The Use of a Metabolic Disorder Index as a Predictor for Metabolic Eliminations in Endurance Horses

The equine endurance race involves both aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms of the horse. The intense physical activity over an extended period often causes susceptible horses to develop metabolic signs or problems resulting in elimination from races. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a method for prediction and validation of a metabolic disorder index (MDI) to be used before endurance races. Three hundred seventy-five Arabian (n = 152) and Arabian cross (n = 223) endurance horses aged from 6 to 15 years and weighing between 350 and 450 kg were selected for the study in Malaysia. Blood samples were collected at pre- and post-race periods. The significant (P < .05) findings in horses with metabolic disorder were packed cell volume (0.50 ± 0.06 LL−1), creatine kinase (1,275.89 ± 121.45 UL−1), interleukin-6 (2.01 ± 0.89 ng/mL), decreased glutathione reductase (26.57 ± 3.95 ng/mL), and chloride (94.98 ± 8.12 mmol/L). A new method called MDI was developed as a predictor for horses with the potential to develop metabolic disorders in endurance races. The MDI indicated a higher value greater than 5.5 for those eliminated and lower value below 5.5 for those that completed the race successfully, this proved to be accurate in the prediction of metabolic disorder in endurance horses. The MDI is an innovative and simple method used as a prediction method that will assist the equine endurance society to reduce the rate of elimination and to safeguard against serious medical problems during endurance races in the tropics.     

Current Knowledge of Equine Water Treadmill Exercise: What Can We Learn From Human and Canine Studies?

Equine water treadmills (WTs) are increasingly being found in research and therapy centers and private competition yards. However, the programs incorporating WT exercise for training and rehabilitation of horses are mainly based on anecdotal evidence due to the lack of scientific evidence available. This review aims to evaluate what is currently known about WT exercise for horses drawing on what is known from human and canine investigations. Studies of WT exercise have demonstrated that water depth, temperature, and speed have a significant effect on physiological responses in humans. The physiological studies in horses show many similarities to human responses with much evidence demonstrating that WT exercise is an aerobic form of exercise which does not appear to induce improvement in aerobic capacity when used within training programs. Equine and canine studies have shown that water depth can have a significant effect on the biomechanical responses to WT exercise, but little is known about the effect of different speeds at the various water depths. Key areas we would recommend for future research are as follows: how combinations of water depth and speed alter equine biomechanics compared to overland exercise, determination of long-term benefits of WT exercise, and how to use WT for rehabilitation for horses with specific injury.     

Nutritional Qualities of the Low-Value Bivalve Mollusks Paphia malabarica and Villorita cyprinoides at the Estuarine Waters of the Southwestern Coast of India

The bivalve mollusks Paphia malabarica and Villorita cyprinoides collected from the estuarine system located in the southwest coastal waters of India were evaluated for their nutritional composition. A balanced essential to nonessential amino acid ratio (> 1.0) with a greater quantity of sulfur-containing amino acids in these species demonstrated that they could provide well-balanced protein depositions. The n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in P. malabarica was found to be greater than 2, and, therefore, can be considered as a healthy diet. The C₂₀–C₂₂ long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (for example, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) accounted for more than 23% of the total fatty acid content in P. malabarica as compared to about 7% in V. cyprinoides. P. malabarica showed greater hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (1.7) and lesser atherogenicity (0.7), thrombogenicity (0.3) indices when contrasted with those in V. cyprinoides, thereby indicating the nutritional superiority of the former. A greater content of vitamin D₃ (> 150 IU), along with significant quantities of calcium and phosphorus (> 500 mg/100 g) in the clams, signified their importance in preventing osteoporosis. This study demonstrated the importance of bivalves, in particular, P. malabarica as a valued species for human consumption.     

