MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS IN SPINAL CORD INFARCTION IN THREE SMALL BREED DOGS

Fibrocartilaginous embolization (FCE) of the spinal cord is a common disease in large breed dogs. There are only a few reports about this entity in small breed dogs and it has never been reported in chondrodystrophic breed. For definitive diagnosis histopathologic examination is necessary. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a potential diagnostic tool for intravitam diagnosis of FCE has been mentioned before, but results have not been reported so far. This report describes the neurological findings and MRI results in three small breed dogs, including a Pekingese dog, with FCE of the spinal cord. The disease was suspected in two animals based upon clinical and MRI-appearance and confirmed in the third by histopathological examination. In all three cases, similar focal intramedullary lesions, consisting of hyperintensive signals on T2-weighted images, were detected. Based on these findings, high-field MRI may be used as an antemortem tool for the diagnosis of FCE. It is also shown that FCE can occur in chondrodystrophic dogs.     

母猪卧向行为学的观察

本文通过2个试验对母猪在分娩圈和分娩栏中的卧向行为进行了观察,试验一中, 选择10头大白(Yorkshire)经产母猪作为观察对象,试验二中分别选择10头大白(Yorkshire) 经产母猪和10头长白(Landrace)经产母猪作为观察对象。观察采用瞬时记录方法,每周观察 三次,隔日观察,每天上午、下午各观察一次,每次3 h,每次观察间隔5 min。观察中发现,母猪 卧向以向外为主。分娩栏(四周是栏杆)中的母猪以选择卧向外(向北)为主,其次是卧向内(向 南),卧向左和卧向右最少且差异不显著,上栏前和下栏后差异不显著。分娩圈(四周是墙壁)中 母猪以选择卧向外为主,卧向内最少,卧向左和卧向右差异不显著。长白母猪比大白母猪选择 卧向外的多,妊娠阶段比哺乳阶段选择卧向外的多。     

Growth response of Ficus benjamina to limited soil volume and soil dilution in a skeletal soil container study

The interactive effects of rooting volume and nutrient availability in a skeletal soil medium designed to meet street tree and pavement needs were observed in a containerized experiment. Benjamin fig (Ficus benjamina L.) was grown in a stone-soil blended skeletal soil material (CU-Soil™) and compared to a loam soil. The same topsoil used as the soil component in the skeletal soil material was used as the sole component in the comparison soil-only treatment.Plants grown in the skeletal soil material had reduced leaf tissue N content and depressed growth compared with plants grown in non-diluted soil. No other mineral deficiencies were found. Leaf number, chlorophyll concentration, shoot weight, and root characteristics were all affected.Reduced growth from soil dilution could be offset by the provision of an enlarged rooting volume for root development. Large containers of skeletal soil were observed to have smaller root systems compared to equivalent net volumes of loam soil at the first two harvest dates of the study. By the end of the study, the large containers of skeletal soil were observed to have developed larger root systems compared to equivalent net volumes of loam soil; resulting in comparable leaf N levels and total plant dry matter. Plants in skeletal soil had lower shoot: root ratios at the end of the study. Investing resources to further root growth in times of nutrient shortages is a probable plant reaction as evidenced by differences in specific root length between treatments. The study allowed a method for directly partitioning the containerization effect by having equivalent amounts of soil over two volumes.     

Carbon storage by urban tree cultivars, in roots and above-ground

Urban trees can favorably affect factors underlying global warming by storing carbon and by reducing energy needs for cooling and heating buildings. To estimate carbon stored in roots and above-ground portions of trees, data was collected consisting of whole tree sampling of Amelanchier, Malus, Pyrus, and Syringa cultivars. Roots were excavated using an Air-Spade^™. Regression analysis resulted in two equations for predicting total carbon storage based on height and diameter of trees up to 20 cm dbh: Y = 0.05836 (dbh²) for root carbon storage, and Y = 0.0305 (dbh² × h)^0.9499 for above-ground carbon storage, explaining 97% and 96% of the variation, respectively. Average carbon stored in roots of various cultivars ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 kg for smaller trees, those 3.8 to 6.4 cm dbh, to more than 10.4 kg for trees 14.0 cm to 19.7 cm dbh. Average total carbon stored by cultivars ranged from 1.7 to 3.6 kg for trees less than 6.4 cm dbh to 54.5 kg for trees larger than 14.0 cm. The data from these equations apply mainly to trees in nurseries and recently transplanted trees. Comparisons showed that above-ground estimates from previous studies using a sampling technique overestimated values obtained from actual above-ground weights.     

