Managing Bovine Tuberculosis in White-Tailed Deer in Northwestern Minnesota: A 2008 Progress Report

Bovine tuberculosis (TB), first discovered in 2005, has now been found in 12 cattle operations in northwestern Minnesota. To date, all of the infected cattle herds have been depopulated and the Board of Animal Health (BAH) has continued to test cattle herds in the area. The strain has been identified as one that is consistent with Bovine TB found in cattle in the southwestern United States and Mexico. In response to the disease being detected in cattle, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) began surveillance efforts in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) within a 15-mile radius of the infected farms in fall 2005. To date, 25 deer have been found infected with Bovine TB. All infected deer were sampled within a 164mi2 area, called the Bovine TB Core, which is centered in Skime, Minnesota, and encompasses 8 of the previously infected cattle farms. In fall 2008, Minnesota was granted a Split-State Status for Bovine TB by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that resulted in a lessening of testing requirements for cattle in the majority of the state (status level = “Modified Accredited advanced”), with a small area in northwestern Minnesota remaining more restrictive (status level = “Modified Accredited”). Also in 2008, the Minnesota State Legislature passed an initiative that allocated funds to buy-out cattle herds located in the Bovine TB Management Zone, spending $3 million to remove 6,200 cattle from 46 farms by January 2009; resulting in the discovery of the 12th infected cattle herd. The remaining cattle farms in the Bovine TB Management Zone (n = 27) were required to erect deer-exclusion fencing to protect stored forage and winter feeding areas, costing an additional$690,000 in state funds. In November 2008, the MNDNR conducted Bovine TB surveillance of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer within the newly created Modified Accredited Zone, and results indicated that none of the 1,246 deer tested were positive for the disease. This marked the first large scale surveillance effort that failed to detect the disease in hunter-harvested deer since sampling efforts began in 2005. MNDNR also conducted targeted removal operations in the Bovine TB Core Area, using both aerial and ground sharpshooting, during winters 2007, 2008 and 2009. These intensive winter deer removal operations removed a combined total of 2,163 deer and detected 13 (52%) of the TB-positive deer discovered to date. Further, a recreational feeding ban, covering 4,000mi2 in northwestern MN, was instituted in November 2006 to help reduce the risk of deer to deer transmission of the disease and enforcement officers have been working to stop illegal feeding activities. The MNDNR will continue to conduct hunter-harvested surveillance for the next 5 years to monitor infection in the local deer population, and consider the continuation of aggressive management actions (e.g., sharpshooting deer in key locations) to address concerns of deer becoming a potential disease reservoir

Iron amino-phenolate complexes as catalysts for CO₂ activation

The increase of CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels has been linked to global climate change. Therefore, finding methods to utilize CO₂, a greenhouse gas, as a C1 feedstock has become of interest. The utilization of CO₂ is beneficial as it is an inexpensive, abundan feedstock with low toxicity, and it can react with epoxides to produce polycarbonates or cyclic carbonates; both of which have several applications. Cyclic carbonates can act as polar aprotic green solvents as well as chemical intermediates for the synthesis of other small molecules and polymers, while polycarbonates can be used to synthesize several biodegradable plastics. Using iron to catalyze these reactions has its own benefits as iron is inexpensive, abundant, and biocompatible. Both the formation of cyclic carbonates and polycarbonates was carried out using iron(III) amino-bis(phenolate) complexes. The iron(III) complexes were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF MS, and elemental analysis. These complexes were capable of selectively producing cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide and several epoxides, and reaction parameters could be fine tuned to reduce temperature and reaction time. Polycarbonates were also synthesized selectivity from CO₂ and cyclohexene oxide (CHO) in high yields with moderate molecular weights and low dispersities. Polycarbonate synthesis could be carried out at low pressures and temperatures, which is not common for iron catalyst systems. Isolated polymers were studied further using NMR spectroscopy, GPC analysis, and MALDI-TOF MS

Reworking the city of workers : a new housing paradigm for the immigrant city

Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 71).The climate of the reception of immigrants to the United States has soured, and circumstances are becoming increasingly difficult for persons seeking to gain residency. Reasons often given for the reversal in this practice are that immigrants are poor, uneducated, take jobs away from Americans, and use valuable resources otherwise available to the native-born. This at-best cautionary condition is unfortunate, not only because it decreases diversity in a society already afraid of "the other", but because the US is the very model founded on foreigners trying to make lives for themselves. In evidence now is a disdain and distrust of foreigners that could eventually affect all people in the US, resulting in an atmosphere of suspicion and negativity toward anyone who is perceived as different. This design thesis posits that immigrants are important additions to local neighborhoods and economies. If they are supported physically and psychologically during their initial period of arrival, they can more readily become integral members of American society. The design of housing, a learning center, and incorporation of the arts becomes a new means by which immigrants can retain ties to their cultural heritage, while concurrently increasing self-sufficiency, dispelling ignorance, and fostering greater acceptance and knowledge in the community at large.Britta Erika Butler.M.Arch

