1-24. (canceled)
25. A method of controlling heartworm disease, comprising administering to a non-human animal subject a composition comprising an effective dose of ivermectin to control Dirofilaria immitis andor Dirofilaria repens infestation, wherein said ivermectin composition is in the form of an implant, and said composition is administered at least twice a year, once a year, once in 18 months, or once in 24 months.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the animal subject is a pet.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein said pet is a canine.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein said composition comprises an amount of ivermectin sufficient to achieve plasma concentration of ivermectin in the animal of less than 0.2 ng mL, less to 0.15 ngmL, or from 0.1 ngmL to 0.15 ngmL, or about of 0.1 ngmL for a period of at least 6 months, 12 months, at least 18 months and up to 24 months.
29. The method of claim 25, said method comprising administering ivermectin under conditions sufficient to achieve and maintain plasma ivermectin concentration of less than 0.2 ngmL, less to 0.15 ngmL, or from 0.1 ngmL to 0.15 ngmL, or about of 0.1 ngmL for a period of at least 6 months, 12 months, at least 18 months up to 24 months.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein said plasma ivermectin concentration is less than 0.2 ngmL.
31. A veterinary drug composition for use in controlling heartworm disease or dirofilariose in a non-human animal subject, wherein said composition is in the form of an implant, wherein said composition comprises an effective dose of ivermectin, and is administered at least twice a year, once a year, once in 18 months up to 24 months.
32. The composition of claim 31, wherein the animal subject is a pet.
33. The composition of claim 32, wherein said pet is a canine.
34. The composition of claim 31, wherein said composition comprises an amount of ivermectin sufficient to achieve plasma concentration in the animal subject of ivermectin less than 0.2 ngmL, less to 0.15 ngmL, or from 0.1 ngmL to 0.15 ngmL, or about of 0.1 ngmL for a period of at least 6 months, 12 months, at least 18 months up to 24 months.
35. The composition of claim 31, wherein said composition further comprises other ectoparasitic andor endoparasitic agents and wherein, optionally, the ivermectin is replaced with a therapeutically effective amount of another avermectin.
36. A veterinary drug composition for use in controlling Dirofilaria immitis andor Dirofilaria repens infestation in non-human animal subject, wherein said composition is in the form of an implant, wherein said composition comprises an effective dose of ivermectin, and is administered at least twice a year, once a year, once in 18 months up to 24 months.
37. The composition of claim 36, wherein the animal subject is a pet.
38. The composition of claim 37, wherein said pet is a canine.
39. The composition of claim 36, wherein said composition comprises an amount of ivermectin sufficient to achieve plasma concentration in the animal subject of ivermectin less than 0.2 ngmL, less to 0.15 ngmL, or from 0.1 ngmL to 0.15 ngmL, or about of 0.1 ngmL for a period of at least 6 months, 12 months, at least 18 months up to 24 months.
40. The composition of claim 39, wherein said plasma concentration is about 0.1 ngmL for at least 6 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 24 months.
41. A kit useful in the control of a parasitic infestation of heartworm in a non-human animal subject, which comprises an implant containing an effective dose of ivermectin for controlling Dirofilaria immitis andor Dirofilaria repens infestation, at a lower plasma concentration of ivermectin of about 5% to 95% as compared to plasma ivermectin concentration obtained via conventional ivermectin formulation, and instructions for the treatment andor prevention in said subject.
42. The kit of claim 41, which further comprises other ectoparasitic andor endoparasitic control agents and optionally a carrier.
43. The kit of claim 41, wherein implant contains an amount of ivermectin effective to achieve and maintain a plasma ivermectin concentration of less than 0.2 ngmL, or less to 0.15 ngmL, or between 0.1 ngmL to 0.15 ngmL, or is about of 0.1 ngmL for a period of at least 6 months, 12 months, or at least 18 months, and up to 24 months.
