Chemical and organoleptic changes in poultry meat resulting from the growth of psychrophylic spoilage bacteria at 1 degree C. 3. Glutamine, glutathione, tyrosine, ammonia, lactic acid, creatine, carbohydrate, haem pigment and hydrogen sulphide

Changes in breast muscle (pectoral proper and supra coracoid) and leg muscle (muscles covering the femur, fibula and tibia) attributable to the growth of microorganisms at 1° C were generally small and in case of lactic acid, creatine‐creatinine and myoglobin could not be detected. “Tyrosine”, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide increased and glutamine decreased, the magnitude of the change varying with the organism. Glutathione decreased rapidly in aseptically minced muscle at 1° C.     

Blood Serum and Synovial Fluid in Bovine Laminitis and Arthritis,with Particular Reference to the Protein Composition

In 74 cases of clinical laminitis and in 10 cases of clinical discrete arthritis in adult cattle, the protein picture was changed in blood and synovial fluid. The cases of laminitis were clinically divided into one group without and another with general affection. The changes in serum γ- and α-globulins indicated a predominantly chronic inflammatory process in the arthritis groups and a more acute process in the laminitis groups. In discrete arthritis, the leukocyte concentration and all protein levels except the relative albumin concentration were increased. In laminitis without general affection no significant changes were found in synovial fluid, while the synovial protein pattern in laminitis with general affection indicated a simultaneous occurrence of arthritis. The combination of laminitis and arthritis might be an expression of different inflammatory reactions to common aetiological, still unidentified factors, indicating the existence of a disease complex which may manifest itself in hoof corium, in joints or in both.     

Measuring herding behavior in Border collie—effect of protocol structure on usefulness for selection

From 1989 until 2003, the Swedish Sheepdog Society used a standardized method, Herding Trait Characterization (HTC), to describe herding behavior of individual Border collies for breeding purposes. In the HTC, which existed in 2 consecutive versions, the dog’s herding behavior was described using predefined scales typically consisting of 6 classes within each trait. In total, 1,663 dogs participated in the first version and 951 in the second. The main difference between the versions was the structure of the protocols used to record the traits. In the first version, the scales were designed to describe the intensity in the expression of the measured traits. In the second version, the most desirable behavioral expression was placed in the middle of the scale. Another difference was that in the second version, the judges were given more freedom for their own interpretations, that is, the scales were more subjective. The objective of this study was to examine the quality of each version from a breeding perspective, and to analyze the reasons for possible differences in this respect between them. Heritability estimates for the 17 traits of the earlier version of the HTC ranged from 0.14 to 0.50 (weighted average: 0.30), all significantly different from 0. Corresponding heritabilities for the 19 traits in the later version were substantially lower (0.03-0.41, weighted average: 0.16), 3 of them not being significantly different from 0. Owing to the moderate-to-high heritabilities for the traits measured in the earlier version of the HTC, it would be possible to accomplish effective selection of breeding animals for most of the measured traits. It is plausible that the less neutral and more subjective protocol of the later version is the main cause for the lower heritabilities.     

Anti-browsing effects of birch bark extract on fallow deer

A major problem within forest industry is unwanted browsing on seedlings from mammalian herbivores. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of birch bark extracts as repellents towards fallow deer. Birch bark was extracted in a conventional way with ethanol as solvent at ambient temperature and with a new method, liquid CO₂ extraction. An analysis of the ethanol-extracted birch bark showed that it contained large amounts of terpenoids, of which the most abundant was betulin. In seven different treatment trials, we used 15 individually handled fallow deer. To investigate the binary taste preferences, birch bark extract was added to food and presented in two bowls in typical two-choice tests. We found that the amount of a food type consumed during a trial and the number of shifts between food bowls were dependent on the amount of the birch extract the food contained. Concentrations of above 1 % by dry weight of birch extract acted as a repellent. In addition, such concentrations produced shorter feeding bouts by a greater willingness to change bowls. Therefore, our conclusion is that birch bark extract acts as a repellent towards fallow deer and is therefore likely to act as a repellent against other deer species. In addition, we show that birch bark extract produced by the new and more environmentally sustainable method employing liquid CO₂ mixed with ethanol has the same repellent effect as the traditional ethanol extraction.     

Pre-sowing treatment for breaking dormancy in Acer velutinum Boiss. seed lots

Acer velutinum Boiss is a valuable tree species native to Iran, and its seeds possess physiological dormancy that hampers seedling production in the nursery for large-scale reforestation efforts. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal dormancy breaking treatments for A. velutinum seeds. We conducted a factorial experiment involving six seed lots collected along an elevation gradient from 300 to 1800 m at 300 m interval and four cold-moist stratification periods (0, 4, 8 and 16 weeks) at 4℃ and 70% relative humidity. The result shows that the germination of cold-moist stratified seeds was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher than the control for all seed lots. The highest germination capacity was recorded after 16 weeks of cold-moist stratification for all seed lots (68% 88% depending on the seed lot) except those collected from mid altitude sites (600 and 900 m) that germinated equally well (≥ 75%) after 4and 8-week of clod-moist stratification compared to the other seed lots. The mean germination time was significantly shorter (12 to 19 days, depending on the seed lot) for seeds stratified for 16 weeks than for untreated seeds. It can be concluded that: (1) cold-moist stratification for 16 weeks is the best pre-sowing treatment for breaking dormancy in A. velutinum seeds; and (2) seeds should be collected from mid altitude sites (600 and 900 m) to get more than 80% germination within 15 days, and these seed lots even required shorter cold-moist stratification period(eight weeks) than other seed lots.     

