ABSTRACT.- An enhanced protocol for the evaluation of in vivo biological activity of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) assay in mice is described, following European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) version 10.0 guideline and optimized by applying the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (3Rs) in animal experimentation. In Laboratory Animal Science, one of the main principles is to optimize the experimental protocols in order to achieve the best results with the lowest number of animals and refine the procedures to avoid unnecessary suffering.

SUMMARY.- Cercospora Leaf Spot (CLS) of olive is an important fungal disease in Uruguay, causing severe early defoliation. Fungal isolates were obtained from olive leaves with typical CLS symptoms from Uruguayan orchards. The isolates were identified based on phenotypic characteristics and DNA sequence analyses. Infection processes under field conditions were characterized. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that Pseu-docercospora cladosporioides is the causal agent of CLS in Uruguay. Three colony morphologies were observed for isolates growing on potato dextrose agar.

ABSTRACT.- Objective:Our objective was to evaluate 2 methods of external marker dosing, at 2 levels of forage allowance, to estimate forage intake in beef cattle. Materials and Methods:Sixteen Aberdeen Angus steers (mean age of 18 mo; 350 +- 9 kg BW), kept in individual pens, were used in a quadruplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment, in a 2 × 2 factorial arrange-ment. The factors were forage allowance level (4 vs. 7 kg DM/d of alfalfa plus orchard grass haylage) and supple-ment feeding method (manual vs. automatic).

ABSTRACT.- The demand for mountain water resources is increasing, and their availability is threatened by climate change, emphasizing the urgency for effective protection and management. The upper Sali-Dulce watershed holds vital significance as it contributes the majority of the Sali-Dulce water resources, supporting a densely populated dry region in Northwestern Argentina, covering an area of 24,217 km2. However, the potential impact of climate change and land use/land cover change on water yield in this watershed remains uncertain.

ABSTRACT.- Cover crops with reduced tillage technology (CC-RT) can foster soil health and functioning, a crucial agroecological principle in any transition strategy to more sustainable agricultural systems. However, CC-RT commonly strongly relies on herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, and vegetable crop yields are variable and often low.

ABSTRACT.- Assimilating external observations of crop state in cropping system models is essential for making spatially explicit predictions of crop variables relevant in precision agriculture. Satellite-based leaf area index (LAI) estimates have been the most frequent variable used as a proxy of actual crop growth. However, additional information beyond LAI, like canopy N content, water content, and structure, can be retrieved from satellite observations.

RESUMEN: Uno de los principales desafíos de las instituciones públicas de ciencia y tecnología radica en alinear las actividades y resultados de la investigación con la agenda de I+D y los lineamientos estratégicos definidos institucionalmente. Dentro de los factores que definen este alineamiento se encuentran las publicaciones científicas, consideradas incluso en muchos casos como el principal producto de las actividades de investigación.

ABSTRACT.- Ninety lambs reared on pastures were slaughtered for 2 y corresponding to 3 ages of slaughter:At weaning with 4 mo of age (4M), at 6-7 mo of age (6M), and at 12 mo of age (12M; last treatments were weaned at 4 mo). With the purpose of deseasonalizing high-quality meat lamb production in the year, the present work aimed to achieve hot carcass weight (HCW) of 18?20 kg on average in each lamb group. Hot carcass weight, carcass yield (CYd), subcutaneous tissue depth, leg, frenched rack, and loin weights were determined.

ABSTRACT.- Bee stings (BS) are a life-threatening issue and a growing concern for public health and animals in the Americas. We describe the clinical, pathological, and ultrastructural findings of a massive lethal bee attack in two non-human primates (NHPs). Both animals showed BS scattered throughout the skin, surrounded by a local reaction, diffuse pulmonary congestion, edema, hemorrhage, and remarkable degeneration and necrosis of renal epithelial cells from the proximal and distal tubules, characterizing a systemic bee envenomation reaction. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

ABSTRACT.- In the summer of 2023, ingestion of Astylus atromaculatus (pollen beetle) was linked to spontaneous fatal disease in grazing cattle and sheep in Argentina and Uruguay. While the disease was experimentally reproduced in sheep and guinea pigs in the 1970's, no experimental reproductions have been attempted in cattle, and controversy exists as to whether this insect is indeed noxious to cattle and at which dose. Here, we demonstrate that A. atromaculatus causes acute fatal disease in Hereford calves at single oral dosages of 2.5, 4.5, 10.0, and 15.0 g of insect/kg body weight.