Forms of employment and species caseload of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand

A survey by means of a postal questionnaire was undertaken to investigate the patterns of work and the need for information of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand. Of the 670 eligible veterinarians, 399 practitioners (60 per cent) participated in the survey. Of these, 38 per cent were in large animal practice (less than 20 per cent of work devoted to cats and dogs) and 31 per cent were in small animal practice (more than 80 per cent of work with cats and dogs). The remaining 31 per cent were in mixed practice, with a workload intermediate between the other two groups. Across the entire sample of practitioners, cats and dogs took up the largest number of veterinary hours per person (1092 hours per year). Dairy cattle were second (438 hours), and horses third (302 hours). Deer and goats ranked next, and each used more veterinary hours per person than did either sheep or beef cattle. Other species comprised very minor parts of the overall workload. Women spent a much higher proportion of their working hours with small animals and a much lower proportion with horses than did men. For other species workload patterns were similar between men and women. In relation to employment of the practitioner group, women were under represented, compared with men, among those with responsibilities for the management of practices, even when account was taken of the fact that the women in the sample were younger. Fewer than one per cent of men in the sample were not employed full-time, whereas 15 per cent of the women were in part-time employment. The survey indicates that there has been a substantial change in the demographic structure of the veterinary profession and the forms of veterinary work carried out. It also shows that the differences in work and career patterns between men and women need more intensive study to improve the accuracy of predictions of future requirements for veterinary manpower.     

Manipulating Chlorine Atom Bonding on the Si(100)-(2 x 1) Surface with the STM

Chlorine atoms strongly chemisorbed at dangling bond sites on the Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface are observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to hop between adjacent sites. The origin of this behavior is suggested to be an interaction between the field of the probe tip and the dipole moment of the silicon-chlorine bond. Chlorine atom migration is shown to be facilitated by the presence of a metastable chlorine bridge-bonded minimum. The STM probe was used to excite single chlorine atoms into this bridging configuration, resulting in a local population inversion. Selective application of voltage pulses between the probe tip and the surface rearranged the local bonding and induced transformations between different types of chlorine sites. In this manner, adsorbed species can be dissected and their composition and structure directly probed.     

Distribution and induction of cytochrome P450 1A1 in the rainbow trout brain

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 participates in the activation as well as detoxification of environmental pollutants such as aromatic hydrocarbons. This CYP form is also efficiently induced by aromatic hydrocarbons. The presence of CYP 1A1 in the brain might thus be of physiological and toxicological importance. In the present investigation on rainbow trout, the distribution of 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, a cytochrome CYP 1A1 catalyzed reaction, was measured in whole tissue homogenates from brain parts. In control fish, a relatively high activity was found in the rainbow trout olfactory bulb compared to the other brain parts. Although an EROD induction (3 to 7-fold) by β-naphthoflavone (BNF) was recorded in all brain parts from the rainbow trout, the highest induced activity was measured in the olfactory bulbs. To ascertain the distribution of EROD activity in cells, whole brain tissue was subfractionated by differential centrifugation. The fractionation scheme separated mitochondria (P2 fraction) and microsomes (P3 fraction) as determined by marker enzymes and electron microscopy. In control rainbow trout, a low EROD activity could be measured in the P2 fraction. BNF induced the EROD activity in both P2 and P3 fractions. Western blotting showed the induction by BNF of a protein band in the P2 and P3 fractions with a molecular mass around 58,000 when highly specific anti-cod CYP 1A1 antibodies were used. ELISA measurements confirmed the induction of CYP 1A1 protein in the rainbow trout brain subcellular fractions.     

POSSIBLE PATHWAYS OF CONTAMINATION OF MEAT AND BONE MEAL WITH SALMONELLA

Samples taken at various points along the processing line in 2 rendering plants showed that post-processing contamination occurs almost immediately after termination of the heat process in the percolator and surge bin. Further contamination occurs at each processing stage. In plant A 12.5% of the samples collected from material leaving the surge bin, 36% of the samples of product after it has passed the milling stage and 61% of samples collected from the stored product were found to be contaminated with salmonellas. In plant B the results were 15%, 40% and 69% respectively. Heavy contamination of product left overnight in percolators and surge bins, which are not cleaned routinely, was considered an important source of early post-processing contamination. The ecology was found to be similar at both plants despite the fact that in one plant the uncooked and cooked areas were separated completely, whilst this was not the case in the other plant. None of the air samples collected yielded salmonellas, while nearly all the insect samples collected in the rendering plants yielded salmonellas.     

Congenital arthrogryposis: an inherited limb deformity in pedigree Suffolk lambs

Thirty of 52 pedigree Suffolk lambs (58 per cent) were born with arthrogryposis characterised by bilateral flexion rigidity of the metacarpophalangeal and carpal joints. The recent introduction of a breeding ram was identified as the only significant risk factor in the flock, and embryo transfer was used to test the hypothesis that the arthrogryposis was an inherited disorder associated with the introduction of this ram. Two adult ewes that had previously produced lambs with arthrogryposis by the ram and four of its affected daughters were available as donors, and 20 crossbred ewes were used as recipients. Ten Suffolk-crossed ewes that had no known familial relationship with the ram were also mated by the ram as controls and they produced 10 normal lambs. Following embryo transfer, 19 lambs were born, of which seven were stillborn; arthrogryposis was evident in 10 of the 12 live lambs. Analysis of the data suggested that in the population under study, arthrogryposis was inherited as an autosomal recessive condition.     

