Clinical effect of buprenorphine or butorphanol,in combination with detomidine and diazepam,on sedation and postoperative pain after cheek tooth extraction in horses

The objective of this study was to compare effects of butorphanol (BUT) or buprenorphine (BUP), in combination with detomidine and diazepam, on the sedation quality, surgical conditions, and postoperative pain control after cheek tooth extraction in horses, randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups (BUT: n = 20; BUP: n = 20). A bolus of detomidine (15 μg/kg, IV) was followed by either BUP (7.5 μg/kg, IV) or BUT (0.05 mg/kg, IV). After 20 min, diazepam (0.01 mg/kg, IV) was administered and sedation was maintained with a detomidine IV infusion (20 μg/kg/h), with rate adjusted based on scores to 5 variables. All horses received a nerve block (maxillary or mandibular), and gingival infiltration with mepivacaine. Sedation quality was assessed by the surgeon from 1 (excellent) to 10 (surgery not feasible). A pain scoring system (EQUUS-FAP) was used to assess postoperative pain. Serum cortisol concentrations and locomotor activity (pedometers) were measured.Horses in BUP and BUT required a median detomidine infusion rate of 30.2 μg/kg/h (20 to 74.4 μg/kg/h) and 32.2 μg/kg/h (20 to 48.1 μg/kg/h), respectively (P = 0.22). Horses in the BUP group had better sedation quality (P < 0.05) during surgery and higher step counts (P < 0.001) postoperatively. Buprenorphine combined with detomidine provided a more reliable sedation than butorphanol. However, the EQUUS-FAP pain scale became unreliable because of BUP-induced excitement behavior.     

Environmental effects on soil NO concentrations and root N uptake in beech and spruce forests

This study aimed to investigate the shifts in net nitrogen (N) uptake and N compounds of fine roots over the vegetation period (i.e., spring, summer, autumn) and correlate this with NO concentration in the soil. Soil NO concentration was measured using gas lysimeters for collection and a chemiluminescence analyzer for quantification. Net N uptake by the roots was determined using the ¹⁵N enrichment technique. N pools were quantified using spectrophotometric techniques. Soil NO concentrations at beech and spruce forest sites were highest in spring (June), and lowest in winter (December). Total N of the roots was similar during the seasons and between the two years under study despite considerable variation of different N compounds. Net N uptake generally increased with higher N supply. Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between soil NO concentration and net N uptake only for spruce trees. This relationship seemed to be modulated by environmental factors and tree species.     

Relation between soil organic matter and yield levels of nonlegume crops in organic and conventional farming systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interaction between yield levels of nonleguminous crops and soil organic matter (SOM) under the specific conditions of organic and conventional farming, respectively, and to identify implications for SOM management in arable farming considering the farming system (organic vs. conventional). For that purpose, correlations between yield levels of nonlegume crops and actual SOM level (C_org, N_t, C_hwe, N_hwe) as well as SOM‐level development were examined including primary data from selected treatments of seven long‐term field experiments in Germany and Switzerland. Yield levels of nonlegume crops were positively correlated with SOM levels, but the correlation was significant only under conditions of organic farming, and not with conventional farming treatments. While absolute SOM levels had a positive impact on yield levels of nonlegumes, the yield levels of nonlegumes and SOM‐level development over time correlated negatively. Due to an increased demand of N from SOM mineralization, higher yield levels of nonlegumes obviously indicate an increased demand for OM supply to maintain SOM levels. Since this observation is highly significant for farming without mineral‐N fertilization but not for farming with such fertilization, we conclude that the demand of SOM‐level maintenance or enhancement and thus adequate SOM management is highly relevant for crop production in organic farming both from an agronomical and ecological point of view. Under conventional management, the agronomic relevance of SOM with regard to nutrient supply is much lower than under organic management. However, it has to be considered that we excluded other possible benefits of SOM in our survey that may be highly relevant for conventional farming as well.     

Structure determination of partially deuterated carotenoids from intrinsically labeled vegetables by HPLC-MS and 1H NMR

The structures of biosynthetic deuterated carotenoids in labeled vegetables were investigated: (all-E)-lutein and (all-E)-beta-carotene from spinach, and (all-E)-beta-carotene and (all-E)-alpha-carotene from carrots. The vegetables were grown hydroponically using a nutrient solution enriched with deuterium oxide (D(2)O) and were extracted using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD). Deuterium enrichment in the carotenoid molecules was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). (all-E)-Lutein and (all-E)-beta-carotene in spinach showed partial deuteration from (2)H(1) to (2)H(12), with the abundance maximum at (2)H(5). (all-E)-beta-Carotene and (all-E)-alpha-carotene from carrots showed partial deuteration from (2)H(1) to (2)H(17), with the abundance maximum at (2)H(11). The (1)H NMR spectra of the four deuterated carotenoids showed additional signals for all methyl groups and decreased signal intensity for the olefinic protons and the methylene protons in the ring. These differences are due to isotopic effects and are based on the substitution of protons by deuterium atoms. The deuteration was distributed randomly throughout the carotenoid molecules.     

