NorValley: A white-skinned chipping cultivar with cold-sweetening resistance

NorValley is a multi-purpose, high-yielding, whiteskinned cultivar suitable for processing into chips, dehydrated flakes, or for table stock use. It chips directly from long-term storage at 6 C without reconditioning. NorValley has wide adaptability and is suitable for production on irrigated or non-irrigated land and has a low incidence of hollow heart. NorValley was released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station on August 22,1996.     

The Effects of Green Tea Amino Acid L-Theanine Consumption on the Ability to Manage Stress and Anxiety Levels: a Systematic Review

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - The green tea amino acid, L-theanine (L-THE) is associated with several health benefits, including improvements in mood, cognition and a reduction of stress and...     

Effect of sodium chloride on CO2 evolution,ammonification, and nitrification in a Sassafras sandy loam

Sodium chloride, at rates up to 100 mg g^?1, was added to a Sassafras sandy loam amended with finely-ground alfalfa to determine the effect of NaCl on CO₂ evolution, ammonification, and nitrification in a 14-week study. A NaCl concentration of 0.25 mg g^?1 significantly reduced CO₂ evolution by 16% in unamended soil and 5% in alfalfa-amended soil. Increasing NaCl progressively reduced CO₂ evolution, with no CO₂ evolved from the soil receiving 100 mg NaCl g^?1. A 0.50 mg NaCl g^?1 rate was required before a significant reduction in decomposition of the alfalfa occurred. The NO^?₂-N + NO^?₃-N content of the soil was significantly reduced from 40 to 37 μg g^?1 at 0 and 0.25 mg NaCl g^?1, respectively in the unamended soil. In the alfalfa amended soil, nitrification was significantly reduced at 5 mg NaCl g^?1. At 10 mg NaCl g^?1, nitrification was completely inhibited, there being only 6 and 2 μg NO^?₂-N + NO^?₃-N g^?1 in the alfalfa amended and unamended soil, respectively. In the alfalfa amended soil NH⁺₄-N accumulated from 6 μg g^?1 at the 0 NaCl rate to a maximum of 54 μg g^?1 with 25 mg NaCl g^?1. These higher NH⁺₄-N values resulted in a 0.5 unit increase in the pHw over that of the 0 NaCl rate in the alfalfa amended soil. At NaCl concentrations above 25 mg g^?1 there was a reduction in NH⁺₄-N. The addition of alfalfa to the soil helped to alleviate the adverse affects of NaCl on CO₂ evolution and nitrification.     

Estimate of the annual economic impact of treatment of cranial cruciate ligament injury in dogs in the United States

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the economic impact to veterinary clients for the medical and surgical treatment of rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (RCCL) in dogs for the year 2003. DESIGN: Economic impact survey. SAMPLE POPULATION: 501 diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) indicating that their area of surgical emphasis was small animal orthopedic surgery or small animal general and orthopedic surgery and 4,000 veterinarians indicating to the AVMA that their professional area was small animal practice exclusive or mixed animal practice (at least 80% small animal). PROCEDURE: Veterinarians were surveyed concerning the cost for medical and surgical treatment of RCCL for 2003. The economic impact was calculated by multiplying the number of RCCL surgeries performed by the mean cost of surgery. This was added to the number of RCCL cases managed medically multiplied by the mean cost of medical management. This estimate for survey responders was extrapolated to the total number of veterinarians in the study population for the ACVS or AVMA. RESULTS: Estimates for the total cost of surgery were $171,730,134.72 and $1,020,167,907 for veterinarians in the ACVS and AVMA populations, respectively. The cost of medical management was $2,885,687.86 and $126,558,155.16 for veterinarians in the ACVS and AVMA populations, respectively. After combining the ACVS and AVMA populations, we estimated that owners spent $1.32 billion for the treatment of RCCL in the United States in 2003. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: RCCL is a prevalent, costly injury. Results may motivate veterinary and consumer agencies to prioritize funding for a better understanding of the injury.     

Modulation of leptin, insulin, and growth hormone in obese pony mares under chronic nutritional restriction and supplementation with ractopamine hydrochloride

Horses fed beyond their nutritional requirement and that are physically inactive will develop obesity, which is often accompanied by insulin resistance and heightened risk of laminitis. The use of pharmacologic agents in combination with nutritional restriction may promote weight loss in obese horses unable to exercise because of laminitic pain. This study shows that reducing feed intake of brome grass hay to 75% of ad libitum intake in obese pony mares reduces body weight without induced exercise. Additional supplementation of ractopamine hydrochloride for 6 weeks resulted in a tendency for increased weight loss. Subsequent modulation of obesity-associated hormones, leptin and insulin, as a result of caloric restriction was observed.     

