Age-related Variation of Plasma Concentrations of Skatole, Androstenone, Testosterone, Oestradiol-17β, Oestrone Sulphate, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate, Triiodothyronine and IGF-1 in Six Entire Male Pigs

This study describes the age-related variation in boar taint compounds, skatole and androstenone, and testosterone, oestradiol-17 beta (E17 beta), oestrone sulphate (ES), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), triiodothyronine (T(3)) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in six boars. Three pairs of littermates of crossbred entire male pigs (from three Yorkshire x Duroc dams and one Hampshire sire) were included. Blood samples were taken at the age of 9-15 weeks and thereafter at weekly intervals from the age of 20-32 weeks. Plasma concentrations of skatole, androstenone, testosterone, E17 beta, ES, DHEAS, T(3) and IGF-1 were measured. We found that skatole levels in boars increased at the age around puberty after an increase in the levels of testicular steroids. Levels of skatole were not associated with the levels of sex steroids, T(3) and IGF-1. However, the increased level of testicular steroids is probably the underlying factor needed for high skatole levels to occur although the specific mechanism leading to increased skatole levels remains unknown.     

Earthworm populations and growth rates related to long-term crop residue and tillage management

Conventional tillage creates soil physical conditions that may restrict earthworm movement and accelerate crop residue decomposition, thus reducing the food supply for earthworms. These negative impacts may be alleviated by retaining crop residues in agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various tillage and crop residue management practices on earthworm populations in the field and earthworm growth under controlled conditions. Population assessments were conducted at two long-term (15+ years) experimental sites in Québec, Canada with three tillage systems: moldboard plow/disk harrow (CT), chisel plow or disk harrow (RT) and no tillage (NT), as well as two levels of crop residue inputs (high and low). Earthworm growth was assessed in intact soil cores from both sites. In the field, earthworm populations and biomass were greater with long-term NT than CT and RT practices, but not affected by crop residue management. Laboratory growth rates of Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen) in intact soil cores were affected by tillage and residue inputs, and were positively correlated with the soil organic C pool, suggesting that tillage and residue management practices that increase the soil organic C pool provide more organic substrates for earthworm growth. The highest earthworm growth rates were in soils from RT plots with high residue input, which differed from the response of earthworm populations to tillage and residue management treatments in the field. Our results suggest that tillage-induced disturbance probably has a greater impact than food availability on earthworm populations in cool, humid agroecosystems.     

Small-scale heterogeneity in carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane production from aggregates of a cultivated sandy-loam soil

Spatial variability in carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) emissions from soil is related to the distribution of microsites where these gases are produced. Porous soil aggregates may possess aerobic and anaerobic microsites, depending on the water content of pores. The purpose of this study was to determine how production of CO₂, N₂O and CH₄ was affected by aggregate size and soil water content. An air-dry sandy loam soil was sieved to generate three aggregate fractions (<0.25 mm, 0.25–2 mm and 2–6 mm) and bulk soil (<2 mm). Aggregate fractions and bulk soil were moistened (60% water-filled pore space, WFPS) and pre-incubated to restore microbial activity, then gradually dried or moistened to 20%, 40%, 60% or 80% WFPS and incubated at 25 °C for 48 h. Soil respiration peaked at 40% WFPS, presumably because this was the optimum level for heterotrophic microorganisms, and at 80% WFPS, which corresponded to the peak N₂O production. More CO₂ was produced by microaggregates (<0.25 mm) than macroaggregate (>0.25 mm) fractions. Incubation of aggregate fractions and soil at 80% WFPS with acetylene (10 Pa and 10 kPa) and without acetylene showed that denitrification was responsible for 95% of N₂O production from microaggregates, while nitrification accounted for 97–99% of the N₂O produced by macroaggregates and bulk soil. This suggests that oxygen (O₂) diffusion into and around microaggregates was constrained, whereas macroaggregates remained aerobic at 80% WFPS. Methane consumption and production were measured in aggregates, reaching 1.1–6.4 ng CH₄–C kg⁻¹ soil h⁻¹ as aggregate fractions and soil became wetter. For the sandy-loam soil studied, we conclude that nitrification in aerobic microsites contributed importantly to total N₂O production, even when the soil water content permitted denitrification and CH₄ production in anaerobic microsites. The relevance of these findings to microbial processes controlling N₂O production at the field scale remains to be confirmed.     

Immunohistochemical Expression of Growth Factors in the Follicular Wall of Normal and Cystic Ovaries of Sows

The expression of growth factors was evaluated immunohistochemically in normal and cystic ovaries of sows. The immunohistochemically stained area (IHCSA) was quantified by image analysis to analyse the expression of these proteins in the follicular wall of secondary, tertiary and cystic follicles. IGF‐I immunoreactivity was strong in the granulosa cell layer (GC), moderate in the theca interna (TI) and mild in the theca externa (TE) of the normal follicles. There was severe reduction of the labelling to IGF‐I in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts. In the normal follicles, the reactivity for IGF‐II was very similar to pattern noted in IGF‐I. There was reduction of the IHCSAs in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts, but the decrease was not significant. The staining of the IGF‐II in the TI and TE of the cysts was increased, in comparison with normal follicles. The IHCSAs for VEGF were higher in the GC and TE of the normal follicles in contrast to TI, but this difference was noted only in the tertiary follicle. The VEGF reactivity increased in the GC of the cysts, in relation to normal follicles. The results of the current study show that the formation of ovarian cysts in sows is associated with alterations in the immunohistochemical expression of some growth factors.     