Using the soil gas radon as an indicator for ground contamination by non-aqueous phase-liquids

1 The Problem  One of the major problems facing risk assessment at polluted industrial sites and military bases is subsurface contamination by non-aqueous phase-liquids (NAPLs), since tracing the extent of a NAPL plume using conventional methods (drive point profiling) is usually associated with difficulties. In an effort to trace subsurface contamination as precisely as possible, monitoring points are placed in the area that might be affected by contaminants, and groundwater and soil samples are taken to the laboratory for analysis. However, the final number of monitoring points is hardly ever sufficient for distinctive contamination mapping, and this may ultimately result in an unsuitable remediation action being taken. 2 Objectives  To obtain a more detailed image of a subsurface NAPL plume and, hence, to facilitate remediation measures that are best suited for the site in question, a denser network of monitoring points is desirable. The aim of the investigation described in this paper was therefore to develop a new detection method for subsurface NAPL contamination, which is based on an easily accessibleindicator for NAPLs rather than on the analysis of soil and groundwater samples taken at the site. Based on the good solubility of radon in NAPLs, the idea was put forward that subsurface NAPL contamination should have an influence on the natural radon concentration of the soil gas. Provided this effect is significant, it would be possible to carry out a straightforward radon survey on an appropriate sampling grid covering the suspected site and thus enabling the NAPL contamination to be detected by the localization of anomalous low radon concentrations in the soil. The overall aim of the investigation was to assess the general suitability of the soil-gas radon concentration as an indirect tracer for NAPL contamination in the ground. 3 Methods  The partitioning coefficient K_NAPL/air is one of the most influential parameters governing the decrease of the radon concentration in the soil gas in the presence of a subsurface NAPL contamination. Since NAPL mixtures such as gasoline, diesel fuel and paraffin are among the most important NAPLs regarding remediation activities, laboratory experiments were performed to determine the radon-partitioning coefficient for these three NAPL mixtures. Field experiments were carried out as well. The aim of the field experiments was to test the use of the soil-gas radon concentration as a tracer for NAPL contamination on-site. For the field experiments, each site was covered with a suitable grid of soil gas sampling points. Finally, the lateral radon distribution pattern achieved on each of the sites was compared to the respective findings of the earlier research performed by conventional means. 4 Results and Discussion  The results of the laboratory experiments clearly show a very strong affinity of radon to the NAPL mixtures examined. The partitioning coefficients achieved correspond to those published for pure NAPLs (Clever 1979) and are thus in the expected range. The results of the field experiments showed that the minimum radon concentrations detected match the respective NAPL plumes traced previously. 5 Conclusions  Both the results of the lab experiments and the on-site findings demonstrate that the soil-gas radon concentration can be used as an indicator for subsurface NAPL contamination. The investigation showed that NAPL-contaminated soil volumes give rise to anomalous low soil-gas radon concentrations in the close vicinity of the contamination. The reason for this decrease in the soil-gas radon concentration is the good solubility of radon in NAPLs, which enables the NAPLs to accumulate and ‘trap’ part of the radon available in the soil pores. 6 Recommendations and Outlook  Further research is required into contamination with rather volatile NAPLs such as BTEX. Further research is also needed to examine whether it is possible to not only localize a NAPL plume, but also to obtain some quantitative information about the subsurface NAPL contamination. The authors also believe that additional investigations should be carried out to study the ability of the method to not just localize a NAPL contamination, but also to monitor on-site, clean-up measures.     

Concept and feasibility study for the integrated evaluation of environmental monitoring data in forests

In the 1970s unexpected forest damages, called “new type of forest damage” or “forest decline”, were observed in Germany and other European countries. The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Federal States implemented a forest monitoring system in the early 1980s, in order to monitor and assess the forest condition. Due to the growing public awareness of possible adverse effects of air pollution on forests, in 1985 the ICP Forests was launched under the convention on long-range transboundary air pollution (CLRTAP) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE). The German experience in forest monitoring was a base for the implementation of the European monitoring system. In 2001 the interdisciplinary case study “concept and feasibility study for the integrated evaluation of environmental monitoring data in forests”, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, concentrated on in-depths evaluations of the German data of forest monitoring. The objectives of the study were: (a) a reliable assessment of the vitality and functioning of forest ecosystems, (b) the identification and quantification of factors influencing forest vitality, and (c) the clarification of cause-effect-relationships leading to leaf/needle loss. For these purposes additional data from external sources were acquired: climate and deposition, for selected level I plots tree growth data, as well as data on groundwater quality. The results show that in particular time series analysis (crown condition, tree growth, and tree ring analysis), in combination with climate and deposition are valuable and informative, as well as integrated evaluation of soil, tree nutrition and crown condition data. Methods to combine information from the extensive and the intensive monitoring, and to transfer process information to the large scale should be elaborated in future.

