Kinetics of linuron and metribuzin degradation in soil

The disappearance of linuron and metribuzin was studied during laboratory incubation of soil samples which had been taken from several depths at three sites, and treated with the pesticides. Temperature and water content of the soils were varied. There was a tendency for the rate of loss to be slower in soil taken from deeper horizons than in surface soil but the differences were not large. In only ten out of forty experiments did the value 1 for the apparent order of reaction fall within 95% confidence limits. In the remaining experiments the apparent reaction order was greater than 1 with eight values higher than 4. For one soil, the reaction order for linuron was markedly lower for incubation at 22°C compared with incubations at 10°C. The results could be explained on the basis that the systems were complex, involving consecutive or competing reactions. An alternative possibility is that the apparent complexities were artifacts brought about by the inherent limitations of the laboratory incubation system.     

Adsorption of glyphosate by soils

The adsorption of glyphosate in a slurry system by 9 soils was correlated with an arbitrary single point inorganic phosphate sorption index which gave a measure of unoccupied phosphate sorption capacity, but not with total phosphate sorption capacity at pH 2.6, the level of iron and aluminium soluble in Tamm's acid oxalate or with clay content, organic matter content or pH. It is concluded that inorganic phosphate excludes glyphosate from sorption sites. The extent of adsorption was higher than, though of the same order as, that of diuron though the two are not related. From consideration of the results of previous experiments with plants grown in culture solution it is suggested that the low phytotoxicity of glyphosate applied to the soil is not due simply to high adsorption. Rather it is the result of a combination of moderate adsorption and the low intrinsic activity of this compound when made available to the root system.     

A technique for perineal urethrostomy in the cat

A technique for perineal urethrostomy in the cat is described and the results of its successful use in fifteen consecutive cases reported. The pelvic urethra is sutured to skin to produce first intention healing.     

A COMPARISON OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY AND RADIOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF FREE PERITONEAL FLUID IN THE DOG

The detection of small amounts of free peritoneal fluid in the canine patient can be a diagnostic dilemma. Ultrasonography and radiography have been advocated to detect intraabdominal fluid not detectable by physical exam. The purpose of this study was to determine the more sensitive method for detecting small amounts of free peritoneal fluid. Ultrasound examinations and radiographs were performed after increments (1 ml/lb body weight) of fluid were injected intraperitoneally. Ultrasonography detected fluid in one animal at 2 ml/lb. AH other animals had fluid detected at 3 ml/lb. With radiographs fluid could be detected with a high degree of accuracy at 4 ml/lb. The lateral view was more accurate than the ventrodorsal view in detecting fluid. The authors concluded that Ultrasonography is more sensitive than radiography and is the method of choice to detect small amounts of free peritoneal fluid.     

Meningoencephalitis in a Boelen's python (Morelia boeleni) associated with paramyxovirus infection.

An adult male Boelen's python, Morelia boeleni, presented with acute neurologic disease and was euthanatized. Histologic examination revealed nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis. Occasional eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions were noted in glial cells. On the basis of clinical signs and histopathology, inclusion body disease of boid snakes was suspected, but inclusions were not seen in other organs commonly affected with the disease. Moreover, electron microscopy revealed that the inclusions contained stacks of filaments 13-14 nm wide. With the use of a generic paramyxovirus cDNA probe, sections of brain and esophageal ganglion demonstrated hybridization. The findings indicate that paramyxovirus was the likely cause of the encephalomyelitis in this python, and this virus should be included in the differential diagnosis of pythons exhibiting central nervous system disease.     

藕炭疽病病原及生物学特性

 该病为国内首次报道,在南宁、贵港等市县近年来有日趋严重之势。4~5月见病,夏秋时节病重,病叶率达70%以上。     

A compartmental computer model of foliar uptake of pesticides

The uptake and movement of a chemical into a wheat leaf has been simulated in a 5-compartment model. The compound is considered to be applied to the leaf as discrete droplets of solution, from which water evaporates at a uniform rate. Solute diffuses from the droplets through the plant cuticle into the epidermal cell wall, and from there either into and out of the cytoplasm and vacuole of the mesophyll cells or along cell walls to the xylem. Once in the xylem it is carried in the transpiration stream towards the tip of the leaf. Accurate values for the parameters required by the model have not yet been measured, but the model simulates in a qualitative manner the movement pattern observed for 1-methyl-2-pyridone. The results presented focus attention on the possible importance of membrane permeability in determining the phytotoxicity of xylem mobile pesticides.     

