Material in the middle ear of dogs having magnetic resonance imaging for investigation of neurologic signs

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and potential significance of finding material in the middle ear of dogs having magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Of 466 MR studies reviewed, an increased signal was identified in the tympanic bulla in 32 (7%) dogs. Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Cocker spaniels, Bulldogs, and Boxers were over-represented compared to the population of dogs having MR imaging. Five (16%) dogs had definite otitis media and one (3%) had a meningioma invading the middle ear. Of the remaining dogs, 13 (41%) had possible otitis media and 13 (41%) had neurologic conditions apparently unrelated to otitis media. The most common appearance of material in the middle ear was isointense in T1-weighted images and hyperintense in T2-weighted images. There was no apparent correlation between the signal characteristics of the material and the diagnosis. Enhanced signal after gadolinium administration was observed affecting the lining of the bulla in dogs with otitis media and in dogs with unrelated neurologic conditions. In dogs without clinical signs of otitis media, finding an increased signal in the middle ear during MR imaging may reflect subclinical otitis media or fluid accumulation unrelated to inflammation. Brachycephalic dogs may be predisposed to this condition.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS: MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF A CERVICAL WOODEN FOREIGN BODY IN A DOG

This article describes the discovery of a chronic cervical wooden foreign body ventral to the left transverse processes of the cranial cervical spine using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a dog that presented with chronic neck pain and lameness. The dog did not exhibit dysphagia or chronic draining tracts, the most common signs of the presumed cause, that of a penetrating oropharyngeal foreign body. The foreign body itself was represented on MR images as an oval straight-edged core within an inflammatory tissue reaction. The wood was slightly hyperintense on T2- and isointense on T1-weighted images relative to muscle. Surrounding this was a more conspicuous contrast-enhancing reactive tissue rim that was hyperintense on all pulse sequences. Adjacent musculature also exhibited diffuse edema and contrast enhancement that extended around the left cervical vertebral transverse processes and local intervertebral nerve roots. The foreign body was found to be a wooden stick upon surgical removal. MRI is an excellent method for visualizing the inflammatory tissue reactions associated with soft-tissue foreign bodies because of its contrast resolution and depiction of anatomy in multiple imaging planes.     

Prediction of chemical composition and peroxide value in unground pet foods by near‐infrared spectroscopy

The massive development of the pet food industry in recent years has lead to the formulation of hundreds of canine and feline complete extruded foods with the objective of meeting both the needs of the animals and numerous demands from pet owners. In the meantime, highly variable raw material compositions and the industry's new production techniques oblige manufacturers to monitor all phases of the extrusion process closely in order to ensure the targeted composition and quality of the products. This study aimed at evaluating the potential of infrared technology (visible and near‐infrared spectrophotometer; 570–1842 nm) in predicting the chemical composition and peroxide value (PV) of unground commercial extruded dog foods. Six hundred and forty‐nine commercial extruded dog foods were collected. For each product, an unground aliquot was analysed by infrared instrument while a second aliquot was sent to a laboratory for proximate analysis and PV quantification. The wide range of extruded dog food typologies included in the study was responsible for the wide variability observed within each nutritional trait, especially crude fibre and ash. The mean value of the 208 pet foods sampled for PV quantification was 17.49 mEq O₂/kg fat (min 2.2 and max 94.10 mEq O₂/kg fat). The coefficients of determination in cross‐validation of NIRS prediction models were 0.77, 0.97, 0.83, 0.86, 0.78 and 0.94 for moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash and nitrogen‐free extract (NFE) respectively. PV prediction was less precise, as demonstrated by the coefficient of determination in cross‐validation (0.66). The results demonstrated the potential of NIRS in predicting chemical composition in unground samples, with lower accuracy for moisture and ash, while PV prediction models suggest use for screening purposes only.     

Pedotransfer functions to assess adsorbed phosphate using iron oxide content and magnetic susceptibility in an Oxisol

Adsorbed phosphate in soils can be chemically extracted; however, this process is both time‐consuming and not cost‐effective if large numbers of samples have to be analysed. Indirect assessment of adsorbed phosphate by pedotransfer functions (PTFs) can help optimize fertilizer strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial variability of adsorbed phosphate (P_ads), iron oxides and magnetic susceptibility (MS) in oxisols and to calibrate PTFs to predict P_ads. A total of 308 soil samples were collected from Hapludox and Eutrudox soils formed from sandstone in Brazil. The contents of clay (196–607 g/kg), iron oxides (40–165 g/kg), MS (1.2–29 × 10^?6 m³/kg) and P_ads (327–842 mg/kg) were in the range of typical values for these highly weathered soils. This study showed that the attributes studied were spatially dependent. Geomorphic surfaces enabled understanding of spatial variability and helped to develop a more efficient sampling scheme to calibrate PTFs. Moreover, the adsorbed phosphate in these oxisols could be predicted by a PTF using iron oxides and MS as predictors. The MS attribute enabled the most accurate prediction (concordance coefficient = 0.95, root‐mean‐square error = 46 mg/kg and relative improvement in root‐mean‐square error = ?4.12) of spatial variability through PTF compared to other predictors.     

