B807: A Study of the Maine Lamb Industry

This study of the Maine lamb industry is concerned not only with farm-level sheep and lamb production, but also with all aspects of the marketing chain—from the farm to the consumer. Although this study relies primarily upon Maine data the set of opportunities and constraints discussed are generally representative of those found throughout New England.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1055/thumbnail.jp

X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191: To the virial radius, and beyond

We measure X-ray emission from the outskirts of the cluster of galaxies PKS 0745-191 with Suzaku, determining radial profiles of density, temperature, entropy, gas fraction, and mass. These measurements extend beyond the virial radius for the first time, providing new information about cluster assembly and the diffuse intracluster medium out to ~1.5 r_200, (r_200 ~ 1.7 Mpc ~ 15'). The temperature is found to decrease by roughly 70 per cent from 0.3-1 r_200. We also see a flattening of the entropy profile near the virial radius and consider the implications this has for the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium when deriving mass estimates. We place these observations in the context of simulations and analytical models to develop a better understanding of non-gravitational physics in the outskirts of the cluster.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, accepted to MNRAS; expanded discussion of analysis and uncertainties, results qualitatively unchange

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus loses quasispecies diversity rapidly in culture

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is an important disease of cattle, with significant impacts on animal health and welfare. The wide host range of the causative pestiviruses may lead to formation of virus reservoirs in other ruminant or wildlife species, presenting a concern for the long-term success of BVD eradication campaigns. It is likely that the quasispecies nature of these RNA viruses contributes to their interspecies transmission by providing genetic plasticity. Understanding the spectrum of sequence variants present in persistently infected (PI) animals is, therefore, essential for studies of virus transmission. To analyse quasispecies diversity without amplification bias, we extracted viral RNA from the serum of a PI cow, and from cell culture fluid after three passages of the same virus in culture, to produce cDNA without amplification. Sequencing of this material using Illumina 250 bp paired-read technology produced full-length virus consensus sequences from both sources and demonstrated the quasispecies diversity of this pestivirus A genotype 1a field strain within serum and after culture. We report the distribution and diversity of over 800 SNPs and provide evidence for a loss of diversity after only three passages in cell culture, implying that cultured viruses cannot be used to understand quasispecies diversity and may not provide reliable molecular markers for source tracing or transmission studies. Additionally, both serum and cultured viruses could be sequenced as a set of 25 overlapping PCR amplicons that demonstrated the same consensus sequences and the presence of many of the same quasispecies variants. The observation that aspects of the quasispecies structure revealed by massively parallel sequencing are also detected after PCR and Sanger sequencing suggests that this approach may be useful for small or difficult to analyse samples

The Ursinus Weekly, November 7, 1932

Max Montor featured in dramatic offerings • Bears claw undefeated Drexel Dragons in humiliating defeat, 28-6 • Girls\u27 hockey team loses to Swarthmore sticksters • Frosh tie Dragons, 6-6 after close fight • Ursinus debating league to convene this Saturday • Zimmer Harp Trio will be heard in recital • Track men to compete in conference meet • Social activities council discusses future plans • Novel hobo hop presents Ken Nichols and his orchestra • Men\u27s student council discuss conference plans • Schaff play cast picked • Tea served at Shreiner • Faculty club meets at Dr. Barnard\u27s • Co-eds feature Halloween party in field cage • Results of YWCA ballot point to Hoover\u27s election • Varsity Club convenes • Glee Club scheduled for two concerts this week • WSGA convenes • Mod. lang. group meets • Y.W. discusses politics • Y.W.C.A. cabinet meeting • Inter-sorority council discusses rushing rules • Booters defeat Haverford 3rd by decisive 2-0 count • Y.M.-Y.W.C.A. to present Ba thane, play of India • Sunday school groups hold interesting discussions • Assistants for 1934 Ruby • Drexel pep meetinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/2035/thumbnail.jp

Temperature and Precipitation Affect Seasonal Patterns of Dispersing Tobacco Thrips, Frankliniella fusca, and Onion Thrips, Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Caught on Sticky Traps

Effects of temperature and precipitation on the temporal patterns of dispersing tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca, and onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, caught on yellow sticky traps were estimated in central and eastern North Carolina and eastern Virginia from 1997 through 2001. The impact that these environmental factors had on numbers of F. fusca and T. tabaci caught on sticky traps during April and May was determined using stepwise regression analysis of 43 and 38 site-years of aerial trapping data from 21 and 18 different field locations, respectively. The independent variables used in the regression models included degree-days, total precipitation, and the number of days in which precipitation occurred during January through May. Each variable was significant in explaining variation for both thrips species and, in all models, degree-days was the single best explanatory variable. Precipitation had a comparatively greater effect on T. tabaci than F. fusca. The numbers of F. fusca and T. tabaci captured in flight were positively related to degree-days and the number of days with precipitation but negatively related to total precipitation. Combined in a single model, degree-days, total precipitation, and the number of days with precipitation explained 70 and 55% of the total variation in the number of F. fusca captured from 1 April through 10 May and from 1 April through 31 May, respectively. Regarding T. tabaci flights, degree-days, total precipitation, and the number of days with precipitation collectively explained 57 and 63% of the total variation in the number captured from 1 April through 10 May and from 1 April through 31 May, respectivel

