Influence of dietary protein level and the amino acids methionine and lysine on leather properties of blue fox (Alopex lagopus) pelts.

The influence of dietary protein, methionine, and lysine on leather quality in blue fox pelts was studied. The pelt material originated from animals in two consecutive feeding trials (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2) with three protein levels: conventional, slightly lowered, and very low. The two lowest protein diets were fed as such or as supplemented with methionine or with lysine (lysine only in Exp. 2). The following physical leather properties were measured: breaking load (BRL), tensile strength (TEN), relative elongation at break (PEB), straining of skins at pelting, and shrinkage at dressing. A decline in the dietary protein content reduced BRL and, hence, leather firmness, and increased straining and the corresponding shrinking in Exp. 1. The supplemented methionine tended to improve leather strength and elasticity by increasing TEN and PEB in Exp. 1, whereas lysine elicited no response. Methionine supplementation at the slightly lowered protein level increased BRL in both experiments by almost 10% as compared with the respective non-supplemented diet. We conclude that with high protein quality diets, a level of 200 g/kg DM (as digestible protein) appears to be adequate for producing pelts with firm, elastic leather, provided that an adequate amount of methionine is included in the diet.     

Factors affecting the phase-out of pesticide use in public areas in Denmark

That pesticide use in public areas in Denmark has been significantly reduced during the period 1995 to 2002 is shown when comparing three surveys carried out by the Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute (DFLRI) with funding from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. During that period, the total registered public use of pesticides was reduced from 28.8 tonnes active ingredients to 6.3 tonnes, corresponding to a 78% reduction. In 2002, the Danish counties and state institutions had reduced their total pesticide use by 80% and 73%, respectively, compared to 1995 figures. Similarly, the Danish municipalities reduced their use by 83% from 1995 to 2002. Surveys of municipal pesticide use carried out in 1995, 2000 and 2002 have been used as the basis for determining the factors that have influenced municipal reductions of pesticide use. The 2000 and 2002 trends can be explained partly on the basis of the figures for 1995 use. The trend for 2002 can also be partially explained by the political parties in power in the municipalities during the phase-out period. The models used account for up to 30% of the total variations, meaning that the pesticide use of individual municipalities is very much influenced by other, non-definable factors such as tradition.     

Guided growth of millimeter-long horizontal nanowires with controlled orientations

The large-scale assembly of nanowires with controlled orientation on surfaces remains one challenge preventing their integration into practical devices. We report the vapor-liquid-solid growth of aligned, millimeter-long, horizontal GaN nanowires with controlled crystallographic orientations on different planes of sapphire. The growth directions, crystallographic orientation, and faceting of the nanowires vary with each surface orientation, as determined by their epitaxial relationship with the substrate, as well as by a graphoepitaxial effect that guides their growth along surface steps and grooves. Despite their interaction with the surface, these horizontally grown nanowires display few structural defects, exhibiting optical and electronic properties comparable to those of vertically grown nanowires. This paves the way to highly controlled nanowire structures with potential applications not available by other means.     

Relationships between breeding waterbird abundance,diversity, and clear water status after the restoration of two shallow nutrient‐rich Danish lakes

1. Breeding waterbird communities have suffered globally from the effects of anthropogenic changes in water quality (especially nutrient enrichment) in recent decades, but few studies have demonstrated the positive effects of restorative actions.
2. Annual breeding waterbird surveys in the period 1977–2005 at two restored southern Danish lake basins (combining nutrient load reduction and biomanipulation) showed an up to five‐fold increase in abundance, and considerable changes in species richness and diversity, following restoration to clear water status in both lakes.
3. Parallel surveys at a third lake, which retained clear water quality throughout, offering a form of natural ‘control', showed no such changes over the same time period.
4. Consistent relationships between breeding waterbird abundance, species richness, and diversity with measures of water clarity (Secchi disc depth, chlorophyll a, and suspended matter) suggest that water clarity mainly drives the relationship; inverse relationships between these measures and total nitrogen and phosphorus were less consistent than for water clarity.
5. The results suggest that an improvement in water clarity plays a key role in restoring breeding waterbird communities and suggest that breeding waterbirds can be indicators of the success of lake restoration projects, but more studies are needed to confirm their wider utility under a variety of conditions.

