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3D printing is widely used method. In the term of developing of components for electronic devices, it is important to provide the good physical properties of the used dielectric. The main parameters are optional and stable value of the relative permittivity and the minimum dielectric losses of the material. The paper is focused on testing of loss factor and relative permittivity of following materials: polylactic acid (PLA, in two dye modifications), polyethylene terephthalateglycol (PET- G) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in the frequency range of 1-100 MHz. It was proven, that the values of permittivity of the tested materials were 2.9-4.2 and loss factor 0.8-4%. Concerning relative permittivity, the tendency to mild linear drop of relation was observed by increasing frequency, especially expressed in PLA materials. In loss factor, PLA materials displayed increasing values with increasing frequency, whereas the declining curve was observed in PET-G. Absolute value of ABS loss factor varied between 0.9-1.5%. The reasonable influence of added dyes was found out.

Brachycephalic dogs are prone to a conformation-related respiratory disorder known as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Due to its systemic consequences, BOAS should be considered a systemic disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and plateletcrit (PCT) in patients with various grades of BOAS and non-brachycephalic dogs. The latter served as a control group. We included 106 patients with BOAS and 41 non-brachycephalic dogs. According to the severity of the disease, BOAS patients were classified into grade 1 (17 dogs), grade 2 (42 dogs), and grade 3 (47 dogs). Thrombocytosis was found in 46% (46/106) of all BOAS patients. High platelet mass was found in 62% (66/106) of all BOAS patients. We found significantly (P < 0.05) higher PLT, MPV, and PCT in BOAS patients of all grades compared to non-brachycephalic dogs. Our results suggest that platelets may play an important role in BOAS. Our results suggest that platelets may play an important role in BOAS. However, further studies are needed to clarify the role of PLT and platelet indices in BOAS and their relationship with inflammation and hypercoagulability.

The effective use of high-quality and high-yielding germplasm resources is of great importance for the development of hulless barley varieties. Therefore, the search for such resources has long been a goal of the breeding community. In this study, a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis was performed on an F₂ (Nierumuzha × Kunlun 10) population. A high-density genetic map of hulless barley was constructed, which contained 1 475 efficient single-nucleotide polymorphism markers with 7 052 bin markers. The total length of the seven chromosomes was 1 139.4 cM, with an average marker distance of 0.59 cM. Based on this high-density linkage map, a total of 54 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to the seed traits were detected, including seed colour (SC), thousand kernel weight (TKW), seed average area (SAA), seed perimeter (SP), seed length (SL), seed width (SW), seed length/width (SLW), seed diameter (SD), and seed circular degree (SCD). These QTLs explained 3.32–35.73% (mean = 11.45%) of the phenotypic interpretation, including 24 main QTLs and 30 epistatic QTLs. A total of 24 candidate genes were identified within the QTL region, including one SC-associated transcription factor (ANT1), two TSW-related genes, a transcription factor (NAC021), a gene associated with the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway (ku70), three SAA-associated genes (LOL2, NAC021, TSK), two SL-associated genes (MADS21, MADS4), six SW-associated genes (FIP1, NAC021, DREB 1A, HVA22A, CYP78A6, SAUR71), five LW-related genes (NAM-B2, CRY1, LHY, CYP710A1, WRKY72), two SP-related genes (SKIP11, TCP18), two SD-related genes (NAC021, SKIP8), and three SCD-related genes (MYB1R1, RAX3, NAC100). These genes are involved in the regulation of the cell development, material transport, signal transduction, and plant morphogenesis and play an important role in the regulation of agronomic traits in hulless barley. The high-density genetic mapping and QTL identification of the seed traits in hulless barley provide a valuable genetic resource and the basis for further molecular marker-assisted selection and genomic studies.

