A new design for a seed germinator with 100 independently temperature controlled cells

Design and performance of a 100-cell seed germinator capable of simultaneously generating 100 different diurnal temperature cycles with extremes lying between 0 and 45°C is discussed. Each individual cell is equipped with a separate electronic temperature controller employing a thermistor for temperature sensing. The set temperature for each cell is determined by a precision reference resistor in the controller circuit. Six different reference resistors corresponding to six different temperatures are provided for each cell. The reference resistors are mounted on plug-in modules with one module for each cell. Heating or cooling of the individual cells is provided by thermoelectric heat pumps. Temperature cycling, which approximates a sine function, is achieved by switching the six reference resistors, one at a time, into the controller circuits at appropriate times during a 24h period. Each cell is designed to accept a standard 100 mm Petri dish to contain the seeds. The cells have glass covers to allow entry of light essential for germination of some species. The benefit of using this type of germinator to assess the germination response of Alyssum alyssoides L., Artemisia absinthium L., Euphorbia esula L. and Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv., is discussed. Three dimensional germination response surfaces are given for the four species.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUGAR MAPLE DECLINE AND CORRESPONDING CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE STEM TISSUE

Wood cores were taken at breast height of mature sugar maple (Acer Saccharum Marsh.) trees of approximately the same age from four sites in Ontario, Canada differing in soil characteristics and general tree health. The soils of two of the sites were acidic (podzols), while the soils of the other two sites were calcareous (brunisols). Selected elemental analyses using Neutron Activation Analysis were conducted on the soils and the xylem wood of the sugar maple trees, and the results were compared relative to tree health. Aluminum in stem xylem was found to be significantly higher in declining trees (mean 7.7 ppm) relative to the healthy trees (mean 4.0) from the acidic sites, where aluminum was freely available in the soil. Soil extractable aluminum was also significantly higher in the soil adjacent to the declining trees (mean 5.10) compared to the healthy trees (mean 3.20). These results show that xylem aluminum contents reflect the increased availability of aluminum in acidifying soils and provide additional evidence that dendrochemistry may be used as a proxy environmental monitoring tool.     

Modified Lateral Orbitotomy for Removal of Orbital Neoplasms in Two Dogs

A simplified lateral orbitotomy is described that decreases surgical time and lessens tissue dissection, yet maintains the exposure to the orbit provided by other orbitotomy techniques. The approach involves cutting the orbital ligament, incising the temporalis aponeurosis from the dorsal zygomatic arch, making parallel zygomatic arch osteotomies, and reflecting the zygomatic arch ventrally. Closure of the wound involves wiring the zygomatic arch back into place. This orbitotomy procedure provides excellent exposure for removal or biopsy of orbital masses. The use of this technique for surgical excision of orbital masses in two dogs, one with an adenoma of the third eyelid gland and one with an orbital fibrosarcoma, and their subsequent management is described.     

Bentonite-humic acid improves soil organic carbon,microbial biomass,enzyme activities and grain quality in a sandy soil cropped to maize (Zea mays L.) in a semi-arid region

A bentonite-humic acid(B-HA) mixture added to degraded soils may improve soil physical and hydraulic properties, due to effects such as improved soil structure and increased water and nutrient retention, but its effect on soil physicochemical and biological properties, and grain quality is largely unknown. The effect of B-HA, added at 30 Mg ha-1, was studied at 1,3, 5 and 7 years after its addition to a degraded sandy soil in a semi-arid region of China. The addition of B-HA significantly increa...     

The intestinal microbiome of an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) stranded near the Pearl River Estuary,China

The mammalian intestinal microbiome is critical for host health and disease resistance. However, the cetacean intestinal microbiota remains relatively unexplored. By using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we analyzed intestinal bacterial samples from an Indo-pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) stranded near the Pearl River Estuary in China. The samples included 3 anatomical regions (foregut, midgut, and rectum) and 2 anatomical locations (content and mucus). Our analyses revealed that the dolphin intestinal bacteria contained 139 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), dominated at the phyla level by Firmicutes (47.05% in the content; 94.77% in the mucus), followed by Bacteroidetes (23.63% in the content; 1.58% in the mucus) and Gammaproteobacteria (14.82% in the content; 2.05% in the mucus). The intestinal bacteria had a small core community (15 OTUs, accounting for 99.74% of the reads), some of which could be potentially pathogenic to both human and dolphins. As an alternative to sampling the dolphin intestinal bacteria, fecal sampling could be used. Additionally, function potentials such as, xenobiotics biodegradation, beta-lactam resistance, and human disease-related pathways, were detected in the dolphin intestinal bacteria. These findings provide the first baseline knowledge of the intestinal microbiome of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, which may offer new insights into cetacean conservation by using microbial surveillance.     

