Validation of an immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay in canine citrated plasma

Abstract: D-dimer is a neoantigen formed when thrombin initiates the transformation of fibrinogen to fibrin; it is derived from plasmin digestion of cross-linked fibrin. In human medicine, the usefulness of this analyte in diagnosing disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) has been assessed in patients fulfilling the clinical and laboratory requirements for this disorder. In canine medicine, the use of D-dimer is relatively new. Detailed studies are needed to understand the relationship between D-dimer concentration in plasma and DIC status in dogs. We validated a D-dimer immunoturbidimetric assay (Tina-quant [a] D-Dimer, Boehringer Mannheim) in canine citrated plasma samples. Intra-assay and interassay variability (coefficient of variation) was 5.63% and 8.82%, respectively. The assay was linear, using 2 samples with low and high D-dimer concentrations (r = .996 and .998). Accuracy was 102.2% and 95.7% based on a recovery study in which 2 samples were assessed. Reference values for D-dimer were established using 70 healthy dogs that were assessed clinically and evaluated on the basis of a complete laboratory workup. The reference range was set between 0.02 and 0.28 μg/mL (chi-square test for normal distribution, P > .05).     

长爪沙鼠颌下腺免疫球蛋白A的定位分布

采用免疫组织化学方法对不同日龄的长爪沙鼠颌下腺IgA的定位分布进行了研究。结果表明，长爪沙鼠的颌下腺由导管部和分泌部构成，分泌部主要由浆液腺构成，导管部包括闰管、纹管、颗粒曲管和小叶间导管等。DAB显色结果表明，IgA阳性细胞主要分布于浆液性腺泡、闰管、纹管、颗粒曲管和小叶间导管，并可分布于腺泡和腺管间结缔组织，IgA阳性产物的分布具有不均一性，无明显随年龄变化的规律性。阳性产物分布于胞质中，胞核呈阴性，对照组阴性。提示从浆细胞产生或循环而来的IgA先经结缔组织进入颌下腺组织，进而定位分布于浆液腺泡和各级导管，导管部有较多的IgA分布。     

Glucose and insulin responses to different dietary energy sources in Thoroughbred broodmares grazing cool season pasture

The objectives of this study were to characterize the glycemic and insulinemic responses of Thoroughbred broodmares fed late spring pasture only or a mixture of pasture and a high starch or low starch feed and to test hypotheses about differences in the glycemic and insulinemic effects of these dietary regimes. A group of 15 mares were divided into three treatment groups; pasture and high starch feed (PHS), pasture and low starch feed (PLS), and pasture only (PO) and maintained in these groups for 4.5 months prior to this study. These groups were maintained on a single pasture that was temporarily divided into three sections. The study protocol was conducted over two days. On day 1 the mares were fed their respective treatments and on day 2 all mares were allowed access to pasture only. On both days plasma glucose and insulin were measured in samples taken over a 7.5 h period. Baseline measurements for glucose and insulin were not different between any of the treatment groups on either day (P > 0.05). The baseline insulin concentrations of these pasture-kept mares (26.7 ± 8.3 mIU/L) were high compared to those reported from stall-kept horses. Plasma glucose and insulin on day 1 were influenced by treatment group, sample time, and an interaction between treatment and time (P < 0.05). On day 2 there was no significant influence of treatment group (P > 0.05). Glucose and insulin rose to higher (P < 0.01) peak concentrations in the PHS group on day 1 when compared to the PLS and PO groups, with no difference (P > 0.05) detected between the PLS and PO groups. These results are reflected in greater areas under the concentration-time curves for glucose and insulin in the PHS group on day 1 (P < 0.05). On day 2 there were no differences in any of the glucose and insulin characteristics for any of the treatment groups (P > 0.05). These results indicate a clear difference in the glycemic and insulinemic effect of the PHS feed compared to the PLS and PO groups. Of further interest are the glucose and insulin characteristics of these pasture-kept mares that indicate a low insulin sensitivity and high insulin secretory response. This study provides further information on factors influencing glycemic and insulinemic responses in horses.     

Effects of pheromone loading, dispenser age, and trap height on pheromone trap catches of the oriental fruit moth in apple orchards

The effects of field aging (0–28 days) and pheromone loading rate on the longevity of red rubber septa loaded with the sex pheromone blend of the oriental fruit mothGrapholita molesta (Busck), were evaluated in North Carolina apple orchards in 2002. Separate field tests examined the influence of trap height and pheromone loading rate of rubber septa on trap catches of adultG. molesta males in an abandoned orchard. The loss of the major pheromone component, (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate (Z8–12:OAc), from red rubber septa over a 4-week period exhibited a relatively constant release rate with 30, 100 and 300 μg pheromone. Trap catch was significantly higher in pheromone traps placed in the upper canopy than in those in the lower canopy. Pheromone traps baited with 100μg lures caught more moths compared with those loaded with 300 μg. There was no apparent relationship between pheromone trap catch and septa age, with trap catch appearing to be primarily a function ofG. molesta population density. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting May 14, 2006.     