Arylsulfatase activity in soil and soil extracts using natural and artificial substrates

The arylsulfatase activity of soil and humic arylsulfatase complexes extracted from soil were measured using the substrates p-nitrophenyl sulfate and low molecular weight (500–10000) soil ester sulfate compounds. Soil samples from the Aphorizon of a Podzol from S-amended wheat plots and a Regosol from dykeland hayfield plots were investigated. Soil arylsulfatase activity (assayed with p-nitrophenyl sulfate) in the fall was significantly higher than spring samples; however, no seasonal differences were observed when humic-arylsulfatase complexes were assayed with p-nitrophenyl sulfate. The discrepancy between arylsulfatase activity in soil and soil extracts was probably due to inhibitors which were found in soil materials. These results appear to support the theory that abiotic arylsulfatase is a relatively stable and persistent component of soil. There was a marked difference in the response by humic-arylsulfatase complexes to the artificial substrate p-nitrophenyl sulfate and natural low molecular weight soil substrates. Humic-arylsulfatase complexes hydrolysed 35–80% of added low molecular weight substrates depending on the treatment. The molecular size, concentration, and chemical composition of the low molecular weight ester sulfate compounds affected hydrolysis of the low molecular weight substrates. The response by humic-arylsulfatase complexes to the chromogenic ester sulfate, p-nitrophenyl sulfate did not reflect the ability of these complexes to hydrolyse natural soil substrates. In an experiments we examined arylsulfatase activity and soil S status in relation to the total S in plant tissue and grain from wheat plants grown in the Podzol. Tissue S was more strongly associated with soil S than the wheat grain. Hydriodic acid-S, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂-extractable sulfate, and hydrolysable ester sulfates in the high molecular weight (>10000) and low molecular weight (500–10000) fractions of soil organic matter extracts were strongly positively correlated with tissue S. Arylsulfatase activity in soil and humic-arylsulfatase extracts assayed with p-nitrophenyl sulfate were also strongly correlated with tissue S, while humic-arylsulfatase activity assayed with the low molecular weight substrate was negatively correlated with tissue S.     

Speech perception takes precedence over nonspeech perception

Some components of a speech signal, when made more intense, are heard simultaneously as speech and nonspeech--a form of duplex perception. At lower intensities, the speech alone is heard. Such intensity-dependent duplexity implies the existence of a phonetic mode of perception that takes precedence over auditory modes.     

Trigeminal nerve-evoked potentials in the dog

Brain stem and cerebrocortical potentials were evoked by electrical stimulation of the infraorbital nerve of dogs and recorded through needle electrodes placed adjacent to the contralateral parietal bone. Five individual, short latency peaks were recorded in each averaged trigeminal nerve-evoked potential and were identified as I, II (A and B), III (A and B), PI (A, B, and C), and NI. Mean peak latencies +/- 1 SD were as follows: I = 0.9 +/- 0.1 ms, IIA = 1.7 +/- 0.1 ms, IIB = 2.5 +/- 0.1 ms, IIIA = 3.6 +/- 0.15 ms, IIIB = 4.1 +/- 0.2 ms, PIA = 5.2 +/- 0.15 ms, PIB = 6.4 +/- 0.2 ms, PIC = 7.3 +/- 0.3 ms, and NI = 11.0 +/- 0.6 ms. Trigeminal nerve-evoked potentials recorded through needle electrodes were essentially the same as potentials evoked by direct stimulation of the infraorbital nerve and recorded directly from the dura mater overlying the contralateral rostral suprasylvian gyrus. The specificity of the stimulating site was verified by recording before and after the infraorbital nerve was cut proximal to the stimulating site.     

Analysis of the risk of introduction and spread of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus through importation of raw pigmeat into New Zealand

AIMS: To determine the frequency with which porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (PRRSv) would become established in a non-commercial pig herd in New Zealand due to illegal feeding of uncooked food waste containing virus-contaminated pigmeat. To determine the likelihood of a single incursion resulting in a multi-farm outbreak of the disease, and describe the spatio-temporal characteristics of such an outbreak.

METHODS: A Monte Carlo simulation model was constructed to determine the expected annual frequency of PRRSv infection being initiated in a non-commercial pig herd as a result of inadvertent feeding of pigmeat imported from countries endemically infected with the disease. Once the likelihood of PRRSv becoming established in a single pig herd was determined, stochastic spatially explicit infectious disease modelling software was utilised to model the temporal and spatial characteristics of the resulting epidemic.

RESULTS: Assuming the proportion of imported pigmeat remained at current levels, consumption patterns of pigmeat in households in New Zealand remained steady, and limited compliance with recently reintroduced regulations to prevent feeding of uncooked food waste, at least 4.3 pig herds per year were predicted to become infected with PRRSv. Simulation modelling of PRRSv epidemics related to initial infection of a non-commercial farm produced an estimate that 36% of these incursions would spread from the initial herd, and that these outbreaks would involve 93 herds on average in the first year. By increasing the estimated persistence of PRRSv infection in small herds, an average of 205 herds became infected in the first year.

CONCLUSIONS: Given a mean of 4.3 infected premises per year and a 36% probability of infection spreading beyond the initial infected herd, there was a 95% likelihood of a multi-farm PRRS outbreak occurring within 3 years.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Introduction of PRRSv through importation of virus-contaminated pigmeat presents a high risk for establishment of the disease in the pig industry in New Zealand.