The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) serves as an alternative source of protein in poultry production. However, there is little available information on feeding live black soldier fly larvae (LBSFL) to hens. The present study filled this gap by testing the effect of dietary LBSFL on laying hen performance, feed economy, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid composition. In total, one hundred forty-four 25-week-old Charoen Pokphand Brown laying hens were assigned to four groups. Experimental birds were provided a basal diet supplemented with 0.0 (T1), 10.0 (T2), 20.0 (T3), or 30.0 (T4) g/kg LBSFL. Our results indicated that no effects on body weight gain, egg yield, egg weight, or egg mass (P > 0.05) were observed in any of the dietary LBSFL groups. The addition of 10.0 g/kg LBSFL decreased feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and feed cost (P < 0.05), contrary to two higher doses of LBSFL. Similarly, the egg quality parameters were not influenced (P > 0.05) by the dietary LBSFL except for the egg yolk colour which significantly decreased with increasing LBSFL levels. Furthermore, the values for lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of the egg yolk were different (P < 0.05) between the four treatments. Paler egg yolk was found in the 20.0 and 30.0 g/kg LBSFL groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Significantly lower deposition of C18:3n6 was found for 30.0 g/kg, whereas there was a significant decrease in deposition of C22:6n3 with all LBSFL groups (P < 0.05). C20:3n6 levels, on the other hand, increased significantly in the 20.0 g/kg LBSFL group (P < 0.05). Thus, feeding LBSFL has no potential to increase the proportion of anti-inflammatory n-3 fatty acids. From an economic point of view, it is advantageous to feed the hens a dose of 10 g/kg LBSFL.

Globalisation and reduced trade barriers have created a competitive business environment, requiring agri-food firms to adopt a new innovative perspective. This research study examines a network-based business model of a new venture offering services to avocado farmers and its potential impact on customer performance. A theoretical framework of a network-based business model in the agri-food sector was developed and implemented in the production of avocados. The Israeli agri-food firm, Green Fingers, was selected as the case study to analyse the value drivers of the network-based business model. The proposed business model can serve as a benchmark in evaluating other business models and developing practical strategies in the agri-food sector. The model is flexible, adaptable in meeting the evolving needs of customers and farmers, and applicable to other sectors. The model's building blocks emphasise the importance of networking and diffusing knowledge among key stakeholders, adapting to changing environments, maintaining environmental sustainability, collaborating with policymakers, and supporting farmers. The extended business model canvas may enhance the currently limited research on network-based business models in the agri-food sector from theoretical and empirical perspectives.

Water and nutrient use efficiencies are important adaptive features of plants in arid and semi-arid environments. In this study, water, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) use efficiencies of Stipa purpurea Griesb., an endemic and dominant grass species, were investigated in the alpine steppe along precipitation gradients on the Tibetan Plateau. The leaf N content of S. purpurea increased along the precipitation gradient, but leaf P decreased, whereas carbon (C) remained unchanged. Leaf δ¹³C (water use efficiency, WUE) and C : N ratio (N use efficiency, NUE) decreased with increasing precipitation. But leaf C : P (P use efficiency, PUE) and N : P ratios increased with increasing precipitation. A trade-off was found between WUE and PUE but not between WUE and NUE. The changes in leaf traits were associated with changes in soil water, organic C, total N and P. These findings offer insights into understanding alpine plant water and nutrient use strategies along a precipitation gradient, as well as facilitate the prediction of alpine ecosystem responses to precipitation changes.

According to the literature, forwarding productivity depends chiefly on log concentration, the number of assortments, mean log volume, load-size, slope, and extraction distance. However, there is not much scientific knowledge available on forwarding in continuous cover forestry (CCF) in boreal forests, nor whether the presence of remaining trees actually affects forwarding productivity. Thus, the objective of our study was to isolate the effect of remaining trees (i.e. stand density) on forwarding productivity during CCF, specifically selection cutting. The results showed that productivity was explained mainly by the log concentration, while other factors had at most minor effects. Most importantly, stand density did not significantly affect forwarding productivity, ceteris paribus. Thus, we conclude that remaining trees do not affect forwarding productivity in boreal forests. Although the study results from this CCF operation must only be cautiously applied to even-aged forestry, our results raise a general question: do we need separate productivity models for thinning and clearcut operations in boreal forests if remaining trees (stand density) do not affect forwarding productivity? Because of the small dataset, we consider our paper to be a pilot study whose findings need to be verified by studies based on larger datasets including several operators and stands.