Whole wheat bread: Effect of bran fractions on dough and end-product quality

Consumption of whole-wheat based products is encouraged due to their important nutritional elements that benefit human health. However, the use of whole-wheat flour is limited because of the poor processing and end-product quality. Bran was postulated as the major problem in whole wheat breadmaking. In this study, four major bran components including lipids, extractable phenolics (EP), hydrolysable phenolics (HP), and fiber were evaluated for their specific functionality in flour, dough and bread baking. The experiment was done by reconstitution approach using the 2⁴ factorial experimental layout. Fiber was identified as a main component to have highly significant (P < 0.05) and negative influence on most breadmaking characteristics. Although HP had positive effect on farinograph stability, it was identified as another main factor that negatively impacted the oven spring and bread loaf volume. Bran oil and EP seemed to be detrimental to most breadmaking characteristics. Overall, statistical analysis indicates that influence of the four bran components are highly complex. The bran components demonstrate multi-way interactions in regards to their influence on dough and bread-making characteristics. Particularly, Fiber appeared to have a high degree of interaction with other bran components and notably influenced the functionality of those components in whole wheat bread-making.     

建设用地集约利用评价指标的权重确定方法研究

基于建设用地集约利用评价指标,应用文献统计法和综合分析法,阐述了中国建设用地及建设用地集约利用评价指标权重赋权方法的现状,着重研究了各种权重确定方法在建设用地集约评价中的实践应用,并对其进行总结和讨论,探讨了建设用地集约利用评价指标权重确定方法的发展趋势.     

海岛优良树种在浙东沿海推广试验初报

于2013年,在浙东沿海三个生境类似地方,即舟山衢山、宁波象山、台州温岭,研究了保水剂对红楠(M-achilus thunbergii)、普陀樟(Cinnamomun japonicum var.chenii)、全缘冬青(Ilex integra)3树种容器苗造林保存率和生长的影响。结果表明:在舟山衢山,T20处理能显著提高3树种的造林保存率,较CK提高17.2%;而在宁波象山、台州温岭,则没有显著变化。在舟山衢山,T20处理的全缘冬青和普陀樟的苗高增量、地径增量、高增幅和地径增幅显著高于CK(P0.01);而在台州温岭和宁波象山,则没有显著差异(P0.05)。在3处试验地,红楠经过T20处理后苗高增量、地径增量、高增幅和地径增幅显著高于CK(P0.01),而宁波象山与台州温岭两地,该4项指标在P0.05水平上没有显著差异。     

Energy Productivity Potential Assessment of Saccharum spontaneum L.Germplasm Resources

[Objective]The energy productivity potential of Saccharum spontaneum L.germplasm resources as energy plants was discussed in this paper.[Method]The energy productivity potential of Saccharum spontaneum L.germplasm resources collected from the wild was assessed from the aspects of cellulose,semicellulose,lignin and crude ash contents and caloric value.[Result]The total content of cellulose and semicellulose ranged from 41.75%to 69.13%,the lignin content ranged from 2.16%to 11.75%,the crude ash content ranged from 4.79%to 9.34%and the caloric value ranged from 16.00 to 17.69 MJ/kg among the 30 Saccharum spontaneum L.germplasms.Compared to other plants,Saccharum spontaneum L.had higher contents of cellulose and semicellulose,a higher caloric value but lower contents of lignin and crude ash.[Conclusion]From the perspective of producing fuel ethanol with lignocellulose,Saccharum spontaneum L.has a great potential for development as an energy plant.     

The positive relationship between soil quality and crop production: A case study on the effect of farm compost application

