doppler ultrasonography can even asses blood flow, allowing for much better monitoring of ovarian activity. This study discusses the use of ultrasound, and in particular colour Doppler ultrasonography, in the monitoring of mare ovarian function and disease.     

Angular joint parameters in the andalusian horse at walk, obtained by normal videography

Angular parameters from both front and hind limb joints of 17 Andalusian purebred stallions at walk (velocity, 1.68±0.14 m/s; stride length, 1.84±0.14 m; stride frequency, 0.91±0.07 strides/s and stride duration, 1.09±0.06 s) were recorded using normal computer-aided videography. Neither intraindividual (six strides) or interindividual variation coefficients (%) were higher than 10% for the basic maximum or minimum joint angle stride parameters. Only some parameters for the shoulder joint were high (arm=24.91%). These parameters may be useful for comparison with those from other horses under different conditions (health, training, age, etc.). The instant of maximal flexion during stride is also presented, with stride beginning in the mid-stance position of the right forelimb; variation coefficients were around 10–15% for all joints except the shoulder, which showed highly irregular patterns for both intraindividual (50.56%) and interindividual (33.10%) variation. In conclusion, normal computer-aided videography systems can be useful for the analysis of certain stride parameters in slower gaits, such as walking.     

Land Use and Cover Dynamics Since 1964 in the Afro‐Alpine Vegetation Belt: Lib Amba Mountain in North Ethiopia

Human‐induced land use and land cover (LUC) changes threaten the ecosystem services of the vulnerable tropical afro‐alpine vegetation. Several LUC change studies are available for the Ethiopian highlands, but relatively little is known about LUC change in the afro‐alpine zones. In this study, LUC changes between 1964 and 2012 were mapped for the afro‐alpine zone of Lib Amba Mountain, part of the Abune Yosef Mountains in North Ethiopia. Historical LUC was derived from georeferenced aerial photographs of 1964 and 1982, and the present LUC (2012) from Bing Map satellite imagery. Based on these successive LUC maps a time‐depth map, LUC proportions, LUC transition matrices and LUC change trajectories were calculated. Two main phases of LUC change could be distinguished linked to the neo‐Boserupian perspective. (i) Between 1964 and 1982, there were large‐scale deforestation and general degradation of the vegetation above 3500 m, in a period of low population pressure; (ii) Between 1982 and 2012, an intensification of land use prevailed accompanied with a slight regeneration of the vegetation and the Erica arborea L. forest, under increased population pressure. Depth interviews indicated that local and governmental land management measures are very important for the protection against vegetation depletion and soil degradation. Quick recovery of the forest on Lib Amba provides confidence that degraded afro‐alpine areas would benefit in a short time from complete protection, given the vicinity of remaining patches of afro‐alpine vegetation. Management interventions are thus vital to restore the important ecosystem services of the afro‐alpine vegetation belt. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diet supplied with L-lysine and L-arginine during chronic stress of high stock density normalizes growth of broilers

The effects of fortifying a diet with L‐lysine HCl (Lys) and L‐arginine (Arg) in broilers housed under conditions of high stock density, were studied in an experiment that measured bodyweight, feed intake, feed conversion, body temperature, serum protein, immune parameters and neutrophils. A diet fortified with Lys and Arg increased bodyweight gain in broilers housed under high stock density conditions, but not in normally housed controls. The diet fortified with Lys and Arg decreased the feed conversion ratio and abdominal fat, as compared to the effects of a control diet, without regard to housing conditions. No effects of amino acid fortification or stock density on body temperature, serum protein or immune parameters were recorded. The results indicate that an increase in the dietary supply of Lys and Arg is beneficial to broilers during stressful conditions of high stock density, potentially contributing to an enhancement of animal welfare in broiler farms.     