In some cases, it is difficult to promote climax tree species in the forest stand composition. In the Czech Republic, silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is a typical example. This study offers an evaluation of the use of two improving compounds for tree plantations in the initial stage of growth in Central Bohemia. In the experiment, we measured the initial growth performance of a young fir plantation treated with a brassinolide compound (concentration 1 : 100 and 1 : 200) and Bio-Algeen^® prior to planting and compared it with control treatment: we assessed height, root collar diameter, vitality and mortality rate during the period 2014–2019. Cumulative mortality rate of the plantation reached 25% at the end of the monitoring period, without any significant differences between variants. Height increment of the variant treated with Bio-Algeen^® was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the growth of brassinolide-treated variants, all treated variants were comparable with the control variant. The plantation underwent a drought-stress period in 2014 and 2015, which resulted in worsened vitality and colour across variants. As a result of the simple economic analysis, the most expensive inputs are planting stock and labour, therefore the price and application of additional substances should not affect decision-making.

Jejunal haemorrhage syndrome (JHS) is a sporadic and fatal enterotoxaemic disease in dairy cows associated with acute development and poor prognosis despite treatment. A 5-year-old Holstein cow with no reported pregnancy, three calving numbers, and 303 days in milk presented with hypothermia, discomfort, and inappetence. Anaemia, dehydration, faeces with blood clots, and absence of rumen and bowel movements were observed. We identified the presence of neutrophilia, hyperglycaemia, hypoproteinaemia, azotaemia, hyperlactatemia, hypocalcaemia, hypermagnesemia, hypokalaemia, and hypochloraemia through blood analyses. Necropsy and histopathologic examination revealed a dilated bluish-purple jejunum, blood clots within the jejunum, neutrophil infiltration into the submucosa of the jejunum, and vascular necrosis. Retrospective examination revealed extraordinary patterns of rumination time, activity, rumen mobility, and rumen temperature using biosensors and decreased milk yield. The abnormalities in the affected cow were detected before recognition by farm workers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to examine data from biosensors in a cow with JHS. Our findings suggest that using biometric data may help understand the development of JHS.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency significantly affects crop productivity, especially legume crops. Therefore, it is important to understand the P-acquisition strategies of different leguminous crops. In this study, we undertook a pot experiment with 11 legume crops (soybean, faba bean, pea, cowpea, common bean, lentil, adzuki bean, chickpea, grass pea, red kidney bean and common vetch) to investigate P-acquisition strategies related to root morphology, organic acid and acid phosphatase exudations, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonisation under low (4.4 mg/kg) and optimal (40 mg/kg) P conditions. The results revealed that P deficiency significantly decreased biomass and P accumulation, root length (10.5%), and root surface area (7.9%), increased organic acid exudation (80.2%) and acid phosphatase activity (16.8%), and did not affect root diameter or root AMF colonisation rate. Principal component analysis revealed a positive correlation between organic acid exudation and acid phosphatase activity, while root length and root surface area negatively correlated with organic acid exudation, acid phosphatase activity and root AMF colonisation rate. P accumulation positively correlated with root length, surface area, and diameter but negatively correlated with organic acid exudation, acid phosphatase activity, and AMF colonisation rate. These findings confirmed the following: (1) legume crops use a P-mobilisation strategy related to organic acid exudation and acid phosphatase activity to acquire P under low soil P conditions; (2) organic acid exudation coincided with acid phosphatase activity to mobilise soil inorganic and organic P, improving P accumulation; (3) a trade-off exists between the P-scavenging strategy related to root morphology traits and mobilisation strategy.

