A guinea pig cage for easy cleaning.

A simple cage and rack system was designed for holding guinea pigs in a laboratory environment. The shoe box solid floor cage, made of plastic, has 2 holes for "outside of cage" watering and "outside of cage" feeding. All of the accessory equipments such as automatic watering devices and feeders were set on rack shelves to design the cage simply. This system has satisfactorily functioned for about one year in our laboratory and has substantially saved labor in the washing process.     

Evaluation of the preference to and behavioral effects of an enriched environment on male rhesus monkeys.

Two environments were provided to laboratory rhesus monkeys to determine if the animals spent more time (for the purposes of this study, defined as the cage side preference) in an enriched cage side than an unenriched cage side. The side (right or left) of a double-wide cage in which the animal spent the most time (as determined by Chi square analysis) was initially determined during baseline observations. The "nonpreferred" side was then enriched during the experimental phase of the study. The enrichment consisted of a perch, a Tug-A-Toy suspended inside the cage, a Kong toy suspended on the outside of the cage, and a grooming board mounted on the outside of the cage. No statistically significant changes in use of the enrichments were detected over time. Fifty percent of the animals switched cage side preference to the enriched side during the study. All subjects showed reduced behavioral pathology during exposure to the enriched environment with a return of behavioral pathology when the enrichments were removed.     

A secure semi-field system for the study of Aedes aegypti

Background

New contained semi-field cages are being developed and used to test novel vector control strategies of dengue and malaria vectors. We herein describe a new Quarantine Insectary Level-2 (QIC-2) laboratory and field cages (James Cook University Mosquito Research Facility Semi-Field System; MRF SFS) that are being used to measure the impact of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis on populations of Aedes aegypti in Cairns Australia.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The MRF consists of a single QIC-2 laboratory/insectary that connects through a central corridor to two identical QIC-2 semi-field cages. The semi-field cages are constructed of two layers of 0.25 mm stainless steel wire mesh to prevent escape of mosquitoes and ingress of other insects. The cages are covered by an aluminum security mesh to prevent penetration of the cages by branches and other missiles in the advent of a tropical cyclone. Parts of the cage are protected from UV light and rainfall by 90% shade cloth and a vinyl cover. A wooden structure simulating the understory of a Queenslander-style house is also situated at one end of each cage. The remainder of the internal aspect of the cage is covered with mulch and potted plants to emulate a typical yard. An air conditioning system comprised of two external ACs that feed cooled, moistened air into the cage units. The air is released from the central ceiling beam from a long cloth tube that disperses the airflow and also prevents mosquitoes from escaping the cage via the AC system. Sensors located inside and outside the cage monitor ambient temperature and relative humidity, with AC controlled to match ambient conditions. Data loggers set in the cages and outside found a <2°C temperature difference. Additional security features include air curtains over exit doors, sticky traps to monitor for escaping mosquitoes between layers of the mesh, a lockable vestibule leading from the connecting corridor to the cage and from inside to outside of the insectary, and screened (0.25 mm mesh) drains within the insectary and the cage. A set of standard operating procedures (SOP) has been developed to ensure that security is maintained and for enhanced surveillance for escaping mosquitoes on the JCU campus where the MRF is located. A cohort of male and female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were released in the cage and sampled every 3–4 days to determine daily survival within the cage; log linear regression from BG-sentinel trapping collections produced an estimated daily survival of 0.93 and 0.78 for females and males, respectively.

Conclusions/Significance

The MRF SFS allows us to test novel control strategies within a secure, contained environment. The air-conditioning system maintains conditions within the MRF cages comparable to outside ambient conditions. This cage provides a realistic transitional platform between the laboratory and the field in which to test novel control measures on quarantine level insects.     

Temporal variation of the static electric field inside an animal cage

The temporal variation of a static electric field inside an animal cage was investigated with a newly developed small, simple field meter. The field inside the cage was found to be highly dependent on the surface conductivity of the dielectric material. As the surface of the cage became dirty because of animal occupancy, the static electric field inside it became considerably smaller from the moment the field was turned on. Clean cages also modified the static electric field inside them, the field decaying from an initial to a much lower value over several hours. The mechanism of field attenuation for both cases is surface leakage. Surface leakage for a clean cage takes place much more slowly than for a dirty cage. This was confirmed by measuring DC insulation resistance. To examine this phenomenon further, the field in a metal cage with high electrical conductivity was measured. The static electric field inside the metal cage was also found to be reduced. An improved cage design that avoids these problems, is suggested for the study of the biologic effects of static electric fields.     