In order to ensure sustainable agriculture, and for evaluating the effects of management practices on soil processes, tools for assessing soil quality are required. The development and use of a multiparameter index, which includes a wide range of soil properties, have been tested and found useful by several studies. However, soil quality measurements are ‘stand-alone’ tools unless they are either linked to important soil functions, used to characterize (agro)ecosystems or used to predict sustainability or productivity. In our study, the relationship between crop production and soil quality was assessed in a six year old field experiment studying the effect of farm compost (FC) amendment in a crop rotation of potato, fodder beet, forage maize and Brussels sprouts. To justify the hypothesis that repeated FC amendment results in both improved soil quality and consequently higher crop yields, a wide range of chemical, biological and physical soil properties were measured and integrated into a soil quality index (SQI). Next, crop yields were used as a functional goal to verify the causal relationship between SQI and crop production. Our results showed that there were significant changes in chemical, physical and biological soil quality as a result of repeated FC amendment. This was evidenced for example by a remarkable increase in both soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N content. Microbial biomass, the relative amount of bacterivorous nematodes and earthworm number were significantly increased as well and, together with SOC and total N, indicated as the dominant factors in assessing soil quality. The integration of these key indicators into the SQI revealed higher SQI values when FC was applied. In addition, crop yields were increased in all FC treated plots by which SOC was pointed out as the most important indicator influencing crop production. Finally, a causal relationship was observed between soil quality and the yield of potato and fodder beet. We conclude that our SQI may be a promising and useful tool to compare different (soil) management practices in relation to a strategic, regional goal, e.g., sustainable high yields. Before generalizing, we recommend a thorough validation of our SQI in other long-term field experiments.     

神马切花菊催花液的保鲜生理研究

以切花菊品种"神马"为试材,利用优选催花液A与传统瓶插保鲜液B对催开花材a与自然开花材b进行瓶插保鲜处理,测定保鲜期间处理材料的水分平衡值、总黄酮含量等生理指标,利用模糊数量法对每个处理外观形态指标进行评价,结果表明:优选催花液A的平均综合评分比传统瓶插保鲜液B高0.28分,比CK高0.88分,Ab处理比Ba处理瓶插寿命延长2 d,综合评分高低的顺序为:Ab>Aa>Ba>Bb>CK a>CK b;Ab处理水分平衡值总体均高于其他处理,且鲜重变化率最高,为75.551%,Ab处理的蛋白质峰值出现最晚(第20天);叶绿素含量第14天达到最大值,达0.0716 mg/g,优选催花液A可以更好地提高花瓣中总黄酮的含量。由此表明,优选催花液A的瓶插保鲜效果优于传统瓶插保鲜液B,优选催花液也可作为瓶插保鲜液使用。     

重庆市20例经鼻高流量氧疗治疗重型新型冠状病毒肺炎的疗效分析

为评价经鼻高流量氧疗(high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, HFNC)治疗重型新型冠状病毒肺炎(novel coronavirus pneumonia, NCP)的临床疗效,对重庆市公共卫生医疗救治中心2020年1月24日-2月23日收治的20例接受HFNC治疗的重型NCP患者临床资料进行了回顾性分析.结果表明:经HFNC治疗后, 7例(35%)患者症状及氧合指数(oxygenation index,用P/F表示)改善,继续HFNC治疗; 13例患者(65%)经治疗后症状无改善或出现加重或恶化,改为无创通气(noninvasive ventilation, NIV)或有创机械通气(invasive mechanical ventilation, IMV).两组患者在性别、年龄、基础疾病等一般资料方面差异无统计学意义(p0.05),但HFNC治疗失败组平均年龄高于HFNC治疗成功组(分别为63.30岁和57.76岁).对HFNC治疗进行失败风险的单因素分析发现,治疗成功及失败患者的初始呼吸频率、 CD4+绝对值、P/F、治疗前ROX指数(rate-oxygenation index)、 12 h ROX指数比较差异无统计学意义(p0.05),但治疗成功者基线SaO_2、治疗后2 h ROX指数和治疗后12 h ROX指数显著升高(p0.05).对单因素分子中p0.05的因素及基线P/F用Cox风险比例模型进行分析发现,基线SaO_2、基线P/F和治疗后2 h、治疗后12 h的ROX指数均不是HFNC治疗失败的独立危险因素,但它们的值越低, HFNC治疗失败的风险就越大.基线P/F200 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)时, HFNC治疗失败的风险高于P/F≥200 mmHg者. HFNC可用于治疗基线P/F≥200 mmHg的重型NCP患者,而基线P/F200 mmHg或年龄≥50岁的患者,治疗失败的风险较大.