Evaluation of noninvasive blood pressure in anesthetized horses: Bias,limits of agreement,and comparative detection of a predetermined mean blood pressure warranting treatment

Oscillometric blood pressure monitoring may be a practical tool for short procedures or those performed outside of the operating room. Oscillometric and direct blood pressure values in 30 juvenile and adult horses in a clinical setting using mixed effect models were compared. The limits of agreement and percentage errors were also calculated. We evaluated the sensitivity and false positive rate for the oscillometric method to trigger an intervention for treating blood pressure [direct mean arterial pressure (MAP) < 70 mmHg]. Oscillometric MAP and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) differed from direct values (P < 0.001); systolic arterial pressure (SAP) did not (P = 0.08). Wide limits of agreement were observed. Percentage errors were smaller for SAP (39%) than for MAP and DAP (48% and 72%). The oscillometric monitor indicated there was a requirement for blood pressure treatment with a true positive rate of 82%, consequently, it failed 18% of the times. The false positive rate (unnecessary treatment) was 55%.     

Dietary arginine requirement of fingerling hybrid Clarias (Clarias gariepinus×Clarias macrocephalus)

The dietary arginine requirement of fingerling hybrid Clarias (Clarias gariepinus×Clarias macrocephalus) (4.2±0.03 cm, 0.56±0.04 g) was determined by feeding six isonitrogenous (400 g kg⁻¹ crude protein) and isocaloric (17.9 kJ g⁻¹) amino acid test diets containing casein, gelatin and l ‐crystalline amino acids with graded levels of arginine (10.0, 12.5, 15.0, 17.5, 20.0 and 22.5 g kg⁻¹) for 4 weeks to triplicate groups. Diets were fed twice a day at 09:00 and 16:00 hours at 8% body weight day⁻¹. Maximum weight gain (523%), best feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.41), protein efficiency ratio (1.78) and specific growth rate (6.53%) were recorded in fish fed the diet containing arginine at 20.0gkg⁻¹ of the diet. Second‐degree polynomial regression analysis of live weight gain and FCR values indicated the dietary arginine requirement at 17.8 and 20.0 g kg⁻¹ of dry diet respectively. Significantly higher carcass protein and protein deposition values were recorded at the requirement level (20.0 g kg⁻¹). Higher fat and lower moisture values were obtained in carcass of fish fed the diet with 15.0g kg⁻¹ arginine. The maximum carcass ash value was noticed in the fish fed at 20.0 g kg⁻¹ dietary arginine. We recommend that the diet for hybrid Clarias (C. gariepinus×C. macrocephalus) should contain arginine in the range of 17.8–20.0 g kg⁻¹ of the dry diet, corresponding to 44.5 and 50 g kg⁻¹ of dietary protein respectively.     

Effects of 13-year fencing on browsing by sika deer on seedlings on Mt. Ohdaigahara, central Japan

We examined the effects of fencing on deer browsing on seedlings 13 years after the building the experimental fence on Mt. Ohdaigahara, central Japan, where the sika deer (Cervus nippon) population is high. There was no difference in the species number of seedlings between 1991 and 2004. The density of seedlings in the fenced plot in 2004 was three times higher than in 1991. Although the unfenced plots had no seedlings higher than 20 cm, there were seedlings up to 120 cm in the fenced plot. These results suggest that 13-year fencing promoted regeneration of seedlings in this area.     

Examination of molecular interaction sites of acetanilides with organic matter surrogates using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques

The dynamics of acetanilide pesticide interactions with organic matter (OM) surrogates were examined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Differences in the relative changes in (13)C and (1)H spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) were measured at multiple molecular sites of metolachlor and the probe compound acetanilide to identify interaction sites and/or surfaces between the molecules and dissolved and colloidal OM surrogates. The decrease in T(1) at specific sites of acetanilide molecules was a function of the OM used and its concentration. High-affinity interactions at nonaromatic sites of metolachlor and acetanilide were observed with cellulose, chitin, and collagen, but interactions with lignin occurred with less site specificity and involved both aromatic and nonaromatic sites of the molecules. Changes in relaxation were compared to calculated and experimentally determined binding coefficients (K(oc)). The T(1) relaxation of the aromatic sites of acetanilides showed better relations with K(oc) than the nonaromatic sites. This study shows that NMR relaxation measurements can identify the high-affinity molecular interaction sites of acetanilides to OM surrogates.     

The Soil Association (UK)

The present study examines small winery entrepreneurs’ views concerning ways in which educational institutions offering hospitality management or related degrees could assist them. A group of 31 winery operators producing and marketing muscadine wines in the Southern United States was interviewed for this study. While there is general agreement that educational institutions can positively contribute toward their businesses, including in helping raise consumer awareness about muscadine wines, only the fewest respondents (3) are benefitting from such relationships. At times when collaborative relationships, including those between educational institutions and industry may be more important than ever, the study identifies and discusses several implications stemming from the findings.     

Unraveling the Effect of Differentially Applied Manganese on Root Dynamics and Efficiency of Diverse Rice Genotypes

Increasing manganese (Mn) deficiency in soils emphasizes strategies for breeding genotypes with increased Mn efficiency. The present investigation evaluated Mn efficiency of 11 rice genotypes w.r.t. basal, foliar, and basal+foliar Mn application in field and glasshouse conditions. The genotypes with B + F application had higher leaf area (LA), SPAD index, root length (RL), root surface area (RSA) and mean half distance between roots (MHDR), and ultimately higher Mn efficiency under both growing conditions. The results of correlation analysis depicted strong positive relation between grain yield and LA (0.60) and SPAD index (0.53). The root characteristics viz., RL, RSA, and MHDR could, respectively, explain 76%, 77%, and 83% of variation in grain yield emphasizing the importance of superior root geometry in regulating mechanism pertaining to differential Mn efficiency. The breeders could select the traits for better root geometry along with high yield in breeding programs to develop Mn efficient genotypes.     

Activities of mixtures of soil-applied herbicides with different molecular targets

The joint action of soil-applied herbicide mixtures with similar or different modes of action has been assessed by using the additive dose model (ADM). The herbicides chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, pendimethalin and pretilachlor, applied either singly or in binary mixtures, were used on rice (Oryza sativa L.). The growth (shoot) response curves were described by a logistic dose-response model. The ED50 values and their corresponding standard errors obtained from the response curves were used to test statistically if the shape of the isoboles differed from the reference model (ADM). Results showed that mixtures of herbicides with similar molecular targets, i.e. chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron (acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors), and with different molecular targets, i.e. pendimethalin (microtubule assembly inhibitor) and pretilachlor (very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) inhibitor), followed the ADM. Mixing herbicides with different molecular targets gave different results depending on whether pretilachlor or pendimethalin was involved. In general, mixtures of pretilachlor and sulfonylureas showed synergistic interactions, whereas mixtures of pendimethalin and sulfonylureas exhibited either antagonistic or additive activities. Hence, there is a large potential for both increasing the specificity of herbicides by using mixtures and lowering the total dose for weed control, while at the same time delaying the development of herbicide resistance by using mixtures with different molecular targets.