Effects of field cage colour and supplementary shade on environmental conditions and mating behaviour of Queensland fruit flies,Bactrocera tryoni

The mating performance field cage test is a required periodic quality‐control assessment for factory‐reared fruit flies used for the sterile insect technique. The FAO/IAEA/USDA guidelines for assessing fly quality state that if during tests a large proportion of flies call and mate on cage walls, away from host trees, then environmental conditions within the cage need to be adjusted and tests repeated. Here we test effects of cage design, specifically mesh colour (green, white) and addition of supplementary shade, on the mating behaviour of Queensland fruit fly (Q‐fly), Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt (Diptera: Tephritidae). Observations were made over a 4‐h period at dusk when these flies mate. Changes in environmental conditions in each cage over the dusk period varied with cage design. We recorded the highest proportion of matings taking place on trees as opposed to cage walls (>90%) in the unshaded white cage, the shaded white and un‐shaded green cages being intermediate (ca. 70%), and the shaded green cage had the least (ca. 40%). The effects of field cage colour and supplementary shade on mating behaviour are discussed. We recommend that Q‐fly field cage tests should be conducted in cages with a light coloured mesh, and that supplementary shading should only be applied if there is a need to adjust temperature and light within the cage.     

A field cage method for assessing resistance to turnip root fly in brassicas

A field cage method was evaluated as an alternative to field trials for identifying sources of resistance to turnip root fly in brassicas. This involved the controlled release of adult flies and the use of egg traps to quantify egg-laying on potted plants. Overall levels of resistance to Delia floralis, and its components, were assessed for 15 swede genotypes. Significant levels of antixenosis and antibiosis type resistance were identified in several cultivars and breeding lines. There was a close agreement between the field cage results and those from previous field trials, using comparable susceptible and resistance control cultivars. Compared with field selection, the field cage method reduced by c. 40% the time required to quantify resistance and each of its components.     

Polypeptide in the chaperonin cage partly protrudes out and then folds inside or escapes outside

The current mechanistic model of chaperonin-assisted protein folding assumes that the substrate protein in the cage, formed by GroEL central cavity capped with GroES, is isolated from outside and exists as a free polypeptide. However, using ATPase-deficient GroEL mutants that keep GroES bound, we found that, in the rate-limiting intermediate of a chaperonin reaction, the unfolded polypeptide in the cage partly protrudes through a narrow space near the GroEL/GroES interface. Then, the entire polypeptide is released either into the cage or to the outside medium. The former adopts a native structure very rapidly and the latter undergoes spontaneous folding. Partition of the in-cage folding and the escape varies among substrate proteins and is affected by hydrophobic interaction between the polypeptide and GroEL cavity wall. The ATPase-active GroEL with decreased in-cage folding produced less of a native model substrate protein in Escherichia coli cells. Thus, the polypeptide in the critical GroEL-GroES complex is neither free nor completely confined in the cage, but it is interacting with GroEL's apical region, partly protruding to outside.     

Exclusion size and material have minimal effects on stream benthic algae and macroinvertebrate colonization within submerged cages

Despite their widespread use in grazer–biofilm studies, stream exclusion cages have inherent physical properties that may alter benthic organism colonization and growth. We used laboratory studies and a field experiment to determine how exclusion cage design (size and material) alters light availability, water velocity, and benthic organism colonization. We measured light reduction by various plastic cage materials and flow boundary layer thickness across a range of exclusion cage sizes in the laboratory. We also deployed multiple exclusion cage designs based on commonly available materials into a second-order stream to assess algae and macroinvertebrate colonization differences among exclusion cages. All plastics reduced some light (190–700 nm wavelengths) and blocked more ultraviolet light than photosynthetically active radiation. Exclusion cage size did not influence flow boundary layer thickness, but larger exclusions tended to have higher velocity at the substrata surface. Despite light and water velocity differences, algal biomass, macroinvertebrate density, and community composition were similar between exclusion cage types. However, algal assemblages outside exclusion cages differed in composition and had higher biomass compared to inside exclusion cages. In terms of algal and macroinvertebrate colonization, plastic exclusion cage size and material appear to be flexible within the sizes tested, but differences can still exist between exclusion cage communities and those within the stream. Overall, artifacts of screened exclusion cages do not appear to introduce large bias in results of grazer–biofilm studies, but efforts to design exclusion cages that better mimic the natural system should continue.     

