Morphology and composition of some soils under cultivation in Saudi Arabia

Twelve profiles representing the principal soils of five major agricultural areas (Al-Kharj, Gassim, Hofuf, Taif and Wadi Dawasir) in Saudi Arabia were described and sampled by horizons. Laboratory analyses were then made of the samples to characterize the profiles more completely. Analyses were also made for certain nutrient elements to get some measure of their levels in the soils.The profiles are tentatively classified in the Entisol and Aridisol orders of the American taxonomy. Five Entisol profiles were considered to be Fluvents and two Psamments. Four Aridisol profiles were considered to be Argids and one an Orthid.All of the profiles are saline and calcareous and most are also sandy. Furthermore, amounts of nutrient elements such as phosphorus, iron and zinc in surface layers are below minimum levels established for similar soils in earlier investigations in other countries. Consequently, the soils are believed to lack sufficient quantities of several elements for optimum plant growth. Successful use of the soils will thus require reductions in salinity, increased levels of nutrient elements, and skillful irrigation to provide adequate moisture.     

Comparative study on the aflatoxin B1 degradation ability of rumen fluid from Holstein steers and Korean native goats

The aflatoxin B1 degrading abilities of two different ruminants were compared in this study. One set of experiments evaluated the aflatoxin B1 degradation ability of different rumen fluid donors (steers vs. goats) as well as the rumen fluid filtration method (cheese cloth filtered vs. 0.45 µm Millipore) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Additional studies examined aflatoxin B1 degradation by collecting rumen fluid at different times (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h) after feeding. Cannulated Holstein steers (740 ± 10 kg bw) and Korean native goats (26 ± 3 kg bw) were fed a 60% timothy and 40% commercial diet with free access to water. Rumen fluid from Korean native goats demonstrated higher (p < 0.01) aflatoxin B1 degradability than Holstein steers. However, filtration method had no significant influence on degradability. In addition, aflatoxin degradation did not depend upon rumen fluid collection time after feeding, as no significant differences were observed. Finally, a comparison of two types of diet high in roughage found aflatoxin degradability in goats was higher with timothy hay opposed to rice straw, although individual variation existed. Thus, our findings showed the aflatoxin degradability is comparatively higher in goats compared to steers.     

某些植物碎叶在防治木豆线虫Rotylenchulus eni formis中的应用效果

肾形线虫Ｒｏｔｙｌｅｎｃｈｕｌｕｓｒｅｎｉｆｏｒｍｉｓ是印度木豆的主要害虫。相传某些土著植物有杀虫功效。因此，将Ａｒｇｅｍｏｎｅ，Ｃａｌｏｔｒｏｐｉｓ，Ｃａｓｔｅｒ，Ｍｅｒｉｇｏｌｄ，Ｍｕｓｔａｒｄ，Ｎｅｅｍ，Ｐａｒｔｈｅｎｉｕｍ，Ｓａｒｉｆａ，Ｓｅｓａｍｕｍ和Ｍａｈｕａ共１０种植物的碎叶按０．０６７ｈｍ￣２的１０００ｇ±１００ｇ的施用量施入土壤中并于玻璃网房中播种了两个木豆品种。每钵接种２５０个线虫卵囊，未施碎叶组同样进行接种作为试验对照。观测了接种后４５ｄ时植物生长量和线虫总量等，发现楝叶处理组木豆生长量最大。与对照相比，１０种植物碎叶处理均显著地抑制线虫卵襄的形成。     

Survival of two avian respiratory viruses on porous and nonporous surfaces

The transmission of pathogens from infected to susceptible hosts may occur through contaminated fomites and inanimate objects. This type of transmission depends on the ability of the pathogens to survive in the environment. In this report, we describe the survivability of two avian respiratory viruses, e.g., avian metapneumovirus and avian influenza virus on 12 different porous and nonporous surfaces. The viruses survived on some of the surfaces for up to 6 days postcontamination but not after 9 days. Both viruses survived longer on nonporous surfaces than on porous ones. One of the reasons for poor survival on porous surfaces could be inefficient elution of virus from these surfaces. These results should be helpful in determining how long the premises should be left vacant after an outbreak of these viruses has occurred in poultry houses.     

EVALUATION OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING GUIDELINES FOR DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THORACOLUMBAR INTERVERTEBRAL DISK EXTRUSIONS AND INTERVERTEBRAL DISK PROTRUSIONS IN DOGS

Four MRI variables have recently been suggested to be independently associated with a diagnosis of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion. Midline intervertebral disk herniation, and partial intervertebral disk degeneration were associated with intervertebral disk protrusion, while presence of a single intervertebral disk herniation and disk material dispersed beyond the boundaries of the intervertebral disk space were associated with intervertebral disk extrusion. The aim of this retrospective, cross‐sectional study was to determine whether using these MRI variables improves differentiation between thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusions and protrusions. Eighty large breed dogs with surgically confirmed thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusions or protrusions were included. Randomized MRI studies were presented on two occasions to six blinded observers, which were divided into three experience categories. During the first assessment, observers made a presumptive diagnosis of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion without guidelines. During the second assessment they were asked to make a presumptive diagnosis with the aid of guidelines. Agreement was evaluated by Kappa‐statistics. Diagnostic accuracy significantly improved from 70.8 to 79.6% and interobserver agreement for making a diagnosis of intervertebral disk extrusion or intervertebral disk protrusion improved from fair (κ = 0.27) to moderate (κ = 0.41) after using the proposed guidelines. Diagnostic accuracy was significantly influenced by degree of observer experience. Intraobserver agreement for the assessed variables ranged from fair to excellent and interobserver agreement ranged from fair to moderate. The results of this study suggest that the proposed imaging guidelines can aid in differentiating thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusions from protrusions.     