Some determinants of the spatio-temporal fire cycle in a mediterranean landscape (Corsica,France)

Based on recent needs to accurately understand fire regimes and post-fire vegetation resilience at a supra-level for carbon cycle studies, this article focusses on the coupled history of fire and vegetation pattern for 40 years on a fire-prone area in central Corsica (France). This area has been submitted since the beginning of the 20^th century to land abandonment and the remaining land management has been largely controlled by frequent fires. Our objectives were to rebuild vegetation and fire maps in order to determine the factors which have driven the spatial and temporal distribution of fires on the area, what were the feed backs on the vegetation dynamics, and the long-term consequences of this inter-relationship. The results show a stable but high frequency of small fires, coupled with forest expansion over the study period. The results particularly illustrate the spatial distribution of fires according to topography and vegetation, leading to a strong contrast between areas never burnt and areas which have been burnt up to 7 times. Fires, when occuring, affect on average 9 to 12% of the S, SE and SW facing slopes (compared to only 2 to 5% for the N facing slopes), spread recurrently over ridge tops, affect all the vegetation types but reburn preferentially shrublands and grasslands. As these fire-proning parameters have also been shown to decrease the regeneration capacity of forests, this study highlights the needs in spatial studies (both in terms of fire spread and vegetation dynamic) to accurately apprehend vegetation dynamic and functionning in fire-prone areas.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

不同覆盖方式对旱地棉田土壤环境及棉花产量的影响

分析普通地膜覆盖、小麦秸秆覆盖、地膜 秸秆覆盖3种覆盖物对旱地棉田土壤环境、棉花产量构成因素的影响,结果表明:覆盖栽培能改善土壤环境,降低土壤容重,提高土壤水分利用率,调节土壤温、湿度,协调水热资源利用的同步性;秸秆覆盖能增加土壤养分含量,特别是速效钾含量;在棉花生长后期,提高叶面积指数,延长叶片功能期,提高棉株的光合能力从而防止棉花早衰,增加铃重,提高棉花产量。     

论西部大开发中张掖市生态环境建设问题

张掖市长期受干旱、大风及沙尘暴影响,生态环境极为恶劣,制约着西部大开发建设进程。其存在的重要问题是:水资源匮乏,植被破坏严重,覆盖率低等;针对具体情况提出:改善水资源条件和恢复植被是张掖地区生态环境建设的重点。     

阜康绿洲土壤盐渍化特征及其与肥力的相关性分析

本文以电导、可溶性总盐含量和pH作为指标,将阜康绿洲的盐渍化类型划分为9种,其中以强盐渍土和盐土为主,在纬度梯度上从南至北,即从洪积扇下部到沙漠按照中盐渍土-强盐渍土-盐土-强盐渍土-盐土-非盐渍土的顺序依次分布。而土壤含水率却是从洪积下部至扇缘溢出带逐渐升高,在细土平原地区差异较大,在沙漠中又迅速降低。通过土壤剖面中有机质、全量N、P、K和速效N、P、K的分析,结果表明阜康荒漠自然状态下土壤肥力很低,各养分含量在空间上呈现规律性的变化,在纬度梯度上逐渐升高又在沙漠中降低。通过水盐与土壤肥力的相关性分析,结果表明:有机质、全N、P和速P与含水率、电导、总盐均具有显著和极显著正相关,而与pH成负相关,但相关性不显著。由于盐生植物的多样性,在盐渍土和盐土土壤肥力并无显著降低,只是土壤溶液的高盐浓度限制了植物对养分的吸收,因此防止和治理土壤盐渍化是发挥土地生产潜力的重要手段。     

吉林省荒地资源生态适宜性评价

本文从吉林省荒地资源的实际出发 ,在荒地资源生态适宜性评价基本理论的指导下 ,采用地理信息系统方法 ,对吉林省荒地资源进行了生态适宜性评价。通过空间数据和属性数据的融合、分析、处理 ,可以直观获得荒地资源的生态适宜度等级 ,从而提高评价效率 ,为荒地资源的合理开发利用提供科学依据。     

遥感信息在土地资源等级划分与质量评价中的应用——以内蒙古乌拉盖开发区为例

本文利用 RS、GIS的高新科技手段 ,对乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级划分与评价进行了认真研究 ,编制出乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级分布图 ,对各不同土地资源质量等级进行了评价 ,为该地区确定最佳土地利用方向、提高土地资源的生产效益、经济效益和生态效益提供科学依据