Short-term salinity tolerance of northern pike, Esox lucius, fry, related to temperature and size

Abstract  The short-term tolerances of northern pike, Esox lucius L., fry reared in a freshwater hatchery, to salinity were examined in the laboratory. Survival of two size groups of pike fry (mean length 21 ± 2 mm SD and 37 ± 4 mm SD) was examined over 72- to 96-h periods at 9–14 ppt salinity in combination with temperatures of 10, 14 and 18 °C. A parametric survival model found a significant correlation between survival of pike fry and temperature and salinity, respectively. L _C50 values after 72 h were between 11.2 and 12.2 ppt, being lowest at 10 °C. Pike fry did not survive more than 13 ppt. Mortality at 12 ppt was significantly faster at 18 °C than 10 or 14 °C. Moreover, mortality was higher and faster for large than for small pike fry at 12 ppt and 14 °C. These results imply that pike raised in fresh water can survive stocking into brackish waters below 11 ppt at least for a short time.     

Determining minimum sample size for the conditioned Latin hypercube sampling algorithm

In digital soil mapping (DSM), a fundamental assumption is that the spatial variability of the target variable can be explained by the predictors or environmental covariates. Strategies to adequately sample the predictors have been well documented, with the conditioned Latin hypercube sampling (cLHS) algorithm receiving the most attention in the DSM community. Despite advances in sampling design, a critical gap remains in determining the number of samples required for DSM projects. We propose a simple workflow and function coded in R language to determine the minimum sample size for the cLHS algorithm based on histograms of the predictor variables using the Freedman-Diaconis rule for determining optimal bin width. Data preprocessing was included to correct for multimodal and non-normally distributed data, as these can affect sample size determination from the histogram. Based on a user-selected quantile range (QR) for the sample plan, the densities of the histogram bins at the upper and lower bounds of the QR were used as a scaling factor to determine minimum sample size. This technique was applied to a field-scale set of environmental covariates for a well-sampled agricultural study site near Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and tested across a range of QRs. The results showed increasing minimum sample size with an increase in the QR selected. Minimum sample size increased from 44 to 83 when the QR increased from 50% to 95% and then increased exponentially to 194 for the 99% QR. This technique provides an estimate of minimum sample size that can be used as an input to the cLHS algorithm.     

Craniolateral Approach to the Humerus with Transection of the Brachialis Muscle

Six fractures of the midshaft or distal third of the humerus were repaired through a modified craniolateral approach in which the brachialis muscle was transected rather than retracted to improve exposure of the bone. The approach simplified fracture reduction and fixation. Normal fracture healing and excellent limb function resulted in each case.     

Immunogenicity of a recombinant hemagglutinin neuraminidase-Porcine rubulavirus produced by Escherichia coli of Porcine rubulavirus gives protective immunity of litter after challenge

Porcine rubulavirus (PRV) is a contagious virus that affects the Mexican swine industry. This work aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of an recombinant hemagglutinin neuraminidase-Porcine rubulavirus (rHN-PorPV) candidate vaccine on pregnant sows, and the protective efficacy afforded to their 7-day-old suckling piglets against PRV lethal challenge. Three sows were immunized with rHN-PorPV formulated with immune-stimulating complex (ISCOMs) and two sows with rHN-PorPV protein alone as well as a mock-immunized pregnant sow (negative control). Quantitative ELISA detected a high concentration of anti-rHN-PorPV Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in sow sera after the second dose of vaccine administered on day 14 until farrowing, showing viral-neutralizing and cross-neutralization activity against different variants of PRV. Sera samples from piglets of immunized sows (with or without adjuvant), showed high concentrations of IgG antibodies. As expected, piglets from the negative control sow (n=5), exhibited severe signs of disease and 100% of mortality after PRV challenge study. Conversely, 75% and 87.5% of the piglets born from the rHN-PorPV and the rHN-PorPV-ISCOMs-immunized sows (n=8), survived, respectively, showing milder PRV clinical signs. Our data indicate that rHN-PorPV candidate vaccine produced in Escherichia coli induces efficient humoral response in pregnant sows and that the maternally derived immunity provides high protection to suckling piglets against PRV lethal challenge.     

