Factors influencing the association between active ingredient and adjuvant in the leaf deposit of adjuvant-containing suspoemulsion formulations

BACKGROUND: For an oil adjuvant to enhance uptake of a particulate active ingredient (AI), it is hypothesised that closer association between the two should result in higher uptake. Accordingly, factors important for the spray deposit size on grapevine leaves have been investigated for a series of model suspoemulsion formulations containing colloidal crystalline AI or fluorescent pigment particles and an emulsion of an oil adjuvant with different degrees of wetting and different spray volumes. RESULTS: Low spray volumes (<100 L ha(-1)) produced small deposits with high particle-adjuvant association. Complementary uptake studies showed increased uptake with decreasing deposit size, in agreement with the above hypothesis. Higher spray volumes produced larger deposits that consisted of annuli formed by pinning of the contact line by particles. Low surfactant concentrations favoured particles in the annulus and adjuvant separated in the centre. Intermediate surfactant concentrations produced annuli containing both particles and adjuvant, while with high surfactant concentrations the deposits were large with few annuli.CONCLUSIONS: Small deposits result in high AI-adjuvant association. With larger deposits, annulus structures allow for enhanced AI-adjuvant association (5-20 times greater). The formation of annuli appears to be important in enhancing the biodelivery of particulate AIs in adjuvant-containing suspoemulsion formulations at intermediate spray volumes.     

Edge effects in tropical dry forests of Madagascar: additivity or synergy?

Context

The study of habitat fragmentation is complex because multiple, potentially synergistic, ecological processes may be acting simultaneously. Further, edge effects themselves may be complex in that additivity from multiple edges can give rise to heterogeneous nearest–edge gradients.

Objectives

We used heat diffusion as a proxy for additive edge effects in two study landscapes in order to test whether two key observations recently attributed to synergy between edge and area effects could be more simply explained by additivity; namely, steeper edge gradients in larger fragments and variation in slopes of species–area relationships as a function of distances to fragment edges.

Methods

We sampled forest structure in northwestern Madagascar at various distances from the edge in fragments and continuous forest and used an inverse modelling approach to parameterize the model. In addition, we applied the model to data from a published study of beetle communities in fragmented forests in New Zealand.

Results

With increasing proximity to edges, woody stem densities decreased and, as predicted, smaller fragments had lower stem densities and less steep edge gradients than larger ones. The model successfully predicted shifts in species–area relationships as a function of nearest–edge distances for beetle species, although observed richness for forest specialists in the smallest fragments was lower than predicted.

Conclusions

Two key observations attributed to synergy between edge and area effects were explained by edge additivity. The model is particularly useful in that it can help to disentangle the complex sets of processes acting in fragmented landscapes.

     

A new framework of spatial targeting for single-species conservation planning

Context

Organisations acting to conserve and protect species across large spatial scales prioritise to optimise use of resources. Spatial conservation prioritization tools typically focus on identifying areas containing species groups of interest, with few tools used to identify the best areas for single-species conservation, in particular, to conserve currently widespread but declining species.

Objective

A single-species prioritization framework, based on temporal and spatial patterns of occupancy and abundance, was developed to spatially prioritize conservation action for widespread species by identifying smaller areas to work within to achieve predefined conservation objectives.

Methods

We demonstrate our approach for 29 widespread bird species in the UK, using breeding bird atlas data from two periods to define distribution, relative abundance and change in relative abundance. We selected occupied 10-km squares with abundance trends that matched species conservation objectives relating to maintaining or increasing population size or range, and then identified spatial clusters of squares for each objective using a Getis-Ord-Gi* or near neighbour analysis.

Results

For each species, the framework identified clusters of 20-km squares that enabled us to identify small areas in which species recovery action could be prioritized.

Conclusions

Our approach identified a proportion of species’ ranges to prioritize for species recovery. This approach is a relatively quick process that can be used to inform single-species conservation for any taxa if sufficiently fine-scale occupancy and abundance information is available for two or more time periods. This is a relatively simple first step for planning single-species focussed conservation to help optimise resource use.

