Serum lipid concentrations in dogs with tail chasing

O bjective : To characterise lipid profile in dogs with tail chasing.
M ethods : Fifteen dogs with tail chasing were included in this study. A behavioural diagnosis was made for each dog on the basis of the dog's behavioural history, clinical signs and results of other medical assessments. None of the dogs had concurrent medical disease that would account for compulsive tail chasing. Blood samples were taken from each dog after a fasting period of 12 to 16 hours to measure total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Fifteen control dogs were also enrolled on the basis of normal physical examination results, complete blood count and serum biochemistry profiles.
R esults : Dogs with tail chasing had significantly higher total cholesterol (P < 0·01), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0·05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0·001) compared with control dogs. Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels did not differ significantly between the groups.
C linical S ignificance : Tail chasing may be associated with serum cholesterol elevations in dogs. High serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels may be used as biochemical parameters of compulsive tail chasing in clinical settings.     

Removal of Phosphate from Waste Waters by Adsorption

In this study, the adsorption of phosphate on gas concrete from aqueous solutions has been studied as functions of temperature, mixing rates and suspension pH. Over 99% of phosphate removal was found. The chemical composition of the gas concrete has been defined by X-ray analysis. Experimental data was fitted to the Langmuir equation in order to Langmuir coefficients. After calculating Langmuir coefficients, adsorption free energy (Δ G ⁰ _ads.) has been determined. In order to gather information about adsorption mechanism, electrophoretic mobilites of particles were measured at various pHs by using Zeta meter 3.0+. It has been found that the adsorption is driven by the interactions between the ionizations of CaO and Al₂O₃ and the formation of AlPO₄. According to the BET (N₂) measurements, the specific surface area of gas concrete was found as 22 m²g^-1. The surface area after adsorption has been found as 17 m²g^-1. The surface area covered by adsorbate has been found as 5.23 m²g^-1 by usinga_s = n^s _m. a_m. N_A. These two areas determined by BET and Langmuir model were close to each other (BET: 22 m²g^-1–17 m²g^-1).     

Sediment Quality in Arkansas Bait Minnow Ponds

Sediment cores were collected from 7-yr-old, 20- to 25-yr-old, and 30- to 35-yr-old ponds at a bait minnow farm at Lonoke, Arkansas, USA. Average depths of soft sediment (S and M horizons) were 8 cm in young ponds, 12 em in intermediate-age ponds, and 26 cm in old ponds. Organic carbon concentrations in sediment were low to moderate (1–2%) and carbon to nitrogen ratios were wide (20–50). Phosphorus and sulfur concentrations increased as ponds aged. Most of the phosphorus (78.9%) was in organic form, but sulfur was primarily inorganic in form (presumably iron sulfide). There appears to be two major problems associated with sediment accumulation over time. Deep, soft sediment interferes with pond management and especially with harvest. High phosphorus concentration in old sediment may contribute to dense phytoplankton blooms by supplying phosphorus to the water. Sodium nitrate treatment did not increase the rate of sediment organic matter decomposition in laboratory trials and would not be expected to enhance the degradation of sediment organic matter in ponds. The best method for improving the condition of bottoms in older bait minnow ponds probably is to remove the sediment.     

GIS-based landslide susceptibility mapping using analytical hierarchy process and bivariate statistics in Ardesen (Turkey): Comparisons of results and confirmations

The Ardesen area is prone to landslides because of the climate conditions, geologic, and geomorphologic characteristics of the region. As in previous years, in 2001 due to heavy rainfall there were many landslides resulting in damage and human casualties. There is still a great danger of further landslides in the region. Therefore, it is vitally important to prepare a landslide susceptibility map of the region. In this study, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the statistical index (Wi), and weighting factor (Wf) methods were used to produce and later compare three susceptibility maps. For this purpose, thematic layers including landslide inventory, lithology-weathering, slope, aspect, land cover, distance to stream, drainage density, and distance to road were used. In this study area, 98% of landslides occurred in highly or completely weathered units. Lithology-weathering, land cover, and slope data layers were found to be important factors in the study area. To confirm the practicality of the three susceptibility maps were compared with a landslide activity map containing 16 active landslide zones. The outcome was that the active landslide zones do not completely fit into the high and very high susceptibility classes. But 81.3% of these landslide zones fall into the high and very high susceptibility zones of the AHP method while this is 62.5% in the case of Wi method, and 68.8% with the Wf method. In spite of the results obtained in this study, the development of a susceptibility map is usually determined by the needs and available resources. The results showed that the AHP method gave a more realistic picture of the actual distribution of landslide susceptibility, than the Wi and Wf methods.     