Mobile TDR for geo-referenced measurement of soil water content and electrical conductivity

The development of site-specific crop management is constrained by the availability of sensors for monitoring important soil and crop related conditions. A mobile time-domain reflectometry (TDR) unit for geo-referenced soil measurements has been developed and used for detailed mapping of soil water content and electrical conductivity within two research fields. Measurements made during the early or late season, when soil moisture levels are close to field capacity, are related to the amount of plant available water and soil texture. Combined measurements of water content and electrical conductivity are closely related to the clay and silt fractions of a variable field. The application to early season field mapping of water content, electrical conductivity and clay content is presented. The water and clay content maps are to be used for automated delineation of field management units. Based on a spatial analysis of the soil water measurements, recommendations are made with respect to sampling strategies. Depending on the variability of a given area, between 15 and 30 ha can be mapped with respect to soil moisture and electrical conductivity with sufficient detail within 8 h.     

The mid-Pleistocene transition in the tropical Pacific

A sea surface temperature (SST) record based on planktonic foraminiferal magnesium/calcium ratios from a site in the western equatorial Pacific warm pool reveals that glacial-interglacial oscillations in SST shifted from a period of 41,000 to 100,000 years at the mid-Pleistocene transition, 950,000 years before the present. SST changes at both periodicities were synchronous with eastern Pacific cold-tongue SSTs but preceded changes in continental ice volume. The timing and nature of tropical Pacific SST changes over the mid-Pleistocene transition implicate a shift in the periodicity of radiative forcing by atmospheric carbon dioxide as the cause of the switch in climate periodicities at this time.     

A field study using different technologies to detect calving at a large-scale hungarian dairy farm

The objective of this study was to investigate three different calving detection systems in order to assess and compare their efficiency. The study was conducted at a large-scale dairy farm involving 54 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and heifers. Animals were fitted with multiple devices: a rumination measuring device (Ruminact^® (RA)), an intravaginal thermometer (Vel’Phone^® (VP)) and a tail movement sensor (Moocall^® (MC)) 5 to 7 days before expected calving and were removed after parturition. RA detects rumination time (RT) and calculates it in 2-hr intervals. VP detects a decrease in vaginal temperature that might indicate calving within 48 hr and the drop in temperature resulting from the expulsion of the device at calving (EXP message). MC detected increased tail movements and if they persisted for one hour, 1HA message was sent. If they continued during the subsequent hour, then 2HA message was sent. Messages sent by MC within 4 hr before calving (C4) were selected retrospectively as true positives for the prediction of calving, using the significant changes in RT as a baseline. All other messages were categorized as false positive. The mean value of RT decreased in a non-significant manner between interval −22 and −4 before calving. Significant decrease of RT was detectable between the two intervals of −4 and −2 before calving (24.7 ± 18.6 min/2 hr and 14.0 ± 13.0 min/2 hr, respectively). There was no significant difference between RT of primiparous and multiparous animals. EXP messages were accurate (positive predictive value 100%) indicators of the onset of calving. We received on average 12.7 ± 15.2 messages/animal (11.0 ± 10.1 and 16.6 ± 22.2 for cows and heifers, respectively). Positive predictive value was 12.6%. The number of false-positive messages was significantly higher in heifers. All three automatic systems could be used in a large-scale farm environment.     

An assessment of potential pesticide transmission,considering the combined impact of soil texture and pesticide properties: A meta-analysis

Pesticides are widely employed as a cost-effective means of reducing the impacts of undesirable plants and animals. The aim of this paper is to develop a risk ranking of transmission of key pesticides through soil to waterways, taking into account physico-chemical properties of the pesticides (soil half-life and water solubility), soil permeability, and the relationship between adsorption of pesticides and soil texture. This may be used as a screening tool for land managers, as it allows assessment of the potential transmission risks associated with the use of specified pesticides across a spectrum of soil textures. The twenty-eight pesticides examined were differentiated into three groups: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. The highest risk of pesticide transmission through soils to waterways is associated with soils containing <20% clay or >45% sand. In a small number of cases, the resulting transmission risk is not influenced by soil texture alone. For example, for Phenmedipham, the transmission risk is higher for clay soils than for silt loam. The data generated in this paper may also be used in the identification of critical area sources, which have a high likelihood of pesticide transmission to waterways. Furthermore, they have the potential to be applied to GIS mapping, where the potential transmission risk values of the pesticides can be layered directly onto various soil textures.