Operationalising the Theory of Social Quality: analysis of the reliability of an instrument to measure social quality

The Theory of Social Quality (TSQ) has not yet had extensive empirical testing due to the difficulty of developing a validated and reliable tool to ‘measure’ social quality. A survey investigating social quality was piloted (n = 33) and analysed for test-retest and inter-item reliability in Australia, August 2009. Questions were considered reliable if the results from the test-retest analyses (Kappa, or Spearman Correlation tests) and the inter-item reliability test (Cronbach’s α) were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) or the coefficients were (≥ 0.70) for any of the questionnaire items. Two questions and 34 items were removed from the survey. These preliminary data support the reliability and validity of the survey as an instrument for measuring social quality. In addition, the tool provides a means for operationalising the TSQ in future empirical research

Report of the Astronomy Committee

The present report relates only to the scientific needs of Astronomy. Its applications to the possible services that astronomers can render in the war, as a part of the work done by the National Research Council in connection with the Council of National Defense, will be made the subject of a separate study

Risk-based evidence for animal health policy

No abstract available

An infrared survey of brightest cluster galaxies: Paper I

We report on an imaging survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope of 62 brightest cluster galaxies with optical line emission. These galaxies are located in the cores of X-ray luminous clusters selected from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. We find that about half of these sources have a sign of excess infrared emission; 22 objects out of 62 are detected at 70 microns, 18 have 8 to 5.8 micron flux ratios above 1.0 and 28 have 24 to 8 micron flux ratios above 1.0. Altogether 35 of 62 objects in our survey exhibit at least one of these signs of infrared excess. Four galaxies with infrared excesses have a 4.5/3.6 micron flux ratio indicating the presence of hot dust, and/or an unresolved nucleus at 8 microns. Three of these have high measured [OIII](5007A)/Hbeta flux ratios suggesting that these four, Abell 1068, Abell 2146, and Zwicky 2089, and R0821+07, host dusty active galactic nuclei (AGNs). 9 objects (including the four hosting dusty AGNs) have infrared luminosities greater than 10^11 L_sol and so can be classified as luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs). Excluding the four systems hosting dusty AGNs, the excess mid-infrared emission in the remaining brightest cluster galaxies is likely related to star formation.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ

Field validation of clinical and laboratory diagnosis of wildebeest associated malignant catarrhal fever in cattle

Abstract Background Wildebeest associated malignant catarrhal fever (WA-MCF) is a fatal disease of cattle. Outbreaks are seasonal and associated with close interaction between cattle and calving wildebeest. In Kenya, WA-MCF has a dramatic effect on cattle-keepers who lose up to 10% of their cattle herds per year. The objective of this study was to report the impact of WA-MCF on a commercial ranch and assess the performance of clinical diagnosis compared to laboratory diagnosis as a disease management tool. A retrospective study of WA-MCF in cattle was conducted from 2014 to 2016 at Kapiti Plains Ranch Ltd., Kenya. During this period, 325 animals showed clinical signs of WA-MCF and of these, 123 were opportunistically sampled. In addition, 51 clinically healthy animals were sampled. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to confirm clinically diagnosed cases of WA-MCF. A latent class model (LCM) was used to evaluate the diagnostic parameters of clinical diagnosis and the tests in the absence of a gold standard. Results By PCR, 94% (95% C.I. 89–97%) of clinically affected animals were positive to WA-MCF while 63% (95% C.I. 54–71%) were positive by indirect ELISA. The LCM demonstrated the indirect ELISA had poor sensitivity 63.3% (95% PCI 54.4–71.7%) and specificity 62.6% (95% PCI 39.2–84.9%) while the nested PCR performed better with sensitivity 96.1% (95% PCI 90.7–99.7%) and specificity 92.9% (95% PCI 76.1–99.8%). The sensitivity and specificity of clinical diagnosis were 99.1% (95% PCI 96.8–100.0%) and 71.5% (95% PCI 48.0–97.2%) respectively. Conclusions Clinical diagnosis was demonstrated to be an effective method to identify affected animals although animals may be incorrectly classified resulting in financial loss. The study revealed indirect ELISA as a poor test and nested PCR to be a more appropriate confirmatory test for diagnosing acute WA-MCF. However, the logistics of PCR make it unsuitable for field diagnosis of WA-MCF. The future of WA-MCF diagnosis should be aimed at development of penside techniques, which will allow for fast detection in the field