Acaricidal,repellent and oviposition deterrent activities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Datura stramonium</Emphasis> L. against adult <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetranychus urticae</Emphasis> (Koch)

The ethanol extracts obtained from both leaf and seed in the Thorn apple (Datura stramonium L.) (Solanaceae) were investigated for acaricidal, repellent and oviposition deterrent properties against adult two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch) (Acari: Tetranychidae) under laboratory conditions. Leaf and seed extracts, which were applied in 167,250 and 145,750 mg/l concentrations, respectively (using a Petri leaf disc-spray tower method), caused 98 and 25% mortality among spider mite adults after 48 h. The simple logistic regression analysis showed that the independent variable, an increase in the dose of leaf extract was associated with a significant increase in the death rate of T. urticae females, but an increase in the dosage of seed extracts did not have a significant effect. Using probit analysis and estimating the parameters with a confidence limit of 95%, we determined the LC₅₀ values of leaf extract to be 70,593 mg/l. According to Pearson’s χ² test, mites showed the strongest run off to bean leaf surfaces sprayed with both leaf and seed extracts (in sub-lethal doses: <7,500 mg/l and <25,000 mg/l, respectively) and moved towards surfaces that had not been sprayed with extracts. Furthermore, repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant difference between the number of eggs laid on unsprayed bean leaves compared to bean leaves that were sprayed with leaf and seed extracts at sub-lethal doses, 2,500 and 25,000 mg/l concentrations, respectively. These results suggest that D. stramonium extracts could be used to manage the two-spotted spider mite.     

A GIS-based comparative study of frequency ratio, analytical hierarchy process, bivariate statistics and logistics regression methods for landslide susceptibility mapping in Trabzon, NE Turkey

Over the last few decades, many researchers have produced landslide susceptibility maps using different techniques including the probability method (frequency ratio), the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), bivariate, multivariate, logistics regression, fuzzy logic and artificial neural network In addition, a number of parameters such as lithology, slope, aspect, land cover, elevation, distance to stream, drainage density, distance to lineament, seismicity, and distance to road are recommended to analyze the mechanism of landslides. The data quality is a very important issue in landslide studies, and more accurate results will be achieved if the data is adequate, appropriate and drawn from a wide range of parameters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of the occurrence of landslides in Trabzon province, situated in north east Turkey. This was achieved using the following five methods the frequency ratio model, AHP, the statistical index (Wi), weighting factor (Wf) methods, and the logistics regression model, incorporating a Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. In Trabzon province there has been an increasing occurrence of landslides triggered by rainfall. These landslides have resulted in death, significant injury, damage to property and local infrastructure and threat of further landslides continues. In order to reduce the effects of this phenomenon, it is necessary to scientifically assess the area susceptible to landslide. To achieve this, landslide susceptible areas were mapped the landslide occurrence parameters were analyzed using five different methods. The results of the five analyses were confirmed using the landslide activity map containing 50 active landslide zones. Then the methods giving more accurate results were determined. The validation process showed that the Wf method is better in prediction than the frequency ratio model, AHP, the statistical index (Wi), and logistics regression model.     

A survey of animal bites on humans in Bursa,Turkey

Animal bites are a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of animal bites in Bursa, Turkey. Patients who sought medical care for animal bites over an 18-month period were included in our study (n = 1,715). Data were obtained from the registry of the Bursa State Hospital; 71.84% of the patients were men and 28.16% were women. Bites were most frequent among patients who were >18 years of age (comprising 60.83% of all bites). The anatomical site of the bite was recorded in all 1,715 cases, and 1,778 bite locations on the body were reported. The upper extremities were the most frequent sites of animal bites (53.83%), followed by the lower extremities (38.03%). Bites were most frequently inflicted by dogs (68.04%), followed by cats (28.45%), mice (2.56%), and other animals (hamsters, donkeys, horses, foxes, and rabbits together comprised 0.95% of the bites). As a result, bite incidents were mostly associated with males aged >18 years and occurred in the upper extremities. This study showed that dog bites constitute a major animal bite problem in Bursa, Turkey.     

Reference serum protein and lipoprotein fractions of ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine for reference purposes the values of serum albumin, alpha 1-globulin, alpha 2-globulin, beta-globulin, gamma-globulin, and alpha-lipoprotein (high density lipoprotein), pre-beta-lipoprotein (very low density lipoprotein) and beta-lipoprotein (low density lipoprotein) fractions of normal ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Turkey. Five male and five female ostriches, 18 months old, were used. All the ostriches were fed on a diet that contained 15.14% crude protein and 2,950 Kcal/kg of metabolizable energy. The serum protein and lipoprotein fractions were measured using agarose gel electrophoresis. The fractions were found to be 60.96% albumin, 0.24% alpha 1-globulin, 15.91% alpha 2-globulin, 13.34% beta-globulin, 9.55% gamma-globulin, 53.77% HDL, 0.60% VLDL and 48.09% LDL.