Clinical remission of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome in a Rottweiler

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a rare syndrome for which Rottweilers appear to over-represent the canine cases. A 6-month-old female entire Rottweiler presented with seizures following a traumatic incident. The dog was identified as having a marked, sustained eosinophilia and investigations did not identify an underlying cause. Concurrently, the dog had chronic eosinophilic hepatitis with impaired liver function and mesenteric eosinophilic lymphadenitis. The dog went on to have spontaneous resolution of HES and normal liver function was subsequently documented. To date, the dog is still alive, more than 4 years after initial presentation. The diagnosis of idiopathic HES in Rottweilers may not carry a poor prognosis and the condition may spontaneously resolve, even in cases with documented organ damage.     

Nitrate leaching from the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment, Rothamsted, UK, as influenced by fertilizer and manure inputs and the weather

Abstract. Nitrate leaching was measured over the eight drainage seasons spanning the nine years from 1990–1998 on the 157‐year old Broadbalk Experiment at Rothamsted, UK. The weather pattern of two dry, three wet and three dry years was the dominant factor controlling nitrogen (N) loss. Both the concentration of nitrate in the drainage waters and the amount of N leached increased with the amount of N applied, mostly because of long‐term, differential increases in soil organic matter and mineralization. On average, losses of N by leaching were 30 kg ha^?1yr^?1 when no more than the optimum N application was applied and were typical of amounts leached from arable land in the UK. Losses increased significantly in both amounts and as the percentage of N applied for supra‐optimal applications of N and from autumn‐applied farmyard manure (FYM). Extra spring‐applied fertilizer was very effective at increasing yields on plots given FYM in the autumn but at the expense of leaching losses three times those from optimum fertilizer N applications. Losses increased after potatoes because they left significant amounts of mineral N in the soil, and decreased after forage maize because it used applied N more effectively. Losses measured 120 years ago from identical treatments were 74% greater than current losses because of today's larger yields and more efficient varieties and management practices. Average concentrations of nitrate in drainage waters did not exceed the EU limit of 11.3 mg NO₃‐N l^?1 until supra‐optimal amounts of N fertilizer (>150–200 kg ha^?1yr^?1) were applied in spring or FYM was applied in autumn. However some drainage waters from all plots, even those that have not received fertilizer for >150 years, exceeded the limit when rain followed a dry summer and autumn. Nitrate leaching into waters will remain a problem for profitable arable farming in the drier parts of Eastern England and Europe despite increased N use efficiency.     

Multi-atom resonant photoemission: A method for determining near-neighbor atomic identities and bonding

Measurements and theoretical calculations are reported for an interatomic multi-atom resonant photoemission (MARPE) effect that permits direct determination of near-neighbor atomic identities (atomic numbers). MARPE occurs when the photon energy is tuned to a core-level absorption edge of an atom neighboring the emitting atom, with the emitting level having a lower binding energy than the resonant level. Large peak-intensity enhancements of 33 to 105 percent and energy-integrated effects of 11 to 29 percent were seen in three metal oxides. MARPE should also be sensitive to bond distance, bonding type, and magnetic order, and be observable via the secondary processes of x-ray fluorescence and Auger decay.     

Land restoration management after topsoil mining and implications for restoration policy guidelines in New Zealand

A three-year field trial on an upland loessial soil (Belmont silt loam) in New Zealand investigated the effects of ripping, application of fertilizer N and grazing management on the recovery of some physical, chemical and biochemical properties of soil and pasture productivity following removal (mining) of topsoil. Removing the top 31 cm of soil by mining (all of the A horizon and part of the AB horizon) also removed most of the soil's labile organic matter fractions, and to a lesser extent its total organic matter. After three years, the microbial C and mineralizable N in the 0–10 cm depth of mined soil had reached 65 and 62 per cent of the corresponding levels in unmined soil. Ripping to a depth of 30 cm, application of fertilizer N and lenient grazing of the pasture failed to enhance the recovery of soil fertility. A soil sampling depth of 20 cm provided a reasonable basis to assess the microbial biomass and potential fertility. Pasture productivity was, on average, 30 per cent lower on mined land than on unmined land over the first three years after mining. Application of N proved uneconomic in terms of farm production, although a good pasture response to N fertilizer was obtained. The results from this and related trials are summarized as a series of recommendations for the monitoring and regulation of topsoil mining. An incentive regime is also recommended to encourage land owners and/or topsoil miners to use successful restoration techniques on topsoil-mined land. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.