Occasional Publications on Northern Life, No. 04

The need to exchange information on research in reindeer and caribou diseases became apparent to investigators attending the Second International Reindeer/Caribou Symposium in Roros, Norway, in 1979. Initially, bibliographies were to be exchanged by being submitted to and subsequently distributed by workers at the University of Alaska. When the bibliographies were submitted, it seemed sensible to computerize the lists to facilitate searches for specific information in the future. An apparently simple task became amazingly complex. This is the resultant collection of publications by reindeer/caribou disease researchers. Because researchers in wildlife diseases tend to work on more than one species or topic, out of interest or necessity, a decision was made to include all of a person's references rather than to limit them to strictly reindeer/caribou diseases. The authors hope this will provide a good basis for exchange of information among all those interested in reindeer/caribou diseases

Brucella suis type 4 in foxes and their role as reservoirs/vectors among reindeer

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1989Field and laboratory studies were conducted to test the hypotheses that (1) the reindeer/caribou organism, Brucella suis type 4, is incidentally transmitted to reindeer predators such as foxes but does not cause reproductive disease in them, and (2) infected predators such as foxes are terminal hosts and do not serve as reservoirs of infection for reindeer. In field collections, serologic prevalence of brucellosis was similar for male and female foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus). B. suis type 4 was isolated from female Vulpes and Alopex. No association between reproductive status of foxes and brucellosis infections was observed. Serologic titers in Vulpes experimentally infected by oral exposure to Brucella suis type 4 were detected first by the standard tube and plate agglutination tests which were followed by the buffered Brucella antigen, rivanol, and complement fixation tests. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from the feces 4 to 6 days post-exposure (PE) and from the oral cavity for as long as 3 weeks PE in Vulpes challenged with 10\sp9 or 10\sp{11} colony forming units. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated frequently from regional lymph nodes in the head up to 18 weeks PE, and from only more distant nodes at 22 and 66 weeks PE. Organisms did not localize in the reproductive tract. Clinical effects of brucellosis in Vulpes experimentally-infected were not observed. Pathologic lesions were not detected in the male and non-gravid female reproductive tract. Due to breeding failure, effects of Brucella suis type 4 on the pregnant fox reproductive tract were not determined in experimental infections. Gross and microscopic pathology was limited to lymph nodes. Fox to fox transmission attributed to aerosols from products shed by infected foxes occurred readily. Transmission from Vulpes to lemmings (Dicrostonyx rubricatus) that were exposed to urine from infected fox occurred frequently. Transmission from infected Vulpes to two reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) occurred under conditions of close confinement. Ingestion of organisms passed mechanically in the fox feces was considered the probable source of infection. Fox saliva containing Brucella was also implicated in transmitting the organism through bites or aerosols

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Effects of live Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine on reindeer later challenge exposed with Brucella suis type 4

Twelve reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine and challenge exposed with B. suis type 4 two and one-half months later during mid-gestation. An additional 10 reindeer served as non-vaccinated controls. A sharp serologic titer response was observed in both vaccinates and controls. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from tissues and blood from most controls (8 of 10, and 7 of 10 respectively). Seven of 11 vaccinated cows aborted, gave birth to weak fawns that died, or were not pregnant at the completion of the experiment. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from the tissue of 4 of 12 vaccinates at necropsy. It was concluded that, under the conditions of this experiment, B. abortus strain 19 vaccine in reindeer did not provide adequate protection against challenge exposure with virulent B. suis type 4 organisms

Effects of live Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine on reindeer

Twenty female and seven male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were vaccinated subcutaneously in the right shoulder with a 1-ml dose of approximately 1.2 x 108 colony forming units of Brucella abortus strain 19, the standard reduced dose for cattle. An additional three females and one male served as non-vaccinated sentinels. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from two of three fetuses aborted by vaccinated females during the first of two fawning seasons. Serologic titers to brucellosis in the vaccinates peaked by 46 days post-vaccination. Shedding of B. abortus strain 19 by vaccinated animals was indicated by seroconversion of all four sentinels. Titers in the sentinels were low and sporadic. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from the tissues and fetus of a pregnant female 51 days post-vaccination and from the carpal joint of another female 7 months post-vaccination. Based on these results and a previous challenge experiment, it was concluded that Brucella abortus strain 19 is not a suitable vaccine to use in a brucellosis control program in reindeer

Development of anthropometric characteristics in professional Rugby League players: Is there too much emphasis on the pre-season period?

