Long-term application of animal slurries to grassland alters soil cation balance

Abstract. Soil samples from a 32-year grassland field experiment were taken from 0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm soil depths in February 2002. Plots received annual treatments of unamended control, mineral fertilizer, three rates of pig slurry and three rates of cow slurry, each with six replicates. Samples were analysed for cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), pH and Olsen P. Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) was calculated as a sodicity indicator. Mean ESP was generally greater for slurry treatments than the control, with a trend of increasing ESP with application rate. This was particularly marked for cow slurry. At 0–5 cm depth ESP increased from 1.18 in the control to 1.75 at the highest rate of pig slurry and 5.60 at the highest rate of cow slurry. Similar trends were shown for CEC, exchangeable Na⁺, K⁺ and Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Olsen P. The build-up of soil P due to slurry applications, together with this combination of physical and chemical factors, may increase the risk of P loss to surface waters, particularly from soils receiving high rates of cow slurry.     

不同声音对草鱼幼鱼负趋音性行为反应影响研究

声驱鱼技术作为辅助过鱼措施之一,承担着保证鱼类洄游顺利通过过鱼设施,继而保护鱼类资源和恢复河流连通性的重要作用。本研究采用交替播音的形式,以草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)幼鱼为研究对象进行负趋音性实验,旨在探究草鱼幼鱼面对不同声音的行为反应。实验水槽(3.6 m×1.1 m×1.0 m)布置于下牢溪周围水域,平均水深为0.5 m,平均流速为0.06 m/s。实验使用1种单频音(1 000 Hz)和5种复杂音(鱼游动声、引擎声、短吻鳄叫声、打桩声和游艇声),声压级(sound pressure level)为(117.69±2.77) dB re 1 μPa,对照组为未播放声音时草鱼的行为反应数据。结果显示,播放复杂音时,草鱼的反应次数、趋音速度、运动时间比均显著高于单频音和对照组(P<0.001),草鱼的初次反应时间、平均反应时间均显著低于单频音和对照组(P<0.001);复杂音中,受到游艇声刺激的草鱼反应次数和趋音速度最大,受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼反应次数、趋音速度最小;复杂音中,受到游艇声刺激的草鱼初次反应时间最短,为(23.40±5.13) s;受到引擎声刺激的草鱼初次反应时间最长,为(146.00±7.82) s,显著低于其他复杂音(P<0.05);受到游艇声和打桩声刺激的草鱼平均反应时间最短,分别为(26.52±3.01) s和(28.76±4.07) s;受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼平均反应时间最长,为(64.76±17.82) s;复杂音中,受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼运动时间比最高,为(98.47±0.48)%;受到引擎声刺激的草鱼运动时间比最低,为(94.58±0.54)%;播放单频音时,草鱼的反应次数、初次反应时间、平均反应时间、运动时间比均与对照组无显著差异(P>0.05)。本研究表明,5种复杂音(鱼游动声、引擎声、短吻鳄叫声、打桩声和游艇声)对草鱼幼鱼具有驱赶效果。本研究在丰富鱼类负趋音性研究的同时,为实际工程中声驱鱼辅助过鱼设施的设计和优化提供了科学依据。     

Pharmacokinetics of morphine and its metabolites in freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

In this study, we injected morphine sulfate IP into rainbow trout and measured the concentration of morphine and all potential metabolites in plasma using LC-MS/MS at a series of times after the injection. The pharmacokinetics of morphine were similar to those previously reported for seawater-acclimated rainbow trout, i.e. they were about one order of magnitude slower than in similarly sized mammals. The only metabolite of morphine present in the plasma was morphine-3-β- d -glucuronide (M3G); morphine-6-β- d -glucuronide (M6G) was not detected. M3G gradually increased after the morphine injection, peaked about 2 days later, then gradually decreased. In mammals, M3G plasma levels exceed morphine levels extremely rapidly, i.e. in less than an hour, regardless of dose, route of administration, or species. In trout, it took 2 days for M3G levels to exceed morphine levels. This is the first study of the metabolites of morphine in any ectotherm. We conclude that trout can metabolize morphine, but at a rate much slower than in mammals.     

