No description available.

In 132 rabbits belonging to the Cunicola La Esperanza Farm of the city of El Alto in the department of La Paz, the principle physical characteristics of the angora rabbit fiber were determined in a period of 3 shearings. As such they were organized into 2 groups, clearly differentiated by their sex (female and male). The obtained fiber of the different shearings were weighed in order to determine the performance of each animal and subsequently analyzed the wool in the Experimental Station of Patacamaya, where they determined the diameter, length of hair and marrow composition. The results were subjected to a statistical analysis with the help of the SAS program. The effects of the principle studied factors (sex, age, number of shearing) showed highly significant differences (p<0.01). The fiber yields for males and females were 70.76 and 81.72 g respectively; as such the fiber yields of 57.77, 82.91, 84.28, 80.01, 71.36, 81.11 and 76.25 g for those under the age of 1 year, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years and first shearing, second shearing, third shearings respectively. The age of the animals and the number of shearings were the principle causes of the variation of the performance of the fiber. The male rabbits obtained 13.10 microns in diameter, 56.10% of marrow composition and 4.10 cm of length, and the female rabbits 13.91 microns of diameter, 65.34% of marrow composition y 4.23 cm of length, being the effect of the sex most highly significant (p<0.01). The fineness of fiber of the animals was 12.80, 13.07, 14.28 y 13.88 microns respectively for the ages younger than 1 year, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years, a marrow composition of 57.68, 60.54, 60.56 y 64.10%, for the same ages, observing among themselves highly significant differences (p<0.01); except in the variability of the length of the hair. In animals subjected to different numbers of shearing they obtained 13.48, 13.37 and 13.67 microns for the first, second and third shearings respectively and a bone composition of 59.28, 62.32 y 60.56%, observing minimum numerical differences, but not statistical, as in the length of hair.

The genus Probolitrema was established by Looss (1901) in recognition of the location of vitellaria and multiple testes entirely outside the extra caecal field in Anaporrhutum richardii Lopez (1888) which differentiated it from A.albidum Ofenheim (1900) with the vitellaria within and the testes partly within and partly without the intra-caecal field. Ofenhein had created the genus Anaporrhutum for the above two species because of their multiple testes. A.albidum was a new species described by him; his A.richiardii Lopez specimens he considered to be the same species as Distomum richiardii Lopez, described in detail by Monticelli in 1893. Looss pointed out that they were not identical; Ofenheim’s specimens possessed succkers of nearly eual size while Monticelli’s specimens (which were probably D.richiardii Lopez) possessed a very large and powerful ventral sucker. Looss therefore retained P.richiardii Lopez as the type species of the genus and created a new species, P.capense, for A.richiardii Ofenheim. ABout sixty individuals of Probolitrema tomalis were obtained from the coelom of a stingray, Dasyatis dipterura, on July 2, 1933, from Tomales Bay, California. No observations concerning the living animal were recorded.

Laminitis is a crippling disease of horses resulting from faiure of the digital laminae, which suspend the distal pedal bone and hence the axial skeleton within the hoof capsule. This disease affects about 2% of all horses in US and there is no effective therapeutic agent. Failure of the laminae results from detachment of the epidermal and demal layers of the tissue which allows the distal phalanx to rotate and sink within the hoof capsule. These layers are joined at a basement membrane which is anchored to epithelial cells of the epidermal tissue by integrins. My studies focus on laminitis associated changes in this junctionl complex. The experimental model for my research is healthy horses administered a pro-laminitis gastric bolus of corn starch/wood flour gruel (CHO). Here, I have shown that: (i) In the laminae of healthy horses laminar basal epithelial cells are packed with the metalloproteinase ADAMTS-4 and its proteoglycan substrates versican and aggrecan. Suprabasal epithelial cells are also packed with aggrecan but not versican, making versican a specific basal epithelial cell differentiation antigen; (ii) A pro-laminitis bolus of starch gruel elevates ADAMTS-4 gene and protein expression in the laminae leading to the elevated cleavage of versican; (iii) in the laminae of horses with acute laminitis versican is depleted from the basal epithelial cells by elevated ADAMTS-4 cleavage and suppressed versican gene expression, which is significantly and positively correlated with a decline in β-catenin and integrin β4 gene expression, and (iv) decline in β-catenin gene and protein expression in laminitic laminae results from depressed canonical Wnt signaling, manifest as a reduced expression of positive regulators (Wnt 4, FzD4, LRP6, PP1, Akt2 and β-catenin) and the up-regulation of negative regulators (Axin1, CKIαand GSK3β). Taken together, the studies show that suppressed canonical Wnt signaling in laminitic horses results in loss of β-catenin and integrin β4, which respectively are required components of adherens junctions and hemidesmosomes, leading to the detachment of the laminar basal epithelial cells from each other and from the basement membrane and thus, destabilizing the epidermal:dermal junction.

