Effect of reducing the infrared radiation of sunlight on greenhouse temperature,leaf temperature,growth and yield

Infrared radiation, which is responsible for leaf temperatures that exceed the optimal for photosynthesis, was reduced by absorption in an aqueous CuSO₄ solution. A small greenhouse was constructed of double acryl plates through which a 0.5% CuSO₄ solution was circulated for infrared radiation filtration and cooling. The air temperature in this greenhouse never exceeded 30° C and the leaf temperature of the plants grown in this house was 10% lower than in a glass greenhouse. The yield of tomato plants grown in the acryl greenhouse, with infrared radiation filtration and receiving CO₂ enrichment during the entire light period, was not significantly increased as compared with the yield in the glass greenhouse with a similar CO₂ concentration. This may have been due to long periods with low light levels caused by extremely rainy and cloudy weather conditions, and by condensation on the inside surfaces of the acryl greenhouse caused by the high humidity.     

Fractionation of Soluble Molybdenum-Binding Proteins from Liver,Kidney, Plasma and Erythrocytes from Sheep Supplemented with Molybdenum

Five ewes were given a daily dose of 1.4 mg Mo/kg body weight as ammonium molybdate for 21 to 55 days. Plasma molybdenum concentrations increased considerably following the dosage, but no systematic changes were seen in the plasma copper concentrations. About 80 % of the molybdenum present in blood was found in plasma. With gel filtration it was shown that practically all of the molybdenum present in plasma and red cell haemolyzates was found in a fraction with molecular weight less than 1,500. Soluble proteins from liver and kidney cortex were separated into one high molecular weight fraction with molecular weight above 200,000 and a non-protein fraction with molecular weight less than 1,500. Significant correlations were found between the amounts of molybdenum present in the high molecular weight fraction and the molybdenum concentrations in liver and kidney.     

Dissection of a major QTL for seed colour and fibre content in Brassica napus reveals colocalization with candidate genes for phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid deposition

A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing seed fibre and colour in Brassica napus was dissected by marker saturation in a doubled haploid (DH) population from the black‐seeded oilseed rape line ‘Express 617’ crossed with a yellow‐seeded B. napus line, ‘1012–98’. The marker at the peak of a sub‐QTL with a strong effect on both seed colour and acid detergent lignin content lay only 4 kb away from a Brassica (H+)‐ATPase gene orthologous to the transparent testa gene AHA10. Near the peak of a second sub‐QTL, we mapped a copy of the key phenylpropanoid biosynthesis gene cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, while another key phenylpropanoid biosynthesis gene, cinnamoyl co‐a reductase 1, was found nearby. In a cross between ‘Express 617’ and another dark‐seeded parent, ‘V8’, Bna.CCR1 was localized in silico near the peak of a corresponding seed fibre QTL, whereas in this case Bna.CAD2/CAD3 lay nearby. Re‐sequencing of the two phenylpropanoid genes via next‐generation amplicon sequencing revealed intragenic rearrangements and functionally relevant allelic variation in the three parents.     

Nutritional value of a new source of fermented soybean meal fed to growing pigs

Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA), concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME), and the standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in a new source of fermented soybean meal (Fermex 200) are greater than in conventional soybean meal (SBM-CV). In experiment 1, 9 barrows (initial body weight: 9.17 ± 1.03 kg) were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum and allotted to a triplicated 3 × 3 Latin square design. A nitrogen-free diet and 2 diets that contained cornstarch and SBM-CV or Fermex 200 as the sole source of crude protein (CP), and AA were formulated. Results indicated that there were no difference between SBM-CV and Fermex 200 for SID of CP and AA. In experiment 2, 24 growing pigs (initial body weight: 14.19 ± 1.18 kg) were housed individually in metabolism crates. Pigs were allotted to a corn-based diet or 2 diets that contained corn and SBM-CV or corn and Fermex 200. Feces and urine samples were collected using the marker-to-marker approach with 5-d adaptation and 4-d collection periods. Results indicated that the concentration of DE and ME in Fermex 200 were not different from DE and ME in SBM-CV. In experiment 3, 40 barrows (initial body weight: 11.01 ± 1.38 kg) were allotted to 1 of 4 diets with 10 replicate pigs per diet. Four diets were formulated to contain Fermex 200 or SBM-CV and either 0 or 1,000 units/kg of microbial phytase. Pigs were housed individually in metabolism crates. Fecal samples were collected as explained for experiment 2. Results indicated that the STTD of P in Fermex 200 was greater (P < 0.01) than in SBM-CV, but the addition of microbial phytase to the diets increased the ATTD and STTD of P in SBM-CV, but not in Fermex 200 (interaction; P < 0.01). In conclusion, the SID of AA and concentrations of DE and ME in Fermex 200 were not different from values determined for SBM-CV, but the STTD of P was greater in Fermex 200 than in SBM-CV if microbial phytase was not added to the diet.     

