Material in the middle ear of dogs having magnetic resonance imaging for investigation of neurologic signs

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and potential significance of finding material in the middle ear of dogs having magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Of 466 MR studies reviewed, an increased signal was identified in the tympanic bulla in 32 (7%) dogs. Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Cocker spaniels, Bulldogs, and Boxers were over-represented compared to the population of dogs having MR imaging. Five (16%) dogs had definite otitis media and one (3%) had a meningioma invading the middle ear. Of the remaining dogs, 13 (41%) had possible otitis media and 13 (41%) had neurologic conditions apparently unrelated to otitis media. The most common appearance of material in the middle ear was isointense in T1-weighted images and hyperintense in T2-weighted images. There was no apparent correlation between the signal characteristics of the material and the diagnosis. Enhanced signal after gadolinium administration was observed affecting the lining of the bulla in dogs with otitis media and in dogs with unrelated neurologic conditions. In dogs without clinical signs of otitis media, finding an increased signal in the middle ear during MR imaging may reflect subclinical otitis media or fluid accumulation unrelated to inflammation. Brachycephalic dogs may be predisposed to this condition.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS: MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF A CERVICAL WOODEN FOREIGN BODY IN A DOG

This article describes the discovery of a chronic cervical wooden foreign body ventral to the left transverse processes of the cranial cervical spine using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a dog that presented with chronic neck pain and lameness. The dog did not exhibit dysphagia or chronic draining tracts, the most common signs of the presumed cause, that of a penetrating oropharyngeal foreign body. The foreign body itself was represented on MR images as an oval straight-edged core within an inflammatory tissue reaction. The wood was slightly hyperintense on T2- and isointense on T1-weighted images relative to muscle. Surrounding this was a more conspicuous contrast-enhancing reactive tissue rim that was hyperintense on all pulse sequences. Adjacent musculature also exhibited diffuse edema and contrast enhancement that extended around the left cervical vertebral transverse processes and local intervertebral nerve roots. The foreign body was found to be a wooden stick upon surgical removal. MRI is an excellent method for visualizing the inflammatory tissue reactions associated with soft-tissue foreign bodies because of its contrast resolution and depiction of anatomy in multiple imaging planes.     

西北内陆河流域水资源利用的生态经济研究

水资源是西北内陆河流域生态环境建设和经济社会发展的控制因素,是进行各类基础设施建设的前提条件.利用生态经济学中的生态经济协调发展理论和可持续发展的思想,从生态、社会和经济3个方面对水资源开发利用的可持续性进行综合评价,找到水资源生态系统和社会经济系统的平衡点,达到生态和经济平衡,实现水资源的可持续利用.     

Effect of sweet potato vines on performance parameters and some carcass characteristics of rabbits

Conventional feedstuffs in Brazil are expensive, which has led to the search for less conventional cheaper and locally available feedstuffs. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the dietary effect of dry sweet potato vines (SPV) on the performance and some carcass characteristics of rabbits. A total of twenty‐seven weaned White New Zealand rabbits (14 male and 13 female) 35 days old with an average initial weight of 755 g were allocated into three treatments. Nine rabbits were assigned to each treatment in a completely randomized design. Three diets were formulated to similar protein and energy levels: 0SPV – diet without inclusion of dry sweet potato vines; 10SPV – diet with 10% alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines; and 15SPV – diet with 15% of alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines. The experiment lasted for 49 days during which data for feed intake and body weight were recorded. The daily feed intake ranged from 73.17 to 78.02 g; daily weight gain from 22.32 to 23.17 g; feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 3.16 to 3.49 and final live weight ranged from 1839.44 to 1880.55 g. None of the evaluated performance parameters as well as carcass weight, heart weight and percentages of fat and protein in meat were significantly affected by any of the tested dietary treatments. However, the liver weight was statistically lower in animals fed the diets containing 10% of SPV, mainly due to lower glucose content. Glycogen within the tissue, did not differ significantly among treatments. It was therefore concluded that up to 15% of SPV can successfully be included in the diet of rabbits as a cheaper replacement for alfalfa hay without adversely affecting performance.     