No description available.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an Andean crop adapted to harsh environmental conditions and containing a high and well-balanced protein composition. Two seed storage proteins, the 2S albumin and 11S globulin, are the major amino acid reservoirs for the developing seedling. An in-depth study of the genes encoding these proteins is necessary to understand the source of quinoa's protein quality. Our objectives include identification and sequencing of the 11S genomic and cDNA clones, analysis of 11S expression profiles in different quinoa accessions and evaluation of evolutionary relationships between the sequence of the 11S gene in quinoa and homologous genes in other species. Clones containing 11S cDNA and genomic DNA were identified and sequenced. Two copies of the gene were found to be present at two different loci in the quinoa genome. The amino acid composition of the 11S gene was also analyzed. Results show that the 11S gene contains a well-balanced assortment of essential amino acids with relatively high levels of glutamate/glutamine, aspartate/asparagine, arginine, serine, leucine and glycine, typical of other 11S seed storage proteins. Total RNA and globulin was extracted from seed collected at different developmental intervals from nine quinoa accessions. Expression profiles were determined by evaluating 11S transcript levels using relative quantification real time RT-PCR and comparing relative 11S globulin accumulation using sodium SDS-PAGE. The 11S gene was found to be expressed during late-maturation regardless of differences in maturation rate. A portion of the amino acid sequence of the 11S and homologous genes was chosen for phylogenetic analysis. Fifty five such sequences from 50 different plant species were assembled and aligned. Two phylogenetic reconstructions, one using the parsimony method and the other using Bayesian analysis, were generated in order to analyze evolutionary relationships between the 11S gene in quinoa and homologous genes in other species. Relationships shown by both reconstructions for sequences from closely-related species were consistent with taxonomic clustering. Both reconstructions showed less resolution involving relationships between distantly-related angiosperm taxa indicating a wide divergence of sequence at the angiosperm level and a need for additional angiosperm sequence data for finer resolution.

Salt tolerance is a commercially important trait that affects plant species around the globe. Cellular response to saline environments is a well studied but complex system that is far from being completely understood. The SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE 1 (SOS1) gene is a critical component of salt tolerance in many species, encoding a plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter that plays an important role in germination and growth in saline environments. Here we report a preliminary investigation of salt tolerance in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). Quinoa is a halophytic grain crop of the Chenopodiaceae family with impressive nutritional content and an increasing world-wide market. Many quinoa varieties have impressive salt tolerance characteristics and research suggests quinoa may utilize novel mechanisms to confer salt tolerance. At this time there is no published data on the molecular characteristics of those mechanisms. We report the identification and sequencing of the SOS1 gene in quinoa, including a full length cDNA sequence of 3490 bp and a full length genomic clone of 21314 bp. Sequence analysis predicts the quinoa SOS1 homolog spans 23 exons and is comprised of 3474 bp of coding sequence (excluding the stop codon). Introns comprise 17840 bp of the genomic clone and range in size from 77 to 2123 bp. The predicted protein contains 1158 amino acid residues and aligns closely with SOS1 homologs of other species. The quinoa SOS1 homolog contains two putative domains, a Nhap cation-antiporter domain and a cyclic-nucleotide binding domain. Sequence analyses of both cDNA fragments and intron fragments suggest that two SOS1 loci are present in the quinoa genome that are likely orthologous loci derived from the ancestral diploid genomes of the modern allotetraploid quinoa genome. This report represents the first molecular characterization of a putative salt-tolerance gene in C. quinoa.