A precise measurement of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water storage (SWS) is necessary for crop management and understanding hydrological processes in agricultural catchments. In this study, we extracted the vegetative indices (VIs, including normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and enhanced vegetation index (EVI)) from satellite images of the Nučice catchment. We found a consistent seasonal pattern of VIs across the catchment with higher values and variation ranges during spring and summer and lower values and variation ranges during autumn and winter. Spatial variation of VIs also followed a seasonal trend, decreasing during crop growth and increasing after crop harvesting. Seasonal correlations were observed between monthly average ET and SWS with VIs throughout one crop season, which can be expressed mathematically as exponential functions. We propose that VIs can be used as a surrogate measure for ET and SWS in catchments with poor monitoring capabilities. Further studies are required to investigate the spatial distribution of ET and SWS throughout the watershed and their relationship with VIs. Furthermore, our research emphasises the importance of subsurface recharge in the water balance of the investigated fields. It suggests that subsurface flow may be influenced by potential gradients of the water table, driving its seasonal behaviour in response to bedrock morphology.

Symptomatic samples were taken from five districts in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces of Indonesia to survey the genetic diversity of Begomovirus, α and β satellites. A total of 14 samples were tested positive by PCR for tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), pepper yellow leaf curl Indonesia virus (PepYLCIV), mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV), and ageratum yellow vein China virus (AYVCNV) infections. Besides that, ageratum yellow vein alphasatellite (AYVA) was identified for the first time in Indonesia, and tomato leaf curl Java betasatellite (ToLCJaB) were detected for the first time in different hosts. Partial genome sequences of begomoviruses and complete sequences of the α and β satellites were recovered and registered in NCBI GenBank (OP846592-OP846615). Phylogenetic study showed that AYVA and ToLCJaB each had two separate lineages. Polymorphism and diversity analyses confirmed other reports that βC1 coding region of ToLCJaB genome is highly conserved. Comparison of phylogroups 1 and 2 of ToLCJaB produced a high FST value, indicated genetic isolation between them. This report could be a basis for future works on the less studied genetic variation of α and β satellites in Indonesia and other countries.

Hyperspectral imaging technology has emerged as a prominent research area for quantitatively estimating soil nutrient content owing to its non-destructive, rapid, and convenient features. Our work collected the data from soil samples using the hyperspectrometer. Then, the data were processed. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm reduced the original 148 bands to 13, which accounted for 8.8% of the total bands. These selected bands possess a certain level of interpretability. Based on the modelling results, it can be concluded that the prediction model constructed by the least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) exhibited the highest accuracy. The coefficient determination, root mean square error, and ratio performance deviation were 0.8295, 2.95, and 2.42, respectively. These findings can provide theoretical support for the application of hyperspectral technology in detecting the content of the AHN in soil. Moreover, they can also serve as a reference for the rapid detection of other soil components.

The vase life of cut lilies is short. Improving the vase life is very important to keep this kind of cut flower fresh by using exogenous improvers. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effectiveness of polyglutamic acid (PGA) on the vase life of cut lilies, in order to introduce a new vase life improver for cut lilies. The results demonstrated that PGA significantly strengthened the antioxidant capacity by enhancing the antioxidant activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase) and the antioxidant contents (total phenolics, total flavonoids, total anthocyanin and vitamin C), which further decreased the electrolyte leakage and the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents. Meanwhile, the PGA significantly maintained the water balance by decreasing the water saturation deficit and increasing the relative water content and the soluble sugar and proline contents, as well as the average fresh weight change rate and average water balance value of the cut flower. Besides, the PGA significantly decreased the wilted flower numbers and increased the open flower numbers, flower diameter and the vase life of lily cut flower. The above findings provided useful information for the potential application of PGA as a new vase life improver for cut lilies.