Identification of Apoptotic Bodies in Equine Semen

Apoptosis in the testis is required to ensure an efficient spermatogenesis. However, sometimes, defective germ cells that are marked for elimination during this process escape elimination in the testes, giving rise to ejaculates with increased percentages of abnormal and apoptotic spermatozoa and a high percentage of apoptotic bodies. Apoptosis markers in the ejaculate have been associated with low fertility, either in animals or humans. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate whether fresh equine semen contains apoptotic bodies [initially named Merocyanine 540 (M540) bodies] and to study the relationship between the quantity of these bodies and cell concentration, the volume of ejaculate, viability and motility. Moreover, we also studied whether the presence apoptotic bodies in fresh semen was related to the resistance of the stallion spermatozoa to being incubated at 37°C or being frozen and thawed. Fresh equine semen was stained with fluorescent dyes such as M540 and Annexin‐V. Active Caspase 3 was studied in fresh semen through Western blotting and immunofluorescence with a specific antibody. Sperm kinematics was assessed in fresh, incubated and thawed samples using computer‐assisted semen analysis, and viability was evaluated with the LIVE/DEAD Sperm Viability Kit. Overall, our results demonstrate for the first time the presence of apoptotic bodies in equine semen. The quantity of apoptotic bodies was highly variable among stallions and was positively correlated with Caspase 3 activity in fresh samples and negatively correlated with the viability and motility of stallion spermatozoa after the cryopreservation process.     

Reduction of the environmental impact of pesticides: waxy microspheres encapsulating the insecticide carbaryl

A controlled-release system with reduced environmental impact was produced by encapsulating the pesticide carbaryl in the waxy lipophilic material Gelucire 54/02. The microspheres were prepared by a modified hydrophobic congealable disperse-phase method. The influence of experimental parameters, such as the reciprocal ratio between the amounts of pesticide and wax employed, on size, morphology, loading efficiency, and release behavior of the particles was evaluated. Microspheres were free-flowing and showed a nonporous scaly surface at SEM analysis. The mean particle size ranged from 15.8 to 19.8 microm and was independent of the amount of Gelucire used to prepare the microspheres. At a fixed Gelucire content, the increase in theoretical carbaryl content yielded up to 72% loading efficiency, whereas at a fixed carbaryl content the increase in Gelucire amount produced a 64% increase in encapsulation efficiency. These data were accounted for by the carbaryl leakage from molten Gelucire toward the dispersing aqueous phase. The release profiles of carbaryl from microspheres showed that the use of increasing amounts of waxy material decreased the carbaryl release rate, whereas at a fixed Gelucire content, the release was the slowest when carbaryl was not completely dissolved within the matrix. The possibility to achieve different burst effects by simply varying the formulation parameters offers an efficient tool to ensure the fast release of an active dose of insecticide. The lower vertical mobility of carbaryl encapsulated in waxy microspheres compared to the vertical mobility of the technical-grade product showed that the controlled-release system has a lower potential risk for groundwater contamination.     

Analysis of Fatty Acid Esters of Hydroxyl Fatty Acid in Selected Plant Food

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Metabolic syndrome, characterized by obesity, low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension, is a major risk factor for...     

Note: Current status ofBemisia tabaci in Coastal Croatia

Bemisia tabaci was first noted in Croatia in 2000, when it was identified in Split County, Dalmatia. Thirty-one plant species were identified as hosts of this pest in the central Adriatic region during 2001–2002. Four adult populations were analyzed at CIDA (Spain) by comparing a fragment of the COI gene of the mitochondrial DNA, and by examining a single microsatellitelocus. The results indicated a predominance of the Q biotype. The population dynamics ofB. tabaci was examined in outdoor conditions by observing populations fromIpomoea purpurea in 2002. The pest population appeared at the beginning of June and increased in number until its decline at the beginning of October. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Dec. 20, 2004.     

A whole-genome association study of major determinants for host control of HIV-1

Understanding why some people establish and maintain effective control of HIV-1 and others do not is a priority in the effort to develop new treatments for HIV/AIDS. Using a whole-genome association strategy, we identified polymorphisms that explain nearly 15% of the variation among individuals in viral load during the asymptomatic set-point period of infection. One of these is found within an endogenous retroviral element and is associated with major histocompatibility allele human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*5701, whereas a second is located near the HLA-C gene. An additional analysis of the time to HIV disease progression implicated two genes, one of which encodes an RNA polymerase I subunit. These findings emphasize the importance of studying human genetic variation as a guide to combating infectious agents.