     

沙棘果实采后处理与贮存

沙棘果加工成沙棘成品需要经过适时科学的机械采收、运输、处理和贮存等一系列过程.沙棘果实的采收比较困难,由于沙棘果没有脱离层,可以整个冬天长在沙棘枝上,而且,大部分品种的沙棘由于刺长且多,手工采收费时费力,加上沙棘果实较小,除了少量的鲜食市场人工采收外,使得大多数商业需求必须实行机械采收.在北美地区,劳动力成本高,尤其如此,据估计,十年来,在萨斯喀彻温省,收获一个4hm^2的果园所需的劳动力成本,大约为产品总价值的58%.     

Sea buckthorn products: manufacture and composition.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a unique plant currently being domesticated. The fruit is the main component of value, although the leaves are occasionally made into sea buckthorn tea. The two main sources of valuable products are derived from the berries, juice from the fleshy tissue and seed as a single seed from each berry. The juice provides a nutritious beverage, high in suspended solids and very high in vitamin C and carotenes. The juice may contain an oil phase trapped within the suspended solids, or the oil may be removed as pulp oil and provided separately. The pulp remaining after juice removal provides for extraction of "sea buckthorn yellow", a pigment that has potential use as a food coloring material. The seed is a source of seed oil, which is very unsaturated and shows promise, because of its light absorption and emollient properties, as an ingredient in cosmetics, phytopharmaceuticals, or UV skin protectant preparations. It may be prepared by conventional extraction techniques or by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. The manufacture of the main products derived from sea buckthorn is described, including several examples from the patent literature. The available compositional data for the main products are tabulated to form a comprehensive source of information on the manufacture and composition of sea buckthorn products.     

COMPARISON OF TWO COARSE FRACTIONATED RADIATION PROTOCOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF CANINE PITUITARY MACROTUMOR: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF 24 DOGS

Radiotherapy is a commonly used treatment for pituitary macrotumors in dogs, but the optimum protocol has not been established. Twenty four dogs with MRI confirmed pituitary macrotumors were treated with one of two radiotherapy protocols. Twelve dogs were treated with 10 fractions of 3.8 Gy/fraction on a “Monday–Wednesday–Friday” schedule, the remaining 12 with five “once‐a‐week” protocols (1 × 5 Gy, followed by 4 × 8.25 Gy) to a total dose of 38 Gy. The overall median survival time for all dogs was 235 days (range 28–1,328), dogs treated with 10 fractions had a median survival time of 961 days (range 28–1,328) compared to 182 days (range 42–507) in the five‐fraction group (P = 0.006). Clinical improvement was found in both groups, and no significant side effects were noted in either group. These results suggest that a “Monday–Wednesday–Friday” schedule may improve survival times, as compared to a “once‐a‐week” protocol. As this study was of an observational nonrandomized nature, future work is necessary to establish whether more highly fractionated protocols or different total doses will further improve outcome.     

The effect of dicyandiamide on pasture nitrate concentration,yield and N offtake under high N loading in winter and spring

High nitrate () concentrations in pastures and forages represent a health risk to grazing livestock. A field trial was conducted on the Lincoln University Dairy Farm, New Zealand, to investigate the effects of applying the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on soil extractable N and pasture concentrations in winter and spring. Treatments were control (T1), urea (T2), urea + DCD (T3), May urine + DCD (T4), August urine + DCD (T5), May urine (T6) and August urine (T7). Urine treatments were applied to the ryegrass‐white clover pasture in either May or August. The DCD treatments were applied at 10 kg DCD ha^?1 in May and August and urea at 25 kg N ha^?1 at selected intervals. Soil samples (0‐ to 75‐ and 75‐ to 150‐mm horizons) were taken regularly to monitor soil and ammonium () levels. Six pasture harvests were conducted from August 2007 to March 2008 and samples analysed for ‐N concentrations and total N content. Application of DCD significantly (P < 0·001) increased total dry‐matter (DM) production by 39 and 42% for the autumn and spring urine treatments, respectively, compared to the urine‐alone treatments. In addition, the application of DCD also significantly (P < 0·001) increased DM yield by 12% on the urea‐only treatment. DCD significantly (P < 0·001) reduced pasture concentrations in both autumn‐ and spring‐applied urine treatments where DCD was applied. This was directly linked to reductions in soil , and increases in soil , from DCD application. The preferential uptake by pasture for ‐N over ‐N may also have been a contributing factor. DCD application can therefore substantially reduce pasture ‐N concentrations to safe levels under high N‐loading (urine patch) conditions.