The relationship between the early ground cover and the grain yield in winter wheat is not yet fully understood. In a winter wheat breeding programme, selection for early ground cover is traditionally made using visual scoring. Although visual scoring is preferred as a phenotypic screening tool by wheat breeders, its output may not be reliable, as it requires experience. A smartphone camera-based digital image technique can be recommended as a feasible, reliable, repeatable, affordable, and fast selection tool for early ground cover in wheat as an alternative to visual scoring. For this purpose, two wheat trials were conducted in the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 seasons. In both seasons, 215 wheat genotypes in total, together with three checks from spring wheat, were tested under rain-fed conditions in the spring wheat zone in Turkey. All the tested wheat genotypes were grouped into spring, facultative, and winter growth habit using visual scoring. Simultaneously, photos were taken from each plot with a smartphone camera, and the early ground cover (%) was estimated using the smartphone camera-based digital image technique. The relationships between grain yield, visual scoring, and early ground cover could so be estimated. In both seasons, significant negative correlation between grain yield and visual scoring (r = -0.679** and r = -0.704**, respectively) and significant positive correlation between the grain yield and the early ground cover (r = 0.745** and r = 0.747**, respectively) were observed. The correlation between visual scoring and early ground cover were negative (r = -0.862** and r = -0.926**, respectively). The broad sense heritability estimates in both seasons were 0.51 and 0.85, respectively, for early ground cover, 0.91 and 0.94 for visual scoring, and 0.86 and 0.69 for grain yield. In this study, we revealed that testing winter wheat genotypes in the spring wheat zone rather than in the winter wheat zone could be a more effective way to unveil the positive relationship between the early ground cover and the grain yield. We have shown that the smartphone-based digital image technique is a useful selection tool for early ground cover in winter wheat.

Improved soil properties are commonly reported benefits of adding biochar to agriculture soils. To investigate the range of biochar's effects on soil chemical properties (e.g., soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total carbon (TC), and soil carbon-nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio)) in response to varied experimental conditions, a meta-analysis was conducted on previously published results. The results showed that the effect of biochar on soil chemical properties varied depending on management conditions, soil properties, biochar pyrolysis conditions, and biochar properties. The effect size (Hedges'd) of the biochar was greatest for SOC (0.50), the C:N ratio of soil (0.44), soil pH (0.39), TC (0.35), EC (0.21), and CEC (0.20). Among the various factors examined by aggregated boosted tree analysis, the effects of biochar on soil chemical properties were largely explained by the biochar application rate, initial soil pH, and soil sand content. In conclusion, our study suggests that improving soil chemical properties by adding biochar not only requires consideration of biochar application rates and chemical properties but also the local soil environmental factors, especially soil initial pH and sand content of the soil, should be considered.

The lower airways of turtles consist of the larynx, trachea and bronchi. Due to incomplete information about the anatomical structure of the lower respiratory tract in turtles, we decided to explore this topic more deeply. The material for this study included 95 turtle cadavers. Terrestrial tortoises were represented by 63 individuals from 8 species, aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles by 32 individuals from 11 species. The sex ratio was 54 females to 41 males. In addition to the anatomical autopsies and assessments of the macroscopic structures, numerous measurements were performed. The length, width and height of the larynx and trachea, and the length of the bronchi were measured. We found clinical significance in two parameters. The first one is the formation of the rima glottidis, which is significantly shorter and narrower in the aquatic turtles than in the terrestrial tortoises. It follows that for these species, we should use a smaller diameter of endotracheal cannula for intubation. The second parameter is a very short trachea in tortoises of the genus Testudo. The length of the trachea is only a few centimetres, which significantly increases the risk of intubation into one bronchus only.

This experiment aimed to study the effect of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf meal (BP) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal permeability, and caecal microbiota of growing rabbits. A total of 240 weaned Ira male rabbits were randomly divided into four groups with six replicates of 10 rabbits each. The BP was added at 0% (CON), 3.0% (BP3), 6.0% (BP6), and 9.0% (BP9). All diets were isoenergetic, isonitrogenous, and isofibrous. The feeding trial lasted for 28 days. The results showed that adding BP had no significant effect on the growth performance of rabbits. Compared with the CON group, groups BP6 and BP9 showed the reduced serum diamine oxidase content (P < 0.01). The jejunal secretory immunoglobulin A content in BP6 was higher than in the CON group (P < 0.01). The addition of BP had no significant effect on the jejunal antioxidant capacity. The BP9 increased the abundance of the caecal Firmicutes; BP3 and BP6 increased Bacteroidota; BP6 and BP9 increased Proteobacteria (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the BP can be used as a roughage source to reduce intestinal toxic markers, improve the intestinal immune function and the abundance of caecal microflora in growing rabbits.