Respiratory cross-sectional area-flux measurements of the human chest wall

A new device that utilizes the voltages induced in separate coils encircling the rib cage and abdomen by a magnetic field is described for measurement of cross-sectional areas of the human chest wall (rib cage and abdomen) and their variation during breathing. A uniform magnetic field (1.4 X 10(-7) Tesla at 100 kHz) is produced by generating an alternating current at 100 kHz in two square coils, 1.98 m on each side, parallel to the planes of the areas to be measured and placed symmetrically cephalad and caudad to these planes at a mean distance of 0.53 m. We demonstrated that the accuracy of the device on well-defined surfaces (squares, circles, rectangles, ellipses) was within 1% in all cases. Observed errors are due primarily to small inhomogeneities of the magnetic field and variation of the orientation of the coil relative to the field. Using a second magnetic field (80 kHz) perpendicular to the first, we measured the errors due to nonparallel orientation during quiet breathing and inspiratory capacity maneuvers. In 10 normal subjects, orientation effects were less than 2% for the rib cage and less than 0.7% for the abdomen. In five of these subjects, orientation effects at functional residual capacity in lateral and seated postures were generally less than or equal to 5%, but estimated tidal volume during spontaneous breathing was comparable to measurements in the supine posture. In five curarized patients, we assessed the linearity of volume-motion relationships of the rib cage and abdomen, comparing cross-sectional area and circumference measurements. Departures from linearity using cross-sectional areas were only one-third of those using circumferences. In seven normal subjects we compared cross-sectional area measurements with respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) and found comparable estimates of lung volume change over a wide range of relative rib cage contributions to tidal volume (-5 to 105%), with slightly higher standard deviations for the RIP (SD = 10% for RIP; SD = 4% for cross-sectional area).     

Cryptococcus neoformans in bird excreta in the city zoo of Cali,Colombia

The presence of Cryptococcus neoformans was studied in bird excreta and in the air circulating in and around bird cages in the City Zoo of Cali, Colombia, between August 1994 and April 1995, using a sunflower seed agar culture medium for fungus isolation. A total of 380 samples was studied, 110 from droppings and 270 from Petri dishes placed inside(148) and outside (122) the cages. C. neoformansvar neoformans was found in only two cases, one from bird excreta (0.9%) and the other from air inside a cage (0.7%). The former positive sample was collected from the cracks of a dead tree where two crested caracaras (Polyborusplancus) roosted; the feces were dry, accumulated,and with a pH of 6. The other positive sample was found inside the cage of these birds; however, samples taken in a dispersion study at 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 m around this cage were all negative. It appears that this low isolation rate is due to adequate cleaning and disinfection procedures used in the city zoo of Cali.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cage Toys Reduce Abnormal Behavior in Individually Housed Pigtail Macaques

As part of a behavioral intervention program that identifies and treats individual nonhuman primates exhibiting abnormal behavior, five individually housed pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were provided with multiple cage toys in an effort to reduce high levels of abnormal behavior. Ten 30-min observations of each subject were conducted during the baseline condition and again after novel toys were presented, both loose inside the cage and attached to the outside of the cage. The new toys were used during 27% of the observation time. Kong Toys were used most consistently by the macaques during the 5-week observation period. Significant decreases in abnormal behavior and cage-directed behavior, as well as significantly increased enrichment use, were evident after the toys were added. Several of the toys were destroyed quickly, and individual differences were evident in the levels of enrichment use and abnormal behavior. Providing multiple manipulable toys as enrichment for pigtail macaques was effective in reducing abnormal behavior and was an important part of an environmental enrichment program for monkeys who could not be housed socially.     

Cage toys reduce abnormal behavior in individually housed pigtail macaques

As part of a behavioral intervention program that identifies and treats individual nonhuman primates exhibiting abnormal behavior, five individually housed pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were provided with multiple cage toys in an effort to reduce high levels of abnormal behavior. Ten 30-min observations of each subject were conducted during the baseline condition and again after novel toys were presented, both loose inside the cage and attached to the outside of the cage. The new toys were used during 27% of the observation time. Kong Toys were used most consistently by the macaques during the 5-week observation period. Significant decreases in abnormal behavior and cage-directed behavior, as well as significantly increased enrichment use, were evident after the toys were added. Several of the toys were destroyed quickly, and individual differences were evident in the levels of enrichment use and abnormal behavior. Providing multiple manipulable toys as enrichment for pigtail macaques was effective in reducing abnormal behavior and was an important part of an environmental enrichment program for monkeys who could not be housed socially.     

