Monitoring otter populations by DNA typing of spraints

To monitor mammals by direct observation is often very difficult. Therefore a new technique based on DNA typing of droppings has been developed. DNA typing of otter spraints can potentially provide estimates of population size, home ranges, dispersal, genetic diversity and which species are present. This article gives a set of guidelines based on two feasibility studies on how to use the spraint DNA typing method. There are three main points. First, a sample of the study population must be typed to check that levels of genetic polymorphism are high enough for individual identification. Second, spraints must be collected and stored correctly because DNA extracted from spraints is typically of poor quality and quantity. Spraint collection should take place within 12 hours after deposition and before 10 a.m., and spraints should be stored at -20°C in a solution to stop DNA breakdown. Third, laboratory technique must be meticulous in carrying out repeat assays of the same sample and in avoiding contamination among samples. The results of the feasibility studies suggest that spraint DNA typing shows promise for monitoring of otter populations. Further progress will depend on achieving higher success rates, lower cost, and developing more highly variable microsatellites and species-specific PCR assays. DNA typing of endangered and poorly known otter species could provide important information on their distribution and status. We therefore recommend that skin, tissue or DNA samples from all endangered otter species be archived for future genetic analysi

Effect of vegetable diets versus diets with processed animal proteins on performance and health status of laying hens = Effecten van plantaardig voer versus voer met dierlijke eiwitten op productieprestaties en gezondheidsstatus van leghennen

Meat and bone meal and meat meal in diets and their effects on performance and health status of laying hens has been reviewed. Properties of dietary animal proteins are compared with dietary vegetable proteins and possible causative factors for differences in performance and health are described in this repor

Otters redden moerasgebieden

Het uitzetten van diersoorten die uit een gebied zijn verdwenen, draait om meer dan het behoud van de soort. Dat stelt Alterra op basis van ervaringen met de herintroductie van otters. Met de otter als ambassadeur is de afgelopen twintig jaar de hele natte natuur er sterk op vooruitgegaa

Chemotherapy for patients with colorectal cancer. Potential contributions by the clinical pharmacist:potential contributions by

For over 40 years, 5-fluorouracil, frequently combined with folinic acid, has been the main cytotoxic drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer. In the last decade, however, new cytotoxic agents have been introduced: raltitrexed, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and oral analogues of 5-fluorouracil, i.e. tegafur in combination with uracil (UFT) and capecitabine. Zie: Summar

Niet óf de otter komt, maar hoe snel

Tussen 2002-2008 zijn er 31 otters in Nederland uitgezet nadat de soort rond 1988 is uitgestorven. Inmiddels weet de populatie zich goed staande te houden in de Kop van Overijssel en Zuidwest-Frieslan

A design procedure for an acoustic mirror providing dual reflection of longitudinal and shear waves in Solidly Mounted BAW Resonators (SMRs)

The quality factor of the traditional Solidly Mounted Resonator (SMR) is limited by substrate losses, as the traditionally employed acoustic mirror reflects longitudinal waves but not shear waves. Modern mirrors do reflect both waves, but design rules for such mirrors have not been published so far. We propose a systematic design procedure derived from optics leading to a novel embodiment for the acoustic mirror which effectively reflects both longitudinal and shear waves. This method can be applied for the acoustic mirror design for any given material combination. An analytical model is presented; its agreement with FEM simulations is good. With the optimized design, we can obtain a minimum transmission for longitudinal and shear waves of −25 dB and −20 dB at resonance frequencies for longitudinal and shear waves, respectively, for various reflector material combinations