The influence of high-nitrogen forages on the voluntary feed intake of sheep

The objective of this research was to examine the effect of high concentrations of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) on the voluntary food intake of sheep fed high-quality grasses. Wether lambs (n = 6 per treatment) were fed dried switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.; Exp. 1) or dried tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.; Exp. 2). In both experiments, urea was added to the dried forage at 0 (control), 12, or 24 g of N/kg of DM to increase the NPN concentration. Acid detergent fiber concentrations were 305 g/kg of DM in both experiments, although DM digestibility was 663 and 618 g/ kg of DM in Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively. Voluntary feed intake of the control forage was 28.2 and 19.1 g/ kg of BW in Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively, and decreased for the high-urea treatments to 25.2 and 16.2 g/kg of BW in Exp. 1 (P = 0.07) and Exp 2 (P = 0.03), respectively. Total feed N concentrations increased from 29.5 g to 45.7 g of N/kg of DM in Exp. 1 (P < 0.01) and from 28.4 to 55.9 g of N/kg of DM in Exp. 2 (P < 0.01). Nonprotein N concentrations increased from 28.3 to 53.8% of the total N in switchgrass diets (Exp. 1; P < 0.01), and from 26.4 to 64.0% in tall fescue diets (Exp. 2; P < 0.01). Plasma urea concentrations of the lambs increased from 3.1 to 6.6 mM (Exp. 1; P < 0.01) and from 2.9 to 5.8 mM (Exp. 2; P < 0.01) as the amount of urea added to the diets increased. These changes resulted in an increase in plasma osmolality from 298 to 307 mOsm/kg (Exp. 1; P = 0.04), and from 299 to 307 mOsm/kg (Exp. 2; P = 0.06). Increasing feed N and NPN concentrations through the addition of urea caused a significant decrease in the voluntary feed intake of sheep fed tall fescue and switchgrass. These responses showed no significant cause-and-effect relationship between voluntary feed intake, plasma urea concentrations, and plasma osmolality.     

A novel herpesvirus associated with chronic superficial keratitis and proliferative conjunctivitis in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

An adult great‐horned owl (Bubo virginianus; GHOW) presented with a history of recurrent corneal ulceration of the right eye (OD). Findings included ulcerative superficial keratitis, proliferative conjunctivitis, and iris pigmentary changes. The ulcer was initially nonresponsive to medical therapy, but showed rapid and appropriate healing following diamond burr debridement. Proliferative conjunctivitis markedly improved following topical antiviral therapy with cidofovir 1%, interferon alpha 2B ophthalmic solutions, and oral l ‐lysine. Histopathologic evaluation of a conjunctival biopsy revealed epithelial features suspicious for viral cytopathic changes and intranuclear structures suspicious for viral inclusions, suggestive of a possible viral‐induced papillomatous conjunctivitis. A novel alphaherpesvirus, referred to as Strigid Herpesvirus 1 (StrHV1), was identified using PCR and gene sequencing. This case represents a new clinical manifestation of a previously unreported herpesvirus in the GHOW. Identification of the herpes virus was critical to administration of appropriate therapy and resolution of the conjunctivitis, and corneal epithelial debridement promoted resolution of the chronic corneal epithelial defect.     

Radiographic evaluation of the Zurich cementless total hip acetabular component

OBJECTIVE: To radiographically evaluate the Zurich cementless total hip (ZCTH) cup and correlate lucency with clinical signs of implant instability, time since surgery, and implant generation, using zonal analysis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs (n = 53). METHODS: Radiographs of dogs that had ZCTH arthroplasty (>1 year) were evaluated using zonal analysis, for lucency surrounding the cup-bone interface (number of zones, length, area). Dogs were examined for clinical signs of implant instability (lameness, hip pain). Lucency was correlated with lameness, time after surgery, and implant generation. RESULTS: Radiographs of 68 implants (18 generation I, 50 generation II) were evaluated. Eight dogs were lame (11.8%). Dogs with lameness were more likely to have lucency in > or =2 zones of analysis (per view), have >2 times the average curvilinear length of lucency, and have >4 times the average area of lucency surrounding the implant compared with non-lame dogs. A weak relationship was observed between time after surgery and implant generation; however, there was no relationship between time after surgery and lucency. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with lameness after ZCTH arthroplasty were more likely to have lucency at the cup-bone interface. Lucency was better evaluated by radiographic projection than zonal analysis. Temporal progression of lucency was weakly correlated with implant generation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dogs with lucency in > or =2 zones of analysis should be evaluated more frequently for clinical signs of implant loosening. Further investigation of serial radiographs after ZCTH arthroplasty is warranted.