44. The kit of claim 43, wherein said plasma concentration is about 0.1 ngmL.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for seismic data acquisition, the method comprising:
towing, along an inline direction, a seismic data acquisition system including
seismic sources distributed in a cross-line direction with a predetermined step, the cross-line direction being substantially perpendicular to the inline direction,
a first streamer set and a second streamer set towed behind first and second outer seismic sources of the seismic sources, respectively, and
a third streamer set towed behind a third middle source of the seismic sources;
activating the seismic sources;
acquiring seismic data using detectors carried by the first, second and third streamer sets; and
shifting the seismic data acquisition system, in the cross-line direction, with a distance substantially equal to the predetermined step, when switching between a heading parallel to the inline direction, and a heading anti-parallel to the inline direction.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein two of the seismic sources are towed between the first outer seismic source and the third middle seismic source, and other two of the seismic sources are towed between the third middle seismic source and the second outer seismic source.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the seismic sources are spread along the inline direction, with an inline separation step.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the inline separation step is determined by a towing speed and a listening time.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the inline separation step is adjusted to be smaller than a product of a towing speed and a listening time, to achieve a target inline fold.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the seismic sources are activated to have overlapping listening time intervals.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least two seismic sources are towed at substantially same inline level along the inline direction.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein one of the at least two seismic sources is different from the first outer seismic source, the second outer seismic source or the third middle seismic source.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein
a first pair of seismic sources among the seismic sources are activated to have overlapping first listening time intervals,
a second pair of seismic sources among the seismic sources are activated to have overlapping second listening time intervals, and
the third middle seismic source is positioned between sources of the first pair of sources and between sources of the second pair of sources.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein sources of the first pair of sources have substantially same cross-line separation as sources of the second pair of sources.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein geometries of the first, second and third streamer sets are substantially identical, and streamers of the first, the second and the third streamer sets are towed substantially symmetrical in the cross-line direction relative to a trajectory of the first outer, the second outer and the third middle seismic source, respectively.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, the second and the third streamer set have a same streamer spread, and the predetermined step corresponds to the streamer spread.
13. A method for seismic data acquisition, the method comprising:
towing, in an inline direction, a seismic data acquisition system including
seismic sources distributed in a cross-line direction with a predetermined step, the cross-line direction being substantially perpendicular to the inline direction,
a first streamer set and a second streamer set towed behind first and second outer seismic sources of the seismic sources, and
a third streamer set towed behind a third middle source among the seismic sources;
activating the seismic sources;
acquiring seismic data using detectors carried by the first, second and third streamer sets; and
shifting the seismic data acquisition system, in the cross-line direction, when switching between a heading parallel to the inline direction and a heading anti-parallel to the inline direction,
wherein the seismic data acquisition system is shifted a first distance that is substantially equal to a half of the predetermined step for a predetermined number of times, and then the seismic data acquisition system is shifted once a second distance that is a multiple of the predetermined step.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second distance is substantially equal to half the product of the predetermined number of times and the predetermined step.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined number of times is one less than a number of the seismic sources.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the seismic sources are towed with an inline separation step.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the inline separation step is adjusted to achieve a target inline fold.
18. A marine seismic data acquisition system configured to be towed in an inline direction, the system comprising:
seismic sources distributed in a cross-line direction with a predetermined step, the cross-line direction being substantially perpendicular to the inline direction, and
a first streamer set and a second streamer set towed behind a first and a second outer seismic source of the seismic sources, respectively, and
a third streamer set towed behind a third middle source among the seismic sources.
19. The seismic data acquisition system of claim 18, further comprising:
seismic vessels configured and coordinated to tow the seismic sources and the first, the second and the third streamer set up and down the inline direction such that at a heading switch, the data acquisition system to be shifted with substantially the predetermined step in the cross-line direction.
20. The seismic data acquisition system of claim 18, further comprising:
seismic vessels configured and coordinated to tow the seismic sources and the first, the second and the third streamer set heading parallel to the inline direction and then heading anti-parallel to the inline direction, such that
at a heading switch, the data acquisition system to be shifted, in the cross-line direction, with a first distance that is substantially equal to a half of the predetermined step, and,
after switching heading a predetermined number of times, the seismic data acquisition system to be shifted, in the cross-line direction, with a second distance that is a multiple of the predetermined step.