Comparison between cachaça and rum using pattern recognition methods

The differentiation between cacha?a and rum using analytical data referred to alcohols (methanol, propanol, isobutanol, and isopentanol), acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, organic acids (octanoic acid, decanoic acid, and dodecanoic acid), metals (Al, Ca, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Na, and Zn), and polyphenols (protocatechuic acid, sinapaldehyde, syringaldehyde, ellagic acid, syringic acid, gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin, vanillic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, coniferaldehyde, coniferyl alcohol, kaempferol, and quercetin) is described. The organic and metal analyte contents were determined in 18 cacha?a and 21 rum samples using chromatographic methods (GC-MS, GC-FID, and HPLC-UV-vis) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, respectively. The analytical data of the above compounds, when treated by principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and K-nearest neighbor analysis, provide a very good discrimination between the two classes of beverages.     

Charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) across melon diversity: evaluating the interaction between the pathogen,plant age and environmental conditions as a step towards breeding for resistance

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Macrophomina phaseolina is a soil-borne fungal pathogen that incites charcoal rot in more than 500 plant species including melon, Cucumis melo. Disease...     

The use of the nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug cis-atracurium in dogs

Objective This clinical trial attempted to evaluate the potency, onset and duration of action of cis‐atracurium in dogs. Animals Twenty dogs aged between 1 and 15 years and weighing between 15 and 85 kg admitted for a variety of elective, surgical procedures under general anaesthesia. Materials and methods Following induction of general anaesthesia, the effects of an intravenous loading dose of cis‐atracurium (0.1 mg kg^?1) were evaluated by counting visual responses to train of four (TOF) nerve stimulation. Incremental doses of 0.02 or 0.04 mg kg^?1 cis‐atracurium were administered when the first of four responses to TOF stimulation was present. Results An initial dose of 0.1 mg kg^?1 eliminated all four TOF responses in 18 out of 20 dogs. The same dose, repeated 10 minutes later in two animals in which blockade was incomplete, abolished all responses. In dogs receiving 0.1 mg kg^?1 cis‐atracurium neuromuscular blockade lasted 27.2 ± 9.3 minutes. Up to six incremental doses were given in individual animals; incremental doses appeared to be noncumulative. No untoward side‐effects were observed with the use of this drug. There was considerable variation between individuals in response to cis‐atracurium. Conclusions Cis‐atracurium is an effective neuromuscular blocking agent in the dog, although its potency varies. Clinical Relevance Further studies are required to determine whether observed differences in potency are related to age, breed or sex. Cis‐atracurium may prove useful in dogs with impaired renal and or hepatic function.     

Anaesthesia with ketamine/medetomidine in the rabbit: influence of route of administration and the effect of combination with butorphanol

Objective To compare the characteristics of anaesthesia induced with ketamine/medetomidine administered by the subcutaneous and intramuscular routes and to assess the effects of the addition of butorphanol to this combination. Study design Prospective randomised study. Animals Six female New Zealand White rabbits. Methods Rabbits were given one of four combinations of ketamine and medetomidine (K/M) either subcutaneously (SC) or intramuscularly (IM) on four successive occasions with a 7‐day interval between treatments. The dose combinations were; 15/0.25 mg kg^?1 SC; 15/0.25 mg kg^?1 IM; 15/0.5 mg kg^?1 SC, and 15/0.25 mg kg^?1 together with 0.4 mg kg^?1 butorphanol (K/M/B) SC. The effects of anaesthesia on arterial blood gas values and cardiovascular variables were recorded at predetermined time points. Toe and ear pinch reflexes were judged to determine the duration of surgical anaesthesia. Loss of the righting reflex was used to measure the duration of sleep time. Analyses used repeated measures analysis of variance. Results All groups lost the righting reflex and ear pinch response. Three animals in the groups that received K/M alone lost their toe pinch reflex, whereas four lost this reflex when given K/M/B. Time of onset of loss of the righting, toe and ear pinch reflexes did not differ significantly among the groups. The higher dose combination of medetomidine with ketamine and the combination of K/M/B produced a greater duration of loss of the ear pinch response than the lower dose of K/M administered by either route. No significant differences were found among the groups in the duration of loss of the toe pinch reflex. All animals developed a moderate bradycardia (mean heart rate <166 beats minute^?1) and moderate hypoxaemia (mean P_aO₂ < 6.0 kPa). Animals given butorphanol showed the greatest reduction in respiratory rate (31 ± 13 breaths minute^?1, p < 0.05) but this was not reflected in any significant differences in arterial PCO₂, PO₂ or pH among the groups. Conclusions Administration of K/M by the SC route produced equivalent effects in comparison to intramuscular administration. The addition of butorphanol increased the duration of anaesthesia, but produced a slight increase in the degree of respiratory depression. All dose rates resulted in hypoxaemia so oxygen should be administered when these combinations are used in rabbits. Clinical relevance Subcutaneous administration is both technically simpler and may cause less discomfort to the animal than IM injection, and so is preferred. The combination of K/M with butorphanol has relatively minor effects on the depth and duration of anaesthesia, so offers little advantage to the use of K/M alone.