Bullet Fragmentation and Lead Deposition in White-Tailed Deer and Domestic Sheep

In February 2008, a private physician in North Dakota radiographed hunterharvested venison and found that 60 of 100 packages contained metal fragments. This discovery had implications for public-funded venison donation programs, and it prompted several Midwest states to examine their programs. Approximately 500,000 deer hunters harvest \u3e200,000 deer annually in Minnesota, and the state has a donation program similar to North Dakota’s program. Therefore, we analyzed fragmentation patterns and lead deposition in carcasses of 8 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and 72 domestic sheep (Ovis aries). We fired 5 different bullet types from centerfire rifles, and we also fired projectiles from both a shotgun and a black-powder muzzleloader. Centerfire bullets, which are designed to expand quickly upon impacting the animal, left bullet fragments and lead deposits throughout the entire abdominal cavity of carcasses. We also used 2 types of centerfire bullets that were purportedly designed to resist fragmentation. One of these bullet types had fragmentation patterns and lead deposition rates similar to the rapid-expanding bullets; the other bullet type resisted fragmentation, and no lead was detected in muscle tissue that we sampled. Centerfire bullets made from copper resisted fragmentation, and of course did not deposit any lead in muscle tissues. Projectiles fired from the shotgun and black-powder muzzleloader did deposit lead into carcasses but did not fragment as much as bullets fired from centerfire rifles. Our study suggests that rinsing the abdominal cavity may spread the lead contaminant to other areas of the carcass, thereby worsening the contamination situation. We suggest that hunters who use centerfire rifles and are concerned about lead exposure should purchase a bullet type that resists fragmentation

The Power of Feminist Judgments?

Recent years have seen the advent of two feminist judgment-writing projects, the Women’s Court of Canada, and the Feminist Judgments Project in England. This article analyses these projects in light of Carol Smart’s feminist critique of law and legal reform and her proposed feminist strategies in Feminism and the Power of Law (1989). At the same time, it reflects on Smart’s arguments 20 years after their first publication and considers the extent to which feminist judgment-writing projects may reinforce or trouble her conclusions. It argues that both of these results are discernible—that while some of Smart’s contentions have proved to be unsustainable, others remain salient and have both inspired and hold important cautions for feminist judgment-writing projects

Emergence of the arterial worm Elaeophora schneideri in moose (Alces alces) and tabanid fly vectors in northeastern Minnesota, USA

Background Moose (Alces alces) are a culturally and economically valued species in Minnesota. However, the moose population has experienced a sudden, marked decline in their range, including extirpation in the northwest and a 66% decline in the last decade in the northeast portions of the state. Although the exact cause of this decline is unclear, parasitic metastrongylid and filarioid nematode infections are known causes of morbidity and mortality in moose across North America. Methods To determine if these parasitic nematodes could be contributing to the Minnesota moose population decline, we molecularly examined banked tissues obtained from moose that died of known and unknown causes for the presence of nematode DNA. Extracted brain DNA of 34 individual moose was amplified utilizing primers targeting the 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions of nematodes. Results DNA sequencing revealed that PCR products obtained from 15 (44.1%) of the moose were 99% identical to Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, a metastrongylid known to cause neurological disease and death. Additionally, brain tissue from 20 (58.8%) individuals yielded sequences that most closely aligned with Elaeophora schneideri, a parasite associated with neurological impairment but previously unreported in Minnesota. Setaria yehi, a common filarioid parasite of deer, was also detected in the brain tissue of 5 (14.7%) moose. Molecular screening of 618 captured tabanid flies from four trapping sites revealed E. schneideri was present (6%) in the Minnesota environment and transmission could occur locally. Prevalence rates among the flies ranged between 0–100% per trapping site, with Chrysops spp. and Hybomitra spp. implicated as the vectors. Conclusions Ultimately, these data confirm that P. tenuis is widespread in the Minnesota moose population and raises the question of the significance of E. schneideri as a contributing factor to morbidity and mortality in moose