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Sport Science on 04/12/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17461391.2019.1695953Rugby League is a team sport requiring players to experience large impact collisions, thus requiring high amounts of muscle mass. Many players (academy and senior) strive to increase muscle mass during the pre-season, however, quantification of changes during this period have not been thoroughly investigated. We therefore assessed changes in body-composition using Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in eleven academy players over three successive pre-seasons and ninety-three senior players from four different European Super League clubs prior to, and at the end of, a pre-season training period. There was no meaningful change in lean mass of the academy players during any of the pre-season periods (year 1 = 72.3 ± 7.1–73.2 ± 7.2kg; ES 0.05, year 2 = 74.4 ± 6.9–75.5 ± 6.9kg; ES 0.07, year 3 = 75.9 ± 6.7–76.8 ± 6.6kg; ES 0.06) with small changes only occurring over the three-year study period (72.3–75.9kg; ES = 0.22). Senior players showed trivial changes in all characteristics during the pre-season period (total mass = 95.1–95.0kg; ES −0.01, lean mass = 74.6–75.1kg; ES 0.07, fat mass = 13.6–12.9kg; ES −0.17, body fat percentage = 14.8–14.1%; ES −0.19). These data suggest that academy players need time to develop towards profiles congruent with senior players. Moreover, once players reach senior level, body-composition changes are trivial during the pre-season and therefore teams may need to individualise training for players striving to gain muscle mass by reducing other training loads

Electron spin coherence in metallofullerenes: Y, Sc and La@C82

Endohedral fullerenes encapsulating a spin-active atom or ion within a carbon cage offer a route to self-assembled arrays such as spin chains. In the case of metallofullerenes the charge transfer between the atom and the fullerene cage has been thought to limit the electron spin phase coherence time (T2) to the order of a few microseconds. We study electron spin relaxation in several species of metallofullerene as a function of temperature and solvent environment, yielding a maximum T2 in deuterated o-terphenyl greater than 200 microseconds for Y, Sc and La@C82. The mechanisms governing relaxation (T1, T2) arise from metal-cage vibrational modes, spin-orbit coupling and the nuclear spin environment. The T2 times are over 2 orders of magnitude longer than previously reported and consequently make metallofullerenes of interest in areas such as spin-labelling, spintronics and quantum computing.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

An Improvised Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Program for Postacute COVID-19 Patients Would Be Feasible and Acceptable in a Low-Resource Setting

Post-acute COVID-19 patients are at risk of long-term functional impairment and the rehabilitation community is calling for action preparing for a “tsunami of rehabilitation needs” in this patient population. In the absence of standard guidelines and local evidence, we successfully delivered a three-week pulmonary tele-rehabilitation programme to a post-acute severe COVID-19 patient in Malawi. The patient suffered from persistent dyspnoea and fatigue, with a remarkable impact on his health status. On the final assessment, all his respiratory severity scores had fallen by more than their thresholds for clinical significance. He reported no continued or new complaints, was walking longer distances, had returned to work, and was discharged from follow-up. Our case shows that an improvised pulmonary tele-rehabilitation programme for post-acute COVID-19 patients could be feasible and acceptable in a low-resource setting. Benefits include reducing risk of transmission and use of personal protective equipment

Cover Crop Adoption Decisions in Iowa: Insights from an In-Person Survey

CURRENT NITROGEN and phosphorus applications in the Midwest have been connected to increasing water quality problems

Right Turn Veteran-Specific Recovery Service: 5 site evaluation pilot: Interim report

The Right Turn project works with the ex-service personnel community in recovery from substance misuse. This report presents the interim findings from a two-year evaluation on the impact on health and wellbeing outcomes on military veterans engaging in this innovative peer-focussed recovery service. The evaluation is designed around a structured quantitative data collection process using an established repeat measure design and utilises qualitative methodologies to explore both the life experiences of this veteran cohort and to take account of their own perceptions of the model of services they feel they require. This report suggests that the military veteran community experience distinct barriers to accessing main stream health and wellbeing services. Alongside comorbidity issues, management of chronic physical conditions and social isolation, this report demonstrates that this cohort's own previous military conditioning forms a further barrier to accessing support services. This report contains recommendations to inform generic support staff when encountering veterans within health and wellbeing settings