Survey on fungal, parasites and epibionts infestation on the Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823), in Aras Reservoir West Azarbaijan, Iran

A total of 394 (255 males, 139 females) live freshwater crayfish Astacus leptodactylus from four stations of Aras reservoir in West Azarbaijan Province (North-Western Iran) were studied during the winter until early autumn of 2009 for the presence of parasites, epibionts and fungal agents. Parasitological surveys were carried out on gills, exoskeleton and internal organs, mycological examinations on the exoskeleton (the legs, abdominal cuticle and the eggs). 9 epibionts and parasites peritrich protozoans including: Cothurnia sieboldii (68.5%), Zoothamnium spp. (56.6%), Vorticella similis (45.6%), Chilodonella spp. (0.5%), Podophrya fixa (7.8%), Epistylis chrysemidis (53.2%), Pyxicola annulata (66%), Opercularia articulata (19.8%), Tetrahymena pyriformis (0.5%) were recorded. From Metazoan parasites group, Branchiobdella kozarovi (71%) as the first observation was the only parasite recorded from exoskeleton with prevalence (100%) during spring and summer of the study year. Infected gills were heavily damaged with Aeolosoma hemprichi (Annelid) in winter with 90% prevalence. Other epibiont fouling organisms such as Rotatoria, free living Nematods were observed in this survey. Furthermore, on the mycotic agents identified Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria sp., Fusarium sp. and Saprolegnia sp. were isolated in IM media and identified with slides cultured from cuticular melanized lesions and eggs of infected specimens. This is the first investigation on epibionts, parasites and fungal organisms of the endemic crayfish in Aras reservoir, Iran

Morphological and Morphometrical Description of Trichostrongylus Species Isolated from Domestic Ruminants in Khuzestan Province, Southwest Iran

Backgrounds: Genus Trichostrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae) is one of the most impor­tant zoonotic nematodes with wide geographic distribution in the world. The purpose of the present study was to describe morphological and morphometrical characteristics of male Trichostrongylus species, currently prevalent in domestic ruminants of Khuzestan Province, south­west Iran.Methods: Gastro-intestinal organs of 1600 sheep, goats, cattle, and buffalos, slaughtered in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, were examined for infectivity with Trichostrongylus spe­cies. For examination and measurements of helminthes, Azo-carmine staining was per­formed, followed by camera lucida drawings of morphological characters and measurements of morphometrical criteria with a calibrated microscope. Using valid nematodes systematic keys, almost all the parasites were identified at the level of species.Results: Overall, 114 animals were found infected with at least one species of Trichostrongy­lus. Considering morphological characteristics of male Trichostrongylus, six species were identi­fied including T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus, T. probolorus, T. capricola, T. longispicu­laris and Trichostrongylus sp. Conclusion: Although, compared to the previous decades, currently Trichostrongylus is much less prevalent in the domestic ruminants of the study area, but still different species occur in these animals

DS-KCF: a real-time tracker for RGB-D data

© 2016 The Author(s) We propose an RGB-D single-object tracker, built upon the extremely fast RGB-only KCF tracker that is able to exploit depth information to handle scale changes, occlusions, and shape changes. Despite the computational demands of the extra functionalities, we still achieve real-time performance rates of 35–43 fps in MATLAB and 187 fps in our C++ implementation. Our proposed method includes fast depth-based target object segmentation that enables, (1) efficient scale change handling within the KCF core functionality in the Fourier domain, (2) the detection of occlusions by temporal analysis of the target’s depth distribution, and (3) the estimation of a target’s change of shape through the temporal evolution of its segmented silhouette allows. Finally, we provide an in-depth analysis of the factors affecting the throughput and precision of our proposed tracker and perform extensive comparative analysis. Both the MATLAB and C++ versions of our software are available in the public domain

Regional frequency analysis of extreme rainfalls using partial L moments method

An approach based on regional frequency analysis using L moments and LH moments are revisited in this study. Subsequently, an alternative regional frequency analysis using the partial L moments (PL moments) method is employed, and a new relationship for homogeneity analysis is developed. The results were then compared with those obtained using the method of L moments and LH moments of order two. The Selangor catchment, consisting of 37 sites and located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is chosen as a case study. PL moments for the generalized extreme value (GEV), generalized logistic (GLO), and generalized Pareto distributions were derived and used to develop the regional frequency analysis procedure. PL moment ratio diagram and Z test were employed in determining the best-fit distribution. Comparison between the three approaches showed that GLO and GEV distributions were identified as the suitable distributions for representing the statistical properties of extreme rainfall in Selangor. Monte Carlo simulation used for performance evaluation shows that the method of PL moments would outperform L and LH moments methods for estimation of large return period events

Regional frequency analysis of extreme rainfalls in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia using partial l-moments

This study was to reinstate the development of regional frequency analysis using L-moments approach. The Partial L-moments (PL-moments) method was employed and a new relationship for homogeneity analysis is developed. For this study, the PL-moments for generalized logistic (GLO), generalized pareto (GPA) and generalized value (GEV) distributions were derived based on the formula defined by Wang (Water Resour Res 32:1767-1771, 1996). The three distributions are used to develop the regional frequency analysis procedures. As a case of study, the Selangor catchment that consists of 30 sites which located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia has chosen as sample. Based on L-moment and PL-moment ratio diagrams as well as Z-test statistics, the GEV and GLO were identified as the best distributions to represent the statistical properties of extreme rainfalls in Selangor. Monte Carlo simulation shows that the method of PL-moments would outperform L-moments method for estimation of large returns period event

Determination of Diagnostic Antigens in Cattle Amphistomiasis Using Western Blotting

"nBackground: Mixed infection with amphistomes seems common in native cattle of Iran. The aim of this study was to determine diagnostic antigens in cattle mixed amphistomiasis."nMethods: Specific antigens of Cotylophoron cotylophorum, Gastrothylax crumenifer and Paramphisto­mum cervi (mixed infection), the most common species, were collected from cattle was deter­mined. Adult trematodes were collected from the rumen of naturally infected cattle at meat inspec­tion. After their homogenization and centrifugation, somatic antigens were prepared and ana­lyzed by SDS-PAGE. Specific antigens were determinated by western blot with homologous and heterolo­gous sera. SDS-PAGE of whole worms extract was performed at different concentrations and subse­quent gels staining. Immunoblotting analysis using sera from cattle naturally infected with am­phistomes, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Fasciola spp. and hydatid cyst was performed."nResults: Electrophorese analysis of somatic antigens revealed the presence of 10 and 21 protein bands at 4 µgr/ml and 8 µgr/ml with molecular weights ranging from 25-120 and 25-150 kDa, respectively. The best result was taken at 8 mg/ml concentration. Although western blot of these proteins demon­strate 5 major antigenic polypeptides ranging from 50 to 100 kDa which were recognized by serum of cat­tle naturally infected with mixed amphistomes