The Applicability of Wildlife Value Orientations Scales to a Muslim Student Sample in Malaysia

This article addresses the applicability of quantitative wildlife value orientation scales in Muslim students in Malaysia. As Malaysian culture is deeply influenced by Islam ideology, this article presents a case for addressing the cross-cultural applicability of the scales. The current wildlife value orientation scales were reliable—all Cronbach’s alphas ≥ .65—and had predictive validity—8 to 14% of variance of acceptability of lethal control was explained. Yet, both reliability and predictive validity were of lesser magnitude than figures in previous Western studies. Especially the hunting beliefs scale did not reflect basic thinking about wildlife in our sample, and our data suggest two different hunting dimensions—consequences of hunting for wildlife and human opportunities for hunting. For future cross-cultural comparisons of wildlife value orientations, amendment of the scales to better reflect salient beliefs in non-Western nations is recommended.     

Marketing mix for the promotion of biological control among small-scale paddy farmers

Understanding farmers’ decision process on the adoption of biological control (BC) may help in promoting adoption. This study explored for the first time the impact of marketing mix elements (product, price, promotion, and place) on bolstering BC for the management of rice stem borer (Chilo suppressalis Walker) among rice farmers in Fuman County in northern Iran. Farmers using BC were familiar with this method primarily via village councils and rural municipality organizations (Dehyaris) and then via distributors of trichocards. Almost half of the farmers (48.3%) had weak to moderate level of contact with distributors of trichocards. All four elements (4Ps) of marketing mix (product, place, price, and promotion) were effective on the marketing of BC agents. Place (distribution) mix, followed by price mix, were the most important factors in marketing trichocards in farmers’ views. According to the sensitivity to 4Ps of marketing mix, most farmers were grouped as semi-sensitive (45.6%) and sensitive (39.4%). Overall, the availability of biological agent products in the market, the affordable price of the products, and the strong relationship of rural people with village councils and rural municipality organizations (Dehyaris) are crucial factors for BC promotion in paddy fields of Fuman.     

Farmer participation in irrigation management: The case of Doroodzan Dam Irrigation Network, Iran

The importance of farmer participation in system design and management has been emphasized in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting farmer participation in irrigation management using survey research. The study was conducted in Doroodzan Dam Irrigation Network in Fars province, Iran. Multistage stratified random sampling was used to collect data from 270 farmers as the research sample. Results reveal that farmers’ attitudes toward participation in irrigation management, attitudes toward personnel of the State Water Authority and the Agricultural Extension Service Centers (AESCs), family size, the problem perception, dependence on the dam for water, and educational background have influenced their participation in irrigation management. By contrast, contact with information sources, animal units, sociability, age and agricultural experience did not affect farmers’ participation. Moreover, based on farmers’ perspectives, unequal water distribution among farms, dissatisfaction with Water Authority operators and high water fees and charges were the main problems and obstacles toward farmer participation in irrigation management.     

Interaction between the sequence of feeding of hay and concentrate,and boiling of barley on feed intake,the activity of hydrolytic enzymes and fermentation in the hindgut of Arabian mares

The interaction between the sequence of feeding of hay and concentrate and the hydrothermal processing of barley in alleviating concentrate effects on intake, and hindgut fermentation in horses was tested. Six Arabian mares (4–10 years of age, 410 ± 35 kg body weight) were used to evaluate the effects of feeding sequence (FS) and type of barley (TB) on intake, and faecal volatile fatty acids (VFA), activities of α‐amylase (AA: EC 3.2.1.1), carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase: EC 3.2.1.4), microcrystalline cellulase (MCCase: EC 3.2.1.91) and general filter paper degrading activity (FPD). Mares were offered a ration of air‐dried alfalfa and concentrate (70:30 as‐fed) in four subsequent periods of 14 days including 8 days of adaptation and 6 days of sampling. In each period and each meal, mares received concentrate either 30 min after (HC) or 30 min before (CH) alfalfa hay. Barley was either milled or boiled in water. Rectal samples were grabbed directly from rectum once per period. Mares subjected to CH had higher dry matter intakes than mares under HC regime. The acetate:propionate ratio (A:P ratio) in rectal content was higher with CH than HC. The AA activity was higher under CH than under HC. Mares fed boiled barley had lower rectal concentrations of VFA and propionate and a higher A:P ratio than mares fed milled barley. Furthermore, the rectal content showed a higher MCCase activity but a lower AA activity when mares were fed boiled compared with milled barley. Interactions between FS and TB were observed with respect to CMCase activity, and concentrations of propionate and valerate. In conclusion, the present results suggest that both, feeding concentrate before hay and boiling the barley, might improve the hindgut environment in Arabian mares, and that the two measures were mostly additive and sometimes even synergistic.     