A study was conducted at the University of Venda Experimental Farm, Limpopo province, South Africa to determine the effects of tillage and mulching on selected soil properties, and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 cropping seasons. Treatments consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) and three levels of avocado leaf mulch (0, 6 and 12 t/ha). Bulk density (BD), aggregate stability (AS), infiltration rate (IR), soil water content (SWC) and grain yield were determined. Tillage had no significant effect on BD in either season but influenced SWC and sunflower grain yield. CT recorded a significantly higher AS than MT during 2018/19 cropping season. Tillage × mulch interaction was significant during 2018/19 season with CT at 12 t/ha mulch recording higher AS than the MT. IR was significantly influenced by tillage × mulch interaction in both seasons with MT recording higher IR than the CT during 2018/19. Avocado mulch had no significant effect on sunflower grain yield in either season but influenced SWC in 2019/20 season. It was concluded that avocado mulch could be a relevant component of conservation agriculture but long-term studies are needed to validate the benefits observed in this study.

In this experiment, we investigated the effects of drought combined with exogenous silicon (Si) and potassium application on super sweet corn growth and development. Drought stress caused decreases in the stem diameter, leaf area, cob length, cob diameter, 100 seed weight, seed number, cob yield, biologic yield, and relative water content (RWC), but proline content and catalase activity were higher under drought stress conditions. The results of a two-year experiment showed that potassium sulfate application and foliar application significantly increased RWC in drought stress conditions, and the highest increase was related to treatment with potassium sulfate in an amount of 25 kg/ha. Under normal irrigation conditions, with 25 kg of potassium sulfate per ha and Si foliar application, the maximum cob diameter (5.85 cm) was observed. Si application did not significantly affect proline content under normal irrigation conditions but increased proline content under drought stress. The highest proline content (10.77 mmol/g fresh weight) was recorded in the Si application using 25 kg of potassium sulfate per ha under drought stress conditions. Also, applying potassium sulfate with silicone foliar spraying had no significant effect on biologic yield under normal irrigation conditions. However, under drought stress treatments, biologic yield increased by applying 15 and 25 kg/ha of potassium sulfate and Si foliar spraying. In summary, applying potassium sulfate and exogenous Si can enhance the antioxidant system of the plant, promote the RWC, thus improving biologic and cob yield, and enhance the drought resistance of super sweet corn.

This study analyses the perception of the relationship between forest certification and the production of ecosystem services by Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainable forest management (SFM) certification holders. In addition, the psychological constructs that govern the use of certification for ecosystem services are investigated. Specifically, online questionnaire surveys were submitted to a sample of Italian and German forest owners and managers to study reasons for and against and global motives to adopt certification for ecosystem services through the application of Behavioural Reasoning Theory (BRT). Results show that respondents believe that certification can better support ecosystem services related to 'regulation and maintenance' and the conservation of biodiversity. On the other hand, the application of BRT has only been partially useful in explaining the psychological factors towards the adoption of ecosystem services certifications. In any case, attitudes and reasons for certainly had a significant influence on the intention to adopt certifications. Apart from the scientific implications, these results have practical applications for policymakers who can focus on the dissemination of the certification of ecosystem services by trying to support through eco-policies, the attitudes and reasons for expressed by forest owners.

Bone cysts are rare orthopaedic problems in dogs. There are no clear treatment guidelines. A young male Shih Tzu was referred to Small Animal Clinic with fifth-degree lameness (5/5) of the left thoracic limb, and with swelling and deformation of the distal humeral region. The radiological assessment revealed an enlargement of the distal brachium and an extensive hypodense osteolytic lesion in the distal metaphyseal region of the humerus. Diagnosis of the bone cyst was formulated and treated with a mini-invasive method using autologous non-concentrated bone marrow injections. The treatment was successful, and at the three weeks, the cyst significantly changed its structure. The follow-up at 12 weeks after the first injection, and at one year revealed complete recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of a bone cyst in a young dog successfully treated with a minimally-invasive method by using a non-concentrated autologous bone marrow injection.