Efficiency of soil-applied 67Zn-enriched fertiliser across three consecutive crops

A very small amount of applied zinc (Zn) is taken up by crops, resulting in low recovery by plants. Adding elemental sulphur to zinc oxide (ZnO) fertiliser could improve Zn solubilisation and exert a higher residual effect on crops than soluble Zn sources. We produced an isotopically labelled Zn-elemental sulphur fertiliser and evaluated its performance in comparison to traditional Zn sources during sequential crop cultivation. Three ⁶⁷Zn-labelled fertilisers, ZnO, zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄), and ZnO co-granulated with elemental sulphur (ZnOS⁰), were soil applied, and their contributions to the uptake of Zn by three consecutive crops, wheat, ryegrass, and corn, were assessed in a 294-d pot experiment. The contributions of Zn fertilisers followed the order:ZnSO₄ > ZnO=ZnOS⁰. The relative contributions of Zn fertilisers were lower in the first crop than in the subsequent crops. The overall recovery of applied Zn by the three crops was higher for ZnSO₄ than for ZnO and ZnOS⁰, reaching 1.56%, 0.45%, and 0.33% of the applied Zn, respectively. Zinc recovery by plants was very low, regardless of the source of Zn. Adding elemental sulphur to ZnO did not increase its effectiveness up to 294 d after application. Fertiliser contribution was higher for the subsequent crops than for the initial crop, indicating the importance of assessing the residual effects of Zn fertilisers.     

A Comparison of Two Surgical Approaches to the Scapulohumeral Joint in Dogs

Two scapulohumeral arthrotomy techniques were evaluated and compared in 10 normal, young adult greyhounds. A caudolateral approach with craniodorsal retraction of the teres minor muscle (no-tenotomy) and a craniolateral approach with tenotomy of the infraspinatus tendon were each performed unilaterally in 5 dogs. The dogs were evaluated using force plate gait analysis, lameness evaluation, radiography, and goniometry for 5 weeks and then euthanatized. Tenotomy sites and sections of the humeral articular cartilage were collected from shoulder joints that had been operated on and examined microscopically. The same surgical approach was then performed on the contralateral shoulder in the cadavers and exposure of the humeral articular cartilage was measured using planimetry. Peak vertical force applied to the operated limbs in the tenotomy group was significantly less than preoperative levels on day 3 and significantly less than the no-tenotomy group on days 21 and 28. The peak vertical force applied to the operated limbs in the no-tenotomy group was not significantly different from preoperative levels during the study. Scapulohumeral arthrotomy by tenotomy of the infraspinatus resulted in decreased range-of-motion and joint extension compared with joints operated on without tenotomies, but provided significantly greater exposure to the articular surface. Scapulohumeral arthrotomy with craniodorsal retraction of the teres minor muscle did not significantly alter goniometric measurements compared with unoperated joints. Both techniques resulted in similar subjective lameness scores and caused no gross microscopic or radiographic evidence of articular cartilage damage.     

PREPARATION OF RETINE FROM HUMAN URINE

Human urine contains "retine." Its partial isolation is described.     

Magnesium-fortified phosphate fertilizers improve nutrient uptake and plant growth without reducing phosphorus availability

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency can significantly limit crop yield and quality. Separate application of straight Mg fertilizer is unattractive because of additional labor costs. Meanwhile, bulk blending Mg with other macronutrient fertilizers is also a suboptimal solution because bulk blended fertilizers often yield poor nutrient distributions. One rapid and economical alternative to alleviating Mg deficiency is to co-granulate macronutrient fertilizers with Mg. However, few commercial products have implemented this approach. One of the barriers hindering the production of Mg-fortified phosphorus (P) fertilizers is the assumption that precipitation of P with Mg will reduce P solubility. In this study, four Mg compounds, anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄), magnesium oxide (MgO), anhydrous magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂), were co-granulated with mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), and their granule strength, Mg and P availabilities, and agronomic effectiveness were evaluated. Results showed that there were no significant differences in P solubility between Mg-fortified MAP and MAP treatments. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the Mg species after co-granulation were boussingaultite (Mg(NH₄)₂(SO₄)₂·6H₂O), schertelite (Mg(NH₄)₂H₂(PO₄)₂·4H₂O), magnesium hydrogen phosphate (Mg(H₂PO₄)₂), and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂). A pot experiment using an acidic soil demonstrated an average 9.6-fold increase in shoot Mg uptake, 3.0-fold increase in shoot P uptake, and 3.2-fold increase in soybean shoot dry matter in Mg-fortified MAP treatments, compared to those in MAP treatment. The current study provides a simple, effective, and low-cost approach for the addition of Mg to macronutrient fertilizers, to minimize Mg deficiency.