The effect of dietary supplementation with Aurantiochytrium limacinum on lactating dairy cows in terms of animal health,productivity and milk composition

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA )‐rich microalgae, Aurantiochytrium limacinum (AURA ), on a variety of health and productivity parameters in lactating cows. Twenty‐four cows were blocked by parity and number of days in milk and then randomly assigned to a control (CON ; n  = 12) group with no algal supplementation, or a treatment group (AURA ; n  = 12) provided with 100 g AURA  cow^?1 day^?1 or 16 g DHA  cow^?1 day^?1. A variety of health and productivity measurements were taken, and results indicated that supplementation had no negative effects on animal health in terms of somatic cell count, haematological and biochemical blood parameters, while body condition was marginally improved by algal supplementation. No differences were found for the various production parameters measured; however, a tendency towards increased milk production was observed for the AURA group during the final stage of the study (+4.5 kg cow^?1 day^?1, day 78–84). The fatty acid profile of milk was improved by supplementation, with significantly lower saturated fatty acids, significantly higher omega‐3 fatty acids and an improved omega‐3/omega‐6 ratio observed when compared to the control group. The amount of DHA in the milk of cows provided 105 g AURA  head^?1 day^?1 was 4.7 mg/100 g milk with a peak transfer efficiency from feed to milk at day 49 of 8.3%. These results indicate that supplementation with 105 g AURA  head^?1 day^?1 resulted in the successful enrichment of milk with DHA without negatively impacting the health or productivity of the animals.     

[CO2]升高对粮食作物影响的研究进展

自工业革命以来,由人类活动引起的大气CO_2浓度([CO_2])不断攀升,正驱动着全球气候变化,对全球农业产生重大影响。本文归纳总结了目前作物对高[CO_2]响应的主要研究技术手段,以及作物对高[CO_2]响应的机理研究,并进一步梳理了当前全球关于[CO_2]升高对作物产量和营养品质影响的研究。结果表明:相比封闭式或半封闭式环境控制试验系统,开放式试验系统(如开放式CO_2控制系统FACE)由于其能更加真实地模拟自然条件下作物对未来高[CO_2]的响应和适应情况,被公认为是目前研究作物对高[CO_2]响应的最理想手段。[CO_2]增高会增加C3作物光合速率、生物量和产量,在一定程度上缓解气候变化对农作物产生的负面影响,但是作物对大气[CO_2]的升高存在光合适应现象,当作物长期暴露在高[CO_2]条件下时,高[CO_2]对作物的促进作用会逐渐减缓。近10年的FACE试验发现,对高[CO_2]出现高应答的水稻品种,其光合速率和产量在高[CO_2]下的增加幅度比早期的主要粮食作物FACE试验结果平均高出两倍。此外,高[CO_2]会明显降低大部分非豆科C3作物中蛋白质和矿物质(如锌、铁)以及部分维生素的含量,加剧目前全球约2亿人由于维生素和矿物质元素等营养缺乏导致的健康问题。如何充分利用未来高[CO_2]实现高增产的同时,减缓粮食养分下降的负面影响,是迫切需要解决的科学问题。     

毕节特产珍稀药材圆珠半夏的HPLC指纹图谱分析

为毕节大方圆珠半夏质量标准的建立提供参考,采用HPLC法对10批不同产地及不同采收时间的圆珠半夏进行了指纹图谱研究。结果表明:测定的10批半夏样品有23个共有峰,共有峰面积为91.6%~95.8%,相对峰面积的RSD为0.12%~0.40%;共有峰的相对保留时间从0.182~1.810min,相对保留时间的RSD在0.02%~0.10%。结论,该方法具有良好的稳定性和重复性,可用于圆珠半夏化学成分分析。     

Fortification of Bread Wheat Using Synthesized Zn-Glycine and Zn-Alanine Chelates in Comparison with ZnSO4 in a Calcareous Soil

