Oral-dental disease in cats. A feline practitioner's perspective.

The impact and relevance of dentistry in a general feline practice is detailed. Hospital policy and protocol are described for client education, preanesthetic evaluation, dental procedures, and recall programs. A discussion of commonly observed feline dental problems is included.     

The profitability of variable rate lime in wheat

Grid sampling allows a variable rate of lime to be applied and has been marketed as a cost saver to producers. However, there is little research that shows if this precision application is profitable or not. Previous research on variable-rate lime has considered only a small number of fields. This paper uses soil sampling data from 111 fields provided by producers in Oklahoma and Kansas. The 5-year average net present values are compared between variable-rate and uniform-rate lime for grain-only wheat production, dual-purpose wheat grain and forage production, and a wheat–soybean rotation. Sensitivity analysis was done for varying grain prices as well as grain yield potential. When using historical average yields and recent prices for Oklahoma, variable rate was not profitable on average for these 111 fields for either a grain-only, dual-purpose, or wheat–soybean production. However, when yield or prices were above average, variable rate was profitable. Thus, variable rate liming can be profitable for these fields, but it requires either above average yields, a high value crop, or above average prices.

     

信阳茶园农药残留动态监测

为摸清信阳茶园常用药剂的残留情况,跟踪检测20%啶虫脒可溶性液剂、50%噻虫嗪水分散粒剂、25%噻嗪酮可湿性粉剂等10种农药施用后在不同时期新鲜茶叶内的农药残留参数。检测结果显示,25%噻嗪酮可湿性粉剂在药后2 h时检测出含量为7.320 mg/kg,与欧盟规定茶叶中最高农药残留限量要求的10 mg/kg较接近,但其消解速度较快,在第3天时已降至2.060 mg/kg。综合看,茶小绿叶蝉和茶尺蠖对10种药剂的抗药性水平较低,且茶叶药剂残留量均在欧盟规定茶叶中最高农药残留限量范围内。     

Actinomycin X2, an Antimicrobial Depsipeptide from Marine-Derived Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus Applied as a Good Natural Dye for Silk Fabric

Actinomycins as clinical medicine have been extensively studied, while few investigations were conducted to discover the feasibility of actinomycins as antimicrobial natural dye contributing to the medical value of the functional fabrics. This study was focused on the application of actinomycin X2 (Ac.X2), a peptide pigment cultured from marine-derived Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus, in the dyeing and finishing of silk fabric. The dyeing potential of Ac.X2 with silk vs. cotton fabrics was assessed. As a result, the silk fabric exhibited greater uptake and color fastness with Ac.X2. Through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, some changes of chemical property for the dyed fabric and Ac.X2 were studied. The silk fabric dyed with Ac.X2 exhibited good UV protection ability. The antibacterial properties of dyed and finished silk were also evaluated, which exhibited over 90% antibacterial activity even after 20 washing cycles. In addition, the brine shrimp assay was conducted to evaluate the general toxicity of the tested fabric, and the results indicated that the dyed silk fabrics had a good biological safety property.     

Calcium uptake and concentration in bell pepper plants as influenced by nitrogen form and stages of development

Calcium uptake by bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. ‘California Wonder') varied by stage of plant development and N form supplied (NO₃ ^‐NH₄ ⁺ ratios: 1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1) in a hydroponic study. Uptake of Ca⁺⁺ was highest at bloom and during fruit expansion, making the fruit development stage the highest demand period. Calcium uptake declined with each increasing increment of NH₄ ⁺ relative to NO₃ ^‐ supplied, although fruit yield was not significantly reduced until the ratio of NH₄ ⁺ to NO₃ ^‐ exceeded 50%. Tissue Ca⁺⁺ levels in the blossom‐end of the fruit were reduced whenever NH₄ ⁺ was included with N supplied. Vegetative yield of plants followed the same trend as that observed for total fruit dry weights. Our results indicate that pepper yields are higher when NO₃ ^‐ is the predominant form of N. Also, these results strongly suggest that Ca⁺⁺ fertilizer applications should precede the bloom period and continue during fruit development to ensure adequate Ca⁺⁺ availability for fruit development.     

Field study of the efficacy of three types of nose net for the treatment of headshaking in horses

Thirty-six owners of seasonally headshaking horses took part in a trial to compare the effectiveness of three types of nose net, a traditional cylindrical net (full net) and two forms of larger mesh nets which cover only the nostrils and dorsorostral muzzle (half nets). Baseline data relating to the overall severity of the problem and 18 specific behaviours describing the nature of the problem were recorded on a check sheet by the owners. A within-subjects repeated measures design experiment, with each net used for a week before reassessment, was then used to assess the effect of the nets on the headshaking problem. Approximately 75 per cent of owners reported some overall improvement with each net; around 60 per cent recorded a 50 per cent or greater improvement and 30 per cent a 70 per cent or greater improvement. The nets significantly reduced the overall headshaking score and the following specific behaviours: up-and-down headshaking, nose flipping, acting as if a bee had flown up the nose, shaking at exercise, shaking when excited, shaking in bright sunlight or in windy conditions (P < 0.0001), striking at the face, shaking at night, rubbing the nose when moving, rubbing the nose on objects, sneezing, shaking in the rain and shaking indoors (P < 0.05). There was no evidence of a significant effect on side-to-side headshaking, shaking at rest or rubbing the nose when stationary, but the effect on snorting was uncertain. There were few significant differences between the nets, but the half nets were reported to be significantly better at controlling 'bee up the nose' behaviour. Horses more than 10 years old were reportedly less likely to show a 50 per cent or greater improvement in 'nose flipping' and 'headshaking at exercise.