An indwelling ruminal pH system has been used for the continuous recording of ruminal pH to evaluate subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) in dairy cows. However this system does not allow the field application. The objective of this study was to develop a new radio transmission pH measurement system, and to assess its performance and usefulness in a continuous evaluation of ruminal pH for use on commercial dairy farms. The radio transmission pH measurement system consists of a wireless pH sensor, a data measurement receiver, a relay unit, and a personal computer installed special software. The pH sensor is housed in a bullet shaped bolus, which also encloses a pH amplifier circuit, a central processing unit (CPU) circuit, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, and a battery. The mean variations of the measurements by the glass pH electrode were +0.20 (n = 10) after 2 months of continuous recording, compared to the values confirmed by standard pH solutions for pH 4 and pH 7 at the start of the recording. The mean lifetime of the internal battery was 2.5 months (n = 10) when measurements were continuously transmitted every 10 min. Ruminal pH recorded by our new system was compared to that of the spot sampling of ruminal fluid. The mean pH for spot sampling was 6.36 ± 0.55 (n = 96), and the mean pH of continuous recording was 6.22 ± 0.54 (n = 96). There was a good correlation between continuous recording and spot sampling (r = 0.986, P < 0.01). We also examined whether our new pH system was able to detect experimentally induced ruminal acidosis in cows and to record long-term changes in ruminal pH. In the cows fed acidosis-inducing diets, the ruminal pH dropped markedly during the first 2 h following the morning feeding, and decreased moreover following the evening feeding, with many pulse-like pH changes. The pH of the cows showed the lowest values of 5.3-5.2 in the midnight time period and it recovered to the normal value by the next morning feeding. In one healthy periparturient cow, the circadian changes in ruminal pH were observed as a constant pattern in the pre-parturient period, however that pattern became variable in the post-partum period. The frequency of the ruminal pH lower than 5.5 increased markedly 3 and 4 days after parturition. We demonstrated the possible application of a radio transmission pH measurement system for the assessment and monitoring of the ruminal pH of cows. Our new system might contribute to accurate assessment and prevention of SARA. 相似文献
Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) is an endangered bird of prey that is suffering a rapid decline in most of its distribution range in Europe. The aim of this study is to identify suitable areas used by juvenile eagles during their dispersal phase. Knowing the location of these target areas will help to plan adequate conservation programs to reduce the high juvenile mortality rates this species is suffering presently. The combined use of radio-telemetry for identifying core areas, Generalised Linear Models (G.L.M.) for producing predictive mathematical models and Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) for transferring predictive models into digital cartography predict well the presence of juvenile Bonelli’s eagles in dispersal areas. We built three different Generalised Lineal Models using topography, land-use/land-cover and human disturbance as explanatory variables. Our sample units were 11 settlement areas used by juvenile eagles during dispersal and 11 other areas within available habitat generated at random. Settlement areas were identified as the core areas used by radio-tagged eagles monitored during their first years of life. Immature eagles preferred habitats with greater percentages of pasture within the circular sampling area. Topographic features showed that the most intensively used areas by immature birds were generally steeper southeast-facing slopes. Settlement areas were also situated farther from villages and roads than expected. The land-use model performed well classifying correctly 85.9% of cases validated using a data-splitting strategy. The topographic model also performed well, classifying correctly 81.39% of cases validated by the same methodology. Predictive cartography showed suitable dispersal areas within potential juvenile distribution ranges that enable more efficient design of special conservation programmes. 相似文献
RFID(Radio Frequency Identification)是一种非接触式的自动识别技术,通过射频信号自动识别目标对象并获取相关数据。作为一种突破性的技术,由于其巨大的应用前景而广受关注。本文在介绍RFID概念、内涵和一些代表性农业应用研究项目的基础上,阐述了RFID应用于农业的现状、存在问题和解决方法,并对其发展进行了展望。 相似文献
RFI(D Radio Frequency Identification)是一种非接触式的自动识别技术,通过射频信号自动识别目标对象并获取相关数据。作为一种突破性的技术,由于其巨大的应用前景而广受关注。本文在介绍RFID概念、内涵和一些代表性农业应用研究项目的基础上,阐述了RFID应用于农业的现状、存在问题和解决方法,并对其发展进行了展望。 相似文献
The purpose of the study was to collect information on angling procedures and the effects of hook and release on Atlantic salmon in the River Alta, northern Norway, covering both grilse and multi-sea-winter salmon in a non-artificial setting with real anglers. Information on the angling procedure, handling of the fish and the condition of the fish at release was collected for individual salmon in catch logs (n=543, mean body length 82 cm), whereas physiological stress was studied in a sub-sample (n=15, mean body length 77 cm). To study post-release behaviour, survival and recapture rates, salmon were tagged with radio transmitters (n=30, mean body length 83 cm) and anchor T-tags (n=353, mean body length 79 cm). To evaluate the effects of the hook and release programme on the salmon population, number of spawning redds were recorded from a helicopter in 6 years during 1989–2000.
The results showed that at water temperatures 10.0–14.5 °C, a high proportion of the radio tagged salmon (97%) survived hook and release and stayed in known spawning areas during the spawning period. However, the behaviour after release seemed to be affected by hook and release. Only a small proportion (4%) of the anchor T-tagged salmon was caught more than once within the same season. Increased playing time, increased number of runs during the angling event, hooking in the throat, bleeding at the hook wound, increased handling time, air exposure and water temperature were factors that affected hooked and released Atlantic salmon negatively, either indicated by a poor condition at release, increased stress levels or unnatural behaviour after release. Number of spawning redds were more than doubled after the introduction of compulsory release of all angled salmon in Sautso (the upper 16% of the watershed inhabited by salmon) in 1998, which indicates that hook and release can be an effective management tool to enhance declining Atlantic salmon populations. 相似文献