Long-term sustainability of a high-energy, low-diversity crustal biome

Geochemical, microbiological, and molecular analyses of alkaline saline groundwater at 2.8 kilometers depth in Archaean metabasalt revealed a microbial biome dominated by a single phylotype affiliated with thermophilic sulfate reducers belonging to Firmicutes. These sulfate reducers were sustained by geologically produced sulfate and hydrogen at concentrations sufficient to maintain activities for millions of years with no apparent reliance on photosynthetically derived substrates.     

Measurement of phytase activity in soil using a chromophoric tethered phytic acid probe

The lack of a reliable method for measuring phytase activity (PA) in soil impedes efforts to elucidate the influence of these phosphomonoesterases on phytate degradation and subsequently the P cycling process in soils and sediments. The objective of our research is to develop a convenient method for measuring PA in soil using the novel chromophoric substrate analog of phytate, 5-O-[6-(benzoylamino)hexyl]-d-myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,6-pentakisphosphate i.e., T(tethered)InsP₅. This artificial substrate permits direct measurement of the phytase-catalyzed dephosphorylation reaction (hydrolysis of phosphate groups) using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. TInsP₅ can serve as an external standard for quantification of phosphorylated probe intermediate species on a molar basis, as UV detection relies on the same benzamido chromophore (λ_max 226 nm), which is unaffected by the number of phosphate groups present on the inositol moiety. Under soil slurry assay conditions we observed dephosphorylation of TInsP₅ with subsequent production of phosphorylated probe intermediates and 5-O-[6-(benzoylamino)hexyl]-D-myo-inositol, i.e., TIns. PA was determined by quantifying production of dephosphorylated probe species for a given incubation time period. Results of this investigation support our position that TInsP₅ will function as a useful probe for measuring PA in soil.     

Influence of methanol and hexane on soil adsorption of atrazine

The increasing frequency of chemically contaminated groundwater, occurring as a result of improperly managed waste disposal or accidental spills, presents a need for research on the fate of chemical mixtures in the soil. The batch equilibration technique was used to measure adsorption of ¹⁴C ring-labeled atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) for a Palouse silt loam (Pachic Ultic Haploxeroll) and a Pembroke silty clay loam (Typic Paleudalf). The solution phase consisted of mixtures of methanol-water and hexane-water containing up to 33.3 % organic solvent by volume. Aqueous solubility limited atrazine concentrations to 100 μmol L^?1 except for an additional isotherm determined in 33.3 methanol-water at up to 1542 μmol L^?1 The Freundlich adsorption coefficient indicated that the Palouse adsorbed more atrazine than the Pembroke with K values of 4.95 and 0.54, respectively. Both soils showed a significant decrease in K as the percentage methanol increased. Adsorption isotherms from a 33. 3 methanol-water system were of the Freundlich type for atrazine concentrations of 0.25 to 1542 μmol L^?1. In the hexane-water systems, K decreased as the fraction of hexane increased and the Pembroke soil adsorbed less atrazine than the Palouse soil. These results suggest that the introduction of nonaqueous solvents such as methanol and hexane decreased adsorption and increased the potential for atrazine mobility.     

Measurement of phytase activity using tethered phytic acid as an artificial substrate: Methods development

The artificial chromophoric substrate analog of phytic acid, 5-O-[6-(benzoylamino)hexyl]-d-myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,6-pentakisphosphate (T-IP₅), may prove useful in measuring soil phytase activity. This chemical probe allows for direct measurement of phytase-catalyzed dephosphorylation (i.e., hydrolysis of the phosphoester bond) using high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Before T-IP₅ can be used to measure phytase activity in environmental samples (soil, stream sediment, manure) refinement of the T-IP₅ probe methodology is required. Using ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we identified 5-O-[6-(benzoylamino)hexyl]-d-myo-inositol-trisphosphate (T-IP₃) as the key intermediate that accumulates during phytase-catalyzed dephosphorylation of T-IP₅. An improved HPLC method for separation of reactants is also presented.