An Inexpensive 8000 Gauss Laboratory Electromagnet

A 10 KVA 2300/220 volt transformer, obtained through government surplus for less than $10, was converted into an electromagnet. The resulting magnetic field and its measurement, power supply requirements, and laboratory experiments are discussed

I\u27m Building A Palace In Palestine

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/3596/thumbnail.jp

Assessment of two essential elements of BVDV control on selected Flemish dairy and beef farms

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viruses to cause disease in cattle worldwide. The virus is endemically present in Belgium. Clinical diagnosis of BVDV infection is difficult. Therefore, monitoring through testing is necessary to detect the presence of the virus on farms. As vaccination alone does not suffice for eradication, a combination of measures is required for successful control. Via a questionnaire, the BVDV policy on 241 selected Flemish cattle farms was investigated. This revealed some striking results. For the majority of the herds, the BVDV status was unknown (63%), And only 23% had a monitoring program in place. Furthermore, on seven out of ten (71%) BVDV-vaccinating farms, vaccination against BVDV was implemented as a strategy without knowing the actual BVDV status

Risk factors associated with Rift Valley fever epidemics in South Africa in 2008-11.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic and vector-borne disease, mainly present in Africa, which represents a threat to human health, animal health and production. South Africa has experienced three major RVF epidemics (1950-51, 1973-75 and 2008-11). Due to data scarcity, no previous study has quantified risk factors associated with RVF epidemics in animals in South Africa. Using the 2008-11 epidemic datasets, a retrospective longitudinal study was conducted to identify and quantify spatial and temporal environmental factors associated with RVF incidence. Cox regressions with a Besag model to account for the spatial effects were fitted to the data. Coefficients were estimated by Bayesian inference using integrated nested Laplace approximation. An increase in vegetation density was the most important risk factor until 2010. In 2010, increased temperature was the major risk factor. In 2011, after the large 2010 epidemic wave, these associations were reversed, potentially confounded by immunity in animals, probably resulting from earlier infection and vaccination. Both vegetation density and temperature should be considered together in the development of risk management strategies. However, the crucial need for improved access to data on population at risk, animal movements and vaccine use is highlighted to improve model predictions

Dissipation and Distribution of Herbicides in the Soil Profile

The distribution and dissipation of alachlor [2-chloro-2′,6′-diethyl-N-(methoxymethyl) acetanilide], atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5 triazine), and metribuzin [4-amino-6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-(methylthio)-1,2,4-triazin-5(4H)-one] in soil were studied in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Crop management practices included four tillage methods—chisel plow, moldboard plow, no-till, and ridge-till—and two crop rotations—continuous corn (Zea mays L.) and a corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. All herbicides were broadcast-spray applied with no incorporation. No-till plots had the smallest amounts of alachlor and metribuzin, whereas ridge-till plots had the smallest amounts of atrazine. Moldboard-plow plots usually contained the highest amounts of all three herbicides, although ridge-till plots had the highest metribuzin levels in 1992. These differences were seldom significant at the 0.05 level of probability, however. Throughout the growing season, 50 to 84% of the alachlor and metribuzin were retained in the top 10-cm layer of soil, and at least 68% of the atrazine was retained in the top 20 cm. From 84 to 98% of the herbicide applied was lost each year, probably by microbial degradation and, for alachlor, by volatilization after application. First-order half-lives were 36 d for alachlor, 55 d for atrazine, and 32 d for metribuzin. A two-compartment model better fitting the alachlor data returned a half-life of 24 d for that herbicide