Due to the length of egg-laying period (> 80 days), two applications of insecticides against cabbage stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus Marsh.) are currently needed. However, resistance of pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus F.) to pyrethroids complicates the choice of suitable insecticide for the second application. The active ingredients cypermethrin, etofenprox, pymetrozine, indoxacarb and chlorpyrifos-ethyl applied as second spring applications to winter oilseed rape crops were assessed under field conditions from 2016 to 2018 to ascertain how they could reinforce the effects of the first spring application (beta-cyfluthrin) on cabbage stem weevil. Chlorpyrifos-ethyl and etofenprox strengthened the effects of the first spring spray on cabbage stem weevil markedly more than cypermethrin. Pymetrozine and indoxacarb, effective on resistant populations of pollen beetles, showed the lowest contribution to increase the effects. Indoxacarb showed a low effect on C. pallidactylus in laboratory tests too. The impacts of the bans on active ingredients chlorpyrifos-ethyl and pymetrozine are discussed.

Growth biostimulators activate some physiological processes that increase the efficiency of the usage of nourishing substances, stimulate the development of plants and allow reduced fertiliser consummation. Most biostimulators are capable of reacting against the effect of biotic and antibiotic stresses as they increase the crop production of the cultures and represent an opportunity of growing quality and healthy food. The article affects the results of the influence of RadiCifo L24 and Euroradix over the growth and development of grafted cuttings in vine rootings. The study was carried out through the dessert seedlees grapevine variety ‘Zornitsa’ grafted over the Berlandieri × Riparia (SO4) pad. Before rooting, paraffin is applied to 2/3 of the stratified grafted cutting’s length and is then immersed in a 2% solution of RadiCifo L24 (for 20 minutes) and Euroradix (for 5 minutes), after that the cuttings are rooted to 15-17 cm in depth (to the non-paraffined part). According to the biometrics rating (number of developed shoots, number of roots), the variant with the growth stimulator RadiCifo L24 seems to be a more effective method for the production of first-class vines of the ‘Zornitsa’ variety, thus it can be recommended for the production of vine planting material.

Sustainable intensification (SI) is a widely discussed concept that aims to increase agricultural production without harming the environment. This study assessed the process of SI that took place in the EU regions from 2004 to 2018 and the impact of structural and weather-related factors. In doing so, a single index based on DEA environmentally adjusted efficiency and kernel regression were applied to data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) Public Database and the Agri4Cast resource portal. The study found an overall positive trend of SI in the EU regions in which land and animal concentration had a significant impact on this process. Sun radiation, as the only significant weather variable, had a decreasing impact on efficiency due to potential droughts. The findings emphasise the need for political support for regions with a low degree of SI and for those particularly affected by climate change.

The most crucial individual tree variables in forest management are diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of trees (H). Projection of stand development over time relies on accurate height-diameter functions. The main aim of this paper is to define the best usable model for tree height prediction from diameter at breast height. We explore the place where the Macedonian pine was discovered in the Baba Mountain in the Pelister National Park in North Macedonia. Thus, we established 48 experimental plots (EP) with a circle shape, a radius of 12.62 m and an area of 500 m² each. The EP were established in pure Macedonian pine stands in an elevation gradient between 950 m a.s.l. and 1 700 m a.s.l. Every tree in the EP was attributed with data for diameter at breast height, tree height, and stand characteristics data (elevation, slope, aspect, coordinate) as well. For predicting the tree height, we used 40 models from many authors which are the most usable in forest practice. Also, we prepared evaluations and tests for all models, in order to choose the best responsive model for the Macedonian pine forest. For predicting the best tree height model for Macedonian pine, we decided on Mamoun's equation, with a high correlation value of 0.85 with 73% out of the observed data. Also, this model showed a lower root mean square error of 32.65, a lower model prediction accuracy of 6.77, and a lower mean absolute percent error of 11.73%. Finally, it can be concluded that the nonlinear connection between DBH and tree height is the most responsive regression model.