GRAIN OVERLOAD AND SECONDARY EFFECTS AS POTENTIAL MORTALITY FACTORS OF MOOSE IN NORTH DAKOTA

The intent of this article is to alert biologists of a potential mortality factor of moose in agricultural areas. It has long been recognized that ruminants switching from a natural diet of browse (a cellulose-based diet) to one of more readily digestible carbohydrates (a starch-based diet), such as corn and wheat, are predisposed to developing conditions such as enterotoxemia, polioencephalomalacia, acute rumenitis, liver abscesses, laminitis, and to sudden death. These are often secondary to grain overload (acute acidosis) and are frequently documented in cattle and sheep which are moved from pasture to feedlot. Necropsies of 4 moose in North Dakota were not entirely conclusive, but suggested that grain overload occurred and was a cause of mortality. Necropsy findings that supported grain overload as a contributing factor to death included acute rumenitis, isolation of Clostridium perfringens coupled with hemorrhagic enteritis, chronic laminitis, and polioencephalomalacia. Four likely scenarios exist in which grain overload occurs in North Dakota moose including consumption of planted crops such as corn and wheat, access to bait piles mainly intended for deer, access to cattle feeding sites, and access to recreational feeding sites. These findings have important implications for the regulation of baiting and recreational feeding practices in North Dakota and elsewhere in moose range of similar situation

The Forum: Spring 2000

Spring 2000 journal of the Honors Program at the University of North Dakota. The issue includes stories, poems, essays and art by undergraduate students.https://commons.und.edu/und-books/1042/thumbnail.jp

4D porosity evolution during pressure-solution of NaCl in the presence of phyllosilicates

Pressure-solution creep is one of the most common crustal deformation mechanisms, inducing changes in the porosity and permeability of rocks. For a variety of rock types undergoing pressure solution, it has been shown that the presence of phyllosilicates may significantly enhance the rate of the pressure-solution process. In this experimental investigation, we present 4-dimensional (three dimensions + time) X-ray microtomographic data that contrast deformation by pressure-solution of a pure NaCl aggregate with that of a mixture of NaCl and biotite. The results show that for mixed samples (NaCl+biotite), phyllosilicates induce a marked reduction in porosity and pore connectivity and contribute to an increase in the local strain rates by an order of magnitude over pure NaCl samples. At the same time, phyllosilicates do not induce strain localization in the sample. We discuss various possible explanations for these observations including a possible positive feedback between the porosity distribution and pressure solution. Our study yields novel insights into the local effects of phyllosilicates during pressure-solution creep and provides full 4-dimensional imaging and characterization of the coupled evolution of porosity and pore connectivity over previously unprecedented experimental time scales

Organic Waste in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Review of Available Agriculture, Fishery, Forestry and Municipal Waste Literature

Re-utilisation of organic waste is globally widely employed to maximise both economic and environmental sustainability of human activities. Re-utilisation of organic waste nutrients of biochars produced from such wastes do offer a critical element for enhancing soil fertility and thus supporting sustainable agriculture. Newfoundland and Labrador produces a variety of organic waste streams ranging from municipal to farm, fishery and timber production. We carried out a best estimate of the amount of these waste streams with a goal to understand the potential utility of each as a source of nutrients or biochar for sustaining agricultural activities in the province. Municipal sources, i.e. municipal organic waste streams and wastewaters, and fishery waste were estimated to offer the largest potential for nutrient recovery. Dairy industry is the largest producer of nutrient rich organic waste among agricultural activities. The dairy industry might possibly produce most of the nutrients required to fertilise their own land base; note that the dairies in the province still import a significant portion of their feed and that is reflected in the waste stream. Nutrients currently available in the estimated waste streams are likely sufficient to support most fertilisation needs of the current land-base, or nearly double the current land base in the case of phosphorus. Given the estimated balance of waste nutrients in the province any expansion in agricultural land base would require supplementary imports of fertilizers or, preferably, an integrated livestock and crop agriculture expansion. A secondary estimation was carried out to assess the value of the same organic waste streams for biochar production. This offered an alternative to nutrient reutilisation, an alternative that is also in support of soil fertility. Sawmill waste, that carried little nitrogen and phosphorus value, was also included in biochar estimates. The assessment has shown a significant potential for biochar production mainly for fishery and municipal organic waste. However, pursuing a biochar agenda for these materials would require a trade-off with the nutrients lost during pyrolysis. The assessment presented here confirms that organic wastes are a valuable resource for agricultural production and sustainability. However specific decisions would require a more detailed analysis of the geographic integration of waste streams and agricultural production