Genetic properties of drought tolerance indices in sunflower

Abstract

The objective of the present study was genetic analysis of yield-based drought tolerance indices using the diallel method. Twenty-one genotypes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) derived from a half diallel cross between six inbred lines were evaluated in both stress and non-stress conditions using a randomized complete block design for each one. Eight drought tolerance indices comprising stress tolerance index (STI), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), harmonic mean (HM), stress susceptibility index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), yield index (YI) and yield stability index (YSI) were calculated based on grain yield under stress and non-stress environments. Significant genotypic differences were observed in TOL, GMP, MPSTI, HM and YI. Diallel analyses revealed the importance of both additive and non-additive gene effects in GMP, STI, HM and YI. However, the Baker ratio supported the predominance of an additive effect in their expression. Our results demonstrated that SSI, YSI, TOL and MP are not reliable indices to select drought tolerant genotypes in sunflower breeding programmes because of their low heritability. Indices such as GMP, STI, HM and YI were moderately heritable and are usually able to select high-yielding genotypes in both environments and could be usefully employed in drought tolerance breeding programmes of sunflower.     

Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Transdifferentiation into Oligodendrocyte-Like Cells Using Triiodothyronine as a Inducer with Expression of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor α as a Maturity Marker

Background: The present study investigated the functional maturity of oligodendrocyte derived from rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Methods: The BMSC were isolated from female Sprague-Dawley rats and evaluated for different markers, such as fibronectin, CD106, CD90, Oct-4 and CD45. Transdifferentiation of OLC from BMSC was obtained by exposing the BMSC to DMSO and 1 µM all-trans-retinoic acid during the pre-induction stage and then induced by heregulin (HRG), platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGFR-α), fibroblast growth factor and T3. The neuroprogenitor cells (NPC) were evaluated for nestin, neurofilament 68, neurofilament 160 and glial fibrillary acidic protein gene expression using immunocytochemistry. The OLC were assessed by immunocytochemistry for O4, oligo2, O1 and MBP marker and gene expression of PDGFR-α was examined by RT-PCR. Results: Our results showed that the fibronectin, CD106, CD90, CD45 and Oct-4 were expressed after the fourth passage. Also, the yield of OLC differentiation was about 71% when using the O1, O4 and oligo2 markers. Likewise, the expression of PDGFR-α in pre-oligodendrocytes was noticed, while MBP expression was detected in oligodendrocyte after 6 days of the induction. Conclusion: The conclusion of the study showed that BMSC can be induced to transdifferentiate into mature OLC. Key Words: Bone marrow stromal cell, Triiodothyronine, Platelet-derived growth factor α     

Development of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings in response to tree shelters and mulching in northwestern Tunisia

The need for reforestation in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) areas is challenged by difficulties. Principal among these is herbivory of young plants, vegetative competition, and slow growth rates of cork oak seedlings. We evaluated the early development of cork oak seedlings treated using tree shelters and mulching in northwestern Tunisia. We tested three tree shelter treatments (non-vented, vented, and control) to shield seedlings from animal damage and five mulch types to control competing vegetation (Italian Stone Pine, Lentisk, combination of Italian Stone Pine and Lentisk (organic mulches), gravel (inorganic mulch) and no mulch). At the end of the two-year experiment, sheltered seedlings were 89-99% taller than unshelteredseedlings and had higher numbers and lengths of shoot growth flushes. In contrast, both stem diameter growth and dry weight biomass (from samples extracted after two years) were significantly reduced inside tree shelters. Root-to-shoot ratio was not significantly different in sheltered vs. unsheltered seedlings, suggesting that tree shelters do not adversely affect this parameter. Mulching alone did not favour growth, but could be beneficial when combined with tree shelters. The combination of vented tree shelters and gravel mulch was the most effective treatment for promoting diameter, height and stem volume growth.