Role of Diadegma semiclausum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in controlling Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae): Cage exclusion experiments and direct observation

We evaluated the role of the larval parasitoid, Diadegma semiclausum Hellén (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), in controlling Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) by cage exclusion experiments and direct field observation during the winter season in southern Queensland, Australia. The cage exclusion experiment involved uncaged, open cage and closed cage treatments. A higher percentage (54–83%) of P. xylostella larvae on sentinel plants were lost in the uncaged treatment than the closed (4–9%) or open cage treatments (11–29%). Of the larvae that remained in the uncaged treatment, 72–94% were parasitized by D. semiclausum, much higher than that in the open cage treatment (8–37% in first trial, and 38–63% in second trial). Direct observations showed a significant aggregation response of the field D. semiclausum populations to high host density plants in an experimental plot and to high host density plots that were artificially set-up near to the parasitoid source fields. The degree of aggregation varied in response to habitat quality of the parasitoid source field and scales of the manipulated host patches. As a result, density-dependence in the pattern of parasitism may depend on the relative degree of aggregation of the parasitoid population at a particular scale. A high degree of aggregation seems to be necessary to generate density-dependent parasitism by D. semiclausum. Integration of the cage exclusion experiment and direct observation demonstrated the active and dominant role of this parasitoid in controlling P. xylostella in the winter season. A biologically based IPM strategy, which incorporates the use of D. semiclausum with Bt, is suggested for the management of P. xylostella in seasons or regions with a mild temperature.     

Effects of the Sunscreen Oxybenzone on Field Efficacy and Persistence of Metarhizium flavoviride Conidia Against Kraussella amabile (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Mali,West Africa

A field trial was performed at Mourdiah, northwest Mali, to evaluate whether the performance of Metarhizium flavoviride conidia would improve if 2% oxybenzone, an oil-soluble ultraviolet light protectant, was used. Conidia were applied in an ultra-low volume formulation against nymphs of the grasshopper Kraussella amabile . Mortality was assessed by collecting grasshoppers directly from field plots (sweep net samples) or by exposing untreated nymphs to sprayed vegetation for 48 h (field cage samples). For sweep net samples, the mortalities in M. flavoviride treatments varied between 94.5 and 99.9% up to 7 days after treatment, while control mortalities were significantly lower (20.7-55.0%). There were no significant differences between M. flavoviride treatments with or without oxybenzone. The average survival times were found to be significantly lower for fungal treatments (4.9 days) compared with the control treatment (11.8 days). W ith field cage samples, the mortality in M. flavoviride treatments declined from > 95.0% for nymphs exposed just after application to < 30.0% for nymphs exposed to treated vegetation on the 10th day after application. The control mortalities varied between 5.1 and 37.2%, and were significantly lower than fungal treatments for samples placed just after application and 10 days after application. The overall average survival times were 10.9 and 10.7 days for M. flavoviride with and without oxybenzone respectively, and 13.9 days with the control treatment. An exponential regression was fitted using cage mortality data which indicated that the half-life for conidial infectivity was 4.3 days on treated vegetation.     

Calibration and evaluation of field cage for oviposition study with Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti female (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae)

Differences among results gathered from insect behavior studies conducted in laboratory and field situations are due to ambient variables that differ greatly between both environments. In laboratory studies the environmental conditions can be controlled whereas in field temperature, humidity and air velocity vary uncontrollably. The objective of this study was to calibrate and evaluate an experimental area (field cage) (14 x 7 x 3.5 m) subdivided into eight test cages (2.5 x 2.5 x 2 m) for use in behavioral oviposition tests of Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes for developing a new methodology to assess attractants and oviposition traps. Test cage calibration involved: (1) minimal experiment duration tests; (2) optimal female release number per traps test and (3) trap placement tests. All tests used gravid A. aegypti females; 3-4 days post blood meal and the sticky trap MosquiTRAP to catch adults. Ninety percent of the females released were recaptured 2h after the beginning of the experiment, and this allowed up to 32 test repetitions/day to be conducted in the field cage. The minimum number of females necessary to conduct statistical analyses was 20 females/trap/test per cage. No significant difference was found in the behavioral response of gravid females to four different trap positions within test cages. Field trapping results with attractant were similar to those in the field cage. Therefore, the field cage could replace field trapping for evaluating at least mosquito traps and oviposition attractants for A. aegypti.     

Do hens suffer in battery cages? environmental preferences and welfare

The question ‘Do hens suffer in battery cages?’ is difficult to answer because of the problem of objectively assessing suffering in animals. It is argued that preference tests may be one way of throwing light on this difficult problem. This paper describes some experiments on habitat preference in domestic hens. No preference was observed between a commercial battery cage and a large pen when hens were given continuous access to the two. A simultaneous choice between a battery cage and an outside hen-run showed a clear preference for the run, but choice was strongly influenced by prior experience. The strength of the run preference was investigated by ‘pitting’ the run against food and access to companions.     