In Vitro Comparison of the Three Loop Pulley and Locking Loop Suture Patterns for Repair of Canine Weightbearing Tendons and Collateral Ligaments

Both triceps tendons and the medial collateral ligaments of both stifles of 10 freshly euthanized dogs were sharply transected. One tendon and one ligament of each dog were sutured with a three loop pulley pattern, and the opposite tendons and ligaments were sutured with a locking loop pattern. The tendons and ligaments were harvested with their muscular and bony attachments. The anastomoses were slowly tested in tension until failure occurred. The amount of tensile load required to produce failure of the anastomosis, the amount of distraction of the sutured ends prior to failure, and the modes of failure were recorded. In both tendons and ligaments, the three loop pulley pattern provided significantly greater tensile strength (p < 0.01) and allowed significantly less distraction between the sutured ends (p < 0.01) than the locking loop pattern. In tendons, disruption of the suture material was the most common mode of failure with both patterns. In ligaments, both patterns failed most commonly by pulling free from the tissue.     

High salinity tolerance in eggs and fry of a brackish Esox lucius population

Abstract Knowledge on the biology and physiology of pike, Esox lucius L., populations inhabiting saline environments is scarce. An experimental setup was used to examine egg development and fry behaviour and growth under varying salinity levels in a brackish‐water pike population from the western Baltic Sea. Eggs and fry developed at 8.5 psu, which is higher than hitherto reported for other populations. Fry exhibited stress behaviour and reduced growth when subjected to salinities above 13 psu. This indicates that early life stages of E. lucius tolerate ambient salinity conditions equivalent to the natural environment in its nursery area in the Stege Nor lagoon. The population should therefore not be dependent on access to freshwater environments during spawning. However, the results also suggest that the population’s natural environment is on the margin of its physiological capacity. The results have significance for management of brackish‐water E. lucius populations, e.g. in relation to stocking strategies.     

Aluminosilicate phases during initial clay formation: H+-Al3+–oxalic acid–silicic acid–Na+ system

The solid phases and the precipitation boundary characterizing the system H⁺-Al³⁺-oxalic acid-silicic acid-Na⁺ are discussed. Model experiments have been used to throw more light on two environmental problems: the formation of sparingly soluble aluminium silicates in oceans and alkaline lakes, which could be determining aluminium and silicate concentrations in pore waters of sediments, and the validity of inorganic and organic mechanisms of podzolization and their significance for soil science. pH and Tyndallometric measurements were performed at constant ionic strength of 0.6 M NaCl at 25°C. Three phases Al(OH)₄, H₄SiO₄ (phase Vi^a), Al₂, (OH)₆.H₄SiO₄ (phase VI^b) and NaAl(OH)₄.(H₄SiO₄), (phase VIII) determine the precipitation boundary. Phase NaAl(OH)₄.H₄SiO₄ (phase VII precipitates at 0.4pH units above NaAl(OH)₄.(H₄SiO₄)₂. Using a set of previously determined binary and ternary complexes, and phases of the subsystems, the following formation constants were deduced: Phases VI^a and VI^b are described as end-members of the allophane series with Si: Al ratios of 1:1 and 1.2. Phase VI^b was identified with protoimogolite allophane. These two phases are good model clays for podzolic soils and are extremely soluble at pH < 4. Sodium phases could be hydrous feldspathoids. These phases are possible in sediments of seawater or saline lakes. It is suggested that organic and inorganic mechanisms of podzolization operate sequentially and that neither of them alone can completely describe the process.     

Calibration of two techniques for estimating herbage mass

Two non-destructive techniques for estimating herbage mass (dry matter yield) were evaluated during the growing season of 1988, from April to September. Samples were collected from four sites, with ten observations made on twenty-five days at each site, giving a total of 612 sample units. Observations were obtained from each unit, either with a plastic rising-plate meter (335) or with a metal rising-plate meter (227). In addition, measurements with a single-probe capacitance meter (Pasture Probe) were also made on all units. The usefulness of the non-destructive methods for predicting the actual yield was evaluated by calibrating them by means of regression on the yield determined by mowing 1·5-m² quadrats, weighing, subsampling and drying the grass. The yield measurements were logarithmically transformed to correct for the proportionality of the residual variance with the mowed dry matter yield. Logarithmic transformation of the sensor measurements improved the linearity of the calibration relationships. The combination of one rising-plate meter and the Pasture Probe resulted in a linear and additive model with a larger adjusted R² than models with just one of these two sensors. The addition of the predictors ‘external moisture’ (e.g. dew), ‘day number after mowing’ and ‘site number’ significantly increased the goodness of fit of many models. In some models addition of the logarithm of the ‘dry matter percentage’ was significant. Other predictors in these models such as “Julian day number” and “grazing” proved not to be significant. The adjusted R²s in the best models for the metal and the plastic discs were 89·7% and 87·3% respectively. The corresponding coefficients of variation were 26·2% and 26·1%. The results show that further research is necessary to refine the techniques or to develop new techniques to estimate the dry matter yield, before the sensors can be usefully integrated into a management system.