The effects of plastic slatted floor or straw bedding on performance, liver weight and liver copper concentrations in intensively reared lambs

One hundred and eight Texel sired lambs were weaned at 37 days old and allocated three days later to one of two treatments, using two pens per treatment, in order to evaluate lamb hepatic copper (Cu) values. In Treatment 1 (T1) the lambs were confined to pens having recycled plastic slatted flooring, while in Treatment 2 (T2) the lambs were confined to pens having straw bedded floors, with fresh straw added on alternate days. The lambs had ad libitum access to a coarse lamb concentrate. The crude protein (g/kg DM), crude fibre (g/kg DM), total zinc (mg/kg) and background levels of copper (Cu) (mg/kg) and molybdenum (Mo) (mg/kg) of the diet were 17.2, 10.9, 152, 9.7 and 0.92, respectively. The lambs were slaughtered when they reached about 39 kg live weight. Following slaughter, the liver was removed and weighed and the caudal lobe frozen for subsequent Cu analysis. The livers of lambs on the plastic floor treatment had higher liver weights (843 vs. 804 g, S.E.M. 11.0; P < 0.05) and higher hepatic copper (396 vs. 315 mg/kg DM, S.E.M. 18.2; P < 0.05) than those from lambs that were bedded with straw. The Cu accumulation per kg of liver DM per week was estimated to be 8.4 and 13.7 mg for lambs on the straw bedding and plastic slated treatments, respectively. It is concluded that when lambs are housed on plastic slatted flooring, relative to straw bedding, there is a higher accumulation of hepatic copper levels likely to result in a greater risk of Cu toxicity when lambs are reared on all concentrate diets.     

Sesbania seed collections in Southern Africa

The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system and has recently established a Multipurpose Tree Germplasm Resource Unit (MPT-GRU) in Nairobi, Kenya. The first major activity of the MPT-GRU was to undertake a regional germplasm collection ofSesbania in 5 countries in southern Africa in a collaborative mode with National Agricultural Research Services (NARS). The collections took place in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Key elements of a generalised collaborative mode (the model) are indicated follwed by a summary of actual events. The initial phase involved joint planning and training sessions between NARS, three sister CGIAR centres and one regional institution, the Southern Africa Development Conference (SADC) Regional Gene Bank (SRGB). This was followed by actual collections during 1993 led by National scientists with different levels of CGIAR participation in each of the five countries. The International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) took the lead in pre-collection training activities, ICRAF for developing the collection programme and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) for seed drying, testing and despatch for field trials. NARS gene banks guided the necessary administrative processes. The ICRAF lead scientist for the species and provenance evaluation phase was a crucial member of the planning process thus allowing integration of the collection with the eventual field evaluation. The article focuses on the collection strategy, administrative protocols for actual collections and summary results. Some advantages and difficulties associated with the collection programme and model are discussed. The collections were important in bringing together agriculturalists and foresters in a common germplasm collection exercise.     

Induction of resistance against downy mildew pathogen in pearl millet by a synthetic jasmonate analogon

The synthetic 1-oxo-indanoyl-l-isoleucine methyl ester (Ind-Ile-Me) represents a highly active mimic of octadecanoic phytohormones, which are involved in plant defenses against pathogens and pests. Seed treatments and foliar spray with Ind-Ile-Me were tested for induced resistance against downy mildew disease caused by the phytopathogenic oomycete Sclerospora graminicola in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) under greenhouse and field conditions. Under greenhouse conditions, a 50% protection level was achieved after seed treatment. Seed treatment in combination with foliar spray resulted in 60% protection. The induction of resistance was correlated with the enhanced activities of defense-related proteins such as phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, and enhanced level of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins. Under field conditions, a maximum protection of 62% was recorded upon seed treatment along with foliar spray. Hence, it infers that Ind-Ile-Me can be used as a valuable protection compound at least in downy mildew disease management.     

The inheritance of the naked grain character in oats studied in a cross between the naked variety caesar and the husked variety BO 1/11

Summary The inheritance of the naked grain character in oats was studied in a cross between BO 1/11 (husked) and Caesar (naked), by analysing plants of F₁, F₂, F₃ and both (F₁ × BO 1/11) and (F₁ × Caesar) backcross generations. F₁ and F₂ plants were grown under both glasshouse and field conditions.Results suggest that the naked/husked character is basically governed by one major gene and modifying genes mask the effect of the main gene in the homozygous naked and heterozygous classes.Expression of the naked grain character was higher under glasshouse than under field conditions, indicating the large influence which environment can exert on the expression of this character.