Impact of mariculture on microbial diversity in sediments near open ocean farming of Polydactylus sexfilis

A chemical and microbiological investigation was performed to determine ecological impact in sediments below a new offshore mariculture operation on the southwest coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Sediment samples collected directly below the fish enclosures were compared with sediment collected 300 m upcurrent. Total organic carbon was 25–37% higher in the control compared with cage samples and ammonia was 30–46% higher in cage samples. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) counts were 36% higher in cage sample sediments.Genomic 16S rDNA was PCR amplified from total DNA extracted from sediments and analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Similar gradient profiles for control and cage samples were observed. Cloned 16S rDNA libraries for species sampling and determination indicate similar and diverse bacterial communities. Bacteria belonging to the γ-Proteobacteria class were frequently represented and atypical or pathogenic bacterial species were not detected.A mathematical model developed for prediction of organic material deposition suggests that while currents will reduce fecal loading and feed deposition beneath a cage, there is expected to be sufficient nutrient addition to impact those sediments. Time series or statistical information on the current field beneath the fish cages are needed to apply the model for predicting locations of high deposition. This would contribute to the development of a comprehensive monitoring program that would sample multiple locations over time to generate an accurate and comprehensive depiction of the environmental impacts of this new and expanding commercial endeavor.     

Moving callitrichid monkeys from cages to outside areas

To assess the important aspects of a large area for environmental enrichment, the behavior of families of common marmosets Callithrix jacchus and cotton-top tamarins Saguinus oedipus when in laboratory cages and when in much larger outside areas was compared. All animals avoided areas with little cover. The two tamarin families preferred an indoor cage to a large open area with little cover and consequently only showed a limited range of behavior when outside. When dense cover was provided to the marmoset family, they used this area extensively, showing a wider range of behavior than when in cages and shifting to less active behavior patterns. By feeding marmosets in a central area, it was possible to allow unlimited access to the outside while effectively containing them.     

大黄鱼养殖网箱内外细菌的数量分布及区系组成

目的 调查舟山市大黄鱼养殖网箱内外异养细菌、弧菌、大肠菌群和粪大肠菌群等的数量分布,并研究水体中异养细菌的区系组成。方法 异养细菌和弧菌的计数采用平板菌落计数法;大肠菌群和粪大肠菌群的计数采用MPN法;异养细菌参照O1iver提供的海洋细菌鉴定检索图、《海洋调查规范》和《一般细菌常用鉴定方法》提供的图式鉴定至属。结果 细菌的数量呈现出明显的季节性波动,并且网箱内细菌的数量要普遍高于网箱外,所分离到的细菌经鉴定可归于莫拉菌属（Moraxella）、不动细菌属（Acinetobacter）、弧菌属（Vibrio）、梭状芽胞杆菌属（Clostridium）和气单胞菌属（Aeromonas）等11个菌属。结论 通过监控网箱养殖水体中异养细菌和弧菌的数量波动,可以提前预警大黄鱼病害的发生.     

The potential of three native insect predators to control the rosy apple aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea

The potential of three aphidophagous predators, Adalia bipunctata, Aphidoletes aphidimyza, and Episyrphus balteatus to control the rosy apple aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea Pass., a major pest on apple in Europe, was assessed by means of laboratory and field cage experiments in Northern Switzerland. Under laboratory conditions, all three predators efficiently preyed upon D. plantaginea on apple seedlings. The searching success of larvae of A. bipunctata for individual aphids was not dependent on the size of branches of apple trees varying in leaf surface area from 150 cm² to 960 cm². Fifty and 70% of individual aphids were found and killed 6 hours and 48 hours, respectively, after release of single second instar larva of A. bipunctata. In a first field cage experiment in 1996, A. bipunctata, and to a lesser extent E. balteatus, proved to be effective and consistent predators of D. plantaginea during spring conditions, being little affected by cool temperatures and wet weather. In a subsequent field cage experiment in 1997, larvae of A. bipunctata and E. balteatus were released singly and in combination on aphid infested apple seedlings to study interactions between these two promising control agents. Both species had a significant negative effect on aphid population increase. The two species did not significantly interact and thus, their joint effect is best explained by an additive model. Combined releases of the two predator species reduced aphid densities to 5% of the control. This indicates the potential for augmentative releases of these native aphid predators to control D. plantaginea.