Peanut genotypic variation in transpiration efficiency and decreased transpiration during progressive soil drying

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is commonly grown on sandy soils in warm climates where water-deficit can impose a limitation on yield. Identification of plant traits related to increased productivity under water-deficit conditions could be used to increase yields in these water-limited environments. Two traits were examined among 17 peanut genotypes. Transpiration efficiency (TE), ratio of mass increase to water transpired, was the first trait examined. TE was measured both under well-watered conditions (greenhouse) and soil drying (outdoors in pots) conditions. Virtually no difference was observed in TE among genotypes under well-watered conditions indicating the gas exchange properties were similar. However, under soil drying conditions there were substantial differences among genotypes. These results indicated that TE with drying soil might interact with traits associated with water loss on drying soils. Therefore, the second trait examined in this study was the fraction transpirable soil water (FTSW) content at which the decline in transpiration with soil drying was observed. This greenhouse experiment showed large variability among the 17 genotypes. A second-order polynomial described the relationship between TE under soil drying conditions and the threshold for the decline in transpiration. The FTSW for maximum TE was 0.55, but this value is expected to depend on the environmental conditions to which the plants influence TE.     

Aboveground biomass and net primary production of semi-evergreen tropical forest of Manipur, north-eastern India

The aboveground biomass dynamics and net primary productivity were investigated to assess the productive potential of Dipterocarpus forest in Manipur, Northeast India. Two forest stands (stand I and II) were earmarked randomly in the study site for the evaluation of biomass in the different girth classes of tree species by harvest method. The total biomass was 22.50 t·ha-1 and 18.27 t·ha-1 in forest stand I and II respectively. Annual aboveground net primary production varied from 8.86 to 10.43 t·ha-1 respectively in two forest stands (stand I and II). In the present study, the values of production efficiency and the biomass accumulation ratio indicate that the forest is at succession stage with high productive potential.     

印度东北部曼尼普尔区半常绿热带林地上生物量和净初级生产力

调查印度东北部曼尼普尔地区龙脑香森林的地上生物量和净初级生产力,评价龙脑香森林生产潜力。在龙脑香林中自由标记了两块林分（林分Ⅰ和林分Ⅱ）,通过收获法,评价不同周长等级的林木生物量。林分Ⅰ的总生物量为22．50t／hm^2,林分Ⅱ为18．27t／hm^2。两块林地（（林地1和林地2））每年地上净初级生产力变化范围分别为8．86～10．43t／hm^2。在目前的研究中,生产效率和生物量积累率表明,森林目前是处于演替阶段,具有较高生产潜力。表8参26。     

Heavy-Metal Concentrations in Sediments Collected from ICRISAT Lake,Patancheru, India

To determine and characterize the initial background concentrations of heavy metals, a total of 50 sediment samples were collected from the largest lake at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru, India. The finely ground sediment samples were digested using a microwave-assisted digestion method and analyzed for 15 heavy metals using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the concentrations of the heavy metals varied greatly with metal and sediment sample, but in general the concentrations were low. Our results suggest that the sediments from this lake (15 ha in area) at the ICRISAT center do not appear contaminated with the heavy metals evaluated, and they indeed reflect normal background concentrations of these metals released through the natural process of weathering.     

The cardiopulmonary effects and quality of anesthesia after induction with alfaxalone in 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin in dogs and cats: a systematic review

To systematically review the quality of evidence comparing the cardiopulmonary effects and quality of anesthesia after induction with alfaxalone vs. other anesthetic agents in dogs and cats. Studies published from 2001 until 20th May 2013 were identified with the terms ‘alfaxan’ OR ‘alfaxalone’ OR ‘alphaxalone’ in electronic databases: Discovery, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Wiley Interscience. The study design and risk of bias of all included studies were assessed. Twenty‐two studies from 408 (22 of 408, 5.39%) satisfied the inclusion criteria. Fourteen studies (14 of 22, 64%) focused on dogs and nine (9 of 22, 40%) on cats. One study had both dogs and cats as subjects. (Hunt et al., 2013) Twelve studies were rated an LOE1, and six of these as ROB1. One, seven, and two studies were rated as LOE2, LOE3, and LOE5, respectively. In dogs, strong evidence shows that induction quality with either alfaxalone‐HPCD or propofol is smooth. Moderate evidence supports this finding in cats. In dogs, moderate evidence shows that there is no significant change in heart rate after induction with either alfaxalone‐HPCD or propofol. In cats, moderate evidence shows no significant difference in postinduction respiratory rate and heart rate between alfaxalone‐HPCD and propofol induction. Strong evidence shows dogs and cats have smooth recoveries after induction using either alfaxalone‐HPCD or propofol, before reaching sternal recumbency.