DOPPLER MEASUREMENT OF SPLANCHNIC BLOOD FLOW DURING DIGESTION IN UNSEDATED NORMAL DOGS

The purpose of this study was to measure splanchnic blood flow during digestion in unsedated dogs by using duplex Doppler sonography. The study population consisted of 12 healthy dogs. Blood flow in the cranial mesenteric artery, the celiac artery, and the aorta was measured before a test meal and at 20, 60, and 90 minutes after eating. The following measurements were made or calculated: vessel diameter, peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean velocity, resistive index, pulsatility index, and flow volume. There was a significant postprandial decrease in the resistive and pulsatility indices in both the cranial mesenteric (preprandial RI = 0.867, postprandial RI = 0.796, preprandial PI = 3.033, postprandial PI = 2.173) and the celiac (preprandial RI = 0.854, postprandial RI = 0.769, preprandial PI = 2.639, postprandial PI = 1.930) arteries. In both vessels the end diastolic velocity, the mean velocity, and the flow volume increased significantly postprandially. These changes occurred significantly earlier in the celiac artery than in the cranial mesenteric artery. The findings most likely correspond to postprandial splanchnic vasodilation. Doppler ultrasound provide a good methode of detecting changes in postprandial splanchnic blood flow in the dog.     

Reverse-phase liquid chromatographic determination of benzoic and sorbic acids in foods

An isocratic liquid chromatographic (LC) technique is described for the determination of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in foods such as beverages, fruits, seafood, vegetables, sauces, and dairy, bakery, and confectionery products. A C18 column is used with methanol-phosphate buffer (5 + 95) as mobile phase and 4-hydroxyacetanilide or 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid as internal standard. Sample preparation is simple, rapid, and produces a sample extract that has a minimum effect on the column performance and life. Specificity of the method was checked against common food additives such as L-ascorbic acid, caffeine, artificial sweeteners (saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame), antioxidants (BHT, BHA) and artificial colors. Also described are 2 procedures for confirmation of the preservatives, using either redox reaction of sorbic acid with potassium permanganate or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Mean recoveries of 90-105% were obtained with a precision of 1-6% and a detection limit of 20 mg/kg for the 2 preservatives.     

Fate of a phenylpyrazole in vegetation and soil under tropical field conditions

The fate of fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, and its metabolites under tropical conditions was studied in soil and in vegetation after treatment for locust control. Two different plots were treated with a formulation of fipronil at doses of 5 and 10 g of active ingredient ha(-)(1), respectively. Vegetation and soil at depths of 0-5 and 5-20 cm were sampled for up to 2 months after treatment. After extraction and purification on fipronil immunoaffinity cartridges, residues were analyzed by gas chromatography using electron capture and mass detectors. In soil, a rapid initial decrease of fipronil was observed with a rapid formation of the sulfone and the photodegradate; the amide and the sulfide were not detected. In vegetation, a rapid initial decrease of fipronil was also observed with a rapid formation of mostly the sulfone; the photodegradate and the sulfide were also detected but at much lower concentrations. The metabolites resulting from the degradation of fipronil were similar in both soil and vegetation, but their relative concentrations were different.     

Use of a population model to assess the impact of longline fishing on wandering albatross Diomedea exulans populations

An age-structured model of a wandering albatross Diomedea exulans population is developed to stimulate population trends over time, using demographic parameters from the population at Possession Island, Crozets, during 1968–1986. The simulation results portray a population decreasing at a rate of 2·29% per year, which concurs with global population trends. Sensitivity analyses of model parameters indicate that both adult and juvenile mortality are contributing to the decrease. Wandering albatross mortality is presumed to have increased as a result of deaths caused by longline fishing vessels; such deaths are likely to be relatively more frequent among young, naive birds. The model is used to investigate the potential impacts of new longline fisheries such as that for Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides in Antarctica. Assuming longline fishing operations affect juveniles more than adults, there is a time lag of 5–10 years before further decreases in population numbers are reflected in the breeding population. Also, because wandering albatrosses are long-lived, population growth rates take approximately 30–50 years to stabilize after a perturbation. Consequently, caution must be exercised when interpreting population trends; short-term (<20 year) estimates may not provide good indications of long-term trends.     

Application of multivariate methods to the conservation management of Hazel scrub in northeast Ireland

The plant species composition of seminatural woods in Northeast Ireland was recorded. Three main types of woodland were identified in habitats where combinations of steep slope, poor drainage and accumulations of large boulders have, in the past, made them unsuitable for agriculture. Despite these characteristics, clearance for agriculture is proceeding rapidly, but mainly in woods from poorly drained sites. Badly drained woods also have a relatively higher proportion of regionally rare plant species and there is, therefore, an argument for some priority for their conservation.

The population size-structures of trees were used to predict future changes in canopy composition, possibly originating from the introduction of myxomatosis to Ireland. Such changes may give rise to management problems associated with canopy closure and a subsequent reduction of species diversity.     

Aluminium toxicity and multiplication of Rhizobium trifolii in a defined growth medium

The responses of six strains of R. trifolii to pH, Ca, Al and phosphate were studied in the defined medium of Munns and Keyser (1981) supplemented with vitamins. Wild-type strains responded in the same way as rifampicin-resistant mutant strains. Multiplication was inhibited by acidity alone at pH4.3, and by 50 μM Al at pH 5.5 (despite the precipitation of Al). This inhibitory effect of Al was overcome by increasing the pH above 6.0, or by increasing the phosphate concentration from 10 to 100 μm. Ca concentration had no effect, nor did holding the medium at 22°C for 36 weeks before inoculation. There was variation between strains in their responses to concentrations of A1 < 50 μM. These responses indicate that the defined medium is a satisfactory model for the white clover rhizosphere.Results from these studies and from chemical analyses indicate that the inhibitory effect of Al under partially-neutralized conditions is not due to a direct effect of monomeric A1, nor to an indirect effect of polymeric A1 in reducing the concentration of phosphate, but is due to a direct effect of polymeric A1.     

Combined effects of best management practices on water quality in oxbow lakes from agricultural watersheds

Water quality conditions in three oxbow lakes were examined before and after best management practices (BMPs) implementation within the Mississippi Delta. Experimental design called for the development of structural and cultural treatments to reduce sediment and associated pollutants entering watershed oxbow lakes. Three watersheds were selected and developed with different levels of BMPs. Changes in lake water quality were used as measures of management success. Analyses of water quality data prior to the implementation of BMPs suggested the lakes were stressed and ecologically damaged due to excessive sediment inflow. Significant improvements in water quality were observed with the use of cultural and structural BMPs. Sediments decreased 34–59%, while Secchi visibility and chlorophyll generally increased. The most dramatic improvements in water quality occurred in the two watersheds that featured cultural practices and combinations of cultural and structural practices. Reducing suspended sediment concentrations in these oxbow lakes favored phytoplankton production resulting in increased chlorophyll concentrations and higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Cultural BMPs, more so than structural BMPs, play a vital role in improving lake water quality, and are needed in addition to structural measures to ensure improved water quality in oxbow lakes receiving agricultural runoff.