The crucial role of calcium interacting with soil pH in enhanced biodegradation of metam-sodium

Enhanced biodegradation of soil-applied pesticides has long been correlated with soil pH above ca 6.5-7.5, but the possibility of confounding or interdependence with calcium, given that soil calcium concentration increases exponentially as pH rises above that range, has not previously been studied. Enhanced biodegradation of the broad-spectrum biocide metam-sodium was readily induced de novo in a naturally acid sandy soil (pH 4.2 measured in 0.01 M CaCl2) by multiple treatments, but only when the pH and calcium concentration were raised simultaneously using calcium carbonate (lime). Enhanced biodegradation was not induced when soil pH alone was raised with magnesium carbonate, nor when calcium alone was raised using calcium chloride. In limed sand treated monthly for 12 months, the degradation rate increased to where dissipation was complete within 24 h of application after the fifth metam-sodium treatment at pH 7.8 and after the eighth metam-sodium treatment at pH 6.8. Pesticide concentration was reduced, but not eliminated, at pH 5.8 and was unchanged at pH 4.8. When metam-sodium was applied bi- and tri-monthly, the degradation rate also increased when soil pH was raised with calcium carbonate, but to a lesser extent than with monthly applications. In an acid loam soil amended to the same pH values with calcium carbonate and treated monthly, there was no correlation between soil pH or calcium concentration and degradation. The results reveal the crucial interdependence of pH and calcium concentration in enhancement of biodegradation of soil-applied pesticides, but confirm that the phenomenon ultimately depends on interaction with soil type and frequency of application factors, all of which probably together act to affect the abundance, composition and activity of the soil microbial biomass.     

Idiopathic pericarditis and cardiac tamponade in two cows

Idiopathic pericarditis is an uncommon diagnosis in cattle with cardiac tamponade. Two cows were examined for clinical signs of right-sided congestive heart failure, including tachycardia, venous distention, and peripheral edema. Muffled heart sounds were detected in one of the cows. Echocardiography in both cows revealed voluminous anechoic pericardial effusion and compression of the right atrium and right ventricle. Cytologic analysis of the pericardial fluid revealed hemorrhagic inflammation but no evidence of a septic or neoplastic condition such as traumatic reticulopericarditis or lymphoma, respectively. Pericardial drainage and lavage accompanied by treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs were curative in both cows. It is important to differentiate cows with idiopathic pericarditis from cows with more common septic pericarditis because the prognosis for the former disease appears to be good with appropriate treatment.     

Endothelin-1 concentrations in clone calves, their surrogate dams, and fetal fluids at birth: association with oxygen treatment

Increased endothelin-1 (ET-1) plasma concentration in human infants is associated with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, a problem also identified in calves derived from somatic cell clone technology. Increased ET-1 also is present in the amnionic fluid and plasma of the infant and mother in preeclampsia, a condition associated with abnormal placentation. Abnormalities in placentation are identified in clone calves. We measured ET-1 in fetal fluid, calf plasma, and surrogate dam plasma in 40 clone calves at the time of term delivery. Calves were subsequently identified as being either oxygen treated (O2) or non-oxygen treated based on their postpartum clinical course. Fetal fluid ET-1 concentration greater than 1.4 ng/mL carried a 3-fold increase in odds of the calf being treated with oxygen. Maternal plasma ET-1 concentration was greater in the O2 group (13 pg/ mL: [8-23 pg/mL] versus 25 pg/mL [12-40 pg/mL]; median, 25-75 percentile). Plasma ET-1 concentration in calves was not significantly different between groups. Fetal fluid ET-1 may serve as a marker for neonatal disorders of oxygenation in clone calves and the source of ET-1 may be the placenta.