     

Visual Colour Shades in Pelts from Brown Mink (Mustela vison) Explained Colourimetrically

Microspectrophotometric methods were used to provide objective correlates to the visually judged colour shade (CS) of the underfur in scanbrown mink pelts. The study included 21 scanbrown mink pelts (winter coat), representing a larger group of 87 mink pelts coming from a feeding trial with experimental and control animals. The pelts were visually graded from 1 (blue-greyish) to 5 (reddish), primarily in respect of the CS (in auction classification=clarity of colour) of the underfur seen on the edge of the pelt. Prepared samples of underfur fibres showed in visual inspection a gliding change of colour from paler to darker in a proximal-distal direction and were consequently examined at three levels above the skin surface. The means of the dominant wavelengths (hues) were 589.40, 588.00 and 586.70 nm, respectively, indicating that the variation between levels was small. Investigation of the small pelt material concerned showed that CS was significantly correlated with the measured lightness (L*) and with the yellow chromaticity coordinate (b*) of the underfur samples. In this investigation it was also shown that the underfur fibres with a visually blue-greyish colour shade were relatively dark and less yellow compared with underfur fibres with a reddish colour shade. However, data and the model estimating the colour shade demonstrated that, for the material concerned, visually very reddish underfur colour shades were not found in the lightest coloured pelts.     

The Urban Tree Arboretum in Hørsholm,Denmark: A new tool towards an improved education of arborists and tree managers

The establishment and management of urban trees require expert knowledge and experience. The Urban Tree Arboretum (UTA) was established in Hørsholm, Denmark, to improve basic and advanced education for students and professionals working with tree establishment and management. The UTA presents 120 tree species and cultivars suitable for urban plantings. The trees were established in 2001 in replicates of three or six. Different pruning treatments allow for a comparison of their effect on the trees: formative pruning, shape pruning (topiary), pollarding and non-pruned. Tree dimensions are measured yearly and made available on the website www.bytraearboretet.dk. The website also offers photographic documentation of the trees and their tree features as well as a reference list open for entries by the public. The UTA is integrated part of several courses at the University of Copenhagen and has in 2007 and 2008 been visited by 570 external visitors on 27 guided tours.     

Hypospadias in a Friesian gelding

Objective: To report clinical signs and management of hypospadias in a horse. Study Design: Clinical report. Animal: A 6‐year‐old, Friesian gelding. Methods: Partial phallectomy was performed to resolve contact dermatitis of the pelvic limbs and abnormal behavior during urination. Subsequent urethral meatal stenosis was treated by revision. Results: Hypospadias and chordee caused altered direction of urine flow, contact dermatitis of the pelvic limbs, and abnormal behavior. Partial phallectomy and subsequent revision after meatal stenosis resolved urine direction, flow and abnormal behavior. Conclusions: Abnormalities of the urinary tract associated with hypospadias can result in urine‐induced, contact dermatitis and distress during urination, but these complications can be resolved by partial phallectomy.     

Simulation of vegetation cover on sidewalks in Denmark

Data from five 3-year experiments comparing different strategies of non-chemical weed control were analysed in order to set up a model that could be used for simulating further strategies. The treatments included different frequencies and effects of weed control using flaming, steaming and weed brushing. Each plot consisted of about 100 m of sidewalk. The amount of weed on the sidewalks was recorded several times during the 3-year period using a system of cameras mounted on a Terrain Vehicle moving on the sidewalk and post processing using image analyses of extracted images. The percentage of sidewalk covered by weed was estimated on the basis of the image analyses. The model used for describing the weed coverage comprises three components. The first component describes the growth of weeds; the second describes reduction caused by wearing and decay of weeds in the autumn and the third describes the reduction caused by weed control using weed brushing, steaming and flaming. The parameters of the model were estimated from the data for later use for simulating additional strategies.     

Strategies for non-chemical weed control on public paved areas in Denmark

To be proactive in minimizing pesticide use, the public authorities in Denmark agreed in 1998 to phase out the use of pesticides on publicly owned areas by the end of 2002. A part of the agreement was an increasing focus on research into and development of new methods and implements for non-chemical weed control on paved areas. Due to a large increase in the costs of non-chemical weed control, the park authorities have to put the different types and locations of paved areas in order of priority to optimize the weed control effort. The present authors divided the paved areas into five weed control levels, dependent on placement, quality and use. For the 3 years 1999-2001, experiments with different non-chemical weed control methods were conducted on pavements at six locations in Denmark. The aim was to test the reaction of the weeds to different treatments and strategies. The efficacies of the methods were evaluated by analysis of digital images to estimate the fraction of the paved area covered with green vegetation (weed coverage). The weed coverage was used as the dependent variable in the subsequent statistical analysis. The independent variables in the model were incoming radiation, wear, area of joints in the pavement, the dying process of the weeds and the number of runs/applied energy of the mechanical or thermal weed control methods, respectively. The estimated parameters from the statistical model were used to build a simulation model, which was used to optimise five weed control strategies to fulfil the suggested weed control levels. In the suggested strategy for maximum weed control, 12 thermal weeding applications at 2-week intervals are suggested. The 'clean-up' strategy is based on one weed-brushing in late spring or early autumn.