Prediction of multinomial probability of land use change using a bisection decomposition and logistic regression

Land use change is an important research area in landscape ecology and urban development. Prediction of land use change (urban development) provides critical information for making the right policies and management plans in order to maintain and improve ecosystem and city functions. Logistic regression is a widely used method to predict binomial probabilities of land use change when just two responses (change and no-change) are considered. However, in practice, more than two types of change are encountered and multinomial probabilities are therefore needed. The existing methods for predicting multinomial probabilities have limits in building multinomial probability models and are often based on improper assumptions. This is due to the lack of proper methodology and inadequate software. In this study, a procedure has been developed for building models to predict the multinomial probabilities of land use change and urban development. The foundation of this procedure consists of a special bisection decomposition system for the decomposition of multiple-class systems to bi-class systems, conditional probability inference, and logistic regression for binomial probability models. A case study of urban development has been conducted to evaluate this procedure. The evaluation results demonstrated that different samples and bisection decomposition systems led to very similar quality and performance in the developed multinomial probability models, which indicates the high stability of the proposed procedure for this case study.     

不同利用方式对贝加尔针茅草原土壤活性有机碳的影响

土壤活性有机碳能够准确反映土壤有效性,表征土壤质量变化,是探索可持续草地管理措施的关键指标之一。以内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原为研究对象,采用围封、放牧和刈割野外控制试验,探讨不同利用方式对土壤有机碳（SOC）和活性有机碳的影响,发现不同利用方式下土壤SOC含量表现为围封>刈割>放牧,其中围封区和刈割区土壤SOC含量显著大于放牧区,围封区与刈割区土壤SOC含量差异不显著,在土壤活性有机碳中土壤可溶性有机碳（DOC）含量表现为放牧>围封>刈割。土壤微生物量碳（MBC）和土壤易氧化有机碳（ROC）含量均表现为围封>刈割>放牧,围封区与刈割区土壤MBC和土壤ROC平均含量差异不显著,且均显著大于放牧区。土壤MBC、ROC和SOC之间呈极显著相关性（P<0.01）。土壤ROC和土壤MBC与土壤全氮和土壤全磷呈极显著相关性（P<0.01）。围封与刈割有利于土壤SOC、MBC、ROC的提升,放牧对土壤DOC有一定累积作用。围封和刈割增强了土壤SOC的稳定性,活性有机碳与土壤有机碳和土壤理化性质密切相关,能够敏感地反映土壤有机碳的变化。     

Moisture movement and thickness swelling in oriented strandboard. Part 2: Analysis using a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging body scanner

The previous paper in this series demonstrates the use of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) micro-imaging system to observe the movement of liquid water through small specimens (11 × 16 mm² cross-section) of oriented strandboard (OSB) and solid wood. In the present paper, a NMR body scanner is utilized to obtain images of moisture penetration into ASTM D 1037–99 standard sized (152 × 152 mm²) thickness swelling specimens at different intervals during water soaking. As with the micro-imaging study, silicone was applied to the surfaces and edges of some of the specimens in order to observe the directional characteristics of moisture movement through OSB. Specimens with commercially applied edge sealant were also included in the study in order to observe the effectiveness of the sealant of reducing moisture penetration and thickness swelling. The presence of voids and areas of low density were shown to contribute significantly to moisture penetration into the specimens.     

基于EDA技术的自动立木整枝机无线遥控发射系统

立木整枝是优质工业用材林定向抚育的重要环节,采用自动立木整枝机是实现高效、高质量和安全可靠整枝的有效途径。本文综合运用电子电路设计及优化技术、无线遥控及通信编解码技术,创造性地研制了基于CPLD的无线数字编码抗干扰自动立木整枝机无线遥控发射系统,通过优化CPLD内部逻辑电路有效消除了逻辑竞争冒险、降低了噪声干扰,确保了系统逻辑设计的正确性。该系统具有可靠、节能、抗干扰、工作效率高等优点。本研究成果及方法为推进其他林业机械的自动化与智能化进程提供了一种有效的新思路。     

Technological properties and fire performance of medium density fibreboard (MDF) treated with selected polyphosphate-based fire retardants

ABSTRACT

The objective of the work was to evaluate the efficacy of two new polyphosphate-based fire retardants (FRs) and one commercial product named Siriono^® on the fire performance and physical–mechanical properties of medium density fibreboard (MDF) fabricated in the laboratory from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood. The fibres were treated with aqueous solutions of fire retardants, at 12% loading (dry salt on dry wood), and bonded with a melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) adhesive. The physical and mechanical properties of panels were assessed using the European standards, whereas their fire performance was evaluated using an in-house method and the Cone calorimeter. In overall, the chemicals added enhanced the fire and smoke properties of the panels to varying degrees. Critical FR parameters such as peak heat release rate (peak HRR), total heat release (THR) and total smoke production (TSP) were significantly improved in the FR-treated panels, as exhibited in cone calorimeter tests. However, the internal bond strength of treated panels largely decreased by the addition of fire retardants, while thickness swell and water absorption negatively affected to a significant extent. In contrast, the formaldehyde release of the panels was considerably decreased at the E1 class level, with the incorporation of the polyphosphate-based additives.