Feasibility analysis of NIR for detecting sweet corn seeds vigor

This paper explores the feasibility of particle-based detection and grading of seed vigor based on a self-built seed single-granulation device using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Sweet corn with uniform kernel size was used for this study. The seed samples were divided into three types, they were normal seeds, artificially aged seeds and heat-damaged seeds. A 2-part spectral acquisition of each seed were performed, one for the collection of seeds that fall into the detection zone within the separation pipe, another was on the static platform, whose collection was performed on 5 faces of each seed. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to classify the original data of the seeds. In the 2 parts, the discriminant results of the unprocessed normal seeds and the artificial accelerated aging seeds, the untreated normal seeds and the heat-damaged seeds showed that classification accuracy was higher than 98%. The research indicates that the spectral data of different positions of seeds can reflect their activity information, and it is feasible to detect and classify seeds in real time in the detection area of the separation pipeline.     

宁夏玉米营养成分近红外分析模型建立与应用

研究采集宁夏区内各市县(固原、海原、同心、中卫、中宁、永宁、平罗)抽取玉米样品120批,用近红外分析仪扫描定标样品集获得玉米近红外光谱图,利用偏最小二乘法建立模型,并分别经过无预处理、均值中心化、标准正态变量转换、一阶导数、标准正态变量转换结合去趋势校正(SNV+D)预处理光谱,获得水分、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、粗纤维预测模型,分别是经过MC、SNV+D、SNV+D、SNV+D光谱预处理后效果最好。预测决定系数R² _p分别为0.951、0.976、0.728、0.897,相对分析误差RPD除粗脂肪为2.62外,其他均大于3的近红外预测模型,通过预测模型验证集验证后,并对模型预测值与实测值进行U检验,结果为差异不显著(P>0.05)。该近红外预测模型对玉米中水分、粗蛋白、粗纤维具有较佳预测效果,粗脂肪的预测精度有待进一步提高。     

浅析测定植物抗旱性方法的应用

本文介绍了干旱对植物伤害及表现,根据国内外相关文献资料对叶绿素荧光法和电阻抗图谱法两种测定植物抗旱性方法进行概述。     

2CZD-1型段茎式甘蔗种植机设计与试验

研制了2CZD-1型段茎式甘蔗种植机,可一次性完成甘蔗种植的开沟、施肥、自动取种、自动排种、覆土和覆膜等工序,适用于宽窄行甘蔗种植。设计了机架、取送种机构、转盘施肥机构、旋耕覆土机构、覆膜机构和液压传动系统等结构,其中取送种机构采用排冗结构实现均匀排种。利用有限元分析软件ANSYS对甘蔗种植机的机架进行模态分析,并通过田间试验获得甘蔗种植机的覆土厚度合格率、种植密度、伤芽率、漏植率及总排肥量稳定性变异系数等性能参数。模拟结果表明,当激励频率为8~80 Hz时,机架容易发生共振,且最大位移可达28.12 mm。田间试验表明,该种植机的种植密度为142325芽/hm^2,覆土厚度合格率为93.6%,伤芽率为2.8%,漏植率为4.7%,种植深度合格率为89.3%,总排肥量稳定性变异系数为5.8%,工作生产率为0.32 hm2/h,符合甘蔗种植机的设计要求,能够显著提高甘蔗种植的效率。     

不同合成树脂工艺对改性材性能影响研究

为研究树脂对改性材性能的影响，采用2种不同工艺合成三聚氰胺-脲醛树脂（MUF），测试了树脂的相关性能。结果表明，不同合成工艺路线下制备的 MUF 树脂在固体含量、粘度、固化时间、游离甲醛含量间存在显著差异。最终树脂的分子结构类型相似性极高，但相同结构组分在不同树脂中所占比例各有差异。羟甲基基团在MUF2中所占比例高，而亚甲基桥键及醚键在MUF1中含量高。MUF1改性材的增重率（weight percent gain，WPG）值更大，但MUF2改性材的抗溶胀性（anti-swelling efficiency，ASE）和体积膨胀率（bulking rates，B）更高，MUF2改性材的尺寸稳定性更好。     

磁化水在农作物上应用的研究进展

针对磁化水对农业生产的影响,简述了国内外关于磁化水应用的研究动态和发展趋势,介绍了磁化水在促进作物种子萌发、增强抗逆性以及提高产量和改善品质方面的研究进展。