ABSTRACT

Calcareous soils typically suffer from zinc deficiency and zinc sulfate is incorporated in many cultivated soils. Utilization of ZnSO₄ has some kinds of interaction with soil particles and organic matter. In this study, the efficacy of two znic(Zn)-amino acid chelates (Zn-ACs) i.e., Zn-alanine (Zn-Ala) and Zn-glycine (Zn-Gly) on wheat (Triticum aestivum, cv. N91-8) growth characteristics and zinc concentration in wheat was examined under greenhouse conditions and compared to the a commercial ZnSO₄. Results showed that Zn-Ala and Zn-Gly significantly increased the dry weight and shoot length of wheat in comparison to ZnSO₄ treatment. Soil application of Zn-Amino acid chelates proved to be the most influential source of zinc in increasing wheat growth and yield indices. Number of fertile spikelet and grain yield increased significantly respectively compared to ZnSO₄ treatment. Zn concentration and protein content of wheat grain in Zn-ACs treatment was significantly higher than the ZnSO₄ treatment. Soil application of Zn-ACs caused a significant decrease in the grain phytic acid (PA) concentration and also phytic acid to zinc molar ratio in comparison with ZnSO₄ treatment. According to the results, Zn-ACs could be utilized as a zinc fertilizer source for improving the zinc bioavailability in wheat.     

中国东北漫川漫岗典型黑土区沟道侵蚀特征

[目的] 通过对450 km²黑土区进行实测调查，旨在评估研究区沟道侵蚀现状。[方法] 选取沟道侵蚀严重的450 km²的漫川漫岗黑土区为调查区域，首先在谷歌卫星影像上进行侵蚀沟识别和定位，再对侵蚀沟立体形态进行实地测量。[结果] ①研究区土地利用以耕地为主，耕地、建设用地、林地、草地分别占研究区总面积的85%，8%，6%，1%。②研究区坡耕地占86%，坡度0.25°~3.0°占64%，大于5°的占12%。③共有侵蚀沟1 049条，其中耕地中侵蚀沟577条，占总侵蚀沟条数的55%；沟壑密度1.2 km/km²，按沟壑密度衡量沟蚀强度为中度；沟壑面积比例为2.89%，以此界定沟蚀强度为剧烈。④研究区侵蚀沟平均长度、宽度、深度和面积分别为996，13.1，2.7 m和2.4 hm²。[结论] 漫川漫岗黑土区沟道侵蚀严重，主要危害坡耕地，但侵蚀沟相对较小，易于治理。     

黄麻土工布覆盖对花岗岩红壤表土坡面侵蚀特性的影响

[目的]探究黄麻土工布覆盖条件下花岗岩红壤表土坡面侵蚀特性,为花岗岩红壤区坡面土壤侵蚀防治提供科学依据。[方法]通过室内模拟降雨试验,在2个坡度(5°和15°坡度)、3种密度(无覆盖,6 cm×6 cm及3 cm×3 cm网格)的黄麻土工布覆盖条件下,研究极端降雨条件下(90 mm/h)花岗岩红壤表土的坡面侵蚀特性,并观测径流系数、土壤侵蚀速率、泥沙颗粒变化规律及富集率等指标。[结果]坡面径流随降雨历时增加而增加,土壤侵蚀速率则相反,表明侵蚀过程是一个分离受限的过程。和对照组相比,黄麻土工布覆盖在不同试验条件下都具有明显的减流减沙作用。另外,由侵蚀泥沙的粒径分选规律可知,坡面土壤中的黏粒和粉粒大小的颗粒倾向于被优先选择性搬运,其结果致使坡面石英粗颗粒富集,在缓坡(5°)与高密度黄麻土工布覆盖条件下(3 cm×3 cm网格)尤为突出。坡面石英粗颗粒随降雨历时增加不断富集进一步增加了原位坡面的侵蚀抗性,产生了土壤侵蚀速率随降雨历时不断降低的现象。[结论]高密度黄麻土工布的覆盖能够有效地减流减沙,增加原位坡面抗蚀性,是一种有效的水土保持措施,在今后的土壤侵蚀防治和劣地恢复工作中应该被重视。