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is a common pathogen around the world that can cause disease with symptoms of diarrhoea. We collected all clinical DEC isolates from diarrhoea samples in three sentinel hospitals for active surveillance of foodborne diseases in Huzhou, China, between 2020 and 2022. The isolates were characterised according to demographic characteristics, time distribution, distribution of suspected culprit foods, antimicrobial results of susceptibility testing, analysis of virulence genes, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing. The positive detection rate was 7.28%, the highest for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) strains, followed by enterotoxic E. coli (ETEC) strains. The predominant virulence genes were astA/pic in EAEC (57.25%) and estIa/estIb in ETEC (17.94%) strains. The proportion of cases was relatively high in children aged 6 years old (15.27%), and the peak of incidence was between June and September. The rates of drug resistance in DEC were high in Huzhou, and the spectrum of drug resistance was wide. The highest rate of drug resistance was for AMP (63.51%), and multiple drug resistance was common. The household was the leading site of DEC infection, and meat and meat products were the main suspected culprit foods (18.15%). EAEC strains showed 52.4–100.00% sequence identity, and ETEC strains showed 52.2–100.00% sequence identity. All cases of DEC infection in Huzhou were sporadic between 2020 and 2022. Strengthening continuous surveillance will be useful in the risk assessment of foodborne diseases caused by DEC.

Biochar-based fertiliser (BF) is beneficial to improve yield and quality, but the effect of BF on open field tomato remains unclear, especially in karst mountainous areas. The objective of this study was to identify the application effect and optimum application rate of BF. A field experiment was carried out in Southwestern China from 2019 to 2020 to study the effects of different application amounts of BF on the yield, quality, nutrients accumulation and fertiliser utilisation of open field tomatoes. The results showed that compared with the traditional fertilisation practice, BF can significantly increase the yield of open field tomato by 5-9% (2019) and 12-23% (2020), and significantly reduce nitrate content and increase vitamin C content of fruits. Meanwhile, nutrient accumulations, agronomic efficiency, and recovery efficiency of BF treatments were all significantly improved. In conclusion, the BF rate of 2 326 kg/ha improves yield and fertiliser utilisation in open-field tomatoes and could be recommended for tomato production in karst mountainous areas.

In this study, the aim was to produce traditional couscous in gluten-free form. For this purpose, rice flour (RF) and pre-treated (gelatinized) rice flour (GRF) were added in varying proportions (15, 20, 25, and 30%) to the recipe instead of gums and enzymes in order to provide the desired structure. The control sample without GRF was also produced. With the addition of GRF, the total dietary fibre (TDF) content in the couscous samples increased, and reversely the carbohydrate and energy values decreased. The GRF reduced the level of total soluble organic material (TSOM) as well as the cooking loss of the couscous samples, which resulted in lower deformability. According to the results, the gluten-free rice couscous was successfully produced with GRF, especially at a 30% ratio. Good cooking properties were observed in these couscous samples. In this context, in the addition of 30% GRF, higher water absorption and swelling volume with lower cooking loss were observed compared with the control sample. In addition, the couscous samples had higher ash, dietary fibre and fat content as well as a lower phytic acid ratio (P < 0.05). It was determined that there was significant correlation between the cooking time of the samples with the cooking loss and total soluble organic material. According to the results, the PCA showed that there were clear correlations between cooking trials (water absorption and swelling volume) and chemical composition (moisture, ash, crude fat, and TDF).

Juglans pyriformis Liebm. (Juglandaceae) is a threatened and endemic tree that grows in the cloud forest of Mexico. Natural populations of this species have been reduced due to, among others, changes in land use, overexploitation, and logging, with probable effects on its genetic diversity and structure. To determine the levels of variation and genetic structure of two populations with different silvicultural regimes, six inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers were used to amplify DNA from 35 individuals from a high-logging population and 32 from a low-logging population. The results show a higher polymorphism in the low-logging population (81.5%) compared to the high-logging population (77.4%). The genetic differentiation coefficient (PhiPT) values (0.109), genetic distance (0.134) and STRUCTURE analysis (Fst = 0.2271, P = 0.04) show significant genetic differentiation between populations. Rare, private, and monomorphic bands were detected in both populations. These results confirm the trend of reduced genetic variation due to logging.