Initial Disease Report of Streptococcus iniae Infection in Hybrid Striped (Sunshine) Bass and Successful Therapeutic Intervention with the Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial Enrofloxacin

Streptococcal infection ( Streptococcus iniae ) was diagnosed sequentially in two tanks of hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis male × M. chrysops female (Sunshine bass) grown in a commercial freshwater recirculation facility in western Massachusetts. The pathogen was isolated in the laboratory, biochemically and morphologically characterized, and antibacterial sensitivities determined. Streptococcus iniae -induced lesions in the Sunshine bass were character at the gross and histopathological levels. Initial treatment with oxytetracycline was unsuccessful. Based on sensitivity results, enrofloxacin-medicated feed was dosed at 10 mg/kg body weight for 10 d, while a subsequent trial was conducted at 5 mg/kg body weight for 10 d. Mortality of fish subsided promptly following initiation of enrofloxacin therapy, yielding a final mortality in the initial tank of 10.83% (control tank 55.5%) and in the second tank of 16.97% (control tank 39.8%). Tissue enrofloxacin residues, detected via a microbiologic bioassay, revealed greater quantities and longer duration of residues in various tissues from the 5-mg as compared to the 10-mg trial, potentially the result of adverse feed palatability. Enrofloxacin appears to have excellent potential as an antibacterial agent for treating susceptible bacterial diseases of Sunshine bass.     

Influence of management practices on soil organic matter,microbial biomass and cotton yield in Alabama's “Old Rotation”

The Old Rotation cotton experiment was designed to aid farm managers in implementing rotation schemes that not only increase yield, but also improve soil quality. Six different crop rotation treatments were imposed since 1896. Rotations were: IA, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown every year without a winter legume and without N fertilization; IB, cotton grown every year with a winter legume and without N fertilization; IC, cotton grown every year without a winter legume and with 134 kg N as NH₄NO₃ ha^-1 year^-1; IIA, 2-year cotton-corn (Zea mays L.) rotation with a winter legume and without N fertilization; IIB, 2-year cotton-corn rotation with a winter legume and with 134 kg N ha^-1 year^-1 as NH₄NO₃; and III, 3-year cotton-corn- alternating soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] or rye (Secale cereale L.) rotation with a winter legume and with 134 g N as NH₄NO₃ ha^-1 year^-1. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) was the winter legume cover crop. The 2-year cotton-corn rotation with a winter legume and with 134 kg N ha^-1 year^-1 (IIB) and the 3-year cotton-corn soybean/rye rotation with a winter legume and with 134 kg N ha^-1 year^-1 (III) had higher amounts of soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass C and crop yield than the other four treatments. The cotton grown every year without a winter legume or N fertilizer (IA) had a lower amount of soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass C and N and cotton seed yield than all other rotations. In 1988 and 1992 cotton seed and legume yield were correlated in positive, curvilinear relationships with soil organic matter (r ² ranged from 0.72 to 0.87). In most months, soil microbial biomass C and N was lower in the cotton grown every year without winter legumes or fertilizer (IA) than the other five rotations. In 1994, microbial biomass C and the C_mic:C_org ratio correlated in positive, curvilinear relationships with seed cotton yield (r ²=0.87 and 0.98, respectively). After 99 years of management the Old Rotation cotton experiment indicates that winter legumes increase amounts of both C and N in soil, which ultimately contribute to higher cotton yields. Microbial biomass C and the C_mic:C_org ratio are poor predictors of annual crop yield but may be an accurate indicator of soil health and a good predictor of long-term crop yield.     

GONG Observations of Solar Surface Flows

Doppler velocity observations obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) instruments directly measure the nearly steady flows in the solar photosphere. The sun's differential rotation is accurately determined from single observations. The rotation profile with respect to latitude agrees well with previous measures, but it also shows a slight north-south asymmetry. Rotation profiles averaged over 27-day rotations of the sun reveal the torsional oscillation signal-weak, jetlike features, with amplitudes of 5 meters per second, that are associated with the sunspot latitude activity belts. A meridional circulation with a poleward flow of about 20 meters per second is also evident. Several characteristics of the surface flows suggest the presence of large convection cells.     

Advanced materials for aircraft engine applications

A review of advances for aircraft engine structural materials and processes is presented. Improved materials, such as superalloys, and the processes for making turbine disks and blades have had a major impact on the capability of modern gas turbine engines. New structural materials, notably composites and intermetallic materials, are emerging that will eventually further enhance engine performance, reduce engine weight, and thereby enable new aircraft systems. In the future, successful aerospace manufacturers will combine product design and materials excellence with improved manufacturing methods to increase production efficiency, enhance product quality, and decrease the engine development cycle time.     

新疆南疆籽棉超高产机理研究

为探寻新疆南疆地区籽棉9000 kg·hm-2超高产机理以及相关的指标,对南疆地区生态条件下超高产田、高产田、中高产田进行了调查研究与数据采集。研究发现:要获得超高产,首先要有良好的基础地力,有机质含量超10 g·kg-1,种植密度18×104~21×104株·hm-2为宜;其次,塑造良好株型,株高65~75 cm,茎粗接近10 mm,果枝9~10台,棉铃空间分布均匀,纵向上、中、下果枝棉铃比例3.2∶4.7∶2.1,横向第一、二果节比例7∶3,初花至盛铃LAI、SPAD、Pn一直维持较高水平,盛铃前后达到最大,后期下降缓慢;最后,氮磷钾分配上,前期差异不大,进入花铃期生殖生长明显增强,蕾花铃氮磷钾比例明显增大,一直维持到见絮,超高产处理的蕾花铃干物质量比例明显高于其它处理8%以上,见絮时蕾花铃干物质量达到了6 402 kg·hm-2。以指标数据作参考,塑造良好株型,协调棉铃空间分布,维持较高较长的光合速率,减缓LAI、SPAD下降速度,促进生殖生长,合理养分分配,便能实现产量目标。