Analysing taxonomic structures and local ecological processes in temperate forests in North Eastern China

Background

One of the core issues of forest community ecology is the exploration of how ecological processes affect community structure. The relative importance of different processes is still under debate. This study addresses four questions: (1) how is the taxonomic structure of a forest community affected by spatial scale? (2) does the taxonomic structure reveal effects of local processes such as environmental filtering, dispersal limitation or interspecific competition at a local scale? (3) does the effect of local processes on the taxonomic structure vary with the spatial scale? (4) does the analysis based on taxonomic structures provide similar insights when compared with the use of phylogenetic information? Based on the data collected in two large forest observational field studies, the taxonomic structures of the plant communities were analyzed at different sampling scales using taxonomic ratios (number of genera/number of species, number of families/number of species), and the relationship between the number of higher taxa and the number of species. Two random null models were used and the “standardized effect size” (SES) of taxonomic ratios was calculated, to assess possible differences between the observed and simulated taxonomic structures, which may be caused by specific ecological processes. We further applied a phylogeny-based method to compare results with those of the taxonomic approach.

Results

As expected, the taxonomic ratios decline with increasing grain size. The quantitative relationship between genera/families and species, described by a linearized power function, showed a good fit. With the exception of the family-species relationship in the Jiaohe study area, the exponents of the genus/family-species relationships did not show any scale dependent effects. The taxonomic ratios of the observed communities had significantly lower values than those of the simulated random community under the test of two null models at almost all scales. Null Model 2 which considered the spatial dispersion of species generated a taxonomic structure which proved to be more consistent with that in the observed community. As sampling sizes increased from 20 m × 20 m to 50 m × 50 m, the magnitudes of SESs of taxonomic ratios increased. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, we found that the Jiaohe plot was phylogenetically clustered at almost all scales. We detected significant phylogenetically overdispersion at the 20 m × 20 m and 30 m × 30 m scales in the Liangshui plot.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the effect of abiotic filtering is greater than the effects of interspecific competition in shaping the local community at almost all scales. Local processes influence the taxonomic structures, but their combined effects vary with the spatial scale. The taxonomic approach provides similar insights as the phylogenetic approach, especially when we applied a more conservative null model. Analysing taxonomic structure may be a useful tool for communities where well-resolved phylogenetic data are not available.

     

华南地区覆盖旱种水稻节水及其水分利用效率研究

大田试验条件下设置常规水稻(T11)、覆膜旱作水稻(T12)、覆草旱作水稻(T13)和裸地旱作水稻(T14)4个处理,研究旱作水稻的节水效率及水分利用效率。水稻本田期T11用水总量545.40 mm,显著高于各旱作处理水稻,以此为参照,T12、T13和T14节水效率分别为35.1%、22.8%和21.2%。以裸地旱作处理T14为参照,T12节水率17.7%,而T13无明显节水效果。旱作水稻的节水效果主要发生在水稻移栽后前2个月,之后无明显节水效果。各处理以籽粒产量/耗水量为基础计算的水分利用效率(WUE),T12、T13、T14和T11处理分别为1.47、1.31、1.21和1.05 g/kg,以干物质量/耗水量为基础计算的WUE各处理之间的趋势与以籽粒产量/耗水量计算的WUE基本一致。     

Methodische untersuchungen zur Sekundärauswertung von Sortenversuchen Bezüglich der Ertragsstabilität von Sorten mit Hilfe der Ökoregression

In Sortenversuchen sind die Wechselwirkungen Sorten × Orte meist sehr groß und die Mittelwertdifferenzen somit wenig aussagekräftig.

Es wird empfohlen, Landessortenversuche über Landesgrenzen hinweg sekundär regressionsanalytisch auszuwerten, um die Reaktionen von Sorten auf die unterschiedlichen Wachstumsbedingungen der Orte zu erkennen. Auf Aspekte der Auswertung wird näher eingegangen. Die Auswertungsergebnisse der sekundären Auswertung sind für Pflanzenzüchter und Landwirte gleichsam relevant.     

Eine Anordnung zur Messung kleiner Sauerstoffaustauschraten photosynthetisierender Algen bei geringen Lichtintensitäten

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Meßanordnung zur amperometrischen Registrierung der relativen Nettosauerstoffaustauschrate mittels einer membrangeschützten Platinelektrode beschrieben, die besonders für die Verwendung kleiner Versuchsobjekte (einzelliger Algen und isolierter Chloroplasten) geeignet ist. Die hohe Empfindlichkeit ermöglicht die Analyse von Sauer-stoffaustauschraten unter Verwendung monochromatischen Lichtes relativ hoher spektraler Reinheit. Die gute Stabilität des Elektrodenpotentials läßt eine große Verstärkung des Meßwertes und eine direkte Registrierung des Anstiegs der relativen Sauerstoffaustauschrate zu.

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Summary An amperometric device is described for the registration of relative oxygen exchange rates of small particles such as algae or isolated chloroplasts. The high sensitivity of the electrode according to the Clark-type make possible the application of monochromatic light with small half band wides for examination of photosynthetic reactions. The employed Ag/AgO-reference electrode has a very stable potential and allows a high amplification necessary for direct registration of the oxygen exchange rate derivatives. Some examples are given for registrated exchange rates.

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