Plague reservoir species throughout the world

Plague has been known since ancient times as a re-emerging infectious disease, causing considerable socioeconomic burden in regional hotspots. To better understand the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the plague, its potential occurrence, and possible future dispersion, one must carefully consider the taxonomy, distribution, and ecological requirements of reservoir-species in relation either to natural or human-driven changes (e.g. climate change or urbanization). In recent years, the depth of knowledge on species taxonomy and species composition in different landscapes has undergone a dramatic expansion, driven by modern taxonomic methods such as synthetic surveys that take into consideration morphology, genetics, and the ecological setting of captured animals to establish their species identities. Here, we consider the recent taxonomic changes of the rodent species in known plague reservoirs and detail their distribution across the world, with a particular focus on those rodents considered to be keystone host species. A complete checklist of all known plague-infectable vertebrates living in plague foci is provided as a Supporting Information table.     

An analysis in support of sediment quality thresholds for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to protect estuarine fish

• 1. Under the US Endangered Species Act and the Essential Fish Habitat provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act, it is the responsibility of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to safeguard the health of fish in estuarine and coastal waters.
• 2. This includes assessment of the impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals on fish and their critical habitat.
• 3. This analysis was conducted to assist NMFS resource managers in determining when fish are exposed to potentially harmful concentrations of one of the most common environmental contaminants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
• 4. Effects thresholds were estimated primarily through segmented regression of site‐specific sediment PAH concentrations and associated disease prevalences in a resident fish species, English sole, Pleuronectes vetulus.
• 5. The analyses and supporting data encompass several endpoints, including DNA damage, liver lesions, and impacts on growth and reproduction.
• 6. In general, liver lesion prevalences, DNA adduct levels, and impacts on growth and reproduction were minimal at sediment PAH concentrations at or below 1000 ppb. Above 1000 ppb, there appears to be a substantial increase in the risk of contaminant‐related injury to English sole.

Published in 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hyperostotic bone disease in a wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

Little is known about wombat diseases in general, and about their congenital diseases in particular. In the current study, the skeleton of a common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) that exhibited generalized hyperostosis is analyzed, and possible diagnoses are reviewed. Macromorphological analyses revealed that the diaphyses of the long bones manifested an increased diameter with extensive diaphyseal new-bone formation (periosteal and endosteal). Cross-sections of the diaphyses showed that the cortical–medullary demarcation was indistinct. The calvarial bones were thickened. Radiographs showed uniform sclerosis of the long bones with loss of trabecular pattern. Microradiography showed extensive bone remodeling, a hyper-vascularized lamellated layer of bone and numerous linear formation defects. Possible causes for the lesions, including sclerosing bone dysplasia disorders, acquired syndromes causing hyperostosis, and metabolic diseases typical of animals in captivity, are discussed.     

Influence of varying levels of supplemental cassava root meal without or with groundnut cake on performance of growing Laisind cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of varying levels of cassava root meal (CRM, 300 and 1,000 g), without or with 700 g groundnut cake (GNC) on intake and performance of growing Laisind cattle fed with a basal diet of urea-treated rice straw (URTRS). Twenty-four male cattle of crossbred Laisind (50 % Red Sindhi and 50 % local Yellow, both Bos indicus), from 15 to 17 months of age, 165–175 kg body weight, were used. They were assigned to a completely randomized block design in a 2?×?2 factorial arrangement (two CRM levels and two GNC levels). Intake of URTRS (interaction, P?<?0.01) and digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (interaction, P?<?0.05) decreased as CRM level increased on the diets without GNC but was not affected by CRM level on the diets with GNC. The total dry matter intake (interaction, P?<?0.05) and live weight gain (LWG) (interaction, P?<?0.001) increased as CRM level increased on the diets with GNC, but no difference was observed on the diets without GNC. In conclusion, supplementation of 1,000 g CRM should be in combination with 700 g GNC to avoid the negative effects on URTRS intake and digestibility, therefore improving LWG of growing Laisind cattle fed on a URTRS-based diet.