The use of the hand-held infrared thermometer as an early detection tool for exertional heat illness in Thoroughbred racehorses: A study at racetracks in eastern Australia

Thoroughbred racehorses perform exercise at maximal intensities and typically display a hyperthermic exercise response, which can drive core body temperature to critical levels. Despite extremely efficient thermoregulatory mechanisms, certain weather conditions may affect the horse’s ability to cool and result in a syndrome referred to as exertional heat illness (EHI). This is characterised by central nervous system dysfunction, as well as cytotoxic effects of heat on cells, which can produce deleterious consequences. Early detection of exertional heat illness (EHI) in Thoroughbred racehorses can be difficult because signs are often vague and the measurement of rectal temperature as an indicator of hyperthermia is not practical. Best practice in the treatment of EHI in horses, as in human subjects, centres on early detection, rapid assessment and aggressive cooling. Research in human subjects has shown that EHI is manageable when recognised early and appropriate treatment provided. The aim of this study was to investigate the measurement of skin surface temperature (SST) by an infrared thermometer as an aid in the early detection of EHI. A skin surface temperature ≥39°C in the immediate postrace period is considered to be hot. It reflects the interaction of exercise-related metabolic heat production, physiological adjustments to the skin surface such as vasodilation and sweating, together with the effect of high ambient temperature. Most importantly, high SST is associated with a reduced core-to-skin temperature difference, which retards heat transfer from the deep body tissues to the skin and can hinder heat dissipation. Identification of horses with high SSTs can prioritise them for rapid cooling and curtail possible progression to EHI.     

纵向刨切生产薄木中刀具与产品质量的关系

本文探讨了纵向刨切机生产薄木过程中刀具的材料、形状及刀具与压尺的相对位置等因素对产品质量的影响。     

浅谈开放式数控系统及其在线切割机床上的应用

介绍了开放式体系结构数控系统的概念、特点及分类,并简要介绍了开放式数控系统在电火花线切割机上的应用。     

家禽弃尸重制骨骼囊腔铸塑干教具的实验探索

本文笔者将解剖实验用后的家禽弃尸重新研制成实用的家禽骨骼囊腔铸塑干教具，不仅解决了实验动物尸体二次污染环境的问题，而且因为教具形态逼真、精细牢固而使解剖教学更形象生动，教学成果显著，同时还节省了很大一笔解剖教学实验经费。     

迪北地区致密砂岩气藏测井评价新技术

迪北地区侏罗系阿合组属于致密裂缝性砂岩储层,沉积相类型以辫状三角洲平原为主,岩性复杂,粒度变化大,岩石骨架受多种矿物影响。利用元素俘获测井(ECS),结合常规测井资料分析岩性对储层有效性的影响,为评价储层孔隙度提供准确的骨架参数。同时,裂缝是改善该区储层渗透性的重要因素,裂缝的发育程度决定了储层的渗流能力,引入EARTH IMAGER新型油基钻井液成像测井仪,并利用岩心标定成像,有效解决了裂缝的识别问题。     

Using indicators to assess the environmental impacts of wine growing activity: The INDIGO® method

Environmental assessment methods are needed by agronomists working on the enhancement of cropping systems to meet the demand for more sustainable farming practices. A growing number of operational methods based on a set of indicators have been designed, more for arable crops and livestock than for perennial crops like viticulture. Among them, the INDIGO^® method, originally developed for arable crops, offers a compromise between feasibility and predictive quality. Here we present a modified and expanded version of INDIGO^® for viticulture. The development of new indicators specific to viticulture and the adaptation of existing ones followed a five step approach: (i) preliminary definition of the objectives and identification of the end-users, (ii) construction of the indicator, (iii) selection of a reference value, (iv) sensitivity analysis and (v) validation. Stakeholders from professional institutions and winegrower organizations were closely associated with step (i) to define the framework and step (ii) to supply technical databases. We designed INDIGO^® indicators with all available scientific and expert knowledge which was aggregated into expert systems associating fuzzy subsets or, when possible, quantitative equations.Four indicators; pesticides, nitrogen, energy and soil organic matter, were directly adapted from the initial INDIGO^® method, whereas soil cover and frost protection management were new indicators. Potentialities of their use are highlighted by examples of implementation on different scales and for various purposes.     

低温工艺条件下刀具的相变与耐磨性研究

研究了低温工艺条件下高速钢刀具显微组织中回火马氏体和残留奥氏体相变过程，即从回火马氏体中析出大量弥散的碳化物，并伴随组织的超微细化和残留奥氏体的转变，提高了刀具的耐磨性，降低了被加工零件的表面粗糙度，延长了刀具的使用寿命。     

Monitoring forage production for farmers’ decision making

Objective management of grazing livestock production systems needs monitoring of forage production at the managerial unit level. Our objectives were to develop a system that routinely estimates forage above-ground net primary production (ANPP) at the spatial and temporal resolution required by farmers in the Pampas of Argentina, and to facilitate adoption of the system by end users as a managerial support tool. Our approach was based on the radiation use efficiency (RUE) logic, which proposes that ANPP is determined by the amount of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy (APAR), and the efficiency with which that energy is transformed in above-ground dry matter (radiation use efficiency, RUE). APAR is the product of incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the fraction absorbed by the canopy (fPAR). We estimated fPAR as a non-linear function of MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). RUE was empirically estimated for the two principal forage resources of the region, yielding the following relations: ANPP = 0.6 × APAR + 12, (R² = 0.86; p < 0.001; n = 18) for the upland sown pastures, and ANPP = 0.27 × APAR + 26, (R² = 0.74; p < 0.001; n = 18) for the lowland naturalized pastures, with ANPP in g/m²/60 days and APAR in MJ/m²/60 days. The models were able to predict independent ANPP values with acceptable accuracy. Computational procedures were automated and run in a Relational Data Base Manager System that stored and managed all the information. The system is currently monitoring 212,794 ha in 83 farms and provides monthly ANPP values for the previous month and a history of the last 6 years. The data so generated show ANPP differences between the two major forage resources, considerable variability of a given month’s ANPP among years and paddocks, and contrasting among-farm differences in the efficiency of conversion of ANPP and forage supplements into beef production. The system was well accepted by end users who utilize it mainly for making near real time decisions according to last month ANPP, and explaining results of previous production cycles by incorporating ANPP as an explicative variable. However, there were differences among farmers in the degree of utilization, apparently related to the advisor’s attitude toward this new technology. Our results indicate that (1) forage production of large extensions can be monthly monitored at the paddock level by a small laboratory with capabilities in geographic information systems, and (2) advisors and farmers apply this information to their managerial decisions.     

聚晶立方氮化硼刀具的性能及其选用

聚晶立方氮化硼(PCBN)刀具已在切削加工的各个方面表现出了优异的切削性能,尤其是超硬特性被使用者所熟悉。为此,介绍了PCBN刀具的物理性能、切削性能以及常见的刀具结构形式;从刀具的几何参数、切削用量、使用条件、加工实例等几方面,论述了PCBN刀具的使用特点和要求。     

双环带种肥穴播器的设计

针对目前穴播机械的现状,设计了一种新型的双环带种肥穴播器,介绍了其基本结构和工作原理.从结构上分析了种肥穴播合理性,并推导出了穴播器的入土端方程.试验证明,机速在1.0m/s时,该穴播器投放种子与肥料可靠,穴粒数、穴距和播深合格率都能满足要求.鸭嘴强制后开式设计有效解决了堵土问题,播种精度较高,可广泛应用于花生、棉花、玉米与小麦等农作物的播种.