Comparison of sevoflurane and isoflurane in domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo)

Isoflurane anesthesia is commonly used in ferrets for routine examinations and diagnostics. Sevoflurane is now being used as well, but there have been no studies to date directly comparing these agents in domestic ferrets. A prospective study was designed to evaluate the quality and speed of anesthetic induction and recovery using isoflurane and sevoflurane in ferrets. In addition effects on heart rate, blood pressure and packed cell volume were also recorded. No significant differences were noted between anesthetic agents.     

Binding,fractionation, and distribution of Cs,Co, and Sr in a US coastal soil under saturated and field capacity moisture regimes

Purpose

The concerns of the public on safe handling of nuclear energy power facilities have increased due to the recent nuclear plant accidents in Japan and others. Cesium, cobalt, and strontium are a few of the major radionuclides released from nuclear power plant accidents. The objectives of this study are to investigate binding, distribution, fractionation, and transformation of cesium (Cs), cobalt (Co), and strontium (Sr) in a US coastal soil under saturated paste (SP) and field capacity (FC) moisture regimes.

Materials and methods

There are four major nuclear power plants in the coast region around the northern Gulf of Mexico where coastal soil often undergoes soil moisture change. A coastal soil was taken from the middle region of these major nuclear power plants and spiked with different concentrations of cesium, cobalt, and strontium salts. The sequential selective dissolution technique was used to investigate the transformation and fractionations of these metals in the coastal soils affected by moisture regime, a key factor in the coastal environment.

Results and discussion

The adsorption kinetics showed that both Co and Sr reached the adsorption plateau even after 5 h of adsorption, indicating a fast initial adsorption process in the coastal soil. Cesium, cobalt, and strontium were dominantly presented in the soluble and exchangeable form (EXC) (Cs?>?Co and Sr), which linearly increased with the addition levels, possessing the high bioavailability, mobility, and ecotoxicity. Saturated regime significantly reduced the soluble and exchangeable form compared to field capacity moisture regime.

Conclusions

The current study provides the fundamental understanding for designing the cost-effective remediation technology to remediate these metals in coastal soil by targeting on the soluble and exchangeable forms and better prepare the USA for future potentially nuclear power plant accidents.

     

Comparison of aerosol sulfur and crustal element concentrations in particle size fractions from continental U.S. locations

A comparison of element concentrations in aerosols is made for S, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Zn as a function of particle size during April 1976 in nonurban New Mexico, Colorado, and New Hampshire and urban and nearby rural St Louis, Missouri. In the submicrometer diameter range at all sites, S greatly exceeds Si, K, Ca, Ti, and Fe, which occur predominantly in the coarse particle (>1 μm) fraction. Particle size distributions of each of these elements are similar among the five sites, but prominent concentration anomalies and secondary size distribution differences are measureable and suggest differences in aerosol production processes and relative pollution source strengths. The results are potentially useful in evaluating causes of atmospheric visibility differences between the western and eastern U.S.A.     

The isotopic composition of soil organic carbon on a north–south transect in western Canada

The minor isotopes of carbon (¹³C and ¹⁴C) are widely used as tracers in studies of the global carbon cycle. We present carbon‐isotope data for the 0–5 cm layer of soil on a transect from 49.6°N to 68°N, from mature forest and tundra ecosystems in the boreal‐arctic zone of interior western Canada. Soil organic carbon in the < 2000 μm fraction of the soil decreases from 3.14 kg m^?2 in the south to 1.31 kg m^?2 in the north. The ¹⁴C activity of the organic carbon decreases as latitude increases from 118.9 to 100.7 per cent modern carbon (pMC). In addition, the ¹⁴C activities of organic carbon in the particle‐size fractions of each sample decrease as particle size decreases. These results suggest that organic carbon in the 0–5 cm layer of these soils transfers from standing biomass into the coarsest size fractions of the soil and is then degraded over time, with the residue progressively transferred into the more resistant finer particle sizes. We calculate residence times for the coarsest size fractions of 21 years in the south to 71 years in the north. Residence times for the fine size fractions (< 63 μm) are considerably longer, ranging from 90 years in the south to 960 years in the north. The δ¹³C of the organic carbon decreases from ?26.8 ± 0.3‰ in soil under forest in the south to ?26.2 ± 0.1‰ for tundra sites in the north. At all sites there is an increase in δ¹³C with decreasing particle size of 0.7–1.6‰. These changes in δ¹³C are due to the presence of ‘old’ carbon in equilibrium with an atmosphere richer in ¹³C, and to the effects of microbial degradation.     

The principles of fertilizer use for sports turf

Abstract. Fertilizer application to sports turf has a significant effect on the playing characteristics of the surface as well as its aesthetic appearance. Nutrient availability affects leaf and root density, infestation by weed species, resistance to fungal pathogens, tolerance to wear, drought and cold in the turf grasses and surface hardness. The increasing use of high sand content, free-draining root zones for sports areas is leading to a larger demand for nitrogen and also to an increased interest in the use of slow-release nitrogen fertilizers. The optimum nutrient application rates are examined, particularly for nitrogen and the direction in which research on fertilization practice should take is considered.     

Lability of host-cell DNA in growing cell cultures due to Mycoplasma

In HeLa-cell cultures chronically infected with Mycoplasma, (PPLO) host-cell DNA is unstable as detected by incorporation of H(3)-or C1 i-thymidine into DNA and subsequent release into the medium as acidsoluble radioactivity. This characteristic can be transmitted to PPLO-free cultures of strain L cells by inoculation with preparations of PPLO from the HeLa cells, although chronically infected cultures of L cells continue to multiply. In addition, virus preparations also may carry PPLO contamination through numerous passages.     

Evidence for the predominance of mid-tropospheric aerosols as subtropical anvil cloud nuclei

NASA's recent Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment focused on anvil cirrus clouds, an important but poorly understood element of our climate system. The data obtained included the first comprehensive measurements of aerosols and cloud particles throughout the atmospheric column during the evolution of multiple deep convective storm systems. Coupling these new measurements with detailed cloud simulations that resolve the size distributions of aerosols and cloud particles, we found several lines of evidence indicating that most anvil crystals form on mid-tropospheric rather than boundary-layer aerosols. This result defies conventional wisdom and suggests that distant pollution sources may have a greater effect on anvil clouds than do local sources.