Condylar buttress plate fixation of femoral fracture in a colt

A Salter-Harris type-II fracture of the distal portion of the femur in a 1-year-old Pony of America was repaired by use of lateral plating combined with interfragmentary compression. The configuration of the fracture and the method of internal fixation with a condylar buttress plate were unique and resulted in primary bone healing, seen at the 5-month follow-up examination.     

Reflectance of Alaskan black spruce and white spruce foliage in relation to elevation and latitude

Leaf reflectance at visible and near-infrared wavelengths (400-1000 nm) is related primarily to pigmentation, leaf structure and water content, and is an important tool for studying stress physiology and relationships between plants and their growth environment. We studied reflectance of two co-occurring Alaskan conifers, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), at elevations from 60 to 930 m a.s.l. along a latitudinal gradient from 61 degrees to 68 degrees N. Black spruce samples were collected from 24 sites and white spruce from 30 sites. Overall, reflectance spectra of the two species were similar, but from 400 to 700 nm, needle reflectance was consistently higher in black spruce than in white spruce (all P 相似文献   

Coarse root elongation rate estimates for interior Douglas-fir

Accurate estimates of root growth rates are important for root system modeling, and the spread of root systems may be an important determinant of belowground site occupancy. Estimating root system growth rates is complicated because missing, discontinuous, and false annual growth rings make root cross sections difficult to age. These irregularities can occur even in roots of dominant conifers with rare or absent stem growth ring abnormalities. Incomplete rings were noted in the root growth rings of nine co-dominant interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) trees. Coarse root (> 1.0-cm diameter) elongation rates were estimated by fitting a geometric mean regression line to ring count and lateral distance data. In all nine roots examined, the geometric mean regression slope was well within the range of the 95% confidence interval for the ordinary least squares regression of lateral distance versus age, suggesting that measurement error may have been negligible. Coarse root elongation rates (which ranged from 2.8 to 15.3 cm year(-1) and averaged 7.4 cm year(-1)) in the interior Douglas-fir trees studied were much lower than those reported by others. This discrepancy may be a result of limited soil water availability, soil heterogeneity (both soil water content and soil texture were highly variable across short distances) and fragmentation of belowground growing space.     

Investigation of biosecurity risks associated with the feed delivery: A pilot study

This study explored potential biosecurity issues related to the delivery of feed to commercial farms. A pilot study was conducted to collect information about the day-to-day feed delivery, including biosecurity concerns at the level of the feed truck, the driver, and the farm. In addition, a reusable rubber boot was tested in an effort to increase the proportion of farms at which truck drivers wore clean footwear, and to explore an alternative to the standard plastic disposable boots that may be unsafe in winter conditions. Most farms did well in terms of proper dead-stock management and keeping the farm lane and feed bin areas clean. The provision of reusable rubber boots significantly increased the proportion of deliveries in which the driver wore clean footwear.     

Cryopreservation of Piau‐Breed Wild Boar Sperm: Assessment of Cooling Curves and Centrifugation Regimes

This study aimed to assess the effects of different cooling curves and centrifugation regimes used in cryopreservation protocols on the post‐thaw viability of Piau‐breed wild boar (Sus scrofa) sperm using in vitro assessment tests. Two centrifugations (800  g for 10 min and 2400  g for 3 min) and two cooling curves (conventional cooling using nitrogen vapour – freezing 1 and automated cooling using a programmed freezing machine – freezing 2) were tested. Therefore, the treatments were divided into M3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 2; M10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 2; R3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 1; and R10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 1. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatments occurred post‐thawing regarding the total sperm motility means recorded. The mean values of the different treatments were not different from each other regarding the supravital staining (SV), hypo‐osmotic test (HO), sperm–egg binding assay or sperm morphology. This study showed that both the cooling curve and the centrifugation regime affected the quality of post‐thaw sperm, and centrifugation for shorter times and cooling curves using automated cooling are the most suitable for minimizing sperm injury.     

An objective examination of consumer perception of nutrition information based on healthiness ratings and eye movements

OBJECTIVE: Previous research on nutrition labelling has mainly used subjective measures. This study examines the effectiveness of two types of nutrition label using two objective measures: eye movements and healthiness ratings. DESIGN: Eye movements were recorded while participants made healthiness ratings for two types of nutrition label: standard and standard plus the Food Standards Agency's 'traffic light' concept. SETTING: University of Derby, UK. SUBJECTS: A total of 92 participants (mean age 31.5 years) were paid for their participation. None of the participants worked in the areas of food or nutrition. RESULTS: For the standard nutrition label, participant eye movements lacked focus and their healthiness ratings lacked accuracy. The traffic light system helped to guide the attention of the consumer to the important nutrients and improved the accuracy of the healthiness ratings of nutrition labels. CONCLUSIONS: Consumers have a lack of knowledge regarding how to interpret nutrition information for standard labels. The traffic light concept helps to ameliorate this problem by indicating important nutrients to which to pay attention.