We present an efficient and effective method for trapping chukars (Alectoris chukar) on artificial water sources. We compared a B-trap, a prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) walk-in trap, a modified quail recall trap, and a newly designed Utah walk-in-funnel trap. Our Utah funnel trap outperformed standard techniques by more than 65%, and exceeded previous published results by 35%. Use of this method allows researchers and managers the ability to capture large numbers of Chukars relatively efficiently. With appropriate modifications this design is applicable for capturing a variety of bird species using small water developments. Chukars (Alectoris chukar) have been introduced throughout the world. Limited information regarding seasonal survival, causes of mortality, and other basic life history characteristics such as movements, home range, nesting and brood ecology, are available throughout their historical and introduced range of distribution. Lack of information is surprising because chukars have been introduced throughout the world and are popular with sport hunters. Survival estimates are particularly important for understanding population fluctuations which allows for adequate management. We evaluated the relationship of fall raptor migration, peak migration, reproductive period, and year effects on survival of chukars at 5 sites in western Utah. We also evaluated the probable cause of death for chukars with transmitters attached by examining evidence at kill sites. We captured and fitted 128 chukars with two different sized radio transmitters (99 females, 21 males, 8 sexes undetermined). Survival differed among study years where survival estimates showed significant (P< 0.01) differences between estimates in 2005 (Ψ = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01 - 0.09), compared to 2006 (Ψ = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.18 - 0.38). Estimates showed that chukars were less likely to survive (P = 0.01) during the fall peak of raptor migration in 2006 (bi-monthly Ψ = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.74 - 0.93) than (base survival) outside this migration period and during the chukar reproductive period (bi-monthly Ψ = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.95 - 0.98). We documented 95 deaths; with 45% of causes unknown, avian predation accounted for 30%, mammals killed 1%, and hunters accounted for 7.6%. Our research suggested that predation on chukars was substantial during the fall raptor migratory period.

This study was conducted to determinate carbon and nitrogen isotope fractionation in Bolivian and Chilean alpaca, llama and guanaco, hair, breath, plasma and feces. We also wanted to determine forage selection for these camelids using stable isotope technology. From the data, niche feeding and diet selection habits will determinate based on fecal composition. Bolivian sites were located near the high snow Altiplano Mountains at Tomarapi, Sajama, and at the Technical University Oruro's research center at Condoriri, Bolivia. Chilean samples were collected at INIA's (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria) Kampenaike Research Station, Punta Arenas, Chile. Bolivian alpacas and llamas were 3 to 5 years of age from producer herds and the Oruro University's camelid herd. Chilean animals were selected from INIA- Kampenaike's camelid herd. The alpacas, llamas and guanacos were selected based on heath status: no conformation defects, illness, genetic abnormalities or apparent nutrition problems. Samples were taken of fiber, feces, and blood from alpacas, llamas, and guanacos. Forage samples from pastures and grazing areas were taken. Forage species that were collected came from the asteraceae, berberidaceae, gramineae, caryophyllaceae, leguminoseae, plantaginaceae, gentianiaceae and the chenopodaceae families and ranged from -15.5‰ to -33.9‰ δ13C and -3.0‰ to 6.4‰ δ15N. Isotope values for feces and fiber were similar for the two Bolivian sites, but the Chilean values were significantly more depleted. This was attributed to the forage isotopic values being significantly more depleted than those found in Bolivia. Forage selection, based on fecal and forage isotopic signatures supported the observation that alpacas, llamas and guanacos eat different forages. This is dependent on forage source and time of year (dry versus wet season). Stable isotope technology will be a useful tool in determining forage selection and species competition or interactions in South American Camelids.

The severity and number of people affected by cancer is a worldwide problem with millions of people affected annually. The search for treatment and cures of cancer continues to be a global effort. As part of this global effort, many natural products have been tested against cancer cell lines, most from plants located in tropical regions. However, this study reports that extracts of Atriplex confertifolia, a native North American plant, has significant bioactivity against human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, 435, and 231, and HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells). The bioactivity of A. confertifolia extracts of these cells lines was compared to an FDA-approved cancer drug and an industry-standard leukocyte control cell line. Active portions of the extracts were found primarily in the polar fractions of the plant. A dose-response curve of the extracts clearly showed significant cell death similar to the FDA-approved drug. The plant extracts did not inhibit the viability of the leukocyte cell line. Cancer cell death was followed as a function of time and concentration. Cell death appears to be a result of apoptosis.