Soil protection for a sustainable future: options for a soil monitoring network for Ireland

The increased recognition of the importance of soil is reflected in the UN Post‐2015 Development Agenda with sustainable development goals that directly and indirectly relate to soil quality and protection. Despite a lack of legally binding legislation for soil protection, the European Commission remains committed to the objective of soil protection. However, the achievement of a legally binding framework for soil protection relies on the implementation of a soil monitoring network (SMN) that can detect changes to soil quality over time. As beneficiaries do not pay for the provision of soil information, the options for soil monitoring are limited. The use of existing data sets should be considered first. Using Ireland as an example, this research explored the opportunities for a SMN for Ireland considering three existing national data sets. The options for a SMN are considered in terms of their spatial and stratified distribution, the parameters to be measured and an economic analysis of the options proposed. This research finds that for Ireland, either a 10 or a 16 km² grid interval stratified by land use and drainage class offers the best potential in relation to the spatial distribution of existing data sets to reflect local data at a national level. With existing data, the stratified SIS data using the 16 km² grid offers the best value for money, with baseline costs for analysis, excluding field costs, of between €706 481 and €2.8 million. Acknowledging the impossibility of measuring all parameters with ideal frequency, this study proposes a two‐tier system for optimized monitoring frequency. Parameters must anticipate future policy requirements. Finally, the implementation of a SMN must be accompanied by standardized methods, defined thresholds and action mandates to maintain soil quality within allowable limits.     

陈年六堡茶对高脂血症小鼠的调脂护肝作用研究

为了探讨陈年六堡茶的调脂保肝功效,比较分析了不同年代六堡茶的主要化学物质的差异,再以高脂高糖饮食建立高脂血症小鼠模型,并用选定的陈年六堡茶水提物灌胃小鼠,观察小鼠相关生理生化指标及组织形态的变化。结果表明,陈化15年茶样被选为陈年六堡茶的代表,用于后续试验。与模型组相比,陈年六堡茶尤其中高剂量条件下能有效减轻高脂血症小鼠体重、肝重和降低肝系数,显著提高高密度脂蛋白-胆固醇(HDL-C)含量,降低血清中总胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TG)和低密度脂蛋白-胆固醇(LDL-C)含量,降低谷丙转氨酶(ALT)和谷草转氨酶(AST)活力,改善大鼠肝脏氧化应激状态,具有统计学意义(P0.05或P0.01)。肝脏和脂肪组织病理切片显示,陈年六堡茶能明显减少肝细胞中脂滴的形成和抑制脂肪细胞膨大,呈剂量依赖关系。综上表明,陈年六堡茶在正常剂量条件下能有效改善因高脂高糖饮食所致的小鼠脂质代谢紊乱和肝脏损伤。     

磷供应水平对盆花月季'仙境'生长和品质的影响

以盆花月季'仙境'为试材,采用根部浇灌方式,设置0(P0)、10 (P10)、20(P20)、30(P30)g·柱-14个磷供应水平,研究了磷水平对盆花月季'仙境'根系生长、不同器官氮磷养分吸收、叶片SPAD值以及开花品质(花朵数量、花径、花朵干质量等)的影响,以期为月季养分管理提供参考依据.结果 表明:磷不同供应水平明显改变了'仙境'的根系形态,P20和P30处理较P0和P10处理,总根长增加了81％～111％,总根表面积扩大了133％～196％,细根总长度增加了95％～119％.植株不同器官(新生叶片、新生枝条和根系)生物量和氮、磷养分积累量表现出与根系生长类似的趋势.与P0和P10处理相比,P20和P30处理单株花朵数量增加128％～206％,叶片SPAD值增加16％～21％.与对照P0相比,P10、P20和P30花径分别增加12％、19％和24％.植株总根长与总氮和总磷吸收量表现出显著的正相关关系.综上所述,盆花月季'仙境'对不同磷供应水平表现出高度的根形态可塑性,适宜的磷供应水平促进根系生长和养分吸收,提高开花数量和品质.     

Long-term study of aerobic bacteria of the genital tract in stud dogs.

The aerobic bacterial flora of the genital tract was characterized in 15 stud dogs in an 18-month study. The dogs represented 4 breeds and were from 3 kennels. Bacterial samples from the prepuce and semen were collected every month, except in connection with matings, when they were collected weekly (464 samples). The dogs that were included all mated at least once during the study. The mean pregnancy rate, litter size, and pup mortality for the bitches with which they had mated were all within normal limits. The most frequent bacteria isolated from the prepuce and semen were Pasteurella multocida, beta-hemolytic streptococci, and Escherichia coli. There was a tendency for breeds to differ in frequency of the most common bacterial species. Bacterial culture yielded no aerobic growth in 14.2% of the preputial samples and 69.8% of the semen samples. Bacteria were transferred between dog and bitch at mating. In this study of healthy breeding dogs, neither the fertility of the dog nor that of the bitch was affected by the bacteria transferred.     

Clinical response of nasal adenocarcinoma to cisplatin chemotherapy in 11 dogs.

In 11 dogs with nasal adenocarcinoma, IV treatment with 2 to 8 cycles of cisplatin at a dosage of 60 mg/m2 of body surface, given at 3-week intervals, resulted in a survival time of 8 to 128 weeks (mean, 32.7 weeks; median, 20 weeks). Radiography revealed complete remission in 2 dogs and partial remission in 1 dog, for an overall response rate of 27%. Clinical problems such as nasal discharge (n = 11), sneezing (n = 6), and epistaxis (n = 4) resolved in 1 to 2 weeks in all dogs after beginning chemotherapy.     

Cryptococcal osteomyelitis in a dog

Osteomyelitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans was diagnosed in a three-year-old male Irish wolfhound. The case details and radiological findings of radiolucency and periosteal reaction of the left third metatarsal bone had lead to an initial diagnosis of a malignant bone tumour. Biopsy revealed a fungal granuloma and culture identified the causal organism. A four month course of ketaconazole was instigated and the lameness resolved. Twelve months after the end of treatment there was no recurrence of the problem.     

Factors affecting skim milk progesterone assay results.

Five studies were performed to determine factors affecting progesterone concentration in skim milk. Results of the first study indicated that progesterone concentration was higher in skim milk of samples kept 16 hours in an ice bath (0 C) than of those left at room temperature (21 C). In the second study, this temperature effect was found to be reversible, with skim milk progesterone concentration increasing when whole milk samples were cooled prior to centrifugation. In the third study, [3H]-labeled progesterone was used to determine the relationship between fat content of foremilk (the first milk obtained from the teats), midmilk (milk obtained midway through milking), and strippings (milk obtained immediately after milking machines have been removed) samples and temperature (4 C and 21 C) on the percentage of progesterone in the skim milk fraction. The relationship between percentage of butterfat and percentage of progesterone in skim milk was linear when the log of these variables was used for calculations. In the fourth study, assayable progesterone in the skim milk fraction of foremilk, midmilk, and strippings was affected by temperature. In the fifth study, a multiple-regression procedure was used to determine the amount of variation in percentage of radioactive progesterone in the skim milk fraction. Independent variables (whole milk butterfat and temperature of incubation [1, 3, 13, 22, 37, and 50 C]) and the natural log of each variable, were entered into a stepwise multiple-regression analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)