A new model of vertebrate cognition is introduced: maximization of cogency p(abgdj3). This model is shown to be a direct generalization of Aristotelian logic, and to be rigorously related to a calculable quantity. A key aspect of this model is that in Aristotelian logic information environments it functions logically. However, in non-Aristotelian environments, instead of finding the conclusion ...

Conrad Hal Waddington?s ?Experiments on the Development of Chick and Duck Embryos, Cultivated in vitro [5],? published in 1932 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, compares the differences in the development of birds [6] and amphibians [7]. Previous experiments focused on the self differentiation [8] of individual tissues in birds [6], but Waddington wanted to...

We examined whether host traits influenced the occurrence of avian influenza virus (AIV) in Anatidae (ducks, geese, swans) at wintering sites in California's Central Valley. In total, 3487 individuals were sampled at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and Conaway Ranch Duck Club during the hunting season of 2007-08. Of the 19 Anatidae species sampled, prevalence was highest in the northern sho...

An attempt was made to determine the cyclicity in yak through plasma progesterone estimation during breeding season as well as non-breeding season because silent or non-detected estrus is very common in this species. Blood samples were collected from yak (n = 8) during peak breeding season (July to November) and from the same animals in non-breeding season (February to March) at a two-day inter...

In the midto late 1990s, nearly a decade after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, female harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) suffered reduced winter survival in oiled areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, relative to unoiled areas. We conducted follow-up studies from winters 2000–2001 to 2002–2003 to determine whether differential survival persisted and to evaluate whether individua...

The RNA transcription profile of the goose parvovirus (GPV) was determined, and it is a surprising hybrid of features of the Parvovirus and Dependovirus genera of the Parvovirinae subfamily of the Parvoviridae. Similar to the Dependovirus adeno-associated virus type 5, RNAs transcribed from the GPV upstream P9 promoter, which encode the viral nonstructural proteins, were polyadenylated at a hig...

A serological survey on the prevalence of antibodies to Newcastle disease virus was carried out in 2 communes of Phu Vang District, Thua Thien Hue Province, Central Vietnam. Villagers in the district keep chickens under either scavenging or enclosed backyard systems. Villages in each commune and households in each village were selected randomly. Approximately 30% of household flocks in each vil...

This thesis was an interdisciplinary investigation with the goal of balancing the conservation of wildlife habitat with road access for subsistence hunting in Yakutat, Alaska. The problem posed by land managers and subsistence moose hunters revolved around the use of offhighway vehicles (OHVs; e.g. “four-wheelers”) for subsistence moose hunting and the potential disturbance OHVs have on moose. ...

Corn containing aflatoxin can be effectively decontaminated by treatment with gaseous ammonia at atmospheric pressure. Preliminary studies were made of the effect of ammonia level, corn moisture, temperature, and time on the aflatoxin level. Ammonia tolerance tests were carried out on laying hens as were acceptance tests by swine. Toxicity feeding trials with duck/ings, broiler chicks, and trou...

The present study pertains to estimation of body weight of Vigova Super M, broiler ducks using linear and some non linear (log, inverse, quadratic, cubic, power, S, compound, logistic, growth and exponential) regression equations. Breast angle was considered as a predictor for estimation of the body weight. The results indicate that quadratic regression equation provided the most accurate estim...